Chapter 22: Revelations

"As I cry out loud...
Got my feet on the ground.
Your hand's found me.
Saw my blood on the ground
And it changed my life
So many parts that I have to play.
A tangle with life set me up that way,
Now I know,
These are the words that I have to say." - I'm Alive(Seal - Seal)

A number of hours had passed. And it was now time to return home. The Jedi Knight followed behind Ja Kohnwei as they headed back to the Security compound to retrieve the last two passengers. Not even bothering with the front desk, they hurried into the holding block. As they entered, Ja paused. "He hasn't moved at all since I left him." He muttered under his breath and then glanced at his companion. Her exotic eyes conveyed the concern that she felt but her face remained neutral. Ja went up to the guards and told them to call Lanthr.

The Jedi walked up to her crèchemate. Stealing a glance into the cell her heart skipped a beat. "Qui," she said as she placed a hand on his broad shoulder, "the ship is ready to leave, love."

Closing his eyes he heaved a small sigh of relief. He hoped this nightmare would be over soon and he would finally have his apprentice. However, the dark whispers kept insisting that the worst was not over yet. In fact, this was only just the beginning. Turning to his beloved companion, he was dying to ask, "Has Adi…..?"

"No," she smiled. "Ja was able to relay your message before she was able to contact the Council. Fortunately, she was already considering having you present." He nodded then refocused his concern back toward the cell. Tahl knew him better than anyone else in the Order and she knew how much the man was suffering. For him to keep this vigil, he was punishing himself far more than anyone else could possibly have done. Oh, she knew that Obi-Wan had suffered far worse of course, and even though she cared for all living creatures, she loved Qui-Gon with all her heart. And to see him like this was heart wrenching.

By forcing himself to stand there and bear witness to the torment Obi-Wan was going through, he was paying, in some small way, for the mistake he made five years prior. Truth can hurt. And this was agony. He could not alleviate the guilt that he was a large reason that Obi-Wan had been cast away. And thus part of the cause that reduced the boy to his criminal existence and tortured past. As he stood watching the young man sleep, he could not help but wonder as to what the boy may have suffered in his absence. The Force sent a wave of something through him that made him shudder at the thought.

Tahl's hand slowly slid down his arm and slipped through to lock arms. Moving in close, she rested her head onto his shoulder as she took up watch next to him, offering silent reassurance. Ja meanwhile had convinced the guards to let him enter once more while they waited. Once the energy door was down, he hurried inside to check the Bacta strips he placed earlier. Obi-Wan had curled up on his side to fend off the nightmares that plagued him. Ja laid a hand on his shoulder to alert the rogue to his presence. "Son, it's time to wake up."

Not bothering to open his eyes, he mumbled, "I'm already awake." His voice was still a bit rough, more from disuse than anything else at the moment. He rested only for a while until the horrors that sleep brought became too much for him to bear. At last, he refused rest. Unfortunately, reality wasn't much better. Obi-Wan had grown accustomed to feeling empty. Void of the soothing presence of the Force. In addition to the fact he no longer could touch the encompassing power, he could feel the Knight's gaze on his back. He just couldn't bring himself to face the man right now. So he had kept the illusion of sleep.

But Qui-Gon was not a Jedi Knight for nothing. Even more so, he was one of the few Jedi who were infused generously with the Living Force. The farce could not fool Qui-Gon's innate abilities and he knew the prisoner lay waiting, doing his best to fend off the flood of memories that bombarded him. It was another aspect of the Knight's punishment that he willingly endured.

On the other hand, Ja did not concern himself with the reasons of the deception because he knew it was not in his expertise to do so. Instead, he concentrated on what he could handle. "I want to check those strips before we go. I might need to change them."

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to regard the Healer for a moment. He gave a quick nod, then consented by rolling on to his back. Despite the awkward position, Ja gently unbuttoned his shirt. Obi-Wan shifted a little as the healer probed the wound. "Please, just try to relax. I don't want to hurt you needlessly." He smiled to reaffirm his words. Again, the rogue submitted to his care and allowed the man to carry out his task. When Ja removed the first strip, he winced. The blaster burn looked no better. And the bruising along his ribs seemed to have darkened. "You need to get to a clinic. I can't be sure from here if there is any internal bleeding. This blaster wound should heal with a few more applications of Bacta, but you should probably be submerged to take care of the internal injuries. That extra beating you took could not have helped." Ja worked as he talked, doing his best to keep the patient's mind from worrying. This time, however, it didn't help much.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if…" Obi-Wan began but trailed off.

Kohnwei caught on to what the rogue was implying. "Well, hopefully that thing will be off once we get back to Coruscant. Then you can use the Force again to help you heal. It shouldn't be too much longer. We're about 3 hours away via lightspeed. And we'll be leaving in a quarter hour."

"Thanks, but I doubt it will happen."

"I don't know, you're friends back there seem like they could be pretty persuasive. It might come off." Ja was doing his best to give the youth some shred of hope. He had seen the haunted look in the sea-washed eyes and it saddened him greatly. But his light comments did not have the effect he was looking for.

"No," he countered, accepting the reality of it, "that Official was right. I'm a criminal and this is procedure. Who knows when I'll be free of it again."

"Soon, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon called through the forcefield. "I will not permit that abomination to stay on for longer than is necessary." Obi-Wan merely looked over at him for some seconds, but doubt still thrived. All conversation abruptly stopped as Er'k Lanthr walked in.

"So you're leaving then?" He asked.

Tahl released Qui-Gon and confronted the man. "Yes, we have acquired passage on another passenger vessel headed for Coruscant. We would appreciate it if you released Obi-Wan Kenobi to our custody, along with the control unit for his collar. Here is the manifest and information regarding our transport." She handed him a small datapad that she had been holding. He reviewed the contents carefully before returning it to her.

"The transport seems adequate enough. My men will accompany you on board to see that the prisoner is secured. Then I will hand over the control to the Norelwind's Security chief. I wouldn't want any mishaps during transfer."

Ja finished and helped Obi-Wan to his feet, who swayed as he stood. Keeping his hands up to hold the rogue steady, he waited until Obi-Wan nodded that he was ok before letting go. His mind marveled at how aggravating military and security types could be. Looking the youth over once more and the grimace on his face, he wondered if the boy would be able to make it to the ship on his own let alone attempt escape. Annoyance evident on his face, he remarked as he stepped up to the door. "You don't think the Jedi could handle him?"

"I didn't say that. I'm sure they are quite capable." Lanthr looked from the Medic to the Jedi then back again. "However, I feel that it would be best to follow proper procedures at this time. Be glad that none of my men are accompanying you on the journey. If the Jedi weren't here, it would be necessary to have one go along to hand him off to the CSF."

"We are grateful for your assistance, Official Lanthr. Now, if you please, we would not want to keep the Norelwind waiting." Qui-Gon easily took over, his formality making the room feel suddenly uncomfortable. Determining that this argument was only delaying the moment when the collar would be removed, he decided to press on. Lanthr nodded at his men, who disengaged the energyfield. Ja walked out glaring at the man, while Obi-Wan timidly followed.

A small part of him was in awe. Now that he was on the path of destruction, so many seemed to be against his fate. What had changed their minds so? He wondered. Why couldn't they just accept it like he had? Why did they have to make this more painful than it already was? And it was painful. If he was unworthy of such attention when he was young and innocent and desperately trying to prove himself, what made him better now than he was then? Now that he was a criminal with death on his hands and defying the code there was only one recourse. Imprisonment, possibly death hung over him. And if that wasn't enough, the possibility of being stripped permanently of the Force was even more frightening.

Resigned to his position, he concentrated more on getting from one place to another than worrying about the future. The Bacta strips had done enough to alleviate most of the pain, but his body was still considerably stiff and sore. Still, he moved gingerly to avoid disturbing his wounded side. His face had become a perfect mask. No feeling could be seen other than acceptance. Even though he could no longer access the Force, he did his best to reinforce the shields within. As he stood between his guards, he stretched out his hands and fingers to promote circulation.

Soon the entire group was heading back out into the Port. It didn't take them very long to arrive at the platform on which the Norelwind was waiting. Outside the craft, Adi Gallia and two other gentlemen waited for them. One of the Zabrakians stepped forward to greet them. "Welcome to the Norelwind, I am Captain Shih'Rashid. Please feel free to contact me should you require anything. This is the head of my security, Tokad Gerum."

Lanthr stepped forward to great his equal, "Tokad Gerum, I am relinquishing custody of this criminal to you. Here are the access keys to his bindings. Be sure that he is turned into my counterpart on Coruscant. I have scheduled to have Official Fama Martorana of the CSF waiting to meet you."

"Thank you Official." Gerum accepted the keys and motioned for them to go inside.

In a matter of minutes, Obi-Wan had been deposited in a small brig, Lanthr and his people had left, and the ship was going through it's final steps to take off. Ja excused himself to his cabin. The Jedi remained in the brig with Tokad Gerum. Qui-Gon regarded the Security chief, "Tokad, I doubt that it would be possible for you to remove the Force Suppression collar, but I would ask that you remove his binds. He has been shackled as such for the better part of five hours. And I am sure you can imagine the discomfort he is in."

Gerum regarded the youth who stood silently. The rogue looked exhausted but was unsuccessfully trying to cover that up. He wondered why he had been warmed that the young human could be extremely dangerous. Not taking any chances, considering the possibility of letting his guard down and finding out why, he said, "He will be unbound on the stipulation that a Jedi always be present. I have few men and would prefer to let you handle the prisoner."

Qui-Gon nodded his acceptance, "That would be satisfactory as I will remain with him during our journey."

Before Gerum could carry out the request, Adi interjected, "Qui-Gon, I believe you are forgetting that we have a report to deliver. Hopefully, it will not take up too much of your time, but it must be done." Forlorn, he glanced over at the rogue sympathetically. He didn't want to leave him like this.

"I'll stay with him until you get back." Tahl announced. "You can make the report and Obi-Wan will be released of his binds."

"Thank you," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. A grateful smile crossing his somber features. It was the first she had seen in what seemed like ages and it made her happy to know she caused it.

"Now, go." She shooed him away after the Councilor. He looked at Obi-Wan once more before leaving. He hated to go but he knew he had to. He was comforted by the fact that Tahl was there with him. As soon as they left, she turned back to Gerum. "Now if you would be so kind," she motioned toward Obi-Wan.

Gerum stepped behind the youth and fussed with the binders. "Please don't make me regret this."

"You won't," he answered. The instant they fell away, he felt infinitely better. Shaking his arms out, he soon began messaging his wrists. "Thank you."

Placing him in one of the two tiny cells, he turned to Tahl. "I have a few duties I must attend to." Pulling something from his pocket, he spoke lowly, "Here's a direct commlink to me and my men. All you have to do is tap the button three times and it will activate an alarm. We'll be here within minutes."

"You need not worry, Tokad." She reassured. Nodding, he left. Now that they were alone, Obi-Wan and Tahl simply stared at each other for some minutes before the youth finally spoke.

"Thank you, Master Tahl, for staying with me."

"It was no trouble. We should arrive on Coruscant shortly, then we can get that collar off."

"Don't delude yourself, Master. I'm not." His stance shifted. One hand came up to clasp his other arm above the elbow. His gaze dropped down and to the side, hiding the emotions roiling within. The perfect image of dejection.

Sorrow filled her. There was a quality about him that was endearing and she wondered how the Jedi managed to let him slip through their fingers. Gently, she suggested, "You know, it is possible." Her breath caught in her throat as he turned questioning eyes to her, barley visible through the ginger strands.

Staring at her, he thought for a long moment about her words, and not just the ones spoken here. Stepping closer to the invisible wall that separated them, asked, "Do you truly believe it's possible? I mean, what you said back in my room. Do you actually believe there's hope for me?"

She quickly understood his inquiry. "Obi-Wan, no matter the species, no matter the cultures we follow, no matter what the differences may be, we all have one thing in common. We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. And sometimes we pay dearly for the mistakes we or others make. I believe with all my being that as long as you sincerely want it, there is always forgiveness. And with forgiveness new paths can be forged, old wounds healed, burned bridges rebuilt. There is always hope. But it can only come if you want it to. So, in truth, it is really up to you. What is it that you want?"

"I want to believe there's hope. Not just for me, but my family as well. But I'm afraid," he admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor again.

Curious, she prodded, "Afraid of what?"

Swallowing, he looked back up into her green and gold eyes. "Of so many things Master. Of letting everyone down again. Of finding out how worthless I really am. Afraid that no matter how hard I try, it will never be enough. I'm afraid of coming face to face with my past. I know that my death must have been hard for some to bear, and I'm afraid to find out what they think once discovering that I'm still alive. I'm afraid that my crimes will be enough to condemn me before I get the chance to worry about my other fears. But most of all, I'm afraid that I'll never get this collar off and I'll have to fend off my nightmares by myself. That I'll never be free of Drrov." As he spoke, his cultured tones became rougher with emotion. The oppressing melancholy poured from the cell, and fear.

She regarded him thoughtfully wishing that the energyfield between them wasn't there. She believed that physical comfort could sometimes be more effective than words. But without that element, she had to rely on them instead. "I cannot promise you that everything will be ok. And I think you already know that. I can only tell you not to give up yet. Qui-Gon can be a very stubborn man," she smiled briefly despite herself, "and he's determined to see that you at least get a chance. But if it's any consolation, I have already forgiven you and I look forward to the times where we can forge new paths together."

"You are too generous, Master." Unable to meet her gaze, he hugged himself tightly. "You have no idea what I've done. The crimes that I have committed."

"I may not know them all, Obi-Wan, but that doesn't have to stop me. Remember what I said, mortal perfection is nonexistent but for those who want it, forgiveness can always be found."

"Thank you." But the voice within him mocked, That will change once they all know what you've done. Then your friends will hate you just as much as you hate yourself. Vainly closing his eyes to banish the voice, he turned away from the Jedi. Once he felt that he was in control once more, he eased himself onto the thin cot along the back wall. They waited in silence for Qui-Gon to return.

*

As they hurried through the halls, Adi spoke, "Captain Shih'Rashid has granted us the use of his meeting room. We will be able to speak privately with the Council there."

Qui-Gon walked beside the councilor, his diplomatic instincts still in command, "Thank you, Master for allowing me to accompany you."

"I am not completely naïve, Qui. I do understand what this means to you as well as the others. And I know that this news would be best heard coming from you than me." They arrived at the conference room and went inside. Adi stopped and looked pointedly at the man, "You are not the only one who will be effected by this. Most of us on the Council recognized the change in Master Yoda after we heard the news." With that she turned on the comm unit and contacted the Temple.

In a matter of minutes holoimages of Masters Mace Windu and Yoda appeared. Bowing slightly, Adi addressed them, "Greetings, Masters."

"Glad we are to hear from you, Adi. Beginning to worry we were when report from Kashyyyk you did not."

"Understandably so, Master Yoda. And if circumstances were different it is possible you would not be hearing from us now." She watched as the two images exchanged concerned glances.

"What's happened?" Mace drove straight to the point.

"Our ship was attacked by Togorian Pirates, as we feared. Although that is not the reason I say you may not have heard from us at all." Before they could ask, she continued, "There was a device found on the Zenah after we crashed, a device with deadly purposes. Masters, Our ship was never meant to make it to Kashyyyk."

A sudden murmur buzzed through the line. Mace's voice cut through and silenced the others, "Sabotage? And what happened to prevent it from doing its task?"

"The Pirate attack," she stated simply. "One of their blaster hits must have damaged the circuitry of the device. However, it was still able to cause an explosion which disabled the ship and forced us down. We will need to investigate the wreckage and the device thoroughly if we are ever going to find out who planted it. Engineer Nev Obser of the Zenah initially discovered the device and requests to be part of the investigation. I suggest we also have one of our Engineers work with them. Currently, we are heading back to Coruscant right now."

Mulling over this information brought many questions. Each would have to be answered in time. However, they needed to verify a concern that had yet to be addressed. "The children are unharmed, I presume?"

Confirming his assumption with a nod, she said, "Only minor bumps and scratches. Most of which have already been healed."

"Something else there is, I sense." Yoda inquired. Qui-Gon's image did not go unnoticed by the diminutive Master. He gathered something about all this had impassioned the Knight enough to be included in the report.

"Yes, Masters." Adi looked back at Qui-Gon who immediately stepped forward.

"Something to add have you, Qui-Gon?"

"Yes, Master Yoda," he said, bowing slightly as way of greeting. "We have made an important discovery. As you know there had been a rumor of a human among the Togorian Pirates and we can now verify its validity."

"You know the human that has been aiding them?"

"Yes, Mace. To be honest, we all know him."

Once again the hushed murmur erupted but quieted them with a hand. "And who is it? One of ours?"

"Once, almost five years ago he walked our halls. Unchosen, he was sent to use his talents in the Agricorp but never arrived at his destination. He was reported dead and was mourned by many. But I am here to inform you that Obi-Wan Kenobi is alive." The shock was even palpable through the transmission. Qui-Gon waited patiently for the news to settle in before continuing, "And at this time, I would also like to formally request that Obi-Wan be brought before the Council to determine eligibility to be reinstated." If they weren't shocked before, they were floored now.

Steepling his hands in front of him, Mace remained stoic, "Qui-Gon, I understand that you have been waiting for this opportunity, no matter how unlikely it was, but this is unbelievable. Can you be so sure that this really is Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"There is no question. He has admitted it. And both Padawan Bant Eerin and I have confirmed it. Evidence of his training and certain personal affects have been revealed."

Adi Gallia rejoined the conversation with her information, "We have also confiscated a training saber that was under his coat when we initially apprehended him."

Leaning forward in his seat, Mace looked at the man, "Qui-Gon, I don't know how to put this lightly, but do not assume we are going to welcome him back with open arms. If what you say is true, he will have to be judged, but it could be for reasons that would not please you. Was his position within the Pirate group that of a prisoner? Forced into working with them or was he simply assisting them in their crimes? These questions amongst others will have to be reviewed carefully before the question of whether or not he will be reinstated can even be considered."

"Masters," Adi interjected, "Obi-Wan was found assisting with the raid, apparently willingly. In addition, he is being held and will be turned over to the Coruscant Security Force to be tried for the alleged murder of Kiiv Griven during the raid on the vessel Koska. Undoubtedly, other charges will also be brought against him."

Glaring harshly at the Knight, the dark councilor demanded, "Is this true?"

"Yes, Masters. Obi-Wan has admitted to the crime stating it was an accident. But you must also understand that if it was not for him, we would not be here talking to you. After the explosion, he flew us down and crash-landed the ship without any fatalities. He also used his influence on the Pirates to transport us to Onderon where we could get further transport back to Coruscant. He has willingly surrendered himself for prosecution. Do not assume that he has turned to the dark. We must grant him the opportunity to fulfil his destiny."

"Master Jinn," a stern voice interrupted from a Councilor not holoimaged, "Do you think that your judgement in this matter is superior to the Council's?" But Qui-Gon recognized the voice of Even Piell.

"How can you be certain his path still lies among the Jedi?" Ki-Adi-Mundi also inquired from the edges of the transmission. "Perhaps his destiny is on the course it was meant to be."

"You believe that Obi-Wan was meant to suffer these injustices?" Qui-gon's tone reflected his displeasure at such a thought. "That the agony and torment he has endured should be overlooked?"

"Master Jinn, you should know better than to allow your anger to overpower you. And what makes you believe the boy has suffered at all?" Master Piell would not permit Qui-Gon's indiscretion to go unnoticed.

Adi felt compelled to add, "There is evidence of maltreatment."

Her indifferent tone almost sent the Knight into a frenzy, "Maltreatment? By all indications it was nothing less than torture. Apparently, it was so traumatic that none of them will even talk about it in detail. I was only able to get vague impressions of the horrors the boy was put through. And even those were enough to make my stomach churn."

"Perhaps it is possible that Obi-Wan was coerced into assisting these Pirates." Quermian Master Yarael Poof joined the discussion.

"It has been documented that after being subjected to pain that a person becomes more susceptible to outside influence." Ki-Adi-Mundi pointed out.

Poof continued, "In the earlier reports made regarding the Pirates there were many cases of despicable violence. If the boy was taken prisoner and tortured, eventually he may have been forced into aiding them. Consideration should be permitted under extenuating circumstances."

Noting the sway in conversation, Qui-Gon added, "Obi-Wan was taken prisoner and tortured for some time. But was finally freed when the original Pirate Captain was killed. He has since been attempting to alter their methods to reduce violence. He has also confided that his ultimate goal was to stop the raids altogether."

"The decline in forcible tactics and deaths have also been recorded, particularly over the past five years. Obi-Wan may have utilized his training to effect these changes."

Even Piell challenged, "But we cannot overlook the fact that he has been using his abilities to commit crimes. We cannot dismiss the chance he may have fallen under darker influences."

"Under the circumstances, his anger is viable." Qui-Gon said. Standing his ground on this point, he stated, "However, I can sense no evil in him."

"Clouds the mind the darkside does." Master Yoda spoke for the first time since this subject had been introduced. He had been lost in thought most of the debate. Stretching out with his senses, he closed his eyes. After another moment, he added, "Hard to determine if turned he has. Too many emotions overwhelming his mind."

Qui-Gon was stunned into silence. He never anticipated that Yoda would even entertain such a thought as Obi-Wan turning. Coming out of his stupor he could not stop himself from asking, "Master Yoda, you for one, I thought would understand my request. You have always spoken of the boy's potential and purity. How can you ever believe he has turned? You believed so strongly that he would be a great Jedi Knight."

"That was prior to his joining a band of Pirates." The one-eyed Lannik kept up his pretense.

"Turned I said not." Yoda immediately countered. "Precarious the situation is. Veiled Obi-Wan's future has become. Suggest I do to wait until before the Council he can be brought."

Qui-Gon took an imposing step forward, demanding, "Obi-Wan Kenobi must be a Jedi."

"Master Jinn," Mace's formality cut him deeply, as well as the harshness of his tone, "you are overstepping your bounds. This discussion will be suspended until we have had the chance to review all the information. And until the Republic trial has concluded. When that has happened we will debate this subject again. What I need from you, all of you is as much detail as you can provide. We will have a team waiting for you when you land on Coruscant."

Adi's hand shot up to silence the protest that was about to be voiced. "We shall be arriving in approximately 2 and one half hours."

Nodding, Mace said, "May the Force be with you." The transmission ended.

"Qui-Gon there will be a time to speak your concerns, but not now." With that she turned and left. Anger surging through him, he quickly tried to release it to the Force. It would not be good to go back to Obi-Wan infuriated. Once he felt enough had escaped him, he headed back to the brig to await their arrival.

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Reviews!!!!!! I love reviews!!!!!!! They are the best thing I have ever received. So if you had even the slightest reaction to this, please let me know! :D

K-Rock – I hope you were able to catch it now that I'm late. :8} Honestly, I didn't think I would get a chap up even now. If you asked me thurs of last week I would have laughed myself silly. Because I hadn't written a word. But then my muse struck and here's a post. :D And thanks for putting me back together. I don't know if I would have been able to type if you didn't reattach my fingers. ;) I'll do my best to stay together from here on out. Well, I'm still waiting for that RH chap. I'm dying here. :p Oh yeah, I guess both of us need patience meditations. ;P

Nat – Thank you very much. I like having multi-layered characters. Although, it can be exhausting sometimes keeping them up. But I won't go back on what I already have. Each character in my stories usually ends up getting a whole history when I think up their name. And all these factors contribute to their personality. It would kind of defeat the purpose of putting so much into each char and not get the most out of them. My only bum is that when I want to get a story rolling, I can't seem to hurry along because I'm developing my chars. *sigh* OH well. Thanks again!! I really appreciate it. :D

Leyna – Thanks!! :D And thanks for the fav author too. ;)

Fudge – Thanks. And you guessed it. I'll be getting into that in a few more chaps. Possibly next chap even. We'll see what the muse has to say about that though. ;)

YLJedi – Thanks. And I'm glad you liked the flashback. I really wanted the words to trigger it. Sometimes, choosing the right word can make an entire situation different. And sometimes words can supersede actions. Whereas other times, actions can speak louder than words. It's matter of picking the moment when one overpowers the other. ;)

Phoenix Flight – Thanks. I'm glad you do. :D

Death Rider – Hey, you. :D Come on, this Force collar is nothing compared to Arbor's Collar in Catch me. Now that's something I would want. Not just to increase the pain but the pleasure as well. ]:) Um, I think that might have been TMI. :8} I think I'll just shut up now. ;)