Chapter 7: The Touch of Darkness
Hundreds of eyes turned quickly, settling on the falling forms. Obi-Wan was moving even before he touched the ground. He reached to his side, reaching for his lightsaber. He scowled in frustration when he remembered that Xanatos had taken it.
Without warning the children in the room stood simultaneously, reaching into their cloaks. Within seconds each had an activated lightsaber in their hands as they slowly advanced on the two.
Obi-Wan watched in disbelief. It was impossible, each student had been taught in the dark side of the force. The darkness surged around him, as if threatening to choke him. He came to his senses a few seconds later.
Grabbing Reena by the arm he raced for the door. But their path was blocked by several students. He skidded to a halt, Reena bumped into him from behind. Slowly the two backed up.
Obi-Wan watched from the corner of his eyes as several students advanced in from behind. He had to think of something, and quick.
*********
Most of the store was empty, just as Layla and Andra had told him. Qui-Gon searched with soft eyes for any visible clues, but a complete search came up with nothing.
"What's that?" Qui-Gon asked, indicating bottles on a small table.
"Porforcine," Layla replied. "It's used as a flavor for food, and sometimes drinks. Most use it to tame foods that are real spicy or hot. It's not used in drinks very often. It has a natural fizzing reaction, makes a real mess sometimes."
Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully, moving toward the back of the store.
He could hear Andra and Layla talking softly near the front. His eyes landed on a small map that hung on the wall. He recognized it immediately as the underground pool systems. He studied over for a moment before turning his attention back to his search.
Almost as soon as he had turned away, he turned back. Something had caught his eye. Studying the chart he could see the underground rivers that connected the pools together. Andra had told both he and Obi-Wan that before so it was no surprise, but on the chart, the rivers did not reach every pool. In fact four of the pools showed on signs that they were connected.
"I thought all the pools were connected together," he remarked as Andra came up besides him.
Andra shook her head. "No most of them are, except these four," she said, fingering the four separate pools that had caught his eye.
Qui-Gon's mind set to work quickly. Unanswered questions came up again. He might just have an answer for a few of them.
Andra noticed the sudden change in him. "Qui-Gon?" she asked hesitantly. "What is it?"
"I think I may have an answer," he said softly. "Come, follow me," he said, turning on his heel, "And bring some porforcine, there is an experiment I would like to try."
*********
Obi-Wan kept his eyes closed, finding it easier to deal with the pain if he didn't have to try and focus to see the room around him.
He lay on the floor in the same spot the guards had thrown him, in a small cell. By the foul stench in the room he doubted that it contained a window. He had been taken to one of the cell buried deep underground, and locked inside. He had not even heard the taunts the guards threw at him as they drug his limp form down the long hallway.
His breaths now came in short painful gasps every now and then, as though he had forgotten how to breath. Silence hung in the air, but his mind screamed as pain lanced through, tearing at his already hurting body. He groaned as he shifted painfully onto his side.
Opening his eyes he stared dully at the ceiling, willing his eyes to focus. But his reactions were slow, and it worried him that it seemed to take all his effort in order to accomplish even the smallest feat.
In the darkness, despite his pain, his thoughts left him.
--- The fountains gurgled in the morning air, casting a ray of peace through everyone that walked in the early morning. The dinning hall was almost empty, except for a few souls that had awoken early in the new day. Obi-Wan stopped by for a moment to greet Adina, one of the cooks. As always she had a warm muffin waiting for him.
"Off to another mission are we?" she asked, her golden hair seemed to be laughing as it settled around her small face. She had always been small, Obi-Wan remembered. Even when he grew, Adina had not, and he had passed her with ease. He pulled her into a warm embrace. Adina had been one of the few elders that had been patient with him when he was young. Now he was 13, an eager boy who was now an apprentice.
"You've gotten to big Obi," she said, teasing him with the nick name she had given him long ago.
He gave a small smile. At that moment Qui-Gon had passed by,
"Come Padawan. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Obi-Wan had waved off a small thanks, before running to catch up with his departing Master.---
Pain lanced through him, disturbing his peaceful thoughts. But only for a moment, for he quickly fell back into them.
--- A wave of water caught him in the face, and he sputtered, coughing. It had not helped that he had been laughing when that happened.
"Who's laughing now?" Bant taunted as she retreated out further into the lake.
Obi-Wan glared daggers at her, but this actions only caused her to laugh.
"Oh, you just wait," Obi-Wan threatened as he tried to unsuccessfully dry his face with a wet sleeve.
"Now, Obi-Wan, making threats is no way of acting like a Jedi," Garen said laughing.
"I'm not a Jedi yet," he said through clenched teeth, but a smile played on his lips.
They had been younger than, but not too much younger than they were now. Obi-Wan had just recently turned the age of 8. The two of them sat on the bank near the lake. Garen had laid down on his back, staring at the sky above. Several years ago they had betted on whether or not the sky above was real, or if it was just an illumination. It was a bet he had lost.
The three spent most of their free time together, and sometimes Reeft would join them if he could tear himself away from the dinning hall long enough. Obi-Wan smiled. Reeft seemed to always have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Even though he too was usually ravenous, he almost always shared his meals with Reeft after he had sat there staring at his empty plate with a mournful look.
"What's the matter?" Bant continued her taunt now that she was safely out of the reach of her friends, "Are you guys scared?"
"Now wait a minute!" Garen said suddenly, sitting up. "I'm not scared of anything."
"Neither am I," Obi-Wan agreed.
"Then what are you going to do about it," Bant taunted.
Garen grabbed Obi-Wan's arm, pulling him close so he could whisper his plan. Obi-Wan smiled devilishly as he finished. Nodding he followed Garen into the water, the warmth welcoming the two. Swiftly the two swam out, but they were no match for their water-born friend.
Bant easily glided out of their reach, laughing at their desperate attempts to catch her. She turned and dived under the water, reappearing on the other side of the lake. She surfaced in time to see Obi-Wan disappear under the water. A scared look on Garen's face told her that Obi-Wan was in trouble.
Garen swam toward him quickly, but Bant could tell that he would never reach Obi-Wan in time if he kept up his pace. Quickly she dived under the water, racing toward his limp form. She wrapped an arm around his waist, another around his chest as she swam toward the surface.
Garen helped her drag Obi-Wan over to the shore, dragging him out of the water. She had just gotten her feet under her when all the sudden Obi-Wan's eyes flew open, grabbing her arms and rolling her onto her back. With Garen's help the two of them tickled her mercifully until tears ran down her cheeks, and her chest hurt from laughing.
Pleading with them, her captors finally released her, and allowed her to sit up. She wiped the tears from her eyes, glaring at her friend.
"You're horrible Obi-Wan," she told him, kicking him lightly in the foot. "You scared me," she added softly.
"I'm sorry," he apologized.
Bant gathered him in a hug. "Promise me that you won't do that again."
"I promise," he said softly, returning the warm embrace.---
*******
Xanatos paced back and forth through his room. He had been highly frustrated that the two had snuck in, Why hadn't he felt the boy's presence? Now the two knew of his plans to slowly take control of the galaxy. All he had to do was get rid of Coruscant, then he would have any bothersome Jedi in his way.
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "What!" he yelled harshly.
The door opened and one of the guards stepped in. "It has been done," he said, handing him a key.
Xanatos smiled. "And the girl?"
"She is being taken care of right now."
Xanatos nodded in satisfaction. Looking out at the sky he smiled softly. "It's time Reggale," he said softly.
The guard looked at him questionably. "You think it is time to move the slaves up now? It is still early."
Xanatos waved him off. "No, no. Just one slave. Bring me the Jedi."
Reggale nodded, a smile crossing over his lips. "With pleasure."
TBC...Please Read and Review.
Hundreds of eyes turned quickly, settling on the falling forms. Obi-Wan was moving even before he touched the ground. He reached to his side, reaching for his lightsaber. He scowled in frustration when he remembered that Xanatos had taken it.
Without warning the children in the room stood simultaneously, reaching into their cloaks. Within seconds each had an activated lightsaber in their hands as they slowly advanced on the two.
Obi-Wan watched in disbelief. It was impossible, each student had been taught in the dark side of the force. The darkness surged around him, as if threatening to choke him. He came to his senses a few seconds later.
Grabbing Reena by the arm he raced for the door. But their path was blocked by several students. He skidded to a halt, Reena bumped into him from behind. Slowly the two backed up.
Obi-Wan watched from the corner of his eyes as several students advanced in from behind. He had to think of something, and quick.
*********
Most of the store was empty, just as Layla and Andra had told him. Qui-Gon searched with soft eyes for any visible clues, but a complete search came up with nothing.
"What's that?" Qui-Gon asked, indicating bottles on a small table.
"Porforcine," Layla replied. "It's used as a flavor for food, and sometimes drinks. Most use it to tame foods that are real spicy or hot. It's not used in drinks very often. It has a natural fizzing reaction, makes a real mess sometimes."
Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully, moving toward the back of the store.
He could hear Andra and Layla talking softly near the front. His eyes landed on a small map that hung on the wall. He recognized it immediately as the underground pool systems. He studied over for a moment before turning his attention back to his search.
Almost as soon as he had turned away, he turned back. Something had caught his eye. Studying the chart he could see the underground rivers that connected the pools together. Andra had told both he and Obi-Wan that before so it was no surprise, but on the chart, the rivers did not reach every pool. In fact four of the pools showed on signs that they were connected.
"I thought all the pools were connected together," he remarked as Andra came up besides him.
Andra shook her head. "No most of them are, except these four," she said, fingering the four separate pools that had caught his eye.
Qui-Gon's mind set to work quickly. Unanswered questions came up again. He might just have an answer for a few of them.
Andra noticed the sudden change in him. "Qui-Gon?" she asked hesitantly. "What is it?"
"I think I may have an answer," he said softly. "Come, follow me," he said, turning on his heel, "And bring some porforcine, there is an experiment I would like to try."
*********
Obi-Wan kept his eyes closed, finding it easier to deal with the pain if he didn't have to try and focus to see the room around him.
He lay on the floor in the same spot the guards had thrown him, in a small cell. By the foul stench in the room he doubted that it contained a window. He had been taken to one of the cell buried deep underground, and locked inside. He had not even heard the taunts the guards threw at him as they drug his limp form down the long hallway.
His breaths now came in short painful gasps every now and then, as though he had forgotten how to breath. Silence hung in the air, but his mind screamed as pain lanced through, tearing at his already hurting body. He groaned as he shifted painfully onto his side.
Opening his eyes he stared dully at the ceiling, willing his eyes to focus. But his reactions were slow, and it worried him that it seemed to take all his effort in order to accomplish even the smallest feat.
In the darkness, despite his pain, his thoughts left him.
--- The fountains gurgled in the morning air, casting a ray of peace through everyone that walked in the early morning. The dinning hall was almost empty, except for a few souls that had awoken early in the new day. Obi-Wan stopped by for a moment to greet Adina, one of the cooks. As always she had a warm muffin waiting for him.
"Off to another mission are we?" she asked, her golden hair seemed to be laughing as it settled around her small face. She had always been small, Obi-Wan remembered. Even when he grew, Adina had not, and he had passed her with ease. He pulled her into a warm embrace. Adina had been one of the few elders that had been patient with him when he was young. Now he was 13, an eager boy who was now an apprentice.
"You've gotten to big Obi," she said, teasing him with the nick name she had given him long ago.
He gave a small smile. At that moment Qui-Gon had passed by,
"Come Padawan. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Obi-Wan had waved off a small thanks, before running to catch up with his departing Master.---
Pain lanced through him, disturbing his peaceful thoughts. But only for a moment, for he quickly fell back into them.
--- A wave of water caught him in the face, and he sputtered, coughing. It had not helped that he had been laughing when that happened.
"Who's laughing now?" Bant taunted as she retreated out further into the lake.
Obi-Wan glared daggers at her, but this actions only caused her to laugh.
"Oh, you just wait," Obi-Wan threatened as he tried to unsuccessfully dry his face with a wet sleeve.
"Now, Obi-Wan, making threats is no way of acting like a Jedi," Garen said laughing.
"I'm not a Jedi yet," he said through clenched teeth, but a smile played on his lips.
They had been younger than, but not too much younger than they were now. Obi-Wan had just recently turned the age of 8. The two of them sat on the bank near the lake. Garen had laid down on his back, staring at the sky above. Several years ago they had betted on whether or not the sky above was real, or if it was just an illumination. It was a bet he had lost.
The three spent most of their free time together, and sometimes Reeft would join them if he could tear himself away from the dinning hall long enough. Obi-Wan smiled. Reeft seemed to always have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Even though he too was usually ravenous, he almost always shared his meals with Reeft after he had sat there staring at his empty plate with a mournful look.
"What's the matter?" Bant continued her taunt now that she was safely out of the reach of her friends, "Are you guys scared?"
"Now wait a minute!" Garen said suddenly, sitting up. "I'm not scared of anything."
"Neither am I," Obi-Wan agreed.
"Then what are you going to do about it," Bant taunted.
Garen grabbed Obi-Wan's arm, pulling him close so he could whisper his plan. Obi-Wan smiled devilishly as he finished. Nodding he followed Garen into the water, the warmth welcoming the two. Swiftly the two swam out, but they were no match for their water-born friend.
Bant easily glided out of their reach, laughing at their desperate attempts to catch her. She turned and dived under the water, reappearing on the other side of the lake. She surfaced in time to see Obi-Wan disappear under the water. A scared look on Garen's face told her that Obi-Wan was in trouble.
Garen swam toward him quickly, but Bant could tell that he would never reach Obi-Wan in time if he kept up his pace. Quickly she dived under the water, racing toward his limp form. She wrapped an arm around his waist, another around his chest as she swam toward the surface.
Garen helped her drag Obi-Wan over to the shore, dragging him out of the water. She had just gotten her feet under her when all the sudden Obi-Wan's eyes flew open, grabbing her arms and rolling her onto her back. With Garen's help the two of them tickled her mercifully until tears ran down her cheeks, and her chest hurt from laughing.
Pleading with them, her captors finally released her, and allowed her to sit up. She wiped the tears from her eyes, glaring at her friend.
"You're horrible Obi-Wan," she told him, kicking him lightly in the foot. "You scared me," she added softly.
"I'm sorry," he apologized.
Bant gathered him in a hug. "Promise me that you won't do that again."
"I promise," he said softly, returning the warm embrace.---
*******
Xanatos paced back and forth through his room. He had been highly frustrated that the two had snuck in, Why hadn't he felt the boy's presence? Now the two knew of his plans to slowly take control of the galaxy. All he had to do was get rid of Coruscant, then he would have any bothersome Jedi in his way.
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "What!" he yelled harshly.
The door opened and one of the guards stepped in. "It has been done," he said, handing him a key.
Xanatos smiled. "And the girl?"
"She is being taken care of right now."
Xanatos nodded in satisfaction. Looking out at the sky he smiled softly. "It's time Reggale," he said softly.
The guard looked at him questionably. "You think it is time to move the slaves up now? It is still early."
Xanatos waved him off. "No, no. Just one slave. Bring me the Jedi."
Reggale nodded, a smile crossing over his lips. "With pleasure."
TBC...Please Read and Review.