Chapter Eleven

Qui-Gon felt decidedly uncomfortable in what little 'clothing' he was wearing. The green mesh outfits the Pennetians gave their captives to wear did little to hide or protect modesty. He and Kyran wore only a kind of wrap around their hips that stretched to the tops of their knees, and the black pearl necklaces. The pearls were cold against his muscled chest, but he found himself being given respect by those that he, Kyran and Niklas passed on the way to Obi-Wan's bubble.

His mind caught on his padawan's name. Was Obi-Wan all right? None of the captives had wanted to give them any details and had avoided their eyes whenever one of them had tried to ask more specifically about Obi-Wan's welfare. He had sensed intense sadness and anger from their helpers and, in more than just one or two, no hope for his padawan.

"Now, you have to be careful," Niklas said as he paused outside of what seemed like the rest of the corridor, marred only by a hole high in the wall. "They are watching." Without further warning, the boy pressed the fingertips of his free hand—the other was holding a bowl—against the wall. A loud sucking sound echoed through the corridor and the hole widened quickly, becoming big enough to admit them...and revealing what was inside.

It was all Qui-Gon could do from crying out at the sight of his apprentice.

Obi-Wan was glowing, a light haze seemed to envelope his entire body that lay on the floor, his hands chained above his head. His eyes were closed and he was not breathing, though Qui-Gon was struck by the oddest notion that Obi-Wan was still alive, though barely. He also was clothed in the barely covering mesh that all the rest of the humans wore, but with one difference to his outfit: his neck was surrounded by many different kinds of shell and gem necklaces.

He's...faded...

Qui-Gon glanced at Kyran as they walked in, then back at Obi-Wan. His eyes widened slightly. Kyran was right: although Obi-Wan was solid enough to lay on the floor, Qui-Gon could see through him to the other side of the bubble.

What had the Pennetians done to his Obi-Wan?

Mind the moment...

Again, Qui-Gon glanced at Kyran. His friend had his face set in a calm expression that betrayed nothing as he gazed at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon quickly did the same. They had to react quickly, adapt, if they were to get Obi-Wan away from here.

A Pennetian woman with an intricate shell necklace swam up to the bubble and pressed her hand to it. Her mouth opened and, after a delay for her voice to carry through the water, they heard, "What are these two doing near the Father?"

Qui-Gon and Kyran bowed to Triandeena, having been warned by the captives ahead of time about the Speaker.

"We are merely assisting the boy as the Father's time grows near," Kyran said, keeping his head bowed.

Qui-Gon was often amazed at how quickly Kyran adapted to circumstances around him. His own mind seemed stuck in a mire of thick muck as he tried to think beyond the pitiful sight of his dying padawan.

Niklas, he was interested to note, had kneeled beside Obi-Wan's head and had started spooning the seaweed stew-like concoction that the captives had been preparing into his padawan's slack mouth.

Triandeena regarded them for a moment. "His time is near to be completed. Your assistance is no longer needed."

Kyran shot Qui-Gon a look. Zodek is not here.

Qui-Gon immediately seized on that information. "Chieftain Zodek wishes us to cleanse his body with water from the ocean before he has completed the ceremony," he lied quickly. He would do so much better at spinning a plausible story to get Obi-Wan out of there if he just understood what the Pennetians were doing!

Triandeena's golden eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to say something...then closed it, her eyes glazing over slightly. After a moment, she nodded. "Very well. Return quickly." She swam up, gestured, and the circle of Pennetians left with her toward the main city.

"That was too easy," Kyran said quietly as he knelt on the strange floor beside the glowing Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon had no room in his mind to spare for the oddities of the Pennetians. He yanked on the chains holding Obi-Wan's hands and his heart nearly broke when Obi-Wan did not move at all once he was free. Very carefully, he gathered his padawan into his arms, feeling the strangeness of holding something that did not seem to be entirely there. He regarded Niklas for a moment. "Surely you're going to explain this?"

Kyran looked at him as if he were crazy. "We don't have time to wait around for another explanation!" he hissed as he stood and peered around the hole they had come in.

Niklas met Qui-Gon's gaze steadily, almost eerily for a child of eight. "I can show the way out. I can talk as I run. Can you?"

Qui-Gon snorted softly. This child had guts—like his Obi-Wan. "Keep up," he ordered to Kyran as he and Niklas charged out of the bubble and down the corridor.

Niklas ran to the left, heading back the way they came so that the Jedi could gather their things. As he ran, he talked fast and as bluntly as only children can, filling in the Jedi about Obi-Wan needed as the balance to the planet and that he was being 'absorbed' into the Mother Planet in order to accomplish that.

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Qui-Gon demanded after Kyran had paused only briefly to dash inside the preparation room to grab their things.

Niklas shrugged as he led them toward a blister that they had not seen before. "I don't know. Never heard of it before."

The group halted at the blister and Kyran dug into their tunics to find the breathers—and the extra one that Qui-Gon had brought for his apprentice. Kyran attached both Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's breathers to their faces, helping Qui-Gon out since he was trying to latch Obi-Wan to his chest with his tunic and pants in order for him to swim quicker out of the Un'ocean.

Kyran patted Niklas on the shoulder as Qui-Gon tightened the knots securing Obi-Wan to him. "Will you be alright to be left here, now that you've helped us?"

Niklas grinned at him. "Merfolk don't hurt us kids. I can say you made me."

Kyran chuckled. "You do that." He saw that Qui-Gon was waiting for him by the blister. "We'll be back to rescue you all," he promised, then slipped on his own breather.

Qui-Gon pushed on the blister and once again entered the water that was as black as night, hoping to the Force that he could find a way to reverse the process that had been done to his padawan. Quickly, he and Kyran swam toward the surface.