I am completely blown away by the response to this story! Thank you! You guys are spurring me on in my writing!
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Jancy and Krana headed to Obi-Wan's room the next morning. They were both looking forward to giving him another rubdown with the cream. Both had enjoyed the debate they'd had with Obi-Wan over dinner the night before. They found it refreshing to find a man with some backbone and intelligence.
Krana stopped Jancy with a hand on her arm. "You do realize that this could get complicated. We both want him."
"I know. When Zirta finally gives her permission for us to have him, we'll have to share…EQUALLY." Jancy looked at Krana pointedly.
Krana sighed mournfully. "I really hate the thought of sharing him with anyone, but for you I will concede."
"Thank you ever so much." Jancy rolled her eyes as she went into Obi-Wan's room.
Obi-Wan was still asleep. He was lying on his stomach, as his back was burned more severely. The sunburn did look a bit better, though.
Jancy touched his leg. "Obi-Wan?"
Krana ran her fingers through his soft hair. "Obi-Wan? Time to wake up."
Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered open. He groaned as he tried to move.
Jancy leaned down towards his face. "Oooh. You must hurt, honey!"
"Only when I breathe."
Krana giggled. "Well, you just let us help you with that. The more we apply this cream, the faster you're going to heal."
Jancy touched his leg again. "Come on and get up. It's a lot easier with you standing."
Obi-Wan winced as he worked he way up to a sitting position. He got up, holding his arms out away from his body. Oh, man, this hurts! He was actually grateful now for Krana and Jancy's ministrations. He didn't think he could move enough to apply the cream himself.
As they applied the cream, Obi-Wan couldn't help but sigh in relief. The cool cream felt SO good! He closed his eyes and allowed himself a small smile. Jancy, who was working his front this time, saw the smile. She winked at Krana. He was going to be for them and them alone!
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Flyn walked into the main house just as Obi-Wan, Krana and Jancy were finishing breakfast. She watched as Obi-Wan slowly got out of his chair. She couldn't help but smile. "It doesn't look like you'll be doing any training today."
Krana looked pointedly at Flyn. "No, he won't."
Flyn wondered at the protectiveness in Krana's voice. "A swim in the pool might be good for you, Obi-Wan. The water is cool."
Obi-Wan smiled. "That sounds wonderful!"
Jancy frowned. "He should wait a while for the cream to really have a chance to work. And he shouldn't swim on a full stomach."
Flyn smiled again when Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. He turned towards his two 'keepers.' "If I promise not to swim for another hour, may I please accompany Flyn to the employee building?" The question was dripping with sarcasm.
Jancy and Krana didn't seem to notice. They exchanged glances. "We suppose so."
When Obi-Wan and Flyn left, Jancy turned to Krana with a frown. "You don't suppose Flyn has her eye on Obi-Wan, do you?"
Krana narrowed her eyes. "She better not!"
Flyn eyed Obi-Wan as they walked outside. "I didn't think that Jancy and Krana would turn into such mother hens."
Obi-Wan shot her an exasperated look. "You mean that's not their normal style?"
Flyn laughed. "Not at all! I have the feeling that you're going to turn this place upside down!"
Obi-Wan flashed her a smile. "Or perhaps, right side up."
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That night, Obi-Wan walked quietly down the stairs of the main house. He was feeling a lot better. The sunburn was quickly healing, thanks to the many rubdowns he'd had of the cream that day. He was quite uncomfortable with Krana and Jancy's obvious enjoyment of the whole process.
Obi-Wan walked towards the kitchen. He was hoping to find one of the house slaves still awake. He very much wanted to talk with an Aurelian man about the prejudice they endure. He smiled when he saw light streaming out from under the kitchen door.
Obi-Wan walked in to find a middle-aged man preparing things for breakfast the next morning. The man looked up in surprise. Uncertainty entered his eyes. "May I help you?"
Obi-Wan smiled at him. "I just want to talk with you. As I'm sure you know, I'm not Aurelian. I'm trying really hard to understand why Aurelian men put up with the treatment that the women dish out."
The man shrugged his shoulders. "What's the point of fighting? They're stronger than us in every way."
Obi-Wan leaned in earnestly. "How do you know unless you try? Isn't freedom and justice at least worth a try?"
"What little resistance has come up has been squashed quickly and viciously. We have come to accept that this is the way life is here on Aurelia."
Obi-Wan looked dumbfounded. "But…"
"Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan turned to find Jancy and Krana in the doorway. The house slave's eyes went immediately to the floor.
"What are you doing down here?"
"I'm hungry. I came down for a snack."
"Oh." Jancy looked relieved. "If you want something like that, just come to us. We'll get it for you."
Obi-Wan stared steadily at the two women. "Zirta told me that I would have the run of the house. Is that or is that not true?"
Krana blinked. "It's…it's true."
"Good." Obi-Wan went over to the counter and grabbed a muja fruit. He flashed them a winning smile before leaving the kitchen.
The house slave hid his shocked expression. He couldn't believe that Obi-Wan said that! But more than that, he couldn't believe he got away with it!
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Early the next afternoon, Obi-Wan was working out in the exercise room of the employee building. His sunburn was already starting to turn into a tan. There was just a hint of pink to his skin now. Whatever that cream was, it was a wonder!
Obi-Wan's new clothes had arrived that morning. He was now clad in a pair of white leggings. It turns out that slaves were not allowed to wear shirts. That was one of the things that distinguished them as slaves. He finished lifting weights and moved over to the large punching bag.
Obi-Wan tried to ignore the growing group of women congregating at the window to watch him. He focused himself and started a mixture of kick boxing and regular boxing. He always enjoyed this particular sport - especially now, when he didn't have access to the Force. It was a good way to release steam.
Flyn exited the stairwell on the first floor to see the crowd looking into the exercise room. "What's going on?"
One woman turned to her with a grin. "We're watching your trainee. He is something else!"
Another woman spoke up. "I'll say. No Aurelian man could look like that!"
A third woman said, "Is Zirta going to mellow out let us all have a taste of that?" She grinned wickedly.
Flyn looked around aghast. "Obi-Wan is just a kid!"
"Oh, come on, Flyn! If he's a kid, then I'm the Prime Minister!" Several women snickered.
Flyn had a stern expression on her face. "Well, just the same. Zirta wants his focus to be winning at the Games, not pleasing a bunch of lusty women!"
A woman at the front studied Obi-Wan's movements. "I have the feeling he could handle both just fine."
Flyn rolled her eyes as she walked into the room. She stood back and watched Obi-Wan's workout. He WAS extremely nice looking. But unlike every other woman in the compound, she still saw him as a kid. And she'd do what she could to keep their grabby paws off of him.
Obi-Wan finally noticed Flyn's presence. "Oh, Flyn!" He stilled the punching bag and wiped the sweat from his eyes. He glanced uneasily at the women outside the window. "What do you have in mind for today?"
Flyn walked over to the large mat in the back. "I thought we'd work on hand-to-hand combat."
Obi-Wan followed her over. "They do that in the Games?"
Flyn nodded her head. "It's the one event where the loser doesn't die."
"Well, at least there's one," Obi-Wan said glumly.
Flyn studied him. "It's either kill or be killed, Obi-Wan."
"I know. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Flyn put her hand on his shoulder. "If you did like it, my opinion of you wouldn't be nearly as high as it is."
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Zirta paced the living area of her quarters. It had been two days since she left her training compound and she anxiously wanted to get back. But she was trapped here playing the concerned public official. What was worse, another Jedi was due to arrive soon. That Jedi and Qui-Gon would then take the lead on the search for Obi-Wan.
Zirta wasn't too terribly worried about Obi-Wan being found, but she also didn't want to underestimate their skills and powers. She wondered how well Obi-Wan was progressing in his training. She had no doubt that he was probably already ready for the Games. That's why she wanted to get back! She wanted to test him out.
Considering that the search was being focused here on the southern continent, Zirta knew that she had better enter Obi-Wan in the Games on the northern continent. If he started to gain a reputation and become a star – which she knew he would – it would not be smart for it to be here on the southern continent. It would be like a beacon to the Jedi. She was not about to do anything to blow this.
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Qui-Gon was quite surprised to see Mace Windu walk down the ramp of the ship. He bowed in respect. "Master Windu, I certainly didn't expect a member of the Council to come." He turned to lead Mace to their transport.
Mace, as usual, was all business. "I did the majority of the research on Aurelia for the Chancellor. So, I'm probably your best bet for understanding the slavery rings and gladiatorial games. And to be honest, knowing what I know of Aurelia, I'm extremely concerned for your padawan."
Qui-Gon's stomach dropped a bit. "That bad?"
Mace nodded. "I'm afraid so. If he's been chosen for the gladiatorial games, which I'm sure is the case, he will be required to kill. Knowing Obi-Wan, he'd rather die than spill innocent blood."
Qui-Gon nodded his head. "Oh, yes. On his first observation trip into the city, he happened upon the gladiatorial games. He was devastated by the senseless killing."
Mace sat down in the transport. "Undoubtedly, the owner will find something to hold over Obi-Wan's head so that he'll have to fight and kill. When we find him – and we WILL find him, Qui-Gon – he will have deep emotional wounds. A sensitive soul like Obi-Wan's will be traumatized by having to kill innocents."
Qui-Gon tried not to let his despair get the best of him. "He's already been gone three days, Master!"
Mace had a determined look on his face. "Yes. Time is of the essence."
Qui-Gon looked over at Mace. They had never really become friends. They were two very different men. But when Mace Windu made up his mind to do something, he did it. He had a dogged determination. At this moment, Qui-Gon was extremely grateful that Mace was the one leading the search for Obi-Wan.
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The next morning, Mace and Qui-Gon sat at the conference table with Lahrna, Zirta and Captain Zami of the security force. Mace looked at the list of arenas. "With the weekend just about to begin, this is a good time to watch for Obi-Wan. There will be many gladiatorial games throughout the city. We'll have to stick to just searching this city until we can get more personnel. Captain, how soon do you think you can get more people on this?"
"It'll probably take several days. Prime Minister Lahrna has told me that her forces will be at my disposal. We should have enough women by next weekend to search a much wider area."
"Good." Mace turned to Lahrna. "Thank you for your cooperation."
"I'm glad to help. I just hope you find Obi-Wan soon. He's one of the few men for which I have genuine respect."
Mace raised his eyebrow at that. He turned to Zirta. "I would also like to thank you for the use of Captain Zami and her forces."
Zirta nodded her head. "You are quite welcome. Obi-Wan is an impressive young man. Now, if you will excuse me, I will be leaving soon for the weekend. I do still have a continent to run." She got up from the table. "If it's okay with you, I'd like one of my aides to be my liaison while I'm away."
Mace nodded. "That would be fine, Prime Minister."
Lahrna stood up from the table. "I must head back to my continent for the weekend, as well. I, also, would like one of my aides to serve as my liaison. If you find Obi-Wan, I'd like to know immediately."
"Of course."
Zirta smiled as she headed towards the landing platform. Now she would know which arenas were being searched and when. She'd be able to keep a step ahead of them! She silently thanked Lahrna for unwittingly lending credence to her plan. She could hardly contain her excitement as she got into her transport and headed back for her compound.
