Okie-dokie. I had written more of this chapter than I thought, so I was able to finish pretty quickly. Thank you for your awesome comments! To Laura of Maychoria: No, that wasn't Tahl. That was just one of Mace's Aurelian informers.

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Mace and Qui-Gon ran quietly towards the wall of the compound. It was still dark outside, though dawn would be upon them soon. They and all of Lahrna's security forces were wearing black. They were shadows moving over the rough terrain. They had fifty women with them. Since they had the element of surprise, it would be enough.

Security officers all around the wall got onto the shoulders of another. Some aimed their dart guns at the guards, the others at the pikas. Nearly in the same instant, all the guards and the pikas fell down unconscious. Quickly, everyone climbed up over the wall. Mace and Qui-Gon easily sailed over the wall with help from the Force. Mace's keen eyes swept the compound. It was quiet. Most people were still asleep.

Qui-Gon saw the large house up ahead and ran for it, Mace right behind him. They noticed the security forces moving through the compound, shooting any employee who emerged with a dart. The forces then moved en masse into the employee building. Qui-Gon and Mace would trust the security forces to do their job. Their focus was to get to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was still up on the balcony. He had been drifting in and out of sleep when something down on the ground caught his eye. He looked down and saw figures in black running through the compound. His heart instantly started pounding. Could it be? He jumped up and turned around to find Zirta standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Obi-Wan walked towards Zirta, hoping she'd move back inside. When she did, Obi-Wan quickly took hold of her arms and forced them around her back. He held her there in a firm grip. Part of Zirta was fearful, but another part was hoping for a repeat of the previous night. But then he spoke in her ear, "It's over, Zirta."

Mace and Qui-Gon ran in, lightsabers activated. They were followed closely by a couple of security officers. Qui-Gon didn't think he'd ever been so relieved in his life! Obi-Wan looked to be okay. He and Mace deactivated their sabers. As Qui-Gon's eyes fell on Zirta, he grew instantly angry. "I hope you like solitude Zirta, because you're going to be alone in a prison cell for a very long time."

The two security officers moved to escort Zirta away. Zirta turned back to Obi-Wan, a frenzied look on her face. "No matter how long I'm in prison, I'm never going to forget you. Someday, I'll get out. And when I do, I'm going to come looking for you." The officers started to pull Zirta towards the door. "You're MINE, do you hear me? I'll find you!"

Mace gave her a disgusted look. "Get her out of here!"

As the officers pulled her out, Zirta continued to struggle. "Tell them what we did in here, Obi-Wan! Tell them what we were to each other!" She continued to scream as she was dragged down the hall. "Tell them EVERYTHING you did!"

Obi-Wan turned around in shame. As glad as he was to see Qui-Gon and Mace, he couldn't bear to look them in the eye. He was a disgrace! He didn't deserve to stand in the presence of two such honorable men – two such honorable Jedi.

Qui-Gon's heart constricted to see his padawan looking so humiliated and ashamed. He stepped closer to his apprentice. "Obi-Wan?"

Krana, Jancy and Flyn ran into the room. "Obi-Wan?" They looked over at Mace and Qui-Gon. "We're the ones who called you."

Qui-Gon smiled. "We owe you our gratitude."

Jancy and Krana started to move towards Obi-Wan, but Flyn motioned them back. Flyn moved over to Obi-Wan. She put her arm around his shoulder and turned him towards the others. "You should be very proud of Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan looked up sharply at her, but Flyn continued. "He is a strong, spirited, wonderful kid! It was an honor to know him." She smiled at him affectionately, but he just looked embarrassed.

Qui-Gon and Mace exchanged a glance. Qui-Gon looked pointedly at his padawan. "We are proud of him."

Mace took a step towards Obi-Wan. "Indeed we are." Flyn nodded her appreciation. She squeezed Obi-Wan's shoulder and moved back over to join the other women.

Obi-Wan still couldn't look Mace or Qui-Gon in the eye. They wouldn't say that if they knew everything I've done. He was uncomfortable with all the scrutiny. He just wanted to get out of here!

Mace looked at the women. "Do you have the release mechanism for his collar?"

"Oh, yes!" Krana ran to Zirta's office and came back with a small device. She ran it over Obi-Wan's collar and punched in a code. With a clink, the collar unlocked. Krana took it off and threw it aside. The untanned circle around his neck left a reminder of its presence.

Obi-Wan suddenly felt the Force hovering around him again. The sensation was a bit overwhelming. He swayed, grabbing hold of the bedpost to steady himself. Qui-Gon placed his hand on his shoulder. Obi-Wan?

Obi-Wan's eyes widened at the sound of his master's voice in his head. He took a step back in horror. No! He didn't want Qui-Gon to see any of the things he'd done. He quickly slammed his mental shields in place, effectively locking his master out.

It pained Qui-Gon to see his padawan recoil from his mental touch. He had the feeling that this was going to be a long, slow recovery process. He turned back to the women. "Do you still have his lightsaber and the clothes he wore when he was captured?"

Jancy looked confused. "Lightsaber?"

Qui-Gon opened up his cloak and pointed to his lightsaber. "It looks like this."

"Oh, yes, we still have those things." She ran back into Zirta's office and collected the items from the safe. Qui-Gon held Obi-Wan's saber while he changed back into his Aurelian clothes. When Obi-Wan emerged from the fresher, Qui-Gon handed him the lightsaber.

Obi-Wan just looked at it. I don't deserve to carry that. He shook his head and started to back up.

"Padawan, you will take your lightsaber!" Qui-Gon spoke with authority. He almost hated to do it, but knew that it would be necessary to get Obi-Wan to comply. He was determined that his padawan would leave this place as he came – as a Jedi!

Obi-Wan hesitantly took the saber from his master. He rolled it around in his hand and then stuck it in his pocket. Qui-Gon put his hand to Obi-Wan's back. "Let's go, Obi-Wan." Krana and Jancy went with them.

Mace held back and pulled Flyn aside. "What happened to Obi-Wan here?" At her questioning look he elaborated. "If I'm going to be able to help Obi-Wan, I need to know the complete picture. No holding back."

Flyn sighed heavily. "Zirta was first attracted to Obi-Wan's fiery spirit. She saw him to be a fighter, in more ways than one. She wanted him to be her star gladiator. She knew he'd be unbeatable and earn her a fortune. In order to get Obi-Wan to fight, she told him that if he ever refused to fight, got himself killed or tried to escape, she would kill all one hundred slaves here at the compound. She meant it, too. She wouldn't have given it a second thought."

Flyn gave Mace a grieved look. "So, Obi-Wan was forced to choose between killing in the Games, or letting all the slaves here get killed. Even though it tore him apart, he fought and killed in the Games. He killed a total of twenty-one men. He got to where he could push his emotions aside and just act, though it was starting to kill him inside. But that wasn't all."

Flyn looked at Mace, as though uncertain if she should really continue. Mace nodded that she should. "Most women on Aurelia have not seen a non-Aurelian man. As I'm sure you've noticed, Aurelian men are rather small and weak. Obi-Wan's size and his strength, coupled with his good looks, made him very enticing to almost every Aurelian woman he came into contact with. Considering he was a slave, most women didn't think twice about treating him like a plaything. He's been leered at, groped and just generally degraded."

"At first, Zirta wanted Obi-Wan to focus completely on the Games, so she forbid her employees to touch him. That was a blessing, anyway. But the crowds at the Games pawed at him and the employees here were all chomping at the bit, waiting for Zirta to give her okay for them to go after him. But Zirta started to get more and more possessive of Obi-Wan and didn't want anyone else to touch him. She obviously wasn't immune to his physical attributes any more than the other women. Obi-Wan's defiance and strong will became more and more attractive to her. Eventually, she demanded that he become her consort. She took advantage of him in the worst way, the poor kid! And after that, she hardly let him out of her sight. Her possessiveness became even worse." Flyn sighed again. "Obi-Wan told me just a couple of days ago that he's a Jedi. He explained what being a Jedi means to him and how he feels he's betrayed everything he used to stand for. He's convinced that the Jedi will kick him out of the Order AND that he deserves it."

Mace tried to keep his face neutral, but horror emanated from his eyes. It was worse than he thought. "Thank you for your honesty. And thank you for caring for him."

Flyn smiled softly. "I couldn't help it. He's very special." She paused, eyeing him. "You aren't going to are you? Kick him out of the Order, I mean."

"No. He will not be kicked out of the Order. We will do everything we can to help him heal from this." Mace secretly hoped that would be enough. He and Flyn headed outside towards Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. They were standing with Jancy and Krana, watching as the newly freed slaves were put into transports. Most of Zirta's employees had already been loaded into security transports and taken back to the city. A few strays were still being captured.

Jancy looked awed. "Wow! You didn't even have to kill anyone!"

Qui-Gon looked at her. "That's the way the Jedi prefer to do things. We don't take life unnecessarily." Even as he uttered the words, he regretted them.

Obi-Wan looked like he'd been punched. His head lowered even more. Master's trying to tell me that he will never forgive what I've done and neither will the Council.

Mace gave Qui-Gon a stern look. The women had their hands over their mouths. Qui-Gon felt an inch tall.

"When will you be leaving Aurelia?" Krana was desperate to change the subject.

"This afternoon," Mace answered.

Krana put her hand on Obi-Wan's arm. "We will be there to say goodbye when you leave."

Obi-Wan nodded. At Qui-Gon's direction, they started heading for the open gate. Obi-Wan then saw the woman Zirta had almost killed the night before. She was in binders and was being pushed towards a security transport. When she noticed Obi-Wan, she dug in her heels. "Wait!"

Obi-Wan nodded to the security officer. She brought the woman over to him. The woman looked genuinely confused. "Why did you protect me from Zirta after I…after what I tried to do to you?"

Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon before looking her in the eye. He spoke softly. "Because there has been enough killing."

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Qui-Gon stood in the doorway to Obi-Wan's room inside their quarters. Mace was currently contacting the Council and making preparations for their departure. With the help of a sleep suggestion, Obi-Wan was now sleeping soundly. Qui-Gon watched his sleeping apprentice with a heavy heart.

Obi-Wan hadn't said a word the entire trip back to the city. He had steadfastly refused to look him or Mace in the eye. Immediately upon returning to their quarters, Obi-Wan had gone into his room. Qui-Gon had entered to find him curled into a ball on his bed. He had sensed the boy's exhaustion and felt it best he should get some sleep.

Mace entered the quarters and joined Qui-Gon in the doorway. "Sleep is probably the best thing for him right now." He motioned for Qui-Gon to join him in the living area. As they sat, Mace tried to decide how to word what he needed to say. "I pulled Flyn aside and asked her to tell me everything that happened to Obi-Wan. If we are going to help him, we both have to know the full story."

As Mace spoke, Qui-Gon felt his horror and his anger growing. He began to wonder if Obi-Wan could ever be the same again. When Mace finished, there was dead silence. Qui-Gon worked to release his growing torrent of emotions into the Force. "Oh, dear Force, what is he going to be like after all of that? His innocence will be gone, Mace! That woman stole his sweet, innocent spirit!" Qui-Gon tried to keep his voice down, not wanting to waken Obi-Wan.

Mace had to work to keep his own emotions under control. "I know. But let's hope that it isn't gone entirely. Obi-Wan is a strong boy. It's going to take him a long time to heal, but we have to hold on to the belief that he WILL eventually heal from this. We will do everything we can to help him. We won't give up on him and we won't let him give up on himself."

Qui-Gon put his face into his hands. "I should never have let him go out there alone. I should have known better!"

"Qui-Gon, it's going to be of no help to Obi-Wan for you to wallow in guilt. We have to focus on him now." Mace spoke as a Council member, not as a colleague.

Qui-Gon sat up straight and looked Mace in the eye. "You're right, of course, Master."

Mace looked up at the chrono on the wall. "Prime Minister Lahrna should be here any minute. She wanted to speak with both of us." He got up and opened the door, waiting for her to arrive. Mace didn't want her to use the door buzzer and wake Obi-Wan.

A minute later she arrived. "Ah, Master Windu, Master Jinn. Where is Obi-Wan?"

Mace gestured for her to sit on the sofa. "He's sleeping."

Lahrna looked at both men in turn. "I can't say how sorry I am that this happened, especially to him. Zirta will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, I promise you that. Besides what she did to Obi-Wan, that vile woman was actually willing to sacrifice Aurelia's economic future for her own benefit!"

Qui-Gon leaned forward earnestly. "Zirta threatened Obi-Wan before she was taken into custody. She said she'd get out of prison and find him, no matter how long it took. That woman needs to be put away for the rest of her life under the highest security!"

"Don't worry, she will be!"

"How are things in the political realm," Mace asked.

"An interim prime minister for the southern continent has been appointed until elections can be held for a new one." Lahrna paused. "I have decided to permanently shut down all gladiatorial arenas on the northern continent. I will encourage the new prime minister of the southern continent to do the same. I will no longer turn a blind eye to the slave trade. If we are to stay in the Republic, then we need to be more worthy of that position."

Qui-Gon's eyebrow went up. "You certainly won't be very popular in certain circles if you do that. But real change can't really happen unless the underlying attitudes change. Until you start seeing the men on this planet as fellow sentient beings with rights, then the slave trade will continue."

Lahrna didn't look too happy at that prospect. "Well, THAT will be a long time in coming. I can't change everyone else's attitude."

Mace looked Lahrna in the eye. "You can change YOUR attitude."

Lahrna folded her arms across her chest. "That would be so much easier if Aurelian men were more like you Jedi."

"Maybe if you give them the chance, they will be," Qui-Gon stated.

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Mace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan made their way from their transport to their ship. Lahrna, Jancy, Krana and Flyn were waiting by the ramp to see them off. Lahrna watched as Obi-Wan approached. This was a different young man than the one she'd met in the negotiations. She didn't think she wanted to know what all he'd been through, though she had an idea. She forced herself to smile. "Goodbye, Obi-Wan. It was an honor knowing you."

Obi-Wan glanced up at her, but quickly looked down again. "Goodbye, Prime Minister"

He moved over to Jancy and Krana. "Thank you for helping me." He offered each of them his hand.

"You're welcome, Obi-Wan," Jancy said. "We'll miss you," Krana added. There were tears in her eyes.

Obi-Wan then moved to Flyn. He looked at her a moment before hugging her. "Thank you for everything, Flyn."

"You're welcome, kid. You're a wonderful young man, Obi-Wan. Don't let anything Zirta said or did make you think otherwise." Flyn squeezed his hand as he numbly nodded. Tears started to slide down her face as he turned and walked up the ramp.

Obi-Wan was never before so glad to leave a planet as he was Aurelia. He'd had a bad feeling about this mission from the get-go, but he'd never imagined this! He was now a completely different person than the one who arrived. And he didn't like the person he'd become.