Chapter 6

Nev-Kwellen and his three friends were roaming the hallways when they spotted Drengin coming down the stairs. With evil grins, he and his buddies hid in a corner and cloaked themselves with the Force before Drengin could see them.

As soon as Drengin reached the final step, they ambushed him.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Nev-Kwellen snickered. "Little slave boy has come to play."

The bullies cracked up, laughing even more as Drengin's face turned red.

"Go pick on someone your own size," Drengin shouted as he tried to push his way through.

"I don't think so," Traunty replied as he pushed Drengin away. "We're going to have fun first."

Drengin glared at Traunty and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Such brave words, slave," Lotect sneered, his brown eyes dark with malice.

Drengin turned around to face Lotect just in time to miss the incoming blow to his side. "I am no one's slave."

Again the bullies erupted with laughter.

Drengin swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat as he saw that they had him trapped.

Nev-Kwellen grabbed Drengin's throat and shoved him against the wall. "Really? Well, if you're not, what are you?"

"An apprentice," Drengin responded, yelping as Nev-Kwellen's hand tightened against his throat.

"You know what I mean, now say it!" Nev-Kwellen snapped.

The other bullies began to chant Nev-Kwellen's last two words, pounding their right fists on the left palms of their hands.

Drengin tried in vain to break free from Nev-Kwellen's grip, and tears formed in his eyes as he shouted, "I'm not a slave!"

Nev-Kwellen released Drengin and backhanded him across the face. "You can't seem to learn your lesson, can you?"

Drengin growled and reached for the Dark Side. "Don't push me."

The bullies loosed another roar of laughter that was cut short by a burst of lightning from Drengin's fingertips.

Nev-Kwellen looked over his shoulder where the Dark Side lightning had pinged harmlessly against the wall. Looking back at Drengin, the bully clucked his tongue in admonishment. "You missed."

Drengin's frown deepened as anger and irritation swam through him. "Next time, I won't."

Nev-Kwellen raised an eyebrow, only faintly amused by Drengin's defiance. "Is that supposed to impress me?"

Scrunching his noise in concentration, Drengin shot another bolt of lightning at Nev-Kwellen.

Nev-Kwellen deflected it with a Force shield and sent it flying harmlessly to the ceiling. "Not fast enough." Looking toward his friends, he made a small gesture with his head and they moved in. "Grab him; I have a special treat for the little maggot."

Lotect and Traunty grabbed Drengin's arms and dragged him to a disposal chute.

Seeing where they were headed, Drengin struggled to get away only to be punched in the stomach by Tumott.

"Let's take out the garbage," Nev-Kwellen snickered as he opened up the chute that was just big enough for someone Drengin's size.

Fear clenched Drengin's heart as they picked him up to stuff him into the garbage chute. "Couldn't we just talk this over?" he squeaked as he was pushed inside.

"So long, slave," Nev-Kwellen remarked before shutting the chute.

Drengin slid down the long chute, screaming until his voice grew hoarse. Faster and faster he went until he reached the end of the chute and landed in leftover food, old clothes and other now unidentifiable items. "Ewww, gross!" He stood and felt the sewage water come up to his knees. Deciding that being in the water was not a good idea, the boy climbed up to the less damp area and looked around for a way out. "This is not good."

The chamber was dimly lit and the smell was enough to make him gag in disgust. Something moved within the water and churned it as it moved.

Drengin tried hard not to panic, and he kept looking around until he found a small maintenance door. Sighing in relief, he hurried forward through the water and tried to figure out how to open the door.

His warning senses flared as the creature steadily approached him. "Come on. Open up!" he said angrily, banging hard on the door in frustration. He felt the creature brush his leg, and he shivered. "Go away!" he yelled, grabbing an old metal rod and slapping it on the water where he sensed the creature. Dropping the rod, he punched in another set of numbers.

This time the door began to open with a sharp grating sound. Smiling in relief, Drengin pushed himself up and through the door. Standing up, he closed the door with the same code and began his long ascent back up to the used portion of the Temple.

By the time he reached the quarters that he shared with his Master, Drengin's clothes were dry and stunk like rotting garbage. He keyed in the code and stepped through the door.

A glass shard crunched under his boots, causing him to look down and see shattered pieces of the glass statue that used to sit on the side table. Was he mad because I left? Drengin's confidence began to waver at the thought that his Master was angry with him.

Walking through the living room, Drengin found his Master sound asleep on the couch. Maybe I better wait a while and reconsider my decision, just in case I'm wrong. His mind made up, the boy went into his bedroom to take a good hot shower.

"We meet again, Darth Redav," a voice said within the dark room.

The lights snapped on and temporarily blinded Redav.

Darth Sidious walked over to where Redav lay on the metal slab, standing where Redav could see him. "I trust you are comfortable."

Redav attempted to break through his bonds again only to feel his body pricked by the knives surrounding his body. Hissing, he resorted to giving Sidious an icy glare.

"Don't give me that. You knew that you couldn't fool us with that charade for long," Sidious told him grimly. "Imagine my surprise when Darth Seront contacted me about your little deception."

Redav's eyes widened in shock, and then quickly darkened in anger. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Sidious shook his head as he walked around Redav. "You still have a lot to learn. Don't think I can't see what you're trying to pull. In fact, I've done some research on old techniques used by the Sith and Jedi thousands of years ago."

"Techniques that were banned because of the danger involved in them," Redav told him firmly.

"Ah. So you know of what I am talking about. Not many do since it was long abandoned," Sidious remarked. "One way for a Jedi to remain hidden in Sith territory would be to call upon the Xerwque. Of course, it doesn't work if the Jedi gets caught, does it? Nor does it work for very long unless the person involved is extremely powerful in the Force, does it?" he asked tactfully.

Redav frowned and glared at Sidious. "You are saying that Jedi may have infiltrated the Temple? What Jedi would be dumb enough to do that?"

Sidious eyes burned with anger as he slapped Redav across the face. "Do you think you can fool me?...Shadow."

"You're filled with delusions Sidious; you're jumping at things that aren't there."

Sidious sneered with displeasure. "I don't make mistakes!"

"Then this will be your first," Redav remarked as he drew on the Dark Side.

Sidious threw his hand out in front of him and shot lightning bolts at Redav. "No one ever, ever talks that way with me!"

The knives pricked his skin as his body reacted to the Force lightning. Droplets of blood pooled and dripped down his skin. His breath came quickly as he struggled to recover from the onslaught.

Sidious walked around the table till he was behind Redav's head with a twisted smirk on his face. "Now, back to the matter at hand."

Just as Sidious penetrated his mind, Redav threw up his shields and blocked Sidious from advancing. A powerful surge of the Dark Side slammed again and again at his shields like a battering ram. Pain filled Redav's head as the relentless onslaught continued against his mind. He drew on the Dark Side to push Sidious out of his head, but he was violently repulsed.

As the pain grew, Redav's concentration began to waver and little by little his shields were being broken down. He gritted his teeth as he changed tactics and focused on concealing information about the Jedi, his friends' true selves and their mission.

/Give it up; you can not win/ Sidious spoke into Redav's mind with a mental hiss.

Redav continued to resist Sidious' invasion into his mind, throwing up barriers and wielding the Force to strengthen his shields. Using the Force, he also blocked the bonds he shared with all of his friends, with exception of one.

An hour passed and the struggle continued. Two hours – four – five, before Redav's strength began to wane. I will not let him win! A tiny smile appeared on Redav's lips as he unleashed an untamed power that, until now, had remained hidden. Forgive me Master and Cerasi, but it is the only way. It's an opening.

"No! Obi-Wan, No!" A voice yelled from within the Force.

Sidious withdrew quickly from Redav's mind as he felt his own mental barriers being broken into. His eyes widened in shock and amazement as Redav's aura turned a midnight black and Redav broke his restraints with ease. Redav used a Force shield to keep himself from getting pricked by the knives and stood up in front of Sidious. With a smile that made Sidious take a step back in fear, Redav plunged into Sidious' mind.

Yes, use your aggressive feelings boy. An unknown voice prodded.

Nemiraa woke in her bed and quickly sat up. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and her head pounded furiously. The scream had died away, leaving Nemiraa shaking with fear. "Redav," she said softly to herself, a knot in her stomach. Something was terribly wrong; Redav was in trouble.

She swore under her breath as she flicked on the lights with a small wave of her hand. She was forbidden from helping Redav if he got into trouble. She couldn't go to the Council and tell them that he was in danger. Wanting to go after him meant that she cared for Redav, and that could have dire consequences. She had gotten into trouble before and had been severely punished for aiding Redav.

The last time she had come back to the Temple after aiding Redav, he had made her promise not to go and try to rescue him if he ran into trouble again anymore. He wouldn't be able to protect her from the Council forever, no matter if he took the blame or not.

Tears filled her eyes as rage built within her. Redav was in trouble and she could do nothing about it accept wait…and hope. Hitting her pillow with her balled up fists, Nemiraa buried her head in her pillow and cried out her rage until she was once again asleep.

Khunth woke at dawn and stretched his aching muscles. In doing so, he fell off the couch with a thump. Grunting, he got up from the floor and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Slowly the memories of last night came back to him, as did the fear for his apprentice's life. Quietly but quickly, he walked to Drengin's room and peeked inside. Drengin lay sound asleep in his bed, the blankets twisted around his small form. Smiling in relief, Khunth hoped that Drengin's return meant that he had accepted what he had been told.

Khunth went back into the living room and cleaned up the mess by the door before heading to the 'fresher for a shower. It seems to me that we're all on edge lately. Seront's words are troubling, and his actions more so. I can't help but wonder if something is wrong with Seront, if he is hiding something. He was becoming irritable about the mission and seemed to want to give it up. Now he is pushing to fulfill the mission and he will do anything for the mission to succeed. It's like it suddenly became an obsession. His words and actions are beginning to conflict with each other, now more than ever.

He rinsed out his hair and picked up the soap to wash his body. We haven't seen Redav that much lately, so I have no idea what his feelings about the mission are. He's spending more time with Nemiraa than with us when he is at the Temple. Has he forgotten about the mission? Has he forgotten about us, his friends? After the first few missions we went on for the Sith, Redav used to spend some time with Anakin, but after five years passed his visits to Anakin became fewer and fewer. Why is that?

Redav got along pretty well with Anakin, even better then Seront does. I kept my distance to avoid suspicion, as did Seront. Seront is trying hard to strike up a friendship with Anakin ever since Redav began going on more missions and spending more time with Nemiraa. Turning off the water, Khunth grabbed a towel and began to dry himself off.

These developments are unsettling, and I fear that something is bound to go wrong. Perhaps when my apprentice accepts that I am a Jedi, he could help by building a friendship with Anakin instead. But that just makes it seem so wrong, building up a friendship with Anakin just to help bring him to the Jedi. I don't think I could live with the knowledge that the friendship was a ruse.

I feel like we are doing this all wrong. Redav's friendship with Anakin was real, and Seront's is not – I can tell the difference. Redav fit in so well, maybe too well. Yet if he was around more then maybe this mission would have been completed already. With a heavy sigh. Khunth finished getting dressed. I have a bad feeling about this.