Title: The Death of All Hope
Author: BaBaKaNuSh-13
Rating: PG
Summary: AU for "The Death of Hope." Qui-Gon leaves Obi-Wan behind with the Rock Workers after his leg is injured, and the Jedi Master must fight to not lose all hope in his life.
Genre: Action, Angst, AU (again, the three 'A's) (Age 16)
Spoilers: Minor ones for the JA books, but mainly for "The Death of Hope."
Disclaimer: I don't own the Star Wars Universe, George Lucas and Jude Watson own all the characters and concepts here. I'm just borrowing them and making no profit, so please don't sue me. I have no money.

A/N: Pronunciations …

Matridan: Mah-tree-daan

Tsep Fre Oulr: Tuh-sep Freh Ow-luh

Mahkwn: Mah-kwun

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 5

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Qui-Gon glanced out the spaceship's large window. They were drifting idly through the Middle Rim. An indiscriminate number of stars streaked past; stark white reliefs against the cold black of space. Everything seemed so much more immense when they were still at a loss as to where Obi-Wan could be. He could have been on any one of the planets that they sped past, yet they had no way of knowing if he was. It left them without a foot to stand on.

Qui-Gon turned to Mace, who was perusing a holographic star chart. The dark Jedi felt eyes on him and glanced up.

"There are so many planets that he could be on," Mace murmured. He pointed to several flashing spheres in their immediate view. The sight was not a comforting one. "And this is only the first quadrant. We still have to study those in the second, third and fourth. We need more information. If we can just find out–"

But Qui-Gon heard no more of the man's words. The thrum of the ship's engines suddenly faded out, mingling with all the other sounds around him, now utterly indistinct. The Jedi was no longer aware of anything other than the sudden, slightly hazy, yet tenuous presence of Obi-Wan in his mind.

Mace noticed the change in his friend and trailed off. He watched on intently. The Jedi's eyes had unfocussed and his had face tightened almost imperceptibly. Mace waited patiently, knowing better than to break Qui-Gon's concentration, when something, past than their physical surroundings, was obviously going on.

Finally Qui-Gon's face cleared. Barely-restrained worry still creased his forehead, although now it was highlighted with fresh hope.

"Obi-Wan?" Mace asked, forgetting his star chart.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. I felt him. He's on a ship. He's okay. And–" Qui-Gon paused, concentrating intently, brows coming together fiercely as he analysed what he'd felt from his Apprentice. "And Yanci. Yanci is with him, I am sure. They are using a Force suppressor on Obi-Wan. I cannot feel him anymore. He was cut off from me so suddenly."

Mace's smooth forehead creased. "Injections work rapidly, but not abruptly. You believe a collar is being used on him, then?"

Qui-Gon hesitated again before nodding. "Yes."

"Anything else?" Mace asked hopefully.

The other Jedi shook his head, his mouth pulled into a thin line as he frowned. "There was no time. The connection was terminated after that. He tried to send me a sense of something, but –"

Qui-Gon broke off and simply shook his head again.

Mace sighed and turned back to his star chart. "We will just have to keep searching until we find something else to help us locate your Padawan, then." He indicated a small planet with one long finger. "Matridan. It's the closest. We'll begin there."

Qui-Gon nodded mutely. This time he couldn't choke down the bitter taste of the guilt and despair that had begun to well up inside him, again.

Yes, he was relieved to know that Obi-Wan was alright …

But what exactly did that mean? Had his Apprentice been hiding anything from him over the bond? He almost wished he could tell, as he used to be able to when Obi-Wan was younger, but knew he should be proud of his Padawan's advancement into shielding. And yet sorrow washed over him as he realised that each day brought their time as Master and Apprentice closer to an end.

Shaking his head slightly to try and clear it brought no success. Was Obi-Wan hurt? Qui-Gon just didn't know. All he knew was that his Padawan was missing and it was entirely his fault.

The Jedi Master straightened slightly as Mace stood up and strode off to the cockpit to type in Matridan's co-ordinates.

No, he wouldn't wallow in self-pity.

He would find Obi-Wan.

He had to.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The tropical heat of Hoshine beat down on Obi-Wan's bare back. It almost made him feel grateful that his new "uniform" was tunicless. The clothes provided to him were definitely made for the hot and humid climate of the planet, and for that he truly was thankful. He wore loose, light, and yet sturdy pale blue pants which slung low on his hips and stopped at calf-length. They were gathered in at the bottom to snugly fit his leg, so that no unwanted dust or insects could work their way up them. His Force-collar was still an unwanted presence around his neck, and now there was a thick coppery band around the dent between the muscles in his upper arm. Engraved on it was an ornate letter "E."

And they were really the only things he wore.

Although his garb really was made for braving the hot climate, he was sure that it wasn't the entire reason there was so … well, so little of it, really.

Obi-Wan frowned.

He felt more than a little uncomfortable in this new outfit, so unlike his own usual neutral Jedi garb, but was, nevertheless, happy to note that it didn't restrict his movement at all. It would make escaping just that little bit easier.

And to look on the bright side, he was cooler than the rest of the group in the stifling temperatures.

The thought did only little to ease his discomfort, however.

Eritha, on the other hand, stood nearby, fanning herself rather indelicately. She huffed and puffed impatiently. Her choice of attire was obviously more fashion-driven, rather than comfort-oriented, with a stiff, high collar, long sleeves and a layered, long skirt.

She irritably twitched the lead around Obi-Wan's neck.

Obi-Wan wanted to rage out at the sheer helplessness he felt. All of it – from the identification band to mark him as Eritha's property, to the Force-collar, and to the lead attached to it so that Eritha could make him follow her around like a little kougan pup – made him feel plain dirty. He was being treated as an animal. Her Pet.

And he still couldn't reach his Master because of the Sith-spawned collar.

And if he so much as stepped out of line, Yanci would pay for his mistake.

Possibly with her life.

It was the only thing that kept Obi-Wan from just letting go and fighting his way out of the situation.

His Master would not have been pleased if he had sensed Obi-Wan's feelings. Obi-Wan slowly breathed in and out, calming himself with this thought. If he let emotions overrun him, he wouldn't be able to focus on absorbing as much information as he could, and information would only bring him closer to escape.

At long last, a fair-sized sleek ship pulled up in front of them. Eritha's prickly expression softened into a well-rehearsed plastic-rigid smile. She pulled herself up into the picture of perfect patience and straightened her skirts consciously.

Curiosity threatened to spill from Obi-Wan at this change in her demeanour, but he kept his face as emotionless and smooth as glass.

Finally, after several long moments of waiting (rather impatiently on Eritha's part, Obi-Wan could tell), the ship's hatch slid open with an audible hiss. After another few moments of utter stillness, a young humanoid suddenly appeared and purposefully strode down the ramp. Eritha calmly stepped forward to meet him.

"My Lord," she simpered, at the same time bobbing gently and charmingly reaching out to him.

"Eritha," he replied, bowing over her hand and kissing the back of it. His deep voice almost seemed to echo in their lush surroundings. "You're just as lovely as I remember, Sweet."

Eritha beamed at him.

The man was in his mid-twenties, with thick black hair, small black eyes, a long, straight nose, and a swarthy complexion. He was unshaven, but it only added to his brawnily regal air. The man would have been a good foot or so shorter than Master Qui-Gon's formidable stature, and only came up to Obi-Wan's eye level. What he lacked in height, however, he more than made up for in the sheer broadness of his muscular body.

Her fiancé, then, Obi-Wan guessed.

"You said that there was a fuel leak," the man prompted, taking dainty Eritha's arm in his massive one.

"Yes, my Lord. A mere malfunction, but it did force us to make an emergency landing. I must thank you in your hasty response to our distress call."

"Don't even mention it, Eritha," the man said with a dismissing wave of his bejewelled fingers. "It was the least I could do for my bride-to-be." His grin was large, and was as greasy as Obi-Wan was sure was even physically possible. "Shall we get on board then, Sweet? My men will come back later to tow your ship into the city."

"That would be most kind, my Lord," Eritha said, bobbing once again and spreading the layers of her skirts in a curtsey. She turned back to Obi-Wan with a placid smile, her eyes twinkling with intent, and Obi-Wan immediately knew she was planning something. She gave a short jerk on the lead that she held daintily between two fingers. "Come, Pet."

As the man glanced back to see whom she was talking to, he noticed Obi-Wan for the first time. His black eyes widened and glittered in interest, like shiny, hard-shelled beetles.

The man halted his steps toward the ramp of his ship and dropped Eritha's arm as if it was of no consequence to him.

His face was masked by something which twisted his dark features – greed? Hunger? Jealousy? Intent?

Behind the man, Obi-Wan could see her grinning smugly, despite the fact that he had willingly ditched her company. For some twisted reason, she had obviously drawn the man's attention to the Padawan on purpose.

She doesn't care anything for him, Obi-Wan thought, only for his power.

The man walked up to Obi-Wan and grabbed his arm with a firm grip, but the Jedi held his ground, staring at him defiantly. The man held it out straight in front of Obi-Wan, and then flexed it, brow furrowed in concentration. He grabbed the Jedi's shoulders, giving them a little shake, then flexed Obi-Wan's leg with one hand still on the Jedi's knee. He gave a short nod of satisfaction, before he grabbed Obi-Wan's cleft chin. Tilting his head back, the man looked at the young Jedi's teeth, then peered into his eyes and turned his head from side to side, inspecting him from each angle.

Only years of Jedi training at the Temple kept Obi-Wan from pulling away with disgust.

He felt even more like an animal than he had before. It was as if he was a beast being checked before a sale. He just wished that the man would let him go. He longed to shrug his prying hands off him and escape. He knew he could easily pull it off on his own.

But there was Yanci to think about. She relied on him. Her life was in his hands, and so he was helpless as long as she was fitted with that Sithly micro-chip.

The man turned to Eritha, raising his dark eyebrows questioningly. "He fights?" he asked, tracing the long scar on Obi-Wan's back, and peering at the nearly-disappeared marks. The former was from an incident on a mission, and the latter told of his recent battle at the Rock Worker settlement.

Obi-Wan wasn't a vain person in the slightest, but he had to admit that he had always been proud of each and every one of his scars – they revealed who he was, telling of the fights he upheld for the sake of justice, the weak and the innocent.

Eritha nodded. "Yes, my Lord," she answered. "Very well, in fact. We actually had some trouble capturing him."

The man frowned. "Then how do you keep him?" He fingered Obi-Wan's braid between two meaty fingers. Obi-Wan restrained himself from knocking his hand away.

'Keep him.'

Obi-Wan's strong will rebelled at the words.

They could not hold him down with chains for long, though, Obi-Wan resolved. He would somehow escape, and save both he and Yanci from such an awful fate as the future of a slave.

"He's a Force-user … a Jedi," the man continued. "Dangerous to be keeping one of those as a Pet."

Eritha shook her head dismissively and her eyes lit up with unrestrained, malicious glee. "Not when you have a certain amount of restraint," she gestured to Obi-Wan's collar, "and ample leverage." She flicked her fingers to one of her guards.

The guard disappeared for a moment, back into Eritha's ship, before returning with a struggling Yanci in his hold. She kicked out at the guard, and he backhanded her across the face in retaliation.

Obi-Wan kept his face impassive, but his heart rebelled at such cruelty. Yanci had nothing to do with any of it. Why should she suffer because Eritha wanted to enslave him?

Ever fibre of Obi-Wan's being desired to rip free of this vice Eritha was keeping him in, and protect those who needed it. It was going against his nature not to do so. It made his chest burn with regret. There was nothing he could do, but he had to wonder that if he had done something differently at some stage along the line, would they still be there now?

How Obi-Wan wished for his Master's reassuring presence. He would know what to do and would have the right words to soothe his Padawan's mind, writhing in turmoil. But he couldn't even feel Qui-Gon in the back of his mind.

As blank as he tried to remain, the man seemed to see through it. He chuckled as he peered at Obi-Wan, black eyes flashing.

"You have done well, Eritha." He gave Obi-Wan one last glance before spinning around, dark blue cape whirling. He took her arm again. "But come, for now; let us get back to my palace. I see the heat is affecting you. Do not worry, you will become used to it soon enough."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"You're going to smudge all that wonderfully extravagant body paint, you know," Yanci told Obi-Wan. She watched as he finished the last step in his kata. It was hypnotising to watch – precise, effective and balanced. "Not to mention the fact that if the guards come and you aren't ready …" she trailed off, but nodded to the various pieces of heavy jewellery he was meant to be wearing, indicating that he should don them. He had removed the restricting items to be able to perform his kata with greater ease.

"Relax," Obi-Wan told her. "You're worrying too much." Nevertheless, he patted his damp skin with a towel he had been supplied with, taking care not to ruin the carefully painted markings he was adorned with.

He and Yanci had been assigned a single, rather small room to live in, furnished only with a joining fresher and two narrow sleep couches. Across the hall from the room, through the one-way door which kept them confined, was Eritha's own set of rooms. She had expressed her strong wish to keep both Obi-Wan and Yanci close to her from early on.

"You take too many risks, I think," Yanci said, still watching him with a frown "You'll give me grey hairs before we get out of here."

Obi-Wan laughed and finished drying the sweat from his arms. "You sound like my Master."

Yanci mumbled something obviously not meant for Obi-Wan's ears, and rolled over on her sleep couch.

Obi-Wan picked up the first piece of jewellery in the long line that seemed to cover the entire surface of his couch. He could identify it as some sort of – no, actually, he didn't know what it was, at all.

"Yanci," Obi-Wan called out, voice slightly strained. "Could you please help me here?"

Seeing his confused face, Yanci gave a bark of laughter, and sat up. She took the anklet from him and fastened it around his right leg. She proceeded to fix the rest of the pieces into place, until all the many rings, anklets, necklaces, bangles, armbands, and earrings were securely fastened around or through each corresponding body part. Sliding the last stud through the topmost hole in his ear, Yanci grunted in satisfaction.

"Now I can see why you Jedi don't wear jewellery," Yanci murmured.

Obi-Wan shifted, and his whole body seemed to tinkle, as each heavy, bronze adornment hit the ones surrounding it. He thought for a moment about the impracticality of it all, before sitting down on the edge of his sleep couch.

A guard was meant to arrive at any moment to escort him to a new room, where he was to join a group of another hundred or so slaves. They were to lead the procession through the streets, for the wedding of Eritha and her fiancé, even though Eritha had barely been on Hoshine for a week.

Obi-Wan had found out, from the kind, rather plump skin artist who had painted the intricate bronze patterns on his chest, shoulders, arms and back, that the man's name was Lord Tsep Fre Oulr. Apparently he took great pride in the many slaves he kept as 'Pets' in his palace, and he was famed to have the most, and the most successful, in all of the surrounding planets.

Every four cycles a night was held, wherein Pets were forced to battle challengers in games of barbaric tasks or fights. There were a few games of skill and wit, but they were not nearly as popular. At the end of eight such nights, which were known as Mahkwn, a grand tournament was held, with the winner earning glory and honour for his or her master.

Every time Obi-Wan thought about the games, he knew deep within the pit of his stomach that he would be forced to compete. That was why Lord Tsep Fre Oulr had asked Eritha if he fought, and why the man had seemed so interested in him. It made Obi-Wan feel slightly apprehensive. He had a bad feeling about it; he didn't need the Force to tell him so.

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan resolved, he would take each day as it came, as Qui-Gon had drilled it into him to do countless times over his apprenticeship to the Jedi.

Obi-Wan glanced down at the rings covering his fingers. He was sure the amount of jewellery was ordered to wear was only to show off the wealth of his 'owner' and not because it looked appealing. He was certain he must have looked quite foolish to any outsider to the customs of the planet, in fact.

The strangest ritual of all, in the whole of the transforming he had been forced to endure for the wedding, was the new holes which had been punched through his ears, all the way from the lobes at the bottom to the cartilage at the top, to make way for heavy ear bobs and studs. And, if possible, even more bizarre was the piercing they had then ruthlessly created in his nose, merely in order to shove a single sapphire drop into it.

Jolted out of his reverie as he fingered the offending item, Obi-Wan sat up straighter as the door swished open. A young humanoid stood there, bearing the uniform of one of the many royal guards.

"Come with me," the guard said gruffly, shoving the Jedi with a cruel boot as he walked past.

Obi-Wan just heard a shouted 'good luck!' from Yanci just before the door slid shut once more.

The young guard abruptly turned on his heel and walked off, grunting for Obi-Wan to follow.

Walking two steps behind the young man, it seemed as if he'd turned through umpteen corners, twisting and snaking through the large, luxurious palace corridors, and they still hadn't reached the other slaves for the procession, yet. His guard would nod occasionally nod at other passing guards, then swipe his card at various checkpoints and turn through yet more corners.

The palace was, indeed, quite simply decorated. The walls were made of plain duracrete painted in varying shades of the colour in which the particular wing was coded. It seemed as if this was simply a way to stop the multitude of beings, wandering through its maze of walls, from becoming lost.

However, although this simplicity was blatantly evident, and the statues and paintings scattered throughout was rather more sparse than could normally be expected in a palace, the buildings were obviously intended for comfort, and all the decorations could be identified as rather costly.

Couches and lounges were prominent in the nooks and crannies which littered the palace corners, and the break in the sound of trickling fountains were seldom.

And this made Obi-Wan unsure about why his guard was leading them down a section of the palace which was clearly unfinished. Scaffolding stuck out from unrendered walls. Something was not right.

"Excuse me, sir," Obi-Wan began as politely as possible. In his experience, so far, he'd noticed that the guards where not the most friendly of beings towards the slaves of the palace. "But I thought that the Pet section of the palace lay in another wing–"

"Shortcut," the guard simply grumbled.

This answer alone made Obi-Wan suspicious. In the several days that he'd been on Hoshine, he'd found out that guards and officials rarely talked to the slaves at all, let alone explain themselves to them. All he'd expected was a gruff order to shut up, and yet the guard had given him an answer.

Obi-Wan set his senses on high-alert.

This area of the palace was also unusually empty, he noticed. Although it was clearly under construction, there was nobody working on it.

It was only moments later, as he passed an unattended duracrete mixer, that Obi-Wan heard something.

There was a slight shift of fabric behind him.

To any other senses less attuned, less alert, it would easily have escaped notice. As it was, however, Obi-Wan span around and dropped into a defensive stance.

He did not need the Force to tell him that someone was trailing them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Well, my wonderful readers, I can't lie to you. I was so close to putting this fic on permanent hiatus. I'd written the second half of this chapter at least ten different times, each with a different direction. I knew what I wanted to happen (vaguely) but I just didn't know how to get there.

Even this morning I was sure that I would never work on this fic again, and that I would have to abandon it to the too hopeless basket.

But, you see, something changed my mind. And it may sound like everyone says it, but all of your wonderful, supportive reviews were the catalyst to get back on track. I read them this morning and they really inspired me. I didn't have the heart to stop writing this fic, and suddenly my writer's block had disappeared. So, this is the result. :D

Thankyou to all my reviewers. You've all helped me so much! More than you can ever tell.

Anyway, the reason I haven't updated in so long is because:

a. I had writer's block
b. I had exams
c. I massively tore the ligament in my ankle playing Aussie Rules Footy
d. My brand spanking new computer died
e. I was 300km away from a reliable internet source for a LONG time
f. I was trying to finish my webpage before I posted this
g. I've got a brand new nephew:D His name is Fergus.

So, enough excuses for now. :)

stoictimer: You hope I'll save him, you mean. :D Yes, I am evil to toy with your mind like that. :D And I know what you mean about the stone. It's a wonderful symbol between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. One of my favourites is The Book Of Paths series by Red Rose Knight, and I cried so much when the stone was broken. It was so sad, because in the fic, Qui-Gon survives TPM but takes Anakin as his Apprentice and neglects Obi-Wan, even though he nearly lost his life to save Qui-Gon's. :( It causes a rift. Okay, I'll stop now, or else I'll start to give the story away, if you haven't read it. Lol. I'm so bad at that. But how did I get onto this topic? I'm not sure. Anyway, thanks for your review:D Peace out. :D

Fifilla: Yes, I finally updated:D Pity it took me three more months for this chapter. :( I'm sorry. But I got here eventually. Thankyou so much for your review. :D They really keep me going, even when I think I'm going to quit. I especially had trouble with writing this chapter, so thanks for your support! It's much appreciated. :D

Child-of-the-Dawn: I know, poor Obi-Wan! I would kill Eritha myself if she cut his beautiful rock. I don't think he'd cope if she did. :( Now you have to sit there and wonder if she did cut or not … I'm so evil like that, I think. :D Thanks for your wonderful, continual support:D It's really appreciated.

Delcy: All that pampering makes you wonder, doesn't it:D lol. And you were wondering what collection Eritha was going to add Obi-Wan to – well, I know what sort of collection I'd add him to. :P lol. I'm so bad. And yes, I'll kick Qui-Gon for you – gladly. :D Thanks for your awesome review!

Writer of all: I'm glad you liked the chapter. :D Not one for words? What are you talking about:D lol. Don't be silly – you are. :D I'm so sorry I haven't been on yahoo, but, as I wrote further up, my sister-in-law just had her baby, so I've been over there, helping them out. :D So, thankyou for your constant support, and I'll talk to you VERY soon. :D

Lulu: And I like how protective Yanci is of Obi-Wan, too. I think their friendship is sweet. :D I think those two would make great friends in the book. I laughed so hard when I read your description of Yanci though – you put it perfectly:D She does have a very sassy mouth. :) And it sounds as if you enjoyed Obi-Wan's bath as much as I did! Lol. :D I was so tempted to add more description here, but I thought I should keep the rating as low as possible! Lol. :D Anyway, thankyou for your wonderful review. It really made me smile so much and lifted my spirits. :D

Masterarcher: Well, I thought I'd gotten over writer's block – but it just hit me really hard all over again. :( I'm glad you liked the chapter a lot, though. I didn't particularly like it, nor this one, but I'm hoping it will all just build up to later chapters which will have a lot more action. Or so I hope. Lol. And lots of fluff? Er … you might not get any for a while, I'm sorry. o…O Anyway, I agree with you, Qui-Gon did need a good clip round the earhole (such a funny saying, lol.) during this book! He's so silly, sometimes, and I really do think he needs Obi-Wan to keep him on track. So, thanks so much for your wonderful and long review. :D It made me laugh, so thankyou.

Master Kaym: Why thankyou! You think my work is great? I'm blushing. :) lol. I'm sorry for how long it actually took me to update this, but I think I've gotten over all the dramas in my life, and I hope I've gotten rid of my writer's block for a while. Touch wood. :D Anyway, thanks for your review!

Calliope: Thankyou! I'm always so nervous about how I write Obi-Wan! Since he's my favourite character, I always want to portray him well, but I'm never sure if I actually achieve that, so you put my mind at ease. And isn't Eritha just a nasty … well, I'll trail off there to keep the rating down, I think, but I'm sure you get my meaning:) lol. Anyway, thankyou so much for your review. It really put my mind at ease and made me blush exceedingly :D

micky-nikki: Well, a big, fuzzy "WELCOME!" to my review page to you:D I'm glad you like the story. :) Sorry to make you wait so long for the next update. I hope to have the next chapter out a week from now, I think, though. Fingers crossed. And I'm glad you liked the river stone part, too. I wasn't sure if it was silly to put it in or not, so your comment helped me realise that I did the right thing for once. :D lol. Anyway, welcome, and thanks for the awesome review. :D

Nelarun: Hey, there, Aussie girl, being really nice so easily … hey, that just came into my head! I just wrote you a song! You should see my happy dance right now. Lol. Do you know that "Georgie Girl" song by the Seekers? Well it's to the tune of that. :D OMG! I am so mental. You can just tell me, I already know it's true. Lol. Anyway, yes, I do feel very sorry for Obi-Wan, too. I'm so mean to him. I have to admit that I love every second of it, though:P Anyway, thanks for your great review, and the musical inspiration:D lol.

Naiya: And a fuzzy, warm "WELCOME!" to my review page:) I'm sorry at how long it took me to update, but the next one will be out A LOT faster:D Promise. And thankyou so much! I'm glad you like my story. I loved reading your review – it really boosted my spirits when they were kinda low. So thankyou so much! Another big hug from me:-) (that's a hug, by the way. Lol. Doesn't really look like it, does it?) Thankyou:D

Miss Elizabeth Blakeney: Sorry for the VERY late update:( I promise the next one won't take so long. I'm glad you like the story, though. :D Thankyou so much for your wonderful review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh, and a big, warm "WELCOME!" to my review page. It's much appreciated. :D