Chapter 6
Luminara staggered for the fifth time that minute. She had been running for fifteen minutes, and while that was no problem for a healthy Jedi, she had been tortured without relent and shot in the shoulder. At the rate she was going she wouldn't last another two minutes. And then they would reach her, take her back for more torturing, and probably death now that she had angered Xanatos and injured him.
She panted around the corner, right into the arms of an unsuspecting resident.
"Are you okay? Oh my gods, you've been shot!" The lady said in a surprised tone.
"Yes," Luminara gasped. "I'll be fine. I just have to be going."
"No, you can't travel in the state you're in. You have to rest." She tried to make Luminara enter a building, but the Jedi broke out into a staggered run. The lady just stared after her, wondering at the offworlder's behaviour.
When she reached a corner she turned into it and collapsed against the wall. She couldn't go on, her legs wouldn't hold her, and her shoulder felt like it had been set alight.
Suddenly, she heard some voices, but didn't have the strength to call upon the Force to distract them. 'This is it. They'll find me and take me back.' She despaired for a moment, until she heard the voices.
"I'm sure she's down here, Master Obi Wan. I sensed her pain." The familiar voice of her apprentice floated towards her.
"I trust you, Padawan Offee. Let's just look for her." Obi Wan Kenobi said.
Luminara tried to call her apprentice's name, but it came out as a gurgle. She closed her eyes, hoping that her apprentice had heard her. Bariss said something else, this time in a frantic tone, although she couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't even open her eyes, and she was barely conscious when strong, gentle hands shook her, trying to get her to wake. But she couldn't. She slipped into blissful sleep as Obi Wan Kenobi lifted her in his arms, ready to carry her to the quarters on his ship.
* * *
Luminara woke with a groan, as it seemed she'd been doing since she had been captured. Her head felt like a hover truck had run over it. She felt her shoulder, wrapped up in a gauze and bandages. It felt a little better, though it still hurt. A lot.
She tried to sit up, but felt slim, female hands holding her down. "Don't move Master. You were hurt badly." Bariss Offee pushed her until she gave up and sank into the pillows with a slight whimper.
"You'll be in pain for a few days, Master. The lightning did some damage. Lot's of damage." She admitted.
Luminara closed her eyes again, so as to hide the pain from her apprentice. It didn't work, though. Bariss sensed it through their bond.
"Master, don't be afraid to show your pain. I can feel it anyway. At the moment, we're on our way to Coruscant. I'll do my best to heal you on the way there, but you'll need to be treated by a full healer. The damage is too extensive forme to deal with alone."
"A-apprentice, ho-how long?" She couldn't form the words properly through the pain.
"How long what master? Until we get to Coruscant? About three hours." She made the assumption that that was what her Master wanted to know.
"No. How l-long have I b-been out for?" She asked, gaining strength every minute she was awake.
"About a day. You were in a really bad state when we found you. How'd you get to the alley?" Bariss asked.
"I ran." Luminara's face was gaining colour. That was a good sign. She wasn't a deathly white anymore.
"You ran? How could you run with such injuries? You're tougher than I thought." Obi Wan asked incredulously from the doorway.
"Hello Obi Wan. What is it?" Luminara's voice was still laced with pain, but she was feeling a lot better.
"Yes. Anakin says that we'll be coming out of hyperspace in five minutes."
"Five minutes?" Bariss was shocked. "I thought you said three hours!"
"Yes, I said it would take twenty hours to make it back to Coruscant. Anakin has shaved three hours off that total." Obi Wan looked mildly amused at the young apprentice's expression.
"Whoa." Was all the Apprentice could manage.
Luminara staggered for the fifth time that minute. She had been running for fifteen minutes, and while that was no problem for a healthy Jedi, she had been tortured without relent and shot in the shoulder. At the rate she was going she wouldn't last another two minutes. And then they would reach her, take her back for more torturing, and probably death now that she had angered Xanatos and injured him.
She panted around the corner, right into the arms of an unsuspecting resident.
"Are you okay? Oh my gods, you've been shot!" The lady said in a surprised tone.
"Yes," Luminara gasped. "I'll be fine. I just have to be going."
"No, you can't travel in the state you're in. You have to rest." She tried to make Luminara enter a building, but the Jedi broke out into a staggered run. The lady just stared after her, wondering at the offworlder's behaviour.
When she reached a corner she turned into it and collapsed against the wall. She couldn't go on, her legs wouldn't hold her, and her shoulder felt like it had been set alight.
Suddenly, she heard some voices, but didn't have the strength to call upon the Force to distract them. 'This is it. They'll find me and take me back.' She despaired for a moment, until she heard the voices.
"I'm sure she's down here, Master Obi Wan. I sensed her pain." The familiar voice of her apprentice floated towards her.
"I trust you, Padawan Offee. Let's just look for her." Obi Wan Kenobi said.
Luminara tried to call her apprentice's name, but it came out as a gurgle. She closed her eyes, hoping that her apprentice had heard her. Bariss said something else, this time in a frantic tone, although she couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't even open her eyes, and she was barely conscious when strong, gentle hands shook her, trying to get her to wake. But she couldn't. She slipped into blissful sleep as Obi Wan Kenobi lifted her in his arms, ready to carry her to the quarters on his ship.
* * *
Luminara woke with a groan, as it seemed she'd been doing since she had been captured. Her head felt like a hover truck had run over it. She felt her shoulder, wrapped up in a gauze and bandages. It felt a little better, though it still hurt. A lot.
She tried to sit up, but felt slim, female hands holding her down. "Don't move Master. You were hurt badly." Bariss Offee pushed her until she gave up and sank into the pillows with a slight whimper.
"You'll be in pain for a few days, Master. The lightning did some damage. Lot's of damage." She admitted.
Luminara closed her eyes again, so as to hide the pain from her apprentice. It didn't work, though. Bariss sensed it through their bond.
"Master, don't be afraid to show your pain. I can feel it anyway. At the moment, we're on our way to Coruscant. I'll do my best to heal you on the way there, but you'll need to be treated by a full healer. The damage is too extensive forme to deal with alone."
"A-apprentice, ho-how long?" She couldn't form the words properly through the pain.
"How long what master? Until we get to Coruscant? About three hours." She made the assumption that that was what her Master wanted to know.
"No. How l-long have I b-been out for?" She asked, gaining strength every minute she was awake.
"About a day. You were in a really bad state when we found you. How'd you get to the alley?" Bariss asked.
"I ran." Luminara's face was gaining colour. That was a good sign. She wasn't a deathly white anymore.
"You ran? How could you run with such injuries? You're tougher than I thought." Obi Wan asked incredulously from the doorway.
"Hello Obi Wan. What is it?" Luminara's voice was still laced with pain, but she was feeling a lot better.
"Yes. Anakin says that we'll be coming out of hyperspace in five minutes."
"Five minutes?" Bariss was shocked. "I thought you said three hours!"
"Yes, I said it would take twenty hours to make it back to Coruscant. Anakin has shaved three hours off that total." Obi Wan looked mildly amused at the young apprentice's expression.
"Whoa." Was all the Apprentice could manage.