I have no idea if this is true, but I've made Bant, Tahl's apprentice. And I was wondering if I should post this in the Jedi Apprentice area instead of the Star Wars section?
Chapter 8
Helena came from a proud species and did not like being outdone by a mindless Jedi. The boy had effectively avoided capture from her three times in the past, but this time he would not get away, this time she would make sure that he was delivered to his new master, Qui-Gon be damned. That horrible man would not get in her way. She had worked too hard to kidnap the child. That loony Jedi Master was not going to ruin her future; he was not going to ruin her plans. They would find a way off of the planet.
Dei'ma let the boy out of the box and chained him to the wall of Obi-Wan's temporary prison. Helena viciously kicked the unresponsive boy in the ribs, angered at their current situation. She was now forced to call her benefactor and explain why she could not meet the deadline.
Helena called the man that was going to pay her a substantial amount to deliver the young Jedi to him. She did not know his name or who he was, but who cared when the man was offering such a great amount of credits. He would be angered at the turn of events though.
"What do you want?" The voice disgustedly spat out when Helena had established a link.
"We won't be able to deliver the boy on time."
"And why is that? Were you too incompetent to capture the young Jedi again?" The menacing voice proposed. Helena could see the hate emanating from the dark one's eyes. It was the only feature of the man that Helena could see.
"We have the Jedi in our possession, but we cannot safely leave the planet. All flights have been grounded until the young Jedi has been found." Anger and annoyance laced the bounty hunter's voice at her boss' lack of trust.
"Hmm, I did not expect Qui-Gon to be so adamant about recovering his Padawan, but it makes no difference. I shall come to you, whenI can.But in the meantime,I want his spirit broken and crushed like dust in the wind. I want that boy to be at your feet begging for mercy. I want that child to feel like he has nothing to live for. I want that child to give over to his anger and hate. I want that child to be at my mercy and under my complete control. Do whatever it takes. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Helena's unknown benefactor slammed his fist onto a table sending dark ripples through the Force. His voice was full of hate and anger as it yelled at Helena. Helena flinched at the malice in his words, but simply nodded her head. She would do what he asked. No different than last time. She prepared for the arduous task; the boy was hard to break.
Yoda was meditating in the dark corners of the Temple Gardens when a dark ripple tore through the Force. It was a ripple that originated from the dark side, a ripple that came from close by. This was very disconcerting to the small Jedi Master. Was there possibly a Jedi within the Temple that had turned to the dark side? No, that simply wasn't possible and if it was, Yoda did not want to think of that possibility. Yoda was alone, contemplating the meaning of the ripple he had felt when a young Padawan learner entered the Gardens.
"There's a call for you, Master Yoda, from Master Jinn. I did not wish to disturb you, but he said it was important."
"Disturb me, you did not. Take the call, I will." The ancient Jedi Master made his way to the council chamber as quickly as he could, but he was not surprised to see Arthenia lounging in one of the chairs when he entered the room.
"What took you so long?"
"Hmmph. Know what this is about, I think you do." Yoda replied purposely ignoring Arthenia's barb.
"Yes, Master Yoda. I believe that Obi-Wan has been kidnapped."
"Again?"
"I tried to warn Qui-Gon through our bond, but I think he either ignored or didn't comprehend my cryptic messages."
"Meant to be, this was."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"You know, I can hear you." Qui-Gon's voice boomed from over the commlink.
"Know this, we do." Qui-Gon growled at the green troll.
"Tell us the details of Obi-Wan's kidnapping." Arthenia said.
"It was Helena. They're still on the planet and I know this for a fact. I am requesting assistance to help find my Padawan. But I have just one question, a question that I know you have the answer to. Why is Helena so adamant about capturing my Padawan?"
"Know the answer, we do. Tell you the reason, Arthenia will, when reach the planet, she has."
"Tahl and her Padawan will be coming with me. Perhaps they can explain some of the details to you as well. We will be leaving for Trintonomia is less than a standard hour. Till then Qui-Gon, don't do anything stupid."
"I resent that. Just because I don't always do what the council asks, does not make my decisions stupid, it just means that you 'respected' Jedi, have no idea what you are talking about."
"I'm going to forget you ever said that, and blame it on the fact that you are insane with worry about your Padawan. For once Qui-Gon, will you simply heed my useful advice?"
"Just this once." Qui-Gon sighed resignedly. He could not hide the worry, sorrow and guilt that radiated from his bright eyes.
"We will get him back, Qui-Gon. There are things we wish that never happened, Qui-Gon, but you must accept this as the will of Force. One day, you will realize the importance of this mission. But until then, only you can calm the raging winds and stop the storm, before it starts." With that, Arthenia ended the transmission.