Chapter Four
"Sorry, but I had to do that. I didn't want you hurting him."
"Yes, you managed to do that very well all by yourself." Qui-Gon leaned over to check the vitals of the younger man sprawled on the floor, checking his head for bleeding. "You do realize you can't hold him here. I doubt you have the facilities."
She hadn't thought about that. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"Perhaps." Qui-Gon rose back up. "Contact your physician and see if he has any trifluoperazine salicylate. It's a cell-mediated diagnostic agent that blocks midichlorian receptors." He explained quickly noting Padmé's look of confusion. "It's a temporary fix to our problem, although I'm not quite sure what you hope to prove by protecting him."
"That just because he's turned to the dark side doesn't mean that he's entirely bad, Qui-Gon. Surely, somewhere inside is the young man you trained. We just have to find him."
It was a pleasant thought, though Qui-Gon doubted they would be successful, as a phrase Master Yoda was famous for kept repeating in his mind.
Once a Jedi turns to the dark side, forever will it dominate their destiny.
It was a philosophy that he had always supported, but observing the young man lying at his feet, Qui-Gon hoped against hope that the ancient Master, in this particular instance, was mistaken.
"I'll contact Captain Panaka." Padmé responded, grabbing her robe and retrieving her communicator. "We have holding cells in the sublevels of the palace. We'll take him there."
Within a few minutes, the Head of Security led Qui-Gon down to the area Padmé spoke of, carrying his previous apprentice over his shoulder.
"An acquaintance of yours?" The dark-skinned man asked as the Jedi lay the unconscious form upon a solid platform that slid out from the wall.
"He used to be." Qui-Gon noted quietly, brushing aside coppery locks to reveal a familiar forehead.
"Do you need extra security? I can post several guards here. Most of them are on rotation, monitoring the blockade, but I can spare a few."
"That won't be necessary." Qui-Gon noted, sensing the approach of the Queen. Upon her arrival, he took the hypospray from her and administered the necessary dosage into Obi-Wan's neck. "This will provide all of the security we will need. Just make sure the force field is activated after I leave. And you will need to post someone in the monitoring station."
Panaka agreed, and then Qui-Gon stood and gazed at the young man who had begun murmuring as soon as the salicylate had taken effect. He would awaken soon, and Qui-Gon didn't want anyone to be present when he did. He wasn't sure what Obi-Wan's state would be, but more than likely, he would be quite angry.
Once the holding cell was secure, the red bars glowing, indicating the force field was working, and a Naboo guard had been assigned to the monitors, Captain Panaka returned to his duties and Qui-Gon turned to the Queen. He had noticed her fascination with his former apprentice, and it had concerned him. She was standing just outside of the barrier, her eyes firmly fixed upon the young man's face.
"You must not approach him. Even though he cannot access the Force, there is much anger in him. There's no telling what he'll be capable of when he awakens. Promise me you'll stay away from him."
Padmé held her gaze as Obi-Wan began to stir, bringing a hand up to rub across his forehead.
"Promise me." Qui-Gon repeated.
"I'm not a fool, Master Jedi." She said instead, and her answer seemed to satisfy him. At least for the moment.
"My advice would be to leave him alone for a while, to let him adjust to the Force inhibition. He probably won't be receptive to any sort of communication until he adjusts to his situation."
"Very well." Her gaze drew away from the individual stirring within the cell, and Qui-Gon was amazed at the sudden change in the young woman's demeanor as her posture straightened and her voice lowered.. "We need to contact the Naboo Council and set up a meeting with Nute Gunray to inform him of the impending validation committee that will be arriving."
"As you wish." Qui-Gon bowed to the unmistakable authority in her voice and moved to follow Queen Amidala back to the main level of the palace, but could not keep from taking one last look over his shoulder to the young man who had sat himself up on the cot, gazing at him through the red energy field, and was met with blue-gray eyes revealing a mixture of confusion, pain, and indisputable venom.