I don't really own anything. If it sounds like it's from Star Wars, there's a good chance it is xD As always, reviews mucho mucho appreciated
"I thought that Jedi planned ahead carefully," Roga said. He pelted a few pebbles into the river. "Our humble police force plans more than that."
"If you think that is improvising, wait until you hear this," Obi-wan chuckled.
*****
The soldiers clad in black and suited with helmets were easily able to subdue their captives with the threat of their sleek, light rifles. There were too few of them, however, to effectively hold complete order. The captors' power over the prisoners was largely psychological, and if they pressed an issue too far complete chaos would break out. They would then have to rely on messier techniques, something no one wanted. One guard saw something on the border of the well-contained chaos, an image he caught only in the corner of his eye. It gave him an uneasy feeling, like something was wrong. No matter how hard he tried, the guard could not understand what it was he had seen. A child having a temper tantrum snatched his attention away and he quickly forgot about the strange feeling that was bothering him.
No one else really noticed the teenage boy and middle-aged man dressed in green, button-down shirts and brown cargo pants enter the crowd of people. Obi-wan and Qui-gon dropped most of the illusion once they were well-hidden within the throng, riding on the hope that this operation was large enough that no one would immediately realize they did not belong. Their robes and survival supplies were stashed beneath a nondescript cluster of rocks, and they hid their lightsabers in the huge pockets of their new pants.
"This does not exactly follow the rules of caution and planning ahead, master," Obi-wan said.
"We could have spent all day sitting at the top of those rocks and not learned anything. Down here, we can listen."
For the next ten minutes they listened and observed, avoiding eye contact with their fellow captives and staying far away from the mysterious soldiers guarding them. They learned that the establishment was a station devoted to research in theoretical computer science. The captives were all faculty and staff, and the short humanoids were a hired police force. Half a dozen theories were circulating around the group of about two hundred, all of them completely different and most of them completely ridiculous. No one knew why they were here. The soldiers had stormed into the buildings at night, herded everyone outside, and apprehended the military force. Six hours had passed. No one seemed to understand or even recognize the language that the soldiers spoke, and if the soldiers could speak the standard language, they had chosen not to.
"This seems like a research station with considerable power. What sort of power this facility might provide to an organization who did find a way to actualize a theoretical computer that can eventually override ever form of encryption we create?"
"A lot of power, and a lot of good scientists. But we are prisoners, now," Obi-wan said crossly. "We were free before, and we are prisoners now. How are we supposed to figure out what is happening?"
"I think," Qui-gon said slowly, a mischievous smile spreading across his face, "it is time we made our presence known."
Obi-wan kept his opinions to himself as he and Qui-gon wrestled their way to a guard standing a little bit further from the others. He (or she, it was impossible to tell) stood a whole head taller than Qui-gon and clutched a set of gloved fingers around his rifle when they approached. A slight smile still on his face, Qui-gon closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he wore an expression of panic.
"Sir, sir! Please, why are you doing this to us? My boy and I are just here to support the family, got a sick old woman back at home and his little sister isn't doing so well. We just following our dreams, sir, please tell me we can see them again! Please!"
For a moment Obi-wan was too stunned at the sight of his master crying and begging to speak, but then he blinked himself into tears and clutched at Qui-gon's elbow.
"My sister needs me, sir, she's so fragile! Think of what it would do to her heart! You must know someone who has a sister."
Obi-wan took the pause to look into the mind of the soldier. He sensed irritation, confusion, and bewilderment, but not comprehension. The soldier could not understand a word they were saying.
The soldier seized Obi-wan by the shoulders and leaned in close, the forest reflecting across the black visor of his helmet.
"Jhisx ei hexoznhsh lekwah teyishqu!" he snarled.
Obi-wan's brain scrambled back through his memories. Something about that language was familiar. He had heard hundred of languages before, and knew little phrases and simple sentences in about three dozen. Finally, he recognized the speech. It was Cerozian, the preferred language for certain types of literature.
"Ah… gyesh bieyj k'lok wiqudx! Zwip fru lehiy jlire!" Obi-wan responded, as confidently as he could.
The grip around his shoulders tightened, and then the soldier let out a choked grumbling noise which might have been a laugh. He released Obi-wan and pounded him on the back.
"Would you care to tell me what you said to him?" Qui-gon whispered, pulling Obi-wan back.
"It translates roughly to 'the cabbages in my shoes reflect the same radiation as dictators and salt'."
"Oh, good. I am sure that impressed them."
"It does not translate very well. It is a very famous line from Cerozian literature, I learned it in a class."
"It sounds full of literary value."
"Wevbo sihjkv!"
"Excellent, now what is he saying?"
"I have no idea. That line is all I memorized."
The soldier removed a small, silver device from his belt and pointed it at Obi-wan. A shaft of blue light passed over his body and an angry beep emitted from the device. The guard did the same to Qui-gon with a similar result. He gave a guttural roar, signaling three more guards to his side.
"Uh oh," the two Jedi muttered together. They knew what was going to happen before it did.
One guard grabbed a young woman and held his rifle to her head. A second guard jabbed his rifle right into Obi-wan's chest, while another did the same to Qui-gon. The two knew each other and the situation so well, that the observer would not be able to track the imperceptible gestures of the conversation.
They are going to take our lightsabers, Obi-wan noted with a very slight glance to where their weapons were hidden. We might be fast enough to take them out and disable these weapons before the soldiers fire.
Probably, but the woman would die. They might open fire on everyone else. I am not quite ready for all hell to break loose.
Once they see we are carrying lightsabers, they will know we are Jedi, and all hell will break loose. Only difference is, we will not have our lightsabers.
The soldier reached down for Obi-wan's pocket. Panic sirens blared in his head. He could not let someone take his lightsaber.
No, Qui-gon's eyes said firmly. No. Steady. Steady. Trust the Force. This is the right thing to do.
Obi-wan felt like his mind was being torn in three different directions. His heart flipped and turned wildly in his chest, and looking into Qui-gon's eyes was the only thing that let him keep still while the soldier confiscated first his lightsaber, and then Qui-gon's.
The three guards took their weapons off of the captives. The woman gave a soft gasp and scrambled quickly to fade in the safety of the crowd. All four soldiers gathered around to inspect the lightsaber, tapping it and holding it close to their visors.
Qui-gon quickly pulled Obi-wan back next to him.
"They look confused," Obi-wan said. "How can they not know what a lightsaber is?"
"There are thousands of tools designed to kill other creatures, Obi-wan. It is hard to learn them all. Most people recognize the glowing, lethal part of the lightsaber, not the handle. I know mine well enough to deactivate the trigger mechanism. You should do the same."
Obi-wan reached out with the Force and quickly obeyed.
"Now we know two new things about them," Qui-gon whispered. "They speak Cerozian, and they are not familiar enough with the Jedi to immediately recognize lightsaber hilts. Most mercenary groups are taught about lightsabers and at least understand standard speech. This considerably narrows the options down as to who we are dealing with."
The visor popped open and a grey, protruding snout was visible from beneath the helmet. A pair of ivory tusks and a pink tongue emerged when the hideous mouth opened. The guard fit Obi-wan's lightsaber in his mouth.
Qui-gon reached around Obi-wan and firmly trapped his arms as the boy tried to lunge forward.
"Stop."
"But master!" Obi-wan hissed, trying to point when both hands were stuck at his sides. "He is going to eat my lightsaber!"
"Calm down, son."
The simple phrase calmed Obi-wan from somewhere deep inside, clearing all of the static from his mind and allowing him to evaluate their situation with fresh eyes. The soldier did not eat Obi-wan's lightsaber, instead tucking it inside his belt. Qui-gon draped his arm across Obi-wan's shoulders and leaned in close.
"They are Twohalrian," he said. "That is interesting."
"Twohalrian?"
"Mercenaries. They believe in cultural and racial purity, and know that they are the superior race. They avoid learning any other languages to keep their culture intact, and they want nothing to do with weapons and battle tactics outside of their own."
"They still might know an lightsaber when it is activated…."
Qui-gon nodded. Handing over their lightsabers quietly might have been the best option.
"Vershoowak muhrte xioljk!" one of the guards rumbled. He set an alarm off that was loud enough to make Obi-wan grab his ears, causing all of the captives to jump, wheel around, and face the guard that activated the alarm. Everyone fell silent. The Twohalrian shoved Obi-wan forward with a grunt.
"They seem to think you can translate for them," Qui-gon whispered.
"Bad assumption!" he shot back.
"Besjh kehal breujake maibare!"
Obi-wan glanced anxiously between the enormous mercenaries, the waiting crowd, and Qui-gon.
"Er, ladies and gentleman!"
"Jioklp peraxj h'nlo resha quix ri goljoyeny!"
Time slowed down. Obi-wan could sense the pause between the contractions of the different parts of his heart and hear the shallow, fearful breathing of the prisoners at the assembly. He could make something up and lie to these people, refuse to translate and risk the rage of the mercenaries, or he could take a stand.
"Please do not react to this sentence. I do not understand what they are saying."
"Meage versh jitquoe putezsh!"
"But my mentor and I can help you!"
"Riokj lewshkearop e' toyi putezsh gemo!"
"If the time comes, we will need as much help as we can get."
"Jitaque fsesio ek beirkaeiwxa!"
"If you do not want to be involved, keep a low profile. It may be best to hide somewhere safe, it may be best to lay flat on the ground."
"Obi-wan," Qui-gon said in a low, warning voice.
"What?"
One of the mercenaries at the other end of the crowd roared at the others. A shouting match ensued. Disorder broke out in the crowd as the prisoners turned back and forth between the two sides.
"You assumed that these guards do not know enough standard language to realize you were not translating what they said."
"Oh." Obi-wan nodded slowly. "That would be another bad assumption."
"Very bad assumption."
"Is it go-time?"
Qui-gon responded by charging into the nearest mercenary, darting around behind his back and putting the huge guard into a full-nelson. Obi-wan tried unsuccessfully to summon his lightsaber as he threw himself upon the rifle of another guard. His strength was no match for the sheer power of the Twohalrian. Trying to pry the rifle from its grip was like trying to bench press The Virgin Frontier. He sent a shockwave of the Force straight into the face of the guard and felt his grip loosen just enough for Obi-wan to wrench the rifle free. Without checking the setting, Obi-wan fired right into the guard's gut. The blast did not melt the armor, indicating that the setting was on a heavy stun rather than kill.
Blaster fire was flashed all around, the heat searing his cheeks as the shots passed by. Obi-wan leapt away from the fallen captor and twisted mid-air. A group of five people had latched on to another guard, while the final guard was trying to pry them away. He trained his rifle on Obi-wan and missed twice before the young Jedi took him down with a well-placed shot. Instinctively, Obi-wan hit the ground in a roll and dodged the fire from the guards at the other end of the crowd. He wound up next to Qui-gon, who had wrestled away a rifle for himself.
The small security force had broken into rebellion and had managed to snatch three rifles among them. More soldiers were coming.
"Time to get out," Qui-gon muttered.
"Lightsabers!" Obi-wan barely dodged the next volley of blaster fire.
"They changed the setting to 'kill', we would draw fire into the crowd if we went back."
No time for argument. Obi-wan reluctantly followed Qui-gon. They sprinted towards the edge of the forest, the Twohalrians closing steadily from behind. Strategies flashed through Obi-wan's head as they fled. The guards seemed to be powerful sprinters, but the two Jedi could probably outrun them past eight hundred meters. Once they reached the forest they would be under cover while their pursuers remained in the open, if only for a few seconds.
A band of four security officers joined Qui-gon and Obi-wan as soon as they leapt over the first set of entwined tree roots. Obi-wan stopped dead, wheeled around on his heel, and dropped to one knee. Shots whizzed past him as he carefully took down one of their pursuers.
"Come with us!" one of the security officers insisted. He barely came up to Qui-gon's elbow and tugged earnestly at the big Jedi's sleeve. "There will be more coming from other directions. There is a building with good defenses, a place where we could make a good stand. It's valuable, I do not think our captors would risk damaging it."
"Alright," Qui-gon said. "Come, Obi-wan!"
It seemed like all they were doing was running away. Heart wiggling down to his stomach. Obi-wan turned around and followed their little allies into the darkness of the woody labyrinth.