Disclaimer: (sigh) I wish.
Chapter 11
"What good is a life, with no one to share,
The light of the moon, the honor of a swear.
We can try to live the way in which you speak,
Taste the milk of your mother earth's love,
Spread the word of consciences you see,
We are everything we need
We belong together
Like the open seas and shores
Wedded by the planet force
We've all been spoken for."
-Gavin DeGraw
Obi-Wan
He glanced down at his hand.
My lightsaber. Xanatos gave me back my lightsaber.
He closed his fist around it, feeling complete relief and comfort at the familiar shape of the handle. He was a Jedi. He could do this.
"Where's Obi-Wan?" A familiar voice demanded.
Immediately Obi-Wan stepped out of the shadows. Qui-Gon was standing in the academy doorway, looking confident even though he was greatly outnumbered. Xanatos stood several meters in front of him. His confidence held mockery.
"I'm here master," Obi-Wan said, not even sure if Qui-Gon could hear him.
He looked so relieved, and Obi-Wan felt a pang of guilt.
"Are you alright?"
"He's fine," Xanatos snapped, almost defensively.
"I'd rather hear that from him."
"I'm fine," Obi-Wan repeated softly, not really believing the words himself. He'd live, but he was far from fine. Fine implied complete contentment, which he did not have in any form. He touched the bandage on his forehead. "For the most part."
Qui-Gon's attention returned to the dark Jedi. His expression remained calm, but both Obi-Wan and Xanatos could tell that his blood boiled beneath the exterior. "I suppose now you're going to tell us why we're here?"
Xanatos reached inside his cloak and pulled out a familiar triangle. "Of course. You know me too well master." He turned and walked toward the stone podium.
Lifting his hand, Qui-Gon motioned for Obi-Wan to come to the doorway with him. But Obi-Wan couldn't move. He just stood there looking from Xanatos to Qui-Gon.
My resolve is gone. I don't know what to do.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said firmly.
Obi-Wan couldn't do anything but stare at him.
"There's no need for that," Xanatos said nonchalantly, his back still turned to them. When he reached the podium he glanced over his shoulder to look at Qui-Gon. "I won't hurt him."
Qui-Gon watched Xanatos stoically, but Obi-Wan could tell that he was confused.
I don't blame him. I'm confused.
Xanatos turned the holocron upside and lowered it toward the podium. There appeared to be a fitted hole just the right shape for it.
"What's going to happen when you put that in?" Qui-Gon asked.
He was buying time, Obi-Wan could easily see that. There were mercenaries everywhere, mercenaries who were hired to stop him, but he couldn't just let Xanatos do that. Especially not until he knew what it did.
Xanatos smiled. "The holocron is like a datapad filled with secrets of the Sith, as you well know. But this holocron is special, it doubles as a key."
"A key that unlocks what?" Qui-Gon looked relaxed, but he was preparing to fight.
The next smile was wicked, and every bit the Sith that Xanatos seemed to think he was. Obi-Wan hadn't seen that smile since Xanatos had kidnapped him.
The holocron slid out of the dark Jedi's hand and fell neatly into the hole. The sharp clang of metal and metal connecting rang through the large room.
Everything was deathly silently, and Obi-Wan's own breathing sounded loud and inhuman in his ears. Then a loud roar started, like the roar of the winds across the mountains of Hoth. The noise centered above the holocron.
Light slid along the edges of the device, a sickly blue light that rose in the air to the roar's pivotal point. A glowing, transparent blue ball floated a yard above the podium, dust and dirt swirling around it.
"It's called a d'yirk," Xanatos shouted over the roar. The noise began to die down, but the ball stayed suspended, glowing more brightly then a lightsaber, giving it the air of demonic impending doom.
Qui-Gon laid his hand on his lightsaber hilt. Obi-Wan then realized his master's exhaustion. "What does it do?"
Xanatos's smile was manic. "What indeed."
Suppressing a shiver at the words, Obi-Wan took a step forward to get a better look.
He realized then that his first interpretation of it was wrong, the thing was blue, but it had small veins of red painted across it, like some sort of beating heart. Clutching his lightsaber for comfort he took another step forward.
"Xanatos?" He said carefully. "What happens now?"
Xanatos looked away from his morbid creation to glance at Obi-Wan. A strange expression crossed his face, as if he had forgotten that the Jedi was there. He stared at his partial lover, either not having an answer to the question or worried about Obi-Wan's response to the answer. The electricity that extended between their blue eyes reminded them of everything that had happened to bring them to that point. It also reminded them that the stakes were much higher now.
Obi-Wan felt a hand on his shoulder. Qui-Gon had come to stand next to them, unnecessarily concerned for his Padawan's safety.
Cobalt blue eyes glinted at the gesture, and Xanatos's hate returned in a wave. He backed up several steps.
"The finale," He was standing next to the d'yirk, his hand poised above it. "I'll try to keep this monoslavic master," he sneered. "It's a bomb. In a sense."
"What kind of sense?" Qui-Gon demanded.
"It's the ultimate weapon," Xanatos smirked darkly. "It will target anything I want, and in a large extent."
"So," Qui-Gon said carefully. "You're going to kill us with that thing?"
Xanatos laughed. The laugh was bitter and hateful, and it broke Obi-Wan's heart. "I have no intention of killing anyone here except for you, but no, I'm not using the d'yirk. I already have you, why would I waste it's power?" He smiled. "Think master, what large point would I want to erase from the universe?"
Qui-Gon paled. "The Jedi temple."
"Yes, the Jedi temple," Xanatos ran his fingers along the blasphemy's surface.
"Don't do this," Obi-Wan pleaded, shaking off Qui-Gon's grip and stepping forward. "You don't have too."
His fingers paused, and he looked at Obi-Wan gently. "You'll appreciate this someday."
Everything happened too quickly to completely comprehend after that. Xanatos shoved his hand deep into the core of the d'yirk. The ball pulsed out a light so bright Obi-Wan had to look away and cover his eyes. When he finally looked back, the ball was still glowing like a sun and Qui-Gon and Xanatos were engaged in battle. Their lightsabers clashed ferociously.
Obi-Wan watched them in morbid fascination. He had no idea what to do.
Or who to defend.
The mercenaries weren't doing anything; they were watching the fight calmly. Obviously Xanatos didn't want or need their help.
There is one thing I can do.
Obi-Wan turned to stare at the d'yirk. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he assumed that the pause was the object targeting the temple. He had to stop it.
No matter what.
Igniting his lightsaber, he leapt onto the podium, his feet landed in front of the d'yirk steadily. Without a second thought he shoved his lightsaber deep into the weapon, until the deep blue of it could be seen on the other end.
Then the pain came. Obi-Wan knew that it was there, but he couldn't feel it. He just watched raptly as the skin peeled off his lightsaber arm in layers. He felt a strong pull jerk him away from the d'yirk, just as the red muscle of his arm was becoming visible.
He landed heavily on the stone floor; his shoulders fell firmly back into Xanatos's arms. The older man had been the one to pull him away from the death device.
"What have you done?" Xanatos asked. His face was taut and horrified as he stared at Obi-Wan's ruined arm.
"My friends," Obi-Wan said weakly, unable to tear his eyes away from the gory sight. The skin from his forearm down was gone, and bright red, taut muscles were visibly. He could see the still intact thrumming veins.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon's voice broke into his thoughts.
Obi-Wan glanced up at his master and smiled painfully. "It's okay, I'll be fine."
"We need to cover that arm," Xanatos said, though Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he was speaking to Qui-Gon or him.
Obi-Wan cried out when he felt material move over his hand. Xanatos had pulled off his glove and placed over Obi-Wan's skinless hand. It was a slightly loose fit, but it would do. The glove rubbed against his skin – or muscle he supposed now - painfully. Material ripped, then Xanatos was wrapping and tying chunks of his cloak around Obi-Wan's arm.
It hurt.
"Stop," Obi-Wan pleaded.
Xanatos's hands slowed, but he soon resumed the wrapping. "It will hurt worse if they have to amputate it," Xanatos softly begged him for cooperation.
The pain was overwhelming, and Obi-Wan just wanted to sleep. He wouldn't feel the pain while he was unconscious.
He felt his head lull back on to Xanatos's shoulder when he closed his eyes.
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Qui-Gon
What's going on here?
He watched detachedly as Xanatos wrapped Obi-Wan's arm. Fear had gripped him when he saw his padawan destroy the d'yirk. It would be many years before he got the image of Obi-Wan's skin being ripped away out of his mind. He had immediately moved to help his apprentice, but what really shocked him was that Xanatos was the one to pull Obi-Wan away from the object.
It left Qui-Gon to wonder what exactly had been happening during Obi-Wan's kidnapping.
He nearly yanked Obi-Wan away when the boy laid his tired head on Xanatos's shoulder.
Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, he spoke to the dark Jedi. "What's…"
The question went unfinished. A blindly blue light surrounded them, followed by a high-pitched whistle that left Qui-Gon clutching his ears. Fire ripped down the sides of the room.
Horrified, the Jedi master turned to look at the d'yirk.
It was backfiring. At least, that's what it looked like. It couldn't send it's built up energy to the temple…
So it was targeting the academy.
Obi-Wan's head shot up, fully awakened by the sound. Mercenaries ran and panicked around them. Several ran outside.
Then screams echoed through the buildings.
"The beasts!" Xanatos shouted over the roar. "All the dark energy in the academy has called them."
"They'll massacre us all," Obi-Wan said, looking as if the words astonished even him.
"We'll see," Xanatos said, pulling Obi-Wan to his feet. "But we have to get out of here first, this place is going to blow."
"But there are creatures out there," Qui-Gon snapped, not particularly wanting to face the cats again.
"At least out there we have chance," Xanatos looked and Obi-Wan. "Can you walk?"
"There's nothing wrong with my leg," Obi-Wan replied, grimacing as he moved his injured arm. "Did anyone see where my lightsaber went?"
Xanatos looked at the shining d'yirk. "I don't think you're getting it back."
Obi-Wan groaned. "I needed that."
"We don't have time," Qui-Gon said, taking Obi-Wan's good arm and pulling him out of the room. Xanatos followed them.
"Wait!" Obi-Wan shouted, tugging free. "The others!" He pointed the bacta tanks that still held many prisoners. "We can't just leave!"
"We have to," Xanatos argued impatiently.
This is all so strange. Why is Xanatos even waiting for us? Why hasn't he tried to kill us? Why did he bother to save Obi-Wan's life?
"Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan's frantic voice rang through his thoughts. "Tell him we can't leave them!"
Qui-Gon looked back at the victims.
"How much time do you think we have?" Qui-Gon asked Xanatos.
The dark Jedi looked at the malfunctioning d'yirk warily. "Ten minutes, at the most."
I can't trust him. I don't know why he's acting like this, but I know I can't trust him.
But I have to.
"Will you take Obi-Wan to safety while I get the prisoners?" Qui-Gon asked Xanatos, watching the man's reaction carefully.
"By yourself?" Xanatos asked incredulously. "You can release them from the tanks, but they won't be able to walk easily. They'll need help."
Qui-Gon had thought of that, but he couldn't turn his back on them. "I'll figure something out, just take Obi-Wan out of here."
"I can help," Obi-Wan argued.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "Not with that arm, and arguing with me will only waste time."
The boy looked torn, but after a moment's hesitation he allowed Xanatos to pull him out of the academy.
Qui-Gon turned to the tanks forlornly.
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A/N: So this was going to be the second to last chapter, but now there will be two more instead of one. About the time that this chapter hit 14 pages I'm like "ummm… I think I'll split this up." Besides, this way you'll get two updates rather quickly instead of one long, rushed update. Please review!