OK. Here is the second part of my first fanfic. There will be four chapters total and it will, hopefully, be finished in the next week or so.
By the way, thank you so much to my reviewers.
skywalker05-Thank you for reading. Also, thank you for the compliment about my writing that meant a lot. The hyper Obi was a one-time thing. There was a reason for it, as you will see in later chapters. The AU part of the story technically already happened. It goes against the JA books, so I put it as a slight AU. Finally, looking back I totally agree with you about having more foreshadowing. There was less than I wanted, because I, personally, was not clear on what was going to happen. I have a tendency to change major events of the story halfway through, so I did not want to put in hints that would be inaccurate later. Thank you for all of constructive criticism and I hope that enjoy the rest.
dimyavie-Thank you so much. Keep reading there will be more bonding later.
And on with the story:
Chapter 2-Panic
Tired and frustrated, Qui-Gon returned to the cabin just over two hours later. The tribes were no farther along than they were at the beginning of the day and the last two hours had only heightened the tensions between the Traln and the Morillo. The negotiations were set to begin the next morning at nine o'clock standard time. They would then run for twelve hours, with two one-hour breaks, one for the mid-day meal and the second for the evening meal. Hopefully, with a little more progress Qui-Gon had mused.
As Qui-Gon approached the cabin, he sensed that something was very wrong. The front door was open, even though he had locked the door when he had left two hours ago. Racing through the open door, he ran to where he had left his sleeping Padawan. When he made it to bedroom, his heart stopped. The bed was a mess, blankets and sheets on the floor. He searched the rest of the cabin, but the result was the same. His Padawan was nowhere to be found.
Quickly, reaching out to the Force, Qui-Gon searched the training bond that he shared with the boy. Nothing could have prepared him for the nothingness that he felt along the bond. Nothing. No emotion. No Force signature. It was like his Padawan had ceased to exist. It made his blood run cold.
Sinking to the floor, Qui-Gon tried to calm his racing heart. Someone had taken his Padawan. The bright-eyed child who had given his life a purpose again. Gone. He knew that his Padawan was not dead. That he would have sensed. Even during the negotiations, he kept a small piece of his awareness on the training bond. Obi-Wan had a tendency to have nightmares, as most children his age do. They were never anything too serious, but like most children, he often needed comfort after having one. Qui-Gon made sure that if his Obi-Wan had a nightmare he would be alerted to it, so that he could send his love and comfort to the boy, via the bond. If something serious had happened to the boy, he would have known. The Jedi Master knew that his Padawan had been asleep. He would have sensed it otherwise, but when had Obi-Wan disappeared all together?
Taking a few deep breaths, Qui-Gon gathered himself for what was to come. He knew that he was going to have to contact the Jedi Council. But how was that going to look? Esteemed Jedi Master loses his Padawan after less than twenty-four hours on-planet. There was a time when Qui-Gon would not have called the Council. After he had lost his Padawan Xanatos to the Dark Side he had become bitter, harsh man who only wanted to be left alone with his work. That Qui-Gon would not have swallowed his pride to admit his failings to the Jedi Council. But things were different now. Obi-Wan had changed him from a bitter man to a man who was able to love again. He now knew that his life had meaning and that it did not end with Xanatos. While a small planet, Larbec contained many places to hold a child. If he was going to find his Padawan quickly he was going to need help.
"Jedi Council. How may I direct your call?"
"Yes. I must speak with Master Yoda immediately. It is an emergency."
"One moment," the droid replied.
True to its word, one minute later Master Yoda's voice came over the comlink. "Sensed a disturbance in the Force, I did. Problem, there is."
"Yes, Master…" Qui-Gon quickly outlined all that had occurred over the course of the day, more specifically what happened in the last three hours. "I am formally requesting back-up to help me find my Padawan and complete the mission."
"Granted, your request is. Notify teams in the area, I will. Additional teams, sent out they will be."
"Thank you, Master," the Master said, clearly relieved.
"Calm you must be, if find your Padawan you will. Helped you, he did. But a Jedi, you must be."
"I know, Master, but that is not all that easy."
"Know this, I did. But faith in you, I have."
"Thank you. I am going to start to search for Obi-Wan."
"Contact you will information, I will. May the Force be with you." And with a small wave of his hand, the connection was cut.
While Qui-Gon did feel slightly better, he was still along ways of from Jedi calm. However, he set his anxieties aside and started the search for his Padawan. Looking around the room, Qui-Gon started to look for any clues that he might have missed in his panic.
After about five minutes of searching, Qui-Gon found his first clue. He had found a piece of cloth that had been drenched in some sort of drug. When Qui-Gon took a sniff, he started to get lightheaded. That must be how they kept him asleep, Qui-Gon thought. Without a passing thought, the Master pulled out a analyzing chip. He put a small sample of the drug on the chip, which he then transmitted to the Temple for analysis. While he was waiting for the results, Qui-Gon continued to search the small room.
Qui-Gon had not found any other hints as to Obi-Wan's disappearance by the time the Temple droids commed him with the results.
"The drug that you sent us is incredibly powerful. It is made primarily up of a plant named Rignin, although it does have a few other planets in the mixture that can have effects on the body. When a Force-sensitive comes in contact with Rignin, it first falls into a deep sleep. While the person is sleepy, the drug slowly paralyzes the midi-chlorians, gradually cutting of their Force connection. The sleep lasted two to four hours and when they wake up their Force connection is completely severed. The drug lasted about 36-48 hours, after which the Force ability slowly starts to come back. However, while the Rignin is still in the body, it can cause some confusion in the victim. The other substances in the mixture are ones that aid can cause some confusion, but are primarily known for making beings more sensitive to things such as light and touch. These two wear off in about 36 hours. Do you have any further questions about this substance, Master Jinn?"
After a moment of thought, Qui-Gon replied in the negative, but asked to have his call retransmitted to his friend Tahl. She was a Jedi Master, who has been blinded in a mission some years ago. Tahl then decided to lend her services to the Jedi working as a researcher, rather than a field Jedi, although she did take missions from time to time. While the call was being transmitted, Qui-Gon tried to squelch the panic that he felt when he heard about what was now happening to his young ward. Obi-Wan was alone, with no way to use the Force. And if he was being hurt everything would hurt more than it should have… Stop. Your fears are not going to help Obi-Wan!
"Qui-Gon. I heard about Obi what have you learned?" Tahl was always one to get straight to the point.
"Obi-Wan was drugged with a plant called Rignin. I need to know if it is found in any specific regions on Larbec."
"OK. Hold on, while I run it through the computer… There. It should only take a few minutes to search. So how are you holding up?"
"I don't even know anymore, Tahl. Obi-Wan has become my whole world in the past few weeks. I can't imagine life without him anymore. And now that he's gone…I don't even know what to do. I can't stop thinking about everything that could happen to him. With no Force connection, in the hands of Force knows who. I am just so worried about him. I have to find him, Tahl. He's my whole world now…" Qui-Gon slowly tapered off as his voice started to crack. Some tough guy I am. I can't even hold it together when my Padawan has only been gone three hours," Qui-Gon thought ruefully.
A quiet voice broke into his thoughts. "Do you have idea who it could be?"
"I don't know. I guess it is probably either the Traln or the Morillo. They are the two parties that I am negotiating with. Each village only sends one representative to the negotiations, so any one of their aides could have done it. This is the only evidence I have found. I have not looked outside around the cabin yet, but I feel that this is important."
"It is important, Qui. In fact, it shows something very interesting."
"What?"
"You're wrong."
"What do you mean I am wrong?"
"I mean you are wrong. Neither the Traln nor the Morillo are responsible for this. I assuming that you know how important boundaries are to this society, since it is what brought you there." Qui-Gon just nodded. "This plant is only located in one place on the planet and it is neither within the Traln or Morillo villages. It is actually in the tribe to the south of them. The Gargednios. Rignin only grows near the center of their village, which means that no one from another tribe could have gotten it without being caught. And crossing the boundary lines without permission is a very serious offense. I believe that they must have your Padawan."
"But why? They have no motive."
"Not that you know of. I am sending you the maps of their village now. But you must be careful. If they find out that you have crossed into their land you could be in serious trouble. The good news is that the people mostly live in a corner of the village, the rest is uninhabited, but rather used for hunting. Unfortunately, that makes it much easier for them to hide him. Hold on, Master Yoda is trying to tell me something. I am sending you the maps. Stay in the line and look over them. When I finish talking to the troll, let me know if you have any questions."
Qui-Gon did as he was told, looking for secluded areas his Padawan might have been hidden.
"I am back. First of all, any questions?" Qui-Gon shook his head. "OK, then. Master Yoda has a message for you. He said to not leave the capital yet. Master Windu was only a system away when you called Master Yoda. He was just finishing up a mission and is on his way to Larbec. He should be there within an hour. Go into the territory together. Call a recess in the negotiation. Yoda is also assembling a team of Jedi to be sent out tonight. He said that he will also send a few Healers with them. I will leave you now to prepare. If you have any questions or are in need of further assistance let me know. And you will find him." And without a goodbye, Tahl cut the connection.
An hour! They expect me to wait an hour! While my Padawan is out there lost and alone!... Ok, I need to stop this isn't getting me anywhere. I have to focus and prepare.
Resigned to waiting, Qui-Gon prepared what he needed for his trip. He packed the food ration and med-pacs from both kits. He filled both canteens with water. Most importantly, he contacted the Council of Elders and postponed the negotiations until another team could get here to complete the negotiations. The Jedi Master tried to keep himself as busy as possible to prevent himself from thinking about his lost little Padawan. He knew that if he started to get to emotional involved in this then he would never find the closest thing he ever had to a son. He hoped that Mace Windu would help with that. The two Jedi certainly had their ups and downs in the long time that the two knew each other, but Qui-Gon knew that he could trust that Mace would help him get through this. His Jedi calm would also help Qui-Gon to keep his own troubled emotions in check. But despite these reassurances, Qui-Gon knew that he was going to have a hard time holding it together until his Padawan was safe in his arms. He only hoped it would be soon.