Seekers (by CathyPauline)
Chapter 2
Obi-Wan rested against the curve of the wall where his wrists were bound behind him. He had finally been able to get his legs under himself by the time he felt the quiet swelling of the powerful hyperdrive and saw starlines through the transparisteel viewport overhead. Now he knelt with his eyes shut and let his mind slip into a state of quiet meditation.
Xanatos entered from the pilot's station; the door slid quietly shut behind him. Obi-Wan heard him stop and stand, felt him watching from the other end of the room, and was careful not to react. Perhaps his captor would leave him alone. He listened as Xanatos crossed the room, entering the door across from him; heard the door shut. He sighed in relief. But then the door opened once more, and he heard Xanatos stepping toward him, crouching before him. A hand cupped his face. He opened his eyes.
Xanatos smiled slyly at him. "I hope you find your accommodations satisfactory."
"I must admit I've had better."
"Such a brave front. The Jedi mask of honor and bravado wins out." He lowered his voice and moved his face closer to Obi-Wan's: so close the boy could feel his breathing. "I feel your fear, Obi-Wan. Your spirit trembles like a dead leaf in an autumn breeze. I wonder: what would it take to get past that Jedi calm, to expose you for the coward you are?"
Obi-Wan felt his fear growing, and struggled to control it, and to control his body's reactions so Xanatos would not see. What would Qui-Gon do? "Breathe," he would say. Obi-Wan focused on breathing, and was surprised to find he had been holding his breath. Xanatos laughed quietly and released him, sitting back on his heels.
"Now what shall I do with my young guest?" he mused.
"You could free my hands before they go completely numb."
Xanatos' smile was eerie. "Perhaps later." He studied Obi-Wan for a minute longer. "Perhaps..." his voice trailed off. Then he stood, turning, and exited to the pilot's station. The door slid closed behind him. Obi-Wan sighed, closed his eyes, and returned to his meditation. There was nothing else he could think to do.
*****
Back and forth in the small guest room of Den's apartment, Qui-Gon paced, scouring his memory for any clue to where Xanatos may have taken his Padawan. Andra and Den had helped him to clear the charges against himself and Obi-Wan. After contacting the Temple, Telos' transition government -- those officials remaining in power after the flurry of resignations and indictments in the wake of OffWorld's departure from the Sacred Pools -- had formally apologized for detaining the two of them on Xanatos' word alone.
Now Qui-Gon awaited word from the Temple regarding his requests. Master Yoda had been grim upon hearing the news of Obi-Wan's kidnapping; though he had not said a word of recrimination, Qui-Gon had felt keenly his disapproval. But the wizened old Jedi had promised help: at the least, a transport. And he had said he would ask Tahl to compile a list of all known and suspected OffWorld bases and holdings. But he had also issued a warning and a directive: "Set out to find Obi-Wan before the Council approves you must not! Patient, be! Prepared you must be, or end in failure your efforts will." And so Qui-Gon waited, chafing at the delay, though he could have found transport and headed out by now.
At last his transponder signaled an incoming connection. He knelt by the low table where he had placed it with his holographic disk and datapad jacked in, and pressed the button that completed the connection. A small image of Yoda and Tahl appeared before him. Tahl spoke first.
"I've compiled a list of Offworld front companies and their holdings, Qui-Gon. Are you ready for the transmission?"
"Go ahead."
Tahl reached out and clicked a connection out of the viewing range of the holographic recorder.
"Found help for you we have, Qui-Gon. Arriving in the city port in six hours will be Tomas Ellmore and his Padawan. A fast ship they have."
"I will be waiting for them, Master Yoda."
"I will continue to search for Offworld holdings and clues to Xanatos' activities," said Tahl. "Check in with me as often as you can."
"I will do that, Tahl. Thank you."
"Our thoughts are with you, Qui-Gon. You will find Obi-Wan."
"Find him you will, Qui-Gon, and Xanatos with him. But heed me in this you must! Careful you must be, and patient, or make the situation worse you will. Treacherous Xanatos is, and wily. Try to trap you he will."
"I am aware of that, Master Yoda."
"With you always, the Force is, Qui-Gon."
"Yes, Master."
They bowed, and Tahl closed the connection.
*****
Perhaps an hour after he had left, Xanatos once more entered the ship's main chamber from the cockpit. The dark Force swirled around him, strong with hatred. In his meditation Obi-Wan had felt the slow gathering of the dark, had felt the shift from anger to hate and greed. Now, wary of Xanatos' mood, Obi-Wan watched him approach.
"Good news, Obi-Wan. I have found a use for you. But you will need some preparation. You hardly look the part yet."
Xanatos' high spirits filled Obi-Wan with anxiety. He knelt quietly while Xanatos reached behind him to untie one of his hands.
"Not even curious?" Xanatos pulled Obi-Wan's arm around in front of him and tied it to the wall once more, so that Obi-Wan now knelt facing the wall.
"What are you planning?"
"Curious after all! But no, I think I will keep this my secret for a while longer." Finished, Xanatos stood and exited the room to the chamber at the back of the ship. A few minutes later he returned with a small carton of the sort used for interplanetary shipments. He placed it on the floor near Obi-Wan, and drew from it a meter length of flexsteel cable with a length of synthplas shaped like a handle affixed to one end.
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked in a subdued voice. His throat had gone dry.
Xanatos looked at him, his eyes glittering. "Primitive construction, but effective. On the planet we're going to, the locals make these out of salvaged materials, cannibalized from old junk." He ran his hand lightly along the cable. "It's quite sharp, with these twisted filaments. Haven't you guessed yet what it is?"
Obi-Wan felt sick with foreboding. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He felt the cable cold and hard against his skin as Xanatos rubbed it lightly down his neck. His skin prickled.
"Stop your games, Xanatos." Obi-Wan spoke quickly, his voice hoarse with the effort of keeping it steady. "Carry out your plans. I don't expect there's anything I can say that will prevent you."
"Oh, I don't know, I can think of a few things. If you were to beg me to take you as my apprentice, now, that would please me enough to change my mind."
"Hutts will dance the Juta first."
Xanatos chuckled. "That I wouldn't mind seeing, either." He looped the cable around Obi-Wan's neck, then used it to gently pull his chin up and back. "You amuse me, boy."
"Why don't you untie my hands, and see how well I amuse you?"
"Why do you cling to the Code? It chains you to a stone, when you could be free, you could have true power. You're stronger, you're smarter than that fool you call Master. Why do you limit yourself?"
"Why do you serve a power that's eating your soul?"
Xanatos snapped the cable away from Obi-Wan, slicing his skin with the sharp edge. "You know nothing of power," he snapped.
"I know very little, I'm sure. But I know enough to understand your offer. And to reject it."
Obi-Wan felt the Dark Side building around him, strong with Xanatos' anger.
"You are a fool, Obi-Wan."
*****
Qui-Gon used the time before Tomas arrived to study the files Tahl had compiled for him. There were several Offworld bases located within a day's travel of Telos; he marked them in his datapad. He had not yet decided which site to visit first. Tahl had included basic information on each base and the planet where it was located, as well as details on operations, materials -- anything she could gather. Qui-Gon's frustration grew as he paged through the data. There were nearly eighty sites listed, in more than fifty systems. Would Xanatos go to the redit-mining operation on the asteroids of Beloris? Qui-Gon thought not; it seemed out-of-character for Xanatos to await him at such an uncomfortable site. What if he left Obi-Wan a slave in some mining camp? Xanatos had hidden him so before. But Xanatos had said that Obi-Wan would stay with him, and Qui-Gon was inclined to believe that he would keep the boy close. So: somewhere that Xanatos could wait in style, directing his operations from a distance. Probably somewhere that he would be able to raise funds. Qui-Gon cursed inwardly. Such a place wouldn't have to be an Offworld base at all!
The door opened, admitting Den and Andra.
"Have you found any leads, Qui-Gon?" Andra asked with concern.
Qui-Gon sighed. "I don't know where to start. There are so many places he could be!" Quickly he explained the problem.
"You say that Xanatos would be concerned with raising funds," said Den. "Well if that were me, I might have feelers out -- contacts, someplace where I could rake the money in, big time--"
"You would be thinking of money!" Andra snorted.
"Hey!" Den looked injured.
"It's an excellent idea," said Qui-Gon firmly. "Xanatos told me he had somewhere to go -- he said he had business to attend to."
"So maybe your friend on Coruscant could focus on ferreting out what contacts Xanatos was making--" said Andra hopefully.
"What deals he has in progress," added Den, nodding.
"It's worth looking into." Qui-Gon checked his chrono -- it was time to head to the starport to meet Tomas. "I'll have just enough time to contact Tahl on the starship before we jump to hyperspace."
"I hope it pans out." Andra shook her head. "Qui-Gon, if there's anything we can do to help..."
"You've been a great help already."
"You've done more than we could ever repay," said Andra. "Both of you."
"I hate to think of that poor kid in trouble," added Den.
"If there's anything we can do -- please, contact us," finished Andra.
Qui-Gon studied their worried faces. He reached out to touch Andra's shoulder. "I will, thank you." He turned to pick up his travel pack and data pad, then headed for the door. Den walked with him; he would be transporting him to the spaceport. "Thank you, both of you." Qui-Gon said.
Andra nodded. "You'll find him, Qui-Gon."
*****
Tomas was just docking when Qui-Gon arrived at the spaceport. Qui-Gon watched the sleek craft settle to the docking bay floor with apprehension. He and Tomas had grown up together in the Temple. Tomas was only a year or so older than he. They had been good friends then, but they had grown slowly apart as they served their separate apprenticeships. Qui-Gon had hardly seen Tomas in twenty years; Tomas had been away on a leave of absence from the Order while Qui-Gon was teaching Xanatos, and they had not had much contact in the fourteen years since he had returned. Qui-Gon intended to do everything in his power to get Obi-Wan back and to bring Xanatos to justice; he worried that the Council had sent Tomas to monitor him. And more than this, he had to admit to himself, he was worried what Tomas thought of him, that he needed help to rescue his third Padawan from the clutches of his second.
Qui-Gon watched the hatch open and lower to the floor of the docking bay. How old would Tomas' Padawan be now? In his early twenties?
He was surprised to see a girl about Obi-Wan's age come bounding down the ramp. Had it really been so long, that Tomas had already taken his third Padawan? He watched the girl turn to the hatch, to wait for Tomas to descend. She was pretty and exuberant, with bright red hair and a still-boyish figure. He wondered if she knew Obi-Wan well.
Tomas and the girl were looking around for him. He stepped away from the doorway to join them.
"Qui-Gon." Tomas' dark eyes and his voice were filled with concern.
"You look older than I remember, Tomas." Tomas' thick black braids were streaked with gray, his dark brown skin creased with lines of care.
"It's been too long, Qui-Gon. We should have stayed in better contact." He turned to introduce the girl beside him. "This is my Padawan, Ki-Erin Mundorin; she's been with me nearly three years now."
The girl's bright green eyes were worried, looking up at him. "Is Obi-Wan -- do you have any way to know -- is he alright?"
"You were friends in Temple?"
Ki-Erin smiled sadly. "We were in the same care group. He's a year younger than I am."
"I don't believe Xanatos will harm him. I hope not."
Ki-Erin closed her eyes and nodded once, firmly. Qui-Gon had the sense that she was accepting the unpleasant counterpart to what he had said: that Xanatos may well harm Obi-Wan. Her calm and resolute stance impressed him.
"Let's talk more inside," Tomas said, "once we've left the system. Have you decided where to look first, Qui-Gon?"
"I thought we'd start with the nearest Offworld base. Xanatos may have stopped for supplies, or left me a clue. I have the coordinates."
"Then we'll leave immediately," Tomas declared, turning. Ki-Erin nodded and scampered up the ramp before him, her long Padawan braid dancing behind her. Qui-Gon followed them both.
*****
Qui-Gon made contact with Tahl while Tomas and Ki-Erin piloted the small craft past the atmosphere of Telos and out of the system. Tahl transmitted more data she had gathered on Off-World bases, and agreed that looking for Xanatos' contacts might prove more profitable. "I already have a few ideas where to look," she told him. Then she added, "Make sure you get some rest while you're traveling, Qui-Gon. You can't afford to exhaust yourself. Let Tomas and Ki-Erin help you sift through the records I sent you. There's no need for you to do everything yourself." She paused, her head tilted to one side. When he didn't immediately respond, she added, "Tomas cares about you, Qui-Gon. He won't think less of you for the mistakes you think you've made."
Startled, Qui-Gon struggled to muster his composure. "Tahl, how do you always manage to get to the heart of my thoughts?"
Tahl smiled gently. "Someone has to keep you on your toes, dear friend."
He answered gruffly, "I am... glad.... that person is you, Tahl."
"Take care of yourself, Qui-Gon."
His heart was heavy as he closed the communication. He rested against the seat back, deep in thought, as the ship's hyperdrive powered up. Starlines stretched past the viewport, melting into the gyrating display of light that was the hallmark of hyperspace. Standing, he shook off his brooding thoughts, though not his mood. It was all too easy to get lost in self-recrimination. There were things he needed to do. He headed for the pilot's station, in search of Tomas.
*****
Obi-Wan shivered with cold and pain, his feet and upper body bare, his legs drawn up where he sat huddled against the wall. He could barely feel his hands, from the combination of cold and the tight bindings cutting off his circulation. He had to keep moving his fingers, shifting his wrists as best he could. He focused on flexing and shifting each muscle in his body in turn, returning frequently to his hands. It was difficult to concentrate. His back ached and stung where Xanatos had beaten him. And he worried about Qui-Gon.
Xanatos had packed Obi-Wan's boots and belt, his braid cut from his hair, and his tunic cut from his body, into a shipping container. Obi-Wan had been glad of the double-thickness of tunic protecting his back while Xanatos was striking him with the metal whip, but now he knew that Xanatos had left it on him for an ominous reason. The cloth was shredded wherever the whip had hit his back, and stained with his blood where the whip had cut through to his skin. And Xanatos was sending it to Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan shivered at Xanatos' ruthlessness. He meant to keep Qui-Gon off-balance, to fill him with anger and urgency. Obi-Wan well knew that Qui-Gon made his worst mistakes when he acted from strong emotion. He was a passionate man, and though he had a master's skill at controlling his anger and impatience, Xanatos was expert at unbalancing him, at playing on his weaknesses.
Be careful, Master. Please be careful. Xanatos means to have us both. Don't walk into his traps.
With an effort of will Obi-Wan turned his attention for the hundredth time to his hands. Flex the tips of the fingers first, he told himself. Begin with the right hand, index finger... His stomach growled, but worse was the growing dryness of his throat and lips. Nearly a full day it was, now, since he had eaten or drunk or slept. Stars, he was tired! He sagged against the wall, eyes half closed. Again he turned his attention to his hands, uncurling them from fists. It was growing more difficult to keep going, to keep moving. Right hand, index finger: he recited the steps in his mind. Second finger, third...
*****
Obi-Wan was startled to waking by a series of quick slaps to his cheeks. Xanatos held him by the arm, crouched in front of him. Obi-Wan stared into his cold blue eyes. He's insane, he thought. He's mad with hatred and greed. Not for the first time, he wondered that Xanatos could ever have been Jedi. How could Qui-Gon have loved him, ever? Could the Dark Side destroy a person so utterly?
Xanatos lifted a cup from the floor beside him and held it between them with his free hand. "Drink this."
Obi-Wan looked down to see his hands resting, unbound, in his lap. Slow with exhaustion, he reached up to take the cup, but it was difficult for him to grip it properly at first, his hands were so stiff and painful. Xanatos closed his hand around Obi-Wan's, pushing the cup to his lips. The liquid tasted bitter and metallic. Ignoring the thirst that burned his throat, he pushed the cup away, turning his head.
"Drink," Xanatos commanded. "You'll get nothing else, and we have nearly four days of travel ahead of us."
"What is it?"
Xanatos sneered at him. "Does it matter? Dying of thirst would be much more unpleasant than drinking it, I assure you." He pressed the cup into Obi-Wan's hand once more, closing the boy's fingers around it, and pushed it to his lips. Obi-Wan paused, indecisive, smelling the metallic tang from the cup. He was willing to bet the smell and bitter taste signified more than simple unpleasantness. But Xanatos could always force him to take it if he refused. He really didn't have a choice. He drank.
Xanatos smiled as he took back the cup, replacing it on the floor. He took a pair of binders from a small box behind the cup, and locked one ring around Obi-Wan's left wrist. Obi-Wan watched him, blankly wondering where they had come from. Suddenly he realized he could no longer hear the hum of the engines. They were docked! With a burst of adrenaline, he leaped to his feet past Xanatos, toward the hatch. Xanatos caught him by his pants leg, tripping him up. Obi-Wan pulled himself into a ball before he hit the floor, rolled, and kicked, at the same time scanning the wall for the hatch controls. He came around onto one knee, shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, and sprang for the control panel.
Xanatos thudded into him, crushing Obi-Wan's smaller body painfully against the wall, then twisted to throw them both to the floor, with the young Jedi pinned face-down under his greater weight and strength. Obi-Wan struggled but could not prevent Xanatos from pulling his arms behind him and locking the second binder ring around his right wrist. Obi-Wan breathed raggedly, heart hammering, his throat tight and his teeth bared in his frustration. His eyes were wet. I will not cry! He commanded himself.
"Do you know what's out there, Obi-Wan?" Xanatos paused to roll Obi-Wan onto his back, then straddled him again, leaning down with both hands on his shoulders, bringing his eyes with their dancing madness close to the boy's face. "My minions. There is nowhere here for you to run!" Xanatos sat up once more, then swiftly backhanded Obi-Wan across the face, leaving his cheek stinging and his jaw sore. Tears ran from his eyes, despite his intentions. "That's for trying to escape. Next time will be worse. How much worse, I'll leave to your imagination."
Rising, Xanatos pulled Obi-Wan up with him, and used another locking ring to fasten the binders to the wall where he had been bound before.
"We're heading out. You might want to pray that your Master will find you soon. Not that there's much chance of that." He laughed as he walked away. "No, you and I are going to be companions for a long while yet." He turned back to Obi-Wan as he passed through the door to the pilot's station. "Enjoy your dreams!" He said viciously. The door slid closed behind him. Shaking in reaction, Obi-Wan gave up trying to control his tears.
*****
Hours later, far beyond the pull of the planet they'd left behind, Obi-Wan was still shaking uncontrollably. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head against them, trying to settle into a state of calm. He could not find focus. His thoughts jumped and scattered, from memories of past battles to fears about what was to come. Again and again he saw Xanatos: deceiving him at the agricorps station, taunting him in the dungeon at Telos, in the mining shaft on Bandomeer where he had first tried to get his revenge on Qui-Gon. Gloating as he caused pain. Obi-Wan shifted, uncomfortable with his arms behind his back. He needed rest. But even the simplest meditations were beyond him. He could not measure his breathing, nor settle his mind, nor join with the Force. He wanted to sob, or to scream. But he wasn't that far gone. Not yet.
What's wrong with me? He wondered. An image drifted through his mind: Xanatos handing him a cup of bitter drink. Obi-Wan groaned. He was going to have a long night of evil thoughts.