This is a co-written piece which I wrote with my good friend Siobhan.

Title: The Hunted

Authors: The Anonymous Torture Fic Writer and her Campy Mute Mush

Shadow; (a.k.a.: Cassia and Sio)

Rating: PG-13 for strong violence

Spoilers: hmmmm do we have any spoilers?  maybe for Titan AE - LOL just

kidding.

Archive:   Early Years, Jedi Apprentice, Telly, Obi the Kid, Kim B. and

anyone Cassia has previously given permission to.  All others, please

ask.

Feedback:  Yes please!   You can send to either cassia_a@hotmail.com or

siobhancl2@aol.com, either way it will be seen by both authors.

Thank you!

Disclaimer:  All recognizable Star Wars characters are the exclusive

property of George Lucas.  All others belong to us.  We have no

official permission to use these characters, but we are not being paid

for it either, and we do return them in mostly one piece, so that's

okay.  =D

Time Frame: 8 years Pre-TMP.  Obi-Wan is 17.

Summary: Non-slash.  When a mission goes awry, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are

caught up in a churning swirl of events that leaves Obi-Wan to the

mercy of a cruel and unbending society and forces Qui-Gon to make

decisions that could effect both their lives forever.  In trouble and

unable to turn to the Temple for help, the pair must try to survive on

their own and stay two steps ahead of pursuit in a galaxy that is

suddenly full of predators as they find themselves having become... the

Hunted.

Warning:  This story contains violence and character torture.  It also

depicts a loving, father/son relationship between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

If either of these things bother you, please do not read this story.

Notes:  Everything between // is Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon talking through

their bond.

Things bracketed by *  * are italics.

_________________________________________________________

-The Hunted-

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s gaze drifted across the shimmering star-streaks of hyperspace on the other side of the view-port. 

He was glad this mission was almost over.  It had been a difficult one from the start, but it was finally concluded.  Soon he would join Qui-Gon on Coruscant and perhaps they would get a little breather...

The Padawan grinned ironically.  Rest seemed to be such a foreign concept to them lately.  Something always happened. 

Obi-Wan sighed and shifted restlessly.  What was it that was making him uneasy?  He didn’t know.  Yet somehow, all did not feel right.  The young Jedi tried to check in with his Master, but Qui-Gon was much too far away for him to make a connection.  Still, when he probed the Force in that direction he did not get the feeling that his unease had to do with anything Qui-Gon was dealing with... so what then?

So far, the trip had been a quiet one.  There was nothing visible to disturb him.  Settling back in the chair that he occupied in a corner of the small transport’s central area the young Jedi let his mind drift back over the events of the past few weeks.

The security of a critical witness to a massive war-crimes trial on the planet Aureus had been breached and when an assassination attempt came dangerously close to succeeding, the Jedi had been called in to keep the man alive until he could testify. 

In order to keep the force of hired assassins off their trail the two Jedi had split up, with Obi-Wan playing the part of the decoy.  Making himself visible just long enough to draw attention before disappearing again, the Padawan had led them on a fine goose chase.  Meanwhile, Qui-Gon hid the witness and laid low.

The plan had worked perfectly and today the witness, lone survivor of the ruthless massacres that had destroyed huge portions of his country, was finally being brought to court to testify. 

The location of the trial was a carefully guarded secret, not even Obi-Wan knew where it was taking place, but he hoped that all was going smoothly. 

The transport lumbered along in hyperspace, threading it’s way through the stars.  The small ship forged a path through sectors of space that were well off the beaten route and away from the central systems of the Republic. 

Obi-Wan had led the assassins far into the outer rim territories and was now on his way back.  If all went well, he would be rejoining Qui-Gon on Coruscant in two days. 

Obi-Wan shifted in his seat again.  The gentle buzz of the other passengers’ conversations drifted lazily through the air.  Something *was* wrong, but what?

It couldn’t have been any of the other passengers; he’d checked them out thoroughly after boarding.  A Twi’lek couple on their honeymoon, three teenage Corellians en-route to their Uncle’s estate on a rim world for a season away from the bustle of the corporate sector and a Bothan family with two small children moving to a new home.  Adding to these were three or four other single people who were a mix of drifters, salesmen and at least one spice runner who was on his way to his next job, but no assassins that Obi-Wan had been able to detect. 

Besides the 15 passengers the small craft accommodated a three-person crew and had seven or eight scheduled stops ahead.  It was comfortably small and the young Jedi kept a low profile, so what exactly was wrong?

Obi-Wan probed deeper, searching for the source of the building disquiet within him...

In the transport’s cockpit, the navigation’s officer turned to say something to the captain, but the words were never spoken.  At that moment a blinding explosion ripped through the control room, killing the two crewmembers instantly.

A moment before the alarm sounded, Obi-Wan jumped to his feet.  The ship shuddered violently and the star-patterns of hyperspace skewed and twirled crazily beyond the transparent windowpanes.

Catching hold of the wall to steady himself after the blast, Obi-Wan glanced with concern out the portal on his left as the formerly pleasant hum of conversation ceased, and then turned to a worried buzz as the other passengers wondered what was going on. 

Obi-Wan had a pretty good idea.  But why were they still in hyperspace?  The blast should have knocked them out of it...  Then it dawned on him.

The copilot, who had been in the passage instead of the cockpit during the blast appeared in the doorway, the barely contained fear on his face confirming Obi-Wan’s grim suspicions.

Blood from a head wound trickled down the side of the officer’s face and he looked dazed.  Immediately bombarded by a barrage of questions that he was in no shape to handle, the man shook his head. 

“S-sabotage,” he said as if he could not believe it.  “Hyperdrive and system array... going to blow any minute.”  With that, the man collapsed and general panic ensued for several moments.

Obi-Wan moved quickly and caught the copilot before he hit the ground.  The man was not dead, only badly stunned and in shock.

So he had not lost his pursuers after all.  The assassins obviously thought that he was conveying the witness to the trial aboard this ship.  The decoy had worked a little too well.

“Don’t panic,” Obi-Wan said calmly from where he crouched, holding the bleeding pilot.  “We must think clearly if we’re going to make it out of this,” the young Jedi’s words were urgent, yet quiet.  They seemed to have a calming effect upon the other passengers, but the hysteria was still there just under the surface.

Rising to his feet and pulling the barely conscious copilot up with him, Obi-Wan’s mind raced.  How in the Sith was he supposed to get these people out of this?  The Padawan never questioned why the responsibility should fall to him; he simply took it without thinking.  It was the Jedi way.

Hysteria was building among the passengers again as the few who had been in their cabins arrived full of questions and fresh panic over the situation.  The two Bothan children started crying because of all the tumult, although they really understood nothing of the danger of their situation.  The spice runner disappeared somewhere and the female Twi’lek fainted.

Another explosion somewhere in the aft rocked the ship crazily, but still did not check it’s wild hyperspace journey. 

The smuggler reappeared from the passage leading to the damaged cockpit.  His face looked grim. 

Time seemed to be moving slowly, but it had been only about a minute or two since the first explosion.  Someone put up the cry of heading for the escape pods and a mass exodus occurred almost immediately. 

“Wait!”  Obi-Wan tried to stop them, but they did not listen.  The young Jedi swore under his breath and raced after the group, now half-carrying the unconscious officer.  Launching escape pods in hyperspace was a death wish.

Passengers were already flowing into the escape pods when Obi-Wan reached the area.  Slamming his fist against the manual override at the end of the escape pod bay, the Padawan made sure no one could launch the pods individually. 

“Stop!  If you jettison now you’ll all die!” Obi-Wan finally got across to them and was greeted with a wave of hopeless, terrified faces.

“He’s right!” the spice runner added his voice, arriving behind Obi-Wan.  “We might as well all sit around and blow with the ship as start launching escape pods in hyperspace.”

“Get in the pods, but do not release them until the ship reverts to normal space,” Obi-Wan said.  “It will presently.”

The spice runner leaned in close to Obi-Wan as the young Jedi passed the injured copilot to the salesman and the drifter to take into their pod with them.  “Mate,” he said quietly, not wishing to cause more alarm.  “I’m no genius, but I know a few things about booby-traps and we’re in a good one.  The navi-computer is out, but the way this baby’s rigged she’s not coming out of hyperspace before we blow sky high.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan whispered back, his brow creased in concern but his voice was steady.  He had realized their situation the moment after he saw that they had not exited hyperspace when the first blast took out the system array.  Now the hyperdrive itself was acting as a conduit to gather the explosive power that was about to blow them all up.  It was an insidious sort of sabotage that used the ship against itself.

“But there’s got to be something we can do.  Even if we can just get it to revert for a moment...” Obi-Wan refused to give up, no matter how long the odds.

The spacer looked thoughtful.  “Might work mate.  Come on, I know a few things about hotwiring.  It looks pretty bad up there, but maybe there’s something we can do.”

Obi-Wan was glad for the offer of help from one who probably knew more about this type of ship than he did and the two made a dash to the cockpit. 

The area was a mess and most of the systems were dead.  The smuggler shoved the dead pilot off the main display panel and dove under it, pulling out handfuls of wiring and manually manipulating the circuitry. 

Obi-Wan turned his attention to the erratically flashing display on the far right side of the cockpit, the only one still semi-functional.  If what it was reading out where true, they had less then five minutes before the hyperdrive overheated.  Normally this would force them to revert to real space, but the way the ship had been rigged it would instead be the trigger that set off the final explosion. 

Obi-Wan obeyed the force warning and moved back just in time before the panel before him erupted in a shower of sparks.  Shielding his face with his sleeve, he felt the hot sparks burn the exposed back of his hand. 

“We haven’t got much time!” the Padawan said urgently.

The smuggler scooted quickly out from under the panel with a muttered curse.  “It’s fried good down there, I can’t pull us out of hyperspace, but I have a couple of drag setters in there that will cause us to bump, that should slow us down enough that a few pods can slide out each clutch.”

Obi-Wan was not sure he caught all the spacers terms and tech jargon the other man was tossing around, but he got the idea that they were going to make several momentary slow downs that would enable the passengers to escape.  “Good.”

“Only one catch mate,” the spice runner locked eyes with the young Jedi.  “The timing’s gotta be precise.  Somebody’s going to have to stay behind to manually release the pods when we slow.”

“I will,” Obi-Wan said without hesitation. 

A spark of respect flickered in the spacer’s eyes at how quickly the younger man was ready to sacrifice himself. 

“Okay, then look,” the smuggler showed Obi-Wan a board he had tugged out from under the control panel.  “When this light blinks you’ve got three seconds to touch this wire to this pad, got it?” he displayed the frayed end of a stripped wire.  “That’s the first bank.  We’re gonna bump three times.  We’ll only slow long enough to let one set off at a time...”

A hard lurch hit the ship and the star lines wavered momentarily, almost forming single points of light.  “First bank now!” the smuggler shouted, but he needn’t have.  Obi-Wan’s quick reflexes had already touched off the control, freeing half of the passengers to the welcoming embrace of space.  An instant later, the stars turned into streaks once more as the straining engines overcame the block the spacer had hot-wired into them and returned their madcap rush to destruction. 

“Okay, this wire launches all of the second bank except for the last one, the last one is on it’s own override control.  We’re only gonna bump two more times before she blows, if you can get to that pod by the last one...” the smuggler knew how slim those chances were.

“Right,” Obi-Wan nodded quickly.  “Now go get in that second bank, quickly!”

“Okay,” the spacer nodded, accepting the boy’s sacrifice in the matter-of-fact way that it was presented and sprinting off down the corridor.

A minute later, the second slow down occurred and Obi-Wan touched off the remaining bank.  Gripping the burned out control panel to keep his balance as the ship jerked back into hyperspace once more, Obi-Wan knew it was his turn to escape, if he could.

Now alone on the doomed ship, Obi-Wan made his way quickly towards the almost completely empty escape pod bay.  A few moments after he left the cockpit, the entire area was shaken by a second explosion, which ripped through the hull, creating a horrendous vacuum. 

Obi-Wan gripped the back of the bolted chair that he had been sitting in only ten minutes before, for stability until the still somewhat functioning computer system recognized the breach and the emergency hatches sealed the cockpit off.  The ship was in its final death throes.

Reaching the now empty escape pod bays Obi-Wan found that the smuggler had done his work well.  There was indeed one escape pod left. 

Just as Obi-Wan reached it, he felt the ship lurch under his feet.  The last lull. 

Throwing himself into the pod, Obi-Wan slammed his hand down on the release/launch control.  He could only hope it would work fast enough. 

The ship’s engines strained.  The last halt was too much for them.  The hyperdrive went critical and the chain explosion that the Aureus saboteurs had planned went off with a magnificent bang, turning the ship into a glowing fireball.

Obi-Wan’s jettisoning escape pod was caught in the blast, sending the small, damaged craft hurtling crazily outward and flinging it into the gravitational pull of a nearby planet.

Obi-Wan, who had had no time to strap in, braced himself against the wall of the pod as it whirled out of control, spinning through the planet’s atmosphere. 

The escape pod’s emergency thrusters tried to kick in to stabilize it’s descent, but with only marginal success. 

From the small window of the escape pod, Obi-Wan saw the green and brown surface of the planet rushing up to meet him at far too fast a rate.  Bracing himself for impact, the young Jedi held on tightly.

The pod crashed through a canopy of trees, slowing its descent somewhat, and hit the ground with a breath-stealing jolt.  Breaking Obi-Wan free of his hold, the jar slammed him roughly against the opposite wall of the pod.  The Padawan felt his breath leave him in a painful rush as the hard edge of the seat slammed into his ribs.

The pod bounced crazily, lurching onto its side and once more throwing the young Jedi into the far wall.  The back of Obi-Wan’s head connected solidly with edge of the useless control panel and the world exploded into stars before his eyes.

The pod rolled over three more times before coming to a halt.  By the time it stopped, the young Jedi within was unconscious.

********

Qui-Gon Jinn shook Ran Tisane’s hand.  The man had gone through a lot to get here, to give the testimony that he had, but it had paid off.  Justice had been served and the verdict of the jury found the three Aurelian Generals guilty of the inhumane war crimes they had committed during Aureus’ resent civil war.

The man’s sad eyes finally had a look of completion in them.  “Thank you Master Jinn, I owe this victory to you and your apprentice.  Thank you,” Ran said sincerely.

Qui-Gon smiled and bowed.  “It is our pleasure to... serve.”  A strange cloud passed over the Master’s face momentarily.

“Is everything all right?” Ran inquired with concern.

“It’s fine, forgive me,” Qui-Gon shrugged it off, but inside, he was not so quick to dispel the strange feeling of apprehension that had passed over him.

Qui-Gon finished his duties, but could not shake the strange cloud that seemed to eat at the back of his consciousness.  He did not know what it meant, but was watchful all the same.  The feeling followed him onto his shuttle back to Coruscant.

The trial had ended up taking place not too far from the capital planet so it was only a five-hour trip for him and he was back in his quarters in the Jedi Temple.  Yet even there he was not totally at ease and that troubled him.

He wished he could reach Obi-Wan to make sure that his apprentice was all right, but he had no idea where the Padawan was and their scheduled rendezvous was not for another two days.  Mostly dismissing his ill ease, Qui-Gon decided that he would certainly feel a lot better when he and Obi-Wan were back together. 

************

“Ooh Sith...” Obi-Wan moaned softly as he came to.  For a few moments he couldn’t figure out where he was or why, or much of anything actually other then that he had a pounding headache and he felt like he had been used as a punching bag for a group of enraged Wampas. 

Slowly his memory came back to him.  The ship, the sabotage, the pod... Peeling himself stiffly off the ground he found that he was resting upon one of the pod walls.  The damaged craft had landed on it’s side with the hatch now directly above him in place of the ceiling.

He could not stand up completely in the small space, but rose as much as he could and worked with the pod’s hatch release controls over his head.  A few minutes later he was rewarded by a hydraulic hiss as the door popped open, flooding the dark little pod with bright rays of sunlight. 

Obi-Wan blinked hard, momentarily blinded by the sudden light.  His eyes adjusted quickly however and a few minutes later he hauled himself up and out.  Looking around he found himself in an arid expanse of land with no civilization as far as the eye could see. 

“Lovely,” the young Jedi murmured as he dropped to the ground, sending up a small swirl of dust.  He scouted his immediate area and then returned to the pod for the survival packs that were standard issue aboard escape craft. 

Obi-Wan had no idea where he was or what planet this was, or even if it was populated.  Calmly assessing his situation, the Padawan did not let those things worry him.  The unknown was not to be feared, but faced, then it would no longer be unknown.

Closing his eyes the apprentice Jedi let the Force flow through him, searching for signs of nearby life...

Obi-Wan was rewarded with the living hum that sentient beings created.  This planet was inhabited, although no one was nearby. 

Suddenly a different tendril of the Force brushed by Obi-Wan, but he couldn’t quite catch it’s meaning.  It seemed to warn him of something, something... Obi-Wan’s eyes furrowed tighter shut as he tried to discern the meaning of the uneasy feeling, but it was gone now.

A few minutes later he opened them again and turned to the east.  There was life that direction, closer than any other.  Perhaps he could send a message to Coruscant.  He remembered the momentary unease he had felt, and would be cautious, but he could not simply stay here. 

Engaging the battered escape pod’s emergency beacon, Obi-Wan hitched the survival pack over his shoulder and started walking east. 

****************

“Game,” Mace Windu said, announcing the fact that he had just beaten Qui-Gon at Dejarik for the fifth straight time in a row.  Mace’s holo-creature game piece roared in victory, but Qui-Gon really did not seem to notice.  His gaze kept straying out the window behind Mace, which overlooked the Temple’s main landing pad.

“Qui-Gon?  Hello?  Game,” Mace tried to bring Qui-Gon’s thoughts back down to Coruscant. 

“Hm?” Qui-Gon’s attention focused back on Mace.  He vainly attempted to look as if he had been paying perfect attention and only missed the last thing the other Master said.  The attempt failed miserably.

Mace almost laughed.  “Game!  I won, again.  Good grief Qui-Gon, if you wanted to play by yourself, you should have taken on the computer,” he said with mock annoyance.

“I’m sorry,” Qui-Gon apologized absently.  “My mind was elsewhere.”

“I noticed,” the dark skinned Jedi Master remarked with a small smile; his friend’s was distraction painfully evident. 

“It’s Obi-Wan, isn’t it?  He’s the only thing that I’ve ever seen get to you enough to make you lose five games in a row!” Mace was trying to be light because he could tell that Qui-Gon was troubled.  “It’s almost no fun beating you this way.  Almost.”  The master’s deep eyes twinkled.

Qui-Gon smiled momentarily, but then shook his head.  “Something’s wrong,” he said quietly. 

Mace sighed and leaned back in his chair, sparing a glance over his shoulder at the landing strip on the other side of the window behind him. 

“Qui-Gon, he’s not even due back to meet you until tomorrow.  You worry far too much.”  Even as he said it, Mace knew the words were useless.  When it came to the subject of Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon was hopeless.  The frightening thing was, he was also usually right. 

All Jedi faced a high level of danger, but peril actually seemed to seek Qui-Gon and his Padawan out.  At least, that was how it seemed sometimes.

With another sigh, Mace flicked off the Dejarik board between them.  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were so close, it was both heart-warming and heart wrenching at the same time.  It was not obvious to the normal world perhaps or to people they met only casually, but anyone who really knew the pair would see right away that they meant the world to each other.  They were more then Master and Padawan to one another, they were father and son, and yet even that analogy was not perfect because the bond between them was a lot stronger than was sometimes even carried by blood-ties.

“Have you heard from him?” Mace asked.

Qui-Gon shook his head.  “No, nothing.  I haven’t directly felt anything either, it’s just this... illusive unease.  I’ve had it since yesterday,” the Master admitted.

“So you think something’s going to happen?”

Qui-Gon looked unsure, but finally shook his head.  “I’m not gifted in foresight, you know that Mace.  That’s Obi-Wan’s department.  No,” his voice unintentionally dropped a few decibels.  “I think something has already happened.”

Mace could tell his friend was seriously concerned, but kept his own demeanor a few shades lighter.  “Like maybe the boy met a pretty girl who convinced him to take a few days side-track?” he grinned impishly.

“Mace!” Qui-Gon shook his head with an exasperated smile.  “I’m serious.”

“I know,” Mace sobered a little.  “So what are you going to do?”

Qui-Gon let his breath out slowly.  That was the aggravating part.  “Wait,” he said heavily. 

There was no way for him to know where Obi-Wan was, or even where to start looking.  He had been out of contact with the teenager for nearly a week, when traceable communications had become too dangerous for both of their missions. 

“Oh joy,” Mace muttered.  Qui-Gon’s patience was legendary; however, it would be far less revered if those who considered it so had ever seen the side of Qui-Gon that Mace knew.  Able to put up with crabby diplomats, intense situations, draining, weeklong negotiations and endless bickering by every kind of sentient in the Galaxy, Qui-Gon’s Jedi patience often failed very quickly when having to do with an issue that concerned his Padawan’s welfare. 

“Okay, but if you start pacing the floor, I *will* tie you to a chair,” Mace threatened.

“Hm?” Qui-Gon’s attention had drifted away again, searching the Force for any clue concerning his absent Padawan.

“Never mind,” the other master muttered, shaking his head in defeat.  Mace reflected that they were in for a long day.

********************

Just after dawn of his second day on this unknown, arid planet, Obi-Wan sighted a town in the distance.  His step quickened, but so did his feeling that caution was needed. 

The town was large and sprawled over the hills ahead in a cramped, but orderly fashion.  Green and alive, the city and its surrounding farmlands contrasted vibrantly against the more barren hills of scrub growth and steppe that dominated the landscape.

As Obi-Wan made his way by dusty roads through the vast, undulating expanse of farm fields that flanked the city on every side, the rising sun began to take the bitter chill out of the air that the frosty night had left behind.  Hot during the day, Obi-Wan had discovered that the here nights became almost unbearably cold. 

A thin frost had settled on the ground during the night but it was quickly vanishing under the warming rays of the sun.  Obi-Wan realized that the plants growing in the fields around him were drinking the moisture in through their leaves as soon as the sun liquidated it.  The plant life had obviously adapted to using the region’s abrupt hot/cold swings, and the moisture that the regular, exaggerated changes caused as their source of sustenance. 

A high wall ran around the city itself.  Earth colored with blue and white tiles swirling along the top it looked both decorative and yet also foreboding somehow.  Obi-Wan could not decide whether this wall was meant to keep threats out, or the people in.

Huge gateways were set in the wall along all the major roads into the city.  Obi-Wan could see the tracks were blast-door like gates could slide out and seal the city off at a moment’s notice, yet at least for right now, the archways stood open and inviting.  A small, but busy crowd of people funneled through it.  Most of them streaming out of their homes in the city to tend to the fields and quarries beyond.  They were a human looking race and kept their tanned features carefully guarded from the sun that would in a matter of hours become blistering.

Entering the town through the east-facing gateway ahead of him, Obi-Wan moved quietly through the crowd.  He noticed that while the men wore a variety of earth-colored tunics of varying styles, the few women that he saw were all dressed entirely in gray.  Most of the citizens kept their heads covered against the sun, but the women’s hoods left only their eyes visible between the folds of fabric.  They did not walk with the men, but in small groups by themselves.

Until he knew why he felt warnings about this place, Obi-Wan decided to try to attract as little attention as possible and observe, until he decided what was his best course of action. 

Given that his fair skin, light hair and different style of dress made him stick out like a sore thumb, that would have been difficult to do if he had not been a Jedi. 

As it was he managed to blend fairly well, garnishing a second glance from only a few of the townspeople.  However rather than bringing out curiosity when they noticed him, it actually made them seem to try to give him a wider berth and avoid him.

When he passed through the gate, Obi-Wan felt the eyes of the four guardsmen posted on either side follow him in.  It was their job to watch the comings and goings of the town and they were not fooled.

One of them detached from their station and moved to intercept the young Jedi.  Obi-Wan halted to allow him to do so.

The watchman said something to Obi-Wan that the apprentice did not understand.  When Obi-Wan shook his head and shrugged, the universal language for incomprehension, the older man switched to basic.

“What is your business in Ephripha boy?” he repeated his earlier question, this time in a language that Obi-Wan understood.  He watched the young Jedi cautiously, but made no move, either to threaten or remove himself from the boy’s path. 

Two large bandoleers of ammunition and small explosives were strapped around the man’s beige tunic in an X shape and an automatic weapon slung over his shoulder, complementing the blaster on his hip.  The watchmen were imposing visages, but the apprentice Jedi was undisturbed. 

Ephripha.  Obi-Wan noted that he now had a name for this city at least.  However, it struck no bells of recognition.  He’d never heard of it before.  Little did the apprentice know that he would come to wish he had never heard of it at all. 

“I need to place a call.  I have become stranded and need to contract my friends.  Where could I find a communication center?” Obi-Wan replied, polite but guarded.  For some reason he did not feel like going into details about his situation with this man. 

“It’s not a problem,” the Jedi added, waving his hand, the motion almost un-perceivable.  Obi-Wan knew as soon as he tried however, that the attempt was in vain.  There were many species out there whom nature or training had rendered unaffected by Jedi persuasion.  In these people’s case, Obi-Wan guessed it was more of the later.  The mind that he touched seemed very conditioned, or at least, very set strong and set in it’s ways.  It was like running into a plasta-crete wall.

“I’ll decide that,” the Ephriphan was still reserved, but definite.  He rested his hand casually on the handle of his blaster.  “What’s your name boy?  Where are you from?”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi, from Coruscant.”

Whether the fellow understood, or thought that Coruscant was one of the new settlements that their neighbors were forever setting up and naming Obi-Wan was never entirely clear upon afterwards.  But whatever he thought, for the time being the gate guard considered the boy for a few moments longer, then stepped slowly out of his way. 

“All right.  The nearest comm location is in the government center, right off the main market,” the man replied, no less wary then before, but seeming to have decided to let the younger man go on his way.  “Take this rode all the way there, you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you sir,” Obi-Wan bowed politely and started to move on. 

“But boy,” the fellow called after him.  “Better stick to this road, and don’t dally after your business is done.”  The warning was congenial, but Obi-Wan got the distinct impression that it had better be obeyed.  He would be glad when he was on his way home.

As soon as Obi-Wan had left, the watchman pulled a comlink off his belt and reported to his commander.

The streets of the city were coming quickly to life and the road Obi-Wan followed was teeming with activity.  Although it started out broad, the fairway became increasingly narrower as shops and buildings hedged it in on the sides and the street itself bottlenecked.  Becoming clogged and difficult to navigate, the twisting lane was encroached upon by shops whose wares spilled out into the street and buildings with additions that seemed to have been tacked on as an after thought.  Yet the people navigated with the natural sill of those who have traversed the same roads and battled the same conditions their entire lives. 

A few speeders whizzed by, dangerously fast for the crowded area, Obi-Wan thought, but the main form of transportation seemed to be small, hover-swoops or pedestrian traffic.  Soldiers loitered everywhere, and although the populace seemed accustomed to and comfortable with their presence, Obi-Wan knew he was being watched. 

Ahead of him Obi-Wan saw two girls, dressed in the same gray burnooses’ as all the women he had seen.  As they crossed the street in front of him, a small, slick speeder, traveling far faster than the space allowed, swished by, scattering pedestrians out of the way. 

The girls were not hit, but the rush pushed them forward, catching the one in the front off balance.  Knocking the side of her head hard against the sharp edge of a holo-sign, advertising a local business she stumbled and tried to keep her balance, but stepped on the hem of her robe, causing her to tip forwards and fall to the ground.

Without a second thought, Obi-Wan hurried over. “Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“I-I think so,” the girl murmured, then seemed to freeze as she looked up and discovered to whom she was speaking.

“Take it easy, that was a nasty fall,” Obi-Wan said gently, taking her hand to assist her in rising. 

For a moment the girl was speechless, then Obi-Wan saw something akin to rebelliousness flare up behind her pretty brown eyes.  “Yes, it was.”  She said deliberately, taking his hand with both of hers.

“Jaleesha!” the other girl hissed at her friend, looking around in alarm.

Helping the still slightly stunned girl to her feet, Obi-Wan saw blood trickling swiftly down the side of her face, the injury hidden behind her copious headgear. 

“Hey, that looks bad,” the young Jedi’s brows knit.  He couldn’t get a good look at the cut, but the blood looked bad.  Beneath the shadow of her hood he could not tell if Jaleesha’s eyes were dilating properly or not.  She may need immediate treatment. 

Before the girl could react, Obi-Wan had moved her veil aside, pushing the hood off her head so he could see the extent of the injury.

The girl beside them nearly screamed, but Jaleesha, although no less startled by the action, shot her friend a clearly warning “shut up!” look.

It would not have mattered anyway.  The soldiers had been watching Obi-Wan like a hawk since he entered the city.  The moment he had spoken to Jaleesha the soldier currently keeping him under surveillance had gotten on the comm to call for his partners. 

Now, three soldiers appeared on the scene.  Grabbing Obi-Wan’s arms roughly from behind they twisted them behind his back.  It is not a wise idea to surprise or attack a Jedi like that.

Twisting swiftly, Obi-Wan pulled free of their grip. 

“Stop!  You are under arrest!” one of the soldiers barked as another signaled for emergency backup.  Both drew their weapons.

Spinning around, Obi-Wan’s lightsaber snapped immediately into his hand.  He would not fight unless they pushed him, but he wasn’t about to submit to just anything either, until he knew *why*.  He realized that Jaleesha had already been taken into custody.  The third soldier held her arms from behind and her friend had disappeared.

Jaleesha’s exposed cheeks were flushed a deep red and Obi-Wan thought she looked frightened.  Strike that.  Terrified.  Just what exactly had they done?

The soldiers did not know what to make of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, but trained their blaster rifles on him anyway.  “Surrender immediately, you are both under arrest!” the warning was repeated.

“On what charge?” Obi-Wan did not lower his saber, but was careful not to make any threatening moves.  He did not want to fight if he did not have to.

“Breaking the laws of Ephripha,” was the quick response.  “For indecent and immoral public behavior.” 

Seven or eight more soldiers arrived on the scene, all of them packing automatic weapons.  “Surrender immediately or we will open fire!”

Obi-Wan did not doubt that they would.  Letting his breath out slowly he deactivated his lightsaber, letting the bright blue blade vanish back into the handle with the snap of a button.  Perhaps he could have fought them all; although in his weakened condition he was unsure.  But there was no way in this cramped, crowded area that the soldiers could open fire and not hit *someone*.  Obi-Wan would not endanger Jaleesha and the other innocent pedestrians that way.

Letting them take his lightsaber, he submitted to having his hands bound behind him.  The soldiers pulled the cords tight, until he could no longer feel his fingers.  The same was done to Jaleesha.  The girl hung her head and bit her lip. 

One of the soldiers moved as if to pull Jaleesha’s hood back up over her head, but another, with a gold headband around his turban that seemed to mark him as higher in rank, shook his head.  “Leave it down.” He said coldly.

Jaleesha flinched visibly, shame and resentful fire mixing in her downcast eyes.  In their society it was nearly equivalent to being led through the streets naked.

Obi-Wan felt very bad that he seemed to have gotten her in so much trouble; he had certainly intended no harm.

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan apologized quietly to Jaleesha, beginning to realize that he should probably not have removed her veil in public.  However, the Jedi did not yet know the half of it.  “I didn’t mean to-”

A sharp clout in the stomach cut him short.  “Shut up!” the lead soldier commanded gruffly as Obi-Wan doubled over, kept upright by the men that held his bound arms.  “Keep your insulting tongue in your head!”

Obi-Wan breathed deeply and dispelled the red haze before his eyes.  “I do not mean any insult or harm,” he was able to say calmly after a moment, still bent slightly over his aching ribs.  “I am a stranger here and unfamiliar with your laws and your ways.  If I have offered offence, it was only because I did not understand your customs.”

“Ignorance is no excuse for licentious behavior outsider,” the soldier said curtly as the two young prisoners were moved out. 

“Where are you taking us?” Obi-Wan asked, but received no answer.

As they were escorted down the street Jaleesha kept her head bowed and seemed to be getting redder and redder as people turned to stare at them as they passed.  Obi-Wan wondered why she did not defend herself to the soldiers?  Surely she had done nothing wrong; it had all just been a big misunderstanding.  It looked as if she were trying desperately not to cry.

“Please,” the apprentice said presently to their captors.  “Do not continue to make this young lady walk in a way that is obviously disgraceful for her.  I assure you that she has done nothing to deserve such punishment.”

The soldiers looked grim.  “You have brought the disgrace upon yourselves,” was the cold answer. 

A few minutes later they turned off the main street and into a byway.  “Where are you taking us?” Obi-Wan repeated his earlier question.

“You’ll find out soon outsider,” was the only reply given.

**********************

“Thank you.”  Qui-Gon bowed and cut the communication off.  The Council of Aureus had been able to provide him with the name of the shuttle that Obi-Wan was to take from Orm Tand to Coruscant.  However, that did not explain to the uneasy Jedi why his Padawan had not arrived today as he should have. 

The Kanda’s Wings was part of a commercial flight line that specialized in Rim travel.  The Outer Rim Intergalactic Travel agency, commonly known as ORIT-PAC, had offices here on Coruscant and it was there that Qui-Gon intended to go.  They should be able to tell him if the Kanda was running late and if Obi-Wan was, or was not aboard. 

ORIT-PAC shared an office complex with four or five other small to mid-sized travel agencies.  Walls of reflective plexi-glass windows let in light, but kept out prying eyes.  The counters were humming with activity as Qui-Gon quietly took his place at the end of the line waiting to be serviced by the clerical protocol droids in the ORIT-PAC niche. 

Not far away, a news holo entertained a group of people in a waiting room.  Qui-Gon heard the name Aureus drift over from the holo and turned some of his attention towards newscast.  The recent conclusion of the war crimes trial was briefly recapped for anyone who hadn’t heard yet. 

“Moving on to other news, a space shuttle on its way from Orm Tand is reported missing under mysterious conditions,” the reporter continued. 

A funny, sick feeling twisted inexplicably in Qui-Gon’s stomach.  If the holo had half his ear before, it had both of them now. 

A crackling voice came on.  There were a few moments of technical chatter that made it sound like the inside of a cockpit.  Then it stopped, and a concerned tone came into one of the voices “...Something not right with the hyper-” the sentence was abruptly cut off in a surge of static.

“That was all that was picked up by a planetary station shortly before the ship disappeared from tracking,” the newsreader returned to the screen.  “The vessel has been identified as the Kanda’s Wings, an interplanetary shuttle supplying an Outer Rim passenger line.  ORIT-PAC has not yet made a statement.  In other news the Intergalactic Bolo championship starts today on...”

But Qui-Gon was not listening anymore.  It was a good thing he was next in line, or he would have seriously considered line cutting as an option. 

“Good day sir and welcome to ORIT-PAC’s central office in the central system,” the glistening reception droid behind the counter said in a polite, slightly female sounding voice.  “At ORIT-PAC, we’re everywhere you want to be,” the droid brightly quoted their motto.  “Can I interest you in our discount fairs to Dantooine?”

“No thank you,” Qui-Gon was in no mood for polite chatter.  A gripping sense of urgency had taken over him, yet he remained outwardly calm.  “I need to speak to someone about one of your shuttles called the Kanda’s Wings, which was supposed to arrive yesterday from Orm Tand.”  The Jedi Master was remarkably controlled.  He doubted the counter droid could give him much information, but by golly, he was going to get to someone who could.

The droid hesitated, as if processing his request.  “Yes... the Kanda’s Wings,” the automaton repeated slowly.  “Was someone you knew aboard that vessel sir?”

Qui-Gon did not like the way the droid used the past tense.  He hoped it was an accidental turn of phrase or quirk of programming, but his motions were tight as he nodded.  “I believe so, yes.  They say it has disappeared, can you tell me what has happened?”

“One moment please,” the droid motioned him to wait and turned away, tilting it’s head.  The automaton needed no outside devices to place a call, but was programmed to turn away from customers while doing so in order that they not be confused about who the droid was speaking to. 

“TC-4X3, code number 882, situation 05440,” the droid identified itself and it’s reason for calling to who ever had been contacted.  There was a momentary pause as it listened to the reply that Qui-Gon could not hear.  “That’s correct, please advise.”

After another moment’s pause, the droid seemed to end the call because it turned back to Qui-Gon. 

“Please follow me sir,” was all the droid said.  Resembling a protocol unit in make, the clerk droid moved with human-like movements as it exited a small gate at the end of the counter and motioned Qui-Gon to follow.  The droid led the Jedi through a series of short hallways until they left the customer areas of the complex and moved back into the rows of office suites. 

Guiding Qui-Gon to a waiting room, the droid stopped.  “Please wait here sir.  Someone will be with you shortly,” was all it said.  Then it left.

Knowing just how long “shortly” could be, Qui-Gon settled down to wait.  It did not turn out to be as long as he feared however, for less then five minutes later a sharply dressed Calamarian man appeared. 

“Hello, my name is Mr. Jordeen, CEO of ORIT-PAC, and you are?” he introduced himself.

“Master Qui-Gon Jinn,” Qui-Gon greeted with a polite bow.

“You inquired about the Kanda’s Wings Master Jinn?” Mr. Jordeen’s voice was businesslike, but there was no hiding his underlying unease from the Jedi’s sharp senses.

Qui-Gon nodded.  “And since I have been referred to someone as high in this organization as you, I assume that the situation is as grim as the news reports make it to be?” Qui-Gon was frank.

The Calamarian looked uncomfortable.  “I’m afraid you’re correct Master Jinn,” he answered with a repressed sigh.  “We are still unclear as to the details, but apparently there has been... an incident.”

“What kind of ‘incident’?” Qui-Gon inquired, pulling on his Jedi patience. 

“Why don’t you come into my office,” Mr. Jordeen put him off.

Qui-Gon acquiesced, but was beginning to become highly disturbed by the run-around he was getting.  He wanted some straight answers, and he wanted them *now*. 

“Now,” Qui-Gon said once they were in the CEO’s office.  “What incident?”

“This is a delicate situation,” the Calamarian hedged.  “I don’t want to alarm you...”

Qui-Gon cut the man off.  This had gone on long enough.  “I understand your caution, but let me assure you sir that I am a Jedi Master, not a worried customer about to go ballistic on you if tell me the truth.  I have reason to believe that my apprentice, a young man named Obi-Wan Kenobi, was on that shuttle.  Now, I *need* to know what has happened to that ship.”  Qui-Gon’s eyes were intense.  The CEO squirmed slightly.

“There is no ship anymore,” Mr. Jordeen finally opted for complete candidness.  “The Kanda’s Wings was destroyed.  There was some sort of hyperdrive malfunction.  Its last check a week ago listed it in perfect condition.  We are still looking into it, but at the moment it is looking as if sabotage is the most likely explanation, although the motive is unknown.”

Qui-Gon ingested the information slowly.  He felt suddenly sure that he knew the motive.  The deception had worked too well.  It had perhaps turned fatal.  No.  The Jedi refused to allow that possibility any credence. 

“What about the passengers?” Qui-Gon’s voice was deceptively calm, belying the swirling emotions in his heart.

“We don’t know yet,” Mr. Jordeen hated his own response.  “The Kanda was still in the fringe systems when the incident occurred, which makes recovery operations a little more difficult,” he explained.  “Some survivors have been picked up by other craft in the Antaris system.  We do not know yet who, or how many.  I assure you our investigators are on the way at this very moment.  We are doing everything in our power to-”

Qui-Gon cut the well-intentioned assurances short.  “The Antaris system?  Where?”

“The report came from an outpost station on Balyris.  We requested that any survivors please remain there until we can get an operative out to assess the situation.  If you like I can notify you the moment we find anything out...”

“No thank you,” Qui-Gon shook his head, already knowing what he was going to do.  “That won’t be necessary.  Thank you for your time.”

As Qui-Gon left the building with quick, purposeful strides he knew exactly where he was going: Balyris.

*********************

Obi-Wan and Jaleesha were taken to a large complex that was decorated and styled like a palace, with many suites and offices opening onto a variety of courtyards.  The entire complex never rose above two stories high, but sprawled across the ground as if content to spread horizontally instead. 

For lack of a better answer from his captors, Obi-Wan guessed that although it looked like a palace, this was some sort of administrative/governmental hub.  In point of fact, it was both.  It was also a court of law.

When they entered, the soldiers conferring the two young prisoners separated them, leading Obi-Wan away one direction and Jaleesha another. 

Obi-Wan was conducted to a fair sized room off of one of the hallways.  A large, empty chair with ornate woodwork sat on an elevated dais against one wall.  An intricately woven orange carpet covered the floor under the chair and spilled down the steps. 

Beside the stairs sat a large, knee-high vase, which held at first glance seemed to have contained a bunch of thick-stemmed flowers that had lost their tops, but upon closer inspection contained six or seven three-foot thin, switch-like rods. 

The young Jedi was made to kneel at the foot of the bottom stair, with a soldier flanking him on either side.  It did not comfort the boy to note that each of the soldiers had drawn a rod from the vase before taking up their places beside him.  He got the feeling that it was procedure for them, but that didn’t mean he liked the implications. 

Presently, a man in long, flowing robes and a glittering turban entered the room and seated himself on the chair.  Obi-Wan realized that this man must be his judge for whatever crimes he seemed to have committed against these people’s law. 

There were several exchanges between the Magistrate and the soldiers in their native tongue, and Obi-Wan began to fear that they were going to conduct the whole case in a dialect he could not understand.

“Please, I don’t know your language,” Obi-Wan interrupted politely when there was a pause. 

“Silence!” One of the soldiers snapped, giving Obi-Wan a sharp crack on the back with the switch in his hand.  Obi-Wan jerked slightly in surprise, but made no sound. 

“It is forbidden to speak in his Excellency’s presence unless he addresses you boy!” the soldier warned. 

Obi-Wan sighed inwardly.  He seemed to be doing a real good job of unintentionally breaking their laws.  He wondered wryly if they had a law against breathing.

At least they did switch to using Basic.  “Of what is the prisoner accused?” The Magistrate inquired of the soldier on Obi-Wan’s left. 

“Speaking to a member of the opposite sex who was not related to him, in *public* no less.  Not content with that, he *touched* her and,” the soldier paused grimly.  “Removed her veil.”

The Magistrate looked very grim.  These were serious crimes under their laws.  “What have you to say for yourself boy?” he asked, turning his attention to Obi-Wan.

“I am a stranger here your Excellency,” Obi-Wan pled his case.  “I did not know that, in your city, it was a crime to help someone who had been hurt.  I assure you that I intended the girl no harm.  If I broke your laws it was only because I was unaware of their existence.”

“Your ignorance does you no credit,” the Magistrate said coldly.  “You do not fool me outsider.  If every person were allowed to transgress the law without consequence simply because they said they knew no better our city would be as lawless as those of the scandalous Za’yi across the far hills.  Their ways subvert the people.  Are you one of them?  What did you really come here for?  To molest our women and spy out our secrets?”

Obi-Wan tried to figure out which question to answer first, but the hesitation bought him another smack from the soldier’s rod.  Obi-Wan hissed softly through his teeth. 

“No!” the apprentice protested, trying hard to hold onto his patience.  “I’m not any of those things.”  He proceeded to explain his situation to them, but they seemed singularly unimpressed.  When he had finished he was questioned again, and again, a blow accompanying each query, until Obi-Wan’s back smarted fiercely.  He could not know it, but it was the standard method of Ephriphan questioning. 

Suddenly a boy appeared in the doorway and the Magistrate signaled the soldiers to hold for a moment.  “What is it?  I am not to be disturbed while holding court,” the official reminded the young page curtly.

The child bowed.  “Apologies your Excellency, but I have orders that you are to come at once, his Highness, the great Hat’im requires your presence immediately.”

The Magistrate almost paled a shade, trying to consider the possibilities of why the feared ruler of Ephripha should have him summoned so suddenly. 

“You will remain here until my return,” he ordered the soldiers and Obi-Wan somewhat brusquely, as he left, following the messenger boy out.

They waited, and waited, and waited some more.  Obi-Wan’s feet went numb from being forced to kneel so long, but he found that he dared not move.  If he did, the soldiers on either side of him, made even more irritable than usual by the Magistrate’s prolonged absence, would use the excuse take their frustration at the long delay out on him. 

So they waited as the minutes crawled by.  Obi-Wan’s hands and feet were both numb and he wished to goodness his back was.  Patience never had been Obi-Wan’s strong suit and now he found it hard not to loath the delay.  Still, another part of him wondered in apprehension just what they intended to do with him if, as all indicators pointed, he was indeed convicted of violating their laws.  It could not be good.

********************

“They led her through the streets like a whore!” Sariyah Mutal, Grand Natlus to his Highness Hat’im raged furiously.  “When she was the victim!”

Hat’im spared a comforting hand for his friend’s shoulder.  “Do not fear my friend, we will take care of this.”

“Thank you your Majesty,” Sariyah bowed in gratitude.  Silently he resolved that Jaleesha was going to be in deep, deep trouble with him when he got her home.  What was his daughter thinking?  Fraternizing with strange men and so blatantly defying the law so as to bring shame to his house!  Unwilling to let such a stain ruin his name and reputation, the Natlus had acted quickly as soon as he heard what had happened.  He now had at least five or six witnesses who were willing to swear, for the right price, that they had seen the young stranger attack his daughter in the street and yank her veil off with intent to harm her. 

In a matter of moments and with a few choice words of pretended anguish to Sariyah’s good friend Hat’im, Jaleesha had gone from a felonious perpetrator, to a pitied victim.  What did the Natlus care if the stranger bore the weight of the crime?

“I have sent for the Magistrate who was assigned the case,” Hat’im informed Sariyah.  “We will see that he is told the full story.”

********************

Obi-Wan and his guards continued to wait for a long time.  Finally, over an hour later, the Magistrate re-entered.  Roughly clapping his hands for the soldiers to bring Obi-Wan to his feet, the man climbed swiftly up the stairs, but did not sit.  The glare he turned upon Obi-Wan actually frightened the apprentice for a moment.  There was something threatening in the man’s face. 

He was obviously livid with anger, yet it was not to Obi-Wan, but the soldiers whom he spoke.  “The situation has changed,” he said simply, although there was obviously a lot more to it than that. 

*********************

Qui-Gon had found the Balyris outpost without too much difficulty.  It was the only one on the isolated little rock of a planet.  Finding answers was a little more difficult.  Much to his disappointment, he soon became sure that Obi-Wan was not here.  One of survivors the Master had spoken to, a Corelian teenager, had provided the information that he thought there was another young man matching Obi-Wan’s description aboard the vessel, but Qui-Gon already knew that. 

“He seemed to know what was going on or something,” the youth shrugged.  “Because he and Nix just took control of the situation right off.”

That fit with Obi-Wan’s character, Qui-Gon noted.  “Nix?  Who is Nix?”

The young Corelian shrugged again.  The three days that had passed since the accident had taken a little of the original shakiness away, but he was obviously still a little jittery.  “Nix is Nix.  Don’t know any other name.  He’s an older guy who was aboard the shuttle with us.  Don’t really know him except that he beat the pants off my friends and I at sabbac,” the youth grimaced in good humor.

“On the ship?” Qui-Gon inquired, wanting to follow this lead as far as it would go.

“Nah, didn’t see much of him on the ship.  He was picked up in another escape pod, not far from us.  For the first day or so we were practically quarantined here,” the young man looked disgusted.  “There was some kinda order to hold us and the authorities here took it to mean like prisoners or something.  We all went a little stir crazy.  Nix played with us until we were broke,” the youth sighed.  “Yesterday the investigative-whatever arrived from that ORIT, Armpit, or whatever-it-is company and sprung us.  Nix split pretty fast.”

“He’s gone?” Qui-Gon did not relish the idea of another long search. 

“Yeah, but not far,” the young Corelian shook his head.  “The Armpit Company is bringing in a shuttle to take us wherever we were going before, but it doesn’t leave until this afternoon.  Just as soon stay here...” the youth mumbled, but Qui-Gon had no interest in getting into the teenager’s personal problems. 

“Thank you very much.” 

“Yeah, whatever,” the young man shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets and wondered off in search of mischief or his friends, whichever he found first.

Qui-Gon located the man called Nix at a bar not too far away.  Considering what he had been told, the Jedi knew this sort of place was his best bet to find the fellow. 

Nix was a tall, black-haired man with dark eyes and an easy smile.  The kind of person you wanted to watch your credit voucher around.  The smuggler leaned casually back in his seat, a half-emptied drink on the counter in front of him.  His attention was on a Twi’lek dancing girl, but he spared a side-ways glance when Qui-Gon sat down beside him.

“Mr. Nix?” the Jedi inquired.

“Yeah, but you can drop the Mr.,” the spacer replied, giving Qui-Gon only half his attention.  “What’s it to you?”

Qui-Gon noticed that the man’s hand had casually dropped to rest lightly on the grip of the blaster in the quick-draw holster strapped to his thigh. 

“Maybe nothing,” Qui-Gon played along calmly.  Nothing made people like Nix clam up faster then someone asking them a lot of questions in an official manner.  “But maybe something.  You were on the Kanda’s Wings, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, I was one of the unfortunate few,” Nix laughed darkly.  “Look mate, I already told those investigators everything I’m gonna say.  You’re not getting some kind of hold-harmless out of me.  Your company didn’t keep that ship safe and I’m not gonna promise you nothin’.”  The smuggler kept his pleasant demeanor, but his voice and eyes were hard.

“I’m not from ORIT-PAC,” Qui-Gon shook his head, having to keep from smiling when he remembered the way the young Corelian had humorously mangled that name earlier.  “And I couldn’t care less what happens with them.  I’m interested in finding out what really happened.”

“So’s a lot of people mate,” Nix took another swill of his drink.  “What’s it worth to you?”

“Depends,” was Qui-Gon’s cagey answer.  “What would you know that I couldn’t get out of one of those young kid’s back at the station?”

Nix laughed.  “The Ferran brothers?  All you’ll get out of them is their money and maybe some laughs.”

“There were other people aboard,” Qui-Gon shrugged, as if he didn’t care.

“Yeah, but were they up in the cockpit?  Do they know how that baby was rigged?  I don’t think so mate,” Nix was very sure of himself.

Qui-Gon’s ears perked up.  “So it was sabotage?”

“Mighta been,” Nix said cautiously, not ready to give away anything he could get paid for.

Qui-Gon laid a credit chip on the counter between them, but kept his hand on one corner of it. 

“They rigged the hyperdrive to work against itself, that’s what they did,” Nix illuminated.  “Give us one bloody ride we couldn’t get off of with a bang at the end.”

“But you did get off,” Qui-Gon prodded.  He was dying to ask about Obi-Wan, but he knew it didn’t pay to rush things.  If he was over-eager about any particular subject he knew it would probably cost him an arm and a leg.

Nix was silent until Qui-Gon slid another chip on top of the first.

“Yeah, most everybody did I think, though now they’re scattered all over the stars, but that was the kid and my doing,” Nix said without modesty.  “They all woulda died without us.  I hot-wired a series of drags into the system you see...” Nix explained how he had gone about it in free terms.  Once Qui-Gon started spotting cash for his knowledge, he was only too happy to talk away.

“But someone would have had to touch them off,” Qui-Gon interrupted Nix’s narrative to point out.  He was getting a funny feeling that he did not like. 

“Yeah,” was Nix’s quiet reply as he went from talkative to suddenly reserved again.  The smuggler emptied his glass, his eyes averted.  “The kid stayed behind to do that.  I’ve seen few people who could take a situation like that with such a clear head.  He was a good kid.”

Past tense again.  Something inside Qui-Gon wanted to scream.  “He did not make it off?” Qui-Gon forced the question through suddenly uncooperative lips.  His body felt very cold and it was strangely hard to breathe, as if a giant vacuum had suddenly engulfed him. 

“I don’t know.  There’s a chance, but...” Nix shrugged heavily.  “It was a one in a million shot.”  The smuggler’s eyes narrowed slightly.  Although the Jedi was outwardly composed, Nix had not failed to notice Qui-Gon’s reaction. 

“Oh,” Nix said, twisting in his seat to fully face Qui-Gon for the first time.  “It’s him isn’t it?  He’s what you’re really after.”  It was not a question.

Qui-Gon did not bother denying the truth.  “I am Jedi, he is my apprentice.”  Qui-Gon intentionally refused to use the past tense.  Maybe it *was* a one in a million shot that Obi-Wan was still alive somehow, somewhere, but Jedi lived one step ahead of the odds. 

“He was on his way to meet me.”  Qui-Gon remained composed, but Nix could see the shadow of pain in the big man’s eyes.

The spacer let his breath out slowly.  “Jedi huh?  Well that makes sense,” he murmured to himself.  “You shoulda told me up front mate,” Nix said, sitting up straight in his chair.  “Woulda saved time.” 

Pushing Qui-Gon’s credits away, back towards the Jedi, Nix fixed him with steady look.  “The kid already paid for anything you want to know mate,” he said simply.  “Let’s start at the beginning...”

Pushing Qui-Gon’s credits away, back towards the Jedi, Nix fixed him with steady look.  “The kid already paid for anything you want to know,” he said simply.  “Let’s start at the beginning...”

********************

“WHAT?” Obi-Wan’s calm slipped slightly in the face of the startling accusation he had just been leveled with. 

One of the soldiers gave him a sharp crack for his un-permitted outburst, but although Obi-Wan winced in pain he barely noticed.  Things were suddenly spinning out of control too fast and the apprentice was trying to grasp where they had gone so wrong.

The idea that he had tried to rape Jaleesha in broad daylight in the middle of the street with a dozen witnesses around was absolutely ludicrous.  However, the Magistrate seemed to be taking it pretty seriously.

“That’s ridiculous!  I was trying to help her!  If I were going to attack someone do you think I’d have done it in the middle of the street?” Obi-Wan protested.  This was serious.  He’d just gone from facing penalty for the comparatively minor crimes of breaching the Ephriphans’ strict etiquette laws, to being charged with full-out assault with attempt to rape.  This was not a good shift and Obi-Wan realized he was in deep trouble.

“Your immoral ways are always foreign to us outlander,” the Magistrate said coldly.  “Lock him up until it is decided what to do with him,” the official told the soldiers flanking Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan permitted himself to be led away because his options were not attractive.  Even if he could get free, he could not fight them all unarmed.  Besides, he had committed no crime... yet somehow he did not hold out high hope that justice was going to prevail here.  For the moment, he would have to wait and see what happened.

The guards took Obi-Wan deep into the underground labyrinth of the government compound, finally shoving him into a dark, tiny cell.  Much to the apprentice’s dismay, they did not unbind his hands, but left him the way he was. 

As the door slammed shut behind Obi-Wan, blocking all light from the dark little cell, he wondered when and if anyone would ever find him here.  Were they even looking?  He knew that his Master would, but would Qui-Gon even know where to start?

******************

Qui-Gon’s finger trailed over the star map spread out before him.  With the information Nix had given him and the readouts from ORIT-PAC that stated the exact time they lost contact with the Kanda’s Wings, Qui-Gon was now trying to reconstruct the ship’s last moments.  It was a difficult job.

Trying to reconcile the locations of the recovered pods with one another and then factoring in the time the Kanda disappeared, Qui-Gon hoped to be able to get a rough estimate of about how far the disabled ship traveled between each slow-down.  The flaw with that theory however, was that even Nix couldn’t be sure the drags he had hot-wired were evenly spaced and there was no guarantee that the ship did not disappear from tracking before it’s final demise.  Still, it was the best lead the Jedi had, so he followed it closely.

One ray of good news was that all the other passengers had now been recovered safely.  The co-pilot was the only serious injury and he was going to be fine, he had been able to verify that the other two crew members were dead.  So now that left only Obi-Wan still missing. 

A beeping sound alerted Qui-Gon that he was approaching the first jump buoy.  Small shuttles like the Kanda that made outer-rim runs usually followed a set pattern of jump buoys that were placed at certain intervals.  This not only to made the trip easier navigation wise, but also it also enabled the trackers at ORIT-PAC head quarters could keep tabs on all their ships at the same time.  The buoys both transmitted data from ORIT-PAC to the shuttles as they passed, informing them of any emergency stops, updates, etc. and transmitted data from the ship back to ORIT-PAC.

The system had been established because direct communication between ship-to-HQ was impossible this far out in the galaxy.  Now, Qui-Gon hoped that it would lead him to Obi-Wan.

**********************

Jaleesha sat rigidly in a high-backed chair; her shoulders still smarted from her father’s beating.  She kept her eyes demurely downcast as she had been taught, but they were roiling beneath the surface.

“But it’s not true father,” she said quietly.  “He did not attempt to harm me.  He broke the etiquette laws, nothing worse.”  She did not like the idea of the nice young stranger paying the price of something he had not done. 

“Nothing worse?!” Sariyah snapped harshly.  “It is enough.”

“What is to be done with him?” the young lady inquired neutrally, trying to avoid incurring more of her father’s wrath. 

“The cursed outlander is not from our planet, we cannot simply deal with him according to the law.  He must be held until we decide what to do.  Highness Hat’im has ordered him transferred to Gehenna so that he can be made useful during the delay.”

“Gehenna,” Jaleesha echoed, wide-eyed.  Gehenna was a maximum-security work prison some fifty miles to the west of the city.  It was where the worst refuse of society was kept and the stories told about that place would make the most hardened soul pale.  “Do you really think he deserves to go there?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

“Of course I do,” Sariyah’s voice was tense.  “Do you have any idea what’s going on?  Do you realize what you almost did to me young lady?  What you almost did to yourself?  If it weren’t for me, if I weren’t your father, if I didn’t think fast enough to get you out of the stupid mess you got yourself into, you’d have been whipped in the public square!  Believe me Jaleesha, you would not have liked that.”

Jaleesha said nothing.  Her father had spoken; it was a moot point.  But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

**********************

When Obi-Wan was dragged out of the dark little cell the brilliance of the sunlight nearly blinded him.  The bonds around his wrists were finally released and feeling rushed painfully back in, like a thousand tiny, stabbing needles.  He had been unable to get a grip on the knot through the force because he couldn’t see it, but at least he had been able to force enough blood circulation that no permanent damage had been done by being left so tightly bound for almost two days.  Still, it would be a few hours before the flaming pain in his blood-starved hands began to subside.

“What’s going on?” Obi-Wan asked as he rubbed his sore wrists.  He had found that answers were not proffered unless he asked and even then he was not always sure to get one.

“You’re being transferred,” the jailer informed him crisply as the two soldiers who guarded the apprentice began fitting Obi-Wan with a heavy set of chains. 

Clapping and locking the rough, dura-steel manacles around Obi-Wan’s wrists and ankles, they placed a heavy collar around his neck.  Thick chains connected his hands, feet, and neck.  All together it felt like over thirty pounds of chain they placed on him and Obi-Wan wondered how a non-Jedi could move like this. 

“Where?” Obi-Wan inquired, shifting uncomfortably under the weighty chains.  They bore with them a feeling of captivity that his spirit chaffed against. 

“Gehenna,” was the monosyllabic reply, as if that one word were sufficient to explain it all.  A funny sense of foreboding filled Obi-Wan. 

The young Jedi was herded into the back of a speeder where his chains were fastened down and two guards stood watch over him the whole trip.  When they arrived and Obi-Wan got his first sight of the huddled, dust-colored compound a shiver ran up his spine.  It was not the sight of the vicious p’rnars patrolling it’s exterior in trained packs, nor the charged walls of deadly energy that encircled the place three times, nor even the surveillance units buzzing back and forth in the sky above the five-acre prison that made Obi-Wan’s blood run cold.  No.  It was what he could hear whispered in the Force.  It was the vague feeling that if he went in there he would never come out again.

Obi-Wan decided he could not wait for the Republic to try to extradite him, when and if this incident was even reported to them.  He needed to get out of here *now*.

Pulling up to the gate, the speeder stopped outside the prison.  The driver explained their business to the gate guards and showed them the data pad with the written orders they carried.  The gate guards nodded and told them to unload Obi-Wan and bring him in.

The soldiers undid the clasps restraining Obi-Wan to the structure of the speeder.  Obi-Wan knew this was going to be his only chance and he had better take it.  Once inside those gates it would only become harder to get out again.

Pulling their prisoner from the back of the vehicle the soldiers prodded him to start him moving while the Gehenna guards let down the force-field surrounding the gate and began to open the tall, reinforced door.  The apprentice did start moving, but not in the way his captors had intended.  Force-pulling the men’s blaster rifles out of their hands, he jumped away from the startled Ephriphans.  If he could just reach the now empty speeder...

The Gehenna guards sprung into action, attempting to restrain Obi-Wan.  The young Jedi evaded them, twisting away from one, he ducked the sweeping blow of an electro-jabber from another.  One man tried to draw a bead on him with a blaster but Obi-Wan knocked it out of his hand, kicking the man in the stomach to push him back, so he had time to turn and fend off the attack of yet another Ephriphan. 

The heavy chains he wore hampered Obi-Wan’s movement considerably, but he worked around them as best he could.  Using his disadvantage to an advantage for a moment, he used the chain connecting his wrists to catch around the neck of a man who came too close.  Putting that man between he and another guard, Obi-Wan used them against each other, then propelled the fellow into two others, knocking all three down.

Guards seemed to be pouring out of Gehenna like mynamins out of a rotten log.  A blaster shot sizzled by his head and another threw up dirt by his right foot as he put his Jedi reflexes to good use.  Obi-Wan knew he couldn’t keep up with the increasing numbers much longer, not without his lightsaber.  Making a break for the speeder he only just managed to duck and roll in time to avoid another shot. 

Throwing himself to the ground hard, Obi-Wan rolled quickly across the dusty surface, as a volley of shots cut through the air above him, where he had been standing a moment ago.  A warning from the force sent him scrambling the other way a moment later.  His chains caught on one another, tripping him up and keeping him from moving completely out of the way in time. 

The shot grazed Obi-Wan’s forearm.  Pain lanced up his arm, and the appendage went immediately numb.  Alarmed, the Padawan realized he could not move his fingers, and the rest of his arm was responding so sluggishly it was useless.  However when he looked down there was no injury, no burn. 

Paralysis bolts then.  The guards were firing shots, not intended to kill, but to debilitate him.  Another barrage sent Obi-Wan diving to put the cover of the speeder between himself and the guards and soldiers.

The guards concentrated their fire, encroaching on him swiftly with nothing to hold them back. 

He had just reached the door of the now-empty speeder when a sudden warning made him dodge sideways to avoid a volley of shots.  Unfortunately, the guards had predicted this and every angle that he could move was covered.  A second volley followed the first a split second later and this one found its mark. 

Three bolts hit Obi-Wan in the back, leg and shoulder at the same time, bringing him down hard.  The force of the impact spun him sideways and a blinding wave of pain sent the apprentice crashing to his knees, his head reeling. 

Terrifying numbness spread instantly over his body, making his nerves blind and rendering his limbs useless.  One shot would have been enough.  Three was definite overkill.  Obi-Wan slumped sideways onto the ground, unable to twitch a muscle despite his best efforts. 

His heart racing wildly against the effects of the overdosed paralysis, Obi-Wan could not even blink hard to clear his double vision.  A feeling of complete helplessness spread a moment of icy panic through him as the guards converged on him.  Grabbing his arms roughly they dragged the apprentice up, although his legs could not support him.  

Two guards held him up by the armpits.  A third, the one Obi-Wan had caught with the chain moments ago slammed the electro-jabber from his belt into the defenseless teen’s stomach.

Obi-Wan couldn’t cry out, but his body convulsed spasmodically at the brutal charge.  A sharp pain clamped across Obi-Wan’s chest as the electric charge disrupted his already reeling body.

“That was a *big* mistake boy,” the guard, a swarthy Ephriphan named Kalric, said darkly.  It did not improve Obi-Wan’s situation any that this man was the Captain of the Guard here in Gehenna. 

“And you’ll pay big,” Kalric pushed Obi-Wan’s head up with the blunt end of his electro-jabber under the young Jedi’s chin.  “You’re asking for a real good taste of Gehenna discipline right up front, aren’t you outlander?  Well you’ll get it.  Bring him inside,” Kalric ordered.

“You’re under our jurisdiction now boy,” Kalric gave one last threat.  “And I’m going to teach you what that means.”

The guards dragged the paralyzed Jedi through the gates and into the prison compound.  The gates slammed shut behind him with an ominous clang and if Obi-Wan could have shuddered, he would have.  He had a *very* bad feeling about this.

**********************

Obi-Wan’s knees still felt weak and his muscles incredibly fatigued, but the paralysis was gone.  He had been given something to speed up the negation of the paralysis bolts’ effects when it became clear that the overdose was threatening to paralyze the seventeen-year-old’s heart along with his other muscles.  Apparently his captors didn’t want him dead, at least, not yet.  They still had lessons they wanted to teach him.

Several guards dragged Obi-Wan rapidly down a hallway.  The tiny, barred windows to the outside that they passed contained only darkness.  Night had fallen two hours ago. 

The guards had just retrieved the apprentice from the infirmary where his little misadventure had put him.  The guards refused to tell Obi-Wan where he was being taken, but only stated ominously that he was going to learn what Gehenna was all about.

There was a large room on one end of the prison barracks with a raised platform against the far wall.  The chamber’s sole purpose was the public flogging of disobedient inmates and it was used with frightening regularity. 

A set of binders held the unlucky prisoner on their knees, forcing them to face the assembled crowd while the guard who was to administer their punishment stood behind them. 

It was to this ill-reputed room that Obi-Wan was dragged.  The instant he saw the place, with Kalric on the dais, whip in hand, and a horde of other inmates assembled before him, the apprentice knew what was going to happen and just what he was expected to learn here.

The young Jedi tried to resist, but his weakened body did not support his efforts and the guards easily manhandled him into the room.  Pulled up onto the platform, Obi-Wan was stripped to the waist and then transferred from the set of chains that he wore, to the ones affixed to the dais.  He was ordered to kneel, but the guards just kicked his legs out from under him when he did not respond fast enough to suit them. 

Obi-Wan took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.  He was going to need to be strong.  For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the clank of the other prisoners’ chains as the large group stirred impatiently.  Then Kalric spoke and his voice nearly made Obi-Wan jump.

The apprentice berated himself for being so easily unnerved and tried to pull himself into better focus. 

“Now you’re new here boy, so I’ll go over the rules first,” Kalric said once Obi-Wan was secured on his knees upon the low platform.

“You will be expected to follow these now and at any future time punishment or reprimand is handed out, so you better listen and listen good.”  The man’s voice was hard and tinged with scorn.

“Number one,” the head guard shook the kinks out of the cruel, multi-pronged scourge in his hand.  “No struggling at any time.  You’ll accept your punishment and take it without argument or complaint.  Number two: you count out the beating when you’re told to and you don’t stop no matter how bad it hurts.  Got it?” 

When Obi-Wan did not answer, Kalric gave him a sharp cut with the whip that made the Padawan jerk. 

“Number three: when I speak to you, you answer and you call me Sir, you got that kid?” the man barked.

Obi-Wan knew it was stupid to provoke this man, especially in his current position, but the apprentice’s stubborn pride momentarily reared up and kept his mouth tightly closed.

As expected, that earned him another sharp blow from the guard’s lash.

“That’s gonna cost you extra boy,” the Ephriphan ground out between his teeth.  “I wouldn’t keep adding to your beating if I were you kid, it’s gonna be more then you can handle as it is,” Kalric promised darkly.  “You’ve already earned yourself ten extra strokes, now unless you want me to triple that you better answer me!”

“Yes, sir,” Obi-Wan whispered quietly.  It wasn’t worth struggling over.  Besides, he was getting the distinct impression that if he tried he would lose and lose badly.

“All right then,” Kalric picked up where he had left off.  “I won’t tell you not to scream because that’s impossible,” he said coldly.  “But at least when I’m whipping you, you better dang well keep counting while you scream.  You stop and the strokes don’t count until you pick up again, that clear?” he demanded harshly.  It was a control issue, and if there was one thing that the masters of Gehenna wanted to drill into their prisoners it was the knowledge of who was boss.  Absolute submission was the first thing inmates learned, and if they refused to be taught, it was the last lesson they lived to fail.

“Yes, sir,” Obi-Wan repeated dutifully, battling down the twinge of terror that was trying to rush through his insides and turn them cold.  This was really going to be bad.

“Any infraction of these rules will result in longer and harsher punishment.  Right now you stand to receive thirty strokes for trying to run and resisting recapture, plus ten extra for not answering me.  Obey the rules and that’s all you’ll get, break ‘em and I’ll whip you until you can’t scream anymore,” the guard threatened coldly.  Something in his voice told Obi-Wan that the fellow would enjoy doing it too. 

“I’m going easy on you for the first offence outlander, but you try to run again and the minimum punishment will start at one hundred strokes, understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Obi-Wan whispered, balling his fists tightly above his bonds.

“Start counting,” Kalric ordered, snapping the whip across Obi-Wan’s shoulders. 

Obi-Wan let out a soft hiss of pain, but did as he was told.

“One, two, three, four, oh Force, five,” Obi-Wan counted through clenched teeth, struggling to keep up with the swiftly falling blows. 

The young Jedi had a high pain threshold and well-trained endurance, but it was difficult to keep his voice from reflecting his pain as he counted out the agonizing strokes.  It soon became all he could do to keep the numbers from turning into screams.  Tears of pain pushed their way through Obi-Wan’s clenched eyelids and made his eyelashes cling to his cheeks, but he refused to cry.

The young Jedi clenched his teeth tightly closed, forcing the numbers out around them as the whip fell again, and again, cutting his flesh and making his back bleed.  His breathing became ragged as the pain grew worse.  He was barely halfway through the beating and had no idea how he was going to endure over twenty more strokes like this.  The pain was breaking him.

Sobbing helplessly now, Obi-Wan tried desperately to hold himself together, but the Padawan was too worn down and his body too weak for him to be able to pull any real help from the Force. 

The man whipping Obi-Wan took no mercy on the boy, deliberately plying the strokes as hard as he could.  Discipline was harsh here; the sooner the inmates learned that, the better everything ran.  It was a brutal sort of initiation, but one that all prisoners went through sooner or later.  As far as Kalric was concerned, Obi-Wan had just asked for his a little sooner then some.  All the more reason for him to make sure the boy knew what to expect right up front.

Besides, Obi-Wan was not one of their people, all the more reason for him to be shown early on that the outlanders’ loose, rebellious ways would not be tolerated here.  Word from the top was that they wanted this boy taught an unforgettable lesson.  Kalric would attend to that.

The pain was becoming intense.  Unable to help himself, Obi-Wan started crying, screaming, he couldn’t stop, it hurt so bad!

The guard’s grim face darkened a shade when Obi-Wan stopped counting, but he said nothing.

Knowing he was in for it for his lapse in control anyway, Obi-Wan squirmed in his bonds despite what he had been warned.  Oh Force he just wanted out!  Just wanted this pain to stop, he’d do anything to make it stop!  But there was nothing he could do.  Nothing but take it and the teenager didn’t know how he could keep doing that.

The guard let Obi-Wan struggle for a little while without breaking the rhythm of the beating. 

“Any time you’re ready boy, we can get on with this,” Kalric remarked grimly, after Obi-Wan had screamed for a little while.  “And you can add another twenty.”

Obi-Wan’s heart sank.  He thought he was going to die.  He wasn’t really, but stars the pain was terrible! 

Forcing himself to take more control over his reeling body than he thought he could, Obi-Wan somehow managed to start counting again where he’d left off.  The words were more of a barely controlled scream, but somehow he got them out.

The assembled prisoners watched unemotionally as the boy was flogged with a severity that could only be described as cruel or vicious.

How Obi-Wan made it through that whipping he didn’t know, but somehow he was still very much alive, although quite near the verge of unconsciousness, when he was at last released from the bonds that held his wrists.

Obi-Wan slumped limply to the floor, with no strength left to support himself.  Several sets of hands pulled him up.  Firmly clapping the teen’s wrists back into his normal set of chains they dragged him roughly off the dais and out of the room.  The movement and the handling made Obi-Wan’s back hurt excruciatingly, but, true to his word, Kalric had beaten Obi-Wan so badly that he had screamed himself hoarse.  The young Jedi was no longer able to even cry out in pain as they dragged him outside and threw him roughly upon the frozen ground. 

“You sleep out here tonight,” the guards barked.  “But don’t get any ideas.  If you move on inch from here you’ll get double what you just got!”

Fortunately they did not wait for an answer from the barely conscious boy.  It was not necessary anyway.  Obi-Wan could not have moved had he wanted to.

For a few minutes all Obi-Wan could register was how badly he hurt.  His injured back throbbed unmercifully, and the Padawan bit his lower lip in an attempt to keep the pain from making him start crying again.  It was a losing battle. 

Soon his body began to alert him to the fact that the air was frigid and he had neither blanket, nor even a shirt to shield him from the frosty Ephriphan night.

The biting cold soon made the bleeding apprentice shiver uncontrollably.  Hot ribbons of searing fire warred with the bone chilling cold as the icy temperature made Obi-Wan’s injured muscles contract painfully. 

The frozen ground beneath him began to bite like fire, but Obi-Wan didn’t have the strength to even move as the numbing cold chilled him through and crept into his bones.

Too weak to even attempt a healing trance, Obi-Wan’s body begged for unconsciousness, but it did not come.

The apprentice was more miserable then he ever remembered being.  Crying hurt, but Obi-Wan couldn’t stop the silent sobs that shook his torn shoulders.  Merciful Force, if this was a portent of his future here, how ever was he going to survive?

//Find me Master, please!// he begged silently.  //I don’t know how long I can last here.  Help me.//

The air was so cold that the tears began to freeze on his face, but Obi-Wan didn’t notice.  His body was going numb and soon he felt next to nothing.  As the icy air stole away the bulk of his pain, it took with it his consciousness and Obi-Wan at last sank into the blessedly painless release of senselessness. 

********************

Qui-Gon couldn’t understand.  He had traced the transport Obi-Wan had been on to the last jump buoy stationed on their route home.  Somewhere between the second quadrant buoy and their next jump point the ship had simply disappeared.  The stress and lack of clues was beginning to wear on his nerves, he hadn’t been able to sleep in the past 24 hours.

“I probably should have allowed Mace to come along,” he growled the words out loud in exasperation, “Where in the force are you Obi-Wan?” 

His eyes roved the panels and displays before him for any evidence of the ship and its route while he sifted the force around him for any trace of his Padawan.

//Find me Master, please!//

“Obi-Wan!?”  He slapped his hand palm down on the panel to his right deploying a marking buoy and stopped the forward motion of the vessel.  Swinging the short nose of the craft around he back tracked on his course and tethered the craft off to the buoy. 

The voice had been so faint and so distressed.  His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and a fear gripped him as he replayed the words through his mind.  Quieting himself quickly he concentrated.

And was rewarded with the echoes of the soft torn voice pleading with him through the force //I don’t know how long I can last here.  Help me...//

//Obi-Wan!?  Padawan?!// But the connection had been lost or the youth was unable to respond.  Perhaps it was just an afterprint in the Force but it meant that Obi-Wan was here and he would find him.  If it took him the rest of his life he wouldn’t return to the Temple without his Padawan.

Putting the ship’s scanners on their fullest range, Qui-Gon scanned the area.  When nothing turned up, he tried boosting their range through the sensor array, attempting to stifle his impatience...

There.  The scanners were picking up the faintest hint of what could have been the floating anti-matter discharge that a violently wrecked hyperdrive engine would have left. 

Qui-Gon homed in on the signal and set a swift course closer to its location.

***************

Grey dawn spread like cloudy water from a broken glass across the Ephriphan horizon, banishing the stars to their daytime retreats. 

A thin, glistening layer of frost had settled on Obi-Wan’s still body and but for the steady rising and falling of his shoulders one might have thought him dead. 

The guards, however, were unconcerned.  Heavy, booted feet kicked the young prisoner roughly awake. 

Groggy and half-frozen, Obi-Wan reflexively rolled away from the guards’ abuse.  However, turning onto his back was a mistake.  Feeling as if he had rolled onto a bed of hot coals, Obi-Wan quickly turned back onto his stomach, just in time to catch another sharp kick in the ribs.

“Get up!” the guards ordered briskly.

Obi-Wan didn’t think he could.  Then one of the guards brought his whip down sharply across the boy’s already lacerated back and the apprentice discovered he was wrong.  Obi-Wan jerked, giving a small, gasping cry that he couldn’t help.

“I SAID get up boy!” the guard’s voice turned dangerous.

“Y-yes sir,” Obi-Wan murmured through shivering lips, pushing himself shakily off the ground and forcing his unsteady legs under him.  He did not want a repeat of last night for anything in the world.  

The guards exchanged satisfied looks.  It was working.  A few months in Gehenna and prisoners would be asking the guards before they breathed, and would refrain if so ordered.  That was the kind of control they wanted. 

Dragging the stumbling boy along quicker then his stiff, numb legs wanted to carry him, the guards escorted Obi-Wan to the muster yard.  Sending him back to his place in line, they reconnected the apprentice’s chains to the general one and a few minutes later the group was moved out for work detail.

It took all of Obi-Wan’s energy just to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep up with the forced jog that the were made to maintain. 

Half way to their destination they had to cross some rough ground.  Obi-Wan almost stumbled and the inmate chained directly behind him deliberately shoved the boy, making painful contact with Obi-Wan’s hurting back.  Obi-Wan bit back the cry of pain that tried to escape him, but the shove was enough to send him tumbling to his knees, snarling and slowing the swiftly moving column. 

Obi-Wan was up again almost immediately, but the incident still brought the wrath, and the electro-jabber, of the nearest guard down upon him.  The electric charge would have been painful at any time, but in Obi-Wan’s condition it were almost debilitating. 

Only his Jedi stamina kept Obi-Wan on his feet and moving after that. 

“Welcome to Gehenna, little boy,” the man behind Obi-Wan taunted once they were moving again.  “You cried like a baby on the platform last night,” he jeered.  “But that was only the guards’ initiation.”

The man laughed unpleasantly.  “Wait until tonight.  Then it’s our initiation time.  Nobody enters Gehenna without a proper turning out, you should have saved your tears puck.”

Obi-Wan tried to ignore the man’s taunting, but creeping dread ate at the deepest corner of his heart.  Hurting, dizzy and with the promise of worse things to come, Obi-Wan grimaced ruefully. 

*“And all before the sun’s even fully up,”* the Jedi thought grimly.  He couldn’t believe he had only been here for two days.  It already seemed a lifetime.

Now he knew why they called this place Gehenna, the gateway to hell, the final resting-place of damned souls.  It fit only too well.

******************

Obi-Wan tried to gather as much of the Force around him as he could, but his head spun and he barely had enough control to battle the maelstrom of fear and darker emotions that were trying to suck him down.  Anything more than that was beyond his reach right now. 

The teenage Jedi’s breath came in short, spasmodic gasps.  Darkness was pressing on him, not just the darkness of the night, but also a darkness so much deeper then that. 

Deep, biting rage was trying to build in the pit of his stomach; rage against the people and their laws that had sent him here, against the guards who made it a living hell and against the other prisoners who had just gotten through with him. 

A burning voice was telling him that he wanted to hate them all, simply because at least if he let hate fill him then it hurt less.  And right now the pain, in his heart and his body, felt like it was going to break the apprentice.  At least rage left no room for despair...

//NO!// Obi-Wan screamed silently.  He could be surrounded by darkness, but he wouldn’t *be* dark.  That was the one thing that would destroy him and the Padawan knew it. 

That was what had happened to all these other men here, Obi-Wan realized.  With so much darkness around them, they had given into hate and anger because it was easier than pain.  They hurt because they had been hurt, by the guards, by the other prisoners...

Obi-Wan buried his face on his arms.  Both were mottled with bruises and painful, but the apprentice Jedi was becoming used to the constant presence of pain.  Instead of pulling back because it hurt, Obi-Wan pressed his face down harder, preferring the physical pain to the one that was ripping his heart out. 

Desperately, Obi-Wan battled to stay silent, to keep it all inside.  He knew they *wanted* him to cry.  They had delighted in making him do so. 

The majority of men here were adults between 20 & 60 and a smaller, hurting teenager like Obi-Wan was seen as easy prey.  Under normal circumstances they would have quickly learned how wrong that assumption was.  However, already weak from the guard’s flogging and continued abuse, Obi-Wan could not fight all of them.

When work detail was over and the prisoners were at last returned to their bunkhouses, the twenty men who shared Obi-Wan’s community cell had made good their threat to initiate the young inmate into the tough pecking order of the Gahanna cell block.  They held the struggling teenager down and beat him until he couldn’t fight them anymore.  In Obi-Wan’s condition that didn’t take long.

The apprentice took as much of it as he could in silence, because he knew they wanted a reaction out of him and hated giving them that satisfaction.  Screaming did no good anyway because Obi-Wan knew the guards would not help him.  Strict in everything that concerned them, the guards cared little about what the prisoners did to one another, so long as they did it on their own time and not when they were supposed to be working.  Prisoner on prisoner brutality was actually encouraged to a certain extent. 

The convicts needed little spurring.  Under the harsh helplessness that Gehenna imposed upon it’s inmates it seemed that the only outlet the prisoners had, the only power they were allowed to wield, was that to hurt one another.  With all the pent up anger and rage in this place, the results were not too hard to imagine.  

Tonight had been their way of informing the new kid, or “puck” as they called the new initiates, that they were all under the guards, but Obi-Wan was under them as well. 

They had their own rules, only not as well defined as the guards’.  Their only clear rule seemed to be that he did whatever they told him and that they had the right to pound him whenever they wanted.

Obi-Wan let the hate that was trying build inside him dissipate and vanish.  He couldn’t hate them.  It wouldn’t change anything except himself.  Immediately the pain rushed back in, that he could not fight.  

Obi-Wan’s shoulders trembled, his exhausted and hurting body betraying his strong desire to hold his emotions in check.

//Master// he cried, as the tears squeeze out between his closed eyelids.  Savagely he pressed his swollen eyes against his arms until he made himself moan in pain.  The tears kept coming anyway.

Finally Obi-Wan just gave in and let them come.  He hadn’t been able to keep from crying when they beat him, why try now?  At least now his tears would not be mocked.

//Master, can you hear me?// Obi-Wan pleaded with the air.  He was too weak to attempt any kind of connection, but his young heart had nowhere else to turn.  //Master...//

*****************

A concentrated line of tension knotted between Qui-Gon’s shoulder blades as he pored over the data screens before him.  At least he now had something to work with, but it was still a puzzle to be unraveled.  He had found the floating debris trail that suggested an explosion and had finally been able to positively identify that it was the wreckage of the “Kanda’s Wings” that he was viewing. 

There were traces of organic matter as well, but Qui-Gon refused to believe anything but that was due to the two dead crewmembers who had been left aboard.  The shuttle’s record box had been in relatively good shape and seemed to have recorded all happenings in the cockpit until the moment of the last, fatal explosion. 

Unscrambling the encoding on the recorder however, was taking some doing.  Qui-Gon hoped that when he succeeded, he would find a clue, however small.  It had been several days since the explosion now, and who knew how far the debris had drifted.  There was a planet nearby, and several other systems in easy reach, but where was he to look?

With a sputter of static, Qui-Gon finally cracked the recorder’s code and the tinny recording came to life.  Having no interest in listening to hours of cockpit chatter Qui-Gon scanned until he came to the segments of recording near the very end.  There was considerable damage to their quality after the cockpit explosion, but it was still mostly hearable. 

Qui-Gon heard again the clip that had been played on the news, followed by several minutes of dead silence.  Then two other voices entered.  Qui-Gon recognized both.  One was Nix, the other was Obi-Wan. 

“We haven’t got much time!” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded urgent.

“It’s fried good down there, I can’t pull us out of hyperspace ... couple of drag setters in there that will cause us to bump, that should slow us down ... a few pods can ... out each clutch.” Nix’s voice came back, marred with static.

Qui-Gon listened in silence to the parts of the exchange that were not totally obscured by static.  “Oh Obi-Wan...” he couldn’t help feeling proud of the way the boy was ready to put others lives before his own at a moments notice, but the feeling in his heart was a painful one. 

//Where are you now Obi-Wan?  Where are you?// There was no answer.  Yet Qui-Gon knew the apprentice had to be out there somewhere... after all, he had heard him.

Well, at least the recording told him that Obi-Wan had probably gotten out in an escape pod.  But was that the ship’s final stop, or had the drag Nix put in stopped the ship one final time before it rushed to its destruction. 

Qui-Gon let his forehead rest on his hands, his elbows resting on the console before him and reliving some of the strain in his neck and back.  He had a headache and seemed to be digging up more questions than answers. 

//No!//

Qui-Gon’s head jerked up when he heard the scream ring through the Force.  His heart was thudding loudly at the suddenness of it and he had to quickly shut that off in order to concentrate.

Quieting his mind Qui-Gon searched for the location of the cry.  He already knew it was Obi-Wan.

//Master.  Master can you hear me?// The voice was pleading, perhaps even more desperate then before. 

//Obi-Wan!  I’m here Obi-Wan!  Where are you?!// Qui-Gon tried to reach the apprentice, but Obi-Wan did not seem to be able to hear him.

//Master...// again the plaintive call.  It was ripping Qui-Gon’s heart out. 

//Obi-Wan!// Qui-Gon put all his strength into the call, refusing to let the connection be ripped away from him again.  //Padawan!  Where are you?!!//

--------

Obi-Wan’s head popped up off his arms.  The sudden motion sent waves of pain rushing through him.  Moaning, Obi-Wan let his head sag back down and tried harder to center himself.  He had felt something brush him.  He had almost thought he heard Qui-Gon calling his name.

//Padawan!  Where are you?!!// The call was faint and far off.  Obi-Wan almost wondered if he were imagining it, but hoped he wasn’t.

//I’m here Master, find me...// Obi-Wan tried to answer, tried to tell his Master where he was, to put all his remaining strength into his reply, but his body was weak and sustaining the connection seemed to be more than he could handle.  

Obi-Wan’s strength failed as a wave of dizzying pain came close to making him black out.  His head slumped weakly back onto his arms and his body trembled, exhausted from the effort.  A solitary tear traced down the apprentice’s cheek.

“Find me Master,” Obi-Wan whispered into the darkness around him.  “Please find me.”

--------

//I’m here Master, find me...// the call was weak and laced with pain.  Qui-Gon tried to hold on, but Obi-Wan was slipping away from him again.  It seemed that the apprentice had no strength to keep the connection open. 

//Gehenna...// was he last thing Qui-Gon heard before the connection was lost.

Obi-Wan was here.  Qui-Gon was sure of it.  His apprentice was right here on the planet before him, and he was in trouble.  Pulling up the planet’s specs from the data computer, Qui-Gon scanned it quickly, his eye catching on the bold red letters below the planet’s classification: ACCESS RESTRICTED.  PERMISSION TO LAND REQUIRED.

Murmuring some choice words that he would never have let his apprentice hear, Qui-Gon quickly slapping open a communication line to Coruscant.  If he needed permission to land, then he intended to get it.

He attempted to reach Mace Windu, but when the other Master did not answer, he was routed to another Council Member instead.  Qui-Gon quickly explained the situation to M’wok, a Sullustian Jedi who told Qui-Gon to hold while he attempted to get clearance for him to land.

Several long minutes later, M’wok came back on.  “Master Jinn?”

“Here,” Qui-Gon replied with barely concealed impatience.  Obi-Wan was hurt; Qui-Gon could tell when he had touched him.  Just how badly hurt the Master did not know, but tarrying around up here was not helping him any.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” the other Master apologized.  “I cannot get you permission to land.  M316 is a sovereign planet that does not like to have much uncontrolled contact with others.  You’ll need to return to Coruscant to get a proper visitors ID from the embassy.”

“I can’t,” was Qui-Gon’s simple reply.  “I cannot leave Obi-Wan here.  He’s hurt and I don’t know how badly.  Surely there are exceptions for emergencies.”

“Perhaps...” M’wok seemed hesitant.  “But I do not think it is wise.  You are unfamiliar with these people Master Jinn.  The majority of them are exclusionists and very unfriendly to those of other races and other beliefs.  We cannot risk you as well as the boy.”

“I’m not leaving,” Qui-Gon shook his head in disbelief at the idea.  If they wanted to see just how stubborn he could be, they would find out.

M’wok sighed.  He hadn’t really expected Qui-Gon to cooperate with him very willingly.  “Then stay in orbit and I will see what the Council can do to get you emergency clearance.  I repeat, hold your current position and wait for us to contact you, all right?”

Qui-Gon manipulated a dial to his left and the transmission warbled unsteadily.  “Didn’t copy... all of that...” Qui-Gon replied around bursts of self-created static.  “Will proceed... you later.”

“Master Jinn!  Qui-Gon Jinn!  Don’t you cut me off-”

A twist of a dial terminated their conversation.  Qui-Gon would not acknowledge instructions he had no intention of following. 

As he moved his ship into a tighter orbit, a light began flashing on one of his control panels.  At first the thought flashed through Qui-Gon’s mind that it was a warning light, but upon closer inspection he found that it meant he was receiving a weak, distress homing signal, the type that were used in escape pods. 

If Qui-Gon had needed any further proof that he was right about his Padawan’s location, he had it.  Homing in on the faint, thready signal, Qui-Gon triangulated the approximate area of the planet from which it was coming and laid in his course accordingly. 

The Jedi was able to land unchallenged and decided that, while the planet may be restricted, it was not guarded, at least, not very tightly. 

On the way in, Qui-Gon had glanced over some more data about the planet.  It was known by its registry designation of M316 because each different division of the culture called it something different, and none would agree to one name.  So, to keep it simple, star charts simply listed it by its location name.

Unable to pinpoint the exact location of the escape pod, Qui-Gon set down within the general vicinity.  He found himself in a hilly region and within walking distance of the nearest town.  Preparing himself for whatever sort of people he may encounter, Qui-Gon entered the city, hoping for news of Obi-Wan. 

The city was perched on a hill, overlooking the surrounding farm and pasturelands.  Like Ephripha, a wall protected the city from outside forces, but the gates to this city were not so heavily guarded and while everyone dressed in the long burnooses and turbans that the climate prescribed, the women’s faces were not covered.

The people looked at Qui-Gon askance, perhaps even a little fearfully, but they did not seem overtly hostile.  Striding up to one of the patrolmen, Qui-Gon introduced himself.  “I need to speak to whomever is in charge.”

*******************

Qui-Gon came to learn that this city was called Za’yibah.  The ruler of the Za’yi was guarded with Qui-Gon, but was remarkably helpful in providing information.  However, Qui-Gon did not like what he learned.

Obi-Wan had been taken into custody in a city across the hills called Ephripha.  Even despite the information gap created by the neighboring cities enmity for each other, the Za’yi seemed to be well informed on the doings of their neighbors although pressing them about how they new so much would not have been a good idea.  However, Qui-Gon was not interested in how they knew.  It was enough that they did.

When their interview was over, Qui-Gon was more disturbed then when he didn’t know where Obi-Wan was.  Finding a private place for communication, Qui-Gon contacted the Council once more.  He knew they would not be pleased with his actions, but the situation had changed and they must be notified immediately.

This time he got Mace.  The scowl on the other Jedi’s face confirmed Qui-Gon’s suspicions that his actions had not been well received. 

“M’wok told me of your conversation,” Master Windu sighed.  “You went in anyway, didn’t you?”

Qui-Gon ignored the question for the present.  “The situation has changed Mace.  Obi-Wan *is* here and is being held prisoner under false charges of assault and attempted rape,” he said simply.  The ruler of Za’yibah had been unable to comment on the veracity of the charges, but it was a mute issue in Qui-Gon’s mind.  He knew his Padawan better than that.

For a moment you could see that the other Jedi Master was playing catch-up as he tried to absorb Qui-Gon’s abrupt statement and grasp the implications.  Then Mace’s eyes shadowed with concern.  “Is he all right?  What happened?”  This was not a good turn of events.

“That I don’t exactly know,” Qui-Gon’s voice was tight with the worry that was eating him up inside.  “And the Za’yi weren’t able to tell me much, other than that’s what he was accused of.  But he’s not all right Mace.  I heard him on my way in; he’s in pain.  Whether he was injured when his shuttle crashed or because of something related to these charges, I don’t know.”

“It’s the Ephriphans holding him then?” Mace queried.

Qui-Gon nodded, mildly surprised.  “Yes, how did you know?”

Mace made a face.  “They have a... bit of a reputation.  If you read up much about M316, you can’t escape hearing all about them.  There are many distinct people groups on that planet, but the two major players are the Ephriphans and the Za’yi.  So if you spoke to the Za’yi, then it had to be the Ephriphans,” the Jedi shrugged.  “You’ve only seen the capital.  Za’yibah and Ephripha are just the tip of the iceberg.  Each is the chief city of an area a little larger than your average continent.  They just don’t *look* that built up because so much of the populace is nomadic.”  His voice dropped.  “It’s just unfortunate for us that Obi-Wan ended up in Ephriphan territory rather than in Za’yi lands.  I think it might have been easier on the boy.”

The other Jedi’s words did little to ease Qui-Gon’s mind.  He’d already been thinking much the same thing and it didn’t help to know that Ephripha’s reputation cast such a long shadow. 

Mace saw the grave look on his friend’s face.  “We’ll get cleared Qui-Gon, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” he tried to assure.

Qui-Gon nodded, but the worried glint did not leave his eye.  “The ruler of the Za’yi was able to tell me that he is being held in a maximum-security work-prison several hundred kilometers over the far hills.  The people holding him are fanatically strict and you are aware of how almost everyone on this planet views outsiders...”

Mace held up his hand to halt Qui-Gon’s flow of concern.  “Hold on a moment, where are you going with this Qui-Gon?  Because I hope it’s not where I think.”

“Mace,” Qui-Gon said, adopting *that* tone.  The tone that told the other Master that his friend was heading in exactly the direction he feared.  “Something’s got to be done.  You don’t want to hear the stories I’ve heard about that backward hellhole of a prison they’ve got him in!  I have got to get him out of there.”

“Qui-Gon, I don’t want to seem dispassionate here, but do you realize what you’ve already done?  You have violated the sovereignty of an autonomous planet without leave.  Yes, I know why you did it, but now that we know the situation even better, you’ve got to see that this will only make this mess harder to set right.”  Mace shook his head.

Qui-Gon pressed his lips into a tight line.  “If I hadn’t come down here we still wouldn’t know where Obi-Wan was, would we?   I’d still be up there in space waiting for you to work out those...” the Master barely avoided using another choice word.  “Bureaucratic tangles,” he said diplomatically instead.   “And meanwhile who knows what is happening to Obi-Wan?”

The distress he had heard from his apprentice had shaken Qui-Gon and filled him with urgency.  Maybe Mace couldn’t understand that, maybe nobody could, but he didn’t care. 

“Well, you may as well know that M’wok and some of the other Council Members are throwing a fit over this,” Mace shook his head. 

Qui-Gon’s calm look seemed to say: *So?  And what else is new?*

“But I’m not going to argue about what’s unchangeable,” Mace continued, refusing to comment.  “What we have to think of now is what’s best for Obi-Wan *and* will avoid a full-scale intergalactic incident.  I know you want to go in there and just get him out, heck, in another time and another place that may be what I’d do too.  BUT,” the Council Member stressed the word.  “That won’t really be the best thing for either concern, would it?”

Qui-Gon refused to answer that question.  “What are you suggesting I do Mace?  Wait for the bureaucrats to handle it?” the big Jedi folded his arms, his voice turning cold.

Mace repressed a sigh.  Why was it always like this dealing with Qui-Gon?  Life seemed to be forever putting the two friends at odds. 

“Wait for the Republic to work like it is supposed to,” Mace corrected.  “Qui-Gon, we protect and uphold the laws of the Republic, we can’t go around violating them whenever we feel like it.”

Qui-Gon sighed impatiently.  This debate was going nowhere.  Why did Mace always have to take the pragmatic, legalistic side?  Why could he never seem to see the need to follow one’s feelings, to take action?

Mace returned the gesture.  Why did he feel like he was talking to a stone wall?  Why couldn’t Qui-Gon see that sometimes rushing into things in the heat of the moment wasn’t always the best way to deal with them? 

Qui-Gon wanted to act now and Mace wanted to go through the proper channels.  This was always the conflict between them and here they were yet again, facing off on opposite sides of an issue they both wanted resolved as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

“Qui-Gon, how much would it truly hurt you to let us go about this the proper way?  In the end, it will move things a whole lot faster,” Mace argued.  “Right now, Obi-Wan has done nothing wrong,” Mace too, took Obi-Wan’s innocence for granted.  “And this little planetary transgression notwithstanding, you haven’t either.  We’ll get Obi-Wan extradited to a Republic prison, he will be tried, found innocent and released.  You go storming in there now and you’ll damage your own case.  From the sounds of it, these people would love to be as much trouble as they can be.  Don’t give them a reason to hold Obi-Wan, don’t give them a rope to hang you with!”

Mace’s words made sense, but something deep in Qui-Gon’s heart said it was all wrong somehow.  If he left Obi-Wan now... he wasn’t sure he ever see him again.  Yet how could he explain that to Mace?  He couldn’t even explain it to himself.

Mace took the option of argument away from him a moment later.  “Qui-Gon,” the other Master’s voice turned heavy.  “This isn’t a request, it’s an order.”

Qui-Gon’s eyes hardened immediately.  Mace knew that nothing turned his friend off faster than being ordered around, but there was nothing else for it. 

“And it’s not my decision alone, I’m just relaying it.  The best thing to do now is for you to come back and we’ll get this worked out.  Don’t make me pull rank on you Qui-Gon, I will if I have to.”  Mace’s tone was unyielding. 

“And if I don’t?” Qui-Gon asked quietly, his crystal blue eyes smoldering.

“Don’t even go there Qui-Gon,” Mace warned, his voice serious.  “If you don’t respond to us, then whether we like it or not, the Republic is going to get pulled in.  You know those Ephriphans will do it if you start poking your nose around there.  They’ll have to try to have you forcibly removed from the planet and how will that look when we try to convince a court that we are the injured parties in this case?  You’ll only damage Obi-Wan’s chances.”  The Jedi was blunt.  “You want to help him Qui-Gon?  Raise ship right now and return to Coruscant.  *Then* we can start doing something.”

There was a long silence as the two men glared at each other in the view-screen, millions of light-years apart physically, and at this moment even farther apart emotionally.

Finally, Qui-Gon let his breath out between his teeth in an audible hiss of resignation.  “All right Mace,” he said quietly, hoping this was truly the best thing for Obi-Wan.  “We’ll do it your way.”

Mace nodded his acknowledgement of Qui-Gon’s acceptance and quickly tried to dispel the ill will that had momentarily fallen between them.  “I’ll have meetings ready as soon as you arrive for us to speak with the overseer of Intergalactic Affairs, the Justice division and the office of planetary regulators.  We’ll get this cleared up quickly.”

“I hope you’re right,” Qui-Gon’s voice was quiet, but there was uncertainty behind it.  “I hope you’re right.” 

As Qui-Gon ran his shuttle through its pre-flight sequence he tried to shake the gnawing guilt that had settled over him.  How could he just *leave* knowing Obi-Wan was here and needed him?  The big Jedi sighed.  How?  Because he had no choice.

As the ship thrummed beneath him, preparing for liftoff, Qui-Gon felt the distant touch of Obi-Wan’s presence.  Not a true connection, but he could feel the boy out there, calling to him.  The Master’s heart wrenched.  He felt like he was walking out on Obi-Wan. 

//Hold on Obi-Wan, I will get you out of this,// he tried to send, but was unsure whether the apprentice could hear him or not. 

Painfully, Qui-Gon started the liftoff sequence; feeling the pilot’s seat shift beneath him as the engines powered up and the thrusters kicked in.

//I’m not leaving you here,// Qui-Gon thought desperately.  //I just have to try a different way of reaching you.//  But even as he said it, the Jedi had a hard time making himself believe his own words.

As the shuttle rose swiftly through the planet’s atmosphere Qui-Gon felt as if someone was physically ripping his heart out of his chest.  Obi-Wan’s presence in the Force was like a weak, pleading cry, but it was one he could not answer.  Everything in the Master screamed that he was heading the wrong direction, everything in him wanted to turn around and go back, wanted to do whatever it took to get his apprentice safely back to him again... but he knew Mace was right.  As much as he hated it, anything he did now might only jeopardize Obi-Wan more.

Grimly, Qui-Gon told himself that he *was* doing what it took, but it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

As the shuttle left the atmosphere and made the jump to hyperspace Qui-Gon slowly felt Obi-Wan’s presence recede to a dull ache in the back of his heart.

When the bright coils of hyperspace wrapped themselves around the vessel, Qui-Gon let his head fall forward on his arms.  Slumping forward over the control panel in front of him, he felt as if someone had jammed a heavy, throbbing spike through his heart.

//I *am* going to get you out of there Obi-Wan,// Qui-Gon promised silently.  Something in the back of his mind whispered that he had no idea just how long, and how far he would have to go to keep that promise. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Mace glanced sidelong at the other Jedi Master who walked stiffly beside him.  Qui-Gon’s aura was tight, disturbed and frustrated.  Mace didn’t really blame him.  The meeting with the department heads of Intergalactic Affairs had not gone well.  There had been many reassuring words but very little promise of immediate action.  This had been their fourth meeting of the past two weeks and the well-worn lines of assurance were beginning to wear thin.

Qui-Gon thought that if one more person told him that he had to be patient because these things took time, he was going to explode and do something decidedly un-Jedi like.

“They’re not doing anything!” Qui-Gon’s frustrated voice broke the silence.  It had been thirteen days, eight hours and forty-five very trying minutes since he had had to leave Obi-Wan in Gehenna.  Since he had abandoned him... Qui-Gon’s throat constricted.  No, thinking along that line did no good at all.

Mace had to agree with him.  “Things have not gone as we hoped.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Qui-Gon bristled in irritation.  How hard could the extradition process be?  “I want Obi-Wan out of there Mace.”  His voice was hard, determined.

“So do I,” Mace sighed.  “But we’ve got to be patient, these things take-”

“DON’T say it Mace!” Qui-Gon rounded on his companion, his eyes flashing.  “Don’t you dare say it.”

Mace was a typically unflappable Jedi, but he did blink slightly at Qui-Gon’s sudden outburst.  This whole situation was wearing on his friend very badly.

“We’ll go a step higher,” Mace pressed on, choosing to ignore his friend’s outburst.  “The Council is putting considerable pressure on some choice people who could help us.  If this department doesn’t start showing us some results soon, we’ll go over their heads.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Qui-Gon played devil’s advocate.  He had a bad feeling about this whole thing that was only growing worse. 

“Then we’ll go over *their* heads,” Mace said with a touch of exasperation.  “We’ll talk to the Board of Intergalactic Treaty Regulations and see if they can find us a loop hole through Ephriphan sovereignty, we’ll talk to the head of Intergalactic Prison Regulators, We’ll talk to the Chancellor himself if we have to.”

“And when we reach the top?” Qui-Gon was definitely in a bad mood.

“What exactly do you want me to say?” Mace queried, breaking out of the useless cycle. 

Qui-Gon sighed.  Guilt was running rampant inside him and he wasn’t doing anyone any good like this.  “I’m sorry Mace,” he ran his hand through his hair as if that could better sort out his tangled thoughts. 

Mace laid a hand lightly on Qui-Gon’s arm.  “Tearing yourself up inside won’t get Obi-Wan back Qui-Gon,” he said softly.

Qui-Gon shook his head slowly.  “No.  But what will?”

The question hung between them.  Neither knew how to answer it. 

Qui-Gon shook his head.  “I should never have left him,” he said quietly, pain flickering behind his eyes.  The pain of knowing that that realization came much too late.  Turning, Qui-Gon walked away. 

Swearing silently under his breath, Mace pulled out his comlink.  “Hello?  Get me the Board of Intergalactic Treaty Regulations please.”

**********

Forty-five days.  One and a half months.  An eternity in hell. 

Hopelessness was beginning to settle in on Obi-Wan.  Didn’t anyone know what was going on?  He had felt his Master’s presence... had he been too weak?  Had his cry gone unheard and Qui-Gon missed him?  To have been so close and still have been overlooked was a spirit-crushing idea, so Obi-Wan refused to let himself go there.  Qui-Gon knew where he was.  He had to.  He was just working on a way to get him out. 

Yet as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months with no change, Obi-Wan could not help but wonder.  Did everyone think he was dead?  Was he totally forgotten here?  Or worse, did they somehow believe the charges against him?  Obi-Wan couldn’t believe that his Master would believe such a thing, even if the whole rest of the galaxy did.  However as the torturous days crept by, they brought with them the horrible companionship of an ever growing doubt. 

Oddly enough, it was one of the guards who gave him his first ray of hope.  Surely the Ephriphan had intended it as a taunt when he told the Padawan that the negotiations were never going to get anywhere, that the Great Hat’im would not bow to outlander pressure and Ephriphan sovereignty would prevail.  However, at least it told Obi-Wan that somewhere out there, someone *was* trying.

Qui-Gon was trying. 

Obi-Wan only hoped it would work and work soon.  He didn’t know how long he was going to survive here, he really didn’t.

At first, Obi-Wan had hoped that things would improve after the first week or so.  Hoped that as he settled into Gehenna and became familiar with its ways he would get in trouble less and the other prisoners would loose interest in constantly tormenting him as the novelty of it wore off. 

However, that proved to be a fruitless wish.  The guards were never pleased, no matter how hard he worked, no matter how scrupulously he followed their twisted rules, there seemed to be no way to avoid their wrath.  As for the other prisoners... tormenting, molesting and generally abusing Obi-Wan seemed to be their favorite pastime.  When he was strong enough he resisted them, he fought them and could win... but they always came back and then it was worse.  Just like with the guards... it was easier to take it and hope they would be brief then to fight back and ensure many long and painful sessions. 

Once, when the Padawan was practicing lightsaber drills blindfolded against multiple remotes, Qui-Gon had told him that pain could be a teacher, but now pain was teaching him lessons that not his Master or any other decent being would approve of. 

It was hard to deal with the hurt.  It was hard not to hate, but somehow he managed.  Still, he could not help wondering why exactly the other inmates all seemed to pick exclusively on him.  At first he had thought it was his imagination, but now he knew it was a fact.  Although quarrelsome and prone to fighting amongst themselves, it was rare for them to team up on and gang-beat anyone else like they did to him.  For the life of him, Obi-Wan didn’t know why.  Was it simply because he was an outlander?  Yet he wasn’t sure.  They didn’t really make a point of his race or his alleged crimes or anything.  So why him?  The answer to that would arrive sooner than Obi-Wan knew.

Once every two weeks, before they were locked up for the night, the inmates were herded out to a muddy water hole in the far end of the grounds to wash.  If you could call it that. 

The water was cold, shallow and decidedly filthy.  Obi-Wan had serious doubts about its sanitation, but after two grueling weeks of work under the harsh sun and gritty dust of Gehenna, any body of water was welcoming.  Obi-Wan was certain that he actually came out dirtier, but at least it was a different variety of grime. 

The inmates were forced to strip completely.  Obi-Wan was always amazed at how they had managed to design the prison uniforms so that they could be completely taken on and off without the inmates ever having to have the chains, which had become their constant companions, removed. 

Everyone was given the same fifteen minutes to take care of business and there was an incredible amount of pushing and shoving over the meager resources. 

Obi-Wan hung back, not wishing to turn into the focal point of any more abuse, nor get caught in the middle of their melee if he could avoid it.  When things calmed down a little after about ten minutes, he knelt in a small corner of the muddy pond, scooping the brown water up in his hands and splashing it over his arms and chest, his wet chains clanking dully in the water. 

Everyone stopped and looked up when the guard’s whistle sounded.  They should have had five more minutes at least...  but the guards were not calling end time.

Looking up, Obi-Wan saw Kalric and some of the other guards standing at the edge of the pond with a young man that Obi-Wan did not recognize.  The young Ephriphan was obviously a fellow prisoner because of the chains he wore, but he still looked well fed and relatively healthy and his body bore no bruises, scars or welts.  Sure signs that he was new here. 

The young man looked about in his early twenties, if that old and had an apprehensive, frightened expression that made him look younger. 

“Say hello to our latest acquisition,” Kalric spoke of the inmates as if they were possessions.  “Make yourself comfortable Nasr,” he said and the other guards gave the young man a rough shove, sending him sprawling into the water with a splash.

There was a collective ripple of harsh laughter from guards and inmates alike before they resumed with their muddy ablutions. 

Nasr drifted quickly to the farest edge of the pool, looking lost and frightened. 

“Hey, are you okay?” the young man jumped when Obi-Wan spoke and laid a light hand on his arm.   

“Fine,” the older boy mumbled, looking anything but.  “I-I just never thought to end up here.”  He said, glancing apprehensively at Obi-Wan’s bruises and the welts. 

*Tell me about it...* Obi-Wan thought grimly.  Unable to tell the newcomer that it wasn’t as bad as it looked without being guilty of a bald-faced lie, Obi-Wan just gave his arm another quiet squeeze.  Then the end-time whistle blew and the dripping inmates were herded out of the water. 

Given nothing to dry with, the shivering men had to don their gritty uniforms again while still wet.  As Obi-Wan pulled the dirty material stiffly back over his bruised, hurting frame, he felt the dust and grit settle back onto his body, sticking tenaciously to his dripping skin.  Sardonically, he wondered what the point of this whole exercise had been?  He was no cleaner than he had been twenty minutes ago.  Dirtier perhaps. 

Once they were securely locked back in their bunkhouses, Obi-Wan unconsciously tensed, waiting for the abuse to start any moment.  Instead, he saw a remarkable thing.  He saw the inmates gang up on someone other than himself. 

Nasr had been placed in his bunkhouse.  As soon as the doors were shut and locked, the new inmate found himself pushed up in the corner with a dozen sneering men packing in around him.  The terror and confusion on Nasr’s face was absolute.

“Hey guys!” Maliic taunted.  “Looks like we got ourselves a new puck!”  Obi-Wan had learned long ago that Maliic was the unofficial “bunk boss” whom the others in the cell took their cues off of. 

“Well kid, time for you to learn what Gehenna’s all about,” Maliic grinned as two men pinned Nasr’s arms back against the wall and a third punched him viciously in the stomach.  Nasr cried out and struggled futilely. 

Obi-Wan took a deep breath.  The look in Nasr’s frightened eyes was all too familiar.  He had to help Nasr, even though he realized how futile that would be.  All he would do was get himself in trouble again too, but he had to try.  He couldn’t just stand by and watch them beat the pulp out of Nasr as they had done to him so many nights. 

Just as he was about to try to wade through the crowd, everything took an unexpected turn.  After a few rounds of blows which left Nasr bleeding, the inmates stopped and... all turned to look at Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan had struggle to hold his ground and not step back under their sudden gaze.  Goodness knows he had enough reason to fear them, but they didn’t make a move towards him.  Instead, Nasr was dragged out of the corner and brought forward.

“Your chance puck,” Maliic, grinned darkly at Obi-Wan.  The big inmate and his friends flung the other man at the young Jedi’s feet.  “Move up the ladder tonight.” The bunk “boss” commanded coldly.  “Initiate him.”

Sudden realization struck the young Jedi as it all made sense.  This was how it worked here.  No doubt someone had “moved up the ladder” on his first initiation beating.  He just hadn’t known what was going on at the time.  The only way to escape their scorn and abuse was to become one of them, and to become one of them meant doing to someone else what they had done to him.

He would never be one of them.

Obi-Wan knelt down beside Nasr and the new inmate flinched visibly.  Pulling the bloody man to his feet, Obi-Wan helped him to a bunk and turned cold eyes upon Maliic and the others. 

“Big mistake puck,” Maliic warned.  “You don’t get it do you?”  The man’s eyes were dark with anger but his lips turned up in a sadistic smile.  “This is your big chance.  You don’t do what we say you stay a puck, you really wanna keep that up?” the big Ephriphan smacked his fist into his palm to illustrate his point.  “Don’t you wanna be one of us?”

“I would rather go to hell,” Obi-Wan said bluntly. 

“You’re already there puck,” Maliic growled with an evil sneer as the men converged on the apprentice, cornering Obi-Wan.  “You’re already there.”

*****************

The Wake Up horn blared and Obi-Wan moaned softly.  His body physically protested against the thought of moving.  He was sure he had at least three broken ribs, he could feel them burning dully in his chest, a deeper ache beneath all the surface bruising.  They hadn’t beaten him this badly in a while.

The next thing Obi-Wan knew one of the guards was dragging him out of bed and screaming at him.  Cold terror gripped the apprentice’s insides as he realized that he must have either passed out or fallen back asleep.  He was late for line up and they had had to come get him.  He knew he was in trouble now. 

Obi-Wan submitted hopelessly as they shoved him to his knees and pushed him up against the bunk, letting their electro-jabbers speak of their displeasure. 

Obi-Wan twisted his fists in the blanket, burying his face in it to muffle his cry of pain as the electricity wreaked havoc on his inner functions and made his bruised muscles convulse and his broken ribs scream.  But he did not struggle. 

When they were done with him he was dragged outside for line up. 

“You made us late boy,” Kalric said with irritated disgust as Obi-Wan was hooked into the by now familiar line.  “No water for this one today,” the head guard ordered. 

“Move out!” came the call and off they moved.  Obi-Wan wondered numbly if he were ever going to get out of this hell.  Hope was the only thing one had to hold onto here, and it was the first thing that this place seemed determined to crush.  Yet Obi-Wan’s hope did not die easy.  Small and fragile, the light inside him stubbornly refused to go out. 

For hours the inmates broke and hauled rocks under the blistering sun.  Once to the refinery, another group of inmates took over and the heavy eolite boulders would be smelted for ore. 

By evening Obi-Wan could no longer ignore his body’s desperate need for water.  Yet every time the bucket went around the guards did their duty and made sure he was denied any.  The apprentice knew better than to ask them to change their minds. 

Obi-Wan tried to lift a large hunk of eolite and his vision suddenly hazed yellow.  Everything went abruptly dark then as Obi-Wan passed out, collapsing to the ground.

Hours later, the young Jedi woke up in the prison’s small infirmary.  This place’s function had always struck Obi-Wan as some sort of strange joke.  They had cared for his dehydration, but as soon as he woke up, the orderly summoned the guards who dragged the boy outside to whip him for not making his quota for the day.

A trip to the infirmary almost always ensured a beating, yet prisoners were rarely ever admitted to the infirmary to treat the effects of such punishment.  It was a useless system. 

Restraints were no longer used when they beat Obi-Wan.  He was expected to hold himself still now. 

*************************

“With all due respect sir,” Qui-Gon’s voice was just on the borderline between calm and emphatic.  “You *can* do something.  You are perhaps the only one who can.” 

Chancellor Veradi did not like being contradicted.  “I understand your concern Master Jinn, but this is a matter of intergalactic policy.  We cannot violate Ephriphans sovereignty.”

“Obi-Wan is a citizen of the Republic, doesn’t that mean anything?!” Qui-Gon was becoming weary of hearing the same line again and again from so many different people like a broken disc.

“Of course it does,” the Chancellor’s diplomatic sheen was beginning to wear as low as Qui-Gon’s.  “He will be tried by an intergalactic court, he will be provided with council, and if found guilty sentencing must be within the acceptable limits of Republic justice.”

“But when?!” Qui-Gon’s voice was tight, although he kept himself composed.  “It has been almost two months since his arrest and there is still no move from the Ephriphans to even hint at arranging for such a trial,” the Jedi pointed out. 

“There is no law limiting the amount of time that a sovereign planet may take in its process of submitting a case to the galactic court,” the Chancellor said wearily, tired of explaining this tricky situation.  “It’s a loophole, yes, I know,” he preempted Qui-Gon’s next statement.  “But there’s nothing I can do about it!  When the Senate reconvenes, perhaps we can bring the issue of passing such a law before them, until then, I am truly sorry, but there is nothing I can do for you.”

“The senate will not reconvene for another two months and you know how long it takes them to pass anything!  I cannot leave Obi-Wan in that place that long!” Qui-Gon gripped the edge of the Chancellors desk. 

“I’m sorry.  But I have other appointments, I think you are going to have to leave now,” Veradi tried to keep from sounding cold, but failed.

Qui-Gon did not budge.  “You are that boy’s last hope Chancellor,” he said quietly, but his voice was charged with emotion.  “You have got to do something!  You have the power to order him extradited to a Republic prison, that’s all I ask!”

“It is a more difficult problem then you understand,” Veradi gave up trying to be polite.  “Good day Master Jinn.”

“He is not a problem he is a boy!  A citizen of the Republic who needs your help!”  Qui-Gon could not just give up and leave.  If the Chancellor shut the door on him he had no option but to wait for the Senate to reconvene.  Waiting that long was unacceptable.  He did not know the full extent of what was happening to Obi-Wan in Gehenna, but he knew that the boy was not being fairly treated.  He could not stand to leave him there any longer!

“Good day Master Jinn,” the Chancellor pushed a button on the edge of his desk, summoning his guards.  The blue robed figures appeared almost immediately.  “My men will be glad to show you the way out.”  The Chancellor’s meaning was obvious.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath and reined in the frustrated and angry emotions that did not serve him.  Tucking his hands into the sleeves of his robe Qui-Gon gave a small, forced bow and swept out of the room, failure ringing in his steps as he exited the capital buildings. 

//I am so sorry Obi-Wan,// he thought miserably.  What did he do now?

* * * * * * * * * *

The rain was a soothing backdrop this evening to his nightly meditations as Mace Windu knelt and slowly began to re-center his mind, releasing the frustrations of the day and relaxing into the peace of the force.

Insistent knocking brought the Councilmember out of his routine and with a sigh of frustration he gained his feet and palmed the door to his apartments open.

A tall dark form pushed passed him as soon as the door cracked open.  The man was soaked and tension radiated off of him in waves.  He stripped his wet robe off and flung it onto a chair, his pacing never missing a beat.  His long hair had come unbound from its catch and it stuck to his face and neck, plastered to his skin by the rain outside.

Mace stood opened mouthed in the doorway to his main room watching his friend as he restlessly walked the small area retracing his steps like a caged animal.

“Jinn?”

The Master glanced at him at him out of the corner of his eye.  Barely concealed anger haunted his expression and his eyes were weary and tired.  He looked much older than his years.

“They wont help me.”  The words were growled and a tinge of the force made them harder.

Mace flinched involuntarily and retrieved the soaked robe hanging it on a peg near the fireplace.

“You want to talk about it?”

“NO!”

Unsure of how to approach the distressed Jedi Mace sat down in a nearby chair and simply let him pace.  It had been quite a while since he had seen his friend this upset and the last time the outcome had been less than pleasant.

“Where you been anyway, you look awful?”

The tall Jedi rounded on the seated man stepping in close to him and pointed at him fiercely, “They told me I had to wait until the Senate reconvened.  Do you know how long I have to wait for that?  They called it a difficult problem. *It* is not a problem *it* is a boy!”  He resumed his pacing and Mace swallowed hard, realizing this was not going to be easy.  “I cant leave him there.  They cant leave him there, I wont let them.”

Qui-Gon turned back on his path and stood in front of his friend, “He cant stay there, you don’t know what its like there.  I talked to the neighboring city, the Ephriphans are ruthless, they want to make an example out of Obi-Wan.  He is in their worst prison – they call it Gehenna, do you have any idea what that means?”  The desperation made his voice crack and for the first time Mace saw the fear that haunted his eyes. “It means the final resting place for damned souls.”

Standing to his full height the dark Jedi approached the upset man and pressed him back down onto the couch behind him.  He let his weight rest on the Masters shoulders as he stared hard down into the eyes that were beginning to well up with tears of frustration.  “You cant keep up like this.”

“He wouldn’t listen.”

“I know.  I heard you got thrown out of the Chancellors Office.  He said you were less than polite.”  When Qui-Gon started to respond Mace cut him off, “This is going to eat you alive if you don’t let some of it go.”

The Masters eyes dropped to his hands curled tightly in fists in his lap and slowly opened them up shakily laying them palms down on his wet pant legs.  “I don’t know where to turn.  I don’t know what to do next.  I have been out all evening walking, thinking, trying to come up with a solution.”

“Well for starters you are soaked and your getting my furniture wet.”  Mace stood back and gave him some room.  He nodded with his head towards the fresher at the back of the apartment, “Go get out of those clothes I have a spare set in there you can put them on and then we’ll talk.”

“He’s my Padawan.”  The voice was soft and the statement was almost a plea.

“I know.” Mace softened his tone and helped pull the other up off the couch, “We’ll find a way to get him out of there.  Okay?  Go change.”

Qui-Gon simply nodded and walked dejectedly into the anteroom.

Mace quickly moved to the comm unit and began placing calls, he would need some help and some information; it looked like it was going to be a long night.

-----------

The man seated across from him washed and dry more resembled the one he called friend than the haunted wraith that had entered his apartment hours ago.

Mace passed Qui-Gon a steaming mug of tea.  The Jedi Master gratefully wrapped his fingers around the warm ceramic and let the heat seep into his cold hands.  He closed his eyes and breathed in the aroma of the pungent drink exhaling slowly and relaxing back against the couch.

His friend watched him a sad smile on his face. “I tried contacting the Chancellors office while you were showering.”  Blue eyes snapped open and focused on his own dark ones, “Then I called several members of the council, then I woke Master Yoda himself.”

“And?”  The other leaned forward, hopefully.

“No.”  Mace shook his head, “They cant move any faster than they are and no one seems to be able to convince the ruling parties of Ephripha to work any quicker with us.  There are sympathetic factions on the planet but the city Obi-Wan stumbled into is part of a tight strict society.  They don’t even like outsiders.”

Qui-Gon interrupted him, “They use electrocution and flogging as a way to maintain order in the prison.  Mace, their methods for punishment are barely short of torture and abuse is encouraged by the inmates and the guards!  He is a seventeen year old boy and they have put in him in a maximum security facility on a work detail.  They want to make an example of him for speaking with Hat’im’s daughter.

The dark Jedi held up his hand forestalling the passionate plea, “I know.  I looked into it.  I am not so sure they don’t want to simply bury your apprentice as an example to their surrounding neighbors to stay out.  If they kill him before the intergalactic trial convenes I don’t think it would bother them at all.  They can pass it off as an accident and no one will be the wiser.”

“I need to see him.”

“I agree.  We need to know that he is alive.”

“He is.” 

The emphatic statement caught the council member off guard.  “You know this for a fact?”

“Yes,” Qui-Gon glanced down into the mug in his hands closing his eyes as the memory of the voice calling to him ripped through his heart.  “He has been calling out to me, that was how I found him.  At first it didn’t seem he was able to hear me but when I got planetside I was able to communicate to him through our bond.  He is so weakened by the abuse that he cannot do more than access the force to heal his superficial wounds and get him through the day. ”  The Jedi swallowed hard reigning in his fears, “He is in a lot of pain,” he lost the battle over his emotions as tears formed under his lashes slowly tracking down his cheeks, “and he is afraid and he is alone.  I cant do anything to help him or convince anyone else of the severity of the situation.”

Mace shook his head and dropped his eyes, he was at a loss.  All his attempts to help the pair of Jedi had been met with walls, every idea had been thwarted and the same answer kept haunting them both, “When the Senate reconvenes, perhaps..” But the promise was empty and he knew that neither of his friends would survive that long.

“What do I do?”  The words were broken and soft and they brought the dark Jedi up short refocusing his attention on the one in front of him.

Silence stretched between the two and Qui-Gon dropped his gaze first staring off into the fire.  Allowing the frustration and pain to finally have its way he didn’t stop the tears when they came this time.  His unsuccessful attempts to control his breathing sounded softly in the small room.

Mace stood quietly and left the room.  It was too hard to watch his friend break down and he could sense the other needed some time alone.  Seating himself back in front of the comm unit in his private room he placed another call.

-----------

He was so tired.  Qui-Gon couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a good nights sleep.  He was sure it had been long before this whole mess had started.  It was quiet here in Maces home and the fire warmed his cold body.  The light danced in hypnotic weaving patterns capturing the attention of his weary mind and driving all thoughts and will from his body.  Leaning his head back against the cushions behind him, he closed his eyes.  He would rest for just a minute, he couldn’t stay he had to get Obi-Wan out of that prison; there was no time to waste.

He never realized when sleep stole him away.

-----------

“Yes?”  The old crackly voice answered as Master Yoda stepped near the viewer of his comm, “How can I help you?”

“Yoda,”  He dropped his head in hands, his voice muffled by the movement, “I need your help.”

“Hmmm, the news take well he did not?”

“No Master not at all.”

“Still there is he?”

“Yes he’s still here,” Mace tipped his chair back and caught the edge of the door cracking it open to peer out at his friend.  The Jedi hadn’t moved since he had left, “I need a favor.”  He looked back into the viewscreen at the face watching him intently.

Yoda nodded and allowed him to continue.

“Qui-Gon really needs to be able to get in to see Obi-Wan.”

“Agree with you the Council does.”

“It might keep him from doing something rash.  Can you get him a shuttle and arrange the meeting?”

“A shuttle we can get, obtain permission from the Ephriphans I will.  Convinced to see the necessity of it they will be.”

“Thank you Master.”

The wizened Jedi nodded slightly to the council member, “A shuttle in the morning will be waiting for you.  Inform Qui-Gon his Padawan will he see.”

“I will.”  Mace smiled and cut the link.

He walked back into the room and approached his friend.  The mans breathing had evened out and a sense of peace filled the area.  Approaching the couch he could see that the Jedi had fallen asleep.  Qui-Gon was slouched down into the overstuffed couch his head back resting on the cushions behind him turned towards the fire, his mug of tea still sitting held in his hands.  Tear tracks stained his cheeks and glistened in the soft glow from the fireplace.

“Qui-Gon?”  Mace whispered softly, hesitant to wake the man; it was obvious he needed the rest.  Carefully he pried the mug from the Masters fingers and retrieving a blanket wrapped the sleeping man in the expanse of warm cloth.  He turned the lights out and headed back for his room, he would tell his friend of the turn of events in the morning.  In the back of his mind a small warning kept edging into his thoughts, no matter how this turned out he was afraid it would be bad.

* * * * * * * * ** * * ** * * * *

For the next one and a half months, the prisoner’s in Maliic’s bunkhouse had two pucks to pick on.

A Jedi through and through, Obi-Wan tried to protect Nasr, but without much success.  All he basically ended up achieving was getting himself into more trouble and getting double the poundings he had gotten before.  Now that Obi-Wan had openly rejected them and their order, the inmates took every opportunity to make his life even more of a living hell.  The pressure was heating up.  They wanted to make him break anyway they could do it. 

Together, Obi-Wan and Nasr endured quite a number of beatings, but at least, Obi-Wan told himself, he wasn’t alone, and neither was Nasr. 

Then one day, a little over three months since he had been interred into Gehenna, Obi-Wan saw Maliic talking to Nasr when they were out on work duty.  He gave a concerned glance, but even Maliic wasn’t stupid enough to let the guards catch him doing anything but working when they were out in the quarry.  Nasr looked tight lipped and slightly anguished, but Obi-Wan could not hear what was said. 

That night when they all filed back in, Obi-Wan was distracted and depressed.  Three months.  He could not believe he had been here for three months.  Did the Ephriphans intend to keep him here forever?  Did no one else care what happened to him?  If something were going to happen, surely it would have happened all ready. 

//Master, where are you?  Please, get me out of here!  Please Master...// Obi-Wan begged silently even though he knew there was no way Qui-Gon could hear him. 

The moment he entered the bunkhouse, he knew something was wrong. 

He could feel it pulsing in the Force, dark and cruel.  He could see it in the other inmates’ eyes when they all turned and looked at him.  Could hear it thrumming in the hammer of his own heart when it unintentionally started speeding up as Maliic and the others formed a tight ring around him. 

“Well we’ve tried and tried, but you just won’t see reason puck.  So we’ll give somebody else a shot, huh?” Maliic sneered. 

Obi-Wan didn’t quite understand what he meant, but shuddered anyway as several sets of hands wrapped around his arms, getting a secure grip on him.  Suddenly Nasr was being pushed forward and Obi-Wan inwardly resigned himself to the fact that they were in for another pounding...

But the other inmates weren’t holding Nasr, they were pushing him forward.  Nasr wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t meet Obi-Wan’s eyes.

Obi-Wan’s heart froze in instant understanding.  *Oh Force no...*

Nasr’s fist slammed into his stomach, doubling Obi-Wan over.  Another blow cut Obi-Wan’s lip and sent blood trickling down the young Jedi’s chin, but his heart was bleeding worse.  He had tried to shelter Nasr, he had withstood abuse upon abuse to try and help him and now this...

The beating got worse, although Nasr played a minimal part after that, but it was enough... Obi-Wan knew it.  He was alone here.  Truly alone.  Choking back a raw sob, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to curl up as tightly as he could.  All he could do was wait for it to be over.

**********

Obi-Wan lay alone in his bunk.  He didn’t cry anymore.  Gehenna was putting calluses over his heart and soul and the only way to survive was to be tough.  Take what they gave you, just hang on until it was over and try to make it through the day without making anyone mad enough to beat you again. 

Physical pain was becoming a familiar companion to him so he had ceased to heed it, if only the hurt in his heart was as easy to ignore.

The darkness around him was nearly complete.  Lights out had sounded five minutes ago.  Obi-Wan’s chest rose and fell shallowly; breathing deep hurt too much.

The young Jedi sensed the presence beside him before he heard the soft clank of chains which confirmed that another inmate had made his way silently to Obi-Wan’s bunk.  The apprentice tensed.  He didn’t want to know what they wanted to do to him now.  Force!  Hadn’t they done enough for one night?

“Obi-Wan?” Nasr’s soft whisper was barely audible. 

Obi-Wan swallowed, but did not reply.

“Look, I – I just wanted to say... to say I’m sorry,” Nasr forced out awkwardly, his voice never rising above a whisper for fear the others would hear.  “I can’t take the beatings anymore.  I just can’t!  I don’t know how you do it,” the young man’s voice dropped lower, if that were possible.  “But I can’t.  I can’t know you anymore.”

His only response was the sound of Obi-Wan’s ragged breathing.  What was the young Jedi supposed to say to that?

Nasr’s voice became hard.  “There is no one you can trust in Gehenna.  No one.”  With that, the other man left.

Obi-Wan hadn’t moved.  There was a building, burning pain in his chest, but it wasn’t broken ribs this time.  It would have helped perhaps, if he could have cried, could have let the pain out.  But he was too empty and drained to cry.  Release would have taken more emotional energy then he had to spare.  Instead, Obi-Wan felt a heavy, leaden blanket of hopeless depression settle over his heart.  Dulling his senses, it replaced the sharp, raw hurt with a heavier, more constant one. 

The Padawan stared up into the empty darkness until exhaustion claimed him.

****************

Breathing hurt, but Obi-Wan couldn’t seem to stop.  Was it possible that it was the will of the Force that he die here?  Then why wouldn’t it just take him?! 

The burning pain in his heart that Nasr’s betrayal kindled had not left, but sat there and smoldered, adding to his already overwhelming load of despair.  He understood why Nasr couldn’t take it anymore, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Shakily, Obi-Wan wondered if he would end up the same way if he stayed here long enough.  Would they break him into becoming everything that would destroy him, if they could get him to desert everything he believed in if they just kept at him long enough? 

The young Jedi pulled in a deep breath despite the pain, and for an instant, steely determination spiked through his hopeless eyes.  No.  He wouldn’t.  He would die first.  He would.  He would.  He would...

Numbly, Obi-Wan registered the blare of the Wake-Up Horn, but he didn’t move.  It wasn’t that he couldn’t.  He could have forced his aching body to move as he did every day... but why?  What was the point?  There was no escape, no one he could trust... no hope. 

When the guards came in to kick him awake, Obi-Wan did not budge.  He refused to move, refused to speak, refused to respond to even their abuse.  It felt uncommonly *good* to defy them this way, to not hop when they said hop or grovel in contrition at their feet if they looked at you cross-eyed.  The results would be hell, but Obi-Wan just couldn’t care anymore.  Let them do what they wanted.  He was done.  He was done trying.  If the Force wanted him, it could have him. 

Inside, Obi-Wan let himself feel a tiny spark of satisfaction at his rebellion as the puzzled guards dragged the unresponsive boy to the infirmary to see what was wrong with him.  The med-techs there went over the boy, but could find nothing wrong with him.  Knowing that at least one of his ribs was broken again, not to mention all his soft tissue injuries, Obi-Wan found the pronouncement of “nothing wrong” to be ironic.  Yet he knew what they meant.  His condition held nothing out of the ordinary for a Gehenna inmate, nothing that would have debilitated him. 

This angered the guards who started kicking the boy around again, demanding that he stop shamming.  Obi-Wan refused to speak or acknowledge them.

“Okay,” one of the guards growled through his teeth, livid with rage.  “You want it this way?  We’ll teach you some obedience!”

Obi-Wan felt the whip cut his back, but he felt no fear anymore.  He was beyond feeling anything.  Suddenly coming to life, Obi-Wan struggled against them like a wild sanvrip.  The guards were shocked.  Usually that kind of spirit was beaten out of the prisoners by now.  It was worse than crazy to react like that, it was suicidal.  Did the kid have a death wish?

As a matter of fact, he did.  Obi-Wan threw his whole strength against the guards, knocking the men backwards.  The two Ephriphans struggled to contain the young Jedi as other guards appeared on the scene at a run.  Obi-Wan knew there was no escape, he wasn’t trying to escape.  All he wanted was to make them mad.  Make them mad enough to kill him. 

Fighting back felt good and Obi-Wan lashed out wildly, not caring who or what he was contacting with.  In the end it wouldn’t matter.  He was done.  He was done.  He couldn’t take it here anymore.  For an instant Obi-Wan felt a heady power brush his grasp.  Dark and encompassing it beckoned him to reach out to it, to use it against the Ephriphans, to crush them all with a thought...

Obi-Wan stopped moving as abruptly as he had started.  His hands trembled as he dropped to his knees.  That brush was too close.  Far too close to the prospect that scared him much worse than any death ever could.  The apprentice was too weak and he was afraid he couldn’t fight the dark temptation if it came again.  This had to end now. 

The guards piled on top of the boy, restraining him harshly.  “Okay kid, you really asked for it!” one of the guards raged, wiping blood from his nose. 

Struggling against the four men that held him down as they whipped him, Obi-Wan continued to push the guards’ tempers. 

“Damn Outlander!” the guard with the whip cursed, incensed at Obi-Wan’s rebellion.  “This is gonna be your last lesson if you don’t heed me!”

Obi-Wan grinned grimly.  That was exactly the idea.

To the Jedi’s surprise, a few moments later they stopped and jerked him to his feet.  “He’s obviously become numb to this,” the man said, once more curling up his bloody whip with a cruel sneer.  “Let’s give him something he’s gonna feel.”

Dragging the apprentice through a twisting maze of corridors that Obi-Wan didn’t even try to remember, the Ephriphans pulled him into a small, dark room.  The only light in the chamber came through the doorway and Obi-Wan could not even see the walls.  He could feel them however, when the guards threw him against one, making his head connect painfully with the hard surface and filling his vision with bright flashes that had nothing to do with the actual amount of light in the room. 

Stripping their prisoner, the guards removed his chains.  For a moment, Obi-Wan was frightened.  They had never removed his chains before and he didn’t know what they were going to do. 

Pushing Obi-Wan around roughly, the guards ignored the boy’s weakened attempts to struggle with them.  Pressing the apprentice’s back against the wall and jerking his hands over his head they pulled him up a little, snapping first his wrists and then his ankles into a set of binders that held Obi-Wan firmly against the chamber wall behind him. 

Laughing, they left him there.  “Enjoy your stay Outlander!” they jeered.  “Hope you’re not afraid of the dark.”  Slamming the door behind them they sealed all light out of the room, leaving Obi-Wan in complete darkness so deep not even his enhanced vision could penetrate it. 

The shackles he was in, held Obi-Wan suspended several inches above the floor so that his feet could not even touch.  There was a sense of helplessness in that that made the teenager shiver.  

Helpless and hopelessness washed over him and Obi-Wan held his breath.  The guards’ last comment had struck a little too close to home.  He would never admit to being afraid of something so harmless as being alone in the dark, but after everything he had been through in his short life, once could hardly blame him for his unwarranted, unwanted trepidation. 

A few moments later Obi-Wan found out that this chamber had a purpose that really was worth being afraid of.  The first time it hit him it was a shock and the sheer pain of it took his breath away.  Gasping for air, Obi-Wan hung against the chains and wondered what in the Sith Hell that was!  The next time his body convulsed in pain he recognized what was going on.  The whole chamber was a giant conductor of some sort and he had just been tied into the circuit. 

The wall behind his torn back felt like it was on fire, felt like it was slowly scorching his skin, but he couldn’t get away from it.  It wasn’t really hot of course; it was all a trick of the current that played havoc with his body, but that scarcely mattered. 

As wave after wave swept over him Obi-Wan cried out helplessly.  He had thought that Gehenna held no new tortures for him.  He had been wrong.

**********

Obi-Wan’s mouth was dry and delirium had set in a long time ago. He didn’t know how long they had left him here, but he knew it was over a day. Maybe two, maybe three, he wasn’t sure. Pain had a funny way of distending time. It felt like years. He would have thought his body should have numbed to the pain, but it hadn’t. Each time the current shot through him it redefined the meaning of agony for him.

Phasing in and out of consciousness, the chains made sure that Obi-Wan’s sore back was held against the burning, pulsing wall at all times, even when he was senseless. He could tell that some of the deeper cuts from the earlier whipping had become infected, but it hardly mattered. His body wasn’t going to take this for much longer. It was shutting down.

As the world blurred around him in a seemingly endless haze of pain, the young Jedi felt himself slipping slowly away, inch, by painful inch. He would get his wish. He would leave this place forever...

A small ache constricted his heart and Obi-Wan was surprised that he could still feel any additional pain at all in his present state, but he did. He was prepared to die, indeed, it was preferable to living at this point, but he regretted that he would not be able to see Qui-Gon one last time. He regretted that these false charges were going to hang over his memory with no one ever being able to know the truth. That was the only thing that could frighten him now, the thought that he would die, leaving Qui-Gon to forever wonder if he had lost another apprentice to the dark side... but there was no choice now.

Obi-Wan rested his head back against the wall in pain filled exhaustion and delirium. No. It was better this way. Better that he go before he had a chance for the darkness to work on him, before there was the possibility that he would truly disgrace his training.

Minutes dragged by like hours as the pain tore him apart. Numbly, the apprentice realized that putting him in here had indeed been the guards’ twisted sort of a death sentence. They had simply found the longest and cruelest way to carry it out. How very like Gehenna.

**********

Qui-Gon kept his hands busy about the controls to keep from drumming his fingers impatiently against the control panel as his shuttle made its’ entry approach through M316’s atmosphere.  Angling the craft towards the coordinates for Ephriphan territory, he sat back in his seat and let the computer take over until they were closer at hand.  His entry course had brought him down half a hemisphere away from his desired location and Ephripha itself was still a four-hour journey from here. 

Closing his eyes in light meditation, Qui-Gon tried to drive from his mind the clear and painful memories of leaving this very planet over three months ago. 

He searched for his apprentice’s signature, but felt nothing.  //Obi-Wan, are you there?  I’m coming Obi-Wan, I’m coming.//  But there was no answer.  Perhaps he was still too far away, and if Obi-Wan wasn’t looking for him, wasn’t open to the Force enough to hear him, it might not work anyway.  Leaning his head back against the headrest of the cockpit seat, Qui-Gon closed his eyes.  Still alertly half aware of the ship and his surroundings, part of the Master’s consciousness lost itself in the Force.  Silently he sought the strength to deal with whatever he was flying into, and... despite the voices telling him it would do no good, he sought Obi-Wan.

-------------------

Qui-Gon’s eyes shot open with a jolt.  The chronometer told that it was still two hours to landfall in Ephripha, but it was nothing in his immediate surroundings that had jerked the Master from his meditation. 

Breathing deeply like one awakening from a bad dream, Qui-Gon tried to slow his pounding heart.  For a few moments, he had touched something.  He had touched Obi-Wan’s presence, or at least, he thought it was.  Not in a conscious manner, not enough to communicate, but just enough to make Qui-Gon’s blood run cold. 

The momentary touch had been like stepping into a freezing whirlpool.  Sheer agony pierced his consciousness like a million burning knives while icy despair sucked at his spirit, pulling him down, down, down... that’s when Qui-Gon had jerked out of it.  Merciful Force!  Was that Obi-Wan he had touched?  Was that what the apprentice was going through right now?  Qui-Gon feared the answers to those questions more than he knew he should.

The ship was already going fast, but Qui-Gon pushed the thrusters up to maximum.  He needed to get to Obi-Wan, and soon.  He had to push aside the trickle of terror that twisted in his stomach, asking him what if he were already too late.  He wouldn’t be too late.  He couldn’t be. 

**********

Kalric approached the guard outside The Chamber.  “Prisoner Kenobi still in there?” he snapped the question.  The heads of a few guards were going to roll for taking matters into their own hands like this without consulting him!

“Yes, sir,” the other guard nodded, completely unaware of his overseer’s anger.  “Stopped screaming almost a day ago.  Won’t be long now.  He may be dead all ready,” the fellow reported emotionlessly. 

Kalric swore loudly.  That’s what he was afraid of.  Idiots!  Why had no one told him that they were going to lock the Outlander up in The Chamber for *three days*?!  Damn fools!  Didn’t they know that this prisoner was going to have a visitor shortly? 

Of course they didn’t, only Kalric, as Chief of the Guard, had been entrusted with that information, along with the instructions that under no circumstances was anything fatal to happen to the boy before then. 

“Well don’t just stand there like an idiot!  Get him out of there!  And you better pray he lives or I’ll put *you* in there!  Got it?!” Kalric ordered harshly. 

The pale, shaken guard hurried to comply.  Obi-Wan was unconscious when they took him down and his pulse so weak that for a moment, Kalric thought he was dead after all.  After three days in this little hellhole most people would have been.  Fortunately, Obi-Wan was made of some pretty tough stuff.

Kalric dumped the apprentice in the infirmary.  “I don’t care what you do or how you do it, but this kid had better be awake and functioning by tomorrow morning, got it?” he told the med-techs. 

**********

Qui-Gon closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his control.  When he landed yesterday he had wanted to see Obi-Wan immediately.  He had been told that wasn’t possible, his interview was scheduled for tomorrow morning and he would just have to wait.  After what he had felt in the shuttle coming in, waiting had been torment. 

After a mostly sleepless night, Qui-Gon was finally on his way to see Obi-Wan with the Ephriphan envoy that had met him.  The speeder they were in skimmed along over the undulating hills outside Ephripha in an unhurried manner.  Qui-Gon dryly wondered if he would get there any faster on foot, silently he reprimanded himself for his impatience. 

The man who drove the speeder was silent, cold and distinctly averse to any form of conversation with the Jedi.  After a few tries at conversation that didn’t take, Qui-Gon was more than content to let the ride pass in silence.  He was finally *here*, he did not wish to make any problems at this point. 

When Gehenna came into sight, Qui-Gon watched it grow larger before them like a giant stain on the countryside.  Looks could be deceiving, he knew, but seeing the place, and feeling the dark, horrible aura rolling off of it left no doubt in Qui-Gon’s mind that all the stories he had heard about this place from the Za’yi were true.

There was a brief exchange between his escort and the gate guard and official orders were shown, then the shields were lowered and the gates swung open.  Qui-Gon had to steel himself against the clamor of pain, despair and anger that inundated his senses as they rode through the outer area of the camp.  The place stank like a sewer, but in terms of what a sensitive person like a Jedi could feel, it was far worse. Gehenna reeked of death and hopelessness.  Imagining Obi-Wan locked up in here nearly turned Qui-Gon’s stomach.

The speeder turned in beside a low, squat building and Qui-Gon was ushered off and escorted inside.  Here his previous guide left him and the job was taken over by two imposing guards.  The building was larger than it looked inside and the Jedi was led through a series of twists and terns before finally being brought to a halt. 

“All right outlander,” the guard on his right said coldly, nodding his head at the door before them.  “Five minutes, no more.  You understand?”

Qui-Gon nodded because it would have done no good to argue and the guards seemed satisfied.

As Qui-Gon pushed open the visiting room door, he could feel his Padawan’s presence beyond, and his heart leapt at the prospect of finally being able to see him.  Yet it was not the strong, radiant signal he was used to receiving from Obi-Wan that greeted him.  The presence he felt was withdrawn and quiet... hurting.  This both worried, and scared Qui-Gon far more than he wished to admit and he entered the room swiftly. 

The room was small, separated by a wall-to-wall stretch of plexi-glass that neatly cut the small space into two, unconnected halves.  On the opposite side of the plexi, Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan.  Seated in a chair, the teenager looked suddenly very small and vulnerable between the two guards who flanked him on either side, their arms crossed and their visages imposing.

Qui-Gon felt a sharp pang cut his heart when he realized he would be able to speak to his Padawan only, but not to touch or have any other contact with him. 

When Obi-Wan saw Qui-Gon enter, a momentary light lit his face and he half rose out of his chair until the guards on either side pushed him roughly back down.  Still critically weak from his near death experience in The Chamber, Obi-Wan contented himself to remain seated, but his hopeful, hungry, desperate eyes remained latched on his Master.  When he had been told he was to receive a visitor he had barely dared to hope... yet why else would they have changed their minds about killing him?

However, the sight of Qui-Gon’s grave countenance quickly told Obi-Wan what he did not want to know.  He had not been Qui-Gon’s apprentice for the past four years without learning how to read at least some of the older man’s moods, and right now, what he saw in his Master made his heart sink.  Qui-Gon had not come to get him out of here.

Qui-Gon saw the flickers of emotion run through Obi-Wan’s face and it broke his heart to see the boy quickly trying to cover his obvious disappointment that he would not be leaving with his Master.  Qui-Gon’s heart wrenched.  How could he walk out of here today and leave Obi-Wan, again?

“You have five minutes,” the guards who had escorted Qui-Gon in reminded him before stepping outside and shutting the door behind them.  The guards stationed by Obi-Wan made no move to withdraw.

“Master,” Obi-Wan’s eyes were devouring the Jedi, pleading earnestly for a look from someone that held something other then contempt and hate.  Force he had missed Qui-Gon so badly! 

“Obi-Wan,” how Qui-Gon managed to keep his voice steady he would never know.  He smiled gently at the boy, wishing to feed in anyway he could the absolute emotional starvation he could see behind the young Jedi’s steady gaze.  Somehow their words were being carried through or around the barrier, neither of them cared much to know how it worked, it just did.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Obi-Wan’s simple statement hit Qui-Gon in an unexpected way.  Had Obi-Wan ever doubted he would come for him?  That he had been working his hardest to be allowed to see the boy?

“I wanted to come much earlier Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon assured, taking a seat in the chair that was the only piece of furniture on this side of the room.  “But it’s been difficult to get permission.”

The room was dimly lit, but this close, Qui-Gon could still get a pretty good look at Obi-Wan, and he did not like what he saw at all.  Was this really the same boy he had parted with three months ago?  Force!  It looked like Obi-Wan had been here for years.  His face was pale, even for the apprentice’s fair complexion and dark circles hung under Obi-Wan’s blue-green eyes.

“I know,” Obi-Wan answered quietly.  He understood how things were with the Ephriphans only too well. 

The Padawan’s hair had grown out until his former hairstyle was almost indistinguishable.  His braid was still there, but matted and scraggly like the rest.  Dingy locks of straight, ginger hair dangled limply in Obi-Wan’s face and hung down several inches in the back over the nasty dura-steel collar around his neck.  Yet even his hair could not hide the disturbing yellow/brown bruises that marred the boy’s pale face. 

Obi-Wan knew what Qui-Gon’s body language was saying, what the Master’s grim eyes behind the smiling face were telling him, but Obi-Wan had to *know*...

“Master, has anyone been able to... are you...” Obi-Wan let the question trail, suddenly afraid of the answer. 

Qui-Gon swallowed the sharp lump in his throat.  “Not yet Obi-Wan, I’m sorry.  We’re still working on it, but...  I-I can’t take you with me today,” those were probably some of the most painful words the Jedi Master had ever had to say. 

Obi-Wan sank back a little in his chair.  He had known, or at least feared, the answer, but to actually hear it from Qui-Gon was crushing.

Qui-Gon saw defeat settle across the boy’s features, stealing the light from his eyes.

“Master, I swear,” Obi-Wan’s voice was worn and his usually expressive eyes dull.  There was an unmistakable undertone of futility in the seventeen-year-old’s weary words.

The apprentice’s face was drawn, grimy and badly bruised.  Heavy chains around his neck, wrist and ankles seemed to weigh heavily on his over-thin body, but it was not their weight which made the young man’s welted shoulders slump forward in a way that was very characteristically un-Obi-Wan. 

“I swear I intended no harm to the Natlus’ daughter.”  The statement was un-emphatic, but slightly desperate. 

Hopelessness.  Hopelessness was what was wearing on Obi-Wan’s spirit and eating away at his soul.  After three months in hell, the young Jedi was beginning to think that no one would ever believe him and he would never escape the nightmare of Gehenna.

Now it was looking like it could be years before his case was ever even brought to trial.  Obi-Wan knew he would not live that long here.

“I barely even talked with her,” Obi-Wan’s voice was soft, but his eyes silently pleaded with Qui-Gon. 

“Please get me out of here,” they begged.  Yet Obi-Wan would never ask such a thing and Qui-Gon could not no matter how badly he wanted to.

“I know Obi-Wan, I know you didn’t,” Qui-Gon shook his head.  “The Senate will reconvene at the end of this month, then the Council will finally be able to bring this to them...” the elder Jedi tried to encourage, but given his surroundings it sounded weak even in his own ears.

“Another month,” Obi-Wan whispered numbly, his face blank.

The teenager looked vulnerable and haunted as he unconsciously drew himself into a tighter hunch. 

“I’m sorry Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon meant it with all his soul.  It was more than heart-breakingly miserable to see his Padawan like this.

“I can’t make them move any faster,” his frustration was evident.

A thin smile crossed Obi-Wan’s face briefly.  “I heard you got thrown out of the Chancellor’s office.”

Qui-Gon grimaced.  “Let’s just say we had a difference of opinion about the scope of his authority in this situation.”

Obi-Wan didn’t doubt it.  He knew Qui-Gon was doing his darndest to get him freed, but even if the Senate did meet, getting the Ephriphans to listen to anything they said would be difficult if not impossible. 

The future stretched out before the Padawan, bleak and hopeless.

Unconsciously, Obi-Wan started rocking back and forth, hugging himself like a hurt, frightened child.

Qui-Gon wanted so desperately to break through the thick plexi-glass that separated the two and give the hurting boy a large hug.  It was obvious that no one had touched Obi-Wan gently, in love, or for any reason other than to hurt him in months.

Pressing his hands to the plexi, the Master tried to send all the love he could.

Standing, Obi-Wan pressed his hands to the plexi as well, yearning for the touch that was just beyond his reach.

A moment was all they had before the guards on Obi-Wan’s side rushed forward and dragged the young prisoner away from the window, shoving and cuffing him liberally. 

“Stay back from the glass!” one of the guards barked gruffly and a red haze blurred Qui-Gon’s vision as the guard gave the Padawan a ruthless cut with his whip, opening another bleeding welt across the boy’s already striped shoulders.

Qui-Gon was incensed by the brutal and unprovoked violence. 

“Stop that!  He did nothing!” the Master called.  His usually implacable calm slipping slightly from the strain of the past months, Qui-Gon banged his fist on the plexi to emphasize his words.

Two guards immediately appeared on his side of the plexi-wall to restrain him as well.

Looking straight at Qui-Gon, the guards shoved Obi-Wan to his knees and lashed him again, and again.

Obi-Wan gasped and grimaced in pain, but knew better than to struggle or fight them.  He had learned the hard way that anything other than complete submission at all times carried the worst possible consequences. 

The painful but resigned acceptance on the Padawan’s face as he took the totally unwarranted beating in silence made Qui-Gon wonder just how often this sort of thing happened here.

The elder Jedi quickly stopped protesting, realizing that they were punishing Obi-Wan for his actions.

The fourth stroke of the whip followed the same path as one of Obi-Wan’s infected welts and the sheer shock of blinding pain that it caused made the Padawan cry out and jerk away before he could stop himself.

Immediately, one of the guards shoved the boy flat on his stomach and held his wrists while the other moved to stand over Obi-Wan with the whip.

Obi-Wan’s stomach dropped out as he realized that they took his reaction as defiance.  He had broken the rules of punishment.  Now he would pay the price and he knew from experience that it was a harsh one.

Qui-Gon watched in horror as they continued to flog Obi-Wan for no reason at all that he could see.

The guards who had his arms started trying to drag the Jedi Master from the room as the pain broke Obi-Wan to crying out.  It was a foolish move. 

One powerful burst of Force energy and the guards were slammed back against the wall.

Realizing the hell they would put Obi-Wan through for his actions, Qui-Gon made a snap decision. 

The Jedi gave a quick thrust with his hands, palm-out as if he were giving something a swift shove.  The resulting burst of Force energy shattered the plexi-glass between them and quickly disposed of the guards who were abusing his student.

Quickly helping his apprentice up, Qui-Gon gave the dazed boy a quick, gentle hug and helped the young man steady himself on his feet. 

“Come on Padawan, it’s time to get out of here.”  Qui-Gon ran back to the door through which he had entered.  He withdrew his lightsaber and fused the entry’s lock with a quick thrust.  Turning he quickly looked his stunned apprentice over.  The chains between the cuffs on the boy’s wrists and ankles would slow them down.  He paced back in front of the youth and took the offensive chains in his hands severing them and throwing them down beside the prone body of one of the unconscious guards.

Obi-Wan’s eyes were on the fallen Ephriphan and the Jedi Master gently cupped the boys chin in one large hand and raised the youths face till their eyes met, he needed the young Jedi’s help if they were to escape.

“We don’t have time for me to loosen the cuffs or the collar, I am sorry but I will get them off of you as soon as we are away.  All right?”  Qui-Gon’s voice was gentle.

Obi-Wan nodded slightly, the shock of the situation written on his weary face.  The Teacher redirected the young mans thoughts to the present.  “Obi-Wan we need to get out of here our escape hasn’t been notice yet, but we haven’t much time.  We cant go out the way I came in, it is heavily guarded and we would never make it.  Now, I need you to think, is there any other way out?”

“No one gets out of Gehenna alive.”  The words were dulled and soft, the young man’s eyes unfocused and glazed.  Qui-Gon stilled the anxiety running through him, he fought down his impatience and the fear that battled within him.  Maybe he had been too late to save his apprentice.  He was about to ask the young man again when Obi-Wan repeated himself.

“No one gets out of Gehenna alive,” again the words were soft and his look was far away as though he were reliving a memory, “but they do get out when they are dead.”  His eyes snapped back into focus and locked on the man in front of him.  “In the Infirmary.  There is a service tunnel behind the Med-Bay, it’s where they take all the dead bodies out.” A shiver ran through the slight body as his mind raced past distant thoughts, “The tunnel goes under the wall and exits on the east side of Gehenna.  They bring in supplies through there sometimes too.  They have a shuttle speeder that they use for the transporting.  We can go there, its never guarded in the infirmary and we can get out that way.  They won’t be expecting it.”

“You’re sure of this Padawan?  We will only have one chance.”

A sarcastic smile slipped onto the boys lips and he shrugged his shoulders, “I’ve been there often enough I ought to know.” 

Qui-Gon simply nodded.  The confession bothered him but they were out of time.  Turning to the only other door out he pointed towards it, “Will this lead us there?  Where does it go?”

“Uhm…” Obi-Wan closed his eyes thinking hard, his head hurt, it burned like the time he had Ruhmalian fever when he was younger, “the room is out there, that way and...” he caught himself in the middle of a dark painful memory.  A skitter of cold fear ran through their bond at the mention of the torture chamber he had been taken from only hours ago.  He forced himself to think past it, where had he last been?  “And.. yes.”  He opened his eyes and fastened them on the worried face of his Master, “Yes!  It is.  That’s where I came from before I was here.  I remember now.  I can get us there.” 

The fatigue and sluggish responses of the apprentice worried Qui-Gon.  He would have to deal with that later though.  Steering the young Jedi towards the door he opened the entry into the passageway and peered around the frame.  Obviously their escape had gone unnoticed for the moment – that wouldn’t last.  They stepped into the bare hallway and Qui-Gon looked to Obi-Wan.  The youth glanced up and down the passage for a moment.  His head was swimming and the memories he needed were slow in coming.  If he hadn’t felt so badly he would have been more frustrated with himself.  Grabbing the overlarge sleeve of his master’s robe he directed the tall man down the corridor to their right. 

The walkway began to slope slightly down and in his haste to keep up with his teacher Obi-Wan stumbled dropping hard to his knees.  Qui-Gon turned in time to see the young man wince and attempt to stand.  He moved quickly back to the fallen Jedi and knelt down pulling the young man gently up to his knees.  Qui-Gon pressed his large hand flat against the boy’s chest and enveloped the youth in the living force.

Obi-Wan breathed in deeply as he felt the force flow into him, warm and clear and clean it sparked through his mind and touched the weary places in his soul energizing his body and bringing a new light to his glazed eyes.  It had been so long since he had felt its touch, it reminded Obi-Wan of the first time he had ever connected to the living power on his own and he smiled with the brush of the warmth against his heart and mind.

“Better?” The whispered word broke the moment.

“Yes.  We need to hurry though.”  The urgency of the moment caught at him through their bond as he realized the precious moments his master had bought him.  “This way!”  Standing he turned sharply left trailing the Jedi behind him.

It was then that the alarms began to sound.  In all his time in Gehenna Obi-Wan had never heard quite so much commotion.  But then again who in their right mind would ever attempt to escape?

“I think its safe to say we have been discovered.” Whispered Obi-Wan breathlessly as Qui-Gon pressed him back into a small alcove and drew the force around them, hiding them from the phalanx of guards that pounded down the hallway towards the visiting room.

The Jedi master looked down into the small upturned face and smiled at the smirk on the youngsters face.  “Don’t get too cocky young one we aren’t out of here yet.”

“I don’t think I’ll be cocky again for quite sometime.”  Obi-Wan muttered softly leaning out around the taller man and looking down the hallway, his breathing nearly under control.  “We are almost there.”  He darted around Qui-Gon, ran to an opaque glass door up the hallway and jerked the entrance open stepping into the brightly lit medical bay.

The floors and walls of the cold sterile room were black sharply setting off the metal tables and utensils that were laid about the small bay.  Efficient and sparse were the words that came to Qui-Gon’s mind.  Cruel and hurtful were the descriptions that he picked up from his apprentice through their bond as the two attending technicians stopped abruptly at the interruption and stared at the intruders in surprise.  Obi-Wan knew them well and cared for neither of them.

“You again?” One of them spat the words harshly at him.

Qui-Gon drew his lightsaber and stepped in front of the young Jedi as he felt the youth cringe inwardly.  Fragments of brutality assaulted his thoughts through their bond before Obi-Wan got a hold of his fear.

“You’re the escapee?”  The other technician simply laughed.

Gehenna was well fortified inside and out and escapes were unheard of.  The guards had become lax in their maintenance of the surveillance systems preferring to use brute force and fear to control the population.  They found that if they suppressed the inmates and kept them worn and wearied they had no troubles with them.  A cowed beaten populace did what they were told and died quietly – or not so quietly - when the guards decided.  Everyone knew there was only one way out of Gehenna and it wasn’t alive.  Within a few weeks most inmates had been broken completely, those that hadn’t were ‘disposed’ of.  So the cameras that adorned the corners of the facility were for looks and oppression only, they had ceased to function long ago.  The Ephriphan ruling minority did not want to spend any more on the souls who were damned within Gehennas wall than was absolutely necessary.  But those that worked and lived there were unaware of that fact.

One of the medics ran to the corner and began yelling looking up into the defunct camera asking for assistance and screaming about escapees.  Qui-Gon flicked his wrist casually in the direction of the device and the camera exploded in a spray of sparks and metal.  Stepping up behind the frantic medical assistance the Jedi Master brought the hilt of his lightsaber down against the back of the mans skull.  The technician dropped to the ground unconscious.  Turning to the other assistant Qui-Gon cautioned the man to silence. 

“I need you to be silent now.”  Although his words were soft the force edged them and his tone offered no argument.  The man stepped backward his eyes fixated on the glowing green sword.  Nodding slightly he backed towards the wall.

“Obi-Wan quickly locate the speeder.”  The Jedi stepped between his Padawan and the medical assistant, his eyes never straying from him, “Don’t move.”  He cautioned the man as the technician shifted slightly moving closer to the door.

“I found it Master!”  Obi-Wans muffled voice could be heard from the docking platform behind the small hospital.

The assistant took that moment of lapse as Qui-Gon shifted his attention and jumped for a panel on the wall depressing a metal button and activating a klaxon alerting the guards of their position. 

//Obi-Wan we have company.//  Within seconds the door burst in as guards poured into the room.

Qui-Gon motioned to the metal beds flipping the gurneys over through the force and throwing them towards the advancing soldiers.  His blade was a green blur as he deflected the blaster bolts aimed at him.

//Master!//

//Stay Obi-Wan!  Get the speeder ready I will be there shortly// It suddenly seemed to Obi-Wan that the access tunnel was somehow growing darker.  He jumped down from the landing platform and squinted off into the distance toward the far end of the tunnel.  Realization hit him with a spike of fear; they were closing the doors to the outside.  Quickly the young Padawan climbed back onto the dock and ran to the control panel mounted on a metal and stone podium near the back entrance to the medical bay.

“What?  Which one?”  He moved his hands unsteadily across the foreign looking keypad.  One of them had to be the right one to stop the door from closing on them.  His mind was still slowed from the abuse and weariness and he wasn’t thinking clearly.  Behind him the light steadily grew dimmer.  Through the doors to the medical room he could hear blaster fire and the sounds of falling equipment.  The familiar electrical hum of a lightsaber could be heard over the shouts and cries echoing to him and it only increased his desperation.  In frustration he grabbed the access door on the podium and yanked all the wires out shorting circuiting the panel and the mechanisms.  A low rumbling noise assaulted his ears as the exterior door ground to a stop.  He jumped down from the dock to peer through the tunnel.  There was a shaft of light at the far end, maybe it would be enough.

He pulled himself slowly into the speeder, the boost from the force that Qui-Gon had given him was beginning to wear off and now sitting in the passenger seat of the small craft he felt exhausted.  He flipped the ignition switch and keyed in an override code.  This speeder didn’t look too different from the one Mace owned back at the temple.  Obi-Wan missed the temple more than anything at that moment.  Mace had taught him how to hotwire speeders much to Qui-Gon’s disapproval.  He would have to remember to thank the Master when they returned.  He hoped the code would work, if it didn’t and the navicomp realized he was trying to bypass it, it would shut the engines down.  Entering the code carefully he hit the accept button.  Nothing happened and for a brief second the thought filtered through his tired mind that there was no way he could run the length of the access tunnel and escape, not in the condition he was in.  He let his breath out in a rush as the small shuttle shuddered to life rising up on its horizontal repulsorlift engines.  The lights on the dash board lit green and the engines thrummed, the sound a welcome rumble that vibrated through his weary body.  His back was beginning to ache now and it burned from the new cuts.  Leaning forward to ease the pressure he laid his head on his arms and waited.

A shout roused him and he sat back in the seat quickly.  The access door flew open rebounding into the wall before Qui-Gon as he threw a soldier out onto the platform in front of him.  He kicked the man forward out of his way and burst out the access door dodging a stray bolt.  With a sharp turn of his blade Qui-Gon cut the soldiers blaster in half.  Shifting his stance the Master moved in close to the guard and slammed the butt of his lightsaber into the mans face knocking him unconscious.  He turned swiftly back towards the door, his hair arcing behind him in a tight swirl as he attacked the control podium, slicing through the metal in one smooth cut.  He positioned the heavy cylinder at the base of the door and fused the handle of the entry with a sharp thrust burning through the locking mechanism and trapping the Eprhiphans inside.  Stepping over the fallen guard he leapt into the seat beside Obi-Wan. 

Qui-Gon backed the speeder out and turned to glance at the boy beside him, his breathing heavy and quick.  Obi-Wan noticed the perspiration on his forehead and neck.

“Everything go okay?”

Qui-Gon laughed, easing some of the tension, “I think it went rather well Padawan, but I am afraid that your familiar med-bay will not be in service for awhile.”

“Good, I hated that place.  Their sole purpose was to keep us alive for more abuse.  Kind of doesn’t fit the whole idea of a medical facility does it now?”  He laughed at himself and Qui-Gon turned to look at him quizzically, “I never did like the healer’s wing, but I’d prefer them any day after being in the med-bay here in Gehenna!”  The wind in his hair as they sped down the tunnel was refreshing and he closed his eyes and leaned into it.

Qui-Gon reached out and placed his palm on the young Jedi’s forehead.  His touch was soft and cool and the force flooded the boys weary mind once more. 

“Are you all right my Padawan?”  In seconds they would be out of the prison and running again.  The Jedi Master had no doubt that there would be Ephriphans waiting for them there, they would both need to be ready.

“I will be.”  He smiled back at the tall man.  The light before them grew brighter.  Obi-Wan realized that he had actually succeeded in stopping the door half way in its decent.  It was a large metal blast shield at least a foot thick.  The door itself rose into the ceiling and would lower and lock into place at night sealing itself a good three feet into the bedrock that the prison was built upon. 

And then he saw the guards.

A row of armored Ephriphans stood across the opening each carrying an energy shield and armed with blasters.  If the Jedi wanted to reach the outside they would have to pass through them first.

As the speeder approached the Ephriphans began firing at the craft.  Obi-Wan heard a bolt shear past his ear and he ducked just in time, the hair on his neck stood on end with the friction of its passing.  The strange electrical current ignited a memory and he quickly reached towards Qui-Gon pulling the Jedi down into the interior of the sled even as he scrunched down in his seat restricting access to himself.

“What is it?”

“Paralysis bolts!”  He shouted over the noise around them.  The small shuttle was shuddering with the impact of the bolts as they pinged off its metal sides. 

Qui-Gon nodded and boosted the thrusters calculating the distance to the opening.  An idea came to him and he hoped they would have just enough room to make it work.  “Stay down!”  He ordered as he straightened up in his seat quickly to get his bearings.  The Jedi Master revved the engines to their maximum output and slapped his palm down hard on the repulsorlifts.  He threw himself across Obi-Wan as the speeder shot straight up, hit the ceiling of the tunnel bounced down over the top of the guards and passed out under the lip of the door shrieking in protest as metal sheered against metal.

They were thrown through the opening and skidded crazily across the sandy floor.  Qui-Gon reduced the repulsorlifts, creating enough drag to slow their speed and regained control of the craft swinging it around and heading straight back into the dunes towards his ship now conveniently parked outside of Ephriphan air space thanks to their reluctance to allow him access to his Padawan.  He smiled at the irony of it.

A tap on his arm interrupted his thoughts as he steered away from the huge walls of Gehenna.

Obi-Wan was staring back at the place of his imprisonment his eyes wide watching the exterior of the horrid detention center slowly decrease in size, but it was the caravan of vehicles that poured out of the now opened front gates of the massive stone facility that stole the Masters breath away.  He had known they would be followed, he only hoped he would be able to stay ahead of them.  This small service speeder wouldn’t do well under heavy fire.  He shunted all power to the engines and overloaded their systems eking every last ounce of power out of them that they could handle.  The controls went red but they didn’t have much longer before they reached the landing pad and freedom, if he could just coax the engines into staying on line for a few more seconds.

The ground to their right erupted throwing debris into the air and showering the speeder with sand.  The small craft was rocked off its horizontal engines and it skewed to the left.  Another explosion caught them close on the quarter panel the concussion of the blast pressing the escapees down hard against their restraints.  The Ephriphans were targeting their craft with ion bursts attempting to hit the shuttle and short circuit the wiring. 

Qui-Gon reached out throwing his arm across Obi-Wan’s chest as the shuttle jerked sideways blown off vector by another near miss.  The Ephriphans were targeting them closer now as their pursuers gained on them closing the distance between them.  Small tendrils of blue ion interference raced across the board in front of the Jedi as he corrected their path. 

“There!”  Looking up the Jedi Master followed his Padawan’s gaze.  A half a mile away was the landing pad and his shuttle.  He fished in his pocket awkwardly and tossed a small metal box to the boy beside him.

“Get her prepped!”  Qui-Gon yelled to be heard over the burst of another missed blast.  “We won’t have a lot of time.  It’s a slave unit.”  He explained as the Padawan examined the metal remote device.

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding and began feeding commands to the waiting shuttle.  Within seconds all the lights on the slave unit flashed green. “She’s ready!” he reported.

Qui-Gon was about to answer, they had almost reached the permacrete platform, when the ground in front of the speeder exploded tipping the craft onto its side and spinning it out of control on its horizontal axis.  It landed with a hard bang onto the sandy floor of the desert skidding to a rest on its right side, slightly inverted. 

The sound of their pursuers rumbled through the air, a deep thrumming that could be felt through the metal of the crashed speeder.  It only served to heighten Obi-Wan’s fear.  He breathed in slowly, his whole body hurt.

Qui-Gon reached over the young man and released his restraints.  “Obi-Wan are you all right?”  He touched the boy gently and the youth turned towards him stiffly.

“Yes.”  But a tremor of pain altered his voice.  They didn’t have time; Qui-Gon could hear the approaching Ephriphan vehicles. 

He unbelted his own restraints and crawled over the edge of the downed speeder.  They were a hundred yards from the shuttle.  Pulling Obi-Wan quickly free from the wreckage and blocking out the sounds of his Padawans pain he hauled the boy after him heading for the ship at a dead run.

“Hurry Obi-Wan!”  Qui-Gon outdistanced the wounded Jedi easily.

Paralysis bolts chewed into the plastacrete around their feet spraying them with chips and shards of the heated black top.  One lucky bolt clipped Qui-Gon’s heal barely touching the leather-booted foot.  The shot caught the Master off guard throwing him to the ground.  He felt the effects of the slight touch shoot up through his ankle.  Obi-Wan skidded to a halt near his fallen teacher as the Jedi tried to rise.  Qui-Gon pushed the boy away motioning with his head towards the ship as he struggled to get his feet underneath him.

“Get to the ship, raise the shields.  Go quickly Padawan!” He could see the fear in the boy’s eyes and his hesitancy in leaving his Masters side but a second later Obi-Wan hurriedly made his way into the shuttles lowered ramp.

Qui-Gon gained his feet and drew his lightsaber.  The first of the Ephriphans had caught up to them and were spilling out of the transports.  Overhead in the west he could see low altitude attack ships veering in towards their position.  The Jedi Master backed in the direction of the shuttle blocking the shots aimed in his direction from the advancing guards.  He swept the green blade catching a bolt aimed at his legs and deflected the shot back at a soldier hitting him square in the chest and dropping the man paralyzed to the permacrete landing.

//Padawan?//

//I am ready.  As soon as you step in the shields will activate.  Hurry, they are almost on us.//

Qui-Gon knew that Obi-Wan was tracking the inbound ships. His blade was a shield of green light before him as he stepped back against the shuttles cool metal body.

//Now Master!//

Qui-Gon threw himself back into the open hatch as the ramp lifted and the air shimmered just outside the entry.  Images blurred and then snapped sharply into place as the shields activated protecting the Jedi from the bolts that beat harmlessly against the invisible energy field.  He scrambled to his feet and ran down the short passage to the cockpit.  By the time Qui-Gon reached his seat the shuttle was already lifting off the pad.  Heavy fire from below rocked the craft and threw him off balance.  He caught himself against Obi-Wan’s seat and used the chair to right himself, quickly slipping into the pilots seat and taking over the controls.

The Eprhiphan fighter craft entered their airspace but Qui-Gon had been ready and hit the flight thrusters boosting them past their maximum output and shoving the shuttle deep into the dark expanse of space, out of reach of the low atmosphere fighters.

Below them on the surface a planetary ion defense cannon rotated ponderously on its large base aligning its sights with the small retreating spacecraft.

Qui-Gon’s fingers danced across the control panels tapping in the preset flight commands.  Reaching over he flipped the switch to convert them to hyperspace.  Just as he punched in the command the planet based cannon fired off one well placed shot.  The blast hit the ship in the aft as it exited normal space shoving the craft wildly into hyperspace.  Blue icy tendrils of ion fire danced across the control panels of the ship writhing in convoluted patterns along her exterior and shorting the navcomp.  A panel to the right of Obi-Wan exploded in a fiery shower of sparks and smoke.  The Jedi Master deftly shut down the damaged systems and rerouted fire control containing any spread of the electrical fire that had destroyed the console.  Red lights blinked across the board and the emergency lighting came on momentarily before the shuttle was able to compensate for the damage it had sustained.  One by one the crafts systems came back on line as power was rerouted through redundant back up circuitry until only one button still blinked red.

Obi-Wan was watching his master as the tall man worked the boards and panels before them.  Finally Qui-Gon turned to look at the young Jedi.

“The hyperdrive.”  He said the one word in explanation.  Their hyperdrive system had taken the brunt of the ion blast; they wouldn’t get far from Ephripha with the shape the shuttle was in now.

The Padawan nodded in understanding.  He was still finding it hard to believe that he was outbound from Ephripha away from that hated place and that he wouldn’t just wake up in a few minutes to the morning klaxon and another endless day in hell, like he had so many times before in his dreams.  Too much had happened too fast for his over weary mind and he couldn’t compensate for it all.  Hadn’t it been just yesterday that he had been locked in that torture room ready to die, wanting to?

Qui-Gon smiled noting the boy’s confusion.  He stood and moved towards the copilot seat undoing Obi-Wan’s restraints and pulled the Padawans small thin body gently into his arms careful of the wounds on the young mans back.

“Obi-Wan, you are safe now.”  The head cradled against his chest nodded slightly and the arms around Qui-Gon’s waist tightened.

After a moment the Jedi Master stepped back and looked over the heavy collar and the cuffs that were still bound about the youths wrists and ankles.

“What do you say we get rid of these things?”  He asked softly touching the metal ring that looked so out of place upon the thin shoulders of the young man.  Using the force Qui-Gon released Obi-Wan’s shackles and the heavy manacles dropped away with a soft click and loud clank.

Obi-Wan sighed in visible relief and rubbed his wrists and neck.  The young Jedi blinked at Qui-Gon, as if unable to believe what had just happened.  His head was swimming and it felt as though the deck underneath him was moving.

“Wha- how...” but Obi-Wan couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say.  Suddenly his knees gave out and he found Qui-Gon catching him and gently sitting him down.

With unbelievable tenderness, Qui-Gon bathed and dressed Obi-Wan’s wounds.  He frowned deeply when he saw the layers upon layers of welts and partially healed cuts that marred Obi-Wan’s back.  It was obvious that his apprentice had been beaten repeatedly during his stay in Gehenna. 

Qui-Gon had to close his eyes for a moment and release the wave of intense rage that wanted to well up in him when he looked at Obi-Wan’s scars.  His anger would not help Obi-Wan, nor change what had happened.  His Padawan desperately needed his strength and his love right now and that was what he needed to focus on. 

Physical scars would heal, he would see to it that Obi-Wan did not have to carry these cruel reminders with him all his life.  But right now, he imagined that Obi-Wan’s mental scars were going to need a lot more attention. 

Qui-Gon could feel the young man tremble under his hands as he cleaned his back.  Obi-Wan was shaking, softly, but uncontrollably from the immense release of pent-up emotion that he finally felt safe enough let go of.

Gently, Qui-Gon let his hands rest on the side of Obi-Wan’s shoulders, allowing the force to flow between them and filling the apprentice with a warm feeling of love and safety.  Gradually, Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan relax under his touch.  The boy let his breath out slowly as if he had been holding it for the past three months.

Qui-Gon squeezed the teen’s shoulders a little tighter, feeling a pang of guilt run through his heart.  It had been so incredibly easy to get Obi-Wan out of there.  Why hadn’t he done it sooner?

“Master,” Obi-Wan said softly after several minutes.  “We’re both in deep trouble now, aren’t’ we?”

“Yes, I suppose,” Qui-Gon said without much concern.

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan apologized.

“The only thing I regret is that I didn’t do this three months ago,” Qui-Gon said, his voice laced with emotion.

“So,” Obi-Wan said after a moment.  “What now?”

“Well,” Qui-Gon smiled slightly.  “Where do two fugitive Jedi go?” he asked, pulling on an old, well-known joke that suddenly took on new meaning.

The elder Jedi was rewarded by seeing the familiar twinkle reappear in his Padawan’s eyes as Obi-Wan finished the now prophetic punch line: “Anywhere they want to.”

Qui-Gon laughed and sat down on the med-bed next to the young man.  “I am going to go see how far we can get in this ship.  I’d like to be out of this sector and a few systems away if possible.”  He laid a hand gently on the youths shoulder and began to press calming waves of the force into the Padawan.

“No!”  Obi-Wan rebuffed the force suggestion sending it scattering back through the bond and momentarily surprising the older Jedi.  He rolled painfully over and attempted to sit up but Qui-Gon held him down.

“No don’t go okay? Please?  Or...or let me go with you.”

The near panic caught the Master off-guard.  “Obi-Wan you are hurt and need rest, you are safe here.”

“Yes but...” His voice trailed off and he slumped back down on the bed.  Shakily the young Jedi reached out and touched Qui-Gon’s hand.  He didn’t say a word, just wrapped the large hand with the fingers of his smaller one and held on.

Qui-Gon didn’t move.

“Please don’t go just yet.”  It was barely a whisper but the fear and loss in it were unmistakable.

Gently unwrapping the fingers from his own the large Jedi moved towards the door of the cabin, he felt the panic rising from the youth on the bed behind him so he moved quickly.  Dimming the lights in the small room to a warm soft glow he unhinged the door of the cabinet to the left of the exit retrieving two large blankets stored there and a small data pad.  When he turned back to the med-bed Obi-Wan had succeeded in sitting up and was on the verge of tears.

“Its okay Padawan.”  He shook out one of the blankets and gently enveloped the boy in the warm fabric, wrapping its expanse carefully around Obi-Wan’s wounded back and shoulders.  Cupping the young mans face in his hand he wiped away the tear that tracked the cheek with his thumb. “I’ll stay here with you tonight.  You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Numbly the boy nodded his head.  He scooted back against the wall behind him as Qui-Gon sat on the bed and propped a pillow behind his head, leaning his large frame against the headboard.  Obi-Wan started to settle down onto the sleep couch when strong arms gently pulled him forward and wrapped around him drawing him towards his master.  He didn’t resist or fight but simply let the older Jedi hold him.  His mind wouldn’t shut down as the events of the day played and replayed through his thoughts.  He relaxed into the arms that held him as his head was gently nestled against the older Jedi’s strong chest.

‘I’m too old for this.’  The thought spiked through his weary mind.

“No you’re not young one.”  Qui-Gon rested his hand gently over the young boys face causing him to close his eyes.  “No you’re not.” 

Obi-Wan felt the older Jedi re-adjust his position against the backboard and finally relaxed when the other stopped moving.  “I need you to sleep.  I need you well.  Your body needs the rest.”  The sound of his master’s voice rumbled softly in his ear pressed against the teachers chest.

The warmth of the blankets and the arms about him soothed his aching body. “Rest my Obi-Wan.  Remember you are safe.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Obi-Wan admitted quietly, his voice just above a whisper.

“I wasn’t about to leave you there.”

“When I heard you - the first time - I thought I was hallucinating again.”

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and gently rocked the young boy, laying his cheek atop the youth’s head.

“I will always find you Obi-Wan.  Always.  I started looking for you almost before your shuttle didn’t show.  I think I drove Mace crazy, I knew something was wrong.”

It was quiet in the small cabin, the thrum of the hyperdrive core vibrated through the decking.

“I never should have agreed to the plan,” he continued thinking the youth had fallen asleep, his breathing was even and slow.

“No.”  The soft voice startled him slightly and he looked down at the peaceful face pressed against his tunic.  “No you did the right thing Master.  The safety of the witness was important.”

A small smile stretched the youths lips, “Besides, you know what?”

“What?”

“It worked.”

“It cost too much.”  Qui-Gon countered Obi-Wan’s easy acceptance of the situation.

“Justice and freedom are always costly, but Master Yoda says they are worth it.”  Sea-green eyes opened and watched him.  To tell the young man his sacrifice had not been worth the price he paid would only add insult to injury.  Qui-Gon was not sure the people of Aureus even knew the price paid for the justice they had been granted.

“Yes my Obi-Wan they are worth it.”  He held the small body a little tighter to him, “But I am not ready to loose you just yet.”

“You didn’t.”

“I thought I had young one,” Qui-Gon stroked his apprentice’s hair gently.

“So did I.”  Obi-Wan whispered quietly.

Something in the quiet statement unsettled Qui-Gon; he stilled his hand as the impact of the words hit him.  “Padawan?”

The question gave no options about answering it and Obi-Wan sighed deeply as he thought back to his attempts to end his life.

“I wanted to die.”  Qui-Gon had to strain to hear the words.  “I gave up and lost hope.”  Obi-Wan shut his eyes tightly as he remembered that morning, waking up and not caring, hoping they would beat him to death.  “I wanted them to kill me and I pushed them to that end.”

It was silent in the small room for a few moments as each one dealt with the emotions that Obi-Wan’s confession evoked.

“I’m so sorry.” Obi-Wan’s words trailed off, swallowed in the shame and guilt he was feeling.

Qui-Gon tightened his arms around the young man, holding him tightly to his chest, his heart constricting with the thoughts of his apprentice willingly aggravating the guards to kill him.  “No young one it is I who am sorry.”  He felt his own tears hot on his cheeks.  “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Obi-Wan could feel his Master’s breathing as it hitched in his chest, the large Jedi was fighting his own battle with his emotions.

“I’m glad I failed.”  The young man smiled up at him trying to fight off the sleep that was calling to him, trying to soothe the pain he caused in the older Jedi.

“I am glad you failed too my Padawan.”  Qui-Gon watched his apprentice as the young man lost the battle with his weariness.  “Don’t fight it Obi-Wan.  I will be right here.”  The apprentice’s eyes closed slowly and he relaxed into the older Jedi’s strong arms.

//Thank you Master// The ghost of a whisper brushed his mind just before sleep claimed her victim.

“You’re welcome my Obi-Wan.”  He brushed the short hair away from the sleeping face.  He knew he had almost been too late, the force had been warning him.  If he had lost Obi-Wan.. He banished the thought from his mind and carefully reached over to the small stand next to the bed retrieving the data pad. 

He needed to find a safe little known place to hide and contact the temple.  Their ship was damaged, how badly he wasn’t sure but the rhythm of the drive was off and the core was running hot and well below capacity.  He figured they had enough energy to get them somewhere into the next sector – not far enough away in his estimation.  But until they fixed the hyperdrive it would have to do.  His query called up the closest system.  There were two class M-planets and a few other inhabited moons that were home to several non-oxygen breathing aliens.  The small hand held computer chimed in response to his search and zoomed in on the planet nearest their trajectory.

Seline.

Inhabited by humans and aliens, who seemed to coexist fairly easily enough, there were oceans, deserts and flat lands.  Agriculture was its’ main export and that at best was nominal.  It was off the beaten path and had few ports.  Visitors were welcome; there just wasn’t much of a reason to visit. 

“Exactly what we need.”  He tapped the screen and sent the information to the maincomp of the shuttle redirecting their path so they would exit hyperspace near Seline.

Qui-Gon leaned slowly back towards the stand beside the bed and replaced the data pad.  Obi-Wan shifted against him, subconsciously tightening his grip.  The Jedi master stopped moving and waited until the boy relaxed before he resettled himself not wanting to wake the sleeping Padawan.  He had no idea what their future held.  They were both fugitives now and he had no doubt that the Ephriphans would be hunting them.  From the little experience he had with the people of Ephripha he knew that their escape would be seen as blatant disregard for their rules and a slap in the face of their sovereignty.  Their escape would not be taken lightly.

Obi-Wan moved and his breathing hitched slightly as though he were starting to dream.  One small hand knotted into a fist grabbing the older Jedi’s tunic as though afraid he would loose him.  Qui-Gon gently placed his hand around the young man’s forehead and willed his mind to stop, drawing the boy back down into peaceful dreamless rest.  He would never let them have his Padawan back if they had to run for the rest of their lives.  The sight of his apprentice being ruthlessly beaten for no reason other than that it pleased them was burned into his memory forever.  He had had to fight not to hate them when he was dressing the wounds of the young boy.  Even now edges of the darkness of anger touched his mind as he looked down into the face of his Padawan.  What kind of people would beat a young boy just because they could?

Tendrils of anxiety brushed through their bond touching him.  His anger had seeped through to the unconscious youth and the touch was tentative and worried.  Quickly he stopped his train of thought and banished his fears replacing the dark thoughts with love and calm. 

//It’s all right Padawan.  I’m right here.//  Qui-Gon sent the thought softly through their bond touching the other with a sense of safety.  The touch on his mind withdrew satisfied and the restlessness in the other ceased.

He hoped that Seline would be a good place to stay for a while, they were both going to need sometime and Obi-Wan was going to need a safe place to heal physically as well as mentally, he was going to need to get his confidence back up again.  Qui-Gon had every intention of seeing that he did.

He rested his head against the backboard and closed his eyes letting his thoughts tumble through his mind.  It had been a very long day.  When sleep caught up with him, he went with it willingly.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sariyah Mutal stared out the window of his office onto the small lush garden with unseeing eyes.  Restlessly the Natlus turned and paced the length of the room his frustration mounting by the moment.

How had they escaped?  It was inconceivable, impossible, no one escaped from Gehenna and yet…

He turned and glared at the messenger who stood just inside the doorway.  The man bowed slightly at the attention and readjusted his eyes to look at the floor before his feet.

“Are you sure?”  Sariyah questioned slowly, stepping closer to the courier intimidating him with his proximity.  The man only lowered his head farther and nodded once.

“Tell me more.”

Swallowing hard the messenger continued his story, “Kamsir, Head of Gehenna confirmed the information only an hour ago.  Three guards are in critical condition and the infirmary has been demolished.  They escaped through the delivery tunnel on the east side of the prison.  The soldiers tracked them to a shuttle but they were able to lift off before being apprehended.  One of our sharpshooters hit the craft with an ion blast, they can’t have gone far with a crippled ship Grand Natlus.”

Sariyah’s mind whirled with the information.  If the truth got out about what really happened to Jaleesha he would be ruined.  He knew when they had discovered the outlander to be a young Jedi that there would be trouble.  But now this?  Not only had his daughter been involved in a misdemeanor but he had lied to cover her part in it.  The Jedi Council would not conceal the information when they learned the truth and the Republic would bring the situation to light in order to clear the young man.  The Natlus’ status and position would be in jeopardy.  His life would be forfeit for lying to his Excellency Hat’im. 

He needed a diversion and he needed to move quickly to cover up the truth.  Turning sharply towards the messenger he snapped his fingers and barked an order at the man, “Find me Sessen from the fourth district, tell him it is of the utmost importance that we speak.  Tell him to bring that daughter of his, what’s her name?  The one who was with Jaleesha the day she was raped by that outlander..Timina and have someone fetch my Jaleesha.  Quickly!  Go!”

The courier stumbled from the room at a dead run and disappeared down the hallway.  Sariyah turned back to the open window and looked out again, this time he saw the deep greens and the small waterfall that fed the tiny oasis, this time he smiled, for now he knew he how he would buy his pardon.  If he could pull it off, he would be fine.  It mattered little that the life of his daughter hung in the balance, his reputation was what was important right now.  Besides given time she might be able to live a full life.

----------

Sessen stepped into the opulent office of the Grand Natlus.  His family and Sariyah’s had been friends since their daughters were little.  Jaleesha stood against the far wall between two large Ephriphan soldiers, her eyes were hard and angry. 

Sariyah turned at the sound of the door and smiled.  But the gesture was cold and Sessen halted, stopping Timina from entering any further.

“You requested my presence Grand Natlus?”  He addressed the regent formally for the sake of the guards present.

“Yes my friend.”  Sariyah approached the man and escorted him in, snapping his fingers and pointing at Timina. 

Two more guards stepped from the shadows of the doorway and approached the young girl taking her quickly into custody.  She cried out at the handling and tried to move to her father’s side but Sariyah dragged the man across the room a guard stepped between them blocking the father from helping his daughter.

“What is the meaning of this?!”  Sessen jerked himself away from his friend and glared at the man as if he had gone insane, perhaps he had. “Sariyah explain yourself!  Release her, Timina has done nothing wrong.”

Jaleesha watched her friend as the frightened girl was forced against the wall a few feet away from where she stood.  The turn of events had shocked her.  Her father’s betrayal had frightened and angered her even more.

“Sessen sit!”  The Natlus approached his desk and indicated an open chair.  His friend turned to stare at the two girls, fear and confusion easily readable on his open face.

“Sessen, we haven’t got all day.  We must move quickly.”

“Forgive me Sariyah if I do not understand what you are up to here.”

The Natlus nodded once and leaned across the desk towards the other, “That young Jedi that was incarcerated in Gehenna has escaped.”

“Escaped? But how?  That’s impossible.”

Jaleesha gasped in surprise and looked hopefully at Timina, the start of smile on her lips.  The delight was not lost on her father who motioned with his head to the guards.

“Take them down the hallway to the first holding cell and keep them there until I tell you what to do with them, this is not for them to hear.”  The Natlus instructed.

Both girls protested and Timina’s father rose to help her but Sariyah caught his arm and pulled him back down.

“Listen to me old friend, if his Excellency the great Hat’im finds out about what really happened my position and life could be on the line.  It was fine when that outlander was the only one guilty but now if he is allowed to tell his story to the Galactic Core it will be to my ruin.”

“So what does that have to do with Timina and I?”  Sessen growled at the man across from him.

“Timina was with Jaleesha when it happened.  She is a key witness, she saw everything.  Jaleesha and Timina must disappear.  Better yet they must die.”

“What?!  I wont let you..”

Sariyah shushed the man with a motion, “Not literally.  There is a cave in no mans land that was designed for the families of the ruling class to hide in if there should ever arise the need to protect them.  They can live there in luxury without want for years.  In the meantime we spread the rumor that they have committed suicide out of fear of the outlanders coming back for them and in anger because they were allowed to escape.”

Sessen sat back hard in his seat, his mouth opened but no words came out.  Swallowing his shock he tried again, “So you intend to use our daughters to incite the people to find the Jedi and kill them for retribution for the deaths of the women?  And you want me to help you do this thing?”

“Exactly my friend.”  Sariyah leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers, a thin smile spreading across his face. “The populace will be so outraged and incensed, absorbed with justice and finding those Jedi that they will never question our story.  If we can get our people to hunt them down, perhaps we can also be lucky enough to have someone kill that brat outlander and his master before they can tell the truth.”

“You walk a thin line Sariyah.”  Sessen was not fully convinced.  “And if I don’t agree?”

“At least with my plan Timina stands a chance of returning to you someday.  She could easily be implicated in the incident.”

“Are you threatening my daughter?”

Sariyah shrugged his glance unaffected by his friend’s distress.  “See it how you like.  If you want to ever see Timina again you will help me.”

“I trusted you.”

“And you still should.  As Grand Natlus I can see to your families health and well being.  Or did you think that you had obtained that position in his Excellencies courts because you were good at your work?  There are thousands of chief cooks in the city you could easily be replaced.  Help me and you will not go un-rewarded, friendship with the Natlus is a good thing my friend.”

“Depends on where you sit my *friend*.” Sessen spat the word back at the man.  He turned away from the other and glanced around the now empty room.  “It seems I have no choice.”  He complied softly.

“Good then we are agreed.”

Sessen nodded slowly, “Under one condition.”

Sariyah eyes slitted as he watched the man, he had expected a catch.  “That would be?”

“Let me say goodbye to Timina.  She is my daughter after all.”

The Grand Natlus’ eyebrows rose in question, how very like Sessen always worried about others and never watching out for himself.  “Very well.  You may say goodbye, but do not tell them of our plans.  It is best that they don’t know.”

Sessen nodded.  The worst day of his life had just begun and he had no idea what he would do now.  Caught up in a conspiracy not of his making, he was losing his daughter for the sake of a man he once called friend; for the sake of the mans position and power no less.  If he didn’t comply his own family and daughter would be at stake.  He hoped secretly that Sariyah’s plan failed.  Unlike his friend Sessen longed for Ephripha’s downfall, someday they would have to be free like her neighbors but today would not be that day.

Stiffly he rose and followed Sariyah to the holding cell.  At least Timina would be with Jaleesha, the two were good for one another, they would be able to take care of each other.  Perhaps he could even find the place of the hidden cavern and he and his wife could visit.  All these thoughts and more raced through his mind as they approached the small room.

“I will go and tell the authorities of our daughters ‘deaths’.”  Sariyah addressed the upset man, “This will work Sessen you will see.”  Turning to the guard nearest the door he motioned for the man to follow him and instructed him quietly, “When he is through, take the girls to the cave and set them up there.  I will send enough supplies to keep you well stocked for as long as it takes.  Tell only your most trusted soldiers and rotate a guard on them day and night.  I am sure they will try to escape if I know my daughter and we can’t have them compromising the plan.”

“Yes Grand Natlus.”

“Oh and if they test you by trying to escape too many times you are free to discipline them in the usual manner.  You just must not kill them.  Do you understand me are we clear?”

The guard answered with a cruel smile as he patted the whip coiled at his side, “Yes Grand Natlus I understand perfectly and will pass on the information.” The soldier bowed and moved back to open the door allowing Sessen access to the two girls inside.

Sariyah moved down the hallway formulating in his mind just what he would say.  By the time he had reached his Excellency The Great Hat’im’s receiving room he had been able to work himself up and affect the presence of a grieving father.  He fell into the large room weeping and poured out his story to the ruler of Ephripha.

Within the hour a bounty higher than any in Ephriphan history had been placed on the escaped Jedi and search teams had been deployed.  The odds of the Jedi returning to Coruscant had just dwindled and the only people who knew the truth were locked away in a cave hidden on the edges of Eprhiphan territory.

* * * * * * * * * * * * ** *  * *

Qui-Gon slid slowly out from underneath the sleeping Padawan.  He had woken moments before with Obi-Wan cradled in his arms; the weight of the small body a comfort as he lay trustingly against the older man’s chest.  He slipped out of the room quietly, glancing back quickly at the sleeping young man.  Something didn’t feel right; he needed to get into the cockpit.  There was a shift in the pitch of the hyperdrive and the force was warning him something was wrong.

He sat down in the pilot’s chair and quickly scanned the panels in front him.  His premonition had been correct the hyperdrive was overheating and in danger of going off line.  They were almost to their exit vector near Seline, if he could just coax a few more parsecs out of the vessel they would be okay.

Caught up in the work of rerouting systems to the damaged drive, he didn’t hear when Obi-Wan crept up behind him and leaned against the tall chair watching over his shoulder.

“Try shunting power from the capacitators, it should help cool the hyperdrive’s ventral system.” 

The older Jedi jumped and turned at the sound of the voice.  His Padawan was watching the controls beneath the Jedi’s fingers, his hair sleep tousled and his eyes only half open. 

“I didn’t hear you young one.”  Qui-Gon turned back to the monitors beeping softly in front of him.  “How do you feel this morning?”

“Sore.”  Obi-Wan stepped around his chair and walked stiffly towards the copilots seat.

Before he reached it there was a muffled boom from the back of the ship and the vessel bucked wildly reverting out of hyperspace at a violent pitch.  Obi-Wan was thrown forward into the consoles impacting his already bruised ribs.  He slumped to the floor with a moan before Qui-Gon caught him and helped him into the copilots chair, strapping him quickly in and throwing himself back into the pilot’s seat.

The ship was spinning out of control from its’ hard exit out of hyperspace.  Seline loomed in the distance.  A quick check to the monitor showed landing there would be possible if he could get the craft under control.

Next to him Obi-Wan was slowly sitting up, his eyes closed and his lips pressed firmly together biting back the pain.

“Padawan are you alright?”  Qui-Gon glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.  He was rewarded with a slight nod from the boy. For now that would have to be enough as righting the ship became his sole concern.

He shut the engines off on the port side and used the thrusters to compensate the roll of the ship.  Seconds ticked by as the craft maintained its’ awkward spin. 

Seline’s troposphere was visible now, a thin upper layer of atmosphere that encircled the globe.  Easily penetrated under normal circumstances it would act like a shield at this velocity and angle destroying the shuttle on impact.

Qui-Gon powered down the starboard engine and calmly worked the thrusters carefully tapping them to stop the spin and right the craft.  Alarms sounded through the cabin and Obi-Wan jumped to the task, lunging forward and working the buttons rapidly under his fingers.  The explosion of the hyperdrive had stressed the structural integrity of the craft.  Stress cracks in the lower levels were allowing oxygen to leak out and they were loosing compression.  The young Jedi took in the situation quickly and shunted power to the shields near the damaged sections of the craft sealing the atmosphere inside and shoring up the leakage. 

The yaw of the ship slowed and the craft slowly righted piercing the troposphere of the planet at the perfect angle.  Qui-Gon activated the retrothrusters to break their descent, but the shuttle didn’t slow.  Obi-Wan looked over at the older Jedi, his panic rising.

“Master?”

“The breaking thrusters wont activate I can’t slow us down, we’re going to hit.”  His voice was calm but the Padawan noted the underlying alarm. “I am going to try to slow our descent.”  The older Jedi worked the ships controls and brought the nose of the craft up exposing the belly of the ship to the updraft caused by their passing.  It worked somewhat as the ship slowed in its’ fall towards the planet but the ground continued to speed towards them at an alarming rate.

The apprentice was mapping their trajectory and matching their landing site with the topography of the landscape below them.

“Master,” His shout was barely heard over the screaming of the ship as it plummeted through the stratosphere.  “I think we are going to hit in a desert region.  The dunes may soften our impact if you can skip the ship across their surfaces.”

“Good thinking Padawan.”  Qui-Gon leveled the craft off and sheered in low to the mountains of sand looming large in the viewscreen.  He aimed for the nearest one and skimmed the nose of the craft across the wind sculpted hill.  Sand covered the viewscreen as the hill exploded from the brush with the craft.

“It’s working!”  The older Jedi hedged into the sea of dunes before them impacting the tops of them and slowing their landing.

“2 kilometers ahead Master there is a town.”  Obi-Wan braced himself as they flew through the top of an adjoining dune. “If we can make it close enough we can get help.”

“We’ll be close, but not close enough I can’t clear the next dune!  Hang on!”  Qui-Gon pulled hard on the controls as the ship dove into the center of the mass.  Their forward velocity was still too much for the mountain of sand and they blew out the other side of the hill loosing a ventral wing in the exit.  The craft was now beyond control and rolled onto its right side throwing the Jedi hard against their restraints.  Obi-Wan closed his eyes and held his breath as the rolling ship flipped upside down and he was painfully restricted against the chair.

The sounds of tearing metal and shrieks of the protesting ship filled the cockpit.  The craft slid along the desert floor uprooting the small plant life in it path and leaving a deep grove in the sandy dirt as it finally edged to a stop.

The silence in the cabin was a welcome relief as the ship slowly rocked on its side and came to rest.

Opening his eyes and letting his breath out Obi-Wan glanced over to his Master. “Where are we?”

The older Jedi was undoing his harness.  He swung down from his seat and stood on the roof of the cockpit that now served as the floor.

“Seline.  I hope.”  Qui-Gon walked over to the student and stared up at him. “Here let me help you.”  He reached over his head and braced the young Jedi, pressing his hands against the youth’s shoulders and holding him firmly in place. “Now undo your harness and I’ll help you out.”

The Padawan winced with the movement. His body still wasn’t healed and he ached even worse now.  He pressed the clasp on the latch and felt his body fall free of the chair.  The strong arms below caught him and carefully righted him as he eased out of the copilots seat.

“So this is Seline?”  The young Jedi crouched down and peered out the veiwscreen. “Is that good?”

“It should be.  It’s little traveled.”  He reached above the young man’s head and popped a cabinet open retrieving their emergency supplies.  “Why don’t we go take a look?  The nearest settlement was just over the next rise, we might be able to get some help and a place to stay.”

He placed his hand on the young man’s back and steered him towards the hatch. “I have a feeling we will be here for a while Padawan.”

Obi-Wan looked up uncertainly at the older man.  Qui-Gon smiled down into the questioning face, “Just think of it as a learning adventure.”

His answer to the unspoken questions in the boys eyes elicited a snort of laughter, “Don’t you think we have had quite enough of those already master?”

A voice outside the ship broke into their conversation. “Hello?”

“I think we have company.”  The Master sprung the hatch and pulled himself up through small opening.

“You alright in there?  I saw you come in hard.”  A small extremely tan face peered back at him.  The man was riding a large beast of burden that resembled a scaleless kryat dragon.  Obi-Wan started at the sight of the creature as his Master pulled him up through the access to stand on the belly of the shuttle. 

“Don’t worry about him,” The rider of the creature patted the neck of the large lizard, “He’s harmless.  But how are the two of you?  Anyone else aboard?”

“No, no one else just my ap..” Qui-Gon caught himself, switching his answer quickly, “Just my son and I.”  He glanced at Obi-Wan with a smile and was rewarded with an answering one. 

“Well it looks like the two of you are okay,” The man squinted at them looking them both over. “Want a ride into town?  I can set you up in some apartments I have out back of my place if you need somewhere to stay until you can get your craft fixed.”

“We would appreciate it.”  The older Jedi bowed slightly and held his hand out to steady Obi-Wan as the young man balanced between the ship and the back of the large beast alongside of them.  He stepped onto the rough hide of the creature reaching for the riders weathered hand as he settled onto the long narrow saddle that stretched the length of the animals back.

“Name’s Heyfehd.  I work in town at the main spaceport.”  He stretched his hand back out to help the Jedi Master as he stepped across and seated himself behind Obi-Wan on the worn leather saddle.

“I am”, the Jedi stalled his introduction carefully considering his words and testing the force, “I am Qui-Gon and this is Obi-Wan.”  He leaned around the young man and held his hand out shaking the strong hand that was placed into it.”

“Well you may want to hang on, Sharz is a good Orind,” he patted the large creature, “but he has a rocky gait.”  The man pressed his heals into the flank of the beast and pulled right against the bit in the creatures mouth as he made soft clicking noises with his tongue.   A low rumble sounded from the beast as he turned slowly and headed in the direction of the city.  “We are not far from home.” Heyfehd called back to them.

As the creature lurched forward Obi-Wan rocked back into his Master who instinctively wrapped his arms around the boys waist and held the apprentice gently against him, trying to keep him from being jostled too much.  Obi-Wan’s injuries were still painful and the master could feel the young man trying to damp down the ache.  Leaning forward and down he whispered into the youth’s ear, “Move with the rocking motion and don’t fight it.”

//Yes Dad// The teasing rippled through their bond causing the Jedi to laugh out loud.  He cuffed the young man on the back of his head lightly and pulled the Padawan back towards him letting the youths weight rest against him as the lizard began its vertical ascent up the nearest dune causing them all to lean back into one another.

Heyfehd turned in his seat and called to the older Jedi, “Where were you headed when you crashed here?”

“Actually we were headed here.”  The master re-adjusted his position as their mount crested the dune and shifted slowly down the other side. Obi-Wan gripped his arms tightly as he tried to maintain his seat on the creature. //Relax, you won’t fall.//

//Sorry Master// The Padawan released his hold on the other and concentrated on moving with the sway of the beast.

//It’s all right Padawan.  Do you hurt?//

//Yes//

//Where?// The questioning was worried, but the answer was light hearted.

//Everywhere!  At least this planet is warm.  I don’t want to be cold ever again.//

“You were headed here?”  Heyfehd urged the beast down into the bustling city, his disbelief etched in every line of his weathered face. 

“Yes actually we were.” 

The man’s laughter caught the Jedi off guard, “Well my friend then welcome to Seline!”  He swept his hand before him taking in the city below them.  It was set into a small valley that butted up against the edge of the encroaching desert.  A river ran the expanse of the town and agriculture fields could be seen stretching into the distance an odd contrast to the monotone dryness they had just left. 

The houses were small and the architecture reflected the necessity to cool the dwellings from the beating sun.  Large open windows were cut into the whitewashed domed homes.  The reflective coating on the mortar and brick buildings kept their interiors cool during the day and trapped residual heat in the evenings. 

The avenues that cut through the city at odd angles were wide and spacious, easily capable of handling two Orinds walking abreast while accommodating the foot traffic that surrounded their mount.  Sharz lumbered slowly through the broad streets and Heyfehd let the herbivore have its’ way as it headed obediently home.

Obi-Wan was absorbed in watching the hustle of people around them.  Like the homes they lived in the people wore light colored loose fitting clothing to help with heat of the day.  Several called out greetings to their host as they walked by and included the two strangers in their welcome.  The young Jedi was amazed at the warmth and openness of the citizens, it contrasted starkly with the closed society of the Ephriphan's and he quickly found himself relaxing in the presence of the strangers around him.

//What do you think// Qui-Gon’s question touched his mind.

//I think I shall like staying here// Obi-Wan turned and looked up at the man seated behind him a large smile forming on his face.

Heyfehd watched them curiously, “The people are always friendly like this.  Its not often that we get visitors to Seline.”  The lizard they were riding stalked around the expanse of a large dome house and moved towards the back to an open building with no door.  He easily maneuvered his girth into the shelter and approached what appeared to be an empty trough all the while making small guttural sounds that Obi-Wan could feel through the saddle.

Jumping easily off the beast Heyfehd patted the large creature and turned to the empty stone ditch.  “Sharz is hungry, he’s worked well today.  Let me feed him and I will show you to the apartments out back.”

Qui-Gon turned in the saddle and taking Obi-Wan’s hand in his own, helped the boy down to the ground.  The young man landed hard on his feet and sucked his breath in quickly as the impact jarred his injured body.  Heyfehd turned and watched as the youth stood up slowly, it was obvious the boy was hurt.  The older man slid off the saddle and landed lightly, quickly moving to the younger man’s side.

“I think your son might have hurt himself in that crash.”  The proprietor poured vats of leafy greens into the trough for his animal to feed on. “It might not be a bad idea to see our doctor.  Shall I fetch him for you?”

“Thank you that is very kind of you to offer, but I think we just need some rest.”  Qui-Gon answered the others curiosity.

“Very well.”  Heyfehd moved towards the opening, motioning them to follow him.  “The apartments are out back.  My wife Sayarez runs them.  We have them just in case anyone ever comes to visit.”  He laughed at the words and shrugged, “Not that anyone hardly does, but then you never know.” 

Pulling a key from his pocket he unlocked the door to a good-sized house behind the animal quarters.  He pushed the door in and motioned for them to enter. 

“There are two rooms, a kitchen and a living area with a fire pit for when the nights get cold.  It rents out cheaply enough if you are interested.” 

Qui-Gon turned from the large bay window set into the kitchen above a small table that had been hand carved from a single piece of wood.  “I am afraid my friend, that we have no means with which to pay you.  We were hoping to find employment somewhere in the city while we are here.”

Heyfehd seemed to think this over, his eyes watching them carefully as though weighing his next statement.

“Are you any good with mechanical things?  Ships, computers, machinery perhaps?”

The young Jedi stopped his inspection of the dwelling and looked out from the doorway of the nearest room.

“My son and I are very familiar with this type of work.  The boy is strong and enjoys working on equipment.  I have worked on craft before and am well acquainted with mechanics.” Qui-Gon replied.

The owner of the house nodded slowly, “Well then if you like you can come to work for me.  At the space port that is.  It’s the larger of the two in town and we can always use the extra help.” 

“I thought you didn’t get much traffic here.”  Obi-Wan questioned him curiously.

“That we don’t.  But the locals have shuttles, transports, air sleds and air cars and a few of the older kids have swoops that are ever in need of repair.  You could work for your stay here and I will pay you a little extra so you can buy food and new clothing for yourselves.”

He motioned towards their robes, “In fabric like that you will overheat in no time here on Seline.”

Qui-Gon extended his hand to their new employer, “You have a deal.  We would be happy to accept.”

“Then welcome home!”  Heyfehd smiled and shook the tall man’s hand.  “But listen my friends, stay here today and rest.  Tomorrow you can explore the city and the day after that we can retrieve your shuttle and see if it is worth fixing.  Then you can start working for me, but you need to rest.”  His eyes fell on the young man who came and stood next to Qui-Gon.  “The boy is tired.”  He smiled at Obi-Wan who lowered his gaze and smiled back as his master draped his arm around the youth’s shoulders. 

“Tonight Sayarez will bring you something to eat.”

“Again we thank you.”  Qui-Gon nodded as Heyfehd turned to leave.

“It is good to have guests!”  He beamed back at them as he stepped out the door, “I was lucky to have found you!”  With that he left the two to their new home.

Qui-Gon looked down at Obi-Wan, “You do look tired.”

“I am tired.”  He watched out the window as Heyfehd rounded the corner and approached his home near the front of the property, “I think we were lucky he found us.”

“Padawan…”

“I know I know Master there is no luck for Jedi!”  He laughed as he walked back towards the small room on his left, “Oh and I am claiming this room for my own!”  He called out to the older man as he flopped down onto the soft mattress.

Qui-Gon simply shook his head and began to inspect their new residence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Obi-Wan stepped into the small fresher that connected the little apartment’s two bedrooms and shut the door behind him.  The door that let into Qui-Gon’s room was already closed.  After months of imprisonment, Obi-Wan looked forward to being able to take a real shower again. 

He had rested for a little while, but now he wanted to wash.  To absolve himself of the Ephriphan dirt that still clung to his body.  To wash away the lingering presence of Gehenna in his mind and soul... yet Obi-Wan wasn’t sure that was possible.  At least however, he could wash.

Glancing at himself in the mirror, Obi-Wan grimaced.  He hadn’t seen his reflection in over three months and wondered who was the thin, bruised, sad-eyed stranger that was staring back at him from the reflective glass.

Gingerly, Obi-Wan pulled his tunic off.  His bruised and torn muscles were stiff and although his back was healing, it was still painfully sore to the touch.  When he didn’t move too much, it was okay, but taking his shirt on and off made the fabric grate painfully across his tender skin. 

Obi-Wan took a deep breath to dispel the pain and ran his hands through his over-long hair.  Just like the rest of him, it was grimy.  Qui-Gon had washed Obi-Wan’s back when he tended the apprentice’s wounds aboard the shuttle, but the rest of him was still in desperate need of a bath. 

Sliding into the shower stall, Obi-Wan turned on the water spigot, letting it run over his hand as he adjusted the temperature.  It felt heavenly to have clean, warm, flowing water pouring over his hands and splashing down over his feet. 

Switching the showerhead on, Obi-Wan closed his eyes.  They sprang open again quickly as soon as the needle-jets of water hit his skin.  The young Jedi was barely able to choke back a cry of pain as he jumped back, taking himself out of reach of most of the spray.  He had not been prepared for how much the hard streams of water would hurt when they beat against his damaged skin.

Obi-Wan inched forward, back into the stream of water, gingerly attempting to limit the exposure of his most painful areas.  However, since he hurt all over, it was a doomed venture.  He tried to adjust the force of the water stream, but it seemed to only have one setting. 

Clenching his jaw, Obi-Wan forced himself to stand still under the streaming jet and take it.  After all, he had learned well how to endure pain without complaint.  All he wanted was to wash the dirt of Gehenna off of him and maybe with it, some of the memories that were seared into his mind like scars.

The pain was bringing tears to Obi-Wan’s eyes, so he clenched them tightly shut and turned his face into the path of the water.  The hard needles splashed against his bruised face, pounding his sore shoulders like a cascade of fire.

Suddenly it wasn’t water striking his body, it was the guards, it was the inmates... they were hitting him again and again and he had to stand there and take it...

Obi-Wan jerked back, the sudden motion making his tight, burning neck muscles scream.  The pain made him queasy and nauseous.

“Sith!” Obi-Wan murmured, breathing hard as he tried to slow his hammering heart.  Those memories had far more power over him than he liked.

“Obi-Wan?  Are you all right?” Qui-Gon’s voice was muffled by it’s passage through the door as he knocked softly to get Obi-Wan’s attention.  He had felt a strong wave of pain and fear roll off the young man a few moments ago and it concerned the Master.

“Fine,” Obi-Wan’s muffled voice came back to him, raised so as to be heard over the sound of the water.  Despite what the boy said, his voice held an unmistakable quaver.

Frowning in concern, Qui-Gon let it drop for the moment.  Sending comforting waves in Obi-Wan’s direction, Qui-Gon went back to looking the place over.

Obi-Wan was definitely not fine, but there was no way in the galaxy he was going to tell Qui-Gon that.  He tried to push forward with his shower but the mounting pain was becoming too much for his battered body to bear and using soap was a ridiculously painful idea.

Finally he gave up the struggle and shut the water off.

Somewhere inside him, Obi-Wan felt one of the stoic walls that he had built up over the slow, painful months in Gehenna break and shatter into hopeless pieces, releasing a floodgate of emotion that his hurting body was not prepared to deal with. 

The fact that he could not even manage to take a simple shower without pain seemed suddenly too much for Obi-Wan’s over-wrought psyche to handle. 

In the other room, Qui-Gon felt the shock wave of Obi-Wan’s crumbling walls.  The burning weight of the sorrow and despair that was rolling off the apprentice in agonized waves made Qui-Gon’s breath catch in his throat.  There was no way Obi-Wan was telling him he was fine now.

“Obi-Wan?” Qui-Gon knocked on the door. 

No answer.

“Obi-Wan!” Qui-Gon’s voice picked up a touch of alarm.  Obi-Wan’s presence inside the room was deeply disturbed, swirling and tinged with heart wrenching sorrow. 

Unable to take the silence, Qui-Gon tried the handle.  Obi-Wan had not locked the door and it opened easily at his touch.  Qui-Gon prepared to pull out quickly if his presence were an intrusion. 

The sight that met him made a raw lump rise in the Master’s throat.  Obi-Wan knelt on the floor, a towel around his waist and his head buried in his hands, a pitiful picture of abject misery.

“Obi-Wan, what’s wrong?” Qui-Gon asked gently, his brow deeply creased in concern as he crouched down beside his Padawan. 

The floor was wet and slippery.  Water stood in beads on Obi-Wan’s back and arms, and dripped in small streams from where his hair was plastered to his head and neck.  He obviously had not dried off, yet it looked like his shower had not been completed either.

Gently touching the apprentice’s trembling arm, Qui-Gon repeated his question.

Slowly Obi-Wan lifted his head.  When his red-rimmed eyes met his Master’s, Qui-Gon thought he was going to start crying too.  It was all there in Obi-Wan’s eyes, all the pain he had lived through these past months.  Qui-Gon realized that he had taken Obi-Wan out of Gehenna, but he still had a way to go to take Gehenna out of Obi-Wan.

“I-it hurts,” Obi-Wan choked out, his shoulders starting to shake with his effort to keep his emotions inside.  Good grief!  What kind of a baby was he?  “I-I can’t even take a shower!”  Somehow the cruel irony that he could not even wash the dirt of Gehenna off because of what they had done to him there seemed to hold a deeper significance to him.  He was out now, but would he ever really be free?

The plaintive wobble in Obi-Wan’s voice did bring tears to Qui-Gon’s eyes.  He wished he could make all the pain inside Obi-Wan go away.  He wished that he could wrap the boy up in his love and make him forget the past three months of hell.  More than anything, Qui-Gon wished he could take the pain from behind Obi-Wan’s eyes. 

Healing took time.  Qui-Gon knew it.  As much as he wanted to, he could not solve all of Obi-Wan’s problems, right here, right now.  However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t help.  They’d just have to take it slow, one healing step at a time.

Smiling despite the tightness in his throat, Qui-Gon pushed away the strands of wet, dirty hair that clung to Obi-Wan’s face, dripping soiled water down the boy’s forehead and into his eyes. 

“You know, about two years after I became a knight, Tahl and I were sent to Dantai,” Qui-Gon said softly, tucking the long strands of Obi-Wan’s hair behind the boy’s ear.  “Dantai is a lovely planet, very sunny and renowned for it’s beaches.” he continued his story, sending soothing waves of energy to his Padawan as he did and was rewarded by seeing Obi-Wan’s tight body begin to relax a fraction as the boy’s hiccuping, hurried breaths began to slow.

“Our mission resolved itself very quickly, leaving us free time to relax and enjoy the place.  Well *I* enjoyed it a little too much.  I had decided to do some sun bathing.” Qui-Gon chuckled ruefully at the memory.  “Tahl tried to warn me.  She told me I should put protection on after a certain point, but she wasn’t, and being a brash, stupid young man who wanted to impress her, I did not head her warning.”

Obi-Wan’s lips twitched upwards in the corners at Qui-Gon’s description of himself.  Encouraged, the Master continued.

“Of course, Tahl’s people are naturally more sun resistant then ours, but did I think of that?  No.  Well, by the end of the day I had acquired up with the mother of all sunburns and thought for certain that I was going to die.  Tahl of course, tried to encourage me by saying that it took a lot longer than that to die of sun exposure.”

Obi-Wan smiled faintly.  Apparently Tahl and his Master’s relationship had changed little over the years. 

“The worst of it was that the sand from the beach irritated my burns, but washing it off was unbelievably painful.  Do you know what Tahl did for me?” Qui-Gon asked gently, but did not really wait for an answer since of course Obi-Wan did not. 

“Well, she waited until I was nearly going crazy enough to accept her help, and then, much to my embarrassment, she helped me get clean of the sand,” Qui-Gon admitted. 

“Master!” Obi-Wan said with mock reproach and shock, a faint glimmer of his old self in his eye when he teased his mentor.

Qui-Gon restrained himself from giving the boy a playful swat as he usually would have.  He would probably have to be careful not to do that for a while.  After what Obi-Wan had been through, Qui-Gon knew it would take time before the boy would be able to endure even a joking swat or any sudden movement without flinching.  And reminding Obi-Wan of Gehenna, however accidentally, was *not* something Qui-Gon wanted to do.  Instead, the big Jedi just laughed and shook his head disparagingly at his apprentice.  “Padawan!  Watch where your mind goes.  I’ll have you know I was wearing my swimming trunks and we were using the ‘fresher in Master Yoda’s room.”  Of course, Yoda had not been there at the time, but that was unimportant.

Obi-Wan couldn’t hold back his chuckle.  “Master Yoda was there too?”

“Yes, well,” Qui-Gon coughed.  “He was actually there on other business, but there was some misunderstanding about Tahl and my having a separate room.  They ended up only having one for us and that wouldn’t do at all.  Fortunately, Master Yoda ended up staying at the same establishment and I was able to share his room.  But the *point* of relating this rather humiliating incident was not merely for your mirth Padawan,” Qui-Gon tried to frown, but found it impossible to do so when Obi-Wan was actually smiling. 

Obi-Wan nodded.  He had gotten the drift early on.  Part of him resisted the idea of letting Qui-Gon help him, but another part wanted only to be clean, to be free, to put the past behind him...

Qui-Gon saw the struggle on the teenager’s face and made it easy for him.  “Come Obi-Wan, sit on the edge of the tub,” he ordered gently, leaving the apprentice the only option of obeying. 

Obi-Wan complied slowly, holding the towel tight around him and easing himself stiffly into the desired position.  Gol, it seemed like every fiber in his being hurt and the tightness in his neck and shoulders was giving him a blinding headache.

Getting a soft cloth and a pitcher, Qui-Gon used the Force to help his movements be as gentle and light as possible as he gave Obi-Wan a warm sponge bath.  Gently easing away the dirt and grime, Qui-Gon prayed that with it, Obi-Wan could begin to lose some of his pain.

At first Obi-Wan sat taught and rigid, his face flushed and obviously embarrassed.  “Please Master, please don’t.  I-I can do it myself,” he protested, hating to put Qui-Gon out this way.

Qui-Gon shook his head.  “Of course you could, but then I would never have the opportunity of repaying the favor that someone else did for me once,” he said lightly.  “Tahl never let me forget that you know.  Why, two years later...” Qui-Gon cleverly launched into a long and colorful series of stories about his past which served their purpose and took Obi-Wan’s mind away from his discomfort and the pain which even Qui-Gon’s gentlest touches could not avoid causing. 

Last, Qui-Gon brought in a chair, cushioning the back with a pillow, and had Obi-Wan sit and lean back, with his head resting in Qui-Gon’s hands above the basin of the sink on the opposite side of the ‘fresher.  Supporting the boy’s head and taking the pressure off Obi-Wan’s neck with one hand, Qui-Gon gently soaped and washed the apprentice’s hair with the other. 

It took three rinses to get it clean, but when that was finally done and dried, Obi-Wan was beginning to look a little bit more like himself again. 

They left the ‘fresher floor slick with water and spilled soap, but Qui-Gon figured to clean that up later.  It was just a little water and wouldn’t hurt anything, so long as no one entered the room in a hurry.

Obi-Wan went into his room to get more fully dressed and when he was done, Qui-Gon guided him gently to another chair.

Still talking about this, that and another thing in a soothing voice, Qui-Gon gently rubbed Obi-Wan’s neck and shoulders.  He was careful of the healing wounds on Obi-Wan’s back, but sought to relieve some of the building tension that the whiplash of their crash-landing had given the boy. 

Obi-Wan grit his teeth when Qui-Gon worked his thumbs into the tight, knotted muscles on either side of his spine, but when the Master backed off from it, it did begin to feel much better. 

“You all right Obi-Wan?” Qui-Gon paused whatever he was talking about to ask, knowing that he was hitting touchy, trigger points of pain.

Obi-Wan nodded.  “Yes, Master, it hurts, but it feels better when you stop.”  The young Jedi realized how that sounded a moment later and added an impish grin.

Qui-Gon raised one eyebrow with a wry grin.  “Is that so?”

Obi-Wan’s face turned serious.  “No, seriously Master, thank you.”  He was beginning to feel almost human again and he knew he had Qui-Gon to thank.

Qui-Gon stroked the boy’s long hair.  Now clean, it was and smooth and silky beneath his fingers, like only new-washed hair can be.  “It’s going to be okay Obi-Wan.  You’ll see.  Everything will be okay.”

Obi-Wan let his breath out slowly.  Maybe he was beginning to get to a place where he could almost believe that.

“Come on, your muscles are strained and swollen from the jerking of the rather bumpy landing.  Let’s get some cold packs on that neck of yours,” Qui-Gon said, giving Obi-Wan’s shoulder one last squeeze.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Qui-Gon slid silently into the seat in front of the comm unit in the main room of the apartment they were renting.  Obi-Wan was sleeping soundly, the door to his room cracked open so the light could spill in softly and cut the darkness. 

The Padawan seemed to tire easily, but that was not really too surprising given his condition.  The pain and stress they had been working through earlier had worn the boy out and after Sayarez had brought them dinner, as their host had promised, Obi-Wan retired early in the evening.  Qui-Gon took advantage of the moment alone.

He quickly tapped in the number he wished to access but his hand froze midair unable to push the button to send the call through.  His mind was plagued with fears and questions.  What if they traced the call?  What if the encryption failed?  What if the person he contacted gave them up?  Closing his eyes and shaking his head to clear the doubts he dropped his hand and sent the call through.

The icon on the display rotated slowly as his request was connected. He found himself tapping his fingers and stealing glances at Obi-Wans room, he didn't want to wake the boy or worry him.

"Yeah?  Who's there?"  a sleep fogged voice muttered as the screen cleared showing the dimly lit room of the recipient.  "This had better be good."  A face came into view and the small light on the comm illuminated the man on the other end.

Qui-Gon swallowed hard, unsure of what to even say.  He moved back in his chair slowly to avoid being seen placing his hand over the image of his longtime friend.

"Qui-Gon?  Is that you?!"

He hesitated only a moment before making up his mind and leaning forward within viewer range, forcing a sad smile on his face.  "Yes my friend."  His voice caught in his throat, "Its me."

"Jinn!  What are you doing?!  Where are you?  Are you okay?"

The image of the other man pressed closer to the viewer as he tried to get a better look at the Master. "You look like hell."

"Thank you Mace."  The answer was sarcastic and clipped, "That's what I was hoping to hear from you.  I can always count on your honesty."

A bark of laughter answered him before the other turned serious.  "Do you know how much trouble you are in my friend?" he whispered conspiratorially.

Qui-Gon shot into a standing position, tipping the chair over in his haste.  He ran a hand through his hair clearing the strands from his face and began to pace in front of the monitor.  "Of course I do."  Kicking the chair out of his path he turned back and retraced his steps as he recounted what had happened when he had visited Obi-Wan.

A voice cut him off, "Uh hey, Jinn! Stop the pacing will you?  I cant keep up with you, you're making me sick.  I feel like I am watching a tungart game!"

Stopping in front of the viewscreen he grabbed the edges of the table fiercely and jerked his face down close to the monitor. "This is no joke.  What was I supposed to do Mace?"

"Leave him there."  The words were tentative, but firm.

"What?!"

"Leave him there."  Qui-Gon stared at his friend in disbelief.

"He's a boy!"

"He’s a Jedi!"

"He is my Padawan!"

"YOU are a Jedi!" Mace's voice had risen and Qui-Gon matched it. "Now you are both outlaws!  And I can't help either one of you!" The frustration in the dark Jedi’s voice was reflected in the Masters face.  A slight shifting caught his attention and he raised his head to find Obi-Wan watching him.  The young mans eyes were tired and full of anxiety.

"Qui-Gon."

The master turned his eyes back down to stare into Maces but there was no anger in them anymore only tiredness and sorrow.

"You weren't there, you didn't see it.  I couldn't leave him."  He glanced back at the young man who leaned in the doorway, tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Master."  He mouthed the words silently to the older man. 

But the Jedi simply shook his head, "No Obi-Wan don't be."

"He's there?"

"Yes he's here!" the words were bitten out and harsh.  They sounded hard in his own ears and he softened his response, "I'm sorry Mace, he's my Padawan.  I couldn't leave there again without him.  I couldn't.  It was a decision based on emotions but it was the only one I could make.  You didn't see them beat him.  They weren't going to stop."  He closed his eyes concentrating on throwing the last of his regrets away, they would live with his choice now there was nothing else left, "I did not call you for your opinion of my decision or to have you tell me how much trouble we are in.  I need your help."

"Of course you do."  A smile flitted across the face he was staring at, "That's the only time you ever call me anyway."

"Mace."

"What? Its true.  When was the last time you just called and said 'Hey, Mace how's your day going?'."  The Councilmember laughed as Qui-Gon stared at him speechless.  "Yep see?"

"You can make jokes at a time like this?"

"Oh there’s one other thing I wanted to ask you while I have you on line here, you didn't wreck that shuttle you borrowed this time did you?"  He continued, ignoring the question while trying to lighten the tension.  The cocky look caught the master off guard, "You did didn't you?!"  Mace broke out laughing. "Yes! I knew it!  I bet Ploon that you wouldn't be able to bring this shuttle back in one piece!  I was right!"  The image on the screen was caught in its own glee.

"Mace!"  A small laugh captured his attention and he looked back up to find that his Padawan had stepped closer to him and was looking over his shoulder into the monitor watching the other try to control his laughter.  He caught the young mans eyes and smiled sofly shaking his head.

"Alright Mace so you won. Yes, an ion cannon hit our shuttle as we left Ephripha, the hyperdrive is shorted out and the navcomp was disabled. We did a controlled crash to land here and the body of the transport is somewhat...damaged.  Are you happy?"

"More than you can know!"  The beaming smile of his friend was infectious.  "Ploon bet me those fancy new turbo engines he bought for his shuttle. I am picking them up tonight!"

"Well that might be a bit hasty my friend.  We aren't coming back."

The council member sobered immediately and stared back at the other, the silence grew heavy again as the two friends locked eyes.  Mace nodded knowingly.  "I thought that might be the case."  He leaned into the monitor his face held between his hands as he rubbed his tired eyes. "Listen, Yoda and I met earlier this evening.  The Council can't, won't, help you.  Already the Ephriphans have a bounty on your head.  They have sent men after you to hunt you down.   The council has had to denounce your actions publicly and there is nothing we can do to overtly aid you or help you out beyond turning you over to the planetary authorities.  You know they aren't Republic friendly and they will not negotiate on this, something about violating their right to autonomy."

Qui-Gon dropped into the chair before the comm with a sigh as Obi-Wan silently backed away and collapsed onto the couch behind his master burying his face in his hands.

"So what will happen now?"  The Jedi Master’s question was quiet and defeated.  "I guess we just keep running then?"

"Well we may not be able to help you under the guise of the Council but I talked with Yoda.  You remember that new tech-head kid they brought in, high in force capabilities but too old to train?"

"Reg Kiggins?"

"Yeah, Kiggins.  Yoda asked him to rig my account.  There's a dummy firewall in the security systems coding that he built into it.  Made it look like I requested extra protection because of the recent rash of tech-hackers we have had planet wide.  Handy they've found out how to access the Republic Credit Commons just after you two left.  They are crashing people's accounts throughout the system.  Smart suckers too, they can't seem to track them down.  Anyway no one will question the modifications we've made.  I am sending you an encrypted code.  You can access my account from any kiosk under the name I have given you and the code will open a secret fund that is buried in the accounts.  No one can track the money going in or out of it.  Only the three of us know it exists.  Kiggins is brilliant; thank goodness he is on our side.  Anyway we filled the account with enough credits to get you going and I will add to it as you need.  Can't have you starving the boy now can we?"

Qui-Gon stared at his friend in disbelief.  "Thank you."

"Hey it's not much but it's the least I can do.  When do you think you'll come back?"

"When they get us cleared."

"We are working on it over here."

"We'll do all we can on our side too."

"Yeah well just don't get caught.  Oh by the way," Mace grinned widely at the other, "the name of the account is Chryseens Song.  In memory of the last shuttle you wrecked."

"That was NOT my fault!  I can't believe you did that!"

"Well it was Kiggin's idea and for two reasons my friend," he responded through laughter, "only you will know it and you'll never forget it!"

“True enough.”  The laughter of the two men filled the small common area.  "I'd better go. I don't know if they can trace this call."

"Don't worry about that Kiggin encoded my comm unit too, I knew, or I hoped that you would be calling me."

"I don't know how often I will be, I don't need to endanger you also.  Thank you for the help Mace."

"Anytime my friend."

"Hope to see you soon."

Qui-Gon reached for the disconnect but stopped as Mace continued talking, "Oh by the way, you can pay me back when you return.  With interest!"  Mace's laughter was cut off as he cancelled the call on his side before the Jedi Master could respond.

With a sigh the older Jedi turned in his seat to face the young man behind him.

"Obi-Wan?"

The boy hadn’t moved from his position on the couch, his face still shielded behind his hands.

//Obi-Wan//

With a burst of anger the young Jedi stood from his seat and glared across the room at his Master. His voice was low and hard but his eyes were desperate, “He’s right.”  Qui-Gon was taken back by the statement and simply waited the young man out. “You should have left me.”  Obi-Wan didn’t flinch or move the tension in him filled the small room and the older Jedi took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Obi-Wa…”

“No!”  The force thrown half shout brought the Master standing to his full height.  He had expected this type of a reaction from the young man sooner or later but he had been unprepared for it now. “If you had left me, you would not be here now, in danger, hunted.  You have no idea what they will do to you when they capture us!  Your blood will be on my head; I cant live with that.  It is my fault you are here.  I am a Jedi and I should have acted like one.” 

Qui-Gon did not answer immediately he simply returned the hard stare of the apprentice.  He realized the emotion behind his student's words was fear and it had presented itself in anger.  Obi-Wan was the first to drop his gaze his breath leaving him in a defeated sigh as he collapsed back onto the couch, shaking his head and quietly repeating himself.  “You should have left me.  You just should have left me.”

“Obi-Wan,” when the young man did not look up at him, the older Jedi kneeled before him and tipped his head up till their eyes met.  The strong fingers under his chin held his head gently up but the student closed his eyes, shaking his head as tears formed under his lashes.  “Look at me young one.”  It was a request and it was a command but it was impossible to obey.  Obi-Wan swallowed hard and tried to still his breathing, that wasn’t working either.  Qui-Gon could feel the struggle inside the apprentice so he softly continued.  “You are not responsible for my actions Padawan.  You cannot control my responses.  And you cannot change what I have done.”  The student's eyes opened and locked onto his own.  The Jedi master swallowed his own feelings and continued, “I could not leave you there young one and you have no right to ask me to either.  You are my Padawan.  I could no more have walked out that door that day than I could keep myself from breathing.  Do you understand?”  A small nod answered him. “It was my decision.”  He enunciated his words crisply but they were spoken softly.  “Now we will have to live with my decision but we will live and you do not have to worry about them capturing us.  I do not intend to be an easy or an available target.  It’s a big universe Obi-Wan and the Ephriphan's are not everywhere.  And as for you acting in a manner becoming of a Jedi, you did my Padawan and I am very proud of you.”  The students full attention was on him now, his breathing had calmed and there was a steadiness in his eyes that was lacking only moments before.  “Now, Padawan, we will not speak of this again.  We will leave it behind us in the past where it belongs.  This is today and we will live it while we have it.”  He smiled gently and dropped his hand into his lap, “Do I make my self clear?”

Obi-Wan smiled broadly, nodding, “Yes Master.  You have made yourself very clear.”

“Good.  Then let us see just how much Mace left to us shall we?”

“Master?”  Qui-Gon turned back and Obi-Wan placed his hand on the older Jedi’s shoulder, “Thank you.” 

The Jedi Master wrapped a large hand around the back of the apprentice’s head and pulled the young man to him until their foreheads touched.  The Padawan closed his eyes and rested there for a moment.  “You are very welcome young one.”  Roughing the apprentice's hair up he pushed back from him, standing in one smooth movement and approached the communication monitor. 

“I wonder if he gave us enough money to buy something to eat with?”  The laughter behind him caused him to smile.

“I’m starved.”

“Well it's late.”  He turned back to look at his charge, his eyebrows raised in expectation.

“I’m not tired and I am not eleven.”

“No you’re seventeen and you are still healing.  It would be wise to rest up while you can.”  The threatening look he gave only elicited a snort of laughter, “Now go.  Don’t make me get up.”  The old threat brought a huge smile to the young mans face and he stiffly stood and walked to the door of the sleeping room.

“As if you could move fast enough anyway.” The reply was sarcastic and muttered.

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to!”  He called out from the room as he eased into bed. “And Master do you think we could get some new clothes?  I think Heyfehd was right, our robes will be too warm.”

“In the morning Obi-Wan.”  Qui-Gon whistled softly as the amount of the account blinked onto the screen, “In the morning, things will look much better.  I promise you that.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Something had caused him to awaken.  It was still pitch black outside.  He lay quietly and listened to the darkness.  The little light afforded by the partially open door was momentarily blocked as something moved passed his room.  Obi-Wan’s heart skipped a beat and he swallowed hard.  Soft sounds of movement could barely be heard coming from the other room.

Stealthily he crept out of bed and approached the doorway.

//Master?//  There was no answer, no sense of the other in the force.  His breathing quickened and he strained to see out into the interior of the main room.

Pitch black engulfed him and strong hands jerked him out into the open living area.  Someone had him in a death grip and he was forced to the floor.  Shackles engulfed his wrists and he cried out in surprise.  Sneering laughter could be heard just out of eyesight and when he moved to locate the source he received a swift kick to his still healing ribs.  As he writhed in pain and tried to catch his breath he caught sight of a form that made his blood run cold.  He stopped struggling and stared in disbelief at the body of his Master shackled and beaten, lying near the door unconscious.  

“No.”  The word was a mere whisper and as it left his lips his heart broke.  He couldn’t stop repeating himself. “No. No.”  How had they found them so quickly? And how had he slept through them capturing his Master?  He heard the all too familiar sound of an Ephriphan whip being shaken out as rough hands stripped his tunic from his shoulders and laughter echoed coldly in his ears.  His head was pressed down and helplessness engulfed him.  His heart was beating too fast and before the first stripe could be laid across his bare back he heard himself already beginning to scream.

With a gasp Obi-Wan sat up in bed.  The soft light of a new morning spilled in through the high window in his room coloring the area in warm colors.  The bed sheets around him were soaked with sweat and he had become entangled in them.  They were twisted around his left wrist and wrapped in soft constricting folds around his waist.  Wildly he looked about him trying to place in his mind how he got here from where his brain last remembered being.  He had been about to be whipped, Ephriphan guards had caught him and they had beaten his Master.

His Master!

Shoving the covers away from him he stumbled into the main area of the modest apartment that he and Qui-Gon had rented the night before.

“Master?”

There was no answer and the rooms felt empty.  The large bay windows had been opened and a light breeze filtered through them.  The sudden shift in realities and emotions was too much and he dropped to the ground where his Master had lain bound in his dream.

“It was a dream, Kenobi”, he whispered to himself in the stillness, “it was only a dream.”  Wrapping his arms around his upper body he rocked himself slowly for a few minutes calming his breathing and stilling his heartbeat.  He allowed the adrenaline to filter through his system and accepted the shaking that it left in its wake as he kneeled on the floor concentrating on the force and pulling the tendrils of peace to himself.

//Obi-Wan?//

//Master where are you?//  He hadn’t meant to sound that desperate.

//Is everything all right?// 

He couldn’t believe the question, //Yes, it was just a…yes Master everything is fine.  Where are you?//

//On my way back with clothing and food my Padawan.  You did say you were hungry.//

He could almost hear the smile of the elder Jedi through their bond, //Yes Master and that has not changed.  I’ll put on some water.//

//Good.  I’ll be there shortly.//

Obi-Wan stood shakily to his feet and started to move towards the small alcove that served as a kitchen.  His eyes strayed back to the space on the floor that had haunted his dreams and he shivered.  It had been so real.  Tentatively he touched the older Jedi through their bond just for reassurance and then retrieved a small kettle filling it with water for tea.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Qui-Gon reached for another of the dusty plum colored fruits that he had purchased earlier that morning.

“First things first Padawan.”  Using a scrap of paper he outlined the parts of the city he had scouted out explaining where their apartment was located in position to the two ports and the escape routes they could take if discovered, “I think we need to take Heyfehd up on his offer of assistance with our shuttle and see to repairs as soon as possible.  I don’t believe it is safe to stay here too long.  The Ephriphan's surely know they hit us with that last ion blast.  They will know we couldn’t have traveled far.  It wont take them too long to track us here”

“Yes Master” Obi-Wan shoved another biscuit in his mouth and chewed on the soft flaky bread a contented smile lit his face.

“Padawan?”  Qui-Gon watched him as he ate the rest of the small cake in one large bite, he couldn’t help laughing.

“You have no idea how much I missed real food!”  Obi-Wan reached for another, “What do they call these?”

“Panflas, and if you eat them all this morning we will have to buy more tonight.”  The reproach was lost on the hungry Jedi.

“S’okay” the mouthful of food slurring his words. “I don’t mind going and picking up more.”  He licked his fingers of the crumbs and smiled back at his Master.

Qui-Gon shook his head and looked the boy over carefully.  “Well it certainly wont hurt you to eat a bit more for a while.” The Padawan had a healthier look to him this morning although his eyes still held a haunted shadow.  His young body was thinner than the Master liked and the bruises from the shackles and beatings were still visible though Qui-Gon had been careful to buy Obi-Wan clothing that would hide most of them for the time being.

“Now as I was saying,” He pointed to a roughly drawn square, “this is the space port where Heyfehd works.”  He tapped the symbol emphasizing his point, “We can hire local pack animals to drag the ship into town, maybe even find out if they have a hover sled we can borrow.  There is a fair sized repair shop in the back and I believe with a little help we can acquire the parts necessary.”

“If it's only the hyperdrive and the navcomp Master, then it shouldn’t take much to fix it.”  Obi-Wans eyes were tracing the paths out of town the safe places Qui-Gon had indicated memorizing the layout, “It sounds to me like the patch panels were simply fired in the ion burst, if there was no internal scarring or burns then we can get the systems on line quickly.  The damage to the body of the craft all seemed superficial.  The stress cracks will be easy to fix with a plastiseal compound, besides we don’t care what she looks like, she just has to fly right?”

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement and stood from his seat, stretching muscles that had sat in one place too long.  As he turned to leave the room Obi-Wan stopped him.

“Master?”  The quiet tone of the question caused the elder Jedi to turn back and look at the young man. “How early did you leave this morning?”  Blue-green eyes watched him carefully.

“Just after sunrise.  Why Obi-Wan?”

The young Jedi glanced back down to the tabletop before answering.  “The next time you leave, can you please wake me and let me know.  It doesn’t matter how early.” His eyes flicked up and Qui-Gon noted the concern in them and something else that bothered him that he couldn’t place.  “Just so that I will know and I wont worry.  I mean we are on the run now and if you had been gone and something happened to you this morning and I didn’t know where you were I might not have been able to help you in time.”

When his teacher didn’t answer right away, Obi-Wan waved off the request and hurriedly began to clean the table, “Its okay, never mind I’m sorry.  I should know better, you are a Jedi Master.  You’ll be okay. I was just fretting and I shouldn’t have been.”  His words spilled out hurriedly as he scraped the crumbs of their breakfast into his hand, his eyes down to his task, his embarrassment radiated through their bond.

Qui-Gon quietly moved back next to the young man and stopped his awkward motions.  His hand resting lightly on the youth's still healing back, he turned the Padawan to face him.

“No you are right Obi-Wan.  That was not wise of me nor was it considerate.  I did not mean to make you worry.  We need to be more careful from now on,” The large eyes of the Jedi cautiously raised to look at the Master, “I am glad that you brought it to my attention.”

Obi-Wan smiled and nodded shyly, “Thank you.”  His voice was soft and he turned back to attend to the kitchen. 

Qui-Gon mentally kicked himself, Obi-Wan might be healing quickly physically but he would need time and patience to heal the mental scaring and fears that still haunted him, he should have known better.  The older Jedi grabbed a rusack he had purchased earlier and dumped the contents out onto the couch.  “Obi-Wan.”

The apprentice appeared at his side.  He shook out a light brown tunic with soft blue designs etched into the hem and held it up for the other to inspect.

“Being as we have to give up our robes for a bit I thought you might enjoy this instead” The sleeves of the short over coat were large and draped down past his wrists covering the bruises that the light undershirt he wore didn’t quite hide.

Smiling widely the student slipped into the warm clothing and shrugged it into place, “I like it a lot, thank you Master.”

“Yes well you can thank Mace when we get back,” With a laugh he turned and emptied the contents of another cloth sack containing clothing for himself, “he is the one who paid for all of this!”

On a whim the Jedi Master stopped the boy from going back to his chores.  Taking the youths head in his large hands he turned the Padwans face to the left and then slowly to the right frowning at what he saw.  He grabbed the confused boy’s tunic and wordlessly pulled him towards the couch.  Pointing at the floor the teacher simply commanded the young man to sit and disappeared into the fresher.

When he returned Obi-Wan was watching him carefully, slightly guarded. 

A large smile broke out across Qui-Gon’s face as he looked at the apprentice.  He stepped around him and sat on the couch behind the young Jedi. 

“What?”  Obi-Wan half turned to see what his Master was up to but strongs hand redirected his face forward.  Breathing in deeply he relaxed, he was safe, something he had to keep reminding himself.

Qui-Gon noted the touch of anxiety through their bond and leaned down near the young mans head, “You need a hair cut my Padawan.”  Obi-Wan smiled lightly and nodded.

“Yes Master I really do!”  He leaned back against the couch and let his head rest in the strong hands that brushed through his tangled hair. 

Qui-Gon undid what was left of the braid and smoothed the edges out cutting off the tips that were frayed and dry.  He rebraided the long length of hair, attaching new bands in place of the old worn out ones.  When he was finished he flipped the braid over the Padawans shoulder out of his way and began to work on the top of Obi-Wan’s hair.

“I was thinking about doing this earlier, we just never had the time.” The Masters voice was soft as he ran his fingers through the hair pulling up tufts of it and trimming it back to length.  “Your hair grew out long while you were on Ephripha.”

“Thank you Master,” Obi-Wan sighed deeply and relaxed back further against the couch.  He rested his arm on his Master’s knee and allowed the older man to gently turn his head so he could trim the long locks near the side of the students face.  Qui-Gon was careful as he laid the scissors alongside the Padawans face, watching as the apprentice closed his eyes as the cool metal was laid against his cheek.  Trust filled the bond and the Jedi Master answered the emotion with a surge of peace.  He repeated the procedure trimming away the over long dry hair and returning the boys cut to its previous appearance. 

Laying the scissors aside the Jedi Master ran his fingers quickly through the spiky short hair.  He drapped his arms around the Padawans shoulders and touched his chin down on top of the boys head.  “I think you look more like the Padawan I know.”

“I feel more like the Padawan you know,” Obi-Wan smiled brilliantly, sitting perfectly contented in the circle of the mans arms.

“Then what do you say we clean up the kitchen and go take a look around.  Heyfehd said we could have this day to ourselves, I say we get acquainted with the city and the people so we can better fit in, we might be here a while,” The Jedi Master talked softly enjoying the calm of the moment.

Obi-Wan was quiet for a few moments and Qui-Gon almost asked him what he was thinking when the young man spoke softly, “I really think I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while Master.  I think I it will be nice.”  Thoughts of rest and safety chased themselves through his mind touching their bond with a sense of weariness. 

Qui-Gon picked up quickly on the emotions of his apprentice and hugged the boy back against him, “I think it will be good for both of us.”  He ruffled the young mans hair and pushed him forward.  “Come on lets go see where our new home is located shall we? And,” he smiled down at the young man, “let’s go do some shopping too.  Mace left us plenty of credits.  You could use some new boots.”

He pulled the boy up and they headed for the door.  “How about some new pants too?”  The boy questioned with a huge smile.

“I think we can arrange that!”  Opening the door he ushered the young man out into the morning light with a laugh.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Retrieving the crashed shuttle was harder than they had planned on, but with the help of a few of the mechanics and the muscles of two docile Orinds they were able to wrestle the body of the ship onto an old dilapidated hover sled.  The orinds were huge and Obi-Wan was fascinated by their opaque multifaceted eyes.  They were large herbivores that resembled the reclusive kryat dragons he had heard about; only they had a short covering of fur over their muscular compact bodies instead of scales and their teeth were soft and flat not at all threatening like the infamous krayt.

The town they had crashed near was poor by most comparisons and their equipment was old and patched together, sub-standard to what Obi-Wan was used to working with.

The two Jedi had quickly fit in with the populace of Seline.  The mechanics in Heyfhed’s hangar had been more than eager to accept the new help and after a month of working in the bay it was difficult to tell the newcomers apart from any of the other mechanic there. 

Their shuttle was nearly fixed, only the exterior superficial scars of her crash still remained and they waited on a delivery of patch panels before the ship would be space worthy again.  It wouldn’t be long and they would need to leave.  Though the thought sadden the older Jedi, he knew they could not stay they were still too close to Ephriphan space and his feelings of unease had never quite abated.

Obi-Wan was working on a hover sled in a corner of the shop.  He and Heyfehd’s son Jarmyn had raised the battered transport with a crane and were working underneath it accessing the repulsor lifts of the faulty machine.  Jarmyn was a few years older than Obi-Wan, dark hair and dark skinned they were quite a contrast to each other.  The mechanics son had taken to the Jedi boy quickly, teaching him tricks of the trade and helping him work on the jobs that came in.  The two often could be found together in the shop tinkering or riding the orinds that Heyfehd owned out into the dune sea that bordered the city.  

The young Jedi had nearly healed from all his injuries and he had even acquired a nice tan, his hair lightening by degrees, bleached by the sun that warmed the planet.  Qui-Gon could always count on finding him outside when the days were good, enjoying the warmth and his freedom.  They had decided to let the apprentice grow his hair out a bit instead of keeping the distinctive severe Padawan cut that would make Obi-Wan stand out.  The young Jedi had been reluctant however to cut his braid and Qui-Gon had agreed that keeping it would not endanger them.  His light rust colored hair was streaked with blonde and red hints and had filled out, lengthening down to just below his ears.  Obi-Wan pushed a wayward lock of hair out of his eyes and concentrated on what Jarmyn was explaining.  The Jedi Master made a point to remind himself to cut the boy’s hair soon.  It would be more comfortable in the heat if it were a little shorter and he didn’t need it in his way.    The Jedi master smiled from the stall where he was working as he noticed the two youths begin to argue about how to fix the broken machine.

A small tremor in the force caught the master’s attention and he turned back to watch the boys.  His sharp eyes caught the center of the disturbance as the crane above their heads trembled slightly under the weight of the sled.

“Obi-Wan!”  The Jedi called out the warning with a shove of urgency through their bond as he began to run toward the young men.  He knew he was too far away he would never make it in time.

The apprentice turned.  Seeing his Master watching the crane above their heads Obi-Wan redirected his gaze in time to see the cable on the crane snap.  The hover sled seemed to remain suspended for a fraction of a second before it dropped.  Time slowed and distorted.  Obi-Wan heard his Master yell as the machine came down towards them.  Jarmyn froze in place.  He was too far away for Obi-Wan to save, the young Jedi had only one option.  He threw his hands over his head and braced his feet.  Grabbing the force and shutting out everything around him except the power that swirled to his aid and the vehicle above his head, he compressed the light of the force between himself and the hoversled bringing the machine to a stop inches above his outstretched hands.

Qui-Gon reached the two boys first and pulled Jarmyn out from under the suspended platform.  Obi-Wan slowly raised the transport a few inches higher his full concentration absorbed in the task of balancing the sled.  He staggered slightly as though under a heavy weight, adjusting the stance of his feet and straightening up, pressing the hover sled higher as his grip on the force strengthened.

//Padawan?  Are you all right?//

Obi-Wan didn’t move.  His eyes were closed and his features relaxed as he maintained his grip on the sled.

//Yes Master.  I need to put this down though.  Can you have them clear a space for me?//

Qui-Gon pressed his hand flat against the boys back sending more power into the youth and helping to ground him.  He was surprised by the composure of the young man; the amount of energy of the living force he had so quickly accumulated had created a buffer between himself and the equipment.  Obi-Wan was sure and steady not at all like the broken, weary youth he had rescued only a month prior.

Heyfehd snapped out of his amazement as Qui-Gon called out to him to make a space for the sled to be put down.  The mechanics quickly shoved a small craft out of the way and cleared an area for the Jedi to maneuver in. 

//Obi-Wan?//

//I see it// The young man grabbed the mental picture through their bond and turned to his right.  The hover sled wavered and Qui-Gon pressed one of his own hands above his head feeling the buffer of power.  He added his own strength to the Padawans and together they lowered the machine gently to the floor.

Obi-Wan let out a deep sigh and sagged in on himself bending over and resting his hands on his knees as he released the power around them and let go his grasp on the force. 

Qui-Gon laid his hand on the youth’s back, worry creasing his face.  He bent down to look into the apprentice’s eyes,  “That was quite a work out young one.  Are you alright?”

“I had no choice.”  Obi-Wan answered breathlessly.  He nodded when questioned further and stood up breathing deeply.  Staring into the concerned blue eyes watching him he apologized, “I didn’t mean to blow our cover but…”

“No.”  Qui-Gon rested his hand on the boys shoulder for reassurance, “You did the right thing.  It would have crushed you both.”

“I know, Jarmyn didn’t move.”  Obi-Wan glanced around him remembering his friend had been there.  “Where is he?  Is he okay?”

“Right here.”  The young Selinian walked slowly back towards them, his eyes huge with awe. “What are you?”

Heyfehd was close on the boy’s heels. He reached out and pulled the young man back stopping a good pace in front of the Jedi.

“I know I owe you thanks and more than that, but the boy has a good question.”  He glanced between the two Jedi, “Who are you that you can do that?”

The other mechanics gathered loosely around them and Obi-Wan suddenly stepped closer toward Qui-Gon unsure of the reaction of their friends. 

//Don’t worry Padawan.  I sense they are only curious.  We are perhaps the first Jedi they have ever met.  It’s okay.//  Instinctively protective he drew the boy in front of him and pulled the young man back against his chest.  Obi-Wan hadn’t taken his eyes off of Jarmyn.  He really didn’t want to loose his friend.

“We are Jedi.”  Qui-Gon spoke quietly and easily, wrapping the room in the force and spreading a peace out into it.  “We wont harm you.”

“How did you do that?”  Jarmyn watched Obi-Wan cautiously, pointing at the hoversled in the corner.

“Jedi?”  Heyfehds caution increased, he pressed Jarmyn back and stepped in front of him approaching Qui-Gon.  “My great great grandfather was said to be a Jedi.  He left Seline when he was very young and only returned once.”

Qui-Gon nodded slightly.  He felt Obi-Wan step back against him.

“How?” Jarmyn repeated his question to Obi-Wan leaning around behind his father so he could see the other.

“It’s the force.”  The younger boy whispered.

“It’s cool.”  A wide smile split the Selinians face, “Do you think you can teach me?”

Heyfehd turned and looked at his son, his brow furrowed in consternation.  But the boys enthusiasm was contagious as one by one the mechanics started to congratulate them on their near death experience.  Obi-Wan shifted under Qui-Gon’s hands and the Jedi released the apprentice as he slowly walked over to his friend and the group of mechanics, talking animatedly about their escape.  The Jedi Master tested their bond looking for any trace of the fear or hesitancy that had gripped the boy but the young man seemed to have recovered quickly from the discovery of their identities.

Heyfehd was not as easily swayed.  He walked up to the tall Jedi and stared at him hard, “Why would a Jedi come here?  Are you running from something or someone?  Or have you come for another reason perhaps?”

Qui-Gon weighed his answer carefully, they would need Heyfehd’s help if they were to get off this planet any time soon and if the man knew of their plight he might be even more ready to help them.

“We are indeed running,” Qui-Gon admitted.

“What would make a Jedi run?  I should have known something was wrong, you ‘felt’ different.  And he’s not your son is he?”  He motioned back at Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows at the mans answer, “No. He is my apprentice, but he is as dear to me as a son.  Tell me something, are you force sensitive?”

Heyfehd looked at him confused, “I cannot do what you just did. But sometimes I know things, feel things.  Like when you crashed here, I knew something would happen.  I had a feeling of where and when, that’s why I was watching when your craft fell.  Just things like that.”

“I see,” The Jedi Master nodded his head in understanding, “Did you know that something would happen before the crane snapped?”

“I had a bad feeling but I brushed it off.”

“We call that the force my friend and I would say that you have some of your great great grandfather in you.”

“Back to my question.”  Heyfehd redirected the conversation brushing off the compliment. “Why are you running and who from?  Is my family in danger because you are here?  I have given you shelter was I wrong to do so?”

"No Heyfehd we mean you no harm."  The Jedi casually folded his arms across his chest and did not drop his gaze from the other. "We have been in your employ for over a month.  If I had wanted to hurt either you or your family I would have done so by now.  I will not allow your family to be injured in any way while I am a guest of your hospitality."

Heyfehd nodded slightly.

"If you are uncomfortable with us staying here now, we will leave as soon as the patch panels are installed in the shuttle."

The mechanic did not answer but simply watched the Jedi.  Qui-Gon allowed him time to assimilate all the information he had just been given.

"Why are you running?"  Again the question Qui-Gon had evaded.

The Jedi master sighed deeply and let his gaze wander to Obi-Wan watching the boy as he talked with Jarmyn across the bay.

Heyfehd followed his gaze, "The boy?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon voice held a touch of weariness.  Heyfehd grabbed two crates setting them opposite one another indicating the Jedi should sit.

Qui-Gon continued without prompting, "Obi-Wan and I were separated on a mission about four months ago now.  The shuttle the boy was in was sabotaged and he crash landed on Ephripha."

Heyfehd's eyebrows rose at the mention of the name.

"You know of the Ephriphans?"  The master watched his employer carefully.

"Only stories, hearsay perhaps."  The mechanic shrugged, "They don’t welcome outsiders and their laws and societies are strict and closed."

"You don’t know the half of it," Qui-Gon nodded looking down to his hands; he stilled them in his lap and explained their situation.  "They falsely accused and imprisoned my Padawan.  I attempted through every avenue that I possibly could to free the boy or at least get him a fair trial.  They had incarcerated him in Gehenna."

Heyfehd let out a low whistle and turned to watch the young man, "Of this place we have heard many nightmares."

Obi-Wan suddenly aware of the scrutiny looked toward the two older men questioningly, his hesitancy at the sudden attention echoed through their bond.

//Master?//

Qui-Gon smiled from his makeshift seat and nodded slightly //It's alright Padawan.  I was just explaining our situation to Heyfehd.//

//Is that wise?// Obi-Wan’s sudden unease was not hard to sense.

//We have no choice young one// Qui-Gon tried to be reassuring.

"So how is it the boy is free then?"  The mechanic turned his attention back to the Jedi Master.

"They allowed me one visit.  While I was there they beat him in front of me simply because I asked them not to."  His eyes fell back to the boy and his voice grew quiet. "If you had to watch someone beat Jarmyn what would you do?"

Heyfehd didn’t speak; he knew what he would do.  The answer was easy.

"They beat him until he cried out but he couldn’t even struggle.  They had beaten him until there was no will left in him.  I couldn’t leave him there; they would have killed him.  So I broke him out of the prison and we escaped."  Haunted blue eyes stared into the deep brown ones that watched him quietly, "He may not be my son by blood, but he is the son of my heart and I couldn’t bear to let him stay there any longer."  Qui-Gon sighed deeply and stood up shaking the darkness that tinged his thoughts.  "We meant to actually get farther than Seline on our outbound escape but the ship was hit by an ion blast and this was the farthest we could coax it."

Obi-Wan had felt the awkward emotions of his Master and had quietly disengaged himself from the circle of men.  He walked slowly past Heyfehd and stood next to the Teacher looking at the older Jedi in concern.

//Is it me?//

"No Padawan, its not you."  He rested his hand on the young mans shoulder and turned him around, drawing him back against his chest. "I was explaining to Heyfehd how we got here and who we are running from."

Obi-Wan looked up over his shoulder at the Master his eyes wide and slightly worried.

Heyfehd noted the change in the young boy’s attitude and stood to his feet.  He had made his decision.  Touching the apprentice lightly on the arm to redirect his attention he addressed them both, "I have no love for the Ephriphans.  I would not have allowed Jarmyn to stay under those circumstances either."  His gaze softened as his eyes met the young Jedi's.  "I would have reacted in the same way your Master did."  He looked between to the two Jedi, "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like.  In fact there may be something that you can help us with in the future but we won’t speak of it now."

The mechanic turned the conversation to ease the tension, "You know my friends, if you are running then there are some modifications we should make to that shuttle of yours."  He smiled slyly at them.  My father's brother was a slicer, who worked for a pirate.  When he retired here to Seline he taught me a thing or two about ID and hyper signature shredding.  If you like we can install a device on the ship that will make it virtually impossible to track you."

"You can do that?!" Obi-Wan asked amazed.

"Hey my dad's the best." Jarmyn walked up on the small group a proud smile on his face, "He can do anything.  Bet he can rig that ship better than your dad ever could."

Obi-Wan swallowed hard knowing that Qui-Gon had told Heyfehd of their true relationship, "Well he's not really…"

"Jarmyn!"  The boys father rescued the young Jedi interrupting his confession, "Obi-Wan's father may not be as good at ships but your old man can’t do any of the fancy things that he can using the force."  He glared at the boy, "Shame on you for bragging."  He glanced quickly at Qui-Gon and smiled.

The tall Jedi nodded in thanks for preserving their cover and squeezed the shoulder of his Padawan, "Why don’t you and Jarmyn go see about fixing that hoversled again.  The owners are coming in later today to pick it up."  He pushed the boy in the direction of the broken piece of machinery, "Quickly now there is work to be done."

Turning to Heyfehd he smiled, "Thank you for keeping our cover intact."

"My pleasure."

"When you feel free to, please let me know how Obi-Wan and I can repay you and your family for the kindness you have shown us."  Heyfehd’s look grew serious as he contemplated the favor he wanted to request of the Jedi.  "You mentioned something earlier, I would very much like to know what that might be, when you are ready."  Qui-Gon finished offering their services and bowed slightly in the typical Jedi fashion.

With a small nod Heyfehd moved back towards the ship he had been servicing, "Thank you.  We will talk later."

* * * * ** * * * * * * * *

The night was warm and the sky was clear.  Obi-Wan sat in the frame of the large bay window off of their kitchen.  He leaned his head back against the cool rough stone of the dwelling and enjoyed the slight breeze that played over him, ruffling through his hair.  Seline was asleep. 

The day had been long and unexpected.  He thought back to the altercation with the hover sled and their exposure as Jedi.  A slight smile played across his lips as he recalled mentally teasing ‘Dad’ and the final threat the Jedi Master had made if he didn’t stop it – a week of cleaning out Sharz’ pen.  He could hear the large beasts soft snufflings outside their home.

The Jedi apprentice couldn’t sleep; his mind was filled with too many thoughts and too much energy.  He felt his Masters slight awareness through their bond and damped his thoughts down a bit in an attempt not to waken the teacher but it was too late.

//Obi-Wan?//  Sleep slurred the words slipped quietly through their bond.

//I am sorry Master I didn’t mean to waken you.//

//What’s wrong my Padawan?  Where are you?//

//Well nothing is really wrong Master.  I can’t sleep.  I am sitting in the window watching the stars//

A soft unintelligible murmur echoed back to him and he heard the Jedi stir in the adjacent room.  The quiet padding of feet behind him alerted him to the Master’s presence. 

Qui-Gon leaned against the opposite side of the frame and pressed his fists against sleepy eyes.  “What troubles you young one?”  His voice was soft and low.

“Nothing Master.  Well…that’s not entirely true.”  The young boy looked back out to the dark horizon, “Something woke me, there is a lot of energy in the force tonight.  I couldn’t pinpoint the source and I couldn’t sleep.”  He folded his arms around his legs and drew his knees against his chest.  “It’s a pretty night though and so I thought I would sit and look at the stars.”  His gaze drifted to the bright heavens above their apartment.  “It’s been awhile since I just watched the stars.”  The young boys voice grew soft, “I hadn’t realized that I missed it.”

Qui-Gon smiled and seated himself on the edge of the large window.  “It is a nice night.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you though.”

“Its quite all right my Obi-Wan.  I am glad you did.”  The Jedi Master closed his eyes and let the force wash over him.  As he delved deeper into the energy around him he noted the same warning that had woken Obi-Wan earlier.  Something was going on somewhere and whatever it was it seemed to be coming closer.  As he tried to pinpoint the disturbance his anxiety rose.

Obi-Wan noted the change in the Jedi. “Master?”

The large Jedi jumped to his feet and grabbed the Padawan pulling him from the window seat and shoving him to the floor his body shielding the young man.  A resounding thud shuddered the far wall and light spilled into the small room. 

Within moments the street outside was in flames.  Shouts and screams split the calm night air.  The Jedi Master rolled off the youth and focused on the opposite wall.  A flaming spear had embedded itself into the block, the fire dripped down onto the rough throw rug below it quickly igniting.

“Padawan!”

“I see it!”  Obi-Wan ran for his room and grabbed a blanket from his bed, trying to beat the flames out.  The Jedi Master raced into the street and grabbed Jarmyn as the young man ran for the Orind stalls.

“Where’s your father?”  He shouted to be heard over the chaos that had seized the small town.  Dark figures ran from house to house, grabbing items, machinery and food, and throwing them into large baskets carried on the backs of swift eight legged mounts.  The creatures were hard to distinguish in the night but their riders were definitely humanoid. 

Qui-Gon saw Heyfehd in the distance racing with a group of mechanics towards the hangar bay. “Get to safety!” He shoved Jarmyn towards the apartment and ran to catch up with the men.

“Heyfehd!”  The sound of his name stopped the Selinite.  Qui-Gon raced to his side, “What is this?”

“We have to get to the hangar I will explain later.”  His eyes were searching the dark shadows around them, “Quickly my friend.”  He grabbed the sleeve of the Jedi’s tunic and pulled the confused man after him.

They rounded the corner and found the doors of the hangar beat in.  The mechanics were slowly dejectedly filing back out of the large empty structure. 

“We are too late.”  A large red haired man that Qui-Gon had come to know as Rez kicked angrily at a plasma bolt lying on the ground.

The shop boss walked out last and fixed his eyes on Heyfehd, “They took it all this time, they didn’t leave us with anything.”  His eyes shifted to watch the Jedi, “Your shuttle is gone too.”

“What is the meaning of this?”  Qui-Gon looked from one man to the other unable to comprehend what had just happened. 

//Master!//

//Obi-Wan!  Are you alright?//

//They broke the door in.  I couldn’t stop them, they caught me off guard.//

//Are you hurt?//

//No, not really.  I hit my head on the table when they knocked me over but that’s all.//  There was a lull as the boy hesitated to continue  //They took all the food though Master and my over tunic and your extra boots.//

//As long as you are all right I am not worried about the other things.//

Heyfehd had climbed the small hill behind the hangar and was watching through night vision binoculars looking out towards the dune sea searching the undulating landscape.  Qui-Gon pressed through the crowd of people that had gathered and joined the man.

“Heyfehd, what just happened?  Someone broke into the house and attacked Obi-Wan.  They took food and clothing.”  The Jedi Master looked hard in the direction the mechanic was searching trying to find what the man was attempting to locate.

At his words Heyfehd turned and fixed the Jedi Master with a hard dark stare, “Did they hurt the boy?”

“No.”

“Can you tell if my family is alright?”

“Of course.”  Qui-Gon reached out to the bond he shared with the young Jedi and contacted him again.

//Padawan?//

//Yes, Master?//

//Can you go look in on Heyfehd’s family and make sure they are all right?//

//I am with them now Master.  They are fine.  One of the orinds was stolen though//

//Good job Padawan stay with them until I return//

//Yes Master//

Qui-Gon refocused on the worried man in front of him.  “Your family is fine, but Obi-Wan says that one of the Orinds was stolen.”  He paused to let the words wash over the other, “Heyfehd, does this happen often?”

“The weather has changed for the better.  The crops are beginning to come in.  Every year this time they come.  Every year they take what they want.  Each year they take more.  Sometimes we are lucky and they do not take any of our people, sometimes we are not so lucky.”

Qui-Gon’s heart went cold and he dreaded the answer to his question, “They take your people as slaves?”

“Yes.”  The answer was clipped and harsh.  He couldn’t see the expression in the man’s eyes through the darkness.

“Does this perhaps have anything to do with the favor you were thinking of asking of me?”  Heyfehd’s eyes refocused on the Jedi’s, the moons were reflected in their dark wide pupils.

“Yes, yes it does.”  The Selinites voice was quiet and desperate.  “Can you help us?”

Qui-Gon considered the situation for a few seconds before responding, his Jedi enhanced vision caught sight of the raiding caravan cresting a dune far into the dry expanse.  He had come to know and love these people, how could he and Obi-Wan not help?

“Let’s go back and see to our families and we will discuss our next move in the morning.  I doubt they will return.”  He touched his hand to Heyfehd’s shoulder and directed him back to the hangar.  With the help of their fellow mechanics they boarded up the damaged entrance as best they could and walked solemnly back to their homes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The force had told him it would be tonight and so they were ready, Obi-Wan shifted restlessly in his hiding place.  It was well past midnight but the air around him was warm.  The shiver that ran up his spine was from the ripple of warning in the force and not the darkness of night.  He had felt it once before but had never forgotten it, the sense that someone, somewhere was coming; the raiders were on their way.

It had been well over a month since the last raid.  Qui-Gon had repeatedly met with the city council and the ruling governor to establish plans to thwart the next attack.   After much disagreement and concern it had finally been agreed upon that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would attempt to capture one of the raiders and discover the true identity of the marauders and the reasoning behind the attacks.  It had seemed like a simple plan at first but now Obi-Wan was having his doubts.  Eerie touches of the force set him to nervously pacing the small area where he was hidden in the shadows on the far side of the hangar bay.

//Padawan?//  Qui-Gon was pressed into a corner on the west side of the hangar opposite the apprentices hiding place.  The young man stopped his pacing, leaning his back against the still warm rock wall and slid down the rough exterior crouching quietly in the darkness his eyes scanning the horizon as his awareness scoured the force.

//Sorry Master// His senses picked up and he quieted his breathing concentrating.  //They are coming//

//Yes I know they are.  That same feeling you had the first night is back//

//I think they are here//

Qui-Gon raised his night vision monocular and scanned the waves of sand.  //I don’t see anything//

//I know// Obi-Wan stood and braced his feet slipping his lightsaber from his belt and gripping it with both hands.  He balanced his weight and focused on the area around him.  He didn’t have long to wait.  //Warn Heyfehd!//  The apprentice shouted into their bond and leapt into the path of a dark shadow that rose over the dune before him.

It had been determined from previous attacks that the raiders most often entered the village from the north end and worked their way through the town hitting the hangar bays and the industrials areas first.  Because the attacks had no set timing or pattern the villagers were always taken off guard by the raids, but the fact remained that no matter when Heyfehd and his men reached the hangar it had already been broken into and pillaged.  So the ambush had been arranged to take place there.  Heyfed, Rez and Thyler were stationed on the roof with nets, the rest of the mechanics and men from the city were hidden behind the large building and the adjacent smaller offices and homes located on the outer edges of the town.

Obi-Wan’s lightsaber burst to life with a sharp snap, his blue blade arcing up towards the hulking creature that topped the ridge.  With a sweep of his weapon he cut the sand out from underneath the animals legs, toppling its rider and spilling the man onto the sand.  Within moments others had joined the first raider and were streaming over the dune hills pouring into the streets around them.  The man in front of Obi-Wan gained his feet quickly and slammed into the apprentice before the boy could move.  Catching the youth off guard the marauder seized the opportunity and fled running towards his mount who had regained its footing and vaulted to the top of the animal with the help of one of the beasts forelegs.

Obi-Wan sprinted after him and lunged forward only to be thrown back by a swift kick from the animal carrying the raider.  A wicked claw slashed a furrow into the ground near the youth’s head as he rolled to his left out reach of the animal.  Springing lightly to his feet he chased the retreating figures towards town.

Shouts and fighting could be heard as the men from the town engaged the marauders driving them back.  The youth ran around the building following the multi-legged mount that had just escaped him.

He stepped into the street to see his master holding a large creature at bay.  It was hard to see exactly what the beasts looked like under the cover of dark.  The animal appeared to be at least 7 feet tall and resembled an insect more than an animal.  The bottom of the creatures belly just brushed the top of the tall Jedi’s head.  A man atop the insect was aiming a compound bow at the Jedi; the tip of the arrow was aflame.  Qui-Gon who was preoccupied with keeping the tall beast at bay didn’t see the rider aiming for his chest. 

With a shout Obi-Wan ran at the pair and skidded to a stop outside the reach of the insects multi-jointed legs.  He raised his hand and threw a wall of force power at the pair of raiders, knocking the creature off balance and throwing the man to the ground.  The mount had toppled near the hangar and Qui-Gon called up to the men on the rooftop.

A huge thick net was flung over the side of the building trapping the beast beneath it and entangling its legs.  The mechanics on the ground shouted in victory and surged upon the helpless rider, who was still dazed by the invisible power that had thrown him down.  They grabbed the man with the intent to beat him but the tall Jedi pushed angrily through their midst igniting his blade and carving a circle out of the angry mob.

“This will not help!  Get back to your places and continue to drive them out!”  He shouted using the force to back up his words. Pointing behind them to the desert the Jedi continued, “Already they are leaving.  Hurry and help your neighbors!  Keep them from getting any of the goods or breaking into the homes!  Stick to the plan and we will be safe.”

Qui-Gon reached down and pulled the kneeling raider to his feet.  The man had a nasty cut above his left temple and he wove unsteadily on his feet.  The Selinians seeing their attackers fleeing took up the charge and chased them half way into the desert before returning.

Heyfehd jumped down from his vantage point to help Qui-Gon.  With a leather thong he carefully bound the raiders hands behind his back.  He could tell the man was hurt and although he felt no remorse he knew they needed to keep the marauder alive in order to get answers from him.

The attack had gone well.  No one had been killed and only a supply shed had been broken into and vandalized but the town had survived with no losses.  The raiders had been unprepared for the assault and had easily been routed.

With the clean up of the raid over Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked into the hangar where the prisoner and his mount were being kept.  Extra lighting had been brought in and the inside of the domed building was bright with the incandescence.  The lone raider stood bound in the middle of the building, his eyes were hard and focused on the far wall behind the heads of the crowd of men that had gathered around him.  A huge steel cage kept for the taming of wild orinds contained the captured mount.  Obi-Wan stared fascinated at the creature.  It looked like nothing more than a large arachnid.  The spider stood on eight multi-jointed legs; each leg was tipped with a fore claw.  The pads of the creature's feet were suction cups and he made odd sounds as he paced the steel enclosure.  The creature had a long flat body and four eyes arranged horizontally across the animal's head glistened black in the bright lights.  The spider's body, head and forelegs were covered with a short thick tan fur, the color of the sand outside, perfect for hiding.  Its mouth was framed by a set of prehensile claws that it clacked in irritation and the fur on its back rippled with anxiety. 

Qui-Gon walked through the crowd of Selinians and approached the man.  The room quieted and tension filled the air.  He took the situation in quickly and glanced at Obi-Wan who moved to his side.  The man before them bound by the leather didn’t flinch or even acknowledge their presence.  Blood caked the side of his head and his wound had not been seen to.

//Obi-Wan//

With a quick nod in understanding the Padawan ran to the back of the hangar, grabbing a nearby towel and some bandages and jogged back to the center of the room.  Pushing through the men around him Obi-Wan approached the raider.  Qui-Gon was talking to Heyfehd and the council members by the time the apprentice returned.  The Jedi Master turned slightly in order to keep his eye on the Padawan as he approached the raider.  The captured man was much taller than the young apprentice and he looked quickly around for a chair.

“Can you get me a chair?”  The young Jedi asked a man near him.

“Make him kneel if you want him lower.”  The other responded to the boy, spitting out the words vehemently. "Its because of his kind that I lost my son last year!"  Those around the townsman agreed and their answers soon turned to shouting.

“Enough!”  Heyfehd stepped towards the rowdy section of people clamoring for justice.  “Get the boy a chair now.”

An older gentleman from those gathered in the crowd split off from the group and returned with a stool.  He nodded to the young Jedi and set the makeshift chair down near him.

Qui-Gon moved nearer to the apprentice and the captive man. “You need to return to your homes now.  There is nothing more you can do here.”  He addressed the crowd of onlookers.  Murmurs of protests rippled through the group surrounding them.  “You did well tonight but you are no longer needed here. Your families need you now.  The council will meet in the morning and formally address you all.”  His words were final and his tone was firm.

Heyfehd stepped into the center of the room, “My friends, go home.  Qui-Gon and his son will not allow the injustices to continue in our town.  In the morning everything will look clearer, tonight you are angry, tomorrow you will be able to think better.  Listen to him and leave.”

One by one the townsfolk left until only the council members, the mechanics and the Jedi remained.

Obi-Wan again turned his attention back to the wounded prisoner.  “You can sit. Its alright.”  He pushed the stool nearer the man.  The raider was a tall man with dark hair and clear white-blue eyes.  A scar ran the left side of his face from one eye to his cheekbone.  His lips were thin and set in a straight line.  He wore clothes not unlike the Selinians but instead of an over tunic he wore a simple leather vest.  His body was tanned and brown from exposure to the sun.  He didn’t acknowledge the young man who spoke softly to him.  “I wont hurt you but I need to see to that cut, it looks rather nasty.”

Something in the youths voice caused the man to frown down at the boy.  Who was this child who cared all of a sudden?  Qui-Gon watched carefully as he mediated the discussion that had set up amongst the council members. 

Warily the tall raider sat, his movements were reserved and stiff.  Behind him the creature in the cage shifted and trilled softly, hissing when Obi-Wan moved closer to the raider.  The apprentice carefully touched the wet towel to the mans head, gently working the dried blood from around his eyes and face.

“What's your name?”  His voice was low and just between the two of them.

//Padawan// The caution came through their bond.

//I know, I know, but Master can you feel it?//  Q