Jedi Go Home
Part 6
"Where is the boy? Who has him?�The Getter was becoming impatient, and had started kicking Ben for good measure, making sure each time that the tip of his boot landed on one of the ants. The kicks themselves were painful enough, but they also sent a different kind of torment radiating outwards from the metal projectiles. The puncture marks had started to bleed as well.�I�ll shoot the next one into your eye if you don�t tell me now!�Reflexively, Ben squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to protect them. Just then, the door opened, and three men came in, an ordinary Getter guard in a uniform, another Getter who was not in uniform, and a very tall human in a brown cloak--the Jedi. Ben hadn�t thought it was possible to be any more frightened, but discovered that it was as he looked up to see the tall, long-haired man towering over him. The torture hadn�t gottem them anywhere, so now they were bringing in the Jedi! He was going to read Ben�s thoughts and tell the Getters everything Ben knew, including the fact that Dr. Maethum had been part of the resistance group! Ben felt suddenly nauseous and wondered if he were about to throw up from sheer terror as the Jedi glared down at him.
"Mayor Ech-to-tha!�the interrogation officer exclaimed, standing at attention. The other Getter nodded curtly in acknowledgement, then turned to the human and asked,�That�s him, isn�t it?�
The Jedi nodded.�Yes. That�s him. May I speak to him?�
"You�re welcome to try.�
Kneeling down next to Ben, the Jedi clenched his hands to fists, then opened them again and asked simply,�Why, Obi-Wan?�
Obi-Wan? What sort of name was that? Vaguely, Ben realised it was his only chance to escape the scrutiny of the Jedi, and croaked,�I�m not Obi-Wan. You�ve got the wrong prisoner. All us Nens look alike to you, I know, but I�m not the one you�re looking for.�
The Jedi looked surprised.�Who are you, then?�
"Ben,�he replied, his eyes darting to the interrogation officer, who was still fingering the instrument of torture.�Ben Maethum.�
"That�s the name on his identity disc, but the disc is a forgery, of course,�the officer replied. Pointing the weapon at him, he asked,�Tell him your real name!�
The agony that enveloped him was worse than before, so much worse that his already fragile determination broke then and he began to shriek,�I don�t know my real name, I don�t remember, I�ve got amnesia, shut it off, please, shut it off!�
"Shut it off!�the Jedi commanded loudly enough to be heard over Ben�s screams.
"Amnesia,�the Getter scoffed after letting go of the trigger and lowering the device.�That�s a new one!�
The Jedi was silent for a moment, contemplating Ben as he lay panting on the floor, and then he said,�I almost believe you, but I have to be sure. Lower your shields.�
"Huh?�Ben didn�t know what he meant.
"In your mind, the shields around your thoughts.�
Ben just stared at him until the Jedi sighed softly in defeat.�I�m sorry. I have to do this. I have to know.�
Ben flinched and tried to pull away as the Jedi reached out and placed a hand on the side of his head, closing his eyes at the same time. Almost instantly, he felt a touch in his mind, a slight whisper of a foreign presence there, and the feeling made him start to panic even before the explosion of pain that seemed to go on and on, never dying away but only increasing in intensity.
"Get him out of my head! Please, I�ll tell you everything, just get him out of my head!�Ben screeched, fighting against the torment in his mind and trying to twist his body away from the Jedi�s touch.�He�s in the police station with Wylan, in the cells under the police station, Wylan�s got him, make him stop, please, just make him stop!�
But the Getters made no move to do anything, and the Jedi remained, sifting through his memories at high speed until he came abruptly to the end. Ben had no choice but to endure it, and when the Jedi finally released him, he felt tears coming to his eyes and couldn�t stop his body from shaking as he sobbed. It hurt. Body and mind, everything hurt.
"I�m sorry. I didn�t want to hurt you, but this was the only way,�said the Jedi again. He�d taken his hand from from Ben�s head, but now he replaced it, and Ben screamed again until he realised that the pain was ebbing away. It didn�t disappear completely, but it was no longer so severe.
The Jedi stood up and addressed the Mayor.�He�s telling the truth. His memories go back about five weeks, just about to the time he disappeared.�
"What about my son? Is he telling the truth about where they�ve hidden him?�
"Yes.�
"Thank you, Master Jinn,�the Getter breathed, obviously relieved.
"What will happen to Obi-Wan now?�
"Normally, he�d be executed, but if we get my son back unharmed, I�d be willing to pardon him, for your sake, for helping us find him. It�s obvious that the Nens brainwashed him into doing this. I�d have to insist that he leave the planet immediately, though.�
"You are most generous, Mayor Ech-to-tha.�
"Take care of him. The Jedi will be back later to pick him up,�the mayor told the guards, then said,�Come, let�s go find my son.�
When the Jedi had followed Mayor Ech-to-tha from the room, the interrogation officer put the device away in the cabinet and took out a small instrument that looked a bit like needle-nosed pliers with slight hooks on the end, and a square, shallow bowl. Then he knelt down next to Ben and began to pry the ants from his skin. Ben gasped as the first one came away and revealed a pin as long as the tip of his little finger, red now with his blood. By the time the officer had finished, there was quite a substantial pile of them in the bowl.
"Take these and have them sterilised for next time,�he instructed the guards.�And put the Nen in a holding cell and get one of the medics to look at him.�
The way to the holding cell, however, led back to the shower room. At first, Ben howled at the icy water, but as it went on, he lost the will to protest, and simply bowed his head against the deluge. The end of it came as a surprise, and then the guards were unchaining his arms, handcuffing them behind his back again, and leading him down the corridor and down a set of stairs, half-carrying him because the pain in his feet and elsewhere was still enough that he had difficulties moving at all, let alone walking unaided. Here, there were rows of doors on either side. One was opened for him, and he was thrust inside a narrow cell and forced to kneel on the floor. Then the handcuffs were released and the guards went out, locking the door behind them.
The cell consisted of a metal shelf and a fixture in the corner that proved to be a kind of toilet, nothing more. Pulling himself onto the shelf and clutching his knees to his chest for a semblance of warmth, Ben tried to make sense of what had happened before. The Jedi had entered his mind somehow and had tortured him, forced him to give in. And he had. Frightened out of his wits by the mental invasion and the pain it had caused, he�d broken down, betrayed the location of the Getter child and implicated Wylan along with it. In return, as a sort of favour it seemed, the mayor was handing him over to the Jedi. He wondered vaguely what other information the Jedi had gleaned from his mind and would be telling the Getters even now. Would they be going to arrest Dr. Maethum soon? Rixi, too, for her part in the spray paint episode? Ben felt sick with dread and despair. He was also angry, both at himself for giving in, and especially at the Jedi for making him do it.
The cell door opened, and a Getter came in holding a medical bag. After gruffly telling Ben to lay down and sighing with impatience at Ben�s slow movements, he roughly smeared a sort of salve over every one of the wounds that the ants had left. It stung, and Ben hissed once, but the medic merely said,�Shut up, Nen. Be grateful you�re getting any treatment at all.� After that, Ben gritted his teeth, turned over obediently when the medic told him to, and waited for the stinging to fade into a dull ache, which it did not do until long after the medic had left the cell.
It seemed like an eternity went by as he lay there, shivering with cold, but trying otherwise to remain as still as he could so that it didn�t hurt as much, occasionally dozing off. Eventually, however, the door was opened again, and the Jedi came in. He laid a pile of neatly folded clothing on the bench next to Ben, then removed the knee-high boots from the top of the pile and placed them on the floor.
"I�ve brought your clothes, you can get dressed,�he said.
Ben looked at them with disgust. Jedi clothes!�Those aren�t mine.�
"You can either wear them, or walk out of here stark naked,�said the Jedi calmly.
Defeated, Ben got up slowly and began to dress, demonstrably turning away from the Jedi. At least they would be warm. He couldn�t seem to stop shivering.
"You don�t remember me. My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, I am a Jedi Master,�the Jedi said after a moment.�And your real name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are my apprentice.�
"I am what?�Ben whirled around to face him, barely registering the pain caused by the sudden movement as he stared at the Jedi in horror.�You�re telling me I�m a Jedi, too?�
"Yes, Obi-Wan, you are a Jedi, too.�
"Don�t call me that. I don�t want a Jedi name. I don�t want to have anything to do with the Jedi!�
The Jedi was silent for a moment, then asked,�Which name would you prefer?�
"Ben,�he said sullenly, pulling on the boots.�Ben Maethum.�
"All right, Ben. I�ve spoken to a Healer at the Jedi Temple. He�s heard of a treatment for amnesia. It�s still in the experimental stage, but he says the results have been astoundingly good. I�ll take you back to Coruscant and he�ll start treating you there. He�s certain that he can retrieve at least sixty percent of your memories.�
"If I�m a Jedi, then I don�t want my memories back,�Ben snapped, although it was not quite true. He felt torn. On the one hand, he wanted badly to know who he was, but on the other hand, the thought of being a Jedi was sickening. His mind still ached dully from the mental invasion.�Just leave me here, because I�m not going to come with you and start manipulating people�s minds and tricking them into doing things they�d never do otherwise.�
"Is that what you think Jedi do?�
"Well, isn�t it?�Ben challenged.
"We are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy--�the Jedi began, but Ben cut him off.
"Oh, yes, and we know exactly how you do that, how you keep peace in the galaxy. You manipulate people into not wanting their freedom, accepting compromises that keep them enslaved, torturing them into betraying their friends--�
"That is not true, Ben,�said the Jedi calmly but emphatically.
"You helped them torture me!�Ben shouted.�You went into my mind and forced me to tell them where that Getter brat was hidden!�
"I had expected the Get-tro-wens to merely interrogate, not to torture. I was wrong, and I am sorry that you had to suffer that. I did not help them. I went into your mind, that is true,�the Jedi agreed.�I broke down your shields, which I know was very painful and frightening. I sorted through your memories to discover if you were telling the truth about having amnesia, which you were. I did not do anything else.�
"You made me do it,�Ben repeated stubbornly.�And I am not coming with you.�
The Jedi sighed.�Obi-Wan--Ben. I know you don�t remember, but you are my apprentice and I am your master. I am pledged to guide you and protect you, even from yourself. I am not going to let you stay here to be executed.�
Ben sat down on the end of the bench farthest away from the Jedi and turned his face to the wall.�I�d rather be executed than be a Jedi!�
"No, you wouldn�t. You really do want to remember, I can feel it. You�ve just heard too many untrue rumours about the Jedi, that�s all. When we get back to Coruscant and you�ve regained your memory, then you will know that we serve the greater good.�The Jedi banged on the door, and it was opened immediately from the other side.
"Are you ready, Master Jedi?�one of the guards asked.
"Yes.�
For a moment, Ben actually believed that the Jedi was going to leave him behind in the cell, but then two guards came in and heaved him to a standing position, handcuffing his hands behind his back. He dug his feet in and resisted, falling on his knees as they tried to lead him out of the cell. One of them lifted his weapon as though to hit him over the head, but the Jedi turned around at that moment and extended one hand.�No, don�t.�
After that, they settled for dragging him along with them, up the stairs, along the corridor, and through the outer door into a car. He was forced into the middle of the back seat with a Getter on either side of him, and then they drove off.
"Take us to this address,�the Jedi said, showing something to the driver.�The Mayor gave his permission.�
"Yes, Master Jedi,�came the reply.
To Ben�s surprise, they stopped in front of the Maethum house, and the Jedi and the guards got out. Ben remained where he was, feeling sick to his stomach with dread. Were they going to arrest Dr. Maethum, too? He hadn�t had any part in the kidnapping, but the Jedi knew from Ben�s memories that he�d been part of the Resistance. He�d almost certainly informed the Getters by now. Sorrowfully, Ben bowed his head.
The Jedi bent down to look into the car.�Ben? You can say good-bye to your--family--before we leave.�
Awkwardly, Ben scrambled out of the back seat, and the Jedi turned to one of the guards.�Can you take the handcuffs off now?�
The guard hesitated.�It�s regulations that the prisoner be handcuffed at all times until deportation, but--uh--I could put them in front, Master Jedi.�
"That would be acceptable, thank you,�the Jedi nodded.
The guard released the handcuff from Ben�s right wrist, then came around to stand in front of him, and cuffed them together again. Feeling only slightly less humiliated, Ben glanced up at the house, and saw the curtain of the living room window twitch. The front door opened a minute later and Rixi came out, twisting her braid around her finger and looking as though she couldn�t decide whether to run out or back in again. He heard her call over her shoulder,�It�s Ben! Mum, Dad, it�s Ben!�
With the Jedi at his side, Ben walked up the path, and a moment later, Rixi had flung her arms around him. She pulled back when he winced with the pain, and looked into his eyes.�Oh, Ben, we were so scared! What happened?�
"I got caught,�he mumbled, too ashamed to meet her gaze.
"You got caught? But they�re bringing you home--oh! Are they letting you say good-bye before they execute you?�
"He�s being deported, not executed,�said the Jedi.�May we come in and explain?�
They went in. Ben was relieved to see that the Getter guards stayed outside, close to the car. It was strange enough having the Jedi there in their living room. Moving with quiet dignity, the Jedi sat down in the chair that Bedec hesitantly indicated, and pretended not to notice the awkwardness as everybody else sat down, too.
"You�re being deported?�Rixi asked before anyone else could speak.�But where to? Are they taking you to a prison on Get-tro-we?�
"I�m taking him home to Coruscant,�the Jedi said.
There was a stunned silence.
"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, I am a Jedi Master. And this is my apprentice. He disappeared five weeks ago, I�ve been searching for him ever since. I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of him,�the Jedi continued.
"He�s--your apprentice?�Dr. Maethum asked.
"Yes.�
"What�s his real name?�Rixi asked.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi.�
Rixi bit her lip and turned her head away, making a strangled sound, and for a moment, Ben thought she was crying, until Bedec said sharply,�Rixi! You mustn�t laugh!�
"I�m sorry,�she giggled.�It�s just so funny. Listen to it! Obi-Wan Kenobi! Obi-Wan Kenobi!�
"Rixi!�Dr. Maethum said. He looked mortified as he turned to the Jedi.�I have to apologise for my daughter.�
"No apology necessary.�
"Ben suits you better,�Rixi said, trying to bite back her smile but not succeeding.
"Thanks,�said Ben morosely, looking down at the handcuffs around his wrists.
"I can�t believe you�re a Jedi,�she remarked, more serious now, and he could feel that she was looking quizzically at him.
"I�m not!�Ben replied heatedly, glancing up.�Rixi, don�t ever think that! I don�t want to be a Jedi! I don�t want to be your enemy!�
"You�ll always be Ben Maethum to me,�she smiled, taking his hand, and he felt himself relax slightly.
"We didn�t know he was your apprentice,�said Dr. Maethum, turning to the Jedi.�We thought he might be a fugitive--we thought we were saving him from the J--from the Getters.�
"You cannot be blamed for your ignorance in this matter,�the Jedi replied.
"I�m Dr. Fulk Maethum, by the way. This is my wife, Bedec and my daughter Rixi.�
"He already knows that,�Ben spoke up.�He read my mind, just like you said the Jedi do. He went through all my memories. He knows everything about you that I know. He helped them torture me, Uncle Fulk! He made me tell them about Wylan!�
"I did not help them torture you, Ben,�the Jedi corrected him in a quiet voice.
"It doesn�t matter, Ben. The whole thing was doomed from the beginning.�Dr. Maethum shook his head sadly.
"We saw it on the news,�Rixi said.�The Getters took Wylan�s wife and four children hostage this morning and threatened to shoot them all if he didn�t surrender and hand over the child.�
"And he did,�Ben guessed, collapsing inwardly.�They wouldn�t have known it was him if it hadn�t been for me.�
"Somebody else would have told them,�Bedec said.
Rixi looked at him pityingly.�It�s not your fault, Ben. Dad said that the Getters could torture anybody into confessing.�
"I was doing all right until the Jedi came along,�Ben muttered.
"I knew the whole thing wasn�t going to work,�Dr. Maethum sighed.�I had a feeling it just was not going to be successful. Ben--why? Why did you go with Wylan?�
Ben sighed miserably, staring down at his hands again.�I�m sorry, Uncle Fulk. I should have listened to you, but Wylan threatened to turn me over to the Jedi if I didn�t help them. I felt like I didn�t have a choice. I should have let him do it, though. That�s where I ended up anyway. Some birthday, huh? First Getter prison and then the Jedi.�
"Oh! Birthday! I almost forgot!�Rixi cried, standing up and racing out of the room. When she returned, she held a brightly wrapped box.�I guess we don�t have time for cake and ice cream, but I can still give you this. It�s not much. I�m sorry. I didn�t know what to get you, and--and I thought you�d be here always.�
Ben tried awkwardly to hold it in his cuffed hands, but it was too big, and Rixi repositioned it so that he could hug it against his chest.�Don�t open it now, but when you do, think of me.�
She blinked, and a tear ran suddenly down the side of her face. Then she leaned forward, taking Ben�s head in both hands, and pulled his lips to hers for a long kiss.
"Ben, we have to go now,�the Jedi said softly into the silence that followed.
Breaking away at last, Rixi whispered again,�Think of me.�
"I will,�Ben said, whispering as well.�I�ll always remember you, Rixi.�
Rixi ran out of the room and Ben could hear her wail of anguish even as she pounded up the stairs. Tears came to his own eyes and he squeezed them shut, unwilling to cry in front of the Jedi.
"Thank you for keeping him safe,�said the Jedi, standing up now and shaking Dr. Maethum�s hand.
"Take good care of him,�Bedec said, reluctantly extending her own hand.
"I will.�
"Yes, I have a feeling that you will,�Dr. Maethum remarked slowly. He laid his hand on Ben�s shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze.�Good-bye, Ben. Good luck.�
"Good-bye, Uncle Fulk,�Ben said faintly, standing up as well.�Good-bye, Aunt Bedec. And thank you for everything. I won�t forget you.�
Bedec gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then the Jedi was already leading him towards the door.