| Title: One Apprentice, One Pathway #1: Brewing (Part Five) Author: Ginger Ninja ***** Erase and rewind 'Cause I'm changing my mind... ***** "Well hello there my dear Master," a sarcastic voice greeted Qui-Gon as he opened his eyes. "How glad I am to see you." Qui-Gon made no effort to reply. He thought his head had been painful before. Now he was certain the sledgehammer in his head was about to crack his skull open and leave his brains smeared on the tiled floor of the Council Chambers. "Tell me Qui my old man, where is your little obedient Padawan?" Qui-Gon remained silent for a moment but grunted as a fresh burst of agony tore through him as his head was lifted by his hair. His blue eyes met the malevolent pair of his former apprentice. "Well?" Xanatos demanded. "Where is the little brat you insist on dragging around with you?" Qui-Gon looked away. /I don't have to tell him anything./ Xanatos' eyes lit up with an evil grin. Without so much as a whisper, he reached into Qui-Gon's mind. With the hung-over state his head was already in, Qui-Gon discovered a whole new meaning to the term headache. Barely clinging on to consciousness, he heard Xanatos laugh with delight. He had discovered what had happened between the Master and the Apprentice. "My, my Master Jinn," Xanatos hissed into Qui-Gon's ear. "You ARE a nasty fellow aren't you?" Xanatos finally let go of Qui-Gon's hair and his head crashed to the ground. Qui-Gon didn't care though. He was quite unconscious by now. Xanatos turned to the Councillors. "An evil man is in your presence," he told them with a sneer. "And I'm not talking about myself." Mace Windu twisted his head slightly to regard Yoda. The small, diminutive green Master shook his head sadly. He was well aware of the situation between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan by now. Xanatos turned away and stepped outside the Council Chambers where the two giant brothers stood waiting. "Contact the others," he told them. "Make sure the Jedi are all secured and then tell them to get up here. We may have a loose Jedi to deal with and I want them all to be prepared to deal with him accordingly." "Yeah but boss," said on of the large brother's. "Surely one Jedi kid won't give us too much trouble without the Force." But even Xanatos was willing to give Qui-Gon Jinn's missing Padawan a little bit of credit. "Just be careful. This kid is my former Master's apprentice. He's bound to have some tricks up his sleeve." ***** Obi-Wan stood outside the Temple doors in the pouring rain, unable to walk any further. The hesitation in his mind was too great. Part of him just wanted to go inside the Temple and collapse on the first thing that looked comfortable to lie on. He had never felt so drained and exhausted. Yet he was too afraid to step over the threshold. It wasn't just that he was terrified of facing Qui-Gon, it was the oddness he could sense from the massive Temple. It was as if everyone within the large building had suddenly left and not told him. He could only catch the occasional sensation that there was still sentient life within the Temple. Something was very wrong. But Obi-Wan was also angry. Very angry in fact, he decided. Deep inside him it bubbled, causing his entire body to tremble with rage if he thought about his feelings for too long. He was sick and tired of being ignored by Qui-Gon and this made him very, very angry with his Master. Wasn't he meant to be a Jedi Master capable of...well...just about anything? If so then why couldn't Qui-Gon see past Xanatos' failings and get on with his life? Obi-Wan frowned. That was a rather childish thought. When he had been younger he had always thought that adults - especially adult Jedi - were capable of anything and everything. Of course as he had grown older, he realised just how wrong such a presumption was. Qui-Gon Jinn's actions had shown him that more than any of the teachers he had had as an initiate. He began to walk forward again, ignoring the various voices that spoke negative whispers to him. Qui-Gon may be in the Temple but so were thousands of other Jedi and if something was wrong, Obi-Wan knew he had to do something to help. He drew on the Force to calm his tumultuous feelings. Nevertheless, the closer he got the entering the Temple doors, the more he couldn't help but wish that he had kept his tongue and that he hadn't have run away. /I guess I wish I could start this entire week over again. Everything would be different./ Focusing his thoughts on the here and now as he had been lectured to do so many times in the past, he crept through the Temple doors, instantly aware that something was clearly very wrong. The Force fell silent and no matter how hard he reached, Obi-Wan couldn't quite grasp it. Raising an eyebrow with curiosity, he stepped outside again and the Force rushed back to him. A slight grin graced his pale face despite the severity of the situation. If this was not such a bad sign, Obi-Wan figured he might laugh. It was almost ironic: the one place in the galaxy that was probably had the strongest presence in the Force due to all the Jedi there was now almost completely silent within the immense Force. Shaking his head at his own immature antics, Obi-Wan stepped back inside the Temple. It was time to find out what was going on. He went into the main entrance hall, all his senses on alert despite not having the Force to boost them beyond the normal range of humans. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary�well aside from the obvious. /Where is everyone?/ the boy thought as he looked around the massive yet completely empty and silent entrance hall of the Temple. He edged towards the corridor that led deeper into the Temple. He kept close to the walls, as if he would be able to become part of a wall should someone approach. And approach someone did. Obi-Wan heard the heavy footfalls of someone as they came towards him. The sound stopped suddenly and Obi-Wan peered round the corner of the wall. /Bruck?/ The white haired boy was looking around in the various rooms that lead off from the hall as if he was searching for someone. Obi-Wan hurried backwards, acting on instinct based on experience and not a call from the Force. He had had enough experiences with Bruck Chun in the past to know that this sort of behaviour probably meant trouble. "Who's out here?" Bruck's voice cut through the silence, catching Obi-Wan by surprise. "I know someone's here, I can sense you!" Obi-Wan's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and curiosity as he desperately sort out a hiding place. How was it that Bruck could sense him when he couldn't sense Bruck? Bruck's footsteps picked up speed and Obi-Wan's gaze travelled faster. He breathed a silent prayer of thanks to the Force when he spotted the hatch that led into a maintenance shaft. He opened the hatch, crawled inside, closed the hatch and waited with baited breath as Bruck passed by. He shuffled backwards on his hands and knees into the dark shaft as Bruck gazed in his direction. "You're close," Bruck taunted. "Come out little Jedi." It was at times like these that Obi-Wan was glad he was small. There was no way he'd be able to turn around and dash through the shaft on his hands and knees if he was any larger. The darkness of the shaft pressed in on him and the edges of the shaft pressed against his body. Claustrophobia was not something that normally affected Obi-Wan but right now he could feel fear growing inside him rapidly as he fled deeper and deeper into what seemed like the bowls of the Temple within the shaft. "Are you hiding from me?" Bruck's voice was heavy with malice. "Little Jedi...are you in here?" Obi-Wan heard Bruck throw the hatch of the maintenance shaft open. "Is the poor little Jedi scared of the dark?" Bruck called down the shaft. He paused for a moment and Obi-Wan assumed that he was reaching out with the Force. "You are afraid aren't you? I can sense your fear clearly and I can sense where you are." Bruck laughed. "You can't be much of a Jedi if you're afraid. I bet your just some reject! Fear leads to the Dark Side remember!" Bruck laughed again, a harsher sounding laugh this time. "Only stupid little Jedi think that!" Obi-Wan's mind worked furiously as he scooted backwards through the shaft. How could Bruck suddenly sense him so easily? /It's because you're afraid! He's right! Fear leads to anger! That's the Dark Side and I bet Bruck's crossed over to the Dark Side!/ "I'm coming to get you!" Bruck mocked in a singsong, high-pitched voice that had yet to crack with puberty. Obi-Wan heard the other boy enter the shaft and he clamped down on his fear hard. /I'm easier to sense if I'm afraid. OK, I have to calm down. There's nothing to fear. I'm in the Jedi Temple. Home of the Light Side. There's nothing here that can hurt me.../ Obi-Wan forced himself to ignore the voice in his head that reminded him of the pain Qui-Gon had caused him here and the struggles that he had gone through in his thirteen years here. He did his best to act and think as if they had never happened-as if they had somehow been erased from history. /It's safe here in the Temple, very safe./ He also had to force himself to forget the current air of hostility in the Temple. /Focus on the beauty and peace of the Temple that's never been touched by the Dark Side and never will be./ Obi-Wan felt the fear leave him with each breath he took and each shuffle that took him further into the shaft. "I'm going to KILL you when I get you!" Bruck screamed. "I'm going to stab you with my lightsaber and you'll DIE in agony!" Obi-Wan didn't listen. /He's trying to make me scared and angry again - just like he always does. Well he won't win. Not this time...I won't let him beat me again and ruin my life like he nearly did before. Not this time./ Bruck's laughter seemed impossibly close, as if he was everywhere around Obi-Wan. "What's that I sense? Anger? At me? You seem very familiar to me. Who are you?" Obi-Wan instantly calmed his thoughts so Bruck couldn't sense him as clearly. /OK, it's like this. If I start feeling any emotions that are of the Dark Side, Bruck can sense me easily...I just have to remain calm no matter what./ Once again Obi-Wan focused on calming thoughts about his home and again the fear and anger left him. In front of him lay a junction in the shaft. Behind him Bruck was cursing and yelling all the insults and taunts he could think of. Obi-Wan chose a direction and started heading down it. He followed the twists and turns of the shaft and with each switch in direction he made, Bruck's voice seemed to become more distant. That was, until, Obi-Wan hit a dead end and had no choice but to back up into Bruck. He peeked out the small vent that stood between him and escape and saw into a large gym. There were hundreds of Jedi in there. Some were pacing, some were sitting quietly, some sitting in groups and others still lying in heaps on the floor. Obi-Wan gazed at the motionless ones in concern. They appeared to be unconscious. Looking down, he saw one younger female, red headed Jedi sitting by an elder Jedi who remained still. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to call out to the girl but he heard Bruck approaching from behind. Obi-Wan swallowed, hard. /If the Force loves me he will NOT get me.../ "Little Jedi I've got you cornered!" Bruck jeered. "You're mine! You're..." A loud beep pierced the air and Obi-Wan nearly let out a laugh himself as he heard Bruck swear repeatedly as he fumbled about with something. "What is it?" Bruck snarled. Another nearly inaudible voice made its way to Obi-Wan's ear and he realised Bruck was speaking through a com-link to someone. He eased his way back up the shaft, hoping to catch some important information. He caught Bruck's heated reply easily. "Now? I'm busy!" "Doing what?" came the reply that Obi-Wan could now hear from his current position. "Searching for a Jedi that may have escaped us." "Yeah and that's why the boss wants us to get ya'll up here now. Somethin' about a missin' Jedi and he needs to tell us how to deal wiv it." "But..." Bruck's reply was just short of a wimpy whine. "Jus' do it! Check on your other Jedi then get up 'ere!" Huffing, Bruck ended the conversation. "Hey little Jedi!" he yelled. "Looks like there's such thing as luck after all! But it won't last for long! I'm going to get you! Don't think you can escape!" Bruck began backing up the shaft as did Obi-Wan but Obi-Wan went back to the vent, hoping that the girl was still below. ***** Kyrana had awoken quickly in the gym and had wasted no time in seeking out her Master. She had found Lena passed out at the back wall. This was where the majority of unconscious Knights and Masters seemed to be. She sat by her Master, waiting for Lena to awaken. From her vantage point, Kyrana could see Jedi of varying ages sitting around. Older initiates, Padawans and some of the Knights and Masters who were up and about were looking after the smallest initiates. Kyrana knew she should be helping but she would not leave her Master until she was sure Lena was alright. Despite the upset and trouble that had befallen the great Temple, the air was strangely silent. No one was yelling or even talking above a whisper and the babies did not even whimper slightly. Since she had awoken, she had seen some of the initiates and Padawans trying to walk out of the gym, only to be stopped by an invisible force field that blocked the doorway. They were prisoners in their own home. So it came as quite a surprise when she heard a voice that was well below a bellow but above the hushed whispers call "hey! Red! Up here!" She was even more surprised to notice that the call did not come from her Master but high up on the back wall of the gym. Standing up, Kyrana approached the wall and climbed up on some of the vaults used for gymnastic classes that were stored there. "Hello?" she spoke into the vent. The girl gasped and nearly fell backwards when she met a pair of blue/green eyes. "Who are you?" Kyrana spluttered. "How did you get in there?" "It's Obi-Wan Kenobi and I hid in here," the eyes told her. Kyrana felt a sudden rush of relief. He had come back! She had convinced him! Kyrana stopped congratulating herself and turned her attention back to him. "Can you tell me what's going on?" Obi-Wan asked. Kyrana told him all she knew. She slightly altered her tale. After all, she wasn't going to admit that she had been out looking for him. It seemed like he'd forgotten her name anyway. But she gave the important details to him: like how she had been unable to feel the Force the instant she was in the Temple and how there was absolutely no one around. "I think everyone's been captured. Well, everyone except you," she concluded. "Do you know when this started or who it is doing this to us?" he asked. Kyrana was about to say no but a voice boomed over the gym. "Hey girl! Get down from there! Not even you are small enough to escape through there!" Obi-Wan threw himself back from the vent as Kyrana leapt of the vault gracefully. The voice, which turned out to be Bruck yet again, yelled at her again not to escape. Obi-Wan could see Bruck approaching the back wall. The young Jedi backed up speedily and made his way back around a corner and kept going. When he was certain Bruck would not see him, Obi-Wan stopped to think. /The voice on the com-link told Bruck to "get up 'ere" But where is 'up'? There were a lot of rooms on the upper floor of the Temple./ /Yes but what room up there is the most important room?/ Obi-Wan mused. He paused for a few moments. /Oh of course! The Council Chambers!/ Obi-Wan began moving again. /The only question is, how do I get up there through the maintenance shafts without the slightest clue as to where I'm going?/ Obi-Wan knew the only place he was going to find such a way to the Council was to get a blue print of the shafts. And the only place to get that was from one of the Temple's caretakers' rooms. /And I think I'll find them near the tech class rooms./ With his knowledge of the Temple, Obi-Wan surmised that he needed to get out of the shaft in the garden that was next to the gym he had just left. From there he could get to the stairs that led to the level where the tech classes were and where he would hopefully find a blue print of the shafts. /That girl said it looked as though all the Jedi had been captured but Bruck couldn't have done that alone. So the guy on the com-link is an accomplice but how many others are there?/ Obi-Wan wished he could access the Force right now for a little guidance. He had never felt so blind and vulnerable. With a deep breath that reasserted his determination, Obi-Wan made his way through the shaft to the garden. /I can do this. I know I can. Qui-Gon doesn't matter right now/ Obi-Wan still felt emotional pain when he thought that. /It's up to me to help everyone and get rid of Bruck and anyone else he's working with./ ***** Xanatos' team stood in front of him. He paced up and down in front of them. He had told them about the missing Jedi. Everyone could see how angry this made the former Jedi, especially Bruck and he wisely decided to remain silent on the matter of how close he had come to capturing the Jedi. Bruck's own anger increased when he found out it was none other than his old rival Obi-Wan Kenobi who had slipped through their collective grasp on the Temple. "You will search this Temple floor by floor and find him," Xanatos growled. "And when you do, you will bring him here." The group nodded. "Rez, Yund," he spoke to the two giangantic twins. "Take the apartment levels." The brothers walked away, talking to each other in quietly. "Tuvua," Xanatos turned to the only female of the group. "Take the lower level classrooms and gardens." "Yes my Master," said the translucent woman and she slipped away without a sound, her hair shimmering in the dim lights. "And Bruck," Xanatos said. "You will take the top levels. I don't think he'll be up this high yet but if he is as smart as I give him credit, he may get up here. Be on your guard." "Of course my Master," Bruck said with a nod of his head and then turned around to leave. "And Bruck?" Xanatos called. Bruck paused and quickly shielded his fear. Did Xanatos know? Bruck hoped not. He knew his Master would deal with him harshly if Xanatos knew he had lied. "I know all about the little grudge match between you and Kenobi. Don't let it get in the way...just get. You'll get your chance. If you find him, bring him here unharmed if possible." Bruck nearly sagged with relief. "I will my Master." "Good," Xanatos said then turned on his heel and returned to the Jedi Council Chambers. ***End Part Five*** |
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