| Title: One Apprentice, One Pathway #2: Hidden (Part Two) Author: Ginger Ninja ***** "I have come to apologise. It seems you have been treated most disrespectfully. I hope I can offer you some answers to any questions you have." Qui-Gon turned to look at Lena. She too wanted answers. The strange being in front of them, who had earlier introduced himself as Moeren, seemed to be the only one able to do that. Moeren was of a species unfamiliar to both Jedi. His skin was an odd shade of green that seemed to change as he moved. His eyes were brown ovals and he had to small circular nasal slits. He did not have a mouth. His words were Force projected and Qui-Gon and Lena found this most intriguing because this person was otherwise not Force-sensitive. Moeren's upper torso was not too unlike that of a human. It consisted of a chest and two long, withered arms that looked as though they would snap under very light pressure. But that was where the similarities ended. Moeren's body was supported by a set of tentacles. In the midst of these tentacles, there were two legs but they were too short to touch the ground. He didn't stand very high but he still carried an air of importance. "Is it true you had two children with you?" Moeren enquired, his deep voice seeming to echo in the Jedi's minds. "Yes we did." Qui-Gon said. "Where are they? Where are we?" "I take it that seeing as you are unsure of your whereabouts, that you are unfamiliar with the ways of our world," Moeren said instead of answer Qui-Gon's question. Again Qui-Gon said, "yes." Moeren cleared his throat. "On our planet children are not...accepted in society. We conceive them but as soon as they are born, they are put out of our way until they come of age." "Where are they...put'?" Lena asked, her voice calm and not betraying the worry she held for her missing Padawan. "Out at sea on ships. There are adults there to take care of them but they tend to be the Misfits of society," Moeren explained. "Misfits?" Qui-Gon said inquisitively. Moeren frowned momentarily and then laughed. "I see this is going to take quite a while to explain this to you. Perhaps you would care for some refreshments?" Qui-Gon and Lena graciously accepted and followed Moeren out of the stuffy little room where they had awoken and into large, elaborately decorated halls. "This is my personal residence," Moeren explained. "As ruler of Elmvanis I apparently have need for such a large house." Qui-Gon and Lena were taken down a large hall that was furnished with fine works of art depicting landscapes that could probably be found in the vicinity of the house, various pieces of magnificently carved furniture, ceiling to floor windows that allowed natural light to stream in and a inticately patterned plush, dark coloured carpet. The sheer extravagance of it boasted wealth and prosperity. Qui-Gon wondered what the other end of the economic scale was like. Meanwhile, Moeren was explaining in some detail about the mix of styles in his 'humble' abode. "In this saloon the style is mainly that of regency Elmvanis. The banqueting room is in a slightly more classical style, the kitchen is rather modern but plain. I will arrange a tour for you later if you wish. Anything to make up for your harsh treatment." Moeren led them into a small lounge that held an unlit fireplace, a large table and some rather comfortable looking body conforming chairs. Moeren motioned to the Jedi to sit in them while he settled himself down on a large collection of pillows. He presently called in a servant who brought a tray of drinks. Qui-Gon was eager to see how exactly Moeren would drink but to his mild disappointment, Moeren did not join in with the refreshments. Lena found herself studying the servant. From what she could tell, this was a female of the species (whatever that species was) and there were a few striking differences between her and Moeren. The servant was walking on long legs and her tentacles hung around her waist like a skirt. Her arms were much sturdier looking and she even had a mouth. Lena was finding these people increasingly fascinating. "Perhaps now would be the time to explain where our apprentices are," Lena said to Moeren, tearing her eyes away from the servant. "Your apprentices? Oh, so they are not your children?" Moeren looked confused but it was difficult to tell by facial expressions. The Jedi had to rely on the Force to read Moeren's emotions. "We will explain later," Qui-Gon said dismissively. "Of course. Well until Elmvanians come of age, there is no way to distinguish their sex. The young ones do not develop until...well I suppose your equivalent would be eighteen years," Moeren said to Qui-Gon. "Does this go for you too?" he asked Lena, who replied with a nod. "Until then we really have no use for them. You see, our society is broken up into groups according to skin pigmentation. Those who live under my rule in the countryside working the land have green skin, those under the rule of Tonir are white as they live in cities in the sky and tend to be the only ones who travel the galaxy and those who are ruled by the blue Suo live by the sea. Suo's people tend to have the most contact with Misfit ships. The three of us rule our sections alone but we rule the planet as one." Moeren paused to see if the Jedi were catching this. Seeing that they were, he continued. "Minors all have grey skin so we can't section them. Misfits do too so they stay on the boats and take care of the children." "Can't you tell what the children will be by their parents' colouring?" Lena asked. "Unfortunately no," Moeren admitted. "Children do not usually resemble their parents in any way. We cannot allow them to be part of society until they have their place." "And Misfits?" Qui-Gon queried. "The Misfits will never have a place. Misfits stay grey but male and female are usually easy to define. Some Misfits are neither and believe me that just causes more problems! They are, as far as we can tell because we do not mix with them, useless," Moeren said with a little contempt. 'It is not our place to judge that what we do not understand' Qui-Gon forcefully reminded himself. "Is there anyway we can get our apprentices back?" Lena demanded in a nice way. Moeren was unsure. "I do not know. What colour were those who took them away?" "They hid their bodies but they wore blue armour," Qui-Gon spoke up. "Then it was probably a gang of Misfits. How on Elmvanis they got to you I don't know. They tend to be jealous of sectioned people and were probably just lashing out at you, or more especially your children, sorry, apprentices. But I will immediately look in to how they got off the planet." Moeren got up to leave. "I will do what I can to enquire about your apprentices but I'm promising nothing. Please, relax and I will send someone in to take you to the spare bedrooms. I shall return as soon as I can." Moeren slithered out of the room. Qui-Gon turned to Lena. "Have you been able to contact Kyrana through your bond?" Lena gave a negative. "I'm afraid I have been unable to raise Obi-Wan too," Qui-Gon admitted. The two Jedi Masters sat together in a worried silence. //Be strong Padawan// //We will find you soon// ***** "Obi-Wan wake up!" Kyrana shook Obi-Wan hard. "Wake up!" Obi-Wan finally opened his eyes and let out a long yawn. "Uh, what time is it?" he mumbled. "Finally!" Kyrana said and sat back. Obi-Wan looked around. The first thing he knew was that his lightsaber was missing. Then he began to take in his surroundings. Wherever he was, it was dark and Obi-Wan could only make out the outlines of the things that surrounded him. He was lying on something very uncomfortable in a small room that had a disgusting odour that Obi-Wan didn't want to identify. Obi-Wan could tell that he was on some kind of transport because it was moving underneath him. 'Well, perhaps swaying is a better word.' "Where are we?" Obi-Wan asked Kyrana. "On a ship," Kyrana replied quietly, as if she were afraid of disturbing someone. "A ship?" That meant they could be going anywhere in the galaxy! From the tone of Obi-Wan's voice, Kyrana knew he had the wrong idea. "No Obi-Wan," she said. "It's not that kind of ship." Obi-Wan listened to the sounds around him and realised he couldn't hear the humming of an engine. With a growing feeling of dread, Obi-Wan noticed the absence of his Master's presence for the first time. "What kind of ship is it?" Obi-Wan asked, focusing on something else. "I'm not entirely sure but I think it's a sea faring ship because earlier when I woke up I was sure I could hear the sea. You never forget the sounds of the waves," Kyrana explained. Obi-Wan could only see Kyrana's dark outline in the dimness but from the slump in her shoulders, he could tell she was worried about something. He also sensed her concern. She was just as worried about Lena as he was about Qui-Gon. He found her hand and gripped it in his own. "We'll find them," Obi-Wan said firmly. "They aren't dead." 'At least, Qui-Gon isn't'. He saw Kyrana nod. She drew in a deep breath and her free hand went to her face. Had she been crying? Kyrana gave Obi-Wan's hand a squeeze. "I know we will," she whispered back. They parted soon after but it was a long time before either one could no longer feel the strange tingling sensation in their palm that neither apprentice understood. Kyrana lay down. She closed her eyes and slowly her fear and apprehension trickled away. When it was light the situation would be clearer. //Master, we'll find you soon// *** Obi-Wan listened to Kyrana sleeping and tried to sleep himself. He still felt groggy from the effects of the stun blast but he still could not sleep. //Master, can you hear me?// Nothing. Obi-Wan knew Qui-Gon wasn't dead but for some reason he couldn't contact his beloved Master. //Please tell me your all right Master!// Still nothing. Obi-Wan closed his eyes against the darkness. Maybe in the morning things would be different. 'I will sleep, I will sleep...' *** "Get up! Wake up! Move it you wash outs!" Obi-Wan was awakened rudely with a kick to his stomach. Coughing, he sat up and came face to face with a very grey face. "Move it pinkie!" the face hissed. Obi-Wan gazed around for Kyrana. She stood by an open door under the watchful eye of another grey person. Her face was calm and collected as she met his gaze. Her eyes widened suddenly in warning but it was too late. Obi-Wan received a sharp jab to his ribs. "I said move," Grey growled. Obi-Wan moved swiftly to the open door, trying to catch his breath. The daylight was so bright it obscured Obi-Wan's sight. He raised an arm to shield his eyes. "Are you OK?" Kyrana asked him softly. Obi-Wan gave a nod and followed her and the other Grey out the door. His Grey brought up the rear. When the glare of the light had dimmed slightly, Obi-Wan lowered his arm. Looking around, he was at a total loss. 'How did we get here?' They were on some kind of old ship far out at sea. The ship was large from what Obi-Wan could tell. The front end of the ship looked as if it were a mile away. It was old and the blue and white paint was rusting. The ship creaked loudly when a large wave came by. The hot sun relentlessly glared down on the crew. Looking at the faces and heights of the crew, Obi-Wan could see that very few of them were older than he and Kyrana. Some of them appeared to be toddlers. Some of the larger crewmembers patrolled the deck on tentacles while some just walked normally. Some had long bony arms, others had short, thick arms. But something they all had in common was their skin colour. They were all the same shade of grey. Plus they all wore the same white tunic with blue sleeve cuffs and collar with white trousers and white trainers. Obi-Wan was the first to notice that he and Kyrana were dressed like this too. What had happened to their Jedi robes? Obi-Wan felt his cheeks heat up. Had he been stripped'? Kyrana could barely keep her blank expression from slipping. The crew was made up of tiny babies! Her motherly instincts screamed at her to pick them up, hold them close and take them home. Before Master Lena had taken her on as a Padawan, Kyrana had helped in the Temple's cr�che. She loved children and seeing them happy and playing was what she liked best. Seeing them work in the rapidly climbing temperature like this made her want to beat the living daylights out of whoever made them do such a terrible thing. 'But you are a Jedi and will do no such thing,' she disciplined herself sternly. "Move it humans," one Grey poked both Jedi in the back. As Obi-Wan and Kyrana moved further up the deck, the rest of the crew scrambled into a straight line. Kyrana and Obi-Wan were split up. Obi-Wan found himself flanked by two tall Greys, one with tentacles and one without. "I got my eye on you kid." Obi-Wan jumped. That voice had come from the Tentacle Grey on his left but he didn't have a mouth. How had he spoken? "You just watch yourself. Pinkies like you aren't welcome," the strange voice sneered. Kyrana found herself between the youngest children. She held her hands open at either side and felt a mix of joy and heartache as two tiny hands landed in hers. The joy came from the children recognising she was there to help, the heartache stemming from the fact that these babies should be with their *real* mother. 'These poor babies need a Mum,' she thought and gave the two toddlers reassuring smiles and hand squeezes. 'I guess I'll just have to make do.' "Let go of those children now!" a husky voice roared in side her head. "That's the Captain!" one child whined fearfully. Kyrana looked up and saw a tall Grey gracefully gliding along to her on his tentacles. She had a feeling he was in charge; she could sense the fear and respect from those around her. Well, everyone except Obi-Wan. He watched on emotionlessly. Kyrana's grip tightened. "I gave you an order not a request!" Kyrana looked up at the Captain coolly. "I don't take orders from someone I don't respect," she retorted, her voice disarmingly calm. The Captain blinked, as if shocked that this puny girl dare speak to him in such a way. Then he made a gesture and Kyrana was shoved forward and then held down on her knees. A small metallic band with sharp needles was strapped to her wrist. She winced slightly but did not cry out. "Bring forth the other human!" Obi-Wan landed on his knees a little way down the deck from Kyrana. A similar device was strapped to his wrist too. "I'll tell you this once only," the Captain said, "because you won't need to be told again. These devices link you to one another. Should either of you disobey my orders, you will both be subjected to an electric shock." Obi-Wan and Kyrana shared a quick, nervous glance. "Ah, but now for the fun part. Whoever does the crime will subject their partner to a higher voltage." The Captain held a small remote in his hand. His black eyes sparkled with an evil glint. "Care for a demonstration?" He punched a button and both Obi-Wan and Kyrana were subjected to a sharp prick in their wrists and sudden jolt of electricity zapping through their bodies. Obi-Wan's shock lasted longer and Kyrana watched in horror as he writhed on the deck, clamping his mouth shut to stop himself from crying out. When the current ceased, he twitched for a moment uncontrollably and his breaths came in short, sharp gasps. Kyrana restrained herself from rushing to his side. No, by doing that she would only get them in more trouble. But using the Force she gave him a mental hand. //Be strong Obi-Wan. I am so sorry.// Obi-Wan opened his blue green eyes and gave her a small smile. "Have I made my point clear enough?" the Captain asked. Kyrana met his gaze evenly. "I believe so," she replied, sounding uncaring. "Good." He then set about assigning work tasks. It seemed the Captain was intent upon keeping the young Jedi apart. *** That night, the two exhausted Padawan's were dumped back in their room and locked in. Obi-Wan was starving but it seemed that the crew's well being was not high on the Captain's list of priorities. He had spent the day lugging huge nets full of fresh fish down into the huge freezer in the cargo hold. On the way he had gone past a room where he often heard the tortured cries of a captive. Upon trying to see who it was, Obi-Wan had received a shock that Kyrana had also suffered. All day the two of them had been trading shocks and by now they were sick of it, especially when most of the time they hadn't actually done anything and the guards were just having their twisted idea of 'fun'. Obi-Wan had attempted to use the Force to pry the annoying band off but the lock seemed impenetrable. Kyrana sighed and lay down, her mind elsewhere. All day while she and a hand full of tentacle free Greys had been tending to the Captain's 'needs' she had been using the Force to try and contact Lena. She could feel her Master's comforting presence but it was distant, like a bad com signal. Her thoughts were also with the babies. Kyrana had discovered on one of her many pointless and often embarrassing errands a small room where she had heard the unmistakable wails of newborn babies. Upon entering the room, she had discovered, to her motherly instincts horror, five grey, starving newborns. When she had attempted to comfort them, she had been shocked quite severely. She apologised to Obi-Wan when she learned the jolt had knocked him unconscious. "Kyrana?" Obi-Wan's deep yet exhausted disembodied voice came from the darkness. "Mmm?" "We have to get out of here," he said and once again found himself grasping her hand. "I know Obi-Wan but what about the children?" Kyrana asked, rolling over so she was facing him. "I don't know." "We can't leave them!" Obi-Wan didn't know what to say so he remained silent. 'Qui-Gon would know,' he thought sadly but it didn't help any what. Qui-Gon wasn't here, wherever here was. Try as he might, Obi-Wan couldn't stop the wave of depression that engulfed him. Obi-Wan was angry with himself for feeling this way. He was fifteen not five! But he was lost, tired and hurting. Silent tears slipped down his face. All day he felt his bond with Qui-Gon slipping further and further away. //Master, come back!// he sobbed. Kyrana felt Obi-Wan's sadness and slowly pulled him into her arms. She had no idea what was wrong but she nevertheless comforted him in the darkness. "Sshh Obi-Wan," she soothed. "We'll be all right." ***** At the same moment, Qui-Gon sat up in bed, his pillow wet with tears. //Obi-Wan?// Why had he been crying? Why did he have this empty feeling in his chest? 'Why do I feel so lonely?' The tears only flowed faster with this thought. ***** Lena sat up, disturbed from her peaceful sleep. Someone nearby was terribly upset. Suddenly realising who it was, Lena picked up her gown and swiftly entered Qui-Gon's room by passing through their adjoining lounge. As an afterthought, she snatched up a box of tissues. She sat on the edge of Qui-Gon's bed and offered one to the crying Master. "Sshh Qui-Gon," she said, patting his arm in a comforting gesture. "They'll be all right." ***End Part Two*** |
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