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Shards of Darkness 5/?

by Sharon Nuttycombe

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Rating: OK, we're back into PG-13 land now...things are looking just a little brighter (sorta...)

- SHARDS OF DARKNESS -

PART V: DARKNESS RISING

Obi-Wan limped down the corridor with Altos, one hand on the Regaidian's shoulder, the other clutching his ribs. He suspected some were cracked, if not broken - the result of one of the kicks he had taken earlier. He ignored the discomfort though, just as he was ignoring the other hurts in his body...and in his mind. The state of numbness he had fallen into was more than welcome and it was only a threadbare sense of duty that kept him moving. He still had to warn the Jedi...somehow... And if that meant trusting one of the people who had put him in this position...then so be it.

Nevertheless, try as he might, the Apprentice couldn't quite keep the memories from replaying themselves in his mind. Not the memories of what had been done to him -- those were...well, not *easy* to deal with, but he could cope with them better than the thought of what *he* had done...and almost done...

He had given into the Dark Side. Shame and anguish welled up within him for a moment, banishing the deadness. It hurt to remember, and he stumbled as the recollection threatened to overwhelm him.

Altos steadied him, one hand going to his elbow. "Are you all right?" His voice helped to pull the Jedi out of the dark quagmire he was falling into.

Obi-Wan met the man's eyes. "No," he said truthfully. "But that doesn't matter. Where is this ship?" Inwardly he braced himself, half expecting the betrayal to come now.

It didn't. Altos replied immediately. "The other side of the facility. We should make it before anyone notices you're gone...but...can you hurry just a little?" The request was diffident and more than a little fearful, as if the Regaidian expected Obi-Wan to launch himself at his throat again, just for suggesting it. Obi-Wan flinched, then nodded briefly, quickening his pace, as much as he could, leaning heavily on the Regaidian's shoulder.

As they walked, Obi-Wan fought to regain the sense of nothingness that had blanketed him earlier. If he didn't think, didn't remember, didn't *care*, everything would be...not all right -- nothing would ever be all right again -- but he could function, do what was necessary. If he could just hold everything at bay... "They can't hurt me if I don't care..."

It wasn't working. The feelings were beginning to crash over him like waves, as his mind slowly awoke from its trauma. Unless he did something soon, he would drown.

"What is this place?" Obi-Wan asked quickly, desperately. If he could just focus on other things, on the here and now, as his Master liked to say, he would be able to ignore what had happened. "And where are the...guards?" He added.

Altos answered the second question first. "I have a little authority of my own," he said, a faint hint of pride shimmering in his voice. "I sent them...elsewhere."

Too easy an explanation, Obi-Wan thought. How? Where? This only makes sense if it's a trap... He didn't ask any of these questions though. If it was a trap, Altos would not answer and if it wasn't...the Jedi couldn't afford to alienate what might be his only ally. Instead, he nodded. "And this place...?"

"It used to be an food processing plant, but it hasn't been used for years. Most people have forgotten it still exists...which is why *they* chose it."

*They* being the creatures...and Auriga. "How does *she* fit into this?" Obi-Wan wondered aloud.

Altos knew who he was referring to. He hesitated, as if trying to frame his reply diplomatically, then sighed and spoke plainly. "She's not really evil, you know, although I'm sure you won't believe that. She's...she's trying to save Regaid..."

"By kidnapping and torturing me?" Obi-Wan's voice was harsh, and Altos started, as if he had been struck. The Regaidian looked away as they continued their march down the corridor.

"That's the aliens' doing, not hers. She didn't plan any of this..."

"But she went along with it..." The anger was rising within him again, uncoiling itself like a serpent that had invaded his soul. Obi-Wan shuddered and fought it back down. The effort left him exhausted mentally, but he ignored the tiredness. He couldn't afford to give into the anger again. Ever. Silently he resumed his mantra: "Don't think, don't remember, don't care..."

"Our people are dying, Jedi," Altos was saying.

Obi-Wan shot him a sharp look. "They looked healthy enough to me."

Altos shook his head. "Nevertheless, we are dying. All of us. One by one. Slowly...but still dying."

Obi-Wan waited, saying nothing. After a moment or two, Altos resumed his tale. "It started two years ago. A new disease, one our doctors did not recognize, had never heard of, began striking down the old, the weak...the children." Altos' voice shook on the last word, and Obi-Wan wondered distantly just what...or who...the Regaidian had lost.

"Go on," he said, more gently this time.

Altos visibly pulled himself together. This time when he spoke his voice was flat and emotionless. "The doctors could do nothing, although they tried. And then the disease began to affect the rest of the population. And it was obvious that unless something was done quickly, every Regaidian on the planet would die."

"Why didn't you ask the Senate for help? And what about quarantine? If this disease spreads to other worlds..."

"It won't. It only affects us, we've found. It's very specific..."

Too specific, Obi-Wan thought. A faint suspicion glimmered within him, but he put it aside for the moment. He needed more information first... With an effort he focused his attention back on the conversation.

"Our government decided not to tell the Senate about the plague." Obi-Wan must have looked disapproving, because Altos spoke hurriedly, trying to defend his rulers' actions. "Regaid is a poor planet and we're far from the main trade routes. We have very few natural resources. None of the big trading corporations will have anything to do with us. What trade there is relies on independent freighters and haulers being willing to make the extra effort to come here. An effort they wouldn't make if they knew there was a plague..."

Short-sighted, selfish, blind fools! Obi-Wan shook his head. This could have been a disaster...still could. An unknown disease sweeping through the galaxy... And there was no guarantee it affected only Regaidians, despite what Altos had said. It could have a delayed effect on the other races, could affect them in a thousand different ways... Suddenly the need to warn the Jedi and the Senate went from urgent to dire...

"Didn't your government think the traders would notice people dying in the streets?"

Altos shook his head. "It...never reached that point..."

"Why not?"

A third voice answered. "Because I made a deal that saved our people, Jedi." Ahead, a figure stepped out from behind a dark corner, the muted light reflecting on her ornate gown. Auriga.

They froze.

"My lady..." Altos' voice sounded strangled.

Auriga waved her hand, cutting him off. "Did you think I wouldn't know what you were doing? Who do you think *really* sent the guards away?" A pause. No answer. She glanced back at Obi-Wan. "And you - did you truly think you could escape, despite what my Aide may have told you?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, wearily. "No, not really. But I had to try."

Auriga nodded slowly. "Yes. You Jedi never give up, do you...?" She gave him a measuring look then continued. "Then you understand why I can't give up either." She took a pace closer, her gaze going from Obi-Wan to Altos.

"My lady..." the Regaidian said in a strangled voice. "I'm sorry..."

Gently she placed an hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Altos." Her voice was kinder than Obi-Wan had ever heard it. "I understand. You still have a conscience. That's not a bad thing. Our world needs people like you."

"But does it need people like you?" Obi-Wan interjected. He had eased his weight from the Regaidian, shifting until he was leaning against the nearby wall. Some part of his mind was still working perfectly - he had already formulated and rejected half a dozen plans, most of them involving some kind of violent reaction. But violence wouldn't help him...had done nothing but hurt him, in fact. Maybe it was time he started using his mind, rather than his body. And listening. It was time he listened.

"Does your world need people like you?" he repeated. There was no hint of accusation in his words, only an honest desire to know...

"Unfortunately, yes." Auriga sighed and looked at him, taking in the bruises, the burns on his chest and stomach, at the awkward, tight way he held himself, as if a single motion would tear him apart...and she looked away. For a moment she closed her eyes, then opened them again, meeting the Apprentice's gaze. Sorrow and regret had replaced the single-minded determination he had seen earlier.

"I won't insult you by apologizing for that..." she waved her hand at him, indicating the results of his torture, "but...I want you to know it wasn't my idea. If I had had a choice..."

"We all have choices, Auriga." Obi-Wan spoke softly. "It's what we do with them that matters." He could almost hear Qui-Gon's voice echoing the words and somewhere deep inside, he could have smiled. All those lessons, all those lectures -- he must have been listening after all...

"Yes," Auriga was saying. "I made my choices, and I'm prepared to live with them."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "All right," he said. "Then why are we still standing here talking? Why haven't you called the guards, taken me back to the cell...?"

"Because...because I told my allies that you would never tell them what they want to know. Unless..."

"Unless...?" he prodded when she stopped.

"Unless you understood the need for it!" She snapped back. "I know you Jedi. You will help anyone...even someone you hate, even someone who has hurt you. So I'm going to tell you what's at stake -- and..." it sounded as if she was choking "...and *ask* for your help."

In another time and place, in another lifetime, Obi-Wan might have laughed. As it was, he just stared at her, speechless. She stared back, her expression one of challenge.

"Tell me," he said simply.

Auriga moved around to stand next to her Aide, the two of them unconsciously presenting a united front. She looked up, gazing into the shadows above them, and began:

"Altos has already told you about the disease?" Obi-Wan nodded wordlessly, and she continued. "And you know the decision our government made, to hide this plague for as long as possible, until a cure could be found. But no cure was found. And it was becoming harder and harder to hide. We were desperate. We didn't know what to do, who to turn to..."

"And your 'allies' arrived." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. They approached me secretly, offered me what turned out to be a cure, or at least something that will keep the disease from progressing...and all they asked for in return was information."

"What kind of information?" The suspicion in Obi-Wan's mind was rapidly taking form. A quiver went through him. He didn't like where this conversation was heading. If what he suspected was true...things were much, much worse than he had imagined.

"Everything. Anything," Auriga was saying. "Information about our culture, our planet. Planets we trade with, the Republic, our friends, our enemies. Everything."

"And you told them." Once again, it was not a question.

Auriga clenched her teeth. "Yes, I told them. I would have told them anything they asked, done anything. Because this is my home, my people". She paused. "You would have done the same." Nevertheless, a faint note of doubt could be heard, underlying the conviction in her voice.

"She has misgivings," Obi-Wan thought, leaning against the stone wall, barely noticing as its coldness bit into the numerous welts on his back. "She is afraid...she could be persuaded to change her mind." He wasn't sure if the last was wishful thinking, or an accurate reading on his part. Once more he wished futilely for the powers of the Force. But it was no use wishing for what he did not have...

"Why didn't these creatures approach your government?" he asked instead. "And why did you act alone?"

"I...because they told me to. They didn't want people to know about them." Auriga stopped and silence hung heavily between them for a long moment. Beside her, Altos shifted nervously, as if he wanted to add something, but didn't dare interrupt. Then the woman went on. "I've done nothing wrong. They just want information. They mean no harm!"

This time Obi-Wan did laugh, a short sharp bark. "No harm? What do you call this?" He raised one arm slightly, inviting them to look at his injuries.

She bit her lip. "If you had just told them what they wanted to know, they would not have hurt you..."

"Wrong, Auriga. Listen to me, and *think* about what I'm saying. That's all I ask." He did not pause but continued, trying to inject his voice with all the powers of persuasion at his command. "If you were part of an invasion force," he raised a hand at the quick movement of denial she made, and went on, "you would first send out scouts, to find out everything about the place you were invading. About the land, the people, their strengths and their weaknesses. And you would take allies. You would find someone, perhaps several someones, that were willing to deal with you. They could have different reasons, noble reasons even, but those reasons wouldn't matter. All that would matter is getting the information you need and sending it back to the rest of your force."

He glanced at them for their reaction. Altos' skin was ashen, a muscle in his cheek twitching wildly. Auriga - he couldn't read her response. Hastily, Obi-Wan continued.

"And when you had all the data you could get from your allies, you would turn to the strongest force in the land, because they would be the biggest danger to you. You might try to sway them to your side, make them an ally too - then you would be unstoppable. But if they could not, or would not be turned, they would have to be destroyed. First. And how would you do that?"

"You would learn about them." It was Altos, pain written in his face, his voice no more than a whisper. "You would probably capture one, and...extract information from him. Torture him." A tear rolled down the Regaidian's face as he turned to Auriga. "Did you know about this, my lady? Did you know...what they intended?"

The woman turned to him, outrage in every line of her body. "How can you say that?" she hissed. "It's not true. He's making it all up because he wants to escape. He would say anything... They are *not* evil, not part of some so-called 'invasion force'. They saved our people! We'd all be dead by now without them..."

Obi-Wan took two quick paces across the corridor to her, all thoughts of his injuries gone. He seized her by the arm and shook it slightly, as if to punctuate his words. "You're lying to yourself, Auriga! You must have known all along, must have at least suspected. Especially when they ordered you to lure a Jedi here... You must have been overjoyed when the Council sent an Apprentice, rather than a Knight or Master. So much easier to get information out of a Padawan..."

"No..." she shook her head, denial written on her face.

"Lie to me, if you must, and to Altos. But don't lie to yourself!"

The world seemed to spin to a halt as the woman looked up at him, brown eyes gazing into green. For a moment he thought he had reached her, had convinced her of the truth...then she was twisting away out of his reach, a weapon suddenly appearing in one hand.

It was pointed unwaveringly at his chest.

Auriga drew a ragged breath. "I've told you our story, Jedi," she said, the doubt vanishing from her as if it had never existed. It was replaced by the same stony determination and zeal he had seen earlier. "And now I ask you this. One time only. My allies want information from you. If they do not get it, they will not continue to supply my people with the medicine that is keeping them alive. Billions of people will die if you do not break your silence. So - do you die here and now, or will you tell them what they want to know?" Her finger tightened on the trigger.

He didn't have to think about it. There was only one answer.

"No," he said. "I will not."

END OF PART FIVE