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Shards of Darkness

by Sharon Nuttycombe

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Rating: PG-13, moving to R for violence

Warning: This is getting really, really dark. But don't worry - things are going to start to look up for Obi-Wan, real soon now. Honest!

- SHARDS OF DARKNESS -

PART III: PRISONER OF DARKNESS

Obi-Wan's feet were cold. His captors hadn't returned his boots or tunic, and the stone floor was like ice. A cool draft played against his bare chest, and he shivered.

The two Regaidians had chained his hands behind his back, chains that would not have been a problem if he had had control of the Force, but which now only served to emphasize his helplessness. The emotions seething through him were not pleasant as Auriga and Altos brought him to what could either be described as a laboratory or a dungeon - he wasn't entirely sure which. The room wasn't very large but was decorated with a mixture of devices, some alien and speaking of an unknown technology, the others primitive and more than a little foreboding. The walls, like the floor, were composed of thick stone, or some similar material -- "to muffle the screams?" he wondered unhappily, looking around. "I have a very bad feeling about this..."

He was turning to speak to the man on his right, to try to find out...anything...when something shifted in the shadows across the room. The Apprentice caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, glanced back...and gasped.

It was a nightmare given form. A shifting, nebulous creature that flowed across the floor, appearing solid one moment, then fluid and gaseous the next. It was a scorpion...a humanoid with many arms...a fanged Shadari...darkness... All the while, strands of black fog flowed and ebbed from its centre, reaching out like dark ribbons, writhing like snakes. A faint sound, like a sibilant whisper of many voices, so low Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether he heard or felt it, crawled across his skin like insects. The sound seemed to worm it's way into the Jedi's mind, and he shook his head desperately, his hands straining at the chains. Blindly, he reached out for the Force but there was nothing. Only darkness, and the murmuring sound which was growing steadily louder.

Then the creature turned two glowing amber eyes on him and one of the tendrils of fog touching him lightly...

...and Obi-Wan forgot his training, forgot everything except the sudden and very urgent desire to get out of there, as fast as he could. For an instant he gave in to the panic, fighting desperately against the hands that held him...and then the creature's eyes caught his own and he froze. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't look away. All thought fled.

* * *

"Fear may lead to the Dark side," Qui-Gon was saying, "but it can sometimes be a good thing. It can keep you alive, warn you of danger, help you make choices... Provided you control it, not let it control you. Do you understand, Padawan?"

He had thought he understood, at the time. It had been easy then, in the safety of the Jedi temple, or in a transport ship on the way to some diplomatic mission with his Master, to learn about fear. Now though, when he stood, trapped alone with the darkness, it wasn't so simple.

With the memory of his Master, a small measure of control returned to Obi-Wan, enough that he could hear the calm, rational voice deep inside him that was speaking. "No," it was saying. "A Jedi does not panic - *you* will not panic. There is no one to help you, Padawan. If you panic, *you* will not be able to help you..."

Something was in his mind, he realized with horror. Something evil. It was sifting through his thoughts and memories, leaving a foul, dark wake behind it. He could sense it. With this realization came determination, fuelled by the desperate need to get it out. Now. With an effort Obi-Wan reached for the mental shields his Jedi masters had spent so much time teaching him, and flung them up around him like a wall.

Surprise. Irritation. And something else. Amusement? Alien emotions washed over him in a sickening wave and Obi- Wan clenched his teeth. He poured more energy into the shields, ignoring the sound of dark voices that was rising to a shriek. For what seemed like an eternity, the sound battered at him, at the barricades he had erected...

...and then it was gone. Silence fell. Obi-Wan found himself crashing to his knees, unable to stop the fall with his hands bound behind him. He swayed unsteadily for a heartbeat, welcoming the pain in his left leg as proof that he was still alive, still whole...that *it* was gone from his mind...and then he toppled over, to lay gasping and shaking on the stone floor, his heart pounding and a cold sheen of sweat coating his body.

Hands, touching him, one under each arm, picking him up. The Regaidians. And a voice. The woman's. For a moment Obi-Wan couldn't remember her name, then it came back to him. Auriga.

"Don't be so foolish, Jedi," she was saying. "Just tell it what it wants to know, and all this will be over. You will save yourself much pain..."

Obi-Wan shook his head as he hung limply in their grasp, as much to clear his mind as in refusal. His head...hurt, as if all the corners of his mind had been scorched, left smoking in the wake of the alien's touch. And there was something else. It was as if the creature had left a piece of itself behind when it invaded his mind, something dark and evil that had taken up lodging within him. It lay coiled inside him, ready to come to life at any moment. Somewhere, deep inside, he was screaming.

And then another voice was speaking to him, directly to his mind. It was old, older than the stars, echoing with past evils and wrapped in shadows. Where it touched his mind, Obi-Wan could feel bits of himself dying - memories of light, friendship, goodness - all fading and disappearing at the touch of the darkness. Despair shot through him like a lance.

Once more it was his Jedi training that saved him. Unthinkingly, Obi-Wan threw up yet another mental shield, weaving a barrier around himself so tight that nothing could penetrate. It was stronger than the strongest shield he had ever built and the effort left him weak and trembling. But he didn't stop. If he didn't banish the creature from his mind, there would be nothing left of him. Nothing at all.

It worked. Slowly the alien contact dissipated, like fog lifting. It was like stepping out of shadows back into sunlight. Relief washed over him, but Obi-Wan did not release his hold on the mental shields, despite the fact that they were already beginning to slip. The incredible amount of energy he was expending was draining him fast...too fast. "I can't keep this up much longer," he thought hazily, grey spots beginning to dance in front of his eyes.

A sound caught his attention, and he looked up wearily...and blinked. The creature...surely it had faded? There were fewer tentacles of mist and it seemed more transparent somehow - as if it wasn't entirely *here* anymore. A feeble whisper of hope went through him. Perhaps the effort had weakened *it* as much as the Jedi. If he could hold on just a little while longer...

The voice again, but not directed at him, thank the Force. Obi-Wan glanced left - it was talking to Auriga. He could hear an echo of it, through the thick shields he was holding around himself, but not the words. *Not* the words...

Auriga released him and moved forward. Obi-Wan found himself leaning heavily on Altos, unable to stand on his own, as she walked toward the creature. Something inside the Apprentice wanted to call out, to warn her. She didn't know what she was dealing with, neither of them did. They didn't realize the danger they were in - the danger *everyone* was in, as long as this abomination was present. With a flicker of surprise, Obi-Wan realized he *knew* things, things he hadn't known before the creature touched his mind. He knew that it was the alien that was preventing him from using the Force, that somehow it could dampen a Jedi's natural abilities. That must have been how they had captured him...the creature must have been somewhere nearby...waiting. But he still didn't know how. Some alien technology? Part of the creature's very makeup? Or just the presence of so much evil, in one place, being too much for him...? Too many questions...and not enough answers.

Auriga was talking to it. The creature had moved forward, the tendrils curling around her body . Obi-Wan shuddered, watching in tired horror. The Regaidian nodded once, said something he could not hear, then stepped back, away from it. And the creature vanished...

...just as Obi-Wan's mental shields collapsed. The pain he had been managing to keep at bay for the last few minutes returned without warning, and he bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Nevertheless, the overwhelming emotion flooding through him was relief. The creature was gone. He didn't know why, or for how long, but for now at least, it was gone. He closed his eyes and exhaled, a long, deep, shuddering breath.

Footsteps. Obi-Wan opened his eyes again, wincing at the pounding in his head. Auriga had crossed the stone floor to stand before him. She took a deep breath and met his eyes and, just for an instant, Obi-Wan thought he saw something in them... sorrow?...regret? And then it was gone. She straightened her shoulders, nothing but cold determination in her gaze. "Don't be too relieved, Jedi," she said harshly. "My allies have given me instructions, to get the information they need from you. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to get that information."

"Why?" Obi-Wan was vaguely surprised to find that his voice still worked. After everything he had gone through in the last...was it really only a few minutes?...he was surprised that *anything* still worked. He licked dried lips and continued. "How could you ally yourself to...that? What are you getting out of all this?"

"My planet back," she said fiercely. "Help, and support for..." Her voice trailed off, as if realizing she had already said too much. "No, Jedi," she said, after a pause. "I will not debate this with you. And you will not trick me into revealing too much."

Obi-Wan continued, as if he hadn't heard her. "That creature is evil. You can't trust it..."

"I don't have to trust it! It has already given me almost everything I need..." She glared at him, then at her aide. "Altos, put him there."

"There" was a pair of metal chains hanging from the wall, unpleasantly close to the more lethal looking instruments and devices in the room.

Altos shifted uncomfortably. "Are you sure about this, my Lady?" the Regaidian asked. "This isn't..."

"Yes, I'm sure," she snapped. "Or perhaps you would prefer to tell our allies you don't have the stomach for this." Altos swallowed and shook his head. "Then do as I say. Our allies need information about the Jedi, and I'm going to make sure they get it." She turned and spoke a few words into a communicator. The door behind them opened and three Regaidians entered, two taking up positions just inside the doorway, the third walking past them and removing one of the instruments from it. He turned back and stared impassively at Obi-Wan.

Torture. The unspoken word rung inside the Jedi's mind. "They're going to torture me." There should have been disbelief; instead there was only a kind of weary acceptance, and a weak sense of anger. He turned back to the woman, to make one more attempt to get through to her.

"Whatever they have promised you, they will not honour the bargain. You must realize that."

She didn't answer. Instead she gestured to the men by the door, who moved forward as one, reaching for the Jedi. The time for talking was obviously over, he realized grimly.

Obi-Wan was weak, injured, dizzy, and chained. He had a concussion, a leg that throbbed in agony, and no use of his hands. But he was still a Jedi. He would not give up without a fight - *could* not. Without warning he lashed out with his good foot, ignoring the pain as he asked his injured knee to bear his weight. And then he was in motion, not waiting to see the Regaidian fall. A quick shove and Altos was sprawled on his hands and knees - another kick and a roll that took almost all of his remaining strength, and only Auriga stood between him and the door...

...and then the first man he had attacked was flying at him, bringing them both down in a flurry of arms and legs. The second Regaidian joined him, landing a heavy blow on the back of Obi-Wan's head, behind his left ear...and the fight was over before it had ever really started. He barely felt the solid kick to his ribs before he was dragged up and half marched, half-carried to the dangling chains and the third man who still waited, unmoving. Sick and light-headed, Obi-Wan could only watch as his wrists were unbound and then just as quickly re-chained, high above his head. He made one last effort, trying to focus on the man climbing to his feet.

"Altos," he said thickly, "you can still stop this. Talk to her." It wasn't quite pleading, but it was as close to as Obi-Wan had ever come to it in his life. The fear going through him was beginning to outweigh the anger.

It was hard to tell, his vision fading in and out as it was, but Obi-Wan thought the Regaidian looked away for an instant, as if undecided. Then Altos dropped his head and he stared down at the floor. "I"m sorry." It came out as a whisper. Quickly he turned and left the room, guilt written in every line of his body. With him went the Apprentice's last hope.

Auriga did not watch her Aide leave. Instead, she stared at Obi-Wan for a long moment, as if memorizing him, then she too spun around abruptly and left. "I'm sorry too," the Jedi thought he heard her say as the door closed behind her with a hollow, permanent sound. But by then the man with the instruments had started, so perhaps he only imagined it...

END OF PART THREE