TITLE: Dark Sacrifice  12/36

AUTHOR: Cara & Quintus

E-MAIL:  [email protected]

RATING: PG-13

CATEGORY: Pre-TPM, Jedi Apprentice, Original Characters

ARCHIVE: Yes. Please keep headers intact.

DISCLAIMER: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. No copyright infringement intended, no profit is being made from this fiction. All original characters and story belong to the authors. 

FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback appreciated.

TIME FRAME:  Pre-TPM @ 1-2 years

SUMMARY:  When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan join a diplomatic mission to the planet Sahmly II, they uncover a strange vergence in the Force, centered around a young padawan whose actions may determine far-reaching changes in the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan’s decisions about the padawan could save the boy's life, or drive him to the power of the Dark Side.

DARK SACRIFICE

By Cara & Quintus

Chapter 12

Obi-Wan returned from the City invigorated by his participation in discussions with the caste leaders, quietly proud of his master's trust in him. He went to the conference room, and gave his report. Obi-Wan was more than willing to stay in negotiations and see how his information fit into the puzzle, but the other Masters asked questions, then apparently satisfied, they dismissed him. On his way out, Qui-Gon gave him a smile, and nod. That made up for the abrupt dismissal from the negotiating team.

Obi-Wan went by Remii's rooms. The apprentice did not answer the door, and Obi-Wan could feel no trace of him. Curious now, Obi-Wan headed out to the gardens, hoping to find the other padawan. He walked slowly down well-tended paths as he let the excitement of the mission drain away. One particular meditation area called to him, and he entered the boundary hedges before he realized the area was occupied.

Explorer Yeriamman sprawled in the grass, back against one of the stone contemplation benches. Remii sat in between the Jedi's knees, shoulders against Yeriamman's chest. Yeriamman's arms were around Remii, guiding, as the youth held a geometric metal box that emitted a pale yellow glow. Both had their eyes closed.

" One more time. Trust me, Remii. You will not fail," the Knight told his companion.

As Obi-Wan watched, Yeriamman released his hands, leaving Remii to hold the box. The yellow glow haltingly changed colors; pinks and greens and golds shone at random. A breathy, bell like tone sounded from the box, it began to change pitch with the color changes, a beat behind, then finally it matched the pulsing shades. Remii's hands dropped from the box, and it hovered in place, still changing color and tone to Remii's unspoken commands.

Obi-Wan could feel the Force energy channel itself through Remii to the box then back again like an unseen river. Obi-Wan felt the strands of Force energy separate into strands. Fascinated, he tried to track the energy Remii manipulated, but it changed when it flowed through the boy, and Obi-Wan couldn't identify what the youth did with it. As he watched, the box tried to rotate, wobbled wildly, the sounds grew discordant, then it quit glowing and fell to the grass with a thunk, abruptly cutting off the tones.

Remii opened his eyes and groaned in disappointment, but Yeriamman just laughed, and ruffled his hair, then pulled the boy into a tight hug. "You did it! Not one, but two major functions at the same time. Adding a third at this point was only asking for trouble, Padawan. But you did it! You separated Force energy into distinct paths." Yeriamman hugged him again; Remii leaned back into the hug and looked up at the Knight with adoration in his eyes.

"Thank you, Adin… That felt… wonderful."

"As it should, the division of Force energy into component parts is a complicated task. When you master the concept, it should help your healing tremendously. You will be able to fine tune healing to intricate proportions."

"Adin, when I separated the Force… it almost felt like time slowed down. I could see things so clearly," Remii said. "Almost as if I could control time itself…" He ducked his head.

Yeriamman looked startled. "The Force exists in all aspects of time and space, Padawan… how you access the Force can determine your perspective…" He rubbed a hand over the boy's shoulders. "It is a concept that requires much meditation and reflection. But it is not as far-fetched as you seem to think." Yeriamman raised his voice. "You might as well come in and join us, Obi-Wan Kenobi.  His concentration is shot for the time being."

Obi-Wan flushed, and walked forward fully into the garden. "I did not wish to disturb you, Knight Yeriamman."

"Friends are never a disruption, Obi-Wan." Yeriamman's eyes ran over the older apprentice. "You had a successful mission?"

"Yes, Knight Yeriamman." Obi-Wan couldn't meet the Explorer's eyes, or those of Remii either. Remii's exhilaration still lingered in the air, along with another emotion Obi-Wan did not want to examine too closely.

"Call me Adin, please." Yeriamman gave Remii a last hug, then levered himself to his feet, and pulled the youth up with him. He turned Remii to face him, placed a big hand on the boy's head. "See, you do have the ability to control multiple emotions and ideas at the same time. You are not hopeless. With practice, it will become easier. However, keep in mind that just as you react to the device, it reacts to you. When it senses discordant thought, it will reprimand you, then deactivate. This reminds you, the user, that you are not an island adrift in the Force, but rather connected by the Force to all."

Remii gave a smile and ducked his head again, then walked over to pick up the box from the ground. "Do you want to try, Obi-Wan?"

"What is it?" Obi-Wan walked over to them and took the box from Remii, curious. The box was far heavier than it appeared, made of a duristeel alloy, with geometric transduriplas windows scattered over the surface. The surface was smooth, but gave off a curious sensation, like vibrating sand just under the surface. It looked for all the worlds like a small toy.

"The Dllockian name is unpronounceable. I call it a ‘Thought-Cube’. I picked it up on one of my excursions to the Outer Rim." Yeriamman walked over and faced Obi-Wan, slight smile on his face.

"I've never heard of it." Obi-Wan turned the box around in his hands. "What does it do?"

"Best I can figure, it helps one learn to concentrate their mental focus."

"Best you can figure?"

"It didn't come with directions. A Dllockian emissary gave it to me as a gift. He said his offspring had outgrown it."

"So it is a toy," Obi-Wan stated, staring down at the box. The surface glinted back at him.

"I'm not sure." Yeriamman took the box from Obi-Wan and held it up. "I never once saw evidence that the Dllockians understood the concept of play, so I rather doubt it to be a toy. But you never know…" He dropped it. The box fell, then stopped itself a few centimeters above the ground. As Yeriamman stared, it reversed itself and slowly rose back to his hands. "If it's a toy, it's a damn peculiar one."

"I don't think it's a toy," Remii said. "When I tried to add the third level, it laughed at me."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "It laughed at you."

"Well… I felt a mental touch. It wasn't Adin, and it wasn't you. Whoever it was, it was amused."

"Intriguing," Adin murmured. He stared at Remii a long moment, then looked down at the box in his hands. "My sense is that this device is roughly equivalent to a Jedi Holocron. The difference is that it teaches by analogy as opposed to interactive lecture. Mastery of a level must be demonstrated before the device permits you to access higher levels. I had the same experience as you, Remii. It was amused by my presumptions. It is a fascinating device, I think we'll have to explore this further another time." He looked up and the puzzled expression vanished, to be replaced by a friendly grin. "Anyhow, Apprentice Kenobi, for our purposes, it's a toy. I was using it to show Remii how to gather Force energies and separate them into useful pieces. Perhaps we can conquer that problem of taking too much of others into yourself, Padawan. You need to learn to let your emotions pass through you, rather than reflecting them back to unintentionally inflict discomfort."

"I'm beginning to understand, Adin," Remii said, "although I think it will be a long time before I can do it without conscious thought- like the holds and Force blows you and Obi-Wan do."

"There's more to the Force than military tactics, my young padawan."

"I don't exactly have Force blows down pat, Remii," Obi-Wan added. "I need more practice with them so I can throw them completely without thought." He gave the younger boy a smile, and shook his head. "Patience, friend. You want to run before you walk. Work your way up."

"I can't, Obi-Wan… I have to learn these things now. If I don't learn, my master might never let me heal again. Or send me away."

Obi-Wan exchanged a dismayed look with Yeriamman over Remii's head.

"Obi-Wan is right, Padawan. These things take time. But if you keep practicing, they will come." Yeriamman slung an arm around Remii's shoulders and hugged him. "No one was ever returned for doing his or her best. True?"

"Yes, Adin," Remii replied. He looked up at the big Knight. There was a long moment where the two seemed to communicate on a deeper level. Remii nodded to himself, heaved a sigh and gave a small smile. "I will try and be more patient."

"Good." Yeriamman kissed the top of Remii's head and ruffled the boy's hair before he released him. Yeriamman then put both hands on the box, and began to press them together.

To Obi-Wan's amazement, the box began to shrink. Before long it was no bigger than the palm of Yeriamman's hand. The Explorer then twisted the box in his hands. It flattened itself out no thicker than a data card. Yeriamman tucked it inside his tunic and grinned at the expression on Obi-Wan's face. "I can juggle, too. Makes me quite in demand for Jedi parties, but not so much for diplomatic functions." He picked up his robe off the stone bench and with one quick move slung it around his shoulders and pulled it closed. "I'm afraid I have business to attend to, Padawans. Remii, I will catch up with you another time. Practice what I've taught you, and we will try the Dllockian box again. Agreed?"

"Yes, Adin," Remii said again.

Yeriamman gave him a last smile, reached out a hand to touch Remii's cheek in a strangely intimate gesture, then turned and walked out of the gardens. Remii watched him go before turning to Obi-Wan.

"Well? What did you see out there, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan spent the next part hour filling his friend in on what he remembered of the Sahmlian City and people. The boy asked probing questions about the natives and their anatomy, until Obi-Wan threw up his hands. "I will pay more attention next time, Remii. I promise."

"Sorry," Remii said, ducking his head. "I forget myself."

"You are my friend. You are allowed to be a pest." Obi-Wan studied the youth a long moment. "So, what did you and Adin do while I was gone?" 

"N-Nothing much…"

"Nothing? Just sat and played with that box?"

"Mostly…but we also wrestled and did other things."

"What other things?"

"Adin showed me the back gardens, we practiced control, then we went to his rooms for a while."

"Why?"

"To get the box, and look at his things," Remii said. "He has… he knows about droids. A lot. I don't know much about them, or about anything outside of light saber practice." Remii looked up at Obi-Wan. "He just wanted to show me his world. I was curious about Explorers. They are different than most Jedi." He looked away. "Just like Healers are different."

Obi-Wan was not satisfied with Remii's answers, the boy hid something. Obi-Wan probed, and sensed nervousness, but also a calmness in the youth, as if his control had strengthened. Reluctantly, Obi-Wan broke off the contact. "It's almost time for late meal. Your master will be waiting. We'd better get back and get cleaned up."

Remii nodded and grabbed up his cloak off the bench and practically ran for the boundary hedge.

Obi-Wan followed slowly, attempting to puzzle out in his head the strange relation between the Explorer and the boy. There was something going on between the two, and Remii didn't want to talk about it. That alone made Obi-Wan curious. It would bear watching.

~~~~

Obi-Wan trudged up the circular staircase to the third floor of the Diplomatic Residence. He rubbed the back of his neck, troubled by the day’s events as he unlocked the door to his and Qui-Gon’s room. In the years he’d been a padawan, he’d never seen a master or knight touch another padawan the way Yeriamman touched Remii. Obi-Wan regarded Qui-Gon as practically a father, and Qui-Gon never hugged him.

Actually, that’s not entirely true, Obi-Wan admitted to himself as he closed the door, removed his utility belt and hung it on a wooden peg behind the door. He crossed the room and dropped into a chair. When I was younger, Qui-Gon did hug me when he was pleased with my progress, or to comfort me when I was afraid. Still, he hasn’t done that in years. I wonder why. Obi-Wan's thoughts turned to his past, then to Remii and the curious Jedi Knight, Yeriamman. He sank into a light meditation as his mind traced its way over the events of the past few days.

Obi-Wan was suddenly aware of Qui-Gon’s presence. He drew out of the meditation with a start. "Master."

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon said with a characteristic tilt of the head, relaxed expression suddenly replaced by a quizzical stare. “It looks like you’ve had an interesting day.”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Or something, Master,” he replied, mind still swimming. “Do you know that there is a Jedi Explorer in the Residence?”

Qui-Gon nodded. “Yes, Master Toock mentioned the presence of an Explorer. I take it that you have met this One?”

“Adin-Duanath Yeriamman,” Obi-Wan replied, rubbing his forehead, still perplexed.

“I’ve never met him, but I have heard of him,” Qui-Gon said, face brightening. “His is Corellian, I believe. Some well respected Masters at the Temple hold him in high regard."

"But?" Obi-Wan prompted, well attuned to his master's verbal nuances.

"But most consider Yeriamman to be unruly.”

“Unruly, Master?” Obi-Wan asked, sitting upright in his chair. Maybe my concerns were not so far off the mark. "What do you mean?"

Qui-Gon shrugged as if searching for the right words. “One of the things impressed upon me as a padawan – something I hope to impart to you – is that Potentials come to the Force many different ways. They do so because many different paths lead to the Force. Just as many paths to lead to the Force, the Force can manifest itself in many different expressions through us. Questioning the honor of a Knight because he, she, or it has a different background, differing opinions, or contrary experience is usually a tactic employed by those with self-serving motivations. Even Jedi are not above politics, my young apprentice. Remember that.”

Obi-Wan chewed on his lip, considering the argument his Master presented, finding it difficult to refute. Perhaps I haven’t read Yeriamman correctly. He offered Remii support when he most needed it – something Remii probably never receives from Dushiko. And Remii seems calmer around Yeriamman. More in control of himself.

“Something still troubles you,” Qui-Gon observed, frown returning.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan admitted. “However, as you say, I am not entirely certain that I have enough information with which to judge intelligently.”

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. “You have seen something that is out of your realm of experience. You do not know if what you have seen is for the best, or not.”

“Correct, Master.”

“I respect the fact that you want to resolve this conundrum on your own, Obi-Wan, so I will not intrude if you elect to not give me details. However, if the situation becomes serious, it is incumbent on you to know when to inform myself or another Master should intervention become necessary. Do not let the problem get out of control. Do you understand?”

Obi-Wan gulped, and nodded solemnly. “I understand, Master.”

A wisp of a smile crossed Qui-Gon's bearded face as he slapped Obi-Wan’s knee. “This should be an interesting lesson then. You will have to introduce me to Yeriamman while we are here. Perhaps in the morning?”

"Yes, Master."

--Continued in Chapter 13--