TITLE: Dark Sacrifice  19/36

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 19

Remii followed Ga-Ree-Jen through a squalid courtyard and then an entryway where he stopped short. Sahmlians lay on the ground and on makeshift cots all over the room. There was a pervading metallic smell, and green blood lay in random puddles on the floor. When Remii stepped out from behind Ga-Re-Jen, there was dead silence as the Sahmlians stared at him.

One tall, thin Sahmlian rushed forward to chatter angrily with Ga-Ree-Jen. The apron he wore was smeared with blood. He held a roll of cloth in one hand and waved the other as he spoke. Remii managed to catch the word 'Jedi' several times when Ga-Ree-Jen replied. The thin man quieted, and turned to look at Remii. With a shrug, he walked away. Remii took that as permission to go to work. He gave Ga-Ree-Jen a questioning glance as he reached in his utility belt and pulled out some sealant bandage.

"Heal them, Master Jedi. I told the other you could save them."

With a gulp, Remii turned to look at the patients crowding the room. He didn't know where to start, so he chose the bed nearest the door and began to examine the patient's wounds. Shrapnel from the exploded building had ripped a large hole in the man's leg and dozens of smaller ones all over his body. Remii lifted the makeshift bandage and saw the blood well up, bright and green. Sealant to contain the bleeding, and Force direction to stimulate healing…Sahmlians have two hearts, one for either side of their body. I must monitor the left heart and not let the volume of blood drop too low…

Remii set to work. It took longer than he expected to stabilize the wound, slow the bleeding, promote healing, and check for results. After he finished he was sweating, and he still had a dozen patients to go. By the fourth patient Remii realized that he could not afford to wait and make sure his Force guidance worked. There were too many patients to tend.

Now that he had treated some, the others were less wary, and crowded him as he worked. He repeatedly asked them to move back, but his grasp of their language was that of a child, and no one listened. The room was close, permeated with the smells of the sick and wounded, punctured by moans and chatter. As time wore on, Remii relied more on the Force to speed healing. He lost all track of the patients he treated, and at a gap in the rooms, stopped and leaned against the wall, exhausted. His padawan braid dripped sweat, and he used the edge of his cloak to wipe his face. He'd learned more in this brief time about treating wounds than all the classes he'd taken. Problem was, there was no time to absorb the lessons. Remii now operated on pure instinct when it came to healing the Sahmlians.

Their blood seems very thin compared to humanoids; I'll have to make note of that, it could cause problems with clotting and- He jumped as someone tapped his shoulder.

"Drink this." Ga-Ree-Jen handed him a large ceramic cup.

Remii sipped without looking. A cool oily liquid slid down his parched throat, spicy enough to awaken his senses, but not overly pungent. It seemed to erase the tiredness as he drank. He drained the cup and handed it back to her. "Thank you."

"You need to come with me, Master Jedi."

"There are others yet." Remii looked around. More wounded were helped into the makeshift infirmary as he watched.

"We need you to heal this one." Ga-Ree-Jen gestured for him to follow.

Remii chewed his lower lip. "He'll have to wait. Others were here first."

"This one cannot wait. You will come." She nodded to a pair of Sahmlians that stood behind her. They moved forward and grasped Remii's arms, prepared to drag him.

Their sense of purpose and determination flooded Remii's thoughts. He had no doubt the Sahmlians would force him to go where they wanted him. His eyes flew up to meet those of Ga-Ree-Jen.

Her eyes were calm, and determined also.  "You will come."

Remii jerked his arms free. He went to add a touch of Force energy to his actions, to make them understand he would not be treated like this. To his shock, nothing happened. The Sahmlians merely regrasped his arms more firmly and began to drag him towards the door. Remii resisted a moment, before he realized how undignified it was to be dragged like a disobedient child. "Wait!" he said. The Sahmlians paused, looked to Ga-Ree-Jen, then released him. Remii smoothed his cloak, then nodded. "Let's go."

~~~~

It was after mid meal when the Jedi negotiators returned to the Diplomatic Quartering. Master Toock and her assistant remained in the city, but she sent the rest of her team away once the situation stabilized.

Obi-Wan sat on the low retaining wall surrounding the drive area. Qui-Gon forgave him the indiscretion, they were all tired. Negotiations had been tense. No one claimed responsibility for the bomb. There was no logic to its placement, other than to cause the most damage possible to innocent Sahmlians of all caste. "Will you and Remii join us for a late mid meal, Master Dushiko?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes. Let me go get him." Dushiko paused and frowned.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure. I blocked Remii this morning because he was giving me such grief that I didn't want him disturbing my concentration for negotiations with his upset… he has quite the powerful little mental voice when he focuses. I've kept a light contact on him since we left this morning though. The contact isn't any stronger now that we are back. It is tenuous at best," Dushiko closed his eyes a long moment before opening them with a sigh. "I cannot reach him at all, he has shut me out. I know he was angry with me, but to shut down our bond to this degree is childish."

"He is a child, Ak'ra," Qui-Gon pointed out. He saw Obi-Wan glance longingly towards the entry doors- and a meal. "Some just grow up faster than others." He hid the small smile that surfaced when he glanced at his hungry padawan.

"He is Jedi. He knows the responsibilities that title brings." Dushiko flipped the edges of his robe back. "No matter. Go ahead to the dining area, I will retrieve my padawan and join you. Do not wait on us to eat. No doubt Remii will have some trial to put me through in retribution."

Qui-Gon gave the other master a half smile. "He is a good boy, Ak'ra. If he was not, you would not be so exasperated."

"True." Ak'ra Dushiko returned the smile. "I suppose one Jedi child can be no worse than a contingent of hysterical Sahmlian natives."

"We managed to handle twenty native castes and a bevy of annoyed traders this morning. A good warm up to handling one disgruntled padawan." Qui-Gon gave Dushiko a nod as the Weapons Master hurried off. Qui-Gon headed for the entry doors, motioning for Obi-Wan to join him. Obi-Wan leapt off the wall and was up the steps in two bounds.

"Can we eat now, Master?"

"Yes, Padawan. I don't want you wasting away." Qui-Gon wrapped an arm around his apprentice's neck as they went through the door, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to hug his lanky charge. They were laughing as they approached the entry hall and dining area doors. Adin Yeriamman walked down the wide center staircase from the rooms, droid canine by his side. The droid stood just short of a meter at the shoulder, barrel chested, long snouted, it had predatory eyes and triangular ears that swiveled to take in sound.

Adin raised a hand in greeting. "You have returned. I was beginning to worry."

Qui-Gon stopped, ignoring Obi-Wan's soft groan at the delay. "We missed your presence out in the city, Knight Yeriamman."

"I was there, but I would be of little use on your team, Master Jinn. I lack the finesse of a true negotiator."

"But you are a Jedi, sometimes that is all that matters."

"Master Toock had other plans for me. She, too, knows my limitations." The knight smiled, not at all insulted at being left out of negotiations. "I just came back to quarters to get Bellicus before I set out again. I've discovered some interesting legends that may lead to the source of this dark presence we all feel."

"I'll be curious to hear your story, Adin-Duanath." Qui-Gon nodded toward the droid dog. "What makes you bring the droid out?"

"Intimidation," Adin said without hesitation. "Troublemakers might think twice about bothering a lone man wearing Jedi robes, but add a high order droid into the mix and they generally steer clear of me altogether."

Obi-Wan moved forward and looked at the droid. "Is it like a real dog?"

"Yes. Except they can be programmed for whichever priority you need. Bellicus can track, guard, evaluate and attack without my orders."

"That could be dangerous." Obi-Wan said. He eyed the droid hound, which watched him in return.

"He assesses the situation and acts on the information he gathers. He learns from experience and stores what he learns. Bellicus has yet to be wrong in his actions- and has saved my hide on more than one occasion by not waiting for permission to act." Adin let his hand rest on the droid's head again. "He is also programmed for minor civilian interactions. These are my friends, Bellicus. Jedi friends."

The droid dog turned and minutely examined Obi-Wan then Qui-Gon, eyes whirling as the black irises lengthened into a rectangle, then smoothed back to a circle. After a moment, his manner changed, the ears twitched and the whip like tail slowly wagged from side to side. The droid dog sat, then nudged Obi-Wan's hand with his long snout.

"You have been added to his list of friends. He wants you to pet him," Adin said with a grin.

Obi-Wan gave the knight an incredulous look. "He's a droid."

"He's a droid dog," Adin corrected. "He is programmed to act as much like a flesh and blood animal as possible, at least when necessary."

"And I'm supposed to forget he has carbon steel teeth?" Obi-Wan muttered. Nevertheless he reached out a hand and gave the dog's head a pat. "Hey! He feels soft. Not cold at all."

"He has duraplas synthetic skin over his parasteel body. I had the manufacturers add some texture to the skin also."

Obi-Wan rubbed the droid behind the ears. "It feels like a hairless animal… smooth, but soft, and warm."

Adin nodded. "A metal droid dog can be a little too intimidating in some situations. Not to mention the reflectivity problems. Bellicus and Vorago look enough like the real thing to pass at a casual glance. I found it pays to have their abilities… underestimated."

"Vorago?" Qui-Gon asked. He moved up to pet the droid dog, fascinated. The dog's transparasteel eyes were tinted yellow, and held a measure of intelligence not expected in an animal droid.

"Bellicus' companion. Vorago is mainly a guard dog; he watches my ship when I'm away from it. He hasn't been programmed for interactions like Bellicus. Not yet anyway. "

"Intriguing," Qui-Gon said. He straightened. "We were just going to eat a late mid meal, Adin-Duanath. Would you care to join us?"

"Finally," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.

Adin laughed. "Yes. Otherwise you may have more questions and your poor padawan will expire from lack of nourishment." He headed for the dining area with Qui-Gon, Bellicus automatically trailing at his heels, Obi-Wan walked cautiously alongside the droid.

They had barely seated themselves when Ak'ra Dushiko came into the area. He stopped at their table and looked at each of them in turn, eyes lingering on the Jedi Knight.

Qui-Gon could feel the man's distress; it rolled off him in waves.  "What is it, Ak'ra?"

"Remii is missing. I went to get him from the room, and he was not there."

Qui-Gon held up a hand. "He is likely wandering the grounds, Ak'ra. You said you could feel him through your bond."

"I can still feel him, but just as faintly as before." 

"Then he is here on the grounds, somewhere," Qui-Gon repeated.

Dushiko placed his hands on his hips. "You do not understand. When we left this morning, I placed a lock on the room door. He could not have opened it from the inside."

"You did what?" Adin said. He half stood.

"Not now, Adin," Qui-Gon said. He reached out a hand, placed it on the knight's shoulder, and absently pushed him back down in the seat. Bellicus gave a quiet rumbling growl that ended with a head tilt and narrowed eyes. His attention was fixed on the Weapons Master rather than Qui-Gon Jinn, however. 

Dushiko looked at the knight. "What would you have me do? Leave him free to wander Sahmly City and to get in more trouble? The only way the boy could have got out of the room is if someone let him out." Dushiko stared at Adin. "I did not see you with the negotiating team this morning, Knight Yeriamman."

Adin stood, closely followed by Qui-Gon. "I did not let him out. I left for the city the same time you did. Are you saying he was taken from the room?"

"I am saying no such thing," Dushiko replied. He ran a hand over his head, dislodging some of the black hair from its ponytail. "But Remii could not have activated the door release from the inside."

"He's a smart boy, Ak'ra," Qui-Gon said. "He might have figured it out."

"It's possible… but not likely," Dushiko admitted. "He is not interested in the mechanical, only the living."

"Are his things gone?" Obi-Wan asked. "If he did not go by himself, I would expect his things to still be there."

Qui-Gon gave a nod. "Obi-Wan has a point, Ak'ra."

Dushiko sighed heavily. "His light saber, utility belt, and robes are missing."

"What about his flutepipe?" Obi-Wan asked, "Was that still there?"

Ak'ra Dushiko looked down and closed his eyes. When he opened them and looked up, they held profound weariness. "His flutepipe was missing also."

Obi-Wan looked at his master. "Remii is very attached to his flutepipe. He uses it to connect with the Force, and to calm himself. I do not think a kidnapper would see it as significant, however."

Adin rubbed a hand over his face and studied the others before speaking. "I agree. I think…the only conclusion we can come to, is that Remii ran away."

--Continued in Chapter 20--