TITLE: Dark Sacrifice  23/36

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 23

Adin tossed a carryall in the backseat of the speeder and motioned to Obi-Wan. "I want you to drive. Just be alert, I sense a great deal of restlessness in the air."

"I sense it also," Obi-Wan said. "The city feels ready to explode." He fingered the light saber hung off his utility belt. It was not unusual for his master treat him as an adult, but for unknown Jedi to consider him capable also… well, that would take some getting used to. He glanced down to find the droid dog, Bellicus watching him.

"I am programmed with maps of the city," the dog said. "You will not get lost."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied automatically, a bit taken aback to hear accentless Basic from the dog's mouth.

Adin shot him a grin. "He is programmed to act like a dog amongst strangers. We've found it to be a useful strategy for gathering information. He must have decided you're an acceptable risk."

"I'm honored," Obi-Wan replied. He stared at the droid. To his surprise, the dog seemed to smile back at him.

The droid tipped its head and studied Obi-Wan from head to foot a long moment. "He is Jedi, he is Jedi apprentice, he is older Jedi apprentice, his master is well respected, his master has trained him for many years, this one has performed acceptably on previous missions, he is capable with a light saber, his reactions are within the upper parameters of what is reasonable for his age and species, he-"

"Enough, Bellicus," Adin interrupted. "I'm sure Obi-Wan is not interested in hearing himself analyzed." Adin turned to the apprentice. "I keep meaning to add a protocol upgrade to his programming, so he has some tact, but I haven't got around to it yet."

"It's fine, Knight Yeriamman. I find Bellicus' abilities quite interesting." Obi-Wan reached down and gave the droid a pat on the head. "I can see where they would be useful."

"Good…" Adin looked at Bellicus. "Remember what I told you, any shenanigans, and I stick a pet protocol chip in you. Poodle, perhaps."

"No, anything but that!" Bellicus gave an overly dramatic sigh and rolled his metallic eyes.

Obi-Wan grinned. It faded as Master Dushiko walked up, crumpled tunic in one hand.

"I have the tunic… I searched the room once again. My emergency med supplies are missing."

Obi-Wan exchanged a glance with Adin. "So it looks like our theory might be correct? Remii went to help the injured?"

"I think so, kid. We'll find out." Adin took the tunic from Dushiko and held it down to Bellicus. "Do you think you can track Remii if need be, from his scent?"

Bellicus sniffed the tunic several times, eyes whirling and dilating as he processed. "Yes," the droid finally said. "His scent is… rather strong. Did the boy never bathe?"

Dushiko stared at the droid a long moment, and rubbed a hand over his face. "Not if he could avoid it," Dushiko answered with a tired smile.

"His scent is distinctive enough, different enough from the Sahmlians. I should be capable of tracking it, even in the air. If it has not dissipated." The droid dog sat back on his haunches. "You may put the garment in the carryall now. I do not wish it to distract me."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. It was a measure of Dushiko's fragmented concentration that he obeyed an order from a droid dog without question and stuffed the cream colored tunic in the carryall in his hand. He tossed it to Obi-Wan. Obi placed it in the back seat of the speeder.

"What now?" Dushiko asked.

"I say we head to the Ga Scree hospital and see what we can learn," Adin said. "If Remii wanted to heal, that would be the place he'd go."

"Agreed," Dushiko said. He waited as Obi-Wan and the droid got in the front of the speeder, then climbed into the back seat with Adin.

Obi-Wan set off, taking quiet directions from the dog. Bellicus unerringly guided him through streets filled with restless Sahmlians who stared at the Jedi contingent, some with anger, some with resignation.  He parked in front of the ramshackle Ga Scree hospital building and jumped out. Adin and Dushiko unfolded themselves from the back seat as Bellicus stood, paws on the dash, and sniffed the air a long moment. He hopped out and joined the clumped together Jedi.

"He was here," Bellicus said. "Earlier, his scent is overlaid with other odors now."

"Thanks," Adin said. He rested his hand on the droid's fearsome head. "Do we need a guard on the vehicle?"

Bellicus glanced about, eyes whirring and ears tilting. "I do not think so. But we could leave the apprentice here if you wish."

"I disagree," Dushiko said. "I would prefer to keep this padawan with us."

Obi-Wan watched Dushiko out of the corner of his eye, unsure if the master wanted him to go inside because he might be useful, or if the master didn't want to leave him behind because he was merely an apprentice and not to be trusted.

"I prefer that also," Adin said. "He could have some insights us old folks might miss." Adin grinned at Obi-Wan. "Bellicus, bring up the rear. Keep those eyes and ears open for trouble."

"Yes, Knight," the droid replied. He waited until Adin, Dushiko, then Obi-Wan headed into the building before he fell in behind.

The medic that scurried to greet them was short for a Sahmlian. He spoke in rapid bursts and waved his hands about. Obi-Wan couldn't follow the staccato Scree dialect, but Adin listened intently, pausing only to hold up a hand and repeat something the Sahmlian just said. When the man wore down, Adin asked several questions. Eventually, the Sahmlian shrugged, pointed at the beds against the far wall, and wandered off.

Dushiko watched Adin. "What did he say? I could only catch a few words."

"He said a Jedi was here, dressed like us," Adin replied softly, "He said the Jedi did healer work on the ones in the beds by the window, and then when he came back, the Jedi was gone. He wanted to know if we came back to finish what the other Jedi started. I told him we do not have the abilities the other Jedi has. After that, he seemed to lose interest."

Dushiko glanced at the patients by the windows, then walked over to the first bed. The man there stared up at him, emerald eyes wide. He asked a question, Dushiko ignored it and moved to the next bed. Adin came to stand by him.

"Do you recognize the bandaging on his arm?" Adin asked.

"Yes…from a Jedi med kit."  Dushiko closed his eyes.

Obi-Wan could feel the master search the Force, attempting to find a link to his padawan.

Dushiko finally opened his eyes. "I cannot find him. But I can feel the Force energy he used to heal these people."

"I feel it also," Adin said. "He expended a tremendous amount of energy here." Adin went up the line of beds and looked at each patient, Obi-Wan close on his heels. Dushiko followed more slowly, examining each patient in turn. At the cross hall, Adin stopped, and turned. "So, Obi-Wan, what did you notice?"

"The wounds got worse the further up the hall we came," Obi-Wan said promptly.

"But why would that be?" Dushiko asked him. "What else did you see?"

Obi-Wan thought. " The patients also had less Jedi med-plas strips… and more native bandaging. I would say Remii ran out of materials."

"Good, Padawan," Dushiko said absently. He turned to Adin. "Did you feel it?"

"Yes."

Obi-Wan glanced from one to the other. "Feel what?"

"You needed to examine the patients with your senses as well as your eyes, Obi-Wan-Wan," Adin said. "Then you would have felt it. Residual healing energy. Remii's healing leaves a mark in the Force. It fades over time, but right now, it is still there."

"Like his music," Obi-Wan said.

"Like his music…" Dushiko rubbed his face. "The difference here is, there was less residual Force energy in the patients the further we went up the line. It was very strong in the first few patients."

"What does it mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It tells us Remii probably burned himself out healing those first few, and had little left for the last patients," Adin said. "He used his abilities up too quickly, without consideration for later."

"I never taught him about triage," Dushiko commented. "Then again, he probably wouldn't have listened without proof." He glanced back down the line of patients.

"Is that why Master Dushiko cannot find Remii through their bond?" Obi-Wan asked Adin. "Because Remii's Force energy is weak?"

Dushiko and Adin exchanged glances. "That is one reason," Adin replied.

"What other reason is there?"

Dushiko held up a hand to forestall Adin's reply. "Our bond is not as strong as yours and Master Jinn's, Obi-Wan. It is new, and unsettled. I didn't learn to bond with a younger apprentice, and now I am paying for it. While I can feel Remii's presence through the Force, I only know that he is here, in Sahmly City. I cannot pinpoint where he is, though. If I could, I would go to him immediately." He stared intently at Obi-Wan. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master. I do."

"What now, Knight Yeriamman?" Dushiko asked. "Obi-Wan?"

"Master Toock said a Lho Scree leader was killed by a Jedi. Should we search in that area?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes. But I would prefer to have some facts to start off with." Adin looked at Dushiko. "What do you think?"

"Remii is not capable of killing anyone. Not maliciously. I doubt that Remii had anything to do with his death." Dushiko glanced around. "I have felt that other presence on this planet since we arrived. The Dark presence."

"I feel it also," Adin said quietly. "I have searched for the source. Problem is, the dark presence seems to be both local and ancient, mobile and new. As I said before, the stories I've heard lead me to believe a Dark presence has been on this world for a long time. But I have also felt flashes of a different presence the past few days."

"If I bring up the Dark Ones, everyone smiles to themselves, thinking, 'Poor Ak'ra, still haunted after all this time.'" Dushiko said. "But that is exactly what I feel, the same type of malevolent nastiness I felt before."

"I do not discount your feelings, Master Dushiko," Adin said. " For an Explorer, exposure to certain things fosters a deeper awareness. Why would it be any different for you?"

Dushiko shook his head. "It shouldn't be. We must find Remii. That thought weighs more urgently on my mind as time passes. He is not equipped to be alone on this planet. I will continue to try and reach him through our bond."

"I agree. Let me question a few more of the med staff. Maybe I can get an idea where Remii went."

To their dismay, they found that most of the staff they needed to talk to would not reappear for another hour; the doctor sent them home for a meal. Adin led the Jedi back outside. "Bellicus? Can you get a tracking scent?"

The droid dog stood, head up for several minutes. "I cannot get a definite lock. I can only tell you his scent is strongest on the street to the left of us. But even that is not strong, the city odors rapidly cover it."

"Let's stay and question the staff, then," Adin said.

Obi-Wan glanced up at the sky. "It's getting late. It will be dark in a few hours."

"I may lose the scent by then," Bellicus added. "But as long as the direction is locked in, I can improvise."

Adin looked to Dushiko. "What do you think, Ak'ra? Wait, or go on?"

"I think we need to gather all the information we can from this place," Dushiko said finally.  He ran a hand through his hair to the topknot. "Ever since these negotiations began, I've felt the Screes know more than they were telling us. I feel the same now."

Adin nodded. "Agreed… Obi-Wan, take Bellicus and circle the block to the north, Master Dushiko can take the south, and I will take the one to the east. Question the Sahmlians, maybe someone saw something. If nothing else, we'll eliminate some dead ends. Meet back here in an hour." He pulled his comlink for beneath his robe. "Set your comlink to two-two. If you run into any problems, yell, and the others will come." He looked at them. "Acceptable?"

Dushiko nodded. "A good plan, Knight." He clapped Adin on the shoulder before he moved off down the southward facing street.

"Obi-Wan, if you are unsure, ask Bellicus. He's been in and out of more scraps with me than probably you and your master have." Adin grinned, then turned serious. "If the Sahmlians get angry, or begin to gather, get out and come back here. No arguments. This city is ready to blow, and I would not want to explain to Master Toock why we were the torch."

"Me neither," Obi-Wan said with a shudder. He motioned to Bellicus, and set off up the northern street.

Almost an hour later, Obi-Wan made his way back to the front of the hospital. Adin waited for him. Bellicus circled the speeder, sniffing it before returning to sit beside Adin.

"Anything?"

"Not really," Obi-Wan said, "although…"

"What?"

"I got the impression we are not the only Jedi out here. I suppose they could be thinking of the negotiation team. Descriptions are hard to get out of the Sahmlians, we all look alike to them. Except for Remii. He is smaller than the rest of us, but apparently his reputation as healer has elevated him to our size and beyond."

"I got much the same," Adin said. He sighed. "I think finding our lost padawan will take a leap of faith."

"Unless he doesn't want to be found," Obi-Wan said.

Adin raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that?"

"Maybe he did run away. That would explain why Master Dushiko cannot feel him very strongly. Remii's blocking."

"Glad to see you're thinking, kid," Adin said, "but I don't know if that's a good theory."

"Why not? Remii fought with his master, then came here to do something he was told not to do. Maybe he's afraid to come back."

Adin looked thoughtful. "Now there is something I hadn't given a great deal of consideration to, Remii being afraid to return. I pictured him staying away out of anger, not fear…"

Master Dushiko rounded the south corner and approached. The look on his face told them he hadn't been successful either. Adin led the subdued group back into the hospital and found the doctor. His rills flared impressively as he stared at them.

"You talk to Ga-Lek. She remembers." He turned and motioned with both hands. The Sahmlian woman that edged forward wore a bandage around one arm. She kept her eyes on the floor.

"I know her," Obi-Wan said suddenly. "She is the cook Remii tried to heal."

The doctor's rills flared several times before he answered in Basic. "Yes, yes, this one was healed by Jedi. Her arm she will not lose. She was here when Healer Jedi saved her Scree kin."

"Do you know where the Healer Jedi went when he was done here, Ga-Lek?" Adin asked gently.

The woman lifted her head, and looked at Obi-Wan before she replied in heavily accented Basic. "Healer Jedi save Ga Scree, but not save all Ga Scree before Ga Leader take him away. Ga Leader explain she need Healer Jedi to try and make things better for all Ga. She went to meet with other Scree Leader. I think she took Healer Jedi to show what Ga could offer to other Screes. Healer Jedi showed much honor to Ga, he gave us status."

"Do you know which Scree Leader she went to?" Adin asked.

"I am only lowly cook-woman, I am not privileged to know what the Ga Leader knows."

"But what did you see?" Adin persisted.

"I saw Ga Leader take Healer Jedi with bodyguards in speeder.” She glanced at the doctor and her rills flared a long moment before she turned back. “Speeder had blue and white markings."

Adin dropped to one knee and bowed to the startled woman. "You have done the Jedi much honor, Ga-Lek. I give you our thanks." He climbed to his feet and motioned for the other Jedi to follow them out.

Obi-Wan noticed the doctor and others looking at the cook woman with new respect. He turned and trailed Adin and the Master. Bellicus stood outside in the vehicle, waiting.

"What did she mean?" Dushiko asked Adin. The Jedi Master looked confused.

"Each of the Screes in the city and their savannah counterparts have color markings they use to denote rank. The blue and white she mentioned belong to the ruling Scree in the city."

"And?"

Adin rubbed his beard with a hand and looked Dushiko in the eye. "And that happens to be the Lho Scree. The Scree who says their leader was killed by a Jedi."

Dushiko groaned.

"It may not exactly safe for us to go waltzing in there asking questions," Adin added.

"Do you think they did something to Remii?" Dushiko asked.

"No. The Screes are not prone to harming outsiders, even when angered. Much of their economy is based on tourism. They would bring grievances to the planetary governing body, and then to the Republic to get justice." Adin looked thoughtful. "Of course, restitution between Screes is also a tradition."

"What do you mean, restitution?"

"Payback of some kind I suspect," Adin admitted. "They have a dense culture, I haven't learned all the nuances yet. I just know lack of restitution is what has been keeping this city on the verge of exploding." He looked at Obi-Wan. "The Ga Scree, among others, decided to use this unrest to better their position. I'm afraid Remii might have been pulled into their plans."

Dushiko closed his eyes. "Remii is out there, I can feel him. I do not know if he is intentionally blocking me or not, or if the healing drained his Force ability, but-" The Weapons Master froze, his eyes came open and he looked at Adin and Obi-Wan in a panic. "No!"

Before Obi-Wan could react, Dushiko staggered and went to his knees. At the same time Adin fell against the speeder and threw out a hand to balance himself. He recovered quickly, and jumped to join Obi-Wan, who helped the Weapons Master to his feet.

"Ak'ra! What is it?"

"Remii…" Dushiko looked at them; shock plain in the dark eyes. "I heard him. He said 'Master, help me', then I heard nothing more. I cannot feel him through the Force. He is gone."

--Continued in Chapter 24--