TITLE: Dark Sacrifice  24/36

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 24

Canyon of Sorrows

Sahmly Savannah

Remii awoke by degrees. He was used to waking to pain, but this pain was different. His body hurt, and his head felt funny. He tried to clear the fuzziness from his brain. There was dirt beneath his cheek, and he couldn't move. Remii forced his eyes partially open, and winced, he wanted to rub them, but his limbs seemed far too heavy to lift. He fought the blossoming panic. My master said I must not fear…

"You're awake. Good."

"Master?"

"There, there, Little One. No need to be afraid," the voice said. "You're safe with me."

The voice finally stirred a reaction in Remii's sluggish thoughts. That's not my master! Remii fought his body to sit. He rubbed the dirt from his face and looked up. The dark cloaked Jedi sat a few feet from him, on a slab of rock, long fingers playing with Remii's flutepipe. The Sahmlian sky above Remii's head was its usual bright turquoise, but the rock walls surrounding them seemed steeped in darkness. Remii glanced around, and discovered they were at the dead end of what looked like a canyon. Boulders the size of speeders were strewn about, rough rock walls soared four or five meters over his head, and the distant opening beyond the master seemed darker than the black canyon walls. Remii shivered at the feelings of cold and dread that came to him. Despair threatened to choke him.

"Calm yourself, everything will be fine, Padawan." The master placed the flutepipe on the rock and stood. He walked towards Remii, dark eyes examining every inch of the youth. "You're safe with me."

"Where are we? Where's my master?" Remii scrambled to his feet and backed up until his shoulders met with immoveable rock wall. "What happened?"

"Do you not remember, Padawan? I brought you away from the city. You were afraid to return to your master. You thought he might beat you again. I decided to bring you to my camp until I could talk with him." The Jedi moved forward as he spoke, until he was less than a meter from Remii.

"No…" Remii shook his head. "I don't remember that." He looked into the man's flat eyes. "You hurt me…"

"No, Padawan. You were exhausted. All that healing you did just took the energy right out of you. That is some gift you have, Little One. A very powerful gift. But even a gift can't battle exhaustion. You mistakenly thought Muat was going to hurt you, so I put you to sleep and brought you to our camp."

Remii shook his head again, then stopped as it ached more fiercely. The events of the past few hours were a jumbled blur in his head. The Jedi sounded calm, and very sure of himself and the facts. Remii swallowed. "I… I don't understand…"

The Jedi stepped forward, closed the distance between them, and put a hand on Remii's shoulder. "I know you don't. But I will help you." His hand began to gently knead Remii's muscles through the tunic. "Do not fear, Little One."

Remii felt a wave of suggestion laden calm wrap around him. It was not the surety of the Force that Qui-Gon Jinn had offered, this was different. He cringed and pulled back.

The man dropped his hand, and turned away. "I think you need some water." He walked back to the rock where Remii's flutepipe lay and picked up a metallic container on a carry cord and brought it back. "Here, drink." He unscrewed the top and offered it to Remii.

Remii snatched the container and put it to his mouth, swallowing some before he thought to use his senses to examine it. It reminded him of the water in the fountain, flat, tasteless, with undertones, but it was wet, and cold. Remii gave a mental shrug and drank deeply. After a minute, the man leaned forward and pulled the container away.

"Easy, Padawan. You'll make yourself sick. How does your head feel?"

Remii automatically answered. "Better, Master."

The Jedi smiled, resealed the container and set it down. "Good. The healing you did drained your reserves. Even a Master Healer would be hard pressed to bounce back from that." He moved forward until he was within an arm's reach of Remii again, and touched the youth's cheek. "I was worried about you."

A confusing whirl of emotions hit Remii. He didn't understand why that this Jedi worried about him and his master did not. A multitude of other emotions welled up and threatened to overwhelm his senses. He longed for the security of the big Jedi Knight, Adin Yeriamman. Adin made him feel safe. Adin promised he wouldn't be hurt. He tried to reach out with his senses and find the Knight, but nothing happened. There was a blank space where the threads should be.

The Jedi frowned slightly, then placed a hand behind Remii's neck and tugged. "Come here, Little One. I know you're upset, it's going to be all right."

Remii resisted. Another wave of emotions enveloped him, and Remii found tears in his eyes as conflict raged. In the end, he stopped fighting, let the Jedi hold him, and rub a hand over his back. Remii was tired of struggling, tired of trying to be at peace with the Force, tired of not knowing where he belonged. He needed the contact to regain his energy. This Jedi offered him a place, and the connection to another that Ak'ra Dushiko refused. Still, upset lingered. After some long moments with the dark robed Jedi, Remii grew convinced that his distress came from the knowledge that Ak'ra Dushiko would be upset with him for running off. His Master would hit him again.

"I will take care of you, Little One," the man's voice whispered in his ear. "Relax…"

"I can't. My master is going to be mad at me."

"No he's not. I won't let him," The Jedi master said. "Here, let's get you out of that dirty tunic. You shouldn't run around with bloodstains on your clothes."

Remii closed his eyes and felt hands removing his tabard and over tunic, and unwrapping the belt from around his waist. "Where is my robe?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Perhaps Muat took it. He probably put it in the ship. You'll get it when we leave here."

"My light saber and belt?"

"You'll get them back when I'm sure I can trust you."

"Trust me? I don't understand."

The master gave Remii a smile. "You attempted to separate Muat's arm from his body. Do you not remember?"

Remii swallowed and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"You are the student of a Weapons Master, you learned his habits. You react as Dushiko taught you, Little One. Fight first. Strike to kill. I will teach you other methods, ones that won't hurt people. You don't like to hurt people, do you, child?" The Master reached out and stroked Remii's cheek again.

Remii frowned. "I…I have to get back to Master Dushiko. He'll worry. It's not proper for me to make him worry."

"No, Padawan. You do not need to return to him. He would only send you back to the Temple."

"No! I don't want to be returned again!"

"If you go back to your master right now, Little One, he will be very angry. He may be angry enough to return you right away. Let me talk to him, perhaps I can strike a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Remii asked. He rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"Padawan, you are not a fighter, you're a healer. I will teach you to heal, I will teach you to use that amazing ability that you possess. I want you to be my apprentice. I want you, Padawan."

"I don't understand… You've got an apprentice. Masters cannot have more than one." Remii rubbed his eyes again. He was still exhausted, and very confused.  

"Muat is ready to leave me and go out on his own. Everything will be fine," the master said soothingly. "You belong with me, Padawan, you know this. I will take care of you. I will give you what you need, what Dushiko could not give to you. I will show you how to be the healer I know you are capable of being." The master drew Remii into his arms and rubbed his hands over Remii's back through the undertunic.

If the hands touching him had been anything but infinitely gentle, Remii might have found the strength to oppose them. Instead he started to cry.

"You need me, Padawan. I will help you become a great Jedi." He held Remii at an arm's length and stared into his eyes. "Join with me, Little One. I will teach you wondrous things to do with your healing ability. You are very talented; you can learn to save everyone. Join me," he repeated.

"I… I…" Remii stared back at the man miserably. "I don’t know…"

The look on the man's face changed, and became shuttered. He thrust Remii away from him then stood, straightening his robes. He didn't look at the boy in front of him. "Think about it, Padawan. If you go back, Dushiko will return you. It's the Temple or me. And you know what they do to returned failures that can't control their talent. It will be the AgriCorps for you." The Jedi shrugged and looked at Remii. "Think about it. But do not think too long, for the opportunity may pass." He turned and walked away, paused by the rock that held Remii's flutepipe, picked it up, and tucked it into his robes before he disappeared around a turn in the canyon.

~~~~

Adin helped Dushiko into the speeder. Obi-Wan stood where he was; alarm and denial warred within him.

"Obi-Wan! Let's get Master Dushiko back to the Diplomatic Residence. I think we need to talk with the rest before we decide what to do," Adin said. The Explorer's face was pale and he kept one hand on the speeder to steady himself.

"What else is there to do?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked around to the driver's side. "Isn't Remii… Didn't Master Dushiko say…Remii is gone?"

"It doesn't mean he is dead," Adin snapped. "There are many reasons for a bond to break."

"But death is the most logical reason in this case," Obi-Wan persisted, unsure why he felt the need to clarify this.

"Yes. Death is the most logical reason." Adin replied with a glare. His expression softened as he stared at Obi-Wan. "I will not accept that reason without more proof, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I suggest you do the same." Adin leapt into the backseat as Bellicus took his place up front. "Now get us back to the Diplomatic Residence the fastest way you can."

With Bellicus navigating, Obi-Wan managed to get them back, despite the turmoil rolling through his head and heart. Ak'ra Dushiko walked through the main doors with them, but from the look on his face, it was obvious the Weapons Master was still in shock. Adin guided Dushiko into the dining area, and asked a server for anything strong. The server stood a moment, rills flaring, then scurried away and returned with a steaming cup. Adin pressed the mug into Dushiko's hands, and told him to drink, then looked at Obi-Wan. "Stay with him, I'm going to go find the Masters. They need to hear this."

Obi-Wan nodded and turned his attention to the Jedi master. Dushiko regained some color in his face, and the dazed look faded from his eyes. The man looked around and appeared to notice his surroundings for the first time.

"Yeriamman?" he asked.

"He went to get the others," Obi-Wan told him.

"Good…" Dushiko drank the rest of the liquid in the mug, shuddered, and set it gently on the table. The server reappeared to take it, and set another full mug in its place. It wasn't long after that the Jedi negotiators walked in and pulled up chairs around the Weapons Master.

Qui-Gon came straight to Obi-Wan and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder, eyes questioning. "Are you well, my padawan?"

"Yes, Master…" Obi-Wan gave Qui-Gon a slight smile, and sank into a chair. Qui-Gon sat next to him, attention turned to the Weapons Master. Obi followed Qui-Gon's gaze. Dushiko sat, lined face calm and unreadable. If it weren't for the shock that still lingered in the man's eyes, Obi-Wan would have thought him impervious to pain.

Saa Duut closed the doors to the room, and spoke to the servers. They vanished in short order. Master Toock hopped to a chair, and peered up at Dushiko. "Tell us what happened, Ak'ra."

In a measured voice, Dushiko recounted everything the three Jedi did up to returning to the speeder. When he came to the next part, he took a deep breath before he went on. "I was attempting to reach Remii through our bond. I could feel his presence, but that was all. Suddenly, I heard him clearly. He said 'Master, help me'. Then I heard nothing more." Dushiko paused. "It was as if someone closed the door between us. I have not been able to feel him since." Dushiko closed his eyes. Adin nodded from where he sat, face pale.

"You felt it also, Adin-Duanath," Qui-Gon stated.

Adin looked up and caught Qui-Gon's eye, studied him a long moment, then reluctantly nodded. "I felt Remii's presence in the Force just… vanish," he admitted softly.

Dushiko opened his eyes and stared at the Explorer. "You felt it? You felt it like I felt it? Like you were bonded? Yeriamman, what have you done?"

--Continued in Chapter 25--