Title: Lost Light
By: Cassia
Email: cassia_a@hotmail.com
Category: Story, Drama, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Rating: PG (violence)
Spoilers: Minor ones for the JA books
Archive: Jedi Apprentice, Early Years & Qui-Gon Fic
Disclaimer: All recognizable Star Wars characters are the
exclusive property of George Lucas. All others belong to me.
I have no official permission to use these characters, but
I'm not being paid for it either, so that's okay.
Feedback: Yes Please!
Time Frame: 10 years before TMP. Obi-Wan is 15.
Summary: What was supposed to be an investigative mission goes
terribly awry, leaving Obi-Wan blind and Qui-Gon injured.
Having survived the harsh Drojan Death Camps, the two Jedi try get off
planet, as well as aid the one person who might be able to make the Republic
see that they must put a stop to Driosnia's actrocities. But nothing is
simple and everything that can go wrong, will...
LOST LIGHT
PART NINE:
Sheena watched Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon move away. Watched them until they turned into small, dark shapes, overhung by the sprawling visage of the hangar. She wondered where they were all going and why. Finding no answers, and knowing they were probably too dangerous to understand anyway, she turned to head back to the house.
Suddenly, an arm closed around her throat, holding her neck tightly in the crook of the elbow. "All right *Danshe,*" a voice sneered the derogatory name for her people. "What did the kid say to you?"
Sheena recognized Brun's voice. "N-nothing," she struggled to keep the quake of surprise out of her tone. "Just goodbye."
"Why did it take so long? And why is he suddenly going with? Hm? The kid is mighty close to that big aide, I'd say they knew each other all ready. How?" Brun demanded, tightening his arm until Sheena couldn't breathe.
"I don't know, let me go, I've done nothing wrong," Sheena gasped, pulling desperately at Brun's arm.
"Oh, but you spent a lot of time with the kid Sheena, you're the one who brought the Administrator into it when he turned up in the restricted area. I find it difficult to believe that you learned nothing about him in all that time. Why not make this easier and tell me?"
"Let me go!" Sheena started struggling in earnest. "I know your voice Brun! You better not touch me or I'll tell Master Owskar when he gets back!" she threatened with a bravado she did not feel. Brun had been warned more than once to leave her alone.
"Ah, that's assuming he's coming back. That's something I've been wondering about. All his money's been transferred off planet *Danshe*. Oh, not in any obvious way, but it's gone."
Sheena knew Brun had to have been snooping about in the Administrators personal files to find that out. "So what? Maybe the rates are better," Sheena said dryly.
Brun laughed softly in her ear, but it was neither mirthful, nor pleasant. Dragging her back towards the house he pressed her against the wall on her stomach, releasing her throat and twisting her left arm behind her back. "You're funny Sheena, but now is the time to be serious. Deadly serious. My Uncle is a traitor Danshe; the Krallnorn has been watching him for a long time. He's up to something now, I know it. He must be stopped." Brun twisted her arm harder, until Sheena thought he would break it. She moaned in pain, trying to squirm away from him, but he was stronger than she was and he had the advantage. Sheena felt the cold muzzle of his blaster press against the base of her neck.
"I haven't got time to play games. What did the boy say Sheena?" Brun demanded his voice chillingly cold.
"N-nothing, really," Sheena shook her head. "I-I asked him where they were going, and he said he couldn't tell me," she knew she had to be careful what she said. She did not want to betray the Administrator and Obi-Wan, but she did not doubt that Brun would kill her if she failed to cooperate.
"That's not good enough Danshe," Brun's grip on her tightened. "Who is the boy, who is that new aide that Verjl keeps with him all the time? How do they know each other?"
"Please Brun, I don't know," Sheena squirmed. Her arm burned and her heart was pounding a mile a minute. With the Administrator leaving for good, Brun could do whatever he wanted to her and there would be no one to stop him.
Brun struck her across the back of her head with his blaster. "That's *Mr. Owskar* to you Danshe scum! Tell me, or I'll leave you down at the guardhouse. Maybe after a few hours with them, your memory will become clearer," he threatened.
"I-I don't know much, really," Sheena's voice shook with terror that she could not hide. "K-Kenobi and Jinn knew each other in the camps, before they came here. The Administrator made Jinn his aide because he saved his life, I assume that's why he took Kenobi as well, for Jinn's sake," Sheena told the truth, just not all of it.
"I know that much," Brun snapped. "You're not being helpful Danshe." He struck her again.
Sheena saw stars. Her head throbbed. Brun's voice cut through her like a vibro-blade.
"How did Kenobi survive the camps blind? There's a lie here somewhere, what is it about him that you're hiding?" Brun struck her in the small of her back, making Sheena give a little cry. Brun released her arm. Spinning her around so that they were face to face, he pressed the muzzle of the blaster under her chin. "We're short on time. The ship is leaving within the hour. As much as I would enjoy trying to make you talk; it would take too long. I'm going to count, and when I get to five, either you are going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to blow your head off. It's that simple. One, two, three..."
Sheena's heart hammered. She saw Brun's finger tightening on the trigger.
"Four, five," Brun's hand tightened. "Too bad Danshe," he whispered.
"No! Wait!" Sheena cried, terrified. "Obi-Wan's, he's... he's a Jedi," she whispered, hanging her head in shame at having betrayed the secret.
Brun nodded. It all made sense now. He had suspected, but now he knew for sure. "Jinn too?"
Sheena nodded brokenly.
"So that's what he's up to," Brun whispered. "He's going to betray us all, and he's got the Jedi to help him." Bruck's light grey eyes turned icy cold. "Thanks Sheena," he mocked, his finger once more tightening on the trigger of his blaster. "You've been a real help."
Sheena saw the murderous intent in his eyes and realized in an instant that he intended to kill her anyway.
"Mr. Owskar?" the voice of one of the guards made Brun look up for a moment.
Sheena seized the opportunity. Shoving the blaster away from her neck she threw herself sideways. A blaster bolt zinged by her ear, scorching the wall behind her. She hit the ground rolling and jumped up. Another shot made the earth by her feet explode. Sheena screamed and made a dash for the trees on their right. She knew she stood no chance out in the open.
The two Jedi stiffened, alert and on guard, their hands
straying automatically to the hilts of their lightsabers. Qui-
Gon looked around, and Obi-Wan stretched out with his other
senses.
"Sheena," they both said at the same time. Sheena was in trouble; something was wrong, very wrong.
"Obi-Wan, get to the ship, be sure that the Administrator is protected," Qui-Gon ordered as he moved swiftly off towards the source of the scream.
For a moment Obi-Wan hesitated, hating to be sent off to safety, hating to be useless. Then his mind kicked in and he realized that Qui-Gon had given him an assignment, not told him to hide. Hurrying toward the ship he met Verjl on the loading ramp.
"What's taking so long? Where's Jinn?" the Administrator asked impatiently. "What's going on?" He got his answer a moment later.
"Duck!" Obi-Wan cried, sensing the shot before it came and pulling Verjl down with him. More shots whizzed at them from the cover of the ship parked on their left. Verjl started to crawl up the ramp towards the safety of the ship's entry, but Obi-Wan grabbed his arm and shoved him off the side of the ramp instead, just as a fresh volley of shots exploded at them from inside the ship itself, scorching the spot on the ramp that they had occupied only moments earlier.
Obi-Wan and Verjl pressed their backs against the underside of the loading ramp, momentarily hidden in the shadows. Obi-Wan knew it wouldn't take long before their attackers figured out where they went. This ramp would not provide much protection against a direct assault.
"Looks as if they are on to me," Verjl shook his head. Failure making his heart sink like a lead balloon. "I never expected them to be able to strike so swiftly, at such short notice. I have failed," he said with resigned misery.
Obi-Wan was trying to think fast. "Not yet," he shook his head. They had to do something, but what? He knew what he'd do if he still had his eyes, but what could he do now? *"Your blindness does not limit you Obi-Wan, you limit yourself,"* Qui-Gon's words came back to him. Was he limiting himself? A shot whizzed past their heads. Their attackers had found them.
Qui-Gon ran towards the house. His pace swiftened when he saw
the distinct flashes of blaster fire ahead of him.
Sheena scrambled through the trees, her heart in her throat.
Brun had shot the guard who had been unfortunate enough to interrupt him and now he was after her. A hot blast shattered the tree limb above her head. The line of trees was thin and the protection scanty. Sheena realized she was not going to make it. The blaster fell silent. She peeked cautiously out of the trees to see where Brun was and found herself staring down the barrel of his weapon.
There was a flash of fire and Sheena fell back, expecting to feel the bolt blow her head off, but instead, she found herself falling backward onto the ground, her heart thumping, but completely unharmed. A moment later her reeling brain realized that it had not been the orange/white flare of a blaster bolt, but a flash of intense green fire that sliced down on the black barrel of the weapon, cutting it to pieces and knocking it to the ground. Sheena looked up and saw the man that Obi-Wan called Master holding a glowing green light- sword in his right hand.
Brun jumped back with an oath. After that, everything unfolded rather quickly. Before Sheena even had a chance to draw, much less catch, her breath somewhere near six or seven soldiers appeared. Drawn by the sounds of the fire-fight ensuing outside they spilled out of the house like ants rushing out of an ant hill when a child pokes it with a stick. Quickly taking in the situation they immediately reacted by opening fire on Qui-Gon.
Verjl returned fire from around the edge of the ramp, but they
couldn't hold the position for long.
Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber. It was strange to hear the familiar hum of the blade but not see its blue/white light. "You have the clearance codes for any of these ships, right?" Obi-Wan asked Verjl over the roar of the gunfire.
Verjl nodded. "Yes. Unless they have nullified my security pass."
*"Let's hope they didn't,"* Obi-Wan thought grimly. "Run for the hangar," he instructed the Administrator. "Get to one of the ships and prepare for takeoff. I'll cover you."
"What?!" Verjl protested incredulously. "I can't let you do that! You're blind!"
Obi-Wan grimaced. He did not need to be reminded of that. "It doesn't matter, go!"
"But-"
"Go!" Obi-Wan fairly shouted, deflecting a blaster bolt with his lightsaber and shoving the Administrator towards the edge of the ramp.
With no time to argue further, Verjl made a break for the cover of the hangar, spraying blaster fire in the direction of at least one group of their attackers to make them keep their heads down.
Obi-Wan sprang out right behind him, covering the Administrator's back. Blaster bolts exploded around the blind Jedi, heating the air and filing it with a burning smell. Obi- Wan reached out to the limits of his abilities and training. Letting the Force flow through him he whirled his saber, deflecting shot after shot. Twirling and spinning with an agility he had thought lost to him, the apprentice backed towards the hanger, safely covering their retreat.
Glancing back over his shoulder, Verjl saw Obi-Wan deflecting the volley of bolts directed at them with an ease and skill that defied reality. The feat would have been impossible for a normal man, and Obi-Wan was *blind*! The Administrator was awed. Impressed was simply not the word.
Reaching the cover of the hanger he turned his mind back to the task at hand. Choosing a small, swift craft with a sleek design that was near the entrance Verjl pulled out his security pass and prayed that it was still valid.
Obi-Wan stood in the yawning hangar entryway, standing off against the forces outside. He could feel them massing to rush him. No doubt some of them were also slipping around to come up from behind. *"Master!"* was all he had time to call out before they came at him in force.
TBC... :D
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