Title: Lost and Found (Part Four) Author: Kat ***** When Obi-Wan woke, it was to find himself sprawled face-first across the bed. His face felt stiff and sore, and even opening his eyes made him wince. However, that ache was almost inconsequential when compared to the flaring sheet of agony across his back when he tried to move. He forced himself to relax again, taking deep breaths, waiting for the pain to subside. It took a long time, but eventually it did, a little, and he tried once more to push himself upright. He finally managed to make it to a kneeling position, although the effort brought tears to his eyes, and it took several minutes for his vision to clear enough for him to look around. The room was empty, and Obi-Wan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He had no idea where Gatt had gone, but he wasn't *here*, and right now that was all Obi-Wan cared about. He glanced at the window. The sun was low in the sky, and he wondered dimly how long he'd been out. Gatt had certainly done a number on him this time, that was for sure. Everything - *everything* - hurt, although his lacerated back was definitely the worst of it. Wincing, his breath coming in ragged gasps, he climbed gingerly off the bed and stood, trying to convince his wobbly legs to keep him upright. It took several long minutes before he was able to step away from the bed without feeling like his knees were about to buckle. He straightened up painfully and glanced over at the door that led back out into Gatt's office area, wondering if Gatt was out there. If he was...well, he had no desire to face the man again, not given Gatt's mood and his own current state of disrepair. But if he wasn't, he might be able to sneak a look at Gatt's computer, and maybe find out what Qui-Gon needed to know. Torn, he cast another nervous glance around the room, shuddering as his gaze passed over the binders that hung from the ceiling. That decided him. Even if Gatt *was* out there, he needed to get out of this room. He was supposed to attend Gatt's new "buyer" tonight anyway. Surely Gatt wouldn't detain him. He limped to the door and keyed it open, then looked cautiously out into the room beyond. He saw Gatt immediately, back at his computer terminal, and swallowed hard. /Damn,/ he thought unhappily. Still, there was nothing for it. He didn't want to stay in *here*, that was for sure. Besides, Gatt had already beaten him senseless. Usually an act of violence like that would keep him satisfied for a while. Moving as quietly as he could, he crept out into the room, heading for the door. But before he got halfway there, Gatt's voice froze him in his tracks. "Up, are you?" Gatt said shortly, sounding unconcerned. Obi-Wan breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief, realising that the anger was gone from Gatt's voice. Apparently beating Obi-Wan unconscious had calmed him down. /Psycho,/ Obi-Wan thought bitterly, turning to face the man, making sure he kept his eyes down. "Yes, sir," he said quietly. "That better have taught you a lesson, boy," Gatt went on. "Because next time I might just wring your scrawny neck and save myself the trouble." "Yes, sir," Obi-Wan breathed, gritting his teeth. "Get going then. You're supposed to be servicing my buyer. Go on, move it." "Yes, sir." It was the only safe response. Relieved, Obi-Wan scrambled for the door as fast as he could go, which in his current state was not very fast. When the door slid shut behind him he leant his forehead against the wall for a long moment, shaking with nerves. And damn it all, he hadn't managed to find out *anything*! /I have to get back to Qui-Gon,/ he thought. /I can try again later, when I know Gatt's not in his rooms. Right now...oh, Force, right now I want to lie down./ He hauled himself painfully upright again, and started slowly down the hall, heading for Qui-Gon's rooms. He had only rounded the first corner when a whisper from his left drew his attention. "Obi-Wan!" He turned, and saw Darvala coming towards him from the adjoining corridor. She hurried up to him, exclaiming softly over the marks on his back. "Oh, Gods, Obi-Wan, what a mess! What did you *do*?" "Ducked," he said painfully. Darvala was the only person in the compound that he actually trusted. She had been kind to him from the start, teaching him how to stay out of Gatt's way and avoid punishment as much as possible. She had been here for nearly two years now, and despite her hatred of Gatt, she put on such a convincing face to him that he was almost fond of her, even allowed her some small measure of freedom. Whenever she could, she tried to use that freedom to help Obi-Wan. Now she was shaking her head sadly as she took in his battered state. "Bastard," she mouthed, so quietly Obi-Wan could barely hear it. Then, a little louder, "Come on, I'll help you to the infirmary. I have a few minutes." "No," he said. "I have to go - I have an appointment." He gestured meaninglessly across and down, in the vague direction of Qui-Gon's rooms. She frowned. "The buyer? Like *this*?" "Gatt's orders," he gritted out. "Come on, Darvi, just help me." She hesitated, unnamed emotions flickering across her face. "All right," she said finally. She came to his side, supporting him, and Obi-Wan found he could move much more easily with her help. They made it to Qui-Gon's rooms quickly, and he pulled himself free of her hold. "Thanks, Darvi. Go on, or you'll get in trouble. I'll be fine now." She shot him a quick, sad glance. "I hope so," she said grimly. A moment later she was gone. Obi-Wan pressed the chime on the door, then placed his palm on the ID pad and waited for it to open. As soon as it slid aside, he hurried forward into the suite, but had to stop suddenly as another wave of dizziness threatened to overtake him. The walls seemed to bend and shift, and he reached out a hand to steady himself, but found nothing to grab. He heard footsteps to his right and tried to turn towards them, but the light was suddenly far too bright and he had to squint to make anything out at all. The last thing he saw, dimly, was Qui-Gon's horrified expression as he passed out again. ***** Qui-Gon had been battling a growing sense of unease during the whole of the walk Tev had taken him on. It had been a good hike, up into the mountains on a path that apparently went on for quite a way. They had walked for nearly two hours before Tev had finally said they ought to turn back. Qui-Gon had acquiesced easily, as the feeling that something was wrong back at the compound had been growing steadily stronger. As they started back, he wondered fleetingly if he should have left at all, but logically, what could he have done if he had stayed? Sat in his quarters and waited for Obi-Wan to come back while worrying himself senseless? Very useful. He did feel better for having got some exercise - clearer-headed and more in tune with the Force. Unfortunately, he had the distinct feeling that the Force was trying to tell him that all was not well. He wasn't sure what, or why, but something had gone wrong. He was sure of it. The trip back passed without incident, and before long they were back at the compound. Tev escorted Qui-Gon back to his room and there he stayed, pacing nervously up and down until he realized what he was doing andmade himself stop. He glanced at his chrono. It was evening now, if barely. Where was Obi-Wan? Had something happened? /Stop it,/ he told himself firmly. /Worrying will get you nowhere./ He rubbed a hand over his face. /But something's gone wrong. I know it./ The housekeeping droid came over to deliver a message from Gatt, telling him that his shipment of weapons should be ready either tomorrow evening or the next morning at the latest. Qui-Gon acknowledged this, cursing silently as he realised how little time he had left to accomplish his mission. The droid asked him if wanted a meal and he declined, feeling too anxious too eat, and took himself off into the bedroom to lie down. At least it was better than pacing. He was growing steadily more agitated, and all the meditation in the galaxy wouldn't have made a stick of difference at this point. He was so convinced that something was wrong that when he heard the door chime from the bedroom he actually jumped. He hurried out into the main room again, and when he caught sight of his visitor he couldn't hold back a gasp. Battered and bruised, weaving on his feet, Obi-Wan turned to face him and abruptly keeled over sideways, his eyes rolling back into his head. Qui-Gon leapt forward to catch him, grabbing the boy just before he hit the floor. His hand came away sticky with blood from Obi-Wan's shoulder and he swore under his breath as he took in the lacerations across the boy's back. His face a mask of cold fury, he swept the boy up in his arms and carried him into the bedroom, locking the door behind them. He carefully laid Obi-Wan face down on the bed, mindful of his injuries. Yanking the medical supplies out of his pocket, he ran the small scanner over the boy. It was not as sophisticated as larger scanners were, but it would tell him what he needed to know. To his relief, the injuries were not as bad as they appeared. The vicious welts along his back and shoulders had drawn blood, but they were all sealing over by themselves. Obi-Wan would be very sore for quite some time, and he would have some impressive bruises on his face, but there was nothing overtly dangerous. With some judicial use of the Force, Qui-Gon would be able to speed the healing along. Obi-Wan was stirring, his eyelids flickering as he came back to consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked up at Qui-Gon in alarm, which quickly faded to relief as he recognised him. "Sorry," he gritted out, wincing as he tried to roll over. Qui-Gon put a hand on his neck to prevent him and he stilled, grimacing with pain. "Couldn't find anything out. Gatt didn't leave his terminal at all, except to beat me senseless." "Don't worry about it," Qui-Gon said brusquely. "I haven't had any luck either. They never take their eyes off me unless I'm in here." "I did warn you," Obi-Wan said painfully. "Yes, and it seems you were right." Qui-Gon took a deep breath, releasing some of his anxiety to the Force. "For now, let's see what we can do about the mess you're in." "I'll be all right." "Yes, but I can make you a bit more comfortable. I've got bacta, and I'll do some Force-healing on you. That should speed things up a bit. Then I'm going to see if I can find that implant and remove it. All right?" Obi-Wan nodded, looking surprised. "All right. I wondered what you were going to do about that." "I should be able to find it with the Force, if I'm careful, and we'll just have to hope it's somewhere easy to get at. For now, just try to relax. We need to get that shirt off you." Removing the shirt was not pleasant, since it had stuck to the cuts on Obi-Wan's back. Qui-Gon tried to help it along by dampening it and washing away the blood, but it was still a rather long and painful process. Obi-Wan bore it well, not making any sound apart from a few muffled yelps, although he had to bite down hard on the bedcovers on several occasions to keep from yelling out loud. Finally, it was off, and Qui-Gon busied himself with washing the wounds and smoothing bacta over each one. Now that he knew Obi-Wan was not seriously injured, the relief he had felt was slowly being replaced by guilt, and anger. /I let this happen,/ he thought grimly. /I put him in the position to let that - creature - hurt him again./ He breathed deeply, trying to come to terms with the anger he felt. Right now, if he had Gatt in front of him, he would have been hard-pressed not to dispatch the man then and there. "It wasn't your fault," Obi-Wan said suddenly, startling him, and he looked down at the boy in surprise. "What?" Obi-Wan had turned his head and was regarding Qui-Gon with serious green eyes. "It wasn't your fault. I got careless. Gatt went to hit me and I ducked. I should have been more careful." Qui-Gon held the boy's gaze for a long moment, feeling a tug of Force within him. After a moment, he recognized the feeling. It seemed that the bare beginnings of the bond he had formed with Obi-Wan on the way to Bandomeer were still in existence. The sensation brought with it a myriad of emotions, and while some were pleasant, the darker ones - betrayal, hurt, disillusionment - took priority. Qui-Gon sighed, pausing in his ministrations to rub a hand over his face. His head pounded. Guilt and fear, fear and guilt, different sides of the same coin. Would he ever be free of them? He felt the Force swirl around him and gratefully let it flow through him, easing his confusion. He tried to release some of the distress he felt, and was reasonably successful. Calmer, he went back to tending the wounds on Obi-Wan's back, giving the boy a reassuring smile. He still felt a flare of anger every time he looked at the damage Gatt had done, and let it slowly ebb out of him into the Force, at the same time promising himself that Gatt would *never* get his hands on Obi-Wan again. Not if he had anything to say about it. After the wounds were tended and Obi-Wan more comfortable, the boy rolled onto one elbow and looked up at Qui-Gon, chagrined. "Sorry I passed out on you," he said. Qui-Gon snorted. "Don't be silly. It was hardly your fault." "It doesn't hurt as much now. Thank you." "It'll be better still once I do some healing on it." "I'm sorry I couldn't find out anything," Obi-Wan said. "I'll try again tomorrow, when Gatt's not around. The guards won't be bothered about me going into his rooms. If they ask, I'll just say he told me to wait for him." "No you won't." "What?" "I said, no you won't," Qui-Gon said firmly. "I don't want you going anywhere near Gatt again if you can help it." "But I have to - you won't be able to get that information!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "I shall have to find a way. Right now, you're injured and I do *not* want you near Gatt again. Is that understood?" "What if he summons me?" "I'm going to put in a request that you attend me until I leave. I'm sure Gatt won't mind, it's only one more day. Than when I leave, I'm taking you with me." "One more day?" Obi-Wan questioned. "How do you know?" "Gatt said the shipment will be ready tomorrow night or the next morning. He works fast." "He's got it all stored in other compounds, elsewhere," Obi-Wan said. "He just flies it in when he needs it, in case he ever gets raided." He looked up at Qui-Gon, his brow furrowed. "If that's all the time you have, then you've got to let me help! You won't be able to get into his rooms, the security is just too tight." "I said no, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said sternly. "I've already let you get injured once, and I don't plan to do so again. You may be feeling better but you're nowhere near recovered yet. Gatt is a dangerous man. *I* will find a way to get the information I need." "But - " Qui-Gon held up a hand. "No buts. And no more talking. I'm going to see if I can get that implant out." Obi-Wan looked mutinous, but was apparently too tired and sore to argue any more, and subsided. Qui-Gon then turned his attention to finding the implant. "I'm going to see if I can track the placement of the implant with the Force," he told Obi-Wan. "Just lie still and try to relax." Obi-Wan did his best, and Qui-Gon closed his eyes, slowly sinking himself into a light trance. Using the Force, he scanned Obi-Wan's body, looking for anything unnatural. It was not an easy thing to do, and it took him three passes before he finally located it, at the back, just below Obi-Wan's right hip. He opened his eyes and examined the area, and found that he could see a very faint, very tiny scar. "Got it," he said. "Hold still for me, all right?" He picked up the scanner and keyed in a command, then directed it at the area containing the implant. "I'm going to try to remove it now," he told Obi-Wan. "I've deadened the nerves there temporarily, as much as I can, but it may still hurt a bit. Just try to hold still." Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, and Qui-Gon saw him take a firm grip on the bedcovers. Using the small laser-scalpel he had brought, Qui-Gon managed to remove the implant without too much trouble. It was a tiny, almost flat disc, and once inserted was almost impossible to detect by any normal means. Qui-Gon placed it gently on the bedside table. As long as he didn't tamper with it, it shouldn't cause them any problems. Obi-Wan had endured the procedure with clenched teeth, as despite the nerve-deadening action of the little medical scanner, it had still hurt quite a bit. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it hadn't been pleasant, especially not when he was in a fair amount of pain already. Qui-Gon applied bacta to the small wound, and settled back to do some Force-healing on the boy. "It'll be easier if you're asleep while I do it," he told Obi-Wan. "If you'll let me, I can put you under." Obi-Wan hesitated a moment, then nodded. "All right." Qui-Gon locked eyes with the boy, calling on the Force to emphasize his words. "Sleep, Obi-Wan." A moment later Obi-Wan's eyes drifted shut, and he relaxed into sleep. Qui-Gon dragged a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down, closing his eyes again. Slowly, he let himself drift back into a trance, focusing the Force to aid in Obi-Wan's healing. A long time later, when he opened his eyes again, he could see the improvement. The lacerations would still take a while to heal completely, but they had sealed over and looked less angry. Obi-Wan was still fast asleep. Yawning, Qui-Gon decided that he should probably get some sleep himself. The healing had worn him out. Plus, tomorrow was very likely to be his last chance to get the information he needed, and it appeared that it wasn 't going to be at all easy. No doubt he would need all the rest he could get. He got up and went to the closet, hoping to find some spare blankets. There was a pile of them, and he took one and moved back to the bed to lay it gently over Obi-Wan, who slept on, oblivious. Qui-Gon went around to the other side of the bed and tugged off his boots, then lay down on top of the bed. He was asleep almost instantly. ***** Obi-Wan woke abruptly to darkness, unsure of where he was. He tried to roll over and sucked in his breath sharply as pain flared across his shoulders and back. With the pain came memory, and he lay back, realizing that he must be in Qui-Gon's rooms. He turned his head, and could just make out Qui-Gon fast asleep on the other side of the bed, one hand pillowed behind his head and his face turned away. He glanced over at the luminous chrono beside the bed and saw that it was still very early. Obi-Wan lay still, considering. Qui-Gon had not believed him when he had told the Jedi that he would not be able to get the information he needed on his own. Gatt's compound was too secure. If Qui-Gon knew what he was looking for, it might have been possible. But as it was, he would not only need to get into Gatt's rooms, but also get into his computer system and then search through piles of data until he found what he wanted. It would just take too long, longer that Qui-Gon would have before he was discovered missing. There was no way he would be able to do it without getting caught. Jedi powers were one thing, but it wasn't like he could mind-trick everyone in the compound! And while he did not doubt that Qui-Gon would be capable of fighting his way out, Gatt and his contact would then be forewarned, and would no doubt promptly cover their tracks. If the informant was as high up in the Republic government as Qui-Gon had indicated, he might well be able to cover up any trace of wrongdoing even if Qui-Gon did have evidence to the contrary. No, the only person who would be able to get that information without tipping Gatt off was Obi-Wan, and he knew it. Which left him with a problem: Qui-Gon had basically forbidden him to do so. Which was extremely, *extremely* frustrating. /He's concerned for me, that's all,/ Obi-Wan told himself. /He feels that he put me in danger and that's why I got hurt. Really, it was my own stupid fault for not watching what I was doing. I should have just let Gatt hit me, I learned that lesson when I first got here!/ Qui-Gon was always good at guilt, he mused. He still hadn't got over his guilt about Xanatos, even after all this time. /That's why he wouldn't take me as a Padawan, I think, at least in part,/ Obi-Wan thought sadly. /But there it is: I'm *not* his Padawan. I'm under no obligation to obey him. I do want him to get me out of here - oh Force, do I! - but I know he won't refuse to take me with him because I disobeyed him. And if I *don't* disobey him, he's never getting that information. Not without tipping Gatt off about what's going on, and then it'll likely be useless anyway./ He sighed heavily. /Hell, I don't even know if I'll be able to find it. But at least I have a *chance*./ That decided him. A chance was better than nothing. He glanced again at the chrono beside the bed and realized that if he was going to go, it had better be now. Gatt worked out early every morning in his private gym, and he would probably be leaving for that workout fairly soon. Moving carefully so as not to disturb Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan pushed the blanket aside and climbed gingerly off the bed, wincing at the movement. He looked around for his shirt and found it on the floor, but grimaced in distaste as he held it up and saw the tears and bloodstains. /I'll have to go and get changed first, and tidy myself up, otherwise I will look suspicious./ As quietly as he could, he crept to the door and opened it, then scurried out into the main room, shutting the door again behind him. The little astromech droid chirped softly at him from a corner of the room, and he hurried over to it. "Tell him that I have gone to get what he needs," he said in a low voice, making sure his words would reveal nothing to anyone but Qui-Gon. "And that I'll be back." Another soft beep. He hoped it was an affirmative. "Thank you," he whispered, and hurried to the door, placing his palm on the scanner so that it would let him out. The door opened at his touch, and he ducked out into the corridor. A moment later, the door hissed shut behind him. Obi-Wan headed for the slaves' quarters at the rear of the house, moving stiffly and painfully as his body protested the abuse it had suffered yesterday. He knew his face must be a mess, but his appearance didn't even rate a curious glance from the guards he passed, who were quite used to seeing recently beaten slaves wandering around. Once he got to the slaves quarters, he quickly changed his clothes and tidied himself up a bit. The bruised on his face were going to be quite spectacular, he noticed, but it was hardly an unusual sight. Gatt's temper was well-known. With a last glance at himself in the mirror, he headed back up in the direction of Gatt's rooms, trying to project his usual aura of beaten misery. He walked as fast as he could, knowing that would seem normal - *all* of Gatt's slaves hurried, especially if they were going to see the man himself. He reached the corridor leading to Gatt's quarters and took a moment to steel himself. He was playing with fire here, he knew. If he was caught... /I won't get caught,/ he told himself firmly. /I can't *afford* to get caught!/ Taking a deep breath, he headed down the corridor towards Gatt's rooms, keeping his head lowered. He walked past the guards without even looking at them, as he usually did, and after a single cursory glance, they ignored him. The door to Gatt's suite slid smoothly open for him and he hurried inside, quickly glancing up to scan the room and finding it empty. The door hissed shut again behind him, and he allowed himself a brief, heartfelt sigh of relief. He cautiously checked the other rooms that led off from the main room - the bedroom, the 'fresher, even the small balcony that looked out over the little internal courtyard. All of them were empty. /All right, Kenobi,/ he told himself firmly. /You've got one chance at this. Don't blow it./ He hurried over to Gatt's computer terminal and powered it up. A password prompt appeared, and he took a deep breath. /You saw him do it two days ago. You know it's right. He wouldn't have changed it again so soon./ He sincerely hoped that was the case, because he was fairly sure that an incorrect password would trigger an alarm. He had one chance to get it right. Before he could lose his nerve, he typed in the password he had last seen Gatt use. There was a brief pause, during which Obi-Wan thought his heart might actually stop beating, he was so nervous. It was mere seconds, yet it seemed like an eternity before the screen flashed once and displayed a single line of text.  Accepted. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to distill the adrenaline rush, as the computer started up, displaying the interface that Gatt worked from. A moment later, he had set to work, searching for some hint of who Gatt's informant was. ***** Qui-Gon woke suddenly, eyes snapping open, his nerves jangling with alarm. He swiftly scanned the room, relaxing only a little when he saw no immediate threat. There did not seem to be any danger here. So what had woken him? A moment later he had his answer, as he realized that Obi-Wan was gone.            ***End Part Four***

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