PART TWO:
When Obi-Wan woke up, the pain in his face was the first thing he noticed. Then the pain in his hands, then the rest of his body. At least that meant he wasn't dead, the apprentice tried hard to look on the bright side. But where was he? He was lying on his back on a hard, lumpy surface, but the room was pitch dark and he could see nothing. Somewhere, nearby, he felt Qui-Gon's familiar presence, and that made him feel better. If they were together, than things couldn't be that bad.
Qui-Gon moved to his Padawan's side as the increased level of pain he felt emanating from the boy told the Jedi Master that Obi-Wan was waking up.
"Master?" Obi-Wan asked groggily, deciding against trying to sit up just yet.
"I'm here Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon's mellow voice was comforting. Obi-Wan could hear the gentle rustle of his Master's robes as Qui-Gon settled himself next to his apprentice. Obi-Wan blinked, trying to force his aching eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it didn't help, he still could not see Qui- Gon. "Where is *here*?" Obi-Wan wanted to know. "Where are we, Master?" Why was it so dark?
"A Drojan prison cell I'm afraid," Qui-Gon replied. Obi-Wan admired his Master's control. There was almost no emotion in the older Jedi's voice and he might as well have been telling Obi-Wan that they had been invited to a high tea... come to think of it, that was almost as bad... Obi-Wan's lips twitched slightly in spite of himself. Unfortunately, even that much movement in his facial muscles was acutely painful to the Padawan.
Obi-Wan put his hand to his face, gently touching the smarting burns that ran across his features. They didn't seem too bad, just painful, and half of that was probably a reaction because it was a chemical burn as well as a normal one. "What happened?"
"The research station collapsed," Qui-Gon said calmly. "We were trapped underneath, but miraculously, were not killed. The Drojan forces extinguished the fire to keep it from spreading to other buildings. When they went through the rubble, they pulled us out. You were unconscious by that time and I was... not in a condition to oppose them, so they brought us here," Qui-Gon explained wearily.
No, Obi-Wan realized with a shock, it wasn't just weariness he heard in his mentor's voice, it was pain. Qui-Gon was in pain and Obi-Wan hadn't even realized it. Obi-Wan kicked himself for being so unobservant and wrapped up in his own suffering. *"Not in a condition to oppose them..."* Qui-Gon must be hurt, but how, and how badly? Obi-Wan wished he could see his Master, blast this infernal darkness! Did the Drojans always keep their prisons this dark? Perhaps it was meant discourage escape, or to drive the inmates insane.
Obi-Wan sent out a probe through the Force, trying to get a reading that way. "Master, you're hurt!" he said in dismay when the probe came back to him. He couldn't tell specifics, but whatever the injuries were, they were substantial. Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise. Obi-Wan only just noticed this? He looked down at the double slings that bound his broken arms to his chest. That he was injured was readily apparent to anyone with eyes...
A cold chill ran up Qui-Gon's spine and his stomach tightened uncontrollably. Obi-Wan was not looking at him. He was not looking at *anything*. As he lay on the rough cot, the boy's blue eyes wondered aimlessly, but focused on nothing. Qui-Gon passed his hand over his apprentice's face, not three inches away. No reaction. Obi-Wan did not even seem to notice. Qui-Gon's gaze lighted on the red burns that traced across the boy's face, especially the large, blistered one that arced across Obi-Wan's cheekbones, the bridge of his nose... and straight across the Padawan's eyes. The tightness in Qui-Gon's stomach solidified into a hard lump.
Obi-Wan felt the sudden change in Qui-Gon's calm demeanor. "What is it Master? What's wrong?"
*"He doesn't know..."* Qui-Gon realized in anguish. "Obi-Wan, what do you see?" the Jedi Master asked carefully.
"See?" Obi-Wan was surprised by the question. "I can't see anything Master, it's too dark in here."
Qui-Gon bit his lip, unsure what to say.
"Master?" a note of alarm crept into the boy's voice. He could tell something was wrong.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon's voice was low, too low, he was sad about something... "This cell is fully lighted. I can see you quite clearly," the Master's voice cracked just slightly.
For a moment Obi-Wan did not understand. Fully lighted? That was impossible! He couldn't see a thing... Suddenly what Qui- Gon was telling him hit the teenager like a blaster bolt in the gut. Obi-Wan's chest tightened so badly he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air and ended up hyperventilating. *It couldn't be true! It couldn't! Oh, please don't let it be true!* But it was true and he knew it, Qui-Gon wouldn't lie to him about something like this. That burning he felt in his eyes...
"Master, Master I can't see!" he cried in dismay and alarm. Sitting up despite the fireworks it set off in his head, he groped out, trying to find his Master by feel.
Qui-Gon managed to catch one of his apprentice's searching hands in the still slightly movable fingers of his right hand. The motion and strain hurt incredibly, but Qui-Gon barely noticed, his whole attention was on Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon moved closer, pulling the boy to him with the Force in lieu of the arms he did not have the use of at present.
Obi-Wan buried his face against Qui-Gon's shoulder. The fabric of the older Jedi's tunic smelled of smoke and bacta, the later no doubt applied to treat the burns and other injuries Qui-Gon had received when the ceiling fell in above them. Qui- Gon had covered Obi-Wan with his own body and the apprentice had come out virtually unharmed, except for his vision...
A single tear slipped from Obi-Wan's sightless sapphire eyes, yet he did not feel like crying, not really. He was too numb to cry, too shocked to even fully absorb the meaning of what he had lost.
Qui-Gon did not speak empty words of comfort to him, did not try to trivialize what the apprentice had lost, nor say that everything would be all right when it was not. The big Jedi just held him close, using the Force to replace his useless arms, and letting Obi-Wan know that he was not alone in this darkness.
Obi-Wan leaned against Qui-Gon for a long time. It was comforting to be near him, to feel his Master's presence so close, the touch of his mentor's mind and body, the familiar smell of Qui-Gon's robes that was still apparent underneath the scent of smoke and bacta... Obi-Wan had never realized how much all these little details played into the image he had of his Master. Now that he could not see, he seemed already much more aware of sounds, smells, feelings and even tastes.
What did this mean for the future? Obi-Wan wondered. Was this blindness permanent, or could it be fixed? And if it could not, did his loss of sight take with it his dreams of becoming a Knight? He knew at least one other blind Jedi, but Tahl was already a Knight when she was blinded. Could he continue training to become one if this condition was permanent? Could he ever hope to be allowed to face the trials, and even if so, did he stand any chance of passing them? He must not rely on his eyes, since Obi-Wan was little he had been taught this, but could he live without them? He didn't know.
****************
"Walk to me," Qui-Gon instructed yet again.
Obi-Wan took an uncertain step forward, reaching out with his feelings to find where Qui-Gon was and moving towards him. The elder Jedi circled slowly and was pleased to see that Obi- Wan continually adjusted his course to keep heading towards his Master. Unfortunately Obi-Wan was so centered on tracking Qui-Gon that he neglected to fully probe out the path he was taking and ended up tripping over the chair that Qui-Gon had placed in his way.
Obi-Wan restrained himself from punching something in frustration. He should be able to do this! Hadn't he trained, blindfolded, for enough years at the Temple to know how to maneuver without sight? *"Deceive you they can, trust your eyes, do not,"* he could still hear Yoda say to him. Why couldn't he do it now, when it mattered the most?
Qui-Gon shook his head. "You're trying too hard Padawan," he corrected gently. "You're trying so hard to see, that you tense up and miss things. Open your mind and let it happen naturally. Let the Force flow around you Obi-Wan, only then you will be able do it," Qui-Gon instructed, his presence was strong, but his voice held traces of weariness and sorrow.
"See through the Force," the Master urged. "Don't just see me, or other life forms, see the room, the objects in it. Especially the objects in your immediate path."
Obi-Wan righted himself to try again. Leave it to Qui-Gon to turn even a prison cell into a place to train. Then again, what else were they going to do here? Escape, in their combined conditions was a sadly ludicrous idea. The Jedi Council would send search parties for them if they did not report in again soon, but would they be able to find them? Obi-Wan made it on his second try, evading all obstacles and finding his way to his Master's side.
"Good," Qui-Gon approved, letting a smile creep into his voice since he knew Obi-Wan could no longer read his facial expressions. "You're learning fast."
Just then, the cell door slid open and both Jedi looked up, although it was merely a gesture of habit on Obi-Wan's part. Two soldiers entered the cell; six or seven more waited outside the door. "You will come with us," the men informed the two Jedi brusquely, gesturing towards the door with their blasters.
With little choice, the Jedi acquiesced. Obi-Wan caught Qui- Gon's elbow for guidance and they followed the soldiers out. Qui-Gon was a good and careful guide. With his friend Tahl he had learned how to lead and still allow the sightless person the freedom to navigate on their own and Obi-Wan had no trouble keeping up with him. Qui-Gon only hoped that unlike Tahl, Obi-Wan's eyesight would be fixable. "Where are you taking us?" the big Jedi asked calmly.
"To the Camps dolt," one soldier responded with a rude laugh. "Can't have all you people cluttering up our prison space and eating our food. Gotta work for your keep here. You work, or you die."
They stopped in a large room where many other prisoners were also waiting, ringed by soldiers and well guarded. The room was actually a platform of sorts and the tracks at the far end suggested that they were waiting for some form of transportation to arrive.
As they came to a halt, one of the soldiers noticed the way Obi-Wan was holding Qui-Gon's arm. The man jerked Obi-Wan away, giving a short, rough, laugh. "How many fingers am I holding up boy?" he jeered, not holding up any. Obi-Wan tried to pull away from him and got slapped across the face for it.
Qui-Gon tensed, stepping towards them, but two or three soldiers caught him by his injured arms and pushed him back against the wall. "Hey pops, where do you think you're going?" they asked, giving his tightly wrapped, but un-casted, broken arms an intentionally vicious twist. Qui-Gon gasped, gritting his teeth in pain.
"Huh boy? Come on, how many?" the soldier shook Obi-Wan back and forth mockingly. One of the other soldiers pulled a short whip off his belt with a cruel laugh. "Hey Tacin, see if he can see this coming," the man jeered, snapping the single- tongued lash and catching Obi-Wan in the chest with it. Obi-Wan clenched his teeth, struggling to remain calm. Anger would only cloud his thoughts, he had to be in control... the next time the soldier took a swipe at him, he was ready and dodged out of the way. He dodged twice more as the soldier attempted in vain to land another blow on him. Obi-Wan felt a quiet sense of satisfaction, he may be blind, but he still had the Force.
The soldiers laughed, grouping around Obi-Wan, but their laughter was more measured now. "Ooh, he's good," they half admired, half taunted. "Look at the blind boy go." "Hey Elu, whatsa matter? Can't even nail a blind kid?" the taunting turned on the soldier now as well, which made the man they called Elu mad.
Qui-Gon watched helplessly as some of the other soldiers joined in the sport, pulling the whips off their belts as well and circling around Obi-Wan like over-grown bullies on a playground.
Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, trying to dodge the hissing blows, which came from all around him now. He did a good job of it too, evading nearly all of them. This made some of the soldiers respect him a little, but others it made angry.
Obi-Wan jumped to avoid a swipe aimed at his legs, but he did not sense the boot that was thrust out suddenly where he was to land until it was too late. The soldier kicked the apprentice's legs out from under him roughly. Obi-Wan fell forward, catching himself on his hands and knees.
Most of the soldiers backed off, content to have brought him down, but Elu, the one who started it, was still angry. Kicking Obi-Wan in the face and arms, he brought the boy all the way down to the ground and lashed out at him, catching him across the back and ribs with his lash.
Obi-Wan started to roll away, but several pairs of rough hands stopped him, grabbing him, holding him down. A thrill of panic swept through his body. Hands were holding him, grabbing at him, but he could not see who they went with. For a brief moment it reminded him of a time back at the Temple when he was eight. Bruck and several other boys had wrapped him up in a blanket and sat on him after he inadvertently got them in trouble for something. It felt like that now, held down in suffocating darkness and unable to fight back, only this time there was no one to make them stop. The sudden surge of fear disrupted his connection to the Force, making him feel even more helpless.
He bucked and struggled with them as Elu's whip caught him again and again, cutting through his tunic and drawing blood. The soldiers held him at first, but after a few moments they let go. Whether because there was some decency in them still somewhere, or because of a heap of mental effort on Qui-Gon's part Obi-Wan did not know.
"Okay Elu, that's enough, you made your point," one of them pulled the angry soldier away from the bleeding boy.
Obi-Wan rose to his feet, and for a moment he just stood there. He wanted desperately to run to Qui-Gon's side, but he didn't know where that was. The beating had disorientated him and he realized with a chill that he had no idea where he was or how to navigate.
The soldiers let go of Qui-Gon and he quickly made his way to his apprentice's side, feeling his heart twist at the helplessness in Obi-Wan's sightless eyes.
Obi-Wan tried to be strong, tried to gain control of himself once more, banishing the fear and hopelessness that tugged at him. He took Qui-Gon's elbow again, but did not fling himself into his Master's arms as he would have liked to do.
Elu laughed with his friends as the soldiers moved away. "What's it matter anyway? Those two are useless. A blind boy and a cripple? They'll be sent to the ovens as soon as they step off the transport."
Qui-Gon realized Obi-Wan's hand on his elbow was shaking. "Are you all right?" the older Jedi inquired gently.
"Yes," Obi-Wan started to respond automatically, but then he stopped, hanging his head and shaking it. "No, Master."
Qui-Gon did not blame him. "You did well Padawan," he tried to comfort. "Your use of your training does you credit. Just remember, if you let the fear of being helpless take over you, you become helpless."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan understood. He also knew that understanding and doing were two completely different things.
"We'll find a way out of this Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said softly,
giving his Padawan a mental squeeze. "I promise we will."
PART THREE:
The transport lumbered to a halt. Finally. The trip had been a long one. Crammed into transports much too small to accommodate such numbers, the long journey had been an introduction to hell for the prisoners being transported to the work camp.
The doors slid open with a bang and the prisoners were forced out. Qui-Gon saw that the soldiers were forming two lines. One held all the mostly healthy looking people and the other seemed to be for the ill, the weak, the disabled and children under twelve. The Jedi Master was under no illusions about the fate that awaited those considered unfit to work.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon whispered softly. Shaking his arms slowly he made his long sleeves fall down to hide the pressure-wrap around the broken limbs, ignoring the pain that the motion caused him. "Obi-Wan, you must not let anyone suspect that you cannot see. Your life depends on it," he said bluntly. "If they classify us as handicapped, they will kill us both out of hand."
Obi-Wan nodded grimly and let go of Qui-Gon's elbow. It was not easy to stick by his Master's side in the teeming crowd, using only the Force to know where Qui-Gon was, but Obi-Wan managed.
Their illusion worked and the guards placed them in the good line with only a cursory glance. From there, the prisoners were herded deeper into the camp.
Obi-Wan struggled to keep his attention on staying by his Master and not running into anyone else, but the misery and fear that emanated from the people around them and the other occupants of the camp made his senses recoil. He stumbled on some uneven ground, but felt Qui-Gon steady him through the Force. *"Sorry Master,"* he apologized.
Darkness was already beginning to fall, so the hapless prisoners were shown to rows of dark, musty barracks filled with tiers of beds reaching four or five beds high. Of course, calling the slated wooden platforms beds was a bit of a stretch, but that was obviously their function. The prisoners were crammed five to a bed and Obi-Wan, on the edge, was very afraid that he was going to fall, or be pushed out. Since they were on the top of a tier, that was not a pleasant notion. Qui-Gon silently switched places with his padawan, putting Obi-Wan towards the inside and taking the more treacherous outside position himself. He figured it would be a little harder for a big man like him to be pushed out, than it would for a more slightly built teenager like Obi-Wan.
"Sleep well scum!" the guards taunted from the doorways. "Tomorrow the work begins!"
**********************
"Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon's voice woke Obi-Wan gently. Obi-Wan sat up, momentarily disorientated. "Be careful," Qui-Gon warned when it looked as if Obi-Wan were about to attempt getting out of the bed. "It's a long way down."
Then Obi-Wan remembered where they were and allowed Qui-Gon to help guide him through the climb down to ground level. Once at the bottom Obi-Wan took a moment to wonder how his Master managed the climb without using his arms and decided he must be using the Force instead. Obi-Wan knew that that was what he should be doing, not relying on Qui-Gon for everything. Roll call came first and then the prisoners were served a thin, nasty gruel that was supposed to pass for breakfast before they were herded off to various work sites and stations.
Through a little bit of manipulation Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan managed to end up together. The job they were assigned was in a parts production factory and required them to manipulate a series of gears, levers and plugs according to the readouts flashing across the data screen.
Obi-Wan stood in front of the panel and bit his lip. How could he do this without being able to see the readout or the things he was supposed to move? How was Qui-Gon supposed to do this when he could not move his arms to reach the gears, buttons, plugs and levers?
"We have always been one in spirit Padawan," Qui-Gon whispered softly in his ear. "Now we must be so in reality if we are to function."
For a moment, Obi-Wan did not understand, then he did. He opened his mind entirely to Qui-Gon and felt his Master do the same. Suddenly, Obi-Wan found that he could "see" through Qui- Gon's eyes, and Qui-Gon could move through Obi-Wan's body. It was strange at first, but Obi-Wan quickly got the hang of it. Qui-Gon channeled what he saw directly into Obi-Wan's mind, so it was as if he could see it. He guided the boy's hands to the switches and plugs they were supposed to manipulate. It was not easy for either of them, but it became easier the longer they worked together.
Obi-Wan realized just how much they had become a part of one another when, during work one day, he found himself swiping absently at something that seemed to be hanging in his vision. When he remembered that he could not really see anything out of his eyes he realized it was Qui-Gon who was having trouble. Qui-Gon shook his head, trying to swing his long hair out of his face with only partial success, unable to push the hair back because of his arms. Before he could contemplate using the Force to do it, Obi-Wan made his way quickly over. Tearing a small strip of cloth off the hem of the drab, grey prison suits they had been issued when the guards made them give up their Jedi clothing, Obi-Wan used it tie his Master's hair back in a tight ponytail, keeping it out of Qui-Gon's eyes. Qui-Gon smiled at Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan fancied that he could see it. He also fancied that he felt Qui-Gon's hand ruffle through his short, Padawan hair. Neither was possible of course, but sometimes, something didn't have to be possible for it to be real.
Nights were both a relief, and a pain. Relief from the work and worry of the day, but a pain because all the fear and hopelessness made some of the other inmates downright antagonistic. There were times when Master and Apprentice decided it was simply not worth the struggle to try to occupy their place on the uncomfortable wooden beds and they spent the night sleeping in the walkway, leaning against the bed frames. On one such night Qui-Gon sat, staring into the dark space before him. As he stared, eyes open but seeing only darkness, he knew that that was how Obi-Wan spent every day and it made his heart ache. He feared that each day they were stuck here, the chances of being able to reverse whatever damage had been done to take his Padawan's vision away became more and more remote. Qui-Gon sighed. Worrying did no good. He wanted to sleep, but could not, his arms hurt too much, so he tried to settle into a healing trance instead, trying to keep his feelings to himself so as not to disturb Obi-Wan's rest.
Obi-Wan however, was not asleep. He too stared into darkness, but he knew that the blackness before his eyes would not vanish with the light of dawn. His light was lost and he carried his night around with him. Obi-Wan leaned his head back against the hard sideboards of the bed behind him. He must not allow himself to wallow in self-pity; he had to think of other things, of getting out of here, of his Master...
Qui-Gon felt cool hands on his painful arms. They were small, but strong. "Obi-Wan, you should be asleep," he whispered softly. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
Obi-Wan shook his head. Qui-Gon could barely see him in the darkness, but he felt the gesture. "You didn't disturb me." Gently, as his Master had done so many times for him, Obi-Wan reached into Qui-Gon's body, easing the pain, encouraging healing.
*"Thank you Padawan."*
Obi-Wan could feel Qui-Gon's mild surprise and pleasure at the strength of the power he felt emanating from his student's touch. Obi-Wan smiled. *"That's because I've had such a good teacher,"* he thought back.
Other nights, especially if the day had been a very trying one, Qui-Gon would hold Obi-Wan on his lap, ignoring the boy's feeble protests that he was too big, or too old for that kind of coddling and wrap him in a blanket so secure, that it drove away all the sorrow, pain and despair that assailed the Padawan. Obi-Wan gave up even pretending to resist and let himself enjoy his Masters unusual show of overt affection and protectiveness. He supposed it was a result of this place, the uncertainty and death all around them and the very real possibility that each day was going to be their last. That, coupled with their nearly total dependency on each other, seemed to have brought them even more firmly together and aided in letting the closeness that they had shared on a deep level come to the surface and be expressed. It was true the old saying that adversity either blew people apart, or bound them together like tyranium.
Qui-Gon, for his part decided that if they did die, he did not want Obi-Wan to die without knowing how much his Master loved him.
Day after day as they worked they found out just how deep their connection could really go. Just how much they could truly work as one. They formed a symbiant circle now, in the purest meaning of the word. Obi-Wan was his Master's arms, and Qui-Gon was his apprentice's eyes. As long as they were together, they could handle just about anything. But fate had other plans.
"You, boy, I have an errand for you," an officer with ribbons on his uniform pulled Obi-Wan out of roll call one morning not long after. At first Obi-Wan did not realize the man was talking to him, until a gloved hand grabbed his ear and gave it a painful tug, dragging him out of line. "I'm talking to you boy!" the man said impatiently. "Go to building four and tell the officer on duty to tell the Head-Warden that the new task force is being assembled as ordered and operations in the Task'tow are on schedule. Can you remember that boy?" he asked roughly.
"Yes, sir," Obi-Wan nodded, keeping his eyes downcast so that the officer would not notice that he could not focus them. "Good, if you mess up I'll have your hide for it," the officer threatened.
"Sir?" Obi-Wan ventured hesitantly. "Where is building four?"
The man slapped Obi-Wan, thinking he was trying to be impertinent. "Right after building three idiot. Read the numbers on the sides of the buildings and don't give me any more lip or you'll regret it."
"Yes, sir," Obi-Wan battled down the panic that tried to grip him. He couldn't read the numbers on the buildings; he could barely tell where the buildings were. *"Master,"* he called desperately for help as he shuffled away in what he hoped was the right direction.
Qui-Gon watched helplessly as the officer sent Obi-Wan on an errand Qui-Gon knew was almost impossible for the sightless boy. *"Master,"* he heard Obi-Wan's pleading voice in his head. *"Be strong Obi-Wan, let the Force guide you,"* was all he could tell the apprehensive Padawan. As much as he wished otherwise, Qui-Gon knew he could not go with the boy this time. Qui-Gon gave his apprentice a push in the right direction, but other than that, he realized sadly, Obi-Wan was on his own.
Obi-Wan tried to hold on to what Qui-Gon had told him before, about the fear of being helpless making you helpless, but it was not easy. He moved slowly, stretching his feelings and abilities to their maximum limits in an attempt to navigate the unfamiliar place. It was not really very hard to avoid running into things or people, he could feel where they were, feel the people bustling around him, feel the buildings looming above him, but which building was the right building? He could feel where the structures were, but unfortunately, nothing he had ever learned prepared him to try to read numbers he could not see through the Force. Taking a guess, he counted four buildings down and hoped he was at least close. Approaching someone he hoped was a fellow prisoner, and not a guard he asked politely, "Excuse me, is this building four?"
The prisoner shook his head. "Nope, this is building eight. Building four is down that'away. Read the side numbers."
"Oh," Obi-Wan nodded, trying to sound as if he had not known. "Thank you." The apprentice tried to decide which way "that'away" was. Dang! He never realized how much one relied on gestures and body expressions.
"Not that way, the other way," the man he had spoken to laughed, halting Obi-Wan mid-step.
"Oh," Obi-Wan tried to laugh at the mistake. "Where's my brain? Thanks." He quickly headed the other direction. Eventually, he did find building four and delivered the message. Then, he wanted only to get back to Qui-Gon.
* * *
Qui-Gon watched Obi-Wan leave with trepidation. He hoped the boy would be all right.
"Special work detail needed today," the duty officer was saying. He started calling out numbers and the corresponding prisoners were required to step forward and form a line.
"5807," Qui-Gon heard his number called. "5807," the duty officer repeated, his voice sharpening when Qui-Gon did not move. Qui-Gon slowly moved to join the new line, but his mind was racing. Where was this crew to be assigned? Were they still going to return to the same barracks at night? Separation was not something that either he or Obi-Wan could afford.
"Excuse me, where are we going?" Qui-Gon asked as they moved out. He doubted he would get an answer, but he still had to ask.
"None of your business," the duty officer snapped predictably. "You'll find out when we get there."
Qui-Gon's heart sank as they were loaded into yet another transport. If they were using transports, then wherever they were being taken was quite a distance away. *"Be strong Obi- Wan, cling to the Force and you can make it,"* Qui-Gon bid his Padawan silently, wherever he was. Then the transport doors clanged shut with a metallic bang and the transport lumbered off, carrying Qui-Gon further and further away from Obi-Wan.
************************
By the time Obi-Wan got back, roll call was over and the area was deserted. He searched for Qui-Gon, but could feel him nowhere. For several moments he just stood there in the empty yard, not knowing what to do or where to go. He decided that Qui-Gon was probably already at their workstation in the parts plant. Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably; he knew he should hurry there at once, his Master could not manage the post without him, but how did he *find* the place? He had always followed Qui-Gon and the other workers, but now he was on his own.
*"Okay Kenobi, be calm and think hard,"* he told himself. *"You've made this trip a dozen of times if you've made it once, you can remember it."* Obi-Wan found the barracks door and started from there, imagining that they were lined up for roll call and then marched off...
Slowly and laboriously, Obi-Wan did manage to trace their usual route and end up at the factory. The guard outside was quite put-out at his being late, but Obi-Wan explained that he had been sent on another assignment by an officer and the guard only grumbled that he better make up the lost time.
"Where are you going boy?" another guard stopped him inside the plant.
"Workstation twelve sir," Obi-Wan replied.
The guard took him there to be sure that's where he really was heading and then returned to his post.
Obi-Wan was glad to have had help finding the right place, but was surprised and dismayed when he realized that the other person at the station was not Qui-Gon. For a moment he just stood there, trying to figure out if he was in the right place, or if the guard had made a mistake.
"Don't just stand there kid, give me a hand," the disembodied voice of the other worker barked gruffly.
"I'm not sure I'm in the right place," Obi-Wan said, disorientated. "Is this workstation twelve?"
"Yup, none other," the man laughed roughly. "So get on it already. I can't run this all by myself."
"Where's the other man who usually runs this station?" Obi-Wan asked in shock, once more fighting away the clammy fingers of panic that tried to wrap themselves around his heart.
"How the hell should I know? I'm assigned to it today, that's all that matters to me. There was some big, special force that was assembled and moved out this morning; maybe he's part of that. Now move or I'm gonna call a guard!" the man said, impatient with Obi-Wan's questions.
Obi-Wan moved forward slowly, trying to see the layout of the station in his mind. He could find everything on the control board all right, but had no way to tell what was going across the readout screens. He tried to tap into the mind of the man beside him, but could not use him to see through as he had with Qui-Gon. The best he could do was mimic what the man was doing and hope that his readouts where the same as the other man's. Obi-Wan swallowed hard. He had worked *both* stations by himself under Qui-Gon's guidance and he knew just how thin that hope was. For a few minutes all worked fine, but that did not last long.
A grinding screech and an alarm claxon sounded from the console before him, reporting that all was not well.
"Geez, what'd you do kid?!" the other man shouted in alarm. Several guards and overseers appeared immediately and called a technician. The Technician was able to stop the claxons, but the damage would take about an hour to fix. The Tech identified the problem as having originated from Obi-Wan's control panel. He had apparently not only pulled the wrong thing at the wrong time, but had done an entirely wrong sequence at the worst time possible.
The overseers swore at Obi-Wan in Driosian. This delay would set production back hours and they would be reprimanded for the drop. "We know how to deal with saboteurs," they threatened angrily, thinking the damage done was intentional.
"It was an accident," Obi-Wan protested, but they were not about to believe him.
Under orders from the overseers, the guards dragged Obi-Wan outside. Thrusting his hands through the iron bars of the fence that surrounded the factory they clipped a set of binders around his wrists on the other side. Effectively trapping the boy against the fence, they ran charged electro- jabbers up and down his sides.
Obi-Wan clenched his eyes shut against the dizzying pain that tore through his body. His knees buckled and he sank down the fence until a crossbeam caught him, but he refused to make a sound.
Unfortunately, the guards were not about to stop until they knew they had made their point. Agony engulfed Obi-Wan until it was all he could feel. Eventually, they did make him cry out, his body could take no more.
The guards removed their cruel instruments at last and Obi-Wan struggled to catch his breath.
"Make sure he's not going to forget this anytime soon," one of the overseers said from behind them.
Obi-Wan stiffened. He did not know what they intended to do, but he was sure it would be painful. He was right.
One guard pulled the Padawan's loose prison shirt up, exposing his back and the other gave the boy ten measured, but searing strokes with a heavy coil of barbed wire.
As the cruel barbs bit his back and shoulders Obi-Wan jerked and cried out. His pain threshold was already surpassed, and the added torture was too much for him to handle.
The guard actually went pretty easy on him, but Obi-Wan's back was left bleeding anyway.
"Put him on duty five," someone ordered and the guards removed Obi-Wan's binders.
Obi-Wan stumbled after the guards. He battled pain and dizziness, but more difficult was the war he fought against the depression and despair that sought to claim him. He tried to cling to Qui-Gon's promise that they would get out of here. His Master had never broken a promise to him before, but where was Qui-Gon? Besides, in reality, what did he expect Qui-Gon, or himself, or anyone to do to get them out of this? Perhaps there was no way out, no way except death... No, he wouldn't let himself think that way, it was un-Jedi. He could not let himself give up hope. Yet he had never felt so helpless. Where was Qui-Gon? His mind kept returning to that question like a Hopi to water.
*"Be strong Obi-Wan, cling to the Force and you can make it."* Obi-Wan heard his mentor's voice, but it was more of an echo than a direct communication. It was as if Qui-Gon had left the message for him and he had just stumbled across it. In that instant, Obi-Wan knew he truly was alone. They had taken Qui- Gon away and if he wanted to live long enough to even hope of ever seeing him again, the apprentice was going to have to manage on his own.
*"You can make it,"* Qui-Gon's words echoed in his head. His
Master had faith in him. Obi-Wan just had to believe in
himself. He squared his hurting shoulders. Whether he lived or
died, he would do it in a way that would be deserving of Qui-
Gon's faith in him. *That* was one promise that he knew no one
could stop him from keeping.
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Continue on to Part Three