By Seven

Rating: PG
Summary: Obi-Wan is stranded on a planet with a dangerous creature called Shrelb, who
displays something horrible.
Time Period: 10 years pre-TPM .
Disclaimer: George owns them all except Shrelb. I make no money off of this fic or the
characters in it.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Archive: Early Years, QGJDL, my own, Place of Our Legacy, hopefully Jedi Apprentice and
Padawan Punishment.
Author's Note: Partially inspired by "Lord of the Rings"'s example of corrupting influences.
And Shrelb is sort of a Dark-Side Gollum. After all, the Emperor did get rather
disgusting-looking because of the Dark Side...
 

The ship shivered under Obi-Wan Kenobi, making his teeth chatter. He heard the dull thud-thud
of asteroids striking the hull of the transport, but he kept his words tightly locked away. The
pilot and Master Qui-Gon were in the front cockpit, the copilot jabbering in a language that
Obi-Wan couldn't understand.

The shower couldn't last much longer, Obi-Wan thought.

But the thought fled as Qui-Gon walked back, his chiseled face grim. "The storm is getting
much, much worse," he said tightly. "The pilot wants to eject us in the lifepods down to a local
planet. Breathable air, a little water, not much food. Gather up half the supplies and head for
your pod..."

Obi-Wan obeyed, his heart racing as he stuffed a few food capsules into his belt and
followed his master to the half-dozen metal pods at the rear of the craft.

Qui-Gon gestured at one. "You first. When you land on the planet, I'll contact you, and we'll
rendezvous as soon as possible."

"Yes Master."

"May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan swallowed and climbed into the pod. The small door slid shut and sealed itself with a
popping sound.

Then there was a bone-crunching jolt, smacking Obi-Wan against the side of the capsule. It
was thrumming and vibrating, and he had the sudden feeling that it was toppling end over
end, without gravity.

Then the metal beneath him grew hot. Obi-Wan winced as it singed his fingers, wriggling in
his hopes that it might relieve the heat. There was a low whine as the stabilizer activated,
keeping him from turning into a wad of misshapen flesh.

It struck the ground with a thud that almost sent Obi-Wan's last meal hurtling, and all was
silent.

****

The door slid open, and Obi-Wan got his first look onto this planet.

It was covered with jagged rocks, some the size of small hills, some no more than pebbles.
And they were all the same, dull shade of red.

Obi-Wan blinked in the fading sunlight. There was a shape in the distance, huddled against a
rock. He slid out of the capsule and ran toward the figure. "Master!" he called. "Master Qui-"

His voice died away in a horrified gasp.

The creature was clothed only in rags. It looked vaguely like a frog-only deformed, its spindly
limbs bowed with age. Its wide-mouthed face had huge, blind-looking eyes and
ragged-looking skin with a few scales clinging to it. Obi-Wan felt a scream for help die in his
throat.

It reached out one clawlike hand. Obi-Wan stumbled back, and felt his foot slip.

His hands clawed at the rock as he slid down the jagged face. His eyes filled with dirt, and
his clothing tore. As he began to use the Force to slow himself, there was a sickening snap, a
jolt of pain through his leg, and he hit the ground.

****

For a moment, Obi-Wan simply clutched at his thigh, shuddering. He could feel a piece of rock
lodged in it. Grimacing, he poured the Force into the injury, dulling his own nerves. It took a
moment for him to sit up.

And stare straight into the creature's eyes.

"Whooo are you?" it said in a voice that was half-rasp, half-lilt.

Obi-Wan pushed himself further from it with his good foot. "Nastarum Kaler," he whispered. It
was against the Code to lie, but he didn't want to reveal anything but the necessary elements
to this hideous creature.

The thing grinned, revealing a mouth that had more missing teeth than present rotten ones.
"Shreeeeelb," it warbled. "Long, long I have been here."

"Really?" Obi-Wan choked. "How long?"

"Too long." The creature eyed him and licked its lips. "Hmm, yes, a very long time."

Obi-Wan sent a frantic call for help through his bond to his master. If Qui-Gon was anywhere
on this forsaken world, he would hear it, and know that his padawan was in trouble.

But the call struck something hard and cold, like a wall of black ice. Obi-Wan felt a shiver go
down his spine.

But now Shrelb was staring at him eerily. "A Jediiii," he whispered.

Obi-Wan nodded weakly. "Yes, I am a Jed-"

Shrelb's enraged shrieks interrupted him. The creature leaped around, howling and tearing at
his face. His milky eyes were suddenly animated with sparks of blue. "Jediiiiiiii!" he howled.
"Jediiiiiiiii!"

As he watched, a part of Obi-Wan wondered what this was. This creature had somehow
blocked the Force. But this creature... it couldn't be a Jedi. Not this hungry monstrosity that
was even now bounding around, screeching.

"HATE JEDDDIIIIIIII!" Shrelb was now howling. "HATE JEDIIIIIIII!"

"Stop!" Obi-Wan shouted.

Shrelb stopped, glowering at the young apprentice, sprawled against the rocks. "Haaaaaaate
Jediiiiii," he hissed.

"I noticed," Obi-Wan whispered. "Why? Why do you hate Jedi?"

The creature struck himself on the ribs. "Left meeee here," he whispered.

Obi-Wan shifted. "A Jedi left you here?"

Shrelb licked his lips again, sniffing the air. Obi-Wan hastily clapped a hand over the open
wound, and stifled a groan.

"A great Jediiiiiii was I," he said in a low voice. "Greeeeat Jediiiii Master! But the Council
haaaaaaaated meeee... so I end heeeeeere."

Obi-Wan heard the words, but somehow they seemed to be coming from far, far away.
Blackness was around the edges of his vision, and a warm numbness seemed to be creeping
over his body. He wanted to sleep, to escape the stabbing in his leg. For a moment, Shrelb's
great white eyes filled his vision...

No! Obi-Wan's mind shrieked.

He jerked away, kicking Shrelb with his injured leg. As the rotten creature tumbled down the
rocks, Obi-Wan screamed with the pain. Blood was seeping through his pants, but he only
focused the Force more on it.

But as Shrelb fell, something thin and metallic fell from his rags. It bounced across the rocks
and fell at Obi- Wan's side.

A lightsaber.

Old, battered, and covered with burns, it was nevertheless a lightsaber. Obi Wan felt sick as
he looked up at the glowering Shrelb. "Who are you? What are you..." He swallowed, now
understanding why he had been so terrified of Shrelb. "You were a Jedi. You turned. You
just tried to lull me to sleep with the power of the Dark Side..."

"Two hundred yeeeeeears," Shrelb hissed, his eyes alight with an unholy glow. His clawlike
hands reached for Obi-Wan, who started inching away. "Left meeeeeee to die... the Dark
Siiiiide is my ally... kept me aliiiiiiive when they left meee here to die..."

The Dark Jedi licked his lips again, and scooped up the lightsaber. A maniacal gleam lit up his
tattered face. He fumbled for the switch, sending a bright red-blue beam shooting upward,
and began to advance on Obi-Wan...

And a green flash hit him from behind. Shrelb shrieked and turned, but only two strokes from
the lightsaber left him huddled on the rocks.

For a moment, Qui-Gon Jinn stared grimly at the ground. Then he switched off his saber and
ran to Obi-Wan's side. Tears were streaming down Obi-Wan's cheeks, but he no longer
cared. "Master," he whispered. "OW! Don't move it, there's a piece of rock in it..."

Qui-Gon carefully picked up Obi-Wan, carrying him away like a child.

****

The rescue shuttle showed up within an hour. That evening, Qui-Gon was seated at
Obi-Wan's bedside. The young man's leg was packed with bacta and swathed in thick
bandages.

"I think," Qui-Gon said softly, "that we'll find that Shrelb was a Jedi who turned to the Dark
Side, and was given a kind of mercy. Not a mercy that he appreciated."

"He said the Jedi had left him there to die," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon grimaced. "A partial truth, hidden by lies. If the Jedi, at that time, had needed to kill
Shrelb, they would have done so. I think, that once he was a very great Jedi."

Obi-Wan's eyes flickered. "What happened to him, Master? He looked like some kind of..." He
searched for a word.

"Sustaining himself for centuries," Qui-Gon said grimly. "A very few Jedi can extend their
lifetimes with the Force... and those who cling to the Dark Side risk becoming a... a living
corpse, as Shrelb did."

Obi-Wan winced. "It's terrible, Master."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Learn from this, padawan. Remember that the corruption that was part of
Shrelb is in all things that belong to the Dark Side."

"I will, Master."

              The End

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