Part IV
He had been dumped rather unceremoniously into the cargo hold. Not that he had expected any type of considerations. He was a slave after all and slaves did not warrant any type of considerations. Yet even as those thoughts sped through his mind they made him uneasy. As though he should not be courting such thoughts. Why, though, he could not fathom.
The image of a face flickered before his eyes, in and out of focus. A face that he felt he should have recognized. Blue eyes surrounded by dark, nearly black, lashes gazed at him with enough intensity as though they meant to pierce him. He wondered if this man was the same Anakin who his mind told him meant safety.
His shoulders ached from the position the binders forced them in. The cold metal of the ship's hull offered no comfort either. There was very little heat in the compartment and clad only in trousers and boots he had felt the cold immediately. When the ship had first taken off his skin had goosepimpled, but after several hours he felt numb all over. He knew that it wasn't good for him to remain in such conditions for an extended period of time and as he didn't know where he was being taken he could not determine how long he'd be stuck in the cargo hold.
Desperate to find some way to ignore the cold and remain conscious, he tried to clear his mind of everything but his current predicament. It wasn't a difficult task as there was not much beyond the past few hours that he could recall. He knew only that he was a slave and that face. The woman had called him Ob-Wan so he could only assume that it was his name. Aside from her, no one had spoken to him, hauling him about and shoving him in place of offering instructions or making requests. Forcing away such thoughts, he squared his shoulders as best as he was able against the restraint of the binders and breathed deeply, centering himself. It was a futile act, though, for he felt no sense of calm, only the void that had filled him since the collar had been placed about his neck.
Shinda Ma'ha strode confidently through the corridors of the Senate building. She had never before been to Coruscant, preferring the control she wielded on her own planet. The money she was to be paid for her role in Kenobi's capture made the trip worthwhile, though. She could very easily retire with the money she was going to be paid for what had amounted to a simple afternoon's work. What surprised her most about the job Lord Sidious had offered her was the role the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic played. The senator already ruled nearly all of the galaxy and rationally had no need to side with the Sith lord.
"You would be the spice trader, I presume," a stately middle-aged man said as he headed to intercept her in the corridor.
Shinda crossed her arms over her chest. "I would be."
"Very good. Please follow me."
Shinda was redirected down a different hallway which ended up turning her around in almost the exact direction she had come. The man did not say a word to her the entire way now that he had learned her identity. The passageway was a labyrinth of twists and turns that went deep into the building taking her well below the main level until at last they arrived at an ornate door.
"Wait here a moment and I will announce you."
It was all a trifle overdone given the job she had performed for the Chancellor and the Sith lord, but she complied. After a minute or so the man returned, nodding for her to enter.
Chancellor Palpatine was rising from his desk as Shinda entered the office. She watched him as he appeared to slither across the distance between them, his hands clasped before him. "I trust that there were no problems."
Reaching into her trenchcoat, Shinda took out Obi-Wan's lightsaber. "No trouble whatsoever. It was remarkably easy given his reputation. He is currently on his way to Tatooine and a tribe of Tusken raiders who I am told will ensure that he suffers greatly before his end."
"You have done well, my dear," Palpatine enthused as he lifted the lightsaber from her outstretched hands. "Very well indeed. I will see to it that this lightsaber finds its way into the proper hands."
It wasn't difficult for Anakin to find Obi-Wan's ship. It would have been difficult to hide it in the desolate landscape. The rising sun reflected off the craft, reflecting a starburst of light as Anakin brought the ship down. There was no sign of the flight crew nor were there any of a struggle. That meant whatever had happened to Obi-Wan hadn't occurred on the settlement outskirts but within its walls. At the present Anakin hadn't determined whether that was good or bad. In terms of locating witnesses it could prove helpful. That same advantage could also be detrimental in a place with the reputation of Ranth'fer. If Anakin had learned anything growing up on Tatooine it was that criminals stuck together.
"Come on, Artoo. You're less likely to end up full of sand on Obi-Wan's shuttle," Anakin said as he unstrapped the safety harness.
R2-D2 let out a series of whirs and clicks before launching himself from his compartment on the starfighter. The droid was already moving towards the shuttle before Anakin was even out of the cockpit.
Setting foot on the planet himself, Anakin turned to see the flight crew from the other ship standing in the open hatchway of their own craft. At the sight of them Anakin felt a stirring of anger. The men seemed more confused by his presence than anything, as though there was no need for his presence on Ranth'fer.
"Padawan Skywalker, what are you doing here?" Captain Zeno asked as Anakin stalked towards the ship. "I was under the impression that Master Kenobi was on a solo mission."
"Where is my master?" Anakin demanded, not slowing his pace a bit.
Zeno pointed towards the trading settlement. "He went--"
"Where is Obi-Wan?"
"Skywalker--"
Anakin had his lightsaber out and ignited, the very end of it pointed towards Zeno. "I don't want your excuses. I want to know where Obi-Wan is. Something happened to him and I want to know what it was."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Zeno's words were genuine, his panic real.
"The training bond with my master has been severed and neither myself nor Master Yoda can sense his Force signature," Anakin growled, his grip on his lightsaber tightening. "Now that obviously indicates that something has happened to him. As you are his escourts you should know what has become of him."
Zeno and the rest of the flight crew were cowering in fear, but Anakin could not find it in him to restrain his fury. These men were meant to have protected Obi-Wan during their separation and they had done a poor job of it. The Council may have trusted these men, but like his own trust in the Council, his confidence in these men was lacking.
"Artoo, stay here with the ships," Anakin instructed as he disengaged his lightsaber, strapping it once again to his belt. "I'll be back as soon as I find Obi-Wan."
Drawing his cloak tightly around himself, Anakin stalked towards the nearby fortifications of the trade center.
"I find it hard to believe that this is the might Obi-Wan Kenobi," a man he vaguely recalled being named Mantu sneered as he crouched down in front of him. "You hardly match up to your reputation now."
Obi-Wan regarded the slaver silently. There was no response he could give as he was not fully aware of events or even the reputation that Mantu spoke of. It was all just empty threats and taunts that he could not yet respond to. So as to not give the slaver more power than he already possessed Obi-Wan decided that it was in his best interest to remain silent. It would only make the situation worse if he managed to antagonize them further.
"Bring him."
Without any consideration for his injuries, Obi-Wan was hauled upright and slammed against the wall. He winced as the binders were forced into the small of his back. Then, once they had shown the proper amount of malevolence towards him, he was hauled out of the cargo hold. Obi-Wan was being forced along at a much quicker pace than his legs could follow. He stumbled repeatedly and was dragged as a result. Being dragged put unwanted pressure on his wounded shoulder. How he had injured his left shoulder was still in question. As well as the wounds to his hand, hip and temple. With the exception of the head injury all of the others appeared to have been made by a blaster. Each wound bore the distinctive scorch marks of the weapon.
The landscape, when they reached the hatchway, was an endless desert, spotted every so often by dunes. Shifting his gaze downwards, to the very end of the ramp, he could see a horde of small, yet fearsome, looking creatures. Obi-Wan panicked at the sight of them and dug his heels in as best as he was able. Mantu and the other slavers merely laughed at his feeble attempts and threw him bodily down the ramp. Without his arms to balance himself, Obi-Wan rolled, his right shoulder connecting painfully with the metal ramp, his hip jarring next before his body eventually settled into a roll. He skidded on the scorching sand stomach first and was immediately kicked by one of the small creatures to halt his progress.
Before he could even begin to right himself so as to see his new captors, Obi-Wan heard the ramp being retracted back into the ship. Struggling still harder he was met by a wave of dust as the slaver's transport took off.
Obi-Wan watched the shuttle for as long as he was able, his mind unable to full accept what it was he was seeing. The reality of his situation was becoming all the more frightening as he began to realize that these rag-tag creatures were meant to be his new owners.
A sudden jolt between his shoulder blades snapped Obi-Wan from his shocked state. He instinctively rolled onto his back, unmindful of his bound wrists digging into the small of his back, so as that he could see who and what has caused that flash of pain. What he saw was a metal pole, the end of which was practically vibrating with the energy stored in it.
"G'zanta ne!"
Not understanding the language, Obi-Wan stared up at the hooded figure in confusion. He was jabbed a second time with the pole, this time in the stomach, for failing to follow whatever instructions had been given to him. The pain was sharp and Obi-Wan contracted his body inward in order to make as small a target as possible.
"G'zanta ne!"
Before the sound had even died on the air, Obi-Wan was prodded a third time. There had been enough gesticulations on behalf of the hooded being that he was able to determine that he had been ordered to stand up. Once the pain had faded to a tolerable level he complied with the order. Only to stumble a moment later as he electrifying pole was touched to his side a fourth time.
"M'van!"
The fifth jolt had him moving along with the group towards a flock of animals held in wait behind a nearby dune. Before they had even reached the mounts, Obi-Wan knew that there would not be one for him. Sure enough, he found himself surrounded by the short creatures, each of them pointing one of the electrified prods towards him. One of the binders was released from his wrist and his hands were quickly brought in front of his body before the binder was replaced. With the possible threat of his escape gone, a rope was tied between the two cuffs and then to the saddle of one of the beasts. For good measure he received a jab right above the waist of his trousers that nearly sent him down on one knee.
Obi-Wan had no time to correct his balance before the beast to which he was attached was spurred forward. In the loose sand he was only able to maintain his footing for a short distance. Between the speed and the uneven footing, Obi-Wan soon found himself on his knees and then as the forward motion continued, being dragged behind the animal. He held onto the rope as tight as he was able, hoping for the chance to right himself somehow, but the chance never came. The coarse sand cut into his flesh, scraping away at his skin, and it was all he could do to force the pressure onto his hips and rear where he skin was at least protected by the thing material of his trousers.
Once again, unsure if he could even be heard, Obi-Wan silently pleaded for Anakin. Some unknown part of his mind continued to insist that this Anakin person was the safety he so desperately craved.
*Anakin... please.*