From: Katrinka Vaartuslik Part Two: Betrayal Time: A week later It had been a wonderful day for thirteen year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had met and talked to other first year apprentices and their Masters. Seeing old friends gave him a good feeling. There was a Jedi Knight who had given Obi-Wan real hope for the future. He could foresee the boy being a great Jedi Knight, and he told him so. Then the time came when he had to return to the quarters he shared with his Master. //How dare you talk to Qui-Gon Jinn without my permission!// Hayata demanded. "I don't understand. Why can't I talk to the Qui-Gon? He's been so nice to me." Hayata hit the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the face, and the child fell to the floor. //He was asking questions! You gave him answers that could take you away from me.// Terror coursed through Obi-Wan. His Master had told him often enough what happened to those who where taken away from their master. The apprentice was killed. "Please Master, let me stay with you." "No matter how nice Qui-Gon is to you, you will not talk to him!" was the command. "I promise Master, I won't." //You know, I am your only hope.// Obi-Wan could hear Hayata's voice in his mind. //You are unworthy of being a Jedi.// "I am unworthy of living." Obi-Wan knelt on the floor, his forehead pressed to the cold floor. The blow came out of no where hitting him in the back. It hurt, dammit it hurt! Obi-Wan felt tears sting his eyes. //Do you feel pain?// //I'm trying to block it.// he told his Master. "If you wheren't so savage, you would use the Force to block the pain!" Another hit, this one harder. Then a sound of the Master turning on his lightsaber. "You are failing in your training. This will teach you a lesson!" Obi-Wan wanted to run. Instead he stayed still, trying hard to stop trembling. Searing pain lowered itself on Obi-Wan's back. Obi-Wan bit his lip so hard that he could taste blood. The lightsaber was lifted, then lowered again, and again. Obi-Wan passed out from the pain. "Obi-Wan wake up!" he heard the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn say. Obi-Wan opened his eyes, he began to back up on the sleeping mat. He had been hurt before talking to this man. He wouldn't let it happen again. "Leave me alone." "It's me, your Master." "My master's Hayata!" Qui-Gon reached out, and touched Obi-Wan's cheek. He opened his mind to him. //You had a dream.// //A dream.// Obi-Wan repeated. He looked into his Master's light-blue eyes, in them he could see the truth. He began to cry. Qui-Gon took him into his arms. Obi-Wan let himself go. The older man stroked Obi-Wan's hair. He sobbed in his Master's strong arms for quite awhile before saying. //It was worse this time.// //What happened?// //I dreamt that I met you when I was with Hayata. He punished me for talking to you.// //It was just a dream.// Obi-Wan pulled away from his Master. "Don't lie to me! I met you before my memory was taken!" "Yes, I met you when you where with Hayata." his Master admitted. "You where kind to me. I wanted to thank you for that." "You needed a friend." Qui-Gon shrugged. He lowered Obi-Wan back to the mat. He began to stroke his hair again. "Go to sleep my Padawan. You need your strenth to fight Hayata." ************************** Obi-wan tried to keep the pain away as he entered the conference. He closed himself to the Force, it wouldn't help him with this problem. It had been a long week since he found out the truth about his past. A week since he had allowed imself to be open to the Force. His former master was there. Hayata kept glancing at Obi-Wan, smiling almost in triumph. Obi-Wan stayed behind Qui-Gon, not saying anything, trying not to betray his emotions. It had been a week, and in that week, Hayata had only given Obi-Wan looks, nothing more. Then, as the confrence ended, he heard Hayata ask Qui-Gon if they could meet in private. Qui-Gon nodded. Then his Master turned to Obi-Wan. //Come.// was the telepathic command. Obi-Wan fell in step behind his Master. As they entered the Quarbinte's private chambers, he said, "I want us to talk alone. I don't want your whore with us." //Whore!// The word sent shivers down Obi-Wan's back. He could remember the memories of his former master calling him that word, often. "Anything you need to say to me, can be said in front of my Padawan." Qui-Gon glanced at Obi-Wan, his gaze telling the younger man not to move a step. "Very well. You know that I was once a Jedi Master." "You did tell me." Qui-Gon said blandly. "It was because of the treachery of this young man that I was forced to leave the Jedi." Hayata accused. "A treachery so devious that the Jedi were forced to erase the child's mind." "Why are you telling me this?" "The prostitute is a risk, he will betray you the way he betrayed me." "I trust Obi-Wan with my life." the mentor said quietly. "He's fooled you hasn't he?" "The negotations have nothing to do with my Padawan." Qui-Gon sounded bored. Obi-Wan reached out, trying to read from the force his Master's feelings, but there was nothing. "If you give me the boy, Quarbia will sign any agrement the Senate wants." "I will not give you Obi-Wan." "Then know this. If you do not do as I ask, I will release holo-footage of your Padawan with me. I will show the people of this planet how the Jedi will sell themselves to the highest bidder." Hayata threatened. Obi-Wan tried to fight down the fear. His former master had footage of the abuse. "I will not agree." Qui-Gon said coolly. "Then you are opening your whore to shame." Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "We're leaving." ***************** Obi-Wan was silent as they returned to their room. He felt betrayed. Without talking to his mentor, he began to lay out his bedding. The pain he felt from his Master's betrayal was more then a beating would be. //I trusted you!// "What's wrong?" Qui-Gon asked, concerned. "Nothing is wrong Master." he lied. "There is something wrong. I can feel it." "I am tired, I want to sleep." he told his master. "We have a busy day tomorow." "You should open yourself to the living Force. It could help you with this problem." "The Force won't help me! I won't use it!" "Did you know what the penalty on this planet is for child rape?" Qui-Gon asked. "Death, I'll be killed then." he tried to sound as if he didn't care. //Thanks a lot.// "Why would you be killed? You're the victim." "Victim? He always said that what happened was my fault! That I forced him to hurt me!" Obi-Wan couldn't keep the pain out of his voice. "Tell me something, would you in your wildest dreams *want* what he did to you?" "Of course I wouldn't." Obi-Wan turned from his Master, the tears began to flow. "I wanted to die everytime he touched me. Now everyone will see my shame! Master, why would you let him put out a holo of what happened?" He felt Qui-Gon touch his shoulders. "I wanted him to have justice. If he puts out the holo, then he will be arrested." //I love you, I would never hurt you. Trust me.// Obi-Wan felt his master think through the bond. //How can I trust you?// //Look in your heart. Was there ever a time I walked over your feelings?// //Today, you hurt me. I can't trust you.// Obi-Wan felt regret from his Master. "You might not trust me, but I trust you. My belief in you is complete. I would never hurt you intentionally. I thought you knew what I wanted. I want to make sure your former master will never be allowed to hurt another child again." Obi-Wan's stomach gave a lurch. "Another child?" "Do you think he would stop with you?" his Master pointed out. "There is another." "Then, as Jedi, our duty is to protect that child." Obi-Wan said as if by rote. ************** His mind saw the young child who had been with the former master. The boy who had totally trusted the man. The boy was bleeding from the beating that he had gotten from his Master. The wounds still open from Hayata's Lightsaber. Obi-Wan could hear the voice of his younger self. //Avenge me.// //How can you be here?// //I live in your memories. Until you face Hayata, I will not be allowed to rest.// //My Master will not understand my want of vengance.// //Look into your heart. Remember the one who rescued you. He will understand.// Obi-Wan saw the tall man who had taken him away from the first master. He had beaten Hayata into unconsiousness. His hair was the same, minus the grey. There was no beard or moustache. He could see himself, huddled in a corner. The man knelt down to his level. "It's all right, you're safe now." "Why did you do that to my Master?" his younger self demanded. "Your Master is evil. He will be disciplined." The Jedi reached out and touched him. The touch had been the same as a touch he had felt many times since. The rescuer had been Qui-Gon. "If you take me away from him, I can't be a Jedi!" "No, my young friend. I will make sure that you finish your Jedi training. I can see you will someday be a great Jedi." Qui-Gon promised. "Please trust me." The boy looked up to the older man. He could feel honesty coming from him. "I trust you." //I will avenge you.// he promised his young self. Obi-Wan woke, his Master was sleeping beside him. He watched the older man. Then he moved so his head was on his Master's shoulder. He was surprised when the still sleepng Qui-Gon put his arm around him. He felt safe in this man's arms. He knew Qui-Gon would never hurt him. Obi-Wan wanted to tell Qui-Gon the truth, that he knew he rescued him. The older man had never mentioned it. Obi-Wan guessed that his Master didn't want him to know. **************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Congratulations to 'Voice-Diary,' our latest ONElist of the Week. http://www.onelist.com Visit our homepage and share with us how ONElist is changing YOUR life! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Master & Apprentice Archive: http://www.valdemar.net/ma/warn.html