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Prelude- Obi-Wan

Hidden Past

He knew form the first that this man would know how to hurt him. He wasn’t sure how but he knew. The young teen knew that the man had done something to hurt him, but he couldn’t remember what. In fact he didn’t remember anything. Casting his blue eyes around at his surrounds, the boy’s eyebrows went together in confusion.

He was in a ship, that was all he knew, and there was a man beside him with some sort of weapon at his side. The weapon was shinny and glossy, reflecting the dim light back at his eyes. Leaning in closer to the object, the boy’s young mind worked rapidly to try and figure what it would do.

It was intriguing, possibly the only thing of interest in his small world. The owner of the weapon was a young man with sandy blond hair and features that were so plain most people would never remember it. However the shinny thing at his waist was like nothing the boy had ever seen, though his knowledge was limited to a few minutes before now.

The boy was human with ginger hair and sky blue eyes. His hair was shaved short with only a small braid over one shoulder. Fiddling with the bunch of hair with one hand the boy reached out with his other to touch the object of his current interest.

However large palm connected solidly with his cheek and he pulled away his fingers faster then a viper.

“Don’t touch that.” The older mans voice was harsh and gravely, ill fitting of his appearance. “or I might decide to end your misery.”

The younger boy’s eyes grew as large as saucers and he scrambled back, away from the man. Only to find that he was tugged back by a cord wrapped tightly around his wrist. His eyes traveled along the length of the cord to see that it was held in the blonde haired man’s fist.
Glancing fearfully back at him, the younger of the two sat as far away from the other as possible, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

Time passed and not a word was uttered until an unexpected jolt almost sent the boy flying. He looked to the man and saw that he was calm, the sudden movement hadn’t seemed to worry him. The boy kept his eyes on the man and once in a while glanced down at the shinny object at the latter’s waist. He wanted to touch it so bad that he had to sit on his hands, and in the process jerked the cord that connected the two humans. The older man turned to glare at the boy. The boy’s eyes shown innocently and the man turned back with a grunt.

After a few more soundless minutes of staring the older heaved a sigh and stood, tugging the other up with him.

“Come on kid. It’s time to meet you new home.” He growled, giving the child another tug. The boy jumped off his seat and followed the man like an obedient pet. The man looked back to the boy with pity in his eyes. The poor thing wouldn’t survive a day on the planet they had landed on. Shaking his head he led the boy towards the transport’s ramp.

The young boy hadn't noticed that they had landed and he looked around with blue eyes. Rancid smoke hit the duo the moment they stepped out of the ship. The planet’s air was full of ship exhaust and other things neither of them wanted to think about. Wrinkling his nose, the boy looked at the new scenery with slight disgust. Rundown buildings seemed to be latest fashion and humanoids and countless other species walked or ran aimlessly down grimly streets.

Shaking his head once more the man leaned down and unwrapped the cord from around the boy’s wrist and gave him a shove down the ramp, where the child promptly fell and rolled the rest of the way. A small round droid buzzed to life and shot down after him, keeping its small lens trained on the boy. The older man glared at the bot and cursed his employers for finding this boy’s future problems amusing.

“Welcome to Nar Shadda, boy.” Were the only words he uttered before the ramp was raised and the ship took off leaving the boy dazed and bewildered were he had landed, which was unfortunately at the feet of a man in Mandalorian armor.

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Prolude- Qui-gon

Patience

Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn paced the dusty street uneasily, his hands unclenching and clenching with slight worry. Off to his right sat two humanoids with extremely long arms, or at least long for Qui-Gon. They watched the tall man with round eyes and one of them spoke.

“Jedi-Gon is so calm and collected in this time of great worry.” He said in a subdued voice.
“Not so.” The Jedi finished before the alien had a chance to utter his trademark words. Qui-Gon sent a silencing glance towards them both and what ever words they were thinking died on their lips.

“Where’s Duenna?” he hissed through his teeth to no one in particular. The two Phindains restlessly shifted their feet as silence followed in the wake of Qui-Gon. Once in a while one of their mouths would open with words on the tip of his tongue only for it to die a quick death, plunging them back into silence. Finally the uncomfortable silence was broken tentatively.

“Waiting for news of poor Obi-Wan is easy.”

Qui-Gon didn't quite know which had the courage to speech, however at the moment he didn’t care.

“Not so” replied the other, the worry on his face etched deep. Qui-Gon growled low in his throat at the humanoids words. They were beginning to annoy him to the point of anger; all their ‘not so’s and other sayings. His mind was reeling with emotions that he could only begin to place, there was anger and worry. A twinge of guilt slithered down Qui-Gon’s spine at the forbidden emoutions, however he let them surface telling himself that he would bury them later. Obi-Wan had been captured by the planets local government. A government that mind wiped any citizen who got in their way. And Obi-Wan had been one of them.

The two Phindains had somehow pulled Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan into a mess that any other Jedi would have walked away from. But Qui-Gon had agreed to their brainless plan to become rich and buy passage off a planet that kept its inhabits hostage.

And now his padawan had been captured and by what the two natives had said, the young teen would surely be ‘renewed’. However there was a chance that he could be saved. And the woman who would bring them news of his wellbeing was late.

“There she is!” yelled the one named Paxxi. Qui-Gon’s head snapped around to face the direction Paxxi pointed. Sure enough a small cloaked form was heading towards them. The Jedi master wasted no time in asking the older Phindain female what had happened to his padawan.

“I’m sorry. It was difficult to get away. Headquarters is on high alert. The Prince arrives tomorrow…”

Qui-Gon’s temper rose drastically extremely fast. The damn woman was rambling on about anything but his padawan.

“And Obi-Wan, what of him?”

“I was getting there! Be patient Master Jedi!” Qui-Gon felt those words like a slap in the face. Patience...yes, patience. Qui-Gon didn’t notice Duenna’s eyes drop slightly.

“They acted so fast. I’ve never seen them act so fast.” She said softly. Qui-Gon’s heart dropped a little.

“He was taken to a cell.”

“Where?” the Jedi demanded.

Qui-Gon felt a gentle hand on his arm and he found Duenna looking into his eyes.

“He’s there no longer.”

“What happened?” the words coming from his throat rather then his mouth.

Duenna looked deep into Qui-Gon's flickering eyes and then lowered her gaze to the ground.

“He was renewed.”

Qui-gon froze, his eyes locked on the woman’s, his ears almost blocking out her next words.

“…Last night. He was renewed and transported off planet at dawn.” Duenna looked down to the ground, unable and unwilling to look at the Jedi’s eyes. She had shared his pain. She knew what it felt like to have a part of yourself forget that you ever existed.

I’m… sorry.” Duenna said softly, still not looking at Qui-Gon. “I must go back. I will inform you of anything more I learn of Obi-Wan…”

Qui-Gon barely nodded and Duenna disappeared into the crowd like a wraith. Qui-Gon felt like he had to sit down, but he remained standing. The fear that threatened to consume him had evaporated, but something just as debilitating took its place: despondence. He couldn’t figure out whether it was worse living in frantic uncertainty or with the horrible truth. His padawan is gone.

He had the vague recollection of Guerra and Paxxi leading him back to Kaadi’s house, but his mind was only focused on one thing.

Obi-Wan was gone.