THE HARDEST PART IS LETTING GO
Author's Notes: Thank you guys so much for the reviews thus far: SilverDragon, BecJedi. KellBell, K-Rock and Essie Aster. It means so much to me. Also, anything like this: It was.a miracle. There's supposed to be three dots between the was and a. My computer works weird.
/ / =italics
PART SIX
DEAL
Obi-Wan changed in his room. He was shocked at the lavishness he received. The maids and cook had treated him like a god. He had gotten lost taking to turbo-lift to the floor, and he had barely asked a woman for help when cooks and maids were surrounding him, directing him towards his room. They did it happily, as if it was their life's purpose only to serve.
/Maybe it is/. Obi-Wan thought as he removed his tunics and folded them neatly. He placed them in his bag and changed into a loose fitting gray tunic and black pants. He pulled his cloak on and hid his lightsaber in it. He gave himself a look in the mirror, and then set out of his room, barely five minutes after he had gotten in it.
He had to survey the life around him. It was getting dark. He figured it was time to start putting his impression on. He had to stir up trouble. He needed to get noticed. He thought about how the King had known he was a Jedi. For his sake and the sake of the mission, he hoped everyone knew the story. Getting it spread might take a while, and he didn't want to spend a lot of time getting noticed.
As he stepped out of the lodge, he saw the sign above a bar across the street flicker to life. It was a dull pink neon and read, "The Bar." He snorted as he crossed the street. How very, very original.
The bar wasn't too crowded, but the night was young. He sucked in the air, and then swaggered in, exaggerating his walk, and practically dancing around the tables to get to the bar. He frisked past the tables, making sure the few people there noticed him. By the time he sat down at the bar, all the customers were staring at him strangely. He could see he had made at least one person mad, and he smiled inside.
"Hey!" he hollered, hiding his accent. He couldn't see the bartender anywhere, and only three other beings were at the bar. They didn't have drinks, so he figured the bartender was late or the bar had just opened, although he doubted that. Most bars stayed open all day, but then again, he was new on this world. "Can I get some service out here?"
"You wait your turn," a rough voice said from his side. He looked and saw a man staring at him. "You wait like us."
"Well, you see I would," Obi-Wan said arrogantly, playing into the part, "but you see the 'tender ain't out here. If the 'tender ain't out here, I got a right to do what I see best. And callin' him is best."
At that point the bartender did show up. As Obi-Wan had predicted, the tender came straight to him. He smiled cockily at the men who were there before him. "Well, thank you, sir. I'd like some Andoan Wine, please."
The bartender got his drink. "You pay now?"
"Yeah, sure," Obi-Wan said, slapping the credits on the counter. He smiled at the dirty looks he was receiving. He knew he was baiting them, but they didn't bite. He frowned inwardly. He wanted to cause a scene. If he was in a fight, he was fairly certain he could win. Most boys weren't to keen to fighting a Jedi, even a renegade one.
Soon the men were talking amongst themselves and Obi-Wan was left alone. He bit his tongue. He needed people to notice him. He would waste the time searching bar after bar for the bounty hunter if he had to, but he knew it would be easier to rouse him with a large fight. Somehow he knew the hunter would come to him.
He had been wondering for a long time how he had known the hunter was in the bar. He had been wondering how he had known it had been the hunter, for that matter. It had been bugging him, but he didn't want to voice it to Qui- Gon. He knew it was unusual for a Jedi to have such a big feeling, and it kept coming back to him.
Obi-Wan was just going into deep thought about it when he heard a voice yell, "get down!"
~*~
The hunter watched the man through the window of the bar. He didn't want to go in yet. He just wanted to watch to young man. He noted the striking eyes and the ginger hair. The man was strong and agile; you could tell that just by looking at him. He noted the sharp features and messy way his hair was cut. The braid was no longer present.
He knew the man could fight. He bored the bandages around his middle, even almost a week later. He pressed a hand against the glass. He was angry. Angrier then he had been in a long time. He couldn't believe a Jedi, a stupid Jedi, could bring him close to the edge. Yes, they had both been injured, but the hunter had no doubt in a fair fight the Jedi would win. It was just the way of thing.
What made him seething was that he knew the man.
/Oh, you are mine/, the hunter thought. He took out the thermal detonator and he stepped into the bar.
"Get down!" he shouted.
~*~
Obi-Wan followed his instincts and shot to the ground, diving under the bar. His fingers tightened around his lightsaber. He looked to the door and saw him. He saw him. He saw the bounty hunter.
Some other hunters were still up, all ready searching for their weapons.
"You don't really want to do that, do you?" the hunter asked manically, showing them the detonator. Obi-Wan felt a wave of uneasiness run through him. He knew enough to know this was unusual. Oh well. At least he had found the hunter.
"I just want one person," the hunter said. Obi-Wan's stomach did a roll. The hunter's eyes scanned the bar.
"We don't want trouble," the bartender said.
"Well, I don't either," the hunter sneered. "I just want the Jedi."
Obi-Wan knew it was useless to hide, and he stepped to his feet. "I'm right here," he said.
The hunter looked at him with rage. "Good." He pocketed the detonator and motioned the Jedi to follow him. Obi-Wan did so without question. He saw the looks the people were giving him and he clicked his tongue. So now everyone knew. Good.
The second Obi-Wan stepped out of the bar a fist knocked him to the ground.
~*~
The hunter smiled down at Obi-Wan, his smile brightened by the neon lights. He withdrew his knife, already advancing as Obi-Wan rolled to his feet, blood trailing his cut lip. The hunter's green eyes were tightened around the corners, giving him a pinched look that could be only described as a sneer.
"Wait," Obi-Wan said, holding his arms out in front of him like a shield. "Just hold on for a second, okay?"
"You tried to kill me," the hunter said.
"I just wanted to talk," Obi-Wan responded. "If it makes you feel any better, you almost killed me."
The hunter just looked at him closely. "Your name isn't Xancar."
"No," Obi-Wan said.
"And your accent is different now," the hunter said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "I want something new."
"I don't understand," the hunter said, holding his knife out in front of him.
"I am no longer a Jedi," he said humbly.
The hunter looked at him, as if he were crazed. "You left?"
Obi-Wan forced anger into his facial expression and voice. "He cut me loose. He set me free."
"Who?" the hunter said, his curiosity overrunning his need to kill the Jedi.
"My Master," Obi-Wan replied. "You don't know the Jedi Order-"
"Oh, I know," the hunter said, his anger flaming.
Obi-Wan looked at him, confused, but went on. "He hates bounty hunters. He hates their guts. He believes I failed him because of them. because of you. I have to hurt him. I have to make him regret what he did."
The hunter withdrew his knife, flipped it, and replaced it in its sheath. He cocked an eyebrow at the Jedi. or former Jedi, if he wasn't lying. The hunter peered closely into Obi-Wan blue/gray eyes, and seemed for a moment to search him. He closed his eyes, thought for a good moment, and then said, "I believe you."
Obi-Wan composed himself, then nodded. "I need help."
The hunter smiled at him, his smile manic. "You want me to help you?"
"Yes."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because I /hate/ the Jedi Order! Because I want to make them suffer like they've made ms suffer! I want them to pay for every grievance against me they committed! I don't deserve this!"
The hunter cocked an eyebrow. "And how is that my problem?"
Obi-Wan's eyes flashed quickly. The hunter saw it, and to himself, he smiled.
"I know things," Obi-Wan said. "I know about the Jedi. I know who you are. I know that you're the hunter everyone is after. I can help you. I know things. I know a lot of things."
The hunter laughed. "Sure you do. You know enough to come here, hide your accent, adopt a different personality, and then get caught?"
The Jedi's eyes flared in anger. He took a step towards the hunter, thought better of it, and withdrew.
Again the hunter laughed. "And I thought you knew better than that," he sneered.
"I need you," Obi-Wan said.
The hunter sighed. "You know who I am."
"That's why I need you. The Chancellor is dead after you. He wants you dead. That's why I need you to help me. I was entrusted. I can throw it in their faces!"
"How so?" the hunter asked.
Obi-Wan held a hand up to his bleeding lip. He held it in front of the hunter, showing the blood. "I'm going to hurt them. I'm going to make them bleed. I'm going to kill the Chancellor."
As the words left Obi-Wan's mouth, the hunter's eyes opened in shock. He stared at the young man in front of him, startled at the fact a Jedi wanted to assassinate the most powerful man in the galaxy. And it wasn't just any Jedi- it was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan.
The hunter knew Qui-Gon well.
"You want to kill him? What would that prove?"
Obi-Wan decided to be blunt. "I think you're more intelligent than you're letting on. You know how it will look when a renegade Jedi kills the Chancellor. Chaos. Everyone in the Republic will hate the Jedi. The citizens.if they can't trust the Jedi, who can they trust?"
The hunter nodded, contemplating what the Jedi has said. "Why do you need me?"
Obi-Wan gave out a sarcastic laugh. "You understand I could kill the Chancellor easily without you. It wouldn't be all too hard. I could walk right into his office, saying I'm on Jedi business and he would believe me. I could get him right there. The problem is, that wouldn't prove anything to my Master. He would just think, well, there goes my old Padawan, he's fallen to the Dark Side, this is just like him.
"Oh, no, I can't have that. That doesn't make it personal. I want it to be personal. If I kill him as a bounty hunter, that'll knock him off the ride. Oh my, will that shake his world. I want to shake him. I want him to be ashamed. He let me go."
The hunter nodded slightly. He understood the Jedi's need. He understood it so, so well.
"So you want to use me to get back at Qui-Gon? You want your performance flawless?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I want to be a bounty hunter. I want to become one."
The older man stared at Obi-Wan. He seemed completely sincere. He looked into the bar. People had recovered from the "attack" and were talking, staring out at them. He smiled at them cockily. Was he ready for a student? Did he even want one?
The words the young former Jedi spoke struck a cord in his heart. He couldn't deny that at all.
"You bail on me and I'll kill you," the hunter said.
"Yes, I know."
"Are you staying at the lodge?"
"Yes."
"I'll be at your room tomorrow."
"The number is-"
"I'll get it, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Talk to no one. Go back to the lodge now."
"Thank you." He was visibly relieved, although something from the conversation was beginning to nag him. Something the hunter had said. "Thank you. May I ask your name?"
The hunter raised and eyebrow at the man. It was a reasonable question.
"Shane Warcal." He turned and began to leave, then stopped, turned, and laughed. "You put some ice on that lip; Qui-Gon's lost Padawan."
As he was walking, Obi-Wan realized what it was.
He had never said Qui-Gon was his Master.
~*~
Author's Notes: Thank you guys so much for the reviews thus far: SilverDragon, BecJedi. KellBell, K-Rock and Essie Aster. It means so much to me. Also, anything like this: It was.a miracle. There's supposed to be three dots between the was and a. My computer works weird.
/ / =italics
PART SIX
DEAL
Obi-Wan changed in his room. He was shocked at the lavishness he received. The maids and cook had treated him like a god. He had gotten lost taking to turbo-lift to the floor, and he had barely asked a woman for help when cooks and maids were surrounding him, directing him towards his room. They did it happily, as if it was their life's purpose only to serve.
/Maybe it is/. Obi-Wan thought as he removed his tunics and folded them neatly. He placed them in his bag and changed into a loose fitting gray tunic and black pants. He pulled his cloak on and hid his lightsaber in it. He gave himself a look in the mirror, and then set out of his room, barely five minutes after he had gotten in it.
He had to survey the life around him. It was getting dark. He figured it was time to start putting his impression on. He had to stir up trouble. He needed to get noticed. He thought about how the King had known he was a Jedi. For his sake and the sake of the mission, he hoped everyone knew the story. Getting it spread might take a while, and he didn't want to spend a lot of time getting noticed.
As he stepped out of the lodge, he saw the sign above a bar across the street flicker to life. It was a dull pink neon and read, "The Bar." He snorted as he crossed the street. How very, very original.
The bar wasn't too crowded, but the night was young. He sucked in the air, and then swaggered in, exaggerating his walk, and practically dancing around the tables to get to the bar. He frisked past the tables, making sure the few people there noticed him. By the time he sat down at the bar, all the customers were staring at him strangely. He could see he had made at least one person mad, and he smiled inside.
"Hey!" he hollered, hiding his accent. He couldn't see the bartender anywhere, and only three other beings were at the bar. They didn't have drinks, so he figured the bartender was late or the bar had just opened, although he doubted that. Most bars stayed open all day, but then again, he was new on this world. "Can I get some service out here?"
"You wait your turn," a rough voice said from his side. He looked and saw a man staring at him. "You wait like us."
"Well, you see I would," Obi-Wan said arrogantly, playing into the part, "but you see the 'tender ain't out here. If the 'tender ain't out here, I got a right to do what I see best. And callin' him is best."
At that point the bartender did show up. As Obi-Wan had predicted, the tender came straight to him. He smiled cockily at the men who were there before him. "Well, thank you, sir. I'd like some Andoan Wine, please."
The bartender got his drink. "You pay now?"
"Yeah, sure," Obi-Wan said, slapping the credits on the counter. He smiled at the dirty looks he was receiving. He knew he was baiting them, but they didn't bite. He frowned inwardly. He wanted to cause a scene. If he was in a fight, he was fairly certain he could win. Most boys weren't to keen to fighting a Jedi, even a renegade one.
Soon the men were talking amongst themselves and Obi-Wan was left alone. He bit his tongue. He needed people to notice him. He would waste the time searching bar after bar for the bounty hunter if he had to, but he knew it would be easier to rouse him with a large fight. Somehow he knew the hunter would come to him.
He had been wondering for a long time how he had known the hunter was in the bar. He had been wondering how he had known it had been the hunter, for that matter. It had been bugging him, but he didn't want to voice it to Qui- Gon. He knew it was unusual for a Jedi to have such a big feeling, and it kept coming back to him.
Obi-Wan was just going into deep thought about it when he heard a voice yell, "get down!"
~*~
The hunter watched the man through the window of the bar. He didn't want to go in yet. He just wanted to watch to young man. He noted the striking eyes and the ginger hair. The man was strong and agile; you could tell that just by looking at him. He noted the sharp features and messy way his hair was cut. The braid was no longer present.
He knew the man could fight. He bored the bandages around his middle, even almost a week later. He pressed a hand against the glass. He was angry. Angrier then he had been in a long time. He couldn't believe a Jedi, a stupid Jedi, could bring him close to the edge. Yes, they had both been injured, but the hunter had no doubt in a fair fight the Jedi would win. It was just the way of thing.
What made him seething was that he knew the man.
/Oh, you are mine/, the hunter thought. He took out the thermal detonator and he stepped into the bar.
"Get down!" he shouted.
~*~
Obi-Wan followed his instincts and shot to the ground, diving under the bar. His fingers tightened around his lightsaber. He looked to the door and saw him. He saw him. He saw the bounty hunter.
Some other hunters were still up, all ready searching for their weapons.
"You don't really want to do that, do you?" the hunter asked manically, showing them the detonator. Obi-Wan felt a wave of uneasiness run through him. He knew enough to know this was unusual. Oh well. At least he had found the hunter.
"I just want one person," the hunter said. Obi-Wan's stomach did a roll. The hunter's eyes scanned the bar.
"We don't want trouble," the bartender said.
"Well, I don't either," the hunter sneered. "I just want the Jedi."
Obi-Wan knew it was useless to hide, and he stepped to his feet. "I'm right here," he said.
The hunter looked at him with rage. "Good." He pocketed the detonator and motioned the Jedi to follow him. Obi-Wan did so without question. He saw the looks the people were giving him and he clicked his tongue. So now everyone knew. Good.
The second Obi-Wan stepped out of the bar a fist knocked him to the ground.
~*~
The hunter smiled down at Obi-Wan, his smile brightened by the neon lights. He withdrew his knife, already advancing as Obi-Wan rolled to his feet, blood trailing his cut lip. The hunter's green eyes were tightened around the corners, giving him a pinched look that could be only described as a sneer.
"Wait," Obi-Wan said, holding his arms out in front of him like a shield. "Just hold on for a second, okay?"
"You tried to kill me," the hunter said.
"I just wanted to talk," Obi-Wan responded. "If it makes you feel any better, you almost killed me."
The hunter just looked at him closely. "Your name isn't Xancar."
"No," Obi-Wan said.
"And your accent is different now," the hunter said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "I want something new."
"I don't understand," the hunter said, holding his knife out in front of him.
"I am no longer a Jedi," he said humbly.
The hunter looked at him, as if he were crazed. "You left?"
Obi-Wan forced anger into his facial expression and voice. "He cut me loose. He set me free."
"Who?" the hunter said, his curiosity overrunning his need to kill the Jedi.
"My Master," Obi-Wan replied. "You don't know the Jedi Order-"
"Oh, I know," the hunter said, his anger flaming.
Obi-Wan looked at him, confused, but went on. "He hates bounty hunters. He hates their guts. He believes I failed him because of them. because of you. I have to hurt him. I have to make him regret what he did."
The hunter withdrew his knife, flipped it, and replaced it in its sheath. He cocked an eyebrow at the Jedi. or former Jedi, if he wasn't lying. The hunter peered closely into Obi-Wan blue/gray eyes, and seemed for a moment to search him. He closed his eyes, thought for a good moment, and then said, "I believe you."
Obi-Wan composed himself, then nodded. "I need help."
The hunter smiled at him, his smile manic. "You want me to help you?"
"Yes."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because I /hate/ the Jedi Order! Because I want to make them suffer like they've made ms suffer! I want them to pay for every grievance against me they committed! I don't deserve this!"
The hunter cocked an eyebrow. "And how is that my problem?"
Obi-Wan's eyes flashed quickly. The hunter saw it, and to himself, he smiled.
"I know things," Obi-Wan said. "I know about the Jedi. I know who you are. I know that you're the hunter everyone is after. I can help you. I know things. I know a lot of things."
The hunter laughed. "Sure you do. You know enough to come here, hide your accent, adopt a different personality, and then get caught?"
The Jedi's eyes flared in anger. He took a step towards the hunter, thought better of it, and withdrew.
Again the hunter laughed. "And I thought you knew better than that," he sneered.
"I need you," Obi-Wan said.
The hunter sighed. "You know who I am."
"That's why I need you. The Chancellor is dead after you. He wants you dead. That's why I need you to help me. I was entrusted. I can throw it in their faces!"
"How so?" the hunter asked.
Obi-Wan held a hand up to his bleeding lip. He held it in front of the hunter, showing the blood. "I'm going to hurt them. I'm going to make them bleed. I'm going to kill the Chancellor."
As the words left Obi-Wan's mouth, the hunter's eyes opened in shock. He stared at the young man in front of him, startled at the fact a Jedi wanted to assassinate the most powerful man in the galaxy. And it wasn't just any Jedi- it was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan.
The hunter knew Qui-Gon well.
"You want to kill him? What would that prove?"
Obi-Wan decided to be blunt. "I think you're more intelligent than you're letting on. You know how it will look when a renegade Jedi kills the Chancellor. Chaos. Everyone in the Republic will hate the Jedi. The citizens.if they can't trust the Jedi, who can they trust?"
The hunter nodded, contemplating what the Jedi has said. "Why do you need me?"
Obi-Wan gave out a sarcastic laugh. "You understand I could kill the Chancellor easily without you. It wouldn't be all too hard. I could walk right into his office, saying I'm on Jedi business and he would believe me. I could get him right there. The problem is, that wouldn't prove anything to my Master. He would just think, well, there goes my old Padawan, he's fallen to the Dark Side, this is just like him.
"Oh, no, I can't have that. That doesn't make it personal. I want it to be personal. If I kill him as a bounty hunter, that'll knock him off the ride. Oh my, will that shake his world. I want to shake him. I want him to be ashamed. He let me go."
The hunter nodded slightly. He understood the Jedi's need. He understood it so, so well.
"So you want to use me to get back at Qui-Gon? You want your performance flawless?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "I want to be a bounty hunter. I want to become one."
The older man stared at Obi-Wan. He seemed completely sincere. He looked into the bar. People had recovered from the "attack" and were talking, staring out at them. He smiled at them cockily. Was he ready for a student? Did he even want one?
The words the young former Jedi spoke struck a cord in his heart. He couldn't deny that at all.
"You bail on me and I'll kill you," the hunter said.
"Yes, I know."
"Are you staying at the lodge?"
"Yes."
"I'll be at your room tomorrow."
"The number is-"
"I'll get it, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Talk to no one. Go back to the lodge now."
"Thank you." He was visibly relieved, although something from the conversation was beginning to nag him. Something the hunter had said. "Thank you. May I ask your name?"
The hunter raised and eyebrow at the man. It was a reasonable question.
"Shane Warcal." He turned and began to leave, then stopped, turned, and laughed. "You put some ice on that lip; Qui-Gon's lost Padawan."
As he was walking, Obi-Wan realized what it was.
He had never said Qui-Gon was his Master.
~*~