"Lost Light" - A New FanFic by Cassia

Uh, first off, I don't post any more story unless I get at least one reply...I didn't, so I brought it to the top...replies are how I know you've read it...
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Sheena bent over the gleaming white floor on her hands and knees. Unlike many of the other floor ways, the auto-polisher could not be used on this surface; it would mar the soft soap-marble?s delicate surface. "That would be such a shame," Sheena muttered, blowing a few strands of her bi-tone hair out of her face. She hated washing floors. Hated it. This room was an especial pain because it had to be stripped, washed and re-waxed every week. 200 yards of backbreaking work. At least she was almost done. Maybe she?d get that Kenobi kid to do it next week. She figured he owed her one after the way she had helped him out last night. It was an appealing notion, but she was not sure it was a good idea. Judging from what she?d seen so far, he didn?t seem too particular about just how clean he got things, and she was the one who?d get in trouble if this floor weren?t done properly.

With a final stroke she finished the floor and straightened up, rubbing her complaining back. She swore this room got bigger every week. Drying her long, silvery fingers on the hem of her tunic-like shirt she carefully placed the little caution signs on either side of the door, warning people that the floor had just been waxed and must not be walked upon for the next two hours. Gathering up the cleaning supplies she headed off to put them away.

Halfway to the storage closet, she realized she had forgotten the bottle of wax stripper and had to go back for it. Reaching the door she looked around for the bottle, but what she saw instead made her furious.

"Kenobi! Obi-Wan Kenobi how could you?!"

Obi-Wan froze and turned when he heard Sheena shouting at him. What had he done now?

Sheena glared at him. How could he stand there in the middle of her newly cleaned floor and dare to look so innocent! "Look at what you?ve done, just look!" she pointed angrily at the footprints that marred the laboriously waxed soap-marble. Now she was going to have to strip the whole dang thing, wash and wax it all over again! It would take hours! She would get behind in all her other duties and the over-seers would punish her! If Obi-Wan had been standing before her, she probably would have hit him.

"I?m going to have to do the whole thing all over again and the over-seers?ll beat me for neglecting my other tasks! How could you?!" she demanded again with tears in her eyes. "After I stayed up nearly all night just to help you!"

"I-I, I?m sorry," Obi-Wan stammered, struggling to understand what he had done to upset her so. "What did I do?"

That was too much for Sheena. Stalking out across the already ruined floor she aimed a stinging slap for Obi-Wan?s face. Obi-Wan sensed it coming and ducked, backing away quickly. "Sheena, please..."

Sheena?s missed blow sent her off balance and she ended up falling on her backside amid the torn-up wax. Her anger burned out; Sheena started to cry instead. "I actually felt sorry for you Kenobi! I thought you just had a lot of bad luck and some sloppy habits. Now I know you?re just trying to make trouble! I never want to speak to you again!" Sheena sobbed, choked with unreasonable rage.

Obi-Wan was truly at a loss, he had obviously ruined something that she had worked hard to do. He was sorry to see her so upset. "Please Sheena, don?t cry," he crouched down beside her. "I?m sorry, really! I didn?t mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, right!" Sheena wiped her eyes. Crying got her nowhere. "What are you? Blind? I suppose you couldn?t read the signs by the door, you know, the KEEP OFF ones?" she accused.

Obi-Wan flinched. Steadying himself with a hand on the floor Obi-Wan felt the sticky, un-hardened wax squish between his fingers and began to realize just what exactly he had unwittingly done. "Sheena, I am sorry, I didn?t know what I was doing. I?ll help you fix it."

"Just stay away from me!" Sheena retorted, shoving him away. Now she was pouting.

"You ca

 

Red, I'll ask Cassia about that next time, k?

 

Okay here is your post letting you know that someone has read it and is eagerly awaiting more.

Igraine

 

This is soo good. I hope Sheena helps Obi-wan hide his blindness from now on. That would make his poor life just a little less miserable.

 

Goody! Now Sheena knows that Obi-Wan is blind. So maybe now she'll help him out more. At least she'd better! I eagerly await more.

 

Will Obi-Wan's life be better now? Will Qui-Gon ever find him in time? Please, MORE!!!!

 

Verjl rummaged through his desk drawers, pulling out files, memos, communiqués and other assorted items. Some he put into a small black satchel, the others he tossed into the incinerator.

Qui-Gon entered the room and stood quietly behind his chair, waiting for the Administrator to notice him. Verjl heard his entrance but did not turn at once. He could feel Qui-Gon?s eyes bore into the back of his head and was in no hurry to meet them face on. What could he do? He didn?t like this any more than the Jedi did. "No, I have no word yet. However, Camp 11 in the Tellti district has yet to respond," he said, without looking up from his work. He did not because he knew he could not bear the look on Qui-Gon?s face. He liked the Jedi, Qui-Gon had been most useful to him this past week, but that didn?t change the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Verjl finished with his desk and rose. "Send up one of the servants to help me pack my things Jinn," he asked, with the ease of one used to giving commands as he moved over to the sleeping area of his quarters. Left unspoken was the knowledge that their ship left at dawn tomorrow morning. Without Obi-Wan.

Verjl palmed open a wall cabinet and lay a large traveling-case on his bed. He looked up and saw Qui-Gon still standing there. The Administrator?s eyes softened.

"You will hear back from Camp 11 before tomorrow morning?" Qui-Gon asked slowly.

"Yes," Verjl sighed. "I had to pay a small fortune to get it through security on such short notice, but we will know before... before morning." Verjl snapped open the traveling-case.

"Tellti is remote," Qui-Gon pointed out. "And far from here. Is it possible that he could have been transferred so far?"

"What do you want me to say Jinn?" Verjl met Qui-Gon?s eyes this time. "Tellti is our last chance. If he?s not there, then he?s either dead or no longer in the camps."

"Then we?re out of time," Qui-Gon said softly, just above a whisper.

Verjl glanced away. The look on Qui-Gon?s face told the Administrator that he might as well be asking the Jedi to rip his own heart out. Perhaps that would have actually been easier. Still, he was not asking Qui-Gon to do anything that he wouldn?t do himself, that he hadn?t already done. "I?m sorry it has had to come to this Jinn," Verjl apologized, truly saddened. "I honestly thought we would find him in time."

Qui-Gon just nodded, numbly. So had he.

Verjl felt strangely guilty. He had done his best to find the young Jedi, but could he have done more? One life out of so many that were being destroyed could seem of so little consequence, but the Administrator knew that to the man standing across the room from him that one life seemed to mean the world. Verjl thought of Daikin, thought of the people he had seen killed by inches, of all the innocent men, women and children he had seen suffer and die in the past four years. He realized he had seen far too many. One by one, the single lives added up. Added up to an atrocity. Yes, he wanted to stop the bigger picture, but he must not forget that the hundreds of thousands whom he wanted to save were made up of individuals. Sometimes perhaps, he realized, you could help to make a difference one person at a time. "We?ll come back for him," Verjl decided suddenly, catching Qui-Gon?s eyes again. "I have... contacts in the underground. No matter what happens with the Republic, if I am at all able, I will come back with you and we will either find him, or at least what happened to him. I promise you that Jinn."

Qui-Gon knew what a brave and generous offer that was, and what a great risk Verjl would take on himself by returning to Driosnia after this, but it did little to lighten the load that settled upon his heart at having to leave his apprentice behind. Especially in the state Obi-Wan was in. "I made a promise too Administrator," Qui-Gon said, a trifle hoarsely. "I promised Obi-Wan that we would make it out of this, together. I also promised you that I would leave with you tomorrow," the big Jedi looked torn. "How I am supposed to re

 

Uh-oh. Verjl is getting WAY too good to be true.
Bring him back to the way he was before: cynical, not so softie, rather (I suppose) matter-of-fact, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to deceive all those people arond him.

And GO ON with the story!!! Need more!!!

 

Nooooooooo! Poor Qui-Gon! What's he gonna do? I need more story right now!! Pretty please?

 

I want Qui-Gon to find Obi-Wan before he has to leave but I'm afraid the may signal the end of this wonderful story. I'm so confused!

 

Nice job. Keep it going.

 

This story is haunting. I need to know what happens next. Please post!!!!!!!!1

 

I can help you on at least part of that.

Check out http://www.naranek.com/fanfilm/freemov/my free-mov site to see some of my simple movies.

Darryl "Gita" Roman

 

Sheena hummed a soft tune to herself as she folded shirts, tunics and pants, putting them in even piles, sorted by combination. She certainly didn?t mind this assignment. It sure beat cleaning toilets, which she would otherwise be doing. Her Master came out of the back room and she quickly fell silent.

"Don?t stop Sheena," he said, his dark eyes regarding her kindly. "That?s pretty." He placed another heap of clothing on the bed for her to sort.

Sheena blushed. He always called her by name, she like that. It made her feel a little more like a real person instead of the object, or creature that all the other Driosnians made her out to be. It was a wonder that someone in his position cared enough to remember her name, what with her being not only a slave, but an Inui as well. She didn?t know his first name, but she secretly thought him one of the handsomest men she?d ever met, even if he was a Driosnian, and a party member at that.

She had been the Administrators slave for over four years, traveling from place to place as his business took him all over Driosnia. She was not fond of this latest place. It was so huge, much bigger than usual. That?s why they had had to bring in the extra slaves from the camps to augment his usual retinue. They were really on quite friendly terms for being master and servant.

One of the things that Sheena especially hated about this new place was that she had not seen Verjl at all since arriving here three weeks ago. He had been so busy, and there was always so much work for her to do. Before this place she had rarely been abused or beaten while in her Master?s service. The Administrator was a distant man, but he did not mistreat his slaves. The overseers that were over her now were cruel and punished the slaves harshly at the slightest provocation. Now it looked as if her Master were going away again. "Where are you going this time Master?" she asked quietly.

"On another mission for the Krallnorn Sheena," Verjl replied, sorting through the piles of clothing she was folding, deciding what to bring.

"Are we to be moved again Sir?" she asked hopefully.

"No," her Master shook his dark head. "I?m afraid not. I am going alone this time."

"Oh, how long will you be gone?" Sheena was always a little timid around him, but he never seemed to mind talking with her, at least, not if they were alone.

"I don?t know," he shook his head. He smiled faintly at her. "You?re not going to miss me, are you Sheena?"

"I?ve missed you since we got here Master," Sheena murmured softly, and instantly regretted it. She had never spoken to him that way before.

Verjl just smiled and went back to packing. He hadn?t really noticed, but he realized he had missed her too. He had become accustomed to her constant, if somewhat shy, conversation and the music of her humming while she worked. He had taken her years ago to save her from being placed in a despicable camp brothel after the rest of her family was killed before her eyes. Although she had exhibited an understandable bitterness towards Driosnians, especially Dojans, she had eventually stopped directing that hate at him. Verjl couldn?t understand how the Krallnorn could stir up such loathing towards her people. He had been no different at first, but, partly because of Sheena, he had found that the Inui were remarkably like everyone else.

Sheena busied herself so she would not keep glancing over to look at Verjl. She knew that logically, she should hate him. He had made her his slave; he worked for the people who killed her mother, father and brother. But he was also the only person for four years who had treated her like a sentient being and seemed undisturbed by the color of her skin. Even the other slaves snubbed her because of her race, except Obi-Wan of course...

Obi-Wan! He had been told to report for a construction duty assignment in the east wing right before she had been called away to help the Master. Since she had found out about his disability a few days ago, she had taken it upon herself to look out for him, often switching jobs with him wh

 

Ahahahahahaaa!! The QGJDL posting has cught up with this one and has passed it!!! Okay, I'll stop gloating now that I now a little more than the rest of you do. This is an excellent story and I want the rest of it now!!

 

Obi-Wan moved forward uncertainly. He knew he hadn?t left the hall he had been following, but he didn?t feel as if he was going in the right direction. Suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder and stopped him.

"You, slave, what do you think you?re doing? Where?s your clearance?" a harsh voice demanded.

"Clearance?" Obi-Wan asked, his stomach knotting as he realized he must once again have ended up somewhere he shouldn?t be.

"Clearance stupid!" the guard shook Obi-Wan so hard he made the young Jedi?s teeth rattle. "This is a restricted area, slaves aren?t allowed!"

"What have you got there soldier?" Brun Owskar asked, rounding the corner and seeing Obi-Wan with the two guards.

"A Slave with no clearance," the man reported, shoving Obi-Wan up against the wall.

"Please, I didn?t realize I was in the wrong place, I was trying to get to the east wing," Obi-Wan tried to explain around the hand that rested heavily against his throat.

"Liar!" the soldier snapped, socking Obi-Wan in the stomach.

Obi-Wan doubled over, but the guards pushed him back against the wall again.

"Another spy eh?" Brun said with great interest. "Are you a resistance member too boy?" Brun took Obi-Wan?s chin in his hand, tilting it up. "What are you doing here? What are you after?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan shook his head helplessly, but he knew from experience that he would not be believed.

Brun?s hard fist jerked Obi-Wan?s head to the side. "Try again boy," he commanded roughly.

"It?s the truth!" Obi-Wan clung to his innocence. "The construction confused me, I got lost."

Brun struck the teenager again, viciously. His knuckles cut Obi-Wan?s lip, making blood trickle down the boy?s chin. Another fist slammed into Obi-Wan?s stomach, pulled back, punched him again, and again, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Sir," one of the guards holding Obi-Wan spoke up after a few moments. "Shouldn?t we inform the Administrator about the spy?"

Brun wiped Obi-Wan?s blood off his knuckles, and shook his head. "No need to disturb the Administrator until we have something to tell him," Brun said. He did not want to give the scenario of earlier that week a chance to repeat itself, not until he had gotten some answers out of the boy, and some of those answers involved his Uncle.

Brun grabbed Obi-Wan by the roots of his short hair. Tipping the boy?s chin skyward again. "Listen to me spy," he growled menacingly, only three inches from Obi-Wan?s face. "This can go easy, or it can go hard, real hard, do you understand me slave?"

Obi-Wan nodded, as much as Brun?s grip on his hair let him. He understood all right, but that did him very little good.

"Good," Brun let go of his hair with a shake. "Start talking. Who do you work for and what are you after?"

"I know you won?t believe me, but I don?t work for anyone but the owner of this house and I?m not after anything except to get to my work assignment in the east wing," Obi-Wan could do nothing but tell the truth.

"You?re right boy," Brun grinned darkly. "I don?t believe you." Brun?s fist connected solidly with Obi-Wan?s stomach once more. A blow to the jaw slammed the young Jedi?s head back into the wall. For a brief moment Obi-Wan found it odd that he didn?t see stars, but it was just a passing thought, before Brun?s fists slammed into him again.

Obi-Wan struggled and pulled against the guards holding his arms, but it did no good. Brun was relentless, pounding the fifteen-year-old with iron fists. "Who do you work for? How long have you been here? How does the Administrator fit into this picture? What is the underground up to?" Brun?s questions were as relentless as his abuse, but they seemed increasingly muffled by the fog that was starting to build around Obi-Wan as he sank down the wall under Brun?s blows. When he hit the floor the guards started in on him too.



Sheena raced down the halls, calling Obi-Wan?s name. She stopped when the white paint on the walls gave way to red; the lettering clearly warning that this was a high security zone. There was no guard at the entry, but there sel

 

Don't stop now!! Keep going!!

 

Go, Vergil, Go.

 

Go, Sheena, go! Save Obi-Wan from being pistol-whipped by Brun.

Brun. Sounds suspiciously like Bruck, doesn't it? Hmmm.

Hurry, Sheena!

 

Another cliff hanger. I don't know if I can take this!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!

 

Must have more......must have more.......!!!!!!!

 

Here's a really big post for being such faithful readers...
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Verjl was stacking clothes in his travel-case when Sheena burst through the door, panting for breath, her silvery cheeks flushed. "Good grief, Sheena you look like you?ve run a mile, what?s wrong?" he asked, straightening up with concern.

"Please sir, please, I need your help! He?s done nothing wrong, he didn?t know he was in the wrong place, don?t let them kill him!" Sheena panted out, a trifle incoherently.

"Slow down Sheena," Verjl tried to calm the young woman. "What are you talking about? Who?s going to kill who?"

"Brun, he?s beating one of the slaves. Obi didn?t mean it, but they?re killing him! Please Master," she implored.

The Administrator?s face darkened. "Come," he said simply, leaving the room at a quick trot. He still didn?t completely understand what Sheena was trying to tell him, but he got the drift. It wouldn?t be the first time he had had to stop Brun from mistreating the servants.

Verjl glanced sharply at Sheena when he realized where they were heading. "Sheena, this area is restricted, how-"

But Sheena was already ahead of him, her haste imploring that he hurry as well. Turning the corner, Verjl saw Brun, the guards, and the nearly unconscious slave.

All of them except Obi-Wan looked up when the Administrator came into view.

"What?s this Brun?" Verjl inquired calmly. "More trouble?"

"Sir," Brun straightened up, releasing the hold he had on Obi-Wan?s shirt collar, letting the boy?s head loll forward. "We caught this slave spying, sir. He refuses to admit to it, or reveal what he was after."

Verjl shot a hard glance at Sheena. She had said nothing about the boy being a spy, and what were either of them doing in this area in the first place?

Sheena twisted the cuff of her sleeve. "He?s not a spy sir, I know him, I know he?s not."

When Obi-Wan heard Sheena?s voice he lifted his head a little. "Sheena?" he more mouthed than said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

Verjl studied the boy. He couldn?t be much over sixteen, if that old, but the Administrator had seen younger children than this boy die horrible deaths for their involvement with the underground. Still, Sheena had never proven herself untrustworthy to him before...

"Are you a spy boy?" Verjl inquired, standing in front of Obi-Wan.

"No, sir," Obi-Wan replied in the same husky voice.

"Then what were you doing in here?" Verjl tried to catch the young man?s eyes. It disturbed him that he could not.

Obi-Wan leaned his throbbing head back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I got lost." He didn?t expect this man to believe him any more than the others had. He was almost in too much pain to care.

"Lost?" Verjl?s dark eyes narrowed skeptically. "Look," the Administrator said firmly. "I?m a fair man, but you have to be honest with me. What were you doing here?"

"I am being honest with you," Obi-Wan was so tired of this conversation. He seemed to keep having it over and over, and it never made a difference. "I got lost. Please sir, I?m telling you the truth!" Obi-Wan was desperate for someone to believe him.

Verjl was puzzled. Something about the boy smacked of honesty to him, but...

"How is that possible?" he demanded, still trying to catch Obi-Wan?s averted eyes. "Look me in the eye slave," he said, a trifle sharply.

Obi-Wan tried, tried to imagine where the man?s eyes were, tried to use the Force to guide him, but he was too worn out and worked over, he couldn?t make their gazes meet.

Verjl?s jaw tightened. "If you won?t be honest with me I?ll give you back to Brun and we?ll see what he and these other men can get out of you," he threatened.

Obi-Wan moaned softly without meaning to do so.

"Please Master," Sheena interjected. "Obi-Wan is telling you the truth. He did get lost, and he didn?t see the signs because, because he?s blind sir," she blurted out, almost without thinking.

Obi-Wan stiffened. "Sheena! You promised!" he groaned to himself. He was dead for sure now.

"I?m sorry Obi-Wan," Sheena thought miserably, but she could

 

Yay!! Re-united again!

 

Oh yay! I'm so glad they've been reunited! That was so touching! Thank you thank you! Now I need to know if Obi-Wan's blindness can be fixed! Please hurry and post more!

 

I was literally on the edge of my seat as Qui-Gon walked down the hall to his padawan. Excellent post, Cassia. Please hurry with more!