A/N: Thank you all for the support and encouragement. I am trying to get better about updating more frequently. Let me know whatya think.

Chapter Ten

Contrary to widespread myth, space was not in fact, cold. In truth it was very much the opposite. As cold seeped into his bones Obi-Wan blew into his frozen hands reflecting on Qui-Gon's former padawan. He moved his fingers and whispered a calming mantra into the depths of the force. The trinium laced restraints on his wrists held an uncanny sense of familiarity.

He is a Dark Jedi now, Obi-Wan told himself. In my former life, Xanatos represented an enemy to be defeated. He betrayed Qui-Gon and fell to the dark side. I'm certain some of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of Qui-Gon, on the order, but it was his choice to make. Qui-Gon had the chance to kill him as I did my Anakin but I understand why he didn't.

Perhaps the glimmer of light in him will be enough to bring him back. A first step towards a reconciliation my Master craves. Obi-Wan waited, cross-legged on the floor wondering why of all places he was locked in a freezer, bantha meat organized from floor to ceiling.

Xanatos, washed and purified in the dark side of the force, loomed quietly above his prisoner, straight as an arrow and immobile, midnight blues radiating passion. Obi-Wan took in the force signature of the man before him, feeling the cloudy fog of the dark side envelop his senses. Probing as far as he dared, he saw a tiny flicker of light before heavy shields slammed down. He tensed, missing the assurance of his lightsaber secured on his belt.

A flick of the Dark Jedi's wrist and Obi-Wan was hauled to his feet "Put it over there, bound," came the order, "I want it to feel as helpless as it actually is."

With little difficulty, the two masked guards hefted Obi-Wan onto a makeshift table, yanking his cuffed arms to rest above his head, locking them into place. "You may go." Chains of durasteel shot from a nearby pile. They bit into Obi-Wan and tightened until he screamed in agony. Xanatos didn't laugh, he seemed amused.

Obi-Wan spoke up in a low but confident voice. "Xanatos. Can't say I'm surprised that you're who is behind this invasion. What I don't understand is why it was necessary."

Not in the least bit flustered, Xanatos raised the incline of the table so that their eyes would meet. "If you at all understand my hatred for Qui-Gon Jinn, you wouldn't ask me such a stupid question.

Coughing slightly, Xanatos continued. "Qui-Gon, blinded as he was by his affection for the Jedi Master Tahl, cast you aside in his urgency to rescue his wounded lover. A perfect opportunity."

A bit aggravated Obi-Wan half shouted, "That still doesn't answer my question! Why bother killing all those people then, hmm? Why take revenge on a people that have nothing to do with Qui-Gon? Why not instead focus all your resources on capturing me?"

"Silly little Jedi, what makes you think I didn't do just that?"

Confusion raced through Obi-Wan. Visions of battle danced in his mind, his voice lacking its former audacity. "But, I saw it with my own eyes. I saw a city engulfed in flames. There were so many bodies, laying there, dead, all of them. Why-"

"And you thought it to be true," Xanatos smugly interjected. "As you know, the amount of force energy and sheer effort it took to save that girl's life caused you to pass out from exhaustion. Although you may think you woke up in that med center, you never did. In the aftermath, I ordered a shuttle be dispatched to the town square to bring you aboard my personal command ship."

Xanatos began pacing. "You see that droid?" Obi-Wan nodded.

"One of its many functions is to inject fabricated memories into life forms. Given your strong feelings towards an invasion that hasn't actually happened, it appears this batch of memory serum is ready for full scale production."

Xanatos laughed. "Everything you think happened since the last battle on Melida/Daan is a lie. In fact, you've been locked in this freezer ever since. I'll let you in on a secret though, by the time Qui-Gon catches up, you will be mine, and you will kill him."

Obi-Wan remained silent, powerless as Xanatos grabbed his jaw. "I have it on good authority that you are no longer a member of the esteemed Jedi Order, that you saw through their deceit and left on your own even."

Xanatos let his hand fall. "Become my apprentice, study the hidden teachings of the dark side and all that you've ever wanted will be yours. Imagine the exhilaration you'll feel crushing Bruck's wind pipe; seeing that sublime look of panic as you suck out his life force. I can sense the potential in you begging to be unleashed. Join me Obi-Wan, and together the dark side will free us both."

Shoving aside wanting to scream that Xanatos knows bantha balls about the dark side, or that he was a selfish little bantha kriffer compared to Lord Sidious, he chose instead to weigh his words carefully. With his knowledge it would be criminal to allow emotion betray secrets leading to the downfall of the Sith and the survival of the Jedi Order, of his family. "You think you know me Xanatos? You know nothing! I'm the one who stared down the face of evil and cleaved it in two. For everything you think you know about the dark side, about me, there is a world of things you don't.

"Join me, Obi-Wan. Become my apprentice, and the galaxy will be crushed beneath our boots."

"Become your apprentice?" Obi-Wan exclaimed, disbelief coloring his features. "There's no way in all Sith's hells I'll do that."

Gathering the small amount of courage he had left, Obi-Wan hoped to reach the light he knew was still somewhere inside Xanatos. "Don't be foolish, the dark side of the force binds to your willing body to the same extent that I am your captive. Unlike you, I will never stop fighting its chains, its lies! There is no greater cause, no greater reason for existing than to fight against evil, stand against tyranny, and fight for those in need. You have cast aside your freedom as if it were a useless trinket, a common harlot! You are not its master, you are its slave!"

To his dismay, Xanatos brushed off those words of wisdom into an endless pool of ignorance. Obi-Wan felt as though a great weight punched his stomach leaving him breathless. "I give you one last chance Obi-Wan, the invasion you saw was only a dream, but it could become much more than that if you do not join me."

Obi-Wan balled his fists and shouted, "Never! I'll never turn to the dark side!" As quickly as the anger came, it left in a single calming breath, his voice dropping several decibels. "I'll not become the very thing I despise the most."

"Ah, but you misunderstand little Jedi," said Xanatos while producing a vial containing a black ethereal substance. "You don't have a choice in the matter. This vial of dark side beauty was a gift from my allies on Dagobah. Witches, if you must know. Once taken, it attacks your midichlorians, turning them dark, and binding your will to my own. Quite ingenious really."

Obi-Wan spat fury at Xanatos. "You won't get away with this, Qui-Gon will come for me, and when he does, there won't be any more back doors left for you to cower behind."

Xanatos wiped the spittle off his face with measured disdain. "I'm going to enjoy this," he said, lowering the table and pinching Obi-Wan's nose shut, forcing the padawan's mouth open. With glee, he emptied the vial's contents down Obi-Wan's throat.

The potion acted immediately, constricting Obi-Wan's breathing. He felt vulnerable. A feral madness took hold, fighting for control over him. His back arched and his body lifted higher despite the chains. Panting for breath, he started to shake violently, spasms dominating his muscles.

Standing at the table's end, Xanatos held Obi-Wan's head in a vice-like grip. The Dark Jedi obliterated Obi-Wan's shields, ripping past his fake ones only to accidentally discover the true ones holding the Jedi's last hope. With great delight, and with the dark brew's aid, he squeezed through them.

Heart pounding, sweat dripped from Obi-Wan's temples as panic set in.

Xanatos stepped back in shock. "It seems you have hidden much from me little Jedi, or would you rather I call you Master Kenobi instead?" Xanatos laughed. "Pity you won't even remember your own name."

Obi-Wan winced, his breathing ragged, blood pumping through his body, harder, faster. There was no more pretending. If he didn't fight the potion with all his might, everything would be lost. Tears streaked his face, his body shaking from the pain. No longer conscious, the remnants of his sanity fought to keep him alive. It wrapped itself around the dark midichlorians and pushed them to the surface.

Obi-Wan's body glowed. Xanatos furrowed his brow in confusion. The witches hadn't mentioned glowing as a possible side effect.

The light grew so intense Xanatos covered his face with both hands. Bantha meat fell to the freezer floor as the shelves shuddered.

There was nowhere left for it to go. A scream more powerful than a banshee in heat punctured through Obi-Wan's eyes, melting them and fusing the skin together, leaving him blind. The beam of light bored a hole through the command ship, sucking everything into the vacuum.

His body spent, he collapsed into space's void. He stilled, frail body spiraling, floating away to nothingness.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

A ball of warmth formed a sphere around his body. If he had eyes to see, he would have said it to be of a golden hue. Moko, the lioness he befriended on Melida/Daan latched onto him and both emerged from a whirlwind on the planet's surface.

Moko's breath was shallow, red blotches seeping into the soil. Her skeleton made gruesome sounds as it transformed into the body of a woman with wild eyes and milky skin. Her raven locks curled over her shoulders. Her lips parted, and an otherworldly melody reached Obi-Wan's ears. He heard his name. How was this possible?

"This was magic, Obi-Wan. I'm sorry for the deception but it was necessary."

Concern for the woman who just saved him from certain death overcame him. "You're wounded, please my lady, let me do what I can to heal you."

"That won't be necessary Obi-Wan. Besides, you don't have the strength. My journey was always meant to end here but yours is just beginning. I have seen your return from a future of war and suffering."

She let a soft moan escape her chapped lips. "Once, long ago, the fate of the living brought neither regret nor solace to me. After many thousands of painful years, I see now what I must do. No matter your destiny, I freely give you all my magic in search of redemption. It is the only way I know to atone for the evil I caused. The only way I know to make amends."

A lone teardrop stained her cheek. "It will be painful, for both of us. The magic veil between our worlds will be torn, and my home planet will no longer be shielded. I've no wish to remain a specter of the past.

She sighed. "In death, I seek atonement from those you know not on the shores of Avalon. You must find this planet Obi-Wan, and seek out the one they call Merlin; he will be the one to guide you in the ways of the Old Religion."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. "My lady, how am I to find this planet?

"You will know it when the time is right. Finding this Merlin and learning our ways is your last hope against the Dark Lord, against the chaos he will unleash."

Gently, she grasps his hand and places it where her heart beats. Golden light swirls beneath her irises and her shout carries into the sky. "Swá hlásácerd sylfum séo ælde nysse, Ic gecígan séo onsægednesse sylfum oferláde, swá cenehit béo!"

Murky clouds thunder overhead. Lightning surges between them and a gust of magic slams into Obi-Wan's body. The magic of the last high priestess of the old religion fuses and spreads, replenishing and multiplying the midichlorians within.

In her last moments a genuine smile overtakes her features and she whispers "At long last, I'm free."

Obi-Wan, for his part, drifts off into a merciful sleep.

A/N 2 *translation of the old english: As high priestess of the old religion, I invoke the rite of transference, so let it be!*

So! another chapter that ends with Obi-Wan out cold. Yes I am seeing a pattern here, yes I will fix it, but for now I'm having too much fun.

Next Chapter: Reunion