A Bringing Of Forces

Chapter 3

Obi-Wan could see nothing. Either it was too dark or his eyesight had been damaged. He was hoping the former.

"Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka called, her voice desperate.

"Where are you?" He coughed, the dust tickling his throat.

"I can't see anything."

"You don't need to see, let the Force guide you," he said.

"Thanks for the advice." She sniffed indignantly, but terror still sat heavily under her words. Just having escaped the Empire's captivity it was no surprise.

"Practice your patience, it hasn't been that long since you stopped practicing common Jedi etiquette I'd hope."

"I'm technically not a Jedi," she retorted smartly.

"You know that's not true."

The banter was a nice way to distract Obi-Wan's mind. Was he really that out of practice that he didn't even notice a ship docking on his and then their captor stunning him? He sighed. He was losing his edge.

Probing out with the Force, he could sense six others, not counting Ahsoka and himself on board. The ship's layout seemed painfully familiar as he continued reaching with the Force, but before he could come to a conclusion, the doors slid open, flinging blinding light into their cell.

"If it isn't my good friends Obi-Wan and Ahsoka." The weequay spread his hand in good nature. It was Hondo.

"Hondo, what even. . . And where's my bag?" He added as an afterthought, shocked at the turn in events.

"I'll be holding onto your bag for now. That and your flashy saber stick." He wiggled his fingers greedily, a large smile cutting across his face. "And you know how it goes, I want profit: I find a free floating freighter: I get the freighter: I search it -and I just happened to find a little extra along with it. . ."

"There is nothing on our freighter. And it seems like you have a big enough ship," Obi-Wan protested, growling at himself for letting Hondo get his lightsaber. "We don't even have any cargo."

"How was I to know? You could have had some advanced tech that concealed your bounty." A sigh. "Unfortunately not."

Obi-Wan rested his forehead on the palm of his hand, kneading the crease in his brow. Luck couldn't get any worse.

"Hondo, just let us go."

"Now where would the profit be in that?" He raised an eye.

"The Empire runs things now, the second you show your face, there will be no profit. Then or ever. Just you-" a pause "-dead."

"Good point, I have seemed to make the Empire's naughty list. Then again, I could always tip them off with an anonymous hint and find a way to get my money that way."

"You do that, you're not going to see the next day," Ahsoka spat.

He continued, ignoring her completely. "Ah, where are my manners? Come, I will take you for a drink down the hall."

"The first time I had a drink with you, you tried to drug me." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, but things have changed. You're already in my custody, so why should I drug you?" Hondo challenged. "Come now, Master Jedi, we shall get some refreshments." He clapped his hand merrily together. The door unlatched, Hondo must have had a button attached on his wrist. "I expect you to be on your best behavior." Hondo threw a smile over his shoulder, "Just because I don't have you cuffed doesn't mean you can go and take over."