The Dark Side

~4~

When the girl woke up she found herself in a dank prison cell with both her hands secured by a blue laser beam. She pulled and a jolt of electricity surged through her. A short cry of pain escaped her mouth as she tugged again. More volts shocked her sending pain throughout her body.

Finally she gave up and crossed her legs; trying to meditate. She sent all negative thoughts from her mind and closed her eyes beginning to stretch out with the Force searching for Ben. It was her fault if he was captured or dead. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her best friend being dead. Mental images of Ben's still corpse appeared in her mind. His brown eyes dulled. Blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Limbs missing or pointed the wrong direction. His lightsaber lying just out of his stiff finger's reach.

No. He wasn't dead. Neri'el refused to believe it.

She desperately stretched out with the Force praying she would be able to sense him. After what seemed an eternity, she did. A faint ray of life echoed through her mind. A life nearly gone but still struggling onwards. A life force that was searching for something.

Ben was looking for her.

A burst of joy exploded in her chest and she tried to communicate telepathically.

'Ben, Ben, it's me!'

There was no answer and she felt the brief happiness dimming. The distance was straining the connection. It mightn't even him. Despair surged through Neri'el trying to strangle her hope. She quelled her terror and took a deep calming breath.

No. Despair was not the Jedi way. She must have patience. She would find him eventually. Sighing, she tried again.

'Ben? Ben are you there?'

'Neri'el! YOU'RE ALIVE! WHERE ARE YOU?'

The voice in Neri'el's head was not Ben's usual calm and cold tone but an ecstatic one.

'The pirate's main base, possibly,' she replied, 'I got captured by one of the pirates and he knocked me out. So I'm not sure exactly where I am.'

A silence followed then,

'I'm sorry I didn't save you.'

Neri'el's heart sank as she answered.

'Ben, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't paying attention and got myself hurt.'

'I should've been paying closer attention to you,' Ben muttered in her mind.

'Ben, stop it. It wasn't your fault quit blaming yourse-'

She stopped.

'Neri'el.'

She cut off the mental link as the door to her cell opened and the stupid pirate from before strutted inside. Behind him came a man Neri'el had heard of from the days of the Clone Wars.

Hondo Ohnaka.

Famed pirate from Florrum. He had once captured Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku and tried to sell them off to the highest bidder. Thankfully troops arrived and rescued the Jedi but Dooku had escaped. The Jedi left peacefully much to Hondo's surprise and that day the Jedi earned his respect. Unfortunately, it seemed the respect had died down.

He strode in and roughly grabbed Neri'el's chin turning her head from side to side.

"You don't look like a Jedi," he mused as she wrenched her head free in disgust.

"But then how did you get this?" He asked waving her lightsaber in front of her face.

"It's mine," she snarled angrily.

He chuckled and tossed it in the air.

"Not anymore," he said as he caught the weapon. Then his eyes fastened on Neri'el's golden hair. Instantly he grabbed her head and pulls a piece of her hair away from the rest.

"You know what this is?" He called delightedly to his henchmen.

Neri'el groaned mentally as she saw her padawan braid held betwixt his lined thumb and index finger.

The pirate shrugged.

"That, my friend, is the mark of a Jedi," Hondo grinned as he released her hair.

"I thought all the Jedi died out long ago," he murmured thoughtfully, "How much would one cost now a days?"

Neri'el closed her eyes.

'Great he's going to sell me off to the highest bidder. How long till Ben gets here?' She mentally sighed whilst ignoring the continual pounding in her head.

She looked up and saw the pirate in the doorway eying her up and down. Immediately she squirmed.

'No way is that happening, buddy.'

"They must be around double or triple what they once were!" continued Hondo ignorant of Neri'el's discomfort.

"I'll decide what to do with you tomorrow," he said, smiling down at Neri'el as if he had just told her that he was going to buy her a pod racer. He continued smiling as he left the room. The other pirate grinned wolfishly down at Neri'el and winked before following after his leader.

As soon as he was gone, she allowed Ben's prodding in her mind to enter.

'Neri'el, what happened!? Where the blazes did you go?'

'The pirates came,' she answered trying to forget the one, 'Apparently, I'm getting sold off to the highest bidder.'

'I'm not going to let that happen.'

'Where even are you?' Neri'el snapped immediately regretting it, 'I'm sorry, Ben, I'm just, scared.'

'Don't be. Fear leads anger and anger leads to hate and hate leads to-'

'The Dark Side,' Neri'el finished tiredly, 'Thanks for the reminder. Now where are you?'

'I'm two clicks north of their base and on my way,' Ben answered.

A question that had been bugging Neri'el for a while found its way into her mind.

'Did you contact Master Skywalker?'

Ben's voice seemed cold as he answered.

'No.'

'Ben, we need his help. We didn't expect to fail our first mission but-'

'Who says we failed? Once I save you we can go back and complete it,' he sneered back.

Neri'el could sense his frustration leaking through the connection. He better not fly off the handle...again.

'Neri'el, I'm still in your mind so please keep your thoughts in check.'

'You're evading the subject, Ben,' Neri'el replied testily.

'I'm not calling for help.'

'Ben, you're injured, I'm captured, He's going to know something went wrong! He's going to ask why it took us 6 days to get the holocron!' Neri'el argued.

Ben's voice was devoid of emotion when he answered.

'I'll be there in twenty minutes. Be ready.'

'Ben! You are being unreasonable! BEN!'

But the link was gone.