Bound

Neither Help nor Hindrance

Some spoilers from Jedi Apprentice.
No betas, therefore the mistakes are all mine.
See chapter one for disclaimers.

Stone. Stone was everywhere. Stone and darkness. Darkness and stone. Hard, unforgiving, and impenetrable. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. The Codru-ji had led him deep within the mine, dragging him down tunnels and shafts with seemingly innumerable twists and turns. He had lost all sense of direction by the time the large caninoid threw him down on the ground at the dead end of a nondescript tunnel. From there Obi-Wan had been bound, hands and feet, with stun cuffs. The caninoid answered none of his questions and ignored his protestations. Instead the tall Codru-ji gave him one more glare and snarl before making his way out of the cave system leaving Obi-Wan alone and in the dark.

The Codru-ji had taken the light with him.

Obi-Wan returned his attention to his breathing. The air in the mine was hot, stuffy, and full of dust and other particulate matter. Individual beads of sweat rolled down his spine causing the thin tunic he was wearing to cling to his skin in some places. Obi-Wan clumsily rose to his feet, his movements hobbled by the cuffs around his ankles. He lifted his fettered wrists, his fingers lightly tracing a ridge of rock on the nearby wall. He could not see the stone walls around him. The darkness was too complete for that, but Obi-Wan knew it was there surrounding him, entombing him. His chest tightened under his tunic, his breath caught, and his head grew dizzy as memories and nightmare fragments assailed him. Obi-Wan's knees buckled and he sank to the ground with a whimper. All he could feel was panic. Panic and darkness and stone.

* * * * *

As a master of the Jedi Order it had been a very long time since Qui-Gon Jinn had difficulty entering into a meditative trance that was not the result of illness or injury. Even bouts of extreme exhaustion from the most grueling of missions had never proven any real hindrance. No, when the master was healthy and whole and rested meditation had never been a problem since he was a wee thing in the Temple crèche, never that was, until now.

Try as he might, Qui-Gon could not relax himself into even the most superficial of trances. The initial exhaustion he had felt upon waking in Obi-Wan's medical room had increased three-fold and, though he hated to admit it, his own general Force sense seemed... muted as if he were trying to draw breath through a thick cloth. Qui-Gon shuddered. Was this a presage to the full Force blindness afflicting Obi-Wan? Qui-Gon shook his head, his eyes still closed. No, he would not dwell on what might be, only on what was and as it was he was still connected to the Force. That would have to be enough.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes and slowly rose to his feet, stretching stiff muscles as he did so. He had just begun rotating his right shoulder when he was driven back down to his knees in an explosion of panic. The master grabbed instinctively for his chest, his hands seeking to somehow calm his racing heart. His head swam dizzily. His breath was shallow and sharp. His fingers and toes felt numb. Qui-Gon allowed himself to exist fully in the rampant fear tearing through his body and mind for a few short seconds before slowly wresting back control with his conscious mind. As his thoughts cleared he realized quickly that the terror had not been his own. It had been Obi-Wan's; he was sure of it. The problem was it shouldn't have been possible.

Qui-Gon took several moments as he focused his attention inward. He pushed away the panic as if he were moving through a dense fog, but this fog had a source. In his mind he kept moving, kept sweeping away cloudy barriers, but his own muffled Force sense was returning, impeding his progress until he lost his way. The fog had dissipated, the trail was gone and with it the sudden sense of connection with Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon concentrated and stretched out with his mind looking for any trace of the boy, any hint as to Obi-Wan's location, but once again the Force was quiet, empty, and unyielding of any answers. With a heavy sigh Qui-Gon opened his eyes and rose to his feet once more. He would have to find Obi-Wan the old fashion way, so he left his room and headed to field one to join the search.