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Quinlan and Obi-Wan watched their padawans pester their friend about the delivery they were making.
It was rare that they were put on a mission together, but with Anakin clearly not meant to be a negotiator like Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan had put in to do a variety of missions, slowly narrowing down the jobs that Anakin was interested in down to those that he was not hopeless at.
Quinlan was mostly doing missions that Aayla wanted, though she was still uncertain what type of Jedi she wanted to be. She had several options.
Quinlan was expecting that she would become a diplomat or do search and rescue or something along those lines, but in the end it would be up to her.
This particular mission was a disaster relief mission.
One of the planets with both ocean and land had a bad hurricane that devastated several cities that had never been hit anywhere near so before, the oldest of which had been around for centuries.
Usually, the hurricanes would end up going east of them, always east, so they would only get some of the bad weather and rain, some storm surge.
This round for that cluster of cities was a direct hit, complete with the eye passing over.
They needed a lot of help, and Quinlan and Obi-Wan, along with their padawans were sent to be with the first wave of relief.
Their friend Zel agreed to help them with the first shipment, as they had to go pick it up and then bring it to the planet.
Zel had been a padawan when they were a padawan, but had decided to leave after her master died. She never talked about it, and Obi-Wan and Quinlan never pried.
They were just happy that she had decided to stay in contact with them.
Over the years, Zel had created a business of flying people around the galaxy.
When the Order was low on ships, she helped out on occasion, though mostly only with those she was still in contact with.
That was her right, as she was not a Jedi.
She was still a good friend.
As shown by how patiently she was answering the questions their padawans asked.
Anakin was fifteen, and Aayla was seventeen. They were still learning social skills, though Aayla was better at it than Anakin.
Until Aayla was interested in something and forgot her manners.
And Zel, a Pantoran who walked away from the Order was interesting.
"Can't believe this is the first time we've introduced them."
"Yeah, I thought we had already."
"At least they get along."
Obi-Wan nodded, deep in thought.
"Something up?"
"A bad feeling," Obi-Wan responded quietly. "About the relief mission. No telling what it's about though."
"We'll have to be vigilant, Obes. But we can handle it, and our padawans are old enough to handle it on their own too, as long as it's nothing too bad. And it's a disaster, so it's far more likely to be something like a house collapsing on us than anything else."
Obi-Wan nodded. "You're right of course. I just do not like my bad feelings. They never mean anything good."
"I know. But you've got me on this mission this time, you're not alone trying to wrangle your padawan, this time."
"That is true."
Quinlan glanced at Zel to be sure she wasn't looking then kissed Obi-Wan's cheek.
They had been dating for a while, and the important people in the Order knew. But they did not share that without people outside of the Jedi Order.
Being open about relationships was dangerous. People even suspecting they were dating was dangerous enough. And had been a problem before they started dating.
But they trusted Zel so they took more risks with acting close than they normally would.
Obi-Wan smiled at Quinlan. "Alright, I'll try not to worry too much. We'll be prepared but not overthinking."
"That's the spirit!"
.
They arrived on the planet and started unloading all the supplies.
Zel helped out, getting all the supplies to the ship's ramp for the four Jedi to take out of the ship. She was content to just be the pilot and let them take all the credit, as she had told Obi-Wan on a similar mission previously.
She stood at the door and watched.
Quinlan kept an eye on the padawans while Obi-Wan did all the talking with the people they needed to talk to before distributing all the supplies.
Once they had worked it all out, Quinlan and Obi-Wan turned to their padawans.
Anakin sighed. "Not another lecture... how many times are you going to remind me?"
"As many times as I need to, until you remember what the proper protocol is in certain situations."
Anakin huffed.
Aayla nudged him, giving him a smile.
"Right, stick together, if there is a problem, comms, and if we get in trouble, you get out of here as fast as you can and call for help. You know what numbers," Quinlan said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Remember we are here to help people, but we can't promise more than the supplies we brought."
Anakin nodded sullenly. He'd made that mistake a few times and Obi-Wan never let him forget it.
Obi-Wan smiled at him. "I know you'll be fine. You're growing well, Ani. You just need to stop and think a bit more instead of following your emotions."
"I know." Anakin sighed. "Where are we going with what supplies?"
Obi-Wan gave Aayla their half of the supply list destinations.
Quinlan grinned at Obi-Wan. "See? Told ya they'd be fine."
"I know, I know. The bad feeling has gotten stronger, though... I'm not sure what that means."
"Could be anything, looking at all the flooding there still is."
Obi-Wan grimaced. "No wonder they're struggling so much. Supplies can only do so much against this devastation... and the search and rescue efforts..."
"We'll help out in any way we can," Quinlan reminded him.
"Right." Obi-Wan smiled at Quinlan, trying to stop letting his anxiety get to him.
They got to work.
They were mostly through the list when Zel ran up and doubled over, panting, to catch her breath.
"What's the rush, Zelly?" Quinlan asked lightly.
"Urgent... help... flooded house, hoverchair..."
Quinlan and Obi-Wan exchanged looks.
"Lead the way," Obi-Wan said.
Zel straightened and nodded before taking off.
The two Jedi followed.
They arrived at the house. It was in one of the minimally flooded areas, so it was simple to wade in to investigate.
Zel held back, watching them.
Quinlan waded through the front door first. "Hello?"
"We were told someone needed help?" Obi-Wan added.
"The stairs, maybe?" Quinlan suggested.
Obi-Wan nodded, going for the stairs.
He got up to the top of the stairs and froze, alarm flaring in the Force. "Amb-"
A stun bolt hit him and he went down before he could finish saying the word.
Quinlan cursed and stepped back. He pulled out his comm and warned Aayla
He finished sending the message and looked up, lightsaber in hand. He blocked a few stun bolts and backed up, almost falling when he hit the water, but he recovered quickly.
As he was trying to determine the best way to get Obi-Wan and get out, Zel appeared on a boat outside the door.
Quinlan let his back be to her, believing her to have been tricked.
"Should've known," she grumbled, and took aim.
Quinlan collapsed when the stun bolt hit him square in the back.
.
Obi-Wan woke with a groan. He hated getting hit by a stun bolt. But why?
He sat up and immediately realized that they had a serious problem on their hands.
Quinlan was right next to him. And like Obi-Wan, he had a collar around his neck, no shirt, and cuffs around his wrists and ankles.
There was a chain attached to one of their ankles, keeping them where they were.
On some sort of ship, in a small room.
Obi-Wan swallowed. He hoped that whoever got them did not get the padawans. The padawans should never have to deal with this sort of problem, not while still so young.
Quinlan groaned and opened his eyes. "Ow... oh. Right." He pushed himself up.
"We were ambushed."
"Yeah. I warned my padawan. Zel came up to the door in a boat, so I was going to ask her to take me around so I could jump up and grab you but... I was stunned from behind. She was the only one who could have done it."
"What?" Obi-Wan gaped at him. "Why would she do that? She's our friend... we... She..."
Quinlan nodded solemnly, tears in his eyes at the thought that one of their close friends betrayed them.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath in and let it out. "I hope the padawans don't fall for it."
"I warned my padawan not to trust her. I'd thought she was just tricked but I didn't have any other way to say that in code quickly."
"Well, if they know not to trust Zel, then we can only hope they can escape and get help."
Quinlan nodded, tugging on the chain. "I'm not sure it'll be fast enough, but that depends on how long they tried to get our padawans, if they tried at all... we don't know their goal."
"And we don't know why Zel betrayed us and helped them. So we don't know when help will come, or even if they will be able to help."
"No weapons... cuffs and collar, and this chain... No telling what situation we got ourselves into this time."
"At least it's not our fault. We had no reason not to trust Zel." Quinlan sighed. "But that just means that the betrayal is all the worse... she just... led us right into an ambush, and actually took me out with a stun bolt... to put us in this situation... The Zel we knew years ago would never have done this."
"I know... She must have changed but hid it so that we were unaware. I'm... I don't know. This is hard." Obi-Wan sighed.
Not much was said the rest of the time the ship was in space.
No one came to visit them. It was just them and confusion for hours.
They even fell asleep for some uncertain amount of time, curled up around each other as they waited for more information about their captivity.
The ship landed with a jolt.
Obi-Wan sat up straight.
Quinlan gave him a reassuring look and patted his knee before bracing himself.
The door swung open.
A togruta stepped in. He studied them. "You're awake, good. I am Klip. Come along." He pulled out a remote and tapped a button.
The chains detached themselves from their ankles.
He turned away to leave the room.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan didn't move.
He stopped. "Excuse me? I ordered you to move!"
"Why should we listen?" Quinlan asked.
The togruta pressed another button and held it.
The shock toppled both Jedi. Both writhed in pain until the shock stopped.
"That's why. You belong to me. I own you. Now, come along."
Obi-Wan and Quinlan exchanged looks and pushed themselves up, still shaking from the aftereffects of the shock.
Klip watched them for a bit to be sure they were moving this time before leading them off of the ship.
Quinlan looked around but didn't recognize anything about this planet.
Obi-Wan glanced at him and shook his head. He didn't recognize it either.
There was a sprawling complex ahead of them. It was like a plantation.
As they looked around, they realized that where they had landed was part of the complex, as the place where ships lived.
They followed him into the nearest building.
He took them through to a bedroom. His bedroom.
He turned and smiled at them with all teeth.
"Two Jedi... One Kiffar, one Stewjoni.... and according to our informant, lovers. Perfect for my collection."
"Collection?" Quinlan asked.
He yelped at the quick shock.
"I didn't tell you to speak," Klip hissed. He stepped over to one of the doors. He pressed a few buttons.
The door swung open. He gestured at Quinlan and Obi-Wan to follow him.
They gave each other uncertain looks before following.
So far, they were seeing no openings, just a lot of obstacles to overcome in order to escape.
The door led to a long corridor of sliding glass doors with complicated locks.
And in those rooms... were people. They looked well fed, and they had some entertainment it looked like... but the plaques next to each door proclaimed species and home planet, along with any other details with a name at the top.
"Oh," Quinlan muttered under his breath, "a collection ."
Obi-Wan nodded numbly. He couldn't see a way out of those rooms with the doors locked.
The odds were really stacked against them.
"Now, Klink will oversee your training for my collection. Once you are ready, we will determine which room will be yours."
Klip handed the remote over to a togruta that looked similar.
"My brother has informed me of your origins. Jedi, and dating. A Kiffar and a Stewjoni... No wonder he thinks you're perfect for the collection."
"What does that even mean?" Quinlan asked. He didn't even flinch this time when the shock hit him.
"It means that you are to be seen and not heard unless specifically directed to speak."
Obi-Wan shot Quinlan a concerned look.
Quinlan waved him off and nodded at Klink.
"Good. Any person for his collection is put on display for one reason. When he is ready to view you, there will be a notification for you to get into position, along with if he has guests, and so on."
Obi-Wan frowned, but bit his lip before he could ask a question.
"You may request entertainment through specific forms once you have been moved into your display room. There will be daily exercise. There is a bathroom in each display room, and food will be delivered through the wall opposite the door. Now... My brother has already told me his intentions for you. I can see it working, but we will have a lot of work to do, especially on obedience, before we can make it a reality."
Quinlan huffed.
"They didn't give you any food, did they? Let's go eat and I will go over the rules in more detail." Klink started walking.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan exchanged looks.
From their own experiences, sometimes it was better to wait and see what was going on before being defiant. Especially when they didn't know if rescue was coming and did not have any ideas on an escape. Escape was easier without injuries.
They sat down and stared at the fancy meal placed in front of them.
"We'll have forms for your favorite foods later, so you can request them. There is a whole team of chefs just for Klip's collection."
Quinlan took a bite first. His eyebrows went up and he took a second bite.
Obi-Wan started eating slowly, eyeing Klink anxiously.
"You've been taking this rather calmly. Most of the collection had at least one breakdown by this point. It usually takes more than double the time from when I get them for training to get them to eating. Sometimes even hours. And yet... you two are calm. Despite being Jedi. You can answer that."
"What's the point in prolonging the pain?" Obi-Wan responded.
"Besides, we're trained to handle crises calmly, we're not about to fall apart from this sort of thing." Quinlan waved a hand and kept eating.
"Hmm... planning your escape then, only you're planning ahead and trying to keep your strength up with as few injuries as possible."
Obi-Wan took another bite.
"You wouldn't be the first ones, though most only realize that after they eat their first meal. No one has escaped this planet alive. And we always make sure to cover all the holes they used especially if they got to the point they had to die. It's harder to escape now than it ever was."
Quinlan took another bite. As he chewed, he found it took quite a bit of effort. He swallowed. Then he found that it was impossible to move at all, beyond the basic functions required to live.
He started breathing faster, desperately trying to get any part of him to move, but he was stuck in place. Nothing would get him to move.
He was panicking, finding it hard to breathe.
"Calm down, it's just part of the training, a little drug to help you learn how to hold a pose."
Obi-Wan made a noise as he tried to move, with rising panic when he could not.
Just like Quinlan, he was frozen in place.
Klink leaned back in his chair and watched them smugly. "It's my favorite drug. Easy to slip into food and drink of known troublemakers. Perfect for training." He waited for the drug to wear off.
Quinlan gasped and almost fell off the chair as he was still panicking. Being able to move jolted him out of his panic.
He eyed his plate warily and shoved it away. No way was he finishing that.
Obi-Wan recovered slower and put his head on the table.
"You need to finish your food. Not much left, so it'll wear off faster."
"Why would we subject ourselves to that again?" Quinlan asked, giving Obi-Wan a concerned look.
He yelped and grabbed at his collar at the strongest shock yet.
"I didn't ask you to speak. Now, eat."
Obi-Wan shook his head mutely.
They were both shocked again.
After every shock, they were given the chance to finish eating. When they refused, another shock would follow.
"I see you have decided to be difficult after all. Then it's time for other methods. We prefer to just use the shocks, and it works on the average person with a normal pain tolerance. The more we have to break you, the longer it takes before you can be on display, even after your training is over because of healing. Even when using bacta and tanks to reduce scarring, it can be a problem."
He pressed a button and chains appeared and latched onto their ankle cuffs.
"I will be back with the proper tools."
Klink walked away.
Obi-Wan immediately turned to Quinlan.
"Are you alright? You were panicking..."
"I've... I've been captured and tortured, but I've never, ever actually dealt with something like this, not even slavery," Quinlan whispered, leaning on Obi-Wan.
"Oh... right. I'm sorry, Quin. I didn't think about how it would feel for you."
"It's alright... just... I'm panicking a bit. That's... some drug."
"It is. I've experienced some slavery, including being treated like a pet, I'm sadly used to the feeling of being lesser, of someone owning me. But this is entirely new."
"The others all seemed to be in good condition."
"We're just a collection to him, there's no point if we don't appear perfect. That means making sure we eat, have good hygiene, get exercise, and don't fall into depression."
"You're probably right. How are we going to get out of this?"
"I don't know… They've been thorough."
Quinlan nodded.
Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around him. "We'll get out of this."
"Yeah. Just need to be patient... and hope they don't break us first."
Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "In my experience, if we can't find a way to escape in the first week or two, especially when they're so determined to do the breaking immediately instead of just tossing us into being a slave the way they want... They will break us, but that doesn't mean we can't put ourselves back together again and escape. There is always hope."
Quinlan nodded. "But we're not going to just let them break us."
"Of course not." Obi-Wan kissed his temple.
Quinlan smiled and leaned on him.
They waited a bit longer for Klink to come back, cuddling and drawing comfort from each other.
"Aw, how sweet. Good... Klip will be very excited to see what you can do."
Quinlan lifted his head and glared. "I don't want to be part of his collection."
"You don't get a say, and I didn't tell you to speak."
The smack to the back of his head sent Quinlan's forehead into the table.
His head throbbed with the force of the hit, eyes watering.
Obi-Wan went to check on Quinlan but Klink caught his wrist.
"Eat, or I will just inject you with the drug and a larger dose instead. And if I have to inject it, you will spend the whole time in pain," Klink hissed.
Obi-Wan shook his head.
Quinlan looked at the food, but was too nauseous to even think about eating, so he shook his head just enough to be noticeable, but even that hurt.
Klink injected them with the drug.
Quinlan felt rising panic as he stopped being able to move once more. He couldn't even move his eyes. He just could breathe, and that was about it.
Klink moved Obi-Wan to the ground and positioned him for the punishment.
Then he moved Quinlan, and chuckled at how fast Quinlan was breathing.
"You will get used to it, Jedi. You're fine, no need for panic." He put Quinlan in the same, frozen position Obi-Wan was in.
They couldn't move, or even make a noise when the blows landed. They couldn't do anything to ease the pain as he continued, carefully not to do anything to leave visible scars in certain areas.
Then he stopped as first Quinlan, then Obi-Wan toppled over as they started being able to move again.
"Here's how all of this is going to go: You sleep, you eat, you spend time with me learning how to pose, and that's all you do until you're ready, no longer how long it takes. If you keep refusing to listen, to learn, then it'll remain painful until you do."
Quinlan groaned in pain, moving more for the sake of moving than anything. It all hurt.
"I think this is enough for today. You get a night, and then we'll really get started."
.
Days passed, then weeks.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan started losing their resolve against the effective methods, especially as they could not find any feasible way to escape. Thankfully, they always spotted why it wouldn't work before they got caught so they never had to deal with punishment for trying to escape.
As they started holding poses on their own when positioned, Klink started using other drugs to work on convincing them to comply. To break them of the lingering
Some gave hallucinations. Some increased the pain. Some made them susceptible to suggestion, and then they had a hard time shaking whatever had been said when the drug wore off. Some just made them woozy.
Without any real breaks besides sleep, Quinlan and Obi-Wan struggled against the effects of the drugs, of the torture, of the lessons.
They started doing the poses without complaint, stopped talking, and started being obedient.
After the third day without any need for incentives, Klink declared them ready for a trial run in the collection.
Quinlan was tense and panicky the whole time. He did not want to experience any more instances where he could not control his own body.
Obi-Wan was a bit calmer, but tense and worried about getting it right.
The first two days were a struggle, but they tried.
The rest of the trial run went smoothly, and their lives as part of the collection began.
Their quarters contained cameras everywhere, so they had to be careful.
Once they adjusted to the strangely normal life outside of being watched and having to pause and pose several times a day, Quinlan and Obi-Wan began planning again.
They reopened their bond and worked at it until they could communicate in full sentences.
Only then did they start debating on plans once more. With all the cameras on their section, they would only get one chance with each plan, so they had to plan it thoroughly.
When they weren't planning, they were keeping up their strength. They got a variety of food that was their favorites, never the same food each day. They never got food they were allergic to or would cause problems.
They did the exercise on schedule, leaving their rooms with whoever was taking them to exercise and never causing any trouble.
They were especially wary of Klink and his delight after he had tortured them into compliance.
They did some activities they enjoyed. They did not do all, and soon those activities disappeared to be replaced with the ones they did like.
Their holonet access was restricted, but they were allowed some.
But they mostly watched holos and cuddled together, especially when they were thinking about their plans.
They would escape, one day, now that they were getting farther and farther away from the days of training.
.
One month after they got settled in their quarters, the alert to get into a pose was routine.
Obi-Wan pushed Quinlan against the counter of their little kitchen space and started a kiss, holding that pose.
Quinlan braced himself and remained still.
The shock of familiar laughter almost broke them out of the pose, but they kept themselves from moving, barely.
"Look at my two favorite Jedi. Acting like nothing more than pretty things to look at. Perfect."
Obi-Wan wanted to react, to ask her why, but he did not move.
"I am so glad I was able to fool you for so long. This result is worth it. Too bad your padawans didn't fall for the trap, and got away. But it was too late for you by the time any Jedi showed up for them. And while it would have been fun to see your reaction to your padawans getting hurt... This is all I wanted. Your suffering."
Quinlan closed his eyes briefly but reopened them and carefully did not look Zel's way.
"I bet you're wondering why. I suppose I can tell you, since there is no way you can get out now. I left the Order in grief, and I vowed to get revenge for all of you that did not understand it. You two, most of all. You reached out the most, but you were the worst."
Quinlan looked at Obi-Wan, shocked. Us, the worst?
I think she's still grieving... we tried, Quin. We really did.
But... I know I can be a bit much...
It was years ago. We were padawans back then.
"I never wanted platitudes or how to deal with grief. I wanted to be left alone after my family abandoned me. Yes, you did abandon me. You didn't want me to come back, you didn't care when I was in the Temple grieving, you only cared after."
Okay, you're right, she's got it wrong.
"This is just the start of my revenge. We’re going to eventually take down the Jedi Order, one Jedi at a time if we have to. But seeing you two like this... that makes me happy. The perfect start to my plan. Still, too bad we couldn't get those padawans of yours. Young ones are always fun to watch."
Quinlan closed his eyes tightly, shaking a bit. Not my padawan, not Aayla....
Aayla's safe, so's Anakin.
Right.
Zel laughed harder. "You're really keeping to the part. What did they do to you? Must have been awful to make you be so obedient you're not even breaking the pose to confront me. I know what you're both like... you both let your emotions get the best of you sometimes, especially in situations like this, when your own padawans are threatened. It's good to see you put in your place. Just pretty things to look at."
Obi-Wan felt like crying. So much vitriol. Zel hated them. Well and truly hated them. The friend they had thought they knew, had loved, had betrayed them all because she resented everyone for her master's death and some slight that Obi-Wan couldn't recall actually happening.
He remembered her being quiet and struggling, but she never spoke up about anything. She never told anyone that how they were treating her was not okay. That continued after she left the Order, as Quinlan and Obi-Wan maintained contact.
"I am going to visit whenever I come here for meetings. I love seeing you like this. I never wanted you to die, just for you to suffer, to know suffering like I do. You even lost your master, Kenobi, and you still did not understand me. Good riddance."
Tears rolled down Obi-Wan's cheeks, but he still did not move.
Zel laughed harder, cruel and mocking. "Oh, you're crying? Hurt you that much, did I? Good. You kriffing deserve it."
She finally walked away, chuckling.
The light went off.
Obi-Wan let go of Quinlan, rubbing his eyes.
Quinlan sighed and kissed his cheek gently. "She didn't decide this on a whim... she was always intending on betraying us."
"Yeah, she was." Obi-Wan sighed. "And that hurts more than anything."
"It does. But there's nothing we can do now. Let's cuddle, and cry."
Obi-Wan nodded and curled up on the couch with Quinlan.
.
It had been at least two more months. It was hard to keep track, sometimes.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan were far too used to the unfortunate circumstances. They were far too used to holding poses on demand, to being trapped aside from exercise and fresh air, and even then they were on a tight leash.
Then a vicious storm hit.
They could heard the wind battering the building, the rain pouring down.
It hardly ever rained where they were.
They didn't see the water creeping in, not until Quinlna stood to grab a water. He looked down. "Uh... Obes? It's flooding. Must be some storm."
"Oh, that's not good." Obi-Wan stared at the water, ankle deep.
It didn't stop. The rain was still coming down.
We're going to have to break everyone out, get them to safety.
Perfect chance to try to escape.
Yeah. Not like Klip is going to try to save us all as the water keeps rising... let's double check the forecast and all.
Right.
Obi-Wan picked up a holopad and clicked over to the weather. "...it's not going to stop raining until morning. That's twelve more hours of rain."
They looked down at the water up to their ankles.
Wait and see if they try to get us out, then break everyone out when nothing changes by the time it hits our knees? Waist high is too long.
Yeah, that works.
They sat on their bed together, watching the water rise, and ironing out the last details of their plan.
Every so often, one of them would stand and check where the water was at.
Once it was at Quinlan's knees, they shared a look. They turned to the glass across one wall and focused until it collapsed.
They waded out into the hall and started pulling out the glass from all the other 'displays'.
They had opted not to go for the doors, as the locks would take too long to break, time they didn't have if they wanted to rescue people.
They worked their way up and down the hall until there was a crowd of people.
Then they started getting people to the hangar.
One person took charge of the front of the line.
Obi-Wan pulled that person aside briefly to give him coordinates and a comm number to call with a code once they were in space, if Quinlan and Obi-Wan didn't make it to the ship.
They let that person lead everyone and hung back to make sure no one else fell behind. There were already several they could not save, but ten were going to make it out. They would see to it.
The hangar was on slightly higher ground so it wasn't as flooded.
But shouts reached them.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan spun and held the door closed with the Force.
"Go!" Quinlan yelled to the uncertain few who had not boarded the ship. "Leave us!"
"Get yourselves safe!" Obi-Wan added.
They got on the ship.
The door was breaking despite the Jedis' best efforts.
The ship took off.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan kept using the Force until they saw the ship disappear into the storm above.
When they let go it was a relief.
The doors burst open, letting in more water.
Klip sailed in on a raft. "YOU!" he roared.
"Us." Quinlan smirked at him. "Everyone else is gone or dead."
Obi-Wan nodded, glancing over who was on other rafts.
Zel's look of fury was hard to see, but they had come to terms with her betrayal and it did not hurt as much as it might have originally.
"Kriffing Jedi. On the raft, now."
Quinlan and Obi-Wan shared a look then reluctantly waded over.
Climbing on was easier said than done in the rising waters, but Klip dragged them up.
The rest of the storm was spent riding it out on a raft and waiting for it to end.
Klip kept muttering to himself and glaring at them.
The storm finally faded away as dawn hit.
The rain stopped. The sun came out.
Klip started talking to the others about rebuilding as the water slowly receded over the next several days.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan were ignored and given the last rations after every meal.
When the water had finally receded enough to do the clean up, Klink got them chained up.
They were mostly ignored until Klip had made the last of the decisions he needed, then he turned to them.
"Now... What do I do with you? You almost escaped, you caused half my collection to escape! Could have just gotten them to safety on things that could float, but no, you let them escape. That is unacceptable. Retraining, at minimum."
Quinlan flinched, eyeing Klink's excited expression warily.
"I have a few suggestions. I knew those two when I was a Jedi... I know what will hurt."
Quinlan and Obi-Wan leaned on each other as Zel talked to Klip and Klink, too quietly to hear.
I don't like this. It's going to hurt. I think... I think we might end up truly broken, not just broken to obedience.
Yeah, that's what worries me. She does know us. She saw us growing up in the creche, she knows what bothered us as padawans when missions went wrong.
Yeah.
As soon as the discussion was done, Klink grabbed Quinlan and dragged him away, locking him in a closet.
Quinlan could barely even sit in it, it was so small. He sat there in shock for a couple of beats, then it hit him.
The panic started immediately. "Let me out!" he yelled, banging on the door, breathing heavily and already crying. "Don't leave me here!"
He kept going until he couldn't breathe, then he sank to the ground and tried to calm down, but he panicked until he passed out.
The next time he woke up, it was still dark, he was still trapped. This time he banged on the door a few times and asked to be let out.
He didn't pass out from panic, though he was crying and panicking a bit.
After another sleep, he banged a few times and started begging to be let out.
He slept a few more times before waking up to find food and water in his lap. He ate it hesitantly, then started crying because food meant they were planning on keeping him in there, alone, squished, in the dark, and there was nothing he could do.
.
Obi-Wan stared after Klink and Quinlan in shock. He started standing but was quickly shoved back down. Then he was dragged in their direction.
He was chained up near the closet where Quinlan was, gagged so he could not speak.
Then he was left alone to listen to Quinlan panic. Quinlan was so panicked, Obi-Wan couldn’t reach him in the Force.
As the days wore on, the panic turned to tears and begging.
Obi-Wan was put on an IV rather than risk him speaking when he ate.
He spent his days crying and straining against the chains. He wanted to help Quinlan, help his partner, but he wasn't allowed to, and that was the worst.
Hearing Quinlan in such distress, and unable to do a thing... Obi-Wan suffered through his own breakdowns.
With their heavy emotions, their bond was basically inaccessible, especially since Quinan had forgotten.
Then came the day where Quinlan fell silent.
Obi-Wan worried and strained more, fighting to be able to see if Quinlan was okay.
The day after, Klink took him to another room.
The gag was removed. "What about Quin?" Obi-Wan demanded.
He was backhanded. "I didn't tell you to speak."
Obi-Wan glared.
"Now, you will do everything I say. The other one will stay in that closet until you do. Understand?"
A way to get Quinlan out...
Obi-Wan nodded hesitantly.
Klink smirked.
The instructions were humiliating.
Obi-Wan refused and got hurt for it more than once.
That night, he was put back in place.
There was no noise from Quinlan. There wasn't noise in the morning either.
Obi-Wan was worried.
He reluctantly obeyed every little humiliating thing they asked.
That night, they chained him back up, gag in place.
Quinlan was pulled out of the closet, shaking and quiet. He didn't even look up.
When he wasn't responsive, he was hurt until he did respond.
Obi-Wan protested and strained, but it changed nothing. He had to watch Quinlan get hurt. Obeying them did not keep Quinlan from getting hurt. It just got him out of the closet.
They kept hurting Quinlan, and Quinlan remained unresponsive. It took most of the night before he started obeying most orders.
Obi-Wan couldn't watch anymore. He hung his head in defeat, crying despondently.
He didn't respond when they directed attention to him.
They continued with retraining that day, removing the gag and keeping Quinlan and Obi-Wan apart. Able to see and hear each other get hurt, but unable to do anything about it.
That night, they were tossed in a small room together. No bed, nothing for them.
Neither said a word, they just clung to each other and cried.
Retraining resumed the same way it had when they had first been brought there. Though, it was a bit harsher, more vicious this time.
This time, they had no fight in them at all.
By the time retraining was done, their new quarters in the new collection wing were ready.
They curled up together on the bed that first night, and slept.
The next day was the first day of the rest of their lives.
They started rebuilding themselves, piece by piece, hardly talking, using their bond a bit more, mostly because it didn't take nearly as much effort as talking did.
They had their memories, but no fight left. They didn't even think about trying to escape again.
The thought horrified them after what they had been through after the flood.
And so, they lived, and posed.
Zel came by to gloat from time to time.
Neither had much of a reaction. They were too numb, too used to it to care anymore.
They didn't even pay attention to the dates, just filled their time with the activities in their rooms, and quietly talked things out.
They may have broken but they were still Jedi Knights. They still had the way they were raised. They still had meditation.
When rescue arrived some time later, they were stunned.
How well they had been punished and trained showed in how hesitant they were to leave.
There was no room for patience so they were almost carried out.
They broke down once they were on the ship.
It turned out that those they had helped escape during the flood had been able to contact the Order, and that meant an investigation could begin, one that would eventually lead to their rescue.
First thing they did after the healers confirmed they were in perfect physical health was get evaluated by mind healers.
The verdict? They were a mess, as expected, but not as bad as it could have been.
It would take them a while to untangle all the thoughts and feelings, and undo some of the training, but they were in a good position to do so.
.
It had been two months since their rescue.
Quinlan and Obi-Wan had yet to see their padawans.
Aayla and Anakin were off training with Shaak and Ki-Adi while they were recovering.
It was a good thing, as neither Quinlan nor Obi-Wan were up to worrying about their padawans and making sure their padawans were okay after everything they had been through. On top of which, they were still working through things, and they hadn’t wanted to put their emotions on their padawans.
They had spent time apart instead of relying on each other. They had been on the way to unhealthy codependency before they were rescued.
Separating to work on their mental health and get better was hard.
After two months, they were doing better, though. They could be apart without stressing too much, and they were spending time with friends again.
They looked forward to when their padawans returned from a mission, to be able to reassure their padawans they were okay, and just to hold them again.
To think their padawans could have been in that dire position as well…
Neither Quinlan nor Obi-Wan could handle the idea.
In the end though, they had overcome the difficulty, and were stronger for it.
When Anakin returned to the Temple, he was delighted to see Obi-Wan and didn’t hold back from hugging Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan was pleased to see his padawan once more, though he knew it would be months of reassurance that he was not going to disappear again to help Anakin overcome the difficulties in what happened.
Aayla was just as delighted, fussing over her master and over Obi-Wan, demanding answers about Zel and just what had happened.
They didn’t go into detail, just gave their padawans the basics.
Anakin was horrified that someone they had known so well could betray them.
Aayla took the news better; she had suspected, but she was still upset by the betrayal.
With that, their recovery was mostly complete. Quinlan and Obi-Wan got back in the field, often going their separate ways and sometimes only seeing each other every few months.
Life kept going, after all, and they were Jedi.
They knew that this was what they were meant to do.
They were happy to have each other to come home to, and to share the raising of their padawans.