Star Wars

Jedi Apprentice

#7

The Captive Temple

by Jude Watson

The change at the Jedi Temple  hit  Obi-Wan  Kenobi  even  before  he'd
stepped inside. The Temple was usually a place of meditation and study,  the
hushed quiet often interrupted by the sound of soft laughter from  behind  a
closed door, the excited voices of young children, or  the  faint  sound  of
splashing fountains.

But now the peace is gone, Obi-Wan thought. The quiet felt ominous.  It
wasn't the quiet of busy souls going about their day. It was the  wary  hush
of a sanctuary under siege.

Obi-Wan stood with his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, outside the  closed
door of the Jedi Council room. At any moment they would be summoned  inside.
They had been called  back  to  the  Temple  for  the  most  devastating  of
reasons - an attack on Jedi Master Yoda's life.

Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. To  an  observer,  Qui-Gon  would  seem  to
possess his usual com-

posure. But Obi-Wan knew better. He could sense the sharp distress that
ticked underneath the control.

The Temple was on high security. As always it was completely closed  to
outsiders. But now even Jedi Knights had been ordered  to  stay  away  until
further notice. All arrivals and departures were monitored, and no  one  was
allowed to leave except on the most pressing of missions. Even  though  most
of the Jedi knew Qui-Gon by sight, both he and  Obi-Wan  had  to  undergo  a
retinal scan before entering the Temple from the spaceport level.

Qui-Gon's finger tapped the hilt of his lightsaber, then  stopped.  His
face smoothed out, and Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon was  reaching  out  to  the
Force to find his center of calm.

Obi-Wan tried to control his own  apprehension.  He  was  burning  with
questions and speculations, but he did not dare break the silence. Relations
between him and his former Master had been strained since Obi-Wan decided he
couldn't be Qui-Gon's Padawan any longer. He had renounced his Jedi training
in order to help the young  people  of  Melida/Daan  bring  peace  to  their
planet. Obi-Wan realized now what a mistake he had made. He was  a  Jedi  to
the bone. All he wanted was to be  accepted  back  into  the  order  and  be
Qui-Gon's Padawan again.

Qui-Gon had told Obi-Wan that he'd forgiven him for leaving  the  Jedi.
But if Qui-Gon had truly forgiven him in  his  heart,  why  was  there  this
awkward silence between them? Qui-Gon was a reserved man,  but  Obi-Wan  had
come to count on the respect and warmth he often saw in his former  Master's
eyes, as well as his occasional flashes of humor.

Obi-Wan knew that once he was called inside the  Council  chamber,  his
own fate might be decided. His heart rose at the thought  that  perhaps  the
Council had already voted to accept him back.  He  had  told  Yoda  that  he
deeply regretted his decision. He hoped that Yoda  might  have  pleaded  his
case.

Obi-Wan pressed a hand to his  forehead.  His  increasing  anxiety  had
caused him to perspire. Or was the Temple warmer than normal?

He was about to ask Qui-Gon when the door to the  Council  room  hissed
open. Obi-Wan stepped into the  room  behind  Qui-Gon.  The  twelve  Council
members ringed the chamber in a semicircle. Gray light flooded the room from
the large windows overlooking the white  towers  and  spires  of  Coruscant.
Outside, the wispy clouds looked like thin metallic  sheets.  An  occasional
flash of silver shimmered, the wings of  a  spacecraft  catching  a  ray  of
sunshine as the clouds momentarily parted.

Obi-Wan had only been in the Council room a few times.  He  was  always
awed by the depth of the Force here. With so many Jedi Masters in one space,
the air seemed charged.

Immediately his eyes sought Yoda. He  was  relieved  to  see  the  Jedi
Master sitting in his usual place, appearing calm and healthy.  Yoda's  gaze
passed over him neutrally, then focused on Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan felt a twinge of
worry. He wished Yoda's glance had been more reassuring.

Qui-Gon took his place in the center of the room,  and  Obi-Wan  joined
him.

A senior member of the Council, Mace  Windu,  did  not  waste  time  on
preliminaries. "We thank you for coming," he said in his dignified way.  His
eyebrows knit together worriedly. "To be frank, this event  has  shaken  us.
Master Yoda rose before dawn to meditate, as is his custom. He went  to  the
Room of a Thousand Fountains, again as is  his  custom.  Before  reaching  a
footbridge he sensed a surge in the dark side of the  Force.  He  hesitated,
listening to the Force, and in that heartbeat a  device  planted  underneath
the footbridge exploded. The intention was to kill Yoda. Luckily he  is  not
so easily fooled."

Mace Windu paused. A collective shudder seemed to run through  everyone
in the Council room. So many depended on Yoda's wisdom.

"Mace Windu, here with you now am I," Yoda said gently. "Dwell  on  the
could haves, we must not. Focus on the solution, we must."

Mace Windu nodded. "Master Yoda saw the flicker of a meditation robe as
someone hurried away.  This  person  ducked  underneath  a  waterfall,  then
disappeared in the churning surf."

"Strong in the dark side, he was," Yoda said, nodding.

"We know that Bruck Chun hasn't left the Temple since you discovered he
was the culprit in the thefts," Mace Windu said to Qui-Gon. "We still do not
know who he has allied himself with. We only know there is  an  intruder  in
the Temple."

"Has the person been spotted again?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No," Mace Windu said. He reached for a data sheet on the  arm  of  his
chair. "But just this morning, a student found this. It was left  outside  a
meditation chamber."

Qui-Gon took the data sheet from Mace  Windu's  outstretched  hand.  He
read it, then handed it to Obi-Wan.

MEDITATE ON THIS, MASTERS: NEXT TIME I WILL NOT FAIL.

Mace Windu placed his hands on each armrest. "Naturally, this has  been
the focus of con-

sideration and debate. We feel the dark side working.  Not  only  that,
but it appears the  invader  has  managed  to  sabotage  our  central  power
structure. You may have noticed the warmer air. We have a perplexing problem
with the air cooling unit. Every time Miro Daroon  fixes  something  in  the
tech center, there is another malfunction elsewhere. There  have  also  been
various problems with the lighting and communication systems in some of  the
wings of the Temple. Miro is hard-pressed to keep up."

Obi-Wan was puzzled. Mace Windu had not looked at him once  during  his
briefing. Why was he here? He wasn't technically a Jedi, since  the  Council
had not extended the offer  to  take  him  back.  And  he  certainly  wasn't
Qui-Gon's Padawan any longer.

At that moment, every face on the Jedi  Council  turned  to  him.  Mace
Windu's intense gaze studied his face. Obi-Wan  struggled  to  remember  his
Jedi training in composure. It wasn't  easy  to  have  twelve  Jedi  Masters
staring at him. And the penetrating gaze of Mace Windu was the most rigorous
of all. His dark eyes had a way of making you feel he had seen into the very
heart of you, ferreting out secret feelings you weren't even aware you had.

"Obi-Wan, we are hoping that you will have

insights into what Bruck  Chun  can  and  will  do,"  Mace  Windu  said
heavily.

"I wasn't his friend," Obi-Wan said, surprised.

"You were his rival,"  Mace  Windu  said.  "That  could  be  even  more
valuable to us."

Obi-Wan was at a loss. "But I didn't know Bruck well.  I  knew  how  he
would move in a lightsaber duel, yes. But  not  what  was  in  his  mind  or
heart."

No one said anything. Obi-Wan struggled not to betray his apprehension.
He had disappointed the Jedi Masters once more. Looking around the room,  he
did not meet one friendly eye. Even  Yoda  gave  him  no  encouragement.  He
wanted to wipe his damp palms on his tunic, but he didn't dare.

"Of course I'll do whatever I can to help,"  he  added  quickly.  "Just
tell me what you want me to do. I can talk to his friends -"

"No need," Mace Windu interrupted. He laced his long fingers  together.
"Until a decision is made by the Council, we must ask you not  to  interfere
with Temple business unless we ask you otherwise."

Obi-Wan felt stung. "The Temple is my home!" he cried.

"You are welcome to remain here until your situation  is  resolved,  of
course," Mace Windu

said. "There is still much discussion to take place."

"But there is a real threat to the Temple," Obi-Wan argued.  "You  need
help. And I wasn't here during the petty thefts. I'm one  of  the  few  Jedi
students who can be ruled out as a suspect. Someone could have helped Bruck.
I could investigate."

Obi-Wan saw with a sinking feeling that  he  had  made  a  mistake.  He
should have known better than to ask the Council to take him back  based  on
the fact that he could be of use to them in a crisis.

Mace Windu's sharp gaze cut him like ice. "I think the Jedi can  manage
to solve the crisis without that kind of help from you."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said. "But I wish to tell  all  the  Jedi  Masters
that I feel genuine remorse for my decision. It felt right at the time,  but
I've come to see how wrong it was. I want nothing more  than  to  have  back
what I once had. I want to be a Padawan. I want to be a Jedi."

"Have again what you had, you cannot," Yoda said. "Different  you  are.
Different is Qui-Gon. Every moment makes you so. Every decision  a  cost  it
has."

Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke up. "Obi-Wan, you have violated not only  the  trust
of Qui-Gon, but the

trust of the Council. You seem not to recognize this."

"But I do!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "I take responsibility for  it  and  I'm
sorry for it."

"You are thirteen years old, Obi-Wan. You are not a child," Mace  Windu
said with a frown. "Why do you speak as one? Sorry does not make the offense
disappear. You interfered in  the  internal  affairs  of  a  planet  without
official Jedi approval. You defied  the  order  of  your  Master.  A  Master
depends on the loyalty of the Padawan, just as the Padawan  depends  on  the
Master. If that trust is broken, the bond shatters."

The sting of Mace's words made Obi-Wan wince. He  did  not  expect  the
Council to be so severe. He couldn't look at Qui-Gon. His gaze found Yoda's.

"Unclear your path is, Obi-Wan," Yoda said with more gentleness.  "Hard
it is to wait. But wait you must to see your way revealed."

"You may go, Obi-Wan," Mace Windu said. "We  must  speak  with  Qui-Gon
privately. You may go to your old quarters."

Well, at least that's  something,  Obi-Wan  thought.  He  struggled  to
maintain his dignity as he bowed to the Council.  But  he  knew  his  cheeks
burned with shame as he left the room.

Obi-Wan felt relieved as the door hissed behind him. He  couldn't  face
the Masters for one more second. Never in his expectations  had  he  thought
his first meeting would go so badly.

He saw a slight figure at the end of the hall, and some of his  anxiety
lifted. "Bant!" he called.

"I was waiting for you." Bant came toward him, her silver eyes  alight.
Her salmon skin glowed against a soft blue tunic.

"It's good to see a friend," Obi-Wan admitted.

Bant peered at him. "It did not go well."

"It could not have gone worse."

She slipped her arms around Obi-Wan and hugged him. Obi-Wan caught  the
scent of salt and sea, a unique scent he always associated with Bant, for on
Bant, even salt smelled sweet. As a Calamarian, she was amphibious,  needing
moisture to live. Her room was kept filled with steam, and she took  several
swims a day.

"Let's go," Bant murmured.

He didn't have to ask where. They took the lift tube down to  the  lake
level. It was their special spot. After long days of classes  and  training,
there was nothing Bant liked better than to immerse herself in the water for
a long swim. Obi-Wan often  joined  her,  or  sometimes  sat  on  the  bank,
watching her gracefully glide underneath the green water.

They exited the lift tube and  walked  out  to  what  seemed  to  be  a
beautiful sunny day on the surface of the planet. But they  both  knew  that
the golden sun set in a blue sky was actually a series of illumination banks
set high in the domed ceiling. The ground under their feet had been  planted
with flowering shrubs and leafy trees. Today the  lake  area  was  deserted.
Obi-Wan could not see anyone swimming, or walking along the many trails.

"Students have been asked to stay in their quarters or the dining halls
and meditation rooms if they are not in their classes," Bant  said.  "It  is
not an order, merely  a  request.  The  attack  on  Yoda  has  made  us  all
cautious."

"It was a shocking thing," Obi-Wan said.

"But what about you?" Bant asked. "What did the Council say?"

Bitterness rose in Obi-Wan. "They will not take me back."

Bant looked startled. "They said this?"

Obi-Wan stared out at the lake, his eyes burning.  "Well,  no,  not  in
those words. But their attitude was very severe.  I  must  wait,  they  say.
Bant, what am I going to do?"

She gazed at him, her large silver eyes full of compassion. "Wait."

He turned away impatiently. "You sound like Yoda."

She put a hand on his arm. "But Obi-Wan, what you  did  was  a  serious
offense. Not serious enough to get kicked out forever,"  she  added  quickly
when she saw the look in his eyes. "But the Council will need to  see  proof
of your sincerity. They will need to meet with you several times.  They  are
compassionate, Obi-Wan, but they have the whole Jedi order to protect. It is
good that this is so. The Jedi path can be a hard one, and the Council  must
be sure that your commitment is absolute. That the commitment of each of  us
is absolute."

"My commitment is absolute," Obi-Wan said fiercely.

"How can the Council be sure of this, and how  can  Qui-Gon  be  sure?"
Bant asked with great gentleness. "For you have said that before,  when  you
first joined him."

Anger filled Obi-Wan, an anger fueled by

frustration. He knew that Bant did not want to hurt him. She  gazed  at
him now with concerned, loving eyes, afraid she had offended him.

"I see," he said shortly. "You blame me, too."

"No," she said quietly. "I am telling you that it will take  more  time
than you wish it to take, maybe more time than you think you will be able to
bear. But the Council will relent and see what I see."

"And what is that?" Obi-Wan asked, scowling. "An angry boy? A fool?"

"A Jedi," she said softly, and it was the best  thing  she  could  have
said.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was struck by a thought. What if the Council took him
back, but Qui-Gon did not? If the Council  allowed  him  to  remain  a  Jedi
student, he was already thirteen and past the limit to be chosen by  a  Jedi
Knight as a Padawan. Who would ask him, if not Qui-Gon?

He didn't want another Master, Obi-Wan thought in  despair.  He  wanted
Qui-Gon.

They had walked to the far side of the lake without  Obi-Wan  noticing.
Here there was a small cove where Bant loved to wade. She stepped  into  the
water, smiling as the coolness washed over her ankles.

"Tell me about Melida/Daan," she said. "No

one knows what happened there. What was it  that  made  you  commit  to
their cause and leave us?"

Obi-Wan froze. Perhaps it was the trace of the smile on Bant's face  as
she asked the question. Perhaps it was the way the light hit the  water,  or
the way her silver eyes gazed at him trustingly. Perhaps it was  the  amount
of life in that small moment, so beautiful that it blinded him.

He could not tell her about Cerasi. With so much life around  him,  how
could he speak of death?

Obi-Wan was suddenly at a loss for words.  He  had  never  had  trouble
talking to Bant before. But what could he say?

On Melida/Daan, I saw a friend die in front of me. I saw  the  life  in
her eyes flicker and dim. I held her in my  arms.  I  felt  another  beloved
friend turn his back on me. A comrade in arms betrayed me. And I betrayed my
Master. A string of betrayals and a death that has marked my heart forever.

He could not say any of those things. They lay too deeply in his heart.

When this is over, I'll tell her. When we have time.

"But I want to hear about you," he said,  changing  the  subject.  "You
look different. Have you grown since I saw you?"

"Maybe a little," Bant said,  pleased.  Her  short  height  had  always
bothered her. "And I'm eleven now."

"Soon you'll be a Padawan," Obi-Wan teased.

Bant did not catch his teasing tone.  Her  eyes  were  serious  as  she
nodded. "Yes. Yoda and the Council think I am ready."

Obi-Wan was startled. Because of her small size  and  trusting  nature,
Bant had always seemed even younger than she  was.  She  had  always  tagged
after him and his best friends Reeft and Garen Muln.  "You're  young  to  be
chosen," he said.

"It is not age but ability that marks a turning point," Bant answered.

"Now you sound like Yoda again."

Bant giggled. "I am quoting Yoda."

"And what about Garen?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Garen is taking an extra tutorial in piloting," Bant  answered.  "Yoda
thinks his reflexes are especially acute. The Jedi need pilots for missions.
He's taking his lesson now in the simulator, or he would have  come  to  see
you."

"And where's Reeft?" Obi-Wan asked with a smile. "The dining hall?"

Bant laughed. Their Dresselian friend was known for greedy enjoyment of
food. "He was chosen as the Padawan of Binn Ibes.  He's  off  on  his  first
mission."

A pang shot through Obi-Wan. So Reeft was a Padawan now. Bant would  be
soon. Garen had been chosen for special missions. All of  his  friends  were
moving forward as he stood still. No, worse than that. As he moved backward.
He had been the first to leave the Temple. Now he would be standing  on  the
landing platform, waving to his friends as  they  departed,  one  after  the
other. He turned away so that Bant couldn't see the longing on his face.

"What about Qui-Gon?" Bant asked. "Do you know if he'll take  you  back
once the Council does?"

Leave it to Bant. She always managed to get to the truth of the  issue.
Since she spoke what was in her heart, she expected others to do the same.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said. He bent down  to  trail  a  hand  in  the
water, trying to hide his face.

"You know, I thought he was forbidding at first," Bant remarked. "I was
a little afraid of him. But I came to see how gentle he is. I'm sure the way
will be smoothed between you."

"I didn't know you knew Qui-Gon at all," Obi-Wan said, surprised.

"Oh,  yes,"  Bant  said.  "I  helped  him  and  Tahl  with  the   theft
investigation when you were on Melida/Daan."

Curious now, Obi-Wan turned to ask her what she had done, but a strange
noise interrupted him. Bant and Obi-Wan looked overhead.  A  grinding  noise
filled the air.

They stared up. At first they saw only what they were meant to  see:  a
brilliant sun in a blue sky. Then everything seemed to happen at once. There
was a dimming in the light, and suddenly, an object crashed down through the
sky, which they could now see was  only  a  scrim.  The  skeletal  forms  of
catwalks and the blocks of illumination  banks  were  revealed.  Part  of  a
horizontal tunnel swung in midair.

"It's the horizontal turbolift," Bant said, horrified. "It's  going  to
crash!"

Obi-Wan saw everything in a flash, but with the clarity of slow motion.
The turbolift ran horizontally high  above,  crossing  above  the  lake  and
surrounding trails. Normally, it was hidden from view by the glare from  the
giant illumination banks. But a portion of the lift had fallen  through  its
shaft, knocking out a bank of lights.

"The repulsorlift engines must  have  blown,"  Obi-Wan  guessed.  "It's
hanging by a thread."

"That turbolift links the nursery and  care  centers  for  the  younger
children to the dining halls," Bant said, her  eyes  on  it.  "It  could  be
filled with children." She wrenched her eyes away.

"I don't have my comlink," Obi-Wan said quickly.  "It  was  damaged  on
Melida/Daan."

"I'll go," Bant decided. "You stay in case ... in case it falls."

Bant streaked away. Obi-Wan knew she was heading for the comm  unit  at
the entrance to

the lake level. He could not tear his  eyes  from  the  turbolift.  The
shaft swayed slightly. Any moment it could plunge into the lake below.

But the turbolift held.

He couldn't stand around and do nothing. Obi-Wan scanned the tech  area
overhead. He hadn't realized what a maze of catwalks it was. If the children
could climb out of the turbolift, they could escape over the catwalks to the
tech service level....

The thought flashed across his mind and he  sprinted  toward  the  tech
door hidden in the foliage. He burst through and pressed the button for  the
vertical lift tube. Nothing  happened.  Obi-Wan  turned  and  saw  a  narrow
staircase heading up.

He took the stairs two at a time, his legs pumping, his muscles  tiring
as the long climb went on. Still he did not falter.

At last he burst out onto the top level. A tunnel led to  a  series  of
doors marked with numbers: B27, B28, B29, and on and on.  Which  door  would
lead to a catwalk closest to the damaged turbolift?

Obi-Wan paused. His heart was beating furiously. He  wanted  to  charge
ahead, but he would waste precious time if he didn't think this through.  He
oriented himself to the floor below, picturing  where  the  turbolift  hung.
Then he

quickly walked down the tunnel past the doors  until  he  felt  he  was
close to where the lift would be. He pressed the  button  marked  access  on
door B37. The door hissed open and he stepped out onto a small landing.

The turbolift still hung precariously out in the middle  of  the  giant
space. If he followed the catwalk, it would bring him close to the  part  of
the shaft that was still intact.  He  could  cut  a  hole  in  it  with  his
lightsaber by leaning over the catwalk railing. Then he would have to  hoist
himself into the shaft and walk a short distance to the turbolift.

If the shaft didn't break free because of his weight. ..

Obi-Wan knew he would  have  to  take  the  chance.  Peering  over  the
catwalk, he could see that Bant hadn't arrived with  help.  If  the  service
lift tube was out of order, perhaps the comm unit was as well.

Quickly  he  moved  down  the  catwalk.  Massive   illumination   banks
surrounded him. Peering through them, he could see the glint of the lake far
below. Even the tallest trees seemed impossibly small from this height.

When he reached the area of the shaft that curved close to the catwalk,
Obi-Wan powered up his  lightsaber.  Carefully  and  slowly,  he  carved  an
opening in the shaft. He did not want the

peeled metal to fall back into the shaft itself. Then he  returned  his
lightsaber to his belt.

He climbed over the railing. Now there was nothing between him and  the
lake hundreds of meters  below.  He  could  not  hear  any  noise  from  the
turbolift, but he felt the ripples of distress and fear. He could sense that
children were trapped inside.

Obi-Wan slid himself halfway into the shaft. Without letting go of  the
railing, he tested his weight. The shaft didn't wobble, or make a noise.  It
would hold him. He eased off the catwalk, ready to spring back if the  shaft
began to swing. But it didn't move.

He would have to move slowly. If he ran, the vibration could jostle the
shaft and it could break free. Obi-Wan closed his mind against the dark lake
below, the image of trapped children falling. He began to  walk.  The  shaft
was dark, and he activated his lightsaber for illumination. Ahead  he  could
see the bulky form of the turbo-lift. As he drew closer, he could  hear  the
deep voice of a Jedi caretaker and the occasional murmuring of the children.

His progress was agonizingly slow, but he reached the turbolift wall at
last. He tapped on it.

"It's Obi-Wan Kenobi," he called. "I'm in the turbolift shaft."

"It's Ali-Alann," the deep voice said. "I am the children's caretaker."

"How many are inside?"

"Ten children and myself."

"Help is on the way."

Ali-Alann's voice had not a trace of nerves in  it.  "The  repulsorlift
engines malfunctioned one by one. Only one holds us. The comm  unit  is  not
working. The escape hatch will not open. I don't carry a lightsaber."

Obi-Wan knew what Ali-Alann was  telling  him.  The  last  repulsorlift
engine could go at any time. They were trapped.

"Keep the children away from this wall," Obi-Wan directed him.

Again moving more slowly than he liked,  Obi-Wan  cut  a  hole  in  the
turbolift wall. The metal peeled back but did not  separate  from  the  lift
itself. Good. Obi-Wan held his lightsaber like a torch.  The  glow  revealed
the upturned, serious faces of  the  children  and  the  evident  relief  on
Ali-Alann's face.

"We have to move very slowly," Obi-Wan told Ali-Alann, then shifted  to
a low voice  so  that  the  children  would  not  overhear.  "The  shaft  is
precarious. I'm not sure how much weight it can hold."

Ali-Alann nodded. "We'll bring them out one at a time then."

The process was agonizingly slow. The  children  were  all  under  four
years of age. They could walk, of course, but Obi-Wan thought it  better  to
carry them. Ali-Alann handed him the first child, a  small  human  girl  who
trustingly wound her arms around Obi-Wan's neck.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Her red hair was braided in coils around her head, and her  brown  eyes
were serious. "Honi. I'm almost three."

"Well, Honi-who-is-almost-three, hang on to me."

She pressed her head against his chest. Obi-Wan walked  back  down  the
shaft. When he got to the opening, he held Honi against him  with  one  hand
and reached out to grab the catwalk railing with the other. It would require
perfect balance to make the move to the catwalk.

He heard the sound of  footsteps.  In  another  instant  Qui-Gon  stood
across from him on the catwalk. He held  out  his  arms.  "I  can  take  the
child."

Obi-Wan swung out as Qui-Gon reached and safely passed Honi to him.

"There are nine children left, and Ali-Alann," he said.

"The Masters are below," Qui-Gon told him. "They are using the Force to
keep the turbolift aloft."

Now Obi-Wan could feel it: a tremendous wave in the Force,  strong  and
deep. He glanced below. The Council members stood in a ring, their focus  on
the turbolift.

"But I would not dawdle, just the  same,"  Qui-Gon  said  dryly  as  he
turned to bring Honi to safety.

Obi-Wan made his way back to the turbolift. One by one, he carried  out
the children. One by one, he handed  them  to  Qui-Gon.  The  children  were
already trained in calmness and the  Force.  Not  one  whimpered  or  cried,
although some had to try hard not to.  Trust  was  in  their  eyes  and  the
relaxed posture of their bodies as they allowed themselves to be carried and
handed over a gap to the tiny catwalk hundreds of meters above the lake.

When only two children were left, Ali-Alann carried one to safety while
Obi-Wan took the last, a young boy only two years old. Obi-Wan waited  while
Ali-Alann walked down the shaft. He heard the shaft creak and felt it wobble
as Ali-Alann slowly made his way toward the catwalk. The Jedi was  tall  and
strong, with a similar build to Qui-Gon's. Obi-Wan could sense the weakening
of the shaft as Ali-Alann moved.

At last he handed over the child and swung himself  onto  the  catwalk.
Obi-Wan made the trip

for the last time. With every step, he felt the shaft sway. Yet he knew
that if he ran, it could break away  completely.  He  handed  the  child  to
Qui-Gon and swung himself onto the catwalk. The shaft  swayed  but  did  not
break.  He  looked  down  below  and  saw  the  Jedi  Masters  in  a   ring,
concentrating on the shaft high above their heads.

Jedi Knights had already carried the  children  downstairs  in  relays.
Obi-Wan followed Ali-Alann and Qui-Gon down the long, winding  staircase  to
the lake level. Sweet relief coursed through him. The children were safe.

He walked behind Qui-Gon  to  the  lakefront  where  the  Masters  were
waiting. Bant held a child in her arms, talking to  him  quietly,  and  Yoda
placed a hand on the head of one of the children. The atmosphere  was  being
kept calm so that the children would not be frightened by their experience.

"You did well, children," Mace Windu said, flashing them a rare  smile.
"The Force was with you."

"And Ali-Alann was there, too," Honi spoke up earnestly.  "He  told  us
stories."

Smiling, Mace Windu patted her hair. "Ali-Alann will take  you  to  the
dining hall now. But not on the turbolift."

The  children  laughed.  They  clustered  around  Ali-Alann,  obviously
adoring their large, gentle caretaker.

"Well you handled this, Ali-Alann," Yoda told him. The Council  members
nodded.

"The Force was with us," Ali-Alann repeated. He led the children away.

"And you, young Bant," Mace Windu continued, turning to her.  "You  are
to be commended as well. You stayed calm when you found the  comm  unit  was
dead on the lake level. Your speed in getting help was admirable."

"Any of us would have done the same," Bant answered.

"No, Bant," Qui-Gon said warmly. "It was wise to come straight  to  the
Council room. And your calmness in the face of great peril was true  to  the
Jedi way."

Bant colored. "Thank you. My wish was to help the children."

"As you did," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan felt a stab of jealousy and longing. The  warmth  in  Qui-Gon's
eyes and voice was unmistakable.

Obi-Wan waited for the Council to notice him. It wasn't  as  though  he
had rescued the children in order  to  win  praise.  But  he  couldn't  help
feeling glad that he had been given an opportunity

to come to the aid of the Temple. At  least  the  Council  had  seen  a
better side of him.

"As for you, Obi-Wan," Mace Windu said, turning to him, "you are to  be
thanked for your rescue of the children. You showed quick thinking."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer with humility, as a Jedi should. But
Mace Windu kept talking.

"However," he continued, "you also showed that  impulsiveness  is  your
flaw. The same flaw that has led us to hesitate about your suitability to be
a Jedi. You acted alone. You did not wait for help and direction. You  could
have endangered the children needlessly. The shaft could have broken free."

"But I tested my weight, and I moved carefully. A - And  help  was  not
arriving -" Obi-Wan said, stuttering. He was stunned that  the  Council  had
found fault with him.

Mace Windu turned away. Obi-Wan's own voice echoed in his ears, and  he
realized that he sounded as though he  were  stammering  out  excuses.  Bant
looked at him with compassion.

"Please do not interfere again," Mace Windu said. "The Council will now
discuss what is to be done about the shaft. We must close down the wing."

Qui-Gon put his hand on Bant's shoulder. The two followed  the  Council
members from the lake.

Obi-Wan stood, watching them go. He did not think this  day  could  get
any worse. Now it had. In the eyes of  the  Council,  he  could  do  nothing
right.

And in Qui-Gon's eyes, he was worth nothing at all.

They were too hard  on  him,  Qui-Gon  thought  as  he  left  Bant  and
proceeded to his meeting with Yoda. Obi-Wan had acted impulsively, yes - but
Qui-Gon would have done the same.

He couldn't interfere with the Council's admonishment, however. And  he
had come to trust their wisdom in such matters. No doubt it was  better  for
Obi-Wan to reflect on his impulsiveness, since that  was  what  led  him  to
leave the path of the Jedi in the first place. Mace  Windu,  Yoda,  and  the
Council always had a reason behind their severity. So although he wanted  to
stay with Obi-Wan, he had left him so that the boy could  think  about  what
Mace Windu had said.

Obi-Wan had taken a  chance.  No  doubt  about  that.  Qui-Gon's  steps
faltered momentarily as he recalled how he felt when he arrived at the  lake
and realized that Obi-Wan was in the tur-

bolift shaft. A deep sense of dread had pierced him. What if the  shaft
had broken free  before  the  Masters  had  arrived?  What  if  Obi-Wan  had
perished? Qui-Gon's heart stopped at the thought.

His hurried pace resumed. He had learned much over the past weeks about
how the heart could surprise you. He  was  beginning  to  realize  just  how
intricate and deep the bonds were between him and his former Padawan.

But he must focus on  the  problem  at  hand.  Whatever  needed  to  be
resolved must wait.

Yoda stood in the middle of the empty white space of the safe  room  in
the central tower, where no surveillance could possibly penetrate.

"Confirmed it is by Miro Daroon," he told Qui-Gon. "Sabotage it was.  A
timing device in the repulsorlift engines, and a bug  in  the  central  core
that shut down the lift tubes and comm units in the area. Find  this  person
we must, Qui-Gon. After the children now, he is.  Strange  I  find  it  that
Bruck could be involved in such a thing," Yoda brooded.

"The last repulsorlift engine held," Qui-Gon pointed  out.  "I  do  not
think the turbolift was meant to fall."

Yoda turned to him. "Taunting us,  the  intruder  is?  Endangering  the
lives of babies for a joke?"

"Or there is some other motive," Qui-Gon said. "It's not  clear  to  me
yet. At first I thought the petty thefts were designed strictly to  irritate
and tease. Now I wonder otherwise. The stolen items appear  to  have  served
various purposes. The toolbox from the servo-utility unit  was  most  likely
used to dismantle the repulsorlift engines. The  teacher's  meditation  robe
was used for the intruder to travel about freely, especially  in  the  early
morning when most Knights meditate."

"And the fourth year student's sporting gear?" Yoda asked.

"No significance yet," Qui-Gon said. "And then  there  are  the  stolen
school records. Only students with names A through H. Bruck's last  name  is
Chun. I'm certain the records were stolen to conceal something about him."

Yoda nodded. "Time it will take, to regather information. Something you
do not know, Qui-Gon - a sensitive time for  the  Jedi  this  is.  A  secret
mission for the Senate we have undertaken. Held in our Jedi  treasury  is  a
large shipment of vertex."

Qui-Gon could not keep the surprise from his face. Vertex was a  highly
valuable mineral. After the  raw  substance  was  mined,  it  was  cut  into
crystals of various shapes for currency. Many worlds used crystalline vertex
instead of credits.

"Unprecedented it was, to accept such a shipment," Yoda agreed,  noting
Qui-Gon's surprise. "Yet the Council thought it best. Two star systems there
are, locked in conflict over the shipment. Agree to peace talks  they  would
not, unless a neutral party held the shipment. Almost concluded,  the  peace
agreement is. If word there is that the  Temple  is  vulnerable,  war  there
would be." Yoda's voice dropped in  concern.  "A  large  war  it  would  be,
Qui-Gon. Many alliances these star systems have."

Qui-Gon digested this information. It often struck him that even  while
the Temple was a haven, it was connected to the galaxy in so many  intricate
ways.

"There is no time to waste," he told Yoda.  "I  will  start  with  Miro
Daroon. I must discover how Bruck  and  this  intruder  manage  to  navigate
around the Temple without being seen. I'll need to coordinate with Tahl."

Yoda blinked at him. "And Obi-Wan?"

"The Council  has  ordered  Obi-Wan  to  stay  out  of  this,"  Qui-Gon
answered, surprised.

"Predict I do that the boy will find a way to offer  his  help  again,"
Yoda said.

"And I should refuse?"

Yoda waved an arm. "Directly involved the boy should not be.  But  shut
him out, I would not."

Qui-Gon smiled grimly as he hurried away. It was contradictory  advice,
typical of Yoda. Yet the Master's advice somehow always turned out  to  make
perfect sense.

Qui-Gon took a shortcut through the Room of  a  Thousand  Fountains  in
order to reach the lift tube that  would  take  him  directly  to  the  tech
center. He walked purposefully through the winding  paths,  barely  noticing
his surroundings, intent on the problem at hand.

Then he saw the destroyed footbridge where the attack on Yoda had taken
place.

Qui-Gon stopped, his  gaze  on  the  splintered  bridge,  his  thoughts
suddenly in the past. Years ago, he had a mission  to  stop  a  tyrant  from
taking over a world in the Outer Rim. The tyrant's strategy was based  on  a
simple equation: Disruption + Demoralization + Distraction = Devastation.

That was the pattern, Qui-Gon realized. The  thefts  had  followed  the
formula. Disruption: the petty  thefts  disrupted  classes  and  activities.
Demoralization: the theft of the Healing Crystals of Fire and the attack  on
Yoda had caused many students to lose heart. Distraction: the failing of the
cooling system, the security breaches, and the destruction  of  one  of  the
main turbolifts meant that the Jedi had to focus to keep the Temple running.
Was the same evil formula

working to dismantle the Temple? That tyrant  was  dead,  killed  years
ago, but had he spread his equation of evil?

Suddenly, Qui-Gon felt a deep disturbance in the Force. It cleaved  the
air in front of him. The solid rocks seemed to shimmer.

The dark side was here.

The feeling lingered. The fountains continued to flow, the  spray  from
rushing water still cooling his cheeks.  He  surveyed  the  area  carefully,
noting every leaf, every shadow. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet he knew something was there.

Obi-Wan decided he needed a new comlink. What if something happened  in
front of his eyes again, and he needed to summon help? Or suppose Qui-Gon or
the Council changed their minds and needed him?

It could be wishful thinking, but I don't care, Obi-Wan thought. / have
to think like a Jedi, even if the Council doesn't want me to.

Instead of heading to his quarters, Obi-Wan  started  toward  the  tech
center. He was sure that Miro Daroon would let him have a new comlink.

Ahead of him, he saw a familiar figure striding down the hall, munching
on a piece of muja fruit as she walked. It was Siri, a  fellow  student.  He
didn't know her very well, but he knew she'd been a friend of Bruck's. Maybe
if he questioned her, she could come up with a clue about  Bruck.  He  could
return to the Council with the information.

He called her name, and she stopped and

turned. The impact of her blue eyes was like a cresting wave. Siri  had
always been striking, but she hated to  have  anyone  comment  on  her  good
looks. She kept her blond hair in a close-cropped style, swept straight  off
her forehead. The boyish style was probably intended to dim her  beauty  but
instead only enhanced her intelligent eyes and glowing skin.

When she realized who'd called her  name,  Siri's  friendly  expression
cooled. Obi-Wan wondered why. They had never been friends, but  they'd  been
friendly. Siri was two years younger than Obi-Wan,  but  her  abilities  had
landed her in Obi-Wan and Bruck's lightsaber class. She had  been  a  worthy
opponent. Obi-Wan considered her style athletic and highly  focused.  Unlike
other students, she never got distracted during a duel by emotions  such  as
anger or fear, and she never involved herself in petty rivalries. Privately,
Obi-Wan had always thought of her as a little too focused. She never  seemed
to relax or join in the  jokes  and  fun  that  students  enjoyed  in  their
downtime.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Siri said flatly. "I heard you were back." She took a
bite of fruit.

"Siri, you were a friend of Bruck's," Obi-Wan said urgently.  "Did  you
notice any signs of anger or rebellion in the past few months?  Or  anything
out of the ordinary?"

Siri chewed, staring at him, not answering.

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. He realized too late  that  these  days,
being Bruck's friend was not exactly a benefit around  the  Temple.  He  had
blurted out the question without thinking, eager for answers and mindful  of
the time pressure. He supposed he should  have  phrased  the  question  more
diplomatically.

While he was trying to think of a better opening, Siri  swallowed.  She
spun the muja fruit in her hand, searching for the next place to bite.

"What's it to you?" she asked.

Her rudeness surprised him, and Obi-Wan struggled not to snap back.  "I
want to help Qui-Gon find Bruck and the intruder -" he began patiently.

"Wait a second," Siri interrupted. "I thought Qui-Gon Jinn dumped  you.
And you dumped the Jedi."

Annoyance  filled  Obi-Wan.  "I  didn't  'dump'  the  Jedi,"  he   said
irritably. "And as for Qui-Gon, we ..." Obi-Wan stopped. He didn't owe  Siri
an explanation! She stood there, chewing on her fruit and staring at him  as
though he were a lab experiment. "You shouldn't listen to gossip,"  he  told
her.

"So why do you want me to gossip about Bruck?" Siri shot  back  coolly.
She took another bite of the muja.

Fuming, Obi-Wan took a breath. The interview wasn't  going  well,  that
was for sure. "The Temple is under siege," he said, struggling to  keep  his
voice even. "I'd think you'd want to help."

Siri's cheeks flushed. "I don't have to help you, Obi-Wan.  You're  not
even a Jedi. But for your information, I wasn't a friend of Bruck's. He just
used to hang around, trying to copy my lightsaber moves. He  knew  I  was  a
better fighter than he was. So does the rest of the class. I thought he  was
a bore. He was always trying to impress me. That about sums up our  supposed
'friendship,' all right?"

"All right," Obi-Wan said. "But if you think of anything -"

"And another thing," Siri interrupted, her eyes shooting sparks at him.
"I do care about the Temple. You're the one who left the Jedi. When you  did
that, you cast doubt on the commitment of all Padawans, present and  future.
You made all Jedi Knights question whether we're as committed as  we  should
be. You're almost as bad as Bruck!"

Siri's words hit his cheeks like slaps from an open hand. Color  rushed
to Obi-Wan's face. Was this what  the  other  students  felt?  That  he  had
betrayed them?

Obi-Wan hadn't considered before that his action could  cast  doubt  on
the commitment of all

Padawans. Faced with a  similar  situation,  would  he  offer  to  help
someone who had done what he had done?

With every encounter at the Temple, Obi-Wan received a wider picture of
the consequences of his decision to stay on  Melida/Daan.  Now  he  realized
that his action had left a wider pool of ripples than he'd thought.

A decision is yours alone to make. Yet remember  you  should  that  you
make it also for the silent ones who stand at your shoulder.

How many times had he heard Yoda say that? Now the meaning was so clear
that it mocked him with its simplicity. He understood completely  what  Yoda
had meant. He should have understood it before.

Siri seemed to regret her words. Her cheeks flushed almost as deeply as
Obi-Wan's.

"If you can think of anything that might  help,  please  see  Qui-Gon,"
Obi-Wan said stiffly.

"I will," Siri murmured. "Obi-Wan -"

But he couldn't bear to hear an apology or an excuse.  Siri,  he  knew,
had blurted out exactly what was in her heart.

"I have to go," Obi-Wan interrupted, and hurried away.

Qui-Gon stood in the tech center  next  to  Miro  Daroon.  Around  them
curved a blue screen that ran along the  wall  in  the  circular  room.  The
screen flashed diagrams of every tunnel, service hallway, catwalk, and  duct
in the Temple.

At first, the schematic drawings had seemed like a maze to Qui-Gon. But
with Miro's help he had soon understood the logic of the diagrams.

But logic hadn't helped to find the  intruder.  There  were  dozens  of
tunnels tall enough for someone Bruck's height to walk upright inside. Ducts
were placed conveniently on every floor, giving outlets to every area of the
Temple except those under the most severe security restrictions, such as the
treasury room.

The problem wasn't discovering a way for the intruder to navigate.  The
problem was narrowing it down. Qui-Gon had already called  the  Jedi  Knight
Tahl, his partner in the investiga-

tion, to send out search teams to comb  the  infrastructure.  But  that
would take time - time they didn't have. He was still hoping for a clue.

Behind  them,  the  door  hissed  open.  Qui-Gon  saw  Obi-Wan  in  the
reflection on the screen. He saw the boy catch sight of him and pause.

"Have any additional problems cropped up?" Qui-Gon quickly asked Miro.

He wanted Obi-Wan to remain, but couldn't ask him. That  would  violate
the wishes of the Council. But he felt that if he and Miro discussed  Temple
problems and Qui-Gon didn't ask him to leave, Obi-Wan would stay.

So this is what Yoda meant, Qui-Gon thought.

Miro sighed. He was a tall alien from the planet Piton, thin as a reed,
with a high forehead and pale, almost white eyes. Pitons  lived  underground
on their own planet. They had little pigment in their skin that  was  almost
translucent. They were hairless, and Miro wore a cap and tinted eye  shields
to protect his eyes from glare.

"When I tried to restore power to the service lift tubes  in  the  lake
area, the air circulation failed in the north wing. We have to move all  the
students to temporary quarters in the main building."

In the screen reflection, Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan studying the diagrams.

"So now two wings of the Temple have been

shut  down,"  Qui-Gon  murmured  thoughtfully.  "You   must   be   very
frustrated, Miro."

Miro's mournful face collapsed in  a  deeper  frown  than  the  one  he
already wore. "Frustrated doesn't cover it,  Qui-Gon.  I  know  this  system
inside and out. But when  I  fix  one  problem,  three  more  pop  up.  It's
difficult to keep up. I've never seen such intricate sabotage, not  even  in
hypothetical models. My last resort would be to shut the whole  system  down
to run my own program. That's something I don't want to do."

Qui-Gon felt bothered by this news. Miro  was  a  brilliant,  intuitive
tech expert. Anyone who could confound him must  be  a  tech  genius.  Bruck
certainly wasn't capable of this. It seemed he was searching for a  slippery
being with a hatred  of  the  Jedi,  a  knack  for  subterfuge,  and  now  a
technological wizard as well.

Qui-Gon drew in a quick, startled breath. The knowledge had been in the
back of his mind for some time, cold and insidious, like water seeping  into
the cracks of a boulder. Now it froze into certainty, blasting the  rock  to
smithereens.

"Xanatos," he murmured.

Obi-Wan gave a start. Miro  looked  at  Qui-Gon,  shocked.  "You  think
Xanatos is involved?"

"It's possible ..." Qui-Gon murmured.

The clues had ticked away for a while now. He had  sensed  a  vengeful,
personal motive in this

operation. Xanatos held an implacable hatred for the Jedi  -  a  hatred
that was only surpassed by his hatred for Qui-Gon.

And then there was that feeling he'd had in  the  Room  of  a  Thousand
Fountains .. . could Xanatos have been nearby?

Disruption + Demoralization + Distraction =  Devastation.  During  that
mission, Xanatos had been his Padawan. He had been  a  boy  of  sixteen.  He
could have easily remembered the formula.

"I remember him," Miro said quietly. "He was a year behind me.  But  he
was the only Jedi student who was better at constructing tech infrastructure
models."

Qui-Gon nodded. The young Jedi student's mind had been what  had  first
attracted Qui-Gon, first made him wonder if he would make a good Padawan.

In that instant, Qui-Gon made a decision. He was not allowed to involve
Obi-Wan in the investigation. But things had changed.

He turned and acknowledged Obi-Wan for the first time.

"I need your help," he said.

Obi-Wan stood frozen, surprised at Qui-Gon's words.

"I need to see Tahl and report all this," Qui-Gon said. "I'd  like  you
to come along."

"But the Council -"

"It is my investigation," Qui-Gon said firmly. "You have faced  Xanatos
before. You could be helpful. So come."

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon into  the  corridor.  He  walked  beside  him,
feeling a surge of contentment as  their  footsteps  matched  in  their  own
rhythm. Not only could he redeem himself by helping  the  Temple,  he  would
work with Qui-Gon again. Even if he were confined  to  the  fringes  of  the
investigation, he'd take what he could get. It was  the  first  step  toward
reestablishing the trust between them.

Tahl was checking on the status of the search teams when they  arrived.
She looked up at them,

her lovely face worried. Obi-Wan hadn't  seen  her  since  Melida/Daan.
She'd been ill after her rescue,  thin  and  drawn.  Now  her  extraordinary
green-and-gold striped eyes were sightless, but  they  gleamed  against  the
dark honey tones of her skin.

"Nothing yet," she said by way of greeting. "Who is with you, Qui-Gon?"
She paused. "It's Obi-Wan, isn't it?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said hesitantly. He was worried about  her  reaction  to
his presence. After all, in order to  blow  up  deflection  towers  for  the
Young, he'd stolen the transport intended to  spirit  her  off  the  planet.
Would she hold a grudge? But relief flooded him as her  face  broke  into  a
smile.

"Good. I'm glad." She made a wry face. "You have a knack  for  rescuing
me. It could come in handy. No luck here, I'm afraid."

"I  have  news,"  Qui-Gon  said  crisply.  Quickly,  he  outlined   his
suspicions about Xanatos.

Obi-Wan could see as Qui-Gon spoke that Tahl  was  dubious  about  this
supposition. Even as Qui-Gon was finishing, she was slowly shaking her head.

"You're basing much on a leap of logic, my friend," she said.

"It is a fact that Xanatos was known  for  his  technological  genius,"
Qui-Gon argued.

She waved a hand. "As are countless others in the galaxy."

"None as good as a Jedi," Qui-Gon pointed out. "Except one  who  was  a
Jedi. We must look into Xanatos' recent whereabouts. There could be  a  clue
there."

"I'm not saying you're wrong, Qui-Gon. But  what  if  you  are?  If  we
concentrate on one suspect, we could waste time."

The indicator light over Tahl's door went on, announcing a visitor.  At
the same time, a muted bell sounded. Impatiently, Tahl stabbed at  the  door
access that was at the keyboard on her desk. The door hissed open.

"Yes, who is it?" she asked brusquely.

Obi-Wan was surprised to see that the visitor was Siri.

"I was told by Miro Daroon that Qui-Gon Jinn would be here," Siri said.
"Obi-Wan told me to contact you  if  I  remembered  anything  strange  about
Bruck."

"Yes?" Qui-Gon asked kindly. "Anything could help."

Siri took a step into the room. "It could be  nothing  ...  but  a  few
months ago, I had a strange conversation with Bruck. He told  me  about  his
father."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged a startled glance. Those who were  chosen
by the Jedi

gave up their birthright. The Temple became their home. That way, their
loyalties could not be divided or  exploited  in  any  way.  They  committed
themselves to the larger,  deeper  connection,  the  Force.  It  was  highly
unusual for a Jedi student to mention  -  or  even  think  of  -  a  parent,
especially at Bruck's age.

"I didn't understand how he knew about his father, or  why  he  was  so
interested," Siri went on. "I asked him why he felt this new compulsion. The
Temple is our home, the Jedi are family. These are the bonds we renew day by
day. By now they are the strongest things in our lives. But not only was the
mention of his father strange, his attitude was as well." Siri hesitated.

"Yes?" Tahl prompted gently.

"It seemed to me that it wasn't so much that  he  felt  a  need  for  a
father, or wanted to contact him in any way. He just wanted  to  brag  about
him. Bruck discovered - and I don't know how, because he wouldn't say - that
his father had become a powerful person on another planet."

"Which planet?" Tahl asked. "Can you remember?"

"One I never heard of," Siri answered. "Telos."

Tahl stiffened. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon exchanged another  glance.  Qui-Gon
had his proof. Telos was Xanatos' home.

Yet satisfaction did not register  on  the  Jedi's  rugged  face.  Only
disquiet.

"Thank you, Siri," Qui-Gon said. "You have been of more help  than  you
know."

"I am glad to hear it." Siri  gave  Obi-Wan  a  quick  glance,  but  he
couldn't tell if it was a challenge or apology. She left, the  door  hissing
behind her.

"Well, I should know better by now than to doubt  you,"  Tahl  said  to
Qui-Gon. She let out a long breath. "Xanatos."

"No wonder the student records were stolen," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully.
"Any changes in the status of  students'  families  are  recorded  in  their
files. Somehow, Xanatos got to Bruck through  his  father.  He  most  likely
intrigued the boy, planting longings for  power  in  his  head,  working  on
Bruck's anger and aggression until he turned him to the dark side. The  same
thing," Qui-Gon murmured, "that Xanatos' own father had done to him."

"And most likely Xanatos taught Bruck how to conceal the dark  side  as
well," Obi-Wan added. He remembered during his own meeting with Xanatos  how
Qui-Gon's powerful enemy could manipulate the truth. His silky manner hid  a
devious purpose. He had placed doubt in Obi-Wan's mind about Qui-Gon.

"True, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon nodded. "Bruck

would have to be practiced at concealment.  Because  he  was  a  senior
student, he was given more freedom. That helped him, too."

"So now we know our intruder," Tahl said.

"I suggest we divide the investigation into two parts," Qui-Gon stated.
"Obi-Wan and I must discover where Xanatos and Bruck are hiding."

So he would be included! Obi-Wan felt a surge of quiet satisfaction.

"Tahl, you must find out everything you can about Xanatos and Offworld.
It will be tricky - he's very secretive. But your investigative powers are a
legend around here. Start working your galactic network."

"There's no need to flatter me," Tahl said dryly. "I can  hardly  crawl
around tunnels with you and Obi-Wan."

Qui-Gon paused. Obi-Wan saw concern  suddenly  etch  his  features.  He
wasn't sure why. Qui-Gon often told him he was not connected enough  to  the
living Force. There was something in the exchange between  the  two  friends
that had hurt Tahl, and Qui-Gon had just realized it.

Tahl turned her head, her hand almost knocking  over  a  cup  near  her
elbow. Lightning reflexes caused her to catch it before it  fell.  Her  face
flushed deeply.

Then Obi-Wan realized what Qui-Gon had

seen. Tahl had only recently lost  her  sight.  She  had  once  been  a
brilliant warrior. Now she must feel as though she was being shuttled to the
sidelines. But Qui-Gon was right. Tahl could not  crawl  through  ducts  and
look for physical clues.

He watched as Qui-Gon moved closer to Tahl's desk. "Clues are found  in
many ways, Tahl," Qui-Gon said quietly. "The right information  can  save  a
mission more surely than a battle."

Tahl nodded. Obi-Wan could see the  struggle  on  her  face.  Qui-Gon's
fingers brushed her shoulder in a swift, compassionate touch.

"It will be a challenge," he said. "Whatever clues there  are  will  be
well buried. Offworld is made up of a  pyramid  of  false  companies,  phony
titles. Their  assets  are  hidden  carefully.  No  one  knows  where  their
headquarters is."

Tahl's eyes gleamed. "No one so far," she said.

Obi-Wan noted her new determination. Qui-Gon had done this. He had  not
dwelt on her dissatisfaction. He had acknowledged it  compassionately,  then
flung out a challenge to engage her.

/ have so much to learn from him, Obi-Wan thought. And it is  not  only
about battles and strategies and the Force. It is about the heart.

The door hissed open. "Sir Tahl! I am back

from my errand. Here are the extra data sheets you asked for."  TooJay,
Tahl's navigation droid, hurried into the room.

Tahl raised her eyebrows to let Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan know that  she  had
created the errand to get TooJay out of her hair. The navigation  droid  was
designed to help Tahl, but often was just a source of great aggravation to a
person who preferred to do everything herself.

"I'll leave you to your task," Qui-Gon said. "Obi-Wan and I  have  work
to do."

On their way out of the room, they almost collided with Bant,  who  was
rushing through the open door.

"I think I know how Bruck and the intruder are navigating  through  the
Temple!" she cried.

Bant's silver eyes met each of their glances. "I was thinking about all
the different attacks," she said eagerly. "They all took place  near  water.
Think about it - Yoda was attacked in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.  The
turbolift controls are by the lake. And you  could  reach  the  tech  center
itself through the water purification tanks."

Qui-Gon nodded. "A series of water tunnels links all the systems. I saw
it on Miro's diagrams, but I didn't think the tunnels were navigable."

"They are," Bant assured him. "I use them. It's against  the  rules,  I
know," she added sheepishly. "But if I'm late for  a  class,  it's  so  much
faster for me to swim than walk."

"The sporting gear," Obi-Wan said suddenly. "The kit must have  several
breathers."

"Good work, Bant," Tahl said approvingly.

"Excellent deduction." Qui-Gon put his hand on Bant's slender shoulder.
She smiled shyly.

Jealousy trickled through Obi-Wan. He fought against it.  Jealousy  was
not an appropriate emotion for a Jedi. Yet he couldn't dampen it, or make it
go away. Bant had always trailed after him. She'd worshipped  him.  Now,  in
the short time he'd been gone, she'd  grown  up.  Her  mind  was  agile  and
clever, and she wasn't afraid to challenge him.

And Qui-Gon saw how special she was.

Obi-Wan felt a shock as he realized that if  Qui-Gon  didn't  take  him
back, he most likely would want another Padawan. Was he thinking of Bant?

"Bant, can you show us  the  tunnel?"  Qui-Gon  asked.  "We'll  need  a
guide."

Bant nodded. "Of course."

"If any trouble crops up, I want you to  fade  back,"  Qui-Gon  warned.
"Don't engage with Xanatos. He is extremely dangerous."

Bant  nodded  solemnly.  Qui-Gon  turned  to   Obi-Wan.   "We'll   need
breathers."

"I brought some," Bant told him. "I thought  you'd  want  to  go  right
away."

"That was quick thinking," Qui-Gon said approvingly.

Obi-Wan trailed after Qui-Gon and Bant. Now

I'm the one who  is  tagging  behind  her,  he  thought,  entering  the
turbolift with them. They took the lift to the cordoned-off lake area.

"I found the tunnel entrance when I was exploring  the  bottom  of  the
lake," Bant explained as they waded into the cool water. "Water  is  flushed
through every twenty minutes past the hour, so I always keep track of  time.
It's easy to get out in time, or there are plenty of places to climb to when
the water flushes through."

She dove under the surface. Obi-Wan followed the trail of her  bubbles.
Bant was so graceful  underwater  that  she  soon  pulled  ahead.  When  she
realized this, she stopped and waited for them.

They wound through a grotto of underwater rocks. A panel  was  cleverly
hidden in the face of a large boulder. Bant  accessed  the  panel  and  swam
through. Qui-Gon followed, and then Obi-Wan.

They surfaced in a large tunnel of blue tile with a ceiling that curved
overhead. The water was clear and clean.

"This services the fountains and reflecting pools in  the  wing,"  Bant
explained, her voice echoing against the tiled surface. "There  are  landing
platforms every thousand meters or so. Some  of  them  are  high  enough  to
conceal

someone who wants to hide. I'll stop as we go along."

Qui-Gon nodded. Bant took a breath  and  dove  under  the  water.  They
followed.

Obi-Wan followed Bant's waving pink-orange  legs  through  the  crystal
water.  She  led  them  down  tunnel  after  tunnel,  curving  and  twisting
throughout the Temple. They stopped at every landing platform to examine  it
for traces of Xanatos or Bruck. They found nothing.

At last Bant surfaced at a place where a wide main tunnel narrowed  and
fed into three smaller tunnels.

"This feeds into the water purification tanks," she said as she bobbed.
"We've seen everything. I guess I was wrong." Bant looked  discouraged.  "We
should head back."

"It was a good deduction, Bant,"  Qui-Gon  told  her  kindly.  "And  we
haven't disproved it yet. We didn't find anything. That  doesn't  mean  that
Xanatos wasn't here."

Qui-Gon treaded water, surveying the area. "What's that?"  he  suddenly
asked, pointing to a recessed area to one side.

"It's too small to be a landing platform," Bant said. "I think  it's  a
service area for the purification tanks."

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon's powerful stroke

toward the recessed area. The Jedi  hoisted  himself  up  on  a  narrow
ledge, water streaming down his tunic. Obi-Wan  followed,  and  Bant  easily
vaulted up behind them.

Qui-Gon worked his way along the  ledge.  It  ran  alongside  the  side
tunnel for a time. Then it ended in a sheer wall. From here they could  hear
the hum of machinery.

"We're close to the purification tanks," Bant said.

"But why would the ledge  just  end?"  Qui-Gon  wondered.  He  bent  to
examine the curving wall on one side. "Here. There's an  access  panel,"  he
said. "Bant?"

Bant eased past Obi-Wan. "I see it," she said  excitedly.  Her  fingers
ran alongside the edges. She pressed something, and the  curved  panel  slid
open.

Qui-Gon stepped through. When Obi-Wan followed, he saw that  they  were
on some sort of service platform that was suspended above the water  in  the
durasteel purification tank. A narrow, tiled staircase led down to the water
below.

Qui-Gon strode to a corner. He bent down to examine  a  servo-tool  kit
and some items stacked against the wall.

"They were here," he said.

Obi-Wan felt something that began as a  whisper,  like  a  soft  breath
against the back of his

neck. The disturbance in the Force was muffled, and he  couldn't  quite
place it. But  Qui-Gon  looked  up,  his  keen  eyes  alert.  His  gaze  met
Obi-Wan's.

Yes, his eyes seemed to say, as they had said many times  when  he  was
his Master. / feel it, too, Padawan.

Then the muffled disturbance escalated to a roar. Below them the  water
parted, and a black form rose. It was Xanatos.

Xanatos was perfectly still, waist-high in deep water, suspended by the
Force without kicking or moving his arms. His wet black hair flowed  to  his
shoulders and his sharp blue eyes,  as  clear  and  cold  as  ice  crystals,
gleamed in the dim light. Watery shadows sent flickering patterns across his
black tunic.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had already activated their lightsabers. They stood
waiting.

But Xanatos didn't move to engage them. He smiled.

"It took longer than even I imagined for you to figure out it was  me,"
he called mockingly to Qui-Gon. "That noble head of yours can be  so  thick.
Foolishly, I continue to give you credit for some intelligence."

Qui-Gon stood easily, his lightsaber activated but held loosely at  his
side. He did not appear to be in  attack  position,  but  Obi-Wan  knew  his
fight-

ing style well. If Xanatos were to spring, Qui-Gon had  only  to  shift
slightly in order to meet the attack.

Qui-Gon didn't answer Xanatos. His face was a study  in  composure.  He
didn't appear to have heard Xanatos at all.

Obi-Wan knew they could not attack while Xanatos remained in the water.
If they jumped in after him,  their  lightsabers  would  short  out  if  the
activated lasers came into contact with water. Xanatos knew it, too. Perhaps
that was why he taunted Qui-Gon, goading him to attack.

"You don't even answer me?" he called. "Still holding a grudge? What  a
hard heart you have, Qui-Gon."

"I wasn't aware we were having a conversation,"  Qui-Gon  answered.  He
moved forward a step. "That was always the  way  with  you,  Xanatos  -  you
prefer the sound of your own voice."

Obi-Wan saw a momentary flush on Xanatos' cheeks. Then he laughed. "How
tiresome you are, Qui-Gon. Your petty taunts  still  miss  their  mark.  You
never were very clever. And you still rely on children to do your work.  You
never would have figured out the water tunnels on your own."

Suddenly, he flew through the air in a great  leap,  propelled  by  the
Force. His black cape

streamed water as he activated his lightsaber in the blink of  an  eye.
Obi-Wan was ready, stepping forward even as  Xanatos  touched  down  on  the
platform.

He saw Bant make a running dive off the platform. She was unarmed,  and
no doubt was swimming for help. She had only waited for Xanatos to move.

Xanatos' red lightsaber crashed against the green  glow  of  Qui-Gon's.
The angry buzz echoed through the tunnel. Xanatos had  landed  to  Qui-Gon's
left, and Obi-Wan raced to cover the Jedi's flank.

Xanatos was a  skilled  fighter.  His  strength  was  staggering.  When
Obi-Wan's lightsaber tangled with his, the  shock  nearly  sent  him  flying
backward. It was all he could do to keep his feet. The  platform  soon  grew
slick with their wet footprints and the water from  their  clothes.  It  was
hard for Obi-Wan to keep his footing.

Xanatos was as quick as he  was  strong,  already  whirling  away  from
Obi-Wan's attacks to strike at Qui-Gon.

Gradually,  Obi-Wan  became  aware  that  Qui-Gon  had   succeeded   in
manipulating Xanatos, getting him close to the narrow stairs. Xanatos took a
step down, then another, as Qui-Gon stepped up the fierceness of his attack.
Obi-Wan saw the reason for the strategy. If Xanatos

got close enough to the tank, he would  have  to  swing  back  to  gain
momentum for his blows. Xanatos would run  the  risk  of  shorting  out  his
lightsaber or weakening his attacks.

The strategy could not be  obvious,  he  knew.  They  had  to  distract
Xanatos with countermoves so that he wouldn't realize how close  he  was  to
the water below.

Obi-Wan joined in the attempt, trying to keep Xanatos off-balance while
driving him toward the water. The steps were slippery. It was  difficult  to
get enough grounding to lend strength to  his  blows.  He  was  tiring,  but
Qui-Gon remained focused, moving gracefully, forcing  Xanatos  down  another
step.

As he fought side by side  with  Qui-Gon,  Obi-Wan  felt  the  familiar
rhythm pulse between them. The Force was strong, bonding  them  together  as
one unit.

Over the sound of the battle, the sizzle of the  lightsabers,  and  his
own heavy breathing, Obi-Wan heard a noise. It started as a  rumble  in  the
distance. Within seconds, it was a roar.

It was the water flushing the system. A giant  tidal  wave  of  foaming
water rushed toward them from a conduit in the tank.

"Jump,  Obi-Wan,"  Qui-Gon  ordered.  Using  the  Force,  they  made  a
simultaneous leap onto the platform above.

Immediately, Obi-Wan whirled to face Xanatos, who was no  doubt  behind
them.

But Xanatos had not leaped to  safety.  Grinning,  he  deactivated  his
lightsaber, then jumped off the step just as  the  torrent  roared  through.
Within the flicker of an eyelash, he was swept away.

"He'll drown," Obi-Wan said, astonished at Xanatos' action.

"No, he won't," Qui-Gon said grimly, his eyes on the white  water.  "We
shall meet him again."

The battle had not tired Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan could see that  it  had  only
fueled his determination to catch Xanatos and defeat him.

"Let's search the area," Qui-Gon told  him.  "I  have  a  feeling  that
Xanatos allowed me to maneuver him down the stairs. It was almost too easy."

"He had planned his escape," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed. "But with Xanatos,  there  is  always  a  double
motive. He was trying to lead us away from something."

Obi-Wan walked to the opposite edge of the platform. "There's a  ladder
here," he called.

A slender metal ladder was tucked against the wall. It had been  hidden
by the platform's edge. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan climbed  down.  When  they  were
just above the surface of the

water, they could hear the sound of falling water ahead.

"It's a spillover," Qui-Gon called back to Obi-Wan. The area ahead  was
concealed by Qui-Gon's broad back. "And there's a duct here leading  to  the
outside. I think -"

Suddenly, Qui-Gon paused.  Holding  onto  the  ladder  with  one  hand,
Obi-Wan leaned out to see.

Lashed against the wall was a small air-speeder.

"We've found his escape route," Qui-Gon said with satisfaction.

"Qui-Gon? Obi-Wan?" Bant's worried voice floated out to them.

"Here!" Qui-Gon shouted, and a second later her face appeared over  the
platform's edge.

"I brought Jedi security,"  she  said.  "Are  you  all  right?  Where's
Xanatos?"

"He escaped," Obi-Wan told her. "He jumped  into  the  water  when  the
tunnel was flushed."

"Let's go back  up,"  Qui-Gon  told  them.  "Security  can  remove  the
airspeeder. At least Xanatos will be trapped inside the Temple."

They climbed the ladder back to the platform, and two members  of  Jedi
security went down to take care of the speeder.

"I was so worried," Bant told them. "I hated

to leave you, but I didn't have a lightsaber, and -"

"You did the right thing,  Bant,"  Qui-Gon  interrupted  kindly.  "When
instincts are as good as yours, don't question them."

More and more Obi-Wan had to wonder if Qui-Gon was interested  in  Bant
as his next Padawan. It certainly seemed that the Jedi singled her out.

Qui-Gon turned to him. "You fought well, Obi-Wan."

Normally, Obi-Wan would have  felt  deep  satisfaction  from  Qui-Gon's
praise. But now he only wondered if Qui-Gon was merely being nice, preparing
him for the day he would be left behind.

Qui-Gon sent Bant back to brief Tahl  on  what  had  happened.  Obi-Wan
wandered off to the edge of the platform where Xanatos  had  thrown  himself
into the foaming torrent. He remembered the deep sense of unease  he'd  felt
when Xanatos had risen out  of  the  water,  the  black  form  containing  a
monstrous evil . . .

He'd been wearing a waterproof satchel on his  back,  Obi-Wan  suddenly
recalled. Why?

What if it had been no  accident  that  Xanatos  had  appeared  at  the
platform? What if he'd

come to remove the evidence that showed he'd been there?

What if he'd been tipped off? He certainly had managed to stay one step
ahead of the Jedi until now. That wasn't easy.

"I think there could be a spy at  the  Temple,"  Obi-Wan  said  slowly,
turning back to Qui-Gon. "Xanatos has someone planted there, warning him  of
our next move. Why else would he have come here with a satchel on his back?"

"Many reasons, I suppose," Qui-Gon said.

"And remember that he said that you had to rely on children to tell you
that he was using the tunnels? How did he know that Bant tipped you off?"

Qui-Gon frowned. "I'm not sure about this, Obi-Wan. The only  ones  who
knew we were searching the water tunnels were Bant and Tahl. They  are  both
completely above suspicion. Bant would never do anything to  compromise  the
security of the Temple."

Stung by how quickly Qui-Gon had  leaped  to  Bant's  defense,  Obi-Wan
blurted, "And what about Tahl? Do you trust her so well?"

"With my life," Qui-Gon answered shortly.

"But you haven't seen her in years,"  Obi-Wan  pointed  out.  "What  if
Xanatos got to her somehow?"

"No, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said curtly. "You are

wrong. I am used to betrayal. I know exactly what it  looks  like."  He
gave Obi-Wan a hard look and turned away.

Obi-Wan felt a stab of pain. He knew Qui-Gon was talking about him.

The moment the words left  Qui-Gon's  mouth,  he  regretted  them.  His
harshness had arisen more out of his frustration  at  Xanatos'  escape  than
anything Obi-Wan had said. Yes, the boy had lost his  trust.  There  was  no
need to torture him by continually reminding him  of  it.  It  was  behavior
unworthy of a Jedi.

It was his own flaw, Qui-Gon realized heavily. He was the one who could
not take the leap to trust again. It was  not  Obi-Wan's  fault.  It  was  a
combination of  Qui-Gon's  history  and  his  nature.  Although  he  felt  a
connection to other beings, he was slow to trust them. Once  his  trust  was
given, it was solid. When it shattered, he was  at  a  loss  as  to  how  to
refashion it again.

His problem. Not Obi-Wan's.

He needed to tell the boy this. The bond between Master and Padawan had
to be one of total trust, and he didn't know if he was capable of

giving it, even if Obi-Wan was. It wouldn't be fair to Obi-Wan to  take
him back under those circumstances. It might be better for Obi-Wan to find a
new Master.

/ will speak to him. When I am sure what it is I want to say.

Suddenly, the lights in the tunnel dimmed to  half-power.  Obi-Wan  and
Qui-Gon exchanged a concerned glance.  A  moment  later,  Qui-Gon's  comlink
buzzed. Tahl's crisp voice came through the unit. "We have some developments
here."

"I noticed. We'll be right there." Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. He  spoke
gently to the boy to make up for his harsh words. "I don't think Tahl is  in
league with Xanatos," he said. "But you could be right about the spy.  Let's
keep it in mind."

Obi-Wan nodded. The boy was silent as they hurriedly made their way  to
Tahl's quarters.

Tahl sat at her desk, a pile of data sheets on her lap. "I  just  spoke
to Miro," she told them. "He's been trying to fix the air circulation system
in the senior students' wing. When he took  the  necessary  steps,  all  the
lights in the Temple went to half-power. Plus, the refrigeration unit in the
dining hall failed. He's working on it."

"The lights are powered down on every floor?" Qui-Gon asked.

Tahl nodded. A ghost of a smile flitted across

her face. "Now we're almost even, Qui-Gon. We both have to work in  the
dark."

"Not quite even," Qui-Gon said with a smile that  was  evident  in  his
voice. "You're still wiser than I am."

Tahl grinned. "Speaking of which, that's  not  the  development  I  was
talking about. I found out something about Offworld. Here, I printed it  out
for you." She handed the data sheets to Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon stared at the sheets. There were columns of numbers  and  names
of companies. "You're going to have to tell me. You know  I'm  not  good  at
galactic finance."

"Offworld is not as solvent as they appear,"  Tahl  said,  tapping  her
finger on the desk. "A futile mining operation on an inhospitable planet has
drained its resources. Xanatos  refused  to  accept  defeat  and  just  kept
pouring more and more money into the operation. There's a  rumor  that  he's
secretly plundered the treasury on his home planet of Telos."

Qui-Gon stared down at the numbers, which meant  nothing  to  him.  The
figures weren't important. Tahl's findings were. If  Xanatos  was  close  to
financial ruin, maybe his motive for storming the Temple had as much  to  do
with money as revenge.

Always a double motive ...

"The vertex," he said softly.

"Of course," Tahl breathed.

Obi-Wan looked at them, puzzled.

Qui-Gon thought for a moment. Yoda  had  told  him  a  secret.  But  if
Obi-Wan was to help them, he had to know. He filled Obi-Wan in on the  story
of the Jedi agreement to guard the vertex for a short time.

"We've been focusing too much  on  Xanatos'  revenge  motive,"  Qui-Gon
said. "Xanatos is more complex than that. Why put himself in such danger  if
all he got out of it was personal satisfaction? But  destroying  the  Temple
and walking away with a fortune would be worth much more to him."

"The treasury room is one half level  below  the  Council  room,"  Tahl
said. "Isn't it strange how the wings have been  shut  down  one  after  the
other? Now everyone has been moved to the central building.  This  can't  be
accidental."

"Xanatos is planning something," Qui-Gon brooded. "He hopes to  contain
us so that it will be easier to destroy us. But how?"

The door hissed open and TooJay walked in, carrying a tray. "I  brought
your lunch, Sir Tahl," she announced.

"I'm not hungry."

"There is a protein cake, fruit, and -"

"Just put it down," Tahl ordered absently, her mind still on Xanatos.

TooJay set down the tray and began to straighten Tahl's desk.

"Whatever he is planning, it will happen soon," Tahl said.

TooJay moved one set of papers from one side of the desk to the other.

Qui-Gon stood. "Tahl, can TooJay fetch Bant? We need to talk to her."

Tahl turned toward Qui-Gon, a surprised expression on her face. "Bant?"

Qui-Gon spoke in a meaningful tone. "I'll explain when she gets here."

"TooJay, please fetch Bant from the temporary quarters," Tahl ordered.

"I can wait for your lunch tray, sir," TooJay added.

"Now," Tahl said firmly.

"I will return," TooJay said, hurrying out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind the droid, Tahl  turned  to  Qui-Gon.
"What was that about?"

"How did you get TooJay?" Qui-Gon asked her.

"I told you, Yoda arranged for it," Tahl answered.

"Did Yoda bring the droid himself?" Qui-Gon persisted.

Tahl nodded. "Why?"

"It was just a few days after you and I arrived

from Melida/Daan," Qui-Gon mused. "Was  the  droid  ever  out  of  your
sight?"

Tahl groaned. "Are you kidding? TooJay is always underfoot."  Then  she
frowned. "Except on the second day. I needed TooJay to guide me to the north
wing. But I couldn't locate her for several  hours.  She  said  she  had  to
attend some kind of  indoctrination  training.  What  are  you  driving  at,
Qui-Gon?"

Tahl looked mystified, but Obi-Wan saw where Qui-Gon was heading.  "The
droid appeared at the same time that the thefts began," he told her.

"Are you saying that TooJay is the thief?" Tahl asked. "That  droid  is
pretty conspicuous."

"No, TooJay isn't the thief," Qui-Gon said. He glanced at Obi-Wan. "But
I think we could have found our spy."

"We'll have to be sure," Obi-Wan said. "If we could  shut  TooJay  down
temporarily -"

"We could find the  transmitter,"  Qui-Gon  finished.  "We  can't  have
Xanatos know we suspect."

Tahl's mind worked quickly, absorbing Qui-Gon and  Obi-Wan's  leaps  of
thought. "How can we shut TooJay down without arousing suspicion?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "That's easy. Just act naturally."

Tahl turned her head toward him. "What do you mean, Obi-Wan?"

"It's obvious that the droid annoys you,"  Obi-Wan  answered.  "Pick  a
fight and shut her down because you've had enough."

Slowly, Tahl smiled. "I've done it before."

"Very  smart,  Obi-Wan,"  Qui-Gon  approved.  "Let's  do  it  when  she
returns."

Within minutes, TooJay reappeared. "I cannot locate Bant. If I can  say
this, Sir Tahl, I do not think it advisable for me to be absent.  You  could
need my assistance. For example, there are data sheets on the floor  several
centimeters from your I eft foot-"

"I know that," Tahl snapped. "Qui-Gon, those are for you. Why don't you
sit here?" She stood, sweeping an arm toward  a  chair.  The  tray  of  food
TooJay had brought earlier crashed to the floor. Obi-Wan sprang  forward  to
help, but Qui-Gon held him back.

"Your lunch!" TooJay scurried forward. "It was ten centimeters to  your
right -"

"Enough, you driveling droid!" Tahl snapped. "If you  don't  shut  your
voice activator, I'll shut it for you!"

"But you won't be able to navigate!" TooJay protested.

"I'll be able to think!" Tahl shouted. She

reached forward and deactivated the droid completely.

Silence fell. Tahl grinned. "Was that natural enough for you, Obi-Wan?"

Qui-Gon strode forward and began to examine  TooJay.  "Here,"  he  said
after  a  moment.  "Right  in  the  joint  of  the  pelvic   servomotor.   A
transmitter."

"Does it record and send simultaneously?" Tahl asked.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "I would guess  that  Xanatos  has  some  sort  of
trigger on his end that alerts him if  the  conversation  is  important.  He
could have programmed several word triggers, like my name, or  Yoda's,  his,
Bruck's - there could be any number of triggers. That way he doesn't have to
listen to everything that happens to you -  only  what  he  needs."  Qui-Gon
examined the transmitter. "This unit transmits audio and visuals."

"So Xanatos has known what we were  planning  all  along,"  Tahl  said,
sinking back into her chair. "He's been watching our every move. This is bad
news."

"Not at all," Qui-Gon said softly. "Now we do not have to chase him. He
will come straight to us."

Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, I need you to go to the  temporary
dormitory. Pick a senior student with your height and build. Then come  back
here. And be as quick as you can."

Without taking time to respond, Obi-Wan raced out  of  Tahl's  quarters
and headed for the lift tube. He reached the level where  the  students  had
set up sleeping areas and hastily scanned the crowd. He already knew who  he
would choose. Not only was his friend  Garen  Muln  his  size,  but  Obi-Wan
trusted his abilities as well.

"Obi-Wan! Are you looking for me?" Bant ran forward  from  a  crowd  of
students who were busy unrolling bedding.

Obi-Wan continued to scan the sea of students. "I'm looking for someone
to help Qui-Gon and me," he said.

"But I can help!" Bant's silver eyes shone eagerly.  "I'd  be  glad  to
help Qui-Gon."

The jealousy that Obi-Wan had tried to smother suddenly  leaped  inside
him.  The  hurt  and  longing  he'd  been  feeling  turned  into   something
uncontrollable. The open eagerness in Bant's face made him more furious than
ever.

"Yes, I'm sure you would," he told Bant savagely. "I'm sure you'd  take
any opportunity to show Qui-Gon how valuable you  are.  How  much  he  needs
you."

The light in Bant's eyes dimmed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you want to be Qui-Gon's Padawan," Obi-Wan said fiercely. "It's
obvious. You keep trying to impress him. You hang around him all the time."

Bant shook her head. "But I just wanted to help. I'm not trying  to  be
his Padawan. You're his Padawan, Obi-Wan."

"No, I'm not. You made that clear to me. I let him down.  So  maybe  he
deserves you, instead."

Bant's eyes filmed over. "That's not so," she whispered.

Obi-Wan caught sight of Garen. He called  his  name  and  beckoned  him
over. "We need your help," he told Garen as his friend came up.

"Obi-Wan -" Bant began.

"I don't have time to talk," Obi-Wan said brusquely.

Bant nodded, her face full of hurt. Quickly, she walked away.

"What did you say to her?" Garen asked him, taking a step toward  Bant.
"You hurt her feelings."

Obi-Wan grabbed his arm. "You don't have time  to  go  after  her  now.
Qui-Gon needs you."

Obi-Wan led the way out of the dormitory.  He  felt  guilty  about  his
harsh words. Asking for Garen's help in front of Bant was a deliberate snub.

Garen's look of disapproval both irritated him and  fueled  his  guilt.
His friend was silent as the lift tube hissed upward toward Tahl's quarters.

After this is over, I'll apologize to Bant, Obi-Wan thought. /  let  my
jealousy take over. It was wrong. I'll make it right.

The lights in  the  hallway  outside  Tahl's  quarters  were  still  at
half-power. Obi-Wan saw Qui-Gon standing by Tahl's door, his back to them.

"Qui-Gon, I brought Garen Muln," he called to him.

The tall man turned, and Obi-Wan saw it was Ali-Alann.

"I apologize," Obi-Wan said. "I thought you were Qui-Gon."

Qui-Gon stepped out from Tahl's open door-

way. "That was exactly what you were supposed to think."

Qui-Gon studied Garen. "You'll do very well," he murmured.

"Qui-Gon, I am happy to help you, but what am I  going  to  be  doing?"
Ali-Alann asked respectfully.

"Not much," Qui-Gon answered. "You have to be  me  for  a  short  time,
that's all. And Garen, you will pose as Obi-Wan."

Garen nodded. Both he and Ali-Alann had caught Qui-Gon's seriousness.

"Obi-Wan and I will record a voice track," Qui-Gon went on.  "You  will
activate it when you're  sure  that  Tahl's  personal  navigation  droid  is
nearby. Then you'll go on a search for the intruders. But you will not  find
them."

"Why not?" Garen asked.

"Because we will," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's  shoulder.
His eyes glowed fiercely. "We will put an end to this."

Qui-Gon's hand on his shoulder, his steady words, sent a shiver through
Obi-Wan. He had been unfair to Bant. If Qui-Gon was encouraging to  her,  it
was only because of his goodness. It didn't mean Qui-Gon wanted  Bant  as  a
Padawan any more than it meant that he still wanted Obi-Wan. It  only  meant
that he was encouraging strength where he saw it.

Obi-Wan realized it wasn't Bant who stood between him and  Qui-Gon.  It
was Qui-Gon's own feelings. He had known that. He just didn't want to accept
it.

"We'll have to exchange tunics," Qui-Gon said.  "Everything  they  wear
and carry must be ours. We can't underestimate Xanatos. The match must be as
perfect as possible."

Tahl suddenly came to the door. Her sightless eyes zeroed in on Qui-Gon
exactly. Her ability to place people by their voices was exceptional.

"Qui-Gon, we could have a problem," she said.  "Bant  has  disappeared.
She knows she's not supposed to roam the Temple without permission."

Garen and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance.  They  knew  why  Bant  had  left
without permission.

Just then, Qui-Gon's comlink signaled. He activated it.

"What a pleasure to greet you again, Qui-Gon."

Everyone froze. The mockery that ran through  the  deep  voice  alerted
even Ali-Alann and Garen that this was Xanatos.

"What do you want?" Qui-Gon asked tersely.

"My transport,"  Xanatos  answered  smoothly.  "Fully  fueled,  on  the
spaceport landing platform. And no one around to follow me."

"Why should I give you this?" Qui-Gon asked scornfully.

"Hmmm. An interesting question. Perhaps because I have  bumped  into  a
friend of yours in the water tunnel. I think it might be a good idea if  the
fish-girl stays with me for awhile. Unless you object."

It took a moment, no more, for Obi-Wan to realize  who  Xanatos  meant.
Bant. He had kidnapped Bant.

Qui-Gon squeezed the comlink so hard  that  Obi-Wan  was  surprised  it
didn't shatter. Tahl grabbed the doorframe. Garen took a step forward, as if
he could reach through the comlink and grapple with  Xanatos.  Only  Obi-Wan
did not move. His blood had turned to ice, his muscles to stone.

"So do we have a deal?" Xanatos asked. "My transport, and  I  send  the
girl back to you. I'll give you fifteen minutes. That is all."

"How do I know you have Bant?" Qui-Gon asked.

Seconds later, a firm, high voice  came  over  the  comlink.  "Qui-Gon,
don't do it. I'm fine. I don't want you to -"

Bant's voice was cut off abruptly. The comlink went dead.

Qui-Gon went inside Tahl's quarters to confer with her.  Ali-Alann  and
Garen followed. Obi-Wan still found himself unable to move.

It was as though his body had taken over, refusing  to  listen  to  his
mind. No matter how forcefully he told his legs to  move,  they  would  not.
Never before had this happened, not during battle, not even when Cerasi  had
been killed in front of his eyes.

The words passed through  his  mind  rapidly,  like  figures  streaming
across a data screen.

My fault. My fault. Bant will die. She will die. Xanatos is  merciless.
She will die. And again it will be my fault.

Bant and Cerasi merged in his mind. His grief was  a  howl  inside  his
body. It tore at his stomach, his throat, and yet he could not let it loose.

The loss of Cerasi rushed through him, as keen as  the  moment  he  had
seen the life ebb in

her crystal green eyes. She was gone to him forever. For  the  rest  of
his days, he would think of her, need her, turn to  say  something  to  her,
decide to contact her.. . and he would never be able to reach her again.

He loved Bant as he had loved Cerasi.  How  could  he  have  spoken  so
harshly to her? How could he have suspected the most loving heart he knew of
plotting against him? She would never have tried  to  take  his  place  with
Qui-Gon. He knew that as surely as he knew his own name. He had  spoken  out
of bitterness, out of fatigue, out of his own shame, out of  everything  but
truth.

Bant always spoke the truth. What a valuable friend she was.

And he would lose her. He would lose her forever.

My fault.

If Bant died, the grief would destroy him.

He bent over and stared at the floor, his heart racing as  though  he'd
just fought a battle. He gulped down his panic, but he could not make it  go
away. Instead it rose in his throat again and again, choking him.

He heard footsteps approach him, then pause.  He  recognized  Qui-Gon's
step.

No. Don't let him see me this way.

He struggled to compose himself. But the

panic was too real. The fear squeezed his throat, cramped his  muscles.
He could not move.

He saw Qui-Gon's boots stop in front of him. Then, to his surprise, the
large man crouched next to him. His voice was close to his ear.

"It is all right, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said gently. "I understand."

Obi-Wan shook his head. Qui-Gon could not possibly understand.

"Never fear your feelings, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "They can guide  you
if you control them."

"I - | can't." Obi-Wan forced the words out. How he hated to admit  his
weakness to Qui-Gon! But he could not lie.

"Yes, you can," Qui-Gon said with the same gentleness. "I know you can.
You are a Jedi. You will focus. You will reach your calm center. Do not  try
to tamp down the fear. Do not let it grip you. If you let  it  move  through
you, it will leave you. Breathe."

Obi-Wan breathed. A tiny part  of  the  panic  loosened  its  grip.  He
breathed again, and felt the fear rise. This time he did not battle  it.  He
pictured it rising on his breath, leaving his  body.  His  muscles  loosened
slightly.

"We will rescue Bant," Qui-Gon continued. "We will defeat  Xanatos.  We
will bring him down."

The panic was lessening. But not the shame.

"I hurt her." The words were jerky, forced out on a hiccup of  air.  "I
made her run away."

"Ah." Qui-Gon paused. "Did you send her to Xanatos? Speaking sharply to
a friend is wrong, Obi-Wan. It is cause for an apology. But it is not  cause
to  be  responsible  for  what  happens  afterward.  Bant  knows  that.  Her
kidnapping is not your fault, and she would be the  first  to  say  so.  She
knows she should not use the water tunnels alone."

Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the floor. He grabbed onto Qui-Gon's  calmness
like a raft. He strove to find it within himself. He knew that  Qui-Gon  was
frantic to find Bant, was full of anxiety to rid the Temple of Xanatos.  Yet
Qui-Gon crouched next to him, perfectly willing to wait out his panic.

"You want to return to the Jedi," Qui-Gon continued. "Now  be  a  Jedi.
This is the moment. This is exactly the moment when you must. The very worst
time is the time you must follow the Code. Cast away  your  doubt.  Let  the
Force flow through you."

Obi-Wan lifted his head and met Qui-Gon's steady  gaze.  Now  he  could
feel the Force move between them, gather itself and surround them.  He  knew
that together they could defeat Xanatos. He was able to cast doubt aside and
believe.

Qui-Gon saw the change in his face. "Are you ready?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

"Then come." Qui-Gon stood. Obi-Wan found that his legs  moved  easily.
The strange paralysis was gone.

"What are we going to do?" Obi-Wan asked.

"When your enemy strikes unexpectedly, things  change,"  Qui-Gon  said.
"But if your plan is good, there is no reason to abandon it."

Tahl sent TooJay on an  errand  while  Qui-Gon  and  Obi-Wan  exchanged
clothes with Garen and Ali-Alann.

"Your boots are too big," Garen said, clomping around Tahl's quarters.

"No, your boots are too small," Obi-Wan said, wincing.

Qui-Gon and Tahl stood in a corner, speaking softly to Miro  Daroon  on
the comlink. Their voices blended, interrupted, spoke rapidly and crisply as
they conferred on strategy, deciding what Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would  say  on
the voice track.

When Tahl and Qui-Gon signed off, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon  went  over  what
they would say several times. They would need to have the rhythm of  natural
conversation, Qui-Gon drilled into Obi-Wan. It was perfectly  all  right  to
hesi-

tate or interrupt. But the information had to be

exact.

The conversation had to be recorded in the hallway. The noise level and
ambient sound had to mimic the area where TooJay would  overhear.  Ali-Alann
and Garen stood at opposite ends of the hallway, making sure  no  one  would
pass. They also served as lookouts for TooJay.

While these preparations were made, Obi-Wan felt a constant  tightening
inside himself. Thanks to Qui-Gon, he had driven out his fear. Now his  task
was to find his center. He was impatient to engage Bruck  and  Xanatos.  Yet
impatience was not an ally in battle. It was an enemy. Qui-Gon  had  drilled
that into him many times. He tried to draw on Qui-Gon's composure. The  Jedi
Knight seemed perfectly unhurried, yet Obi-Wan saw how quickly and surely he
moved and spoke. In barely any time at all, everyone was clear on  what  had
to be done and everyone was in position.

Qui-Gon activated the voice track. "We must talk, Obi-Wan. We must move
fast. No doubt Xanatos has moved Bant from the water  tunnels.  We'll  begin
the search in the north wing  of  the  Temple.  Did  you  get  the  infrared
sensors?" "I have them here," Obi-Wan replied. "Where will the other  search
teams be?"

"They'll start at the high floor of the north wing while  we  begin  at
the lowest. We'll meet in the middle and then shut down the wing  completely
and move onto the south wing. We'll trap them eventually."

"I don't know why we have to leave Xanatos' transport  on  the  landing
platform," Obi-Wan protested. "Why should we give him what he wants?"

"Because he might be checking to be sure that we do. We can't  endanger
Bant. Patience, Obi-Wan. Xanatos will never reach the transport."

"I can't help it," Obi-Wan said fiercely, making  his  voice  rise.  "I
want to fight them!"

Qui-Gon had directed Obi-Wan to seem impatient. He  wanted  Xanatos  to
think the boy was close to the edge of his control. It could  give  them  an
advantage in the coming battle if Xanatos underestimated Obi-Wan.

"You must have control," Qui-Gon said  sternly.  "Now,  as  we  search,
remember that Miro will be shutting down the power system. We can't run  the
risk of other systems failing while we search. Miro will have to  shut  down
the system in order to run a program to find all the bugs."

"Will we lose power completely?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes. Miro will have to shut down water sys-

tems, communications, power stations, and last of  all,  security.  The
turnoff will last for twelve minutes. Then Miro will turn  the  system  back
on, beginning with security. It's a necessary risk. Now come. Let's head for
the north wing." Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walked off toward  the  lift  tube.  As
soon as they turned the corner, Qui-Gon deactivated the voice track.

He handed it to Ali-Alann and Garen.  In  a  few  moments,  Tahl  would
summon TooJay. Ali-Alann and Garen would impersonate Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and
transmit the conversation while TooJay was within earshot. This  would  give
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon time to position themselves to ambush Xanatos.

Qui-Gon was counting on the  fact  that  Xanatos  would  be  monitoring
closely, since he would want to know if his demand would be met.  Thanks  to
the transmitted conversation, he would think he had a clear field.

"You two must seem to follow through on  the  plan,"  Qui-Gon  directed
Ali-Alann and Garen. "Start  searching  the  north  wing.  Try  to  stay  in
ill-lighted areas, just in case Xanatos or Bruck checks to make sure."

Ali-Alann and Garen nodded.

"And what am I to do, Qui-Gon?" Tahl asked softly.

"Your work is done, my friend," Qui-Gon said. "Now it is up to  me  and
Obi-Wan."

"May the Force be with you," Tahl murmured.

"May it be with us  all,"  Qui-Gon  quietly  replied.  He  signaled  to
Obi-Wan, and they headed for the lift tube.

"Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To Xanatos' ultimate destination," Qui-Gon answered. "Everything  he's
done has led to this. Capturing Bant was a bonus - he can  now  use  her  as
leverage to get his transport back. He knew Miro would  eventually  have  to
shut down the entire power core, including the  security  system.  In  those
precious minutes when security is down, Xanatos is planning to strike."

Of course! "He's going after  the  vertex  in  the  security  chamber,"
Obi-Wan said.

"And we will be waiting," Qui-Gon replied grimly.

The security chamber was built  like  a  strongbox.  It  could  not  be
reached by turbolift, only by a short stairway down from  the  Jedi  Council
room itself. Access was limited to Jedi Council  members,  who  underwent  a
retinal scan to enter. Approval had  to  be  received  and  coded  into  the
central system.

Ali-Alann and Garen's impersonation had given them time to arrange  the
ambush. Yoda arranged for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to enter before security  shut
down. The hallway outside the chamber was narrow and  dark,  the  lights  at
half-power.

"Three minutes until Miro shuts down the power," Qui-Gon  told  Obi-Wan
softly. "Xanatos and Bruck will come through one of the air  ducts.  Do  not
wait to engage them. Surprise is key. But don't activate your lightsaber too
early or the glow will alert them that someone is here."

Obi-Wan nodded. He gripped his lightsaber,  keeping  his  eyes  on  the
ceiling above. The minutes slid by slowly. The unventilated air  caused  him
to perspire. His fingers slipped on the lightsaber hilt. Quickly,  he  wiped
his palm on his tunic.

He tried to summon up Qui-Gon's calm, but it slipped by him. He did not
know why he was having such trouble with his composure. Every nerve  was  on
fire. All he could think of was Bant. Was she alive or dead?

The thought of Bant sent panic shooting through him again. Obi-Wan  bit
down against it. They would save Bant.  They  would  defeat  Xanatos.  Their
enemy was not invincible. He trusted Qui-Gon's strength and cleverness.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Even  though  Obi-Wan  knew  this  would
happen when Miro shut down the central power core, it still made him  start.
He wrenched his mind to stillness.

A slight noise overhead alerted him that someone was now  traveling  in
the duct system. Qui-Gon kept his eyes trained on the duct  closest  to  the
treasury door.

Moments later, the grate slid  open.  Xanatos  and  Bruck  somersaulted
through, both dressed in black, blending into the darkness. The  only  gleam
of light was of Bruck's white ponytail and Xanatos' pale skin.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon moved as  one.  They  sprang  forward,  lightsabers
activated.

The surprise on Xanatos' face was gratifying. He gave a  strangled  cry
of rage and sprang back, his hand reaching for his lightsaber.

Bruck was not as quick. He stumbled back, fumbling.  The  hilt  of  his
lightsaber was in his hand when Qui-Gon, with a delicate touch,  knocked  it
away without touching Bruck's skin. He did not want to harm  the  boy,  just
capture him.

Obi-Wan sprang toward Xanatos as Qui-Gon came at him on the other side.

But this time Xanatos surprised them. Instead of trying to elude  them,
he leaped forward and grabbed Bruck. He  held  his  glowing  red  lightsaber
against the boy's neck.

"Don't come any closer," he said, his eyes snapping a  challenge.  "You
know I'll do it, Qui-Gon."

"Xanatos?" Bruck's eyes wobbled in fear.

"Be quiet," Xanatos snapped. "Now I have  two  hostages,  Qui-Gon,"  he
continued. "Do you want to sacrifice two young lives?"

Qui-Gon made a subtle movement toward Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan felt  the  Force
surge. Qui-Gon was reaching out to him, trying to tell  him  something.  But
what?

If your plan is good, there is no reason to abandon it.

Obi-Wan remembered that Qui-Gon had wanted him to seem impatient, close
to the edge of control. Xanatos would not look at him as a threat.

"You're not going to let him get away  with  this,  are  you?"  Obi-Wan
shouted, pumping desperation in his voice. "I don't care about Bruck!  Let's
charge him!"

"The boy is ruthless, Qui-Gon," Xanatos purred. "Did he learn this from
you?"

With a cry, Obi-Wan started toward Xanatos. At the same  time,  Qui-Gon
sprang forward. Xanatos gave Bruck a violent shove away from him, trying  to
use the boy to block Obi-Wan's advance. At the same time, he stepped forward
to meet Qui-Gon's first strike.

Bruck dropped to the floor and scrambled for  his  lightsaber.  Obi-Wan
leaped to prevent it, but Bruck grasped it, rolled away, and sprang  to  his
feet.

"Make sure she is dead!" Xanatos hissed at Bruck. "Now!"

Bruck took off toward the end of the hallway.

"After him!" Qui-Gon roared to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan raced to catch up to Bruck, but Xanatos stepped to the side and
made a diving

sweep at him. Obi-Wan parried  the  violent  blow,  but  it  drove  him
backward. He slashed at Xanatos, but Xanatos blocked his  every  move  while
twisting to evade Qui-Gon's attack.

Grimly, Qui-Gon stepped up his pace,  going  after  Xanatos  again  and
again, so relentlessly that Obi-Wan was free to maneuver.

He didn't want to leave Qui-Gon alone with Xanatos. But he had to  stop
Bruck. It was an impossible choice, but he had to make it.

Leaving Qui-Gon behind, Obi-Wan took off to save Bant.

Qui-Gon felt the dark surge of Xanatos' anger charge the  air.  He  did
not meet it with his own.

Once he had hated Xanatos,  but  he  could  not  exist  with  hate  and
continue to be a Jedi. He did not hate his enemy. He  wished  to  stop  him.
There was a difference. He knew Xanatos wanted him to use  hate  and  anger.
Xanatos wanted more than anything to prove that Qui-Gon Jinn  could  violate
the Jedi Code. That would be his victory.

Qui-Gon found his core of purpose and stillness  even  as  he  vaulted,
somersaulted, came at Xanatos from one  approach,  then  another.  His  will
collided with that of his former apprentice.

Xanatos flipped backward twice, then changed hands and came at  Qui-Gon
from a different angle. This was a new skill. Now Xanatos  fought  with  two
hands. Qui-Gon would have to be alert for a  sudden  change  in  attack.  He
parried Xana-

tos' blow with a backhanded sweep, then  whirled  to  jab  an  uppercut
toward the chin. Xanatos stepped back, anticipating the  move.  But  Qui-Gon
was already reversing. His next blow missed Xanatos by a hair.  He  saw  the
displeasure in his

eyes.

Xanatos turned and ran. Qui-Gon gave pursuit, running  swiftly  up  the
staircase and bursting into the Jedi Council room.

The Force warned him to duck, and he rolled away to his left.  A  small
table smashed into the wall behind him,  propelled  by  the  Force.  Qui-Gon
ducked as a viewscreen followed, smashing as it  hit  the  wall  behind  his
head. He sprang forward, descending on Xanatos with a lightning-fast  series
of lunges.

"Your age is slowing you down, Qui-Gon," Xanatos  panted.  "Five  years
ago you would have dispatched me inside  the  security  chamber.  Now  I  am
faster than you."

"No," Qui-Gon said as their lightsabers clashed. "You just talk more."

He circled Xanatos,  looking  for  an  opening.  Xanatos  kept  moving,
keeping the Council chairs between them. Using the Force, Xanatos caused one
to slide away and smash against the wall. Then he pounced.

Their battle assumed a new ferocity. Again

and  again  their  lightsabers  tangled  as  each  tried  to  gain  the
advantage.

"Give up, Qui-Gon," Xanatos growled. "I will outlast you. I  will  kill
you here, then steal the vertex. Your precious  Jedi  will  have  to  go  on
without you."

Qui-Gon blocked a sweeping blow. "Your small mistakes have always  been
your downfall."

"I... don't... make ... mistakes." Xanatos grunted out the words as  he
took an involuntary step backward under the fury of Qui-Gon's assault.

"Your footwork betrays you," Qui-Gon answered, pressing  his  advantage
with a slashing blow. "You don't realize how you let me know your next move.
Notice how your body is leaning just slightly. You're placing more weight on
the ball of your left foot. You're going to move left."

Xanatos shifted his balance,  and  Qui-Gon,  already  anticipating  his
reaction, drove forward. Xanatos nearly dropped his lightsaber as he slammed
against the wall.

Ready to push his advantage, Qui-Gon  leaped  after  him.  But  Xanatos
switched hands again, parrying Qui-Gon's blow as he leaped across the  room.
He landed on a table close to the window. Gripping his lightsaber, he cut  a
hole in

the window that overlooked the tall towers of

Coruscant.

The window peeled back. Keeping his eyes on Qui-Gon, Xanatos smiled.

"You will never defeat me, Qui-Gon Jinn. That is your curse."

Then he leaped out into thin air.

Since the turbolifts weren't operational, Obi-Wan had  to  race  behind
Bruck down hallways and stairs. The sound of Bruck's heavy footsteps alerted
him to the boy's direction. Bruck had never been light on his feet.

Soon, Obi-Wan guessed where Bruck was heading - the Room of a  Thousand
Fountains. Where better to hide Bant than underwater?

He ducked into the room. Immediately, he spotted  Bruck  running  along
one of the trails that twisted through the greenery. Obi-Wan ran as silently
as he could, hoping to surprise Bruck from behind.

But an instant before Obi-Wan reached him, Bruck stepped off  the  path
and reversed direction. He had learned cunning from Xanatos.

The Force warned Obi-Wan of the attack a split  second  before,  or  he
would have run into

the end of Bruck's lightsaber. Bruck came  at  him  with  a  two-handed
sweep.

Obi-Wan had time for a flashpoint of unreality, as though he were in  a
dream. His old adversary advanced, a light of anger and rivalry in his eyes.
Everything was so familiar - Bruck's aggressive  stance,  his  small,  angry
eyes, the way his fingers gripped the hilt of the lightsaber.

But this isn't training. It's real. He wants to kill

me.

Obi-Wan deflected the blow and whirled to take the offensive. But Bruck
had gained in strength as well as strategy. He blocked  Obi-Wan's  blow  and
struck again.

"I've learned well, haven't I?" he asked, his pale  blue  eyes  fierce.
"Xanatos showed me what true power is. The Jedi will regret that  they  held
me back!"

"They never held you back," Obi-Wan said, parrying Bruck's  strike.  He
stayed on the defensive, waiting to turn into  the  aggressor.  If  he  kept
Bruck talking, perhaps he could spot Bant. While he parried and struck,  his
eyes darted around, searching for a glimpse of her under the still  surfaces
of the pools that surrounded

him. "No one chose me as Padawan!" Bruck cried,

grunting as he swung a brutal blow toward Obi-Wan's legs.

Obi-Wan danced backward. "Then you were not ready."

"I was ready!" Bruck screamed. Then his expression grew  crafty.  "More
ready than you, Obi-Wan. You're the one who disgraced the order."

Obi-Wan knew that Bruck was trying to get him to lose his  temper.  But
the words still hit their mark. His next blow had anger behind  it.  He  saw
Bruck's satisfied smile.

Yes, Bruck had learned well from Xanatos.

"I was always better than you," Bruck  taunted  him.  "Now  I  am  even
stronger."

But Obi-Wan knew that he, too, was stronger. Thanks to Qui-Gon he was a
smarter fighter, cooler, with better strategy.

As long as I don't give in to my anger.

Obi-Wan remembered how Qui-Gon had pointed out that in  the  battle  on
the platform, Xanatos had subtly kept them away from what he was  trying  to
conceal: the airspeeder. Now Obi-Wan wondered if the apprentice had  learned
from the Master: was Bruck pushing him back slowly in order to keep him away
from seeing Bant?

With a great leap, Obi-Wan suddenly launched

an offensive. His furious blows sent Bruck backward, and he kept up the
assault, driving him down the path. Sweat poured from his body as  he  swung
the lightsaber in a ceaseless motion, attacking Bruck from all sides.

The highest waterfall loomed ahead. Normally the cascading water flowed
into a deep pool, but since Miro had turned off all systems,  the  waterfall
was dry.

But the pool was not. Obi-Wan felt his heart  stop  as  he  glimpsed  a
flash of a lighter blue underneath the deep sapphire of  the  water.  Bant's
tunic! His fear threatened to choke him, but he willed it to calm. He  drove
Bruck before him relentlessly until they reached the edge of the

pool.

Bant lay on the bottom. Her ankle  was  securely  chained  to  a  heavy
anchor. Obi-Wan felt relief course through him as tiny bubbles rose  to  the
surface of the water. She was still alive.

Bant could last underwater for long periods of  time,  but  she  needed
oxygen to breathe. How long had she been under?

"She doesn't look too good,  does  she?"  Bruck  remarked  as  he  took
advantage of Obi-Wan's distraction to administer a  two-handed  blow  toward
his midsection.

Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber and deflected the blow. As  he  staggered
from the impact, he

screamed Bant's name, calling on the Force to help him reach her.

Her eyelids opened slowly.  She  blinked.  But  she  seemed  to  barely
register his presence. Her eyes closed again.

Hold on, Bant!

But Obi-Wan did not feel an answer. Her living  Force  was  ebbing.  He
could feel it. Bant would die.

"That's right, Obi-Wan," Bruck taunted him. "Bant  is  dying.  I  won't
have to do a thing. I'll just make you watch it. We would have freed her  if
we got the treasure. But another person will die because of  you.  Right  in
front of your eyes. Just like your friend Cerasi. I overheard the other Jedi
talk about how you failed her."

At the sound of Cerasi's name, something shattered inside Obi-Wan.  The
composure he'd fought for was gone now. He attacked Bruck  in  a  fury,  not
caring about strategy or finesse.

Startled, Bruck backed up the hill that formed the waterfall. It was  a
rocky slope, the footing treacherous.  Ruthlessly,  Obi-Wan  pressed  Bruck,
driving  him  up,  keeping  him  off-balance.  Their  lightsabers   tangled.
Obi-Wan's arm muscles ached as he swung with all his might with each stroke.
He felt clumsy in Garen's too-small boots.

Bruck reached the top of the hill. He took the

opportunity to plant his feet and swing down at Obi-Wan, aiming for his
chest. Obi-Wan twisted as he parried the blow. His foot slipped on the mossy
rocks and he landed on one knee. Pain sliced through him, followed by fear.

If he lost this battle, Bant would die.

Still on one knee, Obi-Wan managed to deflect Bruck's thrusts.  But  he
had allowed anger to pierce his heart - deadly for such an intense battle.

The muscle weakness he had felt outside Tahl's  quarters  returned.  He
could barely keep the lightsaber  moving  in  order  to  counteract  Bruck's
blows. He tried to use the Force again, but it proved  as  slippery  as  the
moss-covered rocks.

"Good move, Oafy-Wan," Bruck sneered.

Bruck had given him that  nickname  when  they  were  students  in  the
Temple, making fun of his growing legs and his occasional misstep during

training.

At the memory of Bruck's cruelty, a sudden passion for  vengeance  rose
in Obi-Wan. Bruck's cruelty had once  been  petty.  Now  it  was  dangerous.
Xanatos had made Bruck a killer.

Boiling anger blurred his vision. He hated Bruck as  he  had  hated  no
living creature. Anger drove out the Force completely, leaving him in a

vacuum that he filled with his rage. The rage united with his fear  and
panic and created a dark cloud that threatened to overtake him completely.

Bruck saw the change in his eyes. His own pale blue eyes  flashed  with
cruel satisfaction. He planted both hands on the hilt of the lightsaber  and
raised it high.

In that split second, Obi-Wan saw the seeds of his own defeat.

This is the moment. The very worst time is the time you must follow the
Code.

Cast away your doubt, Padawan. Let the Force enter you.

Obi-Wan raised his saber. He let his anger and fear move  through  him,
exhaling them in a breath. He reached inside and found his center of calm.

Bruck's lightsaber came down, and he blocked it. But his diversion  had
cost him. He struggled to the lip of the hill and gained it just as  Bruck's
next blow fell. Obi-Wan parried the strike, but did not have the balance  to
counterattack. It didn't matter. He had regained his calm. He  could  regain
his footing. He knew now that he could defeat Bruck.

But Bruck was equally  certain  of  victory.  Obi-Wan's  fall  and  his
unsteady footwork had con-

vinced him that the battle  was  his.  Bruck's  flaw  had  always  been
overconfidence when he thought he was on the verge of winning....

Obi-Wan circled around Bruck, forming a new strategy. He bounded from a
rock and flipped over Bruck so that he was behind  him.  He  just  needed  a
moment to check his chrono so that Bruck would not notice.

Miro was shutting down the system for  twelve  minutes.  He  had  about
eleven seconds until Miro began powering up the different  systems,  one  by
one. First, security. Then the water systems would resume.

Obi-Wan moved forward, pushing Bruck back toward the  dry  bed  of  the
waterfall. He made sure to continue to block Bruck's  blows  and  retaliate,
but weakened his stroke slightly. He still wanted Bruck overconfident.

"Getting tired, Oafy-Wan? Don't worry. It won't be long before I finish
you off."

Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan saw the red security  light  beam
on the service console. The water would be next.

Bruck's ponytail whipped around as he whirled, attacking  Obi-Wan  from
the left. Instead of blocking  the  blow,  Obi-Wan  stepped  aside  so  that
Bruck's momentum would send him into the dry waterfall bed.

He heard a distant roar. If Bruck heard it, he

did not understand its significance. His entire being  was  focused  on
his anger and his lust for victory.

The water gushed from the hidden pipes and spilled out  in  a  torrent.
Obi-Wan had timed his counterattack, and Bruck found himself  surrounded  by
water. He was barely able to keep his footing, but he swung  his  lightsaber
back to aim another blow at Obi-Wan ...

And hit the water with the laser.  With  a  fizzing  sound,  the  saber
shorted out.

"That's it, Bruck," Obi-Wan said. "Give up."

"Never!" Bruck yelled fiercely, hate still in his  eyes.  Bruck's  face
contorted in a frenzy of frustrated rage. He leaned down to pick up a weapon
to throw at Obi-Wan, any of the rocks that lined  the  bed.  But  the  water
pulled at him, and he slipped on the mossy rocks. He lost  his  footing  and
stumbled back to the very edge of the waterfall. He teetered on the edge for
an instant, his eyes wide with disbelief and panic.

In one fluid motion, Obi-Wan  deactivated  his  lightsaber  and  leaped
forward. He reached out a hand, ready to pull Bruck to safety.

But it was too late. Bruck's panic sent his arms  windmilling,  further
unsettling his balance. Obi-Wan felt Bruck's fingertips  brush  his  as  his
opponent tumbled backward into thin air.

Obi-Wan stepped forward and grimaced as

he saw Bruck's body hit a rock and bounce, then hit another. He  landed
on the dry grass beside the waterfall. His head lay at an awkward angle, and
he was still.

Obi-Wan gathered the Force to him and dove off the top of the falls.

He landed clear of the rocks, and pushed  himself  upward  through  the
cool water. He swam quickly to the bank and vaulted out onto the  grass.  He
felt for Bruck's vital signs.

Bruck was dead. Obi-Wan guessed that he had died  instantly.  His  neck
was broken.

He did not have time to wonder how he felt about that. There  was  Bant
to save. Obi-Wan felt in the interior pocket of  Bruck's  tunic,  hoping  to
find a key to unlock Bant's chains. Surely Xanatos had given Bruck the means
to free Bant as well as let her die.

His fingers closed around a small durasteel square with  holes  drilled
into it. It had to be the key.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into the pool. He swam down toward  Bant.
He grabbed the chain and fitted the durasteel  square  into  the  lock.  The
chain fell free.

Obi-Wan scooped up Bant and hugged  her  to  his  chest.  She  felt  as
insubstantial as a handful of snow.

He exploded above the water, gulping air, and

swam to the bank. He waded out and carefully lay Bant on the grass.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Breathe," he urged.

She took a ragged breath, then another. Color began to  return  to  her
cheeks.

Obi-Wan laid his head against the top of hers. He kept his  arm  around
her. His warm tears mingled with the cold moisture on her skin.

"I'm so sorry," he told her. "I'm so sorry. This was my fault."

Bant coughed. "Don't," she said.

Don't what? Hold her?

"No ... need," she forced out.

Things were not resolved between them. There was so much he  needed  to
say. But he could not leave Qui-Gon to fight Xanatos alone any longer.

"I have to help Qui-Gon," he said. "Will you be all right?"

Bant's breathing was easier, and her nod was  strong.  "I'm  fine.  Go.
You're his Padawan. He needs you."

Qui-Gon moved fast. He leaped out the broken window after  Xanatos.  He
knew the same  thing  Xanatos  did  -  that  outside,  a  narrow  ledge  ran
underneath the windows.

He used the Force to propel his  leap  and  guide  him  to  the  ledge.
Xanatos was already moving away from him. Qui-Gon  guessed  he  was  heading
around to the south, where the landing platform was, fifteen stories below.

Qui-Gon could see the spires and towers of Coruscant.  Airspeeders  and
air transports buzzed above and below him. An air taxi sailed by. One of its
passengers looked out, then did a double take when he saw the two men on the
ledge hundreds of kilometers in the air.

The wind was powerful up there, rising in gusts that were strong enough
to make Qui-Gon stagger. He hung onto the sill above his head until  a  gust
passed, then pressed on.

Xanatos was moving quickly, but Qui-Gon knew he could catch up to him.

Xanatos looked back and grinned. The wind whipped his black  hair,  and
his blazing blue eyes looked deranged. The  wind  was  dying  down.  Qui-Gon
moved quickly, almost running.

He caught up to Xanatos before they were above the landing platform. He
could not let Xanatos move much farther in that direction.

Qui-Gon activated his lightsaber and attacked.  This  was  the  moment.
This was his stand. He would kill Xanatos here. Not  from  anger.  From  the
certainty that this evil had to be stopped.

They fought with concentrated ferocity, each blow designed to cause the
other to stagger and fall. Balance was tricky  on  the  narrow  ledge.  Wide
blows could only come from one side.  Follow-through  was  difficult.  Still
Qui-Gon adapted his style to fit the area. He  used  short  jabs,  sometimes
falling on one knee to come at Xanatos from below. He felt the  Force  swirl
around him, strong and sure, aiding his instincts, telling him where Xanatos
would move next and how. He blocked each blow and  came  back  stronger.  He
sensed that Xanatos was on  the  edge  of  desperation,  though  his  former
apprentice would never let him see it.

"Haven't you forgotten something, Qui-Gon?" Xanatos called to him  over
the screaming wind.

"The last part of that takeover equation. Devastation."

"You must be tiring, Xanatos," Qui-Gon said.  "That's  when  you  begin
your taunts." He gritted his teeth as he  slammed  a  blow  toward  Xanatos'
shoulder.

Xanatos blocked it. "Your precious Temple is doomed!" he shouted. "When
that idiot Miro Daroon powers up the last link  in  the  system,  the  whole
fusion furnace will blow. The Temple will implode. Did you really think  I'd
allow the Jedi to follow me?"

Qui-Gon staggered both from surprise and  an  unexpected  short  strike
from Xanatos' left. Was he telling the truth? Desperately, Qui-Gon  realized
there was no way for him to know.

He attacked furiously, delivering a wide arm sweep from the  left.  The
two lightsabers tangled. For  an  instant,  their  faces  were  very  close.
Xanatos' eyes burned with a strange light. The pale half-circle scar on  his
cheek gleamed.

"What you revere can destroy you." His  voice  was  soft,  yet  Qui-Gon
caught every word. "Haven't you learned that yet?"

Above him, Qui-Gon saw the lights of the Council  room  flicker.  After
the lights,  Miro  would  power  up  the  communications  system.  Then  the
repulsorlift engines for the turbolifts

throughout the complex. The air circulation would be last.

Qui-Gon calculated that he had only three minutes before the explosion.
Maybe four. If Xanatos was telling the truth . ..

"You can't be sure, can you, Qui-Gon?" Xanatos sneered. "Will you allow
your precious Padawan to die just to kill me? He tried to get away from  you
once. Why don't you get rid of him for good?"

Qui-Gon hesitated, his lightsaber held in attack position. He  knew  he
could defeat Xanatos. But how long would it take?

In that split second, Xanatos glanced below. An air  taxi  flew  twenty
meters underneath the ledge. Qui-Gon sprang forward, but Xanatos stepped off
the ledge. He landed on the air taxi. Qui-Gon  saw  the  surprised  driver's
look of panic as Xanatos calmly lifted him out of the seat  and  pushed  him
out into midair.

Qui-Gon had less than a second to decide. He could make  the  jump.  He
could land on the taxi. He could grapple with Xanatos.  He  could  end  this
once and for all.

The second passed. Xanatos roared away. Helpless rage surged in Qui-Gon
even as he deactivated his lightsaber and  raced  for  the  opening  in  the
window.

Qui-Gon jumped inside and ran, accessing his comlink as  he  moved.  He
tried to reach Miro, but the communication fields weren't fully functioning.

He was halfway to the turbolift before he realized that it wouldn't  be
operating. Qui-Gon's frustration was turning to panic. How  could  he  reach
the tech center in time?

Suddenly, Obi-Wan burst into the hallway from the stairs.

"He's rigged the Temple to implode," Qui-Gon told him. "We have to  get
to the tech center."

Obi-Wan was already moving. "Follow me."

As they raced down the hall, Qui-Gon asked tersely, "Bant?"

"She's fine," Obi-Wan said shortly. "Bruck is dead."

A pall had settled over Obi-Wan's face. He would  need  to  talk  about
this later, Qui-Gon knew.

"I studied the diagrams," Obi-Wan told him,  changing  the  subject  as
they  turned  the  corner.  "I  can  get  us  there   faster   through   the
infrastructure of the building."

Obi-Wan leaped and kicked open a duct overhead. Qui-Gon noticed that he
was barefoot. "Garen's boots slowed me  down,"  he  explained  as  he  swung
himself in. Qui-Gon followed. They crawled down a short  length  of  an  air
circulation shaft and came to a service panel. Obi-Wan accessed it. It  slid
open and he climbed in.

It was a tight fit, but Qui-Gon made it. Here he

could stand upright. They were on a catwalk, surrounded by machinery.

Qui-Gon heard a slow whining  noise.  "The  re-pulsorlift  engines  are
starting up," he said.

"This way." Obi-Wan ran down the catwalk. He came to a vertical  ladder
and began to scramble down. Quickly, Qui-Gon followed.

The ladder left them at a service door. Obi-Wan  pushed  through.  They
were now ten levels down.

"There's a back stairway to the right," Obi-Wan said as he  raced  down
the hallway with Qui-Gon beside him. "It will bring  us  to  the  horizontal
tube that is used to transport food from the dining hall to the med unit."

They came to the tube. Obi-Wan  gestured  for  Qui-Gon  to  go  inside.
Qui-Gon crammed himself into the small space. Obi-Wan squeezed  in  next  to
him. Then he hurriedly set the controls. In seconds, they were  sucked  down
the tube on a moving ramp. At the end, Obi-Wan kicked open the door.

They spilled out in one of the resting rooms in the med  unit.  Qui-Gon
knew it was on the same level as the tech center. But he also  knew  that  a
shaft separated the two wings.

Qui-Gon checked his  chrono.  "We  have  about  one  minute,"  he  told
Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan's face was streaked with sweat. "The gas duct." He  turned  and
ran.

Qui-Gon followed. Out the window he could see that across the shaft ran
an air-systems duct. "Where does it come out?"

"Right where we want it to," Obi-Wan said, locking his fingers  in  the
grate and prying it off. He kicked it aside and scrambled inside  the  duct.
"It's the gas transport system for the freezer containers used to store  med
supplies."

Qui-Gon squeezed into the opening. The duct wasn't high enough for  him
to stand. He followed closely behind Obi-Wan as they  crawled  rapidly  down
the tunnel.

"Obi-Wan, what happens if Miro tests the gas transport system  when  he
powers up the air ducts?" Qui-Gon asked.

There was a pause. "I'm not sure," Obi-Wan answered.

Qui-Gon knew that the gas pumped into molten carbonite was  toxic,  but
decided to keep the information to himself. He didn't need to tell  Obi-Wan.
The boy had caught the  implication  and  scrambled  even  faster  down  the
tunnel.

Thirty seconds. Qui-Gon tried to move fluidly, gracefully. He was a big
man, and wasn't normally fast on his hands and knees in a confined space. He
felt the Force surrounding Obi-Wan in

front of him, and it seemed to vibrate  around  them  in  the  enclosed
space, giving them strength and agility.

Qui-Gon saw a fractured beam of light ahead. They were approaching  the
grate.

Obi-Wan blasted through the opening so fast he seemed just a streak  to
Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon swung himself out. Miro was standing at  the  console,  his
fingers flying on the keys.

"Stop!" Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon yelled together.

"Don't activate the air  circulation  system,"  Qui-Gon  warned.  "It's
booby-trapped."

It didn't seem possible that Miro's translucent skin  could  pale.  But
for a moment he seemed to shimmer like a ghost. He jerked his hand back from
the console.

"We have to find the bug," Qui-Gon said, striding toward the console.

Miro punched in a code, and the blue screen that surrounded them filled
with numbers and graphs. "I ran a complete bug check  when  the  system  was
powered down," he said. "Nothing came up. There's no program in  the  system
anymore except for mine. Are you sure about this, Qui-Gon?"

"No," Qui-Gon said reluctantly. "Xanatos could have lied.  But  can  we
take the chance?"

"I can run the checks again," Miro said, tapping on the keys. "Maybe  I
missed something."

Obi-Wan stared up at the blue screen, trying to read the schematics  of
the system. Qui-Gon turned away. He knew that  Miro  was  vastly  better  at
figuring out tech systems.

But he could do something that Miro could not. He could go  inside  the
mind of Xanatos.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes, remembering the final scene  with  Xanatos  on
the ledge.  His  enemy's  fatal  flaw  was  his  need  to  boast.  Often  he
inadvertently let slip something that would alert Qui-Gon to the  diabolical
windings of his mind.

And Xanatos prided himself on his elegance. Whatever he  had  done,  it
would have a twist.

Qui-Gon remembered the fiendish glee in Xanatos' expression. Yes, there
was something personal about what he had done, some final, stinging slap  to
the Jedi.

What you revere can destroy you....

Qui-Gon's eyes sprang open. "Miro, where is the main  power  source  of
the system?" he barked.

"In the power core," Miro answered. He crossed the room  and  opened  a
durasteel door marked fusion furnace. "Here."

Qui-Gon hurried through the door. He found himself in a small  circular
room. A catwalk ran around a deep central core. A ladder led down into it.

"This is the fusion reactor. The power sources

are lined up in a grid,"  Miro  explained.  "It  goes  down  about  ten
stories. I'm running my second checkup on the power sources now, but nothing
came up the first time -"

"No," Qui-Gon murmured. "It wouldn't."

He hoisted himself onto the ladder and began to climb  down.  "Whatever
you do, don't reboot the system," he called up to Miro.

It didn't take him long to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  core.  Qui-Gon
circled around slowly, running his hands along the various compartments  and
dials. He saw a compartment labeled fusion furnace access.

Qui-Gon pressed the lever. The door slid open. Nestled inside were  the
stolen Healing Crystals of Fire.

He tucked the glowing artifacts reverently in his  tunic.  Immediately,
they warmed his skin.

He climbed up the ladder where Miro and Obi-Wan were waiting anxiously.
He pulled the crystals out of his tunic. "They were in the fusion  furnace,"
he told Miro.

"They would have served as a massive  power  source,"  Miro  said,  his
voice slightly unsteady. He cleared his throat. "They would have  started  a
chain reaction with the burst of energy from the reboot. If  I  had  punched
that key -"

"What we revere would have destroyed us," Qui-Gon finished.

The Temple returned to normal  faster  than  anyone  thought  possible.
Systems were up and running, students moved back to their quarters, new food
shipments arrived, and classes resumed.

Obi-Wan felt out of step. He  did  not  feel  normal  again.  He  still
remembered the brush of Bruck's fingers  against  his.  Time  and  again  he
stared down at his hand and opened and closed his fist, remembering  how  he
had grabbed air instead of Bruck.

Bruck had tried to kill his  friend.  Obi-Wan  was  glad  that  he  had
stopped him. But he had been responsible for another person's death, and  he
could not forget it.

Obi-Wan only had one mission now: to talk to Bant.

She had been checked out at the med  unit  and  pronounced  in  perfect
health. The only thing

she would need was rest, so she was given a day off from classes.

Obi-Wan searched for her everywhere. At last he found her at the  place
he least expected - the waterfall. She sat on a rock  overlooking  the  pool
where she'd almost died. Bant always sat as close as possible to  the  pool,
so that the fine spray misted her skin.

"Why are you here?" he asked gently, taking a seat beside her.

"This is one of my favorite spots at the Temple,"  Bant  answered,  her
silver eyes on the cascading water. "I did not want what  happened  here  to
spoil that. I almost  died  here.  Someone  else  did  lose  his  life.  The
experience taught me more about being a Jedi than a thousand  classes."  She
turned to Obi-Wan. "I hope you don't blame yourself for Bruck's death."

"I know I tried my best to save him," Obi-Wan said. "But  my  heart  is
still heavy."

"That is how it should be," Bant said. "A life is lost. When  he  still
had life, he had a chance to change."

"Bant, I am so sorry for -" Obi-Wan began in a rush.

"Don't," Bant interrupted softly. "There's no need  to  apologize.  You
saved my life, you know."

"There is a need," Obi-Wan said firmly. "There is  a  great  need."  He
stared down at his hands in

his lap. "I spoke out of anger and jealousy. What I felt mattered to me
more than your feelings."

"You were worried about your future," Bant said.  "You  are  afraid  of
losing Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan sighed. He stared out at the sapphire pool. "I thought I  could
return to the Temple and everything would be as it was.  The  Council  would
excuse me and welcome me back. Qui-Gon would come around. But I am  the  one
to come around. I see now that what I did cannot be fixed so easily. It  may
never be fixed. I see what  I've  done  to  myself,  to  the  Master-Padawan
relationship. This is why a Jedi waits so  long  and  is  so  careful  about
choosing a Padawan. So much trust is involved. I ask myself, if Qui-Gon  had
rejected me, set me loose after I pledged my life to his, how would I  feel?
Yes, I would forgive him, but could I join him again? Could I deliver all my
trust to him again?" He met Bant's eyes, feeling desolation well inside him.
"I don't know the answer," he finished. "How can I expect Qui-Gon to know?"

"I think you could trust him again," Bant said  slowly.  "And  I  think
Qui-Gon will do the same. All of this just happened. You haven't had time to
sit down and think, let alone talk to each other.  You've  been  through  so
much. There are

things that happened on Melida/Daan you  won't  tell  me."  She  paused
delicately. "When you are ready, I would like to hear them."

Obi-Wan took a shuddering breath. He could not say her name aloud.  But
somehow he knew he must. He knew that if this moment passed, he might  never
speak of her again to a living soul, and something in him would die.

"Her name was Cerasi," he said. He felt a great tide of sorrow rise  in
him. But he also felt a release by saying her name. "Cerasi," he said again.
He lifted his face and felt the cooling spray. Suddenly, he  felt  stronger,
as though Cerasi's vibrant spirit stood by him and touched his shoulder. "We
had a connection that I can't explain. It wasn't  the  result  of  time,  of
hours spent together. It wasn't the result of secrets or confidences. It was
something else."

"You loved her," Bant said.

Obi-Wan swallowed. "Yes. She inspired me. We fought  together  side  by
side. We trusted each other. And when she died,  I  blamed  myself.  When  I
thought that you might die, I knew I could not go on if it happened."

"But you would have, Obi-Wan," Bant said softly. "We all  go  on."  She
leaned against him, her eyes sparkling with  unshed  tears.  "You  saved  my
life. We will go on together."

Qui-Gon sat in Tahl's quarters. They had been  silent  for  some  time.
TooJay had been  sent  for  reprogramming.  For  once,  Qui-Gon  would  have
welcomed her musical chatter.

"You are to meet the Council soon," Tahl said at last. "If  you  decide
to take Obi-Wan back as your Padawan, it will help him.  The  Council  would
most likely allow him to come back."

"I know," Qui-Gon said.

"Especially considering all he has done," Tahl added.

"I am well aware of all he has done."

Tahl sighed. "You are a stubborn man, Qui-Gon."

"No," Qui-Gon protested. "Not stubborn. Cautious. I must be sure, Tahl.
What if taking Obi-Wan back is not fair to the boy, or to  the  Jedi?  If  I
cannot give Obi-Wan  my  trust,  our  Master-Padawan  bond  will  eventually
break."

"And you feel you cannot rebuild that trust?" Tahl asked.

Qui-Gon looked down at his hands in his lap. "It is my flaw, I know."

Another silence stretched between them. Then Tahl picked up her cup and
ran her fingers around the smooth surface. She held it up to the  light  she
could not see.

"This is a beautiful cup," she said. "I know this even though  I  can't
see it. I can feel it."

It was beautiful, Qui-Gon saw. The material was so thin it  was  almost
translucent, the color a blue so pale it was almost  white.  The  shape  was
simple, with no handle or curved rim.

"I use it even though I may break it," she said.  She  placed  it  down
carefully. "Have you ever heard of the planet Aurea?"

"Of course," Qui-Gon said. "Aurea is noted for its fine artisans."

"They have the best glass workers in the galaxy there," Tahl  went  on.
"Many have wondered why this world has advanced the art so much. Is  it  the
golden sands, the temperature of the fires, the long tradition? Whatever  it
may be, they make the most beautiful vessels in the galaxy, so highly prized
that they are priceless objects. But occasionally, someone is  careless,  or
an accident occurs, and one is broken."

Tahl picked up her cup again. "Just like I could break  this  cup.  But
these artisans have a greater art than the fashioning of the  vessels.  They
remake the shattered ones. And in that remaking they find their highest art.
They take the pieces of something beautiful that has been smashed and create
something even more beautiful. You see the seams of the break, but the piece
is still flawless. Because it had once been broken, it becomes more valuable
than before."

Tahl placed the blue cup before Qui-Gon. The

Jedi sat in silence, absorbing the lesson. Could  it  be,  he  wondered
slowly, that the process of rebuilding his trust with Obi-Wan would  not  be
painful, but satisfying?

He picked up the delicate cup. It almost disappeared in his large hand.
His fingers closed around the fragile shape, yet the cup did not break.

He could not make again what he'd had. But what if  the  new  thing  he
made was stronger than before, because it had once been broken?

Qui-Gon stood before the Jedi Council with Obi-Wan by  his  side.  They
had finished their debriefing on the episode with Xanatos.

Obi-Wan noted Qui-Gon's frown with dismay. He sensed the roiling unrest
in his former Master.

Obi-Wan himself had reason to feel  satisfied.  The  Council  had  also
delivered news to him. Obi-Wan had humbly asked not to be taken back, but to
be given probation. It had been granted. He would be required to  remain  on
Temple grounds and have sessions with various Council members.  He  had  not
received what he had wanted, but he had received what he felt was right.

But Qui-Gon had not. The Council had opposed Qui-Gon's wish  to  pursue
Xanatos.

"I do not understand your hesitation,"  Qui-Gon  said.  "Xanatos  is  a
powerful enemy of the Jedi."

"Enemy of yours, I think he is," Yoda said, his gray-blue  eyes  intent
on Qui-Gon. "Fruitless, a search may be. Wasted energy, it is. And too  much
anger I sense in you, Qui-Gon. Xanatos will reappear. Meet  him  you  shall.
But seek it you shall not."

"We do not forbid you," Mace Windu said. "But know that if you do,  you
go without our support."

Qui-Gon did not react. He bowed stiffly and turned on his heel. Obi-Wan
followed him from the room.

They stood in the  hallway  together.  Obi-Wan  saw  that  Qui-Gon  was
struggling to contain his emotions. He knew the  Jedi  Knight  was  bitterly
disappointed.

"You have told me many times that Yoda always turns out to  be  right,"
Obi-Wan tried cautiously. "Even when it doesn't seem so."

"Not this time," Qui-Gon said grimly. "I am going after him, Obi-Wan."

Surprised, Obi-Wan fell silent. He knew how much Qui-Gon respected  the
wishes of the Council. To oppose them must be a wrenching decision.

Then he pictured Qui-Gon alone, hunting his  enemy,  and  an  essential
truth pierced him. The picture was wrong. There was a piece missing. Even if
Qui-Gon couldn't see it, Obi-Wan could.

Obi-Wan's hand fell on the hilt of  his  lightsaber.  He  took  a  deep
breath. He did not need to pause to weigh all the implications  of  what  he
was about to say. He knew it was right.

"Then I am coming with you," he said.