BekaJWP

Thanxs! I suppose the council could tell to a certain point, but I'm basing my work off of book 1, The Rising Force, where the council needed the droid to see who provoked who and what really happened. I have never read any source that states that they can, but who knows? I should have also mentioned this story is sort of an AU.

Blackheart Syaoran

Well thank you much! Such an evil mind, though I cannot say that I am any better. I'm glad you are enjoying it so far

MusicDreamer

The council states they are taking neither of the boy's sides/words, but it does seem like they are favoring Alto. Besides that fact, I also told them to be that way. J shrugs I mean, how interesting would be otherwise. That plus the evidence they have. There will be more development on this factor.

Layla91

WB, glad to have a reviewer back, and hope you enjoy the story too

K-rock

Yeah, I'm back, and I'm back yet again after another long delay. I was going to have this up two nights ago but I ran out of time the first night and my cat was acting oddly so I was paying most of my attention and time to her to make sure she was okay. She got into some pesticides a month ago that made her real sick for a night so I was afraid she may have had some side effects from that, but she seems to be in tip top shape now and has been beating the crude out of our other cat.

Hopefully you still only have one class, so you can read, sorry about the delay!

Mellaithwen

hides

Save me from the energetic reader! Lol

You know what? I just spelled your penname correctly without looking at it. yay

Thanxs much, I worked hard on the first chapter and on this one as well, though I'm still not completely happy with it. Deceptions is an awesome book, a must read.

As for the part where the Aalto threatened Obi-Wan, I thought that would add a nice touch. I like Mace Windu, just due to his dominance. He's someone you don't want to mess with, yet he's always there when you need someone to back you up.

LOL, love the last part, I do.

Unnerving News

Qui-Gon was the type of man whose demeanor always seemed calmed, even in the worse of situations. But there were those who knew him well enough, that they were able to tell when he was not his calm self. This was the case as the Jedi Master strode into the temple in the early morning. An uneasy sense of concern had filled him since the Council had contacted in the middle of the night, urging his immediate return. He had left shortly after, but still it was after sunrise when he arrived. Tahl met him in the halls as he neared the turbolift.

"The Council is very anxious to speak with you," she told him softly, her eyes watching him even though they could not see.

"So I've heard, but for what reason?" he responded, in a way of greeting.

Tahl turned away for a moment, an indication that she knew more than she was going to say. "Just get there quickly Qui-Gon, and remember to keep your patience," she told him quickly, before departing.

Qui-Gon watched her go, before moving on. If she had meant to make him feel worse than he already did, she had succeeded. By the time he had reached the council room, the worst of the fears had run through his mind. He paused a moment, taking in a deep breath before he entered. He was not surprised to find only three of the council members there, and it was even less surprising that they were Mace, Yoda and Adi. But it did nothing to soften his concern.

Qui-Gon scanned the three members, Adi's gaze held a concerned look that washed away as soon as their eyes met, but Yoda and Mace were both steady and silent, as they tended to be. The Jedi Master stood in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of him as he waited for one of them to speak. He felt uneasy as Mace greeted him, moving to his feet.

"There was an incident concerning Obi-Wan," he started, waving a hand as Qui-Gon's face changed. "He is well, do not worry. There is a complaint that Obi-Wan placed a threat on a certain student."

"Did anyone see this…incident, as you put it?" Qui-Gon queried, blinking in the soft light. The council room was always well lit, but not in a sense that the lighting was bright and abrasive to the eyes, but instead, warm and welcoming.

Adi shook her head, but unlike Mace, remained seated. "They were both alone and there were no maintenance droids around. We have nothing more than their words."

"Therefore you assume Obi-Wan is lying?"

"Know we not, their innocence or fault, but shows us otherwise, evidence does," Yoda said, his eyes blinking wearily as though he would fall asleep at any moment.

"Evidence?" Qui-Gon asked, looking from Yoda to Mace, then to Adi Gallia for any signs.

It was that Mace Windu let out a long sigh, lifting his head so that he was staring into his face. "We had reason to believe that Bruck's death was more than just an accident. Therefore we searched both Obi-Wan's and the other student's original quarters, and we turned up several of Bruck's possessions hidden in your padawan's quarters."

Qui-Gon furled as he folded his arms across his chest. "Did you question him on this?" Qui-Gon wondered.

Mace nodded, "He claimed he knew nothing about it."

Qui-Gon shrugged, "Then we have no reason to believe he does," the Jedi Master answered easily, "Where is Obi-Wan now?"

"In his quarters," Adi Gallia told him, "the council thought it would be best to confine him until further action could be taken."

"You can't confine someone based on assumption," Qui-Gon said flatly, frowning.

"If the evidence is promising enough than we can," Mace Windu answered, sitting back down.

Qui-Gon sighed, "Has anyone seen to him this morning?"

The three members shook their heads. Qui-Gon scowled, his patience was being drawn thin. "So I am assuming that he has not eaten yet?"

Mace Windu shrugged, "We were busy, the thought had not crossed our minds," he explained softly, a hint of shame glowing in his eyes.

Qui-Gon nodded shortly, the bitter flavor in his mouth growing ever stronger as he left the council room, making his way toward their shared quarters, stopping off at the dining hall to pick up a tray of food.

When he first entered the room he could not find his padawan, only to spot him a moment later, sitting near the window. Obi-Wan did not even glance towards him as he entered, and placed the tray on the small end table near the chair that Obi-Wan had been reading in the day before.

"You've heard?" his padawan's monologue voice surprised him, but Qui-Gon nodded a moment after before making a vocal confirmation.

"I've brought some food up, come and eat," Qui-Gon said, hoping to change the topic for a least a short while. But it stunned him when Obi-Wan shook his head. He had never known the youth to refuse the offer of food, except on rare occasions when Didi was cooking. He raised an eyebrow, looking up to where his padawan sat. "You want to tell me what happened?"

Obi-Wan sighed, swinging his legs off of the sill from where he sat. He dug his fingers lightly into the soft plaster around the frame, watching it crack under the light pressure. It was a sure sign that the temple needed some work, although this room here was hardly used.

The boy had not slept that night, nor taken any food or water since he had left the council room with a heavy burden. He felt ill that the council was taking Aalto's side, even if they claimed they were not. However, Obi-Wan's history was not the best either. He raised his eyes to meet his master's across the room, biting his lip gently.

"What has the council told you?" Obi-Wan asked him quietly. He wanted to see what his Master knew first before he said anything else.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I'm not interested in what the council told me, I want to know what happened, from your point of view."

With a soft, inward sigh, Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and began to tell Qui-Gon his story. His master made no move to interrupt him, only nodding every so often to show that he was still listening.

"What about Bruck's stuff?" Qui-Gon asked him finally, as Obi-Wan's story came to close.

Obi-Wan raised his head, looking him squarely in the eyes. "You know as well as I do that I have not been in my original quarters for months now. The last time was before we left for Andiani."

Qui-Gon nodded, he had not thought of that. "We will speak of this with the council later; right now it would be best if you had some food and rest."

TBC