A/N Last update of the week. It's a bit short, but I will make up for it on Monday.
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The following day Obi-Wan stood near the cruiser, looking at the broad expanse of the Tatooine desert. His troubled eyes looked off into the distance where Mos Espa was located.
He felt uneasy, worried. Something was very wrong. He could not pinpoint what it was, but he knew it was something close—and it had nothing to do with the sand storm that had forced Qui-Gon and his party to spend the night in town or the distress message they had received from Naboo.
He could just sense that something dangerous was looming over all of them, especially over the Queen who, so recklessly, had followed Qui-Gon into town in the guise of a handmaiden.
He had commed the master twice that morning to check their progress and for once Qui-Gon had not chided Obi-Wan's bad feelings. Perhaps their recent experience with the Trade Federation had taught him the younger Jedi's instincts had to be trusted.
Finally, in the early afternoon, a small caravan of eopies appeared at the horizon. Obi-Wan, Captain Panaka and several crew members went to meet them and began to download the spare parts from the beasts' backs to bring them on board.
The sensation of imminent danger Obi-Wan had been experiencing increased even more and almost without noticing, he took Padme and Anakin by the wrist, and pulled them toward the ship.
"What are you doing?" the young queen protested, but before Obi-Wan could even think to answer, his senses screamed in alert.
"Drop down!" he cried, pushing the youngsters face down in the sand, just in time to avoid a speeder bike flashing by.
As soon as the bike passed by, Obi-Wan pulled Anakin and Padme up and pushed them toward the ship.
"Quick!" he urged. "Whoever he was, he will return soon!"
They ran, and by the time the air was filled by the bike's engine noise, Obi-Wan and the youngsters were inside the ship. The knight looked out of the hatch to see a black-clad figure leap down the bike and attack Qui-Gon. The being was strong in the Dark side of the Force and Obi-Wan gasped in shock when he saw it ignite a blood red lightsabre.
The knight thought about running for Qui-Gon's help, but then opted for another option. He rushed into cockpit and ordered the pilots to take off.
"Over there!" he said indicating the spot where Qui-Gon and his attacker were fighting, green and red 'sabres clashing again and again. "Fly low!"
Obi-Wan ran back to the open hatch and extended the boarding ramp, just as the ship reached the two fighters.
Qui-Gon saw the vessel and when it was close enough, he leapt atop his attacker's head to land on the ramp. His attacker, a black and red tattooed Zabrak, tried to follow him, jumping onto the ramp as the ship began to rise, but Obi-Wan Force-pushed him back, throwing him off and making him fall on the sands below.
Once inside the ship, the ramp retracted and the hatch closed, Qui-Gon collapsed on the floor, breathing harshly.
"Master!" Anakin cried, rushing to embrace Qui-Gon. The master pulled the child against his chest, as Obi-Wan watched, feeling a pang of sadness, because his Master had never embraced him like that, not even after that mission when he had risked being mindwiped.
Obi-Wan released his sadness into the Force and knelt by Qui-Gon. "Are you all right?"
Qui-Gon nodded, "I think so. That was a surprise I won't soon forget."
"What sort of creature was it?" Obi-Wan enquired, wanting to see if the master had reached his same conclusion.
The master shook his head. "I'm not sure. Whoever he was, he was very strong in the Force. My guess is he was after the Queen."
"We must report this to the Council as soon as possible."
"Indeed. Now, can you please talk with the Queen, Obi-Wan? I believe she will want to be informed about what happened. As for myself, I need a shower to get rid off all the sand I seem to have collected out there."
The two men exchanged a smile, the first one in years, then went their separate ways.
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"My conclusion," Qui-Gon said, as he finished their mission report to the Council, "is my attacker was a Sith Lord."
The silence that followed was palpable. Then there was a stirring of brown robes, a shifting of bodies and limbs. Glances were exchanged and murmurs of disbelief quickly voiced.
"A Sith Lord?" Mace Windu repeated, leaning forward on his seat.
"Impossible!" Ki-Adi-Mundi snapped irritably, not bothering to hide his dismay at the suggestion. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium!"
Yoda shifted slightly in his chair, studying Qui-Gon thoughtfully.
"Threatened, the Republic is, if the Sith are involved," he observed in his soft, gravely voice.
The others began to mutter anew among themselves, some of them looking speculatively at Obi-Wan, who just sustained their glances.
Mace Windu leaned back heavily against his chair, brow furrowed.
"This is difficult to accept, Qui-Gon. I don't understand how the Sith could have returned without us knowing."
"Hard to see, the Dark side is," Yoda said with a small snort. "Discover who this assassin is, we must."
"Perhaps he will reveal himself again," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested with a nod to Qui-Gon.
"Yes," Mace Windu agreed. "This attack was with purpose, that much is clear. The Queen is his target. Since he failed once, he may try again."
Yoda lifted one arm, pointing at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan "With the Naboo Queen, you must stay. Protect her, you must."
"You can go now, Master Jinn, Padawan Skywalker. Knight Kenobi, please stay," Mace Windu said at last.
Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan a bit surprised, but did not question the Council's request.
As soon as the master and padawan were gone, the whole Council focused on Obi-Wan.
"You have been very quiet during Qui-Gon's report, Obi-Wan," Master Windu commented. "What is your opinion on this matter?"
"I agree with Master Jinn; his attacker was a Sith. I sense that there is something sinister at work. Even before the Sith appeared, I had the feeling that something dangerous and dark was spreading. There is something else behind this Naboo crisis, something more important than a mere commercial dispute. It feels like the Neimodians are somebody else's pawns, but no matter how much I search, the answer always eludes my grasp."
"Trying too hard, you are. The Force will answer when fit it sees," Yoda commented.
"I know, Master, but this sensation of danger makes me uneasy. I can feel a sense of menace, but I cannot say from where it will come, or what its target is." Obi-Wan spread his arms, "I wish I could do more."
"You're doing your best, Obi-Wan and that's enough," Ki-Adi-Mundi commented kindly. "Now go rest. I've the feeling you will be back on duty quite soon."
"Me too, Master. Me too."
