"Have you been monitoring them?"

"Of course. They're helping the girl. However, Bron and his men have everything handled. The site will be destroyed, she'll be thrown in jail, and they'll be back to square one."

"You know what you must do if they get too close."

"Of course, Master."

"You will not hesitate?"

"No, Master. I won't let the boy return home. I've already tampered with their ship. They won't be able to leave the planet. And when the time is right I'll bring him to you."

"And your former apprentice?"

"I'll take care of him."

"He must be terminated. If he is left alive he will come after the boy. That cannot be allowed."

"Understood."


The next morning when they walked out of their room to the kitchen for a quick breakfast, they ran into Kiern again. It was uncomfortable, though the man didn't seem aware of their disquiet as he leaned against the table and folded his arms over his chest. "So, you two have been busy since getting into the city. What are you doing anyways?" He asked as he munched on a citrus fruit.

"Mostly helping a young woman at the University." Qui-Gon informed vaguely but tersely, letting his disapproval show through his tone. Kiern didn't seem to pick up, or if he did, he didn't care.

"The University huh? It's filled with a bunch of self-important, puffed up, uninteresting-."

"Not a fan of the university, are you? Come on, Obi-Wan. We'll be late." Qui-Gon said, deciding to take the fruit to go. Obi-Wan followed obediently, but Kiern slipped on front of them and looked serious for once.

"Look, about last night…I realize it wasn't okay for us to do that in front of your kid." Kiern glanced to Obi-Wan and then focused on Qui-Gon once more.

Realizing that was probably the closest thing to an apology he was going to get from Kiern, Qui-Gon decided to take it. He nodded, then move passed Kiern and out of the inn. Obi-Wan followed him quietly and they made their way to M'Rina's home.

They ate their breakfast on the way and saw her when they arrived. She was outside, already ready to get underway. "I hope you don't mind if we try to hurry. They scheduled the demolition for noon and it's almost sunrise."

"Whatever you need, M'Rina." Qui-Gon assured and then the three were off. They went to the same stables, M'Rina paid the man and then they were galloping away to the site.

As they went they talked more about M'Rina's past as a criminal and how much she appreciated Venik for giving her a second chance. She clearly loved the man and was still mourning his death. Qui-Gon felt for her, because she hadn't had a chance to bury her mentor, or properly feel his loss as she's been forced to focus on continuing work at the site before it was too late.

"He was one of the most respected researchers of the Elibei. He started forty years ago. Before him, before the empire, information flowed freely between the provinces. Most of the ruins are in our province anyway, so we were able to continue researching. However, when Emperor Romid cut us off he also prevented others from helping us research. For all we know someone has already broken their language.

"Venik was close, I know he was…I've been reading his notebook," She cast a grateful look to Obi-Wan. "He's been tracking how their alphabet evolved into ours. In fact, so many of the symbols are so similar that I could even pronounce it. Of course, I wouldn't know what I was saying, but it's a start…"

M'Rina continued chatting in her usual fashion, her nervousness more than evident. Today was the last day she had to not only save herself, but honor her teacher's memory.

This time the trip went faster as M'Rina was trying to hurry. But it didn't seem to matter because as soon as they arrived they saw towers already pulled to the ground and rubble littering the once majestic site. "No!" M'Rina called out as she jumped down from her mount and ran past the fence.

"M'Rina stop!" Qui-Gon warned, but unsurprisingly she ignored him. "Stay here." Qui-Gon ordered to Obi-Wan as he jumped down and chased after her.

Obi-Wan, however, dismounted as well and followed them both.

M'Rina ran past the Red Guard and the miners destroying the site towards the middle where the massive temple stood. Bron was standing on the top of the steps, overlooking the work with a satisfied smile. As M'Rina tried to run up to him two guards stood in her way and gripped her arms to begin pulling her back. Bron didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Let her go." Qui-Gon demanded as he ran up to them as well. The guards tossed M'Rina, who was kicking and thrashing angrily, towards Qui-Gon who caught her and set her on her feet. He grabbed her shoulders, though, when the volatile girl went to run for Bron again. "Be still." He ordered in a harsh whisper and even sent her an urging in the Force. She immediately obeyed, but she was still glaring and breathing hard in anger.

Obi-Wan arrived just then and took in the scene, focusing on Bron.

The captain reached behind him and pulled a parchment out from his back pocket. He then slowly walked towards them, his eyes focusing on M'Rina. He shooed the two guards away and held up the parchment. Qui-Gon couldn't read it, but he didn't need to. It was M'Rina's permit.

The man slowly ripped it in half and threw the pieces to M'Rina who clutched them sadly. "Time's up." Bron murmured lowly and then pulled out metal manacles.

M'Rina gasped a bit and jerked back, bumping right into Qui-Gon.

Bron made another move to grab her, but this time Obi-Wan stepped between them. The next thing Qui-Gon knew was blackness.


Qui-Gon woke to find himself in the room of a thousand fountains. He was alone and the only thing he could hear was the running water or the chirping of birds. The air smelled sweet, and he reached out to touch a bright yellow leaf of a plant.

He began walking his favorite path and wound his way through the massive room and felt tranquility fill him. This was one of the few places in the Temple where you could forget there was a massive city surrounding you. It was peaceful and beautiful, the ceiling was even manipulated to look like a clear blue sky and air was pumped into the room to imitate a breeze.

Qui-Gon slipped his hands into his robes and came upon his favorite spot in the room. It was beneath a large dola tree. He sat at the trunk and turned to look at a shoot of flowers. The tree, nearly sentient, greeted him familiarly and did not retract when he went to caress its flowers. It released a sweet aroma as he did and he smiled in content.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the soft bark and meditated. His calm didn't last long, however, when he heard heavy footsteps approaching him. His eyes snapped open and he watched Rorg, the Zabrakian draw near. He frowned, but held his spot.

"Master Jinn." Rorg greeted as he came to kneel in front of the man. Rorg drew his robes around him and looked at Qui-Gon levely.

"Master Rorg." Qui-Gon answered in the same tone, in no mood for an encounter with the man, who would surely only want to talk about how much better suited for Obi-Wan he was. "Can I do something for you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was just walking through and saw you. Thought I would say hello." Rorg answered, but only waited a moment before diving in. "How is Obi-Wan?" He asked and Qui-Gon looked at him with intense blue eyes.

"Fine." He answered, though that wasn't completely true. He worried so much for Obi-Wan…

"Is he? He told me his two friends, Bant and Garen, have been avoiding him. As have the other initiates." Rorg informed.

"Obi-Wan isn't an initiate. He can make friends with the padawans his age. They'll have more in common anyways." Qui-Gon dismissed evenly, feeling like he'd said that a hundred times. 'Haven't I…?' He thought to himself, and suddenly looked around quickly.

'What was I doing before this?' He suddenly wondered and worried when he couldn't remember.

"You know that Obi-Wan has nothing in common with anyone here at the Temple. He is different. Special." Rorg said and leaned forward and suddenly his voice started echoing in the room and reverberating through Qui-Gon's thoughts. "He doesn't belong here. He belongs with his own people."

"What are you talking about?" Qui-Gon asked as his thoughts started getting blurry. "The Jedi are his people." He insisted and blinked slowly as he tried to clear his thoughts. He pressed a hand to his forehead and reached out to the Force to try and steady himself, but he found it elusive.

"He doesn't belong with you." Rorg's voice didn't sound like his own anymore and so Qui-Gon snapped his eyes open in shock. He was no longer looking at the Zabrakian, and he was no longer in the room of a thousand fountains. Instead, he was looking at a bright red orb that seemed to be pulsating. He was surrounded by darkness, the only source of light being the orb.

"What…?" He asked slowly and reached out to touch it. It flashed angrily and so Qui-Gon jerked his hand back, feeling an immense amount of fear. "This isn't real…" He realized slowly. "This isn't real."


Qui-Gon jerked awake with and pressed a hand to his chest as he struggled to breathe. He found himself on his back, surrounded by the ruins of M'Rina's site. The girl, Obi-Wan, Bron and all of the others had fallen to the ground and remained unconscious. It seemed Qui-Gon was the only one able to pull himself free.

He shuttered as he felt strong waves of the Force flow through him and make his nerves tingle with power. He'd never felt it in such prominence before. And it was coming from Obi-Wan. "Force…What's happening you?" Qui-Gon asked in a whisper as he crawled over to his apprentice and gently tried to rouse him.

This was the first time one of Obi-Wan's illusions had happened when the boy wasn't asleep. It was also the first time it had affected more than just the two of them. Obi-Wan had incapacitated over thirty people. It was…frightening…

He reached out to the Force, but needed all of his strength to stop Obi-Wan from projecting anymore. When he pulled the teen free the boy slowly battered his eyes open and looked up at him as if nothing had happened.

"Master?" Obi-Wan asked slowly and then turned to look side to side. "What happened?" He asked slowly as he pushed himself up.

"I'll tell you later." Qui-Gon said as he pulled Obi-Wan up to his feet. He then went to M'Rina and scooped her up. "Come on. We have to go before they wake. I have no doubt Bron will have many questions." Qui-Gon muttered before swiftly walking back to their animals. He shifted M'Rina as he mounted and then held her carefully so she didn't fall.

Obi-Wan pulled himself up onto his own and then grabbed the reigns of M'Rina's. Then they were both galloping away, back towards the city.


"Set her here." Qui-Gon said as Obi-Wan carried M'Rina into her house. Obi-Wan set her own the large couch as Qui-Gon had indicated and then stepped aside as his master knelt beside her.

"Did I…Did I do this to her?" Obi-Wan asked, worry in his voice.

Qui-Gon didn't answer as he placed his hands on M'Rina's forehead and began pulling her from the illusion, which at this point had been going on for several hours. He had hoped that time would make it wear off, if not then Bron and the others would be stuck in it indefinitely, but there was nothing he could do for them. For now, he had to focus on M'Rina. He reached into her mind and pulled her from it as Obi-Wan watched from over his shoulder.

M'Rina woke much like Qui-Gon had, with a gasp and jerk. She pushed them away, clearly disoriented. She grabbed her head and tried to get up to her feet but she only ended up stumbling instead. "What's going on? What happened?" She asked fearfully.

"Calm down…You're home." Qui-Gon informed as he grabbed her shoulders and had her sit again.

"Home? But…We were at the site…But then…" She buried her face in her hands as she took a few deep breaths and clearly tried to understand what was happening.

Qui-Gon glanced to Obi-Wan and then sighed. "Bron attacked you and knocked you out." He lied as he looked back to M'Rina. "We brought you back here." He finished and then M'Rina raised her gaze and looked at the two of them.

"The site?" She asked, nervously.

"Ruined." Qui-Gon informed and M'Rina slumped in defeat.

"Then it's over…" She murmured.

Qui-Gon contemplated his options briefly before making a swift decision. "No. It's not over. There are other sites. Right? Other places you can do your research? We can go there."

"Why do you care so much?" M'Rina asked him apprehensively. "This is beyond being a kind stranger…It's almost as if you want to find them as much as I do." She said softly as she glanced between the two of them.

Qui-Gon sighed as he stood and looked down at her. "We haven't been completely honest with you either…" He admitted. He didn't want to reveal too much about Obi-Wan, but he wanted M'Rina to find the other sites, and he had to find them. He was certain about that at least. M'Rina eyed them carefully.

"Obi-Wan can read the carvings."

M'Rina's face suddenly fell flat and she looked at them in a mixture of shock and anger. "Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded and furrowed her brows in anger. "Why have you…? What?" She asked, clearly not able to think of any reasons they'd been helping her if they already knew.

"We want to help you…We didn't tell you earlier because we weren't sure what you wanted from these sites. But now…We've both been completely honest with each other. We need to figure out who these people were. Can you take us to the other sites before Bron destroys them?" He asked and M'Rina shrugged a bit, still clearly processing it.

"Um, yes. I can but…Why would Bron target other sites? I mean, they're just mining. They can do that anywhere. It just happened that there was a vein under my site." M'Rina explained but Qui-Gon shook his head.

"We've been told that the Red Guard have been destroying all sites linked to the Elibei. We need to get to one before it's too late." Qui-Gon finished.

"Ok. Well, the next closest site is five or so hours away by ride." M'Rina informed as she stood, no longer seeming to be disoriented.

"There's no other means of transportation?" Qui-Gon asked, knowing that time was of the essence. The Force was urging him to work, telling him to hurry. He could only imagine what it was telling Obi-Wan.

"Not really."

"Then let's go. Now." Qui-Gon snapped and turned, leaving the small home. M'Rina hesitated for a moment, but then followed suit. As she passed Obi-Wan she tossed him the notebook from her mentor and smiled.

"In payment for not telling me, you're going to teach me." She said and Obi-Wan caught the book and nodded with a small smile.

"Sounds fair." He said softly and followed the other two out of the house.

M'Rina lingered to walk beside him. He was several inches taller than her, and looked older than her, even though she was several years his senior. "So how can you read them? You came from another province didn't you? I knew that someone broke the language but because of the stupid Empire we're cut off!" She cursed as they got back to their animals and mounted them.

"I guess." Obi-Wan answered awkwardly, not used to holding a conversation with people. A few sentences here and there were fine, but typically Qui-Gon handled it because he didn't really know how anymore. However, as he looked to his master for help, the man just gave him a playful smile and remained quiet. Obi-Wan nervously cleared his throat and looked back to M'Rina. "I can try to teach you. You're mentor, Venik, he was on the right track. Your alphabet derived from the carvings. I'll show you." He promised and pulled out the notebook.

M'Rina led them out of the city but kept her attention firmly on Obi-Wan as he educated her. From behind them, Qui-Gon smiled, pleased that Obi-Wan had finally made a new friend.


Jedi Temple – Coruscant.

Night had fallen and the Temple was quiet as the Jedi slept. From a maintenance entrance, a dark figure slipped inside and began stalking the hallways. It moved fluidly, holding to the shadows and avoiding being detected by the Temple Guard.

He came to a stop outside the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He entered the massive garden and immediately began walking the paths towards the very back. A small, bioluminescent pool of water illuminated a back corner and he came to stand beside it. When he came to a stop another figure emerged, this one also cloaked.

"Maul." The second figure greeted calmly.

The man who had sneaked into the temple pulled own his hood, revealing the black and red markings on his face and the fiendish looking horns on his head. "Rorg." Maul replied casually and folded his arms.

"How are things progressing?" Rorg asked, kneeling by the pool. Unlike Maul, his face was a tan color, and the light from the water reflected off of it and made his face have a blue tint. Maul settled across from him and placed his hands on his knees.

"According to plan. And the Jedi?"

"Still fumbling around in the dark. They are too arrogant to see what is right in front of their faces. It will be their undoing." Rorg turned and looked into the water. "We've been waiting for this moment for so long…And then the council goes and sends the boy off into the middle of nowhere. I was so close to getting him. I managed to track them in the Unknown Regions for a few months, but then I lost them." Rorg cursed and gave a hard shake of his head.

"Lord Sidious will capture him soon." Maul replied and Rorg jerked his head back over to him.

"You're certain?" He asked and Maul nodded.

"He's waiting to strike until the boy is taken care of."

"And his Master? Jinn? He will be eliminated?" Rorg murmured softly, suddenly ducking when he thought he heard something. Both men silenced, but when the noise didn't repeat itself they resumed.

"Most certainly. He's too close to the boy. He's a liability." Maul clenched his fists in annoyance.

"Agreed. I fought to prevent him from becoming Obi-Wan's master but the council over ruled me. Jinn is a pet for the council, he can do no wrong." Rorg snarled and shook his head.

"Once Sidious gets the boy we must make our move here. We cannot hesitate, or all will be for nothing." Maul insisted and Rorg nodded slowly.

"Soon then. I'll have the others prepare." Rorg promised and Maul nodded once before standing.

"Be ready. I'll contact you when Lord Sidious has the prince." Maul slipped back into the darkness then, leaving Rorg alone at the glowing pool.

The man looked back down into the water and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry it's come to this, Obi-Wan."


So what do you think those two are up to, hmmm?

Thanks for the feedback, folks! I love hearing from you. Reviews are my addiction, and I suffer withdrawal without them.

FritzyM4: Thank you so much! It's great to hear that this is well received, or else what would be the point in me writing it? Lol

Also, THANK YOU! I've been looking for that for months (its sad to admit, I know). But finally, that horrible itch to read it is gone. Thank you!

Guest: Your reviews always make me smile. I try to get these out as quickly as I can, but school just demands so much of my attention. Thanks for letting me know you're enjoying everything.

Mystery99: Okay, you saw through the Kiern/Alia thing. It was for a bit of humor, but there are also other reasons lol As for Lyle, *shrugs* We'll see. And you got your wish! Now that Qui/Obi and M'Rina are being honest with each other (or at least mostly honest, because she still doesn't know they're from another planet) things will start moving a bit faster. Thanks for reviewing!

KungfuKittyKat: Yay! I'm so glad. I hope you continue to enjoy as the journey goes on. Thank you so much!

ErinKenobi2893: That was almost psychic of you, but it was time for M'Rina to find out the truth - at least part of it. And oh my gosh! I hadn't even thought of that, but yes! He totally would. As for Qui-Gon, I could see him just whipping it out like it was no big deal because he's just that way. (It's actually ironic, because Quenya can be written in Latin, and Latin is the language mine is based off of.) Speaking of...

I just looked back and realized I never put a translation for the title in the first chapter like I intended. Forgive me? I didn't do it in the first book because most everyone knows what Tabula Rasa means. (For those of you who don't, it means 'Blank Slate' like a fresh start - Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan gave each other a new start, also, it was a metaphor for this whole AU universe I'm creating).

As for Puer Fati, that means Son of Fate. So just...Ponder that as you continue reading lol.