Xanatos sighed heavily from the top bunk in the ship's cabin and looked down past the edge of the bed to where Qui-Gon was currently sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk. "Aren't you going to say anything? I may have gotten used to silence while on Tatooine, but this is totally ridiculous when I can at least talk to someone other then Obi-Wan for a change." When Qui-Gon still didn't respond, Xanatos laid back down on the top bunk and sighed again. "This is boring. Let's see, I told you how I survived the pools of acid, and what I did after that. I told you about when I contacted Obi-Wan and what went on from there and I also told you why I am here now. Not only that, I described the space battle over Naboo. All this in three days and you only asked one question in all that time! Are you just ignoring me?"

A minute passed, and then another minute passed. "What if I told you that I know where Obi-Wan, Siri, and Anakin are heading?" Xanatos asked. "Obi-Wan is taking them to his home world, Nokijor."

"He knows Nokijor is his home world? Obi-Wan was never told where he was born." Qui-Gon responded, turning his head to look up at Xanatos.

Xanatos shrugged his shoulders and looked back over the side of the bed. "Well I didn't tell him and I never bothered to question him about it. I did try to talk him out of it, but he seemed pretty determined to go there."

"What do you mean?" Qui-Gon responded.

"It was more of a feeling I was getting from him than words. It could have just been my imagination." Xanatos replied. "I am still astounded that the Council would let go of Obi-Wan so easily."

Qui-Gon frowned and walked over to a viewport just in time to see them exit hyperspace. "They wouldn't. Obi-Wan left before the Council could summon him back for a verdict." Qui-Gon rubbed at his chin in thought. There was something he was forgetting, something that he should know. "Do you know where Dex's diner is located?"

Xanatos nodded his head, "Yes."

"Go and wait there for me, hopefully the Council meeting won't take to long." Qui-Gon told him.

"Do you think Obi-Wan and his companions are in danger?" Xanatos asked.

Qui-Gon stood up and walked over to the small viewport. "I'm not sure yet."

Shaking his head, Xanatos laid back down. "You know what I think? I think you are far more concerned about where Obi-Wan is and what he is doing then anything else right now. I could disappear right now and you wouldn't even care or notice."

Without saying a word, Qui-Gon quickly left the room.

Xanatos closed his eyes as the door slid shut and turned over on his side to face the wall, a lone tear trickling down his cheek.

...

Anakin silently observed Obi-Wan and Siri spar and then clapped his hands when Obi-Wan got a killpoint. "Will I ever be that good Master?"

Obi-Wan grabbed a towel off of a crate and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. "With time and training Anakin."

Anakin wrinkled his nose. "Why not now?"

Siri laughed and ruffled Anakin's hair before grabbing her own towel. "Now where would the fun in that be?"

Obi-Wan sat down across from Anakin with the towel draped across his neck and smiled. "She has a point. You lose the challenge if you get things the quick and easy way. It is far more rewarding later on when you have had to work hard to get to where you want to be. There is more satisfaction."

"Oh." Anakin replied, trying hard to understand what Obi-Wan had just told him. "It's like when I worked on my podracer. I had to work hard to get it working well, and when I finally got to fly it and won my first race I felt like my hard work paid off. Watto never let me tinker with his podracer unless I had to fix a vital part. It felt different riding my podracer than his, and the thrill was greater when I flew mine."

"Yes, but now this is where we get to the subject of pride." Obi-Wan responded.

Anakin groaned. "You said no lectures today Master."

"Stop your fussing Anakin." Siri commented from behind Obi-Wan. "You know you enjoy Obi-Wan's lectures."

Anakin made a face at her and Obi-Wan laughed. "Alright, alright. But we will be talking about it tomorrow. Right now I am going to take a shower."

"I think Siri is going to get there first." Anakin told Obi-Wan and laughed when Obi-Wan went chasing after Siri. When they had left the cargo hold, Anakin grabbed his practice saber and began to practice the first kata he had been taught so far.

...

Qui-Gon finished giving his mission report to the Council, excluding the fact that Xanatos had shown up, and waited for a response.

Mace was about to say something when a chime sounded and Yoda pressed a button to answer.

"Master Yoda, there is a package for the Council in the waiting area." The Padawan at the reception desk told him. "It's um…quite large."

"Send it in Padawan Yance." Mace told her.

"Yes Master." Yance replied and a long wooden box was pushed into the Council room by a droid.

Qui-Gon stepped out of the way and Adi Gallia came forward to open the crate up.

Adi Gallia gasped and the lid fell back with a loud thump and the sides of the box fell away. A decaying smell filled the chamber and everyone present, except for Plo Koon who wore a mask, had to fight hard not to gag at the stench.

Qui-Gon looked at the opened box and saw the Sith that he had fought on Tatooine. On the chest of the Sith rested a holomessage disc. Qui-Gon picked it up and handed it to Adi Gallia who went to put it in a communication terminal.

Once it was turned on, Obi-Wan's holographic form flickered into view in the middle of the Council room floor, a grin on his face. "I hope you don't mind the proof I brought you. One dead Sith and his lightsaber. His ship should be arriving a little later, so you all can look forward to that." His face turned serious as he continued. I have reason to believe that this was the apprentice and I would advise you all to start a search for the Sith Master at once. Dark days are coming for the Jedi, you will all be well advised to prepare yourselves." With that final word, the holomessage switched off.

Qui-Gon cleared his throat and immediately the Council members' mental shields and emotionless masks went back in place. "Well, you all did want proof."

Mace's eyes narrowed, "I do not see the humor in this Master Jinn."

"Of course." Qui-Gon responded, but the laughter did not leave his eyes. The Council members faces had been priceless. Qui-Gon did have to admit however that his Padawan's idea of proof was carrying it a bit to far.

"You may leave Master Jinn." Mace responded coldly.

Qui-Gon bowed his head and left the room. Halfway to the turbolift, he sensed Adi Gallia behind him.

"Did you know about this?" Adi Gallia asked.

"I knew nothing. Truthfully, I find it disturbing that Obi-Wan sent proof of the Sith to the Council in that fashion." Qui-Gon answered.

They entered the turbolift and it descended.

"Did Obi-Wan contact you at all after he left?" Adi asked.

Qui-Gon nodded, "he left me a note."

"Did he tell you that Siri went with him?" Adi continued questioning.

Qui-Gon looked at her in surprise, "Your padawan is missing? No he didn't tell me."

Adi sighed and leaned against the back of the turbolift. "She left me a quick note that she was leaving with Obi-Wan. The problem is that she is not one to just up and leave with one of her friends. Do you think that…"

"No, I was under the impression that they were not on speaking terms." Qui-Gon answered before she could finish.

The turbolift finished its descent and they left it to head down a corridor that led to the archives.

"Adi, which planet was Siri born on?" Qui-Gon asked, a suspicion forming in his mind.

"Nokijor. Why?" Adi answered, looking at Qui-Gon quizzingly.

Qui-Gon quickened his stride as a forgotten memory came to the surface. "Most of the information is for the Council's eyes only, am I correct?"

"Yes." Something clicked in Adi's mind as she hurried to keep up to Qui-Gon. "They are not going there are they?"

"I'm afraid so Adi. Somehow Obi-Wan found out where he was born and read only the information he could get to."

Adi's face paled considerably and she had to try hard to look like she was walking and not running.

They went over to the first terminal they could find and Adi used her Council authorization code to download the information about Nokijor onto a datapad. "Are you going after them?"

"Yes." Qui-Gon informed her, watching the data scroll down the screen.

"Then I am coming with you. Also, it would be wise not to let the rest of the Council know where we are going. Nokijor is on the Council's list of forbidden areas." Adi told him.

"Agreed. There will be someone else joining us too. I'm meeting him at Dex's in a little while." Qui-Gon replied.

The data finished transferring and Adi made sure she erased her tracks. "I will come up with something so that the Council won't be suspicious. Hopefully we can leave sometime tonight."

Qui-Gon took the datapad that Adi handed him and put it in a pocket inside his cloak. "That sounds good."