As fast as I could, I raced down polished hallways, short-cutted through dusty, little-used corridors, and, growing more anxious by the moment, pushed through knots of Jedi waiting patiently for the turbolifts. Shoving my way forward, I jumped into the next available one, well ahead of several masters. I did send them hurried apologies as the lift doors closed but I don't think they were happy with me.

Dirt-streaked and sweaty, I was breathing hard by the time I reached the Council chambers. But for all my struggles to arrive on time, I was still one and three-quarter minutes late. The Masters, every single one of them, turned to stare at me when I was ushered in.

Not a good start to the meeting.

Standing in the middle of the room, Master Qui-Gon seemed stern as always. He glanced at me as I rushed to his side. I could tell he was irritated by the way his mouth was pressed thin and the pinched look around his eyes. I just didn't know if it was me he was upset with or the Council - likely both.

Trying to compose myself, jerking my tunic straight with one quick tug, I bowed to the Council and stood up, waiting for reprimands. It was never good to be late to a Council meeting and although I hoped that they wouldn't notice my appearance, they probably did and blamed my master for it. I hadn't wanted to make things worse for him by showing up scruffy like that but it wasn't my fault this time.

"Glad you could join us, Padawan Kenobi." Master Windu shot me a look that could have turned most of Coruscant into arctic wasteland and then twisted away, ignoring me. "As I was saying, I would like to thank Master Gallia for volunteering to be the test case to determine if Master Jinn was still contagious. She placed herself into a potentially embarrassing situation in order to help protect the Temple from further mishap."

There was a murmur of approval and then Master Windu turned back toward my master and scowled at him. Several of the other Councilors followed suit, glaring at us both although there were one or two that seemed calmer about the whole mess than the rest. But no one was exactly pleased to see us.

Even Master Yoda was upset. He kept playing with his gimer stick and sending little glances our way. Although his ears were pointed downward - a sure sign that we were in trouble - at least he wasn't glaring at Master Qui-Gon yet. How long that would last was anyone's guess.

Master Gallia was the only one not looking at us like we were scum, and felis-toad scum at that. Instead, she was gazing at Master Qui-Gon with that same funny expression on her face that I'd seen on a hundred women not so long ago, almost as if she were hungry and he was dessert.

It could not be happening again, not here, not at the Temple.

The same expression - she was wearing the same expression as all those other women. It couldn't be, could it? My heart started to pound and I thought I'd be sick. Panic was setting in, overwhelming panic.

I couldn't believe that the Healer would let her or Master Qui-Gon out if she was under the drug's spell - unless he was still contagious and she didn't tell anyone and they'd all assumed he was cured.

Maybe he should just give her the antidote and get it over with. Maybe that's why she kept staring at him because she hadn't gotten that dratted kiss and she was having those feelings, like all the other women we'd encountered on Septemus IV. Maybe she was just hiding it better because she was a Jedi.

Master Qui-Gon being chased by crazy women, even Force-sensitive crazy women, was not something I wanted to go through again. Once in a lifetime was enough. I just hoped I was wrong.

Then she turned away and her face cleared, smoothing out into Jedi calm.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

I was wrong - thankfully. If she had been affected, she'd have been after him by now. It must have been my imagination or maybe it was because she just always looked that way when she was staring at my master.

With that thought, my horrified brain started to go into hyperdrive again. If she had always looked at him that way, did that mean that they knew each other, more than as fellow Jedi? Master had said that he wasn't celibate, that I'd understand some day. If that were true, what kind of understanding did he mean, that I'd find out he'd been not-celibate with someone at the Temple? That maybe he and Master Gallia... Together?!

No, no, no!

I didn't want to know if my master was not-celibate or who he was not-celibate with. It was just too awful to contemplate. How could I ever face his female friends again and not wonder? How could I face any woman in the Temple and not wonder? Or the galaxy?

I was doomed. I'd never be able to look at a female again. Ever!

There must have been horror in my face or maybe he felt it in the Force. Master Qui-Gon cleared his throat, putting his hand on my shoulder and giving it a little squeeze for a moment before turning back to the masters. He said softly, "My apprentice and I are grateful for her help."

Those few words and the look on his face as he said them were enough to break the spell. With a simple gesture, he was able to let me know that he needed me, that I would have to help him with this whole mess, that I had to be calm. For his sake, I would have to do all that and more.

Looking up at him, sending him a timid smile, I promised myself that I wouldn't embarrass him again in front of the Council. He had enough problems without a panicking padawan messing everything up.

"I'm sure you are." Master Windu's voice was hard and flat. "Luckily, according to Master Healer Tsen'tai, Master Jinn has now completely recovered from his affliction."

There were several pairs of eyes staring at my master and I'm sure he was aware of the hostility. It had never upset him before; in fact, sometimes I swore that he liked irritating the Council, almost invited it at times - much to my dismay.

But this time he just stood there, solemn and immovable, looking at the the Councilor and saying nothing for a long, long time. Eventually, he said, "The urges have faded, Master."

It would appear that Master Qui-Gon's reply had taken a little too long. Master Windu was glaring vibroshivs at him. "Your urges have gotten you into trouble before, Master Jinn, but this time you've gone too far."

"I follow the will of the Force."

That was probably the worst thing he could have said. There were no masterly eye rolls that I could see, no loud snickers either among the Councilors; padawans might have but Council members would not do such things, at least not during the meetings.

Never mind that he always says that. As far as I knew, he'd probably be saying those words until he joined the Force or even beyond.

Master Windu was furious, though. I didn't know that he could turn purple, but apparently he could. There was also a vein in his head that began to stand out and his eyes were turning that browny-yellow color again. This was not good.

"Are you saying that your kissing and fondling of women is the will of the Force?"

Master Windu's voice was cold enough to freeze not just all of Coruscant but some of its moons as well. He must have been really mad because he was pausing between every word, too. I'd never seen him this upset before.

If Master Windu's eyes were turning colors, my master's were getting hard as ice. He usually knew when to stop but he wasn't being rational at the moment. At least he wasn't humming that dreadful song. "Master Healer Tsen'tai has indicated that... "

"Do you think you could get away with this?" Master Windu interrupted, impatient and furious.

As Master Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply, with a loud hurrmph, Master Yoda jabbed at the floor beneath his feet with his gimer stick. The whack of wood on tile sounded like a blaster going off. It stopped everyone talking, even my master. "Arguments we need not. Master Jinn will report on the mission to Septemus IV."

Master Windu shot Yoda a fierce glare, clearly unhappy with the warning, but he sat back, pushing his fingers together and nodded reluctantly. "Proceed."

With a slight bow and a long deep breath, Master Qui-Gon began at the beginning, going over the implications of the treaty and what steps he'd taken to insure its approval. His accounts were usually short but thorough on the important points. I knew that later he'd write up a more comprehensive report when we returned to our quarters - if we returned to our quarters. At the moment, I wasn't sure we'd still be in the Order when this was done, not if Master Windu had anything to say about it.

"After Lady Erelia gave me the drugged sweet, I remember little else. Chases, a kiss or two, climbing a chandelier to escape the mob. Until I woke up on Captain Antilles's ship and my padawan explained to me something of what had happened, I had no knowledge that anything might be amiss - other than my dirty clothes and the memory gaps."

"Remember you do not?" Master Yoda was surprised. He wasn't the only one. I could see that several of the masters were unhappy with this news. "Disturbing this is."

"Master Healer Tsen'tai said that it is a side-effect of the drug in question when high levels are ingested. There have been several incidents on Septemus IV apparently in the last few months." My master frowned thoughtfully, "He indicated that it may warrant further investigation."

"You will not be investigating these incidents." Master Windu was still upset, angry and annoyed and exasperated. He was glaring at my master again, "You've caused quite enough of a problem for the Order already whether you remember what you have done or not."

'What you have done.' Master Windu's words echoed in my head and they felt wrong somehow. It sounded as if he thought Master Qui-Gon had done it on purpose. But that couldn't be, could it? They wouldn't think that, would they? Did Master Windu and the rest really think that he'd deliberately take some drug that would make the Jedi look stupid, even insane? That he would make women chase him around and try to kiss him and do other things? On purpose? Even my master wasn't that crazy.

Master Qui-Gon must have heard the same accusation in the Councilor's voice that I did. Pulling himself up straight, his eyes boring into Master Windu, he said distinctly, "While I do not remember much of the time after Lady Erelia gave me the drug, I can say, without hesitation, that I do remember everything up to that point." He paused, looking stern and steadfast as he gazed at the Council members, "I did not ask to be drugged. I was tricked into it."

I wanted to shout at them all that it was the truth, that my master didn't do it on purpose. But I didn't think the Jedi masters would be too pleased with a sweaty, dirt-caked padawan interrupting without permission, especially in the middle of a Council meeting, so I kept quiet. I did smile at Master Qui-Gon though, just in case.

Unfortunately, Master's answer wasn't enough to placate Master Windu. The purple color had returned to his face and the big vein in his head seemed to be pulsing. I just hoped that he wouldn't have an attack of some kind. He looked like he was about to explode. "I find that hard to believe. Are you saying that the Force did not warn you of this?"

"Unfortunately, there was no warning." Master Qui-Gon shook his head. "I have to accept that the Force wanted me to experience this for some reason, perhaps to show that it isn't the benign drug that the people on Septemus IV think it is." Folding his arms across his chest, he said thoughtfully, "If it can affect a Jedi master, how will it affect others with no link to the Force? It needs to be investigated."

It was clear that Master Windu didn't want to hear about any such thing but before he could turn an even darker shade of purple, Master Yoda said, "Studied it will be but not by you, Qui-Gon Jinn."

"That is acceptable, Master." Bowing his head in agreement, he reminded them, "I know that my actions may have created a dilemma for this Council and the Jedi Order but it was unintentional."

"A master of understatement, you are." Master Yoda's ears drooped down and he looked positively green - well greener than usual. I guess even he was not happy with Master Qui-Gon.

There were several murmurs around the room and, out of the corner of my eye, I could see one or two masters glaring at us. Some were whispering in hurried tones. Master Windu was glowing purple at this point and his eyes were yellower than ever.

But before Master Windu could say anything else, with one small hand raised as if to placate the other Council members, Master Gallia spoke up, "Master Jinn, it pains me to inform you that your actions have been captured on holovid and spread over the holonet to a very large audience. The Senate has called for censure and some have asked for your expulsion from the Jedi Order for such actions."

Expulsion! I knew it. We were doomed.

We'd be begging on the streets by nightfall. I'd be left to find odd jobs and my master would be working as an enforcer in those nightclubs downbelow or maybe doing garbage pickup - although that might be better because we could fix things that get tossed away and make some money that way. But we'd always be dirty and hungry and maybe even laughed at when Jedi, real Jedi, passed us by.

Panicking again, I almost missed what Master Gallia said next. "The Chancellor has organized a committee to investigate this. We are trying to diffuse the situation but it will be difficult to do so without further information."

How my master could stand there, so cool and calm and masterly, knowing that we'd be living on the streets in a few hours, was beyond me. He didn't seem worried at all. "As I said, Master Gallia, I do not remember. I have not reviewed these holovids. Unfortunately, my padawan has not had time to brief me on them nor have we been able to discuss the events of Septemus IV in depth." He was frowning again, thoughtfully this time. "I am at a loss in this matter."

"Very well." With a low, unhappy hummph, Master Windu turned his death glare toward me. "Padawan Kenobi, give us your report on the Septemus IV debacle, starting from the moment Master Jinn ate the drugged food. Leave out nothing. I want every event described in detail, especially your master's actions."

It was as if the heat of the Coruscanti sun was suddenly beating down on my head; I was drenched in sweat and I felt sick, throwing-up-all-over-my-boots kind of sick. They were staring at me - all the Masters of the Jedi Council, the wisest of the wise, the ones who decided how the Order would be run, the beings who determined who would succeed and who would fail in their quest to be Jedi Knights.

They were all waiting... for me.