Chapter Sixty-One

An hour later Qui-Gon, accompanied by Neeshin and Tydre, walked towards the landing field where a small shuttle piloted by one of Neeshin's men waited to take him and Tydre to Rukal's citadel.

As they neared the shuttle, Neeshin grabbed Qui-Gon's arm.

"I still say this is madness. You can't do this alone."

"He won't have to," a voice called out from behind them.

Recognizing that voice, Qui-Gon turned quickly, both irritation and gladness warring within him as Obi-Wan walked towards him, accompanied by Aalea and Shiro.

Qui-Gon folded his arms within his robe as they approached.

"Master," Obi-Wan said. He and Aalea bowed.

"You should not be here," Qui-Gon said as he gazed sternly down at them.

"We know, Master," Obi-Wan said.

"You have disobeyed a direct order from Master Yoda and the Council."

"That is correct, Master."

"And possibly ruined not only your future, but Aalea's as well."

Aalea moved next to Obi-Wan.

"We know that too, Master," she said, her violet eyes gazing up into his.

Qui-Gon sighed. He wanted so much to be angry with them, but in his heart he could not. For he knew why they had come and risked their futures to do so. It was for her.

"They had just arrived, Master Jinn," Shiro explained, "so I brought them as quickly as I could. I was told by Master Yoda that if they came to Jalat, I was to detain them both."

Shiro turned towards Obi-Wan and Aalea and smiled at them.

"But I do not think I will be doing that."

Qui-Gon inclined his head to Shiro. "Thank you, First Minister."

Qui-Gon quickly introduced Obi-Wan and Aalea to Neeshin and Tydre. Since the shuttle could only carry four, he sent Obi-Wan over to the pilot to get a quick lesson on how to fly it.

Neeshin touched Qui-Gon on the arm. He pulled him away from where Aalea was talking quietly with Shiro.

"Yes, General Neeshin?"

Neeshin gestured with his eyes over at Aalea.

"Surely you're not taking her?"

"Why would I not?"

"She's a woman. Do you want her to suffer the same fate as Mistress Nyal?"

Qui-Gon looked over at Aalea. For a moment, he was tempted to order her to remain behind. But he knew he could not, for not only would he have kept her from helping the woman he knew she loved as dearly as any mother, he would also have called into question her ability to fulfill her duty as a Jedi.

"No, General Neeshin. I will not leave her behind. But I swear to you, I will die before I let what happened to Cian happen to her."

Neeshin looked at Qui-Gon for a moment, then quickly nodded. The two of them walked back over to the shuttle. Obi-Wan leaned his head out of the cockpit's window from where he sat in the pilot's seat.

"I've got it, Master. We're ready to go when you are."

Qui-Gon turned to where Aalea was standing next to Shiro and gestured for her to get into the seat next to Obi-Wan.

"Good luck, Master Jinn," the First Minister said as he clasped Qui-Gon's arm.

"Thank you, First Minister."

Qui-Gon then turned to Neeshin who glared at him for a long moment.

"I'm giving you four hours," Neeshin growled. "If you're not back by then, I don't care what the Council says. I'm bringing my forces in."

"Fair enough, General Neeshin."

Qui-Gon and Tydre got into the back seat of the shuttle and Obi-Wan quickly took them aloft.

As Obi-Wan gained altitude, Qui-Gon leaned forward between him and Aalea.

"You both were very wrong to have disobeyed Yoda's orders." He sighed. "However, I am glad you are here. You have been briefed? You know where we are going and what we will be facing?"

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said as he took the shuttle in the direction the Jalatan pilot had shown him on the holomap. "First Minister Shiro told us everything."

Aalea turned to Qui-Gon, her beautiful eyes full upon his.

"We are with you, Master."

He nodded.

"Then let's go get her," he said quietly.

-------------

Rukal sat musing in his chambers, his long, thin fingers laced before him. He had just spoken with Lord Sidious who had informed him Lord Maul would be arriving that day to retrieve the woman. Then Sidious had inquired about her condition and Rukal, who had learned over time never to lie to his dark master, told him.

If Rukal thought he had seen the true nature of Lord Sidious before, he learned at that moment he had not.

"You mad, sick, perverted fool!" Sidious hissed from beneath his black hood. "I ordered you to deliver her to me, not harm her. What arrogant insanity made you think you could turn her to the dark side. Fool! I should order Lord Maul to remove your entrails and strangle you with them!"

"The woman resisted, my lord---," Rukal began.

"Silence!"

Rukal licked his suddenly dry lips.

"Does my master still want her?" he asked contritely.

"Deliver her to Lord Maul. I will see what I can do with what you have left me. But pray, Rukal, pray very hard that when Lord Maul arrives, I will have chosen to forgive you for your insane incompetence."

Now, as Rukal sat in his chamber, he wondered what he would do if Sidious ordered Maul to punish him. Should he try to resist?

Rukal titled his head. Over time, as he had learned more and more about the true nature of the Syad and the dark power which resided within it, Rukal's sense of his own self-importance had swelled. He no longer saw himself merely as a man, but as a force of nature; as powerful and as potent as the elements of earth and sky. But, Rukal was also no fool and he knew he was not yet ready to challenge his dark master or his apprentice. Maybe someday, but not now.

So, instead, Rukal quickly conceived a plan he was certain would put him back in his master's good graces. That plan had come about when Rukal had discovered Tydre was missing from the citadel. Rukal was not blind. He had seen the look in Tydre's eyes when he had nursed the woman. The pity, the sympathy, the compassion.

Rukal grimaced. The fool. He supposed it was his fault for having taken Tydre in and put so much faith in him. However, although the boy was quite strong with the Syad, he was also his mother's son. But then, Tydre was also Rukal's son and he had hoped the boy would have been stronger because of that.

Tydre did not know Rukal was his father. Rukal and Tydre's mother had had a secret affair when Rukal had been assigned as an acolyte at the temple in her village. After the death of her and her husband during the floods, Rukal had returned to the village and found Tydre begging on the streets. He had taken him in, hoping to train him as his heir apparent once Lord Sidious made him ruler of Jalat.

Now his sentimental fool of a son had most likely run off to tell the Jedi where the woman was. And once the Jedi knew, he would come. Rukal did not doubt that.

Rukal, therefore, was going to kill the Jedi when he came for the woman and give his head to Lord Sidious. Maybe that would help to assuage his master's anger. He knew that Lord Sidious had ordered him not to confront the Jedi but---and Rukal mentally shrugged---he could always claim he acted in self-defense.

Then, after the Jedi was dead Rukal would find Tydre and kill him for his treachery. He smiled slowly. He would take his time killing Tydre, however, for the boy needed to know before he died who was master here. Rukal's long orange eyes glittered in the darkness of his chamber.

To be continued......