Author's NOTE: A big Thank You for taking the time to read this fic. Your
overwhelming support is the true kindling of inspiration for me. I will
try to update asap as time will permits.
I am not that good at writing action sequences so please bear with me through this chapter. 80)
Until then, Read, Enjoy, and Review.
May the Force Be With You.
*****
Chapter 5:
Qui-Gon stood near a large glass window that overlooked Tarsha's palace's gardens. The garden was meticulously trimmed to perfection with hedges in geometrical figures. Everything was neatly kept in place, and despite the seemingly rigid appearance of Tarsha's palace, there was a sense of peace within the walls. At least, that was Qui-Gon's impression of the place.
He had been on a transport, traveling through deep space at light speed for the past two days. The constant vibrations of the old transport and the not so luxurious interior proved to be quite a distraction. It wasn't that he wanted the luxury and comfort of the newest transport model available to travel in, and by far he'd encounter much worse transports during his time, it was the lack of communications with the crew on board that bothered him.
The complete silence during the trip was nerve-wracking. Not that Qui-Gon was much of a sociable person, he just wasn't comfortable sitting in complete silence for two days without a thing to do. At least back at the Jedi Temple, there were things to do; perhaps mindless things, but things nevertheless to preoccupied him with.
The silence on the transport was just unbearable. Too unbearable.
Almost like the silence that followed.
No, he was not going think about that now. He had a job to do.
Knock. Knock.
Qui-Gon turned his gaze from the window to face one of Tarsha's guards he had seen earlier. The guard was dressed in a red brown uniform with an oversized hat drawn down, covering a good portion of the face, approached him.
"Master Jinn, Prince Aras is ready to see you now" The guard gave a slight bow.
"Thank You. Please show the way."
Qui-Gon followed the guard out into a red carpeted hallway, ornamented with paintings of past kings and queens. They soon passed several rooms before stopping in front of a wooden door. The guard knocked a few times then directed Qui-Gon into the room. The room was spacious and well lit, evidently the prince's study room.
Qui-Gon walked up to Prince Aras who stood watching something from the window.
"It's hard to believe isn't it? That in the midst of the tranquility, strife plagues this planet." Prince Aras assessed before Qui-Gon got a chance to say anything.
"There are deceptions everywhere. Many things are deceptions of the mind. What you see may not be what is." Qui-Gon replied.
"Yes, I suppose you're right" Prince Aras sighed. He turned away from the window to face the Jedi Master with a smile. "Please excuse my mood Master Jinn, they get the better of me sometimes."
"Prince Aras" Qui-Gon bowed.
"Please, have a seat."
Qui-Gon took his seat. "Prince Aras, the Jedi Council has informed me that you wish to seek a peaceful negotiation with the rebel factions?"
"Yes, that is why I need your help."
"What do you plan to do? Do the rebel factions know of your intentions?"
Prince Aras sighed. " I sent an ambassador to talk to the rebel leaders about negotiating a treaty a week ago." Prince Aras paused. "They.they didn't even listen to him. They.just had him executed." Tears began to form around his eyes.
Prince Aras looked away. Qui-Gon noticed pain creased on his face. He felt sad for Prince Aras. The prince was much too young to have to deal with such a volatile condition. But what surprised Qui-Gon the most was how much the Prince reminded him of Obi-Wan. It wasn't that they looked anything alike. In fact, where Obi-Wan had ginger hair and blue-grey eyes, the prince had sleek auburn hair and hazel eyes. They were completely opposite in appearance, but Qui-Gon could sense that they would have become good friends.
Too bad that could not happen now.
"That was when I knew I couldn't handle the situation on my own" Prince Aras continued, still not facing Qui-Gon.
"And you requested for help?"
"Yes, I asked the Jedi Council for help."
"Specifically my help" Qui-Gon suddenly remembered what transpired during his late night's visit to the Jedi Council Chambers. He remembered Yoda telling him that he was specifically asked for, yet seeing he had never met Prince Aras before, it was a warrant suspicion as to how the young prince could have known about him. Sure he had resolved many notable conflicts before, but his accomplishments were but mere specks of sand in comparison to the thousands of other Jedi Masters and Knights.
"Yes I did." Prince Aras paused, sensing what was bothering the Jedi Master. "I've heard of you from a friend."
"A friend?" Qui-Gon asked, suspicion still in his voice.
"Yes, a friend." Prince Aras concurred. "I doubt you know him"
"I suppose not." It still bothered him. Perhaps he will find out more later.
There was a loud crash as millions of glass particles erupted from what was once smooth windowpanes. Qui-Gon immediately sprung to his feet, his lightsaber ignited with a green hum. His eyes quickly caught sight of several intruding figures dressed in black. They had a cloth tied around their faces, only revealing the colors of their eyes. There was so much determination in those eyes.
The figures wasted no time as they propelled themselves across the spacious room towards Prince Aras, each had a blaster in their hands.
Qui-Gon knew what was happening.
This was an assassination attempt.
A blast flew by and hit the walls directly behind Prince Aras, barely missing him. Prince Aras ducked and dove to the side to avoid the crossfire, but the blasts were getting dense. Where were his guards?
Mental note to self. Get better guards. Prince Aras thought. He chuckled slightly but stopped. He couldn't believe that he could find it funny at a time when he could be killed within seconds.
Another blast flew above his head. Prince Aras crawled on his hands and legs toward a desk, hoping for protection. The trek was difficult. The shattered pieces of glass sprayed across the floor cut into his hands. It hurt like hell, but better that than being dead.
*****
Qui-Gon parried each blaster bolt with a swift move of his green lightsaber. The assassins were definitely no match for him. Sure they had the automatic blaster guns, but those weapons were too rigid and lack the smoothness of a lightsaber. This was an advantage and he was certain to keep it that way.
He swung the green saber before him, turned to his side to give a kick at his opponent then used his free hand to send a punch to the assassin's face. The guy never knew what hit him and went out cold before his body made contact with the floor.
Three down. Six more to go.
Qui-Gon glanced briefly at the task before him. It was a daunting task of course, but nothing he couldn't handle. He only hoped Prince Aras had found a good hiding place. Qui-Gon quickly turned to survey the room. At first he couldn't see where Prince Aras was and that made him worry. He was sent here to work out the treaty and in order to do that, he would need a prince. He could not fail now. He had failed before. It was not going to happen again.
His eyes quickly caught sight of the auburn head sneaking out behind a desk. He recognized that it was Aras and that calmed his nerves a bit. But such calm sensation was quickly filled with dread as he felt and saw a looming figure jumping through the already smashed window. The figure held a blaster in hand and was standing a mere two feet behind Aras. It would be a clean shot.
Qui-Gon tried to warn Aras, but that would be futile. What could an unarmed prince do? No, he had to take the matter into his own hands. Qui-Gon immediately stretched his hand out and used the force to pin the looming figure back against the wall.
The element of surprise worked and the looming figure dropped his blaster upon impact with the wall. Qui-Gon, satisfied with the results, turned his full attention to the remaining assassins.
Just then, he felt a faint brush of warning through the Force. He turned with a flash in the direction of Prince Aras only to see a shocked expression on the young prince's face as the once pinned looming figure held the blaster gun point-blank in front of him.
Qui-Gon tried to propel himself toward the prince in hopes that he could get there in time. But immediately, the remaining assassins blockaded him. There was no way he could get to the prince now.
The young Prince was going to be shot.
Qui-Gon cringed inwardly. He could not believe this was happening. How could he have failed again??
Qui-Gon mentally braced himself for the agonizing scream that was to come from the prince.
But it never came.
Out of nowhere, in a flash, Qui-Gon could see a Tarsha guard running towards Prince Aras. There was hope yet.
Matching the blows from the assassins with his saber, Qui-Gon still managed to keep an eye on what was happening. He could see the guard swiftly tackled the looming figure with great speed and wrestled the blaster away.
But the looming figure wasn't about to be defeated so easily. He quickly got up from his position and attacked the guard before him. Yet, no matter where he placed his punches or kicks, the guard seemed to maneuver around his moves easily as though it was but a mere dance.
He was angry now. He had a job to do and the guard before him was not making it easy. He feigned an attack at the guard by throwing shards of broken glass on the floor then rushed for his blaster lying a few feet away.
The plan was working perfectly. He reached out his hand for the blaster but a heavy pressure pressed on them. He looked at the source and realized it to be guard's foot. How could the guard has moved so quickly? It was impossible.
But he wasn't out of options yet. He reached out his free hand and yanked his trapped hand from underneath. The movement hurt, but it worked. Wasting no time, he grabbed a piece of glass lying not too far away and impaled it into the guard's leg.
He had expected the guard to jump out of the way, leaving him room to go after his real target, the prince, but the guard did not. The piece of glass heavily impaled into the guard's leg, and he could see trails of blood coming out, but the guard showed no sign of pain. The guard just stood there like a statue.
Whatever happened next the assassin did not know. He could only feel something imploding in his face and he was out cold before he hit the ground.
*******
Qui-Gon slashed his green saber into one of the assassin's midsection then deactivated his saber. The last assassin keeled over and fell to the floor, thus ending the assassination attempt.
He quickly turned to survey the damages and to see Prince Aras' conditions. The room was in an utter mess with bodies of the assassins sprawled out on the floor, a reminder of a sith-raising battle.
Qui-Gon walked quickly to the Prince. He could see the guard helping the prince to his feet. During the guard's fight with the looming figure, Qui- Gon had kept an eye on him. Qui-Gon had noticed just how skillful the guard was, being able to swiftly move about. Something was telling him that there was more to this guard than meets the eye.
"Prince Aras, are you alright?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yes...yes...I suppose that I am. Thank you." Aras replied shakily. It was obvious the Prince was still scared.
"No, I believe you should thank your trusted guard there." Qui-Gon pointed to the guard who had his back to him.
"Yes, I know. I don't know what I could have done without you Ben."
The guard simply nodded.
Prince Aras finally noticed the trail of blood that was caking on the guard's right leg.
"Ben?! You're hurt"
"Don't worry Prince Aras, it's nothing."
That voice. There was something about that voice, but Qui-Gon could not quite point his finger to. There was a familiarity to that voice. Did he know the guard? If only he could see the guard's face...
"You should get that treated. It may cause an infection." Qui-Gon added.
"It is no matter Master Jinn"
The way this guard named Ben had said that made Qui-Gon's stomach turned in knots.
"If that is all Prince Aras, I'd like to retire to my quarters."
"No, wait. I must introduce you to Master Jinn, the one I've told you about. He's here to help negotiate a treaty with the rebels." Prince Aras held out his hand and turned Ben around to face the Jedi Master.
Reluctantly, Ben turned to face the man before him.
What transpired next was beyond comprehension for Qui-Gon. He paled as he saw the loving face of his dead Padawan on the guard's face. How could this be?
"O...Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon gasped, unable to hold back the shock on his face.
"Master Jinn" Ben replied simply, his face was emotionless and cold.
I am not that good at writing action sequences so please bear with me through this chapter. 80)
Until then, Read, Enjoy, and Review.
May the Force Be With You.
*****
Chapter 5:
Qui-Gon stood near a large glass window that overlooked Tarsha's palace's gardens. The garden was meticulously trimmed to perfection with hedges in geometrical figures. Everything was neatly kept in place, and despite the seemingly rigid appearance of Tarsha's palace, there was a sense of peace within the walls. At least, that was Qui-Gon's impression of the place.
He had been on a transport, traveling through deep space at light speed for the past two days. The constant vibrations of the old transport and the not so luxurious interior proved to be quite a distraction. It wasn't that he wanted the luxury and comfort of the newest transport model available to travel in, and by far he'd encounter much worse transports during his time, it was the lack of communications with the crew on board that bothered him.
The complete silence during the trip was nerve-wracking. Not that Qui-Gon was much of a sociable person, he just wasn't comfortable sitting in complete silence for two days without a thing to do. At least back at the Jedi Temple, there were things to do; perhaps mindless things, but things nevertheless to preoccupied him with.
The silence on the transport was just unbearable. Too unbearable.
Almost like the silence that followed.
No, he was not going think about that now. He had a job to do.
Knock. Knock.
Qui-Gon turned his gaze from the window to face one of Tarsha's guards he had seen earlier. The guard was dressed in a red brown uniform with an oversized hat drawn down, covering a good portion of the face, approached him.
"Master Jinn, Prince Aras is ready to see you now" The guard gave a slight bow.
"Thank You. Please show the way."
Qui-Gon followed the guard out into a red carpeted hallway, ornamented with paintings of past kings and queens. They soon passed several rooms before stopping in front of a wooden door. The guard knocked a few times then directed Qui-Gon into the room. The room was spacious and well lit, evidently the prince's study room.
Qui-Gon walked up to Prince Aras who stood watching something from the window.
"It's hard to believe isn't it? That in the midst of the tranquility, strife plagues this planet." Prince Aras assessed before Qui-Gon got a chance to say anything.
"There are deceptions everywhere. Many things are deceptions of the mind. What you see may not be what is." Qui-Gon replied.
"Yes, I suppose you're right" Prince Aras sighed. He turned away from the window to face the Jedi Master with a smile. "Please excuse my mood Master Jinn, they get the better of me sometimes."
"Prince Aras" Qui-Gon bowed.
"Please, have a seat."
Qui-Gon took his seat. "Prince Aras, the Jedi Council has informed me that you wish to seek a peaceful negotiation with the rebel factions?"
"Yes, that is why I need your help."
"What do you plan to do? Do the rebel factions know of your intentions?"
Prince Aras sighed. " I sent an ambassador to talk to the rebel leaders about negotiating a treaty a week ago." Prince Aras paused. "They.they didn't even listen to him. They.just had him executed." Tears began to form around his eyes.
Prince Aras looked away. Qui-Gon noticed pain creased on his face. He felt sad for Prince Aras. The prince was much too young to have to deal with such a volatile condition. But what surprised Qui-Gon the most was how much the Prince reminded him of Obi-Wan. It wasn't that they looked anything alike. In fact, where Obi-Wan had ginger hair and blue-grey eyes, the prince had sleek auburn hair and hazel eyes. They were completely opposite in appearance, but Qui-Gon could sense that they would have become good friends.
Too bad that could not happen now.
"That was when I knew I couldn't handle the situation on my own" Prince Aras continued, still not facing Qui-Gon.
"And you requested for help?"
"Yes, I asked the Jedi Council for help."
"Specifically my help" Qui-Gon suddenly remembered what transpired during his late night's visit to the Jedi Council Chambers. He remembered Yoda telling him that he was specifically asked for, yet seeing he had never met Prince Aras before, it was a warrant suspicion as to how the young prince could have known about him. Sure he had resolved many notable conflicts before, but his accomplishments were but mere specks of sand in comparison to the thousands of other Jedi Masters and Knights.
"Yes I did." Prince Aras paused, sensing what was bothering the Jedi Master. "I've heard of you from a friend."
"A friend?" Qui-Gon asked, suspicion still in his voice.
"Yes, a friend." Prince Aras concurred. "I doubt you know him"
"I suppose not." It still bothered him. Perhaps he will find out more later.
There was a loud crash as millions of glass particles erupted from what was once smooth windowpanes. Qui-Gon immediately sprung to his feet, his lightsaber ignited with a green hum. His eyes quickly caught sight of several intruding figures dressed in black. They had a cloth tied around their faces, only revealing the colors of their eyes. There was so much determination in those eyes.
The figures wasted no time as they propelled themselves across the spacious room towards Prince Aras, each had a blaster in their hands.
Qui-Gon knew what was happening.
This was an assassination attempt.
A blast flew by and hit the walls directly behind Prince Aras, barely missing him. Prince Aras ducked and dove to the side to avoid the crossfire, but the blasts were getting dense. Where were his guards?
Mental note to self. Get better guards. Prince Aras thought. He chuckled slightly but stopped. He couldn't believe that he could find it funny at a time when he could be killed within seconds.
Another blast flew above his head. Prince Aras crawled on his hands and legs toward a desk, hoping for protection. The trek was difficult. The shattered pieces of glass sprayed across the floor cut into his hands. It hurt like hell, but better that than being dead.
*****
Qui-Gon parried each blaster bolt with a swift move of his green lightsaber. The assassins were definitely no match for him. Sure they had the automatic blaster guns, but those weapons were too rigid and lack the smoothness of a lightsaber. This was an advantage and he was certain to keep it that way.
He swung the green saber before him, turned to his side to give a kick at his opponent then used his free hand to send a punch to the assassin's face. The guy never knew what hit him and went out cold before his body made contact with the floor.
Three down. Six more to go.
Qui-Gon glanced briefly at the task before him. It was a daunting task of course, but nothing he couldn't handle. He only hoped Prince Aras had found a good hiding place. Qui-Gon quickly turned to survey the room. At first he couldn't see where Prince Aras was and that made him worry. He was sent here to work out the treaty and in order to do that, he would need a prince. He could not fail now. He had failed before. It was not going to happen again.
His eyes quickly caught sight of the auburn head sneaking out behind a desk. He recognized that it was Aras and that calmed his nerves a bit. But such calm sensation was quickly filled with dread as he felt and saw a looming figure jumping through the already smashed window. The figure held a blaster in hand and was standing a mere two feet behind Aras. It would be a clean shot.
Qui-Gon tried to warn Aras, but that would be futile. What could an unarmed prince do? No, he had to take the matter into his own hands. Qui-Gon immediately stretched his hand out and used the force to pin the looming figure back against the wall.
The element of surprise worked and the looming figure dropped his blaster upon impact with the wall. Qui-Gon, satisfied with the results, turned his full attention to the remaining assassins.
Just then, he felt a faint brush of warning through the Force. He turned with a flash in the direction of Prince Aras only to see a shocked expression on the young prince's face as the once pinned looming figure held the blaster gun point-blank in front of him.
Qui-Gon tried to propel himself toward the prince in hopes that he could get there in time. But immediately, the remaining assassins blockaded him. There was no way he could get to the prince now.
The young Prince was going to be shot.
Qui-Gon cringed inwardly. He could not believe this was happening. How could he have failed again??
Qui-Gon mentally braced himself for the agonizing scream that was to come from the prince.
But it never came.
Out of nowhere, in a flash, Qui-Gon could see a Tarsha guard running towards Prince Aras. There was hope yet.
Matching the blows from the assassins with his saber, Qui-Gon still managed to keep an eye on what was happening. He could see the guard swiftly tackled the looming figure with great speed and wrestled the blaster away.
But the looming figure wasn't about to be defeated so easily. He quickly got up from his position and attacked the guard before him. Yet, no matter where he placed his punches or kicks, the guard seemed to maneuver around his moves easily as though it was but a mere dance.
He was angry now. He had a job to do and the guard before him was not making it easy. He feigned an attack at the guard by throwing shards of broken glass on the floor then rushed for his blaster lying a few feet away.
The plan was working perfectly. He reached out his hand for the blaster but a heavy pressure pressed on them. He looked at the source and realized it to be guard's foot. How could the guard has moved so quickly? It was impossible.
But he wasn't out of options yet. He reached out his free hand and yanked his trapped hand from underneath. The movement hurt, but it worked. Wasting no time, he grabbed a piece of glass lying not too far away and impaled it into the guard's leg.
He had expected the guard to jump out of the way, leaving him room to go after his real target, the prince, but the guard did not. The piece of glass heavily impaled into the guard's leg, and he could see trails of blood coming out, but the guard showed no sign of pain. The guard just stood there like a statue.
Whatever happened next the assassin did not know. He could only feel something imploding in his face and he was out cold before he hit the ground.
*******
Qui-Gon slashed his green saber into one of the assassin's midsection then deactivated his saber. The last assassin keeled over and fell to the floor, thus ending the assassination attempt.
He quickly turned to survey the damages and to see Prince Aras' conditions. The room was in an utter mess with bodies of the assassins sprawled out on the floor, a reminder of a sith-raising battle.
Qui-Gon walked quickly to the Prince. He could see the guard helping the prince to his feet. During the guard's fight with the looming figure, Qui- Gon had kept an eye on him. Qui-Gon had noticed just how skillful the guard was, being able to swiftly move about. Something was telling him that there was more to this guard than meets the eye.
"Prince Aras, are you alright?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yes...yes...I suppose that I am. Thank you." Aras replied shakily. It was obvious the Prince was still scared.
"No, I believe you should thank your trusted guard there." Qui-Gon pointed to the guard who had his back to him.
"Yes, I know. I don't know what I could have done without you Ben."
The guard simply nodded.
Prince Aras finally noticed the trail of blood that was caking on the guard's right leg.
"Ben?! You're hurt"
"Don't worry Prince Aras, it's nothing."
That voice. There was something about that voice, but Qui-Gon could not quite point his finger to. There was a familiarity to that voice. Did he know the guard? If only he could see the guard's face...
"You should get that treated. It may cause an infection." Qui-Gon added.
"It is no matter Master Jinn"
The way this guard named Ben had said that made Qui-Gon's stomach turned in knots.
"If that is all Prince Aras, I'd like to retire to my quarters."
"No, wait. I must introduce you to Master Jinn, the one I've told you about. He's here to help negotiate a treaty with the rebels." Prince Aras held out his hand and turned Ben around to face the Jedi Master.
Reluctantly, Ben turned to face the man before him.
What transpired next was beyond comprehension for Qui-Gon. He paled as he saw the loving face of his dead Padawan on the guard's face. How could this be?
"O...Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon gasped, unable to hold back the shock on his face.
"Master Jinn" Ben replied simply, his face was emotionless and cold.
