Author's NOTES: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. This is a slightly longer chapter than the last and I hope you will enjoy it. Once again, ** are in italics and are meant to be flashbacks. * is also in italics but are self-thoughts.

Just a random announcement, I have finally decided to start posting my first attempt at writing SW fics. It is the first part of a three part series called "The Fate of Destiny". (shamelessly advertising 80)

Fell free to flame it if necessary because personally I know my writing totally sucked in that fic, but the plot is there so hopefully it will be entertaining enough.

As always, Enjoy. Read. Review. May the Force Be With You.

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Chapter 8:

Ben dashed down the red-carpeted hallway in a flash, his mind reeled with chaotic memories. Images, scenes, words, haunted him as turbulent emotions threatened to overwhelm his fragile state of mind. The knot of guilt, anger, and pain further constricted inside of him in an endless cycle. He could feel himself losing the mental grip of sanity.

He needed to clear his head. He needed to get out.

Ben made a quick turn at the end of the hallway and left the palace altogether. Guards and servants passed by him, each giving him a look of surprise at his hastiness, but he didn't care about them. To them, he had always been "the weird one", or more precisely, "the emotionless weird one".

Of course, they never addressed to him as such. They were afraid to and were probably right in being so. His presence in the palace scared them and his mysterious past terrified them. None of them knew anything about him other than his name, Ben. It was funny that they never asked for his last name.

A thought brushed by him. *Are they that frightened of me?* Ben sighed.

He was now already halfway across the palace's geometrically hemmed garden and a third of the way to his meditative spot. Soon he'd be able to let it all out. Soon he'd be able to find peace, even if it would only be momentary.

***

Qui-Gon paced back and forth inside his quarters. He was supposed to think of strategies for the treaty, and at the very least, be formulating investigation plans on the attempted assassinations, but none of such matters seemed important. His mind was too occupied on one matter, Obi- Wan.

The few hours that had passed since the initial shock of seeing his dead Padawan alive and the eternity-like hours that he had spent smarting over Obi-Wan's cold and emotionless statement had now left him with many questions. He didn't know where his padawan had been for the last three years ever since his "supposed death".

Had Obi-Wan been on Tarsha all this time? If so, why didn't the boy contact him or the Jedi Temple? Better yet, why couldn't he sense Obi-Wan through the old training bond all these years?

There was only one answer to all of his questions, but the answer only brought more questions and concerns.

Obi-Wan simply did not want to be found.

It hurt him to think that his padawan would abandon the Jedi Order entirely. The Jedi Order had been Obi-Wan's life, an integral part of the boy, a part of his soul. It seemed like only yesterday that an over eager ginger hair boy would rush to saber practice to work on his kata moves. Now Qui-Gon could only wonder where that young boy had gone.

Too many questions, not enough answers.

He needed to confront Obi-Wan. No matter what the results would be, he knew it had to be done.

Qui-Gon immediately left the room. He walked down the hallway for a little while then stopped. The sudden realization that he didn't know where his padawan was hit him, but in the midst of uncertainty, there was a small tug at the corner of his subconscious. It was telling him, no it was showing him where he could find his padawan.in the gardens.

***

Ben sat down in a meditative stance on a small stretch of grass underneath a Kawa tree. He let his breathing become methodically even. The natural sounds around him became increasingly loud. At first, it was muddled, almost dissonant. Then, one by one, the sounds became more distinct. He could hear Tarsha's native Yugo birds chirping. He could feel the late evening's breeze whistling through the tree lines. He could even hear the running springs.

He was at peace.

So this was what becoming one with the Living Force was.

He felt his muscles relaxed, his mind clear.

But it didn't last long.

Almost sudden as the peace of mind that came to him, it left him. The abrupt loss of peace threw him back into the world he was running from, the world that was his life. Ben let out a small gasp from the whiplash effect and steadied himself with his hands. He had anticipated such. Every time he had tried to gain some peace, it had always ended like that.

Ben had hoped that long experience would help him gain some control over his meditations, but it didn't. There was a time when such minor task was a feeble process. That was a time when he was still a Jedi Padawan. That was a time when he still believed in the Jedi Order. That was a time when he worthy of being one.

That time was no more.

The seventeen years of his life trained as Jedi were gone. He was no longer a Jedi. His dream of becoming a Jedi Knight.no more, an ephemeral dream that had to end.

Immediately as the peace left him, it was replaced by the very turbulent emotions he was trying to hide from. The emotions only prompted past memories, memories that he did not want to relive again.

**"If you don't believe the evidence, then believe me." Obi-Wan pleaded, his blue-grey eyes filled with anticipation as he looked at his venerable master.**

**"Obi-Wan."**

**"You trust me, don't you?" His voice wavered ever so slightly.**

**There was a long pause of deafening silence.**

**"No.I can't." Qui-Gon delivered the final blow.**

Ben felt his heart was constricted into a vice. It didn't matter that such memories had had three years of history. It still hurt. Time could never mend that wound, he knew.

There was a rustle of the leaves. Ben turned to face the sound of the source and saw the last person he wanted to confront with.

"Master Jinn" Ben said simply. He pulled himself up from his meditative stance and prepared to leave.

"Obi." A pause. "Ben, I need to talk with you."

"There is nothing to talk about. Whatever was needed to say was said three years ago." Ben replied bitterly.

"Ben, don't do this" Qui-Gon pleaded.

"Do what?"

"Act so heartless. You're not like this."

"Am I now?" Ben turned to face the Jedi Master directly. "You always did understand me so well Master Jinn." There was obvious mockery in his voice.

"Then give me a chance to understand now."

"It is too late"

"No it's not. We're both here. We can work this out."

Ben sighed. "It's too late"

Ben turned and walked away. He didn't give a glance back nor did he answer the Jedi Master's pleads for him to stop. He just kept on walking. Did he do the right thing just now? Should he at least be more civil to his former Master? Was he still angry at what had happened?

Ben realized now that he wasn't angry, not anymore. The years had soothed his anger and cleared his mind. He knew what had happened was inevitable and no one was to blame. If so, then why couldn't he more accepting toward his former Master?

Before Ben could answer his own internal monologue, he bumped hard into something. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself from the collision to find a guard on the ground, apparently knocked down by him.

Ben offered his hand out to the guard, but the guard looked with distrust at the outward show of emotion.

Ben sighed and extended his hand further. "Are you all right?"

The guard seemed to be hesitant at first then quickly grabbed the offered hand to pull himself up. "Th..Thank you."

"Is everything alright? You seemed to be in such a rush" Ben asked casually.

"uh.I.I came to inform you that.that.Prince Aras has been kidnapped" The guard stammered, afraid to get the full wrath as the harbinger of bad news.

"What?" Ben exclaimed in alarm. "When did this happen?"

"J.Just now. Captain Bolso came into check on his Royal Highness, but he wasn't there and the room.your quarters were in complete mess."

"Go inform Master Jinn of the situation. He's back there in the gardens" Ben pointed it out to the guard. "Tell him to meet me at the crime scene."

Ben saw the guard rushed off then ran quickly back to his quarters. He hoped that the guard was misinformed and that his friend was probably wandering around the palace safe and sound. Ben knew first hand what the rebels were capable of and he feared for his friend if the rebels were responsible for the kidnapping.

It didn't make sense for the rebels to kidnap the Prince, especially when there was an attempted assassination mere hours earlier. There was a mystery at work and he only hoped he could solve it before any harm comes to his friend.

He could not fail his friend like he did with Ciera.

No, he could not.