Note: At this point, warnings and the rating for this fic have been altered. Please return to chapter one to see the changes.

.Eleven.

Anyone who had any common sense knew how slow-moving the justice system was. Bureaucrats were nothing but petty, spoiled children who wanted nothing but their own way. They squabbled and fussed amongst themselves and never seemed to accomplish anything. Qui-Gon Jinn hadn't been surprised by their lack of action, just appalled. He couldn't forgive the Senate for allowing his apprentice to suffer for as long as he had.

Along with his frustration and anger, the Jedi Master was also experiencing a nagging feeling of guilt. He had abandoned his student. At the time, he felt as if he had no choice. He had to return to the High Council and beg for their help. However, the knuckleheads in the Council Tower were nearly as stubborn as those in the Senate. They wished to wait and let the delegates decide; to allow the Senator from Naboo time to figure out what to do. It was a delicate political situation that could result in disaster for Naboo's position within the Republic if handled incorrectly.

At least that's what Master Windu had told him. Looking back, Qui-Gon could see the exact moment he had failed his apprentice. He had listened to Windu's advice and not followed his own heart. His insight had told him what to do – to return to Naboo and free Obi-Wan himself. The risks of doing so included his own possible capture and imprisonment. If that happened, how could be of any help?

And so, he waited as the agonizingly slow cogwheel of diplomacy turned before it came to a grinding halt. Finally, after hours of debate and shouting at the top of his lungs, the Jedi Master convinced not only the High Council of the Jedi and the Supreme Chancellor as well that they could no longer wait. The Queen of Naboo was a danger not only to herself but to her people – his apprentice included.

By that time, two months had passed, and although Qui-Gon felt that Obi-Wan's living force still abided in this realm, he wondered if he was reading the currents of the Light Side correctly. The cell where the young man was being held had a damn inhibitor in it. There was no way to know for sure if Obi-Wan were alive or dead.

A small army was created from the best the Jedi had to offer. Their mission was simple: To maintain radio silence and land in Theed in order to initiate a surprise attack. Following their arrival, the Jedi actually met very little resistance. Naboo was a relatively peaceful system whose people had the good habit of minding their own business. What little fighting that had occured happened inside the palace, against those who remained loyal to the Queen.

Thankfully, the casualties were minimal and his student was unharmed. Although Obi-Wan was a mere shadow of his former self, it was nothing rest and good nutrition wouldn't fix. To ensure the boy was all right, Qui-Gon stayed on Naboo, frankly because Obi-Wan stayed. In fact, the boy had insisted on it and for possibly the first time, Qui-Gon had listened. There was something about this Queen, his apprentice had told him. Something he felt responsible for.

Qui-Gon didn't understand his student's reasons, but he wanted to help Obi-Wan all he could. His lingering guilt was possibly to blame. Over time, however, he was beginning to realize his responsibilities lie elsewhere. The older Jedi couldn't deny the ill feeling he'd experienced during his audience with the Senate and the Chancellor. True, there were always a few senators of questionable morals, and as a rule, politicians weren't to be trusted. His contact with them this time, though, was different. During his ranting, Qui-Gon had sensed the strong presence of a Shadow moving amongst the Senate members. He couldn't quite discern where it had come from or where it had gone, but it made Qui-Gon feel uneasy and he was now determined to discover its source.

His apprentice was no longer his to train or to guide. The young man was on his own, having been granted the status of Knight. Qui-Gon was proud of his student's achievements and at that point, was forced to leave Obi-Wan behind. As upsetting as this move initially was, it freed the older Jedi to pursue his investigation of the Galactic Senate and its leaders. He was going to do his best to try and locate this dark presence infecting the Senate.

This time, he wouldn't be talked out of doing what he felt was right, so he kept his suspicions and plan of action to himself. Each day for a couple of weeks, he was like a ghost that moved among the politicians, his awareness constantly cast out, his eyes seeking, his heart searching.

No one ever questioned him and he moved freely through the multi-leveld structure, advancing up each floor and even descending to those below the ground. For days, he felt nothing. As a result, Qui-Gon was both relieved and disappointed. He was sure the answer to the cause of his uneasiness would be discovered in this building and he wasn't yet willing to give up.

Late one night, alone in his temple apartment, he studied his mission and readjusted his agenda. As a youngling, he'd always been taught that a Shadow preferred the darkness. Therefore, it made much more sense to do his investigations during the night. The problem was, the Senate building was locked down tight as soon as evening fell on Galactic City. If he wasn't careful and didn't find what he was looking for...if he were caught, he could be arrested and censured for breaking and entering.

His only solution to such a risk was to be successful.

At a young age, Qui-Gon discovered his Gift was the ability to shield his presence from others. Practicing this ability had gotten him out of some rather sticky situations, but had also gotten him into a lot of trouble with his own Master. He had quickly learned not to abuse such a talent, choosing far more wisely when it would be most effective.

Now, for example. He didn't wish to access the security panel, although it would've been easy to do, and chose to hide himself within the Light. For several minutes, he continually tossed pebbles into the view of the holocameras, activating the motion sensors outside of the main entrance to the Senate Complex. The activity soon drew a droid guard who stepped outside and scanned the area. Once ascertaining the area was clear, it reentered unaware that Qui-Gon had mirrored its every move. He was free now to move about the building, although he wasn't sure what he was looking for. Pausing at a long bank of lifts, he took the time to consult the tranquil movement within himself, feeling a strong pull to continue further down the hall.

There was nothing in that direction but a few random offices of lower assistants as well as a couple of service lifts. But who was he to question the Light? He followed his heart and just as he rounded the wide turn of the hallway, he spied a cloaked individual. An elder, by the looks of him. Qui-Gon cast out his awareness, somewhat surprised when it returned to him void. Whoever this was had the ability to protect himself. Now extremely curious, Qui-Gon stepped forward, abruptly stopping when the stranger's head lifted. Up until that point, the man's attention had been on the security panel. He had apparently been adjusting the cameras; turning some off and others on. As soon as Qui-Gon had advanced, the fingers on the screen stilled.

Had he heard him? Could he be detected within the Light? Qui-Gon didn't believe that was possible. No one had ever been able to before. And yet, the Jedi Master waited, standing still, and even held his breath.

The hooded form turned and Qui-Gon gasped, another sound he regretted. He recognized the face hidden beneath the folds of the hood. Senator Palpatine! What was he doing skulking about the Senate building at this time of night?

The man's cool, blue eyes scanned the hallway, causing Qui-Gon to once again freeze in place. He wasn't going to make a move until the old Senator did.

After an agonizing couple of minutes, the politician closed the security panel and crept down the hallway, taking the service lift down. Qui-Gon followed after watching how far down he'd gone, only choosing the stairwell instead. At the lowest level of the complex, he stepped out into a garage and watched curiously as the Senator stepped into a waiting transport.

Damn. He had no choice but to find something to fly himself. Add that to his list of felonies this evening, Qui-Gon grumbled. Breaking and entering, grand theft... What else would he be guilty of before the night ended?

Before the transport moved completely out of his sight, the Jedi Master managed to hot-wire a speeder. Not wanting to cause a traffic incident just in case anyone saw a vehicle flying about without a pilot, Qui-Gon specifically chose one with a privacy cover and he squeezed inside. Whomever this belonged to was about half his height. After some quick seat adjustments, he managed to maneuver outside of the garage and spied the Senator's transport just ahead. Dodging traffic, Qui-Gon maintained a relatively safe distance, his curiosity piquing when the driver pulled into the warehouse district. He parked some ways back and watched with growing interest as the cloaked figure shuffled into a blackened durasteel building and then he waited. Unable to resist any longer, not knowing if Palpatine was planning on coming back out any time soon, Qui-Gon hopped out of his own vehicle and entered the building himself, only through an open window on its side.

In the quiet stillness, he picked up a distant conversation. One of the voices he recognized as Palpatine, while the other was unfamiliar. He needed to hear what they were saying and he took a chance of advancing as close to the source as possible while remaining concealed with the Light.

"Soon, my apprentice, all will come to fruition. The board has been set and the pieces are now in place. We will finally see the end of the Jedi and the rise of the Sith."

"Yes, my Master."

Qui-Gon couldn't see the face of the one Palpatine was talking to and he moved to gain a better position, being careful not to bump into anything. At one point, this warehouse must've been used as a storage facility for exports. It was filled with stacks of boxes and crates with only narrow passages between them. Palpatine and his comrade were at a crossing between two of those passages and Qui-Gon approached cautiously. He just wanted to get a good look at the face.

However, when he was finally in a position to do so, the Jedi Master was surprised to find Palpatine standing alone. He could've sworn he had seen two bodies there and one hadn't been a holoimage.

By the time the puzzle had been put together, it was too late to do anything about it and a red sword came crashing toward his head from above. A powerful individual wearing a black cloak jumped and twisted through the air in an impressive aerial maneuver, landing directly in front of him. Immediately, the dark warrior twirled around and planted his boot into Qui-Gon's stomach. The Jedi fell back but recovered in rapid fashion, brandishing his lightsaber in return. Red clashed with blue as the two warriors fought.

Between the flashes of passing light and the blur of movement, the Jedi Master was able to discern that his opponent was a Zabrak and an angry one at that. The being's skin was heavily tattooed and he was highly trained in the Jedi arts.

During the past few years, toward the end of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship, Qui-Gon had sparred with his student routinely. He was much older now, slightly past his prime, and already, his muscles were tiring.

In situations such as this, it was best to use one's mental faculties instead of muscles. Qui-Gon blocked when he needed to and reserved his strength. The Zabrak kept backing him up, smiling menacingly at him the entire time. In the back of Qui-Gon's mind, he was beginning to realize he was at a disadvantage and might not be able to win this fight. The best thing for him to do would be to perhaps make a run for it. There was a scaffold above him and he prepared to leap to it for safety. As soon as drew upon the power to do so, though, a bolt of blue energy wrapped itself around his body. He was paralyzed and held a meter off the ground; trapped within a cacoon of electricity.

There was no escape and by the time he realized who was responsible for capturing him, there was nothing Qui-Gon could do about it. The trouble was, nobody knew where he was and therefore, he couldn't let them know, that Senator Palpatine was the Sith Lord Obi-Wan had spoken with. He was the Shadow Qui-Gon had been searching for.