Official Disclaimer: The characters, places, and things mentioned in this fic are the property of Lucasfilm. They are being used without permission and I am not making money from this fic.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for all of the great reviews, I was shocked by how many people responded. Per request, I'm going to continue this. One warning, though; I might not be able to update very often and probably will post a new part every week. Oh, and Obi is absent from this chapter, but I promise he'll be in the next one (Yes, Starwars-FREAK, there will be a good bit of Qui-Gon in this fic :). Thanks again, and don't forget to leave a review of what you think of the new parts before you go!

Side Note: Sheila, you bring up a good point so I think I need to clarify before I start this part. No attacks were being down to Obi personally, the guy wanting to ultimately harm the Temple, but the person was obviously trying to frame Obi for some reason. Since they don't think Obi is being targeted directly, the Council thinks that releasing him is the best option to keep the Temple safe from harm. Sorry I didn't make this understandable, but I hope things clears things up a bit. Yes, I know the logic is faulty; that will come in later in the fic. Originally the attacker thing was just a small subplot, but I've decided to flesh it out a little bit more. If you'd like more of that type of storyline, tell me on a review, and I'll make some more changes and continue that plot later on.


Exile

Part 2

By Ender

~~~1 year later~~~

The man muttered under his breath, growling to himself as he strode down the dirty street of Coruscant. Stray bits of paper and garbage blew across the street, propelled by the air ducts attached to the many seedy bars lining the narrow sidewalks. With small, jerky steps, he turned down an alley, hands shoved low in his pockets. His panicked mumblings were barely audible, muffled by the collar lining his thick jacket, the not-quite-sane look in his eyes hidden by dark, tinted glasses.

Without warning, a huge black shape detached itself from the inky shadows, seeming to fly from the darkness to tackle the startled man. Frantically he reached for the blaster he kept in his side holster, thick fingers fumbling with the clasp. Before he could detach it, a bright light activated, illuminating the alley in a pale green reminiscent of the row of bars he had just left. A hand came into his sight, restraining him with a rough hold on his neck that nearly cut off his air as he resumed his mindless stammering.

Now he could see the face of his attacker, contorted in fury with squinted eyes blazing blue fire. The Jedi! His own face twisted in rage as he tried to spit in the bearded man's face. Jinn, the one that had put him in jail, along with that rat-tailed apprentice. But he had taken care of him; his source had said the oh-so-noble Council had thrown him out. He grinned at the thought, but it only served to enrage the larger man further.

"Drop it, Boh" the Jedi growled in a deep bass, bringing the lightsaber closer to the man's neck in a silent threat. The man obediently let go of his holster, bringing his hands up into view.

"A year, Jinn? You're getting slow." Boh changed the subject, still grinning at his captor, sharp canines glowing in the soft light. Qui-Gon glared at him until he looked away as the Jedi flicked the button on the comlink to alert the authorities of his catch. As he stared into space with a blank look, the man's voice took on a sharper edged tone. "How's your apprentice?"

Qui-Gon pushed him down hard, eyes flashing until he took a deep breath, visually calming himself before he answered.

"You know what happened to him. It was all part of your perverted little plan for revenge, wasn't it?"

"You know it," Boh retorted angrily, "the least I could do for you and that little brat giving me life in prison. How long did it take you to figure out it was me, huh?" He smiled as big as he could. "Too long, I suppose. It's too bad really, that you blamed it all on an innocent boy and dumped him like yesterday's garbage."

"We never thought it was him, you twisted freak." Qui-Gon was close to yelling. His voice dropped to a whisper as shame coursed through his voice. "But we couldn't stop it... it was the only way."

"But he was still the victim, wasn't he?" Boh mockingly replied, clearly relishing every word. "And do you think he'll ever come back now?"

Qui-Gon paused before replying, but was cut off by the approaching sirens. Exhausted, he waited for the police to restrain the man with cuffs, then walked off slowly in the direction of the Temple, shoulders shrugged in shame as he replayed the cruel words Boh had uttered.

Cruel, but true.


*********

Qui-Gon lay on his sleep couch, watching the shadows in his apartment play on the wall in the darkness. Silver light spilled out from under the shimmering blinds, moving across his face. Tiring of their waving motion, he rolled onto his side, then onto his other. The Jedi couldn't get comfortable this night; everything annoyed his heightened senses.

He hadn't been this restless since Obi-Wan had left. That night had been full of tossing and turning, of painful memories of the son that he was forced to let go. It was fitting now that he was plagued by insomnia on the very night that his former Padawan's fate had been decided yet again by the High Council.

Yoda had given him the mission personally, explaining that Qui-Gon was to find Obi-Wan and bring him back to the Jedi Order. Qui-Gon had been expecting something like this deep in his soul, not acknowledging it for fear of crushed hopes. No, surprise was not what he had felt. Qui-Gon had experienced something completely different. Fear. Fear that he wouldn't be able to find Obi-Wan, or worse: that when he did, the boy wouldn't want to come back, too hurt by the ultimate betrayal of the Jedi.

The thought was almost unbearable to Qui-Gon, the idea that Obi-Wan could finally return, but wouldn't. It was not an option, not now that they had finally caught the man responsible for the entire situation. Qui-Gon growled in disgust as he thought of Boh, who had made his Padawan's life a living Hell, as well as his own.

Aware that his thoughts were very un-Jedi-like, Qui-Gon rose from his sleepcouch and knelt on the floor, again attempting to meditate. Calmness eluded him as memories of Obi-Wan resurfaced, each one a painful reminder of his grave mistake. Hopefully one that would soon be mended. Many minutes later his thoughts grew placid enough and he slipped into a dreamless state, muscles finally relaxing for the first time in weeks.


************

Qui-Gon boarded his transport the next day, a huge passenger liner bound for the planet of Ruida. The Jedi could never figure out why Obi-Wan had chosen to go to the planet, neither his homeworld nor the home of friends. The only distinguishing feature of the average planet was its beautiful landscapes, composed of jagged mountain ranges posed over lush, green plains and rolling hills. The culture was slightly primitive, but by its own choosing, using modern conveniences, but traditional rituals and weapons. Qui-Gon was at a loss about his former Padawan's intentions.

The following flight was seamless, from the light takeoff to the smooth landing on the landing pad on Ruida. Qui-Gon barely noticed the time passing as he observed the ship's bustle with a distracted eye, trying to formulate a plan on how to begin to look for the wayward apprentice. For all the resources and experience he had gained as a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon had no idea where to start.

Feeling the repulsor-jets fire, Qui-Gon picked up his light travel bag of survival gear and exited the ship. He made his way out of the spaceport and into the city of Gowlas, the capital of Ruida. It was full of small skyscrapers, tiny compared to those on Coruscant, and vehicles that whizzed by at dizzying speeds. It was also surprisingly free of crime. Usually on busy cities on other planets, Qui-Gon could see pickpockets and muggers at work with his enhanced Jedi senses, but none made themselves known now.

Qui-Gon followed a directory and made his way to the hotel he would be staying at, a small, bleached-white building on the outskirts of the city. He went straight to his room, dropped off his gear, and headed out into the city to explore. He was supposed to meet his contact, a Ruidian named Tox Verta, at a restaurant later that day, but had ample time until then.

The Jedi wandered around the city, looking for any shop or building that would appeal to Obi-Wan, in case the apprentice had gotten work there. None gave Qui-Gon this feeling, Force probes revealing no Obi-Wan. The only things that caught his attention were modestly dressed men and women, obviously warriors from the swords and numerous blasters strapped to their belts, patrolling the streets, keeping things in order. Still at where he started hours later, Qui-Gon headed off to meet his contact.

Qui-Gon knew the minute he entered who Tox was. Verta, an older man with slightly balding black hair, raised his red eyes to search out Qui-Gon as the Jedi entered the restaurant. Qui-Gon strode over to the table and sat in a straight-backed chair opposite Tox.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, I suspect?" He asked with a half-knowing tone, a slight lisp coloring his words. Qui-Gon nodded.

"Yes. And you would be Tox Verta," the Jedi replied.

"Yep. I'm the man with the information, I know everything that goes on in this city. And beyond, of course." The man's wide grin was only slightly bigger than his ego. Barely.

Qui-Gon had heard this boast before from many guides on other missions, but remained silent and humored the man. Tox was his only way to get a solid lead on Obi-Wan.

"Then you can find someone I'm looking for?" Tox frowned, creasing lines on his sloping forehead.

"That makes it a bit more difficult. It's pretty hard to locate one person on this entire planet. Got a name, address?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. I don't know the address, but he would be around 5'10'', 180 pounds with blue eyes and reddish-brown hair." Qui-Gon knew it was the barest amount of information he could provide.

"I can run it through, see his last known location. It'll take about a day. That's about a week faster than any other dump you can find in this city." Tox could barely resist the self advertising.

The Jedi resolved he could wait a day, trying to control his impatience to bring Obi-Wan back and continuing his own search. He would have to exercise extreme patience, but he could do it. He wasn't a Jedi Master for nothing.

"Very well. Tomorrow, then." Tox nodded, and extended his hand.

"Same time, right here. I'll have your info."

Both men rose, the meeting over. Heading out the door, Qui-Gon felt that he could trust this man to find Obi-Wan and soon. The hard part would be what followed the end of the search.

Facing Obi-Wan.