Anakin walked doggedly along behind his master. They had been going from
ship to ship at the spaceport interrogating the various species of bounty
hunters. None were too happy about being grounded and even less happy about
having to deal with the jedi. They were getting nowhere, and he could sense
his master's frustration.
He wasn't having any fun at all. For some reason he had expected his first mission to be a bit more adventurous. He hadn't done anything other than follow Qui-Gon around all day. That in itself was proving to be tiresome as Qui-Gon seemed to have forgotten how much shorter his padawan's legs were in comparison to his own.
It was almost time for mid meal and he was tired and hungry. He hoped they would be going back to the palace to eat and rest, and possibly a visit with Padme. He let his thoughts wander as he followed behind his master. Their conversation earlier this morning had disturbed him greatly. He hadn't realized the depth of feeling his master had held and still held for Obi-Wan.
It made him feel very insecure, as if his place with Qui-Gon was threatened. He did not like that feeling at all. Qui-Gon was his master now.
As they often did, his thoughts once again turned to Padme. He was still unsure of the nature of her relationship with Obi-Wan. He did however know one thing; if Obi-Wan Kenobi had taken advantage of his queen in any way. there WOULD be hell to pay.
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Chancellor Palpatine excused himself from the swarming mass of senators and politicians at the banquet table. The summit would reconvene in an hour's time. In the meantime, he had some personal business to attend to.
Once the door to his temporary private office closed behind him, he let any trace of false sincerity slip from his features. He did not have time to waste. Immediately he cast out with his senses, looking for the presence of Anakin Skywalker.
Being jedi, the boy was not hard to find. He had a strong force signature. Though only slightly stronger than the master who discovered him and certainly not as strong as the young man he hoped would soon call him master.
Slowly, so as not to alert either the padawan or the master to his presence he extended gossamer fine tendrils of dark energy towards the boy's consciousness. He thought perhaps he was being over cautious, being as the pair was virtually surrounded by dark energy originating from the disgruntled bounty hunters. However, one cannot be too careful. It was imperative that the master not sense that anything was amiss.
Palpatine was pleasantly surprised as he permeated the boy's consciousness. He could sense conflicting emotions of fear, jealousy and insecurity each fighting for supremacy within the boys mind.
Curious. Did the master not sense the boy's emotions? Why would he really? Jinn has always been blind, especially where his padawans were concerned.
~ It's a wonder they let the man retain his master status ~ He thought with more than a little amusement as he focused more intently on Anakin Skywalker.
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Anakin was so lost in his thoughts that when the first wave of nausea hit, it caught him totally off guard. He closed his eyes and moaned softly as his hand reached for something to steady himself against.
Distantly he heard his master calling to him. He decidedly ignored him as his insides lurched uncertainly. He dared not move for fear of the contents of his rather large breakfast spilling out on to his boots.
He slowly opened his eyes, as the spell seemed to have passed only to find Qui-Gon kneeling before him looking very worried.
"Anakin, are you all right?"
"I don't feel to well, master." Which was an understatement. He wondered if he looked as green as he felt.
"You don't look too good either." Anakin could sense that his master was torn between taking him back to the palace or continuing on with the investigation. Though it bothered him that Qui-Gon should even have to think about it, he decided to make it easy on his master.
"Why don't you continue, Master. I can make it back to the palace by myself." His reasons were not entirely pure of course. If he were lucky his path would cross with the lovely queen. He would make sure of it.
"Oh, I don't know Anakin.." Qui-Gon started.
"Master. I'm not a baby. I can find my way back just fine." Anakin tried, successfully he thought, no to sound indignant.
After a quiet moment of contemplation Qui-Gon said, "Alright padawan. But I want you to go straight to our rooms and lie down. You are to rest. Got it?"
"Yes, master." Anakin said with a bit of a sigh, but still determined to run into the queen.
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Qui-Gon watched his padawan go until he was out of sight. He had felt Anakin's mixed emotions, but had wanted to see if the boy could master them on his own. He wasn't sure where all these conflicting emotions were coming from. Surely there was more to it than a fleeting jealousy of Obi- Wan. He decided to make a point of reassuring the boy again of his place both with him and with the order. Later.
Qui-Gon turned and walked towards the next hanger. His steps slowed as he cleared the entryway. He had felt something, some fleeting familiarity. He continued towards the ship slowly and stopped all together at the bottom of the boarding ramp.
He closed his eyes and allowed the force to flow through him. It sang of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had been here. His force signature was faint, but unmistakable.
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Shar'tel cursed his luck yet again. Not only did he not get the 500,000 credits for the young jedi, he had barely escaped with his life. He also could not recall ever being so terrified in his entire life.
He had made it to his ship in record time after fleeing the darkness of the catacombs. He had fired up his ship, ignoring any protocol regarding pre- flight or take off procedures. His only focus was getting as far away from Naboo as possible.
So intent was he on his escape that he did not notice the force field blocking this exit until it was almost too late. Coming back to himself slowly, he became aware of the constant beeping of his com unit. It was then that he was informed of the mandatory grounding of all flights pending jedi investigation.
Investigation of what he didn't need to ask. Oh, this was just getting better and better. He didn't think things could get much worse. Until now.
He looked out the view port from his cockpit at the rather large intense jedi that was currently preparing to board his ship. Bracing himself for what was to come, he strode forward to meet the jedi halfway.
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Obi-Wan reached for the force, finding it barely within his grasp. It had been about 12 hours since he had last been injected with the force suppressor. He knew another injection would be coming soon.
He opened his eyes a crack, and sure enough he saw Kemar preparing a hypo- spray. He knew he had to act now or he would lose any chance of escape. Although he was weak, he wasn't nearly as weak as he was pretending to be. He had done his best since Sideous had left to conserve his energy and focus on his situation.
He had examined in detail everything that had occurred since he had awoken the previous evening. He knew that if there was the slightest chance of escape that it would have to be when Sideous was gone. The sith was entirely too aware of his abilities, force suppressed or not, to let him gain any type of advantage.
As preposterous as it was, he could not help but feel that there was something familiar about the sith lord. Something in his movements, his mannerisms that was fleeting and akin to a name or a word on the tip of his tongue. Familiar but very hard to grasp.
His thoughts were drawn back to the present as Kemar approached. He had tried appealing to the assistant earlier, to no avail. The assistant's fear of his master had been too strong to penetrate. Instead he decided to try a different approach. He spoke pleadingly and almost inaudibly as Kemar stepped closer.
"Please. Water. I need.."
Kemar stopped uncertainly, apparently debating whether or not he should comply with the jedi's request. Seeing this, Obi-Wan spoke again.
"Please?"
Kemar moved to the same small cooling unit that contained the force suppressant and sedatives. He filled a small plastic container with the cool clear liquid and turned back to approach the jedi.
He moved cautiously as if expecting that Obi-Wan would try something. In response, Obi-Wan let his head fall back against the table, seemingly in exhaustion. Sideous had left him in an upright position facing the monitors. Allowing him to watch those he loved, yet completely helpless to do much of anything else.
"Please, I need.." His words were barely a whisper now and he let his eyes slide closed once again.
Within seconds he felt the cup pressed to his lips. He had never tasted anything so wonderfully pleasant and cool in his entire life. He drank greedily and relished the coolness of the water that broke free of the cup and ran freely down his chin and neck.
The cup was quickly removed only to return more cautiously, allowing him only a small amount at a time. When the cup was empty he allowed himself a small sigh. He opened his eyes to mere slits and made as if to speak again. Kemar held the hypo-spray ready, yet leaned in to hear the knight's words.
With a quickness that only a jedi could possess, Obi-Wan brought his head forward with all the strength he could muster. He heard a sickening crack as his forehead connected with Kemar's nose. The assistant was dead before he hit the ground. The force of the impact sending fragments of bone into his brain.
To Be Continued....
He wasn't having any fun at all. For some reason he had expected his first mission to be a bit more adventurous. He hadn't done anything other than follow Qui-Gon around all day. That in itself was proving to be tiresome as Qui-Gon seemed to have forgotten how much shorter his padawan's legs were in comparison to his own.
It was almost time for mid meal and he was tired and hungry. He hoped they would be going back to the palace to eat and rest, and possibly a visit with Padme. He let his thoughts wander as he followed behind his master. Their conversation earlier this morning had disturbed him greatly. He hadn't realized the depth of feeling his master had held and still held for Obi-Wan.
It made him feel very insecure, as if his place with Qui-Gon was threatened. He did not like that feeling at all. Qui-Gon was his master now.
As they often did, his thoughts once again turned to Padme. He was still unsure of the nature of her relationship with Obi-Wan. He did however know one thing; if Obi-Wan Kenobi had taken advantage of his queen in any way. there WOULD be hell to pay.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Chancellor Palpatine excused himself from the swarming mass of senators and politicians at the banquet table. The summit would reconvene in an hour's time. In the meantime, he had some personal business to attend to.
Once the door to his temporary private office closed behind him, he let any trace of false sincerity slip from his features. He did not have time to waste. Immediately he cast out with his senses, looking for the presence of Anakin Skywalker.
Being jedi, the boy was not hard to find. He had a strong force signature. Though only slightly stronger than the master who discovered him and certainly not as strong as the young man he hoped would soon call him master.
Slowly, so as not to alert either the padawan or the master to his presence he extended gossamer fine tendrils of dark energy towards the boy's consciousness. He thought perhaps he was being over cautious, being as the pair was virtually surrounded by dark energy originating from the disgruntled bounty hunters. However, one cannot be too careful. It was imperative that the master not sense that anything was amiss.
Palpatine was pleasantly surprised as he permeated the boy's consciousness. He could sense conflicting emotions of fear, jealousy and insecurity each fighting for supremacy within the boys mind.
Curious. Did the master not sense the boy's emotions? Why would he really? Jinn has always been blind, especially where his padawans were concerned.
~ It's a wonder they let the man retain his master status ~ He thought with more than a little amusement as he focused more intently on Anakin Skywalker.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Anakin was so lost in his thoughts that when the first wave of nausea hit, it caught him totally off guard. He closed his eyes and moaned softly as his hand reached for something to steady himself against.
Distantly he heard his master calling to him. He decidedly ignored him as his insides lurched uncertainly. He dared not move for fear of the contents of his rather large breakfast spilling out on to his boots.
He slowly opened his eyes, as the spell seemed to have passed only to find Qui-Gon kneeling before him looking very worried.
"Anakin, are you all right?"
"I don't feel to well, master." Which was an understatement. He wondered if he looked as green as he felt.
"You don't look too good either." Anakin could sense that his master was torn between taking him back to the palace or continuing on with the investigation. Though it bothered him that Qui-Gon should even have to think about it, he decided to make it easy on his master.
"Why don't you continue, Master. I can make it back to the palace by myself." His reasons were not entirely pure of course. If he were lucky his path would cross with the lovely queen. He would make sure of it.
"Oh, I don't know Anakin.." Qui-Gon started.
"Master. I'm not a baby. I can find my way back just fine." Anakin tried, successfully he thought, no to sound indignant.
After a quiet moment of contemplation Qui-Gon said, "Alright padawan. But I want you to go straight to our rooms and lie down. You are to rest. Got it?"
"Yes, master." Anakin said with a bit of a sigh, but still determined to run into the queen.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Qui-Gon watched his padawan go until he was out of sight. He had felt Anakin's mixed emotions, but had wanted to see if the boy could master them on his own. He wasn't sure where all these conflicting emotions were coming from. Surely there was more to it than a fleeting jealousy of Obi- Wan. He decided to make a point of reassuring the boy again of his place both with him and with the order. Later.
Qui-Gon turned and walked towards the next hanger. His steps slowed as he cleared the entryway. He had felt something, some fleeting familiarity. He continued towards the ship slowly and stopped all together at the bottom of the boarding ramp.
He closed his eyes and allowed the force to flow through him. It sang of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had been here. His force signature was faint, but unmistakable.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Shar'tel cursed his luck yet again. Not only did he not get the 500,000 credits for the young jedi, he had barely escaped with his life. He also could not recall ever being so terrified in his entire life.
He had made it to his ship in record time after fleeing the darkness of the catacombs. He had fired up his ship, ignoring any protocol regarding pre- flight or take off procedures. His only focus was getting as far away from Naboo as possible.
So intent was he on his escape that he did not notice the force field blocking this exit until it was almost too late. Coming back to himself slowly, he became aware of the constant beeping of his com unit. It was then that he was informed of the mandatory grounding of all flights pending jedi investigation.
Investigation of what he didn't need to ask. Oh, this was just getting better and better. He didn't think things could get much worse. Until now.
He looked out the view port from his cockpit at the rather large intense jedi that was currently preparing to board his ship. Bracing himself for what was to come, he strode forward to meet the jedi halfway.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Obi-Wan reached for the force, finding it barely within his grasp. It had been about 12 hours since he had last been injected with the force suppressor. He knew another injection would be coming soon.
He opened his eyes a crack, and sure enough he saw Kemar preparing a hypo- spray. He knew he had to act now or he would lose any chance of escape. Although he was weak, he wasn't nearly as weak as he was pretending to be. He had done his best since Sideous had left to conserve his energy and focus on his situation.
He had examined in detail everything that had occurred since he had awoken the previous evening. He knew that if there was the slightest chance of escape that it would have to be when Sideous was gone. The sith was entirely too aware of his abilities, force suppressed or not, to let him gain any type of advantage.
As preposterous as it was, he could not help but feel that there was something familiar about the sith lord. Something in his movements, his mannerisms that was fleeting and akin to a name or a word on the tip of his tongue. Familiar but very hard to grasp.
His thoughts were drawn back to the present as Kemar approached. He had tried appealing to the assistant earlier, to no avail. The assistant's fear of his master had been too strong to penetrate. Instead he decided to try a different approach. He spoke pleadingly and almost inaudibly as Kemar stepped closer.
"Please. Water. I need.."
Kemar stopped uncertainly, apparently debating whether or not he should comply with the jedi's request. Seeing this, Obi-Wan spoke again.
"Please?"
Kemar moved to the same small cooling unit that contained the force suppressant and sedatives. He filled a small plastic container with the cool clear liquid and turned back to approach the jedi.
He moved cautiously as if expecting that Obi-Wan would try something. In response, Obi-Wan let his head fall back against the table, seemingly in exhaustion. Sideous had left him in an upright position facing the monitors. Allowing him to watch those he loved, yet completely helpless to do much of anything else.
"Please, I need.." His words were barely a whisper now and he let his eyes slide closed once again.
Within seconds he felt the cup pressed to his lips. He had never tasted anything so wonderfully pleasant and cool in his entire life. He drank greedily and relished the coolness of the water that broke free of the cup and ran freely down his chin and neck.
The cup was quickly removed only to return more cautiously, allowing him only a small amount at a time. When the cup was empty he allowed himself a small sigh. He opened his eyes to mere slits and made as if to speak again. Kemar held the hypo-spray ready, yet leaned in to hear the knight's words.
With a quickness that only a jedi could possess, Obi-Wan brought his head forward with all the strength he could muster. He heard a sickening crack as his forehead connected with Kemar's nose. The assistant was dead before he hit the ground. The force of the impact sending fragments of bone into his brain.
To Be Continued....