Slight change in summary: There is a small change in the summary for this story, I toyed around with the idea for a bit, but I couldn't get the original idea to work very well. SO here is the updated summary

Time is running out as Obi-Wan searches for his master. Held captive by his own past, Qui-Gon must overcome his own fears to defeat his enemy. But both must survive other dangers alone, before the bond of master and apprentice can be restored.

So a little different, not much

R2R

Halfling- I'm glad you are happy about the new posts, I'll try and be better about updating this one, I promise. But don't get too excited, things do come up. But I will try J

Bob- This story is a sequel to my first one, The Unseen Danger, If you want to read that you will find this story easier to understand, I guarantee you. Thanks for the review, and hope that helps some

Thanks to all others for the great reviews, this chapter is shorter, I know, but I wanted to get it up. No promises to when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try and have it up within a week. Note the key word there…try.

Chapter Two

It had been a while since he had last felt ill like this. It wasn't the illness accompanied by an infection from a wound, or a normal virus that passed through the body within a short amount of time, but a feverish reaction from a deadly toxin. Qui-Gon closed his eyes and laid his head back against the stone wall behind him, a light sheen of sweet covering his face and hair.

How he knew it was a toxin was beyond him. Xanatos must have somehow poisoned him. He remembered little more than agreeing to Xanatos' bargain earlier, or was it yesterday? Qui-Gon opened his eyes with a groan, the feeling of weakness wasn't something he was accustom too. Nor the throbbing in his head. How long had he been here? And where was here?

With a breath Qui-Gon let go of his fear, reassuring himself with a small laugh that things could hardly get worse. His padawan was dead and he himself would be soon, he believed. If Xanatos hadn't been lying about the children, they were dead as well. He wondered if the temple had received any damage from the blast, and if anyone else had been hurt as well.

He shook his head. Agreeing to the bargain was the last thing he remembered. He had then woken up here, wherever here was. The room itself was dark, he could not see through the darkness, but calming his mind he reached out with the force, determining that the room was not that large, perhaps 15 feet in length, a bit longer in width, room for little more than a few steps by his stride. It was made of stone, the floor itself done in cobblestone. Windowless, and a single door, made from a thick metal, something that a lightsaber could cut through easily enough he supposed. There was a vent above him, off to his left, half a foot, maybe two in diameter. It was locked from the inside, he noted with dismay.

Even if it were to be unlocked, he himself could not fit through the small space. It was hopeless. From an early age, Qui-Gon had been taught that there was always hope, not matter how desperate the situation seemed. With the force, you were never alone. He had feeling that it wouldn't save him, not this time.

Five days, it had been five days now since Qui-Gon had disappeared. Somehow Obi-Wan knew that Xanatos was behind it, and that Qui-Gon needed help, and soon. Five days was already far too long. Obi-Wan wished that Garen would hurry and finish, he wanted to leave now, wanted to get there before the council found out, before anyone tried to stop him. It didn't matter; nothing would stop him now.

He leaned forward and grabbed the controls, holding them tightly and let out a sigh. He was tempted to leave now, and ignore the rest of Garen's ramblings. He then reminded himself to be patient. Without Garen, he wouldn't have been able to get this far. Garen knew the code to enter the hanger, and he knew the best craft to take without anyone noticing, at least not right away.

"Just remember it's smaller than most crafts you've flown before, so make slight adjustments, don't overcorrect yourself. I don't recall ever hearing about Rixein before, so it's probably out of our system and not very Jedi friendly. I would find somewhere else to land other than the spaceport. A crash landing is risky, but it is worth not being found out. Especially chasing after Xanatos. I don't want to see you hurt again Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Thanks Garen, you don't know how much this means to me."

Garen nodded, "I would do the same if I were in your situation," he said. He was crouched on the hood of the small transport craft, using one hand to balance himself out, and resting the other on his knees. He watched Obi-Wan intently for a moment before looking away.

"Better get going then I guess, oh, and here, take this," he said, remembering something at the last moment. Unhooking something from his belt he reached over and placed the object in his friend's outstretched hand.

"What's this?" Obi-Wan asked confusedly, looking up toward Garen.

"What does it look like?" Garen said, rolling his eyes, but a small smile played on his lips.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I can't take your lightsaber Garen," Obi-Wan said softly. A Jedi never parted with such an item. He couldn't believe that Garen had just done so.

"Yes you can, I want you too. What are you going to do without yours, when you give Qui-Gon back his? From what I hear, Rixein is a dangerous place. You'll need it more than I. I can always rebuild one, I have the time. You do not. Take care, my friend."

With that, Garen jumped clear of the ship, nodding to his friend as Obi-Wan stuck the lightsaber on his belt. With a deep breath he closed the ceiling of the ship, as Garen opened the hanger door. It was easy to get the ship going, and with a light push, he was out.

The sun was just rising when he left, an orange glow had settled over Coruscant, but the planet was already busy. Obi-Wan guided his ship over the buildings, and out of the atmosphere. Don't worry Qui-Gon, he whispered, I'm coming.

It was an open field, one that hadn't yet been cut down for feed. A perfect place for children to play. They hadn't seen him in years, he had left when he was so young. It was hard for them to give up, but they knew that it would be for the best. It was harder now, with her husband gone, to give up her youngest child. She watched from the porch, as he ran into the tall grass, after his two older brothers.

Neither of the two before them had been connected to the force as her youngest. Not like Qui-Gon at least. To see him now, a five-year-old, running with his brothers brought tears to her eyes. It wouldn't be long before her eldest sons moved out, and she would be left alone. They would remember her, but would he?

They said it was the last visit. After that he would be too old to come back, too far into his training. It was for the best yes, but to know that he would forget…he was only five, how would he ever remember?

But she wouldn't, she would never forget about him. When the time came, she held his hands in her own. He had grown so much since the last time. His hair was short, except for a small braid. His brothers had teased him at first, but he hadn't minded. Her son was seemed much older than he was.

She said her good-byes, kissing him on the cheek softly. Be safe, she had said, I love you. He smiled and waved as he left with the others. The visit had been but a few hours, and yet it felt like mere minutes. Sitting down she began crying. It was the last she ever saw of her son. He wouldn't remember, she thought. But he did.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes, but it proved to be little more help than having his eyes closed. He hadn't thought about his mother since he was a small child. The thought occurred to him that it was a bit strange to be thinking of that, but he wondered how she was doing. His brothers…he couldn't remember their names. What were they doing?

He wondered what life would have been like if he hadn't come to the temple. Would he be the one running the farm now? Like his father had, he supposed. With a sigh he bit his lip.

Time was endless here, he could not tell how long it had been since he awoken, there were no noises except his own breathing, and no light at all. No one had come into his prison either. He was feeling better however. The toxin was slowly working its way through his body. His body no longer held a fever and his head no longer ached. That was a good sign at least.

His thoughts turned to Obi-Wan. At first he refused to believe that his padawan was gone, he had tried reaching through the force to him, but for some reason it was hard to do so. He got no response. If Obi-Wan had been in the water tunnels, he was for sure dead. No one else knew of his whereabouts, and the boy had been unconscious the last time he had seen him. Dawn came, and the tunnels flushed, as they normally did.

His heart ached, not only for himself, but also for Obi-Wan's friends, Bant especially. How would the young girl take it? Tahl had been watching her lately, although she hadn't said anything, Qui-Gon had noticed. He wondered if Bant did as well. He hoped that Tahl would be by her side, and help her through her time of grieving.

But what of Obi-Wan? Would he have been off better by becoming a farmer? Was he wrong in choosing the young boy as his apprentice? He knew that Obi-Wan had great potential. But now because of him, because of his past, the boy was dead.

He was too careless, too reckless before. And now he was responsible for many lives. Guilt tugged at his heart. At that time he had been thinking only for himself. He wanted to prove he was right. He had little intention for Xanatos himself. That was where he failed as a master. And he had done so again with Obi-Wan. What was there left for him too do but die now?

TBC