(A/N: Thank you SO much for the awesome reviews! Next chapter, I'll try to respond to each of them personally, so if you have any questions ask this chapter:)

I'm warning you ahead of time that some of this chapter (not all of it) is... not very funny. Most of you probably thought that this entire story was going to just be humor, but there is an actual plot. This plot begins in this chapter, and is further explained in chapters to come. Don't worry, though, the primary genre of this is still humor!)

Chapter Two: A New Threat

As Qui-Gon sat down beside his fellow Jedi, he subconsciously scratched his shoulder. After a few moments he scratched his leg. Suddenly an old friend sat down beside him and grinned. "I really hope you're not coming down with something. Especially not if it's contagious."

"Wuh'lin!" Qui-Gon hadn't seen his Twi'lek friend in several months, ever since he had left with a few others on a Jedi mission that had been kept secret. "So," he said slowly, "You're back. Is that what this meeting is about?"

Wuh'lin immediately sobered. "Unfortunately, yes. As you know, I was sent to an uncivilized planet on the far side of the galaxy," Qui-Gon hadn't know n this, but motioned for Wuh'lin to continue anyway. "Five other Jedi went with me. Only one of them returned."

Qui-Gon tried to concentrate on the situation, which was starting to sound rather serious, but the itching on his legs was starting to get worse. Wuh'lin watched him for a moment before saying, "You know, that's starting to get pretty bad. Maybe you should have someone look at it."

"No, I'm alright. Just give me a moment." Qui-Gon scratched his leg once more before stopping. He was determined to ignore the itching no matter what. "So, what happened to them? The Jedi?"

"That's what this meeting is about."

"Ah," Qui-Gon nodded, "Then I guess I'll just have to wait, right?"

"Nope." When Qui-Gon gave Wuh'lin a blank look, the Twi'lek continued, "Mace Windu just came in now. We're starting."

xxxxx

Mace started off the meeting by explaining where he had sent the Jedi… and why. "We have been receiving signs of possible life forms on a planet assumed up until now to be uninhabited. It is a small planet on the edge of the galaxy, and not well known. The merchants call it 'Estéril,' which is believed to mean 'barren' in a foreign tongue. The climate is that of a desert: dry, hot, and unproductive. We sent some of our Jedi to explore Estéril to see if they could find the life forms that were appearing there. Six went… only two returned."

Qui-Gon tried hard to concentrate, but found himself unable to resist reaching around to scratch his back. What was wrong with him! He decided he should try to ignore the itching feeling on his back as well.

"The two Jedi who returned to us, Wuh'lin and Lenaila, bring interesting news. Would one of you two care to explain?"

Wuh'lin and a middle-aged human woman exchanged glances, and then Lenaila stood. She was a good-looking woman with dark skin and long, black hair. "The life forms found on Estéril were not mere natives as we hoped they might be, but soldiers that had decided to make a base there. They were armed with powerful weapons, and it is believed that they have a money resource from someone in Coruscant."

"We went to them in peace," Wuh'lin picked up, "But were attacked. We tried to defend ourselves, but there were too many of them. Four of us they killed, and only Lenaila and I escaped…though I'm beginning to wonder if they simply let us go. It wasn't until we were on our way back here that we found this." Wuh'lin pulled a small, glass sphere out of a deep pocket, and placed it carefully on the floor in the middle of everyone.

There was a flash of light, and the sphere split in half as if on a hinge. Several moments later the blinding light faded away to reveal a recorded hologram of a man, unidentifiable because of a heavy cloak and a folded black scarf tied around his eyes. Curiously, the scarf didn't even have any eye-holes cut into it.

After a few seconds, the hologram spoke. "Greetings, Jedi masters. By now you are probably wondering what my people on Estéril are up to. I shall keep you waiting no longer.

"For too long the Jedi have held too much power over the people of this galaxy. They have stolen young children, played tricks on peoples' minds, and distanced themselves from everyone else. We will no longer put up with this devilry. The evil that is the Jedi order is at long last reaching its end." The hologram flickered, and then disappeared.

A deafening silence followed the message.

At last, Mace stepped forward and snapped the sphere back together. "I would like to speak with a few individuals. Take this time to talk amongst yourselves, but do not leave the room. The meeting will resume in exactly five minutes."

Qui-Gon was about to make his way over to Wuh'lin, but then noticed Mace approaching him. He stopped and waited for the Jedi to reach him, wondering what he wanted.

Mace came to a halt before him and, after hesitating for a moment, began. "Qui-Gon…you know that I wouldn't send anyone back to that planet unless it was necessary. As much as I hate putting anyone in this kind of immediate danger, we have to find out more about these people."

"I agree." Qui-Gon tried to ignore the itch on his arm.

"Qui-Gon, you are one of our best Jedi…even if you are a bit… rebellious." Mace stopped for a moment, as if wondering how he should say the next bit. By now, Qui-Gon had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

"Reduced to flattery, are you?" he smiled. "Mace, you know that ordinarily I would accept. At the moment, however, there is the promise I made to a teacher to …look after… one of her students."

"Ah, yes," Mace smiled now too, "I heard about that. Took on Obi-Wan Kenobi, didn't you?" he shook his head, "Even after all of that trouble with the plane—"

"So," Qui-Gon interrupted, trying to steer the conversation away from Obi-Wan, "I have another obligation. If you get me out of that, then I will go."

"The mission can wait a week or two."

"A month?"

There was a pause. "Ah. I see the problem." Mace thought for a moment before saying, "Very well, I'll give you a month. You will have to leave immediately after that, though, unless you think that you won't be able to handle—"
"I'll go."

Mace nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. Now, tell me, what is Obi-Wan like? I heard he was a regular little trouble-maker."

Qui-Gon blinked. "Oh, no, he's great. He's been obedient and polite the entire time… I don't see what the problem was with him."

Mace frowned. "There haven't been any… incidents?"

"No. Well, unless you count breakfast. He's not much of a cook. Besides that, though, he's a complete angel."

"An angel, huh?" Mace watched as Qui-Gon scratched his arm, then looked as if he were about to say something. Then he stopped and turned abruptly, "The five minutes are up, we'll have to get back to the meeting."

xxxxx

Qui-Gon squirmed as he tried to avoid scratching any part of his body. He wondered if it was something about his clothes, and then brushed that thought off. No, the clothes were the same as the ones he normally wore. So what was it?
He only half-listened as Mace announced that he, Qui-Gon, would be leaving in a month for Estéril. When he announced that Qui-Gon would be going either alone or with one other person, Wuh'lin immediately volunteered to go with him, as he 'knew the lay of the land.'

Mace, however, wasn't so sure about this. "Wuh'lin, Qui-Gon is going in disguise. This won't be a frontal attack or a peace negotiation; it is going to be a spying mission. Surely the soldiers you met before will recognize you."

"I could stay on the plane, and just help him navigate. I survived on that forsaken place for months, and I know what things are like there. It is hard to get used to, and Qui-Gon may need some help."

Mace debated this, and then turned to Qui-Gon. "What is your opinion?"

Qui-Gon, however, didn't appear to have heard him. He was too busy trying not to scratch his back. As a result, he twitched and squirmed, his hands clenched so that they wouldn't betray him.

Mace raised his eyebrows. "Master Jinn, if you need to excuse yourself, by all means, go."

That got Qui-Gon's attention. "It's not… I don't…"

"Rather jumpy, he is." Yoda spoke for the first time the entire meeting. "Been watching him, have I." he got shakily to his feet, and then hobbled over to where Qui-Gon was sitting. Carefully he reached up and brushed off Qui-Gon's shoulder, and then examined his fingers. "Itch powder, it is."
"Itch powder?" Qui-Gon looked at him incredulously. "That doesn't make sense! How did itch powder get into my clothing? No one touched it except me and… and…" he trailed off, realization hitting him.

Mace smiled slowly. "Little angel, is he?"

(A/N: Yes, I know, Obi-Wan himself wasn't in this chapter. But don't worry, he's in the next one! And as a heads up, I'll probably update sometime tomorrow. If not tomorrow, (meaning Friday, for those of you who read it on Friday), I'll update Saturday. Thank you again for all of the reviews, and PLEASE tell me what you think of this chapter!

Hilary