Because I have to go out of town and you guys have been so good with feedback I have worked like a "DOG" to get this finished. Excuse any mistakes on this one. I wanted you to have it before I left. Another post will be up Monday evening. PEACE ewen

XOXOX

"Get rid of him."

There was no directive too big, too small, or too gruesome for the apprentice, Syfo Dyas to respond too when his master requested it. He just wasn't sure what his master just requested.

"Excuse me Master, do you wish Gunray dead. I have no qualms doing it, if that is your desire."

"No, no I don't mean get rid of him like that, not permanently. His death would be traced to us for sure. No, I mean cut him loose. We don't need him and he evidently thinks he is going use our devious and cruel ways to proffer his mine buy outs. He went to Telos and started a riff with the Jedi, thought we would protect him I suppose. No doubt droopy-eared Yoda has already notified Jinn and probably blamed us for Gunray's blunder."

"The nerve of that frog-eyed goof ball. What did he think, he had full reign to do whatever he wanted and use us as his "threat" to insure others sell their mines to him?"

"Oh he didn't exactly identify us on Telos, but the Jedi have already put two and two together and came up with us in Gunray's confidence. No, they want to blame us for the masters' death and they will. Give them a week and the bounty on our head with be enormous. Guarantee it."

"Very well! Fett and I will go over to his office at his mines and discuss a few things with him. I'll have all of this cleared up before this afternoon. Have any set time you plan to launch the Kenobi kidnapping."

Sidious looked at his expensive chrono on his left wrist.

"Yes about two this afternoon. You should have enough time. I will comm you as soon as I plan where my Tahl should meet the boy, once there he will be ours."

"And the Jedi, his master in particular?"

"Oh you saw how I had Tahl handle Master Jinn this morning. No, he won't be a problem. He will gladly allow the boy to go anywhere he wants, and all alone. Now go, I will save you a copy of the tape. You will be amused at the look on Kenobi's face when he realizes he's been made a fool of thanks to his master Tahl look alike."

"Are you going to have the clone appear as a blue ghost like you did with his master?"

"No absolutely not. I think it will wrought a great deal of stress from the boy to view his dead master as the clone. She will appear to him as she did when alive."

"Don't forget to save me a tape to watch later. Come on Fett we have things to do."

"Yes and hurry. Maybe you will be back in time to have last meal with me and with you will be Obi-Wan Kenobi."

XOXOX

Master Dorrie noticed the detachment in which Jinn went on about his business of the mission. He was disconcerted over the fact there was little else to do on Gunray's home world.

"Hell, I am not even sure what Master Yoda expects of us now? I can't bring him to justice without the senate approving a confrontation. They won't and I know it. The responsibility for Tahl's death rests between Sidious and Gunray. I am sure of that. What I am not sure of is how much Sidious had to do with the actions on Telos that left three Jedi dead. Yes, Gunray's action prompted the battle but was Sidious part of it? Doesn't sound like it is something to put on his agenda; fight for credits. No, not his M.O.. SITH, what does Yoda want from me? I need a break. I need to be rid of Kenobi and take a vacation."

Jinn, in the very detached way possible went about finding out anything he could from Bruck.

"Padawan Chun, you said they refrained from drugging you a good twenty-four hours before we rescued you."

"Yes?"

"And in that time, did it enter your mind to pay close attention to the voices around you, get a name, something?

"I told you Master Jinn, I got a name. I just can't remember it. Does it matter sir, we know who kidnapped me; the same ones who attacked you and killed Master Tahl. It has to be."

"Yes, but I would have liked to have been able to comm Master Yoda with a little more affirmation of your kidnappers' identity other thanan eighteen year boy's hunch that it was Sidious and Gunray. I don't think Master Yoda and the council will accept that a viable scenario with only your opinion of whom it was to back it up. I need some kind of substantiated proof; a name, a familiar place mentioned, anything like that but not that you "assumed" it was the dark lord and his power-sucking leech, Gunray. After all, we were only confronted with droids. I did not see a real human with you at the time of your rescue."

Dorrie was hot under the collar.

"Jinni old boy quit badgering my apprentice. I know how you feel about yours but I happen to care for and respect mine. If Bruck said he was unable to glean any more information, then take it as face value. He just couldn't. You know it was his first time at being kidnapped. Horrible… Had to be just horrible experience for him."

Dorrie sent love and comfort through her bond with Bruck. The apprentice looked up pathetically at his master, so much so it turned Jinn's stomach.

Bruck then turned his thoughts to what Jinn really was saying about him. It suddenly occurred to Bruck that Master Jinn in his own back door way was inferring that he was a coward, less than Jedi for not taking in more clues about his attackers or surroundings.

He fired back with his own venomous words. The meaning behind his words to Master Jinn would not be as difficult to decipher as the master's sugary coated inferences about Chun.. He turned his eyes up to meet the stone gaze of Jinn's.

"And you think your apprentice could have done any better?"

"This is not about Obi-Wan or how he would react in the same situation."

"No I suppose not. However, I don't think you would have been any more pleased with him than you are with me. He is the reason I was captured in the first place. I wanted him to help me battle my captors. He opted not too. Never even drew his saber to offer up help, left me to defend myself and of course I couldn't, not alone. That Master Jinn is exactly how I ended up as a captive, thanks solely to your imbecile of an apprentice."

Dorrie was confused. She had gathered details of the padawans' attack from those around and no one mentioned the unsheathing of light sabers. She frantically rifled through what she remembered from those who witnessed the attack. The glowing powerful sabers she reasoned would have stuck in their minds.

"Bruck is augmenting the truth to in some way minimize his errors. Possibly he feels it is the only way to get the Rottwieler Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn off his back."

Dorrie had a choice; stop the lies that came from Bruck and jeopardize his apprenticeship or let her apprentice continue. She chose the later. She would not give her apprentice up to Jinn to brow beat even more than he was already doing. She would deal with Chun's lies in private but, I won't give Jinn more proof of Bruck's ineptness to report him to the council with.

Kenobi had sat silently on the edge of the bed, his subconscious only hearing about half and caring none of what was being said in the small area that paired as the kitchen and dining area.

When he heard his name it brought him out of his thoughts of his dead master and back to the then and there. What he heard when he truly began to listen shocked him before he realized that it really shouldn't, not when it was coming from Chun.

"It really shouldn't. I know how Bruck is, how capable he lies, and very believable he sounds and looks when he does speak his mistruths. If Master Jinn believes him this time it won't be the first time."

Obi conjured up mentally the meeting on the ship's dining area when Bruck had told his sob story to Jinn as to how he was always abused and picked on by Obi-Wan in their younger days … Anger and hate for Bruck Chun came to the forefront of Obi-Wan's mind and would not be released into the force as hard as he tried.

I am tired of releasing my anger into the Force. I am going to let itloose where it belongs, on Bruck Chun's face.

"How dare you lie, you cowardly bag of bantha poodoo. Neither of us drew our sabers, we didn't have time. Maybe Master Starworth lets you get away with anything you do and say but I don't plan too. Youi Padawan Chun are a LIAR."

Obi-Wan rose from the bed, intent on reaching Bruck and stomping the day-lights out of him. Dorrie intercepted the apprentice with one arm and the use of the force to aid her holding him in place. Jinn stopped in front of Bruck protectively.

By now Kenobi was full of rage. Unfettered rage that had built from the beginning of his disagreements with Chun as initiates. To his surprise, his feelings of crazed fury against Bruck Chun had laid in his subconscious and smoldered like embers in a slowly dying fire they were rekindled. Bruck spewing lies on Kenobi renewed his hatred for the other apprentice and threw Obi into a desire to do bodily harm.

"Too far this time Chun."

Obi-Wan used a touch of the force to aid him in getting Dorrie off him. He used too much and shoved the master all the way across the room into the far wall. She fell with a thud upon hitting the wall, out cold.

Bruck was too terrified to get up and defend his master. He cowered behind Jinn but not for long. Qui-Gon made two large steps to where Obi-Wan stood. He reached out in a blind maniacal rage of his own and grasped the apprentice's throat. The choke hold rendered his apprentice unable to breath.

In his mind was Tahl prodding him begging;

"Don't let go of him. I told you he is tainted by the dark side. The boy wants you all dead. He's proven that by his attack on my friend Dorrie. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan attacked a Jedi master, tried to kill her. He plans to harm poor Chun. Do it Qui-Gon. You as head master of this mission have a sworn oath to protect the other Jedi with you. You have to do it for the safety of the Jedi with you"

There was no question in Jinn's mind what Tahl referred to by "do it". She wanted him to not release Obi-Wan's throat until he had stopped breathing.

Had the choking apprentice known that his beloved master was in Jinn's mind he would have been astounded. For at that very moment in Obi-Wan Kenobi's mind, goading him to draw and use his saber on his new master was none other than his beloved Master Tahl ……..

XOXO

For those who wanted another post before I left, here it is. There is an old saying. "Be Careful What You Wish For." Yes, a doozy of a cliffie. Hopefully a post on Monday!

NowCelebration III bound. Hope to see Lucas. He plans to be there.

T.B.C.

ewen