Bruck Chun rushed to his master's side. He didn't know which he feared more; that Jinn would release Obi-Wan on him or that he was in the middle of watching a Jedi master kill his own apprentice. He had never in his life witnessed such a display.

Starworth felt about the same way as her apprentice did. She remained loyal to Bruck but she felt guilty that it was due to her apprentice's words that had set Master Jinn off.

"That and the fact the Obi-Wan nearly broke my neck when he shoved me. What in the grace of the force is going on?"

She rushed Jinn and attempted but failed to pull his hand from Obi-Wan's neck.

"Qui, your padawan is going to die. He can't breathe."

Obi-Wan had already eased his knuckle white grip on Jinn's hand. He first attempted to pull the bigger hand from his neck but with each passing minute his thinking became unclear, cloudy, until it became a mass of jumbled confusion of thoughts in his mind; not coherent at all.. Lack of oxygen had a way of distorting one's sense of reasoning and if Qui-Gon did not release the iron grasp on the boy's windpipe it would also have a way of killing from the inability to breathe.

Master Jinn heard nothing that was real around him. He didn't hear Obi-Wan's attempt to form words begging him to stop, he didn't hear the gurgling sound that came from his apprentice just before it abruptly abated, along with his struggle to fight off the Jedi master. He also didn't hear Dorrie shouting to him not to kill Obi-Wan, with obscenities peppered through her pleas.

No, all the master "heard" came not from his surroundings through his sense of hearing but from his mind by way of Jedi mind speech with his beloved Tahl telling him to continue his vicious unwavering assault on the youth, Kenobi. They were coupled with mind thoughts she'd planted there that Obi-Wan intended to harm the Jedi on the mission under Qui-Gon's responsibility.

Nothing the big Jedi master did made sense. Although his gray matter was reeling with confused thoughts because of oxygen deprivation, Kenobi had enough wits about him to know his master's thoughts were no clearer than his. If they were, the teen rationalized Jinn's attempt at murdering him would not be happening right now.

Obi-Wan's used the only thing he had left, his big pathetic, pleading, and pastel blue eyes to gaze groggily up into the fiery-filled eyes of his master in one last but failed attempt to beg for his life.

Jinn' gaze reflected no remorse or compassion for the apprentice who had slowly sunk down on one knee as the calloused mighty hand of Qui-Gon Jinn's bit into his delicate pale skin around his neck and squeezed the very life from him.

The padawan's real problem came a few minutes after he failed to elicit any sympathy or reaction from his seemingly insane master as he tried to communicate with just the fear in his eyes. He began to feel himself losing consciousness and with it went his will and strength to fight the larger and much stronger master. Instead he gave himself over to the force to do what was destined to be.

XOXO Back in a council meeting on Coruscant XOXO

The council masters met again to decide what should be done concerning Jinn's mission and the dead masters on Telos. Nothing had been agreed upon with the same masters' dissensions being voiced at this council meeting just as the day before in their previous and unresolved meeting.

Anyone around Master Yoda would have assumed he was deep in contemplating each master's opinion, but that was far from the case. The little Jedi, former master to Qui-Gon Jinn battled an entire onslaught of demons in his mind and the mind of his former apprentice which he had just connected with. It actually pained the little master's being to have the thin filament of a training bond he had with Jinn attacked.

The attack against he and Jinn's dormant bond is the reason he opened it up again, in hopes it would stop it from being ripped right out of Qui-Gon's mind by the attacker, which in Yoda's mind had shown very clear, its identity, Master Tahl. He collapsed in the middle of the council meeting from that mental clash of bonds which should by all accounts have been long since forgotten in Qui-Gon's mind...

Luckily, Yoda's unconsciousness came after he had time to send one last warning to his former padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Suddenly something shot startlingly through his mind and jolted the Jedi master Jinn back to reality. Barely a croaked whisper, another's voice in his head but it was not his apprentice's muffled entreaty which had long since ceased, nor was it the overpowering take over of his mind by Tahl.

"PADAWAN NO! STOP NOW YOU WILL. Wrong it is. Deceived you have been. Blame the wrong one you do for that deceit.". It was his former master, Yoda that petitioned his attention through his mind, just as clearly as if he were there.

That mental command from the one person Jinn had been trained through all his young years to obey broke the spell the evil Tahl had over him.

Master Jinn stared down at the horrific sight before him; his apprentice balanced on one knee in a lifeless stupor, a tinge of blue encompassing his lips, his right hand entangled in Qui's dred locks, a lame attempt to pull the larger Jedi from him. Qui-Gon's dulled unfocused gaze stopped and focused on Obi-Wan's Kenobi's smaller hand clasped to his with their fingers intertwined, again a result Obi-Wan's, useless effort to free himself of the iron jaws grip from his airway.

The one quick glance at the spectacle of the nearly unconscious apprentice sickened him body and soul. The damage done to his apprentice by Jinn's unexplainable wrath had been near-fatal, yet he seemed unwilling to totally pull his hand away. However, he did notice the pinkness around the boy's lips that told him Obi-Wan again was receiving air and with it a chance to survive. The tightness on Obi-Wan's throat eased a bit, but just a bit.

Jinn used the force on himself to remove his right hand totally from the boy's neck and watched as Obi-Wan fell completely to the ground, his body trembled, jerked twice, then became rigid as if dead.

Jinn shook his head to clear his thoughts. He battled his own memory to remember what brought all this on, but he failed to retrieve the reason for his actions in all the jumbled thoughts and remnants of mind speech still floating in there.

Remorse pulled at him when he realized it was he who created the physical stress on the boy, his own apprentice.

No sooner had Jinn began to think he could get matters under control, both inside his mind and around him with the injury of his apprentice than he felt an onslaught of anger so powerful it sent shearing pains through his head.

Yoda and Tahl seemed content to use his brain as their own mental battleground, each trying to keep their small left-over bond with Qui-Gon, the stronger bond.

The blue ghost Tahl, with Sidious masterminding every thing she did attempted to throw Master Yoda out of Jinn's mind. "Throw" might have been an underestimation for the description of the clone's attack on the dwarf-like troll of a Jedi and Master Jinn's once very strong training bond. The tendrils of that usually dormant training bond between master and apprentice, Yoda and Qui was there by just a minute filament that allowed them some mental communication when absolutely necessary.

Jinn felt the violent turmoil, between his former master's and his present beloved Tahl's ever stronger bond as they fought to position their mind thoughts forefront in Jinn's reasoning.

Without seeing only knowing, Qui-Gon witnessed in his mind as clearly as if he it was being played out before him, the tumultuous wrestling of wills of one Jedi pitted against another and it was all happening in his head. For the life of him Qui-Gon could not disconcert why this eruptive competitive battle between Tahl and Yoda was even happening.

Shouldn't they both want what was best for him? But what exactly was "that"? Yoda prodded the thought in Jinn's head to release and desist what he was doing while Tahl begged him to continue.

He immediately upon coming to his senses knelt down to aid his apprentice who no longer struggled to breathe but had passed out.

It took only a touch of the force of healing for Obi-Wan to gain his breathing though still erratic. Jinn had to use most of his force blessed powers to keep the battle in his head between Tahl and Yoda at bay.

As soon as Obi-Wan was conscious enough to see who was knelt down over him, he felt the panicked concern of his former master in his mind as their bond flared to life again. She had been mysteriously absent when he battled Jinn to stay alive. Obi knew that because more than once through their bond he had called and she refused to answer. Little did he know Tahl was in Jinn's mind encouraging him to kill her former apprentice.

Jinn faltered a moment and let go of his hold on Obi-Wan. He had just felt Tahl's abrupt withdrawal from his mind leaving only a worn out Yoda, exhausted confused, and weak in Master Jinn's mind.

"Obi, run…. now is your time. He plans to kill you. I know I have been in his mind. Run and I will meet you later. Hurry my beloved apprentice."

Obi-Wan needed no more encouragement. He hopped up from the ground and took off running. Master Starworth started to follow but Jinn grabbed her by the arm.

"No, give him some time. There is something strange going on and I have to get to the bottom of this. The only reason my apprentice is still alive now to escape is a warning I received."

Dorrie looked up at Jinn and thought she understood.

"Oh thank goodness, the force sent you a warning and you stopped your assault of Obi-Wan, right?"

"No, the warning came from a much more reliable source than the force."

Dorrie couldn't imagine who could give a warning to Jinn that he would trust more than the force.

"More reliable than the force? Just where did this miraculous warning come from if not from the force?"

"My former Master, Yoda."

" But Qui-Gon, will Obi-Wan be safe out there alone?"

"Until I figure out what is going on in my mind, yes, he is safe. Far safer than he would be if he remained here with me..."

T.B.C.

XOXOXOXO

Thanx for being so patient and waiting for a post. I had an O.K. time at Celebration III. I did get in to see Lucas but stood in storms, rain, wind, and freezing cold all night to do it. Just glad to be home. P.K. don't you say anything about my little trip. That is all you do, take vacations. Also I have to a say hi to Cynical21. She is like one of my all time favorite writers and I value just her saying she is reading this story. And in answer to her question yes all will be resolved!

The rest of you, I appreciate your feedback very much. I will address all of you next time. Wanted to get this off to ya before I went back to dreaded work tomorrow!

ewen