"Master Yoda, is there no reasoning with Qui-Gon, make him see what he plans could be suicidal? Boarding another ship in mid-air is dangerous extremely so, let alone nearly impossible. Why is it so important to overtake Sidious' ship while on its journey to meet up with him? Can't we just use our cloaking device and conceal ourselves until we reach Telos. Get there ahead of the dark lord's ship and board it at the landing port?"
"Understand Jinn's reasoning I do. Want our presence a surprise, he does. What better surprise will it be for Sidious to open the cargo doors of his own ship and find the Jedi awaiting him with no other aid in it for him, his droids and red guard taken out the Jedi, the three of us?"
"Grand idea if we don't' get ourselves killed doing it. I have no complaint about the plan other that it might be our death sentence."
Qui-Gon walked up behind the two other masters while they were still discussing him. He slapped Mace squarely in the middle of his shoulder blades and let out a thunderous laugh.
"Oh come on Mace, don't tell you are afraid. Remember our Jedi mantra."
"I am not afraid and yes I know very well what fear leads too. I have serious reservations about this plan of yours but it isn't out of fear I bulk at it. I have to wonder if you have lost your mind?"
"My former apprentice lost his mind, he has not. Strategy an excellent one it is. Like you said though our lives in jeopardy but matters not at this point."
" Matters not?" Well maybe to YOU it "MATTERS NOT" but I for one would like to live out my old age not die before I reach it. If everything Qui has mapped out is pulled off without a hitch, yes I agree it will a masterful coup Master Yoda, but if it doesn't?"
"Then we venture beyond the galaxy when one with the force we all are."
Qui-Gon could only laugh as he eyed his dark skinned friend while he spoke.
"Now that wouldn't be so bad would it? We Jedi have been taught from an early age not to fear our demise but to grasp it like any new endeavor and accept what will be."
" Would you and Master Yoda quit joking about my possible death here. Get serious! I have no qualms about being one with the force other than I wish it to be later than..oh… say in the next couple of hours."
" Joking takes away some pressure I think it does. However, more serious we have never been.Both Jedi masters have a point you do. Listen to one or both should I? Me? Lived a good long life I have. Ready to meet the force anytime now I am. Count me in on your scheme my padawan. How say you Master Mace? Care to take it on you do or stay behind you will decide?"
It was clearly a joke spoken by Yoda about his own possible death and Mace and Jinn along with him. However, Yoda had never possessed an ounce of fear or negativity about him when heading into danger. His loud cackling let Mace know of his humor but it did nothing to quell the concern Mace had about this mission. Qui-Gon walked around in front of Mace and Yoda. His face had gone from one of an amusing whimsical look to a serious poised and thoughtful one.
"Seriously, we have to table the undertaking of boarding a ship in mid-air with just the precise plan. Nothing can be off, not even how far away you have to be from the ship to successfully get us along side, not even small increment of miscalculation. It has to be "perfect" in all ways. According to the last coordinates of Sidious' ship, we should catch up with them in less than two hours. We need to be prepared my friends. All your concerns about this, as Mace would describe it, this insane proposal of mine might be justified, and your joking could turn deadly serious about our demise and might even come to pass. We could very well fail and it could also very well cost us all of us our lives. Just to be sure, do we ALL separately agree to do this?"
It grew very quiet. Yoda, who almost always had a wayward smile of a smirk on his face, was all serious Jedi master. Of course Mace had already had his doubts about this plan of Jinn's but doubt his friend he did not. He knew Qui-Gon knew he would do as told. However Master Jinn always gave others a way out, a discreet one which would not dishonor them if they so chose. Mace would choose to help as would Master Yoda. Qui knew that but still the option to bow out graciously was put forth for both Masters Windu and Yoda.
XOXO at the De'Crion Mansion XOXO
Xanatos barely raised his head to acknowledge the dark lord and his small entourage as they entered the dining room and came over to the table where he sat.
Instead Xani stared at his fingers steepled together in front of him as he waited for them to descend around the table.
He didn't have to see to know Obi-Wan was not there. His small growing connection he had with the Jedi teen told him Kenobi was absent from the group but that he was not in distress well no more than knowing you had been chosen o apprentice to the dark lord of the galaxy would place on any one as sure as he was. Without looking up form his steepled hands clasped together before him, Xanatos addressed the head of the dark entourage, Lord Sidious.
"I take it you have everything under control up there now. With you reluctant protégé I mean."
"Never doubt my capabilities. And yes Obi-Wan has come to understand who he should listen too. Although I do have to thank you for your help."
Xani raised his gaze to the man in dark flowing robes who just sat down to his right; a man Xanatos De'Crion found more despicable each time he was forced to be near him.
"My help? I hardly think I had anything to do with Obi-Wan's sudden realization to follow your edicts."
"More than you realize I suppose. It wasn't what you said that really helped me."
Sidious forked the largest piece of Bantha steak covered in onions and mushrooms from the serving platter and took an enormous chunk out of it before he spoke. When he did speak he spoke around the large hunk of rare and dripping meat being graphically exposed in the process of chewing and speaking.
"It was actually what you did."
"And what was that? I hardly think it was I who caused Obi-Wan to have a sudden epiphany as to who to follow. I thought possibly it was the hold placed on him by your hand that rendered him nearly unconscious. Or maybe the bruising hand print forming on his right cheek where you tried to force his submissiveness but certainly not little old me."
Xanatos had to turn his head to avoid watching the oily and bloody drippings spill out the corner of the dark lord's mouth. The thought only irritated his feelings toward Sidious even more, not to mention to the fact the way the dark lord so vulgarly ate made him absolutely ill.
"Refresh my memory, exactly what did I do? Enlighten me for I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. I only suggested to Obi-Wan that he listen to you since you would eventually be his master."
"Yes but with those words and no actions, it helped Kenobi realize what you said to him was a lie. He sees you as betraying him. Kenobi is too strong emotionally and physically to let a little corporal persuasion convince him to do as he is told. That is what I like about him. No, I would have had to beat the boy to almost death for him to relent under punishment."
"Just how, what makes Obi-Wan think in any way I betrayed him?"
He asked Sidious to explain but deep down the fallen apprentice knew exactly what the dark lord referred too when it came to Obi-Wan. Obi's feeling had become ooze from him by way of the thin bond they shared. Xani had thus far been able to keep his half of the bond hidden from Obi-Wan. Although if Obi could have felt their connection he might have reasoned correctly that Xani had not betrayed him but had no way at this point of truly helping the teen.
Xani squirmed uncomfortably in his chair.
"Jedi are always so quick to judge. I did not betray him. Hell, I am nothing to him."
"That is not how he saw it."
Xanatos was thankful that with Sidious' words this time did come with the spilling of meat juices from his mouth. Xani dabbled to corners of his mouth as he remembered the ghastly sight Sidious produced with the way he ate.
"Just how does Kenobi see my part in all this?"
"Seems the delusional child was under the misconception that because you both shared the station of Jedi apprentices you in some way owed him something. I suppose he thought you would aid him in escaping. No matter though. If my calculations are right my ship will be here first thing in the morning and I will be on my return trip back to my home world. The Jedi will be none the wiser, your "Good" name will be in the clear and they can't connect you to us."
"You mean they can't, if they haven't already. Of course with Jinn's astute ability at finding things out he could have already linked me to you or even found out I gave you a lift to Telos."
"Oh come, come Mr. De'Crion you give "your" Master Jinn and his cohorts much to much credit at being so in adept at what they do. No, they couldn't have linked you with me unless they knew I left with you. No one knew that. Even if the Jedi spoke to Gunray. I didn't tell him anything either."
No one there at the table realized that Gunray knew every step they made and with who Sidious left to Telos with.
"No, things will be fine. Gunray knew I planned to venture to Telos eventually but not for what purpose or that I would travel with you. That was on a moment's whim, remember? I will be gone before the Jedi step foot on Telos. You can go back to running your mines and not worry about Gunray's desire to purchase them. You of course will allow me to handle him.. All you have to do now is permit me to offer payment for what you have done. Is there anything I can do for you in return for your aid to me? Name it and it shall be yours."
XOXO back with the Jedi XOXO
The Jedi about it to board the Dark Lord's ship, minus Sidious of course. Over Mace's objections for he truly wanted to be in the middle of Jinn's plan. Instead he was given the order to fly the ship.
"Qui-Gon, you will need me on board if you make it there. Besides boarding the ship will be difficult for Master Yoda with the achy joints in his body he always complains about."
"Heard that I did. Very able I still am to do anything the two of you can do."
"Now Mace be reasonable. You are the only one here who can maneuver this ship close enough for us to let out our boarding ramp. While on it we will have to override the dark lord's ship's oxygen locking system to enter it. We need a steady pilot, sure at what he is doing. One slip, a movement just a few feet will mean our prolonged assured death out in space; to be lost floating until our oxygen supply runs out then…. Would you rather stand on that cat walk out in the middle of space in a space suit and rely on me to keep this ship steady enough for you and Yoda to board the Sith ship?"
"Well if you put it that way… NO…. I am not that brave. Your flying abilities have never been anything to brag about. I suppose you are right, you need me at the helm but you and Master Yoda must be very careful."
"Joke you make is it? Careful most certainly we will be."
About an hour later, after all had been decided and time grew ever closer for their outer space acrobatic feat, Yoda wanted to speak to Jinn one more time. He found him in the front part of their ship staring almost hypnotically out the large front portal.
" More worry you have my padawan?"
" Now that's an understatement. Which part of all this is not a worry. But yes there is something other than the immediate mission on my mind.. TAHL…I am curious enough to be terribly anxious as to what we will find on that ship. I want to know if there is a clone of Tahl or not."
"Has to be I am sure of that. Destroyed she must be if find her we do. Capable of taking that mission on are you or shall I have to do it?"
Jinn flinched at Yoda's words, as true as he knew they were. It was not ethical for a Tahl clone to remain alive and if nothing else, Jedi were always ethical about everything.
"That is a entirely different problem I will have to deal with when faced with it. I can't say what I will do or how I will react .."
Jinn turned from gazing out in space and looked long and hard at his sympathetic patient former master. Yoda seemed to know Jinn was torn with his loyalties and the idea of meeting up with a clone of Tahl; A breathing identical person made from the DNA of the woman he once loved. For all intent and purpose the clone Tahl would be Jinn's Tahl.
Qui's voice, quivering with unfettered emotion broke Master Yoda's thoughts.
"I just don't know, Master Yoda, what I will do when faced with a decision to kill Tahl's clone or not?"
T.B.C.
ewen