Suddenly, five security officers burst in. Leila saw the red planet patch on their uniforms. Her lightsaber was in her hand in a moment and she ignited it. What where Offworld security forces doing in the dome?

One of the men spoke into a comlink. "We found the thieves."

"No," said Obi Wan. "We're just…"

Xanatos drew his lightsaber and charged,

Both Leila and Obi Wan stared after him. Only Jedi had such weapons.

Leila's eyes narrowed. And he had charged them. Now she would have…

The guards drew their blasters and began firing.

Obi Wan saw no help for it. He drew his only lightsaber.

Both of them knew Qui Gon would not want them to kill the Offworld guards. That would only make matters worse. So they fought defensively, while Xanatos became the aggressor. But he too, seemed reluctant to land a killing blow.

Leila fought smooth, deflecting bolts. She knew she was in a bad position. Now her Father would most certainly hear of what happened. She sighed. The things she let Obi Wan talk her into…then her eyes narrowed. But if she hadn't come and Obi Wan had come by himself, he would have met Xanatos by himself. And then who knew what could have happened.

Suddenly, one of the guards drew an electro-jabber and went at Obi Wan.

Leila turned. "Obi Wan!"

Her cry caused him to move. But the jabber dealt him a glancing blow against his ribs. Blinding pain shot through his body. "Run, Leila!" he shouted. "Run!" Then someone smashed him from behind. His vision turned gray and fuzzy, and he sank to his knees. The last thing he remembered was Leila's scream before he hit the floor.

Qui Gon had seen his mistakes too late. He had been blind to Xanatos' faults. He had indulged the boy. He had given without seeing. He had come a failure as a Master, because he had trusted his apprentice too much. He had let his fondness blind him to what he should have seen all along.

Qui Gon sighed. He had to keep his mind focussed on the present. He had gone to see SonTag and VeerTa as soon as Leila was gone. He described the box Obi Wan had told him about and VeerTa nodded. "I've seen a box like that."

"So have I," said SonTag. "In the Western Enrichment Zone. I was just there recently.

"I think I saw one at the Northern Zone," said VeerTa.

That was exactly what Qui Gon had been hoping for. The box had no significance. In the other zones, it had been in plain view.

He frowned at himself as he went back to his quarters. Then why was he worried? Back in his quarters he did a search on Offworld. He was curious about what position Xanatos held. He searched their records, and his frown deepened. There was no sign of Xanatos. Qui Gon searched the company records thoroughly. There were no answers anywhere he looked. He rose to his feet and left the room.

Time to pay a visit to Offworld headquarters.

ffworld's building was a black windowless block.

Qui Gon entered the center hall. A Hutt security guard sat behind the black cube that served as a desk.

"I have come to see Xanatos," said Qui Gon.

"Move, wretch," said the Hutt, bored "Take your petty complaints to your immediate supervisor. There's no one here anyway. Xanatos is on an exploration trip in northern mine quadrant." The Hutt reached for a blaster.

Qui Gon didn't move a muscle. "Perhaps I should wait in his private office," he said calmly.

"You should wait in his private office," the Hutt repeated tonelessly. "Take the restricted life tube to Horizon Thirty."

Qui Gon stepped out of the tube and into the reception area. He frowned. He could see no door to another room, just a blank wall.

A blank wall…

He placed his hand against the wall. When he took it away, he saw a brief flicker of transparency. Obi Wan's description tugged at his memory. He pressed harder.

Moments later, he was inside the room. the only thing that was in the room was a desk and that's where Qui Gon was sitting. He was scanning the filing system. Then something caught his eye.

It was a file directory with no name. An icon hovered where the label should have been. Two broken golden circles that overlapped. Qui Gon's heart skipped a beat. The two broken circles could be read as letter. O and C.

Offworld Corporation.

Ten minuets later, Qui Gon sat back with a frustrated sigh. The files where all in code. And if he removed one, Xanatos would know it. Suddenly, Qui Gon sat up straight.

Xanatos!

The Hutt had said he went to…the Northern Mine…where Agri-Corps where.

The name exploded in Qui Gon's mind. "Leila!"

Qui Gon burst out of the building and ran for his quarters. Leila had not contacted him. He wasn't sure if he should contact her. As he ran, his thoughts wandered from his immediate problem.

He had been sure that Xanatos was ready. He had spent years with the boy, watching him become a man. His mastery of the lightsaber was unsurpassed in his class. His ability to focus on the Force matched his Master's. He passed the preliminary test with a near-perfect score. Qui Gon had been ready to welcome him as a Jedi Knight. It was a proud moment. But Yoda had not been so sure. Yoda said there would be one last test.

Qui Gon stopped short. Yoda!