.Five.

It took some convincing him, but the Head of Security, a man by the name of Quarsh Panaka finally agreed to help the Jedi. He offered them his own home to stay in during their visit. Even though he was friendly, he made it quite clear he was only allowing this for the benefit of the Queen. His loyalty was to her and no one else.

"I will admit there's something wrong," Obi-Wan overheard him say to Qui-Gon. "And I hope the two of you can figure out a way to help her."

"Tell me more about her," Obi-Wan suggested joining in the conversation which lifted the brows of the Security Officer. "For the sake of our mission, of course," he clarified.

"Let's see," Panaka began, taking a seat at his small, simple table just inside the doorway of his home. Without being asked, both Jedi joined him.

"Her mother was firm and some considered her to be unfair. She ruled with determination although was often too rigid. Following her death, her daughter Padmé was given the throne. There were many who believed she was too young to rule, that her limited life experiences would result in…well, frankly, a chaotic and disastrous reign. Despite her young age, she proved all of her critics wrong. She listened to her advisors and opened the court to the people. They were free to come and speak with her at any time; something they had never been allowed before. Queen Amidala heralded an era of peace and prosperity throughout Naboo. And then the madness began.

I first noticed it after she began complaining of terrible headaches. At first, we blamed her ill mood and temper on her pain. But the royal physicians determined she was perfectly fine and claimed she was suffering from some type of mental illness. They offered her counseling and treatment, but she refused any help and promptly cast anyone who disagreed into the seldom-used palace dungeons.

We've been walking on broken transparisteel ever since, not knowing when her anger will flare or if her condition is going to worsen. I'm not sure how much more the people of Naboo can take."

It was worse than he thought. "How did the Queen's mother die?" he asked Panaka.

"In her sleep, under slightly suspicious circumstances," the Security Officer informed them. "There were some who called for an investigation into the possibility of regicide, especially considering the Queen's current mental state."

"Do you believe she's capable of such a thing?" Qui-Gon asked the man.

"No," Panaka stated firmly. "Padmé Amidala has a kind spirit and a servant's soul. Whatever is going on inside her head is not her fault. It can't be."

Obi-Wan was beginning to understand the people's loyalty to their Queen as well as their current concern. In his heart, there was only one thing to do.

"I need to speak with her," he suggested strongly.

"Out of the question, my apprentice," his Master replied quickly. "She gave strict orders to Governor Bibble to escort us back to our ship. If we make our presence known, the man could be disciplined."

"Or relieved of his head," Panaka confirmed glumly which lifted Obi-Wan's own brows.

If he couldn't speak with her, how was he going to help her?

"I need to return to my duties," Panaka told them. "Make yourselves at home. I'll return in a bit and bring you some dinner."

Once they were alone, Qui-Gon took the opportunity to lie down on the sofa in the next room, which was actually too short for his Master's height. His long legs were hanging off the end, which would seem uncomfortable to most. Obi-Wan knew they had found rest in far worse places and situations.

"I'm going to rest for a little while," he informed his student before shutting his eyes.

"I believe I'll meditate, Master," Obi-Wan decided.

"Good," was the mumbled response which actually sounded more like a grunt.

Captain Panaka's apartment was small, but at the top of a narrow flight of stairs he discovered was a balcony. Obi-Wan stepped out onto it and beheld a beautiful view of the mighty Solleu River that ran through the city, as well as the magnificent Virdugo Plunge in the distance. He thought it would be a perfect place to converse with the Light.

Obi-Wan dropped to his knees upon the stone flooring and reached out to draw the power that lifted and guided him in all matters. It responded immediately and cocooned him in its delicate wrappings of warmth and luminescence. He was not all that surprised to feel himself being lifted and carried along the waves of Light, knowing that it was all in his mind. Whenever he was particularly concerned about something, his meditations would often transport him to other places where he would seek out and hopefully find the answers he needed.

He had never considered the idea that other Jedi didn't experience the same thing, because he'd never asked them. Obi-Wan had always assumed this was the way of the Light Side.

During his mind travel, the prior tension in his shoulders dissipated and his spirit was set free. It was better than anything any half-hour nap could offer. Touching the Light always calmed him and helped him to focus on the issue at hand.

Today's meditation, though, was different. It took a turn he had not anticipated and soon, the brilliance was overcome by shadow and the pleasant cocoon encasing him became suffocating.

His spirit was deposited heavily upon a dark marble floor, face down, and when he looked up, Obi-Wan discovered he was in the presence of Queen Amidala, although, he knew it wasn't actually her. She was somewhere in the palace and he was on Panaka's balcony.

And yet, before him was an opportunity he couldn't let pass by. He wasn't sure if this was the Light or the Dark's doing, but he had to discover the reason he was here.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask, the Queen vanished and then reappeared closer to him. Her eyes were hollow, the intricately painted details on her face smeared. She appeared the way he had expected her to look when they first met; disheveled and despondent.

Obi-Wan's heart went out to her and was filled with compassion. That is until she spoke and her words filled his mind and spirit with dread.

"Taral ku chuwuq. Sarrai-Karr. Qû shokkai kots nu? Qâzoi kayantuska! Wyonuks, tu nwot tuyûk. Osûjontû iswi kyusha, tuyûkai anjaat dzwol."

It was the Ur-Kittat, the ancient language of Sith Obi-Wan was listening to. The words were spoken in the Queen's voice, although her lips did not move. He was hearing it all in his head and Obi-Wan began to push himself up in an attempt to extricate himself from the tangled web of the Dark. The odojinya they called it.

"Zayon ot shâsot, Sarrai-Karr," the malevolent voice continued.

By this time, Obi-Wan had made it to his feet and he boldly faced the Dark Queen. He had understood every word she'd spoken and had a few of his own.

"Nu Jidai. Tuo tuska ajak qo nun."

The evil spirit's face split and she began to laugh rather maniacally at him, and as Obi-Wan struggled to free himself, the louder it became. Her voice felt like tiny arrows piercing his resolve and he felt himself growing weaker by the second. He had to escape but he didn't know how.

"Nuya sedrís."

A powerful force flung Obi-Wan from the presence of the Queen and he ended up flat on his face upon the balcony where he'd been meditating. Qui-Gon was there, shaking his shoulders and shouting his name with some urgency.

"Obi-Wan!" he heard upon awakening.

"I'm all right, Master," he confirmed, relieving the older man's deep concern.

"You were beyond my sight," Qui-Gon explained, a trace of fear still coloring his words. "Where did you go?"

"I don't think I went anywhere," Obi-Wan tried to explain as Qui-Gon pulled him to his feet. "The Queen came to me. Or at least it had the appearance of the Queen."

"It?" his Master repeated in the hopes his student would clarify.

"Queen Amidala has been taken over by the Dark Side, Master," Obi-Wan explained. "I am sure of it. She spoke to me using Ur-Kittat."

"The forbidden language of the Sith," Qui-Gon announced before leaning on the balustrade for support. He should've listened to his heart and told Mace Windu to stick it where the Light doesn't shine. They should've never accepted this mission! "Obi-Wan," he continued, turning to his apprentice, worry and concern lining his face. "I'm not sure you're prepared for this. If indeed the Sith have returned, none of us are. It's been so long, too many have forgotten the past. They won't know how to deal with this."

"I do," Obi-Wan confirmed while straightening up his stola and tunic. "I know you think I'm young and I still have much to learn, but Master, you need to trust me. I was sent on this mission for a reason. Just as I encountered the Dark Side in the Temple Archives for a reason."

"And that reason is?"

Although he was confident in some particulars, he wasn't exactly sure his previous experiences all pinpointed to this exact moment, although it was starting to seem that way. "I believe it's to help the Queen," Obi-Wan told his Master.

The young man was exuding strength and confidence, and yet his Master continued to fret and had begun pacing the small space of the balcony.

"And how do you propose to do that? Your encounter with the Darkness this time awoke me from my sleep! I was alerted that something was terribly wrong. When I tried to find you, I discovered our bond had been obscured! You were hidden from my sight and that frightens me, Obi-Wan."

The admittance was difficult to hear. All Jedi knew that fear could lead to hatred and ultimately death. Qui-Gon, however, wasn't like most Jedi and he often spoke directly from his heart without thinking. It was one of the things Obi-Wan admired about him. As a Learner, he was still always second-guessing himself not only in words but in deeds.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan told him truthfully, which caused his Master's mouth to ease into a short-lived grin.

"Whoever has taken control of the Queen is powerful in the Dark Side, Obi-Wan. Not only did it invade your meditation, but it concealed you from me, as well as held you prisoner. I couldn't wake you or bring you out of it. How did you escape?"

The vision in his head was likely to be there for some time and Obi-Wan had no problem recalling the way he had felt, the power used against him, or his inability to free himself from it.

"I believe she cast me out," he informed his Master.

"This is troubling, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon remarked, his eyes taking in the scenery, although he wasn't actually seeing anything. "Perhaps…" his Master began, only to hesitate – something the man was not prone to do. He was typically confident in his words. "We should defer this mission to someone with more experience. Master Yoda could…"

"No!" the youth hadn't meant for his exclamation to be so bold. How could he make Qui-Gon understand that the Light had called him here for this purpose? That he was the only one who could help Queen Amidala? "Master. Please," he tried again with far more control. "We're already here and I've made contact with this entity. I have to stay. I need to save her."

"Oh, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in a grieving manner. "I hope you do, and that you come out at the end better for it."

Notes:

I have done a lot of research into Ur-Kittat speech, but am forced to fill in some gaps.

Translations:

"Taral ku chuwuq. Sarrai-Karr. Qû shokkai kots nu? Qâzoi kayantuska! Wyonuks, tu nwot tuyûk. Osûjontû iswi kyusha, tuyûkai anjaat dzwol."

Protector of the Ember. Follower of Truth. Are you here to break me? Banish the thought! Little one, you lack the strength.

"Zayon ot shâsot, Sarrai-Karr." Give up your struggle, Follower of Truth.

"Nu Jidai. Tuo tuska ajak qo nun." I am a Jedi. Your words will not sway me.

"Nuya sedrís." We shall see.