A/N: Same as for the previous chapter. I'll be posting these quickly since I'm not writing the bulk of things from scratch, though as with the last chapter, I edited parts so that they fit the new characters better, so you probably should still read to see what changes I've made. I swear…either the e-text I got was glitchy, or Scholastic published some lousily-written novels, or maybe all kids novels were filled with poor grammar and sentences in the prose that start with "but"? I didn't major in creative writing so I don't know if normal rules are more flexible in books, but while in dialogue I tend to do whatever, since that's how people talk, in prose I tend to try to adhere to rules…I mean…my grammar's not stellar either but that's because I never proofread XD (See, there went a run-on sentence, I am aware I make a lot of those). I dunno, the style's so weird…. Also, since I don't proofread, I'm apologizing in advance for any continuity errors in the stuff I had copied and pasted. I sort of looked over them briefly but I wasn't really that interested in The Hidden Past, and I know I might get some grief for this but both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were kind of irritating to me in JA; Qui-Gon didn't feel like an adult, and Obi-Wan didn't feel like a child. The adult characters aren't really that much wiser than the child characters, which I guess justifies why the kids keep having to do things the adults couldn't handle, and the kids didn't feel like kids because they're weird Jedi younglings with the whole bizarre Jedi upbringing that strips them of much of their personalities and the very things I personally feel make children endearing. Maybe it's because I'm far too old to read JA, but I feel like that's not really a good excuse; there are children's novels that adults can enjoy. JA was just…weird to me, and I kept wondering why we care at all about Obi-Wan since he's actually pretty boring, while wishing that Obi-Wan would find someone else for a master, because I didn't find anything likeable about Qui-Gon either. He says things and does stuff that just baffles me…I guess even in the Phantom Menace he didn't make that much sense but…yeah…I shut up now.

Darsant Avat

Take One

The first step was to get to Prince Beju before Beju arrives on Phindar.

"We can hitch a ride on one of the pods that they ship mindwiped people with," Qui-Gon recommended. "Do you know where they do that?"

"They'd do that at headquarters," Paxxi exclaimed.

"Sounds like we sneak in," Said his padawan.

Obi-Wan seemed very calm and relaxed, which was a contrast to his anxiety back when he first made his lightsaber. His ease served to calm Qui-Gon as well. The impromptu mission was not without its dangers, but Obi-Wan had been trained well, and the child is very attuned to the Force.

To a certain extent, Qui-Gon had always relied somewhat on his padawans to gauge a situation. If Feemor and Authsola were both very relaxed, that tended to ground him as well. This time, however, he also believed Obi-Wan; with Feemor and Authsola, they might be calm and they might keep him calm, but that did not mean the situation was safe—their state of mind was more of an attitude than an indication of reality. Neither of them had been able to navigate Ilum as smoothly as Obi-Wan had, for example, and Obi-Wan showed a strong propensity to detect danger. Right now, the child seemed almost light-hearted and careless. It could be because he had utmost faith in his master, but Qui-Gon suspected it was also because there was nothing to fear.

The Phindian brothers were not quite so comfortable.

"It will be very easy to sneak into that wing! Not so, I lie! That wing is heavily guarded, how do the Jedi intend to sneak past?"

"Plus, they monitor the pods closely, and if one shoots off to Gala, they'd suspect!"

"We'll have to see as we go," Qui-Gon replied, looking at his little one. Obi-Wan was still pretty calm, though he mulled over the situation a bit, as it warranted. "There is no use worrying about that now, when we don't even know the layout of the facility."

The Phindians were still not completely convinced, and it took some effort to draw the answers out of them.

"The Syndicat robbed us first. They broke into our hiding place and stole everything! Everything we had spent so much effort and time to accumulate—"

"To steal," Obi-Wan corrected, unimpressed.

"Just so, Obawan, we stole it, yes, but only to sell it back to the people," Guerra said earnestly. "We had speeder parts, circuits, engines - all things we used to have here on Phindar in great abundance, but no more. We would sell to the people for much cheaper prices that the Syndicat! So you see we do a great public service—"

"Uh-huh, point?" Obi-Wan interrupted a little impatiently. Qui-Gon placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Of course Obawan," Paxxi consented. "So they stole from us, but what they did not know is that among those things was something very valuable."

"Something my good brother Paxxi invented," Guerra added eagerly. "An anti-register. It can undo the action of a transfer register."

The two brother nodded and smiled stupidly at the Jedi. A transfer register was a method of recording transactions in the galaxy. An electro-optical device recorded the prints of the buyers and sellers.

"Paxxi's device can duplicate any print in a security or registration system," Guerra told them.

Qui-Gon squeezed the boy's shoulder. Paxxi's anti-register device could be valuable beyond measure. It would allow the user to seize property and goods and break into any print-reliant security system throughout the galaxy.

"That device is very dangerous," He said quietly.

"Dangerous?" Guerra asked. "Not so, Jedi-Gon! It will help us!"

"But if the Syndicat knew you had it - if anyone knew, it would put you in great danger."

Paxxi waved a hand. "We are not afraid. Not so! I lie, of course we are. But that makes us careful. We can steal the treasury, leave the planet if we have to, even sell the device on the black market -"

"Can you imagine how much it's worth?" Guerra chortled. "Twelve fortunes!"

"…" Qui-Gon wondered where Obi-Wan learned to cock his eyebrow like that. He sort of looked like Yoda when he did that.

"Not that this is important," Guerra hurriedly said. "First, we break the Syndicat, yes?"

Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. They were both thinking the same thing: with the device, it would be easier to break in to other parts of the compound, such as where the pods are kept.

"I guess we do it your way then," Qui-Gon shrugged, already dreading what was to come. At least his little one was still calm. As long as the Kenobimeter is not going off…

The Syndicat headquarters were housed in a once grand but now crumbling mansion with extensive security. There were heavy gates to get inside the compound, and a laser security beam over each door and window.

"All you have to do is get us by the two guards," Guerra whispered to Qui-Gon. "We'll do the rest."

Qui-Gon nodded. Paxxi and Guerra led the Jedi around the compound to a back entrance. There, a guard in the usual long silver coat and dark visor stood, hand on a blaster slung in a holster crossed over his chest.

There was nothing to do but walk straight up to him. "Good evening," Qui-Gon said. "We have an appointment."

The guard's head tilted to take in the two Jedi and the two Phindians. They couldn't see his eyes. "Move along, worm."

Qui-Gon brought the Force to bear. He surrounded the Syndicat guard's mind with his own will. "Of course, we may enter," he said.

The guard lowered his blaster. "Of course, you may enter," He repeated.

He sensed a wave of amusement from Obi-Wan, though the boy kept a straight face.

"You see, my brother Paxxi!" Guerra exulted. "The Jedi are powerful. I do not lie!"

"I see, brother Guerra," Paxxi said. "It is so!"

They walked quickly through a small yard packed with landspeeders, speeder bikes, and a few gravsleds. Another guard stood before a wide stone staircase leading to the back door of the mansion. He stepped forward, raising his blaster.

"Who are you and what is your mission here?" He challenged.

Again, Qui-Gon summoned the Force. With guards like these, it was easy to overpower their small minds. They were used to taking orders and rarely thought independently.

"We are welcome to look around."

"You're welcome to look around," The guard said blankly, lowering his blaster.

They walked past him and up the stairs. Obi-Wan flashed him a brief grin, before concentrating back on the task at hand. At the top, beams of laser security crisscrossed the doorway.

"Your turn," Qui-Gon said to Guerra.

"Ah, I do nothing," Guerra said. "You'll see."

A second later, the beams shut off. The door opened. An older Phindian woman with dark hair threaded with silver stood facing them. She wore the long silver coat of the Syndicat guards. Qui-Gon tensed, but she waved them inside.

They stepped into a grand room with gilded walls of brilliant green stone. Soft rich carpeting was under their feet, covering the floor. The windows were hung with shimmering tapestries.

"All looted from our citizens," Guerra murmured.

The woman led them down a hallway. It must have been built for droids or servants, for it was narrow and the floor was a dull gray stone. A long bin with various pegs and shelves held a number of weapons - blasters, force pikes, and vibro-shivs.

"For the guards to take as the go out into the streets," Paxxi explained. "They are always well armed."

"Yes so, just more weapons to shoot us with!" Guerra said cheerfully, making Qui-Gon wonder if both brothers suffered from some form of mental retardation.

The older woman led them to a narrow door. "Here. No security downstairs now, but you must hurry."

"We have a slight change of plans," Paxxi told the woman, "We need to head elsewhere as well."

She blinked, anxious. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, yes," Said Paxxi, "We must go to where they blast off those who were mindwiped."

She let out a harsh sigh. "I have no time," She shook her head, "If you changed your plans, you're on your own, I must go." Before any of them could thank her, she left, hurrying down the hall.

"She enjoys her work," Guerra said, watching her disappear. "She can't wait to return. No so, I lie," he said softly. "The silver coat she wears has a tracking device in the fabric. She is monitored all the time. If Duenna spends too much time in the wrong place, assassin droids will track her down and ask her politely to return to her post. Not so, I lie! They kill her on the spot."

Qui-Gon was no expert on psychology, especially alien psychology, but he found himself going through a list of mental illnesses in his head, wondering which one would fit the Phindian brothers. Chronic liar? Hm, not exactly…

Paxxi opened the door. A stone staircase led downward. Paxxi started along the way, and they followed.

The staircase took them to a large empty room.

"First storage space," Paxxi said. "Empty, my brother. Strange, or not so?"

"It is so," Guerra said. He walked through a doorway into another space. It was also empty. Hurrying now, Guerra and Paxxi passed from empty room to empty room in the vast storage level, while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan looked at each other. Obi-Wan worried his lip, and Qui-Gon reached to pull it out.

"You're going to chew your lip off one of these days," He said with some degree of seriousness, "Stop doing that."

"Sorry, Master."

He tugged the boy's braid lightly before the brothers returned.

"All gone," Paxxi said.

"Yes so," Guerra agreed sadly.

"…This was a waste of time," Obi-Wan remarked, faintly annoyed.

Qui-Gon was just as irritated as Obi-Wan, but he tried to keep calm. "Didn't you check your information? Or did your spy betray you?"

"Not so, Jedi-Gon!" Guerra cried, flustered. "Duenna is on our side!"

"How can you be so sure?" Qui-Gon then shook his head. "Never mind. We have to get out of here."

Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon. "Well, I guess we break into the pod hangar the hard way, Master."

Suddenly they heard a slight whirring noise. Qui-Gon cocked his head. He knew that noise…but something about it was strange. He did not expect to hear it indoors.

"Speeders," His little one said.

A small floater suddenly zoomed around a corner, driven by a Syndicat guard. Behind him appeared three more floaters. Guards drove the speeders, and each had an assassin droid behind him. The first guard maneuvered his speeder to get a clear shot at Paxxi.

"Move!" Qui-Gon shouted. He reached out with the Force and propelled Paxxi backward. The blaster fire missed him by inches as he slammed against the wall.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber was in his hand in a movement so fast it was just a blur of pulsating light. He slashed at the guard, but was only able to knock the hand behind him on the speeder. Qui-Gon leaped forward but the speeder zoomed ahead, almost knocking him down. He was only able to deliver a glancing blow to the guard.

Suddenly, a slender beam of light shot out from the wall, straight at Guerra. Guerra saw it and began to move. Qui-Gon saw the light, too, and summoned the Force to help. Guerra leaped over the beam just in time.

"Disruptor beams!" Qui-Gon shouted to his padawan. The weapons had been outlawed on most worlds. It sent a visible blast of energy capable of cutting someone in two. "Be careful, Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan charged at a floater heading for him and struck the driver across the neck with his lightsaber. The driver cried out and lost control of the floater, which crashed into the wall, knocking him unconscious. A disruptor beam suddenly shot out from the wall and hit the assassin droid, whose right-hand controls suddenly smoked and sputtered. The droid fell, but began to push off with his left-side controls. Meanwhile, the beam came straight at Obi-Wan, who leaped over it, twisting in midair to land safely next to Qui-Gon.

"Guh…" The child exclaimed, "What was that?"

"The beams are triggered by movement," Qui-Gon said tersely. "Others are on constantly. Avoid them at all costs. Use the Force, Padawan." Qui-Gon turned and sliced at the assassin droid from the downed floater, cutting off its head. Then he leaped forward and lunged at the nest floater. He dealt a glancing blow to the guard as it zoomed past and leaped over a disruptor beam.

The beams left on were easy to avoid, if the Jedi didn't allow themselves to be maneuvered into them. It was harder to predict where the beams triggered by movement would strike. Qui-Gon reached out for the Force, drawing it around him, feeling it, gaining strength from it. He sent his senses out to meet his little one's so that the Force would multiply and fill the room. This was a situation where the Living Force was more helpful than the Unifying Force. Hopefully all the training back in the temple will pay off. The child did have good combat skills, after all.

A floater headed for Paxxi, who bounded away, using his arms to propel himself. Qui-Gon knew the brothers had no weapons. He leaped after the floater, avoiding a disruptor beam with a twist of his body. Obi-Wan was already moving to the left, and the flanked the floater in a pincer movement, driving toward it with their lightsabers slashing. The guard fell backward from the blows, knocking himself and the assassin droid off the floater. Blaster fire came at Qui-Gon from his right, but he was already twisting to the left. He half turned to deliver a final blow to the guard.

The guards on the two remaining floaters were more agile. They drove Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan before them into the next room. Since the ceilings were high, the Syndicat drivers could easily avoid the disruptor beams by flying higher, then zooming down to assault Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

The drivers of the floaters drove them relentlessly. They laughed as they aimed at the Jedi, sending them leaping out of the way, obviously thinking of this as a game.

Obi-Wan, the little rascal, laughed right back and actually threw his lightsaber at one of the drivers. Not expecting such a maneuver, one of the drivers was unable to move out of the way quickly enough, and the blade sliced through his engines like a knife through butter.

"Take that!" Obi-Wan gloated as the floater collapsed, and then yelled as he barely dodged one of the disruptor beams, which ended up hitting the driver point-blank. He toppled over and did not move again.

"Focus!" Qui-Gon chastised, pulling on Obi-Wan's lightsaber with the Force to throw it back to his padawan. At least one of us is enjoying himself. As long as Obi-Wan was not nervous though, neither was he…well, for the most part. That last one had been close. "Pay attention!"

The remaining guard attacked with new determination determined, the assassin droids keeping up a steady stream of blaster fire. So far, the armor protected the Syndicate guards well. Qui-Gon began to deflect blaster fire at any part of them exposed, neck, wrist, their booted feet. Obi-Wan did the same. The child did manage to deflect a bolt right to a damaged part of one of the assassin droids and it went down for good. There were still two attackers to contend with, however.

Despite still being relatively calm, Qui-Gon could see that the child was tiring. His own legs ached from the constant running and leaping to avoid the beams and blaster fire, and Obi-Wan did not have his stamina, being a growing child. They could not hold out for much longer. They were driven from room to room, and all the chambers here seemed to be arranged in a kind of maze. He tried to keep his focus; he doubted that he remembered how to reach the exit. They had lost Paxxi and Guerra completely, and he could only hope that the brothers had found a place to hide.

At last they reached a room where the disruptor beams were thicker than before. They crisscrossed the room in a thick web. It would be impossible for the Jedi to evade them.

The whirr of the last floater was behind them now. Any moment it would burst into the room. Obi-Wan's earlier trick was not going to suffice this time around. Qui-Gon quickly took several steps back from the threshold of the room until he was almost in the corner. He directed Obi-Wan to take the opposite corner. The boy nodded bravely at Qui-Gon, letting him know that he had guessed the plan Qui-Gon had devised.

They would have to gauge the exact speed and height of the floater a second before it appeared. Then they would run, using their momentum and the power of the Force to leap into the air. They would attack the speeder, colliding with it midair, hoping to dislodge both the pilot and the droid. And then they would have to land safely themselves. There was no time to review. Qui-Gon only hoped Obi-Wan could follow him.

The whirr of the floater grew closer. Qui-Gon began the charge. Obi-Wan took off at the same moment. The built up speed in the huge room as they ran, and both lifted off the ground at the exact moment the floater burst into the room.

Qui-Gon had time to see the surprised gape of the Syndicat guard before he hit him full in the chest. The guard flew off the bike, with Qui-Gon managing to get a lightsaber blow to his neck as he fell. The assassin droid had time to fire a quick burst before Obi-Wan hit him, feet-first, and sent him flying.

The power of their leap kept them in midair. Obi-Wan somersaulted before landing.

Suddenly, a portion of the huge wall dislodged with a groan, revealing an opening. The disruptor beams sizzled and went silent.

The Syndicat guard was just as surprised as the Jedi. Only the assassin droid kept moving, damaged but not destroyed. Its blasters were still operational. The shots missed the Jedi by a distance so small it sounded like a whisper by their ears.

The Force told Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to jump, and they did, with Obi-Wan vaulting over the guard to attack the assassin droid first. Qui-Gon sliced through the guard's blaster and knocked him out with the hilt, before sheathing his lightsaber in the same movement. He went to the opening and peered inside.

"I think we found the vault," he told Obi-Wan, who was panting a little. The droid sparked at his feet.

The child blew out a breath. "Great."

A voice came from behind them. "Good work, Jedis!" Guerra approved in a hushed, reverent tone.

"We knew that even though you were greatly outnumbered, you would win," Paxxi assured them.

Qui-Gon lifted an eyebrow. "Not so?"

"So!" the brothers chorused.

"Thanks for your help," Obi-wan said a little snarkily, deactivating his lightsaber.

"Oh, we help by hiding, Obawan," Guerra assured him. "The Derida brothers are no good on a battle. We'd be in the way."

"Yes, you are so much better at fighting!" Paxxi said, beaming.

Obi-Wan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and threw Qui-Gon an annoyed look. Qui-Gon shrugged.

"Yes, you found the vault! Excellent!" Guerra exclaimed. He frowned when he took in the fallen Syndicat guards and assassin droids. "This isn't good. We have to leave without the Syndicat knowing we were here. It is better so."

"I'll find a place to hide them," Paxxi said

"Paxxi is good at that," Guerra said.

"…We won't ask why," Qui-Gon said with a sigh.

"No, is better so," Guerra agreed. "But first, we should take the armor coats. Might come in handy. Blaster fire seems to follow Jedi."

"Uh-huh" Obi-Wan exclaimed, "And whose fault is that?"

"True, Obawan!" Guerra said cheerfully. "You make a point!"

Paxxi found an equipment room piled with old parts for speeders and various circuits. There was inch-thick dust on the parts and the floor.

"Good," Qui-Gon approved. "The room is no longer used. The guards won't be discovered for quite some time."

Using the floaters and carefully avoiding the remaining disruptor beams, they transported the fallen guards and droids there. They took four armor coats and visors with them and closed the panel door behind them.

"I saw a pen for the floaters by the stairs, so we can leave them there," Guerra said.

"Since we're here already," The Jedi Master glanced at his padawan, "We might as well check out the vault. The Force led us here, after all."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.

"Let us go first," Qui-Gon told the brothers. "Obi-Wan and I will alert you to disruptor beams."

Before they could take a step, however, a comlink embedded in one of the coats began to signal.

"Guard check," a voice said. "Guard check. Why were disruptor beams activated?"

Guerra's orange eyes went wide. Paxxi threw a hand to cover his mouth.

Qui-Gon found the comlink and activated it, using the Force to respond in a way that would not draw attention. "Routine check. Repeat, routine check. All safe below. Suggest shutting off disruptor security beams on lower level for further check."

"Done." With a buzzing noise, the disruptor beams retracted.

"Beams retracted," Qui-Gon said.

"End shift," the voice responded. "Leave premises. Lockdown in ten minutes."

"Message received," Qui-Gon responded. He shut off the comlink and looked at the others.

"Nicely done, Master!" His little one exclaimed, predictably enjoying that little trick.

"We don't have much time."

"Then we must hurry," Paxxi said.

They hurried to the vault and eased into the wall opening. Obi-Wan gasped audibly. This room glittered with treasures. Rich rugs were piles on the floor, one on top of the other. Sleeping platforms were draped with the finest, softest coverlets. Large pillows embroidered in golden and silver thread were stacked next to the platforms.

Qui-Gon prowled, looking at the various boxes and cartons stacked along the wall. "There's enough food and medical supplies here to last for months."

"Music, hologram visuals," Paxxi said, poking into another corner.

"Emergency supplies and weapons," Obi-Wan added, checking the cartons near him.

"It's their sanctuary," Qui-Gon said. "They could last here for months if they had to."

"Here!" Guerra called.

They hurried toward him. A door with a control panel was almost completely concealed in the corner.

"This must be the treasury," Guerra said.

"Well, at least you were right about that," Qui-Gon said.

"All right, break in," Obi-Wan urged. "We don't have much time."

Guerra looked at Paxxi. Paxxi looked at Guerra.

"Of course, Obawan, no problem," Paxxi agreed. "Oops, I lie, not so! Just one problem."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and took a breath. Why am I not surprised? "What?"

They both looked at the floor. "Ah," Guerra said. "So. That anti-register…"

Qui-Gon sighed.

"I thought you had it on you," Obi-Wan sighed as well, apparently thinking the same thing, "Thought you had another way of breaking in. We're out of time too, I guess we can't break into the pods either."

"They're about to lock down," Said Qui-Gon, "We should leave now, come back and try again." He glanced at the armor coats they had stripped from the guards. "At least we did get something out of this."

Obi-Wan glanced at his armor coat. "I'm not going to fit in this thing."

Hm. That was a real problem.

"You two," Qui-Gon instructed, "Take the armor coats. Obi-Wan and I will sneak out the old-fashioned way." As an adult human male, Qui-Gon might be able to pull off the armor coat, but he was not going to let his padawan sneak out all by himself. "Come, Obi-Wan," He mused, "It's probably a good chance to practice your Force suggestion skills anyway."