Chapter 46: Saboteur

They were talking about him again. Like they always did. Quinlan Vos was sick of it. It was always the same thing from the same people, over and over, around and around, until Quinlan thought he'd get dizzy and vomit over each and every member of the Council. Except for Luminara. Despite her constant rejections, she was still hot. And Qui-Gon. He didn't deserve it. But Kit Fisto did. Kit Fisto would be puked on first. And last.

Things had actually changed a lot, but Quinlan wasn't sharing. What would be the point? Everything he had to say conflicted with what Grandmaster Yoda saw, and who would believe Vos over Yoda? Qui-Gon might, but noone else. The other Masters were saying that Kenobi had corrupted him anyway, so there was little point in going into detail about what had happened. Yoda had told his account of Kenobi's fearsome power, the ability conjure Sith Lightning and bring down an entire fortress with a storm of the Dark Side, and the Masters all agreed that Obi-Wan needed to die. Not only was he showing powers that most of the Jedi could not hope to achieve, let alone best, but he had debilitated some of the greatest fighters the Jedi had, and managed to escape even Yoda's powerful command of the Force. The Jedi Order was actively under attack, and it came in the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi's carefully undermining everything they did.

When Kit Fisto began to speak, Quinlan lost his mind. He didn't even dislike the Nautolan, he was actually quite fond of the Master, but he did have his scaly, webbed hands on Aayla Secura, and Vos felt he needed to defend the girl, especially since it would be the absolute last thing she wanted. Unfortunately, these days, the only chance he got to do that was at Council meetings.

"Kit, honestly, you meet Obi-Wan one time, he gives you a haircut, and now you're suddenly an expert on him!" Quinlan scoffed, grinning with delight when the Nautolan looked speechless. "I bet you didn't even pay him for it!"

"And you are an expert, Vos?" Fisto asked, laughter in his voice. "Your attachment is clouding your vision, you so desperately want him to return to his old self that you fail to see what he's become. Everyone agrees!"

"I don't!" Quinlan growled. "I just spent a day with him, and I'm telling you this. Obi-Wan can be reasoned with."

"He's a mind controller, Vos..."

"Yeah, but he wasn't doing it to me!"

Fisto laughed. "And how could you possibly know that?" The Kiffar leaned in toward him.

"Because he's been in my mind before, and believe me, you can feel him there. This time, we just talked. He only became hostile when the lightsabers came out and were pointed toward him! He was trapped, you can't blame him for fighting back!"

Kit groaned. "He took you hostage, he would have killed you!"

"No, he wouldn't have! I knew him! I still know him, it was just like old times with him! He's...changed, yes, but he's still Obi-Wan Kenobi. If we go to him without hostility, if we just go to him to talk...I think we can reason with him, he will listen to reason."

"How do you know this?" Luminara asked, and Vos couldn't repress the smile on his face. For the first time that day, a Jedi spoke to him in a tone that wasn't accusing or dismissive. Luminara actually wanted to know.

"Because I reasoned with him." She said nothing, and Quinlan sighed. He had hoped that would be explanation enough, but it apparently wasn't. "I met him on my way to see if the pirates had Dooku, and I managed to convince him to do it my way. He didn't mind control or kill anybody until he was being attacked. And remember this, I didn't have a lightsaber on me. He could have killed me at any time, if he was so inclined. He could have killed them all."

"And he didn't try to sway you to him?" she asked, and for a moment, Quinlan just stared at her, considering if he should answer the question honestly or not.

"...no, he did try," he finally whispered. "But he didn't try for long. When he saw I resisted, he dropped the subject."

Mace scoffed. "That doesn't make him reasonable, it makes him dangerous."

"He is reasonable, Mace, I reasoned with him! Being a seductive beast has nothing to do with that!" He grinned. "And he was always seductive..."

"The Jedi Order will not have dealings with Sith Lords!"

"Are we going to do this again..." Qui-Gon droned, his hand covering his eyes and sighing. "Because if we are, I'd like to change the subject." He fished a holodisc out of his robes and held it up. When the Masters looked at him like he was disrupting proceedings, Jinn frowned. "...what? Obi-Wan Kenobi isn't the only part of this war, Masters. He's actually shown himself to be a very, very small part of it."

"Small?!" Mace growled, his hands clutching the arms of his seat, and Qui-Gon just rolled his eyes.

"Geonosis," he drawled, counting off on his fingers. "Christophsis. Haruun Kal" He held up three long digits. "Three conflicts in this war he's been a part of. Out of hundreds. We've been at this for a long time now, and we see more of Asajj Ventress and General Grievous than we do of him. Obi-Wan has killed four Jedi. Ventress and Grievous have killed far more. So yes, Mace, in spite of your broken pride, Obi-Wan is a very small piece in the war." He sat back and ran a hand through his long, graying hair. "His effect on the Jedi Order is another matter entirely, but there's nothing we can do about that but bolster ourselves against the damage he is doing. We have a plan already. Turn Obi-Wan against his Sith Master. Quinlan can do it. Luminara can do it. Master Yoda can handle him. The rest of us just need to back off and live to fight the actual war until this is accomplished." He took a deep breath. "So can we please talk about the war now?"

Quinlan laid a large hand on the older Master's shoulders and pointed at his chest. "Can we all agree to line up after the meeting so we can each fellate this beautiful man? Except for you, Master Plo. Your mask gets in the way."

"That's really not necessary," Qui-Gon whispered, the tips of his ears turning red as he activated the holodisc, the blue projection of a soldier running and shooting over his shoulder, his armor in the distinctive style of the Mandalorian warriors. Qui-Gon felt tension in his fellow Masters. "This is a recording of one of the recent strings of attacks on Republic cruisers. We believe them to be Separatist saboteurs, but-"

"But it could be that the Mandalorains are taking sides against the Republic!" Mace growled. "I told you this would happen! Obi-Wan is influencing the Duchess, he-"

"This has nothing to do with him!" Qui-Gon snapped, much louder and more intense than he had meant. "Mace, if you see Sith everywhere, they will be everywhere. It's true that Obi-Wan has a long reach, but there are things about him that we know that can help us determine where he actually is, and what he's actually doing."

"I agree," Vos drawled, crossing his arms and legs. "Obi-Wan hasn't messed with Mandalore, we decided this last time. He's been with this woman since he left us, if he was messing around in her brain, I think it would be mush by now."

"Satine isn't influenced," Qui-Gon said softly. "And her Mandalorians are pacifists, so who is that, and what's he doing in Mandalorian armor?"

"The Senate believes this man is part of a secret Mandalorian army that the Duchess is building," Luminara said softly. "They believe she will fight for the Separatists, given the nature of these attacks."

"Obi-Wan wouldn't do this," Qui-Gon said softly. "Nor would Satine. I don't believe she could even be made to do this with the Force, it goes against her very nature. I think her brain would literally start to bleed before she ever abandoned her pacifist ways. She's suffered too much for her to even consider it."

"So...does Obi-Wan's interests line up with the Separatists?" Luminara asked. "Or are they beginning to diverge? If this is a Separatist plot to make the Republic stand against the Mandalorians, than I feel like Obi-Wan may object."

"Which could make him easier to sway," Quinlan said, rubbing his hands together and grinning deviously.

"This could just as easily be the Mandalorians themselves," Qui-Gon said firmly, tucking the holodisc back inside his robe. "Satine made a lot of enemies after she took the throne and abandoned their warrior culture. Those that would not accept peace were exiled to Concordia, and it seems very likely that they may be reemerging. Galactic war makes it an ideal time."

Quinlan whistled. "Obi-Wan's going to be pissed. I say we let him handle it."

"We can't just let the Sith solve our problems," Luminara droned, rolling her eyes. "If he is somehow involved, or has been reasoned with to allow this to happen, than we would simply allow the situation to become worse."

"It's going to get worse anyway," Qui-Gon said swiftly. "As I said before, Obi-Wan's involvement is inconsequential. This is bad for Mandalore. If the Republic accuses her, then the Separatists may be given a hold there. If she denies the claims, which she will, since she is no doubt innocent, than the Senate may vote to send troops to Mandalore to help keep the peace, which will undermine the Duchess and give her enemies a reason to stand against her." Qui-Gon sighed. "Make no mistake, Satine will want nothing to do with either side of this conflict, and all this does is make us look like we want to interfere in Mandalorian affairs."

Luminara nodded. "That does sound like something the Senate would do, yes."

"So we basically need to kiss our asses goodbye," Quinlan drawled, drumming his long fingers on the tattoo upon his cheek. "The second the Republic messes with Mandalore, Kenobi's going to war." He smiled. "This is your chance to make Obi-Wan a huge deal, Mace!"

Windu groaned. "Do you ever stop, Master Vos..."

"Not to the present date, no."

"We can fix this very easily," Qui-Gon said. "We don't wait for the Senate to make a decision. I'll go to Mandalore and ask her about it myself. The investigation will be ordered by the Jedi, not the Republic, which will give us a chance to solve this before it escalates to sending Mandalore unwanted military aid."

"I don't know, Qui-Gon, I really don't think Obi-Wan's going to like it if you touch his things..." Vos said. "I mean, Mandalore's sort of his home, isn't it? And he really hates that Padawan of yours."

"I'm not going to bring Anakin, and I'm the best choice for this job. Satine knows me and she trusts me. She's always been...difficult, and I think I'll have a better chance of stopping this before it escalates than anyone."

"I'm not babysitting your Padawan, Master Jinn," Quinlan drawled, and Qui-Gon smirked softly.

"No. But your Padawan is going to. I've already talked to Ahsoka about keeping an eye on him while I'm gone, and I think it will do Anakin some good to get out from under my wing."

"Oh yeah? And what am I supposed to do with two Padawans?!"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "I was called to the battle on Ryloth. The Resolute is leaving tomorrow morning, I thought you could go in my place."

"I'm also being dispatched to Ryloth," Luminara said softly, her blue eyes looking at the older Master with concern. "So who is going with you?"

"Nobody."

Luminara's eyes narrowed. "That's a terrible idea. If Obi-Wan is there, and it's very likely he will be-"

"Obi-Wan won't hurt me in front of Satine," Qui-Gon said quickly. "If I'm walking into something that's even close to what I'm imagining, than I'll be safe. Obi-Wan's going to have bigger problems than me."

"Qui-Gon, sweetheart, he hates you," Vos said slowly, as if he were speaking to someone that didn't understand the language he was speaking. "If he had a list of Jedi he wants to kill, and I suspect that he does, than you are right at the very top next to Skywalker."

"I'm aware, Quinlan, thank you..." He crossed his arms. "I am capable of defending myself, and the Duchess absolutely abhors violence. You said he can be reasoned with, Quinlan, and I'm inclined to believe you."

"Hey, you know," the Kiffar drawled lazily, addressing the other Masters "I know it's easier to let Luminara, Qui-Gon and I solve all the problems of the galaxy, but any time any of you want to jump in and actually help, that would be great."

"A plan, you have, Qui-Gon?" Yoda asked in his soft, raspy voice, and Qui-Gon nodded.

"A plan, I have."

Yoda waved his small hand in the air. "Go. May the Force be with you."

Nodding, Qui-Gon Jinn rose from his seat and bowed, his long brown cloak flowing behind him as he swiftly left the room. "Well," the Kiffar drawled, "when I asked for help, I didn't mean that."

"Trust in Qui-Gon, you must," Yoda gently reprimanded. "A rare chance, he has, to see his fallen Padawan. Reasonable, you say he is."

"Well, yes, but he's also Sith. He's-"

"I agree with Master Yoda," Luminara said softly and Vos rolled his eyes.

"Not you too..."

"You say that Obi-Wan was like you remember him, Quinlan. I know he hates Qui-Gon, you and I have discussed this before. But if you're right, and our Obi-Wan is still in there, than Qui-Gon may have found the only situation where he can get through to him."

"Yes, but-"

"You wanted to set Obi-Wan after the Lord of the Sith, and we have our chance now to see if that's even possible. We need to trust Qui-Gon."

Quinlan sighed and rose to his feet and bowed to the Masters. "I'm out. I can't do this, and I have a battle to prepare for. Ahsoka will be thrilled."

He was just about to leave when the small voice of Yoda whispered "Wait." The Kiffar froze. "Faced Obi-Wan, I did. Different, he is, from the last time. Stronger." Yoda frowned. "Much stronger, he is. A vergence in the Force, he has become." The other Masters began whispering softly among themselves, and Luminara rose to stand beside Quinlan.

"That bad?" he asked her, smiling softly, and she nodded.

"Anakin is one as well. It can't be a coincidence that one vergence in the Force begot another. Obi-Wan...had said that the current of the Force has changed. I thought he was trying to sway me, but..."

"You think he's right?" Luminara bit her lip and slowly nodded, said nothing when Quinlan gently took her hand in his.

"What are we supposed to do about that?" Mace asked quietly. "We've thrown everything we've got at him. We can't beat him in combat."

Yoda closed his eyes and was silent for a long while, his little hand clenching, the palm still blackened from absorbing the Sith's attack. "Under attack, the Jedi Order is. Sacrifice, we must make, to survive. New things, we must try. Unafraid of change, we must be. Trust Qui-Gon, we must. With him, the Force is."

Anakin was trying very, very hard not to look at the smug face of Ahsoka Tano. Seated across the table from him in Qui-Gon's spacious sitting room, her elbows were perched on the sleek surface, her fingers interlocked, and her pointed chin resting delicately on top of it, those big blue eyes looking as though she knew something that he didn't, which of course wasn't true. None the less, what she did know was something that Skywalker had desperately wished that she didn't, but she and Barriss were close, and Tano had a particular talent for getting the Mirialan to divulge things that should have been secret. Girls, it seemed, liked to gossip.

He made the mistake of sending a fleeting glance up from his studies, and his eyes met Ahsoka's, a slow, wicked grin spreading across her face, and Anakin couldn't help but groan. "So, Skyguy," the Togruta purred. "I hear you've been having trouble with your girlfriend."

"For the last time, Snips, she's a girl, and she's a friend, but she isn't my girlfriend."

She shrugged her thin shoulders. "That isn't what Master Quinlan says. Master Quinlan says you see her every time you return to the Temple. He says-"

"Your Master says a lot of things..." he growled. The only thing worse than Quinlan's delight in starting rumors was that he had a Padawan that took equal delight in spreading them.

"Yeah, but he's usually right," the Togruta said. "He was right about Master Fisto and Master Secura. He said-"

"I know what he said!" Anakin sighed, shooting a quick, withering glare to his right when Barriss began choking with repressed laughter. "But that's just it, he said it. Do you honestly believe everything he tells you?"

"I have no reason to doubt him. And he's right about those two," she drawled, leaning in and leering at him. "He felt them. In the Force. He trained Master Secura, he'd know!"

"And Master Secura, like a good Jedi, severed that connection when she was given her knighthood."

"Oh." The Togruta relented, leaning back in her chair, and Anakin eyed her suspiciously. Ahsoka still looked...devious. "Well, he's right about your girlfriend."

"Kriffing Sith Hells, Padmé isn't my girlfriend!"

"Anger isn't the way of the Jedi," Ahsoka said in a superior tone, and Barriss devolved into helpless laughter. Skywalker shook his head. He wasn't going to get any work done. He'd leave, but he rather be there to manage the conversation, fearful of what Ahsoka might say to his Mirialan friend. "Besides," the Togruta shrugged. "Qui-Gon came to see Quinlan late last night."

This time, Anakin arched an eyebrow, looking at her curiously. "Oh, did he?"

"Yeah, you'd know it if you were in the Temple." Skywalker's ears burned when he realized he walked right into that one, the Togruta sitting with a triumphant smirk on her orange and white face. "He said he felt you. In the Force." She grinned. "And since you're his Padawan...well, that Force bond is very much alive, isn't it?"

Anakin's head hit the table, partly in an expression of frustration, but mostly to hide the deep red flush that had come to his face. It was true that he had gone to see Padmé the night before, the young Senator having just returned from her mission to Rodia, her incredible success in the capture of Nute Gunray, and the subsequent failure of his escape. He hadn't planned on anything happening, he was just terribly, terribly worried for her. After all, the Tranquility was attacked by Obi-Wan, and Padmé had struggled with an attraction to the man that Anakin had deduced was the work of Sith manipulation preying on the Senator's past desires. He simply wanted to make certain that the Sith hadn't entered her mind again.

What he found in her apartment was a very angry Senator Amidala, the woman furiously pacing the length of her apartment and arguing with herself. Like before, Anakin had sensed lust within her, strong and overwhelming, but this time, there was also anger and confusion. This wasn't the debilitating madness of induced lust, this was a woman struggling with desires that she knew were both wrong in every way and all she ever wanted. Anakin barely had to talk to her at all before his old friend came unhinged, raging about what Obi-Wan had done aboard the ship, how he had undermined her entire mission to Rodia by taking the Viceroy right out from under her, how he had slaughtered dozens of clones, and he still had the gall to come to her room and ask for peace.

Not only that, but clever Kenobi had also managed to rekindle Padmé's emotions, and despite how far he had fallen, despite how bad it would be for a Republic Senator to find herself in scandal with one of the Separatist's top agents, Senator Amidala found herself craving and wanting him, and she hated herself for her weakness, and hated him for inciting it. Furthermore, she had found herself thinking of Anakin more often than not, when her mind was at peace, and though the Jedi remained careful and cautious around her, Padmé was a woman of passion, and she threw herself headlong into everything she did. Anakin's arrival was fortunate, because it gave the Senator a way to both punish Obi-Wan for all he was doing to her, and to satisfy her own desires with a boy that may have been actually good for her.

To his credit, Anakin resisted her for a short time, sensing that her mind was elsewhere, that her passion and lust was driven by the menacing Sith Lord, but unlike before, this desire was one of her own making. There was no echoing of Sith influence, no dark touch upon her mind. Just a girl who was ragingly aroused by a bad boy, and who craved the touch of someone gentler, someone better for her. He did give in, and while Anakin did let his desires take him away, he also stayed careful and cautious, as much as he was able to, in any case. His Master had warned him about the dangers surrounding a relationship, cautioned him how jealousy is in part what made Obi-Wan fall, and Anakin took the lessons to heart. Padmé was confused, conflicted, her attentions divided between a war and a broken Senate and her own needs as a human, so Skywalker resigned himself to attending to one of these needs, knowing that when the war was over, they may start something better. The Order was changing. Maybe this would too.

Of course, none of this would save him from the ferocious teasing his friends were putting him through now.

"Your Master really shouldn't be talking about this stuff..." Anakin mumbled, his voice muffled by the table his face lay upon. He lifted his head and took a deep breath. "And I'm trying to plan for a war. You should be helping, you're going to Ryloth too."

"I don't trust your plans, Skyguy. Master Quinlan says you're impulsive."

"...Master Vos says that?!" Anakin nearly shouted, aghast. "He says I'm impulsive?!"

"You are impulsive, Anakin," Barriss said softly. "Like your Master."

"Master Qui-Gon isn't impulsive, he's mindful of the present!" The doors of the room hissed open, and the Padawans' three Masters strode in, the Padawans leaping to their feet, but the Masters hardly noticed. Quinlan and Luminara were arguing, and Qui-Gon was silently ignoring them.

"Anakin!" the Kiffar snapped, and Skywalker stood at attention, his body tense and readying himself to defend his honor against the devious Master. But instead, Vos' feelings were turbulent and worried, not light and mischievous like usual. "Anakin, tell your Master that he can't throw his life away!"

Qui-Gon reeled on the other Master before Anakin had a chance to say a thing. "I have said this a hundred times already, Quinlan, I am not afraid of Obi-Wan."

"Wait," Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, breathless, his chest tightening. "Master, you aren't going after Obi-Wan, are you?"

"No."

"Yes," Quinlan snapped.

"I am managing a problem on Mandalore," Jinn calmly explained. "The Duchess Satine and I have worked closely together before. She trusts me, and I'm in the best position to solve the problem without involving the Republic, which would help keep the Neutral Systems out of the war."

"...Master," Anakin said expressionlessly. "Isn't Duchess Satine the one that Obi-Wan-"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Skywalker!" Vos said swiftly, reeling again on the older Master. "You might be going for Mandalore, but you're going to be messing with Obi-Wan's things! I spent two days with him recently, and trust me, you don't want to touch that boy's things!"

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. "You speculated that Obi-Wan created Mandalore as something of a safe haven. A neutral Mandalore is of no use to the Sith. Given their history, it's actually counterproductive to their designs to keep Satine in power. This is a vanity project, can we agree on that?"

"That's almost a certainty," Luminara said, crossing her arms. "I don't object to you going-"

"I do!"

"But," she said firmly, ignoring Quinlan, "I object to you going alone. If Kenobi fights-"

"He won't!" Qui-Gon gave a long-suffering sigh, and turned to his concerned Padawan. "I would care for your opinion on this matter, Anakin." Biting his lip, Skywalker nodded, but said nothing. "Satine is a very difficult woman that responds very poorly to those that use violence to solve problems, and she likely views the war as exactly that. Since Jedi are Generals now, I doubt she will take kindly to us, but she knows me, and I know how to talk to her."

"If she dislikes violence, how can she be with a Sith Lord?"

Qui-Gon looked away for a moment. "I don't know. It's likely she doesn't know the full extent of what he is, but..." He sighed. "Love can blind us to these things, and it can make us overlook even the greatest transgressions to keep it. It's also very likely that he's the only one she's ever been with, so there's a greater incentive to keep him close."

Anakin smiled slyly. "Mm, must be true love. Master Vos, you should write a book about it." He extended his hand in the air. "Pacifist Mandalorian Queen in love with a Lord of the Sith! It's terribly romantic."

"...Skywalker, you might be on to something." Quinlan gasped. "I could make a fortune!"

Qui-Gon softly smiled. "You may joke, but it may be that their opposing natures is what keeps them together." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "So when I go to Mandalore, I'm almost certain to run into my old student."

"...Quinlan's right, Master, this is a bad idea."

"If we let this situation be, or we send the wrong Jedi, than the Republic will be drawn to Mandalore to protect their pacifist Duchess from the Separatists, and Satine won't want that, which will leave us with an entirely different set of problems. We will have Obi-Wan's wrath pointed directly at the Republic. He already feels betrayed by the Jedi, do you think we want him angered by the Republic as well?"

"Does it matter?" Ahsoka asked. "He's already a Separatist."

"A Separatist who has spent a great deal of this war not fighting," Qui-Gon cautioned. "If we spark his rage, than he will be everywhere. I don't know if we could manage that."

"Are you going to Mandalore to confront Obi-Wan, Master?" Anakin asked softly, and Qui-Gon shook his head.

"I'm going to keep Mandalore uninvolved so we don't need to deal with an angry Sith. Quinlan seems to think Obi-Wan can be reasoned with."

Vos rolled his eyes indignantly. "He can be reasoned with, I keep telling you!"

"Which makes this even more necessary. I'm going to solve a problem for Satine, which will put me on Obi-Wan's side. Can you deny that?"

"Will he take it that way?" Luminara asked. "A Sith is ruled by passions."

"And from everything we've seen, we know that he's not a typical Sith." Qui-Gon smiled. "The Force is guiding me to Mandalore. I can feel it." Jinn regarded Anakin, his noble face calm and relaxed. "Once, the Force guided me to you, Anakin, and I lost my Padawan for it. Perhaps it seeks to reunite me with him now."

"He might kill you, Master," Skywalker said firmly. "Maybe he doesn't care what Satine thinks. Maybe he doesn't love her like we think he does. Maybe he's conquered her mind and she won't care if he kills you."

"Maybe so," Jinn whispered, a small smile on his face. "But I don't fear death. There is only the Force, and if it comes to that..." He closed his eyes. "The Force is not done with me, Anakin. Trust me on this."

"Qui-Gon," Luminara whispered. "Your studies won't save you from the wrath of the Sith."

"I disagree. I am a Jedi, and we have a power that the Sith do not."

Skywalker held his breath, his lungs burning when he held it for as long as he could and slowly, he nodded. "I wish I could go with you, but...well, he might lose his mind." He drew up to his full height, still nearly a full head shorter than Qui-Gon. "I trust you, Master. Please be careful. I don't know what I'd so if I lost you, and we need to talk about Padmé."

Qui-Gon sighed heavily. "I know, I felt it." Anakin flushed deeply and tried to hide into the folds of his robes, the Master rubbing his temples. "Honestly, I don't know why you Padawans never think we feel it, we always feel it..."

"I apologize, Master..."

"No, don't. I told you, these feelings are natural, the Jedi don't expect you to not have physical desires. You aren't even expected to refrain entirely, some species require this for their physical well-being..."

Quinlan winked at the blushing Padawan. "Humans included."

"Are you practicing the meditation techniques we have gone over to help you manage your emotions?" Anakin nodded, and Qui-Gon lay a large hand on his student's shoulder. "We will talk when I return. Good hunting on Ryloth."

Anakin smiled. "Be careful on Mandalore, Master. I've no doubt you'll succeed."

Quinlan groaned loudly and dropped into a chair around the table, reaching into his robe and drawing out a flask that he took a long drink from. "Honestly, what is the galaxy coming to when I'm the reasonable one..."