Darth Tutor: Scenes from a memory: Part 1

a gush of wind stirred the curtains, allowing a passing glimpse on the myriads of lit windows, the orange haze and the everflowing currents of pointed lights that filled Coruscant's night sky. One was tempted to wonder whether this city, this planet really had a nightsky. The room was only partially lit, the atmosphere was as dense as it was tense. The people, two sitting, one standing near the curtains, were in the room accompanied by the hissing sound of a silghtly disfunctional air-moisturizer.

"It's cold" Netraam said, staring again out of the window, his hand opening up a small corridor into the outside world. No response. Netraam's face was pale, sad and troubled by the events that had occured that day. A few moments later one of the sitting figures rose, slowely walked over to Netraam looked him in the eyes and a voice as soft as the airtraffic outside whispered "you're weak! You're unable, insignificant and weak! We are wasting our time with you".
"stop it Maul" the third person said, now also standing up and joining the two at the window,"we start sounding like those squibling delegates overthere. It is them we are after, not eachother". It was Palpatine, first-secretary of Naboo's senator to the republican senate n Coruscant. He looked at maul and then turned his look towards Netraam;"What you did was foolish and useless. I must agree on this with Maul. I am dissapointed, but I haven't reached my the limit of what I can bear yet. Just make sure I never will." Palpatine focussed on Netraam's face, and then on his eyes. "You realize, as of now, you cannot be the aprentice I have been searching for?" Netraam nodded and looked away. A smile, if that was what it was, appeared around Maul's lips," A Sith master can have but a single apprentice. If this is me, where does that leave you, Netraam?" then he glanced across to Palpatine and continued "shall I dispose us of this burden, my Master. Now that this has been settled he's been reduced to a risk to our cause." Palpatine looked ferociously at Maul, whose eyes widened in supressed yet appearant shock. As Palpatine's body turned towards Maul his voice sounded constrained fury as he said;"Lord Maul, leave this to me. You have much to learn and your training has only just begun. He may not be your friend, but that doesn't make him your enemy. Everything has come as I have foreseen it. He will leave us tonight, and you will never see him again." Maul looked shattered by the anger that had been so prominent in his master's voice. "Leave us now, Lord Maul" Palpatine uttered, and Maul angrily turned around and left for the door. As he was one step out of the room, he halted, turned his head around, looked at Netraam and said:"As I will never, ever see you again Netraam, let me bid you farewell, may the force be with you and ... may the dark side guard and guide you." For a moment it seemed as if he wanted to add more, but then his face frowned as if he already regretted what he had said. He turned, left and the door closed with a shallow hiss.

Palpatine stared at the door where his now new apprentice had left. "He's angry" he said."He has always been angry with you" now turning to Netraam "do you know why?" Netraam shook his head. "He feels the force in you, as I he also feels the force in you is different from what it is inside of him. He is strong, he will be a great warrior. The Jadi's of these days will be no match for him. The pack will be weak and defenseless when I unleash Maul. Compared to him you appear weak, disarmingly weak. But he, as I do, senses you're alarmingly cunning. Why did you do what you did today Netraam. What did you do that left the College Master dead on the floor?" Palpatine turned and started walking thorugh the room, awaiting Netraam's answer. Now Netraam's face lost all it's sadness and a harsh stern look shot from his eyes."The man was an ignorant, the student he wanted expelled had been a gifted one. A girl with capacities that he would not attain in a thousand years. And he knew it, he wanted her out because of it, not becaue of

 

Okay Folks, hit it. Don't spare me like Palpatine did.

 

pretty cool. Whath appens when Maul comes in?

 

Hmm, let me see. It'll take a couple of minutes.

 

....and Maul came bashing in. He rushed to the balcony where his master was, but Darth Tutor was out of sight. "How did he find out?" Maul said in a complaintive low tone. Palpatine looked aside and saw Maul's face worn off by irritation, sleepless nights and disbelieve flushing through his nerve cells. "He knew" Palpatine said,"he must have know for I do not believe he would have come here not knowing". Maul looked up at Palpatine struck by the seemingly illogical answer of his master."But Master, forgive for asking, but ... why wouldn't he have come if he would have been unaware of our plan to do away with him?". Palpatine's face revealed a mixture of irony and dissapointment. "He's a survivor, my young apprentice. Whenever in the future you will have doubt about Darth Tutor's powers, remember this evening. If his life is at risk, his senses will attach him flawlessly to the living force. I do not know what can stop him then." Palpatine led his apprentice back into the room. "Shall I go after him and track him down, my master?" he asked. "No!" Palpatine said in a sudden, loud, voice and then continued softer "he will do as I told him. His destiny will lead him away, out of your path Maul. By the time you will be "Lord Maul" he will be no more than just a fragment of a memory to you. Now bear with me. Your training should commence and you should focus on the present, my dear". With a smile on his face Palpatine turned around, closed the window to the balcony and left the room. Darth Maul stood alone in the dark of the gloomy room, looking out of the window...brooding.

 

Netraam leaned against a tree. Throwing up in the middle of the jungle was not his idea of a ball. But a mile to the soth wre the remains of what once was a shuttle crew, now sabred to bits. He hated himself. But maybe he hated Palpatine even more. The man was a master at speckling his servants with the blood of his crimes. Animals were sounding their voices in the peacefull and green wonderous forest. Netraam took another quick look at the ID and the papers palpatine had given him. They actually were valid abd would get him into the city, and maybe even ino a job. grimfaced Netraam looked up at the blue Naboo sky ''he knew" he said to him self. Sidious must have known from the start that he wouldn't be able to dispose Netraam as if he were just another toy gone broken. And although his escape from Sidious' premisses had been a fine piece of usage of the force, and although the living force had guided him with precision to his destination, he had done so running on fear. A weakness that made him feel sick ow, lightyears away. Netraam straightened his back and took a deep breath of fresh air. Before landing he had seen the approximate location of the Naboo city. Probably a days walk. He would get there by tonight and he was confident that in a few months time th whole episode would be just a brief and distant memory.

 

Great work.

 

Very dramatic. Interesting start.

 

Me sa Back . Feel free to take this story apart while I write the next bit.

 

He was uncertain how many hours had passed. He had spent the night under a blanket of moist, green and shivering leaves, perpetual spring was in his ears. All around him was the monotonous variations of green within green, there were no heavens, there was no hell. Just the slow pace of waving trees and the enduring hiss of amalgated sounds.

Netraam slowly made his way through Naboo's misty forrests as the dawn was crawling up from below the horizon. The dampness of the atmosphere, diamond little drops dripping into his hair, his sweather, onto his lips. A sudden sound of vigilant motion stopped his pace. A small reptile swept through the greenery chasing even smaller prey. Netraam came back to himself as he heard the noise of the little hunter fade away. A distinct patch of blue was not far ahead of him. As he wondered whether he himself was predator or prey, he made for the scatter of sky he held fixed in his eyes. A few breaths later, he stood at what was the edge of the forest. Before him lay a seemingly endless green, but now with a proper Heaven, a proper Sun above it. And in the remote distance he could see the sparkling of a thousand windows; the city of the Naboo. He estimated that Naboo's Sun had risen only twenty or thirty minutes ago. With his musscles worn down and his bones feeling painfully irritated he looked around for a shelter for an hour's nap. Just a couple of meters away from him, were the ruins of a little house. The roof still intact, a hole where once a door must have been, but the walls crumbling under the pressure of approaching trees. Before going on, Netraam decided, it was time for a little rest. He walked a few more steps, back into the forest and saw dry leaves from last autumn spread through out the single room the walls were ambracing. His eyes closed just at the thought of sleeping, and less awake than aware he slipped onto the soil and fell very, very deep.

"Master, shall I dispose of him?" Netraam suddenly woke up having Darth Maul's face still vividly before his eyes. After a moment's confusion he crawled to the nearest stone wall, and leaned against it with his back. His eyes staring into the darkness. Darkness. He must have slept for hours. During his flight from Coruscant to naboo he hadn't allowed himself a moment of peace, constantly awaiting a murderous coup by Sidious' servants. But nothing had happened. And as he prepared to exit the shuttle that had brought him to Naboo, the pilot seemed ignorant. But Netraam had Sidious' treathening voice in his ears anouncing him his death. And in a swift stroke he had terminated the shuttle pilot with his lightsabre. This civilian was no match, not even for him.

Netraam and Maul had been trained by Sidious, often together but in recent years more and more seperately. Netraam had always barely managed to survive training rounds against Maul. Ever in the defensive mode, yet Maul unable to deliver the defeating blow. Maul was fast, very fast. Yet something seemed to ward of his lightsabre from Netraam's body, even if Netraam's sabre was nowhere near. But only in combat, when taken by surprise he was defenseless. This worried Palpatine, and it was evident that Maul was growing to become his apprentice, and Netraam was becoming increasingly redundant. If Maul would have had his way, he would wave lured Netraam up somewhere in the streets of Coruscant, and slashed him. But Palpatine wanted no blood shed, not yet that is. Maul's training had only barely begun and it was to early to attract the attention of the Jedi. Or of anyone else. As first-secretary Palpatine plotted against his Senator, Maul plotted against his weak rival. Netraam saw the pictures of experiences long gone by pass before his mind's eye.

Netraam was wondering whether, after all he had gone through these last few days, he was still able to perform the art he had develloped. It struck him now that Sidious must have known from early on of this capabillity he had. Because it had been this skill, driven to perfection in years of training, that had saved his butt in h

 

Okay. I am going to bed. But I will put it up front for you again. I will check back tomorrow. Have fun on the board.

 

Okay, I am going to work on Scene 3. If you want to be able to follow it, read the first two above. You've still got some time.
Cheers

 

Slight disturbances in the force travelled outwards from Naboo to all edges of the Galaxy, and beyond. The living force spun a web of intricate and detailed cohesion between all living things. Any sudden change would radiate far beyond its original sphere of influence. Any living creature, whether Jedi or Sith, living a life entangled with this fluid, most corrosive, branch of the force could sense and see through horizons and across the galaxy. But it was hard, and draining. The mystery of the living force was a deep one, often enchanting but ominous at times.

Qui gon was sitting in his cell in the Jedi temple, and shivers ran down his spine. He was cold. But when Qui gon was feeling uncomfortable, usually more was at stake. Although a Jedi master, he was not the sort of guy that would wear fancy dresses or live in luxurious places. He had always remained in the small, little chamber that the Order had awarded him as he became Jedi knight, his cell. Silently he stood up and walked the two steps across to the small little window that offered a view of a star sparkled sky. But it was a fake, and Qui gon knew it. These were not stars and he was not a Jedi Master. Ofcourse, he had gone through all the procedures as a padawan learner. But looking back he had the sad feeling his Master hadn't learned him all that much. Then, after taking and passing the tests and becoming a Jedi Knight he had been given his first Padawan. It seemed ages ago. He closed his eyes and he could see Obi wan, just a few miles away, in another part of the Jedi Temple Complex in Coruscant. He was a sleep. Often Qui Gon found himself questioning what he was learning Obi Wan. Kenobi was no small boy anymore, yet fit for testing he wouldn't be untill a few years from now. Qui Gon found it hard to assess Obi Wan. Not because of Obi Wan, but because of himself. If he tried to count the number of times that he had ignored the Jedi Council's wish, he lost track somewhere in the events a couple of years ago. If he would have received a penny for every occaision at which he had been sitting next to Yoda, or Windu, feeling desperate at the nonsense they could utter with the sincerest of looks on their faces; he would have been a wealthy man by now. The brightest lights not always were the real thing, he, Qui Gon, knew that. And in this respect the Jedi Council was no bit different than the heavens of Coruscant. A feeling of sadness had been deposited on Qui Gon's moods in recent years. He couldn't resist the impression that the Jedi Order was in a state of decline. Slowly things were slipping out of their view, running through their hands like desert sand. There was something out there, somewhere in the galaxy that was pulling at him. He felt restless as he sought through the tremors of the force reaching his senses for any sign of recognition. But he was certain. There was something going on, and the Jedi weren't noticing it. "Don't center on your anxieties" he whispered to himself. Yet, the living force was pounding in his head in the rhythm of the heartbeat of the galaxy. And there was something about this rhythm that stirred him, from which he couldn't isolate himself. If he had learned one thing in the last 60 years, than it was this. If you get deeply and thoroughly involved with the living force there is nothing and no one that can ever untie you again.

The atmosphere was think and damp as Netraam woke up. His lightsaber was lying next to his face on the ground. A vague memory of how it ended up there tried to come back at him. He rubbed his eyes, sat up and straightened his back. He had been practising last night. Had it really been last night. Carefully he put himself on his feet and looked outside. Naboo's Sun was burning down from an almost zenithal position, the city in the distance was lost in the trembling hot air. The forest was still and a thick blanket of hot air lay silently waiting for him to enter it. He turned around, retraced his steps to pick up his weapon, and noticed how thirsty he was. He had not had anything to drink for almost

 

They reached Naboo city in less then four hours. The wildebeasts they were sitting on weren't particularly fast, but nothing seemed to be able to distract them from their path. The gungan lot was friendly, but they weren't overachievers. Just outside the gates of Naboo City, the caravan halted and the animals settled on the grass. Netraam dismounted his with a combination of falling and climbing. Happy to have his two feet on the ground again, he thanked the Gungans and made for the gate. He was in a hurry. Not because he was sick, he had been sicker earlier on the day. Or was it yesterday?

The city was crowded and it was not easy to behave properly and get on at the same time. In the distance he could see the royal palace with it's magnificent waterfalls nearby. But that was not his goal. In his years at Republican College Coruscant he had already read a number of publications from scientists working here, in Naboo at Queen's. Two streets along the road he could already identify the facade of Queen's College. His pace increased as now he would know for sure whether the papers of Palpatine actually meant something.
The steps leading up to the colleges main entrace were impressive. Built in the same style as the royal palace, the college was beautifull to see and probably also a great place to work in. At the top of the stairs was a wide gate, and it offered a spectacular view on Royal Court, the first of a series of courts that were inhabitted by staff and students alike. People were walking through the gardens of Royal Court, sitting near the fountains, wiggling papers and making gestures. Netraam stood still for a second, he looked the papers he was carrying. Palpatine's signature on them. For a moment the black ink of the handwriting seemed to turn red, and a feeling of coldness evaporated from that name into Netraam's heart. In the corner of an eye he noticed a garbage container, and he dumped the papers in their. Only his ID he kept with him.

"Where's the headmaster's office" he asked a student passing by. The young girl looked at him bewildered, checking the green stains all over his clothes. Netraam saw her looks, followed, looked up again and smiled and said "Botanist, field work you know ...". The girl smiled back at him and pointed in the direction of an ivory white door, just next to the main gate. "Thanks" Netraam said and rushed towards it.
"I would like to speak to the Headmaster" Netraam said impatiently staring at the secretary infron of him. "He will be here in a minute, please sit down and wait. Next time please make an appointment a week in advance" she said angrilly. But Netraam wouldn't sit down, "He is in his office" he whispered "and I want to talk to him now". The secretary stared at Hetraam. "He's in a meeting" she said, "he'll receive you whenhe's ready". Netraam's face became dark. "He is not in a meeting, and he has time right now and I want to see him. It is important!" The secretary looked shocked. "Are you clairvoyant, how do you know he's not in a meeting". Netraam smiled "his agenda is lying in fron of you and I can read upside down. Don't worry, I am ot some sort of sorcerer". The secretary reddened, but relaxed, "well, I was already thinking you were some kind of Jedi". Netraam smiled, and boiled of anger behind his face. "Not neccesary dear, don't think." The secretary stood up, went to the door and knocked twice slow and twice fast. The she opened it, stuck her head through the slit that formed and spoke in a damped voice "there someone here to see you sir, he says its urgent....Yes he does look like a scholar sir." With the friendliest of faces she turned around to Netraam again and said "the Headmaster will see you now, sir." Netraam thanked her, passed her and before she could ask anything more he closed the door. The he reopened it, looked at the secretary bent over and said "don't" smiling his most charming smile.

"Have a seat my dear. Gosh, you look like you've slept in the Jungle for days. What brings you here." The Headmaster was giving of a polite stance. Netraam w

 

I am going to bed. It's 2h40 a.m. where I am currently. Have a good night to you, lonesome wanderer that got lost on my story-page.

 

well, atleast no one is messin' up my thread.

 

Qui Gon sat on the bed, worried and confused at the same time. His thoughts wandered of to a past that seemed centruries away. HE had only just been awarded the title of Jedi Knight by the council. It had been a strange and bewildering experience. On the one hand he had obviously been extremely happy. Finally he had reached something he had worked so hard for. But at the same time, something was nagging him about it. As years went by, the feeling didn't stop and didn't go away. He felt uneasy with the council, with some of the Jedi Masters on the Council. In effect he had done anything within the limits of his vows to ensure he would never get on this Council. He had had a long history of Padawans he was ot allowed to train. "Too old", or "Too young", or "Too Blonde" or "Too redheaded". And Yoda always sensed fear and anger and hatred. "No, stop it" he said to himself. He should be thinking these things. He should show restraint. He was afterall a Jedi, loyal to his cause and open to the Force. Looking around he suddenly felt the need to leave. He had to take a break from all of this. He would go and see Obiwan tomorrow and tell him to get on with his training by himself for a few weeks. He, Qui Gon, needed a period away from all of this. Time to feel and harvest the energies contained in the living force. With that firm decision in his mind he could go a sleep.

Just before falling a sleep his thought meandered through his soul again. Unable to resist he saw the same pictures over and over again. He knew what was wrong. Just a year before Obi Wan Kenobi had become his apprentice, he had made a discovery. On Dantooine, a flock of refugees fleeing from local conflict and turmoil. He had been sent by the Council to mark Jedi presence. There he had seen them, the two boys. He had been inexperienced, naive. He had been very much himself as he joined the trek of refugees and ended up with them in a refugee camp. There he had encountered them again. Probaby he should have reported them to the Council, but they were "to old", "to angry" and there was to much fear in them. As the memories flowed back into Qui Gon's conciousness he had trouble suppresing a wave of rage. Ofcourse these kids had been afraid, angry and old. They had been born into a civil war, not time for fancy thoughts about early starters training to become a Jedi. Very few people had realized the drama that the Dantooinian civil war had brought over it's people. He had been terrified by the council's lack of undertsanding. Not only were Jedi's ordered to stay out of the conflict, much more, they had shown no consideration for his feelings. He, the only Jedi who had been among the refugees and the suffering for months, before returning to a Jedi temple. Deep in his heart, he was afraid. Afraid that these two boys had died because of his own lack of action. That he was ultimately responsible for their fate. In recent years, another dimension had been added to this. What he had sensed in the two was a craving for the living force. They seemed to bathe in it, and to be guided by it. It had not been a coicidence thathe had found the two. If they hadn't died, they would now be somewhere out there, on the loose. It was the more worrying thought.

 

I will post an addition soon. So read this first if you wanna be well-informed. {To whom is he speaking?}

 

That is, actually, a very good question. And a great story too, btw.

 

Scene 4:

It was the year ?60, which is sixty years before the destruction of the first Death Star. It was the year that very distant from where Obi Wan Kenobi saw the light of life, a boy was born unto a warm and welcoming family in the small settlement of Ressol on Dantooine. Netraam Naaitsirhc, son of Nahoj Cobaj and Adiela Netlub, fourth of four children and by far the youngest. Ressol was a pretty little village, on the shores of a pretty little river that was pulsating with the seasons as all rivers of ancient grandeur do. I could write a novel just about this river, but I won?t. Well, I will add one thing;
As I said, the river was little and its bed was just two hundred meters away from Netraam?s parents? house. Maybe ten feet wide and less than two feet deep. That was the usual face of this flow of life. One day Netraam, maybe at the age of four, had wandered around the house trying to expel boredom, when his eye fell on the glistering water in the distance. He quickly went inside to collect some slices of bread with delicious Dantooinian honey, and left for the water. A few minutes later he arrived there and sat down in the grass, eating his bread and enjoying the sights. When he gave the flow a closer look he noticed all these little eddies. Everywhere he looked the water was whirling and twisting. It was not something that was obvious to a passerby, but for those who took the time to closely monitor the little river it became evident that there was something special about it. Netraam now remembered the stories the farmers in the village used to tell about how hideous this river was with unexpected vortices forming to drag down your boat. ?Rubbish? Netraam thought. The part on the eddies was all right, but what boat would sink in just two feet of water? Carefully he immersed his hand into the water, and the whirling filaments of colder and warmer water danced around his fingers. Netraam was mesmerized by the intricate beauty. He noticed late, too late, that he should have been at home long ago. He packed the remains of his meal and rushed homewards.
His parents had been angry with him. Why he would just walk away without saying anything to any one, how worried they were; well you know the sort of thing parents say when they?re happy to have their kid back! Nonetheless, happy or not, Netraam was told not to go to the river anymore as his parents considered it far to risky, considering all that was being told about the river. Netraam felt sad, for had he not just discovered a friend, a very liquid and silent friend that you couldn?t talk to, but somehow he felt you could play with? As he was put in bed, rain started dripping on the grass, the roof, and the leaves of the trees. A bedtime story of endless repetition. Netraam fell a sleep quickly. The next morning he was woken up early by his mother. ?What is? Netraam murmured half a sleep. ?I think there is something you should see? his mother said with a smile on her face. He took her hand and walked with rubbing his eyes, not looking where he went. She brought him to the window in his parents? bedroom and told him to look outside. With a shock he opened his eyes. The river that he was not allowed to go to anymore, it had come to him?

As Netraam was settling into his newly acquired room on the grounds of Queen?s College of Naboo memories from his childhood days surfaced in his mind. He remembered how impressed he was that the water was just eighty feet away from his parent?s house. And how convinced he was that it had happened because he had been at the river ? caressing it the day before. Netraam grinned, children at play. But then he remembered something else. He must have been around 10, so six years after the ?river incident?. Tension had been growing on Dantooine, as much as elsewhere in the Republic. The peace and tranquility that had so long been the hallmark of the Jedi?s Rule over peace and prosperity were crumbling on the outskirts. Tatooine had effectively been taken over by the Hutt Mob, enslaving most of its original population apart from a few

 

DT1> Hey Darth Tutor, is that you?

DT2> Yes it is. But what are you doing here on my post???

DT1> Well, hack, I thought...if no one else reads your stuff, then at least I should!!

DT2> That's really kind of you DT1. Keep up the good work. The two of us, we'll get 1521 replies by the end of the hour...

DT1> No we won't!

DT2> What! Why not, I thought you were my pal!!

DT1> I am. And I am now taking you out for a beer!!

DT2> Great but.. I am broke.

DT1> Don't worry, Republican Credits will do fine ....

shshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshshsh

 

Hey, you know what they say about people who talk to themselves, don't you? Just a request, please put more paragraphs in the text, else it is so hard to read. Poor Qui, noone wants him to help!

 

Hey, I'll buy ya a pint, ol' bean.

I have read your story and read your bio and can fully appreciate the UK flavor in this SW story. Intentional or no, I do like it. A lot of detailing and thought was put into this and also brung out story wise. I do enjoy it. Not a lot of dialogue, but the descriptive narritives make up for it. Usually, a descriptive narritive, to me, kills a story, but in your case so far you have done well with it.

Keep up with the good work, and I will try and keep up with the story.

 

Scene 5:

?Return as the council requested, you did not!? Yoda asked in an inquisitive tone. Just like he had asked almost 25 years ago. Qui Gon nodded. ?I needed time to think Master, I was not after offending the council. Surely you must see this!? Yoda dribbled through the room in a rare display of anxiety. Qui Gon wondered, a quick smile hushed across his face as he contemplated for one moment how Yoda would respond if he would say to him ?I see a lot of fear in you?. Yoda?s face sharply turned towards him with a grim look in his otherwise friendly eyes. Qui Gon banished the fictious situation from his mind. ?Your apprentice, ready he is not. Alone, you cannot leave him. Now is dangerous. With not much training left to do, susceptible to the dark side he becomes?.?. Qui Gon shook his head; ?I have complete faith in Obi Wan, Master. He is as solid as ever a Padawan I have had. The dark side will not seduce him; I can give you my word. He will not suffer from having a few days on his own.? Yoda looked at him, slightly angry but also in admiration of and respect for the trust that Qui Gon would put in his apprentice. ?Lightly, do you take things, with good confidence. But see after your Padawan you must, until complete his training is. If leave the Temple you must, so notify us too and not just your Padawan. Find you we could not! Know where you have been we do not!? The continued questioning started to irritate Qui Gon, so he responded a little harsh. ?The Universe will manage a few days without me, I have of doubts there. My Padawan relies on me but is strong-minded and independent, the council generally does not require my services for daily routines, so I do not see your point of failing in inform the council. But if it keeps you happy, I shall inform you of whatever action I take from now onwards.? Yoda turned his back to Qui Gon; ?That will not be necessary. The council expects you in two hours to report on your leave of absence, Master Qui Gon. Formal and short it will be?. Then Yoda went for the door of Qui Gon?s cell and as he left Qui Gon added ?no doubt? with that slight color of irony to his voice that could drive Yoda mad.

Silently the door closed and Qui Gon returned to his bed and sat down, head in his hands. ?Return as the council requested, you did not!? Yoda asked in an inquisitive tone, just 25 years ago. ?Yes, Master? Qui Gon had replied. ?A Knight you are, but obedience to the Jedi code a virtue of a Knight is?. Qui Gon nodded ?I know Master, but I just could not bring it over my heart to leave straight away.? ?But seven days stay you did, not two as the Council requested. Not a slight delay that is?? Qui Gon had been sitting with his head in his hand then too. Then he had looked up at Yoda, but he had not been alone. Qui Gon had been questioned before the assembled council, not just privately between two equals. Twenty-five years ago, the Dantooinian civil war had marked the first, of a so far endless series, of conflicts between Qui Gon and the council. ?I have the feeling there is more you will want to say to us, knight Qui Gon? Mace Windu had interrupted Yoda. Then Qui Gon recollected the events of the week he had been spending on Dantooine against the wishes of the Order. He told them about the fighting that had occurred, his inability to deal with the fact that he was not allowed to intervene. His heartache at the ignorance of the outside world and their reluctance to do anything about it. His deeply felt disappointment about being ordered back in this compassionless way. The terrible fate of many of the refugees whose cries and pain he was still carrying around with him. When he finished, he felt empty. Qui Gon sensed a little bit of unrest whether what he had said would lead to his degradation, but he had known the Jedi order as a place where one can speak his mind. Although not necessarily in front of the entire council. Mace Windu stood up, came over to him, put his hand on his shoulder and looked at the other council members. ?His heart is at the right spot, honorable Jedi?s. There i

 

A troubled Qui-Gon? Hmmmmm. I like it. Post more.