Before - Legends Shadows Of Betrayal (young knight Qui-Gon, OCs) - UPDATED 7/4 with author's note

diane - never ignore a Jedi's nightmares! - very wise words.

P_A - I guess in defense of his eavesdropping, Qui would say that the Force wanted him to be there.

Kitara - Thanks.

Okay, this was a problematic post, but I finally have it done.
****

Chapter 7

The early morning hour found many in the Temple deep in morning meditations or just beginning their day, leaving Jayden alone in one of the usually bustling training rooms. With hands pressed firmly against the training mat and arms extended almost to their full length, he showed no sign of tiring although he had been holding his pose for some time. A glistening sheen of sweat coated the skin of his chest and back and the legs of his training pants slid down, exposing the muscles of his calves. Flame red hair fell straight, dangling above the floor. His face was relaxed, a picture of serenity.

Cohl stood at the entrance to the training room regarding his friend. He had no idea what the man found so peaceful about being upside down. Cohl, of course, had performed the exercise many times, but only found it irritating to have the blood settling in his head. With a sly grin on his face, he quietly picked up a wooden stick used by the younger initiates for saber play from a bin near the door. His presence was already masked, so he padded as stealthily as possible over the training mats, stopping and preparing to swing the stick as he neared the other knight.

?Do you honestly think I don?t know you?re here?? Jayden asked, eyes still closed, expression still calm.

Cohl sighed and settled onto the floor in front of Jayden.

?You know, I have a reputation for being able to sneak up on people to maintain.?

?Maybe if I was practicing a kata or sparring, but not when I?m meditating.? He continued to hold his position.

Cohl paused for a few minutes. He always loved trying to shake Jayden?s steely focus.

?You know I was thinking. It was good you were there for Qui-Gon.?

?Cohl, I?m meditating.?

Cohl seemed to ignore his friend, continuing what he was saying.

?I mean ? your hair alone probably blinded at least a third of the snipers.?

Blue eyes snapped open, and Jayden?s arms wobbled slightly before he regained his balance.

?Cohl, I can?t believe we?re on speaking terms for barely a couple days and you?re already starting this,? Jayden growled, shifting his position.

?It?s orange ? bright orange ? it glows.?

?It is sad Cohl, that one of my earliest memories involves your issues with my hair.?

?Really??

?The brown paint incident.?

Cohl laughed. ?It took Master Gaines forever to clean that out of your hair. I don?t know how you remember that ? you couldn?t have been more than three.?

?I was two. You were four.? He paused, shifting his position again. His arms were beginning to tremble. ?I am assuming you didn?t come to just to tease me about my hair.?

?No, I had morning meal with my master. I came to see you after this nice little chat about knights who don?t turn on comlinks when the Council is trying to get a hold of them, and ??

Cohl quickly dodged out of the way as Jayden collapsed, focus finally shattered. He rolled to a sitting position and planted his face in his hands.

?Force, I turned it off yesterday evening and forgot to turn it on again,? he said making his way to the bench where his things were sitting.

?I can?t believe you turned your comlink off.?

?I had a private matter to attend to? you?ve never turned yours off when you wanted a little privacy,? he said, throwing his hands out to the side.

?No, it?s just not like you,? Cohl said. ?You?re always worried the Council will try to contact you or something.?

?And it seems my reasoning was valid.?

?Relax. You still have a little over an hour before we?re expected in front of the Council. That should be plenty of time to get cleaned up.?

?What?s it about ? a mission. I thought everyone had been recalled.?

?My master wouldn?t even tell me. So,

 

Oh, drat. Everything I'd written just simply...vanished <gnashes teeth>. Gah.

The shadows are getting darker and darker. So everyone's gearing up for action...and the padawans aren't to know. Hmm...that opens up interesting possibilities...

Liked the part where Yadira relives her vision. >>>?I don?t want to be here,? she said closing her eyes, feeling the first twinges of true fear.

?Then here you must be. With you I am,? Yoda said, patting her hand.>>>

If that isn't exactly like Yoda

>>>>?I mean ? your hair alone probably blinded at least a third of the snipers.? >>>



Great job, Master Noi.As always.

 

Loved the hair comment. And the vision was creepy - I loved that she had to go to the morgue and kept having to look at the dead.

Great job. Keep going.

 

Oh man... what a forboding dream! Well nightmare that is! Poor kid...she has the right to wonder why the Force has granted her the vision.

Great job! Man the suspense is building!

 

Yipes -- I see you got the post worked out-- what a creepy vision Yadira is having .... scary stuff -- I hope that the mystery behind all the deaths will be revealed soon...

 

Loved the interaction between Cohl and Jayden

But on a more serious note, poor Yadira having to endure these vision of what is, what could be and what will never be and, somehow, endeavoring to interpret what the Force is really trying to show.

Now, I just hope that they're not using the investigation group as bait

Well Master_Noi, you've managed to take the mystery and intrigue up another notch (Just like your Master )

Keep up the great work,
Rogue

 

P_A

Oh, drat. Everything I'd written just simply...vanished <gnashes teeth>. Gah. - I hate it when that happens.

The shadows are getting darker and darker. - They truly are. I am glad you liked Yoda's interaction with Yadira. I didn't want her to have to walk through it alone.

diane - vision was creepy - that was the difficult part of the post. You wish she could have looked just a little further, but can't blame her.

Kynstar - kid...she has the right to wonder why the Force has granted her the vision. - Sometimes it just isn't fun to be chosen by the Force for something.

Layren - Yes, I finally got Yoda and the vision to cooperate. I hope that the mystery behind all the deaths will be revealed soon... Some, answers will come soon, but that will probably only raise more questions.

Rogue_JediKnight

Loved the interaction between Cohl and Jayden. Thanks.

Yes, poor Yadira. And having to have Yoda probe her thoughts on top of it all. At least she's not alone.

Oh, drat. Everything I'd written just simply...vanished <gnashes teeth>. Gah. - I hate it when that happens.

The shadows are getting darker and darker. - They truly are. I am glad you liked Yoda's interaction with Yadira. I didn't want her to have to walk through it alone.

diane - vision was creepy - that was the difficult part of the post. You wish she could have looked just a little further, but can't blame her.

Kynstar - kid...she has the right to wonder why the Force has granted her the vision. - Sometimes it just isn't fun to be chosen by the Force for something.

Layren - Yes, I finally got Yoda and the vision to cooperate. I hope that the mystery behind all the deaths will be revealed soon... Some, answers will come soon, but that will probably only raise more questions.

Rogue_JediKnight

Loved the interaction between Cohl and Jayden. Thanks.

Yes, poor Yadira. And having to have Yoda probe her thoughts on top of it all. At least she's not alone.

 

This vision is very interesting, and I can see why a break would be needed, very intense!

Also, I'm looking forward to this mission, but I have a bad feeling about whoever killed Knight Gete

 

t_s - there was a lot in that image for her to process. Bad feelings?

***

Chapter 8

Light blue eyelids fluttered open revealing pale yellow eyes. The world gradually began to come into focus for Bel Tai?a. She closed her eyes again, shifting her body, ruffling stiff white sheets, and then opened them again and quickly tried to sit up.

?Mace.?

She was met by a gentle, but firm hand that pushed her back against her pillow.

?Don?t move Master Tai?a, you?re okay.?

Bel turned her head as a gray haired healer she had known since childhood came into focus.

?Am I at the Temple??

?No, I had to come after you this time.?

?Where?s Mace??

Master Xu smiled. ?He is still in the bacta tank. His injuries were quite severe, but he?s going to be fine.?

?When can I see him??

?Look over there.?

Bel turned her head the other way and noticed the bacta tank sitting nearby; the small form of her padawan floating peacefully inside.

?He?s fortunate to have a master who cares so much about him. If you hadn?t tried to heal him, I don?t think he would have made it.?

Small pools of tears welled up in the corners of the young master?s eyes.

?I would have done anything to get to him.?

?You?re fortunate you didn?t bleed to death. That leg wound was deep.?

?My body is not as frail as a human?s. I knew I could take it.?

?You?re fortunate I had one of my best surgeons with me. Otherwise you might have lost that leg. As it is, you will probably walk with a limp.?

That didn?t matter to her. Mace was alive and safe.

?When can I take him home??

?He?s stable and could be moved when he comes out of the tank, but I?m not willing to risk it right now. A lot of attacks, besides this bombing, have happened. We have this location secured at the moment and I?m not willing to risk moving you two until I hear more from the Council about how their investigation is coming along.?
***
Qui-Gon and Plo Koon walked along the secluded alley on the lower level of Coruscant with the hoods of their robes pulled far over their heads. The gangs of the lower levels were known for their violence and lust for blood, but few would go near an armed Jedi, let alone two of them. All the two knights saw were occasional vagrants, who didn?t even raise their eyes.

?This is where he had set up his office,? Plo said in the muffled tones caused by his mask, walking to the entrance to the warehouse building. He turned to Qui-Gon who stood with a far-off look in his eyes.

?Qui-Gon, what?s wrong??

?This is where Gete died. Do you sense it??

There were dark echoes of turbulence; faded, but left skittering in the Force.
***
?Who are you?? the young knight asked, resuming his defensive stance.

?That?s not important. You won?t be alive long enough for it to matter.?

The Force flickered again before Melc was enveloped by a deep chill, and suffocated by utter darkness. He clinched his weapon tightly as he heard a familiar hiss. A brilliant blade pierced the shadows in the alley. He ignited his own blade, feeling his breathing quicken. Pushing through the clouds of darkness he reached for the warm light, wrapping it around him to purge the despair from his soul. Truly gifted with foresight, he now saw his death clearly. This was a battle he would not win, but he wouldn?t go without a fight.

The dark figure leaped at him, bringing his blade down hard. Melc blocked it, straining under his assailant?s great strength. He shoved back, bringing his blade up in time for another strike. The blades hissed and crackled as they pushed against one another. Both broke off their attack and held their blades to the side and circled each other, keeping their distance.

The dark figure launched a fast and furious attack, backing Melc down the alley as his saber moved through a frenzy of movements at blinding speed. The Force hummed with currents of rage. Melc blocked and parried the series of blows, finally using the Force to launch up over his opponents head.

 

Enter the Sith! Yay! Opps wait not yay but yeah that's it!

Ahhh Mace has such a wonderful Master! How sweet!

Qui found something and then the two were attacked by gas? Hmmm could be a 'safety' measure left by the Sith. Glad Plo Koon was able to get him out of there. Sometimes trusting a mask to survive helps!

Great chapter!

 

Marvelous. I particularly liked the portrayal of Gete's last moments. Jedi to the last. The duel was particularly well done....but, oh, what a terrible fate.

Qui's in trouble again...it's a good thing he has someone with him to pull him out of it.

Can't wait to find out what comes next!

 

Ooooooh so Sidious shows himself at last.. I too loved Gete's final moments.

Yipes poor Qui -- good thing Plo was with him..excellent!

 

Poor Knight Gete Knowing he wasn't going to be the victor in this battle yet continuing on anyway

Oh wow! What a very engaging battle sequence - congrats, very well done

But the fact that Siduous was savoring the memories - Ew creepy.

Glad that Qui-Gon was able to find something, hoping it will hold some relevance to what's going on.

And Qui-Gon, what can I say? Seems you just can't take that man anywhere

Wonderful post Master_Noi

Rogue

 

I like your portrayl of Sideous as the apprentice. Especially when his master knows time is short with the ambitious apprentice gaining power.

 

Kynstar - Yes, we now have Sith. You knew they were always there lurking.

Sometimes trusting a mask to survive helps!

Yes, that was very fortunate.

P_A - Marvelous. I particularly liked the portrayal of Gete's last moments. Jedi to the last. The duel was particularly well done....but, oh, what a terrible fate. Yes, he was a Jedi to the last, and indeed a terrible end.

Layren - Yes, Sidious couldn't resist showing himself.

Rogue - But the fact that Siduous was savoring the memories - Ew creepy. Oh, you know he would have to savor it. I mean, he's a Sith and he actually got to kill a Jedi with him own two hands.

Kitara - Yes, there has to be a point when a Sith Master knows his time is limited. The natural progression seems to be killed by your apprentice.

***
Chapter 9

Qui-Gon cracked dull blue eyes open and looked up at the stark white ceiling. There was a slight glare of light, but nothing spectacular or notable about the ceiling. Besides a few imperfections, it was rather plain. Perhaps that was why it bothered him so much that he knew in an instant where he was. Did he really know the ceiling in this room of the healers? ward that well? He had lost count of how many times he had slipped into unconsciousness expecting to be embraced, caught up by the warmth of the Force, only to wake up in this same room.

He next became aware of a persistent ache in his head. It actually felt like a herd of very large beasts were trampling across his brain. He groaned in pain.

?You should pay more attention to Master Yoda when he tells you your life may be in danger. I believe that this is twice in a matter of days that someone has tried to kill you, and twice that I have had to come and sit at your bedside.?

Qui-Gon grinned at hearing the thinly veiled sarcasm in the eloquent tones. He turned his head and tried to focus in the dimmed lighting. The figure sat poised in a chair with his legs crossed and his hands clasped loosely around his knee.

?I am sorry Master.?

Qui-Gon thought back. The last thing he remembered was trying to sort through the colored wires on a control panel, then dizziness, then the world dissolved into darkness. He had found something. He rubbed his fingers together, struggling through clouded memories to remember what it was.

He heard the door opened and turned to see the green-skinned Twi?lek healer enter the room. The bright light from the corridor assaulted his senses and he shielded his eyes.

?The datachip!? He sat up suddenly, clutching his head against the accompanying wave of pain and felt gentle hands immediately guide him back down to the pillows.

?You might want to avoid sudden movements for a little while longer,? Alema said.

?Where is the datachip that was in my hand?? His expression was pleading. He hoped he hadn?t dropped it.

?You can rest easy Qui-Gon. Knight Koon took it and is looking over the data right now,? Master Dooku said.

Qui-Gon sighed in relief and was once again assaulted by a wave of pain. He pressed his hands against his temples, massaging the ache. ?Did I hit my head or something??

?No,? Alema said, practically chuckling. ?That would be far too simple for you.?

The door opened again abruptly. Qui-Gon squinted against the assault of harsh light. Yadira entered, carrying a datapad. ?Here?s his blood toxin levels.? Alema grabbed the datapad, giving it a glance.

?The Force loves you, Qui-Gon Jinn,? she said not looking up.

?What??

?Well, if you happen to run into tiranide gas, it is fortunate to have a Kel Dorin who doesn?t breathe oxygen with you. If two humans had been there, I would have two fatalities on my hands.? She still wasn?t looking up and there was an irritated edge to her voice. She abruptly left the room.

Qui-Gon blinked his eyes, still battling cloudiness and confusion.

?Did I do something wrong?? Qui-Gon asked Yadira.

?Besides nearly die, no. She?s just feeling the stress of taking over for Mast

 

AACK! I got behind again.

I promise to get caught up soon because I love this story!

 

Poor Yadira It's good to have friends though Yay for Jayden

?Maybe we should we go over to the Senate offices tomorrow and ask some questions. See what we can dig up on these accounts??

?Try to get ourselves killed? Sounds like a plan.?

?Hey, at least we?ll know when we?re on to something.?


That I liked!

Ahhh I feel sorry for Qui! Not being able to do anything! Good that Koon is looking over the disc.. wonder what they found?

I'll spare you my drool bucket with having Dooku here again! But...but it was good to see him again!! I know...I know... am I!

Great chapter!

 

Your way with dialogue is particularly pleasing. Good job with another great post!

 

Why do I get the feeling that tracing things back to Naboo is akin to signing a death warrant?

 

I agree with everyone poor Yadira And now with the added stress of people waiting to see what the Force is trying to show her

Poor Qui-Gon And now he's restricted to the Temple - but when did he ever listen to directions

Great job Master_Noi

Rogue

 

Poor Yadira, that is such a heavy burden and to know something is about to happen to Jayden.

Why do I get the feeling that Qui won't listen to the healers?

And we meet the Sith responsible for all this. Why do I get the feeling that overconfidence may be a weakness?

Great job Noi!

 

VaderLVR - Thanks for hanging in there!

Kynstar - It is good to have friends. Yes, poor Qui is out of it for a while. Probably for the best now. I actually thought of you when I was writing Dooku.

Fisto89 - Welcome! Thanks.

Kitara - You never know.

Rogue - She is under a lot of stress right now.
but when did he ever listen to directions - he is actually behaving himself right now.

t_s -

Why do I get the feeling that Qui won't listen to the healers? - well, he tries. Trouble just seems to follow him.

Why do I get the feeling that overconfidence may be a weakness? - Sidious has always had that overconfidence problem.

***
Okay, a little longer of a post for you.

Chapter 10

Master Ap sat at the head of the oblong table in the small conference room near the Council chambers. One by one the attendees for the meeting shuffled into the room. Master Loq took a seat at the head of the table next to her, as did Master Dooku.

?Will Master Yoda be joining us?? Master Loq asked.

?No, he has a previous appointment,? the zabrak master answered, bowing her head.

?He is meeting with the young healer again.? Dooku had spoken with his former master earlier in the morning. ?But, he doesn?t think we will get her to move on until her master returns. She is very resistant to having him in her mind.?

?Understandable,? Master Loq said.

?The problem is Mei-lin has no intention of coming back until we find out more about recent events. She feels very secure where they are and is reluctant to move Master Tai?a and Padawan Windu into potential danger.? She looked down at the table top and traced her fingers along the grains of the polished wood. ?I can?t say I blame her.?

The door opened and Knight Koon entered the room. Cohl arrived a few moments later, dragging his usually punctual red-headed friend with him. They both took a seat.

?That?s everyone. Perhaps we should begin.? Master Ap folded her hands and rested them on the table top. ?I am sorry to call a meeting on such short notice, but when two parts of an investigation begin asking me questions about Naboo, it only makes sense to bring them together. Cohl, perhaps you should start.? She looked expectantly towards her former apprentice.

?Through questioning one of the snipers who attacked Qui-Gon, we found that the attack was contracted through a bounty hunter. We were able to trace some of his account activity, and three transactions stand out in particular. All involve large sums of credits, and all involved live on Coruscant, but are citizens of Naboo.?

Master Ap looked to Knight Koon. ?What do you have, Knight Koon??

?Before collapsing yesterday, Qui-Gon found a datachip in the office Melc Gete was using for his undercover front. For the most part, the information Master Dooku and I found on it makes no sense. After breaking through some encryption, we found the account numbers and background information for three Naboo citizens.?

?Could I see those numbers,? Cohl asked.

?I figured you might like to see them,? Plo said, passing the datapad to Cohl. Cohl looked between the two datapads he was holding for a moment. ?They match.?

?Well, we should definitely check in with Senate office then. We have an appointment this afternoon. Would you like to come, Plo??

?Jedi usually work alone or in pairs. It might be intimidating to have three of us walk in there. There is more encryption on the chip, so I think I?ll work on that some more.?

?Padawan, you?ve been very quiet.? Master Loq?s words drew everyone?s attention to Jayden. The knight sat with his elbows on the table and his chin resting on folded hands. He was looking at his slight reflection in the burnished table. He looked up and around at everyone sitting at the table.

?Am I the only one who thinks this information and connection came too easily? We didn?t have to dig very far to find it.?

?What are you suggesting

 

I'm up'ing this because I don't know if anyone saw that I updated in.

 

Ow! That was fearsome...! Yadira's being slowly throttled to death?! [It wasn't in italics or anything, so it wasn't a vision, right? ]. *What's* going to happen???

Liked all the kids lining up for shots - and with no shielding... . And I'm with Jayden. This all seems so...easy - with Palpatine making an entry too.

An evil cliffie, Master. Don't leave me/us hanging. Can't...<gasp> hold on...

 

WOW that was intense there at the end! And I ponder on thinking to whom the assalant could be!

I liked the kids part too! That was so sweet! *snicker* Ask Xanatos that was funny!

So the supposed citizens have been 'killed', now how odd is that? No witnesses left alive. Looks like once the Jedi ganders over the files they'll be back to square one juz about. Not good at all

Great chapter! I truly hope someone comes to her rescue!