Master Apprentice Archive Road to Coruscant: Above and Beyond Quick search:

Road to Coruscant: Above and Beyond

by Susan Anthony (LdyGossamer@aol.com)

Pairing: QG/Ben, Khamier/Owen

Archive: Master_Apprentice, my site at http://www.geocities.com/area51/keep/8613/artists.html, anyone else, please ask

Category: AU, Romance, Drama, Action

Rating: NC17

Series: Obi-Wan Kenobi: Jedi Action Hero

Spoilers: for TPM

Summary: Four more days down the Road

Feedback: Very welcome.

Notes: Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta, Maig, without whose help and encouragement I never would have gotten past the first story.

Also, in one section, you'll see my answer to Nightsister's 'total male orgasm' challenge. And lastly, thank you to everyone who sent me feedback for Road to Coruscant and the Action Hero series in general. It really helps to keep me motivated to finish this monster of a story.

I'd also like to point out to Esperanza that this story IS posting before the end of October so there is no need for the drastic action she threatened me with should I not get this posted. Really.

Warnings: To completely understand what's going on here, you should probably read the previous stories: What Happened Next, Further Developments and Road to Coruscant. Before that, you should read some of Mrs. Hamill's the splendid Wheel of If saga, found at https://www.squidge.org/~foxsden/kitchen/ttpm.html, especially EP15 as this is a spin off of that episode.

Disclaimer: Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Bruck, etc. aren't mine. More's the pity. This story is for the pleasure of the readers only. I don't make a thing. Knight Lars, Khamier and the rest of the OCs are mine and I'm keeping them. YUM!

Final Note: From the official site: http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/jocasta/askjc20011113.html

The standard measurements used in the galaxy are derived from the local measurements found on Coruscant. A standard day consists of 24 hours. There are five standard days in a standard week. There are seven standard weeks in a standard month. A standard year is 368 standard days long, which breaks down to ten standard months plus three "fete weeks" and three more holidays, all devoted to traditional celebrations, festivals and observances.

...And in planetary news, Supreme Chancellor Qui-Gon Jinn took time out of his extraordinarily busy schedule to personally meet an incoming transport at the Jedi Temple late this afternoon. The much talked about, but as yet unseen, Benjamin Lars arrived today with little pomp from his home planet of Callis. His escort was made up of only three Jedi knights: Head Councilor Yoda, Knight Owen Lars - who by the way is Benjamin Lars' older brother and a Senate-decorated Jedi - and the newly knighted Bruck Chun.

While most media correspondents were not allowed into the main Temple for the landing, our own Appliana Kel of the CRUS intergalactic network was present when the Chancellor not only welcomed the new arrival but wrapped the young man in a hug almost conversant with a body lock. It seems the rumors of a romance for the Supreme Chancellor are true as Appliana noted a glimpse of rythieum wrapped around one of the young man's fingers. While the information has not yet been confirmed by the Chancellor's office, it seems that Benjamin Lars is now wearing a ring of Commitment from Chancellor Qui-Gon Jinn.

In view of that Commitment, the question of why the Supreme Chancellor met his future Consort at the Jedi Temple rather than one of the Senate landing pads with an official reception was brought up by Appliana to the Jedi media liaison. Knight Garen Muln would only say that the Chancellor's Primary had made the request. Appliana did note during the arrival that one of the knights escorting Syr Lars was sporting faint bruising on his face and spoke directly with the Chancellor's Primary to arrange for a mission debriefing.

In a related note, the Jedi ship, the Antediluvian, which transported Syr Lars to Coruscant, surprised Callis port officials three days ago with its unexpected and unscheduled midnight departure from the planet. Our Callistan contacts are reporting that just prior to the departure, members of the Callis military escorted the party of three Jedi knights and Syr Lars to the spaceport, however, the Callis government has no comment as to why the escort and the early departure was necessary....

Knight Bruck Chun strode through the hallways of the Republic Senate, his hood raised and his hands firmly in his sleeves. His usually serene expression was serious, somber even, as though he were considering weighty matters of the Republic while walking through these famous halls.

Despite these signs of a 'Jedi on Serious Temple Business', however, he'd been fondled once, pinched twice and propositioned three times by senators who remembered him affectionately from his rotation.

"Affectionately, my aching ass," the young knight muttered as he pulled his hood farther over his face. He sent a small burst of healing energy to the spot on his rear that had been sharply pinched by that last senator. "Groping, manhandling letches. Don't they have a Republic to run?"

The young Jedi did not stop to consider that normally he would be flattered by such attention and perhaps even manage to meet one of the senators later, at his or her expense, of course. After all, it never hurt to further his contacts in the Senate.

However, at this moment all his thoughts were focused on Commander Khamier Sarin and how he, a lowly junior knight, was going to get through the coming interview still breathing.

From a few hints that Owen and his brother had dropped during the past weeks, Bruck had figured out that the Chancellor's Primary had an intimate interest in Knight Owen Lars. This was somewhat alarming as Khamier Sarin had a reputation among the Jedi of being a cold, vicious bastard. Though he was the unflinching, unbreakable backbone of the Chancellor's security, most Jedi never had to deal with him directly because, like Chancellor Jinn, Sarin had a dismissive and condescending view of the Order in general. Those Jedi who did have to work for his office usually went out of their way to make certain such an event never happened again.

Despite that hard-ass reputation, however, it seemed as if Sarin had broken his own, well-known rule and involved himself with a Jedi. Just yesterday in the docking bay, Bruck had heard the Zabrak all but command Owen to show up today for this mission briefing. And as far as he knew no one still living had ignored a direct order from the Chancellor's Primary.

So, what does the Council do? They send Owen off on a mission and then elect Bruck to cover for him with Commander Sarin - the being the padawan rotation cadre of his year had voted 'most likely to be a Sith in disguise'.

Bruck took a deep breath and checked his shields and his serene expression. 'Don't let your panic rise, Chun,' the knight lectured himself. 'Remember all that your master taught you. Serenity, clarity, tranquillity, heisgoingtokillme ...wait, what was that last one?'

Bruck grabbed hold of his panic again and stuffed it down under his Jedi mask even as he approached his destination. He wasn't going to get out of this so he might as well get on with the briefing.

With a dignified stride, the new knight walked into the elegant reception area of the Chancellor's security offices. He carefully pulled back the hood of his robe as he approached the main desk. The woman there looked up with a casually curious expression though Bruck knew she had scanned him from top to bottom for weapons before he'd even taken two steps inside the room. His entire history, X-rays and body chemistry were probably displayed even now on her desk comp.

"I am Knight Bruck Chun with a mission briefing for Commander Sarin," he said with a nod to her. The woman frowned for a moment as she checked a screen on her desk.

"Knight Lars was expected," she noted in a questioning tone.

"Knight Lars was dispatched on a mission this afternoon by the Council. Head Councilor Yoda sent me to brief the Commander in his stead."

The woman made a few entries into her comp pad and then waited for a confirming reply. After a moment, she stood and an older man came to take her place at the desk.

"Please follow me, Knight Chun," she said as she moved through a doorway at the back of the office. "The Chancellor and Commander Sarin are expecting you. We are going to Chancellor Jinn's private office."

"Chancellor Jinn?" Bruck inquired with a steady tone.

"Yes," was the calm reply.

"Very well," Bruck nodded serenely.

Inside, however, he was throwing a major tantrum. He was a damn junior knight, for Sith's sake! This had been his first mission as a full Jedi! Bad enough that he was making a mission briefing to the Jedi-eating Primary Commander! He was not supposed to be making mission briefings to the freaking Supreme Chancellor of the Republic!

Damn it, the very next time he saw Owen Lars, he was going to punch his friend right in the nose! How dare Owen flit off to some dainty negotiation mission and leave him stranded here with this mess!

After a few more minutes of walking quietly behind his guide and cursing Owen's ancestry, Bruck began to pull his serenity closer around him. He could do this. He was a Jedi. He'd passed his trials and the Council had found him worthy of his place in the order.

Just as that thought passed through his mind, the woman guiding him reached out to touch the controls of a large set of double doors that slowly opened revealing the ornate offices of the Supreme Chancellor. Bruck had the chance for one final inner groan before his guide gestured to a small table beside the door.

"You may leave your saber here, Knight Chun," she said softly, as if he had a choice. Carefully, Bruck set his saber on the tabletop and waited as he was scanned again. After a moment, the woman gave him a small smile and a nod before she turned to go. Knight Chun then moved across the large room, mentally chanting, 'There is no death; there is no death; I'm about to die but there is no death.'

At the other end of the chamber, Qui-Gon Jinn was seated behind his large desk and just behind him stood Commander Sarin. Neither being looked particularly pleased to see him.

Khamier watched the young knight glide across the room in that graceful manner that seemed such a part of the Jedi in general. He knew much about this knight already: his history in the order, his former family, the senators who had dallied with him during his rotation to the Senate. The Primary had thoroughly researched him once he'd found that Chun had been dispatched to Callis.

The only thing he'd found in the new knight's history that caught his interest was Chun's ongoing, casually intimate relationship with Owen Lars. Commander Sarin's golden eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, his stern face becoming even more formidable.

That would be Chun's former casually intimate relationship with Owen.

Where the hell was Owen anyway? Khamier couldn't believe the knight had found a way around facing him today. He'd just have to track Owen down tonight and complete his Kiss.

"If you're trying to frighten the boy, I think you've succeeded," Jinn murmured as he glanced back at his Primary. "I need him coherent for this briefing, Khamier."

"Humph," Sarin snorted, though it was a pleased snort. "How can you tell? These damn Jedi are walking, blank walls."

"The entire Order stands in awe of you, my friend," Jinn snickered as he turned back to the approaching knight. "I believe there are padawans' classes on 'How to Avoid the Chancellor's Primary 101 and 102'."

Khamier started at his friend's words and his lips quirked in a pleased grin. "Perhaps the Jedi are not as stupid as I thought," was his reply as the knight stopped ten paces from the Chancellor's desk and gave a very correct bow.

"Greetings, your Excellency, Commander Sarin," he said in a pleasant tenor voice. "The Council sends its apologies but Knight Lars was dispatched on a mission this afternoon. I have been requested to brief you on the Callis mission and answer any questions you may have."

"What?" Khamier suddenly snarled, dropping his arms and stepping forward at the same time that the Chancellor demanded, "What mission?"

Bruck looked back and forth between the two angry figures on the other side of the desk. He could practically feel the waves of fury coming at him. He had to brace himself not to step back automatically.

"I was not informed of the mission Knight Lars was sent on, Chancellor," Knight Chun stated, deciding to reply to the more straightforward question first. At the lingering silence his answer produced, he continued awkwardly. "I have heard that his was a negotiation mission, something to do with the blockade around Naboo."

"Naboo?" Jinn asked quietly. His blue eyes were diamond hard. Bruck hesitated to nod but was there really any choice?

"He left this afternoon."

"How long?" Khamier growled, truly growled the question as he prowled around the desk. Knight Chun did step back a pace as the man stalked up to him.

"What?" he stammered.

"How long will Owen be gone, Jedi?"

"I don't know, Commander Sarin," Bruck responded, absently, noting the Zabrak's use of his friend's first name. "I was not given any specifics regarding the mission. You would need to speak with someone on the Council."

"Oh I will, Jedi," Sarin promised in a dark voice before he moved back to his place behind the Chancellor. Qui-Gon was already sending a request through his assistant requesting - demanding rather - that Councilor Yoda attend him at his earliest convenience, which was immediately as far as Jinn was concerned.

After a furious moment's silence, Qui-Gon returned his attention to the young knight before him who was staring fixedly at his Commitment ring. He had to commend Chun's training. The boy looked as serene as he had when he arrived, despite Khamier's intimidating anger and his unvoiced curiosity about the ring on Qui-Gon's finger.

Jinn leaned back thoughtfully setting aside his own anger at Knight Lars' assignment and wondering for a moment at his subordinate's unaccustomed ire. Khamier was not one to show his emotions to anyone much less a stranger.

After a moment more, the Chancellor nodded to the Jedi. "You have a briefing for us, Knight Chun?"

The young man bowed and stepped forward to lay a datadisc carefully on the desk containing his written mission briefing as well as Owen's and Master Yoda's. He stepped back as the Chancellor inserted the disc into his comp. Then, at Jinn's nod, he began speaking, his tenor voice smooth and clear as he described the events of the mission from which he had just returned. The pair before him were obviously listening intently but held their questions until he had completed his statement.

For a long moment, there was silence in the Chancellor's office. Finally, Commander Sarin broke it.

"Knight Chun, you are saying that Knight Lars fought a Sith warrior on Callis?" The Primary's voice was low and Bruck could not tell whether the Zabrak was expressing disbelief or concern.

"Knight Lars was certain the being he faced was a Sith," the young Jedi replied, his expression completely neutral. "The Council is taking his assessment seriously and investigating."

"And you say this Sith was able to control you?" Chancellor Jinn asked softly.

"Not control," Bruck said, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "Influence. Master Yoda suspects we were influenced by the Sith to leave the safety of Ben's home and step into the trap. Once we were off-planet, Master Yoda found traces of darkness within Syr Lars' mind and my own. He was unable to trace the source but with the warrior we faced on Callis, it wasn't hard to conclude who was responsible."

"Is Benjamin all right?" The words were harsh and held the most emotion Bruck had ever heard from the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.

"Yes, sir. Master Yoda and Knight Lars spent time with Syr Lars while en route to Coruscant," Bruck said in a calming voice. He saw the Chancellor and his Primary exchange a quick, hard look and for a moment, he felt sorry for Master Yoda when the pair got hold of him. Then he realized that it was Yoda's fault that he was here and he decided the Head of the Council deserved whatever the Chancellor dished out. "Did you have any other questions, your Excellency?"

"I do, Knight Chun, but I will direct them to Councilor Yoda," Qui-Gon responded in a flat tone. The young Jedi breathed an inner sigh of relief.

"Then with your permission, I will return to the Temple," Bruck said with a bow.

Khamier merely gestured towards the doorway where Bruck had entered. "Saselia, will see you out."

The young man turned and found his escort waiting beside the now open doors. Gracefully, he moved across the room. Before he left, he picked up his saber. Then he was gone.

There was silence in the Chancellor's office for a moment, shortly broken by an irate snort. The Zabrak leaned down and glared at the monitor.

"I can't believe he did something so foolish!" Khamier growled as he glared at the briefing scrolling across the screen. He couldn't believe Owen had taken such a risk for something so frivolous as an airbike ride.

"He certainly didn't act like he was thinking," the Chancellor agreed flatly, his fingers drumming on the desk. What had been going through Benjamin's mind when he took off on that bike?

"He must have known that would be the perfect opportunity for assailants to act!" the Commander continued. The more he considered the attack on Knight Lars, the more he wanted to disembowel someone.

"He purposefully put himself into danger. It was a totally unacceptable risk." Qui-Gon was already laying out the lecture Ben was going to get on personal safety. He briefly glanced at his Primary and wondered if the lecture would be more intimidating coming from the commander rather than himself. It was obvious that Khamier was as disturbed by this threat to Ben's safety as he was.

"What was that stupid Jedi thinking!" Khamier suddenly snapped and Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose as he realized his Primary hadn't been thinking about Benjamin at all.

"What?" the Zabrak demanded.

"You seem to be unusually concerned for Knight Lars, Commander," the Chancellor stated quietly.

Khamier stiffened for a moment before his neutral mask slid into place. "He was supposed to be protecting your consort, Excellency," the Primary said. "It is my duty to be concerned that he did not."

"Your duty seems to have taken on a personal tone," Qui-Gon noted, a tint of amusement coloring his voice.

Khamier met the Chancellor's blue eyes briefly before he turned his gaze back to the mission briefing. "These military friends of Syr Lars' bear looking into," the Zabrak said, blatantly changing the subject. "At the least, a commendation from your office should be sent to their commanding officer."

"And at the most?" Qui-Gon asked, for the moment allowing his Primary to avoid the subject of Knight Owen Lars.

"At the most, perhaps Benjamin would find bodyguards he is acquainted with to be easier to deal with than those he is not."

"Indeed he might." The Chancellor gave his Primary a thoughtful look before he scrolled through Knight Lars' mission briefing again and noted the recommendation at the bottom. "Along with an official commendation, send several tickets to the Y'sang Tournaments. I believe the Tourney opens in two weeks. This will give you time to make a determination about their abilities to guard the Chancellor's Consort."

Khamier nodded as he leaned over the Chancellor's computer and forwarded the briefing to his own comp. "I'll contact the Callistan military this morning," he said as he stepped back. He gave his friend a long look. "Also, I think you should make time in your schedule this morning to speak with Kiyari Jik concerning the media reaction to Syr Lars' arrival. We're already receiving requests for him to make official appearances."

Qui-Gon leaned back in his chair with a groan. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ben will not like that," he grumbled, indicating his own lack of enthusiasm as well. Khamier merely grinned, an evil expression that Qui-Gon knew well and tried to avoid.

"You also need to make an official announcement concerning his status," Khamier continued, "which means you'll have to begin planning all the things involved with taking a Consort."

The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic looked at his Primary with a tinge of fear in his eyes. "I don't think that is necessary, Khamier. Benjamin and I can have a private ceremony."

The primary slowly shook his head. "Your sister has already contacted me directly to remind you that you are the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and if you decide to take a Consort - without even letting her meet him first - you have a duty to provide the Republic with a show." Khamier snickered as he moved towards the doorway and sanctuary. "She asked that I have you comm her as soon as you have a free moment."

The last glimpse Khamier had of his employer that morning was of Qui-Gon's pale face and panicked blue eyes.

Ah yes, a good morning's work.

Now all he had to do was decide how he was going to punish Owen for taking off without so much as a by your leave. That was something that was not going to happen again.

People melted out of his path as he strode through the hallways smiling.

Iolia looked up from her desk and sighed silently in frustration as the outer doors to Senator Palpatine's offices opened and a tall, handsome man sauntered into the reception area. He was dressed in a sophisticated ensemble of dark blue and black, his long, dark hair pulled back into a single elaborate braid, an indication, she knew, of his high status on his home world. He smiled charmingly as he approached her desk and ignoring the chairs scattered about, seated himself on the corner of her desk.

"Hello, dearest," he greeted her, his tone low and smooth. "You're looking lovely as always."

"Lord Vonris," she replied tonelessly. As she spoke, her fingers tapped out the message to her employer that the man had arrived. A quick response from Palpatine flashed across her screen and she glanced up again. "The Senator is expecting you but is on a call. Please have a seat. He should not be long."

"Ah good. That will give me time to talk with you, then, won't it?" the new arrival said in a pleased tone. Iolia silently cursed in six different languages though no expression showed in her eyes.

"Perhaps my lord would care to take one of the many chairs offered for your convenience?" she asked, gesturing to the chair farthest from her desk. She received a charming grin in response.

"No, thank you," he replied as he made himself more comfortable on her desk. "I'm quite comfy here. Thoughtful of you to offer though."

Iolia didn't reply as she went back to her work, focusing on her monitor while the man sitting on her desk watched her intently for a moment before he pulled out a thin stick of incense.

"Please do not smoke here, my lord," the woman stated without even raising her eyes. "Senator Palpatine does not like it."

"He doesn't?" the man asked innocently as he tucked the stick away again.

"No, he does not. As I have told you the last four times you've been here."

Vonris watched the young woman for a few moments more. He didn't think it was his imagination that the tapping on her keyboard was a bit louder than before.

"Well, I'll try to remember your injunction the next time I'm by here, hum, sweetling?"

"I'm certain the Senator would appreciate your consideration."

The man grinned to himself. "Again, so thoughtful, my dear. You're certainly wasted here. I know that Senator Chiyari would just adore you. When will you give up this dreadful job with Senator Palpatine and come take a better position in my brother's office?" he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

"Perhaps when the seventh sun of Istin freezes over, my Lord," she replied, her face completely neutral. At that moment, a message flashed across her screen and Iolia glanced up, catching a look of surprise on the man's face. Immediately, she cursed for allowing herself to respond to the man's idiocy. "The Senator is ready for you now, Lord Vonris," she said as she keyed open the door and gestured towards it.

Vonris gazed at her with a half-smile before he stood and gave her a brief bow. "As always, it was a delight chatting with you," he said before he sauntered towards the open door. Once he was through it, Iolia made sure it was closed and secured. Then she took another moment to berate herself for her laxity in responding to the pushy human before she returned her focus to her work.

As Lord Vonris heard the door close behind him, he immediately dropped the flighty courtier's attitude he usually affected. Once in the senator's presence, he was never anything less than serious since his continued employment depended on it. As always, he diligently tried to ignore the blood-red walls and furnishings as he moved towards the senator's desk. This office always made him tense.

"Senator Palpatine," he said with a half bow as he stopped before the senator's desk.

"Vonris," the senator replied with a glance up from his monitor. He waved the man towards a seat before he turned his attention back to his computer. After a few more moments of silence, the senator finally looked up and focused his attention on Vonris. "I have a job for you."

The man raised a sleek dark brow. "Something Mojere cannot handle?"

"Considering that the man is dead, yes," Palpatine replied in a flat tone.

Vonris looked briefly surprised before his expression slid into calculation. "What do you need?"

"I wish you to arrange an introduction."

Vonris merely looked at Palpatine thoughtfully. Nothing was ever so simple with this man. "To whom?"

The man behind the desk leaned forward and tapped a holodisc. An image of a young man appeared and Vonris' eyes widened.

"The Chancellor's new puppy?"

Palpatine didn't react. "Can you arrange it?"

Vonris rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I do have something of an in with the Chancellor." He looked at his employer. "Though I doubt Jinn would approve of your meeting his little thrall." Palaptine briefly looked angered though the expression quickly changed to one of neutrality. Vonris merely leaned back. "Not everyone in the Senate in unaware of your...dislike of one another," he said delicately.

"If this is too much for you, I can look elsewhere for assistance," Palpatine noted.

Vonris shook his head. "Oh, I can arrange it," The man's blue eyes unfocused for a moment as he considered various possibilities. "Maybe even as early as tomorrow. But I don't want to be involved in the introduction. I have a modicum of Jinn's trust and I don't want to lose it." He eyed the senator across from him. "It may be to your advantage if the encounter appeared to be accidental in any case. It would not be noted on any appointment schedule should things happen later that require further investigation."

Palpatine's light blue eyes narrowed for a moment before he reached forward and snapped off the hologram. "Arrange the meeting. Your usual fee will be forwarded to your account. It will be doubled should you arrange it by tomorrow afternoon."

Vonris stood and gave the man another bow. "I'll be in touch, Senator," he said as he turned and left the room.

Palpatine waited until the door was securely shut and the shields were up before he opened another communication line. "Have you heard from the Nemoidians?" he asked flatly.

"Yes master," a harsh voice answered. "The Queen is still refusing to sign the treaty."

"They are idiots," Palpatine growled. "Have you found out who the Jedi have dispatched to Naboo?"

"Yinyan and Lars have been sent."

Palpatine's fist clenched for a moment before he controlled his sudden rage. While he knew that Yinyan was the best negotiator in the Order, the senator had thought that Lars would be kept in the Temple for awhile longer after the fiasco on Callis. Again, he would have to change his plans.

"Bide your time where you are, Venom. Any information on Owen or Benjamin Lars is to be reported immediately."

"Yes, Master." There had been a slight hesitation before the apprentice replied which Palpatine noted and filed away for further investigation after he disconnected the line. His apprentice had just about served the purpose that Palpatine had needed. Soon he would set Venom aside in favor of his first choice for an apprentice.

The senator tapped a second holodisc on his desk and another image was displayed. Palpatine caressed the outline of the figure as he considered exactly how he would have Owen kill Venom and how long he could make it last.

Owen's eyes snapped open as a dark and chilling vision rolled over him roughly yanking him from his meditation. Immediately, he reached for the image, hoping to find a warning from the Force that he could understand and prepare for. But the vision faded abruptly, leaving nothing but a faint tingle of fear behind.

After a few more moments of calming his thoughts, he stood and stretched. He'd been meditating for the past hour since his transport left the Coruscant system. His master had 'suggested' he meditate on impatience after his fifth demand for information about what had so disturbed her and the Council when they'd found out about the bite Khamier had left on his shoulder.

Even as he thought of the Zabrak, his hand absently reached up to caress his shoulder. Vivid memories of the night before unexpectedly filled his mind: the memory of the sweet taste of his partner's fingers coated with cum, the feeling of Khamier's hot mouth on his shoulder, the flare of intense pain and then the burning ecstasy that had blown him straight into unconsciousness.

The sound of his own voice groaning brought him out of the memories and Owen was amazed to find that he was slumped against a bulkhead. Worse, the bite on his shoulder was throbbing sweetly and he was hard as a rock.

Carefully, he slid back down to the floor as he concentrated on calming his body. He was a Jedi, after all. He'd been taught how to control his body's responses since he'd been given over to the Order when he was five.

But now his body was betraying him as memories washed over him again; memories of Khamier's dark, smooth whispers, of arching into his sure hands, of sinking into that hard, strong body.

"Don't you want to take me?" came the whispered memory of him touching, tasting.

"Skies, YES!"

"Then take me, Jedi," Khamier had commanded. "Take me now!"

And Owen had taken him, first sliding inside him with the Force and then following with his own body. Instinctively, he'd responded to his lover's demands for harder, stronger, deeper! He'd pounded into Khamier, filling his body until his lover had let him come so hard he was barely coherent.

The feeling of Khamier's hands stroking his body had brought him back to reason and the taste of his lover's sweet essence filled his mouth. "What are you doing, Khamier?"

"Just marking my territory."

"You realize that you're marking Republic-held territory, don't you?" Teasing, blissful.

"Not anymore." Growling, possessive.

Still drifting blissfully, the harsh pain of Khamier's bite ripped through his memories and the burning fire in his blood filled his senses again.

But what brought a groan to Owen's lips in the present moment, what made him desperately arch into his own hand, was the memory of that hot, honeyed voice breathing in his ear, "MINE!".

On the cold floor of the transport, with memories of Khamier's voice in his mind, Owen whimpered and came with almost the same intensity he had just hours earlier.

He lay there for several minutes, his mind lost in swirling emotions that he hadn't the least ability to control. Desire, amazement, anger, happiness, despair, all rolled past and finally gave way to bewilderment. He'd never before lost control like this. Never. He'd trained hard to control his body, whether in meditation, in fighting, or in pleasure. This kind of thing should not be happening to him.

The door to his room suddenly slid open and Owen was vaguely aware of his master coming in and dropping to the floor beside him. Yinyan handed him a warm, damp towel before she pulled his head into her lap and lightly caressed his hair, offering her silent support in helping him find his center again. Without a second thought, Owen opened what was left of his shields and between them, the two Jedi brought him back to his center.

The pair drifted in meditation for a long time, Yinyan guiding her padawan as she had since she'd apprenticed him at the usual age of thirteen. Eventually, Owen opened his eyes to find his master watching him with a compassionate gaze. He reached up to catch her hand and their fingers twined together.

"Master, did I..." he began in a timid tone and she slowly nodded her head.

"You were projecting very loudly, padawan," she replied in a soft voice. "Fortunately, our pilots are stone deaf to the Force." Then she gave him a gentle leer. "However, you certainly sent my ship into orbit."

Owen flushed hotly and tried to sit up but his master held him in her lap. After a moment, he relaxed again and sighed, looking up at her with a completely bewildered expression.

"Master, what is happening to me?" he asked in a plaintive tone.

Yinyan closed her eyes briefly as she continued to touch his hair lightly. She made certain to keep her touches completely impersonal but she wanted to comfort him as she tried to explain.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to find his worried gaze pinned to her face. She sighed again.

"It has to do with the bite, Owen," she began gently.

Owen closed his eyes and swallowed as he struggled against the images that threatened to rise again. "Why would Khamier's bite affect me like this?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain steady.

Yinyan touched his forehead and sent a soothing wave of the Force over him and Owen breathed in slowly as his pulse slowed.

"I'm surprised you made it to the Council Chamber without this happening. You've held it off well, Padawan," she said, keeping her tone smooth. "Zabrak couples stay sequestered for at least three days after a Kiss is given.

"I don't understand, Master," Owen said, even more confused. "I don't see how a kiss could cause me to lose control like this. Much less the memory of one."

Yinyan's lips pressed together for a moment before she smoothed her expression. "Owen, do you trust me?" she asked.

"You know I do, Master," the younger Jedi answered with no hesitation.

"Then I want you to stay calm when I tell you this." She gave him an intent look. "Trust that I have every intention of making sure this is corrected when we return to Coruscant."

Owen's fingers tightened around hers for a brief, reflexive squeeze. Whatever she had to tell him was bad.

"I will stay calm, Master," he assured her.

"What Commander Sarin did was give you what his people call a Mating Kiss," she began, letting her hand hover over the shoulder Khamier had bitten him. Without even realizing it, Owen shifted away from her possible touch. Yinyan dropped her hand and continued. "He bit you in the ritual spot, your left shoulder, and then sealed the bite with his semen and your blood."

Owen flushed again, this time with a rising desire as memories of Khamier's lips on his skin rushed over him. His eyes glazed and he felt himself harden again. This time, however, before he could be lost in the memories, a harsh, stinging slap on his face focused him on his master again.

Without thought, he moved away from her and slumped against the bulkhead. He rubbed his face and shook his head, trying to push away the images.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said as he met her eyes.

"It's all right, Owen," she said, dropping her hands into her lap, not attempting to touch him again. "We will have time to get this under control. We have three days before we reach Naboo and you will spend most of that time in meditation, working through this."

The younger Jedi took a long, slow breath and held it briefly before he let it out again. He tried to focus on his master's explanation. "So, Khamier gave me a Mating Kiss and that is causing these visions?"

"In a certain way, yes," Yinyan answered. "He bit you and sealed it with his essence and now that part of him is in your blood."

"In my blood?" Owen asked, his expression moving from confused to concerned. "He put something in my blood?"

"Yes," his master responded her own expression tight. "It is the way his people claim a mate."

"Claim a mate?" Owen asked weakly.

"In the eyes of his people and in some aspects of Republic law, the presence of Commander Sarin's essence in your blood marks you as...belonging to him."

Owen stared at her for a long moment, his face becoming rather pale and then filling again with color. This time, however, his flush came from an anger that was building up inside him.

"I belong to him?" came the disbelieving, angry question.

"Owen you said you'd remain calm," Yinyan reminded him, standing and backing up as he jumped to his feet.

"That stupid Zabrak!" Owen shouted, his fists clenched. "I'm going to kill him when we get back!"

"Owen..." his master began as the knight started to pace the small confines of the room.

"I'm going to take that long braid of his and wrap it around his throat and pull!"

"Owen this won't solve anything..." Yinyan tried again.

"Then I'm going to yank those horns out of his head and shove them right up his..."

"PADAWAN, be still!!" Yinyan snapped out in an unyielding tone and Owen reflexively dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

There was a thick silence in the room as Owen steadied his breathing, trying to calm his rage and release it to the Force.

"Forgive me, Master," he managed after a time. He was glad his tone was steady. "I...do not seem to be able to maintain my serenity in the face of this problem. I am sorry."

Gentle fingers in his hair relaxed him somewhat. "Despite what you think, you are coping well, Owen," Yinyan stated firmly. "We just need to get you through the next few days and you will be able to control the emotions again."

The younger knight kept his head bowed. He had doubts about being able to control his unstable emotions no matter what Yinyan said.

"Perhaps the Council should send someone else with you, master," he suggested softly, though it galled him to say it.

"No, padawan," Yinyan said without doubt. "We have three days to find your center again though I doubt it will take that long." She dropped to the floor into her favored meditation stance. She gestured for him to do the same and he settled onto the floor. "The key thing you must master is control over your memories of the Kiss. Once that comes, the rest of your trouble with your control will settle."

Owen finally looked up to meet her eyes and saw her confidence in him. Finally, he nodded. He took another deep breath and then opened his mind to the memories of Khamier's Mating Kiss.

Yinyan watched her padawan's face fill with color and she groaned inwardly at some of the images he was projecting. Damn, but it was going to be a long trip.

It was a smugly satisfied Benjamin Lars who slowly stretched and then opened his eyes. He felt pleasantly sated and achy and very happy to be back in Qui-Gon's arms again. His smug smile dimmed somewhat at the thought that since his lover had already left that morning for the Senate, he wasn't actually in Qui-Gon's arms. Since that was a temporary situation, however, Benjamin would just have to make the best of it.

He sighed again, stretching under the warm covers and then curling around his lover's pillow, inhaling the scent of Qui-Gon. He drifted for a few minutes before it occurred to him that he could just lay here all day and wait for his lover to come back. He had no place to be and he didn't think Vellen would mind if he snoozed the day away. He snickered as he thought that she had Bruck to keep her occupied after all. He wondered if the Jedi did room service.

"Heard that, I did," a querulous old voice sounded entirely too close to the bed. "Awake, I know, you are."

A poke in his back made Benjamin jump as he suddenly realized that no, this wasn't a dream, and yes, Yoda was actually in his room. With a sense of foreboding, the writer looked over his shoulder and saw the top of a green head and the points of two long ears.

With a groan, Benjamin pulled the covers over his head. "Go away."

"Room service, there is not, in the Temple of the Jedi, Benjamin Lars," the wizened voice stated which was followed by another poke. "Get up you must. Things we have to do."

"Can't I just stay here until Qui-Gon gets back?" Ben admitted, if only to himself, that his tone had taken on a definite whining quality.

"Return to the Temple, Chancellor Jinn will not," Yoda replied and Ben pulled down the covers quickly to find the Head Councilor now settled on the end of the large bed.

"What?"

"To him you will be taken, Benjamin, but things to do here before you go," Yoda stated. "Classes to schedule, teachers to meet." Benjamin still wasn't looking convinced that he had to get out of bed. Yoda's ears tipped up as the old Jedi gave Ben what could almost be called a mischievous look. "Expecting you for lunch, your cousin is," he finally said, playing his trump card. "Stand up Vellen, you will?"

Benjamin jerked and sat up with a growl. "And why is she expecting me to meet her for lunch?" he demanded as Yoda casually levitated himself off the bed.

"Mentioned it to her, I may have," the old Councilor replied offhandedly as he moved to the door. "Half an hour, you have, before late, you are." Behind him, there was more soft cursing and Yoda chuckled. "Shower, in there," he said as he gestured across the room. "Waiting your carrybag will be when you are finished."

"One of these days, you'll get what's coming to you, Master Yoda," Benjamin grumbled as he dragged himself out of bed, pulling a sheet off with him to use as a wrap. He glared at the small Jedi before he stomped into the bathing room, most of the sheet still trailing behind him.

Yoda watched him go before he moved into the outer room. With barely any effort, the Jedi levitated Ben's carrybag into the bedroom before he allowed the door to slide shut. Then he settled himself on a couch and waited.

Benjamin finished his shower quickly and toweled himself dry before he moved back into the bedroom. As Yoda had promised, his carrybag was on the bed and the teacher rummaged through it, hoping to find something he could wear. He'd packed a few extra clothes in his carrybag but he wasn't certain what he should wear while in the temple.

With a sigh, he pulled out his least wrinkled outfit and dressed. He knew Qui-Gon wouldn't mind whatever he wore because once they were alone, he wouldn't be wearing it long anyway. With thoughts of his lover cheering him, Benjamin moved over to a mirror and brushed his damp hair until it was dry before pulling it back into his habitual tail. Then he repacked his carrybag and headed to the outer room.

As promised, Yoda waited patiently.

"Punctual, you are, Benjamin Lars," the little Jedi said in a pleased tone. He gestured to the spot beside him on the couch. "Sit down, you will. Chat, we must."

"I thought you said we had to meet Vellen," Ben said as he sat down beside Yoda. The little master looked surprised.

"Still have a half an hour we do, before meet we must. In a hurry are you, that we cannot talk?" Somehow, Yoda managed to sound hurt and his ears tilted down.

The teacher stared at the little gnome for a long moment. Then he slumped against the couch and sighed.

"No, Master Yoda," Benjamin said, "I'd be happy to chat."

"Good, good," the old Jedi beamed up at his companion before he handed over a comp pad. "Here are the schedules for the classes you will teach."

Benjamin took the comp pad eagerly and skimmed over the class assignments. His eager expression quickly melted into one of exasperation before he handed the comp pad back to Yoda.

"These are not my classes, Master Yoda," he stated firmly. "I told you I would not teach Sex in Politics and Athletics. And I am certainly not going to be teaching Physics and Advanced Methods of Fellatio."

"Teach them well, you would!" Yoda insisted. "Take your courses, all padawans would want to. Perfect attendance you would have."

Obi-Wan merely crossed his arms and glared. "I teach language courses or you don't get an advanced copy of the next book, Master Yoda."

Sighing pathetically, the Jedi master turned back to the comp pad in his claws. Quickly, he brought up another schedule of classes and then handed the list back to Ben. "Hard bargain, you drive, Benjamin Lars," he complained. "Stubborn like your brother, you are."

Benjamin grinned at the old master's words before he turned his attention to the comp pad again. Now he found classes much more to his liking. All but one.

"An initiate class, Master?" he asked in surprise. "You know I teach older students."

"Needed a beginners class for the five year olds, we did," Yoda stated, twining his claws around his gimer stick. "Teach them, you will. Inspire them to learn, you will."

"But Master..." Ben began again but Yoda cut him off.

"Bright students, they are." The old master looked up at him with a serious expression. "Diplomats, they will be. Many languages will they need to know. Teach them, you will."

Benjamin sighed silently and gave up. "Of course, Master, I'd be happy to." He gave the little gnome a half smile. "How long before I begin classes? I'll need to prepare."

"Five days you have to prepare," Yoda replied in a more relaxed tone. "Information you need, you will find in this," he finished with a tap to the comp pad in Ben's hands.

"All right," Benjamin said as he tucked the comp pad away in his carrybag. "How many other teachers will I be working with?"

Yoda levitated to the floor. "Other teachers, you will meet after lunch."

Benjamin shouldered his bag and then knelt down as he'd seen Owen do. "May I offer you a ride, Master?" he asked. Yoda beamed up at him.

"Thoughtful you are but not yet ready to go, are we." Benjamin stood again as he watched the little master move to the door. A moment later, it slid open and Yoda spoke to someone outside. Then he stepped back into the room, followed by two others dressed in the dark blue uniforms of Qui-Gon's guards.

Benjamin looked them over warily as one guard stepped forward with a slight bow.

"Master Lars, I am Commander Kiers A'larni, Secondary Commander of the Chancellor's Security. Primary Commander Sarin has placed me in charge of your guard detail. In total, there are sixteen guards assigned to your protection."

The teacher blanched. "I won't have sixteen guards following me around all the time, will I?" he asked faintly.

"No sir," Commander A'larni replied without expression. "Within the Temple, Master Yoda has agreed that you will have two Republican guards present at all times." The Secondary glanced at Master Yoda with another bow. "It eases the Chancellor's mind considerably for you to allow this, Master Yoda."

"Nice of you to say so," the little Councilor said with a gleeful chuckle. "However, know, I do, that wanted more guards, Qui-Gon did. Called me, he did. Pissed off, he was. But safe is Benjamin Lars in the Temple of the Jedi. Tell him so, you will."

The Secondary looked at the little master in surprise though he struggled not to show his feelings. He had never heard someone speak so offhandedly about getting a call from a pissed off Chancellor. Chancellor Jinn was quite intimidating when he wanted something done.

Benjamin's sigh pulled the Secondary's attention back to his assignment.

"So two guards in the Temple," he said in a resigned tone. "What else?"

"Two guards here, sir," Kiers continued. "Four when you are at the Senate and when you travel, a contingent of six."

"Six?" Ben yelped as he sat down hard. He glared at the Commander. "Six people just to guard me?"

"Yes sir," the man replied with no expression. "Commander Sarin asked that I let you know he reserves the right to add to that number should he deem it necessary. He also asked me to convey that when you are in their custody, your guards have complete authority to do whatever they have to in order to keep you safe."

Benjamin leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. Absently, he dragged off the band holding his hair and then pulled his hair back into a tail again. Under his breath, he was muttering, "I knew this was going to happen, I can handle this, Qui-Gon is worth it, I can do this, it's not like I don't understand, I was with the military, I can do this..."

Finally he stood up and nodded. "Very well, Commander A'larni," he said in a calm tone as he looked at the two guards accompanying the Secondary. "I assume these are my guards for today."

"Yes, sir," Kiers agreed as he gestured to each man. "Lts. Jopik and Tarnomi." The Secondary turned back to Benjamin. "Chancellor Jinn has asked me to let you know you will be picked up this afternoon just past the sixth hour and that you will be going to the Jinn estate on the third moon for the evening. Your belongings have already been sent there."

"What about Vellen?" Benjamin suddenly thought to ask. No sense in him suffering alone.

"Syn Lars will also be provided with a guard at all times while she is on-planet. The Chancellor expects her to accompany you this evening if that is her wish. Rooms have been prepared for her on his estate."

"All right," the teacher said with an absent nod. He wondered if Vellen would mind having a guard shadowing her every step on Coruscant and then he decided she wouldn't mind being followed around by handsome guards. She probably couldn't wait to tell her friends. "I appreciate the information, Commander."

Kiers nodded. "My duty, Master Lars," he said shortly. "Now if you will excuse me, I am returning to the Senate if you have no further questions?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm sure Jopik and Tarnomi can answer my questions or find out what I need to know."

"Very well," the commander said with a final bow. "Good morning, Master Lars, Master Yoda."

Then the man was gone and Benjamin eyed the two guards who looked back at him expressionlessly. He sighed as he turned to the silent Jedi standing beside him.

"Remind me again why I came here, Master?" he asked with a faint whine in his voice. Yoda rapped him on the shin with his cane.

"Good in bed, is Qui-Gon Jinn," Yoda snapped and Ben blushed hotly darting a glance at his guards. "Now, pick me up, you will. Late for lunch, we are. Mad at you, Vellen will be."

Benjamin rolled his eyes as he leaned down to allow the little Jedi onto his shoulder. "And whose fault is that?" he asked the Councilor.

"Slept too late, you did. Talk too much, you do," Yoda lamented from his perch. "Tried to get you to move faster I did, but listen, you do not."

"Of course, Master Yoda," Benjamin agreed as the pair was escorted out the door.

Padawan Ma'ta was poking curiously at her lunch, wondering exactly what it might have been in its pre-kitchen state when she noticed that the occupants of her table had become quiet. While silence might be a desirable thing given the conversations she usually had to endure, it was most definitely not a usual thing. She glanced up and noted that every single one of her companions was staring across the hall. When she glanced in that direction, she only saw a line of people moving in and out of the food queue.

"Who was that?" a low, breathy voice asked across the table. She barely recognized it as coming from Padawan Lorn.

"Blazes, I don't know but I really wanna find out," another padawan - Ma'ta recognized Kriza's voice - groaned beside her.

"Who was it?" Ma'ta asked, twisting around again to see what her companions were sighing over. "I didn't see anyone worth drooling over."

"He went into the kitchens, Ma'ta," Lorn sighed, his eyes glued on the doorway across the room. "He was beautiful!"

Ma'ta looked at Lorn in surprise. She'd grown up in the crèche with him and had yet to hear him use that word to describe anyone.

"Oh yes he certainly was," Padawan Akili agreed, her large black eyes watching the doorway carefully. "And he was carrying Master Yoda. I wonder if he's a knight. He wasn't dressed liked one."

"Maybe he's a new transfer!" Kriza squealed and clapped her hands. Ma'ta rolled her eyes. Kriza was so flighty.

"Stars, I hope so," Lorn sighed. "But why were those guards following him? Don't they belong to the Chancellor?"

Ma'ta was getting a little annoyed at not having seen the new arrival. She turned completely around and leaned back against the table. She certainly didn't want to miss when the man in question appeared again.

Just as she settled, another padawan hurried over and plopped down beside her, pushing Kriza aside.

"Did you see that new guy?" he asked, licking his lips and glancing across the room along with every other set of eyes in the dining hall. "The one with Yoda?"

"Yes! Do you know who he is, Hio?" Lorn asked hopefully.

Padawan Hio nodded excitedly. "You'll not believe this but he's a new languages teacher!" the young apprentice panted. "Atah just told me. Right before she left to go sign up for Yothan poetry."

"Yothan poetry?" Ma'ta asked in displeasure. "Why not Torture 101?"

"Because Master Lars won't be teaching that," Hio explained slowly with a sigh. "Much to everyone's disappointment."

"Master Lars?" Padawan Akili asked, hope shading her tones. "He's Jedi then?"

Hio perked up again. "Nope. Atah says civilian. Her master was wondering why Master Yoda recruited from the civilian sector and then he got the guy's dossier. He's a well-respected teacher but from some back woods planet in the Yliss sector. But get this..." the padawan actually stopped and sighed. "He's the Supreme Chancellor's new main squeeze."

"What?" The question was echoed from every voice at the table.

"That would explain the Chancellor's guards," another said faintly.

There was silence for a long moment and then a single question.

"You mean he's unavailable?" Kriza asked in a small voice.

Hio sighed heavily. "Yeah. Unless you wanna fight Qui-Gon Jinn for him."

Masters on the edges of the cafeteria wondered at the sudden feelings of deflated defeat they began to receive from the table full of padawans.

Then Hio perked up again. "But that doesn't mean we can't look!"

"Oh yeeeeeeeeah," Lorn sighed as he leaned forward along with every other padawan and knight in the room.

Ma'ta rolled her eyes again. Evidently, the wonder teacher had appeared again and as she turned to look, she caught an eyeful of a handsome, slender young man carrying Master Yoda on one shoulder and a trayful of food in his hands. Just behind him were two Republic guards in the dark blue uniform of the Chancellor's office. Absently, she wondered what the teacher was going to eat when she leaned forward and narrowed her senses on the new arrival. There was something very familiar about that handsome face.

Then her gray eyes widened and she blurted out, "Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

While her tone wasn't loud, it did attract attention in the unusually quiet room. What attracted even more notice was how the young man froze upon hearing the name, before he darted a look in her direction. He caught her gaze before he was beaned on the head with Master Yoda's stick.

"Ouch!" his tenor voice echoed across the room. "Damnit Yoda! Stop whacking me with that stick or you can get your own food!"

The entire room held its breath at the man's disrespectful tone to the revered Master. The little Jedi on his shoulder merely snorted.

"Stop gawking at the padawans, you will. To the table, we will go. Hungry, I am!"

The young man growled but started moving again, a final glance in Padawan Ma'ta's direction. Every ear stretched to hear his grumbling. "All you had to do was say go, Yoda. There was no need to make with the stick."

"Young you are," the master replied smugly. "Short is your attention span."

The words that followed were too low for most of the outlying diners to hear but those closest to him turned away almost immediately with rather flustered faces.

A moment later Master Lars had settled at a small table on the edge of the hall with his guards against the wall behind the table. Knight Bruck Chun and another civilian by the looks of her greeted him happily.

Ma'ta stared at him until her braid was jerked quite firmly. She yelped and turned her hard gaze on Hio. "What the hells was that for?" she demanded.

"What was that?" he demanded back at her. "What was with the Obi-Wan Kenobi thing?"

Ma'ta pulled her braid out of his fingers and inspected it for damage before she answered. She glanced around and then lowered her voice. Not that she thought it would do any good. Every Jedi in the vicinity was probably listening in on her conversation.

"You remember a few months back when the Chancellor was here with that mystery knight? The last Jedi we know he called to service?" she explained slowly. She got a few confused nods. "Remember when we asked Yoda who the knight was and if the Chancellor was happy with him? And Yoda said...."

"'Obi-Wan Kenobi was his name and return to the Temple he will not'," Lorn suddenly stated, his voice an uncanny echo of Master Yoda's.

Ma'ta nodded quickly. "Exactly! Well I saw the knight Jinn was with when he came back to the Temple that day. And I just know that guy..." she gestured in Benjamin's direction, "that guy is the same one!"

"And Atah said he was with the Chancellor," Hio added, glancing over at Ben's table. "Atah said that her master had heard he was Committed to Jinn!"

"Well he certainly looks like Obi-Wan," Kriza said, staring across the room dreamily. "Did you see those dimples when he smiled?"

"And he'd be about the right age," Hio pointed out.

"Didn't Master Yoda just arrive back in the temple yesterday?" Akili asked thoughtfully. "Atah said he dragged Bruck Chun out to some nowhere planet on a mission of all things and then showed up yesterday with some unknown...." her voice trailed off speculatively.

"You think he really is?" another padawan asked down the table. Ma'ta glanced down at him and then noted other heads close together, speculating, gossiping. Over and over, she heard snippets around her.

"They said he was Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

"He's not real," came the snorted reply.

"...Obi-Wan..."

"...say he's Obi-Wan..."

"...Obi-Wan Kenobi..."

Ma'ta sighed and then looked across the table at Lorn and raised her eyebrow. He slunk down in his seat and pouted.

"Again? Didn't we have to go ask the last time?"

Benjamin looked at the cafeteria behind him. Several Jedi glanced at him and then looked away quickly. He turned back to the small plate of fruit he'd been able to grab before Yoda began inhaling his lunch. He chewed on his lip for a moment.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said quietly as he glanced up at Vellen. She looked at him curiously.

"About what, Ben?" she asked. She had learned that Benjamin's instincts were very good when it came to avoiding trouble.

"About that padawan," he said as he fingered a piece of fruit. "I think...." He glanced over his shoulder again and then turned back, his shoulders a bit hunched. "Why are they all staring at me?" he asked quietly spooked.

"They aren't all staring at you, Benjamin," Vellen said comfortingly, reaching across the table to lay a hand on his wrist.

"No, Vel, they're staring at him," Bruck volunteered through his toast as he studied the room beyond. Then he jumped and yelped, before he turned to look at Vellen in surprise. "What?" he bleated.

"Staring at you, they are," Yoda suddenly added from his place. "Surprised, you should not be, Benjamin. Handsome, young man, you are. Not told you this, has Qui-Gon?" The Master's tone indicated a lack of brains would be Qui-Gon's only excuse for not informing Benjamin of this fact.

Benjamin blushed and then took a bite a fruit. After he swallowed, he cleared his throat. "Qui-Gon has mentioned that he likes my looks, Master. But that is no reason for a roomful of Jedi to be staring at me."

Bruck leaned on a shoulder and glanced sideways at Vellen before he ventured another opinion. "I don't know, Ben," he said slowly. "You do outshine most of the humans in the Order."

"I do not!" the writer immediately protested. He would have continued but Yoda suddenly directed his attention behind Benjamin's back and spoke.

"Questions, have you, young padawans?" the old master asked innocently and Ben turned to find two senior padawans standing just behind him, both eyeing him with what appeared to be hopeful worship. He recognized the girl as the one who had called out Obi-Wan's name.

"Yes, Master Yoda," the girl began hesitantly, her gray eyes wide as they flickered between Ben and Yoda. "We were wondering...about Master Lars."

Yoda's ears tipped up slightly, whether in approval or ambush, neither padawan wanted to guess. "Already know him, do you?"

"We heard his name mentioned," the young man said diplomatically. "And we were wondering...well, Padawan Ma'ta saw him with the Chancellor a few months ago in the gardens and we remembered who you said that knight was and we were wondering ifthiswasObiWanKenobi?" he rushed through the last part of the question and then bit his lip.

The question was the last bit of noise in the room for a full sixty seconds as Benjamin paled, Vellen gasped and Bruck choked on his toast.

Eventually, Master Yoda spoke and every ear listened. "Obi-Wan Kenobi this is not," the old master stated in no uncertain terms though his expression was rather cheerful.

"But master," Padawan Ma'ta dared to argue. "He looks just like the man I saw with the Supreme Chancellor."

Pale as he was, Benjamin turned to look at her, curious again about his counterpart who had prompted Qui-Gon to begin his search for Benjamin Lars. She was looking at him with a determined expression.

Yoda just sighed. "Correct you are," he began and Ma'ta chirped in astonishment. "And correct, you are not." The old Jedi leaned forward and caught Ben's wrist. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is not. Write Obi-Wan Kenobi, he does."

The statement hung there for only a few seconds before Benjamin shot to his feet. "Damn it, Yoda! I told you I didn't want anyone to know!"

Absently, in the far reaches of his mind, the young man found it quite amazing how far a single sentence could carry across a silent room. Slowly, he turned to look at the room behind him. The two padawans were eyeing him with something close to disbelief. Beyond them, so many jaws were hanging that Benjamin just closed his eyes. Then he slumped to his seat and dropped his head into his hands.

"I'm going home and you can explain to Qui-Gon why I left," he said miserably.

Behind him, a wave of astonished voices rose higher and higher and then crested across the room. After a few minutes, however, the noise lessened and became almost quiet again. Warily, the writer looked up and met his cousin's surprised gaze across the table.

"Ummm, it's all right now, Ben," she said carefully. "Most of them are gone."

Benjamin's eyebrows rose before he turned to look behind him again. The formerly filled-to-capacity cafeteria now held only a few older masters, all of whom looked rather confused.

The teacher turned back to meet Bruck's stoic gaze as the knight resumed his lunch. Obviously, he didn't see anything wrong with the disappearance of the lunchtime crowd.

Benjamin turned to glare at Yoda. "Why did you do that?" he asked, his tone equal parts angry and hurt. Yoda merely reached out to touch his wrist.

"Find out, they would, Benjamin Lars," he said calmly. "For the best, this is. Trust me, you should."

"But where did they go, Master Yoda?" Vellen asked the old master, making a mental note to never, ever do anything that would provoke Yoda's interest.

"Hummmm," Yoda replied, studying his gimer stick. "Suspect, I do, a rise in padawan interest in the language courses offered here at the Temple."

Beside him, Benjamin choked.

"Now, things there are for me to see to," the little master stated as he rapped his stick on the table for attention. "Knight Chun?" The white-haired knight straightened and gave the master Jedi his best 'I'm paying attention' look. "Liaison you will be to Master Lars for the next week. If questions he has, answers you will provide."

"Yes, Master Yoda," the knight agreed with a nod, hiding his surprise at such an easy assignment. New knights were seldom found within the Temple walls for at least a year after their braid was cut.

"Tour of the Temple, you will provide after lunch. Take him to see Master Windu, you will. Plenty to talk about, have they."

Bruck tried not to snicker at that particular statement considering Master Windu had been Qui-Gon Jinn's Jedi of choice until she'd had to retire.

"Master Lars?" Yoda asked sharply.

"Master Yoda?"

"A week you have before your classes begin," the Jedi said. "Settle into your classroom you will, prepare for your students. High expectations there are for you here."

"I will be ready, Master Yoda," Ben said firmly.

Yoda eyed him for a long moment before he finally nodded. Then he turned his attention to Vellen.

"Syn Lars," the little master said and Vellen started in surprise. She looked at him warily.

"Yes, Master Yoda?"

"Comfortable in the Temple, were you last night?" he asked innocently and she suddenly found herself blushing. She definitely was not looking at Bruck.

"Of course, Master Yoda, thank you for asking," she said gracefully, ignoring the growing smirk on her cousin's face.

"Good, good," Yoda nodded. "Understand, I do, that you will be removing to the Jinn estate this evening with Benjamin." At her hesitant nod, he smiled. "Welcome you are at the temple, Syn Lars. Keep Knight Chun and Master Lars in line, you will, yes?"

She stared at Yoda for a long moment before she slowly grinned. "You didn't even have to ask, Master Yoda, I would be happy to," she replied, beaming across the table. Beside her, Bruck looked a bit wary while, across the table, Benjamin sighed forlornly.

"I should just go back to bed," he muttered. "Actually, I shouldn't have gotten out of bed."

"And this is the Healers' wing," Bruck said as they moved into an open, sunny section of the Temple followed by Ben's two silent bodyguards.

"Thank the stars," Benjamin wheezed as he struggled not to blush himself into unconsciousness. "Because I think I'm about to go into cardiac arrest."

Knight Chun looked a bit concerned at the color currently filling the writer's face. When he glanced at Vellen, however, she was merely grinning at her cousin.

"That last class a bit much for you, Ben?" she asked, oozing sympathy. Benjamin glared at her and shuddered.

"How could they...I mean...right out in front of everyone...in the middle of the class..." he stammered and Bruck looked even more confused.

"That was a Physics and Advanced Methods of Fellatio class," he explained as he turned to guide the two civilians and their guards deeper into the healers' wing. Perhaps Master Lars really needed a healer. "Only very advanced senior padawans get to take that class."

Ben suddenly looked at him with a horrified look on his face as he stopped in his tracks.

"Physics and Advanced Methods of Fellatio?" he squeaked. Bruck nodded as the writer started wheezing again. "That little green troll wanted me to teach that?"

Bruck's eyes lit up. "That would be an excellent assignment, Ben!" he enthused. "You'd have so much to add to their curriculum! Some of the techniques you used in your fourth book have already been added..." Knight Chun glanced up to find Ben glaring at him and he hastily added "...with express permission from your publishing house, of course."

The writer took a deep breath and concentrated on not expiring of embarrassment on the spot. "Knight Chun," he finally said quietly. "I will not be teaching sex classes. Ever," he stated. He held up his hand when Bruck looked like he would object. "The end."

Vellen chuckled at Ben's last words. "I wouldn't pursue the subject any further Bruck," she said as she reached out to take the knight's arm and resumed their strolling tour. She smiled up at him prettily. "He only uses 'The End' when he's prepared to shoot the next person who asks a question."

Benjamin snorted as he walked beside Vellen. He was still trying to get the images out of his mind of those senior padawans all trying their very best to make their partner scream first. And what made it infinitely worse was that he already knew how he was going to work that scene into his next book.

"Knight Kenobi?" a startled voice jerked Ben out of his literary contemplation and he looked over to meet the wide dark eyes of a handsome bald woman. She was looking at him with a surprised expression from her seat in a hoverchair that floated towards them. Beside her walked a large Calamarian padawan with silver eyes and the seashell necklace of a senior Jedi apprentice. "You are returned?"

For a moment, Ben was too stunned to reply and Knight Chun stepped forward with a bow. "No, Master Windu, this is Master Benjamin Lars," he stated. "The new language teacher Master Yoda has recruited for the Temple."

Benjamin gave the women a brief nod and a somewhat strained smile. During his time as a Senate page, he had heard of Master Mirra Windu who had, at that point, been the only Jedi who had consistently satisfied the Chancellor. He couldn't help the jealousy that surged through him at the thought of this woman with his Qui-Gon.

"Benjamin Lars? Chancellor Jinn's new Consort if rumors are to be believed," Master Windu stated with a growing smile. Her eyes darted over Benjamin with an almost disbelieving expression. "I can't believe he actually found you! That is wonderful!"

While that statement somewhat confused Vellen and Bruck, Benjamin tilted his head slightly, allowing his smile to curl into something more natural. This woman must have seen Obi-Wan when he was here and knew Qui-Gon had come looking for his counterpart. And she didn't seem to carry a torch for the Chancellor either, which was even better.

"Allow me to introduce my padawan..." her words cut off with a slight grimace as she glanced apologetically up at the calamarian beside her, "or rather my former padawan, Bant."

"You are still Master in my hearts, Master," the Calamarian said quietly before she turned to give the newcomers a bow. "Welcome to the Temple, Master Lars," she said, eyeing Vellen and Bruck standing close together. "Keeping out of trouble, Bruck?" she inquired slyly.

"Trying too, Bant," the white-haired knight replied with a wink. "Though I haven't been having much success lately."

Bant looked at him, her silver eyes amused. "It's the Knighthood. Trouble and Knighthood go hand in hand."

"So I understand," Knight Chun chuckled.

Mirra reached out to take one of Bant's hands. "Bant, my dear, why don't you catch up with Bruck and...." the Jedi master looked pointedly towards Vellen and Bruck blushed slightly.

"Vellen Lars, Master," he said taking her hand. "She is Benjamin's cousin."

"Welcome Vellen," Mirra said with a smile. "Bruck and Vellen then. I would like to speak with Master Lars, if he wouldn't mind."

"Not at all, Master Windu," Ben replied with a nod before he glanced over at the tall Calamarian. She did not look happy with her former master's request though her expression of anger was quickly hidden. She bowed to Master Windu with a serene expression.

"May I come back and visit with you after dinner, Master?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"You know you are always welcome, my Bantling," Mirra said as she squeezed the padawan's hand. "You brighten an otherwise boring day."

Bant squeezed her hand back and the stepped towards Bruck. "Until tonight, then, Master," she said.

"Benjamin, I think Master Yoda mentioned that your transport will arrive in about an hour to take you to the Senate," Bruck said. "I'll be back for you around then."

The writer nodded and stepped forward to pace beside Master Windu's hoverchair as she turned to move back into the healer's wing. Behind them still paced Benjamin's bodyguards. Mirra eyed them and then turned to her companion.

"Qui-Gon is taking no chances with you, I see," she began with a low chuckle.

"No," Ben replied with a sigh. "I've already been informed to go nowhere without them."

"See that you don't, young man," the Jedi master stated, looking at him seriously. "I don't want Qui-Gon to lose what he worked so hard to find."

Benjamin walked along quietly for a moment before he spoke again. "You met Obi-Wan?" he finally asked and Mirra looked up at him with a smile.

"I did. You look amazingly like him." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then grinned. "Or did he look amazingly like you?"

"Will you tell me about him, Master Windu?" Ben asked. "Qui-Gon told me about meeting him and Master Yoda told me some of his thoughts. Will you tell me yours?"

"Of course," she said as they moved out onto a balcony. She directed her hoverchair to a particular spot and then waved Ben to a nearby chair. "And please call me Mirra."

"I'm Ben," he replied with a grin and the Jedi beside him blinked.

"Oh, you do look like him when you grin," she said with a laugh. "And he was curious too. Yoda was sending him to Qui-Gon in hopes that Obi-Wan would satisfy him and Knight Kenobi wanted to be as prepared as possible. In his reality, the Jedi didn't serve the same purpose in the Senate as we do here."

Benjamin leaned forward, fascinated with Mirra's tale. "So what did they do?"

"His order was very similar to ours but they did not serve as the Senate's bordello at all. Knight Kenobi was very surprised at that." Mirra chuckled. "Apparently, their skills lay in negotiation, troubleshooting, and field work... without the sex."

Benjamin looked curious. "But what did the Senate do for relief?"

"I can only imagine that they were very frustrated politicians and were probably even more irascible and irritating than they are here." The Jedi master leaned back in her chair. "But Knight Kenobi had been to many realities before this one. And he said every one was different. He said there was one that actually forbade sex completely."

Benjamin blinked. "That's inhumane," he whispered, appalled.

"Yes it was," Mirra stated. "I understand that the Force sent him there to correct the situation."

"Did he tell you of any of the other...realities that he had been to?" the writer asked, intensely curious about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Oh yes," Master Windu nodded and then spent the next several minutes entertaining her guest with stories that Knight Kenobi had traded her for information on Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Qui-Gon as a woman?" Benjamin bleated in disbelief.

"And Obi-Wan as well," Mirra laughed at his expression. "Apparently, while he and his master never had sex in his reality, Obi-Wan sampled Master Jinn's delights in others."

"But...but..." Even the writer, used to flights of the imagination, was having trouble picturing Qui-Gon Jinn as a woman. He finally leaned back into his chair and chuckled. "I wish I could have spoken with Knight Kenobi. Think of the stories I could get from him, the novels I could write!"

"You are a writer, Ben?" Mirra asked and the younger man looked up at her in astonishment.

"You haven't heard?" he asked, surprised. "After Yoda's pronouncement in the dining hall, I would think the whole Temple knew," he grumbled.

"Knew what?" The master's gentle alto was getting curious. Benjamin chewed on his lower lip as he glanced up at her.

"Ahhh, well, I do write...ummm, novels, action/adventure sorts of stories," he stammered, glancing anywhere but at the interested Jedi master beside him.

"You have published novels?" Master Windu asked in delight.

"But you probably haven't read them."

"You never know, I might have," Mirra replied, wondering at Ben's sudden nervousness. "What have you written?"

Ben sighed. He obviously wasn't going to get out of this. "I've written a series of novels. They're called the Jedi Action Hero series." He waited for the gushing to begin.

"You wrote about the Jedi?" Mirra asked in surprise.

The writer looked at the woman with wide eyes. "You haven't read them?" he asked, almost shocked.

"No." Master Windu looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry I haven't. I think I've heard other Jedi here mention them though. I've just never gotten around to reading them." She gave him an encouraging smile. "What are they about?"

Ben looked at her and then started to laugh, mainly at himself. "You really won't believe this but they're about the adventures of a Jedi apprentice named Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Master Mirra Windu stared at him for a full minute, her face serene as she waited for him to say it was a joke. Finally, she realized it wasn't. "You're not joking."

"No ma'am," he replied politely.

"You've written and published a series of stories about Knight Kenobi?"

"I don't know how closely they follow the Knight Kenobi you met but yes, I've written five of them."

"Five?" Mirra almost squeaked but Jedi masters don't do that sort of thing. She cleared her throat before continuing. "So you've been writing them for a while."

Ben nodded. "The first was published about three years ago."

Mirra Windu sat back and studied her companion. Then she shook her head slowly.

"Benjamin, it is at times like these that I truly believe, despite what Jedi philosophers might say to the contrary, that the Force has a wicked, twisted sense of humor and I wouldn't at all be surprised to find Yoda behind everything."

Benjamin laughed outright at her words. "I have to agree with you, Master Windu." His chuckles leveled off and he glanced up at her with a questioning gaze. "Would you mind if I asked you a few questions now?"

"Not at all, Ben."

"Why is Bant no longer your padawan?" he asked, hoping the question wouldn't bother the woman.

"I cannot exactly train her to work in the field if I cannot go there myself," Master Windu replied, seemingly unaffected by the question. She did sigh, however. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done, breaking that training bond with her," she murmured softly. "But she needed to bond with her new master and I needed to let her."

The writer was silent for a moment, staring out at the gardens. He didn't want to ask the next question but something was prodding him. "What happened to you?" he finally inquired. "I have heard it was something Chancellor Jinn did."

Mirra looked at him intently. "Do you believe that?"

"No," he replied without hesitation, "but many people do. Qui-Gon would never hurt someone he cared for and from all that I have heard, he seems to care for you."

That reminiscent smile touched Mirra's lips again and she sighed. "I was with Qui-Gon the night this happened," she said softly, "but it wasn't caused by anything we might have done together." Mirra met and held Ben's eyes as she continued. "We were attacked as I was taking my leave of him late one evening. I moved between him and the assassin and took the blast that would have killed him."

Benjamin found he had stopped breathing when he suddenly had to take a deep breath of air. He felt his fingers being squeezed and he looked down to find his hand in Master Windu's.

"It will be hard to think of your husband as a target because of his office but that is expected of one who holds the Supreme Chancellorship. Consider that it will be twice as difficult for Qui-Gon to know that you are a target only because he loves you."

The teacher gently squeezed her hand back as he tried to calm his breathing. "Thank you for saving him, Master Windu," he finally said softly. "I don't know how I would have lived without him."

"Knight Kenobi refused to live without him, which is how I came to meet the knight," Mirra said with a fond smile. "And that is how Chancellor Jinn happened to come in search of one Benjamin Lars."

"Which brings us back to your belief about the Force, I think," Ben noted with a quick grin.

"Indeed," Mirra agreed. She leaned forward and steepled her fingers as she studied him. "Are there any other questions you wanted answered, Ben?" she asked, one hairless eyebrow rising.

The writer fidgeted a moment before he nodded. "You know I was a Senate page for about six months and spent quite a bit of time with the padawan cadre since Owen was a senior padawan then."

"I did not know that but please continue."

"Yes, well...there was one rumor that went around the padawan's cadre," Benjamin began in a hesitant tone. "They said you visited Chancellor Jinn one night and he went around for the entire next morning with a glazed expression on his face. They say he ran into a wall at one point. The padawans were trying to find out what you did."

"Ah yesssss." Master Mirra Windu's chuckle had decidedly evil overtones. She looked at him with something of a feral gaze. "Well, my young apprentice," she began, "it involved a large amount of Ismin honey, some abinstin spice, a leather collar, a bijmarian vibrating cock ring and the Chancellor's office desk." Mirra gave a long, sated sigh. "He had to relocate to another office while his was redecorated and a new desk was brought in."

Benjamin got out his comp pad and began to take notes.

"Fifteen minutes until the Chancellor arrives, Master Lars," Lt. Jopik said as he approached Master Windu and his rapt audience of one. The bodyguard had found the topic of conversation between the two quite...intriguing as well as highly enlightening. He'd never thought some of the things the Jedi master was outlining for Master Lars even to be possible much less practiced everyday by the Jedi Order. He decided that his assignment might not be quite the trial he had dreaded when Commander Sarin assigned him to the Consort's protection. And his lover would probably be very happy.

Benjamin glanced up at the man and nodded before he turned his attention back to Master Windu. He had one last question to ask before he left. He had every intention of returning as Mirra Windu wasn't a Jedi Master without reason and she had an enormous amount of information about the Order and its practices. But there was one thing he wanted to know.

"Master Windu," he began almost hesitantly. He looked at the handsome woman seated so comfortably in the floating chair beside him. "Does it bother you that I am with Qui-Gon?"

"No, Benjamin, It does not," she responded without hesitation. "While we do become fond of and affectionate with our charges, Jedi rarely form serious bonds with those whom we serve." She looked thoughtfully out into the gardens. "Perhaps if I had met him outside the service of the Jedi, I might have loved him...I probably would have loved him." There was silence for a moment before Mirra turned her dark eyes back to Benjamin. "But that is a path for another lifetime. After the first time I was called to his service, there was no possibility of me even considering him anything other than a good friend, an affectionate lover, and a very good lay."

Ben blinked at her before he blushed and then made a few final notes on his comp pad. "Would you mind if I used some of the things you have told me in my next book?" he asked as he stood. "There would be no mention of names but what you have told me has given me some excellent ideas."

"I would be delighted to know I have contributed to your novel, Benjamin," she said with a smile. "Please come by anytime you'd like more stories."

He gave the woman a brief bow. "Until next time, then," he said and moved to join his bodyguards.

"Don't forget the honey, Ben," she called the reminder just as Bruck and Vellen rounded a corner in front of them. "That's the most important part!"

Bruck and Vellen stopped in their tracks as Ben grinned and turned with a final wave at the Jedi master. "Thank you, Master Windu," he said in farewell as he walked to meet his cousin and her escort.

Vellen gave him a long look and then smiled suddenly. "Sooooo, what's the honey for?" she asked prettily. Bruck just raised an eyebrow.

"She was just telling me some things," Ben muttered as he walked past the pair.

"Things?" Vellen asked as she and Knight Chun dropped into step on either side of him. "What kinds of things?"

"Oh, this and that," the teacher replied before he turned to look her in the eyes. "And what did you and Knight Chun do to keep yourselves busy?" he asked archly. This time it was Vellen's turn to blush though she didn't quite reach the intensity that Benjamin just had.

"He gave me a tour of the classrooms," she replied with a grin and a wink. "Quite illuminating. I'd suggest you do the same but I think the Chancellor might disapprove."

"Oh?" Nothing could have perked Ben's curiosity more.

"I don't know, Vellen," Bruck stated with a smirk. "The Chancellor has always been a great supporter of education."

The writer looked at Bruck with a thoughtful gaze.

"Education is one thing, Knight Chun," the blonde replied. "Voyeurism is quite something else."

"Oh." Benjamin turned back to studying the hallways before them, firmly pushing the subject from his mind. He was still working to get that last classroom visit out of his mind. "Isn't Qui-Gon's shuttle due in a few minutes?"

"They are loading your and Syn Lars' carrybags as we speak. We should be there in a few minutes," Bruck replied with a regretful glance at Vellen. "The pilot is almost ready to leave for the Senate Building."

Benjamin noted Bruck's glance at his cousin with a grin. "So, you will be my liaison this week, Bruck?"

The white-haired knight nodded. "I'm sure Vellen will want to come back and explore the Temple."

Vellen grinned. "We'll see. I do have a lot of shopping to do while I'm here."

"Don't forget to pick up your bodyguard at the door then, Vel," Ben said with a certain smugness as his cousin gaped at him.

"Bodyguard?" she said at the same time Knight Chun asked, "What bodyguard?"

"Didn't I mention that?" the writer asked as they approached the doorway which led to the docking bay where the Chancellor's shuttle waited. Lt. Jopik moved ahead of his charge while Lt. Tarnomi moved to stand closer behind them.

"No you didn't mention that," Vellen replied, looking a little less sure of herself.

"I was told this morning that whenever you're on Coruscant, you'll be provided with a bodyguard." Ben grinned at her with just a touch of mischief as they moved through the doorway and four additional guards waiting for them snapped to attention. Vellen stared at them.

"But-but-" the blonde spluttered as they were guided towards a waiting shuttle.

"It's for your safety, Vel," Ben said with mock sincerity. "And you can blame Commander Sarin if you like. He'd be the one you need to speak with about this."

"I most certainly will!" she grated as she stamped up the ramp and into the shuttle. Benjamin heard the words 'stupid Zabrak' floating behind her as she disappeared. Then he turned to Bruck with a snicker.

"So I'll meet you here in the morning?" he asked.

Bruck laughed at his expression. "You know she'll make you regret that, don't you?"

"It's not my fault," the teacher said.

"What has that ever mattered to a female?" the knight asked with a final brief bow. "Until tomorrow, Syr Lars."

Then the knight was gone. Benjamin shook his head and walked up the ramp and into the shuttle.

Chancellor Jinn tried not to look as if he were hurrying. He tried to remain calm and stately as he made his dignified way to the docking bay where his shuttle waited. But he had decided if one more senator tried to catch him for 'just a small conversation' he was going to have his Primary shoot the being on the spot.

Beside him, he heard Commander Sarin chuckle. "Stop scowling, Excellency," he murmured in a low, amused tone. "We're almost there."

"Do you have a blaster on you, Khamier?" Qui-Gon asked calmly.

"Of course, but I can't shoot senators unless they try to kill you."

"Damn it."

Khamier growled under his breath and motioned for the escort of guards to spread out and not allow anyone to approach the Chancellor lest Qui-Gon request a blaster be used on the senators. Qui-Gon saw why his Primary had growled as he noted the crowd of people standing casually at the docking point, obviously hoping to catch a glimpse of the Chancellor's Consort-to-be. Commander Sarin actually heard his employer grind his teeth.

The elite guardsmen effortlessly cleared a wide path for their charge. Qui-Gon ignored outright cries for attention as he moved purposefully through the doorway leading to the outside of the building where his shuttle hovered with its attendant armed escorts.

A few moments later he was striding into his ship, willing the doors to snap closed behind him. Just as they did, a lean form knocked into him, pushing him back against the closed doors and they exchanged a long deep kiss.

Benjamin leaned back with a grin. "I missed you this morning," he said in a low tone that sent shivers down Qui-Gon's back. The Chancellor tightened his arms around his lover and pulled him close.

"I missed being there this morning," he murmured back as he nibbled on Ben's ear. "Come and sit down with me. I want to kiss you the entire way home."

Benjamin drew back with a frown. "Vellen's back there. You can't kiss me in front of Vellen! I'd never hear the end of it!"

Qui-Gon looked down at his affronted Consort-to-be and a slight smile graced his lips. Then he leaned down and kissed his lover gently. "Is snuggling allowed?" he asked, hoping that no one in the Republic ever heard that he had asked that question. But being close to his young lover was an imperative at this point and he would take what he could get.

Benjamin beamed up at him before he took his lover's hand and walked back to the main cabin. Their fingers tangled and Qui-Gon's thumb rubbed gently against Ben's sensitive palm.

They found Vellen looking around the luxurious shuttle with wide eyes which widened even more when the Supreme Chancellor entered the area. Despite the fact that she'd been raised among the richest and most noble families on her home planet, she was still uncertain as to how she should act when in the Chancellor's company. On the one hand, he was Ben's chosen and deserving of being teased along with her cousin. On the other hand, the man was the freakin' Supreme Chancellor. She could be banished to the wilds of Avada if her mother ever found out she'd been less than cordial at all times. It was quite a conundrum.

"Vellen," Qui-Gon greeted her with a gentle smile as he seated himself on the comfortable couch across from her chair next to a view port and then pulled Benjamin down beside him. "It is good to see you again."

"And you, sir," she said respectfully and Benjamin snickered.

"Aunt Anis had a 'talk' with you before we left, didn't she?" he asked, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. She shot him a glare before she pouted. Qui-Gon just looked between the pair with a curious gaze.

"Aunt Anis?" he asked.

"Vellen's mom," Ben explained with glee. "Sometimes, Vellen can be less than properly respectful when it comes to...." His voice trailed off. He had been about to say 'when it comes to people I'm dating' but he wasn't certain he wanted to bring up his former flames around Qui-Gon. "...my friends," he finished lamely.

Qui-Gon just raised an eyebrow.

Vellen's pout turned into a sweet smile. "But Ben, you know I'm always perfectly cordial to your friends," she stated, fluttering her eyelashes.

The Chancellor chuckled and drew Benjamin closer to his side. "Please feel free to treat me as you would any of Benjamin's friends, Vellen," he said with a smile. "You are, after all, like a sister to him and I expect we'll see you often. You are always welcome to stay at my estate when you are here."

The young woman gave him a brilliant and sincere smile. One of her worries with Benjamin's choice was that she would not see him very much. At least this way, she would get to spend time with him when she was around. "Thank you, sir."

"And please call me Qui-Gon," the man continued as he leaned back into the comfort of the couch. "I get enough 'sir's' and 'excellency's' at the Senate."

Vellen nodded but Ben sighed long and loud. "Qui-Gon, if you let her get too familiar, she'll start trying to pick out your breakfast foods."

"I will not," his cousin denied hotly. "Besides, I only do that for you when you're in writing mode. You hardly think to eat at all then."

"I eat just fine," the teacher replied.

"Certainly, if you consider choco-nut bars and cav a nutritious meal," Vellen said.

"It keeps me going," Benjamin defended his food choices. "At least until I get to the end of the chapter."

"Yes and then you crash like a first-time pod racer."

The pair glared at each other. This was obviously an old argument but Qui-Gon felt the need to intervene in the interest of peace. "I don't think you need to worry about Ben's eating habits, Vellen. My chef takes it personally if anything comes back to the kitchen. If everything isn't eaten, he comes out to find out why."

Vellen looked surprised and then she chuckled wickedly as her gaze slid to her cousin. Benjamin almost pouted at that but caught himself just in time. Then another thought occurred to him and he turned to his lover with an expression that was sliding into worry.

"Qui-Gon," he began almost hesitantly. The Chancellor looked down at his companion with concern. "We haven't really discussed this but...would it be a bad thing if it got out that I write the Obi-Wan novels?"

"I don't think so," the big man replied slowly, thinking of his earlier conversation with Khamier. "Why do you ask?"

Benjamin grimaced as Vellen sighed loudly. "Master Yoda saw fit to inform some curious padawans of my identity while we were in the dining hall. I'm sure the entire Order probably knows by now which means the media won't be far behind."

Qui-Gon felt a flare of anger at the interfering little gnome and then took a long, silent breath. "It won't be a problem, Ben," the man finally said as he curled his arm over his lover's shoulders. "But we do want to act before this gets publicized. I'll just give my Public Relations manager a call when we get home."

"Do you suppose you could have him call my publisher?" the younger man asked thoughtfully. "I think Oyarra will need to know I'm about to go public." Benjamin frowned at the thought. His anonymity had protected him for so long that now he wasn't thrilled with the idea that mothers of young children would look at him and know what kind of action smut he wrote. Even he was embarrassed sometimes at what bubbled up from the bottom of his imagination.

He was drawn out of his reverie by his cousin's wicked chuckles. The Chancellor looked at her with an inquiring gaze while Ben just glared.

"What?" he demanded.

Vellen grinned. "I was just thinking of all the young men and women who will be excited to find out who you are and then be so disappointed to find out that not only are you taken, but you're taken by the Supreme Chancellor. Anyone else and your fans wouldn't care to whom you're Committed; they'd try to lure you away anyway. But no one will mess with Qui-Gon Jinn."

The two men stared at Vellen who continued to chuckle wickedly.

"That is a comfort to know, Vellen," Qui-Gon finally replied.

Ben just glared at his cousin. He would have added a comment but the group was approached by one of the security team.

"We are approaching Elysèun, your Excellency," he said quietly. We should be landing within a few minutes.

Qui-Gon nodded his understanding and turned back to find his lover looking at him with a raised brow.

"Fastness of Heaven is the name of your estate?" he asked with a grin. He actually got to see the Supreme Chancellor looking sheepish.

"I'm not to blame for my ancestor's pomposity," Qui-Gon stated firmly. He glanced sideways at his lover. "He named it after the mythical dwelling of the gods of our homeworld."

"Not one to aim low, hum?" Vellen asked with amusement. "Why don't you just change it if you don't like it?"

Qui-Gon's eyes widened at her unenlightened words. "And admit that El-Rond Jinn was wrong to name and dedicate our House's primary outworld estate to the gods he still worshipped at the time?" The man shook his head. "My sister would kill me no matter what Khamier did to prevent it."

Benjamin raised an inquiring eyebrow. The Chancellor gave him a reassuring look.

"Don't worry. Mari-Gon isn't in residence right now," he said as he spared a moment's guilt for not calling his sister yet again. "And when she is, she usually stakes out the west wings. Unless I actually go looking for her, our paths rarely cross."

Benjamin and Vellen exchanged a curious look.

"The western wings?" Vellen asked.

Qui-Gon looked at the pair as he felt the shuttle settling into the private docking bay of his estate. Then he extended his hand to Benjamin, who quickly took it and twined his fingers with his lover's. Then the Chancellor held out his arm for Vellen. She gingerly settled her hand in the crook of his elbow and the tall man escorted both out of the shuttle and into the docking bay.

"This moon was terraformed many centuries ago," Qui-Gon said as they moved towards the doors leading to the outside. "My family was among the first to offer financing for that project and was able to purchase a large tract of land here. So, my ancestor decided to build an estate because our family was already incessantly involved with the Republic's politics. He built Elysèun."

The trio moved through the docking bay doors with their escort and was hit with a wave of warm fresh air. Benjamin smiled automatically, happy to feel sunlight and the warmth of the air against his skin again. Before them stretched open meadows in every direction dotted with low buildings connected by sidewalks. There were only a few hovercrafts that Ben could see but there seemed to be a lot of people walking from building to building.

Beyond what seemed to be the large cluster of buildings another structure rose above the horizon, flowing with graceful arches and windows with columns marching along its front. It seemed to glimmer almost silver in the light of the setting sun.

Benjamin stared at it for a long moment before he turned to his lover. He found Qui-Gon's blue eyes watching him carefully.

"Is that..." his words trailed off as Qui-Gon nodded.

"That's Elysèun," the Chancellor replied.

There was silence before Vellen snickered. "I bet your homeworld gods were pissed when they took a good look at this place."

The Chancellor looked at her curiously. "How so?"

"Well this probably made their own 'Fastness of Heaven' look like a dump."

Qui-Gon looked at her for a long moment and then laughed. "Vellen, that has to be the best compliment Elysèun has ever gotten."

She beamed up at him. "So, does it come with a map?"