Master Apprentice Archive Death Dare Not Part Quick search:

Death Dare Not Part

by Susan Anthony (LdyGossamer@aol.com)

Pairing: X/O pre-slash

Archive: MA, XEB, my site at http://www.geocities.com/area51/keep/8613/artists.html

Category: AU, Angst, Drama, Pre-Slash

Rating: R

Spoilers: None, pays absolutely no attention to canon

Series: Bonds and Vows

Sequel: For the Best, For the Worst, In Darkness, In Light

Summary: Confrontation

Feedback: Very welcome.

Warnings: M/M relationships. This is a very different AU. This section is a little more violent. Character deaths.

Notes: You may be a bit lost if you haven't read the preceding parts of this series, For the Best, For the Worst, In Darkness, In Light all found on the MA site or my own page.

More Notes: Also, thanks to Mighty Maig for her very patient beta!

The halls of the Senate building were unusually sparse of beings for so late in the afternoon. Mace glanced around from beneath his hood and absently wondered why there were not more senators about.

"Let out early, the Senate has, in remembrance of the Yulathin tragedy," Yoda murmured from his place just to the right and slightly ahead of Master Windu. Mace glanced down at the small Jedi, who was seated casually in the hoverchair provided by the Chancellor whenever the Head of the Jedi Council was in the building. If Windu wasn't completely certain that the little troll could not read his mind, he might worry at how similarly their thoughts ran.

"It was a tragedy, was it not?" Adi asked from just behind Mace. "To lose so many senators at one time is almost frightening. Senators Antilles and Palpatine especially will be difficult to replace."

Windu glanced back briefly at the slender councilor, his eyes neutral. "And let us not forget the thousands of civil sentients who were also killed when the Yulath Peace tower collapsed so unexpectedly."

Master Gallia glanced away, her expression frozen. She had, after all, had family in the diplomatic Tower. "Indeed, we should not forget them," she murmured softly.

"But, as ever, the Senate will survive," Mace noted before he returned his attention to their destination. The Chancellor's offices were at the center of the huge Senate building and were always a trial to get to - not that he'd had to pass this way very often.

The Chancellor and the Senate had had little control over the Jedi Council in the past except to offer assignments for the Jedi that would benefit them both. That had changed of late, however, as more and more assignments given to the Temple had failed and the beings and planets involved were demanding to know why.

Now, the Council had been called to the Senate to account for the failures of their knights and the Council had no choice but to comply. A great deal of funding came directly to the Temple from the Senate and that was being threatened by Senators who were asking why they should fund an Order that was now showing more failures than successes on critical assignments.

So Yoda had agreed to meet with the Chancellor. The old master had chosen five other members of the Council to attend the meeting with him. Along with Mace, Yoda had asked Masters Gallia, Poof, Koon and Tiin to accompany him to the Senate. None of the Jedi Masters had had much to say about the Chancellor's veiled demand for their presence but Mace thought that his master was influencing most of Council in their opinions that the Republic had no business demanding anything of the Jedi.

Mace slanted a glance down at the small being hovering just beside him and wondered if Yoda realized just how many failures there had been before the Chancellor took notice. He had suggested to his master that surely the perceptive little being had to see what was going on beneath his very snout. His master had laughed, an ugly mocking sound, and replied that Yoda had been looking at the glory of the galaxy far too long to see individual stars being snuffed out.

His master's words had rankled deeply coming as they had on the heels of his former padawan's death. Light eyes had dared him to comment on his own student's life being snuffed out. His master had never cared for Porim but Mace had loved the young man. Qui-Gon would pay dearly for that bit of business.

Windu was already planning his revenge. Tradus may not ever have been a famous Jedi or even in the top percentile of students but the boy he'd apprenticed had possessed an open heart and a sweet smile. He had been devoted to Mace and the dark-skinned man had used and twisted that to his own ends - or rather to his master's ends. If only he had not allowed that to happen, had remained strong and in the Light, his lad might still be standing beside him, giving him that sweet, innocent grin.

A bolt of pain shot through the Jedi, bringing his attention back to the hallways of the Senate. Physically, however, he barely acknowledged the pain, having grown used to it years ago.

*Stop sniveling over the boy,* the sharp voice of his master grated into his mind. *He failed in the one task assigned to him. He doesn't deserve vengeance. Now keep your mind on the task at hand!*

*As you say, Master,* Mace replied through the hated link his master had forged years ago.

The tall Councilor continued on, walking slightly behind Master Yoda as they approached the main doors leading to the Chancellor's offices. The traditional blue-garbed guards were in place to either side of the entrance but they nodded respectfully as the doors opened to admit the Jedi Council.

*Be on your guard, apprentice,* the words growled in his mind. *I sense things are not as they seem here.*

Mace didn't respond as the group moved into the large reception area leading to Valorum's private office. There were more guards here but that was to be expected. The Supreme Chancellor was always well guarded and this one took rather extreme measures, which was the reason he had lasted longer than the last being who had held his office. Mace's master had been disappointed more than once when handpicked assassins failed to take out the cunning Chancellor.

An attendant stood as the group entered and bowed when they reached him. "His Excellency is expecting you," the man stated in a low tone as he touched a few buttons on his desk.

The doors to the Chancellor's office opened and Yoda gave the attendant a nod before directing his hoverchair into the office, followed sedately by the rest of the Jedi Council. Mace watched with an inner snarl as the Head Councilor maneuvered his chair into a space obviously left in the center of several chairs that ranged in a half-circle before the Chancellor's desk.

So Valorum was calling them to task like unruly children, was he? Mace looked forward to the time when his master's plan reached fruition and neither the Senate - nor the Supreme Chancellor - would have a place in the shattered chaos that had once been the Republic.

He kept his thoughts strictly behind formidable shields, however, as he settled into his own seat just to the left of Yoda. At the moment, his shields were the extent of his abilities since the Chancellor's office was filled with devices to negate any sort of mental aggression that might allow harm. It was only because of the respect currently accorded the Jedi Council that they were not compelled to wear Force-dampening collars. Valorum, however, made certain that the Jedi were not allowed to carry their sabers with them, and those had been turned over to his assistants upon their arrival at the Senate Building.

The Jedi were given a minute or so to settle before another door opened across the room and several of the Chancellor's guards appeared, followed by Valorum himself. The human made his way confidently across the room and settled behind his desk. His cunning blue eyes swept over the assembled Jedi, noting that none did more than nod at him in a semblance of respect, something he had grown used to during his time wearing the Chancellor's mantle.

In the continuing silence, Valorum leaned back. "Thank you for coming, revered Jedi," he said, turning his gaze squarely on Yoda. "I understand you rarely leave your halls as a group but there are issues the Council as a whole needs to address for the Senate."

"Understand your reasoning, we do," Master Yoda replied with a nod. "Address your concerns, we will."

Valorum nodded. "Over the past three years, we have noticed a steady decline in the successful performance of Jedi knights and negotiators in the field. While occasional failure is expected, the number of failures has reached a point where it cannot be allowed to continue." The Supreme Chancellor laid his hands carefully on his desk, one on top of the other as he leaned forward.

"It has been brought to my attention by concerned parties that there was an event at the Temple that seems to have triggered the downward spiral of mission successes. Before this event, there was something of a problem already - but afterwards there is a noticeable downturn in the success rate of the Jedi." The Chancellor's blue gaze moved over each Councilor in turn before his attention centered on Yoda. "Perhaps you can explain to me the significance of the Chiyari/Kenobi bonding and why the bond was broken against their wills?"

Mace was completely shocked at the question, wondering how in the hells the Chancellor had discovered something kept so quiet within the Order. Even more of a shock was that for the first time in his association with Master Yoda, Mace actually saw the old being surprised. The small master's green eyes widened just slightly and his ears tipped as his amazing mind formulated an answer. As Mace glanced over the other members of the Jedi Council, he found them all wearing various expressions of surprise. Even his dark master was startled and suspicious.

"Not an issue for discussion, is that," Yoda finally replied firmly. "No bearing on the Republic does it have."

"I disagree, Master Yoda," Valorum stated, his tone just as firm. "Not only does that event seem to have precipitated increasingly poor performances on the part of your knights - which *does* concern the Republic a great deal - but the deliberate breaking of the bond by Masters Windu and Koon also sent the younger of the bonded pair into a coma and drove the padawan mad."

Mace felt himself tense at the Chancellor's knowledge and he glanced sideways to see that Koon also was looking wary. The Chancellor, however, merely leaned back, a gray eyebrow raised as he continued. His expression appeared to be made of stone.

Yoda glanced down at the gnarled gimer stick he carried as he considered his words. "Something purely of the Force, is a soulbond," the ancient Councilor replied as he looked directly into the human's blue eyes. "Understood by those *not* of the Jedi, it cannot be."

Valorum narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward. "Perhaps not, Councilor, but such understanding does not make the Jedi any less responsible for the outcome. I *do* understand that a choice was made by the Council to break the bond deliberately, resulting in what happened to Initiate Kenobi and Padawan Chiyari."

"It was a choice that had to be made. We then addressed the results within the Order," Mace replied calmly. "There was no need to bring the Republic into the problem."

Valorum gave the dark-skinned Councilor a disbelieving look. "Master Windu, from all reports the Jedi have spent the last three years chasing the problem around in circles," he stated flatly, "a chase that finally concluded in a very public firefight in a docking bay on Ulian with one Jedi knight viciously turning on his Jedi partner - something that hardly induces me to think all is well within the Jedi Order."

*Tradus* Mace thought with a flash of pain though he kept his expression neutral as he returned the Chancellor's accusing gaze. *My padawan, Qui-Gon will pay for your death.*

*Master, let it go,* whispered a voice so softly that Mace wasn't certain he'd even heard it. He glanced around quickly, noting that his master certainly didn't seem to be paying attention to him.

"The Jedi Order has always taken care of its own, Chancellor," Adi Gallia entered the conversation, her tone neutral. "By what right does the Republic suddenly decide to intrude into Temple matters?"

"Because, Councilor Gallia, Temple matters are spilling over into the Republic's welfare," the Chancellor stated flatly, obviously tiring of the attempts to divert his question. "Councilors, this issue will be addressed by the Temple before you leave today. Even if I were to set aside the concern that a child of the Republic, placed in the Temple's care, with a vow that he would be protected was mentally violated by the Jedi in the worst possible way imaginable, I would still be faced with the fact that a padawan was driven mad by the same act and then was allowed loose on the Republic. An insane Temple-raised and Temple-trained Force user loose on Coruscant? And there was no one outside of the Temple notified that this was happening? Does that not constitute a danger? The boy was next sighted inspiring the insanity that was Telos three years ago. And you say this has no bearing on the Republic?"

Councilor Gallia didn't respond for a moment as she studied him through narrowed eyes. "Chancellor Valorum, disregarding for a moment the Republic's intrusion into Jedi matters, how is it that you are so well informed of confidential matters that have not been released outside the Order?"

The Supreme Chancellor leaned back and considered for a moment. "A valid question, Councilor. A Jedi Knight who felt he would gain no redress by presenting his charges to your Council has brought forward information and the charges against the Jedi. He has made the appeal that the Republic step in and negotiate this issue's resolution. Thus even as we have requested the assistance of the Jedi to negotiate our matters before, the Republic has been requested to negotiate a matter of conflict within the Jedi Order."

A slender eyebrow rose as Adi considered his words. "And what knight would so flout a thousand years of Jedi tradition?" she asked, her tone even but suggesting that said knight might be sorry in the very near future.

The Chancellor glanced from Councilor Gallia to Councilor Yoda before he looked across the room at the guard standing silently beside the door through which he had entered. He gestured and the guard saluted and opened the door. Two figures stepped through, one wearing the brown cloak and beige tunics of a Jedi knight, the other wearing a casual outfit of no particular origin.

At the entrance of the second man, Mace Windu stiffened in shock, his hands suddenly clenching fiercely on the arms of his chair. His air of calm was suddenly gone, an expression of hatred briefly crossing his face.

"Qui-Gon Jinn," he seethed as he leaned forward to stand. His movement was curtailed by the sound of approximately twenty blasters powering up around the room.

Mace froze for a long, silent moment before he settled into his chair once again. His dark eyes turned to the Chancellor who was watching him with a surprised but wary gaze.

"Qui-Gon Jinn has been granted the protection of the Republic, Master Windu, as has Knight T'shen," Valorum stated. The Chancellor stared at the dark-skinned Councilor for a long moment but Mace made no movement to acknowledge or protest his words.

The Chancellor then turned to face the young Jedi who stood silently to his left. Mace noted that Depa's former padawan hadn't even looked at the Councilors, his entire focus seemingly on Valorum.

*Master, please, let this go.*

Again the words were breathed across his mind, barely there, but strong enough for Mace to realize they were real.

Before he could trace the words, however, Knight T'shen began speaking in a neutral, almost dead tone. His eyes stayed solely on Chancellor Valorum as he accused the Order that had raised him from a toddler of three years.

"Chancellor, I am here to present charges against the Order of the Jedi," he said without inflection or expression. "I charge that the Council allowed a child of the Republic, placed under their protection, to be violated mentally and kept forcibly from his Force-blessed bondmate. I charge that the Council willfully broke the mental bond - a bond traditionally sacred to the Jedi - between Initiate Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Xanatos Chiyari, resulting in Initiate Kenobi's retreat into a coma and Padawan Chiyari's descent into madness."

There was silence in the room for a long moment before the Head Councilor slowly shook his head.

"Unexpected, it was, such a depth of reaction from the child. A bond of such few hours should not have caused him pain."

Qui-Gon crossed his arms and looked sternly at his former master. "It was not unexpected as I told the Council of the depth and breadth of the bond when I made my initial report of it. But even though I deliberately called attention to that fact, the Council separated me from my padawan and then sliced the bond."

"No way, there was, of knowing the child would have such a reaction," Yoda insisted.

"The Council's decision was made in the best interests of the boy," Master Gallia added sharply, her eyes focused on the pair standing beside the Chancellor's desk. "It was not his destiny to be bonded to Chiyari."

Knight T'shen merely looked at her. "It is established within the Order that soulbonds are a blessing of the Force, Master Gallia," he said, holding her eyes. "In deliberately breaking the bond created between Padawan Chiyari and Initiate Kenobi, can you deny that the Council stood against the Will of the Force?"

Several of the Councilors stiffened and stammered words of denial but Askari hardly noticed as he stepped closer to Masters Gallia, Windu and Yoda.

"Can you deny that the Council's decision resulted in extreme mental anguish and physical pain for Initiate Kenobi as well as driving Padawan Chiyari to the point of insanity where he attacked anyone - be they friend or foe - standing between himself and his bondmate?"

Sliding her eyes away from the knight throwing accusations at her, Master Gallia turned to look at Valorum. "And now you see, Chancellor, why this remained an internal Jedi matter. Three knights were slaughtered when Padawan Chiyari Turned to the Dark."

Qui-Gon crossed his arms and glared at the dark-skinned woman. "My padawan did not *Turn* to the Dark, Adi Gallia, he was pushed over the edge by Masters Windu and Koon when they severed his soulbond."

"Masters Windu and Koon acted in concert with Master Depa Billaba," Master Gallia corrected mildly. "As three ranking members of Council, they had the authority to take action when a Temple Initiate was threatened by a Darkened bonding."

Master Jinn's eyes took on a hard gleam as he glared at the dark-skinned Councilor. "Depa Billaba did not sanction the breaking of that bond and tried to keep the boy's connection to his bondmate whole. It was the destruction of that bond which caused the deaths of those knights. They would never have happened had the Council left Initiate Kenobi and Padawan Chiyari alone."

The woman didn't acknowledge Qui-Gon's reply but kept her gaze on the Chancellor, obviously expecting a reply of some kind. Valorum calmly returned her gaze.

"I understand the issues that resulted from this incident are matters for the Order to deal with though I disagree that a bond-maddened Force User out of the Temple and loose on the planet was something that should have been kept from the Republic."

Adi's lips thinned and she opened her mouth to speak but the Chancellor held up a hand and continued, ignoring her shocked expression at being cut off.

"The questions that need to be answered today are why a child of the Republic was harmed in the Temple by Jedi Councilors and why this event has affected the Order to such a degree. "

There was silence for a moment until Qui-Gon stepped in front of Askari and calmly began speaking.

"At least one of the reasons behind the failures of the Jedi sent on Republic missions is because the Council - THIS Council - is deliberately giving those missions to neophyte knights who are not ready for solo assignments or they send seasoned knights and masters to attend missions that they were never trained to deal with." Qui-Gon turned and looked directly at Yoda. "Whose idea was it to send Master Scholar Padrios and his padawan, Knight Scholar Trib, to delve into Hutt drug trafficking? Neither has been seen since. Were Hunters sent to find out what happened to them? No. Those few Hunters available were also given jobs unworthy of their skills. The Council I knew would never allow such a thing."

From Yoda's right, Adi leaned forward with an expression close to anger. "By what right do you question this Council's actions? You are no longer of the Jedi."

Yoda, however, turned to Adi with a slight frown. "The Council has always listened to those with grievances, even those outside the Jedi. That Knight Askari felt he had no other recourse, a sign, this should be."

"I believe Councilor Billaba said something similar when she left the Council three years ago," Qui-Gon said with a pointed look at Mace. "She also felt breaking the bond was wrong and left the Jedi because of it."

Adi's eyes narrowed as her gaze finally turned to the former Jedi master. Beside her Plo Koon leaned forward and laid a hand on her wrist. They exchanged a glance and Adi nodded. The Kel Dor Councilor glanced back at Qui-Gon, his expression unreadable behind his protective goggles and facemask.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, you and this knight bring charges against the Jedi Council for negligence against a child but offer no proof other than your words. Does the Republic not need firmer evidence for such a thing?"

Askari stepped forward and smiled but his expression held neither amusement nor pleasure.

"Indeed the Republic does need such evidence, Councilor Koon. Master Jinn and I bring forward these charges in the name of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Xanatos Chiyari, those two most affected by the Council's negligence." The knight then glanced at the Chancellor who nodded to the same guard who had allowed Knight T'shen and Master Jinn entrance earlier.

The blue-cloaked guard turned and opened the door again, allowing three figures to enter, two adults and one child who clung desperately to one of the adult's hands with both of his own. It was clear that the child was terrified and made certain to keep the taller adult between himself and the Councilors.

"Chiyari," Mace ground out as he pressed his lips together. "And...Depa."

Mace stared across the room, meeting the light brown gaze of his much loved first padawan with something close to despair though the expression was only there for an instant. He stared at her for a long moment, wondering how her mental voice had become strong enough to speak directly into his mind, as it *must* have been her voice skimming against his thoughts earlier. There was no one else who should have been able to touch his mind so gently and intimately.

Askari turned back to the stunned Council members with a grim expression. "Xanatos Chiyari and Obi-Wan Kenobi are here to testify personally about their treatment at the hands of the Jedi Council as is former Councilor, Depa Billaba."

"This is intolerable!" Adi snapped in as harsh a tone as she had yet used. "You allow the child - a child of the Jedi - to be in the custody of a known murderer?" she demanded of the Chancellor, her blue eyes hard.

Depa Billaba moved forward to stand beside Qui-Gon, catching the other female's eyes. "Obi-Wan is no longer the Temple concern, Councilor. Considering the circumstances, the boy is far safer with his bondmate than with anyone else," she said. Then she turned a hard gaze on Mace then Plo Koon. "And make no mistake, Councilors, Obi-Wan Kenobi *is* bonded with Xanatos Chiyari. Any attempt to disrupt their bond a second time will be met with stern opposition."

Knight Askari suddenly glanced away to get control of the smirk that crept across his lips. He had always loved the way his master expressed herself. 'Stern opposition' indeed. Like she wouldn't rip their heads off and hand them back. He noted that Master Windu didn't think her almost challenge was amusing at all.

"Glad I am, to see the boy is well," Yoda suddenly returned to the conversation. The old Councilor's green eyes held a weary expression as he turned to Qui-Gon. "Return him to the Order, you should."

"No!" a young voice cried, bringing the room's attention to Obi-Wan as he plastered himself against his bondmate and wrapped his arms around Xanatos' leg. "I'm staying with Xantoes!" he declared, his expression angry.

Xanatos laid a gentle hand on his bondmate's shoulder. "They can't take you away from me, Obi-Wan," he stated firmly. "Depa and Qui-Gon would never allow it."

Enraged, narrow eyes studied the bonded pair. The violent, darkened thoughts roiling beneath the serene surface of the master Jedi would render most of those present speechless. How dare that failure of a padawan claim the boy a second time! Obi-Wan Kenobi had a destiny to fulfill and it was *not* as the bonded mate of some sniveling padawan of Jinn's!

Such a bond would only interfere with the child's eventual choice. It would influence him too heavily in the direction of the Light despite the fact that anyone with eyes could see the Chiyari bastard was rolling in the Darkness.

And beyond all things, Kenobi's choice must be what *she* would have it be - a reign of chaos and darkness never before seen in the galaxy.

Adi Gallia turned her gaze once more to the being beside her. Plo Koon studied her blue gaze for a moment before he turned his own goggled eyes to study the bonded pair. He'd broken that bond once before and it would be a far simpler matter for him to do so this time just by killing Chiyari. He would not fail his master again.

"Depa and Qui-Gon have very little to do with this," Adi stated calmly. "The boy is a ward of the Jedi Temple and as such, must be returned according to Republic law." She glanced towards the Chancellor with a contemptuous expression. "It seems as though you would have remembered that, Chancellor Valorum."

"This matter has already been discussed, Master Gallia," Valorum stated calmly. "Even as Master Jinn and Knight T'shen have been given the protection of the Republic, so too have Chiyari and his bondmate." The chancellor steepled his fingers and looked at the assembled council. "By the Temple's own laws, I understand that a bonded cannot be separated from his mate. Thus, even as Chiyari has left the Temple, so too has his bonded mate. They are now Wards of the Republic until such time as I deem it safe to release them."

Obi-Wan wasn't quite certain what 'wards of the republic' meant but as his eyes darted back to the Jedi called Master Gallia, he could see the rage shearing off her body and into the Force around them. Chewing on his lower lip, he tightened his grip on Xantoes' hand and pressed himself closer against his tall bondmate.

*Have no fear, my Obi,* came the calm thought, soothing against the rising panic he felt when he looked at the Jedi seated so near. *I will never let you go again and Master is here to protect us as well.*

The boy nodded but didn't take his gaze away from the dark-skinned woman seated next to Master Yoda. He felt if he looked away for even an instant, she would take him.

"And the knights he killed mean nothing to the Republic?" the woman asked, leaning forward and Obi-Wan stepped back, trying to keep himself as far away from her as possible.

"That is an issue that may be decided at a later time. For now, the questions I have brought before this Council are what the Republic is concerned with."

The words hardly seemed to fade into the room before a wave of the Force exploded out from Adi Gallia, knocking several guards out and exploding every blaster in the room. Then huge Master Saesee Tiin lunged across the desk, his massive hands wrapping around the Chancellor's throat. Before the Republic guards could even react, however, Qui-Gon Jinn was there to toss the Council member away from the desk while pushing the Chancellor back into the hands of his guards who then rushed him out of the office, leaving the Jedi to deal with their own.

Even as Tiin attacked, Master Koon reached Xanatos who thrust his bondmate behind him while he tried to fend off the orange-skinned Jedi.

To his horror, Askari had only a second to realize what was happening before he faced Master Gallia. Then he was flying across the room and slamming into the far wall with a sickening crunch.

Adi Gallia had a scant moment to sneer at the fallen Jedi who had brought the Republic in where they had no business being before she was slammed backwards with a blow to her chest. She looked up to see Depa Billaba stalking towards her and she snarled and flowed to her feet, igniting her well-shielded saber.

Upon seeing the red flare of her former friend's saber, Depa hesitated a moment, just long enough for Adi to slash towards her. Suddenly, another form was there, taking the saber slash into his own body and Adi Gallia felt the bond she'd Forced onto Mace Windu's mind snap even as he fell to the floor.

Her distraction allowed a stricken Depa to attack with a Force punch and Gallia sailed over the Chancellor's desk, losing her grip on her saber as she slammed into the wall.

As she rose to her feet cursing Windu to every Sith hell, she glared across the room seeking Yoda. Mace and Yarael Poof were supposed to be keeping his mind suppressed until this matter was resolved but all Adi found was Master Poof slumped in his chair, his attenuated neck broken. Nearby, Qui-Gon was already getting the upper hand against Tiin and the Chancellor was nowhere to be seen.

"MASTER!" a male voice cried across the room and Qui-Gon jerked around, spotting Xanatos trapped and defending Obi-Wan. That voice calling for his aid after so many years distracted the Jedi master, allowing Tiin to land another punch to the ribs. "Master PLEASE, help me!"

Adi smiled and moved towards Xanatos and the bondmate he guarded. Plo Koon was attacking Xanatos with body and mind and the dark-haired bastard was falling back, snarling furiously while barely holding his own.

And the boy...the boy was watching her with wide, green eyes that saw exactly what she was. She could see the fear in his gaze as he stumbled back into a corner, shaking his head frantically.

Within seconds she had shoved Xanatos into Plo Koon and scooped up the boy. Obi-Wan screamed and flailed, elbowing her in the chest before she could get a grip on his throat.

As he fell against his opponent, Xanatos heard his bondmate's scream and he felt a black rage flow through him, directed at the Councilors who were trying to break his cherished bond with his other half. Without thought or consideration, the former Jedi observed his own hands wrap around Plo Koon's neck and twist viciously. Absently, Xanatos was surprised that he felt nothing as he pushed the body aside and scrambled to his feet. Another Jedi dead at his hands but this one deserved to die, even as the one keeping his bondmate from him deserved to die.

Xanatos' ice-cold eyes glared at the Councilor and she tightened her grip around his bondmate's neck in an effort to keep him at bay. His hands curled into fists as he felt his former master come to stand at his right while Depa stood to his left.

With a sneer at the trio before her, Adi backed towards the central doorway, keeping the struggling child in her arms close to her body.

"Don't come any closer, Jinn," she sneered. The boy was gasping for breath and she loosened her grip only a little. She did, after all, want him alive. "I do believe I'll be leaving now that I have what was taken from me."

"Let him go!" Xanatos demanded. Adi's grip on the boy's throat tightened again and Obi-Wan struggled and gasped for breath.

"The boy is no longer your concern, Chiyari," Adi stated calmly as she stepped backwards, keeping her eyes on her enemies. "His destiny lies elsewhere."

"Obi-Wan is of the Light, Adi," Jinn stated serenely, his voice without doubt. "You will never be able to Turn him."

"I won't have to Turn him, Qui-Gon," she said with a sneer. "I only have to guide him. Then he will choose his own path and that path will lead the galaxy."

"What are you saying, Gallia?" Depa demanded, her eyes dark with grief and anger. "Why is the boy so important to you?"

Adi almost continued speaking. She truly wanted to share what these pathetic Jedi had missed when it was right under their noses. But there was still danger here and the boy continued to struggle.

"I'd love to stay and chat, Depa dearest, but I have places to be and you have a master to immolate." She reached out with the Force to check beyond the door behind her and found nothing to interfere with her escape.

With a thought, the locked door opened and she smiled to see that Xanatos was practically frothing at the mouth. She was taking the boy and this time, there would be no mistakes. This time, the boy would be kept by her people and molded to his destiny. She smiled, a dark, evil expression, as she thought of the joy she would have in his training.

However, as she turned to move through the door, the boy was jerked from her grasp by a powerful mind and flung into Xanatos' arms. With a snarl, she tried to bring him back, weaving her own Darkness around the boy but she found Master Yoda standing beside Qui-Gon Jinn. His eyes were hard and his ears tipped dangerously, an expression of anger on his features.

Even Darth Sidious, her own Dark master, hadn't inspired such fear in her like the look in the diminutive master's eyes did at that moment. Again, she cursed the fact that Yoda hadn't been able to attend the Peace Symposium on Yulath where she'd managed to murder Sidious and a fair number of her own whining family.

Without further thought, she slipped through the door behind her just as it was sliding shut. Yoda gestured and the door slammed open, allowing Qui-Gon and Depa to chase the Darkened Councilor but Yoda suspected it was already too late and they wouldn't find the woman. He couldn't give them any aid either, as he was still throwing off the effects of Mace's and Yarael Poof's mind suppression.

With a sigh, the small master glanced over at Chiyari, who was attempting to calm his young bondmate's hysterics while trying to keep his own emotions in check. Nearby was the body of Plo Koon. His head fell at an angle that indicated a snapped neck and again Yoda glanced at Xanatos. This time, however, the man was looking back at him, daring the Jedi master to say anything about the dead Councilor who had originally snapped his soul bond three years ago.

"Check on Knight Askari, you should," was all he said and with a start, Xanatos' gaze snapped across the room. There were several unconscious guardsmen, the crumpled form of Saesee Tiin, along with one beige uniformed body. Xanatos stood with Obi-Wan still in his arms and moved towards his friend, hoping he was still alive.

The Head of Council just watched him settle next to T'shen before he turned towards another still form on the floor. He shuffled over to the body of his old friend, turned enemy, turned friend.

Windu had been the one to snap Poof's neck and break the slender, silver collar around Yoda's neck - which had been given to him eight years ago, a gift from Adi - and had allowed Master Gallia to influence his decisions subtly. In the end, Mace had chosen his former padawan over his Dark master, finding his way back to the Light even as he stared death in the face.

"There is no death, old friend," Yoda said softly. "See each other again, we will."

And with a sad croon, the old master reached forward and closed Mace Windu's staring gaze.

Master Depa Billaba stood quietly, looking out the windows of the Temple Council Chamber over the skyline of Coruscant. It was a view she had never thought to see again and, indeed, one she hadn't missed. But with the Order in such disarray, she felt she couldn't ignore the request for her return and in truth, she found that she was glad to have a place there again, unlike Qui-Gon, who had been asked but hadn't considered returning to the Temple.

She remained lost in thought while the remnants of the Jedi Council assembled and seated themselves silently. There were some noticeable absences since the events of three days prior.

All remaining Council members had been subjected to testing by senior soul healers before they were allowed to take their places again. Now, along with the Darkened Council members already known - Saesee Tiin being the only one to survive the fight at the Senate other than the vanished Councilor Gallia - two others were under supervision in secured suites deep inside the Temple.

Jedi knights and masters were also being recalled from their missions to be tested as well. Adi Gallia had sunk her claws deep into the Council as well as into various knights throughout the Temple and it would take time to bring those affected by her Darkness back to the Light.

But now, the Council had other things to consider, such as the fact that the Chancellor's Office was charging what was left of the Council with determining just how Adi had been able to go so long undetected while she undermined the very responsibilities of the Jedi. They also had more than twenty teams of Jedi missing in action around the galaxy and the mistrust of their own padawans, knights and masters to overcome. All this in addition to dispatching those Hunters they had in a search for the missing Councilor Gallia along with those Jedi already missing in action. All in all, Depa was not really looking forward to the coming year.

Behind her, the remaining Councilors were finally joined by Master Yoda and with a silent sigh, Depa moved to take her seat, which was now the one just to his right. It was the one her former master had filled and one she truly wished had been given to Qui-Gon Jinn. But the former Jedi master hadn't wanted to return to the Temple. In his words, it was a place where he'd lived a different life.

"I have separated myself too far to come back to the Jedi, Depa," he'd said softly as he glanced over his shoulder to where Xanatos was escorting Obi-Wan onto the Chiyari shuttle. "Xanatos has offered me a place and since Obi-Wan will soon need training, I am going with them."

"Then be safe, Qui-Gon," she murmured as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "And keep in touch."

"I will, Depa."

"And be sure to keep Xanatos in line," Askari had said with a grin from his position beside his former master.

"I will, Askari," the Jedi master had replied with a slight smile. "May the Force guide you, young Hunter."

Depa had only noted in passing the odd expression in Qui-Gon's eyes as he stared for a long moment at her former padawan but thinking back on it, she wondered what Master Jinn thoughts had been at that moment.

"Spoken with the Chancellor, I have," Yoda began, pulling her attention firmly back to the Council. "Many issues did he have to speak of. Issues we will discuss today."

Depa glanced down at the small screen attached to her chair and sighed again at the list of topics the Council would need to cover before they could end today's session, not the least being who they would call to fill the vacant Council seats. An absent thought occurred to her that today's session would run far into the evening and she wished her former master were here to lighten her mind with his presence.

Then she realized that she would never feel that gentle mind touch again and blatantly pushed away her feelings of grief and pain. Now was not the time to deal with her feelings for her master's death. Darkened he may have been but at the end, he had saved her and she remembered the look of love in his eyes as he placed himself between her and the red Sith blade.

Wherever he was now, she knew he had found his Light again.

Mace stood alone in the darkness and quiet, wondering what he was supposed to be doing. He had no curiosity about where he was, though he was obviously not in the Temple of the Jedi. The very fact that he felt safe for the first time in a very long while indicated that he was no longer in the Temple. That place hadn't been a haven to him for many years though he couldn't remember why that would be so or when his childhood home had turned dark and dangerous.

He tried to remember for a few moments what had happened and why the thought of the Temple disturbed him but his thoughts were fading into the serenity of this place. Mace was not surprised to find himself on his knees, his mind opening to the Light he had found pulsing in the darkness around him. For an unknown time, the Jedi floated in that Light, his mind at peace, his soul mending from the abuse it had suffered at the hands of the Dark.

Gradually, however, he was drawn from that meditation back into a conscious understanding of his surroundings. It was still dark and quiet but it was a soothing darkness that seemed to be steadily fading around him, reminding him of a sunrise he'd once seen on a far away planet, a scene of unsurpassed color and beauty that he had shared with someone he had cherished above all things.

Even as he watched the rising light, Mace realized that he felt as though there was something lingering over him, something he should be doing but he had no idea what it could be.

"Master?" a soft, hesitant voice called. "Are you here?"

Mace was on his feet in an instant, searching for the source of that long-missed voice.

"Tradus?"

"Master!" The hesitancy was gone replaced by happiness. A form hurtled out of the fading shadows. Suddenly, he found himself with an armful of padawan. "Master!"

"Tradus!" Mace breathed out the name as he held the smaller form tightly. His student was barely into his fourteenth year, his braid hardly touching his shoulder and the master found himself grateful that his lad was untouched by...anything, the innocence still shining in his eyes. "My bright lad, what are you doing here?" Mace asked with a quick tug on the boy's braid.

The padawan smiled and took his master's hand. He tugged him in the direction he had come from. "You were late for lessons again, Master," the youth complained with a grin. "Master Yoda said that you'll meditate yourself into orbit if you aren't careful."

Mace reached out to run his fingers through his student's dark hair. "I had many things to consider, my lad," the Jedi master said softly and Tradus stopped pulling on his master's hand.

"But...you're all right now?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Tradus, I'm all right now," Mace stated with a smile.

"And you'll teach me to be a proper padawan?" the youth asked, uncertainty in his voice as his fingers tightened around his master's hand. "Like Depa?" he finished with a whisper.

Mace dropped to one knee in front of his student and held the boy's face in his dark hands. "I'll teach you to be a proper padawan like Tradus should be. Never compare yourself to another, my Tray, because every Jedi finds their own unique way to light the darkness."

The youth held his master's eyes for a long moment before he reached forward and hugged his neck with a stifled sob.

"I am so sorry," Mace whispered into his padawan's hair.

"I missed you when you went away, Master," the young Jedi replied. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Tradus," Mace replied gently before he pulled his student away just enough to look into his eyes. "But I am here now and we have many things to do, my Padawan," he said briskly, ignoring the tears on his own swarthy cheeks. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Master," Tradus said and smiled up at him when he stood and ruffled the boy's hair.

Mace nodded and then moved off in the direction his feet were pointed in, his beloved padawan falling into perfect step behind him.

The End