Reading Time: 75 Minutes

Title: The Captive Temple
Series: Way of the Force – The Kenobi Years
Series Order: 2
Author: WestWind
Fandom: Star Wars
Genre: Action Adventure, Family, Science Fiction
Relationship(s): Gen
Content Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence-Graphic, Child Endangerment, Bullying, Discussion of Canonical events: child soldiers, parents at war against their children, permanent injury
Author Note: The in story child endangerment is a canonical event where a group of children are stuck in a malfunctioning turbolift due to sabotage.

The events of Melida/Daan are discussed and the permanent injury warning is in regard to Tahl being blinded during her time there.
Beta: Grammarly
Alpha:
Word Count: 18,547
Summary: Feemor and Obi-Wan return to the temple for an extended stay after two years in the Mandalorian Sector. Coming home is not as peaceful as expected between multiple mysterious thefts, system ‘malfunctions’, and attempted assassinations.
Artist: Saydria Wolfe

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Act 1

“We’ll make sure they get settled in,” Lir Muya said.

Feemor inclined his helmeted head. “I know you will. I’m sure they will be adopted once they are ready.”

“I believe you bring us more foundlings than many of the locals,” Lir said.

“The jobs we take put us in the path of those who seek a new start,” Feemor said. “We won’t be back for a while.” Feemor rested his hand on Obi-Wan’s pauldron. “He needs to spend time with those more skilled than myself for training and testing.”

Obi-Wan groaned, which got a laugh from Lir.

“The Ka’ra bless you.”

Lir held out their arm to Feemor. They clasped the other’s forearm briefly.

“And you as well.”

Lir turned to head back into the city gate that others had already gone through.

Obi-Wan followed Feemor into their ship. EV-8M shut the ramp behind them. He automatically checked their cargo while Feemor headed to the cockpit.

Nothing looked disturbed, but he had learned the hard way that looks could be deceptive. There was nothing like a crate breaking loose and almost squishing you when evasive maneuvers were being taken to teach you to always check the cargo restraints.

He tested the strapping with tugs and tightened up those that seemed to have loosened. He replaced one fastening that was not holding. He felt the thrum of the engines through the decking as he headed to the stairs to join Feemor on the upper level.

He settled into the co-pilot seat with the ease of over two years of traveling on the ship. He checked the readings and noted that all was well for them to take off.

“Strap in,” Feemor reminded him.

Obi-Wan secured his harness and braced himself for the acceleration needed to break free of the planet.

The ship rose smoothly into the air. The city of Draenard grew smaller and smaller before it disappeared in the distance as they shot up through the atmosphere. Obi-Wan was pushed into his chair as the speed increased.

They broke free of Concordia’s atmosphere and gravity. The darkness of space greeted them. The pitch of the engines changed and quieted now that the hard work was done.

Obi-Wan pulled up their plotted course. It involved several jumps and two ship ID changes before heading to their final destination. They wanted to avoid Jedi Master Feemor Stahl and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi being connected to their Mandalorian personas outside those who already knew.

He entered the course into the system. The hyperdrives engaged. They entered hyperspace.

Feemor pivoted his chair to face Obi-Wan. “Ready to return to the temple?”

Obi-Wan removed his helmet and ran a hand through his bangs. “Sort of.” His fingers slid over his ear and rested just behind it to trace the base of his padawan braid hidden in the multi-braided hairstyle they use for cover. “I want to see my friends… I enjoy our few short visits… but the idea of staying there for months…”

There was more to it. Obi-Wan knew it, but the words to give form to his nebulous and chaotic feelings were elusive. He shared his unease with his master over their bond.

Feemor offered him one of his understanding smiles. “This will be the first time we will spend more than a week in the temple since I took you on as a padawan. You are always slightly anxious each time we return, but it quickly passes.”

Obi-Wan nodded. It was true, more so the first time.

“It feels different this time.” He shifted in his seat. “We will be there for months…. That makes me anxious.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why. It’s been fine before…”

“Human beings often react to places, people, and situations where they experienced high stress by avoiding them in the future. Your last months there were very high stress. It is natural for you to be anxious and apprehensive at spending time in the temple – especially when we have no set leaving date like before.”

“But we worked through that, and I gave it to the Force,” Obi-Wan said.

“Emotions… fears… are not something that can be addressed with one time or one approach. It’s not as simple as answering 2 + 2.”

Obi-Wan huffed, wishing emotions were that simple to deal with.

“It is easy to let anxiety, pressure and fear go when the reasons for them are far away. The challenge is when we find ourselves back in the environment or similar situations that cause those feelings to resurface. Many factors can influence our responses.”

“But the Force…” Obi-Wan muttered.

“It helps but must be paired with other tools.”

“Not every problem is a fastener,” Obi-Wan quoted part of Feemor’s often iterated comment that just because the only tool you have at hand is a hydrospanner does not mean every problem is a fastener.

“I still have the occasional spike of dread of running into Master Jinn when I’m back,” Feemor admitted.

“You do?” Obi-Wan was surprised. Feemor had shared his experience of being repudiated by his second master early in his apprenticeship. “You always seem calm and confident when we are there.”

“You should know how that can be a mask by now.”

Obi-Wan nodded. Feemor had taught him a lot about presenting only what you wanted others to see for their undercover missions. He had seen Feemor’s believable act of a down-on-his-luck addict willing to do anything for his next fix. Only their bond assured him that the ill-kept and ill-mannered being was Feemor.

“His actions caused others to doubt my abilities and suitability for my position and, in turn, caused me to doubt myself. Luckily, my friends were there to support me and help me through when I felt like I had just lost my second family. They helped me find my way. What he did inflicted a wound as severe as if he had stabbed me with a vibro-blade.

“Just like a stab takes time and attention to heal, so do wounds on your mind and soul. Just like a scar can pull if you move a certain way and remind you of the injury, having to interact with Jinn will always have a tug of grief and hurt for me.”

“But… as Jedi, shouldn’t we let it go… forgive him?”

“Oh, forgiving and allowing abuse to continue are two different things. I forgave him for myself – for my mental health. I could not hold onto the anger and betrayal else they would fester…”

“And lead to the dark side.”

Feemor patted Obi-Wan’s knee. “It can, but it isn’t wrong to feel such feelings. Identifying our feelings, what caused them, and why helps us to understand them and deal with them.”

“That’s not easy. Sometimes I just feel angry or down.”

“Some of that is your age.”

Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest.

“I know you don’t think so, but there are a lot of changes going on and shifting hormone levels that affect your thinking and mood. That has to happen for you to grow into an adult.”

“So once I’m an adult, will it be easier?”

“In that respect, yes – mostly.”

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at his master’s answer but let it go.

Feemor pivoted back to check the controls and scan over their readings. “Go take off your armor and put it away. We won’t be needing it for a while.”

Obi-Wan ran his fingers over his recently earned breastplate. Earning each piece of his Mandalorian armor held as much importance to him as each bead he earned for his braid. They were both badges of his skill and accomplishments. The idea of not having it stirred feelings of loss. It was like stripping him of those achievements.

Feemor reached over and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“You can continue to wear the vambraces, like I do in the temple.”

Obi-Wan swallowed his relief. He once more appreciated his master and his ability to know what Obi-Wan needed.

“We’ll meditate for a few hours before late-meal. It will help us shift back into the needed mindset for our return.”

Obi-Wan headed to his room to change back into his Jedi robes.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan slid into the co-pilot seat as they entered their approach to Coruscant. “Has it always felt so dark here?”

Feemor set the ship on the assigned path to enter the atmosphere. “It always feels dark when I return… but I don’t know if it feels worse because it is darker or because I’ve been away from it.”

“Don’t others feel it when they return?”

“Some do… those who are sensitive to the currents in the Force.”

“What are they doing about it?” That much darkness could only mean bad things. He could only imagine what would cause such darkness in the Force. How could the Jedi live with it?

“Not a lot,” Feemor admitted.

“Isn’t it a bad thing?” he asked, now confused. “What’s causing it? Is it the politicians?”

Feemor laughed and ruffled Obi-Wan’s hair. “It could be feeding it. I was warned years ago by Master Fey that she felt the darkness growing in the core.”

“You told the council,” he stated, knowing his master would not withhold vital information from those who needed it.

“Yes, and they thanked me for the information and did nothing with it.”

He felt his master’s frustration across their bond at the reminder. “Why? Master Fey is old and powerful in the Force…”

“How can she feel something they can’t when they are here?” Feemor shook his head. “Some of the old masters write it off as the old Sith temple lost in the depths of the planet ebbing and flowing with the natural flow of Force. Some attribute it to the planet’s inhabitants of questionable quality.”

“That’s not how the Force works!” Obi-Wan squawked.

“Sometimes beings will grab at any answer as long as they don’t have to change their view, beliefs, or be inconvenienced.”

“What do you think it is?”

Feemor glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Some of us believe it’s the work of Dark-Siders… maybe even a Sith.”

“They say the Sith are gone,” Obi-Wan whispered. The word was enough to bring up the fear seeded in many initiates by stories shared in the crèche.

“So they say.”

“Do you know differently?”

Feemor adjusted their heading to the Temple. “No, but the absence of proof is not proof of absence.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip and repeated the answer in his head and weighed their meaning and truth. It was a good point. “Then why do they claim the Sith are gone?”

“I think… because after a devastating war, being able to declare a definite victory over the enemy by destroying them allowed them comfort to believe it wouldn’t happen again. The enemy would never again attack us, turn us against our own, and destroy what we hold dear.”

“You make it sound like they believed in a crèche story.”

“In a way.” Feemor engaged the auto-pilot and leaned back into his chair. “I think it is naive to believe that Sith teachings… that Sith powers will never be re-invented or re-discovered by someone who has fallen to the dark or something similar.

“Every planet that developed space traveling sentient life followed basic steps of development to be able to get there. They have to overcome similar hurdles.”

“Like gravity.”

“Good example,” Feemor praised. “Every planet has gravity the ships have to counter, but gravity is not the same on all planets so their initial ships will be tailored for their situation.”

“If a Dark-Sider explores the Force in the same path as the Sith of the past, they will be Sith without having a Sith master,” Obi-Wan verbalized what he thought Feemor was trying to explain to him with the example.

“Exactly. They could also find a Sith holocron or text to point them in the right direction. Every technique we have was discovered or created by someone in the past and new ones will be made in the future. To assume that a specific way to use the Force was destroyed because no practitioners of it are around is shortsighted.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip lightly. “Do you think there are still Sith?” he hesitantly asked.

Feemor glanced at Obi-Wan and sighed. “We suspect so.”

He latched onto the pronoun. “Who else?”

Feemor pushed his blond bangs back. “Mostly the Shadows.”

Obi-Wan nodded. That made sense. It was the Shadows’ job to track and take care of Sith and Dark Force users. He suspected Feemor of being a Shadow. His master had not outright said it, but some of their missions were similar to those Quinlan and his master went on.

Feemor arched an eyebrow at Obi-Wan. “I’m assuming you deduced that I’m a Shadow.”

“After our last visit back. Quinlan…”

Feemor snorted and smiled.

“He didn’t say you were… but their missions… were similar to a few of ours. Not enough to know if you are a Shadow or just happen to be led by the Force into those situations.”

“A bit of both,” Feemor said with a laugh beneath his words. “After Jinn…,” he waved a hand in the air to indicate the past he did not need to elaborate on, “…I joined the Shadows.”

“Wasn’t that a big shift?”

Feemor shook his head. “Not really. My entire knighthood, the Force had me crossing paths with Shadows in the field – most often to provide an escape route. That’s how I met Master Sollu.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened at the news. “But he’s the watchman for the Mandalorian Sector!”

“Now, but not when I first met him.” The Temple came into view. “That’s a story for another time. Just know that the Shadows are aware and investigating the source. I’m sure you realize it is not something to talk about with your friends.”

It was tempting to tell Bant and Gareth about it, but he understood the danger.

“Quinlan?”

“We’ll see.”

~~X~~

It was odd to be back in the temple after years away. It was not the hustle and bustle of the busy hangar bays or main halls that was odd. Obi-Wan was used to that from spending time in large cities and ports. What was odd was having so many Jedi around him.

The calm presence they all radiated at varying levels was nice – it was a comfort on one level, but it also felt empty after spending time with others who emoted more. Spending time with the Mandalorians had exposed him to Force users of a different tradition that expressed a wide range of emotions.

It was also odd to be in the temple and have a room of his own in Feemor’s quarters and not in the crèche with others his age. Only now that he was back did it feel like a loss. Most of his clanmates were not even in the crèche now.

“Obi-Wan, your friends are here to see you,” Feemor said.

Obi-Wan stuck his head out of his room to see Bant and Garen standing in the main room. He waved them in.

“Keep me company while I unpack.”

Bant sat on the end of the bed. Garen started rifling through the bags Obi-Wan had placed on his desk.

“You look well,” Bant said. “You’ve grown since you left.”

Of course Bant would notice and comment on his health first.

“Bring back anything cool?” Garen asked.

“No,” Obi-Wan answered. “I have grown.”

He took a bag and started placing his clothing into the closet.

“What’s been happening around here that you didn’t include in your messages?” Obi-Wan asked.

“There’s been a string of thefts in the temple,” Garen said.

“Thefts?” Obi-Wan repeated in surprise. “What kind of thefts?”

There was the occasional unsanctioned procurement of items by initiates and padawans, but this felt different.

“There was a master’s meditation cloak,” Garen started.

“Was it theft or just misplaced?” Bant asked.

Garen shook his head. “Don’t know.”

“What else?” Obi-Wan asked.

“A 4th year’s sporting gear, and earlier, I heard about initiate files being tampered with.” Garen tapped a finger with each item listed.

“That’s only three possible items,” Obi-wan stated. “Are they sure they are connected?”

“They have Masters Jinn and Tahl investigating it. It’s the first assignment Tahl has taken since her mission on Melida/Daan,” Garen answered. “It’s the first Jinn has been given since he came back from Bandomeer.”

Obi-Wan recognized Tahl’s name but did not know a lot about her. He knew Jinn from his last days as an initiate and through Feemor’s stories of his padawan-ship. He stopped hanging his clothing and looked at his friends. “What happened to her?”

“She was blinded by one of the warring sides on the planet,” Bant softly answered.

“They sent two knights to check on her when she missed a scheduled communication check-in,” Garen added. “They rescued her and discovered there was more to the war than just the Melida and the Daan fighting. Their kids formed a third side wanting to force their parents to stop fighting.”

“How old?” Obi-Wan asked. Surely the kids were teenagers.

“Fourteen and younger,” Garen answered. Anger and dismay were clear in his voice and Force presence. “They were little kids, carrying blasters and fighting, from Knight Xern’s reports. They didn’t trust adults – I don’t blame them.”

‘Demagolka,’ Obi-Wan mentally cursed. The Mandalorian word that he had picked up for a real-life monster seemed fitting. “What happened?”

Bant picked up the story. “Knight Xern and Knight Ingles called for backup.“

“And food for the kids,” Garen added. “They had nothing.”

“And food for the kids,” she agreed. “They earned the kids’ reluctant trust, and all three sides eventually agreed to peace talks. An agreement was reached but not before more lives were lost.”

“What happened to Master Tahl?” Obi-Wan asked.

“They blinded her when they held her captive,” Garen lamented.

“Master Tahl has adapted well. She’s got a bot to help her.” Bant giggled. “She’s annoyed with TooJay’s need to be constantly underfoot and tell her where everything is. Master Jinn has been at her side since he brought her back.”

“Attachment,” Garen disguised – poorly – as a cough.

Bant waved him off. “They’ve been friends for years.”

“How do you know all this?” Obi-Wan asked. “What the knights and masters do is often gossip among the padawans and initiates… but you seem to know an awful lot about them.”

“I’m thinking of being a healer,” Bant answered. “I’ve spent time in the healing halls seeing if it’s right for me.”

“Is it?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Maybe.” She flushed. “I like some of it. Master Che says I do have force gifts that will aid me if I go that path.”

He was happy that Bant was finding her place.

“Have they found who’s stealing things?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Not yet,” Garen said with a sigh.

~~X~~

The next day Obi-Wan and Feemor looked at the classes currently offered. Feemor placed a flimsiplast on the table.

“The ones I highlighted are the courses you need to take in Temple,” Feemor said.

Obi-Wan looked at the list. There were a dozen classes he would need to take.

“We’ll be here for the next year at least,” Feemor said. “Only a few of these are currently offered this term.

“Do I have to take Core Civics and Politics?” he whined.

“Yes. You need to know the basics no matter what you do within the Order.”

Three of the listed courses were offered in the upcoming term.

“I will continue to work with you on saber work, but I want you to take a padawan level saber training in one of the other forms.”

“Am I not picking up Niman adequately?” Obi-Wan asked.

“You are doing well. However, a padawan does not have to keep to their Master’s style – especially if it doesn’t suit them. My first master used Soresu and Jinn used Ataru.

“I feel that there may be a better saber form for you to learn or will need to know in the future.”

“A Force feeling?”

“Yes. Meditate on it and see where the Force leads.”

Obi-Wan pulled up the saber training classes on his pad to see what was offered and when.

“It would be good for you to aid in the initiates saber training classes,” Feemor added.

“Why should I spend time doing that? I mean shouldn’t I be focused on my studies while here?”

“Several reasons. Teaching others helps you refresh the basics from a different perspective and will highlight the areas you need to review and strengthen. You will establish connections with the future padawans, knights, and corps workers you may be working with and relying on in the field.”

Obi-Wan knew he was not keeping his distaste at the idea off his face. Feemor did not call him out on it.

“You need to pick one or two classes, seminars, a club, or an activity on something you enjoy and want to learn.”

“Were you involved in a club?”

“Not a club, but I did take several craft-oriented workshops mostly under my first master. That fell to the wayside when Jinn and I got sent out so frequently. I was never in the temple long enough to participate or have the energy when we were back.”

Obi-wan realized Feemor wanted him to experience this part of being a padawan – classes in the Temple and activities with those his age. It was a part that he had not experienced due to their unusual beginning and Feemor’s assignments.

Part of him appreciated Feemor wanting to give him this standard experience… but he enjoyed what they did to help people. He was learning things and skills out there that he would not have in the temple. Skills that he felt would be needed in the future.

Feemor ruffled his hair. “This is part of becoming a knight.” He patted Obi-Wan on the back before heading into the small kitchen area.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan followed Feemor through the halls for dinner with Feemor’s friends. He shoved his hands into his robe sleeves to hide his nervousness. He recognized the door as they approached. He was here the day Feemor found him devastated and running through the hallways.

The door opened.

“Welcome back, Feemor,” Master Lortoll said, standing in the doorway. He clasped Feemor’s shoulders in greeting. “Come in.”

He practically pulled Feemor into the room. Obi-Wan followed close behind. The door shut once they passed the threshold.

“Young Obi-Wan, welcome. It’s good to see you again. Keeping Feemor out of trouble?” Master Lortoll asked.

Obi-Wan was unsure how to answer that. They got into and out of trouble – depending on how you defined it – frequently… but it was part of their cover. They had backup. Jaster made sure of that.

“Maybe,” Obi-Wan answered.

Lortoll let out a cheerful chord and drummed his fingers on his chest in delight.

Obi-Wan took the chance to scan the room. It was arranged differently from when he was last here. A low table sat in the cleared space in the center of the room. Several Masters were sitting around it. To his relief, there were two padawans as well. He even recognized the younger one even if he did not know her name.

“Let me introduce you,” Master Lortoll said.

They approached the table.

“I’m happy we’re both in Temple at the same time,” the purple-gray-skinned Twi’lek said, radiating warmth.

“It has been a few years, Vaner,” Feemor said with an affectionate chuckle behind his words. He rested his hand on Obi-Wan’s back. “This is my new padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan, this is Knight Vaner Teiz.”

“I had the honor of being her master,” Master Lortoll said. Love and pride hummed in those few words.

“I was the best padawan,” she said.

Her eyes danced with mischief, making Obi-Wan doubt that. The chuckle from the other adults backed it up.

Feemor gestured to an olive-skinned woman with a strong nose next.

“Our crèchemate Zeddesh Sing and her Padawan Mella Jushizerr.”

Zeddish inclined her head as regal as a queen.

Mella’s white teeth gleamed in contrast to her dark skin. She waved to him somehow involving her whole body in her exuberance. Her many small braids swayed energetically around her face.

Obi-Wan waved back and smiled at the younger girl.

Feemor introduced the Pantoran next.

“Master Ezelie Charnon and her Padawan Mos Kurr.”

Mos was a Zabrik and several years older than Obi-Wan. He was probably a senior padawan.

They both welcomed him.

A human man brought a platter of food from the kitchen. Everyone shifted to give him room to set it on the table. It smelled wonderful.

“And the last of our group is Dearlo Threldus,” Feemor said.

“And the best cook of the lot,” Mos said.

Dearlo patted Mos on the shoulder as he moved to his seat. “Thanks, Mos.” He beckoned them all to sit. “Sit! Don’t let the food get cold.”

Obi-Wan sat beside Mella and was entertained with her boundless chatter through the wonderful meal.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan was half asleep on the couch by the time Feemor helped Lortoll finish setting the room to rights after everyone left.

“Initiate files have gone missing,” Master Lortall told Feemor. Distressed notes vibrated through his statement.

“How’d they get access to them?” Feemor asked.

Master Lorthall’s head swayed back and forth. “Jinn’s supposed to be looking into it, but I asked Tinn to look into it as well.” Huffs of exasperation were dotted throughout the sentence.

“Jinn’s looking into it… after…” Feemor rolled his hand in the air to encompass the Council of Reassignment’s verdict that insisted Jinn be cleared by a mind healer.

“He was already assigned to investigate the other thefts around the temple…”

“This got included in it,” Feemor concluded.

“The files shouldn’t have been accessible in the first place. If they get into the wrong hands…”

Feemor rested a hand on Lorthall’s shoulder. “I’ll help any way I can. I can look in a few places and talk to a few people Jinn wouldn’t consider.”

“You would know his blindspots.”

“Unfortunately.”

“I’ll pass on Tinn’s report to you when I get it.”

Feemor gave Obi-Wan’s shoulder a light shake. “Time to go, sleepy-head.”

“Not asleep,” Obi-Wan muttered. He pushed himself off the couch to stand and then slumped against Feemor’s side.

Feemor wrapped an arm around him and guided him to the door. “Good night, Filjo.”

“G-night,” Obi-Wan muttered.

“Good night,” Master Lortholl said.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan settled back into temple life. Attending classes, doing homework, and extra saber practice were just as demanding on him as their time on Mandalore. Training there involved more hand-to-hand combat and blaster practice, but he still was tired afterward.

He was walking from class with Garen when Bruck exited a room, almost running them over.

“Watch where you’re going!” Bruck growled at them.

He did a double take and registered who he had smacked into. His eyes narrowed in anger at Obi-Wan. His lip curled in distaste, and his nose wrinkled as if he smelt something bad.

Obi-Wan was offended and exasperated at the other boy.

The voice of Garth Honua telling him and the other ade being trained, “Choose your battlefield when you can and don’t let others push you to react on the battlefield of their choosing,” came to mind with the feel of the Force behind it.

Obi-Wan bit the inside of his lip to keep from reacting to the aggressive posturing. He breathed and pulled the peace of the Force around him while repeating those lessons.

“Offi-Wan, I thought you left,” he snarled.

Garen tensed up. His hands curled into fists. Obi-Wan stepped a half step sideways to hinder any action Garen may take.

“You are correct from a certain point of view,” Obi-Wan said. “I left with my master.”

Bruck radiated his growing irritation. He took a threatening step toward them. Garen pressed forward against Obi-Wan’s side. Bruck stopped.

“There you are, Obi-Wan.” Feemor’s voice came from behind them. “Ready for saber practice?”

Bruck pivoted and took off down the hall and around a corner as quickly as he could without appearing to run away. They turned to face Feemor.

“Master Stahl!” Garen greeted him with enthusiasm. “Great timing.”

Feemor watched Bruck scamper away before looking back at them. “I had a feeling I was needed here at this moment.”

“It is appreciated,” Obi-Wan said.

“Who was that?” Feemor asked.

“Bruck Chun,” Garen eagerly volunteered. “He’s always had it out for Obi-Wan. Picked on him when no one was looking, egged him into fights…”

“He’s changed,” Obi-Wan observed. He examined his current impression of Bruck. “He’s… angrier than before.”

“He hasn’t been chosen to be a padawan yet,” Garen said. “When you left, he thought Jinn would pick him.” He shrugged his shoulders letting the implications speak for themselves.

“When Jinn came back from Bandomeer, he was prohibited from taking on another padawan for the time being,” Feemor said.

“We’re aware. Bruck switched from mopping to stomping around the temple for weeks afterward,” Garen said. “He got better… or back to normal for him.” Garen rubbed the tip of his nose. “I thought he may have found a master several weeks ago…”

“Why?” Obi-Wan asked.

“He was acting excited and ignored the rest of us… he also was suddenly secretive too. This is the first time I’ve seen him so hostile in a while.” He patted Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “The sight of Obi brings it out of him.”

“Maybe it didn’t work out for him,” Obi-Wan said. “Me having a master…”

“Is like rubbing salt into a wound,” Garen said.

~~X~~

Feemor accepted the cup of tea from Filjo.

“Tinn found where the security recordings had been looped in the room but nothing else,” Filjo said. “Only the security on the door shows signs of tapering.”

“Inside job?” Feemor asked and took a sip from his cup.

“Maybe.” Filjo picked up a vegetable stick. “The only reason we know the files have been copied and taken was because any copying of those files is recorded and is reported on the activity reports. The number of files copied and the lack of proper ID of the person accessing them caught the reviewer’s eye.”

“Why take so many files?” Feemor pondered that with another sip of tea. “Unless… you want to hide the ones the thief is truly interested in.”

Filjo hummed. “A piece of straw in a straw stack.”

Once more, Filjo had his twist on common phrasings. In this case, one file in a stack of other files was applicable.

“The range taken provides a large pool and possible targets,” Feemor said. “Why take them? Why not just look up the information and leave the file behind? That wouldn’t raise any suspicion?”

“Unless they didn’t have a specific target in mind when the files were taken,” Filjo said. “They took a wide selection to get one that has what they are looking for.”

Feemor tapped the side of his cup. “They want the files to… pick a target… Based on what? Is the target an initiate, an initiate’s family, or something else?”

“We don’t have enough information to know,” Filjo sighed discordantly.

“You believe it’s tied into the other thefts around the temple?” Feemor asked.

“Possibly. It was one of the earliest ones – I believe.” He shrugged. “I’m not part of the investigation.”

Feemor turned his cup in the saucer. “The other items stolen were clothing?”

“Today a toolbox was reported stolen,” Filjo said.

“Such an odd mix of items. The clothing and toolbox on their own seem like standard shenanigans, but the files don’t fit that pattern… unless…” He chewed on his lower lip. “What if the clothing was stolen to facilitate getting to the files.”

“A meditation robe would allow them to blend in,” Filjo said. “That points more to an outsider.”

“Or someone in the temple that doesn’t have such robes.”

“I don’t think initiates would be stealing their own files,” Filjo said.

“Doubtful. Padawan.. Maybe…”

“They could use their own masters’ robe then,” Filjo pointed out.

“Their master might notice it missing during the padawan’s outing…” Feemor shook his head. “I’m just throwing things out there even if they don’t hold much water.”

“Yeah. They could just return it when done and say the laundry droids put it in the wrong place.”

“It’s all fishy,” Feemor said. “I’m sure there is more to it. I can feel that there is, but I can’t see it yet.”

“Unfortunately, my friend, it’s not your task to see it. Jinn is on the case.”

“He appears to be doing better,” Feemor said.

“You’ve seen him?”

“Not up close. I have seen him around.”

“What happened to Tahl shook him up and broke through his hang-ups with the mind healers,” Filjo said.

“Because he needed their approval to lift restrictions or because he could better help Tahl if he was better?”

Filjo’s head oscillated back and forth. “Not sure. I’m leaning towards a bit of both.”

“I did go visit Tahl the other day…”

“How’d that go?”

“Good. We had a good talk. That droid of hers is annoying. She shut it off soon after I got there because she would not stop interrupting.”

“I’ve heard about her. Yoda gave it to her. We think it is one of his pranks.”

“It’s annoying enough to be one.”

~~X~~

Feemor was walking through the Temple on his way to meet with Master Sidorn and a few other Shadows.

‘Left now!’ Insisted the Force.

Feemor turned left. The last time it was this clear and insistent he found Obi-Wan. He tapped out a message to Master Sidorn that he had been delayed as he jogged through the halls.

‘Hurry, hurry’

He picked up his pace. The Halls of Healing came into view. He slowed when he got close to the door.

The door slid open and a being with the hood drawn down over their face stepped out. Feemor managed to not collide with the being who hesitated only a moment before brushing past him with a soft sneer.

‘There!’

Feemor pivoted and jogged to catch up to the quickly striding figure. He rested a hand on his saber ready for a fight. Whoever that was, they were not a Jedi.

A wave of hate came from the figure before he sprinted around a corner.

Feemor staggered under the emotional attack. He swiftly gained his equilibrium and dashed after him, but the figure had vanished before he got there. He probed the area in the Force for any hint of where the figure went. He found nothing – not even a hint of hate was left behind. That meant very good shielding to hide behind.

He looked around the hall once more for any trace. His next step was to access the blueprints of the area because there had to be some unseen passage used to escape.

Raised voices drifted down from the Hall of Healing. Panic, grief, and outrage filled the Force from that direction. Feemor rubbed the bridge of his nose and headed that way to report his run-in with the being and find out what happened in the Hall.

~~X~~

Geran found Obi-Wan when he emerged from the library. He was vibrating the way he did when he had good news or good gossip.

“They identified the thief!” Geran grabbed Obi-Wan’s arm. “You will never guess.”

Garen shook him while they walked. He did not get his mouth open to voice a word on the topic before Geran blurted it out.

“It was Bruck.”

Obi-Wan stopped in the hall. They got a few scowls from those who now had to go around them. Geran pulled him so they were out of the way.

“Jinn went to ask Bruck about the missing items. He ran.” Geran scratched his head. “He got away, unfortunately.”

“Do they know why he did it?”

Geran shrugged. “If they do, they haven’t said.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Act 2

Obi-Wan could not sleep. It was early, but not too early to get up and meditate. Today he felt like it would be good to meditate in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He left a note for Feemor and headed out.

The room was tranquil, and the sound of the water was soothing. He stopped by the pond Bant favored and closed his eyes. He let his mind drift in the Force. He flowed with the water through the room.

He could sense several other Jedi in the room. Most were meditating. A few were walking. They were all communing with the Force. It was a good feeling – a feeling of belonging to something bigger.

He pulled back and focused on the pool before him. He contemplated its depths, the way the water flowed, how the Force interacted with it.

He felt Yoda’s approach.

“Morning, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan greeted when the master neared.

Back when they got the final report on the investigation kicked off by his suspicious assignment to Bandomeer, Obi-Wan had mixed feelings about Yoda.

On the one hand, Yoda believed it to be the will of the Force that he was to become Jinn’s padawan and orchestrated events for it to happen. From another angle, Yoda himself always quoted, “The future is in motion.” He failed to heed that adage.

The dichotomy between Yoda’s position on foretelling of future events and what he did when it involved one of his lineage was something he and Feemor had talked about afterward through his first year. It led to conversations about the right option from one perspective or for one person was not always the right one for another, how our relationships with others affect our perspective of things, how to be mindful of all of the above.

At first, he felt betrayed by Yoda, especially once they learned what happened to Jinn on the way to Bandomeer and what he dealt with on the planet – all information passed on by Feemor’s friends. If he had been on the transport… he knew he would have tried to help. He would have been a lone initiate. He doubted if Jinn would have paid any attention to him on the transport.

Now that he had learned the value the black market placed on young force sensitives, the idea of him being an unchaperoned minor on the trip to a mining planet sent shivers down his spine. From his perspective, the odds of him being taken and sold into slavery were much higher than Jinn taking him as a padawan.

Eventually he released his anger with Yoda and found forgiveness within himself. But – he would not forget. He would give Yoda the respect his age, experience, and position were due. He would listen to his advice, but he would not follow it blindly or treat it as gospel. Yoda was a fallible being just like the rest of them. He felt that was an important lesson to have learned at his young age.

“Hmmm, morning for meditation good is. Your studies well going are?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. Yoda’s reflection was beside his own in the water. “They are. My days are very busy. I’m learning a lot.”

“More than where you were, hmmm?”

Obi-Wan studied the reflections for several seconds thinking over what he learned traveling with Feemor. A soft smile curled his lips.

“Not more or less, just different and all good to learn.”

“Hmph.” Yoda tapped his stick against Obi-Wan’s foot. “Walk with me.”

Obi-Wan inclined his head and followed Yoda to the stone path. They slowly walked along the winding trail. Obi-Wan let the silence and the Force soothe away any discomfort or nervousness the encounter stirred up.

Yoda’s presence beside him was comfortable and warm. It reminded him of his childhood and how the crèchemasters felt in the Force.

“More grounded in the Force you are,” Yoda said. “Feemor good match for you is.”

“He is a good teacher. Being his padawan is different than I expected – good but not fully what I perceived the relationship to be like as an initiate.”

“True for all. Much unseen from outside there is.”

They approached the bridge that crossed the river that fed many of the fountains. The Force was agitated. There was a surge of darkness. The Force sang out in warning before they set foot on it. They both dove and took cover at the warning. An explosion rained bits of synth-wood down on them. Application of the Force kept the larger pieces from hitting them.

Surprise and alarm came from others in the room. A couple of Masters who had been meditating rushed to them and helped them up.

“Are you alright, Master Yoda?” a Tholothian master asked.

Yoda gently pushed their patting hands away. “Fine I am.” His eyes narrowed as he took in the remnants of the bridge and debris.

“What happened?” a knight rushed up to them and asked.

“Someone tried to kill Yoda.”

Yoda’s attention was elsewhere. Obi-Wan looked to where Yoda was focusing. There was a cloaked figure ducked into a waterfall and disappeared.

More people rushed into the room in response to the attack. The noise level increased as everyone tried to learn what had happened.

A gentle touch on his elbow announced Feemor’s presence. “Are you well?” he asked next to Obi-Wan’s ear to be heard over the other racket.

“Yes, master. The Force warned us and we took cover before it went off.”

Three High Council members showed up and tried to bring order to the chaos.

Yoda stamped his stick against the ground. “Enough!” Everyone quieted. “Investigate this we will.” Assignments were handed out. The rest were dismissed to go about their day.

Feemor checked with one of the assigned investigators before guiding him out of the room.

“What happened?” Feemor asked.

Obi-Wan explained in a low voice while they walked. “There was a darkness in the room before the warning, and there was a cloaked figure who disappeared into a waterfall. Yoda saw them.”

“Were they the source of the darkness?”

Obi-Wan slumped. “Maybe… I couldn’t tell. There were too many other things going on. I had trouble centering.”

Feemor patted his back. “Understandable after almost getting blown up.”

“If I was in the middle of a fight… I need to be able to center and focus.”

“Time and experience,” Feemor reminded him. One of his mantras to remind Obi-Wan perfection was not required here and now. This was the time for him to learn, make mistakes, and grow.

They walked through the halls. Feemor turned them down a hall that he was not familiar with.

“Where are we going?”

“To have breakfast with a friend. I was coming to get you, and that is why I was there so quickly.”

They were in a housing section of the temple. Feemor rang the bell. A Thisspiasian opened the door and greeted them.

“Come in,” he said. “The food just arrived.”

The door closed behind them. Feemor directed Obi-Wan to the two chairs made for humanoids to sit in. There was a table with breakfast dishes set on it.

“Master Sidorn, this is my padawan Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan bowed to the master. Sidorn returned it.

“Obi-Wan, this is Master Rono Sidorn, the current Master of Shadows.”

This was who gave Feemor his missions and who he reported to. “Pleasure meeting you,” Obi-Wan got out.

“You as well. I have heard good things about you,” Sidorn said.

Sidorn slithered around the table and settled into the seat opposite theirs. They sat, and food was distributed and eaten.

“I hear there was some more excitement this morning,” Sidorn said.

“What you hear is true,” Feemor said. “Someone blew up a bridge along Yoda’s usual morning path.”

That was not something Obi-Wan had even thought about. He had not doubted it was intended for Yoda. He was just a bystander in this situation…. Unless it was Bruck….

“Could it have been Bruck Chun?” Obi-Wan pondered allowed.

Sidorn stroked his beard. “Why do you ask that?”

Obi-Wan ducked his head and looked at his food. Feemor gave him an encouraging shoulder bump.

“They say he was behind the thefts. I was just thinking, what if Yoda wasn’t the target.” He held up a hand. “I believe he was, but what if…”

Sidorn nodded. “Valid line of questioning to follow even if the odds are low. Continue.”

Obi-Wan sat up straighter at the encouragement. “Bruck and I were antagonistic as initiates. He has been more hostile to me since I got back than before… If I were the target, he’s the only one that came to mind.”

“Since he’s the main suspect for the thefts… it is a logical possibility… but are there factors to counter that position?”

“Yes. The big one is that my being there was unplanned. I woke up early, couldn’t sleep, and decided to meditate by the water. He would have been following me and planted the bomb once we started down the path…. I think he would have been seen then.”

“Very true.”

“I don’t think he would plant the bomb on the bridge in advance just in case I walked across it. So, even if it was Bruck, I wasn’t the target – Master Yoda was.”

“You don’t think it was an act of random chance?” Sidorn asked. He was filling the guiding and teaching role instead of Feemor. The method of leading by questions was a style Feemor often utilized to help him think through issues. He wondered if Feemor had learned it from Master Sidorn.

“That is a possibility as well, but the dark presence… I don’t think it would have been as malicious a feeling if it was just a random being near the bridge. The maliciousness felt targeted.”

“I have not heard about this presence.”

Obi-Wan knew when more information was being requested. He told the master what he had felt before the explosion and about the cloaked being vanishing into the water.

“Do you think the being was Chun?” Feemor asked this time.

Obi-Wan pondered the question and examined the brief glimpse of the fleeing being for any remembered identification.

“I don’t think it was… but the cloak hid any identifiable characteristics. The being felt different from Bruck in the Force.”

“All good points. We also don’t have a reason for Chun to target Yoda.”

“He’s aging out,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “He could blame one or many people for it.”

“Do you think that is in his character?” Sidorn asked.

“I… I don’t know. We were classmates, and he picked fights with me…, but I didn’t know him well enough to say.”

Sidorn inclined his head. “The thefts could not be related to the attack at all.”

‘Wrong,’ rang the Force. The three looked at eachother and acknowledged the direction.

“Accomplice then,” Feemor said. “We don’t know who they are, what they want, or where they are. We do know that the person who took the Healing Crystal of Fire from the Healing Halls did so when Jinn was chasing after Chun.”

“It’s not our job to investigate it,” Sidorn said.

“It isn’t?” Obi-Wan said in shock.

“The temple guards could – it does cross into their mandate. They will help with processing any evidence,” Sidorn said, “but the Council will probably see them as connected and Jinn is already assigned to the investigation.”

“Doesn’t mean we won’t keep our eyes open and ears sharp for any clues to pass along,” Feemor said.

That sounded logical to Obi-Wan. They were Shadows, and that was where they worked best.

“What I want to know is how could they just disappear like that?” Obi-Wan said. “They disappeared into the foam the waterfall turned up, but where did they go without being spotted or dripping a water trail behind them?”

“All the fountains and waterway are connected even if not visible from shore,” Sidorn said.

“Are they big enough to swim through?” Obi-Wan was surprised. He did not know why he was surprised. It was a logical design to connect them.

“They are,” Sidorn admitted, “but it is discouraged. Those of us who are aquatically inclined have at one point used them to get around in a hurry.”

Feemor tapped his fork in the air in thought. “There must be miles of channels connecting it all. There’s no way to guard all points of egress through them.”

The lights flickered and then went out. They sat in the dark, waiting to see if they returned.

“That’s the other issue going on at the same time,” Sidorn said. “There have been power fluctuations and outages throughout the temple. Tech Miro Daroon is trying to find the issue but hasn’t had any luck. Says he’s one step behind.”

“I hadn’t noticed them,” Feemor said. “What areas are affected?”

“It started in the outer housing wings. The air handling went down last night, and they moved the residence to a different wing.”

All three of their coms pinged as the lights returned at half power. They pulled them out and read the message.

“They are requesting us to minimize using the lift tubes within the temple while the tech department works on fixing the power and mechanical issues. Recommend carrying portable light sources with us through the halls,” Feemor summarized.

~~X~~

Feemor and Obi-Wan spent time in the sparring rooms, running him through his forms and practicing some of the more acrobatic moves since they had access to large training rooms and not the limited area of their ship.

The lights dimmed twice. Everyone in the room eyed the fixtures with concern. They suspected the air handlers had gone out toward the end with how warm and stuffy it was getting. Feemor checked his com after their cooldown.

“The problems are spreading to new areas.”

Obi-Wan leaned over Feemor’s arm to the map of affected areas he pulled up.

“They want us to move to unaffected areas.”

“That’s two whole sections,” Obi-Wan said. “Where are they going to move them to?”

“I don’t know. Our rooms are fine for the moment.”

“That’s going to be a mess to move everyone – the logistics…” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don’t know if it would be better or worse than the impromptu freeing and relocating of slaves Jango’s group did on their last assignment.”

They left the room and entered the busy halls. There was a noticeable number of people moving supplies to the unaffected sections of the temple. They had to weave around a few slower moving groups.

“This is such a disruption to everyone’s lives,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “Add the attack this morning… beings will be on edge and jumpy.”

Feemor studied the reshuffling of items and beings the way he studied their targets before they ever approached them. Obi-Wan waited for him to make his assessment. They entered their rooms before he shared.

“The environmental issues and the attack don’t automatically appear related. However, the odds of everything being separate issues, I feel are low. Both are creating unease and disruption to the standard daily order.”

“It is easier to slip into places when there is confusion,” Obi-Wan added, thinking of when they used that tactic to get out of a situation or into someplace.

“Yes. At this point, there is not much we can do about it. It falls to the High Council. They are trying to keep people calm, work on restoring the systems, and keep an eye out for future actions.”

~~X~~

Things did not get better the next day. Obi-Wan’s classmates grumbled about the disruption and discomfort. They were speculating on who tried to kill Yoda and who would be next.

He was glad when classes ended. Bant was chatting with Feemor in the classroom atrium. She waved to him when he entered with the other exiting students.

“Are you allowed to be here alone with all the issues?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Master Feemor came and got me. They know where I am,” she assured.

“I thought we could grab dinner together. Garen had other plans,” Feemor said.

Bant filled him in on her day as they walked. Their path took them past the entrance to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Both Feemor and Obi-Wan stopped and looked into the room.

“What is it?” Bant softly asked.

“We need to take a detour,” Feemor said.

“I feel it too,” Obi-Wan said.

Bant clutched Obi-Wan’s sleeve and leaned against him. “Feel what?”

“The Force is nudging us to go in,” Feemor said.

“Why?” Bant asked.

“We won’t know until we go in,” Feemor said.

They wandered through the expansive room following the Force. They passed by where the bridge had been. The debris had been removed, and guarding was up around what remained of the structure until repairs could be made.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The room felt calm, but there was a warning of something coming at the edge of Obi-Wan’s senses. Feemor led them toward Bant’s favorite pond and stopped.

There was a racket overhead. Part of the horizontal turbolift tube had fallen and hung in the air.

“That one links the younger children’s nursery and care centers to the dining halls,” Bant gasped out.

Feemor pulled out his com to call for help. “It’s not working. Yours?”

Obi-Wan checked his com. It did not connect. He shook his head.

“Bant, I want you to try the com at the door to call for help,” Feemor said.

“OK.” She was ready to dash off when Feemor placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Tell any other senior padawan or higher that you cross paths with that I need their aid immediately.”

He released her, and she ran back down the path.

Feemor looked back up at the damaged transport. Obi-Wan followed his reach out with the Force and tested the lift.

“There are several on board. It’s steady for now.”

Feemor moved down the path, looking up.

“Shouldn’t we be helping them?” Obi-Wan felt like they needed to be acting now.

“Breath, focus,” Feemor gently commanded.

He chewed on the inside of his lip, realizing he was letting the urgency he felt drive his actions – which was not the Jedi way. He breathed. He centered himself. He opened himself to the Force and listened and looked.

“What do we need to do before acting?” Feemor asked while he continued to study the network of walkways above.

“Assess the surroundings, resources, and the situation.” Obi-Wan was also tracing the crisscrossing tubes and walkways above them. “Can we get them to the walkways?”

Feemor pointed to where the tube crossed the catwalk. “Use the catwalk there to access the tube and lift-car. The issue will be the stability of the section.”

The damaged tube swayed. Obi-Wan’s heart jumped into his throat. Feemor reached a hand and his Force abilities out to support it.

“I have it,” Feemor said. “Reach out and feel for the crucial points that Force application will do the most good at.”

“Work smarter, not harder,” Obi-Wan muttered and did as instructed.

He followed his master’s application of the Force at the best leverage points. The areas were clear to him now. Feemor had it in hand for now.

“How long can you hold it?”

“As long as I need to,” Feemor said confidently. “That won’t be long because help is on its way.”

The sound of running feet could now be heard. Master Jinn was the first to reach them. He smoothly slid in to reinforce Feemor’s hold. Two other knights followed and added their strength to support the car. Their addition was more bumpy but quickly adjusted.

“There are too many obstacles to free and lower the car with the Force easily and safely for the younglings inside,” Feemor said. “I think we can gain access to the car from the catwalks.”

“We would need to support the tube as you travel through,” Jinn said.

“I’ll send my padawan. He’s lighter than I am. I’ll be at the opening that we will have to cut to gain access. By the time we get up there, there will, Force willing, be enough Jedi here to support the tube as well.”

The sound of more feet attested the others coming to help.

Jinn inclined his head. “Go. It will take you a bit to get up there. I have a feeling the elevator up there isn’t working. I’ll make sure of things on this end.”

“I’ll ignite my lightsaber in two rapid flashes when we’re ready to send Obi-Wan in.”

Feemor released his Force hold on the car and guided Obi-Wan to the access point they needed. Behind them, Jinn was giving orders and incorporating the new arrivals into the plan.

The lift was not working, as expected. They climbed the stairs. They went up and up. Even the training the Mandalorians had put him through did not make it an easy climb for him. Feemor, on the other hand, looked only slightly winded when they made it to the level they needed. They walked down the maintenance tube.

Feemor ran his fingers over each access door they passed before stopping at B37.

“This one.”

It luckily opened at the push of the button. They were on the catwalk with the tube shaft not far from them. Feemor ignited his lightsaber and carefully cut an opening into it. He levitated the cut portion to the far end of the catwalk, where it would be out of the way.

Feemor stuck his head in to give it a once over.

“Nothing immediately dangerous. It’s not far. I’ll have eyes on you the entire way,” he said.

“Thanks. At times like this, I wish I had a jetpack,” Obi-Wan griped.

“Would have been helpful,” Feemor agreed.

He walked to the railing and held his arm out over it. He turned his lightsaber on and then off twice as he said he would.

Obi-Wan looked over the railing to the cluster of Jedi that had gathered beside the lake below. It was a long way down. Everything looked small… like it would fit in one of the crèche’s toy houses.

A blue lightsaber flashed three times.

“In you go!” Feemor said. “They have the tube supported.”

Obi-Wan was lowered into the tube with Feemor’s help. He ignored the children’s fear he could feel and pulled out the emergency light they now carried everywhere with them. He turned it on to illuminate the dark tunnel.

He listened to the Force and slowly and steadily crossed the distance to the turbolift. He rapped on the wall to announce his presence.

“It’s Padawan Kenobi. I’ve been sent to help get you out.”

“I’m Ali-Alann with ten children under my care. There’s only one turbolift thruster of the four working.”

“There is a group of Jedi below supporting the lift and the shaft,” Obi-Wan assured. “Can you open the access hatch?”

“No, it won’t open,” Ali-Alann answered.

“Osik,” he muttered low enough to not carry through the carriage wall. “Please move everyone away from the wall. I’m going to make an opening.”

He heard them moving around. Once they stopped, he asked, “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He secured his light to the shaft wall and activated his saber. He carefully cut into the car wall. He concentrated on each inch cut. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He knew he had to be careful. It felt like forever before he had made the opening they needed.

The section was removed. Inside Ali-Alann stood between the opening and the ten younglings gathered against the far wall.

“I’ll have to take one at a time,” Obi-Wan said.

Ali-Alann nodded. He picked up a humanoid girl and passed her to Obi-Wan. He held her close and made his way back to Feemor. The girl was Force lifted out of the shaft and handed to another Jedi who had joined Feemor.

“Here. These were brought up by the others,” Feemor said.

A harness and rope were passed down to him. He swiftly put the harness on and made sure it fit appropriately before clipping the free end of the rope to it.

“There are nine more children and Master Ali-Alann in the car,” Obi-Wan reported. “I’m headed back.”

“I’m on watch,” Feemor said, and Obi-Wan relaxed.

The trip the second time was no less nerve-racking. He felt the other Jedi working to keep everything steady as he ferried the children to the catwalk.

When there were only two left, Feemor said, “We’ve enough below for you and Ali-Alann to come back with the last two children at the same time. Leave several feet between you. A team will be supporting and tracking each of you.”

If they were too close together, it would make the job harder, and the teams may be interfering with each other.

“Will do.”

Obi-Wan headed back for the last trip. He told Ali-Alann the plan and let him go first.

As he walked back with the last child, the tube swayed but steadied. He regulated his breathing and continued to talk calmly to the kid Jarin. He handed Jarrin up.

Femur reached down and pulled Obi-Wan up and into his arms. He hugged him.

“Good job.” He pulled away and activated a now working com. “Clear.”

He felt the Force created support leave. The damaged section groaned and swayed. Everyone watched to see if it would fall. It stabilized and stilled.

“Time to go and let the engineers deal with it,” Master Allen said.

Obi-Wan shed the harness and handed it to an individual with an engineering patch. Feemor guided him out and to the lift.

“Thank the Force, we don’t have to walk down,” Obi-Wan moaned.

Those around him laughed.

~~X~~

Feemor was grateful that the rescue went well and everyone made it out safe. His padawan had kept his wits about him and demonstrated he was understanding and utilizing his lessons.

Obi-Wan leaned against him on their trip down in the crowded turbolift. He wrapped an arm around the kid. Obi-Wan felt exhausted. His presence was dim and sluggish.

There would be reports to write on the events and their actions. There were always reports to write. It would be a good learning experience for Obi-Wan… but once he got some food and sleep.

And then there was Jinn. This was the closest they had been to each other since Jinn repudiated him seven years ago. He had mixed feelings on that now that there was no crisis needing them to work together. He did not know what Jinn’s response to their meeting again would be.

The group that had been on the catwalk was greeted by Master Kar. She thanked them for their help and sent them on their way.

All the council members who had been here were absent. Jinn was also missing, which was more of a relief than he expected.

It was logical for that group to be gone. Jinn because he was leading the investigation and the council because they would need to deal with the ramifications of the event.

He looked over the lake and wondered how the turbolift had been tampered with. It was sabotage. Three thrusters would not have gone out all at the same time without signs of them wearing out beforehand.

Then he spotted, near the lake, a turbolift control panel. It appeared to be ajar… like someone had accessed it and not properly secured it – maybe because they were in a hurry. The proximity to the water reminded him of the waterways that Rono told them about. That would make an excellent exit route for the saboteur.

Obi-Wan shifted beside him. Once he realized he had Feemor’s attention, he softly asked, “Something wrong?”

“Nothing new,” Feemor answered.

They both knew he was avoiding answering the question. Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed. He paused, cocked his head, and looked around. He looked at the area Feemor had been looking at.

Feemor did tip his head toward the control panel to see if Obi-Wan would pick up on what had caught his eye. Obi-Wan tried to look around subtly – not a skill he had mastered yet. He knew the moment his padawan saw it. His eyes widened and made a small gasp.

“Come, Padawan. We deserve a break after that.”

He guided Obi-Wan out of the room and to their quarters. Obi-Wan side-eyed him, which was interrupted by a yawn.

“Food then bed,” Feemor stated.

“It’s not that late,” Obi-Wan protested.

“You did a lot with the Force during the rescue. You need to replenish your energy. At least lay down for a bit.”

Obi-Wan sighed the put-upon sigh of all teenagers when humoring “unneeded” instructions from their parental figure.

“Sure.”

They walked through the half-lighted halls in companionable silence to their room.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan had fallen asleep as soon as he laid down on his bed. Feemor pulled the door closed after checking on him. He had already cleaned up from their early dinner. He returned to the main room and called Rono.

“I assume you are aware of what happened with the turbolift,” Feemor said after greetings were exchanged.

“The basics,” Rono answered.

“I think our theory of the attacker using the waterways is accurate,” Feemor said. “The turbolift control panel is near the lake. The attack on Yoda was in the same room. I doubt the bomb going off was left to chance.”

“Agree. Hence why the individual fleeing the scene was suspect.”

“Has Jinn made the connection?” Feemor asked.

“I don’t know, but I will have one of the Temple guards tell him if he doesn’t.”

Feemor felt the prodding of the Force. He pinched his nose and sighed.

“What is it?” Rono asked, knowing the signs.

“I think Jinn going hunting on his own through the waterways is not the best idea,” Feemor slowly said as he tested out what the Force was prodding him for. “Tahl can’t go with him. He doesn’t have a padawan to drag into it. Is there anyone else he’s working with for the investigation?”

Rone ran fingers through his beard. “True. It was fine when it was a case of theft he was investigating… but it has taken a turn with higher risk. Back-up is always a good thing to have – seen or not.” Rono nodded. “I’ll have a guard tag along or follow if Jinn is obstinate about it.”

“If Tahl’s around, the guard should appeal to her if he balks at the idea. She would insist he take back-up.”

“I’ll do that.”

“You look tired. You should get some sleep while you can,” Rono said.

‘True,’ rang the Force.

Feemor sighed. “Now you’ve cursed me to trouble in my near future.”

Rono hissed a laugh and signed off.

Feemor ran his hands through his hair and leaned his head back against the couch. A nap would be good. He had a feeling he would need the fortification as much as his padawan did for whatever shenanigans hung in their future.

Act 3

Pounding on the door woke Feemor up from his nap on the couch. He threw an arm over his eyes and tried not to groan. He recognized the Force presence on the other side of the door.

The pounding continued.

Feemor got up to open the door. Jinn was standing on the other side, looking damp around the edges.

“At least you’re not dripping wet,” Feemor said and let Jinn in. “What do you want?” It came out more biting than intended.

“You’re help,” Jinn said.

The bedroom door opened, and a sleep-rumpled Obi-Wan peered out.

“Everything alright?” he asked, eyeing the two masters.

Jinn seemed surprised to see the padawan, and then he looked sheepish.

“I didn’t realize until today that you took another padawan,” Jinn said.

“A took him on a few years ago,” Feemor said. If Jinn did not realize his taking Obi-Wan on as a padawan learner resulted in Jinn’s censure and mandated mind healer sessions, he was not going to enlighten him.

Obi-Wan looked worriedly between the two. Jinn seemed to pick up on it.

Jinn turned to face Feemor and radiated seriousness and regret.

“I owe you an apology,” Jinn said. “In my pain and grief, I acted rashly and carelessly made declarations without thinking about the ramifications to anyone else but my intended target. It never crossed my mind that my repudiation of Xanatos would be applied to you as well.”

To Feemor’s surprise, Jinn did not shy away from his gaze or explain it away as the will of the Force.

“I am sorry for the situation my thoughtless statement put you in. I know it is too late to fully fix the damage, but I did clarify my intentions with the council.”

Feemor inclined his head. “Thank you. Why now?”

“Short answer – it came up in my mind-healer sessions, and he pointed out what I overlooked for years when I was ready to hear it.”

Obi-Wan had creeped out of his room during the apology and hovered behind Feemor. He felt protectiveness and curiosity across their bond.

Feemor reached back and snagged Obi-Wan. He directed him to the couch and motioned to Jinn to sit down.

“What do you need my help with?” Feemor asked.

Jinn sank into the chair.

“Xanatos is behind the attacks,” Jinn announced.

“Of course he is,” Feemor muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose. That would explain the feelings he picked up from the person outside the Halls of Healing. “I’m sure there is more to it than threatening us. What is he after, and how are you sure?”

Jinn smiled. “You were always good and figuring things out. Xanatos never does something for only one reason. I found him in the waterways and his transport.”

“More detail would be helpful,” Feemor prodded.

“You know about the thefts?”

They both nodded.

Obi-Wan answered, “It’s the first thing my friends told me about when we returned to the temple. I thought Bruck was the thief.”

“He’s working with Xanatos,” Jinn said. “We believe he got the items for Xanatos so he could move in and out of the temple without drawing suspicion.”

A master’s meditation cloak would provide a good cover to move through the temple without being questioned. A pulled up hood obscured the face even when Feemor was face to face with him outside the Halls of Healing.

Feemor ran through the list of stolen items. The toolbox could be used for today’s bit of sabotage. The 4th year sports gear would provide them with breathers for the waterways.

But Bruck stealing the Initiate files did not make sense. The stolen Healing Crystal of Fire had not been used yet… that they knew of.

“Initiate Eerin came to me with her theory that the suspects were using the waterways to get around the temple.”

Obi-Wan stiffened at his friend’s involvement. There was a flash of concern.

“She offered to guide me through them since she uses them at times to get places quickly. We managed to find a maintenance area where some of the stolen items were. Xanatos confronted us there.”

Obi-Wan fisted his hands and hid them in his sleeves, but Feemor noticed. He sent calm and reassurance across the bond.

“Is Bant… Initiate Eerin alright?” Obi-Wan asked.

Jinn nodded. “She is. She took off as soon as she had an opening to get help.”

Obi-Wan relaxed with the news.

“How much grandstanding and insult slinging did Xanatos do?” Feemor asked.

Jinn huffed and rolled his eyes. “His usual. Accused me of not being worthy to be a Jedi. Said I should have figured it out sooner and not had to rely on an initiate to point me in the right direction.”

“Wait, how did he know Bant told you about the waterways?” Obi-Wan asked.

The two masters momentarily froze and then looked at each other.

“Where did she tell you about them?” Feemor asked.

Jinn rubbed his face tiredly. “I was in Tahl’s office when she found me. He could have assumed because she was with me.”

Feemor shook his head. “No, that doesn’t feel right. Why didn’t he assume you asked her to guide you through the underwater paths since she was familiar with them? That is the logical reason she was with you unless he knew she told you. What did he say to you exactly?”

Jinn got a contemplative look on his face.

“He said, You still rely on children to do your work, Qui-gon. You would’ve never figured out the water tunnels on your own.”

Feemor tapped a finger on the couch arm. “There’s someone else working for him or he has bugs placed around the temple.”

“Any place crucial gets swept regularly by the guards,” Jinn said.

“He would know that.” Feemor hummed and rolled possibilities around. “What would we not suspect?”

Obi-Wan watched the exchange with interest. He was also pondering the question. Feemor could tell because of the crease between his padawan’s eyes.

“Something that we are used to seeing…” Obi-Wan stated.

“What would that be?” Feemor asked.

“It would have to be something that wasn’t always in one place,” Obi-Wan added thoughtfully. “Otherwise it would be found by the guards…”

Jinn watched Obi-Wan work on the problem with interest.

“If it’s not another person… then a piece of equipment that gets moved around frequently…,” Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, “…or a droid.”

Feemor slapped his forehead. “Talh’s helper droid. Xanatos knows you two are close friends. He could get information on you at the minimum by bugging the droid. Between it and Initiate Chun, he would have a general idea of what was going on.”

“Me being assigned the investigation was icing on the cake,” Jinn said.

“Or a calculated risk. Either is possible,” Feemor pointed out.

“TooJay was there when Initiate Eerin found me,” Jinn said.

“Checking it would confirm one way or another,” Feemor said.

“But if she is compromised, Xanatos would then know we know once we shut it down.”

Obi-Wan shifted, drawing their attention. “Um… not if Master Tahl shut it down in a pique of irritation with her. Everyone knows it annoys her by trying to do everything for her.”

“Good point,” Feemor praised.

Jinn stroked his bearded chin and slowly nodded. “That would work. Once I explain it to her, Tahl will go along with us. Then we can use the droid to mislead Xanatos so he’ll walk into our trap.” Jinn looked at Feemor. “A trap I would like your help with.”

“The original reason you came to me then.”

Jinn leaned forward. “The temple is secretly holding a shipment of vertex crystals in the vault for the senate until negotiations are finalized between the two factions it belongs to.”

“Unprocessed crystals?” Feemor’s eyebrows probably met his hairline with his surprise at the news.

Jinn nodded.

Feemor let out a whistle. “That’s a very tempting target for anyone who knows it’s here.”

“I believe it’s the main reason for Xanatos’ attacks. He’s using the same recipe that a tyrant he and I confronted on one of our missions. He used disruption + demoralization + distraction = devastation. With the devastation, he could take control of the situation.”

“The disruption of the power and environmental controls.” Feemor lifted a finger. “The attack on Yoda and the younglings acts as a demoralization because the attack was in a place of safety.” He held up a second finger. “All of it is a distraction from the true goal because we have to deal with one emergency after another and the people who are displaced or inconvenienced because of it.” He lifted the third finger.

“It’s like the street magicians on Andrirooi. They get you to focus on one item while they slip the card or coin out of the hidden location with the other hand,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

“The plan?” Feemor asked.

Jinn settled back into his chair and folded his hands over his stomach. “To fix the environmental issues, the system needs to be shut down and re-started with one of Tech Daroon’s programs – purging out whatever program Xanatos has put in our systems. That means everything will be offline for 12 minutes.”

Feemor inhaled sharply. The plan became clear.

“He plans to get into the vaults during those 12 minutes.”

“We will be waiting for him there, but it will work best if he believes I’m looking elsewhere in the temple for him.”

“That’s where TooJay will come in if that’s how he’s getting his information.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help. Is the shutdown scheduled?”

“In three hours,” Jinn answered after checking his chrono.

“You go see Tahl and check her droid out. I’ll meet you outside her office in two hours.”

“You could come with me,” Jinn protested.

“I want a chance to center myself before the confrontation since I have the time.”

Jinn inclined his head. “A good practice. Very well, I’ll meet you then.” He stood.

Feemor and Obi-Wan stood as well. Obi-Wan bowed to Jinn, and Feemor escorted him to the door.

“Good hunting, Master,” Feemor said.

“May the Force be with you.”

~~X~~

Obi-Wan was happy that Master Jinn realized what he had done to Feemor and apologized for it. The true test was how he would treat Feemor in the future. The apology meant very little if he did not try to change.

He understood change was hard and took work, and you messed up frequently. That was part of being a sentient being. He hoped Master Jinn would put in the effort and not hurt his master again, especially since they would be in the temple for at least a year for his courses.

“May I meditate with you?” he asked when Feemor returned.

“Yes.”

They set their meditation mats on the floor and settled onto them. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and turned his attention inside. He examined the ball of feelings the past few days’ events had evoked. He started with the most recent and what he had been thinking about earlier – Master Jinn’s visit.

He was more concerned about Feemor than himself. Jinn was only one bit player from his past that got him to where he was now. Of course at the time, he was devastated that the person he saw as his last chance to become a Jedi knight did not see him as worthy. He thought all hope was lost.

Now he realized that the pairing of master and padawan was more than just sticking two people together. Personalities, strengths, and preferences should be considered. A bad match would be worse than not becoming a knight.

These were all lessons he learned from Feemor. It was something he could not see as an initiate who was very focused on one path exclusively without relying on the Force to get him to the promised result.

A mental check-in with Feemor reassured him that Feemor was not unduly troubled by Jinn’s visit and he let that concern go.

The mixture of emotions from the attacks and the environmental issues was harder to detangle. He was angry that someone would target and threaten his family and home. He was scared for them, for his friends, for his master. He wanted to lash out and make Xanatos and Bruck regret their actions.

He slowly breathed in a deep breath and released his frustration and anger to the Force with the exhale. It was not easy to give up that control – give up the seeds he could use to justify selfish retribution and not justice.

Holding on to them could keep him from seeing a Force given opening for the situation when given. The Force was telling him he was needed for the optimal path. That meant he needed to not let his preconceived ideas or his emotions keep him from listening for the directions when prodded.

Resolve and peace settled in his core.

He shifted his breathing pattern to emerge from the meditation. He blinked several times. Feemor, sitting across from him, smiled warmly at him.

“I must get ready to leave,” Feemor said. “You are not to follow me.”

“I won’t. The Force needs me somewhere else.” Obi-Wan stood and stretched. “I don’t know where… but it’s important.”

Feemor got the look when he was checking the Force. His expression was contemplative for several moments before it shifted to acceptance.

“Agree. Be safe, and may the Force be with you.’

“Same to you, Master.”

They split up to get ready for the evening’s adventure.

~~X~~

Feemor made his way to Tahl’s office and rooms. A tall, robed figure stood outside the door. At first he thought it was Jinn, but the Force presence was not his.

“Ali-Alann, how are your charges after their adventure?” Feemor asked.

He lifted his head and smiled at Feemor. “They have all been tucked into bed in the same room for the night and were asleep at last report.”

“Nightmares from it?”

“Possible. The minders are prepared for it.”

Jinn stepped out of Tahl’s door, a scowl on his face. “I may have to rethink my plan.”

“Why?” Feemor asked.

“I was hoping you would think Ali-Alann was me.”

“In the lighting, I did at first glance,” Feemor admitted. “If I didn’t check his Force signature, it would have taken me longer to realize. Why does he need to pass for you?”

“I need Xanatos to believe I’m searching for him in one of the other towers. He will want visual confirmation of the search before he will act.”

It was a reasonable assumption.

Feemor said, “He won’t risk getting too close. The visual from a distance will be enough to play into his expectations.”

Jinn was satisfied with that.

“Was the droid compromised?” Feemor asked.

“Yes,” Tahl called out. “Come in, Feemor.”

They all entered the room where Tahl and one of the temple guards sat waiting. Feemor inclined his head to the guard. He returned the gesture.

Jinn filled Feemor in on his plan and the recording he and the guard had made of their planned search areas and pattern. Ali-Alann would play it, pretending to be Jinn in range of TooJay after he was reactivated. The guard and Ali-Alann would perform the search of the areas. Jinn and Feemor would head down to the vault.

Feemor hid out of sight with Jinn before Tahl turned her droid back on. Ali-Alann and the guard stood under the flickering lights of the hallway and executed their part flawlessly. They headed in the direction of the first search area.

Jinn and Feemor headed for the vault once they had left.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan walked through the half-lit halls, not sure where he was going other than down. His final destination was down and east of his current position. He did not know this portion of the temple. There were no training rooms, classrooms, or initiate rooms in this section. Those were the sections he spent most of his life in.

He stopped trying to use the lifts after the second one was unresponsive. That left him having to locate the stairs and hope they would take him down as far as he needed to go.

He stepped down but his foot contacted the floor sooner than he suspected.

“Kark,” he swore because he had been focusing more on the metaphysical vs. his physical surroundings and did not realize he had come to the landing. Balancing one’s awareness between the two could be hard.

He took stock of where he was. This section of the stairway looked like those he had already passed through. The only way to know it was a different landing was the sign with the tower, quadrant, and floor printed on it.

He placed his hand on the door and checked with the Force. This was not the floor he needed. This time he focused on walking to the next floor before reaching out in the Force. He was relieved to learn this was the floor.

He eagerly yanked open the door and rushed through. He jogged through the halls, seeking what he needed to find. There was a feeling of hurry, time-sensitive in the Force. It was not overwhelming, which told him he had time yet. He would move quickly but not rush.

He stopped at an intersection to check with the Force once more. He turned left. Sounds similar to those he associated with the Vagabond’s engine room became audible as he walked.

‘Too far,’ the Force indicated.

He walked backward a few steps until he was even with a door. He entered a mechanical room. Ductwork and large pipes ran from various pieces of equipment upward to crisscross along the ceiling. Obi-Wan fought to not hunch over at the feeling of confinement he got from looking at them.

It was a large room, but it held big and powerful equipment that provided energy, water, and climate control to the vast temple. Several of the pipes were bigger in diameter than Obi-Wan was tall.

He looked around but did not know what was out of place. He closed his eyes and relied on the Force to lead him to what he needed to find. It took a bit of wandering, but he stopped in front of a fusion furnace.

‘Wrong! Danger!’ the Force warned.

Obi-Wan studied the furnace but knew nothing about it. He did not know if what he was seeing was normal or not. He examined the sections he could see as he walked around it.

‘There!’

There was a section with something wired into the system. It was clearly not a professional installation. The exposed twisted wires where connections joined looked more like a quick patch job done in an emergency.

He moved to get a better look, hoping for a clue what he was looking at.

“Oh,” he gasped upon seeing the missing Healing Crystal of Fire connected to the device. “Not good.”

This was beyond his ability to safely dismantle. He did not want to just disconnect it. It could be booby-trapped or do whatever Xanatos intended for it early. He pushed a hand through his braids and let out a brief manic laugh.

“I need help.”

He reached out with the Force for any nearby presences and hoped if they were here, they would know something about the furnace. He did find one down the hall. This time he ran. He threw himself through the door, attracting the attention of a Piton Jedi working at the terminal.

Obi-Wan felt there was no time for introductions or a long explanation.

“The Healing Crystal is wired up to the fusion furnace! I need someone who knows what they are doing to remove it.”

The pale-skinned Jedi took a sharp inhale. “How did you find it?”

“The Force.”

“Show me!” He covered the distance across the room in three swift steps.

Obi-Wan turned and led him back to the mechanical room.

“There.” He pointed to the tangle of wires and metal wrapped around the crystal.

The Piton set eyes on the device. He released a sudden spike of shock and fear before releasing it. He got closer and examined it. He traced the wires. He pulled out a mirror and light to examine the other parts of the addition.

“Can it be taken off easily?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes. There are no triggers and boobytraps set to trigger it if tampered with.”

Obi-Wan sagged with relief.

He pulled a few tools from his belt and started disconnecting the device from the furnace.

“What would it do if it was left there?” Obi-Wan asked.

“It would have blown the central temple up when I restarted the systems after the shutdown.”

“But everyone’s been moved into this section from the others because of the problems with the system!”

He got a troubled look on his face. “I’m guessing that was the saboteur’s intention.”

That reminded Obi-Wan of the plan to catch Xanatos and checked the time. “Shouldn’t the shutdown be starting soon? That can’t be delayed. Master Feemor and Jinn are counting on it to catch Xanatos,” he blurted out.

The Piton pulled the softly glowing crystal from the holder. “It will be fine. I assume you are Feemor’s padawan then.”

“Yes. Sorry, it was more important to handle that than introductions.” He motioned to the partially dismantled device. “Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He bowed to the Jedi.

“Tech Miro Daroon. Come!”

He followed Darron back to the room he had found him in.

“Sit!” Daroon pointed to an empty chair.

He placed the crystal into a padded box and then returned to the terminal. He entered several commands and appeared satisfied.

“System shutdown in seven minutes.” The announcement echoed through the temple’s emergency system.

Obi-Wan sat as ordered. He watched Tech Daroon check his monitors and enter commands as he began the system shutdown.

~~X~~

They followed Yoda down the narrow stairway off the High Council chamber that led to the security chamber. Council permission was required to be here.

“Here we are.” Yoda stopped before the security door.

He tapped a button. A panel slid aside to reveal a retinal scanner. He leaned forward for the scan. The door’s locking mechanism disengaged. With a wave of his hand, the door swung open.

Feemor followed Jinn inside. The room had shelving on two walls that had smaller items and containers. There were bigger crates of various sizes along the other wall. In the center of the room was the large crate with the vertex in it sealed with a bio-locked.

“Five minutes until the central core shutdown,” Daroon’s voice came over the emergency communication system.

Yoda tapped his stick against the floor, gaining their attention. “Trust you to Xanatos capture. Let not your past with him you distract.”

“Of course not, Master Yoda,” Jinn answered.

Yoda huffed fondly. “May the Force be with you.” The door slowly closed with another wave of the small master’s hand, and the light cut off with it.

Feemor positioned himself beside one of the tall storage boxes in the vault and hid in its darker shadow in an already dark room. He pulled his Force signature in tight and wrapped his shields around him to prevent their prey from detecting him.

Jinn was at the other end of the room, suppressing his presence. This way they were on either side of the access points Xanatos would most likely use to get into the vault.

Feemor used a light meditation to pass the time until the system shut down. Daroon’s announcements were only a muffled blur of sounds from inside the vault. It was enough that they knew the time to act was soon.

All mechanical sounds stopped. The hiss of air being blown through the ducts sputtered out. The lack of background sounds was oppressive, especially when combined with the lack of sight. He focused on listening for movement outside the chamber.

It did not take long before scraping sounds came from the air ducts above. There was a flash of a light that bounced off the metal ductwork, announcing Xanatos’ arrival.

The cover was levitated away from the opening and set aside. Two figures somersaulted down. The first head that emerged was light-haired and easily seen even with the low level of lighting he carried. Feemor waited and watched as Bruck moved further into the room. He focused his light on the crates and reading their labels.

Xanatos turned the opposite way.

“Here!” Bruck’s excitement was clear in his voice and in his Force presence.

“Let me see.” Xanatos moved to the crate. He leaned close to examine the locking mechanism.

“That’s a bio-security lock,” Bruck said. “How are we going to get through it?”

Xanatos pulled a slicing device from somewhere. “That’s why I brought this.”

“You’re not getting a chance to use it,” Jinn said and stepped from his hiding spot, igniting his lightsaber to attack.

Xanatos was quick to react and activated his own. Instead of blocking Jinn, he moved towards Bruck. Feemor could only speculate why but felt it would not be good. He Force-pulled Bruck out of Xanatos’ reach. Bruck stumbled backward and onto the floor.

“Feemor,” Xanatos spit out, catching sight of him. His attention was quickly turned back to Jinn’s attack.

Bruck fumbled to get his saber out and stand back up. Feemor knocked the saber from his hand with a strike to his wrist. Bruck’s eyes widened as he fell back to the ground. He gaped at Feemor in shock.

Behind him, Jinn and Xanatos were leaping around, exchanging blows and verbal barbs that Feemor ignored. He reached out to grab the teen. He scooted away while looking for his weapon.

“No!” Bruck yelled with his growing fear and anger. “I’m better than you. Xanatos said I was.” He called his saber to him and scrambled to his feet before Feemor got a hand on him.

“Xanatos is only using you,” Feemor calmly said.

Xanatos and Jinn have moved their fighting outside of the chamber. By the sound of it, they were headed for the council room above.

“Even now, he’s abandoned you.”

“No, he trusts me to use the true power he showed me to take care of you.”

Bruck ignited his saber. Feemor grabbed for the Force suppression cuffs he brought with him and not his saber. Igniting his blade would only escalate the confrontation and increase the odds of injury or death. He had other methods of subduing his target.

Bruck swung his saber at Feemor. He lifted his arm into the path. Bruck’s eyes widened at the action. The blade stopped upon contact with his beskar vambrace. The robe sleeve covering it smoked. Bruck froze.

Feemor slapped the cuff around Bruck’s saber hand. He used the Force to deactivate Bruck’s saber and pulled it from his hand before forcing the cuffed arm behind Bruck’s back. He pulled the other arm around and had both secured.

Bruck tried struggling, but he was too late to do any good. Feemor gave him a light push forward.

“Move!”

Bruck resisted. Feemor sighed and levitated Bruck out of the security chamber. He did not want to leave his captive in the room to be locked in when the systems were restored. He set Bruck on the floor of the hall and used plastic security ties to bind his feet. He was not giving the kid a chance to run while he went up to aid Jinn with Xanatos, if needed. He also was not going to take Bruck up there where he could be used as a hostage.

“I’ll be back.”

Feemor trotted up the stairs with his saber in hand. The voices of Jinn and Xanatos got louder and clearer as he reached the top. He pulled the door shut behind him.

“You will not defeat me,” Xanatos sneered. “You have gotten slow in your old age or is it because of your time confined to the temple? I will kill you.”

The two were faced off against each other with sabers raised and the scattered chairs between them. Jinn was between Xanatos and the door out of the room. Feemor sought guidance from the Force and received it. He made sure his presence was hidden and worked his way around the edge of the room.

Xanatos pushed a chair at Jinn and followed it up with an attack. A flurry of blows were exchanged. Their sabers buzzed with each contact. Feemor watched the fight as he moved into position. Neither of them had noticed his presence.

“Your small mistakes are your downfall,” Jinn said.

“I don’t make mistakes,” Xanatos snarled and Force-threw a table at Jinn.

Jinn cut the table in two. “Your footwork betrays you,” Jinn said, needling at Xanatos’ perceived superiority. He proceeded to tell him how his body positioning was telling him how Xanatos would move. It brought back memories of Jinn teaching him when he was a padawan.

Feemor understood the tactic. Jinn was trying to get under Xanatos’ skin so he would make a mistake. The question was would he allow Xanatos to get under his? Xanatos had learned the same tactic at Jinn’s knee.

One of the things he had learned from spending time with Mandelorians was not to leave an opening for your opponent to exploit.

They covered the expanse of the room between their Force shoves and acrobatics. Feemor put his back to the nearest protruding support structure between a set of windows and waited. This was where he needed to be.

They neared his side of the room. A Force push slammed Xanatos into the window. There was a desperate gleam in his eye. He took a step away from the window and raised his lightsaber not facing Jinn but toward the window. Feemor was in motion before the swing was complete.

He blocked Xanatos’ blow from breaking the window and creating an escape path.

“If it isn’t the lackluster padawan,” Xanatos jeered. “Poor forgotten Feemor cast aside and assigned to backwater worlds.”

Feemor ignored the words and forced Xanatos back by pushing against his blade. Xanatos jumped back to a position where he could keep them both in sight. His eyes narrowed in calculation.

“Ah, look at our family reunion. How’s it feel to destroy the lives of both your padawans?” Xanatos looked at Jinn. “Mine by killing my father and Feemor by discrediting him to the rest of the Order and killing his reputation. Now they won’t even let you have a padawan since you messed up with us.”

Jinn was a calm and steady presence in the Force despite the ‘failures’ being tossed at him.

“We are imperfect beings,” Jinn said. “Missteps are inevitable. How we deal with them and what we learn from them is what indicates what type of person we are.”

Xanatos scoffed. “Pretty words, but they mean nothing when the only language people understand is power.”

He jumped and attacked Jinn from above. They locked blades. Xanatos pushed Jinn back and struck out at Feemor. Feemor was ready for it and exchanged a series of blows before Jinn engaged him again.

“You forgot the last part of the takeover equation,” Xanatos casually said, but his eyes burned with anger.

“I have? Enlighten me.”

“Devastation. When the dimwitted Daroon restarts the last link in the system, the temple will blow up.” Xanatos grinned, showing his teeth.

Feemor felt only calm from the Force. It was either not an issue anymore or it was not his job to address. He was to stay here and deal with this threat. Jinn momentarily froze at the news.

“You wouldn’t,” Jinn said.

“Can you take the chance?” Xanatos twirled his saber and took up a ready stance once more, waiting to see what Jinn would do. “Time’s ticking. Can you make it to the Tech Center in time?”

The war to stay or go was clear on Jinn’s face. He knew Jinn would choose to save the Temple over arresting Xanatos. Jinn looked at him questioningly. Feemor offered him a small incline of his head and adjusted his grip on his saber hilt. Once Jinn left, he would be the only thing keeping Xanatos from escaping.

Jinn turned and ran out the door. Feemor attacked. Xanatos countered.

Feemor was not going to let the fight drag out. He had a plan and tricks Xanatos would not expect from him. He felt Xanatos tug on his saber with the Force as their blades connected. Feemor let it fall. His left hand was already in motion and used the distraction to punch Xanatos’ face. Xanatos was surprised by the move. Feemor followed it with a punch to the jaw with his right.

He grabbed Xanatos’ non-saber arm and wrenched it behind his back. The pressure he put on it was just shy of the breaking point.

Xanatos swung his saber behind him, trying to get Feemor. Feemor ducked and secured his second set of Force suppressing cuffs around the captured arm.

“No!” Xanatos screamed.

Feemor kicked Xanatos’ legs out from under him. He followed him down – not giving up his hold on his captive. He knocked the saber from his hand and placed his knee in Xanatos’ back, using his weight to hold him in place. He captured the free arm and secured it with the cuffs.

All the actions were ingrained in him from his bounty hunter jobs when undercover and allowed him to capture and secure his target quickly. He secured the feet before rolling Xanatos over and setting him up to lean against an overturned chair.

Xanatos cussed him out the entire time.

The lights flicked before returning to proper illumination.

“We’re running out of time,” Xanatos said. “Let me go, and I’ll let you live.”

Feemor crossed his arms and looked down at the bound fallen Jedi. “Neither of us are dying today.”

“You don’t believe I did it.” Xanatos laughed with an edge of mania.

“I believe you did. I have a feeling it’s been handled.”

Yoda entered the room with several temple guards. He looked sad but resigned to see the fallen padawan ranting about killing them all.

“Take him,” Yoda told the guards.

Two of them lifted him and carried Xanatos out of the room.

“Other?” Yoda asked.

Feemor pointed to the closed door to the secured chamber. “He’s in the hall in a similar state.”

Yoda nodded and hobbled over to let the guards retrieve the accomplice.

“Report with Qui-Gon you will give.” Yoda smacked his shin with his stick. He wished he had worn his shin guards.

“Of course.” He looked around the destroyed room. “I assume sometime tomorrow. He is following up on a threat.”

“Concerned you are not.”

“The Force is not concerned,” Feemor said.

“Hmmm. Check on this we should.”

Yoda chivvied him out of the room and to the nearest lift.

~~X~~

Obi-Wan was surprised when Master Jinn ran into the room, yelling for Tech Daroon to stop and looking like a madman. He hunkered into the chair and hoped to not be seen.

Daroon slowly looked up and arched an eye ridge at the panting man. “Why?”

“Xanatos said he rigged it so the temple would be destroyed when the air circulation is started back up. We must find what he did.”

“Already done,” Daroon said. He pointed to the box with the healing crystal.

Jinn looked in the box and sagged in relief. “The missing Healing Crystal of Fire.”

Daroon continued initializing the systems. “It was attached to the fusion furnace.”

“How did you find it?”

“I didn’t. Padawan Kenobi brought it to my attention.”

“Thank the Force,” Jinn muttered.

“Yes,” was Daroon’s dry response. “Did you capture Xanatos?”

Jinn sighed. “We confronted him and fought him… but when he told us about the threat… I came here and left Feemor to capture him.”

Obi-Wan worried for Feemor at the news. He knocked on their bond – light enough that he could ignore it if he was engaged in the fight. Feemor acknowledged the touch and queried if he was safe.

He sent an all was well signal. Feemor sent a happy contented greeting back.

“Master Feemor is fine,” Obi-Wan told them.

Jinn turned and was surprised to see him. Obi-Wan waved.

“I think he’s on his way here. He’s getting closer quickly.”

“The lifts are working again,” Daroon said.

Obi-Wan was happy to see Feemor walk into the room.

~~X~~

Bant and Garen were at his door the next morning. Obi-Wan was happy to see them, but he was tired from the late night.

“Don’t you have classes?” Obi-Wan asked.

“All classes have been canceled for the day while everyone gets moved back to where they belong,” Garen said. “Isn’t that why you aren’t in class?”

Obi-Wan collapsed on the sofa and pulled the blanket over him. “No, I was out late, keeping the temple from being blown up,” he muttered.

“Right,” Garen scoffed.

His friends wormed their way on either end of the couch. Bant sat his head on her lap. Garen pushed his feet up the couch to sit. Obi-Wan pulled the blanket around him tighter.

“What happened last night?” Bant asked.

“You don’t already know?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I know it has to do with Bruck and everything that’s going on around the temple. No one knows what exactly happened.”

“Probably because those who know are all in a meeting with the council,” he muttered.

“Except you.” Garen poked his leg. “So what happened?”

“They set a trap for Bruck and Xanatos, the person he was working with. There was something he wanted from the secure chamber, and he set up the problems to force a system shutdown.”

Garen nodded. “The defenses would be disabled during that time.”

“Yeah. Master Feemor and Master Jinn were waiting for them and captured them.”

“Did you get to see them fight?” Garen asked.

“No.”

Garen huffed in disappointment. “I bet it would be Wizard to have seen. There won’t be any security footage clips of it passed around since the systems were down.”

“Where were you?” Bant ran fingers through his hair.

“Following the will of the Force.”

“Was there really a bomb?” she asked.

Obi-Wan sat up so he could look his friends in the eye. “Xanatos sabotaged the fusion furnace so it would blow when it was restarted after the shutdown. I don’t know if the council will share that information publicly. So, you can’t say anything about it unless it’s part of the generally known facts.”

His friends nodded their heads.

“How close was it?” Bant wrung her hands together.

“Tech Daroon had it disabled before the shutdown started.”

“What would have happened if you didn’t follow the Force?” Garen asked.

“It would have been tight timing, but Master Jinn did rush down to keep Tech Daroon from restarting the system because Xanatos told them what he did in a bid to distract them so he could get away.”

“But he didn’t get away. You said they were captured.” Bant forced her hands to rest on her lap.

“Jinn went to the Tech Center while Feemor subdued Xanatos. Bruck and Xanatos are in the temple holding cells.”

“Wonder what will happen to them?” Garen asked. “Do we keep prisoners?”

Obi-Wan rubbed his face. “Yes. We covered it in our history lessons.”

Garen’s face scrunched up in distaste.

“It was done more so in the past. It depends on the offense committed, who has jurisdiction, and if there are other suitable facilities for them to be incarcerated in,” he continued.

“What will happen to Bruck?” Bant asked.

Knowing that someone close to your age would be imprisoned, even justifiably, for what they had done was a hard reality to be confronted with.

“It will probably depend on how involved he was, his motives, and his attitude,” Obi-Wan guessed. “They may just dismiss him from the Order…”

“You don’t think that will be the case,” Garen said.

He shook his head. He ran a braid through his fingers as he collected his thoughts on the topic. He moistened his lips.

“Bruck has always been aggressive, a bully, and seemed to have something to prove.”

They nodded.

“Just like me, I think some of that desperation to be chosen fueled some of it. But, since I got back, I noticed a darker, more hostile edge to him. I think that is because of Xanatos.”

“Xanatos? Oh, that was Jinn’s last padawan,” Garen said.

Bant nodded. “Feemor told us about him the night we met him.”

“I don’t know what he said or promised Bruck, but if he guaranteed a way to get back at the people who were ‘tossing’ him away…” He shrugged and let them fill in the rest of the story.

“He would love power he could lord over us,” Garen said.

“It’s sad,” Bant said.

Obi-Wan loved that Bant had an honest and caring heart.

The door opened, and they all watched Feemor enter.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Master Feemor,” they said.

“Are they done with you?” Obi-Wan asked. After last night, he wanted to be near his master for the rest of the day.

“Yes. They questioned me thoroughly about the events.”

“Do you know what will happen to Bruck?” Bant asked.

Feemor shook his head. “No. They haven’t questioned them yet. This morning was to go over the investigation findings and the reports of the confrontation with them.”

He eyed them. “I was going to take Obi-Wan out of the temple for lunch. You two are welcome to join us if you clear it with your crèchemaster.”

His friends perked up at that. They did not get to leave the temple often as Initiates. The offer was a special treat.

Feemor pointed them to the com terminal. Garen jumped up and made the call to clear their excursion with Feemor and Obi-Wan.

~~X~~

Feemor brushed the amber locks away from Obi-Wan’s face as he slept with his head in his lap. He had fallen asleep while they watched a holo-movie. He deserved his sleep after the past few days. Spending the day out with his friends had been good for all of them.

He fondly remembered drifting to sleep on Master Aastra in his early padawan years. He loved it when she combed her fingers through his hair. It made him feel loved and cared for.

Jinn expressed it differently. It took him a while to understand how his masters differed in this and many other aspects. His two masters were as different as his two padawans.

He cherished both. He was happy the Force led them to meet in that hall and that he took the time to help the distressed initiate. Taking Obi-Wan as his padawan had brought new challenges and joys to his life. He had forgotten how much he learned from his student as he guided and taught him.

He ran his fingers through Obi-Wan’s hair and projected love and care across their bond despite his sleeping state. He wanted his padawan to know he was wanted and cherished. He did not want him to ever doubt that.

The credits rolled across the holo, indicating the end. He gave Obi-Wan a light shake and a mental nudge.

“Time for bed.”

Obi-Wan muttered and roused enough to sit up. “Ok. Night.” He lurched up and sleepily stumbled to his room.

Feemor smiled and watched to be sure he made it to bed without injuries. He shut off the player and went to his bed. He was as worn out by the events as his padawan – more mentally than physically. Being before the High Council was a tiring encounter.

It was behind him. He was already looking toward the future.

He had signed up for teaching a class on Mandalorians and the Mandalorian Sector, which he was looking forward to. He would also be teaching undercover techniques to young Shadows while here.

He did not know what their extended time at the temple would bring. Their first month was very eventful and hopefully not an indication of what was to come.

~The End~

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