TITLE: "Banished"
BY: Seven O'Nine
RATING: PG
Summary: Qui-Gon is banished from the Jedi Order
Takes place: about five years before TPM, when Obi-Wan is around
eighteen or nineteen.
Obi-Wan raced into the palace, amidst a sudden swarm of servants and guests, all shouting and racing from one place to another. And in the middle, he saw a familiar figure like a monument in chaos...
"Obi-Wan!"
"Master!"
Qui-Gon's tan clothes and long hair emanated a slight smell of burning as he emerged from the crowd. Obi-Wan stared in horror at the bleeding cuts and scrapes on his leonine face and large hands. "What happened?" he asked breathlessly.
Qui-Gon looked back over his shoulder grimly, at the hallroom. Obi-Wan could see the star-studded sky through a gaping hole in the ceiling and wall. "A bomb—situated near the Sovereign's throne. Someone meant-"
"SILENCE!"
The booming voice of the security captain rang through the hall, and instantly silence fell. The only sound that Obi-Wan heard was his own embarrassingly-loud gasping. Qui-Gon's hard face softened a little at the sight of a silvery figure wending past the guests and servants.
The Sovereign looked as bedraggled and burned as Qui-Gon, flanked by Risoin and the huge, armored captain. Risoin's eyes narrowed, and Obi-Wan realized sinkingly that he must have heard him address Qui-Gon as "Master."
Her large brown eyes ran over the people, rested on Qui-Gon, then turned back to the armored captain. "Captain Sahimar," she said in a clipped voice. "I want the grounds closed off as of now, with the border forcefields."
"Already done, my lady," Sahimar rumbled.
"No one leaves the palace without my permission," she added burningly, crossing her slim arms over her chest. "No one leaves until the asssassin is found."
"It's a little late for that," Obi-Wan panted, wiping at his forehead.
All eyes turned to the apprentice, including those of the Sovereign. He wriggled a little under her steady gaze. "Kenobi!" hissed Risoin, anger rising in his tanned face. "How-"
The queen held up her hand for silence, eyes still fixed on Obi-Wan's. "Obi-Wan," she said quietly, stepping forward. Obi-Wan steeled himself and looked up at her eyes. "Did you see him?"
Obi-Wan nodded, horribly aware of Risoin's hard gaze on him. "I saw him escaping. I told him to show himself, and he killed himself."
For a moment, she simply looked at him, as if summing him up. Then the corner of her lips twitched upward in a half-smile, and she swept away into the crowd with her cloak trailing behind her. Sahimar was only a step behind her, as she ordered, "Have young Kenobi lead you to the body, and have it placed in a cryo pod. Report to me in my quarters."
Just before the burly captain seized Obi-Wan's arm and drew him outdoors into the cool air, he spotted Qui-Gon smiling approvingly at him.
****
Daylight dawned on the capitol of Aladell, golden in the dark skyline.
The deep color slowly faded to pale blue on the horizen...
Qui-Gon Jinn lay on his back on the narrow, ornate bed, watching as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window. He ached all over, every nerve in his body twanging furiously in response to the slightest movement.
I wonder how Saleil feels, he thought with a faint smile. She hit the railing pretty hard...
As the scent of burning mingled with flowers drifted in the window, his thoughts altered suddenly. He vividly remembered the look of irritation on Risoin's face when he had asked where Obi-Wan was. A Jedi cares where his padawan is during a crisis...
A pang of guilt ran through him. Because he was no longer allowed to train Obi-Wan, was he judging Risoin unfairly in an effort to find something he could have done better?
A faint knock of the door rang out. "Come in!" he called, sitting up on his bed.
A stocky, dark servant girl slipped in and bowed slightly, hands folded. "The Sovereign respectfully requests your presence in the gardens, before the body of the bomber is examined."
"I'll be right out," Qui-Gon said, his former worries quashed down. As the girl closed the door, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched. It was going to be a very, very long day, but at least it was starting off well.
****
The Sovereign was sitting on a stone bench when Qui-Gon reached her.
While the tattered gown of the night before had been replaced by a pure
white sheath and shawl, her face was still lined by faint red marks.
She was looking at three obelisks, carved out of dark obsidian, framed by flowers and plants that were smaller and less showy than the rest of the gardens. He sat down beside Saleil and put his large hand on her smaller one for a moment, comfortingly.
She sighed. "I'm having the palace sealed off for the time being," she announced.
"You don't think the assassin was working alone?"
"Whoever is doing this would value their life and position too much to throw it away unless they were defeated outright." Her face softened a little in amusement. "Poor Sahimar is ready to arrest anyone and everyone, he's so nervous." She paused. "You trained Obi-Wan well."
Qui-Gon chuckled humorlessly. "Not well enough."
"Do not say that," she reproved him sternly. "He reminds me a great deal of you at that age—only less serious," she teased.
"Ouch." Qui-Gon pretended to wince.
She uttered a throaty chuckle, then became serious again. "I will do whatever is in my power to help you, Qui-Gon," she said quietly. "You are like a son to me, and I know how much this banishment hurt you." For a moment, her eyes drifted away.
Then she rose and drifted through the paths to the palace, with Qui-Gon walking just behind her.
"Master!"
Qui-Gon stopped short as he heard Obi-Wan's voice calling, and saw a corner of a brown robe peeping from the door to a small lounge. He glanced at the Sovereign, who nodded understandingly and walked on down the hallway.
Qui-Gon pulled open the door and sighed as he saw Obi-Wan standing by the window. "How did Risoin act after last night?"
"He was livid," Obi-Wan sighed. "Didn't even talk to me, just stormed off and locked his door. He said 'good morning' to me today, though."
Qui-Gon frowned and repressed the increasing feelings of anger. "Why did you call me in here?"
Obi-Wan frowned and rested his chin on his fist, looking suddenly younger. "Master, you know this place better than Risoin or me. Do you have any idea who would want to kill the Sovereign?"
Qui-Gon nodded, pulling a square piece of leather from his belt. "In fact, Obi-Wan, I was up late last night going over the security reports." He held out the list. "These are the sufficiently wealthy people who would both benefit from her death, and had no alibi for last night. Almost ten thousand Republic credits were found on the assassin's person—someone had to pay him that money upfront."
Obi-Wan stared down at the list.
Councillor Sabyian
Councillor Lord Altorias
Councillor Lady Loried
Risoin
Captain Sahimar (Sovereign's Guard)
Councillor Lord Kasiral
Kalienn (Advisor)
Aides
"Can't we narrow down the list, Master?" Obi-Wan asked plaintively.
Qui-Gon nodded and sat down beside his apprentice. "Councillor Sabyian is improbable at most. He's almost two hundred years old, an elderly man, and served her mother and grandfather before her."
"So he's unlikely," Obi-Wan asked. "Risoin?"
"Normally I wouldn't put him on the list, but with his angry behavior..." Qui-Gon trailed off.
"Captain Sahimar and the Sovereign's guard?" Obi-Wan continued.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "That's also very unlikely. The guards are almost brainwashed in their loyalty to the Sovereign. It's rumored that they would probably kill themselves if they failed to protect her."
Obi-Wan winced, and pointed at the last entry on the list. "What about one of her aides?"
Qui-Gon shook his head with a grimace. "Their backgrounds are always reviewed, and they undergo regular psych scans. Aside from that, almost all of them worship her."
Obi-Wan frowned, and scratched the word UNLIKELY next to the various names. "It doesn't really whittle the names down much..."
****
"My lady?" asked Risoin, emerging from the shadows near the infirmary.
The Sovereign's brow creased a little at the sight of the young Knight.
"Yes, Jedi Risoin?" she asked quietly, folding her hands sedately.
He bowed his head respectfully, then looked her boldly in the eye. "Sovereign, I suggest that you remain far from Qui-Gon Jinn. It would be prudent, for your own safety."
One fine eyebrow canted upwards slightly. "My safety?" she said slowly, her voice turning icy.
Risoin uttered a small, self-conscious laugh. "My lady, Qui-Gon Jinn is regarded as a maverick—a renegade, often disregarding the laws of the Jedi Order. It would be wise to distance yourself from him, perhaps..."
Her lovely face hardened slightly, her eyes boring into his. "Oh?" she said tonelessly. "Perhaps, young Jedi, you should know that I have known Qui-Gon Jinn longer than you have been alive. As for his reputation as a 'renegade,' perhaps you should know that I have upturned laws more than once in my life..."
Risoin's face flushed as she finished coldly, "Leave." For a moment, it looked as if he might say more, but he simply bowed again and swept out of the room. The armored guards by the door tightened their grips on their force pikes, watching him coolly as he left...
****
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan entered the sterile infirmary, to find the Sovereign
and Risoin standing by the charred corpse. Risoin scowled at his
apprentice, and Obi-Wan grimaced as he stepped reluctantly beside the
older man. Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed.
"Hello? Oh, hello," a thin voice called. A small, pale Aladell emerged from the back, wielding a medical implement in each hand. "How do you do? I'm Doctor Basbium, the Sovereign's physician."
Qui-Gon raised his brows amusedly at Saleil, who smiled and shrugged in response.
Basbium hovered around the body. "Ah, well, the burns didn't kill this man. He shot himself through the chest, and the blaster fire set the grass-"
"Bushes," Obi-Wan corrected. He winced a little at the poke Risoin gave him in the back.
"Like I said, bushes," Basbium said with a wave of his bony hand. "Anyhow, where was I?"
"Blaster fire set the-" Risoin began, with the air of a man who has sacrificed a good deal of his patience.
"Set the bushes on fire, thus disfiguring the body," Basbium said, picking up a plastic disc and squinting at it with an angelic smile. "But—ha! A DNA trace. His name was Devero, an assassin for hire."
"We should have someone run a check on him," Risoin announced sternly, crossing his arms.
Qui-Gon held up his hand and sighed. "No need. Devero specializes in assassinating high officials, but has never been caught yet."
Risoin stared at him, his green eyes narrowing like a cat's. "How do you know?" he asked, suspicion seeping from his voice. Obi-Wan shivered a little, his fingers twitching a little.
Qui-Gon met the younger man's gaze squarely. "He assassinated an ambassador on Coruscant a few years ago. I was one of the investigators."
Risoin simmered down for the moment, focusing his angry glare on the charred body. Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably, trying to keep his own resentment in check. It was so easy... so easy to imagine Risoin as the murderer...
****
That evening, Obi-Wan glumly took a look at himself in one of the
polished mirrors next to the doors to a rapidly-rebuilt dining hall. The
walls and windows had at least partially been put back in, though the
balcony was still a wreck. As Jedi, he and Risoin were being given
places as guests of honor, although he wished that he could simply spend
time out in the gardens.
Well, he thought with a smile. We're being treated hospitably, even if we're stuck here. That Captain Sahimar knows his business all too well.
He took a deep breath and headed into the light-filled hall, blinking a little at the brightness of it and the laughter coming from the guests. But as he stepped in, he felt a dark shimmer in the Force...
All of the suspects, in one room.
Obi-Wan was seated rigidly on a brocaded chair near Risoin. Also at the large, round table were several councillors—Sabyian, Lord Altorias, Lady Loried, Lord Kasiral. Kalienn, the advisor, was speaking softly near the high windows with Captain Sahimar.
Obi-Wan envied Qui-Gon his position. He was seated near the Sovereign at a smaller table, but neither of them were speaking much.
Of all the people at the table, Obi-Wan liked Councillor Sabyian the best. He was a stooped, elderly man with kind eyes and a white beard. He was also the quietest person at the table, which Obi-Wan was grateful for.
"Kenobi," a deep voice clanged into his thoughts. The dark, insolent-looking Altorias was staring straight at him with eyes like arrows. "I asked you, have you ever been to Sol-Kaspa?"
Obi-Wan had never heard of such a place. "I-" he began.
"Please!" Lady Loried ejaculated, her large brown eyes dominating her slickly pretty face for a moment. She vaguely reminded Obi-Wan of a predatory cat he had seen once in a wildlife reserve, and her bright red sheath only helped that image. "Only decadent fools like you go you Sol-Kaspa, Altorias!" She reached across and pinched Altorias's bare arm.
"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Kasiral said dryly. "He might hit back."
Loried stopped, looked around with suddenly frightened eyes, then sank back in her chair. Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed at Altorias, who was shoving the food around on his plate. The merriment of these young nobles had an undercurrent of fear that was impossible to miss... How well did they know each other? Trust each other?
Well, at least Risoin couldn't yell at him publically, he realized wryly. The older Jedi simply sat next to Obi-Wan, apparently sunk in thought. He would answer shortly if spoken to, but Obi-Wan found himself making conversation for two.
"Kenobi?"
He shook out of his reverie. "Hm? Yes?"
Loried was leaning forward, staring at him. "I said, what's it like to travel from one world to another?"
"Oh, it's... very interesting," Obi-Wan replied lamely, wishing that he speak without engaging his mind.
Loried laughed in a strained manner. "I've been absolutely nowhere—but I see a lot of officials from other worlds here. No order. No brains. No compassion. They all slump around like-"
She stopped short, her dark cheeks flushing as she caught Altorias's eye. He was looking at her in a concerned, warning manner. Her gaze sank down to her lap, as if she were ashamed.
Obi-Wan felt a chill run down his back as Altorias and Kasiral began to make artificial conversation, trying to fill the awkward void that Loried had created...
****
The Sovereign was unusually tense, her long fingers curled into fists on the arms of the gold-plated chair. A bristled, black, one-eyed alsepi curled at her feet, deliberate reminder that she was not to be trifled with.
As Qui-Gon reseated himself next to her at the table, the alsepi raised his triangular head and panted happily. He smiled and discreetly pulled a scrap of meat from his plate, dropping it to the floor, where the beast pounced over his boot and slurped it down noisily. Several other dining guests, including a barely-restrained Obi-Wan, glanced over at the source of the noise.
Qui-Gon sighed. Time to get down to business.
Forking a piece of meat with his right hand, he discreetly slipped his left hand under the table and tugged at Saleil's dress. Her brown eyes went wide, and quickly turned to him, still innocently eating, then down at where a small brown scrap of writing leather had been left in her lap.
Nodding in the direction of the brooding Captain Sahimar, standing by the door, she slowly uncurled the bit of leather. Hastily-scratched letters read:
I NEED A COMPUTER PASS.
Her brow wrinkled, but she slipped a hand under her shimmering cloak and pulled out a silvery chip, glinting between her pearl-painted nails. She reached to the table and discreetly sent it spinning across the tabletop with a grating sound, under the rim of Qui-Gon's plate.
Qui-Gon smiled a little as her thumb deliberately brushed a knife, sending it clattering to the floor. Everyone jumped, then relaxed. "I'm sorry," the Sovereign said with a faint smile.
"My lady," said one of the bodyguards, dashing to her side and plucking the knife up from the smooth stone floor. The Sovereign accepted it with a gracious nod and waved for the meal to continue.
In one smooth move, Qui-Gon rose and brushed his hand under the plate, bringing the computer pass out and slipping it into his loose sleeve. "My lady, I ask to be excused," he said with a small bow. "I have something to accomplish."
The Sovereign nodded graciously as Qui-Gon bowed to the assembled guests, and quickly left the hall, with the guards looking suspiciously after him.
Obi-Wan felt his spirits begin to sink as Risoin, Loried and Kasiral began to talk of a planet on the Rim that he had never heard of, someplace called Odoriad. He toyed with a shapeless green vegetable on his plate, watching the alsepi circle the Sovereign protectively, growling low in its throat.
"Obi-Wan?" The Sovereign was looking at him as he rose instinctively.
"Yes?" he asked, momentarily forgetting to tack on the "my lady."
She was looking at him in an odd way, the crystal-beaded crest over her brow rustling a little as she tilted her head. "I sense that you would prefer to be elsewhere. If so, I urge you to go." Then she winked.
Obi-Wan was momentarily convulsed by the sight, and the artless way she did it. Only someone were looking directly at her would see it. He bowed hastily and slid his chair back, feeling the eyes of the other guests—Risoin in particular—on him.
As the doors clanged shut, he heard Qui-Gon's voice saying, "Come this way, Obi-Wan."
He saw Qui-Gon's strong features in the dim light of a computer console. A silvery chip was jammed into the slot, and Obi-Wan saw with a shock that Qui-Gon was going through secure Aladell files. "Master," he gasped. "What are you doing?"
"Searching for a motive," Qui-Gon replied, deadpan. He shifted to the side and gestured at the chair. "See what's there?"
Obi-Wan slid into the chair and stared. "These are the motives?" he asked slowly.
"Yes, they are."
Obi-Wan rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "But everyone in that room had an opportunity, and a motive!"
Qui-Gon sighed. "Obi-Wan, at dinner, did you sense anything unusual from the others?" he asked slowly.
Obi-Wan frowned, thought back. "No... just fear. They're all afraid, but none of them FELT guilty."
Qui-Gon's lips curved in a small smile. "I know, Obi-Wan," he said almost dreamily. "I didn't sense anything either. But I do think I know how the killer is working, how he's hiding from us, and what connection it has to-"
The console snapped off, plunging the room into blackness. The thin line of light near the floor, seeping under the door, vanished as a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hall...
TBC
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