The Captive Temple

4

They were too hard on him, Qui-Gon thought as he left Bant and proceeded to his meeting with Yoda. Obi-Wan had acted impulsively, yes—but Qui-Gon would have done the same.

He couldn’t interfere with the Council’s admonishment, however. And he had come to trust their wisdom in such matters. No doubt it was better for Obi-Wan to reflect on his impulsiveness, since that was what led him to leave the path of the Jedi in the first place. Mace Windu, Yoda, and the Council always had a reason behind their severity. So although he wanted to stay with Obi-Wan, he had left him so that the boy could think about what Mace Windu had said.

Obi-Wan had taken a chance. No doubt about that. Qui-Gon’s steps faltered momentarily as he recalled how he felt when he arrived at the lake and realized that Obi-Wan was in the turbolift shaft. A deep sense of dread had pierced him. What if the shaft had broken free before the Masters had arrived? What if Obi-Wan had perished? Qui-Gon’s heart stopped at the thought.

His hurried pace resumed. He had learned much over the past weeks about how the heart could surprise you. He was beginning to realize just how intricate and deep the bonds were between him and his former Padawan.

But he must focus on the problem at hand. Whatever needed to be resolved must wait.

Yoda stood in the middle of the empty white space of the safe room in the central tower, where no surveillance could possibly penetrate.

“Confirmed it is by Miro Daroon,” he told Qui-Gon. “Sabotage it was. A timing device in the repulsorlift engines, and a bug in the central core that shut down the lift tubes and comm units in the area. Find this person we must, Qui-Gon. After the children now, he is. Strange I find it that Bruck could be involved in such a thing,” Yoda brooded.

“The last repulsorlift engine held,” Qui-Gon pointed out. “I do not think the turbolift was meant to fall.”

Yoda turned to him. “Taunting us, the intruder is? Endangering the lives of babies for a joke?”

“Or there is some other motive,” Qui-Gon said. “It’s not clear to me yet. At first I thought the petty thefts were designed strictly to irritate and tease. Now I wonder otherwise. The stolen items appear to have served various purposes. The toolbox from the servo-utility unit was most likely used to dismantle the repulsorlift engines. The teacher’s meditation robe was used for the intruder to travel about freely, especially in the early morning when most Knights meditate.”

“And the fourth year student’s sporting gear?” Yoda asked.

“No significance yet,” Qui-Gon said. “And then there are the stolen school records. Only students with names A through H. Bruck’s last name is Chun. I’m certain the records were stolen to conceal something about him.”

Yoda nodded. “Time it will take, to regather information. Something you do not know, Qui-Gon—a sensitive time for the Jedi this is. A secret mission for the Senate we have undertaken. Held in our Jedi treasury is a large shipment of vertex.”

Qui-Gon could not keep the surprise from his face. Vertex was a highly valuable mineral. After the raw substance was mined, it was cut into crystals of various shapes for currency. Many worlds used crystalline vertex instead of credits.

“Unprecedented it was, to accept such a shipment,” Yoda agreed, noting Qui-Gon’s surprise. “Yet the Council thought it best. Two star systems there are, locked in conflict over the shipment. Agree to peace talks they would not, unless a neutral party held the shipment. Almost concluded, the peace agreement is. If word there is that the Temple is vulnerable, war there would be.” Yoda’s voice dropped in concern. “A large war it would be, Qui-Gon. Many alliances these star systems have.”

Qui-Gon digested this information. It often struck him that even while the Temple was a haven, it was connected to the galaxy in so many intricate ways.

“There is no time to waste,” he told Yoda. “I will start with Miro Daroon. I must discover how Bruck and this intruder manage to navigate around the Temple without being seen. I’ll need to coordinate with Tahl.”

Yoda blinked at him. “And Obi-Wan?”

“The Council has ordered Obi-Wan to stay out of this,” Qui-Gon answered, surprised.

“Predict I do that the boy will find a way to offer his help again,” Yoda said.

“And I should refuse?”

Yoda waved an arm. “Directly involved the boy should not be. But shut him out, I would not.”

Qui-Gon smiled grimly as he hurried away. It was contradictory advice, typical of Yoda. Yet the Master’s advice somehow always turned out to make perfect sense.

Qui-Gon took a shortcut through the Room of a Thousand Fountains in order to reach the lift tube that would take him directly to the tech center. He walked purposefully through the winding paths, barely noticing his surroundings, intent on the problem at hand.

Then he saw the destroyed footbridge where the attack on Yoda had taken place.

Qui-Gon stopped, his gaze on the splintered bridge, his thoughts suddenly in the past. Years ago, he had a mission to stop a tyrant from taking over a world in the Outer Rim. The tyrant’s strategy was based on a simple equation: Disruption + Demoralization + Distraction = Devastation.

That was the pattern, Qui-Gon realized. The thefts had followed the formula. Disruption: the petty thefts disrupted classes and activities.

Demoralization: the theft of the Healing Crystals of Fire and the attack on Yoda had caused many students to lose heart. Distraction: the failing of the cooling system, the security breaches, and the destruction of one of the main turbolifts meant that the Jedi had to focus to keep the Temple running.

Was the same evil formula working to dismantle the Temple? That tyrant was dead, killed years ago, but had he spread his equation of evil?

Suddenly, Qui-Gon felt a deep disturbance in the Force. It cleaved the air in front of him. The solid rocks seemed to shimmer.

The dark side was here.

The feeling lingered. The fountains continued to flow, the spray from rushing water still cooling his cheeks. He surveyed the area carefully, noting every leaf, every shadow. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet he knew something was there.