In the subtly elegant Council Chamber of the Jedi Order, atop the tallest of the five Spires of the Temple, Master Yoda watched as the image solidified into a familiar form. Master Gerosin had warned them, but even so, the small green Master's eyes widened in dismay. The image of young Kenobi stood before him, barely able to remain upright. A dark stain covered the entire left side of his tunic and a goodly portion of his pants leg.

"Padawan Kenobi?" Yoda greeted him with a nod. "Surprised we are by your report to Knight Gerosin. What mean you by -"

\\"Pardon, Master Yoda,"\\ Obi-Wan interrupted the diminutive Jedi Master, earning him a mixture of responses from all the Councilors present, everything from blinks or chirps of surprise to frowns of angry reproof. \\"You're all in great danger. You must leave at once. There is a bomb hidden somewhere within the Council Chamber."\\

"Bomb, you say? Planted by whom?" Master Yoda asked; Mace Windu and the other Council members rose from their seats and searched the room.

Obi-Wan's image staggered; pain pinched his young face. \\"A spy for the Lu-Decati. Master Gerosin has the details. Please, Master, the bomb is set to go off...at dawn. You must leave now!"\\

Yoda looked out the window behind him. The sky was noticeably lighter, but dawn was still several minutes away. "Time we have to investigate the matter. Where are you?"

\\"Quadrant R-945-D, Surface level 1. Booster station...My Master and I were visiting friends in the area last night...We overheard members of Lu-Decati t-toasting their upcoming victory. We followed them, tried to l-learn more...We were spotted and attacked. Qui-Gon...my Master was injured. We were forced to separate."\\

"Here it is," Mace called. He stood behind Yoda's chair, indicating a tiny metal sphere tucked under the seat. "It's shielded. Any Force-use will detonate it automatically."

"Clear the Chamber," Yoda ordered. The other Council members hastily left the room. Through the windows, the first hints of dawn streaked the city-skyline. "Well you have done, Obi-Wan. Remember this, the Council will. Stay there. Help comes."

Obi-Wan sank to his knees, both hands pressed to his side, unable to stand any longer. \\"Go, Master. Please...go!"\\

Mace scooped Yoda into his arms and ran from the Chamber. Yoda looked back over the tall Master's shoulder. The holo-image of the wounded Padawan sank to the floor, sprawled in unconsciousness or worse. Sunlight struck the bomb orb. The room disintegrated in fire and sound.

Qui-Gon Jinn tried once again to summon the Force, only to fall back against the cell wall, gasping for breath with nothing to show for his efforts. Force-phobic his captors might be, but they knew the right combination of drugs and shielding to best contain a Jedi Master. Even without a debilitating injury like the knife wound in his thigh, Qui-Gon doubted he could have overcome both the drugs and the mechanical barriers that held him prisoner.

His bond with Obi-Wan, however, reached deeper even than the drugs could penetrate. Telepathic communication was out, but he could sense his bondmate's presence in the farthest depths of his subconscious mind. He felt the ghost pain in his side, and knew the instant that Obi-Wan had been injured, though how badly he couldn't determine. Qui-Gon found consolation in the fact that, wounded or not, his Padawan still lived.

He waited several minutes then tried once again to summon the Force. The move met with another failure, but Qui-Gon felt a difference: the drug's influence was weakening. Soon, if the terrorists failed to give him another dose, he would be able to at least marginally tap the powers that made him a Jedi.

He slept fitfully, waking at intervals to test the drug's effectiveness. He ignored the sounds of his captors moving around the outer room. Only when rough, laughing voices approached his cell did he sit back up. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach. The bond left no doubt: Obi-Wan was near.

The door opened. Four Decati, their ridged jaws flexing in their races' version of a triumphant grin, entered the small, bare chamber. All were armed, but only two actually held their weapons ready and pointed at the Jedi master. The other two dragged Obi-Wan by the arms, his body hanging face-down between them, limp and unresponsive.

"Here is your fellow sorcerer," one of the Decati sneered as they dropped Obi-Wan to the floor with no regard for his injuries. Qui-Gon remained impassive, his body and expression a serene, untroubled pool, reflecting nothing. Inside, he wept to see the bright red stain on his beloved's clothing. "He was too late sending his message. Your evil Council of Sorcerers is destroyed, along with their befouled meeting room. And you two will soon join them."

Obi-Wan groaned and rolled his head. The Decati walked over and kicked him in the hip. The blow rolled the youth onto his right side. Obi-Wan moaned. His body tightened into an instinctive ball, seeking protection from the blows.

Qui-Gon flowed to his feet and stared at the Decati with eyes of ice. "Touch him again, and no amount of drugs or shielding will save you."

The terrorist leader hesitated. Qui-Gon had seen his type many times before: pompous, zealous and cruel, but a coward at heart. His fear of the Jedi sorcerer was greater than his desire to prove himself before his friends or his 'god.' The Decati snarled and stormed out of the room. His men quickly followed, leaving the Jedi alone.

The instant the door closed, Qui-Gon's injured leg gave way beneath him. Channeling away the pain as best he could, he crawled across the floor until he could lift Obi-Wan's head into his lap, cushioned on his uninjured left thigh. Obi-Wan had lost his cloak at some point, and the cold room was not good for someone in his condition. Qui-Gon tightened the bandages around his Padawan's side, adding extra cloth to the already soaked pad. Finding no other injury, he took off his own cloak and tucked it around his lover's body.