Chapter 1        A Lost Master

           I have spent three months following this Jedi from one end of the galaxy to the other. I watched his movements and dissected his decisions to give me a better understanding of him. I have discovered something about myself that is abhorrent; I have respect for this man. I continue to find it virtually impossible to create a workable plan in which to capture the Jedi. His constant missions send him from one place to another, and before I can make the necessary preparations, the man has finished his task and departed again. This time when I located and followed him to Naboo we arrived, much to my surprise, in the middle of a Trade Federation Blockade. Of course, this was a minor setback, but I knew if I was patient the right opportunity would present itself. I watched the small Republic ship land in the docking bay of the large Trade Federation vessel.  There was a small moon near the planet out of the scanner range of the Trade ship where we settled into orbit.

Our wait was short however, for there was a massive explosion in the docking bay just minutes after the Republic ship had docked. My mind was racing with questions; what happened? Were the Jedi still on the ship when it exploded? Trying to explain the death of the Jedi to my Mistress is not something I have an intense desire to do.

Genetics gave me the gift the Jedi call the Force. Due to what I am, I have no possibility of being trained as a Jedi. That did not stop my Mistress, she arranged for me to be taught how to use the Force to pass as a Jedi for a short time. Centering myself, I seek out the Jedi. I smiled as the two Jedi stole aboard the Federation's droid transport. I approve, they're using the enemy's resources to get down on the planet.

After eating, the simple meal prepared by my traveling companion; I assumed there was time for sleep. I left instructions for him to call me if anything of interest took place. A few hours later I was awaken by the buzzer. I went to the flight area of the shuttle and began to search for the Jedi in the Force. Much to my surprise, they were on board a Nubian Transport belonging to the Queen of Naboo and flying toward the Blockade.

The Federation ships opened fire on the small transport and I opened my eyes to watch the battle. The small craft had no defense. They were taking a terrible beating. They will be destroyed and here I sit helpless to change the conditions of the battle. I can only accept the outcome. I watched as the repair droids were deployed.  Marcus grunted, "A lot of good those droids will do. They're getting blown away faster than they can be sent out." I silently agreed but something made me watch anyway. In the time I spent watching this Jedi, he had shown an ability to get out of worse situations than this one. Closing my eyes, I relied on the Force to keep me informed about the condition of the transport. One of the droids repaired the shields but then the hyperdrive unit was destroyed.

I concentrated on the people inside of the ship. The young Jedi suggested the planet of Tatooine as the closest place to effect repairs. The Captain of the Queen's Security was unhappy with the decision to go to Tatooine. Yet, I knew that the Master Jedi would prevail upon the Queen and she would concur with his assessment of the situation. This time he would not escape. As the Nubian transport limped toward Tatooine, I had time to set my trap for the Jedi Master. Leaving the moon's orbit, I entered the coordinates for the desert planet.

Tatooine

When my ship was secured at the spaceport docks; I ventured out to explore the city. I knew that the Queen's ship was not far behind so I rushed to get everything ready for the capture of the Jedi Master. I felt the Jedi's group as they entered the city. He had left his apprentice back with the ship and I felt a rush of satisfaction. I needed to modify my plan slightly. He was vulnerable. All I had to do was to wait for the opportune moment and I would have him.

I watched the small party as they entered a junkyard. Ten minutes later they reappeared and stepped into an alley, where due to my carelessness I was almost caught trailing along behind them. A young boy watched as a Dug attacked a member of the Jedi's group and he went to help. The Jedi walked back to the boy and thanked him for his assistance.  Suddenly after speaking with the boy, the Jedi made up his mind about something and followed him down street. I noticed there was a new feeling in the Force and it was centered on this child. The boy talked to the tall Jedi and he joined them stopping briefly at a fruit stand. He bought some fruit and the child then led them to the slave housing.

The wind began to blow and whip the sand down the street. There was almost no visibility and I decided to seek shelter in a hut near where the boy lived until the storm had blown itself out. The next morning I went back to the docking port to check on the ship and see how Marcus survived the storm. I explained my modified plan to him and he agreed that it should work with a very little chance of failure. Leaving Marcus with the ship in the docking bay, I followed the group as they helped the boy put together a pod racer, test it and get ready for the races the following day.

The Trap

The Jedi and the boy stopped at the fruit stand to talk with a woman there. I watched as the Jedi Master walked ahead of the boy and I knew this was the time to spring the trap. Motioning to Marcus I stepped out into the street and waited for the Jedi to come to me. He did not disappoint me. In no time, he felt my presence in the Force and came to investigate. I focused on him as he glanced back over his shoulder searching through the crowd and the doorways as he walked slowly across the street. Seeing nothing amiss he continued down the street. He had not gone far when a pained expression crossed his face, he looked up and came face to face with…Me? The expression on his face was priceless; it was at that moment, I wished I had a holo cam.

 He stood there staring at me in amazement momentarily confused, because standing in front of him was a carbon copy of himself. Oblivious to the danger behind him, the Jedi reached for his saber and stepped closer to me. Marcus had walked up behind him. A second later Qui-Gon felt a sting on the side of his neck. He reached up to determine the cause, his vision blurred and his legs buckled. The last thing the Jedi Master saw was me standing there with a slight smile, waving goodbye as he lost consciousness. I reached out and took the fallen lightsaber, "You won't need this anymore". Marcus was standing behind Qui-Gon Jinn and caught him before he hit the ground. He half carried the tall Jedi into the open doorway out of Anakin's sight. The plan had worked much better than I had anticipated. Marcus gave the drugs to the Jedi and then put him aboard the transport for shipment to my Mistress and I assumed the identity of Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master.       

Anakin noticed that Qui-Gon was walking further down the street. He hurried his goodbyes to Jira and walked rapidly to catch Qui-Gon fearing he might be left behind. I sensed something following me. I whirled around light saber in hand and cut a flying machine in half. Looking at the object closely, I determined it to be a probe but one I had never seen before. Knowing that whoever sent the probe could interfere with my Mistress' plans I rose quickly and said, "We must hurry", and I started running in the direction of the transport with Anakin following close behind.

On Jenna Arbors Transport 18 Hours Later

The first thing Master Jinn noticed as he came out of the drug-induced sleep was the blood pounding in his ears. His head was throbbing and he tried to remember where he was. His initial attempt to lift his head was met with waves of dizziness. Qui-Gon tried to rub his eyes and found that he could not move either his arms or legs; they seemed to be tied to something. He opened his eyes; the bright light caused his eyes to water and Qui-Gon blinked several times. He closed his eyes again to help them focus. As he opened his eyes, he could see the ceiling of the room and that meant he must be flat on his back. Looking down the wall he noticed the floor was on the same level as he was. Now he knew that he was bound to the floor on his back.

The Jedi tried to access the force, to find his Padawan. {Padawan help me please. Padawan I need…} He felt nothing. Shaking his head to clear the haziness created by the drugs in his system he closed his eyes and tried to center himself; Still nothing. Endeavoring to control the rising panic he felt, Qui-Gon took a deep breath and wondered how could he be completely cut off from the force. Little did the Master know that the answer to his questions was standing on the other side of the door?