Painted in silver rain with its rivulets of grey and argent and smeared half-color, the large window let in but little light; the office was clouded in pale, watery shadow. The storm, too, filled the space with sound - stuttering raindrops beating heavily against the transparasteel and the wind's unhappy howl. Occasional flashes of intense light and booming thunder cut the oppressive air with random noise. But for all the weathered chaos, within the space, there was uneasy silence.

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in stiff contemplation, his hooded eyes blankly watching the scatter of waterdrops flow and merge into puddles at the window's edge. He said nothing, just stared outward, seeming to ignore the other occupant. The young Bendu apprentice stood silently but it was a stillness of shame and fury and failure. His body rigid with anxiety, Anakin Skywalker could not bring himself to break the unhappy quiet.

At long last, with a heavy sigh, the Bendu turned toward his young problem. "Jedi Kenobi did you a favor, Anakin."

"Favor!" Skywalker's savage stance argued otherwise; his face tightened with shock. "He arrested Master Qui-Gon and took him away in chains." The apprentice's mouth was flat in bitter remembrance. "And he sentenced me to six months in solitary for trying to help my Master. How is that a favor?"

The sarcastic tone was not lost to Mace but he chose to ignore it for the moment. "You attacked him. He was quite within his rights to take you to Coruscant and put you in prison." He hurried on before a scowling Anakin could interrupt. "The Jedi have their own code and the 'Standards of Behavior' demanded nothing less. He did you a great service, allowing you to remain on Naboo. It could have been much worse."

"Worse?! It..." Looking at Windu's shuttered face, the apprentice hesitated, trying to rein in his careening emotions. Still hurt and more than a little angry, he replied harshly, "I agree that Jedi Kenobi was more lenient that I would have thought."

"And he will probably pay a high price for that gift." Mace's voice was quiet as he remembered Obi-Wan's question and the duty that drove him.

"If Kenobi had let my Master go, none of this would have happened." The apprentice gathered his strength, his eyes hardening. "Master Qui-Gon is about to be tortured, maybe killed and that Jedi veldt did it to him. How could he? To his own Master!"

"Anakin..." The reproach was sharp.

The apprentice leaned forward, hands flat on the desk as he stared into the choco-dark eyes. "Master Windu, we can talk about this later." He pushed off, rocking back on his heels a bit and began to pace the office. Turning, catching the attention of the Bendu, he spoke rapidly, his words accelerating as he tried to persuade the older man to his plan. "We need to rescue Master Qui-Gon. Now, before it is too late! The ship may not have left yet and, even if it had, we could still beat it to Coruscant. The Serenity has the fastest hyperdrives available. And I could pilot it. I've done it before and...."

"Anakin, enough." Cold and clipped, the words were clearly stated. "We are not going to rescue him."

Surprise filled the air. "You can't mean that."

"Qui-Gon has already made his choice. You should honor it." The censure in Windu's voice was unmistakable.

Turning away from the older man, Anakin's hands trembled with indecision and outrage. His form hunching inward, leaning against the far wall, he growled out. "Master didn't understand. Those demons from the hells of Coruscant... they will hurt him...." The meaty thud of one palm slamming into the thala wood paneling echoed in the space. "Damn."

The agitated apprentice twisted again, pushing his body forward, his fingers splaying across the desk in an effort to hold back his growing anxiety, He glared at the Bendu's impassive face. "Master Windu, they will torture him for something he did not do. We need to get him back before that happens. Don't let them do this to him. Please!"

"It is too late, young one."

Gently said, the quiet words did nothing to placate Anakin. Scowling, he stood straight up, hands now fisted into stark outlines of whitened bone and sinew, as he stared at an unmoving Windu. He spat out, "No, you are wrong. What kind of a friend would allow this? What Bendu Champion would accept this travesty? How can you be so unfeeling?"

Mace rose to his feet and spoke in flat, unbending tones. "Stop! Apprentice Skywalker, your behavior in this matter is unacceptable."

The young man stepped back, rapidly blinking, this abrupt turn in conversation twisting all of his plans of liberation into dust. He had hoped that Master Windu would agree with his scheme but that was not to be. He straightened further, rigid with despair. "If you don't rescue him, then I will. Alone, if I have to."

Mahogany brown eyes hardened into stone. "You gave your word to abide by Kenobi's judgment. Your word, Anakin. Or have your forgotten your pledge of obedience to Master Jinn so easily?" Staring pointedly at the confused young man, he could sense the panicked anxiety and muddied emotions of grief and anguish echoing in the Force.

"No, never!" The apprentice shook his head rapidly. "I would have come back. I would have..."

The stern words cut through the hasty denials. "This is not a cloak to be flung aside when you are tired of it."

Anakin's cobalt eyes darted frantically between the storm's greyed sky and Windu's frigid glare. "I will keep my word. I will! I just need to rescue..."

Windu interrupted with a thunderous "Enough!" Quickly, he closed the gap between them and stood there, his arms folded, immovable. "If you leave now, you will be forsworn."

The faint, unhappy "No" from a stunned Anakin did not deter the Bendu Champion. His words were ice-cold and cuttingly sharp. "You will be cast out of the Bendu and hunted as a fugitive. Is that what you want?"

"No!" Horrified, the apprentice stepped back, a look of appalled denial flying across his face. There was only frozen silence as he stared into the stony visage of Master Windu. Shoulders slumping, knowing that any further attempt at persuasion was futile, Anakin tried once more, one final time. His voice dulled with despair, he asked, "But how can I leave him to those gundarks? Tell me... how can I?"

"If you sought the Force's guidance, you would know." Mace softened his tone, and reached to grasp the young man's shoulder in gentle reproach. "You must look past your fears, Anakin. What would Qui-Gon do in your place?"

While the Bendu waited in silence, the despondent apprentice's gaze drifted, watching the droplets splash across the window and the silver rain wash the gardens beyond into greys and gloom. He looked inward then, his heart's ache roughing his reply. "He would... he would follow the will of the Force, no matter what the cost."

"And so he has." At the young man's half-hearted shake of his head, Mace quietly continued, "When your Master first told me what he was going to do, I argued with him, fought with him several times. But when I meditated on this, truly looked beyond my own petty uncertainties, Qui-Gon was... is right. He needs to return to Coruscant. Something is about to change, I cannot tell if it is for good or ill but he is at the heart of it." Watching Anakin struggle with fear and failure, he chided softly, "Let him go, Anakin."

Anakin nodded, his mouth twisting in guilt and pain. Finally, his head hanging in acceptance, he quietly asked, "What will happen to me now?"

Mace sighed, the sorrow of what must be clinging to his words. "Qui-Gon has asked me to take over your training. Once your punishment for disobedience and your sentence from Kenobi are complete, we will...."

A soft beeping of a long-range com-unit interrupted the Bendu. At first, he huffed in exasperation at the disturbance but that quickly turned to relief as Yoda's transmitted form wavered into view. Signaling the apprentice to sit, Windu sank into his own chair, and, leaning forward, faced the solemn transparent image.

"Master Yoda, I have been trying to reach you for some time."

The small Master gazed at the Bendu; his gravelly voice was quiet, solemn, almost tired. "Sorry, I am. The trail grew cold. Sought I did, another way to find our quarry. What news have you that is so urgent?"

Windu sighed again. He knew that Yoda would be troubled but not surprised at the news. "A few hours ago, Qui-Gon Jinn was arrested. He is currently on route to Coruscant... to the Jedi Temple." He paused, wearied with the events of the past few days. "Master, it was Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi who took him."

Predictably, Yoda's expressive ears dipped as he contemplated this event, his sorrow clear in the large sage-green eyes and thoughtful frown. "Kenobi, you say. An odd choice, that is." His mouth flattened as he remembered the happy child of long ago and now a tool of the ever-darkening Order. "Humph... perhaps punish him they do, to require this of him."

"I wouldn't be surprised." The bitterness was sharp, filled with pointed condemnation.

The diminutive Master leaned forward, his clawed hands tightly clutching the knob of the ever-present gimer stick, a gesture of deep disapproval at this news. The hardened eyes and unyielding stance gave away Yoda's aching disquiet. "The first of many arrests, this may be. The Jedi have much to protect."

Mace nodded grimly. "I agree. I'll send out word to our operatives to remain alert and stay out of harm's reach, out of their reach." He leaned back, steepling his fingers once more in thought. "The children are still at Otah Gunga on a field trip. I don't believe they would harm the young ones at this time. However, Qui-Gon did inform me that the Republic is making noises about gathering information on all Force-sensitives, including children."

The diminutive Master grew even more rigid, the stark disapproval clear in the wavering transmission. "Disturbing, this news is."

The mahogany eyes flicked briefly to the computer 'port and back. "Unfortunately, Kenobi already has our database in his files." His biting tone was leavened with dark humor and the satisfaction of deceit well-hidden. "Well, our public database anyway. I'll bury the rest."

Yoda rested his wizened head on his claws, in grave contemplation of these unhappy events. "Change the routes for our guests, you must."

The response was instantaneous. "Already done. Kenobi was able to figure out what we were doing with the runaways. I tried to divert him but he's not stupid, that one. He has no proof, however." Mace's voice slowed, the sudden frown tunneled his face as he remembered the alarming events of the previous day, a mere 26 hours ago. "He did search Qui-Gon's office with microscopic precision. He found three lightsabers hidden under the desk."

Yoda's visage and grave tone were crowded with censure. "Foolish of Master Qui-Gon to hide them there."

Windu shrugged. They both knew that Jinn would do what he thought was right, regardless of other opinions in the matter. "I know. I scolded him myself about that when the Jedi left the Sanctuary. But he told me that it was the will of the Force that they be discovered, that he had to go back to Coruscant with the Jedi representatives. He said that he was going to be the sacrifice."

The old Master's reproach deepened with each breath. "Decide that alone, he should not."

"Master Yoda, I have to agree with Qui-Gon. Something is gathering and Coruscant holds the heart of it."

Closing his eyes for a moment, the tiny creature quieted, breathing slowly as he sought to touch the Force in the very air, testing the ethereal currents for guidance. "Feel it also, I do. But see the correct path, I cannot. The Darkness hides it well."

"Then I hope that our old friend has chosen wisely." Windu looked away, out towards the misty rain-soaked gardens beyond. His murmur was quiet as he recounted the yesterday confessions of one despondent Jedi Knight. "Obi-Wan talked about the Temple quite a bit while he was here. They have twisted the Jedi Order into something almost vile - punishments and paranoia. What have they become?" He turned back towards the wise old Master, seeking answers that he knew would never come. "We should not have left it to those slimy granite-slugs, those politicians and bureaucrats and creditors."

"The past, we cannot change."

Mace shook his head slowly, tightly grasping his misery-sharpened hands before him in studied discipline, the responsibility of it all eating into his hard-won calm. "But we can regret it. I should have tried harder to remain, to force them to see reason. But I bowed to the will of the Senate, thinking it was for the betterment of the Jedi Order. Foolish, foolish mistake."

Gently, Yoda reminded him of the lost past and the unknown future. "Agreed we did, to their demands; so did many others. As Jedi, it was our duty to follow Republic law. And our mandate." He sighed once more. "Master Windu, regret will not change the past. Know now the will of the Force it was." He gazed at his long-time friend, encouraging the present that they must travel, not the long-ago that they could not change. "From the Jedi, the Bendu grew... to help, give hope. Serenity and compassion - twin paths to the Light."

"Yes, Master." Mace nodded, acquiescing to the subtle reminder of just what they had become. "Talking with Jedi Kenobi brought back old doubts. He is unhappy there. He even asked about joining the Bendu."

Sitting up abruptly, Anakin's voice rose in sharp query. "He did?"

When Master Yoda's image had first appeared, Anakin had slumped into the chair, certain that they had not wanted any input from him. In these matters, a mere apprentice was always silent. The discussion between the two would have been fascinating and instructive if he hadn't felt so miserable about everything, failure and guilt over his Master's arrest and the despair hovering near. He had watched the Masters without interruption, without interest. But now, to hear that Kenobi had been thinking about forsaking the Jedi to remain at the Sanctuary - the revelation was startling, unsettling, and intensely disturbing. *It couldn't be true, could it?*

Mace nodded, surprised that the apprentice could be so unhappy about the news. "Yes, Anakin. I don't think he wanted to arrest Qui-Gon at all. He seemed genuinely anxious to find a reason to leave his old Master alone. I wonder what changed his mind."

Skywalker's sorrowful eyes widened, his rising voice quavering in disbelief. "Master Qui-Gon, it had to be Master Qui-Gon! He kept insisting that he go to Coruscant. And yesterday, I interrupted a conversation between them where he told Kenobi to 'accept this'. I never found out what 'this' was. Instead I... I attacked..."

He turned toward Windu, his young face changing to stunned remorse as he realized his own crucial blunder. "Could I have been wrong? Is it possible that he... he was urging Master to run?"

Windu's reply was firm. "Anakin, be at peace. We will discuss this later."

The apprentice plowed on, ignoring the gentle reprimand. Shaking his head, blinking rapidly, Anakin swallowed hard, jaw clenching once more in failure. "No, I can't.... I don't..." He lifted bleak eyes to the Bendu. "Obi-Wan kept saying that he wasn't my enemy. Blast it all to Ryloth's seventh hells. Was he telling the truth? What have I done?"

"Whatever was said, whatever was done, it is too late now." As the young man moved to interrupt once more, Mace threw him a sharp quelling look, riveting him in place. "No! We will deal with this later, Apprentice. For now, be silent."

Anakin sent the Bendu Master a scowl of pure unhappy frustration but realized that he must obey. Master Qui-Gon would have wanted him to accept the reprimand and learn from it; Master would have wanted him to… the thought of that loss drove him into despair once more. With a hunched shoulder, he settled into his chair, his shadowed face half-hidden in misery. He gazed down at the floor, despondent and lost, and he waited.

Mace watched him for a long moment before turning back to the wizened Master. "We still don't know what charges were brought against Qui-Gon. Slave trading perhaps, possession of forbidden weaponry certainly, but also Kenobi kept asking me about Telos. He wouldn't say why but there must be more to it."

Yoda nodded, the frown deepening with thought, his large ears twisting slightly in sorrow. "It matters not. Lies, deceit are the Jedi ways now. Excuses, they need not."

Frustrated, his mahogany face taut with worry for his life-long friend, Mace agreed. "We won't be able to rescue him for some time. I think we should focus on the needs of the other Bendu for the moment. Once the barriers are in place, we could formulate a plan for getting him out of there."

"Too late, it may be. On his own, Master Qui-Gon is." The aged Master's eyes gleamed with resignation. Jinn's rescue would be nearly impossible to implement once he was dragged into the bowels of the Temple and the corrupted clutches of the Jedi.

Anakin jerked upright at Yoda's declaration, glaring at the transmitted form of the ancient Master. The apprentice knew that, with each passing moment, any rescue attempt of Master Qui-Gon grew more and more remote. And the old one had just declared it impossible. The furious guilt was beginning to grow once more but, as he drew in a breath to renew his pleas for his Master's rescue, Windu cut him off.

The razored tones and frozen exasperation in Bendu Master's voice was space-cold and final. "Not one word, Skywalker. You are teetering on a knife-edge with your continued disobedience."

With an infuriated growl, Anakin subsided but his darkened eyes seethed with inner turmoil, the tempest of desolation and remorse warring with guilt and his own incompetence. Mace Windu would have much to discuss with the recalcitrant apprentice once the transmission was complete.

Yoda watched the unsettling byplay with curiosity and concern. "Problem with the young one, you have, Master Windu?'

Watching the apprentice for another prolonged moment, his dark face cut by a troubled frown, Mace turned toward the ancient being. Sighing heavily, profound unease in his low voice, he explained, "Anakin attacked Obi-Wan without provocation while Jedi Kenobi was arresting Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan was exceptionally generous in setting his punishment. Frankly, I'm surprised that he allowed him to remain on Naboo at all."

"Humph...." The sagacious eyes closed once more as the Master again tested the swirls and eddies of the Unifying Force, soaring through the infinite possibilities of the future. His clawed hands tightened about the gimer stick, his intense visage deep in concentration. A moment later, the low voice rasped a tired reply. "Wise decision it was. Young Skywalker is needed there."

"Why? What did you see?"

Yoda shrugged, a cryptic reply in the set of his shoulders and taut flattened mouth. "On Naboo, Skywalker must remain. The future comes fast and the paths are clouded. No more can I tell you."

"Yes, Master." Mace nodded. The hazy mists of the Force seemed to veil the future more and more as the Darkness spread. Perhaps, the way would be revealed in time; he must be patient. There was one final concern in this morass of failure and misfortune. "For the moment, the Jinn family is without protection. I will be going to the farm periodically but I don't have anyone to spare. Once some of the Bendu have returned, I may be able to station someone there more permanently."

The aged Master nodded. Qui-Gon Jinn's family was vulnerable without the presence of an adept Force-user, especially with the added complications of Le'orath's pregnancy and Ben's age. "I agree. Keep watch on them, you should."

Glancing at Anakin for a moment, he saw the young man flinch when he realized that his rash actions had left the Jinn family alone and defenseless. Mace said nothing. The apprentice would need to recognize how his choices affected others; the bitter lesson was best understood if it came from within.

The Bendu moved on to other, more pressing issues. "Master Yoda, how is your mission going? Will you be returning soon?"

Yoda shook his head, a curiously unsettled look on his wizened face. The eyes grew shadowed, half-hooded in contemplation. "Return, I cannot. The killer takes many paths but Force-sensitive it is. Difficult it has been to track."

"Force-sensitive! This is not good news." Mace shook his head, his face betraying his unease. "Not unexpected, considering his kill rate of former Jedi."

The old Master's mouth tightened unhappily. "A black-cloaked being, they say. A face of death in red and black. Coincidence, it is not." Yoda looked past Windu's shoulder, contemplating the silvered gardens beyond. "To Geonosis, the trail may lead. Go there next, I will."

Mace's startled surprise was obvious. "The droid factories? There is no Bendu on that desolate planet that I am aware of or Jedi either."

Yoda turned back toward his old friend, the wide green eyes heavy with concern and increasing worry. "Rumors of Separatist meeting, there is. Of Count Dooku and darkness and dead Jedi. The Force flows towards that place. So to it, I will go."

The Bendu knew better than to protest or question the old Master's wisdom. Yoda had had several lifetimes to comprehend the eddies and shoals of the Force's tangled currents. That knowledge had served them well in the past and would again. "I will not keep you. Let me know if you need back-up or if there are any problems. With the present situation, I will be stationed at the Sanctuary for some time."

"Keep you informed, I will. May the Force be with you." And with a wave of his clawed hand, the image vanished into the mist.

Mace bowed his head for a moment in quiet acknowledgement. "May the Force be with us all."

Silence reigned and lengthened as Master Mace Windu gathered his thoughts. Finally, his dark eyes flashed toward the huddled form of the morose apprentice, sitting quite still in the now-uncomfortable chair. Standing up, his arms crossed in frustration, Mace towered over the young man as he contemplated his next challenge.

"And now, Apprentice Skywalker, we will discuss your punishment for disobedience." Anakin winced, willing himself deeper into the seat, trying desperately to avoid the incensed eyes of Master Windu. This would not be pleasant... for either of them.