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“Jedi Apprentice: The Ties that Bind.”
A moody Qui-Gon takes Obi-Wan to the mountains of Ragoon-6 for survival training. After a run-in with vicious malias (and vicious natives), it’s time to head back – but Qui-Gon is stopped cold by a vision… one that sends him and his apprentice back to Coruscant in record time. Qui-Gon rushes up to the Council Chamber, where he finds them briefing Tahl on her newest mission, a return trip to Apsolon. Six years before, she and Qui-Gon had overseen the establishment of a democracy there. Now they must take the teenage daughters of Apsolon’s murdered leader, Ewane, back to Coruscant for safety. Qui-Gon insists on going with Tahl on this mission, something Tahl refuses outright – she has had it with Qui-Gon hovering around her. “In the name of friendship, dear Qui-Gon, leave me be.”
The two apprentices, Obi-Wan and Bant, are left in the cold in all of this. Bant cannot stand it – again her master is abandoning her! Two weeks pass with no word from Tahl, while Qui-Gon punishes himself in training. At night, he is haunted by nightmares of Tahl dying in front of him. Finally, he barges back into the Council Chamber to demand he go to New Apsolon to find Tahl. The Council advises him to wait, but Qui-Gon is past listening and verbally blasts the Council. Mace Windu coldly informs him that if he goes, it will be without the Council’s permission. Qui-Gon heads out of the Temple immediately, Obi-Wan accompanying him despite his wishes.
In disguise, the two Jedi land in the capital city of New Apsolon. They sense unrest bubbling beneath the surface in this town, and they learn it is becoming dangerous for tourists on this unstable world. Ewane’s successor, Roan, is suspected of his predecessor’s murder. They also learn the two daughters, Alani and Eritha, are living in Roan’s home. Travelling there, Qui-Gon’s concern deepens when the twins tell him they did not call Tahl to help them – they had no idea she would come to this world at all. Qui-Gon then suspects a plot by the former secret police of Apsolon, the Absolutes, and he checks out a museum devoted to them. He and Obi-Wan learn about how the Absolutes used torture to try to keep order. As they leave, Qui-Gon senses a probe droid behind them. He destroys it, but the two are forced to duck by blaster fire from above. The sniper escapes, but leaves behind a clue – an emblem seen on the tour guide at the Absolutes Museum.
That night, the two Jedi trail the tour guide, Irini, from the museum. She ducks into an abandoned building scheduled for demolition. They find her speaking to a group of people, declaring the Jedi to be agents of Roan, Ewane’s murderer! The people are all survivors of the Absolute’s tortures, and they are convinced the dreaded secret police are back, controlled by Roan and a mysterious new group. Suddenly, the building is attacked by the Absolutes, and the Jedi are overwhelmed and captured. They are blindfolded and taken to the Absolutes headquarters. Qui-Gon is taken into a room to be interrogated, and is relieved to hear Tahl’s voice among the people around him. Somehow, she has infiltrated the Absolutes. Tahl, who has manoeuvred herself into a position of power, argues to let the Jedi go – the Absolutes will need popular support to retake the government. She leads him and Obi-Wan out of the headquarters (a disguised warehouse) and tells them the twins had indeed sent her – in fact, had helped with the infiltration. They too are starting to think Roan a traitor, murderer and would-be dictator. The new Absolutes are small in number, but rich and amassing weapons. Somebody powerful is backing them – but whom? Qui-Gon hesitates at this – the Jedi should not be getting involved in internal politics like this. Tahl insists on helping the twins, telling Qui-Gon he does not care enough – any more than he did six years ago. She offers a compromise – help her for one week to find out what is going on. If they cannot find anything out, they all leave with the twins for Coruscant. If they can find anything, they can bring peace back to Apsolon. Qui-Gon accepts, though still worried.
The next morning, he and Obi-Wan investigate Manex, Roan’s wealthy and affluent brother. They find him corrupt, unpleasant – but not quite capable of everything they have seen. They then travel to Governor Roan’s mansion – just in time to spot a group of intruders kidnapping the twins!! The Jedi attack, but the intruders throw an army of probe droids at them and escape. The Jedi return to Tahl and tell her what happened. She does not think the intruders were Absolutes, that it could be Irini and her group. Roan summons the Jedi to meet with him, begging them to find the twins. He seems haunted by events, terrified of what could happen. They receive a ransom demand from the kidnappers – the twins will be released if Roan resigns from Supreme Governorship and calls for new elections. Roan has no other choice, and he agrees. As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan leave Roan’s palace, they receive a distress call from Tahl – somehow the Absolutes are on to her, and she is on the run from probe droids. They rush to her position in the streets, and find her near a demonstration. Fighting off the probe droids, they rush back to Roan’s, only to find he has already gone to meet with the kidnappers. Several hours later, his corpse is delivered gift wrapped to the mansion.
As the people of Absolon erupt in rage, the twins are indeed returned. The security chief, Balog, tells them a peace summit has been frantically called for between the Absolutes, the Workers (Irini’s group), and the Civilised (Roan’s government). The talks are agreed to, on one condition – a Jedi representative must be there as arbiter. Tahl insists on going – alone. She orders Qui-Gon to take the twins to Coruscant. White as a sheet, Qui-Gon asks to speak to Tahl alone. He tells her that he will not take the twins until she returns from the summit. If he does leave, he is convinced he will never see her again. He finally forces out what he has wanted to say all along – he loves her. Tahl is taken aback by this… but tells him she loves him too. With that pledge, she leaves for the summit. The next morning, Irini barges into the mansion and rushes to the Jedi. She tells him the Workers have been blamed by the Civilised for the kidnapping and murder – which she insists they did not do. She claims someone in Roan’s inner circle is responsible for both. They have a spy in the mansion, one of the security guards, who confirms this. She is confused when asked about the peace summit – what summit?? Suddenly, it hits Qui-Gon – Balog is the one behind all of this!!!
In blind panic, Qui-Gon runs to the place Balog said the meeting would be. He finds Tahl’s lightsaber in a bin with several blasters, and no one inside. He is almost overwhelmed with grief and anguish. His vision of the death of Tahl – the woman he loves – is coming true before his very eyes despite all of his efforts to prevent it…
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