Hidden Agenda // By Yami no Kaiba / Emerald Star

The public service announcement posted on every available area is clear in it's message: the Jedi are not to be trusted.

At first, Tim found this to be a highly amusing thing, at the age of nine. The Jedi have been around for thousands of years. Why is it only now that they shouldn't be trusted?

It's a little scary at present, though, to watch the actions of the people around him now. Tim can remember exactly when the situation went from funny to scary.

When he was twelve, just six months ago, there had been a man passing through the settlement. A somewhat average seeming person of little monetary wealth, wrapped in a brown hooded cloak.

Tim didn't know why, and he still doesn't, but when he'd set his eyes on the man, a weird tingle had gone through his body. He'd shivered even though he felt perfectly warm. Whoever this stranger was, Tim knew in his gut that he was important.

When the stranger was found murdered in a back alley the next morning, it had deeply disturbed him. That the animosity fostered for years against the Jedi had finally exploded into a murderous compunction was a slightly terrifying prospect.

So now, six months later, when he spots strangers wearing the same cloaks wandering around the public square and gets that same weird tingling and gut feeling of *importance*, he does something he normally wouldn't do.

He stops watching and starts acting.

*---*---*---*---*

Obi-Wan struggled to keep his face blank as he paid the vendor for his food purchase. The man had just been a hair shy of being outspokenly rude to the young padawan and had even tried to overcharge him for the food even though the prices had been clearly printed on the hanging sign.

"Was there something wrong, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon's gaze settled on his padawan as he was handed his portion of dinner.

"I-" Obi-Wan paused, wondering if he would sound like a whining kid if he commented on the vendor's attitude. Considering however the nature of their mission, he pushed the concern aside. "The merchant was more antagonistic than reasonable, Master."

"And have you noticed anything else?"

Realizing that 'no' was not the answer the Jedi Knight was looking for, Obi-Wan searched his memory for the right answer. Blinking, he looked back up at his mentor. “It wasn't just the vendor, was it? People have been avoiding us.”

Qui-Gon nodded. “Yes, but that isn't all. We're also being watched.”

Looking at the Knight's gaze, Obi-Wan followed his mentor's line of sight to a leafy covered grotto on the far side of the square. Standing in the dappled shade of the near dusk lighting, a small lithe figure that seemed more than two hand-spans shorter than Obi-Wan was indeed watching them.

The gazes between the three locked only briefly before the child smiled and moved backwards into the shadows of the small man-made grotto.

“It would seem we're being invited. Shall we?” Without waiting for a reply, Qui-Gon walked in his normal stately way across the square.

*---*---*---*---*

It's their presence, Tim thinks, that really convinces him that the strangers are Jedi. He knows, however, that assumptions are never a good idea. “Jedi, right?”

The tall man nods. “Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and my apprentice Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Tim Drake.” He waves them over to a set of benches a little farther in. “You both should probably sit down and eat that before it gets cold. It tastes really fowl then.”

Taking the boy up on the offer of seating, the two ate their meal.

Swallowing the last grain of rice, Obi-Wan looks over at Tim. “So why did you want to talk to us?”

“I felt it only fair to warn you. There's been a sort of witch-hunt going on in the town for awhile.” Tim shifted a bit, tapping nervously at his thigh. “Somebody's been killing people that are suspected to be Force-sensitive.”

Qui-Gon tilted his head. “And you know this how...?”

Tim shrugged slightly. “I have a lot of free time, and watching people is sort of what I do. There's been thirteen murders in the past year, and I've confirmed that seven of the victims were Force-sensitive while the other six were suspected by a number of people to be so.”

Qui-Gon frowned. “This is... Troublesome. We came here to find a missing friend, but this is obviously a problem. What has the local authorities done?”

“Not much. All thirteen cases were closed as suicides.”

Obi-Wan blinked. “Then why did you say they're murders?”

Tim fidgeted again, tapping a bit more at his thigh. “I managed to... procure some of the coroner reports after the third murder. Either the authorities are being threatened or they're being paid, but either way the wounds on the bodies couldn't have been self-inflicted.”

“And of course you can't go to the proper authorities with this, seeing as they're already covering over murder scenes,” Qui-Gon noted absently as he got a slightly focused look to his eyes. “Were any of the victims dressed approximately like Obi-Wan and myself?”

Tim nodded. “Human male, 5'9”, brown eyes, left handed, long faced, and he shaved. I have copies of the investigation documents at my house, if you wanted to confirm it was your friend before you dig up the grave.”

“It... does sound like Knight Tainen,” Obi-wan voiced.

Qui-Gon nodded. “We would indeed like to confirm this.”

Standing, Tim dusted off the seat of his pants. “Then let's go. If we hurry I won't get yelled at for being out past sun down.”

*---*---*---*---*

The group of three is but twenty paces from the closed front door of the large mansion when Qui-Gon orders them to stop abruptly.

“What's wrong, Master?”

The tall man hesitated. “Xanatos,” was all he said before he was off, running towards the building, lightsaber out and ignited, Obi-Wan following faithfully behind his master without pause. “Tim, stay where you are!”

Blinking as the door opened seemingly on it's own accord for the two Jedi to enter unimpeded, Tim shook his head lightly and moved towards the window instead, hand slipping into a back pocket to pull out a digital camera.

Considering the first picture he got was of Mrs. Mac, the housekeeper, sitting down on the couch of the living room with a black cloaked man sitting across from him, he felt fully justified in circumventing Qui-Gon's order.

The next picture being of a black cloaked man, who seems somewhere in his late teens, early twenties at a verbal stand off with the two Jedi would, he decided, be a nice souvenir to remember this day by.

"Where's the boy, Qui-Gon?"

Ok, obviously Tim needs to remember to fully close the window next time.

And then Tim thinks about that question. Really, Obi-Wan's right *there* so why is that man, this Xanatos, asking for the boy?

The answer is obvious and Tim thinks that in this case, perhaps making assumptions is an ok thing.

Especially when the man turns in his direction and *looks* at him with a small, triumphant smile.

And wow. The guy's actually pretty in that Goth kind of way. If it wasn't for the really *wrong* feeling he was getting from the guy, Tim probably would have liked him a lot.

Apparently focusing on Xanatos had been a bad idea, though, since the window is thrown open and he gets pulled in by seemingly tangible *air*.

"Is there really a need to be so openly hostile, my old Master?" And yeah, that would explain the whole reason the two other Jedi had known the guy.

It's obvious Obi-Wan doesn't want to, but he follows Qui-Gon's example when the Jedi Knight switches off his lightsaber.

"I'm merely here to offer the boy an option," and, ok, this Xanatos guy would have made a great politician, Tim thinks.

"Ok," Tim says, moving over to sit besides Mrs. Mac. He takes an empty cup from the coffee table between them and fills it with tea. The two Jedi follow his example. "What did you want to offer me?"

"A job position, my young friend. My company, UniFy, could benefit greatly from your computer skills."

"That's awfully nice, but I'm still in school, Mr. Xanatos."

"I was considering it to be a weekend job, Mr. Drake."

"Still, I really shouldn't. If the offer is still available when I graduate, I'll consider it then."

"Well then, I shall be on my way." Standing, Xanatos set his own tea cup on the table. "I'll see myself out. See you again, Mr. Drake, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan. Good day."

"No, allow me to show you out," Mrs. Mac said, getting up to follow the man out of the room.

"Should we really let him go? Xanatos could be the murderer," Obi-Wan wondered.

"Him? It's not him. I already found out who it is," Tim said, setting down his cup. "Wait here a moment and I'll go grab the documents."

He was out and back after a few minutes, holding a folder in his hands stuffed full of print-outs. Moving the tea to another table lining the wall, he spread out the papers on the coffee table. Picking up a few from the top, he handed them to Qui-Gon. "That's the papers I have for the stranger that came into town six months ago. Is he the person you were looking for?"

Qui-Gon looked through them, then nodded. "Yes, he was Jedi Knight Tainen." Looking up, he watched Tim. "You said you knew who it was that killed them?"

"Or at least, who I believe it was. See, five years ago there was an election for mayor. The current mayor based his campaign on a 'distrust the Jedi' platform."

Obi-Wan blinked. "So the murderer is your mayor?"

Tim shook his head. "I don’t think so. He has solid alibi's for the time frames most of the murders took place." Shuffling through the papers, he pulled out a sheet. "No, I think it's this person."

Qui-Gon took the photo. "Why do you think it's this person?"

"Mr. Candis suggested the campaign platform. When I dug around in some of his public records, I found out his son had been taken to the Temple on Coruscant."

Nodding, Qui-Gon rose. "Then lets go check him out."

*---*---*---*---*

Mr. Candis, later that night, gave a confession for the murders of thirteen different people down at the police precinct. He also pleaded guilty to the charges of aggravated assault upon the small group that had shown up on his door step earlier.

*---*---*---*---*

"So you're leaving now."

The three were standing on the path that the two Jedi had entered the town from just the other day.

"We have to go back to the main Temple to report Tainen's death," Qui-Gon said.

"Well, if you ever back to the area, come on by and say hi, ok?"

"You can bet on it," Obi-Wan said, smiling.

With that, the three parted ways.

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