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MARGO EXPLAINS HER THOUGHTS to the Council quickly, ignoring Quinlan's sharp intake of breath at the words that leave her mouth. When she finishes, the room lapses into a heavy silence.
"So you think that Kenobi faked his death ten years ago?" Master Windu asks her, deadpan.
Margo flushes, unused to being the center of attention. "I think that it's a possibility, yes," she corrects, trying not to sound as prickly as she feels. "You yourself said that we had to account for all possible explanations, Master Windu."
Mace inclines his head in acknowledgment at that, expression stormy.
"He can't have faked his death!" Anakin exclaims, wide-eyed. "He can't have. We'd have—Master Qui-Gon would have felt it. I thought—your Force bond was broken!" Anakin sounds almost frantic as he wildly grasps for explanations. He turns to his Master in a blur of mournful blue eyes and pouting lips. Margo feels her heart twist a little for the boy.
"The Force bond was indeed broken on Naboo," Qui-Gon says softly, like the words pain him. Sorrow flickers through his eyes, and Margo reaches out to put a hand on the older man's shoulder, comforting. He thanks her with a small incline of his head. "Masters, with all due respect. I felt the bond between us shatter, in a way only death could produce. Obi-Wan's—Obi-Wan's death," he swallows, "left a dark void in my heart. It's still there, Masters. There's no way... no way that Kenobi could have lived. I'd have felt it."
"Ripples through the Force, Kenobi's death sent," Yoda hums, thoughtful. "On Coruscant, felt it, we did. Interesting, your point is, Qui-Gon."
Jedi Master Coleman Trebor makes a hissing sound deep in his throat. "The photographic evidence suggests otherwise," he bites out. Margo feels Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Quinlan all tense beside her.
Anakin scowls at Trebor. His Padawan braid brushes his shoulder when he shakes his head angrily. "Are you calling my Master a liar?"
And there it is, Margo thinks humorlessly as she watches all of the Masters reach for their lightsabers, out of pure habit, at Anakin's tone. Anakin Skywalker's talent of not being able to leave well enough alone.
Trebor's reaction to Anakin's words is... troubling, however. As a Jedi Master, he should be above petty insults and disagreements. But right now, he sounds like he wants to throttle the Padawan. "Put a stop to your Padawan's insolence, Qui-Gon," he hisses in his guttural voice, "before I do it for you."
"My insolence?" Anakin demands, true to form, as he straightens to try and gain an edge over the other Jedi. His voice sounds almost shrill at this point. "You're the one who insinuated Master Qui-Gon was lying! You're crazy if you think he'd do something like that!"
Trebor jumps to his feet in a swift movement, snarling, "Don't call me crazy, boy."
Anakin bristles, moving into a defensive posture. All the Masters around him grab for their sabers, but before they can ignite their weapons, Windu gets to his feet and raises a hand. "Sit down, Master Trebor," Mace orders in the coldest voice Margo has ever heard him use. Scowling, Trebor returns to his seat. The Masters around him let go of their lightsabers.
