Spoilers: Nooooooooooo. {(blinkz) I'm sorry; I've spent way too
much time on the farm, it would seem.}
Rating: NC-17.
Category: Infinitesimally small angst, mostly smart-assishness,
partly humor, have no clue what else.
Archive: Master and Apprentice, yea verily! Anywhere else, be
my guest, but let my name have it's eternity of fame! Lemme
know where ya've stashed it.
Warnings: Attempting a plot. Probably an overused one, but I'm
going to try. And I was never a disciple of Yoda's so I end up
trying lots of things, most notably peoples' patience.
Summary: Obi-Wan is part of a mission to help a young woman
take her place as Senator. Things get interesting when she gets
interested in him.
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and any other
official Star Wars characters and place settings. Me, I own the
gray clay that hatched this experiment, the computer said
experiment got molded on, and my Betta fishes, McGill and
McGurk, who provided endless hours of staring time while I
decided what in all pig snerv I was attempting to accomplish.
Lyrics, song, and Album of "NINE LIVES" owned by Aerosmith. I
had to pay homage, I really did.
Author's Note: Purple and dark blue/fire-engine red Betta fish
are extremely intelligent and quite pretty to look at. If you
wish to thank the one responsible for whatever
amusement/enjoyment this provided you, I'll tell them you said
"Hi." That being said, this could take some time to produce. I
know what I want written, it's just a matter of getting it
done. Don't worry, I'll get there eventually.
Feedback: Fiiiiiiiive goooooolden riiiiiiiings... Four Calling
Birds, Three French Hens, Two Turtledoves, and a feedback in my
inbox! rogue10@hotmail.com
Obi-Wan followed the faint sense of his master's presence in
his mind as it led him along the hallways of the Jedi Temple on
Coruscant. They had arrived back from their vacation to
Qui-Gon's home planet two days ago, and the two Jedi had caught
up on the latest information while waiting to find out what
their newest assignment would be.
He approached a corner in the Western wing of the Temple at
mid-level, down near the labs and the holodecks, which were
used primarily by the Infirmary, two floors away, for physical
therapy. As he approached said corner, he heard his master's
voice, as well as the voice of another man.
He stopped, not at all liking what he heard in the stranger's
voice.
"...now that we're caught up on the official stuff, what time
would you like to meet me for dinner? The usual time, usual
place?" the other man asked, his tone warm and inviting.
Qui-Gon's voice was pleasantly calm, infused with a bit of his
own warmth. "No, thank you, D'metri. I'm afraid I can't."
"Oh, really?" Here the voice was a little incredulous, as well
as ridiculously a trifle possessive. "Why not? Got a hot date?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
Obi-Wan grinned. He knew as well as Qui-Gon did that the only
thing they both had planned for the evening was a new training
routine that his master felt he was ready for, and then some
private, personal entertainment.
"I see." The voice was a bit on the chilly side, now. "So,
who's my replacement? Anyone I know? Anyone as good as I was at
taking your edge off?"
The Padawan felt his master's discomfiture and hesitation, and
chose that moment to make his entrance. Fixing a smile on his
face, he rounded the corner and walked up to stand obediently
and properly beside his master. "Master, here you are! I
thought I sensed you."
Qui-Gon gave him a reserved smile even as he spoke through
their bond. Of course you did, scamp. You were standing
two feet around the corner, listening to a private
discussion.
Obi-Wan fought his blush, but lowered his eyes in atonement.
The Jedi Master reached out and placed a steady hand on his
Padawan's shoulder, pulling him subtly closer, and gave the
younger man a fond smile and a caress through their training
bond. Then he looked at his friend D'metri, thereby drawing
Obi-Wan's attention to the man as well.
Taller than Obi-Wan by an inch, not as tall as Qui-Gon, the
older man had jet-black hair and the most fascinating mixture
of violet and blue eyes Obi-Wan had ever seen. His elegant,
handsome face was astonishingly covered in a thin, dark gray
fur, with lighter patches swirled randomly. The body was long,
lean, and sensual, despite the slightly overly prominent
muscular strength. D'metri was dressed in brown pants that
clung to him, dark brown boots and leather jacket of the same
color, and a light ecru T-shirt that fit him like a second
skin. It was an outfit usually worn by Jedi operatives sent to
the Outer Rim for months on end for whatever reason their
mission.
D'metri glanced down at the young Padawan, and did a mental
double take. Wait a minute ... Qui-Gon's new lover was ... his
apprentice? The very same apprentice he'd been pining after for
two years? The one he knew he'd been a stand-in for? Very
slowly, a pleased smile spread across his face. "Well, hello
there, Obi-Wan. I finally get to meet Qui-Gon's star pupil."
Obi-Wan's eyebrows winged up to his hairline and he turned an
incredulous glance on his master. "His what?"
Qui-Gon shrugged, trying hard to not look embarrassed. "So I've
mentioned you a few times."
"Few times?" D'metri teased, one eyebrow raised. "Oh, come now,
Qui-Gon, be realistic. Your pride in him is all I've ever heard
about whenever we found time to get together."
Obi-Wan took pity on his master and kept a serenely pleased
expression on his face. The highly charged amusement that
flashed across their bond told Qui-Gon the truth, however.
Said Jedi Master sighed and glared at his friend. "If you're
through ribbing me in front of my apprentice, D'metri..."
"No, not yet, but I can wait," the other man replied, grinning.
"I'll be here at the Temple for the next few weeks,
thankfully."
"Oh, joy," Qui-Gon muttered. Through the training bond, he
ordered, Don't say it; not one word.
Obi-Wan obeyed him, but he knew he was going to have some fun
with his master and lover later that evening.
"Obi-Wan, go get ready for training practice," Qui-Gon ordered.
"I'll meet you at the training hall in half an hour."
The Padawan bowed to his master, then to D'metri, and walked
away. He stopped and tucked himself up against the wall again a
few feet away from the corner, however, and dampened the sense
of his presence, wondering what else the two men would have to
say about him.
"So, you finally got him, huh?" D'metri asked conversationally,
a grin evident in his voice.
"Yes, I finally did. Five months ago when he turned eighteen.
It turns out that he's been harboring romantic inclinations
towards me as well," Qui-Gon replied, smug happiness in his
tone.
"Well, that's all right, then," the other man said, astonishing
the eavesdropping Padawan.
"Oh, really? And why is that? A few moments ago, you were
becoming frostier than Hoth in deep winter to me."
"Because it's easier to accept being replaced by your one true
love, rather than because I'm no longer good enough for you,
Qui-Gon."
Obi-Wan had to agree with that. However, he did not really care
for the warmth in his lover's voice when the man replied, "You
were always good enough, D'metri." Then the younger man melted
with a smile when Qui-Gon finished with, "You just weren't
Obi-Wan."
"True enough. I'm glad for you both, Qui-Gon, that you've
finally gotten hold of each other." The genuine warmth in
D'metri's tone made the Padawan smile.
Suddenly, in his mind, he heard, Are you satisfied now?
Or have you not heard enough?
Obi-Wan blushed, sent sheepish-ness along their bond to his
lover, and without further ado turned and scurried off down the
hall.
Qui-Gon made his farewells to D'metri and walked along the
hallways toward the training hall. If anyone noticed him
chuckling to himself, they didn't give any sign of it.
The Master and Apprentice team stood together in the center of
the Council chamber, awaiting instructions.
Twelve Councilors stared back at them, each face silent and
impassive.
"Good afternoon, Master Jinn," Mace said pleasantly, inclining
his head slightly to his friend. "We have a mission for you and
your apprentice."
Qui-Gon replied in the same manner. "Good afternoon, Master
Windu. Please, enlighten us as to our next mercy mission."
Brief smiles flickered among the Councilors, and then Mace
said, "Very well. You two have been chosen to go to Rinjornn.
Your home planet, I believe, Obi-Wan."
"Yes, Master Windu."
The older man nodded noncommittally and resumed the mission
briefing. "The Rinjornn Senator was killed recently in a
speeder crash, and his daughter is not yet of age to take his
place, though she has been groomed to do so. At the moment, she
is being rather obstinate about it, upset as she is about her
father's death. We are sending you to keep an eye on her as
bodyguards, advisors, and encouragement. This will take three
weeks to complete. Any questions?"
"I do not believe so; any information we'll especially need to
know will be forwarded to our datapads, I assume," Qui-Gon said
quietly, receiving nods from the Councilors. "When do we
leave?"
"Three hours."
"Then I guess we should be packing. With your permission,
Masters?"
The Councilors nodded again and intoned, "May the Force be with
you."
Bowing, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan strode from the room.
The two men headed down the halls to their quarters, silent as
neither had very much to say. Once inside, they began packing
for their lengthy mission.
"Well. From my planet to yours," Qui-Gon said, chuckling. "I
wonder if there's a conspiracy afoot."
Obi-Wan grinned. "I doubt it, Master. But I do hope you'll
enjoy my home planet as much as I enjoyed yours."
The two men exchanged wicked grins and heated, teasing looks,
then resumed packing again.
"I'm sure I will, my Obi-Wan," the Jedi Master said, stuffing a
tunic into his carry-sack. "And if you want, we'll try to make
time to go see your family."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with a fond desire to visit
my mother in hopes of getting some of her chocolate cookies out
of her, would it?" the younger man said, smiling wickedly.
"I have no greater gift than to give my waist for my love,"
Qui-Gon said stoically, and Obi-Wan cracked up.
"Crap! I've been replaced by chocolate. Oh, well, had to happen
sooner or later, once you got into that last holiday package my
mother sent - ahhh! No, wait! Qui-Gon!" young Kenobi
yelled, leaping over the couch and facing off against the older
man. "We're supposed to be packing!"
"You started it, scamp!"
"So flash the other chee - yargh! No! I meant turn!TURN the other cheek!" Obi-Wan shouted over the loud
sounds of Qui-Gon's laughter at his young lover's verbal
mistake.
The Padawan sighed as he observed his master's hysterical
laughter and then simply set about packing both their
carry-sacks, knowing that he was safe from any further
ambitious notions. Besides, he really enjoyed the sound of
Qui-Gon's laughter, and relished the chance to listen to it
while he could, knowing that the older man would be calm and
reserved on their mission.
"Greetings, Attache Norste, I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my
Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We are the Jedi Advisors/Ambassadors
for young Senator Kileinnie Turrow."
A woman of average height, silvery-blonde hair, and green eyes
turned from a computer terminal as the two Jedi walked further
into her office. She smiled at the sight of them. "Ah! Yes,
Jedi Jinn and Kenobi, welcome to Rinjornn. Or should I say
'welcome home'?" she asked, smiling brightly at Obi-Wan.
The younger man smiled back and said, "Welcome to Rinjornn is
fine, AttachÈ Norste. I haven't been home since in a
year or two, and this is the first trip for my Master."
"Now, why have you waited so long, I wonder? Oh, well. Hmm, so
you're as much an out-of-towner as anyone else visiting here,
aren't you? Ah, well, hopefully you'll have time to see the
sights while you're here. And please, call me Faye; the three
of us are going to be working closely together for a few
weeks," the pretty woman said.
Qui-Gon smiled as well, relaxing in the easy-going atmosphere.
"And we are Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Faye. Thank you for the
gracious welcome. Is Kileinnie about?"
"Oh, certainly. She's down in the garage bay, working on her
speeder bike," Faye replied, glancing at her desk and picking
up a notebook, thumbing through it.
The two Jedi exchanged raised eyebrows. "Speeder bike?" Obi-Wan
echoed.
Faye put the notebook down and rifled through the other papers
on her desk. "Yes, the girl is a mechanic of suitable degree.
Her father indulged her learning tastes while she was growing
up, so she's not exactly the stereotypical rich society girl
you might have been expecting. Ah-ha! Found it!" On that
triumphant note, Faye held up a piece of paper.
"Found what?" Obi-Wan asked politely.
"Part of what I was looking for, which was the information
docket for you two. It contains all the information on our
budding young Senator that you'll need to know: medical
history, academics, weapons training, political science
training, hobbies and so on. The better to understand what
you've gotten yourselves into with her."
"And that's it?" Qui-Gon asked, nodding to the paper in Faye's
hand.
"This? Oh, no. It's a reminder note I wrote myself about
where I put your information docket. And the answer to
that is: In your rooms. I locked it into your desk ahead of
time. The way things have been going on around here lately, I
figured better safe than sorry. So, anyway, I suppose I'd
better show you to your rooms, then point the way to the garage
bay. Will that suit?" she asked.
"Just fine," Qui-Gon said, stepping back and gesturing with a
calmly charming smile for her to lead the way. As with many
females when faced with Qui-Gon Jinn's charm, Faye blushed
slightly and led the way out of the office after picking up two
ID cards from her desk. She locked the door behind them all,
and then led the way through the tasteful corridors.
"Ever since Kilenu Turrow died, we've been doing our best to
get Kileinnie prepped for taking his place, but she's rather
understandably upset at doing so," Faye said as she took them
through the large housing complex of the Turrow Household and
offices. "She keeps putting off meetings and accepting any
responsibilities. We're running out of time. Kileinnie is the
best person for the job, having learned from her father. A lot
better than the competitor, a man by the name of Walrin Hunter.
His latest hair-brained idea is to get Kileinnie to marry him."
"And what is her view on that?" Qui-Gon asked.
"You can ask her, if you need a few spots of color in your
life," Faye retorted. "Suffice it to say, Kileinnie isn't all
that taken with the idea. Here we go."
She handed the two Jedi their ID cards and said, "Just use
these to swipe yourselves in. I'm going to assume that you're
intelligent and not too exhausted, and so can explore your
rooms and figure things out for yourselves. If there's anything
you're not sure of, or simply want to know, feel free to ask
and I'll do what I can to help you out."
"Thank you, Faye, you have been a charming and helpful aide,"
Qui-Gon said warmly, taking the woman's hand in both of his and
smiling.
Faye blushed again and said, "Thank you for the kind words,
Jedi Jinn. I hope you both enjoy your stay with us. Go ahead
and get settled in; I'll forward directions to the garage bay
to your terminal." She flashed a grin at both men and
disappeared down the corridor again.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at his lover and master, then turned
without a word and swiped the card, letting himself into their
living quarters for the next few weeks.
Qui-Gon followed and said, "Now, what was that look for?"
"Don't you think you're laying the charm on a little too
thickly?" the younger man asked as he dropped his pack onto the
communal sofa in the common area and stretched.
Qui-Gon dropped his pack as well and sat down on one arm of the
couch, watching his student and lover. "No, I don't. I'm using
the same amount of charm I've always used. You can't tell me
you're jealous about it now, when you claimed months ago that
you weren't jealous at all."
Obi-Wan grinned and walked up to his master. He leaned in and
kissed the older man, then pulled back slightly to murmur, "No,
I'm not really jealous, at least, not much. I guess I like
having all that warmth and attention given to me, even if I
know better."
Jinn laughed and wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan's waist,
pulling him closer. "Thank you, love. You do wonders for my
ego. Well, shall we settle in and then find our way to the
garage bay?"
"By all means. I'm getting more and more curious about our new
Senator."
The two Jedi wandered through the halls after quickly
consulting their quarters' computer terminal. The message from
Faye Norste was there, as promised, and so before long, they
found themselves in a garage bay. The few people who were in
the large area nodded to them, and Qui-Gon stretched out with
his Force senses. They were unnecessary as, a few moments
later, music blasted out from a nearby corner.
"I got good luck (in certain situations), I'm feelin' like I
hung the moon; And then at times I'm so weak from lovin', I
couldn't even carry a tune..."
Obi-Wan suppressed a grin. That was actually one of his
favorite songs to listen to when in the mood for a hard, fast
solitary workout. The adrenaline level the music helped him to
achieve was incredible. Already, he found himself starting to
like Kileinnie Turrow. Although, across the training bond, he
could sense that Qui-Gon was doing his best to ignore the
music. While he didn't find it offensive, it simply wasn't to
his tastes, something Obi-Wan had always kept in mind and
therefore only used it when he would be alone for a long while.
They approached the young woman in the corner. She was hunched
over as she sat near the lower rear end of the speeder bike,
fiddling with a bit of wiring and a soldering iron as she
grumbled to herself.
A pair of narrowed gray eyes looked over a slender shoulder and
narrowed further when she saw them standing there waiting for
her. She turned her head back to her speeder bike and soldered
a few more wires, then leaned over and shut off the music. As
Qui-Gon breathed an internal sigh of relief and Obi-Wan sighed
with regret, Kileinnie got to her feet and dusted off her
hands, then turned to face them.
The two Jedi looked the young woman over, inspecting her just
as she was inspecting them. The seventeen-year-old girl stood
an inch under Obi-Wan's height. She was dressed in a dirty,
worn jumpsuit, the top half of which had been shrugged off and
tied around her waist so she could work in a loose T-shirt that
had gotten equally grungy from her work. Chestnut brown hair
with auburn streaks in it was tied back, her bangs hanging in
her face, which was not overwhelmingly beautiful, but not
homely, either. She merely had a good balance of the two. Her
gray eyes, which Obi-Wan could now see were more of a silvery
color, were framed by thick black lashes that blinked to clear
dust out of them. He stilled the urge to squirm slightly as her
fetching mouth quirked into a half-smile; for some reason, she
was affecting his senses rather strongly. Considering that she
was tall, long-limbed, and apparently nicely put together, he
supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised.
"H'lo," Kileinnie said. "You're the Jedi I was told were coming
to tutor me?"
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed, the older man slanting a quick look
at his student and lover. He wondered why his Padawan had
raised minimal shields suddenly. Ignoring his subconscious'
attempts to rattle him for the moment, he straightened and
smiled at the young woman. "Hello, Miss Turrow. Yes, we're the
Jedi advisors sent to you. I am Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and this
is my student, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Kileinnie turned her gaze from the highly attractive older man
in front of her to the smaller, younger man standing beside
him, and her breath caught subtly. Hells Bells and spotty
widgets, why hadn't anyone warned her that the Jedi would be
sending a young god and an older one? Her eyes locked with the
gray-blue of the younger Jedi's, and she felt herself shiver
slightly. She hadn't been looking forward to this at all, but
now that they were here, she found herself thinking that this
probably wouldn't be such a bad time after all.
Obi-Wan stared back at the girl who was half a year younger
than him and wondered why he was reacting to her as he was. He
didn't like it; he loved Qui-Gon, adored his body, and so this
was making him decidedly uncomfortable. He nodded a greeting to
Kileinnie and said, "Hello, Miss Turrow. Pleased to meet you."
Smooth, cultured, and slightly accented. A wonderful voice,
Kilennie catalogued, that blended well with the rich voice of
the older man. Yup, she was definitely going to have fun.
However, she wasn't about to let either of the men in front of
her know it just yet. She grinned at Kenobi and said, "Same,
Mr. Kenobi. Pardon me if I don't shake your hand?" Still
grinning, she held up her dirty, oily hands.
He grinned back, relaxing slightly. "Not a problem. Do you need
any help? I've a fair amount of experience with mechanical
work."
She raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jedi involved themselves in
spiritual and organic things?"
"We do, Miss Turrow, but we're not limited to it." He chose not
to offer any more information, and she didn't press it.
"Well, okay, then. Actually, I've got a handle on it, but if I
ever do need the help while you're here, you can bet, I'll yell
for you." Then she grinned and said, "And if you're lucky, I'll
be nice when I do it."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, echoed by his master, and then
grinned back.
Qui-Gon chose that moment to break into the conversation. "Miss
Turrow-"
She held up a hand, halting his words. With an apologetic
smile, she said, "Please, Mr. Jinn, call me Kileinnie. I prefer
it."
He nodded. "Very well, Kileinnie. You may call me Qui-Gon. I
believe there's nothing planned for tonight except for a
semi-formal dinner, so Obi-Wan and I shall tour the house and
grounds if it's alright, and tomorrow we may begin our duties?"
Kileinnie stared stonily at Qui-Gon. "You know, everyone is
getting kind of pushy about my taking my fath - the Senator's
place in three weeks. Would it be too much to ask to be left
alone for a bit to grieve before I get pushed into a job I
wasn't planning to have for a dozen or so years?"
"I understand your reluctance, Kileinnie, truly I do. I won't
be 'pushy' about this, as you call it, but it is my duty to
help you adjust to your new position. I shall do my best to
make this as comfortable and easy as possible, but I must be
honest with you when I say that my concern for the Rinjornn
people is motivating me strongly," the Jedi Master replied,
adopting the attitude he usually took when Obi-Wan got stubborn
about something.
She sighed and said, "I understand, Qui-Gon. I don't like it,
but I understand. Now, if I'm not being rude, I was in the
middle of something I was enjoying. While I have enjoyed
meeting you, its not often lately that I get to harass the
garage techs with my music choices." She grinned, indicating
the joke.
The two Jedi smiled in reply and bowed slightly. "We'll see you
at dinner then, Kileinnie. Enjoy your down time," Qui-Gon
answered, and he turned to leave.
Obi-Wan smiled again at Kileinnie and added, "By the way, great
choice in music. Really gets the adrenaline going, doesn't it?"
She blinked in surprise. "You like that music?"
"Yes. We can talk about it sometime, if you like. Please excuse
me." And with that, he turned and took his place a pace behind
his master, following as the older man led the way out of the
garage bay, leaving the young would-be Senator to stare after
him in confused interest.
Master and Apprentice wandered down the halls, finally locating
the doors that would let them outside. Once they were heading
toward the garden, Qui-Gon finally spoke up. "Obi-Wan..."
"Yes, Master?" the Padawan inquired.
Qui-Gon stared down at his young lover and finally nudged
against Obi-Wan's shields via the training bond. "What's
wrong?" he asked softly.
Obi-Wan frowned and shrugged. "I ... nothing, really, Master. I
was just taken by surprise by Kileinnie. I'm sorry, I hadn't
really noticed I'd raised the shields." So saying, he let them
go.
The older man did him the courtesy of not probing his thoughts,
but it still worried him slightly. "That you two would have so
much in common?"
"I don't know as we have too much in common, Master," the
Padawan hedged, giving a wry smile. "We're both Rinjornnans,
we're both in the same age bracket, and apparently we have the
same taste in music, but that's about it."
"You're both stubborn, too, love," Qui-Gon teased softly,
chuckling when Obi-Wan blinked, then rolled his eyes with a
resigned sigh. "As you get to know her better, you'll probably
discover that you have more in common with her."
"I suppose so. But for now, it's probably easier and better
that I regard her more as an assignment - one in need of
careful handling - than as a potential friend. It could
complicate things."
"How so?" The Master was surprised. Obi-Wan rarely was
reluctant to make new friends when given the opportunity to do
so. What could have made the young man so wary of this one?
"It just could," the younger man replied.
"That's never stopped you from befriending 'assignments'
before," Qui-Gon pointed out quietly.
"What do you want me to say, Master?" Obi-Wan burst out
irritably, then grimaced and turned away to face a flowering
bush in the garden they had entered a few moments before.
Qui-Gon blinked. This was highly unusual. Walking up to the
younger man, he gently placed his hands on his lover's
shoulders. "Obi-Wan, tell me what's troubling you. Please?"
The Padawan sighed. Finally, picking at the leaves on the bush,
he said, "When I looked at her, I ... reacted to her. In an
interested sort of way."
"Ah. I see."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes as he felt Qui-Gon's hands lift from
his shoulders. Oh, please, don't let him think I don't want
him, he pleaded to the Force, then turned. He found his
lover still standing behind him, looking down at him with a
patient, open expression.
"I don't understand," he said softly. "How can I react to her
that way when I love and want you? My feelings for you haven't
lessened one whit, so why did I regard her with such interest?
It doesn't make any sense."
Qui-Gon smiled. While it did his heart good to hear Obi-Wan's
affirmation, he could see that this was distressing his young
love. Reaching up, he gently stroked his knuckles down one
smooth cheek. "Obi-Wan, this is a perfectly normal reaction.
Kileinnie is a young, pretty girl with common interests. Of
course you will be attracted to her. You shouldn't worry over
such a basic human reaction. You worry when you would consider
taking her up on any ... offers, she might give you."
The young man lifted his head quickly, his gray-blue eyes
flashing hotly. "I wouldn't, Qui-Gon. I love you. I want you.
That's all I need."
Passionate youth. It's been so long since I've
experienced such young love from his end of things,
Qui-Gon thought to himself. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed
Obi-Wan's forehead. "I am glad to hear your romantic devotions,
love. However, it may be that you need more than your old
master. But I am not going to be foolish enough to deny us the
pleasure of each other's company, not while I have you in my
arms and telling me you love me."
Obi-Wan glared up at his lover. "If you call yourself old
again, Qui-Gon, so help me, I'm going to maim you, and
whatever other pathetic life form you drag home with you next!"
Qui-Gon laughed and tapped the end of his lover's nose.
Grinning, he said, "And here I thought you were a proper young
Jedi. Lessons learned, I suppose. I won't be surprised, though,
when she sneaks a kiss on you, and you respond to it."
"I won't," he snapped, then closed his eyes. What was going on
with him that he was so irritable towards his master?
"Really? I confess, I've forgotten what it was like to be a
young handsome Jedi, but as I recall, I had more than my
share of sneaky kisses. Most of them were quite enjoyable. The
trick, my cranky love, is to decide how far you want to go with
it, and how diplomatic you have to be when declining." Qui-Gon
chuckled as his lover sighed and then glared up at him. "What?
I didn't call myself old."
"No, but you hinted at it. Trust you to find a loophole."
Obi-Wan sighed again and then stepped forward, sliding his arms
around his lover's waist and laying his head on Qui-Gon's
chest. "I understand, I think. I just ... it was uncomfortable.
I suppose I had assumed that having finally attained my heart
and soul's desire, I would never react like that again."
Strong arms wrapped around him and a kiss was pressed to the
top of his head. "It's a tough lesson to learn when you're a
young, hormonally active young man. I was the same when I first
fell in love. Yoda found it all rather amusing, actually."
"I don't want to think about you being in love with anyone
other than me," the younger man growled. Then he sighed yet
again and looked up, peering through his long lashes. "I know
it's irrational, but I don't want to think of you with anyone
else. You're mine now."
Qui-Gon grinned and leaned down to kiss the young man in his
arms. "Yes, I am, love. And it may be irrational, but it's
unavoidable. In truth, I don't like to think of you with anyone
else, either."
"Then how can you be so accepting of this ... this..." Obi-Wan
spluttered, and found his mouth captured in a deeper kiss. When
his lover finally pulled back, he stared dazedly into hot blue
eyes.
"Because I trust you, my love," Qui-Gon rumbled, smiling down
at his lover. "I believe you when you say you love me and want
me. I trust you when you say you wouldn't act on whatever
fleeting attraction you might feel for anyone else. You trust
me, don't you?"
"Of course I do, but..." The Padawan halted that train of
thought and then frowned slightly as understanding caught up
with him. "You mean you've felt the same way?"
The Master nodded. "Here and there on our missions, I've found
other people attractive. But I can ignore it because I compare
them to you, and what I feel for you. There's no contest, love.
Who else do I know would tell me to stop being old and who
loves me and cooks for me as wonderfully as you do?"
"There had better not be anyone else who does that for
you other than me!" Obi-Wan declared hotly, then blushed when
his lover laughed heartily. A moment later, he shrugged
irritably. "Alright, alright. So being attracted to
good-looking, interesting people is natural, and it's up to me
to decide what to do about it. Basically, it's just a matter of
taking that attraction and turning it right around and back to
you, to channel it into what I feel for you, like a meditation
or something."
Qui-Gon smiled, proud of his scamp's understanding. "Yes, love,
that's it. You're such a quick study; you really do make me
very proud, you know."
"And quite possibly relieved, too?"
"That will have to wait until later, more's the pity," the
older man quipped with a lecherous grin, nudging his semi-hard
member against his young lover's body.
Obi-Wan looked up, carnal promise in his beautiful eyes, then
smiled and slipped away to help ease the temptation to both of
them. "I have to agree with that one," he said quietly,
grinning.
Qui-Gon chuckled again. "Come along, scamp. Let's continue our
tour and then get back to freshen up for dinner."
Nodding, the student fell in beside his teacher and they
continued their inspection of their temporary residence.
Part Two
Original Disclaimer in Part One; additional disclaimer: "Taste
of India" owned by Aerosmith.
The next few days were a whirlwind of learning schedules and
people's names and places. The Jedi were brought up to speed on
the current status of the Rinjornn government and did their
part as advisors on how to smooth out a few wrinkles here and
there. Finally, things settled down enough for them to really
begin their mission.
Kileinnie sat in the chair behind her father's desk in his
office, feeling decidedly uncomfortable, upset, and unhappy.
She was going over the latest bill to be brought through the
government, which would have to be forwarded on to the Republic
Senate as well. It was a courtesy gesture, to let the galactic
decision-makers know what one of their member planets was up
to, but also in case the Supreme Chancellor had a few things to
point out that might be beneficial.
Of course, that's probably not going to do a hell of a lot
of good, Kileinnie thought sourly, if he decides to
introduce the topic in a Senate meeting. Once the rest of those
greedy pusbags gets into it, it'll probably go downhill from
there. So, best to keep it as neat as possible here on Rinjornn
so there isn't anything for the others to muck with.
She looked up a few moments later when she felt someone staring
at her. Master Jinn stood in the doorway. He smiled gently at
her and bowed. "Good morning, Kileinnie. How are you?"
"Ready to spit nails. If you're certain you can stand being
around my foul temper for a bit, you're welcome to come in and
join me. Is there anything I can do for you, Qui-Gon?" the
young woman answered, automatically slipping into polite
Senator mode.
"No, thank you. I sought you out in case you might need
anything." He simply stood there, staring at her, waiting.
Kileinnie frowned. "Well, let's see. I need my father alive
again and taking care of all these frustrating little details.
I need my life back the way it was. If you're a magician,
Master Jinn, I'd like to see you pull that trick."
He offered her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Kileinnie; I am Jedi,
not a miracle worker. I can only do so much in a given
situation."
"Ah. So, what would you do if the very person you depended on -
assuming you depend on someone - up and died without warning,
leaving you to struggle on alone, carrying a backbreaking
load?"
Qui-Gon tilted his head to the side slightly and studied her.
Finally, he spoke. "I do depend on someone, actually. I depend
on lots of people, but Obi-Wan is my Padawan. His is the task
of being there for me when I need someone to help me. He guards
my life in battle, takes care of little details in general so
that I don't have to, and is doing his best to learn from me,
making me highly proud of him in the process. Oh, and he's a
marvelous cook. He is a terrific helpmate and friend, and I
cannot place enough of a value on him. I suppose, if I were to
lose him, I would be quite devastated." That's putting it
mildly, Qui-Gon thought to himself. Were I to
lose Obi-Wan, I would lose everything that made me look forward
to every day of my life.
"But you would keep going because of all that Jedi junk that
you've been taught, that the needs of others come before your
own?" Kileinnie snapped. "You'd get right back into the swing
of things, dying a little inside from hurt and loneliness, and
never mind the fact that you only want to be left alone to
nurse your wounds in private while the rest of the galaxy goes
to any one of seven hells?"
"Yes, my 'Jedi junk' would do that for me," Qui-Gon replied.
"It didn't the last time I lost a student, at least not right
away. But after a bit, I realized I had to return to my life as
a Jedi, for the galaxy had not stopped and waited while I was
in pain."
She blinked. That was not precisely what she had wanted or
expected to hear. "What happened? If I may be so bold," she
asked quietly.
"The student before Obi-Wan turned to the Dark Side on the last
mission before his upcoming Knighting. I was unable to save
him. He escaped me because I was too uncertain of ending his
life when we fought. I couldn't bring myself to simply cut down
a person with whom I'd shared my life for so many years. And so
he escaped into the galaxy. In fact, in a way, he helped bring
me and Obi-Wan together at a time in my life when I'd sworn
never to trust anyone again."
Kileinnie blinked again. "I can't imagine betraying someone so
close to me," she murmured.
"Well, I wouldn't say Xanatos was as close to me as I was to
him. But I understand what you are saying." And he left it at
that.
She looked up at him for a long moment, then said, "You know,
you're the first person I've run across yet who hasn't done
that."
"Done what?"
"Said, 'then honor your father's memory by taking over' and
blah, blah, blah," Kileinnie snorted. "It's nothing more than a
trite phrase used to achieve other people's goals by playing on
the feelings of the person the users are using it on." She
studied him silently for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you
use it, if your goal is to help me stay in office?"
He smiled slightly. "Because it is a trite phrase used to
achieve other people's goals by playing on the feelings of the
person the users are using it on," he parroted, making her
smile. "I try to accomplish my mission's goal by honorable
means."
"Try?"
"Sometimes it becomes necessary to use less than honorable
means. The dividing line is when it is and isn't necessary."
"Hmmm," she muttered to herself.
After a long, long silence, she glanced back down at the copy
of the Bill in her hand. "This is so dry," Kileinnie growled.
"Pardon?" Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry. I understand it all, and I realize what the Bill is
for, but it's so dry and legal-worded that I'm hard-pressed to
keep from getting bored with it," she answered. "This would be
a lot easier if I had my music. I can focus on anything then."
"Then why don't you try it?"
Kileinnie gaped up at the tall Jedi Master. "What?" she said.
He smiled. "If you're having a difficult time doing it this
way, then why not use what you know to make it less difficult?
How could it hurt?"
"But..." This was not what she had expected at all from the
older man. He was the same age as many of the people she worked
with, and they all frowned on her in varying degrees of some of
her favorite relaxation techniques. And he was a Jedi Master to
boot! "But... It hardly constitutes what a Senator is supposed
to represent," she said, echoing word for word one of the
staff's excuses. She chose another to add to it. "And it would
distract everyone around here when they are trying their
hardest to be productive for the good of the planet."
Qui-Gon looked at the young woman. He realized that, once he
accomplished the job of getting her into the Senate and keeping
her there, she was going to be a marvelous political leader.
"Kileinnie, sometimes people need a little change in their
lives to adapt to in order to prove they are as good as they
claim," he said gently. "You have a personal music player, do
you not? Use that. Then no one can claim you are distracting
them, and you shall finish the work you need to." He smiled at
her again. "This is your term as Senator, Kileinnie. Not anyone
else's. Perhaps its time the people had someone who is a little
less stuffy. After all, your father wasn't quite the 'proper'
image of a Senator, as I recall."
Kileinnie grinned. "No, he wasn't. He liked dance music, and
occasionally he'd play that in here. The others would put up
with it because..." She trailed off.
"Because he was older, more experienced, and a man of strength
and confidence in his own right," Qui-Gon murmured. "No one was
going to tell a grown man with a family of his own and a
Senatorial term to serve what music he could and could not
listen to. However, I'll be he didn't have the music blasting
out into the next solar system, either."
She gave him an innocent expression. "But Qui-Gon, that's the
only really good way to listen to my music! The decibel
level gives it its full artistic expression."
"That excuse did not work on me when Obi-Wan tried it, and I
doubt it will work on your staff. The chosen decibel level of
you young people, I confess of my personal point of view, is
enough to make a Bantha shed spontaneously in consternation."
Kileinnie laughed, slumping back in her chair. When she had
calmed down a bit, she looked up at Qui-Gon with heavy lidded
eyes. "You're not like what I expected, you know. I thought the
Jedi that would be sent would be stuffy, tight-lipped,
no-nonsense old fogies. Zip outta four isn't bad."
"Ah, one out of four, then," Jinn quipped.
"Not even, Qui-Gon," she said. "You aren't old, and Obi-Wan is
anything but, not with that... Well, never mind. Now, if you're
through fishing for compliments, I'll go collect my music and
get back to business."
Bowing with a small smile, the Jedi Master left the room and
went in search of his apprentice.
He found Obi-Wan in the gardens, meditating. Qui-Gon stood off
to one side at a distance, simply studying the outline of the
man he loved. When Obi-Wan stood, shedding his robe to reveal
training pants and a sleeveless training tunic, Qui-Gon's eyes
went a little darker as they traced over bare skin and shifting
muscles. Eyes still closed, Obi-Wan took up his lightsaber and
began a meditation kata, one of the physical exertion katas
that relaxed Obi-Wan without tiring him out, a favorite of the
Padawan's.
Smiling as his young lover neared the end of his kata, Qui-Gon
slipped out of his robe and one layer of tunics, then took up
his own lightsaber and stepped forward, aiming a strike towards
his student's hip on low power. Effortlessly, Obi-Wan blocked
him, and again when Qui-Gon aimed for his ribs, and again, and
again, and again.
The two of them entered into a "slow dance" of sorts. Obi-Wan
kept his eyes closed, although a small smile glimmered about
his mouth, as he defended himself from his master's continual
attacks. The two Jedi shifted with grace and controlled speed
until finally, they halted a handspan from each other.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes slowly and smiled up at his lover and
master. Qui-Gon caught his breath, then smiled back, his love
and pride and desire burning in his eyes.
They stood quietly for a long moment, and then Obi-Wan reached
out with the Force and called his robe to him as he reattached
his lightsaber to his belt. Using the same method, he called
Qui-Gon's robe and tunic over to him and handed them to his
master, waiting for the older man to dress. Then he stepped
back and waited respectfully for his teacher to lead the way.
Serenely, sedately, they walked along the garden path and back
into the building, moving calmly toward their quarters, their
expressions neutral. Still calmly, Obi-Wan followed his master
into the common room when the older man keyed the door open. A
moment later, he found himself held in a crushing embrace as he
was kissed passionately. Their mouths meshed, twining hungrily
with one another, and Obi-Wan thought nothing, anything
anywhere in the universe, would ever taste so wonderful, so
perfectly delicious, as his Qui-Gon.
They pulled the robes from each other's backs and reached to
undo belts and sashes and tunics, casting them away as they
kissed and kissed, again and again, tasting each other.
Qui-Gon pulled his young lover close and stroked his lips down
the soft, smooth cheek and the taut throat, nuzzling and
nipping and licking here and there. He fastened his mouth to
the join of neck and shoulder and sucked, marking the skin,
savoring the soft passionate cry his love emitted. He stroked
his hands over broad, muscular shoulders and down long, corded
arms as his knees bent slowly, allowing him to kiss a trail
down the muscled chest, sipping on hardened nipples, trailing
his hot, wet tongue down the taut abdomen. He teased Obi-Wan's
navel with his tongue, smiling slightly at the squirming and
soft laughter, and then his large, graceful hands undid the
ties to his lover's trousers and tugged them down to puddle
about the tops of his boots, effectively trapping him.
Obi-Wan grinned down at the man kneeling before him, his
sensual mouth mere centimeters from his straining erection.
"Oh, now that's hardly fair, Master," he murmured.
One eyebrow went up and Qui-Gon grinned back up at him. "What's
fair?" he taunted. "You can't honestly mean to tell me you plan
on going somewhere?" So saying, he gave one teasing lick to the
head of his lover's cock.
The younger man gasped and arched forward involuntarily, his
hands reaching to steady himself on Qui-Gon's head. He trembled
slightly as he replied, "No... No, can't say as I'm
going somewhere. Coming is a certainty, it would seem,
though."
His grin positively wicked, his dark blue eyes smoldering
cobalt, the older man said, "Eventually."
Obi-Wan shivered and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.
Smiling, Qui-Gon leaned forward and slowly licked his way from
the head down the length of the shaft to the base, kissing and
nibbling slightly here and there. moving lower, he cupped the
heavy, hanging testicles and hefted them gently for better
access, then leaned in and suckled on them, teasing with his
tongue, enjoying the low moans Obi-Wan voiced. Giving in to his
own urges, the older man leaned up again and slowly sank his
mouth down over the straining cock, sucking gently.
Obi-Wan arched forward again and cried out, his hands gripping
his lover's head tightly. Biting his lip, he began to thrust
carefully into the exquisite wet heat gripping his erection.
Large hands settled on his hips, unobtrusively guiding him. He
groaned low in his throat and moved a little faster, a little
harder, the sucking pressure and teasing tongue driving him
insane, and oh, fuzzy gods, he was going to explode...
"AhhhhhhhQui-Gon!" he screamed, his knees locking as he
shuddered hard.
Qui-Gon removed his mouth from his lover's cock and let
Obi-Wan's come cover his chest in staccato bursts, one large
hand milking the younger man's cock with firm strokes, gentling
as Obi-Wan's orgasm eased off.
A small smug smile glimmered on Qui-Gon's mouth as he rose
gracefully and leaned down to kiss the trembling mouth. Then he
lifted Obi-Wan into his arms and carried the young man into
Qui-Gon's bedroom and lay him down on the bed. He went about
the task of further stripping Obi-Wan's boots and socks and
underpants and trousers from his body. The younger man simply
watched him, a tiny smile playing on his mouth. "What to do
about you, now," he murmured softly, his interest rising again,
though not yet expressed physically.
"Oh, don't worry, love, I have plans," Qui-Gon replied, drawing
one finger through the wet, sticky mess on his own chest. He
leaned down and reached between his lover's slightly spread
legs and pressed the finger against the entrance to Obi-Wan's
body gently, the slickened digit easing slightly inside.
Obi-Wan gasped and arched up just a bit, then eased back down,
his expression turning utterly wanton and sensual. He smiled
invitingly up at his lover and held out his arms to him.
Qui-Gon undressed in record time and then joined his lover,
holding his body away although he leaned down and accepted the
offered kiss with great enjoyment. He swiped his hand across
his chest, gathering more fluid, and reached down to begin
preparing his lover for his entry again. His kiss was pure
seduction as he stroked gently into the young man beneath him,
stretching him carefully, and Obi-Wan was beautiful in his
response, arching and crying out into his mouth, his cock
hardening again, his arms wrapping around Qui-Gon's shoulders.
"So good," Qui-Gon whispered against his love's mouth as he
gathered the last of the fluid on his hand. He reached down and
coated his own erection as he continued. "You taste so good, my
love. You are so good, so wonderful... Love you so
much..."
"Yes," Obi-Wan groaned, dipping his mouth to nip and suck on
his lover's throat. "Yes, Qui-Gon... Love you, want you,
please, love..."
Groaning, the older man pressed forward, easing into his love's
body. In one fluid stroke, he was all the way inside, seated
deeply, resting in Obi-Wan's embrace. Shuddering, he pulled
out, then pushed back in. Locking eyes with his lover, he
increased his tempo, moving faster and harder inside as Obi-Wan
gazed up at him, gasping out love words and Qui-Gon's name as
he arched up to meet each movement. They arched and surged and
writhed together until finally, Obi-Wan howled his pleasure,
his come coating their chests and bellies, and Qui-Gon
shuddered hard and plunged in deep, growling and gasping
Obi-Wan's name as he spilled his seed inside his love.
A moment later, he collapsed atop the younger man, panting
harshly as he attempted to regain his equilibrium. Finally, he
lifted his head slowly and gazed down at the flushed,
perspiring face of his lover. Obi-Wan grinned back at him
tiredly and murmured, "Wonderful, my love. As always, better
than ever."
Self-satisfaction evident in his smile, Qui-Gon leaned down and
brushed a breathless kiss across the Padawan's mouth, then
rolled onto his side with a groan. The two men lay still for
long moments, letting the heat and sweat evaporate. When the
chill air from the air conditioning unit finally gave their
bodies goose bumps, they cuddled together under the blankets,
Qui-Gon stroking Obi-Wan's soft, spiky hair until the two of
them fell asleep.
Faye Norste was not a happy camper, not by any means. She
dashed through the halls, following leads on where either or
both of the Jedi ambassadors had been spotted, until finally
she saw the younger one ahead, oh, what was his name... "Jedi
Kenobi!"
Obi-Wan turned and saw Attache Norste running up to him, and he
frowned slightly, his Force senses tuning in to her anxiety.
"Yes, AttachÈ Norste, how may I help you?"
"That man, that dreadful man, he's come here to harass
Kileinnie again!" Faye gasped slightly, then caught hold of
Obi-Wan's hand and tugged. "Come along, quickly!"
Not certain as to what was going on, the Padawan allowed
himself to hurry after the woman as he sent a mental pulse
along the training bond. Master, follow my Force sense;
Kileinnie needs us. Turning his attention to Faye, he said,
"Who is 'he'? What is he doing? Attempting to hurt her?"
She shook her head and said, "He is Walrin Hunter, and
no, he's not hurting her, but he's annoying her severely,
pestering her to marry him or let him have the Senatorial
position or - according to him - preferably both. I'm afraid
there's going to be a knock down stomp-fest if you don't
diffuse the situation."
Obi-Wan finally understood the gist of Faye's ramblings and he
hurried ahead to where he could hear a man's falsely soothing
tones mixed in with Kileinnie's rather vociferous protests. He
entered a meeting room and found the two combatants squaring
off over a conference table.
Walrin Hunter was, at first glance from the Padawan, the type
of man who was too used to having his own way to know when
backing down was a good idea. Having met many people like this
in his travels across the galaxy, Obi-Wan hung back and waited
to see how Kileinnie would handle it. He would step in if the
fight escalated beyond words.
"Now, my dear, calm down and be-" Hunter began, but the young
woman cut him off.
"I'm not 'your dear', in any way, shape, or form!" Turrow
stated coldly. "You are annoying interference who needs
to be dragged out into the wilderness and lost. I've told you
time and again, the answer is 'no'. What part of piss off don't
you understand?"
Obi-Wan's expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he was
laughing. Kileinnie was, to put it mildly, a ballsy babe, and
it was clear that once she attained the senatorial position,
she would run rings around the rest of the Senate.
Walrin's expression grew darker. He pulled himself up to his
full height of 5'11" and attempted to suck in his large belly
in an imposing manner. "Someone needs to learn you some
manners, little girl."
"I learned them a long time ago, buster," Kileinnie informed
him tartly. "I just don't need them when handling you."
The old man's expression turned lecherous and he said
tauntingly, "Oh, really? Well, just how would you 'handle' me,
sweetheart?"
"Rocket launcher springs to mind," came the prompt reply.
"Point blank range, preferably loaded with an incendiary
payload. And I know just where I'd cram it in, too. Ever heard
of a game called 'Perch and Spin', Hunter?"
Obi-Wan bit down on his lip, trying desperately to retain a
grip on his laughter. The girl could sass like it was nobody's
business. Later, he'd laugh himself into a hernia, but for
right now, he needed to maintain the stoic Jedi
faÁade.
Walrin shot an embarrassed, affronted glance in the Jedi's
direction, his chubby face turning red with anger as he turned
his gaze back on Kileinnie. A moment later, he turned and
stalked for the door. Obi-Wan walked further into the room and
off to the side, staying out of the way. He watched as the
large, old man blustered over his shoulder at the young girl.
"Don't think you've heard the last of me, girl!" Hunter
snapped. "You think you might be sitting pretty, but you're in
for a world of trouble, and you're going to need me to help get
you out of it. Come hell or high water, you're going to come
crawling to me, and then I'll show you how to get things done,
and I'm going to enjoy doing it, too!"
Kileinnie's face flushed bright red and her eyes narrowed into
enraged slits. Teeth baring in a silent snarl, she snatched up
the briefcase she'd brought into the room with her, crammed
full of notebooks and compads and other documents, and flung it
with amazing accuracy towards her antagonist's head. Lifting
his hand, Obi-Wan used a mild flick of Force to send the
projectile winging in a curve towards him, where he caught it
by its handle. Great mother of stars, this thing must weight
fifty pounds! he thought to himself, then fought down
another round of hilarity when Qui-Gon walked through the door
a moment later. His master's eyebrows were raised in a mildly
curious expression, but the look he gave the beefy man in front
of him was one Obi-Wan had seen used on objects placed before
the older man that Qui-Gon found personally repulsive.
With a suitably courteous gesture, the tall, graceful man moved
aside and walked past the quivering, shorter older man,
pointedly ignoring a potentially disastrous situation. The look
he gave his Padawan as he joined the young man, however, was
enough to cause Obi-Wan to drop his eyes to the floor and bite
his lip even harder to contain his laughter.
With a snort, the large man stuffed himself through the doorway
and disappeared. Everyone in the room could hear him stomping
down the hallway, blustering to the aid that scurried after
him.
Faye turned to Kileinnie, worry in her eyes for the young girl
she had helped train and raise. "Killy? Are you alright?"
"I will be once I've mounted his head on a pike!" young
Turrow seethed, and plopped down in the chair she stood beside,
propping her head in her hands.
Obi-Wan grinned and walked over to her, thunking the briefcase
down on the table next to her. "Kileinnie, this things weighs a
ton. You could've brain damaged him."
The look she turned on him made him want to laugh again, and
then he did when she snapped, "I hardly think so. I was aiming
for his head, not his ass!"
Faye turned away to hide her grin and Qui-Gon smiled, walking
up to stand beside his laughing Padawan. "Would someone like to
clue me in?" he inquired calmly.
Kileinnie blew out a loud sigh, then slumped back in her chair,
glaring at the ceiling. "That was the charming Mr. Walrin
Hunter, a.k.a., The Ratbag. He's the one who feels that he
should have won the senatorial position when he ran for
office against my father. The only reason he didn't get
it is that my father had befriended a few of the influential
people Walrin could have bribed, so he lost their support. So
now, he figures he's got an easy shot of getting the position.
The saving grace is that my father's death has tied the Senate
up in knots of committee upon committee, so that by the time
they pull their heads out of the Sarlacc Pit, I'll be old
enough to step right into my father's shoes, which is legal.
And by the time they get done voting on whether or not I'm
experienced enough to pull it off, I'll have proven that I
can handle it."
The Jedi nodded. Young Kileinnie had a good understanding of
the internal workings of politics. This was good, since she was
obviously putting it to good use.
"So why then does Mr. Hunter insist on marrying you?" Qui-Gon
asked.
"Because he thinks he's the gods' gift to everybody, and I
should be falling down on my knees thanking any and all deities
for the privilege of him even telling me I should marry him,
the jerk!" she growled. "For some galaxy-forsaken reason, he's
taken a shine to me, and now he won't get the idea out of his
head. He's like a Rancor after prey; he just won't
stop." She sighed again and rubbed her temples. "I
wonder if I murdered some civilization or another in a past
life," she muttered to no one in general.
The Jedi Master smiled and reached forward, resting his hand
atop her head. He sent soothing pulses of Force through the
young woman, easing away the migraine that had evidently taken
up residence in her head. "I highly doubt it, Kileinnie," he
said quietly. "Are you alright?"
She closed her eyes briefly, then got to her feet, smiling
wryly at him. "I feel the need to demolish something, but I've
been informed that what I have in mind is somewhat on the
illegal side. Other than that, though, I'm okay. I really need
to work off this mad-on, though."
Obi-Wan glanced up at his master, silently asking permission,
and when Qui-Gon nodded, he smiled at Kileinnie and said, "I
have an idea."
She regarded the beautiful young man before her and a wicked
smile played about her mouth. "Really? Do tell, are all my
naughty dreams about to come true?"
"Kileinnie!" Faye gasped, aghast at what she had heard.
Although, upon reflection, she supposed she shouldn't even have
blinked at such a statement.
Young Turrow shot an apologetic glance at her friend and aide,
and then turned her attention back to the Jedi.
The Padawan grinned back at her. "Only if your dreams consist
of grabbing your favorite music and sparring with me in a gym
for an hour or two."
Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?
Qui-Gon quipped along their bond, amusement highly evident in
his tone.
What would you call what we do, then? Obi-Wan teased
back.
Adjectives fail me, love, but rest assured, you've got me
addicted, the older man laughed, and Obi-Wan heroically
held in his own laughter, turning bright gray-blue eyes on the
young woman before him.
Kileinnie had been mulling it over in her mind while the Jedi'd
had their discussion, and finally, she smiled and said,
"Obi-Wan, it's a date. I'll meet you there in half an hour?
That'll give me time to get to my rooms, change into work out
clothes, hunt up a wheelbarrow to haul my music around with me,
and get down to the gym."
"I'll be there with bells on," he assured her.
"Yes, but will there be anything else to go with it?" she
sassed him, then grabbed up her briefcase, flashed him another
mischievous grin, and hurried out the door.
AttachÈ Norste gave them an apologetic grin, a shrug,
and scooted out the door after her charge.
Two seconds later, Obi-Wan was sprawled on the floor, howling
with laughter as his master and lover stood over him, watching
in amused wonder. When Obi-Wan finally gathered enough breath
into his lungs to calm down a little bit, Qui-Gon casually
inquired, "Care to share the joke?"
Gritting his teeth to hold back his guffaws long enough, the
younger man flashed the entirety of what he had heard along the
bond to his master, then fell back with laughter again, curling
in on himself and trying hard to regain control.
Qui-Gon sat down in a chair and leaned back, staring up at the
ceiling as he chuckled. Sweet Force, he thought
to himself, thank all the fuzzy gods that gave me
Obi-Wan, for without previous experience with him to fall back
on, I'd probably be torn between falling on my ass with
laughter or tearing my hair out until I resembled Mace. This
just keeps getting better and better.
Finally, Obi-Wan calmed down and lay giggling in slight
exhaustion on the floor. "Ahhhhhh..." he sighed quietly, "I
needed that." Grinning, he propped himself up on his elbows.
"Well, Master, I must be off. I have a date with an
entertaining girl who wants to pound me into the ground like a
tent peg in order to release some pent up annoyance."
"Ah, well, have fun, then," Qui-Gon announced, smiling back
down at his love, standing and then helping Obi-Wan to his own
feet. "When you get back, I'll be waiting with a hot bath and
the massage oil to nurse your bruises and taxed muscles, for I
have the feeling she intends to get in a good work out."
"Mmmm," the younger man purred, and leaned up to quickly kiss
his lover. "Can't wait. And when I'm sufficiently pandered to,
you and I can have our own downtown stomp."
"My kingdom to have the energy and resiliency of my youth
back," Qui-Gon muttered, rolling his eyes slightly.
"You don't have a kingdom," Obi-Wan pointed out
needlessly.
"Then I guess we're both going to have to put up with me as I
am."
"Which makes me the luckiest scamp in the galaxy, then."
Pure, wicked delight in his grin, Qui-Gon gathered Obi-Wan to
him for a resounding kiss, then pulled back. He turned the
young man around and gave him a light smack to his rump to
start him on his way. "Go along with you, you silver-tongued
scamp. I'll see you later."
Grinning, Obi-Wan made his way with quick grace towards the
gym.
"That was an intense workout," Kileinnie gasped as she and
Obi-Wan stood back away from each other, preparing to go into
their own cool down routines.
The young man grinned ruefully and nodded as he examined the
beginnings of a bruise on his forearm. "You were incredibly
riled up, weren't you? Master Qui-Gon is going to have a field
day when he sees a few of these. It'll give him a great excuse
to work on 'problem areas'."
The young woman paused and glanced at him worriedly. "I haven't
gotten you in trouble, have I?"
He gave her a reassuring smile. "No, not at all; don't trouble
yourself about it, Kileinnie. We both did exactly what we were
supposed to. You released your anger, I blocked it the way I've
been trained to do. You're merely strong enough to leave a
mark."
"How do you release your anger?" she asked, curious. "And why?
Don't Jedi get mad?"
"Oh, sure, we get mad just like everyone else. We simply don't
allow ourselves to hold onto it. Anger is ... a non-productive
emotion, and we have a Code we follow. Anger leads to hatred,
and hatred leads to suffering. If it's our job to ease the
suffering in the galaxy, then we can't be party to it. As for
how I release it, I meditate it away. I examine the
events leading to my anger, trying to understand why I was so
angry, and then let it go into the Force," Obi-Wan explained.
"So what do you use music for?"
He flashed her a teasing grin. "For listening to. That's what
it's there for, Kileinnie."
She snorted and aimed a playful slap at his head, which he
ducked away from. "You know what I mean. And you can call me
Killy, if you want to."
"Thank you. You can shorten mine to Obi, if you want." He set
the music selection that he wanted, and as the haunting,
adrenaline-stirring melody began, he began to move into the
positions for a physical meditation kata. "I usually use the
music to calm down with when I'm too hyper, too charged up with
excitement. Moderation in all things, you know."
Kileinnie watched him deepen the movements as the lyrics began.
In a soft voice, she sang along with it under her breath.
"God, I love the sweet taste of India, any cat man do; And
when it mixes with the funk, my friend, it turns into perfume.
When you are born you're afraid of the Darkness and then you're
afraid of the Light; but I'm not afraid when I dance with my
shadow..."
Without opening his eyes, which he had closed, Obi-Wan smiled
at her as he shifted into another flowing position. "You've got
a good voice. Do you sing much?"
"Oh, sure. I've been on the choir for years now, and I just
like to sing. Nothing spectacular." She continued to watch him,
then grinned. "Would you teach me that? It looks relaxing as
all get out."
He paused and cracked open one eye. "It looks that way,
Killy, but it took me years to get it right. Sure you want to
pull muscles after that grilling you put us both through?"
"Well..." She regarded him thoughtfully. "Tell me what it
involves, then I'll let you know."
"This is a physical meditation kata. It involves perfect muscle
control to shift with grace and fluidity from one form to
another. Arms and legs, your whole body, has to be held at
certain degrees and a slow speed. One mistake, and you start
all over again. When I first began learning it, I could have
sworn I would never walk comfortably again if I could get out
of bed at all. Still sure you want to try?" He had one eyebrow
raised questioningly.
Kileinnie winced. "Ahhhh, um, on second thought, I think I'll
pass. Thanks anyway." She turned to her own series of
stretching exercises as he grinned at her, then continued his
kata.
A few long moments later, as the song began nearing its end,
she spoke up again. "Do you have anyone waiting for you back
home, Obi?"
He stilled, then began the end of his kata. "No, I don't," he
said, unsure of how to proceed with this.
"You mean you don't have anyone who loves you?" She was aghast
at the thought of this beautiful young man all alone. "Surely
even the Jedi have relationships."
"I do have someone who loves me, Killy," he replied quietly.
"And yes, we have relationships."
"Oh." She frowned, confused. "Then is your girlfriend out on a
mission of her own? When will you see her again?" And is
there any chance you would spend some time with me? she
wondered to herself.
Obi-Wan ended his kata and turned away to gather up a towel. He
wiped his face and his neck, then looked at her. "I don't have
a girlfriend."
She blinked. "But you just said... Oh." She blushed as his
meaning became clear. "Um, sorry."
"Don't be; I'm not," he said, smiling at her easily.
She grinned back, then said, "Well, then, is he out on his own
mission?"
"No."
She was confused again. "But if he's not waiting for you back
home, and he's not on his own mission, then where..." She
trailed off and her eyebrows climbed into her hairline as the
conclusion came home. "Oh. It's..."
He nodded. "Yes." Nothing else needed to be said.
"But ... doesn't that make it difficult, him being both teacher
and lover?"
Obi-Wan paused to think about it. "No, not usually. There have
been times when either of us has wanted to be merely lovers and
instead of Master and Padawan. We seem to have found a balance
that works well. It can be hard sometimes, though. The lover in
me will want to stay with him when I might be ordered elsewhere
for whatever reason, and the Padawan in me will have no choice
but to obey."
"But why, if-"
"Why obey?" He raised an eyebrow again. "If I will not obey my
Master's commands, which is what I swore to do from the day he
took me on as his apprentice before my thirteenth birthday,
then what is the point of remaining his apprentice? It is up to
me to decide with good judgement when to obey and when not to
obey his orders; those decisions cannot be based primarily on
my emotions. Much as I do not like it, I am his student first,
his lover after that. Becoming a Jedi is what I have trained my
entire life for. I want to become a Jedi Knight as much as he
wants me to become one. I do love him, Kileinnie; I will not
break his heart by giving up that goal simply to be his lover,
when, with perseverance and hard work, I can be both."
She gazed at him with respectful awe. "I don't know how you
stand it, Obi," she murmured at last. "You must be made out of
twisted blue steel and dynamite."
"It's not as easy as it sounds," he said, sighing. "There are
times when I'm sorely tempted, but in the end, I always listen
to my common sense. It's just my good luck that my common sense
sounds so much like my lover." He added a teasing grin and a
wink to this statement.
"Maybe," she agreed laughing, "maybe. But I have the feeling
that you can stand alone when you need to. Call me nutso, Obi,
considering that I know almost nothing about Jedi and this
Force stuff, but I have the feeling you're gonna be a kick-ass
Knight someday."
He gave her a gallant bow as he laughed. "And for that
extravagant compliment, my lady, I thank you. Ready to head
back to our respective rooms so we can get ready for dinner? I
don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"I admit to the same, but unlike you extra-speedy dudes, I have
to be careful when I go on a pig-out parade. After all, if I
don't do it, who else is going to watch my figure for me?"
Kileinnie sassed as she gathered up her music and towel and the
two of them headed out of the gym.
Obi-Wan leered at her playfully. "Why, all the rest of us
hormonally active humans out there with working vision."
She raised an eyebrow. "Tease. I thought you and he were an
item. Does he share?"
"You can always ask him."
"No, thanks. I have no wish to be on the business end of his
lightsaber."
"Really? I do." This was said with another playful leer, to
which she rolled her eyes and then nudged his ribs with her
elbow. He grinned and sidestepped, then continued. "Besides, he
wouldn't do that."
"How do you know?"
"Well, the last time it happened-"
"No way! Somebody put the moves on you through your master?!"
Kileinnie was positively aglow with delighted curiosity. She
couldn't wait to hear this one.
"Yeah. I watched this guy-"
"You were there?!"
"I can tell it faster if you'll hush."
"Sheesh, excuse me, I'm sure," she drawled, then grabbed his
arm and shook him. "Tell, tell! Torture is against Jedi ethics!
Now, tell!"
Laughing, he shook her off and said, "So, anyway, this guy
comes up to us during this embassy party. We're outside,
enjoying some clean air and relative quietness, and this drunk
man comes up. He gives me this goofy grin and then says to
Qui-Gon, 'Sir, would you mind awfully much if I borrow your
pretty for a few hours? I promise, I'll bring him back in good
condition. He'll be tired, but I'll be good with him! What
say?' and-"
"He did not."
"As a Jedi, I cannot lie."
"Good grief. That goofball actually said that? What'd
Qui-Gon do?"
"Well, he didn't much like it, either, so..."
"I'll just bet he didn't."
"So, anyway, he put on his second best scowl, the one he
reserves for dealing with a student in one of the communal
classes who chooses to be slightly dense, and then he puffed up
to his full height. All broad shoulders and muscles and
imposing demeanor and he..."
"What??"
"Hauled off and gave the man the dirtiest look he'd probably
ever had in his life," Obi-Wan said, grinning. He chuckled when
Kileinnie's jaw dropped and added, "Me, I was trying hard to
keep from laughing, and there was Qui-Gon, looking at this man
as though he were a pile of Bantha poodoo. I never learned his
name, but the man could obviously tell he'd stepped straight
into the middle of a cow-patty of some kind, because he started
stammering out apologies, then declared that he had to go cut
the cheese and stumbled away."
"Yeesh. So, what'd Qui-Gon do then?" she asked, laughing
slightly at the mental images she was conjuring up.
"Well, the whole thing kind of soured his mood a bit. He
actually became clearly possessive of me for the rest of the
evening, and when we got back to our rooms, he-" Obi-Wan
paused, blushing.
"Oh, go on, what next?" she prompted him.
He shook his head. "Uh-uh. You don't need to know. Never mind
it's between me and Qui-Gon, but I don't need to be accused of
corrupting impressionable youngsters."
Kileinnie glowered at him. "Dammit, you're just like all the
rest of 'em. Nobody ever tells me the good part!"
"You'll have your own good parts some day. Here we are," he
said, and she looked up to notice that they'd arrived at her
rooms.
Reaching down, he lifted her hand and brushed his lips over the
soft skin. "See you in an hour or so, Killy. Thanks for a good
workout, I really enjoyed spending time with you."
The young woman blushed slightly as she withdrew her hand. "I'm
glad you did, Obi-Wan. I'll see you at dinner. And maybe you'll
have some more funny stories to tell!"
"I'll put in the word to Qui-Gon; he's a superb story teller.
In fact, I may pester him to tell about the time he earned the
distinct title of being the first person to say 'No' to the
Prince of Halerin IV."
She blinked. "What's so important about that?"
He grinned at her. "Civilians are not allowed to own Jedi
lightsabers."
Kileinnie gaped at him, then began laughing wildly. "No way!"
she howled.
Obi-Wan bowed to her again. "See you at dinner, Killy." Then he
turned and strode off down the halls, smiling as he sent an
image of a steaming hot bath along the bond to his lover. He
was quite anxious to receive the relaxing rubdown that Qui-Gon
had promised, especially since it meant getting those
outrageously erotic hands on him.
He grinned as he felt the quick pulse of agreement from
Qui-Gon. This was definitely going to be good.
Part Three
Author's Note: In this part of the story, the characters eat a
dessert called Chocolate Fantasy. In reality, it's called "Tar
Heel Pie," a North Carolina recipe that I made for Christmas
Dessert. While it's no Choco-Jedi, it's still a
knock-your-socks-senseless-never-mind-off wallop of a chocolate
treat. It's disgustingly simple to make, too. If anyone would
care for the recipe, e-mail me straightaway at
rogue10@hotmail.com Insane author is standing by (listening to
her teeth rot at a frightening rate of speed.).
Obi-Wan walked through the door to their shared quarters and he
laughed when he found himself caught up from behind and hugged
tightly. A moment later, he felt a kissed pressed to the top of
his head and he was turned around, his robe simultaneously
pulled off his shoulders. He grinned up at the smiling face of
his master, then blinked when Qui-Gon bent. His lover's
intention became obvious when the older man dipped his right
shoulder to Obi-Wan's belly and nudged.
With a small sigh and a grin, the younger man draped himself
over the shelf of his master's shoulder and then laughed when
Qui-Gon stood with Obi-Wan draped over him like a sack of
flour. Large hands were on his boots a moment later and they
stood in the common room as Qui-Gon dealt with the straps of
his young lover's boots.
"So, did you enjoy yourself, love?" Qui-Gon's deep voice
rumbled from above the younger man.
Obi-Wan grinned again and he replied, "Yes, Master. Killy did
her best to wipe the floor with me and is feeling much better
now. Oh, by the way, I explained about why it is important for
us to release our anger into the Force, and how we usually go
about accomplishing that, or at least, how I do it."
"Very good, Padawan; perhaps it will give our young would-be
Senator something to consider instead of flinging heavy objects
at people when she gets ticked off." One boot thunked to the
floor and Qui-Gon began on the other one after pulling off the
sock underneath the removed boot.
"Maybe, but I think she enjoys yelling. She's a good singer, so
that's probably her preferred way of letting the steam vent.
Oh, and she knows we're lovers, too."
Qui-Gon stilled for a long moment, then resumed pulling off the
boot and sock he was working on. "I see. And she knows this
because...?"
"Because she asked about my love life and I let her know that I
am quite thoroughly taken. I did not come right out and tell
her who my love is; I let her come to that conclusion on her
own."
"Hmmm. Her deductive reasoning skills are very good, then.
That's good to know." The final boot and sock were off, and so
Qui-Gon turned and headed toward the bathroom. "Drop your
lightsaber out here, love. You have this tendency to short
yours out whenever you happen to get it near water."
"I do not," Obi-Wan grumbled, but did as he was asked, placing
his lightsaber on a table that they passed. A moment later,
they were in the bathroom, and he sniffed appreciatively at the
smell of fragrant hot water. "Ahhhh, that smells wonderful,
love, thank you."
A chuckle rumbled through the large body he was draped over,
and then Qui-Gon replied, "You're most welcome, my Obi-Wan.
Now, let's get undressed and then I can bathe you, what say?"
"Sounds like a winner to me, love," Obi-Wan purred, and he
quickly found himself standing upright once more.
Qui-Gon waited until his lover was steady, then proceeded to
strip the younger man of his garments. Wearing only a simple
tunic and pants himself, it took even less time for him to
remove his own clothing. Once they were both nude, Qui-Gon
hefted his student up against his chest and, smiling, stepped
into the deep tub and settled them both down into the hot
water.
Obi-Wan sighed, long and with relief. The hot water felt
wonderful against his exhausted body. He nestled his head on
his lover's broad chest and smiled. "Mmm. This feels so good.
It's a shame we have to meet Kileinnie and the others for
dinner in about an hour or so; I could cheerfully spend the
rest of the evening cuddling against you like this."
"We do, do we?" Qui-Gon asked, soothingly petting the soft,
spiky hair on Obi-Wan's head. Said head nodded against his
chest and his lover's smooth, cultured voice answered, "Yes.
Sorry, I forgot to mention it to you. I confess I was anxious
to get my hands on you, or vice-versa."
Laughing again, the Master bent and pressed a quick kiss to the
soft hair and then lay back again in the silky water. "That's
alright, love. You can be anxious to be near me all you want.
This does mean that we're going to have to forego the fooling
around until later, don't you?"
Wicked blue-gray eyes peeped up at him, sparkling with a
mischievous glint. "What, no quickie? I admit it's not very
dignified, especially here in the bath, but..."
"Scamp," Qui-Gon admonished, tapping his finger on the end of
Obi-Wan's nose. "You're too tired and wrung out to enjoy even a
fast grope and fondle right now. I'd prefer to wait until
you'll be far more appreciative of my efforts. So we'll combine
the massage and bathing now, and then after dinner, if you're
feeling more lively, we can mess up the sheets, okay?"
"Oh, alright," Obi-Wan said, somewhat petulant. Then he smiled
and said, "Don't be surprised if Killy asks to hear about the
Prince of Halerin IV tonight."
Qui-Gon groaned and let his head fall back to smack against the
tiled wall. "Obi-Wan, you didn't."
"Sure did," the younger man said, chuckling. "She wanted to
know if you share me-" here Obi-Wan laughed when dark blue eyes
slitted open and glared at him heatedly "-and I told her she
could always ask if she felt like witnessing your lightsaber
skills. She declined, and so I told her an edited version of
what happened the last time when that drunken fool tried to
proposition for me. I left out the part of what happened after
we got back to our rooms. She wanted to hear more, but I told
her that you were a superb storyteller, and then teased her
with spoilers about Halerin. Ipso facto..."
The older man let out a long-suffering sigh. "You, scamp, are
going to drive me insane one of these days."
"Going to?" sassed the younger man, then squirmed when a broad
hand lifted and smacked his bare rump hard enough to leave a
stinging imprint that quickly faded.
"I'm not quite there yet," Qui-Gon groused, and then he sat up
and dropped a kiss onto Obi-Wan's nose. "Turn around, my love,
and let me wash your back."
A contented smile graced the Padawan's mouth and he practically
purred as he pressed a semi-quick kiss to Qui-Gon's lips, then
turned around. Sighing with his own contentment, Qui-Gon picked
up the soap and thickly lathered his hands, then set about
massaging and stroking the muscular shoulders and taut neck in
front of him. His grin grew to a self-satisfied smile as his
lover went boneless with a small moan, then swept his hands
down the muscled back, pressing and kneading at tight knots and
along his spine. Obi-Wan did begin semi-purring then, low and
raspy, and Qui-Gon forced his body to ignore the suggestive
sounds. He lifted one strong arm and lathered and kneaded from
shoulder to fingertips, delighting in the heartfelt groans of
satisfaction, then repeated the process on the other arm. When
he tapped on the shoulders, giving permission for the younger
man to drop them, they landed with a splat into the water,
heavy and limp.
Nuzzling his nose beneath Obi-Wan's ear, Qui-Gon reached around
and began to stroke and lather the younger man's chest, being
merciful and avoiding any prolonged touches to the sensitive
nipples. His hands massaging the taut tummy, not daring to go
lower just yet, he smiled and then said softly into his lover's
ear, "Is there any chance of getting you to stand up right
now?"
"Judicious use of the Force is about your only hope," came the
sleepy, near-delirious mumble.
Qui-Gon laughed and then said, "Well, then, needs must. Brace
yourself, love." When he felt Obi-Wan ready himself, he reached
out with the Force and lifted the younger man to his feet,
holding him steady with the Force as he once again lathered up
his hands. He stroked from the hips down long, muscular thighs
to well-worked knees, pausing to re-lather, and then stroked
and kneaded tight calves, lifting one foot high enough to
massage and clean, then repeating on the other as Obi-Wan
moaned and sighed his happiness at the relaxing sensation.
Although, Qui-Gon would not have considered his lover to be
relaxed, not with the proof otherwise pointing towards his
face. Smiling, he reached up and quickly cleaned the erection
and the heavy balls swaying below, chuckling at the low groan
of startled delight. "Not just yet, love," he murmured, then
reached around to soap and stroke the tense buttocks, trailing
one slick finger teasingly down the crack.
"Qui-Gon, I don't think I can wait until later," Obi-Wan
murmured shakily, trembling as he reached to brace his hands on
the broad shoulders below him.
The older man sat back and looked up at the urgent desire
expressing itself in his love's face and body and made a
decision. Standing, he quickly soaped himself, cleaning his
body thoroughly, if quickly, aware of the hungry gaze following
the path his hands took. Exerting enormous effort, Qui-Gon
channeled his own lust away from his body. If he took the time
to pleasure himself as well as Obi-Wan, they'd never make it to
dinner.
He drained the tub and then activated the shower, rinsing them
both off, then dropped to his knees carefully. He held
Obi-Wan's trembling body still and then leaned forward, taking
the throbbing erection into his mouth, letting the younger
man's body block most of the spray from the water.
Obi-Wan let out a low cry and held onto Qui-Gon's shoulders as
the older man's hot, wet mouth slid up and down his shaft,
sucking gently, flicking teasingly with his tongue, barely
scraping his teeth on the hypersensitive skin. He shivered
hard, his legs unconsciously spreading wider, and groaned when
he felt a large hand cup his aching balls, rolling them gently.
The pleasure was building with each stroke and kiss, and when
he felt one large finger carefully exploring his body's
entrance, then pushing a little way inside, he cried out and
arched forward, his orgasm making him dizzy and breathless as
his lover swallowed his seed, massaging him with his throat
muscles.
Qui-Gon carefully pulled away from the softening organ and then
stood, turning Obi-Wan so the shower could rinse him off again,
then turned off the water. He grabbed up the large bathsheets
that he'd left on the towel rack and quickly dried Obi-Wan off,
then wrapped one around his own hips. He stepped out, then
helped the weak-kneed younger man out of the tub as well. "Come
along, love, its time we dressed and went to dinner."
"Ahhhhhh, um, yes," Obi-Wan replied intelligently, and
dutifully followed his lover out of the bathroom. Forcing his
wobbly legs to walk, he went into his own bedroom and dressed
in loose, casual tunics and pants and stepped into his boots.
Finally, he clipped his lightsaber to his belt and he was ready
to go. While it was an informal dinner, with no threats likely,
the Jedi never went without their lightsabers unless it was
considered a breach of protocol. As none of the Rinjornnans
minded, they kept their lightsabers close at hand.
The Padawan walked out into the common room and was joined a
moment later by Qui-Gon, also dressed in casual gear. The two
of them smiled at each other, although Obi-Wan sent a silent,
wordless inquiry across their bond, wondering about his lover's
physical state.
Walking up to his young lover, Qui-Gon trailed his knuckles
gently down one cheek and said quietly, "Later, my love, if you
want to. I can hold on for that long."
Grinning, Obi-Wan caught the hand and pressed a kiss into the
older man's palm, a silent, subtle promise of more to come
later. Then he slipped into Proper Padawan Mode and stepped
back with a serene expression, waiting for his master to take
the lead.
Nodding silently, the Jedi Master swept from their quarters,
knowing without having to look that his student trailed him one
step behind and to the left.
"...and he said, 'It's such a beautiful little toy; I could use
it properly, I bet. May I have it?' which of course prompted me
to reply in the negative."
"Of course," Kileinnie murmured with a grin. A quick glance
around the table at Faye and her husband, and two other friends
who sat at the table, confirmed that they were just as
enthralled with the story of the spoiled twenty-year-old Prince
of Halerin IV. "So, what happened?" she prompted.
Qui-Gon took a small sip of the pale lavender wine and shrugged
slightly with a small smile. "I told him that no, he may not
have my lightsaber. I diplomatically told him that a lightsaber
is not a toy, but a weapon of the Jedi designed to aid us in
training and in battle, and that none but a Jedi may own one."
He paused for a moment to take a bite of his food, swallowed,
then added, "He didn't much care for that."
"I guess not," Faye said, shaking her head with a rueful smile.
"How in the universe did he get to be twenty-years-old and no
one had ever told him no before?"
"He lost his mother when he was very young," Obi-Wan replied as
Qui-Gon took another bite of food. "He was his father's only
child, so he got spoiled from a very early age, and no one had
the heart to deny him anything. So..."
"Yeah, so," said a man in his thirties who went by the name of
DT. He shot a grin at Kileinnie and said, "How'd you turn out
so lucky, then?"
"Because apparently I had people who knew better looking out
for me," she shot back.
Obi-Wan looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged back
at him. "My father raised me. With help from Faye and others."
Qui-Gon nudged his student with his elbow. When he had the
younger man's attention, he said, "Remember, the information
packet we were given said that her mother and father separated
when she was a baby." He smiled apologetically at Kileinnie.
"Ah. Yes, true," Obi-Wan said, then resumed eating.
The others looked around, and then the other new person at the
table, a girl only a few years older than Kileinnie named
Danya, said, "Aren't you going to ask why?"
The Padawan blinked, nonplussed. "Why would I?" he countered.
"That is obviously Kileinnie's personal information. If she
wants to share it, she will."
Danya shot Kileinnie a grin and nodded. Then she turned her
attention back to the Jedi. "That's good for you," she told
them. "It's nice that you're not nosy; she's had enough of
that."
Kileinnie sighed and grinned wryly at her friend. "Thank you,
Ms. Broadcast Mouth," she muttered, then glanced at her Jedi
guests. "Would you like to know?"
Master and Apprentice exchanged glances, conferring silently
through their bond. Finally, Qui-Gon turned back to their young
charge. "From a professional point of view, it might be helpful
to know why. However, it probably doesn't have enough of an
impact to make too much of a difference. On a personal point of
view, we're curious, but we won't press you on it."
She shrugged. "Doesn't make any difference to me. Mom left
because she didn't like constantly being in the public eye as
the Senator's wife. And she wasn't all that comfortable living
in such comfort; she originally came from farming stock, so
there you have it. We still keep in touch, but we're not as
close as Daddy and I were."
"Ah. That would explain why she hasn't come by to see you after
all this," Obi-Wan said softly.
"She didn't have to. When she heard about the accident, she
called me up and wanted to know if I needed her. I told her
that I could handle everything fine on my own, but she was
welcome to come out and visit if she wanted to. She said she
couldn't because it's the middle of birthing season on her
farm, but she'd come out if I needed her. So, she's there and
I'm here, both of us on good terms." Kileinnie gave a small
shrug to indicate her indifference, then grinned.
"Hmmm," Qui-Gon muttered, then finished his dinner. "Speaking
of farms, Obi-Wan, you might want to think about when you'll
want to make a trip out to see your family."
Everyone looked interested in that. "You have family out here,
Obi-Wan?" Danlan Norste asked, curious.
"Yes. They're farmers, out in the middle of the farming
country. They own the Kenobi Dairy and Wool Farm," Obi-Wan
replied.
DT slapped a hand to his forehead and laughed. He shook his
head and looked at the Padawan. "I should've made the
connection sooner. You're Brian and Sarah's son, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am," Obi-Wan said with a grin. "You know them?"
"Oh, sure. I own the farm on the other side of the one next to
theirs, going east," the older man said, grinning back.
"Wait, you're Daren Thadar Piean?" The Jedi apprentice was
incredulous.
"How else do I get the name DT?" came the teasing reply.
Obi-Wan began laughing, then turned to his teacher. "Master,
meet the rancher who calls on my father to come out and see
what's wrong with his herds every other week."
The two men reached across the table and shook hands. "Pleased
to meet you again, DT," Qui-Gon said dryly.
"Same, Qui-Gon," DT said with a quick grin. "And the boy's not
joshing. Regular as clockwork, something goes wrong with one of
my gals, and the only person who seems to have a clue and can
do something with it is Brian. I'm seriously considering asking
him if he wants to partner up with me; it's the least I owe him
for all the time he's spent babying my critters and his
own!"
"I think Dad would probably have heart failure, but it probably
can't hurt to ask," Obi-Wan said. He thought for a moment, then
glanced at Kileinnie and said, "Well, if I'm not needed this
weekend that'd be a good time to do it."
"There's nothing coming up that should interfere with that,"
Faye spoke up. "There's a government gathering taking place in
a couple of days, and then a luncheon with some of the
supporters, but that's all. In fact, if neither of you minds,
or your family, perhaps Kileinnie can go? She's been cooped up
in here too long without a break."
"Certainly, she's more than welcome to come along with us," he
answered, flashing a grin at the younger woman. "Mother and Dad
won't mind at all. I'll have to warn you about my siblings
first, though. Owen and Felicia are handfuls."
"Would you mind awfully if I joined you young people on this
outing?" Qui-Gon asked, raising an eyebrow. "I would enjoy
meeting your parents, my Padawan."
"You don't fool me, Master," the younger man sassed back with a
mischievous smile. "I know all you really want is to get your
hands on my mother's chocolate cookies!"
"Read so easily, am I? I'll have to work on my shielding,
then," the older man teased.
"Speaking of chocolate, here comes dessert, and about time,
too!" Danya declared, smiling broadly.
Slices of a chocolate pastry of some sort were set before the
diners and a moment later, they all took their first bites.
Obi-Wan's eyebrows climbed high as his taste buds overloaded
with delight at the sugary, chocolatey treat in his mouth.
Golden, flaky pastry, chocolate filling, nuts of some kind
mixed in, it was enough to make his mouth water uncontrollably.
From the shocked pleasure on his master's face, he could guess
the dessert was having the same effect on Qui-Gon. "What is
this?" he managed to ask once he had some control over his
mouth again.
The others laughed and Danya said, "It's called Chocolate
Fantasy, for obvious reasons. Try to eat it all before you
expire of sheer overload, huh? While it might not be as awesome
as going out in a blaze of glory, you could do a lot worse."
"I don't know about that," Qui-Gon muttered, grinning. He
saluted the young woman with a chocolate-laden fork. "You have
not seen me with chocolate, my dear."
"So, it's a date?" she teased, and then laughed when he gave
her a wry grin and a shake of the head. "Oh, well, one can
dream."
"I already thought of it," Kileinnie teased her, and Danya
stuck her tongue out.
The two Jedi exchanged glances again, small grins, and settled
down to the happy task of attempting to demolish their
desserts.
Later that evening, they returned to their quarters and Obi-Wan
flopped onto the couch with a grunt. He sighed and patted his
tummy. "You'd think, given that it was such a tiny piece, I
wouldn't be feeling quite so stuffed, but there it is."
"It's a rich dessert that you're not accustomed to, of course
you're feeling stuffed," Qui-Gon chuckled. He stretched and
removed his robe, hanging it up, and said, "I'm feeling fine."
"Of course you are," the younger man said, glancing balefully
at his lover. "You're huge. That tiny piece of pie was probably
just right for that cast-iron stomach of yours."
"It was, it really was," the Master agreed with a grin. He
raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at his young lover,
sprawled out on the couch. "You look about done in, though. Can
I get you anything?"
"Yes, another piece. I figure one more bite will make me
explode and save me the trouble of having to bend over to take
off my boots," Obi-Wan groused, then groaned as he stretched,
sighing as he relaxed.
Laughing, Qui-Gon squatted and pulled his lover's booted feet
into his lap and began undoing the buckles.
Obi-Wan sat up and looked down, startled. "Master, what are you
doing?"
"Removing your boots, Obi-Wan; surely you can see that."
"But ... I'm the Padawan."
"I'm well aware of that, my Obi-Wan."
"That means I should be taking off your boots."
"I'm not lethargic due to full belly syndrome. Relax, love.
There's plenty of time for Master and Padawan later. It's
evening, and we should be allowed to loosen up. Besides, you
look as though you're ready for bed." With a small grunt,
Qui-Gon pulled the first boot free and began tugging on the
second one.
Obi-Wan bit his lip and glanced off to the side for a moment.
"Ahhhh, Qui-Gon ... I don't know if I have enough energy to-"
The older man reached up and placed a finger to his lover's
lips. "Shhh. I know, my love. I meant sleep only; I can see for
myself that you're tired."
"But, I did promise you lovemaking when we returned this
evening, and-"
Qui-Gon gave his young love an exasperated look. "So I'll take
a rain check and cash it in on a later date. Obi-Wan, we've
been over this. If you're too tired, or don't feel like it,
then say so and we'll wait. I will not force you into relieving
my passions when you're not up to it. Even if you are
the cause of them." This last was said with a teasing grin.
The younger man reached down and stroked his hand over a
bearded cheek, cupping it in his hand. He gazed into the
beloved dark blue eyes and said, "You never force me into it,
my Qui-Gon. Where you're concerned, I'm always quite willing."
Jinn covered Obi-Wan's hand with his own and smiled back
tenderly. "I know, love. I understand. But still, I think its
sleep for the both of us tonight, okay? Come morning I may
seduce you into seducing me, but I wouldn't mind cuddling
tonight."
Obi-Wan laughed and sat up and forward, wrapping his arms
around his lover's neck and kissing him. "Whatever you say,
love."
Rumbling happily, Qui-Gon stood, lifting Obi-Wan up with him,
and carried the young man off into his bedroom, where they soon
snuggled together under the blankets.
"She'll be at a farm way out in the middle of nowhere this
weekend; there will be plenty of opportunities to stage an
accident that will let you come in and take over."
"What about those blasted Jedi?"
"They're going to, but they'll be visiting the younger one's
family. It should be easy to keep them occupied."
"Should be. Well, tell you what: you make certain
of it, or you can kiss your chances goodbye."
"Don't worry, this one's all wrapped up."
Kileinnie walked down the hallways from the Senator's office,
grumbling under her breath. "I do love my job; I
do love my job; I do, I do, I DO love my job...!"
"Problems, Killy?"
"AUGH!" The young woman yelled and jumped slightly, swinging
around to find Qui-Gon standing behind her. She huffed out a
breath and ran a hand through her hair, pulling it back. "Don't
do that to me!" she snapped.
"Do what?" he inquired politely.
"Sneak up on me! Can't you Jedi ever walk like normal people
do?!" Even as she said them, she knew the words weren't fair,
and she grimaced in self-disgust.
The Jedi Master quirked an eyebrow at her. "We are
normal people; we merely have different differences than
non-Force sensitive people." He gave her a quick once-over.
"However, I don't think that's what's bothering you right now.
Long day?"
"Frustrating one. Sorry about snapping at you. Forgive me?" She
gave him a pleading stare and a wide grin.
"Obi-Wan has been giving you innocence lessons, hasn't he?"
Jinn asked, grinning wryly. "It's too much of a coincidence
that you both pull the same expression when apologizing for
some understandable, mild misdemeanor."
"What makes you think I haven't learned how to weasel out of
things on my own?" she sassed, an endearingly arrogant grin on
her face. "I am a trained politician, after all."
Qui-Gon threw back his head and laughed. "No offense, but I
cannot argue with that. That looks heavy; allow me?" He held
out his hand for her briefcase. When she hesitated, looking
unsure, he prodded her. "What is it?"
"You're a Jedi Master; I can't just use you as my personal
baggage handler!"
"You're not. I'm offering to help carry what looks to be a
heavy load after a long and obviously exasperating day."
She debated it, then felt a twinge in her shoulder. Taking it
as a sign of encouragement of some kind, she handed over the
briefcase with a tiny grin. "Since it's your idea, go right
ahead. Thanks."
"No problem."
She began leading the way back to her rooms and he followed
along quietly, his long legs easily matching her unconsciously
quick stride. "Anything interesting going on?" he asked.
"The usual. Politicians going about their daily political
lives, picking fights, badgering, sniping, trying to line their
own pockets, and when all that gets done, getting down to it
and agreeing on the items on the agenda." She shook her head.
"I think I'm insane."
"Perhaps not insane, but I do wonder why you seem to harbor
such resentment of your fellow political leaders."
"They just seem to be fighting the hardest for what personally
benefits them the most, instead of doing what they can to make
things nice and comfortable for everyone. Sometimes I
feel like I'm the only one who is even trying to be part of the
People's government anymore."
"It may seem that way, Killy, but may I make a suggestion?" he
said quietly.
"Go ahead; I'll take all the help I can get at this point."
"That's what we're here for," he stated, then continued. "True,
it does seem that many of them are working merely to line their
own pockets. Some of them probably are. On the other hand, take
a look at it from this direction: They are not merely
politicians, but businessmen and women as well. After all, you
own factories of some sort, don't you?"
She blinked. "Um, yes. We work with the Co-op to help the
farmers get their crops in and weighed and so on. We also
provide the plants that process the stuff they send in, like
wool for spinning, and the like. What's your point?"
"My point is that business people usually work to gain better
advantages for their businesses. They don't lose sight of
everyone else, but their own priorities tend to come first.
That's the nature of humans in general, politicians and
business leaders specifically. The idea of a gung-ho leader who
works hard to put the people first is truly an attractive and
noble one, but slightly unrealistic."
Kileinnie walked silently, pondering this. "Yeah ... I guess
that's true. So, what do you suggest, then? I don't know if I
can do it all on my own."
"Find others among your peers who share some of your goals. Not
all of them, but spread them out. You will be the focal point
for your goals while your peers help you in the areas that they
can, but in effect, you will help them to scratch their backs
at the same time they scratch yours for you."
She stared up at him, amazed, then laughed. "You should
consider running for a political office yourself."
"Against Jedi policy, sorry," he said easily. "I'm quite happy
being a diplomat and a mediator as required."
"What about warrior?"
"I don't like to fight."
"But you do it anyway."
"True. Just because I can doesn't mean I want to,
however. Subtle difference, but it's there."
"I get it, I get it. So what do you enjoy doing the most?" she
asked, curious.
"As a Jedi, or in general?" he queried.
"Both."
"Hmm. As a Jedi, I think I prefer being a diplomat. Being a
mediator means that I'm smack in the middle of some fight or
another, and it usually turns into a physical one. In general,
there are many things I enjoy. Swimming, meditating, spending
some relaxing time with my friends. I also like to draw,
although Obi-Wan constantly teases me that I'm giving my
Alderaanian lute skills a run for their money, the scamp. I'm
really not that bad. I enjoy teaching, and especially reading.
I confess to having a passion for real, paper-printed,
hand-held books."
"Really? What interests you?"
"Anything. I'll read about anything. Fiction and non-fiction,
bibliographies and documentaries, intrigues and history. I
especially like history, but I'm fond of science fiction, too."
He smiled as they approached her rooms.
"I would have thought you see enough weirdness in your life to
want to get away from it all," she teased.
"No, that would be the intrigues and murder mysteries
category," he answered without missing a beat.
She chuckled, then palmed open her door. She took the briefcase
back when he handed it to her and said, "Thank you, Qui-Gon. I
feel better than I did earlier. And you've given me a few
things to think about."
"All to the good, then. As I mentioned, we are here to make
this transition time easier for you."
Kileinnie dimmed a bit at that, but then smiled again. "In that
case, I don't suppose you could ask Obi-Wan to meet me at the
gym in about forty-five minutes?"
"I would, if I didn't have him studying something new. It
requires the Force, meditational patience, and as much
seriousness as he can muster." Qui-Gon grinned then. "I suspect
this is going to take him a while."
"Riiiiiiiiiight," she laughed. "Well, then, I'll dig up my own
fun. When you see him again, tell him I said he can use me to
vent if he needs to; a chance to return the favor, you know."
"I'll pass the message along. Good day, Killy. Page me on the
comlink if you require anything else." With a respectful bow,
Qui-Gon said goodbye, turned, and strode off down the hallway
gracefully.
She watched his tall, broad form move away and grinned to
herself. "Yow," she muttered, then sighed and entered her
rooms.
"Sarah! Ben's here, and the rest of 'em! Come on out!" Brian
Kenobi called out to his wife.
The pretty middle-aged woman came out of the house a moment
later, wiping her hands on a spare towel. Pausing atop the
front steps of her home, she turned and shouted over the roof,
"Felicia! Owen! Your brother's here!" Then she hurried down to
stand beside her husband. A moment later, the two younger
Kenobi siblings came racing around the corner of the house,
having taken the time to quickly dip their hands into a bucket
of water and rinse the dust and dirt off their faces, hands,
and arms.
A wide grin on his face, Obi-Wan brought the landspeeder to a
halt and nimbly hopped over the side. Qui-Gon climbed out of
the backseat and assisted Faye Norste out and then helped
Kileinnie out of the front where she'd been sitting next to
Obi-Wan. The older man grinned as Obi-Wan paused and raised an
eyebrow at him, a subtle 'Are you coming?' signal, and then
they all walked up to the waiting family.
Sarah hugged her oldest child enthusiastically, then let him
loose so that his father could bear hug him, then slap him on
the back companionably. Owen affectionately punched his older
brother in the shoulder, grinning broadly, and Felicia let out
a happy squeal and wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan's neck,
hanging from him like a living ornament. Obi-Wan laughed and
hefted his sister up for a huge hug, then dumped her back on
the ground. "Hello, hello, family! It's good to see you all."
"It's so good to see you, too, son," Sarah replied with a happy
grin. "Why, look at you! I think you've grown some since we saw
you last year!"
Obi-Wan shook his head with a grin. "Unfortunately, no, Mom;
I'm still a shrimp. I've filled out muscle-wise, but I'm not
going to get any taller."
"Which is fine, Padawan," Qui-Gon replied, stepping in
smoothly. He smiled when his young lover cast him a teasing
glance. "You know as well as I do that how tall you are has
nothing to do with how you impact on other people. Think of
Master Yoda."
"Master, I do care about and respect him a great deal, but if
I'm away from the Temple for any length of time, I tend to use
that time to enjoy listening to non-impeded syntax," Obi-Wan
shot back.
Reaching out, Qui-Gon ruffled his student's hair. "Scamp," he
muttered. "You should know better than to pick on a revered
Jedi Master."
Ducking away from his master's affectionate touch, Obi-Wan
straightened, and then grinned. "I am not picking on
you. And I wouldn't dare pick on Master Yoda, either."
"Why not?" Owen wanted to know.
"He's about a foot tall, Owen."
"So?"
"Short people are related to grenades: small and dangerous. I
tend not to provoke explosive situations," Obi-Wan quipped.
Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. "That was bad, Obi-Wan. Really, really
bad."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied with a barely respectful smirk,
then grinned at his waiting family. "Mother, Dad, Owen and
Felicia, this is my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Master, the Kenobi
family from which I hatched."
"Hatched?" all four Kenobis' echoed, and Obi-Wan
snickered, glancing away.
Brian stepped forward, shaking his head with an exasperated
grin. He held out his hand to his son's teacher and said,
"Welcome to our home, Master Jinn. Any friend of my son's, as
they say. I would love to know what you teach at that Temple,
though, to give him such a sarcastic sense of humor."
Qui-Gon grinned and accepted Brian's hand, shaking firmly. "It
wasn't any of our doing; I thought perhaps he'd inherited it
from one of you?" Turning, he shook Sarah's hand, adding a
touch of charm to his smile.
Qui-Gon, don't charm my mother! he heard over the
training bond.
Why not? I charm all the others, he replied.
Yeah, others. This is my MOM you're doing it to. At least
keep the charm to a respectful degree, hmm?
What do you mean, 'respectful'? I'm always
respectful!
No flirting.
Oh, NOW your sense of humor deserts you.
Qui-Gon...
Calm down, my love, and trust me, the older man
replied, even as he greeted the younger Kenobi son and then
said hello to the daughter.
Felicia stared up at him with wide, adoring, wonder-struck
eyes. Shyly, she held out her hand. "Hello, Master Jinn," she
said softly. "Welcome to our home."
Taking her hand, he gently shook it and said with a warm smile,
"Hello, Felicia. You can call me Qui, if you want to. Thank you
for the welcome."
Unable to say more, she merely nodded and dropped her gaze.
Obi-Wan watched with an amused look dancing in his gray-blue
eyes. What was that you said a year ago about her
infatuation disappearing?
Cut me some slack, Obi-Wan. It's been barely a year, and
now it has to happen all over again, now that she's met me in
person.
You DO seem to be making a habit of attracting Kenobis' to
your exceedingly charming person, Obi-Wan noted.
So? It got me what I wanted, namely, you. This
last was added with a subtle Force caress that made the younger
man shiver slightly.
Tease. I'll get you later for that.
Oh, goody. I've always fancied a career as your chew
toy.
Obi-Wan coughed to hide his sudden laughter, then grinned at
his family and turned to pull Kileinnie forward. "Folks, this
is Kileinnie Turrow."
"Oh, yes, our new upcoming Senator," Sarah said, then smiled at
the girl. Reaching out, she put her hand on Kileinnie's
shoulder and said, "Welcome to our home, Kileinnie. I hope you
enjoy your visit with us, even if it will be only a few days."
"Darn straight," Brian agreed. "We'll introduce you to the
critters. You'll probably learn more about livestock up close
and personal than you ever wanted to know!"
Kileinnie laughed and said, "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Kenobi.
I'm already enjoying myself immensely."
"Just Brian and Sarah, dear," the Kenobi mother replied,
smiling.
"Ah. Okay! This is Faye Norste. She's the senatorial aide, and
one of my closest friends. I'd be lost without this walking
miracle!" Kileinnie said, pulling Faye forward into the
introductions.
The three of them shook hands and Faye smiled brightly. "Thank
you so much for letting us visit you. Kileinnie's needed some
time off and fresh air so she can be rested up for the real
hard work!"
Kileinnie groaned. "Thanks for the reminder!"
"Anytime, Killy," Faye teased.
Felicia grinned up at Kileinnie. "We have Riders. Wanna see
'em?"
"You do? Sure! I haven't been on a Rider in months!" Killy
replied. She grinned over her shoulder at Obi-Wan and shrugged
when the twelve-year-old girl grabbed her hand and began
pulling her off in the direction of the Rider shed.
"Hey, bro., come on! I was in the middle of feeding the
animals; you can help me with the rest of it!" Owen said,
pulling on his brother's arm.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Owen, do you ever do any of
the feeding on your own?"
"Well, yeah! Why do you think I'm so happy to have you here to
help me out?" Owen sassed back.
"I had to ask," the older boy muttered, then glanced at his
parents and master.
"Run along, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, grinning. "I'll bring the
baggage in and chat with your parents for a while. It'll give
me a chance to tell a few embarrassing stories about you."
"Oh, for... On second thought, maybe I should stay with you,"
the Padawan groused.
"What for? I'll tell them anyway," Jinn teased. "At least this
way, we can avoid you spontaneously combusting, at least from
embarrassment."
"How else could you get that to happen?" Obi-Wan grumbled.
"Oh, I don't know," Qui-Gon replied vaguely. Through the
training bond, he sent an incredibly graphic image. Then he had
to struggle not to give himself away when the image was sent
back, edited, and twice as flammable. His expression serene, he
growled, Brat. You're toast when I get hold of
you.
The young man gave him a smile and replied, I thought YOU
were MY chew toy.
I've changed my mind, Mr. Smarty. Now get going before I
mind whammy everyone into ignoring our presence long enough for
an enthusiastic roll in the hay. Switching to verbal,
he gestured a shooing motion. "Go along with you, scamp."
With a mock long-suffering sigh, Obi-Wan bowed low to him,
grinned at his parents, and then followed as his brother led
the way to the waiting chores.
They watched the brothers go, and then Qui-Gon smiled at
Obi-Wan's parents and said, "Excuse me while I go get the
bags."
"Qui-Gon, do you want any help?" Faye called after the Jedi
Master.
"Thank you, no, Faye. You all go along, I'll catch up in a
minute," he called back, heading to the speeder.
"Well, come in, Faye. Would you like anything to drink?" Sarah
asked.
"Some cold tea would be lovely, thank you, Sarah," Faye replied
with a grateful smile. "It's rather hot today."
"It is, just a bit. Brian, what can I get you, sweetie?"
The large man smiled and wrapped one arm around his wife's
waist and the other around Faye's shoulders and began leading
the way toward the house. "I'm all set, honey. Got a pretty
woman on each arm, what more do I need?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and tapped at her husband's hand with an
admonishing smile. "Go on with you, Brian! Teasing Faye like
that."
Faye laughed. "Don't worry about it, Sarah. My husband pulls
the same kind of stunt, occasionally."
"Really? I didn't know you were married; usually I can spot
married folks right off..."
Qui-Gon overheard that statement as he caught up to the small
group and winced. Uh-oh. Obi-Wan and I are going to have
to be careful here. Intuition of that nature combined with a
mother's radar is a powerful thing, and not to be taken
lightly.
He followed them all into the house and soon the four of them
were seated around the kitchen table, drinks in hand. Qui-Gon
sipped at his chilled tea, enjoying the relaxation time.
"So, Qui-Gon, how did Ben end up with the name 'Obi-Wan' in the
Temple, anyway?" Brian asked from where he sat with his arm
around his wife, sipping at his coffee.
"I was curious as well when I learned his name was Ben Kenobi,
so I asked him about a year or so after I took him on as
apprentice," Qui-Gon said, smiling. "Turns out that there was
another boy by the name of Ben in the crËche, so the
CrËche Master called your son 'Obi-Wan,' which
translated from Ben in her native language, and the other child
remained Ben. It was a good choice."
They nodded and from then on, the talk stayed on the offspring;
Obi-Wan, Owen, Felicia, and Faye's children. When asked a
little later if Qui-Gon had any children of his own, he took a
sip of tea before replying.
"Obi-Wan became 'my' child when he became my Padawan," he said
quietly. "And all the children in the classes that I sometime
teach at the Temple are 'mine' in a sense. But no, I do not
have any that were created from my body."
"Oh, I'm sorry for you," Sarah said softly.
He smiled at her. "Don't be; my life has been quite enriched
enough simply by having Obi-Wan in it. I don't regret not
having any biological offspring of my own."
She smiled at him, and the talks continued from there. Soon, he
had the Kenobi parents and Faye laughing hard as he regaled
them with a tale of the time Obi-Wan first rode a Taun-Taun.
Later that evening, after the chores had been done and they had
all sat down to a simple, if tasty and large meal, they all
congregated in the family room. Obi-Wan, Kileinnie, Owen and
Felicia sat on the floor around a low table, playing a board
game while the older adults watched, calling out encouragement
and teasing.
Eventually...
"Hey, no way! Bro., you cheated!" Owen accused with a grin,
flinging a couch pillow at his older brother.
Obi-Wan deftly knocked it aside. "I did not, runt! If you were
any good at this, you'd..."
"That tears it!" Owen shouted gleefully, and dove for his
brother, knocking the older sibling ass over teakettle across
the floor.
Qui-Gon sat in his chair with a wide grin on his face, echoed
by the parents sitting around him. Obi-Wan and Owen wrestled
around like pups while Felicia and Kileinnie shouted at them.
Finally, Kileinnie turned to the younger girl and said,
"They're not listening to us; what do you say, should we join
in and show them how to do it right?"
That got the guys' attention. Two sandy-haired, tousled heads
peered around and gazed steadily at the two girls, who grinned
at each other.
Qui-Gon exchanged glances with the others, then simply curled
his legs up underneath him. He didn't want to get caught in
what was about to happen.
"Sounds great, but..." Felicia responded with a grin.
"But, what?"
"But I always get to pick on Owen."
"Tell me about it," the middle sibling muttered, causing
Obi-Wan to snicker.
"And I don't know Owen well enough to feel comfortable about
wiping the floor with him just yet," Kileinnie mused
thoughtfully.
Dark-gray eyes widened, then narrowed at the older girl. "In
your dreams, powder-puff!" he snapped.
She ignored him, and then grinned at Felicia. "Guess we'll all
just have to gang up on Obi."
Qui-Gon's grin deepened, his dark blue eyes sparkling with
delighted mischief as he gazed at his young lover.
Obi-Wan's eyes opened wide as he gazed at his siblings and
Kileinnie. He stared at his master and quickly deduced that no
help would come from that quarter. He gave a tiny, sickly grin.
"Hahahahahahaaaaayyyyeah," he sighed, then, in one fast motion,
he disentangled himself from his brother and got to his feet. A
moment later, he went bolting through the house, the others hot
on his heels as he raced for the front door, letting himself
out.
"Shut the door!" Brian called after the fleeing ruckus. A
moment later, Felicia's hand reached back through the doorway
and pulled the door shut with a bang.
One glance, and the remaining adults cracked up where they sat.
Qui-Gon snuggled into the blankets and pillows he had spread
out on the floor. He and Obi-Wan were sharing his student's old
room, but the bed was not large enough to accommodate his long
frame, so he had easily taken the floor as a suitable sleeping
area. He was given extra blankets and pillows, so he was quite
comfortable in his soft nest.
"Qui-Gon?" came the soft, hesitant voice from the bed above
him, and he felt strong, lean fingers ghosting over his cheek,
moving back to trail through his hair. Smiling, he rolled over
as he reached up and caught Obi-Wan's fingers. He kissed the
tips lightly as he gazed up into watchful gray-blue eyes. He
nudged Obi-Wan's mental shields via their training bond to let
the younger man know he wished private communication.
What is it? Obi-Wan asked from his end of the bond.
Are you feeling alright?
I'm perfectly fine, my love, Qui-Gon replied,
nipping gently on the fingertips still within reach.
Then why aren't we...
Making love? Because I overheard your mother say to Faye
that she can usually spot married couples right away. While you
and I are not "married", per se, we are still romantically
entwined. Combine that with the fact that mothers always seem
to know everything, plus yours is excited this evening at
having all these visitors, her own son among them...
I get your point, love, Obi-Wan said quietly, sighing
softly as he rested his head on his arm, freeing his fingers in
order to tenderly stroke Qui-Gon's features.
Qui-Gon smiled, humming quietly and happily up at his lover.
Don't despair, my Obi-Wan; we'll find a way to make love
tomorrow, or the day after. It's not as if I can go that long
without being near crazy for want of you, anyway, and you know
it.
Obi-Wan grinned at that, then brought his fingers up to his
mouth, kissed them, then pressed his fingers to his lover's
mouth, feeling the older man respond tenderly. I'm glad to
know that, my love. Sleep well, my Qui-Gon.
Same to you, my love, the older man replied, gave
his young lover's hand a final squeeze, then snuggled back down
into his blankets. He listened to Obi-Wan doing the same in his
bed, then closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when he heard a
soft whisper.
"I love you."
Smiling, Qui-Gon rumbled softly, "I love you, too," and then
let sleep claim him. His dreams were sweet indeed.
"Is everything going according to plan?"
"They're all settled in. The young Jedi spends the morning
helping his siblings with chores. Young Kileinnie will probably
help as well. The others putter about, taking care of whatever
else needs doing. Tomorrow is the last day. It should be easy
to arrange to get the younger Jedi, his siblings, and the girl
to go off on a picnic in the hills. You can make your grab
then."
"What about witnesses?"
"What do you think?"
"See to it."
"You got it, boss."
"I've got a wonderful suggestion!" Faye exclaimed at breakfast
on the last morning of their vacation. "There are some lovely
hills around here. Would it be safe for the young ones to go up
there and have a picnic today?"
Sarah and Brian glanced at each other, then grinned. "Yes, it's
perfectly safe," Sarah said, looking at each of the young ones
in question. "Owen and Felicia know some prime scenic spots. We
can put together the basket and they can take Ben and Killy up.
How does that sound?"
"Sounds great!" Kileinnie said, grinning. "A perfect way to end
this visit, even if I don't want it to."
Brian smiled at the young girl sitting next to his daughter.
"We've enjoyed having you out here, girl. Anytime you want to
come back, just give us a call to let us know you're coming."
"No problem, Brian," she replied. She glanced over at Obi-Wan.
"Is this alright with you? Or did you have other plans?"
"Me? Nope. Besides, it means I'll get out of having to help
feed the animals for one morning!" Obi-Wan teased.
"That could always be fixed, you know," Qui-Gon said, raising
an eyebrow, chuckling when his student blushed and shook his
head with a sheepish grin. It brought to mind the memory of how
flushed Obi-Wan had looked yesterday evening, during dusk, when
Qui-Gon had cornered him in the hayloft and made hot, heavy
love to him.
"So, great! We'll get the morning house chores done while Mom
fixes up the basket, and then we can take off," Owen said,
grinning. "I know the perfect spot, too. Fel, what say we take
'em to Hawk View?"
"Perfect!" the Kenobi sister said, smiling widely. She turned
wide, shining eyes on her brother and Kileinnie. "You'll love
it! It's a spot up in the hills where there's this natural
plateau that gradually slopes into an overhang further down. If
you sit in the right place, you can look out over the
countryside for miles!"
"That does sound perfect," Killy agreed, and Obi-Wan
nodded.
Moments later, breakfast was finished and the young adults
tidied up the house while Qui-Gon helped Brian with the
feeding. Faye helped Sarah with the dishes and then helped pack
the basket. Finally, they got the younger people out of the
house and on their way.
The two mothers watched them disappear and Sarah grinned at the
other woman. "Faye, this was a really good idea. Thanks for
suggesting it."
"Oh, it wasn't even my suggestion to start with, really," Faye
replied as the two women went around the house to help with the
feeding. "One of the lower aides in the office called with an
update on office happenings yesterday and made the suggestion.
I was surprised, actually."
"Surprised with what?" Qui-Gon asked as he hefted a large bin
to help pour the last of the feed out of that one into a bin
that was only half-full.
"Oh, that one of the aides, Jarrett - you remember we discussed
him, Qui-Gon? - called last night with a report on the office,
and he mentioned the picnic outing. It was surprising, to say
the least."
"Yes, surprising," he agreed, suddenly troubled. This Jarrett
was someone who had been questioning Kileinnie's right to take
the Senate seat after her father's death ever since it had been
decided she would do so. And now suddenly he was giving great
ideas on how to help her have fun?
Now, hold on, Qui-Gon, he told himself.
Give the man the benefit of the doubt. He probably meant
it exactly as it was intended: a fun outing to relax Kileinnie.
On the other hand, relax her for WHAT is a good question to
ask. Best not to jump to conclusions right now. Wait and see
what happens.
However, even as he put himself into the chore of feeding the
animals, he traded one quick glance with Faye, and realized
that the woman had been thinking along the same lines as
himself.
It didn't make him feel any better.
"Oh, wow," Kileinnie breathed as she looked out over the
beautiful vista. "Fel, you and Owen were right. This is
paradise."
The overhanging branches and leaves of surrounding trees shaded
the small group, providing them with cool comfort to watch the
sun-dappled countryside below them. The area was warm, with a
slight chill to the breeze, and Kileinnie knew that she would
remember this fun for years to come whenever she started
feeling too cramped and bogged down in her position as Senator.
Obi-Wan walked up to stand next to his friend and he grinned.
"I agree. This is great, you two. Perfect choice. How'd you
find it?"
Owen shrugged. "I was up here hunting squirrels one day. I came
back a few times, and Fel followed me on one of the trips. So I
had to let her tag along with me. But she's kept the secret
from the rest of the local kids pretty well. It's no big deal,
really."
"I'll have you know, Owen, that I can do lots of things really
well," Felicia sniffed, then grinned at her older brother and
new friend. "Come on, let's eat! It was a three hour hike, and
I'm starved again."
"You said it, girl!" Kileinnie laughed, and they spread out the
blanket and the food and began to chow down as Obi-Wan told
stories of his life at the Temple and Kileinnie told about life
as a Senator's daughter and as an upcoming Senator herself.
Owen and Felicia replied with their own stories about life on
the farm and how school was going. The four of them enjoyed
themselves immensely.
A few hours later, Obi-Wan and Kileinnie stood at the top of
the slope, admiring the view as Owen and Felicia packed up the
basket behind them. For some reason, Obi-Wan had a nagging
feeling at the base of his neck that was irking him. It was a
bad feeling, and he found his hackles rising slightly.
Kileinnie looked up from a comment on how much fun she'd had
this weekend, and how much she enjoyed his family, to see him
frowning. Knowing that he wouldn't be upset without a reason,
and that he was Jedi, she quickly calmed and asked in all
seriousness, "What is it?"
He twitched his shoulders, uneasy. "I don't know," he murmured.
"I have a bad feeling about this; like something's about to
happen."
"It's not an earthquake or something, is it? We should be safe
up here," she replied quietly.
"I don't know, Killy," he snapped, just as quietly. "I
won't know exactly what it is until it happens. It-" His eyes
went wide. "Oh, shit."
Obi-Wan whipped around, Jedi training and reflexes kicking into
overdrive. He pushed Kileinnie aside even as he pulled out his
lightsaber, shouting, "Owen! Fel! Get dow--!"
His words were cut off with a sharp blast as three blaster
bolts slammed into the dirt at his feet, another two aiming for
him as his siblings yelled and ducked to the side behind trees
for cover. His lightsaber blurred as it moved to deflect the
bolts, but the three that slammed into the ground in front of
him knocked him and Kileinnie off their feet.
The young woman flattened herself to the ground behind the
meager shelter she'd found after rolling a couple of feet. She
blinked the dirt and grit out of her eyes and took a quick,
assessing look around. Good, there were Owen and Felicia,
keeping quiet and under cover, so that left-
Her heart froze in her chest and her eyes widened.
"OBI!" she yelled as she watched her friend roll to the
edge of the overhang, and then tumble over.
Obi-Wan let out a grunt as he caught hold of a protrusion under
the lip of the overhang and held on with all his strength.
I've heard of rock and roll, he thought to himself, his
teeth gritting, but this is a bit much.
Quickly running through his list of options, he decided that
the first thing he needed to do was call for help.
Concentrating, gathering Force and focusing on the training
bond, he sent, Master, we're under attack. Come to us.
That out of the way, he then gathered the Force and let it
spread throughout his body, making a spectacular leap back up
onto the top of the overhang.
"The Jedi's still alive! Take him out! Double-tap!" shouted a
harsh male voice. "Find the other farm brats and neutralize
them, too!"
The Jedi apprentice reacted on instinct, his training coming to
the fore. His lightsaber up and out again, he deflected bolts
back at the attackers, most of who were hidden behind trees or
boulders. Gritting his teeth, Obi-Wan narrowed his focus to
send the bolts back towards the blasters they came from, not
merely in that general direction. Enraged and painful cries
carried through the air, letting him know that there were now
some severely singed hands and melted weapons. Obi-Wan took the
brief opportunity of lessening blaster fire to quickly scan for
the rest of his little group. There. Fifty yards to the right,
hidden behind that rock pile on the other side of the hill was
Kileinnie. Still channeling the Force, he bolted towards her at
a heightened speed, his image little more than a blur to the
mercenaries.
Young Turrow gaped up at the Jedi as he appeared beside her.
Shaking her head, she muttered, "Wha-? What did you...?"
"Never mind that right now," he told her in tight, clipped
tones. "Have you seen my brother and sister?"
"They're hiding on the other side of the overhang. I motioned
for them to stay put before I ducked over here. Hopefully
they're still there," she replied.
"Well, we're not," gasped a young male voice, and the Jedi and
Senator-to-be whirled to find Owen and Felicia running up the
small incline towards them. A moment later, the younger Kenobi
siblings fell to their knees beside Kileinnie, gasping for
breath.
Obi-Wan was livid. Taking a deep breath, he centered on the
emotion, then let it go into the Force before he glared at his
brother and said, "Are you insane? How did you get over here
without being shot?"
Owen gave him an affronted look. "We know this area real good,
Ben. We used a backtrail and snuck around here to join you.
Those losers never even noticed," he added, jerking his thumb
towards the location of the would-be assassins.
Felicia had other things on her mind. Eyes wide, she reached
out a hand toward her adored older brother. "Ben, you're hurt!"
she gasped.
Obi-Wan looked down. Sure enough, blood spattered his tunic and
trousers, surrounding a burnt hole through his clothing, just
before his right hipbone on his lower abdomen. Through the hole
could be seen charred and torn flesh. Well, that explains
the burnt feeling, he thought to himself, then put it out
of his mind. Taking his sister's hand, he smiled at her gently.
"Fel, don't worry about it, okay? I'm a Jedi; this isn't
bothering me."
"But, Ben..." she whispered, tears in her eyes.
"Fel, honey, it really is okay. Believe me, sister-sibling?" he
cajoled, ruffling her hair and grinning.
Smiling, she nodded back at him, then sobered. "So, what do we
do now? I vote that we leave. We can sneak away, easy."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "We can't. I've already called Master
Qui-Gon for help; he's already on his way."
"And I want to try to discover what their orders were,"
Kileinnie growled, her eyes narrowed to slits.
"Well, we'll find out the hard way in a few minutes," the Jedi
replied, his own eyes narrowed in concentration. "I can feel
them moving towards us, searching."
"Then we need to fade out and find a better spot," Owen
declared. He grinned and pointed to the large trees they were
sheltering behind. "Let's get upwardly mobile."
Obi-Wan regarded the interlocking branches above their heads.
The trees formed a canopy, and would likely hide his siblings
and Kileinnie fairly well if they remained as silent as
possible, as well as provide enough cover for them if they
stayed deep in the greenery. Meanwhile, he could easily move
around and defend himself against twenty assailants. Providing
that the other half of the mercenary team he sensed waiting
hidden down the trail didn't come up to reinforce their
comrades. Then things would get difficult, especially
considering that he didn't have enough time to heal himself
from the wound he'd gained, which was still sluggishly seeping
blood.
He nodded shortly. "Good. I'll put you three up there, and you
stay in there, quiet and out of sight. Owen, if I feel
either you or Felicia sneaking off to do something stupid, I
will personally use a lightwhip on you. Kileinnie, I'm going to
trust that you know better."
The young woman opened her mouth, indignant, then thought
better of it and closed her mouth. There wasn't time to be
insulted right now; she could do that later. She nodded
acceptance.
Quickly, Obi-Wan wrapped Force around the three younger people
and sent them up into the tree branches. Even as they moved to
hide themselves better, he flattened himself lower to the
ground and against the rocks and began to sidle quietly past
the mercenaries he could feel moving past him. He rolled behind
some trees and out of sight just as one of the attackers jumped
over the rock pile and landed where they had all been kneeling
only moments earlier.
Not knowing how long he'd have before he'd be fighting again,
Obi-Wan quickly pulled out his commlink. "Kileinnie?" he
whispered, after chiming the girl's commlink.
Turrow answered immediately, her own tones hushed. "Here,
Obi-Wan."
"Are you three alright?"
"We're fine; Owen and Felicia are right beside me and calm.
We're just waiting for reinforcements."
"Good. What are the mercenaries doing?"
"One is about thirty yards away from you and he's moving
closer. The rest are all spread out, moving carefully. They're
going to figure out that we're either not there anymore or at
least not on the ground pretty soon," she replied. She
hesitated a moment, then said, "Obi, if Owen and Fel know
hidden trails to get out of here, why not send them back home
and away from here?"
The Jedi shook his head, stretching out with his Force sense
and his ears in order to monitor the mercenary's approach. "No,
it's too dangerous."
"What makes you say that?"
Before he could reply, blaster fire spattered from further down
the trail, catching everyone's attention.
With a small smile, he shrugged and said into the commlink,
"That's what. I sensed they had more than this piddly bunch
waiting further back. It's standard procedure, and this is a
trained group. Who appear to be leaving." Narrowing his eyes,
he used the Force and began flinging a sheet of small rocks at
the mercenaries, keeping them right where he wanted them.
Hurry, Master, he sent, listening to the startled shouts
and curses from the men below him. Things are getting tight
up here.
Gritting his teeth, feeling his energy levels go down further
with each extended use of his abilities, blood loss, and shock,
Obi-Wan kept up his surprise attack.
Qui-Gon's face was utterly grim as he deflected blaster bolts
with his lightsaber. Behind him, Brian, Sarah, and Faye were
using blaster rifles and firing back at their attackers. He
could feel the anger and concern pouring off the parents. He
channeled his own into his defensive efforts. Ahead of him, he
could feel a wave of Force and knew that Obi-Wan was still
active and fighting; reaching through their bond, he discovered
that his student was weakening and was injured, and that the
three other young people were uninjured and relatively safe.
Hang on, my Padawan, we're almost there, he sent
through their bond, and got wordless acknowledgement in reply.
Gathering Force, he sent it out in a powerful wave, knocking
the ambush party backward off their feet. Rushing forward, the
four defenders quickly neutralized the mercenaries. Qui-Gon
spared a moment to put the living ones to sleep with a Force
suggestion, then led the way in a bolting run up the trail,
following the beacon of his student's signature.
Obi-Wan was panting softly for breath as he let loose the
latest round of Force-tossed rocks and branches and dirt. This
was becoming tiresome. Everything was adding up, and with no
time to truly center himself after being injured and knocked
with concussive force off his feet... He could only hope that
reinforcements would arrive soon-
"The other Jedi disabled the rest of our strike group," the
leader of the group called out. "He's on his way up here; we
can't hold against two functioning Jedi. Let's get out of-"
"Stay right where you are!" thundered Qui-Gon's voice, and
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief even as he gripped his
lightsaber and leaped up to join his master in the fight,
surprising the mercenaries closest to him with his presence.
From his siblings and Kileinnie, he could feel the relief well
up in powerful surges as they realized reinforcements had
arrived on their side.
"Or what, Jedi? You'll murder us all where we stand?" sneered
the leader as he and his men trained their weapons on Obi-Wan
and the group approaching from the trail.
"Now, clearly, you fellas know Jedi won't do that," Brian
Kenobi said, a grim smile evident in his voice. "But you've got
worse problems to worry about than two Jedi."
"Like what, old man?"
"Like the protective instincts of two mothers, that's what,"
the farmer shot back. "You've endangered their nearest and
dearest; I'd worry, if I were you."
The mercenaries were looking at each other incredulously when
Faye and Sarah stalked forward.
Obi-Wan smiled. "Sit back and watch, Killy and sibs," he
advised his charges, not looking at them as he spoke. "You're
about to see something truly awesome and frightening."
"Damn straight," snarled Faye, leveling her blaster rifle at
the terrorist nearest her. "That girl may not be my own flesh
and blood, but she's still under my protection."
"And the other three are my flesh and blood," Sarah
growled quietly. "I suggest you all just lay down your weapons
now, before we up and incinerate your heads simply for the
pleasure of it."
"Ummmmm, Lieutenant..." one of the commandos murmured to his
leader.
"I don't want to hear it," the leader growled quietly. He was
in a bind, he knew. The rest of the strike force was disabled
further down the trail and would not be coming to the rescue
any time soon. There were five armed and ready adults facing
him and his men, two of them Jedi, three of them parents, two
of those severely irate mothers. He had seen mothers fight to
the death and viciously on behalf of their children, so it
never crossed his mind that the two women would quail at
joining in a firefight. On top of that, the other Jedi, the
younger one, was still standing even with a hole in his hip,
putting up a fight, intent on protecting the three younger
people that had been with him. Faced with these options, he
made the only intelligent choice he could.
"Lay down your weapons," he called out to his men. "We're
finished."
There were some startled looks from the rest of the
mercenaries, and some dark grumbling, but they all did as they
were told. Apparently a few of them had even realized the same
things.
Using the Force, Qui-Gon collected the weapons, pulling a few
hidden ones from pockets on the mercenaries, startling the men.
Ignoring them, he called out, "Padawan, you may bring the
others out, now."
Tree branches rustled overhead a few yards off to their right,
and everyone watched as first Kileinnie, then Felicia, and then
Owen levitated down to the ground. Felicia ran over to her
mother and father, throwing herself into her parents'
enveloping hug as Turrow moved toward Obi-Wan. The Kenobi
daughter looked up at her parents and said, "Ben got hurt!"
Sure enough, Kileinnie, having met her friend half way, now
walked on Obi-Wan's right, his arm around her shoulders,
providing support as they moved toward the small group. The
wound was very visible, and decidedly nasty looking, on his
right hip. There were also scrapes and scratches on his face
and hands that he'd gained when he'd tumbled down the rocky
overhang. Owen walked on his left, ready to help provide
balance if needed.
Qui-Gon walked forward to meet his apprentice. His face was a
mask of stoic Jedi calm, his blue eyes shuttered as he took in
his Padawan's injuries. It was only in the very tiny touch to
Obi-Wan's cheek and the slight emotions the younger man felt
thrumming through their bond that gave the Master's upset away.
"Are you well enough, Padawan?"
Obi-Wan gave a slight bow, ignoring the shriek of protest from
the nerves around his wound, and replied, "Yes, Master. I took
a blaster shot to my right hip and some scrapes from a tumble
over the cliff. Otherwise, I am fine." Neither of them
mentioned his exhaustion. There was no need to say so in front
of the mercenaries.
Sarah came over to check on her sons and Faye moved to pull
Kileinnie into a hug. The older woman glared over her charge's
shoulder at the men who stood waiting with their hands behind
their heads while Brian made a call on his commlink to the
local authorities. "Have you no decency, attacking children and
young adults?" Faye snapped at the first man to meet her eyes.
The soldier shrugged. "We're mercenaries, lady. Guns for hire.
It's not like it was personal to us."
Thoughts of grabbing up one of the guns lying nearby and taking
the man's head off his shoulders swirled in her mind. A moment
later, she felt a large, warm hand settle on her shoulder and
she looked up to see Qui-Gon standing beside her. The large
Jedi gave a tiny smile and a slight shake of his head, letting
her know that she shouldn't, couldn't, and that she had been
broadcasting her emotions high enough for him to pick up on.
With a grimace, she subsided and turned her attention back to
Kileinnie. "Are you alright, Killy? You're not hurt anywhere?"
The young woman shook her head, her face grim. "I'm fine, Faye.
Obi-Wan did his best to keep us all safe. I just want to get to
the bottom of this. I heard the leader order his men to kill
Felicia, Owen, and Obi-Wan, but not me. That means that
somebody wanted me to be taken alive."
"We have a fair idea of who it is already, me and Qui-Gon,"
Faye replied. "At least, as to who hired the mercenaries. But I
suspect we'll find out the rest of it soon enough."
Kileinnie nodded, then turned to see how Obi-Wan was doing as
they waited for the authorities to arrive.
Jarrett was sweating in cold fear as he cursed from his spot at
a window. He watched as the Jedi, Norste, and Turrow piled out
of a speeder, the larger Jedi carrying the smaller one in his
big arms. In another speeder were an older man and woman and
two teenagers he didn't recognize.
Damn it to all hells, he growled to himself as he
whirled away from the window and stalked out of his office.
They failed. Everyone's still alive, and Turrow came back
unharmed. I've got to get out of here!
The small, thin man turned a corner and came to an abrupt halt.
A security squad stood before him, their surprise hidden
quickly. The captain placed a hand subtly to the blaster at his
hip. "Jarrett Cherime, if you would please come with us? You
are under arrest."
"On what grounds?" he choked out, watching two officers come
forward, one with a pair of electro-binders in her hands.
"On the grounds of attempted kidnapping and murder," the
captain said, and gestured his officers forward. "I would
advise you to come quietly, sir," the man said.
Jarrett stared wildly at the security people before him. For a
long moment, his body tensed as though he were ready to give in
to the urge to bolt. Then, common sense and defeat got the
better of him, and he slumped dejectedly.
As the binders were placed on his wrists, he stared at the
floor, shaking his head sadly. "I knew it wouldn't work," he
murmured to himself. "I knew it. I should have known better."
"Yes, sir," agreed the captain, and with no further comments,
led the way to the prison cells located in the sub-basement of
the building.
The leader of the mercenary group hired to abduct Kileinnie
Turrow and kill the people with her walked unconcernedly into
the small, windowless room and sat down at the table in one of
the two chairs provided. He was manacled, but he knew better
than to try anything, though. Not with two Jedi on the
premises, especially when the bigger one accompanied a
dark-skinned man into the room.
The dark-skinned man turned out to be the Captain of the
Rinjornn Senatorial Security Forces and the head of the
investigation team. He met the mercenary's eyes easily, his
gaze unwavering, then sat down in the chair across from the
prisoner, opening a folder he'd carried in with him. The
mercenary did not attempt eye contact with the Jedi Master who
stood beside and slightly behind the Captain.
"Good afternoon," the investigator said politely. "My name is
Captain Kerin Roberts, and this is Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
The mercenary nodded his head to them in reply. "Good
afternoon," he said.
Kerin eyed him assessingly, then nodded in approval. "We're
going to ask you questions I'm sure you're expecting. It would
be in your best interest to cooperate with us and give us
truthful and full answers."
"What's in my interest?" the mercenary asked.
"Right now, you are facing not only Rinjornnan punishment for
attempted kidnapping and murder, but Republic punishment as
well for the attempted murder of a Jedi. If you cooperate, your
sentence, and those of your cohorts, will be far more lenient
than if you choose to get stubborn about this. It's your call."
The mercenary mulled this over for a few moments, then broke
into an easy grin. "Well, then, Captain, ask your questions and
I'll answer them as best as I can."
A short, clipped nod and a terse "Thank you," was the reply.
Roberts looked over the information in his folder and then
pulled out a datapad and a recorder. He set the recorder on the
table in front of them and got ready to enter information into
his datapad. "Very well, then. Name, age, occupation and rank."
"My name is Devrin Kane, age 39, occupation is mercenary, and
I'm known as either Lieutenant, Boss, or Leader. I'm the person
in charge of a guns-for-hire group."
"What is the name of your group?"
"We don't have an official name, but we've been tagged as the
Rinjornn Raiders, unofficially. We're not in any local ads, but
if you ask around the South Ports and the seedier sections of
town, you can usually find us. Or we'll find you," Devrin
replied.
"Who hired your group?"
"Some small, skinny man. Called himself 'Cannon'. He asked
around for us, and I met him. He outlined where we were
supposed to go, who our kidnap target was, and bonus for
eliminating any resistance surrounding that target."
"Would this be him?" Roberts pulled out a flat-pic of Jarrett
Cherime and showed it to Kane. The mercenary looked it over and
nodded.
"That's him. Thought it was a hell of a funny nickname to give
himself, for being such a skinny runt."
"You should never underestimate your opponents on physical
appearance alone," the Jedi Master spoke up, drawing Devrin's
eyes to him.
The mercenary shivered subtly and looked away. His one glance
into the taller, older man's eyes confirmed what he'd already
suspected. That only the larger man's Jedi Code and ingrained
habits and morals were keeping Devrin intact.
"At ease, Master Jinn," Kerin said quietly, and the Jedi Master
bowed slightly. Then the captain looked at Kane again. "What do
you know about this man?" he asked, tapping the flat-pit once.
Devrin shrugged. "Not a lot. I know he was connected with the
Rinjornn Senate offices somehow; I had one of my men tail him
when our meeting ended. Other than that, not much. Oh, he
wasn't the only one in on this, either. My man overheard him
when he placed a commcall to someone else. Someone this guy,
Cannon, called 'Boss,' and it wasn't me. Told the dude on the
other end of the comm that he'd hired us and that the girl
would be in his possession within a few days, and the other guy
could come get her. That's it."
Qui-Gon traded a look with Captain Roberts. While there were no
names involved just yet, Qui-Gon had reported the threat Walrin
Hunter had made to Kileinnie as he'd been leaving to the
captain. Both men realized that this entire setup was probably
the work of the wealthy bastard.
Turning his attention back to Devrin, Roberts said, "What's
your man's name, so that we may question him?"
"Calls himself Archer. Don't know what his real name is, he
probably won't tell you, either. Don't get your hopes up; he's
been running with me for thirteen years and I still don't
know," Devrin warned.
"It's not necessary. Thank you, Mr. Kane, for cooperating.
Someone will see you back to your cell in a minute," Captain
Roberts said, standing up and gathering up the items he'd
brought in.
Falling into old habits, Devrin stood and attempted a salute,
slightly marred by the manacles he wore. Kerin raised an
intrigued eyebrow, then gave a crisp nod, turned on his heel,
and walked out of the room.
Qui-Gon paused for one last look at the mercenary before him,
then turned and silently glided out as well.
Shivering, Devrin remained standing, not trusting his knees to
stay locked if he sat down again. He knew the Jedi wouldn't do
anything to him, but the knowledge that the man had the powers
to do whatever he wanted to Devrin was daunting, to say the
least.
"So, doing better, I see," Kileinnie said, grinning as she
walked into the Infirmary to see Obi-Wan sitting up in bed and
eating a meal that had been brought to him.
The young Jedi grinned and looked up from his plate as he
watched his friend approach. "Yeah," he agreed, scooting over
slightly to make room for her to sit on the bed. "I got out of
the Bacta a few hours ago. Master Qui-Gon was there, and he
told me he'd be interviewing the leader of the mercenary group
and that I was to sit tight and not harass anyone. As if I ever
harass anyway."
"Maybe he meant you shouldn't be quite so scamp-ly," she
teased, reaching over to snatch a bite of food off his plate.
Obi-Wan snorted. "Then he should have said so. I am following
his orders, though, so he can't complain."
"Guess not," she agreed, staring at a med-unit on the far wall
of the Infirmary.
Reaching over, Obi-Wan touched her hand. "What's up, Killy?" he
asked. "You okay?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just irritated, tired, and coming
down off that adrenaline high still. Never mind the fact that
now I've got this whole mess to sort out, plus we all need to
sit through a court hearing and let the mercs and Jarrett stand
trial for their crime. Faye told me he's been arrested, and she
seems to feel he's the guilty party."
"It's usually good to go with your gut feelings," the Padawan
stated, then raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't think he is
guilty?"
"Well, that's the hell of it. It feels like he is, and like he
isn't, you know?"
"You mean like there's somebody else behind all this?"
Kileinnie nodded, picking absent-mindedly at a loose thread on
Obi-Wan's blanket.
"Well, we'll have to wait and see what turns up. For what it's
worth, that sounds right to me," he said, patting her hand.
"I should go now," she said. "I promised Felicia that I'd show
her the Atrium and then I'd take Owen down to the garage bay
and show him my speeder bike. And I know they're all gonna want
to stop in and see you soon."
"Thank goodness the trial will be held soon; then my family can
get out of your hair," Obi-Wan teased.
"They are not in my hair," she snorted. She gave him a
skewed grin. "I like your family. You must miss them an awful
lot."
He sat back, staring off into space. "No, not really," he said
finally. "I know it sounds hard and callous, but I was raised
in the Temple. I don't really remember my early years with my
family. I was so tiny and young when they gave me up to the
Jedi. And I only saw them maybe five times in person while I
was growing up."
"And now that you and Qui-Gon are so close..." she added.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Especially now."
"Hmmm. Well, I'd better get out of here and let you finish up
on your resting. I don't want Qui-Gon to give me that menacing
stare he gave the mercs if he finds out I've held you up,"
Kileinnie said teasingly as she stood. Then she leaned in
quickly and pressed a lingering light kiss to his lips. She
pulled back, smiling at his raised eyebrows and mildly shocked
expression, then turned and left the Infirmary.
He was still sitting there, a bemused smile on his face when
Qui-Gon walked in. He strode up to his lover's bed and looked
down at him. Then, a slow smile began to spread over his
handsome face.
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, point blank.
"She kissed you, didn't she?" The answer was equally blunt.
"Two minutes ago, to be precise," the younger man said with a
blush. He ducked his head with a blush, then glanced up when
Qui-Gon's weight settled on the bed where Kileinnie had been
sitting. He found his lover watching him with an amused grin,
and frowned. "Don't say it."
"I told you so," Qui-Gon murmured, reaching out to lift
Obi-Wan's braid and let it slide through his fingers.
"I told you not to say it," the Padawan sighed, rolling his
eyes. Then he reached up and caught his lover's hand and held
it in his. He smiled at the older man softly. "Are you okay?"
"Certainly. I only had ten years taken off my life when I felt
your summons and knew you to be under attack. It's a good thing
that those speeders we used to get to your parents' farm can be
coaxed to high speeds. Otherwise, I'm certain it would've been
twenty years off my life. Other than that, and not counting the
hours of meditation I can expect on not holding grudges and
being quicker to release my anger into the Force, I'm fine. I
won't be able to say the same for my knees, but I'll be okay,"
Qui-Gon stated.
"Oh, that's good to know," Obi-Wan teased. Then he raised an
eyebrow. "Hours of meditation?"
The older man nodded. "Yes. When I saw you had been injured, I
was ... incredibly upset."
"I've been injured before, Master. And you were not always
there to watch my back when it happened, either."
"That has little bearing on my emotions, my Obi-Wan, though I
do wish that I had been at your side. But now that you are my
lover as well, things are a tad different. I must work
on accepting this and getting on with my life."
"Hopefully with me in it?" Obi-Wan dropped his gaze to the
blanket, somewhat shy.
Qui-Gon reached out and nudged his lover's chin up and smiled
into the younger man's eyes. "There would be no point to going
on, otherwise, my love," he said softly.
Obi-Wan opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to tell his
lover to not say such things, but it would be incredibly
hypocritical of him to demand such things when he himself felt
the same way. If Qui-Gon were not there by his side, why would
he want to consider anything else?
The Master knew what was going through his student's mind, and
smiled inwardly. Taking a deep breath, he let it out,
attempting to keep his emotions in check. "You know, this seems
to be a good opportunity to discuss something that has been on
my mind for a while now."
The younger man raised an eyebrow, curious. "Really? What would
that be, Master?"
"Obi-Wan..." Jinn paused, searching for the right words. "Have
you ever considered a soul-bond?"
Obi-Wan's jaw dropped towards his chest and his eyes flared
slightly. Had he heard correctly, or was the concussion playing
with his head?
Qui-Gon waited, hiding his discomfort, his gaze calm and
steady.
Finally, the younger man began to grin. It was slow, but it was
sure, and finally, it stretched wide across his face. "Qui-Gon,
did you just ask me to marry you?"
"In Jedi terms, yes, I did," the older man said, fighting to
keep his voice steady.
Kenobi sobered slowly, thinking about how best to answer.
Finally, he took his lover's hand in his own and brought the
larger man's hand up so that he could kiss the knuckles slowly
and gently. He smiled softly as he looked into the dark blue
eyes that he loved so very much. "Qui-Gon, I would be more than
honored to become your soulmate. However..."
"However?" Qui-Gon prompted, admonishing his heart to beat
slower.
"I ... I'm still your Padawan as well as your lover. As such,
that means that there's not a whole lot of equality in our
relationship."
"Yes, I'm aware of that."
"Well ... I hope you won't be too upset by this, but I would
prefer to wait until after I've reached Knighthood before we
soul-bond. For right now, being Padawan and lover is good
enough. If I became your soulmate as well, then I would be
constantly fighting with myself, and possibly with you, on
which of your orders to obey or not. And being my soulmate,
wouldn't you find it uncomfortable to actually order me
around?"
Qui-Gon's smile was tiny, but it was there. "Yes, I would."
"So, there. I love you, Qui-Gon. I love you more than anything.
But first, I want to be your Knight before I become your
soulmate. It will make things easier on us all the way around,"
Obi-Wan finished.
The smile grew wider. He turned his hand so that he could
stroke his young lover's cheek gently. "When did you get to be
so smart, my love?" he asked quietly.
That sassy smile that Qui-Gon knew and loved was in place a
moment later, a sardonic eyebrow raised. "Why are you implying
that I wasn't, beforehand?" came the prompt remark.
Qui-Gon laughed and leaned forward, brushing a light kiss over
the younger man's mouth. "I love it when you make sense, love,
as well as a convincing argument. You are right, of course;
being soulmates would put a bit of a strain on our relationship
right now. But, if I may be so bold and hopeful, I can consider
us engaged for the time being?"
"Yes, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan replied, smiling. "I'm yours until the
day you tell me to leave."
"Then I guess we should get used to the idea of being stuck
with each other for a long, long time," came the teasing reply,
along with a deeper kiss.
Obi-Wan let out a shaky sigh, his mouth parting as he tilted
his chin for his lover's kiss.
The older man indulged them both for a few brief moments, then
pulled back, smiling gently. "Not now, Obi-Wan," he said
quietly. "I can't continue, or I'll keep going, and that would
be hard to explain to the Infirmary staff."
The younger man laughed lightly, then ran a fingertip lightly
down a beard-covered cheek. "Go on with you, then. I do hope
you'll have suitable entertainment in mind when I'm allowed to
come back to our quarters later this evening, though."
An eyebrow went up. "Oh, and you may count on it, scamp. I find
I have a powerful urge to feel your life-force surging for me,
reassuring me that you are still with me."
The two men grinned at one another, and then with another light
kiss, Qui-Gon left the Infirmary.
Obi-Wan sat in his bed with a smile, and a moment later, a
medic walked by.
"Is every guest you receive while you're here going to kiss you
before they go?" the man asked, then turned and walked off,
grinning to himself.
The Padawan blushed bright red, closing his eyes. Great
mother of stars.
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