Archive: M_A, The Nesting Place, Jedi Hurtaholics, all others
please ask
Warnings: As stated above, there are some graphic, non-sexual
scenes near the end
Spoilers: None that I'm aware of...
Summary: Obi-Wan helps his master through a difficult situation
Feedback: Please, please, please!!!! I get so paranoid when I
don't hear from anyone. I don't want to get down on my knees
and beg, but I will if I have to. : ) (padawan_ana@yahoo.com)
Disclaimers: We all know who these characters belong to (Thank
you, Mr. Lucas!). And there's no question as to who's getting
all the credit, money, attention, etc. for these wonderful men.
(Hint: It's not me...) However, I would like to use them
as props for a few story-telling bouts....and maybe one or two
other things. Mr. Lucas, can Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon please come
out to play? Thank you!
Acknowledgements: Thank you to Mama for her quick and gracious
offer to beta my story. And thanks to Kaly and Esmerelda for
offers of the same. I just posted too quickly for them to do
so! Therefore, any errors that remain are entirely my fault. :
)
Note: This story was written over the course of a weekend:
conceived, started, finished, posted. Keeping in mind that my
last fic was over two months in the making, this is
somewhat of a quick post for me. If you enjoy it, please do
drop me a note. The plot is somewhat...unique. : )
They had searched every system and planet from Coruscant to
Tatooine and Malistair to Hoth. Qui-Gon Jinn appeared to be
gone.
It had begun as a simple mission: While Obi-Wan had teaching
obligations at the Jedi Temple, Qui-Gon had been temporarily
freed from his to duties to travel to Melarka. With a new form
of government being installed, the high leaders had requested a
Jedi presence to ensure a smooth transition in the transfer of
power.
Qui-Gon had kept in contact with his padawan during his two
week journey, forwarding reports and updates of the situation
as he himself received the reports from the planet. Then, two
days before his scheduled arrival on Melarka, there had been an
incident. A neighboring planet, deeply submerged in a civil
war, had attacked Qui-Gon's ship along with several other
vessels which happened to be innocently passing through the
system.
His master's message had said the other ships had been
destroyed. Qui-Gon reported that he had been injured, although
he would not say how badly, and that the pilot of his ship had
been killed. In his final communication, the older Jedi had
assured Obi-Wan and the Council that he felt able to fly the
slightly damaged craft to its original destination, and to
continue from there with his intended mission. He had signed
off, saying he would contact them upon his arrival at Melarka.
It had only been through Melarka's contact of the Council to
request the Jedi's status three days later that they had
realized Qui-Gon Jinn was missing.
That had been seven months ago...
"I respectfully request permission to renew contact with the
planets surrounding Melarka," Obi-Wan was saying. He had the
Council Chambers floor as he made his latest report on the
always-painful subject of the long-absent Jedi.
"For what reason?" This from Yarael Poof.
"Many of them were contacted so long ago, that they may have
new information to give us," young man urged. "And because most
of them are not in contact with the Federation, they may now
know something crucial to the case that they did not before."
"I object," Ki-Adi-Mundi stated stoically. "There is no reason
for us to believe that anyone is withholding information--or
even for us to believe that there is new information to
be had."
Eeth Koth interrupted the Cerean. "We cannot spend eternity
second-guessing ourselves and our findings. We have met
faithfully every month since Qui-Gon Jinn's disappearance. It
has now been more than half a year and still there is no trace
of him. We must draw the line somewhere and call off the
search."
Mace Windu, who had grown rather fond and protective of the
young man he now called Padawan, saw the effect their words had
on him. For the boy's own sake, he hoped Obi-Wan possessed
enough control to allow him to hold his place and let the hurt
of what they said wash over him and away.
"The masters have some valid points, Obi-Wan," Windu said
quietly. "We're not even certain Qui-Gon survived the initial
attack, all those long months ago. He may have been killed in
one of the many volleys of weapons fire which followed the
first outbreak, or he may not have survived his injuries from
the attack."
Pale and shaking, Obi-Wan addressed his response to Masters
Windu and Yoda, who sat beside each other and held more power
than any of the other Council members.
"But we do not know that he was killed in the attack. We
do not know that his injuries were severe enough to have
caused his death. We do not know that he is dead."
Obi-Wan took a shuddering breath. "I believe I would have
felt...something...through the training bond I share with my
Master if something untoward had happened to him. Yet I have
felt nothing."
"But you told us at the first month's meeting that you could no
longer feel the connection that once bound you to your Master,"
Adi Gallia reminded him.
"I believe that if my master were de...dead," the word would
almost not come out of the padawan's mouth. "I would
feel it. I feel nothing of our connection, but neither do I
feel a DISconnection. I believe, in my heart, that he does
still exist. And every Padawan's job is to be faithful to his
or her master, is it not?"
The padawan's ever-changing eyes met with each Council member
in turn, and Mace's chest filled with the pride of seeing the
young man stand up to the masters and what he believed in.
Qui-Gon had trained him impressively.
"All I ask," Obi-Wan's confidence returned as he brought his
final point home. "Is that the Council allow me to continue the
search in my spare moments. It will not interfere with my
duties here, and I feel that to give this up entirely," his
voice cracked, dropping to almost a whisper. "Would be to give
up a part of myself."
Obi-Wan would have been surprised, had he realized just how
much the Council as a whole admired his single mindedness and
unwavering loyalty to his Master. Individually, they had felt
the need to express their opinions on the subject , and many of
them did feel it was time to call off the search. They
were not unfeeling, they merely thought it best that the
Council's energies be spent elsewhere. But part of a Padawan's
training and background was to practice handling both delicate
and difficult situations, and perhaps this would be the
appropriate assignment for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Agree with you, the Council does," Yoda said from his small
chair. "No longer will you have the help and resources the
Council provided, but continue the search on your own, you may.
Continue with other duties, the Council must. Go with the
Force."
Obi-Wan bowed to the Council, nodded his head gratefully to his
interim master for his support, and took his leave.
Exactly ten months and ten days after Qui-Gon Jinn's
disappearance, Obi-Wan Kenobi made a startling discovery.
During his evening meditation he felt something.
Something familiar. Something he hadn't felt in nearly a year.
He felt Qui-Gon Jinn in his mind.
Rising to his feet, tripping on his robes in the process,
Obi-Wan stumbled almost blindly to the door, seeking out Master
Windu. He found him in the meditation gardens.
"Master Windu!" Obi-Wan was breathing hard after his near-run
through the Temple corridors and outdoor area. "He's ALIVE!"
Piloting the ship toward Azali, Obi-Wan concentrated on the
Living Force. Atoms, molecules, solids, gases all bent at his
command to the task of increasing the vessel's speed. Twenty
days. He had twenty days. Twenty days to make a seventeen day
trip, locate Qui-Gon, and get off and away from the planet.
This was day twelve.
As he pressed forward on his journey, Obi-Wan thought over the
past two weeks. The evening he had first sensed his Master's
presence, he had gotten no sleep. He'd begun pouring over the
star charts for the areas of the search and rescue mission
again, looking, not for the first time, for anything out of the
ordinary. Anything he might have missed the first one hundred
times through.
Master Windu had helped him by going back over the interviews
Obi-Wan had done with some of the system's highest leaders. And
he'd come up with the same discrepancy--the only
discrepancy--they had in all the information they'd gathered.
In an almost unrelated conversation, one Melarka planet
official had offhandedly mentioned 'Azali'.
At the time, it had not caught Obi-Wan's attention, and he had
dismissed it as unimportant. It was not relevant to the matter
at hand and could have been a reference to almost anything. But
as he'd painstakingly gone over every last word and detail
given to him in his investigations, he'd continued to come back
to the word. Nowhere could he find reference to it. It meant
nothing in Melarkan and when he'd come out and asked to know
what it referred to, he was told there was no such word.
After Qui-Gon's presence had entered his mind, Obi-Wan had been
desperate. He had to know the meaning of the last, missing
detail. He had to know whether it meant nothing at all...or
everything. It had been Master Windu, going against the set-up
of non-Council interference, who had solved the puzzle. Using
all his powers of persuasion, he had dragged the name out of a
Melarkan communications worker.
Azali literally meant 'hidden'. The planet Azali, they were
told, was 'out of planetary synch' with the rest of the system.
Every ten months, ten days it was solid and visible for a
period of twenty planet rotations. Then it would 'phase out'
again, remaining in its orbit but invisible and not accessible
to anyone outside its atmosphere. Life continued on for the
Azalians, but they could not communicate with the surrounding
planets, trade, or travel for another ten months, ten days.
The communications officer, when pushed, admitted that Azali
was kept a secret among all the system's planets because of all
the mineral-wealth Azali had to offer when it was 'in synch'.
For their silence, the other planets were allowed to mine to
their hearts content, all they could export in twenty days'
time. In return, the others in the system allowed the Azalians
to 'take care of their business' on the neighboring planets,
including many ventures that were highly illegal, with no
questions asked. The Azalians got their way and the others got
rich. It seemed an even trade. Until it ended up involving an
innocent...who was also a Jedi Master.
So now Obi-Wan was off to Azali. It had 'phased in' twelve days
earlier and would phase back out again in eight more. He was
scheduled to arrive at the planet's location in five days and,
if all went according to plan, that would give him three days
to track Qui-Gon and leave the system with his master in tow.
The Melarkans, unhappy at having to divulge such an expensive
secret, would not tell him how to contact the planet or any of
its officials. All he knew was that Azali was a matriarchal
society, where the men were revered in some respects but not
treated as equals. He had no idea what that meant for his
master.
The training bond told Obi-Wan that his master was alive, but
Qui-Gon either couldn't or wouldn't respond to any of Obi-Wan's
mind probes or meditation exercises. The padawan fervently
hoped that their connection would grow stronger as he drew
nearer to the planet, perhaps allowing Qui-Gon to assist
Obi-Wan in locating him on the vast surface of the planet.
The bond's strength did grow as day seventeen of Obi-Wan's trip
dawned. Mere hours out of Azalian orbit, the apprentice could
feel his master's presence stronger than ever in his mind. But
something was not right. Obi-Wan couldn't place what it was,
but there was an odd 'feeling' about Qui-Gon's presence. It
wasn't exactly secretive, and he didn't think it was
intentional, but something about Qui-Gon had changed.
Obi-Wan spent the last half hour of the ride with his hands on
the controls and his eyes closed. Reaching out with the Force,
he let himself be guided, in turn guiding the tiny craft into
orbit, through the planet's atmosphere, and down to the orange,
desert-like surface. And as far as he knew, he had managed it
all undetected.
Disembarking, Obi-Wan lifted his arms to the bright, hot suns,
throwing back his head and concentrating on his Master's
signature. Again, Qui-Gon did not respond, but the bond was
strong enough to allow his padawan to follow it with nearly
100% accuracy. The burning sands scorched his feet, even
through his boots, making them feel singed and blistered. His
face and body, protected by his cloak, burned with equal
intensity in the high heat. Sweating in his black travel-cloak,
Obi-Wan trudged on, toward the presence that was distinctly his
master.
Obi-Wan had been prepared to be cautious, prepared to be
stealthy, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Less than a
day's walk away from the ship, Obi-Wan spotted a structure that
appeared to be a small, dried-brick house. It was the only such
structure--the only structure of any kind--Obi-Wan had
encountered, and the bond told him his master was definitely
inside of it.
Waiting until the cover of night, Obi-Wan approached the house.
Cloak clutched about him as both protection from the desert
chill and others who may have been around, he found an open
window and carefully slipped inside the dwelling. Drawing his
lightsaber, he used it as he would use a flashlight. From the
looks of things, the residence was abandoned. Household items
lay strewn about in careless disarray, a mouse scurried across
the room, skittering over Obi-Wan's foot in its haste.
The padawan was immediately aware of where his master was
located in the house, but he committed himself to securing the
area before seeing to Qui-Gon. The rooms were all indeed empty.
If there had ever been anyone here, they were not here now.
Satisfied that he was safe, Obi-Wan allowed his 'saber to light
his way to a small, corner bedroom at the very back of the
structure. And there, on a cot, shivering under a large pile of
blankets, lay Qui-Gon Jinn.
Unable to hold himself back, Obi-Wan rushed to the Jedi
master's side. The older man was curled around himself, his
back to the younger man, but the long, brown hair, unkempt as
it was, told Obi-Wan this was his mentor. Not wishing to
frighten the apparently exhausted and sleeping man, he knelt
quietly at the side of the bed, lightly touching the tangled
hair then putting a hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder.
"Master..."
The man on the bed moaned, as if in pain.
"Master?" Obi-Wan allowed his hand to find Qui-Gon's forehead.
It was aflame beneath the apprentice's cool fingers.
"Oh, Master." Spying a candle on the table next to the bed,
Obi-Wan used the blue light of his 'saber to start it to
burning. It wasn't much, but it gave him at least a somewhat
clearer view.
The dry heat of Qui-Gon's face burned his palms as he held it
tenderly in his hands.
"Master, please wake up. I'm here to take you home."
Another moan and then eyelids flickered, slowly opening to
reveal cloudy blue eyes.
"O...?"
The voice was hoarse, dry from the heat of the fever and lack
of water, Obi-Wan expected.
"Yes, Master, I'm here," he assured the confused man. "Are you
alone here?"
Qui-Gon's eyes closed and he shuddered. "Yes," he whispered.
"...alone..."
The way in which it was said caused Obi-Wan to shiver, and he
didn't know whether his master was speaking about physical
aloneness...or mental.
"Do you think you are able to travel, Master? We have a long
walk back to the ship I brought for you--and we have very
little time." He grasped the stack of blankets, preparing to
pull them away from the older Jedi and was taken by surprise at
the unexpectedly swift reaction. Qui-Gon grabbed the blankets
in one large, shaking hand, and held them firmly to himself.
"Master," Obi-Wan tried to reason. "I know it's cold outside,
and I think you have a high fever, but you must come with me
now. If you will just stand up, I'll fix your cloak and some
blankets so that you will be warm on our walk."
"I...cannot..." Qui-Gon said desperately. "You
cannot..."
It was very unlike his master to hedge so and Obi-Wan began to
worry in earnest. Something was terribly wrong here. And time
was slipping away.
"Master, this planet is unique in its abilities. In just over a
day it will cease to exist as we know it. We need to be
off-planet and away from here by then--or I won't be able to
get you back to Coruscant for a very long time."
His padawan's tone reached the Jedi master. He made a sound of
grudging agreement and dropped his hand away from its grip on
the blankets. Slowly and carefully, Obi-Wan slid the blankets
down and away, revealing his master's tall, thin figure
beneath.
Although he was using his hands and arms to cover himself as
best he could, it was obvious that Qui-Gon was trying to
conceal something. Lifting the Jedi's hands away, Obi-Wan
froze. This sickness...whatever is was...had caused his master
horrible disfigurement. Or perhaps this was the result of some
massive infection caused by the virus.
Qui-Gon's stomach was sickeningly distended. Even beneath the
overly large sleep shirt he wore, it was shockingly visible.
His engorged belly extended far out beyond anything healthy,
and Obi-Wan thought it must be terribly painful. Feeling his
padawan's thoughts and fear through their contact, Qui-Gon
turned sorrowful eyes on Obi-Wan.
"Master..." Obi-Wan tried to say, but the word stuck in his
throat. He swallowed hard. "We will find a cure for this, I
promise you. There are medical manuals and supplies aboard the
craft. I will help you to reach it and then I will take care of
you, I promise. You will be okay." Even as he said it, Obi-Wan
knew it for a possible lie. He'd never seen anything like this,
and being contracted on an alien planet such as this, he knew
he might not be able to find a cure...
Obi-Wan fought down the tears and panic that threatened to
overcome him. Getting his master away from this place was first
and foremost his objective. He began, once again, to prepare
Qui-Gon for their journey.
"Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon's voice was a bit stronger, and commanded
attention. "You must hear this." He had Obi-Wan's full
attention. "I'm not sick."
The apprentice eyed him in disbelief. He didn't trust Qui-Gon.
"I speak the truth, my Obi-Wan. I am not sick." Qui-Gon took a
long breath, blue eyes looking deeply into amber ones. "I am
with child."
Obi-Wan could not have been more surprised if Qui-Gon had told
him Wookies had taken over Tatooine. Barely able to think or
breathe, he stared at his master in stark disbelief, mouth
agape.
"But Master...it is not biologically possible..."
Qui-Gon's chuckle was harsh and humorless. "You will find, my
Obi-Wan, that if you travel enough of the galaxy, almost
anything is possible--or can be made
possible--when the right people and the right skills are
involved."
The long speech cost the man, who doubled over in a violent fit
of coughing, clutching his bloated belly in agony. Obi-Wan held
Qui-Gon's head and shoulders, giving what comfort he could as
he struggled to remove the water flask from the utility belt
beneath his cloak. Holding the flask to his master's lips, he
sent calming waves of the Force through the hurting man,
allowing Qui-Gon to relax enough sip the cool liquid.
When Qui-Gon was sufficiently recovered from the bout, Obi-Wan
spoke softly. "Master, we must leave this place. I regret that
I cannot carry you, but I will support you in any way I can. I
was almost a day in reaching you. It will surely take us longer
than that to return to the vessel, but we have only two days.
"I'm sorry...this is going to difficult for you, but I cannot
risk bringing the ship any closer to this location. I don't
believe I was tracked coming in, but if we were to be caught
now..." His voice trailed off at the thought. "Will you try for
me, Master?"
In the small nod that was his answer, Obi-Wan saw an old spark
of what made his master a great man.
The trip to the vessel took them thirty-seven hours. For the
Jedi, it might just as well have been a lifetime. Exhausted,
starving and sore, they boarded the ship, Qui-Gon collapsing
heavily just inside the hatchway. Obi-Wan spared him a panicked
look before bowing to duty and hurrying forward to fire up the
engines and ready the ship for departure.
Having expended every last energy reserve on keeping his Master
as mobil and pain-free as possible during the endless journey,
Obi-Wan was horribly drained. Barely able to function at even
the simplest tasks of walking and sitting upright, the
apprentice surprised himself as he lifted the vessel from its
ground position and navigated it up through the atmosphere and
into the surrounding space.
After a fuzzy struggle to recall how to set the auto-pilot and
head the ship back to Coruscant, Obi-Wan stood up, fully
intending to check on his master's condition. But his own
condition caught up to him and he collapsed in a boneless heap
beside the pilot's chair, unconscious.
He awoke to a familiar warmth in his mind and soft caresses on
his face. He was still on the floor at the front of the ship,
his head pillowed in something soft. Looking up, he saw
Qui-Gon's drawn face above him, blue eyes wide with concern.
"Master, you should not be up," Obi-Wan began. "You have been
through much. Too much." From his prone position in Qui-Gon's
lap, he suddenly became aware of the bulge pressed against the
side of his face. Concentrating, the apprentice could feel the
tiny life inside his Master, could hear the beating of its
heart. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Overcome with emotion, he closed his eyes, opening them only
when Qui-Gon spoke.
"She is very strong with the Force," he said. "I have felt it
almost since her conception."
"She?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief. "You know that it is a
girl?"
"Yes," the Jedi master replied, stroking his hand once again
through his padawan's short, silky hair, offering comfort. "I
know. We have a connection."
Obi-Wan was speechless. His master spoke of it so
matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the
world.
"It is...to the men of Azali," Qui-Gon told him softly, reading
his thoughts. "The child is created between the mother and the
father, then the embryo of the child is implanted within the
father where it grows and matures until the male at last gives
birth. It has been done that way for centuries, allowing the
female-dominated culture to rule while the males bear and care
for the children."
"But Master..." Obi-Wan could not help his natural curiosity.
"How is it possible for you...? You are not of Azali."
"It was not nearly as difficult as you might expect, Padawan,"
his master said almost cryptically. "We are not so different
from the Azalians..."
Obi-Wan forced himself into a sitting position, barely
suppressing a groan as his muscles protested the movement. "I
must check the ship's status," he said, finding himself
unexpectedly nervous at addressing his master's current
condition. "But then will you allow me to make you comfortable
on one of the pallets in the back? You should have something to
eat and drink, and then you should rest. There are plenty of
blankets in storage. You shouldn't be here on the cold
floor..."
Qui-Gon's finger against his lips silenced his ramblings.
"Check the ship, Obi-Wan, and then we will take a meal
together. As for resting, I have spent more than my share of
time resting...alone on Azali." He paused, as memories assailed
him. "I crave company, Padawan--your company. After we eat, I
should like to take comfort in your presence. The chair beside
the pilot's chair should serve nicely. And I will tell you
about my time on the planet. Is that acceptable?"
Put so logically, Obi-Wan could do nothing but nod in
agreement.
"My ship was hit a second time, after that first attack,"
Qui-Gon Jinn said. "There were no other ships within range to
help me, and the vessel was spiraling out of control. I had a
wound to my back and my head and I knew I wouldn't survive long
without medical attention, even if I could find
somewhere to put the ship down.
"Azali was the closest planet, and although I didn't even know
its name, I headed for it. I managed to hold control of the
ship until its crash-landing, and then to escape from inside
just moments before it exploded. The impact of it threw me
clear of the flames and metal fragments, at least, and I lay on
the hot desert sand for what must have been days before Linnea
found me and helped me back to her dwelling."
"Linnea?" The name was like a song on his tongue. "Is she the
woman who..." He could not finish.
His master smiled sadly. "Linnea saved my life. She was a
healer who was outcast from her society for expressing her
beliefs and practicing medicine in ways that were
unconventional to her peers. Sentenced to die in the planet's
next Phase, she was living out her last days in the quiet
solitude of the home you found me in."
Obi-Wan wondered at his master's seeming tranquility. The
memories had to be fresh and painful, and yet he presented them
as he would present a common report to the Council. But the
apprentice would not stop Qui-Gon from sharing what was in his
heart, and he would listen to it in whatever fashion it was
presented.
Qui-Gon observed his padawan's patient look, and continued.
"Linnea knew that I was Jedi. She treated my injuries and cared
for me during my long recovery. My spinal column had been
severely damaged, and for months I had no feeling below my
waist. It was frightening, but through it all, Linnea was
strong and confident.
"While she prepared medicines and creams to help me, she shared
stories about herself and her life on Azali, and told me of her
death sentence. She did not fear death, but she feared leaving
the physical realm with no sons or daughters to carry on her
legacy.
"One night, while I was deeply unconscious under the influence
of the most recent medication to repair my spine, Linnea did
what she felt was necessary to ensure that her legacy would
live on."
Obi-Wan's gaze swung away from the ship's guidance panel in
horror. His master had been taken advantage of, while he was
not even conscious! He had been used for an unjustifiable
means, his body ravaged and changed beyond his own control. The
thought of it made the apprentice ill, and he fought down the
bile which rose in his throat.
"Master..." The white face he turned in Qui-Gon's direction
made the older man's heart ache.
"She did not force herself on me, Obi-Wan," he said. "We did
not even mate. She merely...removed what was medically
necessary for the fertilization of her egg and in a short,
painless procedure she injected my body with an agent that
would prepare it to accept the embryo. Then she injected the
embryo and it was done. Unconventional, but efficient.
"When I awoke next, she did not hide the fact from me, merely
explained it to me calmly and rationally. I must admit that I
did not accept her explanation as quietly as she gave it, but
after much meditation I did come to understand it. Eventually I
was well enough to get around, but the adjustment to the
changes in my body made it difficult to do much.
"Six months later, they came for Linnea, taking her away and
leaving me alone. They knew I would not be able to go anywhere,
and considered it a shame upon Linnea and punishment enough for
me, a sort of pay back for becoming involved with her. Four
months after that, you found me, Obi-Wan, and my life was saved
again. This child is going to be very lucky in her lifetime. I
know it without a doubt."
Story apparently at a close, the Jedi Master leaned back, hands
rubbing his tight, taut belly in gentle rhythm, serenity
spilling from every pore. Obi-Wan stared in amazement. His
master was truly gifted in his abilities to accept harsh
reality and the unexpected.
"It must have been very hard for you," he managed to say
quietly. "First to accept what had been done to you and then to
accept it and live on with it without Linnea's support. You are
stronger than I will ever be, my Master."
The awe and pride in his Padawan's voice brought tears to
Qui-Gon's eyes.
"We all face difficulties in life, my Obi-Wan. You have faced
many in your lifetime already. We all have different challenges
to meet, and we deal with them to the best of our abilities
when they come along." He looked down at his midsection for a
long moment. "This is just such a challenge. And if I ever had
doubts about whether I could face it, I no longer have them.
Because you are here now, and I know that you will be by my
side."
This time the pride and tears were Obi-Wan's. "Yes, Master.
Always."
It was a week into their return trip to Coruscant before
Obi-Wan was finally able to raise the Council. Communications
on the tiny vessel left a lot to be desired and it simply did
not possess the power to reach across so great a distance.
Speaking with Master Windu, Obi-Wan explained everything. He
realized his information would likely rock the Council, but it
was necessary for them to know, before their arrival There was
no reason they needed to be shocked, as he had been, to find
Qui-Gon this way.
In answer to the large Jedi's question, Obi-Wan assured Master
Windu that the child was not due to be born for another six
weeks, allowing plenty of time for their return to Coruscant,
Qui-Gon's settling in, and any testing and observing the
healers might wish to do. In addition, he sent along all the
information Qui-Gon had been able to provide with regards to
the procedure that had been performed on him and his own
medical statistics and observations from his care of his master
during the trip.
Master Windu's voice dropped suddenly.
"Obi-Wan...are we alone?"
"Yes, Sir," Obi-Wan told him. "Qui-Gon is resting in the back
of the ship. He had a hard night last night and didn't get much
sleep. Is something wrong, Sir?"
The other master paused. "How is Qui-Gon doing, really?
Not physically, or medically...but personally? I'm not asking
you to reveal anything you feel a need to keep between the two
of you, but I am concerned. Qui-Gon has suffered through
so much, mind, body, and spirit."
"Master Qui-Gon is as strong in his convictions as he has ever
been, and he is determined to make it through this as well,"
Obi-Wan said.
Mace Windu shook his head. "Nearly a year of his life was taken
from him and now he is being asked to return to 'business as
usual', when it may never be 'business as usual' again
for him. Things have moved very quickly for both of you since
your arrival on Azali, and that concerns me as well. You are
bearing more than your share of burdens, too. How are
you doing?"
Obi-Wan was surprised at Master Windu's concern for him. He had
been so worried about his master's health that he had nearly
forgotten all he himself had been through these past weeks.
"Please don't worry about me, Master Windu," he finally said.
"I'm only doing my duty. My Master's health is what is most
important to me right now. I'll keep him safe and well cared
for until I can bring him home to you. Will that satisfy you?"
Master Windu's voice sounded choked as he replied, "That will
be just fine, Padawan. Please give my regards to Qui-Gon and
assure him we will be looking forward to seeing you both on
Coruscant in ten days time. Master Windu out."
Qui-Gon's belly seemed to grow larger with each passing day.
Obi-Wan thought that it must be his imagination, as he was not
used to seeing his Master that way. And there was so much more
time before the child would be fully grown and ready to be
born. Surely Qui-Gon had not changed that much since
he'd come aboard.
The nights became increasingly difficult for Qui-Gon, and in
turn for Obi-Wan. His master often awoke, crying out in pain,
as the baby shifted or moved into one or another uncomfortable
positions. His back ached from the constant pull of the weight
in front, and his stomach was sore from the skin being
continually forced to stretch in directions it wasn't meant to
stretch in.
During the day, Qui-Gon was no longer comfortable merely lying
down or sitting in a chair. He paced 'round and 'round,
attempting to disperse the many pains and even meditation
eluded him much of the time. At night, Obi-Wan was at his side,
measuring his own sleep in minutes, not hours, as he attempted
to calm and reassure his master, giving him back rubs and
massaging soothing cremes onto his aching limbs and belly.
On the morning of the twelfth day of their return trip, Obi-Wan
left his master sleeping restlessly on his pallet, and moved to
the front of the ship. He checked the ship's statistics, laid
in several course corrections, and was about to return to his
master's side when he heard the man in question approaching.
"Master," he said as he took one final look at the panel before
him. "I was just coming back to..."
As he turned to face his master, he was startled into silence.
Qui-Gon's face was ashen, his stance unsteady. Obi-Wan rushed
to his side.
"Qui-Gon! You must go back and lay down." He took hold of
Qui-Gon's arm attempting to turn him around, but the older man
was not moving.
Fear coursed through Obi-Wan as he considered the possibilities
of his master's current condition. Was he falling ill? Was he
becoming run-down from too many nights of pain and not enough
sleep? Was there something Obi-Wan could be doing, to help him,
that he was not doing? It was not until the padawan's bare foot
hit something slick and wet that he realized there was a
serious physical problem.
Obi-Wan looked at his master, standing in a short, white
sleeping shirt, belly huge, legs and feet exposed below. His
master swayed and his attention was drawn to the shiny wetness
coating his master's legs. His first thought was that Qui-Gon
had had an accident.
"Master! Let me help you," he said, his caring spirit flowing
from him in waves. "Come with me into the back and I will find
you something dry to wear."
"No, Obi-Wan." The force behind the words caught the apprentice
off-guard.
"Master?" He wanted to understand what was happening and hoped
his master would help him.
"The fluid sack surrounding the baby has broken," Qui-Gon
recited, as if he were teaching a class at the Temple. "The
baby's birth will follow soon."
Shock, thought Obi-Wan. His master was in shock. Not only
mental shock, but perhaps on his way to the physical as well.
As for Obi-Wan...he could not have been more shocked himself.
His master's water had broken? The baby was ready to be born?
HERE? On the ship? Suddenly Obi-Wan felt light-headed and
weak-kneed.
He had to be strong for his master. He had to be calm. He had
to contact the Council.
"Master, allow me to help you back to bed. I will make you
comfortable and perhaps you will be able to sleep a bit more."
He could see Qui-Gon shaking his head 'no' at the idea, but it
was all he could think to do for the moment. He needed time to
prepare, if the baby was truly coming.
Undressing and drying his master, he covered him in a light
blanket when the Jedi refused a change of clothing. He was
likely uncomfortable in clothing, and it would only get in the
way later, Obi-Wan told himself. Succeeding in placing his
master in a light sleep, Obi-Wan ran the length of the vessel
and placed a communique to Coruscant.
"Padawan? Is there a problem I can assist you with?
Masters Windu and Yoda cannot be disturbed." Depa Billaba was
nothing but polite and helpful, but Obi-Wan had wanted to speak
to one of the others. He felt himself begin to shake and he sat
down hard on the chair behind him before his knees buckled and
did it for him.
"Padawan? Are you well?"
"It's Qui-Gon..." he began. Then he realized he did not know
just how much of the situation Master Windu had explained to
the other members of the Council.
Master Billaba looked concerned. "Has the status of his
condition changed, Padawan?"
"I think the baby is going to come before we make it back to
Coruscant!" Obi-Wan burst out. "The fluid sack has ruptured and
Qui-Gon is in a lot of pain. I've put him to sleep for now, but
that's not going to work for much longer." The apprentice's
terror at this new turn of events was palpable, even to a woman
who was still days away from him by spacecraft.
"Qui-Gon is aware of the procedure for delivering a child,"
Depa told the apprentice. "Use his knowledge. The two of you
must do this together."
"But..." Obi-Wan knew there wasn't much more to be said. The
situation was happening, whether he wanted it to or not;
whether he was ready for it or not. And Qui-Gon could
help him. He was, after all, his teacher.
"I am sorry to have bothered you, Master," he told Depa
Billaba. "I will go and attend my Master now. Thank you."
The woman smiled kindly, wanting nothing more than to comfort
the padawan who suddenly had the appearance of a scared
six-year-old.
"I will alert Master Windu of your communication," she told
Obi-Wan. "And I will have him keep an open line to your vessel.
If there is anything you need or want, please do not hesitate
to contact us."
A howl from the rear of the ship was Obi-Wan's cue to terminate
the communication.
"How long has this been going on, Master?" Obi-Wan asked. He
ran a wet cloth over his master's face and neck, then continued
to move it down to the heaving chest.
"The...contractions...began in the middle of the...night,"
Qui-Gon managed to get out. "They were very...slight and...I
wasn't even sure that they were...contractions. But this
morning they have been...building in strength...Then
the...water broke...and now I'm afraid the pains are
coming...rather close together."
Qui-Gon cried out again, as the sudden pain caught him by
surprise. He shook with the effort to breathe with
semi-regularity, and was comforted by his padawan's hand
slipping into his own. Gratefully, he took hold of it and
squeezed.
When the contraction ended, he captured Obi-Wan's eyes with his
own, and held them. "Please do not think that I
was...deliberately...withholding information... from you, my
Obi-Wan. All of these sensations...are...very strange to me."
"I know, Master," Obi-Wan told him honestly, picking up the
damp cloth once again and wiping the wet forehead. When
Obi-Wan's cool cloth dipped unexpectedly to meet the sensitive
skin of his belly, Qui-Gon gasped. "Too...cold..." he panted,
back arching in reaction.
"I'm sorry, Master!" Obi-Wan apologized quickly. "I thought
that it would soothe your skin. It looks so...sore. I will not
do it again."
The larger man breathed rapidly, eyes squeezed shut, working
through another contraction. Resting a warm hand on Qui-Gon's
stomach, both to gentle away the pain he'd caused and to build
a Force connection there, with the unborn child, Obi-Wan could
feel movement beneath his fingers. It was amazing. He stood to
fetch some more towels and water.
"Do not...leave....me..." Qui-Gon begged.
"I promise I will return quickly," Obi-Wan told him. "In time
for the next contraction."
When he returned, he had with him a wet, heated towel, which he
laid cautiously upon his master's belly. The almost erotic wave
that pulsed through Qui-Gon's body answered his unasked
question.
"Oh, Obi-Wan...Feels sooo good..."
Tears sprang to the apprentice's eyes at one simple action
bringing that much comfort to his suffering master.
"I'm glad, Master," he told him. "Would you like a warm cloth
on your face?"
Another sigh, and Obi-Wan had a second hot, wet cloth folded
and ready to be draped over his master's forehead and temples.
The contraction, when it came this time, seemed almost
bearable.
Obi-Wan's face reddened. He had seen his master naked many
times, but never from this angle. Trying to think clinically,
he knelt between Qui-Gon's out-flung legs, locating the small
slit in the skin which was already there, just below the penis
and testicles. It shouldn't have been...and yet it was. Oh,
what his master had gone through!
"Make the incision, Obi-Wan," his master was urging, gasping.
"Please hurry. I assure you I will feel nothing."
The body before Obi-Wan writhed in pain, and his hand shook in
terror. He was no surgeon. But his master insisted Linnea had
prepared his body for this. An incision, from testicles to
anus, on skin which had grown numb in preparation of this
moment, and an opening would be made for the child to be born.
Lightsaber on the lowest setting, Obi-Wan cut the skin,
marveling as it seemed to fold back and away bloodlessly,
naturally, almost inviting the child to come forth.
"It is done, Master," Obi-Wan said shakily, powering down the
weapon. "Are you ready?" Another contraction, the hardest yet,
shook Qui-Gon's frame powerfully.
"I think she is ready, Padawan," he panted. "Shall we
bring her into the world?"
Obi-Wan couldn't describe the warmth and love that flowed
through him in that moment. His master was trusting him with
this tiny, new life, and together they would deliver her into
the world.
"Take a deep breath," he told Qui-Gon. "And push."
Qui-Gon listened to the quiet tone of his padawan, and did as
he was told.
"Again!" Obi-Wan urged. "Push, Master."
Grunting with the effort, the Jedi closed his eyes and pulled
the Force around him. Surrounded by its power, he found the
strength to bear the pain.
"I can see her head, Master!" Obi-Wan had never witnessed
anything so breath-taking. This was truly a wonder of the
world. "Can you push again, Master?"
The older Jedi did so, gasping and heaving, hands clenched
into fists at his sides.
"I have the shoulders in my hands," Obi-Wan continued to coach.
"Bear down and push, my master. I'm right here." The padawan's
voice was gentle, mesmerizing. "You've worked so hard for
this...gone through so much. She is your own flesh and blood,
Master. A beautiful daughter. She will be such a joy in your
life. PUSH, Master!"
And with one final push, the beautiful baby girl slipped into
Obi-Wan's outstretched hands, perfectly delivered into the
Light.
"Master, oh Master! You've done it!" The sweat on the padawan's
face mingled with the tears that ran down his cheeks.
Carefully, he swabbed the squalling newborn clean with a soft,
damp cloth, then laid her gently on his master's chest.
Activating his 'saber, he cut the cord and awaited the delivery
of the placenta, as Qui-Gon had told him to. The contracting of
his master's body continued as the last step of the birth
process was completed. The newly-created birthing canal could
be surgically sealed later, on Coruscant.
"Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon's voice startled him from his reverie.
"Obi-Wan, please come here."
Leaving his place at his master's feet, Obi-Wan moved on knees
that had become stiff and sore. Pulling a warm blanket up over
the Jedi's legs and waist, Obi-Wan moved to sit beside his
master. The infant was so tiny. Laying curled on Qui-Gon's
chest, she was dwarfed by the large hands that cupped her
between them.
Although the infant did not cry out again as it had before, the
small, round mouth opened and closed, searching for food.
"She is hungry, master. Shall I go and...?"
"That will not be necessary," Qui-Gon told him quietly.
Carefully moving the child to his flat breast, Qui-Gon placed
the now-swollen nipple at the entrance to the baby's mouth.
After a moment, the newborn eagerly accepted the offer,
suckling silently.
"Master...how...?"
"It is this way--natural--for all the men of Azali," he said
simply. "And while mine is only a temporary gift, I will
treasure these abilities I have for as long as I have them."
Qui-Gon lay a hand on his Padawan's arm. "Thank you, my
Obi-Wan. You have always been my pride and joy, and today you
were also my strength. We have a beautiful girl to take back
with us to Coruscant and the temple, and she will always know
that you were the one to bring her into the world.
"You handled yourself with skill and grace, Padawan, not just
today but throughout this most difficult of missions and it
will all be in my report to the Council when we return. You are
to be commended."
"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said graciously. "But you
instructed me. I only followed your directions."
"One can not instruct someone in the ways of kindness,
gentleness, and empathy, my padawan. Those are all gifts you
possess deep within yourself. Jedi do not show feelings of
pride, outright, but I say to you in truth, that I have never
felt more pride for anyone or anything than I do in this moment
for you. Linli and I will be forever grateful."
"Linli," Obi-Wan rolled the word over in his mouth. "Is that to
be her name, Master?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan. 'Lin' will be in remembrance of her mother,
Linnea, and 'li', the last bit of Azali, will be a piece of her
homeworld she can take with her always."
"That is a lovely thought, Master. And she is a lovely infant."
Searching out a second blanket, Obi-Wan tucked it securely
around father and daughter. Whispering soft words of comfort,
the apprentice watched over them until two sets of eyes fell
shut and two hearts beat as one, strong and even. He allowed
his fingers to work through his master's long hair, which was
loose about the Jedi's shoulders and still damp with the sweat
of his efforts, finding comfort in the simple gesture. When
they were both soundly asleep, Obi-Wan placed a tender kiss on
the cheek of each and made his way forward to contact the
Council with the news.
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