CATEGORY: AU (No Naboo!), BDSM (actually, to be accurate, this
features an "erotic power exchange", but BDSM as a category
will do)
RATING: NC-17
SPOILERS: For nothing, as the events in TPM never happened
TIME: Six months after TPM would have taken place. Obi-Wan is a
Jedi Knight.
WARNING: Consensual bondage, m/m sex (Q/O)
DISCLAIMER: These beautiful, sweet men belong to George Lucas
who obviously doesn't know what to do with them.
NOTE: My own "rope kit" consists of two 50' (5/16" diameter)
ropes, one blue and one black, three 25' (1/4" diameter) ropes
in red, dark green, and white, various smaller "anchoring"
pieces in a wine color. All of the ropes are solid braided
polyester, very satiny and comfortable for the wearer
(purchased at Home Depot, dyed at home with Rit). I'm currently
learning how to create what I'm told are called "Japanese rope
harnesses" thanks to a lovely gentleman at the dungeon I belong
to (Galleria Domain in Chicago, a place of elegance and
wonderful, warm people). My domestic partner, Gary, has been my
happy "model".
ARCHIVE: Yes, on M_A archive only, with my e-mail address,
peacewind@home.com
FEEDBACK: Positive feedback welcomed and deeply appreciated -
to darknick@flash.net
SUMMARY: What begins as an attractive use of ropes turns into
an effective tool for two Jedi Knights just returned from a
harrowing mission.
(Obi-Wan's POV...)
When I came into the room, I looked up to see my Master
watching me intently. I love that look, and I shivered. It was
Qui-Gon Jinn's predator look, which meant he had something new
in mind for me. "Master," I breathed, greeting him as I sank to
my knees before him. I put my crossed wrists to the small of my
back as I'd been taught.
He loomed over me, hands on his hips. "We have a couple hours
to ourselves, it looks like," Qui-Gon murmured. I didn't dare
look up but I could feel his heated gaze on me anyway. "I
believe the time will be well spent in an artistic endeavor."
His hand came and sifted into my hair. "Stand."
As gracefully as I could manage with his grip on my hair, I
rose to my feet, my eyes still downcast. "Yes, Master," I
replied, hiding a smile. This would be what we called "body
art", my Master using my body for his artistic expression. All
Jedi were encouraged to have hobbies that allowed them to
express their creative sides, a balance to the study,
contemplation and the maintenance of our physical fitness when
not actually involved in a mission. Since discovering the
creative possibilities of erotic power exchanges (EPE) on our
last vacation to the pleasure planet Domasub, Qui-Gon and I
have continued to explore these "possibilities" when we've had
time.
My own responses to the "use" of my body would be a part of
that art form. I loved it for its sheer, lush sensuality. And
it meant that my Master did not need a more strenuous activity
this afternoon, for which I was relieved. Fortunately, our
moods for that sort of thing usually coincided, as we were very
close. Since my Knighting six months ago, we'd settled into our
partnership - with the addition of this "kink" in our
relationship - with ease and a great deal of satisfaction on
both sides. EPE proved to be the very thing to center us in the
Force more firmly after a particularly harrowing mission.
He released my hair, though his fingers lingered at the spot
behind my ear where my padawan braid had grown. Qui-Gon stepped
close to me and tipped my chin up. Since I did not have
permission to meet his eyes, I closed mine, concentrating on
our link and his closeness. I leaned into his touch a little,
feeling my own power as a submissive, ready to yield it all to
my dominant. I felt his breath against my cheek, then smiled
when his lips grazed mine.
"You are so beautiful," Qui-Gon murmured, his eyes still smoky.
"I shall make you more beautiful still. Strip for me, Obi-Wan."
He stood back to watch, thumbs hooked in his belt.
I struck a pose first, leaning my weight back on my left foot,
the other out in front a little, my wrists crossed at the back
of my waist. I still kept my eyes lowered. "Master, if you
please... quickly or slowly?" I asked quietly.
I felt his smile, then my pulse raced as he suddenly stepped
close again and, his hand gripping my chin, he kissed me hard.
Then he was backing away again, leaving me trembling. "Quickly,
I think," Qui-Gon replied.
I stripped efficiently and quickly then so as not to make my
master wait any longer. When I'd set my boots and clothes
aside, I returned to strike the same pose, only this time I was
naked and his heated gaze was roving over me.
"Prepare my equipment. I require your collar, my ropes, the
cuffs, and one leather lace," Qui-Gon ordered me quietly.
The ropes! I let my delight bleed over into our link and felt
his answering pleasure in my response as I hastily went about
assembling what my master would need. First the lightweight
transparisteel case which revealed its contents after I
concentrated with the Force for a moment. I brought the flat
case from under our bed to set it on the table for my master,
Force-touching it open. I grinned at the colorful contents,
then went to get the rest.
When I returned to position, Qui-Gon had already set up our
portable suspension frame. When he straightened, I knelt,
offering him my collar, my head bowed already for him. "Please,
Master..." I murmured.
Master Qui-Gon touched my cheek, my shoulder, little claiming
signals that I so loved. I inched forward more on my knees,
needing that claiming. Then he was fitting my leather collar
around my neck. As he brought it around to the back to fasten
the buckle, he settled my head in against his groin. I
whimpered, thrilling in his nearness, subtly daring to rub my
cheek against his bulge. I heard his laugh above me, and I
smiled, laying a kiss against him.
"Easy, my bright one, I'll let you pleasure me later," Qui-Gon
chuckled, tugging gently on my collar to draw me away from him.
"Stand."
Unfortunately, I knew that "later" would be quite a bit later.
After our session this afternoon, we'd only have time for a
short meal before the High Council required us to appear before
them to give our mission report. But I knew that I'd have what
I wanted tonight anyway.
I stood and when he gestured, I presented my wrists to him for
the cuffs. Deftly Qui-Gon fastened the cuffs on me, then stood
back, pausing. I did not look at his expression, of course, but
I gathered from the little bobble in the Force that he was
making a decision. To continue, I hoped, but to my surprise, he
next removed the cuffs, tossing them aside. I realized with a
rush that he had another plan.
I knew what this meant, and it gave me a shiver. He'd just
decided on a course that would eliminate our time to eat
together afterwards before the Council meeting. Which meant
that I would not have much time to adjust before facing the
twelve, keenly perceptive members of the Jedi High Council.
Of course I could do it. Qui-Gon Jinn knew my limits and my
strengths better than I knew them myself. I trusted his
perception completely, and loved doing so. It just added
another little element of tension to my art form. Our
art form...
He blindfolded me then. But through the Force and the humming
in our link, I could still sense him, hear the swish of his
robe and the click of his boots, and I felt when he neared to
whisper in my ear. "Let your mind clear, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon
guided me, taking my wrists and putting them to the back of my
neck. I allowed him to arrange me, resting on the delicious
little ripples in the Force and his gentle touch in my mind.
"Together we will put the mission into its box..."
Occasionally a mission proved extremely unsettling. We'd seen
atrocities aplenty. This last one was stressful in its own way,
as we'd seen much to sicken us. But I would not dwell on that
now, seeking to, as my master suggested, put it into its proper
perspective in the grand scheme of the galaxy. We had to do
this, for it is all too easy for a Jedi Knight to fall to
depression because they cannot cure the ills of the Republic.
Of which there are countless.
"Yes, Master," I breathed.
Qui-Gon's POV, continuing:
Since our original training bond had evolved properly into the
close mental linkage of two intimates, Obi-Wan and myself were
often touching one another's minds, tuning in to the emotions
and general thoughts of the other. No words; often we just
seemed to know what the other was thinking. Right now I could
fairly well follow my Obi-Wan's trend of thought as he
processed my decision. Yes, we needed to put this mission where
it belonged. We would have to deal with it in great detail
before the Council in a scant two hours. The burden of this
adjustment would be on Obi-Wan, who expected to be rather
transported by our sensual artistic endeavor.
Before I started with the ropes, however, I took up the long
leather lace as I knelt before him. I nudged his stance apart;
he shifted to give me access. I drew the middle of the lace up
under his sac and the ends up around the top of his genitals,
circling them. Crossing the ends, I ran them around the base of
his penis where I crossed them again and began twisting them to
form a sort of braid. After I had a length of about two inches,
I brought my twisted piece down to separate his testicles, then
underneath separated the ends to draw them back around to the
top of his penis again where I tied them off neatly.
He stood quietly as I'd done this, but I could feel the slow
simmering begin in his mind, and the focusing he'd need to
process what I was doing. Taking away his vision, I'd left
Obi-Wan with hearing and touch with which he would register my
constant presence with him. It was one reason I remained fully
clothed, the sound of my tunics, robe, and boots giving him
something more to track.
Standing, I laid a hand on his shoulder, turning to take up the
first rope. To begin, I selected a rope of a bright crimson,
the color of aerated blood. Seeing that he was holding still
for me, I continued the touch on a mental level, assuring him
of my warmth and presence. When I saw him relax, I prepared the
rope by putting the two ends together and running it through my
hands until it was doubled. I tied a simple knot about three
inches in from the end loop, then put the knot in Obi-Wan's
hand. "Hold this, pretty Knight," I instructed him, smiling
when he chuckled.
As Obi-Wan held onto the knot behind his neck, I separated the
two rope pieces extending from the end loop, drew them over his
head and tied them together in another knot just at the base of
his throat. Then I made a second front knot just below his
sternum, and a last one a few inches just above his groin. I
checked to make sure he was keeping the back knot where I
wanted it; he was, so I gave him a little kiss behind his ear.
As I straightened, I caught his grin. "Thank you, Master," he
murmured.
I could feel Obi-Wan relax even more. He loved the ropes, loved
the feeling of containment I could give him within their
bindings. These were no ordinary ropes, of course, made as they
were from something silken and strong, solidly braided to make
then strong and smooth. "Part your legs for me again, my
Knight," I murmured, returning to his front. As he shifted, I
separated the two parts of the rope, drawing each between his
legs, one to either side of his groin. I went around to the
back of him and tugged on the rope pieces.
Obi-Wan let loose a little gasp as I tightened the ropes
against his front and drew them up through his crack at the
back. Swiftly I brought them up and through the end loop which
I took from him. "Wrists crossed on top of your head," I told
him as I pulled the two long ends through the loop.
He was already practically purring as the silken ropes pulled
against his skin as I worked. Checking our mental bond, I felt
Obi-Wan's adjustment, for finally the ropes were around his
torso - at least from neck to groin - to start to give him that
sense of bondage he wanted. I felt his trust, and it soothed
me, giving me what I craved, that taste of power over him.
"Mmmm, pretty Knight," I murmured, stepping close as I
separated the two ends and ran each around to the front of him
under his arms, tightening them as I did. Each end was then
slipped through the rope on either side of his neck above the
first knot, then brought back around to the back again. "What
color, do you think, Knight Kenobi? Think of the mission..."
He still wasn't used to being called that, I saw with delight.
But mingled with his enjoyment of the teasing was a sobering as
I called his attention again to the mission just past. An
unwelcome request, to be sure, but he needed to process during
this. "Red, Master," Obi-Wan whispered. "Red for blood."
"Blood unshed as well," I whispered back, working the two ends
below the back knot to form a diamond before bringing the ends
back to the front again. "Blood saved and preserved. Yours, and
if our efforts indeed bear fruit, the blood of many."
He tested the rudimentary rope harness, pulling against the
ends in my hands as I finished creating the diamond shape in
the front. Just once, one pull to center himself in the bondage
I was applying so prettily to his body. "Yes, Master," he
murmured, relaxing again. "Red for blood saved."
I continued to work, making more diamond shapes in the back and
front, working with and around the knots down the front and
down the back with the paired rope pieces as far down as the
base of his spine. Periodically I went back up to tighten and
adjust the ropes so they were symmetrical and firmly around
him. When I was done, I made another pass back between his legs
with the ends, then worked the ends back up through the
existing pattern to finish.
Done, I inspected my handiwork with a pleased sigh, my hand
gripping the center paired ropes in the small of his back,
moving him back and forth to look at him rather than walk
around him. Obi-Wan smiled, enjoying the handling as I knew he
would. "Now, my beautiful Knight, what color next?"
He answered, to my wonder, without hesitation. "Dark brown,
Master," Obi-Wan replied promptly. I shifted our connection
from a physical one to a mental one again as I stepped back
over to the case of ropes, selecting a shorter piece of dark
brown, another solid braided rope but of a slightly smaller
diameter than the long red one.
"Why dark brown, Obi-Wan?" I asked as I took one of his wrists
from where it rested against his head.
"The color of your Jedi robe, Master," Obi-Wan replied
immediately. He stood still as I drew the ends of the doubled
rope around his wrist through the end loop and then wrapped
them around his wrist again two more times.
"Explain, my Knight," I murmured, testing the wristlet of ropes
to be sure they were secure but would not risk decreased
circulation or numbness.
"When..." He licked his lips and started over. "When the
Brunakji elders selected me for elimination, you chose my life
over the mission."
I paused, nearing and bending down to whisper in his ear. "This
is unusual?"
"No, Master," Obi-Wan breathed, leaning back into my nearness.
"No Jedi would abandon another so. But it is something I should
never take for granted, the value of my life. Plus it reminded
me what my own life means to you."
"It means everything, Obi," I whispered, leaning against the
back of his head for a moment. "The Brunakji do not place value
on individual lives." I paused for a moment, then straightened.
I began to work the dark brown ends of the rope around his
wrists into the red ropes of his torso harness, effectively
binding his arm against his side. "And when they persisted?"
Obi-Wan's life had been in danger the moment he stepped on the
planet Brunak and the danger never let up, for the elders did
not seem to grasp the concept of "no" either. They continued to
attempt to kill him with a frightening, dispassionate veracity.
Two Jedi, to their warped understanding, were one too many.
Extra was waste, and waste was to be eliminated.
"I understand, Master," Obi-Wan said in a low voice as I began
to work a second dark brown rope around his other wrist,
preparing to bind his other arm to his side as well. "I know
why you continued the mission despite the danger to me. There
was too much at stake and you had to depend on my own
resourcefulness to stay alive."
He'd tried talking, running, fighting... to no avail. Still
they came for him. They did not try to overwhelm him by sheer
numbers, which was all that saved him. In the end he'd had to
hide from them, using the Force and his link with me to prevent
discovery. I was trying desperately to stop the Brunakji from
deciding that the denizens of their neighboring planet, Hyunak,
that they were so much waste, too. I could not spare a moment
to try to protect my beloved Obi-Wan, who refused to take the
transport and leave me alone on the planet in order to get away
from them. My Knight... no longer my student, Obi-Wan was
perfectly my equal, accepting responsibility for himself.
"We are Jedi Knights," I murmured, agreeing, though I
punctuated my words with a final tug on the ropes that now
bound his arms firmly against his body. "What are the ropes, my
Knight?"
"The Code, Master," Obi-Wan responded, letting the well of
emotions surge again. To risk one's life over and over again...
that was our life as Jedi. Our vows and our commitment to peace
and justice bound us. "And... and the Force, Master," he added
after a moment.
I put my arms around him, holding him as he worked through the
surge of feelings. My arms, the ropes made him feel safe. And I
felt safe, too, holding him against me. It was why I'd known
for many years I could only love another Jedi, only another
like me who subjected themselves to the will of the Force.
"My blessed, beautiful Knight," I sighed, kissing his face. "So
brave..."
"I am Jedi, Master," Obi-Wan said firmly. "Yellow."
I stilled. [Are you sure?] I whispered into his mind, giving
him that intimacy.
He shuddered, but replied clearly, [Yes, my Master. I need
that.]
[Very well.] I came around him again and took his face into my
hands. [Beloved Obi...] I kissed him deeply until he trembled,
then went to the case to retrieve the yellow rope.
This was not like the others. This rope was rough and was going
to leave marks. He only asked for this when he was feeling a
need for catharsis like now. I could feel that need, a sharp
hunger that echoed in me somewhere. Again like with the others,
I doubled the rope up, then I knelt to fasten it to his right
ankle, one pass through the end loop and three times around. I
used a second yellow rope on his other ankle, then passed the
ends of one through a spreader bar, and the end of the other
through from the other direction.
"Tighter, please, Master. Please make them tight," I heard
above me.
I stood and slapped his face, hard. "You are not in control of
this, save the colors," I reminded him, knowing he'd done that
on purpose... and I'd given him what he wanted. Then I slapped
him again, once for me, to reassert my dominance over him. "Do
you understand?" I said softly.
"Yes," he gasped. "Thank you, Master."
I lingered on his lips this time, pouring my love for him into
our mental bond until he sighed against me, steadying. Then I
knelt to continue. The left pair of yellow rope ends I drew
around his ankle again, working it into the anklet already
formed, then I drew it up the outside of his calf to his knee.
I went around with the ends, pulling hard to fasten them firmly
just below the knee.
A muffled gasp could be heard above me as the ropes burned him.
I laid a hand on his thigh, pausing for a moment until he had
processed the sensation. Leaning in, I kissed him on the side
of the knee, then continued. After wrapping around the knee, I
drew the ends up to the top of his thigh and around, though
this time I anchored the ends to the original rope harness of
red. I had still more of the yellow left on this end, a lot
more, and, standing, I continued to weave the ends through the
red torso harness.
I could feel his tension in my mind as well as every time I
touched him. I knew the coarse, yellow ropes were scratchy and
burning, but this is what he'd asked for. As I finished with
his left side, I moved very close to him and whispered in his
ear, "And why yellow, my Knight?" I left the two long ends
dangling at his shoulder - they'd be attached to the suspension
frame later - and knelt to begin the right side.
"Yellow," Obi-Wan breathed, holding as still as he could as to
minimize the burning rub of the yellow ropes. "Yellow for fear,
my Master. The fear that tries to drag me into the Dark."
At Obi-Wan's right knee, I paused, resting my forehead against
his thigh for a moment. "Are you afraid now, Obi-Wan?"
"No, Master," he answered promptly, and I heard a note of pride
in his voice. "I trust you, my Master."
"You will not always have me here, my Knight," I whispered,
closing my eyes for a moment.
Now he hesitated, and in our bond I could feel the abrupt and
unwanted dismay at that reminder. There were many years between
us, the age difference great. "Or you will not have me,
my Master," Obi-Wan said at last, reminding me again of the
mission. Suddenly he twisted his body to make the ropes scrape
against his skin. I jerked him back into place, but it was
done. Now he was mute, though breathing a little faster.
[There is no death, Obi,] I reminded him as I continued to
weave the yellow ropes up the right side of his body, keeping
my mental "voice" as tender and loving as I could. [There is
the Force, my sweet Knight. We shall be together forever in the
Force.]
[I know, Master,] he replied, holding back a whimper as he
steadied himself, centering in the same Force which swirled
around us like a sweet caress.
Standing, I affixed the remaining ends of the yellow ropes into
the top rings of the suspension frame. It was not expected to
hold him off the ground, not like this, but it would support
some of his weight. I had set up the frame so that it sat
before a full-length mirror. My final addition to my "art
piece" was to remove my Obi-Wan's blindfold so he could see.
Then I backed away silently, though I remained with him in his
mind, keeping a close, intimate touch.
Obi-Wan's POV, continuing:
I kept my eyes closed even after Qui-Gon took the blindfold
from me. I wanted first to let the ropes work on me some more.
Although I knew that I was not fully suspended, I let my body
sag in my bondage anyway, feeling its hold on me.
I was captured in the ropes - and the ropes became my vocation,
my life as a Jedi. Red for the blood I would gladly spill at
need - my own first. Or preferably, as I'd said, the bloodshed
I would help prevent. Dark brown for my commitment to the Order
and our beliefs, personified in my teacher who had shown me
like no other had what it meant to be Jedi. And yellow for the
fear, the anger, the paths to the Dark that I must master in
myself, must keep in their places so that I may hold firm to
the Light. Indeed, these tested me the most, and hence the
yellow rope burned, chafing my skin. Not all the red on my body
would be rope.
Pulling on the ropes, I felt a resurgence of emotion and gave
in to it, letting for a moment the beast come to the fore. I
growled and thrashed madly, letting myself be cut further by
the rough yellow ropes, welcoming the pain, welcoming the hold
these bindings had on me, my mind recalling the horrors we'd
witnessed on Brunak. Then, just as abruptly, I calmed
completely, resting in the ropes yet again.
In the back of my mind, he was still there, watching and
guarding in silence. He - Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master - he
knew. And that made so much of a difference to me, that
I could do this, be like this, yield like this before the one
man who truly knew what this did for me. For had I not traced
my fingers over the myriad tiny scars of a lifetime as Jedi
that the bacta tank and healing trances had not been able to
diminish on his body? Did I not see the scars in his heart and
mind as well? It was more than enough right now that he was
there.
When the pain sifted away to dullness, I opened my eyes. And I
found a smile rising to my lips, seeing my master's handiwork
at last. I did not see what most would - a man captive in
bondage. I saw my own sacrifice and dedication, my hard work,
and my faith. I was beautiful. I don't know when the tears
started to stream down, adding to my master's work, but when
they did, I saw him move close at last, meeting my gaze in the
mirror from over my shoulder.
Then Qui-Gon added something also, and we both smiled. He
brought his large, callused hands around to the front of my
body, letting his fingers splay over the diamond patterns. "My
Knight," he murmured, and I felt his pride and love in me. "So
beautiful."
I nodded. "We are, my Master." I sighed as he continued to play
his hands over me, feeling me through the criss-crossed ropes.
Then his fingers wiped the tears from my cheeks.
"Beautiful Obi," Qui-Gon whispered, kissing my ear. "Your
master grants you a favor."
I touched his mind shyly, wonder flooding through me as he
shuddered in delight. [Master, if you would take me... like
this. We shall complete this beautiful picture like that,
Master. If you would please grant me the favor.]
The look he threw me raised the temperature of the room
dramatically. Then I felt Force-fingers opening me, and,
thrilled, I leaned into the ropes, wanting to give him good
access. Qui-Gon's hands moved back, one to settle on my hip,
then other to move aside his tunics - he was, of course, still
fully dressed, formal robe and all - and to free his member
from his leggings. Then he started to press into me.
I yielded. I gave myself to him, all the rest of me that he did
not already own, in this time I would be his completely. Later,
before the Council, I would own myself again and know we both
preferred that. But now, here, like this... I was His.
I'd expected Qui-Gon to hold me by the hips and drill into me,
but he surprised me by simply wrapping his arms around me and
moving in and out of me with a careful slowness that made my
heart ache wonderfully, not to mention how thoroughly it
massaged my prostate. I felt swept up into a cataclysm of
ecstasy like the Force itself making love to my body. By now,
my genitals were straining against the leather lace bindings
and despite my control, I let loose a little whimper, wanting
to beg him to release me and stroke me, but I was not permitted
to beg.
I felt his lips on my neck, then his large hands shifted down
to undo the lace from around my swollen penis and sac. My
master knew what I needed. Once the leather lace was dropped,
he fitted his hand around my member and murmured in my ear,
"Wait."
Despite his order, I could not help but surge up into that
grasp, aching to let loose. But again the ropes pulled me back
into my proper place. I was his. His to please and to be
granted pleasure to at his whim. [Yessss...] I hissed into his
mind, into that place of owning.
[As you yield to me, Obi-Wan,] Qui-Gon replied to me, his body
still moving within me, against my back, [you yield to our true
Master, the will of the Force. I too, yield to it... Our loving
Master, who will one day embrace us, keep us safe forever. Our
yielding allows it to leave behind the peace where the Light is
the greatest.]
[Yes, Master,] I responded to both of them. [There is no fear,
no death...]
The Force crushed us with power. Qui-Gon moaned against my
shoulder and convulsed as he came deep within me. At the same
time, he began to stroke me, gasping his command. "Yes, NOW, my
Knight!"
I was already close to the pinnacle. Abruptly I was spurting
onto his hand. I cried out and undulated within the embrace of
the ropes as the waves of orgasm shuddered through me.
Then all was still except for the harshness of our breathing.
Qui-Gon's arms, not the ropes, supported me now, for he clung
to me, his cheek against mine as he bent his head over my
shoulder.
I felt purged and clear. A peace settled over me that I knew I
could not have won through mere meditation or even through
simple love-making. I glanced again in the mirror at the ropes
encasing my torso and limbs, thought again about the colors,
what the ropes meant. The mission was locked away in its box
now, placed in perspective where it could not be allowed to
threaten me again. Glancing at the reflection of my master's
face in the mirror, I saw as well as felt in my mind how his
tranquillity matched mine.
I could have rested there, in the ropes, in his arms, all day,
but for the Council. Qui-Gon's gentle touch in my mind inquired
and I answered with a caressing touch back. All was well. Yes,
I could stand, in fact I felt very strong.
His lips grazed my cheek, then he straightened, beginning the
process of removing the ropes.
When at last I stood clear, Qui-Gon turned me around,
inspecting the rope marks intently. Only the yellow ropes, of
course, had left burn marks from when I purposely struggled
against them. Because of his care, the skin was only abraded,
not broken. His fingers traced the scrapes on my sides, then he
gazed into my eyes deeply. "We will deal with this later, my
Knight," he murmured.
I looked forward to that. A shared healing trance with my
beloved, then a blissful night's sleep in his arms. "Yes, my
Master," I murmured back, smiling.
Qui-Gon sighed, looking me over again. "It's time, Obi-Wan. Are
you ready to face the Council?"
Except that I was still naked and bore reddened weals and
scratch marks. "Yes, Qui-Gon," I replied, winking at him as I
went to retrieve my clothes.
In moments, after a hasty clean up and dressing, we left our
quarters, hoods up, departing to meet with the Jedi High
Council.
(Still Obi-Wan's POV)
I delivered our report solemnly, Qui-Gon silent at my side, our
arms folded formally in our robe sleeves as we faced the
Council together. They let me tell the entire sordid tale
without interruption, their faces Jedi-impassive. Despite my
words, I still felt the placid calm that had settled into me by
the end of my time of bondage, the serenity that had deepened
as my master removed my ropes and we walked here.
When I was finished, I waited for the questions I knew were
coming. In my mind, I felt the wordless assurance of my beloved
Qui-Gon that I had done well.
"Knight Obi-Wan," Master Koon spoke into the silence. "Do I
hear you correctly saying that the Brunakji decided to kill you
because two Jedi Knights, not one, were present on their
planet?"
I bowed to Plo Koon, a very fair man and a friend of Qui-Gon's.
"Yes, Master Koon. The Brunakji declared that two were a waste,
and that Master Jinn as the senior of us should demonstrate our
understanding of their society's philosophy of frugality by
killing me in ritual in their elders' presence."
I had already stated this, and more, giving the facts of the
mission, how I'd escaped the mindless intent of the Brunakji to
eliminate me.
"Tell us what you understand of this 'philosophy', Knight
Obi-Wan," Master Mace Windu asked solemnly.
Bowing to Windu as well, I related what I understood. "The
Brunakji who are in power on the planet believe that a society
must be reduced to its simplest levels of functioning in order
to be efficient. Therefore any redundancy must be rooted out.
Any groups of citizens performing identical functions - and
that is open to their own interpretation, Master - those groups
are thinned until only one or two individuals are left. We
witnessed the reduction of a library staff to a single person,
the others - archivists, administrative personnel, maintenance
staff - ritually slain on the steps of the building to
demonstrate conformance with the current policies." It had been
one of the most horrifying things I'd ever witnessed. And that
was just as we'd arrived, before the Brunakji had decided to
extend their butchering to the Jedi.
"A form of population control?" Master Adi Gallia asked.
"No, Master," I replied quietly, bowing to her. "Although that
might have been the explanation in the beginning. We do not
know. The current government claims religious reasons." Which
was the unfortunate part, for that was the one reason the
Republic could not use to overturn the government.
"You keep mentioning the 'current government'," Windu reminded
me. "This is a recent development?"
I felt Qui-Gon's gaze on me. I was still calm and without
tension. "The Brunakji Asradj party," I explained, "which was
the strongest opponent to the government that had been in place
for centuries, overturned that government three months ago...
by killing every member of that party they could find. They are
systematically killing all their opponents."
Yoda was nodding, his gaze narrowed at me. "Knew this we did
not. Always unsettled, the Brunakji have been, though
peaceful... until now. Yet none of this was part of your
mission there, hmmmm?" He glanced at Qui-Gon.
My master sighed and nodded. "Their sister planet, Hyunak, is
beset. We went to try to negotiate a peace between the two
peoples, but apparently the elimination of the Hyunakji was
also part of the Asradj's plans to 'simplify' their planetary
system. When Obi-Wan had to go into hiding to avoid being
victim to their purge, I tried to talk them out of including
the Hyunakji in their sphere of influence."
"Failed you did," Yoda commented.
"Yes," Qui-Gon said reluctantly.
"No," I said immediately with mild surprise. We looked at one
another. "Master Qui-Gon, you did convince the Brunakji elders
to call for a cessation of the purge during the Janar festival
season."
"So the Brunakji will have a good holiday before they resume
killing one another..."
"But we each contacted elements of opposition who might gain an
edge in the meantime, Master," I reminded him.
"In six months?"
"Many things can happen in that time." We hadn't actually
discussed this beforehand. Still, I felt a rumble of amusement
and felt it echoed in him. Usually he was the one, not I,
making an argument for trusting in the will of the Force
working through our actions, no matter how small. And had been,
only an hour ago. We smiled, remembering.
"Indeed," Yoda added, nodding thoughtfully. "Your work may bear
fruit yet. Trust in the Force, we shall."
"Are there any other questions?" Windu asked, glancing around.
In response, Master Depa Billaba stood and approached us. She
was known to be deeply intuitive, capable of accurately reading
the hearts and spirits of many species. She stopped before me,
gazing deep into my eyes. I held still, turning my own
attention within to the Force in me and the watchful sentinel
in my mind, my beloved.
After a moment, she spoke. "When the killing at the library
started, they prevented you from leaving, holding both of you
firm, and making you watch. There was no way back to your
transport; indeed, you called for the transport to leave
without you. Then, your minds full of screaming and the blood
of twenty innocents slain before your eyes, you were taken
before the elders." There was a shudder of horror to her voice.
This was all lifted from my memories. What else she may have
seen there, I did not know, though her eyes narrowed at me
shrewdly. "Rather a lot for a young Knight to have to witness."
"I have seen killing before, Master," I replied smoothly.
"But not on this level..." Her dark eyes held mine, challenging
me.
"No, Master." If she was looking for a sign of weakness in me,
she wasn't going to find any.
[The mission is in its box now,] my master murmured into my
mind. [Remember the ropes.]
[I remember the red blood of the innocents,] I replied into
his, feeling the strength of our conviction as Jedi. [Perhaps
we should ask to go back in six months?]
[Yes, if the Force and the Council will it.] Qui-Gon then sent
me a wordless pulse of love, which I returned.
Depa Billaba bowed to me at last. "You are a worthy Jedi,
Obi-Wan Kenobi. You understand much." Then she bowed to
Qui-Gon, the compliment to him implicit.
"Watch this situation we shall - from a distance," Yoda
commented, regarding us. "Discuss this in a few months with you
again, we might."
"For now," Mace Windu finished for them all, compassion in his
voice, "go in peace. We discern that you both have already
found some in dealing with this terrible event, which is
fortunate. May the Force be with you both."
Outside, Qui-Gon slung a long arm across my shoulders. "We
should get something to eat," he murmured as we walked back
toward our quarters. "And then we both have an appointment with
a healing trance."
I slid my arm around his waist, sighing as he matched his pace
to mine. "And then?" I couldn't help giving him a sidelong
glance up, checking his expression.
Qui-Gon Jinn smiled warmly down at me, his glance flicking over
my face. "Then someone with far more resilient knees than me is
going to attend to the ropes all over the floor, my Knight." He
winked at me.
"And then?" I winked back.
"And then I'm going to kiss my Knight until he's ready to
faint, and THEN take him to bed where he's going to become my
cuddle toy."
I laughed. "You find me cuddly?"
"Excessively," Qui-Gon returned, grinning.
"Are you going to rub my hair and suck your thumb?" I teased.
The mission was deep in its box, locked away for now.
"I will likely rub and/or suck something, yes," he teased back
suggestively.
I laughed with him, long and free, master of fear, master of
myself.
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