Archive: M_A yes, my page yes, anywhere else just ask
Spoilers: none
Summary: Obi finds out what "anything for love" means. Pre-TPM.
At this point, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are not yet romantically
involved.
Feedback: Pretty please please with cyber-O/Q on top!
Disclaimer: Lucas owns 'em. I just provide some free
advertising for him.
On a moon of insectoid people and warm-blooded plants, two
humans strolled through the brood sunlit avenues of the main
city Issghura, treading lightly over the sticky mud to avoid
waking the residents of the two-meter tall hives that lined the
streets with sounds of their slippers sluicing through the
muck. According to Obi-Wan's research, one hive stayed open
during the day to serve off-worlders and travelling Arthros,
and that hive was at the end of the road. Obi-Wan stopped in
front of a bubbling mound structure identical to every other
hive on the road.
"This should be it," he said uncertainly.
Qui-Gon looked around and pointed to a smaller hive tucked
behind it. "That one seems more lively. And it would seem to be
the same spot on that tiny map." He took a deep breath and
stepped through the gelatinous membrane covering the opening.
Inside, two-meter tall spindle-legged stalks with multi-faceted
eyes and exo-skeletons mulled around a gooey, lumpy floor. One
of the insects greeted the duo.
"Welcome to Issghura," he said. "State you business,
off-worlder."
"We are from the Republic, a collective of individuals spanning
many planets. We have come to ask for a deal."
"State this deal."
"Your southern continent is rich with Silicon. We offer 10,000
smu's of oxidized iron in exchange for permission to mine this
Silicon."
"Our southern continent is useless to us. The ground is
infertile for our plants." He paused. "Will this mining disturb
the northern continent in any way?"
"No."
"Then it is done. Now leave us, off-worlder."
They left, quietly plodding back to their ship outside of town.
"Friendly bugs," Obi-Wan quipped, setting a course for the
southern continent.
"They're not used to true individuals. Their entire culture is
one big collective with telepathy so loud and constant it's
difficult for one bug to discern his own thoughts from the
group's."
"Really, Master? How did you come by such exquisite inside
information?"
Qui-Gon smiled patiently. "You did an excellent job on your
research Padawan, but not such a good job taking it to heart."
"More than you, I think."
"What's that supposed to mean, Padawan?"
"How did you know which building was the right one?"
Qui-Gon closed his eyes and sighed. "Its such a strong habit, I
didn't even realize -"
"Above all else a Jedi should have self-control," Obi-Wan
lectured.
"Before presuming to control anything else, especially the
Force, one MUST control one's self," Qui-Gon shook his head.
Seeing that his master was truly troubled by his infraction,
Obi stopped his teasing and lay a hand on the larger man's
shoulder. "Human's are creatures of habit, Master. Asking you
not to use the Force after so, so, so many years of using it is
like asking us not to breath through our mouths."
"Not that many years, Padawan," Qui-Gon smiled.
"Besides, the Force disrupts their telepathy; that's why its
illegal. If you're infraction had been serious, they would have
known, and they would have killed you."
"You're so comforting."
Obi-Wan grinned and returned his attention to his piloting. The
ship settled into a low orbit and started taking photographs
for the miners' preliminary survey, then landed in the center
of the continent. The two Jedi disembarked and headed across
the rocky mesa to perform their last task on the little moon, a
ritual flag-planting required by the Arthros when claiming land
for any individual or collective.
"And to think we got this all for a HUGE pile of rust," Obi
smirked as he approached the center of mass of the continent, a
little mound of dirt not four meters from the seemingly
bottomless sheer cliff walls of the mesa. "What the - ?"
A pole spun with silken thread, more of a five-faced God's eye
than a flag, already protruded from that very spot.
"It seems someone has already claimed this continent," Qui-Gon
mused. "Perhaps this is he, approaching us now." A distant
speck slowly grew into a huge Arthro as his six hairy pedicles
drew him closer.
"This is my land, off-worlder. Leave now or I will kill you."
"We have made a deal with your collective - " Obi-Wan started.
"It is not my collective. I was sentenced to death by that
collective for crimes of the highest immorality, but fled here
before it could execute judgement. I have no collective. Now
leave."
"This whole continent is an incredibly large home for a
collective of one. Perhaps you could consider sharing -"
"LEAVE!" the Arthro shouted, and Obi-Wan felt himself thrown
against the hard rock of the mesa without the Arthro touching
him. Well, that explained what 'highest immorality' the Arthro
had committed. Obi hopped to his feet meters away from where
he'd been standing. The Arthro reared on his hind legs and
kicked at Qui-Gon's face with the front two. Qui-Gon ducked one
leg and grabbed the other, twisting the Arthro onto its side.
The Arthro squealed and hurled Qui-Gon over the edge of the
cliff as it righted itself and started to charge Obi.
"MASTER!" Obi squealed, trying to control his rage. Anger leads
to hate leads to the dark side, he reminded himself, searching
for that sense of oneness with the force while the Arthro shot
toward him and the screams of his master dwindled as he
continued to fall. Focus, Jedi, he ordered himself. There! With
a Forceful burst, the Arthro's exoskeleton crushed all of his
organs simultaneously.
Obi-Wan ran to the edge of the cliff and used the force to slow
his Master's downward acceleration and eventually reversed it.
Knowing he couldn't keep Qui-Gon flying long at a high speed,
Obi floated his master slowly to the top, so slowly that the
process took hours. Qui-Gon did not assist him and Obi assumed
he must have blacked out. The sun set and Obi did not break
concentration. A ship landed in the distance, and Obi did not
break concentration. A horde of Arthro's surrounded him and
informed him that he was under arrest for crimes of the highest
immorality, each yelling at once to be heard over the others,
and Obi did not break concentration. Only when Qui-Gon stood
firmly on solid ground did Obi stand.
Ignoring the insectoids, Obi ran toward his Master and threw
his arms around his broad chest, entwining his fingers in his
silken hair, inhaling his spicy-sweet fragrance. "Master," he
breathed. "Thank the Force, Master! Oh, Master!"
Qui-Gon stiffly patted the younger man's back. "Padawan," he
answered sadly, eyeing the patient Arthros.
"He will come with us and stand trial."
The arms tightened around Obi-Wan's chest and a warm face
pressed against his cheek after soft lips kissed his temple.
"Oh, my Padawan," he breathed, and Obi felt a salty tear that
was not his own slide down his neck.
The Arthro stood in the center of the hive, addressing Qui-Gon.
"We have decided a verdict." he announced. "The off-worlder
known as Obi-Wan Kenobi is hereby found guilty of willfully and
knowingly using the Force. The sentence is death."
"I beg of you -" Qui-Gon started, but once again the Arthro
interrupted him.
"We have heard your arguments, offworlder. We understand that
the perpetrator committed the crime in order to save your life.
But the life of one individual is not worth the downfall of the
entire collective." Of course not, not in a society where an
individual was barely individual. The Arthro eyed him, and
Qui-Gons stolid face reflected over the dozens of black planes
of his eyes. "We do not wish you to think us unjust. We do not
wish to endanger our deal. So you must understand our history.
In the earliest remembered history of the collective, it was at
peace. Then offworlders came with offers of help against a
coming evil. Their use of the Force disrupted our telepathy. We
were no longer synchronized with each other so less work was
accomplished and we started to go hungry. We no longer
understood each other well, so arguments arose over who was at
fault for the famine. We no longer felt each other's pain, so
we killed each other. War and murder ruled the land until we
recognized the source of the disruption and eliminated them."
"But is there nothing we can do -"
"No. The execution will commence."
"Now?! May I have a few words with him first?"
"No. We learned our lesson about postponing judgement with the
last criminal convicted of these crimes."
Qui-Gon watched in horror as Obi-Wan was led to a scaffold. He
stepped onto a chair a placed the noose of the hanging rope
around his own neck.
"We apologize for the crudity of this execution. Normally we
inject the criminal painlessly, but our drugs would only cause
pain in a human, not death."
Qui-Gon didn't hear him. He could only stare at his beloved
padawan, the man who he'd lived and worked with since he was a
boy, the man who'd discarded his own life to save his master.
He looked calm and dignified. There was no fear in his eyes. He
was a true Jedi. Yet he had gone against his Jedi morals and
his own by disruptively breaking indigenous laws. He had done
so to save Qui-Gon's life, but would not do so to save his own.
Gods, he couldn't die now! There were so many things Qui-Gon
had never told him. So many things, but only one that mattered.
"OBI-WAN!" he yelled across the hive. The young man's eyes
turned toward him. "OBI-WAN, I -" The chair was kicked from
under Obi-Wan's feet and his body lurched toward the ground.
But before the rope went taut, it snapped. Surprised, Obi-Wan
barely managed to land on his feet on the ground below the
scaffolding. The Arthros rushed at him, as did Qui-Gon. Obi
regained his balance and stood proudly, refusing to move. The
first wave of Arthros bounced off a Force wall surrounding the
young human and were soon fighting amongst themselves. Qui-Gon
dodged the confused, hostile aliens and grabbed his Padawan's
hand.
"Come, Padawan," he whispered.
"But Master, I must face the consequences of my actions."
"Come or I will drag you."
"But Master -"
"Who do you think snapped the rope, Padawan? Who do you think
is making that force field? Your crimes are mine, now, too.
After facing certain death to save my life, would you let them
take it now?"
Obi-Wan's jaw fell slightly, but he closed it firmly and drew
his lightsaber. The Arthros squealed and backed away, and the
two Jedi cautiously strode from the hive.
The first few hours of their flight home passed in silence.
Finally Obi-Wan ventured "I wonder if they will still uphold
the deal?"
"They do need that rust for their crops. And they're very
strict about keeping their word."
Silence again. Obi seemed to be searching for something to say.
"The council won't be pleased with us."
"True."
"I'm sorry, Master."
"It's my own fault, Padawan. If I had saved myself when I was
falling, you would not have. I should not have left the burden
to you. I told myself you would uphold the law and return
safely home. It was a foolish thought."
"I could say the same. I could have broken that rope and saved
myself, but instead I made a devout Master Jedi break his
morals."
"You didn't make me do anything," Qui-Gon said softly. "'Good'
be damned, Obi-Wan, I could not let you die." Obi-wan
started a bit at the use of his name instead of the customary
'Padawan'. But Qui-Gon had called him by name once already that
day, and he intended to finish what he had started to say.
"There's something I must tell you, and I don't want you to
think that its just an outpouring of emotion to release the
tension from today. It is something I've known for a long
time." He looked into Obi-wan's eyes, searching for
comprehension. His lips formed the word 'yes?' but no sound
came out. Qui-Gon took a deep breath. "I love you. Obi- Wan."
"I love you too, Master."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "I love you as my Padawan and as my
friend, but that is not what I mean now when I say I love you."
Obi-Wan grinned. "I love you too, Qui-Gon. And I know
exactly what you mean."
A smile turned up the corners of Qui-Gon's lips. Relief washed
over him, followed by warmth and giddy joy. He hesitated, then
gave his Padawan a friendly hug and pulled back smiling, his
hand on the younger man's broad shoulders.
Obi-Wan bit his lip and smirked mischievously. "I'm so glad
you're alive, Qui-Gon. Dead people are so... cold." Qui-Gon
looked at him quizzically for a moment before the leer leaned
in and tenderly caught his lips. Then Obi pressed his luscious
lips to his master's ear. "Not like that at all. Quite
the opposite."
Qui-Gon chuckled, but heat had indeed spread through his body.
His lips brushed Obi's neck. Obi jumped, then kissed his
master's neck while his own was tasted and teased. The hands
that had been on his shoulder massaged them unconsciously and
slid together in Obi's hair. His master's open, searching mouth
found his. Hot lips moved over his, groaning when he responded
by entwining his fingers in the long silky hair and pulling the
head back against the chair so that Obi - now kneeling on his
master's chair beside him - could plunge into the warm
moistness of his master's mouth, exploring while his master did
the same.
The hand at the back of Obi's head traced the curve of his neck
to his collar bone, up the shoulder and down the arm over
powerful biceps, pointy elbow, and the sinewy forearm that
rested under the bearded chin, grabbing the delicate wrist and
pulling it to hungry lips. In the meantime, the other hand had
wandered to the small of his back and firmly pulled his body
closer to his master's. In order to obey the urgings of that
hand, Obi-Wan, now nibbling an earlobe, adjusted his body by
swinging a knee over his master's lap to straddle him.
Obi kissed behind the ear and down the back of the neck and
under the hair while strong arms pulled him closer until their
chests finally touched. At that moment, Qui-Gon bucked,
throwing his head back and arching his hips up, hot groin
meeting hot groin that several layers of course Jedi clothing
could not conceal. Obi shivered and gasped, unconsciously
pushing his hips back and forth over the length of the hard
heat between his legs as he kissed up and down Qui-Gon's neck.
He soon forgot about the kisses, his attention absorbed by the
synchronous motion of their bodies.
The heavy breathing in Qui-Gon's ear and the minute twitches of
his padawan's upper thigh muscles against his erection made
that erection throb with need. He kissed the younger man
briefly, licked his lips, his tongue, and the roof of his mouth
while his hands roved over his back and chest, pushing Obi's
cloak to the floor and pulling his shirt untucked.
"Now, now Mr. Jinn," Obi panted, licking into the older man's
open mouth and engaging his tongue before continuing, "this is
only our first date."
"No it's not," Qui-Gon muttered, pulling his padawan's shirt
open and running his finger down his sternum and over his solid
abdomen, pausing to comb his nails through the triangle of dark
hair peaking up over the waistband of his pants before slipping
under the shirt to feel the rest of his belly and back. "It's
not a date."
Obi-Wan wriggled against the agile fingers, then hastily pushed
Qui-Gon's cloak from his shoulders and smoothed his hands over
his shirt.
Qui-Gon nudged the front of his lover's shirt open just enough
to reveal his nipples, then leaned down and caressed the line
of his pec just under the nipple with the tip of his nose,
nuzzled the side of his face against the tender flesh on the
side of his ribcage just to the left of the nipple, and
completed the semi-circle by planting a wet kiss just above the
nipple. He paused, letting the moisture from his breath collect
on the sensitive brown skin before brushing the nub with the
tip of his tongue, which then proceeded to stroke around the
areola. Obi-Wan grunted and arched his chest toward the teasing
probe, asking for more. His master obliged, catching the tip in
his teeth before sucking it into his mouth.
Obi-Wan groaned and tore his master's shirt open, squeezing
blindly at the older man's hard, chiseled muscles while his own
chest was devoured. "Then you owe me dinner and dancing."
"Maybe you owe me," he murmured around a wet
nipple. "We'll go dutch and call it even." He kissed down the
line of his belly, dipping his tongue into his bellybutton and
playing in the patch of hair that had earlier amused his
fingers. Both hands gripped the waistband of his pants and the
lips proceeded lower, grazing the tip of his padawan's penis
over his pants.
"huuhhH!" Obi yelped. Qui-Gon stopped and looked up, trying to
see his friend's face but only seeing the bottom of his chin
and masculine adam's apple over his sculpted torso and pert
nipples. "oh gods, Qui-Gon, please -" The Jedi Master wrapped
his arms around his padawan's waist and kissed his belly, but
instead of attending to Obi's throbbing erection he gently
hoisted the young man off of the chair. "What in the Force - ?
What's wrong?"
Qui-Gon tugged the cushions from the chairs and set them on the
cool deck, then spread Obi's cloak over them, followed by his
own cloak and shirt and Obi's shirt, which he sensuously slid
from his shoulders.
Still both standing, he began to kiss Obi slowly, savoring his
taste, discovering every line of muscle in his upper body with
his hands while Obi did the same to him. His hands ventured
lower, squeezing round, taut buttocks and thighs as strong
hands warmed his own buns, then pulled his pants down over his
hips. Two pairs of loose pants hit the floor. Qui-Gon willed
himself to take a step back and absorb the sight. He started at
the toes, still covered by soft boots, lean ankles cutting
sharply out to jutting calves, curved thighs, slender hips,
brown, curly pubic hair, penis visibly pulsing against a hard
belly, shadowed ribs, smooth, heaving chest, and smoldering,
ravenous eyes.
As soon as he saw those eyes, his back hit the cushions under
the force of Obi's hard, burning body. Qui-Gon grunted and
bucked, but barely had a moment to feel that wonderful body
with his before Obi sat up, and, panting, dove toward his
master's erection and swallowed its length. Qui-Gon cried out.
He thrust himself deeper into his padawan's throat before he
could think better of it. Obi moaned, deep and gutteral,
tickling Qui-Gon's penis inside him.
"OH! Oh, oh Force, Obi!" Qui-Gon screamed. Obi-Wan sucked
harder, clasping his master's buttocks in his hands and teasing
his anus with a fingertip. Finally he poked the finger inside
and Qui-Gon came, his hips thrust as far into the air as his
arched back could push them, his face tilted back, mouth
hanging open, tendrils of sweat- drenched hair clinging to his
cheeks, eyelids fluttering uncontrollably as the pulsations of
his cock shot hot liquid down his beloved padawan's throat.
When conscious thoughts started to surface amidst the
diminishing waves of pleasure, he realized that Obi-Wan's
finger was still inside him and that his own hips were trying
to push down on the finger, and that Obi-Wan was grinning.
Qui-Gon sat up and they kissed lovingly for a long time,
finally getting to feel one another's heated flesh against
their own, before Qui-Gon pushed Obi-Wan down underneath him
and impaled himself on the younger man's weeping arousal.
"Master!" Obi-Wan gasped.
"Qui-Gon -" the elder Jedi reminded him, caressing his
beautiful face as he squeezed from inside.
"Oh god! Mhhh, hhhrrhh, oohhh!"
Qui-Gon chuckled breathlessly. "First I'm your, oh, mmm, master
-" he paused for several thrusts to catch some breath, " - and
now I'm your, ohhh, your God?"
Suddenly, Obi-Wan rolled his master onto his back and began
pounding into him, hard and fast.
"Yess!" Qui-Gon squealed. Obi only managed a choked gurgle
through his breathless grunting. Faster and faster he drove
into his bucking master until he knew he was about to explode.
He plunged as deep as he could and held there, squirming in and
out only minutely while he threw his head back, eyes rolling
back under his lids, fingernails digging welts into the Jedi
master's skin, throat emanating rumbling roars that barely
sounded human, and his penis pulsed inside the tight confines
of his beloved master's body, spurting his seed even deeper
into that body than his cock could reach, causing violent
shudders in the hot, ecstatic body beneath him.
The couple collapsed into a sweaty embrace and slept naked on
the pile of clothing, a sleep deep and restful enough that they
awoke the next day fully relaxed and calm and ready to face the
Jedi council in judgement of their crimes.
"Love is a the fundamental power of the Light Side of the
Force," Mace Windu explained. "But love is almost always
accompanied by fear of loss. And fear leads to the dark side."
"Dangerous, love is," Yoda emphasized.
"Your crimes committed out of love have not yet caused
permanent damage," Master Windu continued. "But what is to stop
similar catastrophes in the future?" He glared at the Jedi
couple in the center of the circle, daring them to speak.
"I think that with meditation and self-discipline, we will
behave more rationally in the future," Qui-Gon answered
levelly.
Mace Windu cocked an eyebrow. "There was nothing
irrational about your behavior, Master Jinn. Your
course of action was the most logical and resulted in the
minimal amount of overall harm possible." The glare.
Then why are we still here? Obi-Wan wanted to ask. But
he bit his tongue.
"You did, however, break the law."
"Punishment, there must be," Yoda added.
"And there is the matter of love leading your emotions astray
to darker musings."
"A test, there must be."
Silence. Finally, Obi-Wan spoke. "What is the test?"
"The punishment, the test is."
"In a moment, Master Qui-Gon will leave this room. Padawan
Kenobi will not see him, speak to him, hear from him, or be
seen by him unless the council determines it is prudent."
Obi-Wan's heart sank. "Defying this ordinance will result in
both titles of Jedi being denounced." Windu looked from one
lover to the other. "That is not a threat. Consider it an
option that will be respected by this council without dishonor
to either of you."
Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. The elder Jedi did not return the
gesture. That settled that, Obi thought, his heart sinking even
lower. Of course giving up being a Jedi to be together was out
of the question. Of course it was. Yeah, of course.
So Obi-Wan was shipped to Korda with Master Pordunn Kull as his
temporary instructor and the pair successfully mediated a
dispute between the Korda people and the Ffpaygo concerning
claims over a moon in the Ffpaygo system that had been
colonized by the Korda long before the Ffpaygo had achieved
spaceflight. When the Ffpaygo did travel to the moon and found
it occupied by aliens, they started a war that lasted until the
two Jedi helped them sign a treaty giving the moon to the
Ffpaygo in exchange for war reparations and the secret of the
Ffpaygo power sources, mysterious objects the size of an apple
that could power a spaceship almost indefinitely.
On their way back to Coruscant, their cruiser picked up an
automated distress call from a ship that had crashed on a
planetoid with more than enough atmosphere to support the
acrobatic predators and the rock-like trees from which they
attracted the two Jedi as they searched the winding gorges for
survivors. The humans had crashed almost a year earlier and had
been split into small groups of wanderers in order to feed
themselves, and finding all of them took months. The gases
trapped under the sphere of clouds kept the planet perpetually
scalding hot and humid and dimly lit.
In the hot nights, huddled around meager campfires, Pordunn
Kull attempted to bond with its temporary padawan. The hulking
Korda hermaphrodite had long ago disregarded Obi-Wan's crimes
as the folly of inexperienced youth. It was impressed by his
skills and enjoyed his company and hoped to take the young man
as his permanent padawan. It watched Obi-Wan pick at the meat
he had cooked from the hunt earlier.
"You miss Master Qui-Gon," it observed. Obi didn't look up. The
remark was superfluous and obvious, and in his opinion,
rhetorical. He nibbled. "He did you both disservice by breaking
the law." Obi glared at the Jedi. It looked fairly like a human
male with blue skin, four arms, no hair, and tiny, scattered
scales that seemed like glittery make-up.
"You wish me dead." Dead-pan sarcasm. The elder Jedi grinned.
To it, sarcasm was an alien art that no Korda could hope to
master any more than a human could master pod-racing.
"Of course not, Padawan. But he has caused you suffering which
death would have avoided. Suffering which also would have been
avoided by quitting the Jedi to be your life-partner."
"That was not his decision alone. I would no sooner give up my
knighthood than I would let Master Qui-Gon fall to his death
from a dessert mesa." Kull puzzled over this contradiction,
trying to determine if this was another example of sarcasm, but
giving up. Its attempts to bond with its pupil were not going
as well as it had hoped, but they understood each other well
enough to work efficiently together and it supposed that would
have to do for now. It went to sleep, assuring itself that in
time the young man would get over his former lover and return
his energies to his work.
But it was wrong. The more time that passed, the more Obi-Wan
missed his master, HIS master, Qui-Gon Jinn, not Pordunn Kull.
He respected the Korda Jedi, liked him even, but he longed to
hear Qui-Gon's voice, to see him smile, to at least know where
he was. His continued pain both frustrated his new master and
impressed it with his ability to work well despite his inner
turmoil. When they returned from the planetoid, they had many
trivial duties to catch up on, but the Ffpaygo people had
requested Obi-Wan's service as a Republic representative on the
Security Counsil of their planetary governing body. They had
been impressed by the work of both Jedi in mediating their
dispute with Korda, but they didn't want a Korda working on
internal Ffpaygo affairs, even if it was a Jedi. So Obi-Wan was
paired with yet another Jedi, Luar Yg, but this time the
retired knight's only duties would be to observe Obi-Wan during
his mission to see if he was passing his fear test.
Thus Obi-Wan entered the Security Council chambers on Ffpaygo
alone and scanned the faces in the plush chairs of the
elaborate marble room. Each of the Ffaygo represented one of
their provinces. One other human was in the room, representing
the newly acquired moon. And what a human she was. Ambassador
Jun was barely younger than Obi-Wan, and had long silken black
hair, full red lips, almond-shaped blue eyes, and delicate
curves under a crimson silk kimono.
Obi-Wan took his seat and followed the proceeding carefully.
The council discussed and voted on many issues that had nothing
to do with Republic interests, and Obi-Wan quietly abstained
from each vote. At lunchtime, Ambassador Jun introduced herself
to him.
"Lily Jun," she extended a delicate hand. Obi gripped the soft
flesh lightly and shook. "Call me Lily."
"Lily, then," he agreed.
"Would you join me for lunch, Mr. Kenobi?"
"Obi-Wan."
"Obi-Wan, then," she smirked.
"I'm meeting Master Yg. You're welcome to join us." She nodded
and took his arm as they walked. "How did you become an
ambassador so young, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I went to ambassador school."
Obi-Wan chuckled. There were no schools of higher education on
Ffpaygo II's moon; the people there had been too long torn by
war to waste precious resources on schools. And there was no
such thing as an 'ambassador school' anyway, as far as he knew.
"Me too," he laughed. "Maybe we had some of the same teachers."
"You lived on the moon? Ah, that would explain the ghastly
hairdo."
"Hey!" Obi-Wan searched for a friendly insult to throw back at
the girl, but found nothing. She was perfect. Stumped, he
inspected the courtyard for Master Yg and was relieved to see
him not far away.
At the end of the day, Ambassador Jun proposed a bill to trade
samples of the secret power source to the Tessian people of the
neighboring star system in exchange for a network of orbiting
defense drones to protect the moon. She claimed that the
Tessians would not be able to reproduce the power source even
with samples to work with if they were not given their secrets.
She argued that without protection, the Kordas could just come
back and take the moon, especially since they now could make as
much power as they needed using the Ffpaygo's technology.
The proposal didn't surprise anyone; it had been in the media
for days and was the main purpose of the Council meeting. Lily
made some good points, but Obi-Wan disagreed with her. The
Korda would keep to the treaty. They were a generally peaceful
people who could have wiped out the Ffpaygo when they first
entered their system centuries ago if they had wanted to do so.
But their only interest had been in colonizing the uninhabited
moon. Now that the process of relocating their colonists had
already begun, they had no reason to attack the moon. The
session adjourned before further arguments could be made.
That night Lily showed Obi-Wan around the capital city. They
danced and dined, watched performers in the town square and
walked along the river under a starry sky before Obi-Wan
returned to the room he shared with Master Luar Yg, his hair
dripping river water from his spontaneous late-night swim with
the Ambassador, his clothes suspiciously dry. Luar snored and
rolled into the middle of the wide bed he shared with the
padawan. Obi quietly undressed and climbed into bed. His heart
ached for Qui-Gon and his stomach churned queasily with guilt.
But the next day he breakfasted with Lily and let her hold his
hand.
"Is that ALL you ever talk about?" she asked.
"What?"
"What?" she rolled her eyes. "Qui-Gon settled the
Hundred Years Feud; Qui-Gon hunted wild Steel birds,
Qui-Gon always ate his eggs with Ulba sauce, the silly
man; don't you ever run out?!"
"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan muttered. He would have to watch that.
The next two days were spent arguing over Lily's proposal. As
far as Obi-Wan could tell, the council seemed evenly split.
There were an odd number of representatives, though, and he
couldn't tell which side would get the extra vote.
The third night, Obi-Wan found himself alone with Lily in her
room, sitting on her bed while she brushed her hair in front of
her mirror, hair that was longer and silkier than Qui-Gon's,
hair that flowed like liquid over her smooth shoulders.
"I'm going to shower," she sighed, standing. "Want to join me?"
A surge of heat hardened his groin, but he successfully fought
it back.
"No thanks, I should be getting back to Master Yg."
She traced his ear with a manicured fingertip and whispered
into it, letting her impossibly soft hair fall against his face
and neck and chest. "Are you sure?" she breathed.
"Yes," he answered firmly. Her fingers slipped under his shirt
at the waist.
"Please?"
"I said 'no'." He tried not to let his agitation show in his
voice. She slumped onto the bed.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, blushing.
"No, look, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression."
"I understand. You were - lonely. Without your master." She
paused. "Can I ask you something?" she asked quietly,
hesitantly. "How are you going to vote tomorrow?" There was
pleading in her voice.
Obi-Wan sighed. He had avoided the topic of the trade proposal.
"I'm sorry, Lily. I know this bill means a lot to you -"
"like your master does to you - "
"Um, yes. But I cannot support giving the Tessians that kind of
power, nor do I think it wise to continue to distrust the Korda
with such paranoia." He waited for the onslaught.
"But you love your Master Qui-Gon?"
"Yes, of course. What does that have to do with it?" She cocked
an eyebrow, then reached to the nightstand and turned on a
holoprojector. A holograph of Qui-Gon flickered into focus in
front of Obi-Wan. Obi's throat knotted and his heart leapt. It
had been so long, so much wishing and remembering. A flood of
grief and longing and glee at the sight washed over him before
he released that the holograph wasn't moving. He was sitting in
a chair with his eyes open, breathing, but his hands were
behind his back and his feet were chained to the chair legs.
The eyes were glazed over and the lips hung slack with rivulets
of drool creeping from the corners through his beard.
"What's wrong with him?" Obi whirled on the ambassador.
She grinned. "What you are seeing is a recording taken four
days ago. He is in very much the same state as we speak, except
that its been another four days since he's eaten anything. He's
been drugged for a week now. We've given him water a few
times."
"Why?"
"If he didn't get any water -"
"You know what I mean," Obi said, menacingly calm - he hoped.
He had the urge to just punch the bitch, but of course he
didn't.
"With your vote tomorrow, we will win." We meant the
Tessians, not the moon Ffpaygos, he realized. "Without it, your
master will die."
"You must know that a Jedi will not compromise the Light side
and his own morals to selfishly save a friend."
"Oh, but you have already, haven't you? Otherwise you would be
with your beloved Master now, in hell. You'll do it again, or
he'll die. I'll get paid either way."
Obi-Wan weighed his options. He had snuck out the night before
despite the oppressive watch of Jun's coconspirators, but he
hadn't found any way to help his master escape, nor had the
authorities been able to capture any of Jun's thugs. And
without evidence, all they could do was watch her confidently
meander into the voting hall the next day behind Obi-Wan.
The ballot. Yes, no, abstain. Obi-Wan considered voting for
Jun's bill. After Qui-Gon was safely returned home he could
reveal the Tessians' plan and demand a revote. But by then it
could be too late for the Ffpaygo people - their planets would
be surrounded by Tessian warships powered by the Ffpaygo's
secret power source. He could abstain, leaving a tie that would
force a revote, but Qui-Gon's captors might kill him anyway. Or
he could end the Tessian threat here and now, and his beloved
Master would be the only casualty. The only one that would ever
matter. Obi-Wan sighed and hit the button marked "yes."
In Qui-Gon's dream, he was Obi-Wan. He was on a cold, hungry
desert plateau, watching his master fall over the side. He was
standing in the rocky ravine when the body hit bottom,
silently, shattering into bloody pieces on jagged stone. A
voice rose from the blackened pieces of Qui-Gon Jinn. "Help me,
Obi-Wan. You're my only ... Help me, my only hope..." He tried
to pick up the bits and mash them back together, but every
piece he found amongst the rocks turned out to be his genitals.
And then he was back on the cliff, watching his master fall,
fall...
Qui-Gon awoke.
"Oh, you're already up." He couldn't see his captor, but the
voice sounded Tessian. "You must be growing a tolerance to our
anesthesia. As long as you're awake, I'll get you some water.
Don't go anywhere now." A door opened and closed somewhere
beyond the blindfold. Qui-Gon noted the distance to the door,
the material of the walls which the sound echoed off of, the
strength of the cuffs that bound his hands and feet. The
Tessian returned and removed the gag from his mouth to pour
water down his throat, a throat to swollen to swallow. Then
something rubbed his arm, and the skin felt cool. Alcohol.
"You just gave me my injection. If you give me another, it will
kill me." Qui-Gon rasped, without managing to make a single
word intelligible.
"What did you say? Here, have more water and maybe I'll
understand you."
"You already gave me my injection."
"Then why aren't you unconscious?"
"I am."
"The syringe is still full..." He was speaking to himself now,
trying to work out his thoughts aloud.
"I am very unconscious."
"You won't wake up before the boss' shift is over, will you?"
"No. I am very, VERY unconscious."
Silence. Then Qui-Gon felt a hand on his knee. He wished his
captor was still speaking to himself so he would know his
intentions. Asking might break the effects of his mind trick,
so he waited patiently as the hand slid up his thigh. It
stopped short of his crotch and transferred to the bottom of
his cloak and began pulling the hem up. The hand rested on
Qui-Gon's hip. The man had to be kneeling in front of him. By
the time he started pulling on the waistband of his pants,
Qui-Gon had levitated his keys and his gun from his pocket and
unlocked the chain that bound his torso to the chair.
When he felt the fingers on his waistband, he thrust his knees
up into the man's neck. Stunned wheezing. Qui-Gon tipped his
chair to the floor in time to avoid a fist to his own throat,
then rolled away from the chair. By now, the floating keys had
unlocked his feet. He staggered onto them, ignoring a wave of
dizziness that washed over him, but before he could get his
bearings, he hit to floor under the full weight of his captor,
a greater weight than he had expected. It pinned him to the
floor, and his feet were reshackled.
And then Tessian reached for the syringe, giving away its
location. As soon as Qui-Gon knew where it was, it flew into
the man's arm and the plunger depressed. The Tessian had time
to pull it out and stare at it for a moment, stand up, and kick
the Jedi in the side before collapsing.
Qui-Gon freed his hands and feet, removed the blindfold and
snuck into the hallway, taking the keys, the gun, the flask of
water, and a sandwich his guard had been eating when he woke
up. He was on a Tessian Class 3 warship with a regular
compliment of three shuttles in the bay. When he got there,
however, wounding several guards in the process, it was empty,
so he made his way to the bridge. It had been a long time since
he'd commandeered a warship, but he hadn't lost his touch.
Master Yg insisted that Obi-Wan attended the victory
celebration. Jun's bill had failed by one vote - Obi-Wan's
vote, foiling the Tessian's plans of violent conquest. But
Obi-Wan didn't feel like celebrating. He found a quiet balcony
and sipped a strong Ffpaygo root alcohol in misery and staring
out into the bleak darkness until Master Yg interrupted his
reverie.
"Any news about Master Qui-Gon?" he asked hopefully.
"Not yet, for you."
"You would tell me if there were, right? Your punishment
surely doesn't extend to -"
"Your punishment is over, Obi-Wan. You have passed the test."
Obi-Wan glared at him in disbelief. "You did not give in to the
fear of losing your lover to death. You made the right
decision, despite the circumstances."
"I may have passed the test," Obi-Wan replied evenly. At that
moment, he didn't care about the Jedi code - he didn't care if
anger lead to the dark side - the only thing that kept him from
being angry at Master Yg was that his loss of his lover was not
his fault. Although the young man couldn't help thinking that
Qui-Gon never would have been captured if the Council hadn't
separated them. " But the punishment has just begun."
"Come with me."
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay here."
"Come with me," the master repeated patiently. Obi-Wan followed
him back through the ballroom and into a side lounge. Seated on
a plush chaise, bruised and scrawny but ginning from ear to
ear, was Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan's jaw dropped and his heart thumped. He hurried to his
master and knelt on the floor next to him, taking his hand and
staring at his face, still unable to speak.
"Obi-Wan, my love, I've missed you." And he knelt on the floor
with his padawan and embraced him. His warm arms squeezed the
grief out of Obi-Wan's chest with each breath. The younger Jedi
began to laugh and cry, and his tears were wiped onto his
lover's neck and hair as he pressed his face into them and
squeezed. Qui-Gon also began to laugh, then pulled back and
held his padawan's face in both hands, wiping tears from the
flushed skin with his thumbs. They kissed tenderly, then
embraced again.
"The punishment is over," Master Yg pronounced. "And now
for the reward."
"Reward?" Obi asked through Qui-Gon's curtain of silken hair.
He sensed that Qui-Gon had already been informed about this.
"I've spoken with the Jedi Council. They've agreed to reunite
you, with their blessing." The tears steamed faster, tears of
joy Obi was glad Master Yg couldn't see, and glad Qui-Gon could
feel their cool sweetness. "However, Master Jinn must stay on
Coruscant for the next two weeks to recover his health." Uh
oh... "He will be left in the care of his capable Padawan."
Obi-Wan grinned, and pulled back, to see Qui-Gon grinning back.
They kissed again, but this time Qui-Gon parted his lips and
tugged playfully at Obi-'s tongue with his own. Master Yg
discreetly left the room.
Obi-Wan brought his master another bowl of chicken soup and sat
on the edge of his bed while Qui-Gon slurped contentedly.
"I don't think I really passed that test, Master."
Qui-Gon continued sipping, not looking up. "Why do you say
that, my padawan?"
"I did feel fear. A whole smelly Hutt-full of paralyzing
terror... that I would lose you."
"But you did the right thing anyways."
"Not because I was strong enough! Only because I knew
you'd get out of it somehow." He considered for a moment and
added "... as long as it was the 'right thing' for you to do."
Qui-Gon finally looked up, holding Obi-Wan's gaze solemnly.
"Don't you see? That was your strength: your faith in
me. I don't care what he Council says, Obi, I will always see
love as a strength, not a weakness." He caressed his cheek
lovingly. "Always." Obi-Wan's eyes sparkled and his nostril
flared minisculey as he inhaled deeply, contently, overcome
with love. Qui-Gon smiled at his reaction, and Obi smiled back,
the impish twist in his lips altering the mood.
"How did you escape from the Tessians, Master?"
Qui-Gon laughed. "Their drugs are not as strong as I am."
Obi squeezed his biceps. "I don't know, you seem pretty feeble
to me."
"The still healers insist on only mild exercises..."
"Excuses, excuses."
"Fortunately, I have other ways of working out."
"Oh, what's that?"
Qui-Gon set the soup on the nightstand. "Come here, you!" he
laughed, pulling Obi into his arms and kissing him brusquely.
"Mmm..." Obi mumbled, lapping at the soft underbelly of his
lover's tongue. "... chicken." Qui-Gon tried to pull back, but
Obi's hands at the back of his neck under his hair held him in
place. "And peas." He licked his chin. "And, is that carrot in
your old- man-drool?"
"Hey!" Incensed, Qui-Gon threw his padawan onto the bed and
straddled him after pulling Obi's cloak over his head and
burying his face in pillows, muffling his giggles. Then he
pulled off his pants and yanked his feet into the air, exposing
his backside. "Slow down, gramps; I wouldn't want you to
inflame your joints or anything," Obi tried to say. He was
laughing to hard to really get it out, but Qui-Gon understood
the donkey noises emanating from under the pillows.
"Something's inflamed," he muttered. "But I can fix that, don't
you worry." He pulled down his own pants and pushed himself
into his lover. Obi-Wan's laughter abruptly turned to a
completely different kind of gasp, followed by heady grunts.
Qui-Gon held his hips still and rested his upper torso on the
backs of Obi's thighs, letting his weight slowly push Obi's
knees to his hard, sweaty chest as his penis eased deeper and
deeper into the young man's body until he cried out. By then,
the pillows had fallen to the floor, and Qui-Gon pulled the
cloak down to his chest. The dark cloth framed his padawan's
round face and short, sweat-drenched hair. Qui-Gon licked his
lips, then delved into his mouth, kissing leisurely, and still
not moving his hips. Obi barely kissed back; he had begun to
squirm and occasionally buck. Qui-Gon slipped a hand from his
hip to hold his erection carelessly, and Obi began pumping full
tilt, his big toe thumping the headboard comically with each
oscillation.
Qui-Gon lost it and drove himself arythmicly in and out, his
hand tightened and tugging on Obi's arousal in his tense
excitement. His lips left Obi's when the angle of his body
raised slightly and his other hand gripped Obi's shoulder near
the neck so that the hard heat of his penis could penetrate
deeper, and his hip bones ground into the taut muscle of Obi's
derriere, not hearing himself groaning bluntly while he
pounded.
Obi moaned and grunted, then cried "Master!" in a trembling
forte, but the warm liquid squirting Qui-Gon's hand barely
registered in his mind until his own erection tightened and
swelled and burst with gyrating shocks of gratification.
When he had started to catch his breath, he pulled Obi's legs
down and they wrapped around him as he leisurely began licking
at the cum on Obi-Wan's chest. Obi played with his hair and
sighed.
"If only all hospitals were like this..." Qui-Gon mused.
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