Master Apprentice
Archive
|
|
|||
Archive: MA and my site, the Flamethrower's Archive
Category: Q/O, AU, Slash!, Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: err... Not for children.
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: *gasp* TPM!
Summary: Attainment: n. 1. The act of attaining or the condition of being attained. 2. Something, such as an accomplishment or achievement, that is attained.
Feedback: Oh, yes yes yes yes yes. I am a feedback vacuum! I'll also take critiques. I fear them not!
Thanks: to Lori, who is one kick-ass beta, a very good egg, and family.
Disclaimer: "Rob? That's a naughty word, we never rob! We just... sort of borrow."
"Borrow? Boy, are we in debt!"
Series order so far is:
Bits and Pieces - Will be revamped eventually.
Attainment <--You are here.
Feedback: *bats eyelashes* Pretty please?
There was a really irritating beeping coming from the general direction of his left ear. Obi-Wan Kenobi cracked open one eye and winced. The rest he had attempted to get seemed to have done more harm than good. His head buzzed faintly, and he recognized the sensation of overextending himself on a psychic level. The Force may be infinite, but human bodies were not, and holding the Temple together after the bombing had left him more drained than he'd originally thought.
He touched the comm lying on the bed beside him, not yet willing to move more than he had to. "Kenobi."
"Hey, Obi-Wan." Tascha Farrel, one of the Temple guard, spoke in return. She was, incidentally, another creche mate of his. "I've got some visitors here asking for you, and I was wondering what I should do with them. I tried telling ‘em that you were probably too bashed in to give ‘em the time of day right now, but the girl insisted. Said it was terribly important."
Girl? Obi-Wan opened both eyes. "Who are they?"
"Uh… Padmé Naberrie and Eirtaé. And they're really cute, Obi-Wan. Introduce me?"
Obi-Wan smiled. "Introduce yourself, Tascha. You're quite capable. Though, stick with Eirtaé – my Padawan would have words with you if you attached yourself to Naberrie."
Tascha snorted through the comm. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Could you escort them to my rooms, Tascha? She's right – it really is important."
"Gotcha, Obi-Wan. I'll tell them they get to see the vast wonders of the interior of the Temple. See you in a few minutes."
He sat up wearily, looking at the comm as if it were the source of all his troubles. It was almost true, he thought, sighing ruefully. He turned the comm back on anyway, this time keying in Mace Windu's private code. "Master Windu?"
Mace Windu wound up being the last to arrive, despite the fact that he was the first Obi-Wan spoke to. He was still damp from what had to have been a fast shower. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, when Obi-Wan opened the door for him. "I didn't think our guests wanted to deal with someone covered in trash."
"It's all right," Obi-Wan said, motioning for the Jedi Master to join them. "It gave the others time to clean up, as well."
Obi-Wan glanced around. Padmé and her handmaiden, Eirtaé, were seated together on the couch. Anakin had not-so-subtly sat down next to Padmé. Qui-Gon leaned against the closest wall next to the door, tired and emotionally drained from helping sort through the ruins of the creche. Obi-Wan brushed the side of his face with the Force in a comforting gesture, and Qui-Gon turned his face into the invisible touch, giving him a grateful smile.
Yoda was content to sit on the floor on top of Obi-Wan's bed pillows, humming quietly to himself. The ancient Master looked far more careworn than usual. Mace sat down next to Yoda and touched the other Master's clawed hand, his expression gentle and loving. It was one of the only times Obi-Wan had ever seen Mace express himself so openly. Yoda looked up at Mace, smiling a tired smile, nodding in response to an unvoiced question. He found his heart aching at the exchange as it struck some chord in his memories, but he couldn't seem to recall exactly why.
The bombing of the creche was either going to tear the Jedi apart, or it was going to bring them firmly together for the first time in years. Obi-Wan desperately hoped it would be the latter.
He wished that Micah Giett had been able to join them, but the Master was still helping the other Jedi find appropriate temporary homes for the Initiates. Rebuilding the creche was going to take months, and it would be years before all of the Temple's damage was repaired. Jill-Hyra had been manipulated very thoroughly.
"Okay, Padmé," Obi-Wan said, choosing to stand. Not that there was a lot of floor space left, anyway. That would teach him not to replace the chair that Garen and Reeft had accidentally destroyed. "Tell them what you told me. There is no one in this room that you cannot trust."
Padmé smiled, letting her hood finally fall back. Beside her, Eirtaé did the same, long used to mirroring the Queen's actions. "My friend and handmaiden, Sabé, is currently attending an emergency session of the Senate regarding the Temple bombing. She is there as Queen Amidala in my place." Mace raised his eyebrow at that, but remained silent. Padmé's tactics were not unheard of among Republic rulers. Padmé paused, her eyes reflecting her sadness. "I am sorry for what happened. I'm glad that none of your children were lost in the attack."
Master Yoda inclined his head. "Kind are your words, Queen Amidala. Thank you for them, the Jedi do, for heartfelt are they."
Padmé nodded to Yoda seriously in return. "I came here tonight for two reasons. The first I have already mentioned to Obi-Wan, and he thinks my suspicions are correct. I believe that the Temple was attacked to draw attention away from the crisis on Naboo." She hesitated. "I know how arrogant that sounds. But the timing is very convenient."
"And it's worked," Obi-Wan said, resisting the urge to pace. "Naboo's plight has been completely forgotten by Coruscant society. There has not been any mention of it for hours – and I've been looking."
Qui-Gon nodded. "I can't say that I'm surprised. The Naboo people are very far away. The Jedi? We're right here on Coruscant, and an attack on the Temple is the best bit of gossip they've had in years."
"Not just gossip, Master Jedi," Eirtaé spoke in a soft voice. "There is also fear. The people here are worried that if someone can harm their protectors, then they can be harmed, also." She smiled at Mace's questioning look. "There are advantages to being a shadow behind a Queen, Master Windu. People see only her. Tongues tend to loosen a bit around her handmaidens."
"Now that must be a useful source of information for a young ruler," Mace said, looking at Padmé with new respect.
Padmé smiled back, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Indeed it is, Master Windu."
Yoda tapped his gimer stick on the floor to gain their attention. "Forgotten the Naboo, the Jedi have not. Closed, the matter of the invasion is not. Assigned to you, two Jedi and their Padawan still are. Ask something of us, you wish to?"
"Yes, Master Jedi. I have decided that I will go back to Naboo. Despite our earlier progress, I no longer believe that the Senate will help me. If they require more proof before they will act, I will simply have to procure it. Senator Palpatine wishes me to stay, but he has been away from Naboo for too long, I'm afraid. He does not fear for our people the way that I do." Padmé's eyes hardened. "I am going to take back my planet. I even have a fairly good idea of how, though it hinges on a new friend of mine." She hesitated, clasping her hands together. "The Senate is so mired that even if they had decided to help me, I now think it would have taken months for any true action to occur. And so, I have come directly to the Jedi, and I ask: Will you help me?"
Mace and Yoda exchanged surprised glances. "We are a neutral body, Your Highness," Mace said carefully. "This is a political matter."
"It is your very neutrality that brought me to ask," Padmé retorted. "You are the Guardians of peace and justice in our galaxy. Or do the Jedi no longer claim to be such?"
Obi-Wan hid a grin behind his hand, knowing that Qui-Gon was also fighting his amusement. If there was one thing the young Queen of Naboo had never tolerated, it was verbal evasion.
"Besides," Padmé continued, and her expression softened. "If you really think about it, the Jedi have already been officially assigned to negotiate with the Trade Federation on Naboo's behalf. Nowhere in the records of the decision does it specify how many Jedi are involved, or what the negotiations are limited to."
"She's got you there," Anakin pointed out. Qui-Gon laughed, not stopping even when Mace glared at him.
"Master Windu," Obi-Wan stepped into the conversation, knowing that the Jedi Councilor was going to need one more motive to be swayed. "You're right, and she's right. But the blockade of Naboo is now a Jedi matter, as well." When everyone looked at him curiously, he continued. "There is a Sith out there who is going to stop at nothing to see that Treaty signed. Sith are a Jedi matter." It made his shoulders ache with tension to think about meeting Darth Maul on Naboo, but he had little choice; Obi-Wan knew that he and Qui-Gon had the best chance against the Sith.
As much as he hated the very idea of Qui-Gon Jinn anywhere in the vicinity of Darth Maul.
Master Yoda nodded. "Right, you are. Aid the Naboo require, and found, the Sith must be." He regarded Padmé with a tiny smile. "To the Council we must take this matter, Your Highness. Certain I am, though, that granted, your request will be. Go with you, the Jedi will." Obi-Wan smiled in relief. If Yoda said it was so, then it was so – even if the old Master had to bully everyone else into agreeing.
"But be warned, we cannot fight a war for you," Mace pointed out sternly. "We will help where we can, but we are peacekeepers, not soldiers."
Padmé nodded her acceptance of Mace's words. "I understand, Master Windu. I am thankful for your help, regardless. When will the Jedi be prepared to leave?"
Mace, to Obi-Wan's surprise, actually shrugged. "The Jedi are always prepared to leave, Your Highness. Tell us when."
Padmé smiled. "Very well then. Tomorrow evening, after the last Senate hearing of the day. If you send a message to my ship, I will ensure that my pilot coordinates with yours for the flight."
After Padmé and her handmaiden departed, Obi-Wan watched Yoda slowly get to his feet. He could sense the exhaustion that permeated everyone in the room, along with concern for those still working in the creche. Anakin left the couch and sat down at his Master's feet, leaning back against Obi-Wan's legs, while Qui-Gon claimed the vacated couch and sat wearily upon it.
Yoda lowered his ears, tapping his gimer stick on the floor. "Tired, we all are. The Council, Master Windu and I will call. Discuss the Naboo matter with them, we must, though change, the answer will not. Needed, the Jedi are." He narrowed his pale green eyes. "Tired I am. A plaything of the Senate, the Jedi are not."
Mace, in the process of standing, threw a startled look down at Yoda. Qui-Gon was doing much the same. "Yoda, the Jedi are not…" Mace trailed off, staring unhappily down at Yoda, who glared up at him.
Yoda shifted from one foot to the other restlessly. "Think so, I did not. Changing my mind, I am." He looked across Obi-Wan's living room, staring out the darkened windows. The Senate Hall was visible in the distance, one of the most brightly lit buildings on Coruscant. "Right, is young Amidala. A Jedi matter, this is. A Jedi matter, this has always been. Wait for the Senate to tell us to help, we do." His nostrils flared – Yoda was angry – truly angry. Obi-Wan's heart ached for him, but this was a lesson that the Jedi had to learn on their own. Obi-Wan could not make the decision for them, as much as he yearned to. He knew full well what the price had once been.
"Too late, it could have been. Our help, given already it should have been." Yoda sighed, his shoulders slumping. He looked up at Qui-Gon with a faint glimmer of humor. "Right you were, Master Qui-Gon. Too few, our numbers are. If strong, the Jedi truly were, then happening, this might not be."
Mace was shaking his head. "Enough has happened today already, Master Yoda. We will be asking enough of the Council tonight – asking to change things now –"
"Changes there have already been!" Yoda shocked them all by yelling. "Changed four years ago, they did!" He pointed his gimer stick at Obi-Wan, who could only stare back sadly. "Complacent we were, despite all things!" He shook his head. "Time, we thought we had. Time, we do not have. Do we?" he asked Obi-Wan, his voice sharp and demanding.
"Time you still have," Obi-Wan whispered back, feeling the weight of too much experience pressing down on him, equaled only by the weight of the terrible understanding in Yoda's eyes. "But not as much as you might wish for."
"All right. All right," Mace gave in, shrugging in defeat. "Let's go rile them up. Then, I'm going with you three," he said, meaning Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Anakin.
"Running away, you are?" Yoda asked, one ear cocked.
Mace sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "If you think I'm willingly going to stay here and listen to Yarael bitch about how this just isn't done, you're crazier than any of us."
Finally they were alone, Qui-Gon leaving after giving Obi-Wan a kiss, saying that he was going to put a clean set of sheets on the bed in his unused second bedroom. Obi-Wan and Anakin's quarters was scheduled to be occupied by one of the creche Masters and several children in her charge. "Let's go pack," Obi-Wan said quietly, not missing a yawn his Padawan tried to hide. Anakin had worked hard to shuffle children away from the ruined creche and into the gardens, and then had joined the teams that were sifting through the creche debris. Tonight, he knew, his Padawan was going to sleep like something dead.
Obi-Wan was in the midst of sealing a bag when the chime to their quarters rang. He felt Anakin move to answer it, and then felt his Padawan's surprise at their visitor. Obi-Wan was a bit confused, also – he didn't think Micah would see them tonight. Leaving his bedroom, he found Micah standing in front of Anakin. There was a Wookiee youth standing beside Micah. Raallandirr.
Her black and white brindled fur was shorn off in patches, and bandages highlighted the bare skin where her wounds from the creche bombing had been treated. She was alert, regardless of what had happened today, and was glancing around the room with inquisitive green eyes.
"Obi-Wan, you know Rillian from the A.L.T. class," Micah said. He was leaning against his staff wearily, probably sheer stubbornness the only thing keeping him upright. "She's the only one left without a place to stay. I figured that since Anakin was originally going to share with Saini, before she was Chosen this evening, he wouldn't mind bunking with someone else."
Anakin grinned. "I don't mind if my Masters don't mind. We're staying with Master Qui-Gon tonight, so unless he has some weird allergy to Wookiee hair…"
Obi-Wan laughed, wincing at the cracked sound of his voice, and admitted to himself that Micah was probably not the only one in the room ready to fall down. "He does not. Micah, it's fine. Though she'll have the entire place to herself after tomorrow – we're leaving for Naboo."
Micah shrugged, catching his long braid of hair and idly dusting it off – usually black, tonight Micah's tail knot was white with dust. "So we'll figure something out after tomorrow. But for tonight… Obi-Wan, we're all bloody exhausted. If it's really fine with you, I'm going to go sit on my couch and fall into a coma."
"It's fine. You have what you need?" Obi-Wan asked the Wookiee girl. She merely held up a small bag in response. He smiled at her, reassuring. "Don't worry, you're not an inconvenience, Rillian. We'll enjoy the extra company." She finally smiled back, more comfortable about being foisted onto them.
"Great! Good nite, folks," Micah said, limping in obvious discomfort as he left Obi-Wan's quarters. Obi-Wan regarded his retreating figure fondly – Tahl was going to verbally flay him for letting his leg and hip get that bad. Not that she wouldn't understand that it had been necessary – she just liked to expound upon her mate.
"Well, everybody grab your things and let's go. Maybe we'll actually be asleep by midnight," Obi-Wan said with forced cheer.
"Come on, Rillian," Anakin said, smiling. "You're going to like Master Qui-Gon. He tells really great stories, if you ask him nicely."
Rillian rumbled, raising an eyebrow at Anakin's comment. They were much of a height, though that wouldn't last – Wookiees tended to grow rapidly at Rillian's age. [After today, all I require is a pillow, Skywalker.]
Qui-Gon greeted Obi-Wan in the doorway with a soft kiss, and Obi-Wan felt a smile form against his lips when Anakin giggled. "No comment, you," he said, when Qui-Gon withdrew.
"Yes Master," Anakin agreed, grinning unrepentantly. "But he's blocking the doorway."
Qui-Gon grinned and stepped back, letting the three of them enter. "And who's this?" he said, catching sight of the black and white Wookiee.
Anakin made the introductions, as he was the most familiar with her. "Master Qui-Gon Jinn, this is Initiate Raallandirr, called Rillian. Rillian, this is Master Qui-Gon."
Rillian bowed, looking down at the floor. [It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Jinn. Padawan Skywalker speaks of you often.]
Qui-Gon smiled. "No one is allowed to stand on formality in my home, Raallandirr. You may address me the same way that Anakin does."
[Then I am Rillian, and I will call you Master Qui-Gon,] Rillian said, finally looking up to meet Qui-Gon's eyes.
At that moment, the Force stuttered, and Obi-Wan tried to jump out of his skin. Qui-Gon and Rillian stared at each other, both practically open-mouthed, as the Force wound its way around and through them, binding them together in one of the few Force-created training bonds that Obi-Wan had ever seen. Every hair on his body stood at attention from the intense rush of energy, and he stumbled back to lean against the wall, stunned.
"Holy crap!"
Anakin yelped, brushing at his arms where his own hair was standing on end.
"What the heck was that!?"
Qui-Gon looked like someone had just kicked him in the back of the head. "Oh… my," he said dazedly. Then he dropped to one knee before a very stunned Wookiee. "Initiate Raallandirr, I would be very honored if you would become my Padawan."
Rillian blinked dazedly. [I think I would be an idiot to refuse,] she rumbled. [Master Jinn, I would be honored to accept.] Then, dignity forgotten, she threw herself into Qui-Gon's arms.
Anakin took in this display with a very confused expression on his face before looking up at Obi-Wan. "I think this means that when we really do move in with Qui-Gon, we're going to need a bunk bed." Obi-Wan could only nod faintly in reply.
This… this was definitely unexpected.
He hadn't wanted to go to sleep after that, caught up as he was in Qui-Gon and Rillian's delight, but the events of the day conspired against him. He had stumbled off to bed after giving the Wookiee his very sincere congratulations, suddenly unable to stand upright any longer.
Of course, once he had made it into bed, sleep had eluded him, and he had listened with half a mental ear as Qui-Gon had spent time with Rillian. She was thirteen years old, and by the time they would have returned from Naboo, she would have been up for reassignment in the Corps. No one had approached her in any way to discuss her becoming a Padawan, though the creche Masters and even Yoda had told her that she was quite capable. She was even-tempered – at least, for a Wookiee – and had once shocked her teachers by asking about the use of two lightsabers in combat.
Most of their precious few hours together had just been the two basking in the new training bond. Obi-Wan was glad that Rillian seemed to be enjoying it – he knew full how delightful it was to have a place in Qui-Gon Jinn's thoughts. Now he could sense Anakin conferring with Rillian in the darkness of the other bedroom, as the Wookiee shyly asked questions about what Qui-Gon was like, and what he might expect of her. Obi-Wan was amused that she pointedly did not ask about Master Obi-Wan – the Temple rumor mills were probably informative enough.
"How is she?" Obi-Wan asked, when Qui-Gon finally came to bed. Obi-Wan lifted the sheets in invitation, and Qui-Gon shed his clothing and joined him. He dismissed the bedroom lights with a thought, and cool darkness descended.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, delighting in the feel of Qui-Gon's warm body pressed up against his bare back. Qui-Gon pressed a kiss to his shoulder before wrapping his arms around him. "She's okay. I was looking at her wounds with the Force, and they're not that bad. Though I'm not sure if I want her to go with us tomorrow."
Obi-Wan smiled in the dark. "I meant, how is she?"
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Sorry. Train of thought and all that, love. I… she's… Force!" he exclaimed. "I haven't felt anything like that since I met you."
"Oh?" Obi-Wan asked, intrigued. "Qui-Gon, I don't really remember the Force trying to have an orgasm on our heads when we first met."
That surprised a laugh from Qui-Gon. "Well, I had met you several times before, if you remember. So there was no great impending rush – the Force had already done its work. I was just being obstinate, and stupid, and very nearly destroyed the entire thing."
There was a hint of old guilt at that, and Obi-Wan pressed himself more firmly against Qui-Gon's chest. "I think things worked out very well," he said, and Qui-Gon laughed again. "When I taught the A.L.T. class, I wondered myself why no one had taken Rillian as a Padawan. She's a terrific student, thinks things through carefully, and tends to use the Force to help her more than most of our children."
"Like someone else I could mention," Qui-Gon said , pressing his face into Obi-Wan's hair and sighing. "I'm not going to be able to convince her to stay here, am I?"
Obi-Wan grinned. "Nope. And Mace is going to have the same problem with Tuuvino. You're both doomed."
Qui-Gon nodded. "I suppose so. It's … very nearly a shock. I never expected to take another Padawan after you were Knighted. I wonder what became of her in your vision?"
Obi-Wan drifted along in the wake of his memories for a moment, trying to track down the unique-looking Wookiee. "I don't ever remember seeing her. I imagine that without you there to claim her, she was sent to the Corps."
"What a waste. She's going to be a joy to teach."
They both lay there, content to enjoy each other's company. Obi-Wan wondered if he should have been more distraught at the creche bombing – and realized most of his distress lay in the form of a dead Jedi Master, currently in stasis in the Healer's Ward. The Initiates had lived through today's chaos. There was a day in Obi-Wan's past when they had not lived. He closed his eyes tightly – he could see the security tapes just as easily now as… He forced the image away. It hasn't happened, and it's not going to.
"May I ask you something?" Qui-Gon asked, the breath of his words stirring Obi-Wan's hair.
"Certainly," Obi-Wan replied. "However, if you ask me anything that requires me to move, the answer is no."
Qui-Gon laughed softly, nuzzling Obi-Wan's ear with his nose. "I am very happy that things are this way between us, Obi-Wan. But I'm still curious. Why didn't you tell me how you felt? Considering that I was fairly oblivious for a while, it might have saved us some time." Qui-Gon's words were phrased in such a way that Obi-Wan had no doubt as to what he would have done with that extra time. Obi-Wan's body twitched, interested in spite of everything. Ah, the virility of youth, he thought wryly.
Qui-Gon's question was something he had once wondered, himself. "I have loved you for a long time, Qui. When I …came to be here again, I was delighted with the thought of being able to say all of the things that I wished to. I was willing to wait, though – to give you the time you needed to adjust to the very dramatic change in our lives. And then, when that time was over, I still did not speak. I could have, and I did not."
"Why?" Qui-Gon asked.
"I was afraid of what the answer might be."
"Afraid?" Qui-Gon didn't sound like it was an answer he had expected. "Why? I had thought… I hoped that you would feel free to tell me anything."
"It's not that," Obi-Wan said quickly. "There was no thought of not trusting you. It's… I suppose you could say that some memories refuse to fade in time." He wasn't sure if he could do this – even now, ghosts of the old hurt rose up, filling his heart with an ache it had carried for more years than he'd thought possible.
"Will you tell me, then?" Qui-Gon asked hesitantly. "If there is anything that would stand between us… As much as I dislike this other Master Jinn that you used to hang around, I'd rather deal with it now, if we can."
Obi-Wan sighed, not wanting to but knowing it was necessary. "This other Master Jinn… the relationship I had with him was very strange. There was, occasionally, the idea that he looked at me as more than just a student, but I was not sure. So, I was willing to be patient. I was the one who decided to respect the Code and wait until I was no longer a Padawan to speak of the fact that I saw him as so much more than a teacher. By then, even if the answer was no, I thought that I would be able to accept it gracefully. I would certainly not be the first person in the galaxy to be rebuffed by one they loved." He smiled – it was a lie he had told himself many times during his Apprenticeship. If Qui-Gon had turned him away, he would indeed have gone gracefully, but there would have been no other for him. He had even lived long enough to know that it was not vanity – it was the truth.
"When this other Master Jinn found Anakin on Tatooine, things changed, abruptly and frighteningly. It wasn't so much that I felt him withdrawing from the training bond so much that I seemed to not really exist any more." He paused. Even now it hurt a little bit – how bewildering it had been, to become inconsequential to someone who he loved as much as life itself. Qui-Gon's arms tightened around him as he sensed Obi-Wan's pain. "This Master Jinn was absolutely certain that Anakin needed to be trained. He was right about that. He truly was. A rogue Force user of Anakin's potential is… frightening, to say the least. But when the Council decided that Anakin was not to join the Order, he decided that he would train Anakin, just to make sure it was done. A Master cannot have two Padawans, so I was recommended rather brusquely for my Trials."
Beside him, Qui-Gon winced. "I really don't like this other Master Jinn. If you ever see him in evidence, let me know, because I'm going to punch him in the face."
Obi-Wan laughed at his mate's unexpected words. "I'm very certain that I'm never going to see him again, Qui."
"Tell me the rest," Qui-Gon said gently. "I know there is more to it than just a… very interesting way of announcing your readiness to become a Knight."
"The Council tried their best to give Master Jinn a verbal slap, but he had his mind set in the matter. I was dubbed unready for my Trials, but honestly, I think they said that just out of frustration with Master Jinn's actions. I found out later from a friend that my Trials had not been that far away, after all." In fact, if it hadn't been for Naboo, he would have been a Knight within the next two months. The Council had been ready to petition Qui-Gon on the matter – and his Master had said nothing to him about it. Ever.
"We were sent back to Naboo with Queen Amidala, to make sure she was protected during her coup on the Trade Federation. Anakin, having no other place to go, went with us. Before we left… we argued. I kept seeing horrible things hanging just out of sight beyond Anakin. I was very, very certain that he was dangerous, and told Master Jinn so. Later I realized that it was not Anakin who was dangerous, but something or someone who would affect him. Too little too late, and Master Jinn did not take my criticism lightly. He was angry, as if my very presence were the reason for… I don't know what for. I don't really know what was going on in his head. We traveled back to Naboo, and I stayed away from him, and spent a lot of time on my knees. When we landed on the planet, I apologized to him."
"Apologized?" Qui-Gon was aghast. "Why?"
Obi-Wan shrugged in Qui-Gon's embrace. "It seemed prudent at the time, and we were about to be involved in a battle. If something happened, I did not want our last words to be spoken in anger."
"You are far more forgiving than I," Qui-Gon said, his fingers tracing comforting patterns on Obi-Wan's arms. "What happened then?"
"We both met with Darth Maul. There was a very frenzied, long, baffling lightsaber fight, and we were separated. I begged him to wait for me – he might have been good, but the Sith was better. We were barely matching him as it was, and that with the two of us fighting together against him. He … either didn't hear me, or did not want to. Maul struck you… Master Jinn, down, but he didn't die right away." Obi-Wan closed his eyes, feeling the burn of grief that still refused to die. If there was one thing he could never forget, it was being trapped behind a wall of red energy, feeling his Master's life force fade, unable to do anything to stop it. He spoke again, and this time he couldn't keep himself distant from the memory. "Maul and I fought. He nearly succeeded in killing me. But he became overconfident, certain that he had won. I killed him, and instantly forgot all about him. All I was concerned about was you," Obi-Wan said, feeling tears fall from his eyes to drop onto the pillow. "I tried… to help you. I couldn't – you wouldn't let me. Despite everything, your last words…" he drew in a ragged breath. "You asked me to train Anakin. I would have promised to do anything you asked, at that point. Training a boy I thought was incredibly dangerous sounded easy in comparison."
Qui-Gon had gone still beside him as he listened. "And?" he asked.
"And nothing," Obi-Wan said, his voice breaking, and he wiped his eyes on his pillow with a quick turn of his head. "Don't ask me to tell you about your pyre, because I have forgotten as much of that day as my mind will let me."
Qui-Gon sighed deeply. "I understand now, why you would be hesitant to speak. That I could… I am sorry, Obi-Wan. If I had known even part of this, I think I would have acted on my own feelings much sooner."
"But you did not. And I think, maybe, it was for the best." Obi-Wan found Qui-Gon's hands, entwining their fingers together. "Perhaps I needed time to adjust, too. I don't… I don't think I could have spoken of this to you, even a year ago," he said, realizing it was true.
"Mmm." Qui-Gon rested his chin on top of Obi-Wan's head. "So, I am not the only one who has changed. Though you have changed even more since then, my love."
Obi-Wan grinned. "I could say something really obvious about that, but I won't. What do you mean?"
"When…" Qui-Gon hesitated. "When you first woke up… Your manner of speaking, the way you carried yourself – it was so drastically different. I felt like I was talking to a stranger. It faded after the first few months, and I actually found myself going back to those early Council transcripts to see if I had imagined it. There is a refinement to your speech that went missing, that first year."
Sudden humor bubbled up from within him, a welcome balm to the wound he had just scoured. "You're saying I no longer talk like I've a stick lodged in my ass."
Qui-Gon sputtered a laugh. "That's very much not what I am saying! Who told you that?"
"Garen." Obi-Wan still remembered that conversation vividly, because it was the first day that he had begun to mute his presence in the Force. "A few weeks after we returned from our first partnered mission, he and I were talking in the gardens. He kept offering me funny looks, and then finally threw up his hands. ‘Gods, I can't take it any more!' he said. ‘Ever since you were Knighted, you sound like someone lodged a great big stick up your arse!'"
Qui-Gon laughed harder. "What did you say?"
"I said, ‘Really? …You know, that never occurred to me. I wasn't trying to –'. Garen rolled his eyes at me. ‘Yes, I know you weren't trying to. You're not even aware of it, which is why none of us said anything. But, you're sixteen, Obi. You sound like you're sixty. Or is there some secret ceremony after your Trials, where everyone gets their own stick? Because it would certainly explain Master Windu, sometimes.'" Obi-Wan grinned, listening as Qui-Gon's laughter gradually ceased. "So I thought about it, and shifted my speech patterns back down to the level of my agemates. It actually sounded like a good idea – maybe I was drawing too much attention to myself."
"And then the sense of you I had in the Force became muted," Qui-Gon said, surprising Obi-Wan with the fact that he had noticed. Noticed, and remembered. "That finally makes sense. I didn't know if you had done it on purpose, or if perhaps…"
"Perhaps certain strengths had faded, as everyone's memory of the vision faded?" Obi-Wan prompted, when Qui-Gon trailed off. "No. It was self-defense. And now, you have a good idea of why."
"The Sith," Qui-Gon agreed.
"And… I know that you do not like this other Master Jinn, my love. But I would rather tell you about him now, than have you face it, unprepared, later."
Qui-Gon half sat up. "What do you mean?"
Obi-Wan rolled over in the loosened embrace, looking up at Qui-Gon. There was enough light coming in through the window that he could see his mate's form, but not his face. "I promised the Council that I would share with them everything that happened. I meant it – everything. I want you to be there. If I've got to have people rooting around in my memories, then I would prefer to have the one I love seeing it all as well. It might not feel so intrusive, then."
Qui-Gon nodded. "I am honored that you wish me to be there, my love." He bent his head, brushing Obi-Wan's lips with a soft kiss.
Obi-Wan stared up into Qui-Gon's shadowed face. This was everything he could have ever wanted, and more. "I would have waited for you forever," he whispered.
Qui-Gon lowered himself back down to the bed and took Obi-Wan back into his arms. "I am so very glad that you did not have to."
[I'm going with you,] Rillian did indeed say, as soon as everyone had stumbled out of bed the next morning. [A Padawan's place is at their Master's side.]
Qui-Gon looked at her, his heart filling with love and delight in the Wookiee that the Force had decreed was his to teach. "What in the worlds have you done to your fur, Padawan?" he asked instead of answering her. Sometime during the night, Rillian had added to the shaved patches the Healers had made, turning them into a rather lovely set of patterns in her fur. Rillian had also pulled her mane back into a tail, highlighting the Padawan braid that he had taught her to make the night before. The braid fell nearly to the bottom of her chin, capped by two emerald green beads. She was already dressed, though not in Jedi tunics. Wookiees in Jedi tunics tended to melt into puddles of desperate, overheated fur. She was instead wearing a tan bandoleer that draped across her torso, and her lightsaber was tucked into a specially designed pocket that hid it most of it from view.
Rillian smiled, turning in a slow circle so that he could see the full extent of the patterns. [I didn't think I should go on my first mission looking like I had mange.] She touched one of the bandages on her forearm. [These will have healed by the time we arrive on Naboo. Anakin told me what was going on,] she explained, when Qui-Gon gave her a questioning look. [At least this way the shaven fur will seem intentional. And you are avoiding my question, Master.]
Qui-Gon studied the Wookiee intently enough that she ducked her head and looked at the floor. "If I allow this, you will obey me at all times. If I'm not there, you obey Obi-Wan's instructions, or those of any other Master. If you don't even have that luxury, look to Anakin, for he will be able to help you. And if I tell you to stay on the ship when we land on Naboo, what will you say?"
Rillian looked up at that, a hint of a thirteen year olds' defiance in her eyes. [I will say "Yes, Master", though I will not like it. I will do as you say.]
Qui-Gon's lips quirked in a smile. "Honesty is a very good quality for a Padawan to have, Raallandirr. You may go with us."
She smiled then, fairly radiating happiness. [Thank you, Master.]
Qui-Gon smiled back, watching her place dignity aside and willingly accept the hug he offered. Force, he thought. I really am doomed. He consoled himself with the fact that Mace was probably having a very similar conversation, with the same results.
They stepped into the Temple hangar, and it was a larger group awaiting them than Obi-Wan expected. Mace was there, with Tuuvino standing just to the left and behind him, in the proper place for a Padawan. The small Zabrack boy looked ecstatic, despite the cast that encased his left leg. Tuuvino's bones had been shattered badly enough in the blast that even after Force healing, the Healers had insisted upon keeping the leg protected for the time being.
With Mace and Tuuvino were Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, and Yoda. Terza was there with her Padawan, Abella, both of them dressed for travel and bearing their own packs. Garen Muln was standing to the left of the group with Micah Giett, giving the older man shifty looks that said he was going to make his Master sit down soon, or he was going to physically sit upon him. Adi Gallia was talking with Micah, and Siri Tachi, who Obi-Wan had literally not seen in three years, stood next to her, a sardonic smile gracing her face.
Mace noticed them first, waving a greeting. Then he noticed Rillian, walking quietly two steps behind and to the left of Qui-Gon, and offered Obi-Wan's mate a questioning look. Qui-Gon nodded in reply, and Mace grinned at them. "Looks like I'm not the only one who was adopted, people."
Everyone looked at Rillian quietly for a moment, and the Wookiee ducked her head, unused to being the focus of so many senior Masters at once.
Adi stepped forward, offering the girl her hand. "Congratulations, Padawan," she said to Rillian. "Welcome to the fold."
[Thank you, Master Gallia,] Rillian said, accepting the Corellian woman's hand. [It's good to be here.]
"I think this is a bit more than we originally planned for," Qui-Gon said, raising an eyebrow at the large group of Jedi.
Micah shrugged, offering them a lopsided grin. "We volunteered. You four and Mace were the only ones officially assigned to the Naboo crusade. The rest of us… just sort of showed up."
"The Naboo crusade, huh?" Siri laughed. "I like it. Maybe someone will even make up a song about it."
Mace clapped his hands once, sharply, gaining their attention. "We're leaving the Temple during a crisis within our ranks, and that is something that many people may criticize us for. Why should we leave, when we should be taking care of our own?" He shook his head, staring hard at each of them in turn. "You are going to tell them that we are taking care of our own. The Jedi are not separate from the rest of the galaxy. Those are our people out there, and right now, they need our help."
Adi grinned broadly at Mace. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?"
Obi-Wan felt hope stir within him at the words of his friends. Lofla Jill-Hyra may well have done the Jedi the greatest favor she could ever bestow.
There was a bewilderingly busy trip through hyperspace that followed. Queen Amidala – and finally it was Padmé underneath the makeup - spoke to them at length over holo-transmission, telling the Jedi of her plan to contact the Gungans and their army. Qui-Gon had looked to Obi-Wan about that, and Obi-Wan had smiled and nodded. The Gungan army, despite the fact that they were used to underwater battles, was still a sight to behold on land.
The Jedi spent the rest of the day coming up with possible additions to Queen Amidala's plan, as well as alternatives. They even discussed measures for helping her take back Theed if the Gungan army couldn't be mustered. Obi-Wan helped with that, a surprising amount of guerrilla tactics spilling forth from his memory from a war that had not yet occurred. There had been enough differences in the last few days that he was planning for every contingency. (Anakin had given him an appraising look and announced that the General was back, to the amusement and confusion of the others.)
Qui-Gon spent much of the next day working with Rillian, strengthening the Force-enhanced training bond between them, and then invited Obi-Wan and Anakin into the bond as well. By the time the second day drew to a close, Obi-Wan had bonds with three people, and they were all braided together so tightly that they would be able to function as a unit with no difficulty. Anakin and Rillian would be able to speak to each other mentally as easily as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were able to speak to them. Rillian, with typical Wookiee aplomb, was adapting to her new status and responsibilities with grace and ease.
That night, Obi-Wan lay on the bunk next to a sleeping Qui-Gon, head pillowed on the other's shoulder. Anakin and Rillian were asleep with the rest of the Padawans in the cabin next door – the Padawans had decided to take advantage of the flight time to get to know the new faces and renew acquaintance with the older ones.
Fragments of pleasant dreams filtered through the three bonds in his mind. Oh yes, he thought, snuggling closer to Qui-Gon and Force-tucking Anakin's fallen blanket back into place. This is much better than last time. Before, he had still been seething at Qui-Gon's blatant dismissal, and had avoided his Master until he had managed to bury his anger. Long ago he had realized that his reaction to Anakin had been both warranted yet wrong; Anakin wasn't the danger that he had desperately tried to warn his Master against. He had merely been an instrument of that danger. It made Obi-Wan feel guilty all over again, despite the fact that he was now doing everything he could to make up for his near-sightedness. But Qui-Gon's dismissal – even now, aged twice over, he knew his Master's response had once been entirely unreasonable.
Obi-Wan thought about the Master of that vision and the Master he was currently using as a pillow. The changes were really astounding, and if it weren't for recent events, he would wonder if his own doubts and fears had colored that Qui-Gon's actions and reactions. He no longer doubted that – the old Qui-Gon had been far colder, more aloof. Not to everyone – just Jedi. It was something that confused him, even now: how his Master could be the warmest, most humble man to the random denizens of the galaxy, but outright disrespectful and dismissive of any and all Jedi. Including his own Padawan, who had still been hopelessly in love with him, regardless.
His Qui-Gon, the one who lovingly tolerated Obi-Wan's new ambition to invade Qui-Gon Jinn's space as much as possible, had the look of a man half of the age of the other Master Jinn. It made him glad to know that this gift of the Force meant Obi-Wan could see that change within his Master. He was glad to be able to give Anakin the gift of his life back, to see the Jedi themselves thriving just a bit more brightly than they had before.
He stared up at the dark ceiling, blinking suddenly moist eyes. I swear I will protect you all, he promised. None of you will suffer the fate the Force once decreed for you.
"So far, so good," Obi-Wan muttered to himself, watching the Naboo mingle with the Gungans among the ancient ruins. It had been a temptation to direct Jar Jar to this location first, but the Gungan needed to gain his own confidence in making the decision to come here. Now he was a favorite of Boss Nass, and being swatted in every direction for it. Obi-Wan hid a smile; as jarring as the Gungan could be, he was still almost solely responsible for the reconciliation between the Naboo and the Gungans that soon would be. To Obi-Wan, that made Jar Jar Binks someone to be tolerated, no matter what. Though to be honest, with himself if no one else, he would probably change his tune if forced to live with Jar Jar for more than a month at a time.
Padmé appeared at his side, a handmaiden in full battle dress and therefore indistinguishable among her cadre of bodyguards. "What do you think of our chances, Master Jedi?" she asked, mouth quirked in a smile. "Will we be successful?"
Obi-Wan returned the smile with one of his own. "I cannot say for certain. But if you have planned for every contingency, I daresay you have every chance of being successful."
Padmé nodded, as if she expected to hear nothing less. "How did the other Jedi know that Sabé was not who she said? Even those of your group I have never met were completely unsurprised." She raised one eyebrow. "I need to practice working around Jedi."
"I daresay Anakin, at least, would recognize you anywhere," Obi-Wan said, his tone mild. "He's quite taken with you."
"I know he's…" Padmé Naberrie Amidala trailed off. "Oh," she said, realization dawning in her eyes. "You mean actually taken with me." She shook her head as if to negate that. "He's only a child."
"I thought you weren't into casting aspirations about age?" Obi-Wan grinned at her discomfort.
Padmé actually blushed. "I suppose I shall have to eat those words and enjoy them. You're right. If he is old enough to be taken as an Apprentice, he's old enough to have other thoughts. But nothing will ever come of it; we live completely different lives."
Obi-Wan nodded, as if agreeing. "That is true, but I find it's often a very small galaxy."
Padmé gave him an odd look, but if she meant to say more, she had no chance. Anakin excitedly began to announce that the resistance leaders from the city were arriving, and she and Obi-Wan sprinted over to meet them.
Qui-Gon and Rillian joined them, both looking refreshed after Qui-Gon had guided his new Padawan through a short meditation. The other Jedi were waiting there already, and Captain Panaka nodded at his Queen as she approached.
"Here's what we're going to do," Padmé said, her entire posture conveying that she knew she was in command, and expected that command to be recognized. "We will have a distraction that is two-fold. The Gungan Army will amass here –" she pointed to a field on the scaled holo-map of Theed and the areas around it. "The Trade Federation will respond to their presence in kind, and most of their forces will be sent to engage the Gungan Army. At the same time, a small group of the Naboo guard will attack the droid patrols in Theed. The Federation will respond to both of these attacks quickly. While they do so, we will gain entrance to the hangar bay – there is a tunnel beneath Theed that will get us very close. What pilots we have will take our ships and go after the Droid Control Ship. If we succeed in destroying it, the droid armies will be useless to the Federation. I will take a small group of my own to find the Viceroy, who is hiding somewhere in the Palace. Without the Viceroy, the Federation will be lost and confused." It was a much grander scheme than the one she had originally imparted while in hyperspace, but to Obi-Wan it was haunting in its familiarity.
Qui-Gon was not the only Master staring at Padmé in admiration, but it was he who spoke. "That is a well-conceived plan. There is a chance that many Gungans will be killed in the invasion," he said, looking to Boss Nass. "Our attack on Theed will not be unexpected," Qui-Gon began seriously. "Nor will the Gungan march against the droid army. There will no doubt be casualties, despite all the precautions we can take."
Boss Nass was unfazed. "We'sun ready to do ar'sun part."
"And so are we," Mace said, crossing his arms. The rest of the Jedi nodded their agreement. "Where do you want us, Your Highness?"
Padmé pointed back to the field. "I have heard that you and Master Yoda are very good at directing large numbers in combat situations. I thought that if you went with Boss Nass and the Gungans, you might be able to help them keep the casualty rate down."
Yoda looked up at Mace, nodding. "A good idea, this is. Acceptable to you, this is?" he asked Boss Nass.
Boss Nass grinned hugely. "A good t'ing this is, havin' tese Jedi wit' us. You'san all welcome! Goin' to have a bombad time!"
Padmé grinned at the other ruler's enthusiasm, and then sobered again. "I asked Obi-Wan for the identities of the best pilots among you. Siri Tachi and Garen Muln were the names he gave, and if it is okay with their Masters, I would like them to join the pilots for the attack on the Control Ship."
"And me," Anakin spoke up. "I'm going with them. I can get through the control ship's shields."
If Obi-Wan had thought that this mission would hold no surprises for him, he had just been proven wrong. He licked suddenly dry lips. "Are you certain about that?" he asked his Padawan, trying not to stare at him – like everyone else was doing.
Anakin nodded, his expression grave. "There's a gap in the shielding. It's really tiny – they don't think it's worth defending. Scanners usually can't see it. But I can."
Padmé looked up at Obi-Wan, concern in her eyes, and he knew she was remembering the very thing that they had just discussed. Age meant little. "Can you fly the Naboo Starfighter?" she asked Anakin.
"Wait a minute," Panaka interjected, frowning thunderously. "We can't very well seriously consider sending a child up in a fighter." Mace looked at Panaka, the expression on his face saying that he agreed with the Captain.
Anakin set his shoulders, sticking out his chin. His expression was neutral, but his eyes had always betrayed Anakin's emotions. This was his Padawan in full-blown stubborn mode. "I am a Jedi," he said staunchly. "I will do my duty."
Qui-Gon placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder, looking down into Obi-Wan's eyes. Should we allow him this? Panaka is right. It will be dangerous, and Anakin is still a child, despite everything.
What he wanted most was to tell Anakin no. He wanted to keep his Padawan safe, despite his trust in Anakin's skill with a starfighter. But he also knew, as the others did not, that Anakin was the key to winning against the Trade Federation. He was the only one who could find that gap in the shielding and take out the Droid Control Ship. Even Obi-Wan had never been able to get a fighter through the gap, and had once almost died trying. Why not? Obi-Wan replied with a mental shrug. He's done it before.
Qui-Gon's only visible reply was a raised eyebrow, but Obi-Wan knew that he was going to be stripped for details over that admission later. He turned back to the others, holding back his own sigh. "Anakin is young, but he is skilled enough to do as he says. They may well need his help." And it keeps him far away from the Sith, Obi-Wan thought.
Boss Nass chose to stay out of this discussion, though Obi-Wan knew the immense ruler would side with Anakin on this one. He was fond of children and fully confident in their abilities. To Boss Nass, if Anakin said he could do something, it was considered done. Panaka, meanwhile, was still shaking his head. "He's still only a child."
Obi-Wan grinned tightly. "I seem to recall you saying something of the same effect to me not so long ago."
Panaka scowled at him. "That was different."
"Not to the eyes of the Jedi," Obi-Wan said quietly.
Qui-Gon held up one hand, interrupting the conversation before Panaka could formulate a reply. "Has it occurred to you that Anakin may be safer in the air than on the ground with us?"
The entire group turned in surprise to the elder Jedi Master, including Obi-Wan. "How so, Master Jedi?" Padmé asked.
"Our attacks on land will be expected, given the small rebellion the Naboo have already been waging. But the attack on the space station – the Trade Federation will quite likely be surprised by that move. It will give our pilots an advantage that we on the ground will not have. Therefore, given Anakin's formidable natural skills as a pilot, he will be much safer up there than down here."
Anakin grinned up at Qui-Gon, a gesture that Obi-Wan wanted desperately to imitate. He settled for sending a vastly relieved feeling through their pair-bond, which Qui-Gon replied to with a soothing mental caress.
Amidala shook her head. "The entire argument is pointless. This is a decision that is up to Padawan Skywalker." She dropped to her knees and looked at Anakin somberly. "You are risking a lot for the Naboo, and I know if I ask you to, you will do so without hesitation. Therefore I will not ask you. But if it is your wish to help me, and if you think that this is the best way to help, I will be forever grateful."
Anakin stared up at her, his eyes full of love and adoration. Now you've done it, Obi-Wan thought amusedly as Anakin gazed at Amidala. Now he's going to love you forever because you let him fly.
Anakin bowed. "Even if it were not my duty as a Jedi, I would still help you. And I have to go – no one else is going to be able to find that gap in the shielding."
"Not even me?" Garen teased Anakin, ruffling the boy's hair cheerfully.
"You're too big," Anakin retorted, grinning, and Siri snickered.
Padmé accepted his choice. Standing, she returned Anakin's bow with an elegant curtsey of her own. "Thank you, Padawan Skywalker."
[Master, if he's safer in the air, what am I going to be doing?] Rillian looked up at Qui-Gon, her eyes bright with worry. [I know that Tuuvino is staying with Abella. Am I going to be left with the Healers as well?]
"Once this is over, that may be a very good place to go," Qui-Gon replied. "The Healers will need all the help they can get. But no – you're coming with us, provided you remember your promise. You have your own part in this to play, Padawan."
Rillian nodded, replying with a self-deprecating set of howls. [I will do my best not to trip over my own feet, Master.]
Siri Tachi grinned at the Wookiee girl. "Yeah, I remember those days. Don't worry, kiddo – we'll all help keep an eye on you. Pretty soon this will be old hat, and you'll be the one saving our asses."
"Padawan," Adi Gallia said mildly, and Siri shrugged, unfazed.
Padmé smiled at the exchange. "Master Gallia, Master Quinlan, Padawan Secura: I would ask you to help us search for the Viceroy. Master Yoda tells me that you are all good at finding those who don't wish to be found."
Quinlan nodded, his eyes dancing with suppressed mischief. Padmé had managed to read his talents perfectly. "Indeed we are."
Padmé turned to Terza and Abella. "I already have a place for you here –" she pointed once more to the holo-projector, highlighting a squat building on the outskirts of Theed. "My people have set up an infirmary here that the Droid Army does not know about. It is also in the best position for wounded to come in, both from the Gungan army and our attack on the city. Master Giett –" she gave him a measuring look. "Your friends have told me that you are a Combat Master of brilliant ability. I want you to direct the attack on Theed. My people are at your disposal, and will be able to tell you anything about Theed that you need to know."
Micah nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will do what I can."
Adi placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, I can see this working out rather well. But what are Jinn and Kenobi going to be up to? I notice they've been left out."
Obi-Wan felt a hand touch his, and took Qui-Gon's hand in his own, not sure who was trying to comfort who. "The Sith, Adi. He's ours."
Adi and Micah gave him a startled look. "He's here?" Micah asked.
Obi-Wan looked to the left – through wood and swamp and field lay Theed, and beyond it.... "Oh, he's here, all right. I've been able to sense him from the moment we landed. And so has Master Yoda."
Yoda nodded. "Distract the Sith as well, we must. Knows what to expect, Master Obi-Wan does – the most prepared for such a thing, he is. Help him, Master Qui-Gon and Padawan Raallandirr will."
"You know, I really think I like my job better," Quinlan said, his eagerness to hunt the Viceroy disappearing. "This attack sounds like a cakewalk compared to that."
"Trade you," Obi-Wan offered, giving Quinlan a sad smile, not serious for a moment. He was well aware of the fact that if anyone confronted the Sith, it needed to be him. Though he would happily pass the task on to someone else, were it possible. Once in a lifetime had been quite enough.
Padmé's expression hardened. "All right, then. Let's get to work."
Mace Windu soothed his mount with the Force, guiding it alongside Boss Nass's much larger beast. Yoda was perched, cross-legged, behind the massive Gungan, unconcerned with the beast's jarring gait. They stepped up to the head of the Gungan army, and Mace had to admit that he was impressed. The Gungans were not only well-organized, but their equipment was something that the Trade Federation had likely never seen before. The droids wouldn't have the programming to deal with it, and that would give them an advantage.
He, Yoda, and Boss Nass watched the Droid Army approach in a vast array of transports that made the landscape tremble. He whistled slowly, watching as row after row of droids were placed on the field. "Well, they're certainly taking us seriously."
Yoda pointed with his gimer stick at the droids in the front row, banded with red. "Those, our first targets should be."
Boss Nass rumbled his agreement. "Hey, yous'an!" he yelled, catching the attention of the generals under his command. "Shoot'en de ugly red mechaneeks!"
The Gungans opened fire with the strangely-colored balls of energy before the droid army had a chance to finished activating itself. The results were commendable, and a large number of the red-banded droids were blown apart by the attack. Jar Jar Binks, the army's newest general, managed to fling one of the energy balls at a transport instead, sending it crashing to the ground.
Mace gave the skinny Gungan an uncomfortable look, wincing when Binks fell off his mount with a sharp cry. He's either going to wind up saving us, or he's going to get us all killed.
Micah's attack, expertly coordinated, meant that their group made it to the hangar bay without a problem. The trouble began when the droids occupying the hangar bay saw them and immediately opened fire. The Jedi and the Naboo returned fire, and for them, the battle was engaged.
"Get to your ships!" Qui-Gon heard Padmé yell over the roar of blaster discharge and humming lightsabers. He saw Anakin shed his cloak, leaving it to flutter to the ground behind him. Anakin was quickly followed by R2-D2 as he and the others ran for the fighters parked in the hangar bay. He sent a quick plea to the Force that the boy would be safe, that the Queen's plan would work as well as they hoped. The other pilots, along with Garen and Siri, were quickly boarding their ships as the first fighters lifted off the hangar bay floor. He saw Obi-Wan share a quick look with Anakin, the two of them wordlessly reassuring each other as the infiltration group made their way back to the hangar doors. Qui-Gon gave the boy a look of his own, silently telling Anakin to be careful. Rillian had her lightsaber ignited but was shadowing Qui-Gon, as he had instructed her to, only moving to defend herself and Qui-Gon from any shots that came from that direction.
The entire group drew up short when the doors that led to the Palace slowly opened, revealing a lone figure. Cloaked in black, he lifted his head to reveal the nightmarishly tattooed face and fierce yellow eyes Qui-Gon remembered from Tatooine. So it begins, he thought, the Moment a clear path before them. "We'll handle this."
The Queen didn't hesitate, taking Qui-Gon at his word. "We'll take the long way." Adi swung her purple lightsaber in a restrained arc above her head, saluting them, before she left with the others.
As he and Obi-Wan removed their cloaks, he caught sight of the younger man's face. Obi-Wan's expression was set, eyes flashing with fierce determination. More than ever, Qui-Gon was glad to have Obi-Wan by his side. Now he was going to find out if all of the intense lightsaber training he and Obi-Wan had gone through in the last two years meant anything.
The Sith didn't hesitate to drop his own cloak, revealing all of his face now. He had done away with his hair completely, and the tattoos covered his scalp and continued down his neck, disappearing into his black tunic. He brought up his lightsaber in a slow, deliberate motion. Even as Qui-Gon's eyes noted the excess length of the hilt, the blood-red blade emerged. Then Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed as the second blade sprang forth. Brutal and efficient, a light staff was almost as dangerous to the wielder as it was to those fighting against him. A weapon not seen in centuries - until the Sith had used it against them on Tatooine. The very sight of the light staff disturbed him, making the muscles in his stomach clench.
Rillian, he said to the Wookiee who stood, wide-eyed and horrified, behind him. I want you to stay in the hangar and help the rest of the pilots get away. Stay as far away from this thing as you can get.
Rillian looked up at him unhappily. [Yes, Master.] She ducked back behind an unoccupied fighter, its engines smoking and useless. [Be careful!] she howled.
As they ignited their own lightsabers, Qui-Gon had a moment to take in Obi-Wan's complete lack of surprise – as if he had expected the Sith to appear at just that moment. Then there was no more time to think as the dance began.
On to part 2