Risorgimento--An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age

by obi-ki and padawanewan

Title: Risorgimento--An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age

Authors: obi-ki and padawanewan

Pairing:: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan

Rating: PG-13

Catagory: Q/O AU
Archive: MA, LJ, anyone else pleas ask

Time Period: About 20 years post ABY

Disclaimer: Everything Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and Lucasfilms. We're just playing in his world, borrowing the boyz and their accomplices and will return them all when we're through. No money is being made from this, it is all done for entertainment only.

Author's notes: This is the seventh story segment in the Risorgimento series and is the fifth segment that was totally co-written and as such is told from both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's POVs. Thanks to Monalee and Merry Amelie for their thorough betas and thoughtful suggestions. The story would be much less without their valuable input. For anyone who followed the original RPG Jedi Alliance that insprired this series, you will find much of this segment very familliar. We really liked the concept we used there and decided to duplicate it here with some tweaks. Sorry again that it's taken so long to get this part posted, RL has been crazy for padawanewan.

Summary: Qui-Gon awakens in an unfamiliar environment, disoriented and thinking that the time is immediately following the Battle of Naboo. Obi-Wan awakens in the same environment, confused and thinking that it is immediately following the Battle on Mustafar. They separately meet with their host, Var-Son Meirr, and eventually find that they are in a remote medical facility, that Var-Son cloned them and that it's currently fifty-five years post Naboo. After spending some time getting acclimated and learning about the events of the last fifty-five years, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are finally brought together by their creator.

When the shock wears off, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan spend time with the healer and eventually alone together. They learn more about the events that have occurred and about each other. Especially in Obi-Wan's case, the events that occurred during the years after Naboo changed him and he is far from the inexperienced padawan that walked for so many years at his master's side. As they reconnect, they find something is off about them and they struggle to figure out how to deal with it. They speak to the healer about their concerns and Obi-Wan hears vague directions and odd comments from an internal voice. They decide that joint meditation may prove helpful and Var-Son directs them to the facility's garden.

During their joint meditation, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan reach out to one another and create the beginnings of a new bond between them. Although not as strong as their previous connection, they both feel it's a good beginning and will strengthen in time. Unbeknownst to them, they have company during their meditations - their ethereal counterparts are watching them and contemplating what if anything they can do to aid the clones along their path. When the meditation is over and both men return to their individual quarters, they spend some time in thought trying to get a handle on their situation.

Both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan contemplate the events of the past few days and of their joint meditation. They use the datapads they find in their quarters to put their thoughts down and try to come to terms with their unique situation.

Putting their thoughts into words give both men some clarity. Qui-Gon uses the ritual of dressing to add the final level of serenity while Obi-Wan resorts to a more physical activity to release the last of his pent up tension. Obi-Wan shocks Qui-Gon with a bit of overt flirting but is glad to find it is more than welcome.

They join Var-Son for first-meal and answers to more of their questions but get one that they don't expect. The healer is dying and will not be coming with them when they leave the medical facility. With that knowledge heavy on their hearts, they head to the mechanics lab to construct new lightsabers.

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Var-Son left after he had given them a quick tour of the lab. "Well, this is more than I expected," Qui-Gon said, as he began looking through the bins. A variety of empty hilts, grip materials, brackets and power supplies populated the plastene boxes, providing every component a Jedi would need to build a lightsaber. Most Jedi had a personal preference for some things - duplex or triplex brackets, polysheen or acrylon grips, single-phase or three-phase power supplies - but none of those parts made much of a difference in the lightsaber's performance.

Qui-Gon gathered the internal components that he needed and placed them on the workbench before moving over to the bin containing the hilts. Hilts were very different than internal components. Although the hilt did not really affect the performance of the saber, having it fit comfortably into your hand was essential. Lightsaber hilts could be constructed by an individual from the base parts or even be custom-made by a master craftsman, but most Jedi were content to use one of the many standard hilts. Rummaging through the bin containing the hilts, Qui-Gon soon found not only one of the style and length he preferred, but also two of the style that Obi-Wan had used for the last saber he had constructed while still a padawan.

Heading back to the workbench, Qui-Gon placed the hilts on the table and took a seat.

Obi-Wan had gathered up his own components and placed them carefully on the bench. He frowned at the saber hilts Qui-Gon had placed there for him and then picked them up, heading back to the bin to find a hilt like his last saber. He found one, along with a harness that he'd seen before and wanted to tweak. Perhaps it was time to add a few new features to his saber. His mind went to schematics - output variables versus optimum power usage, among other things - and he used his Unifying Force affinity to quantify all the possible final saber designs.

Returning to the workbench, Obi-Wan placed those items on the table and then opened the padded case Var-Son had given them. There were a total of twelve gems nestled in the case – three Chalactan emeralds, three Ilum sapphires, two Almanian amethysts, two Thyferran quartz and two other stones that he didn’t recognize. Qui-Gon had always used emeralds and he had always used sapphires, so if the Force was with them, one or two of these stones would speak to them.

Closing his eyes, Qui-Gon focused on the stones in the case and within seconds felt the pull of the Force coming from two stones. Eyes still closed, he reached out and picked up the two stones. His eyes widened in surprise as he opened them to find he held two different stones in his palm. One was the expected emerald but the other was the sapphire that Obi-Wan normally preferred.

Looking up at his former apprentice, Qui-Gon held up the stones in his palm. His last two lightsabers had been constructed with dual crystals to create a dual-phase adjustable blade but normally dual-gem sabers were constructed with two of the same type of gem. "A sign that the Force is blessing our path and our renewed partnership?"

Obi-Wan smiled as he watched Qui-Gon select his stones. "Master, this is not the first time there have been Force-sent messages about our partnership," he replied before taking his turn, eyes closed and senses open to find his stones. One felt like him. It felt like battle, fire, energy and Light. There was clarity and focus. Obi-Wan smiled as he palmed it and moved on. The next stone that called to him evoked calm strength and a cool stillness that tamed the fire and calmed the battle. Opening his eyes, he noted the deep blue of the sapphire in his palm and the emerald under his hand. He gestured with the stones and murmured, "A new way for a new time?"

"So it appears. It seems that the Force still has some surprises in store for us in our new life, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, settling down to work. "Let us hope that all the surprises are as innocuous as this one."

Although Qui-Gon had constructed a number of lightsabers during his years as a Jedi, the task was still an intricate process. Some parts of the procedure came automatically, years of adjustments and recalibrations allowing his fingers to move mechanically. Other parts took more concentration, his lack of affinity for mechanical things a definite hindrance. Obi-Wan's technical expertise had outpaced his while his former padawan had still been in his teens, so he had no qualms about asking for Obi-Wan's input as he worked.

Qui-Gon noticed that Obi-Wan was making quite a few modifications to the standard design, and once again he could see that his former padawan had learned many new things in the years they had been apart. Never one to stand on formality, he did not hesitate to have Obi-Wan calibrate both the power cell and the brackets that cradled the crystals. His blade would still be crafted in the standard dual-crystal design, but using two different gems required very delicate variance in the calibration of the bracket sections and Obi-Wan's affinity for the Unifying Force gave him a much stronger talent in these areas.

They spent the majority of the next two days assembling their new lightsabers. They stopped for brief breaks to eat, sometimes meeting up with Var-Son during their forays into the dining area and other times finding the healer noticeably absent. They ventured into the garden before heading to bed after their first night of assembly work, each of them using the time for some solo meditation. They took time to sleep only because it was necessary. The delicate nature of the work could be quickly compromised if they became fatigued.

It was almost time for late meal when they set the tools aside and Qui-Gon looked down on their handiwork. The parts had been carefully assembled, the crystals and power cells meticulously calibrated and now it was the moment of truth. Standing and moving into a corner a good distance away from Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon erected a Force shield around the weapon and thumbed on the activation switch. The lightsaber flared to life, the green and blue gems creating a blade that shone like the aquamarine seas of Chandrilla. The rightness of the unorthodox choice sang out along the currents of the Force as he swung the blade in a few experimental passes. The connection between the gems and his Force aura was strong and true and the blade felt like an extension of his very being.

Switching off the blade and clipping his completed lightsaber to his belt, Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "Now I feel complete, like a true Jedi."

Taking his completed weapon in his hand, Obi-Wan formally bowed and said with respect and very true feeling, "Master, you are more a true Jedi than anyone I have ever met. Your possession or lack of a weapon, changes nothing."

Then, he turned his own lightsaber on.

Oh, yes. There it was. The moment, the feeling…a non-Jedi would never understand. Lightsabers were elegant and deadly, especially when used by a trained Jedi knight. However, within those sabers there was so much more. The connection between the focusing stone and the user created a unique synergy and, oddly enough, a grounding sense of history.

Beyond all of that, Obi-Wan was pleased at a more elementary level. He had his fucking lightsaber back. Copying his master's actions, he clipped the weapon to his belt and moved to Qui-Gon's side.

Once again, they carried the weapon of the more civilized times before the fall of the Republic. This truly marked the return of the Jedi.

TBC