A Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters ever used in the Star Wars universe.

Opening his eyes, Obi-wan woke up. Stretching, he sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Then he grinned to himself: today was a free day.

Free days came once a week where there were no classes to attend, no commitments to keep. Obi-wan stood up on his bed; better get started.

Leaping forward, Obi-wan aimed for the metal pipe on his ceiling, his hands slapping against the cool metal. When he first lived there, he had asked for someone to install a bar for him to practice flips. Now that he was ten, he made it a game to not touch the floor on these mornings. Using the momentum from his jump, he swung forward while executing a front flip out his door.

Landing lightly, he extended his senses in the Force. At this early hour, most of the people living in the temple were sleeping or meditating. It wasn't exactly frowned upon, but it was best to maintain a quiet form during this hour. On most days Obi-wan respected the unwritten rule, but this day was his only exception.

Still, in order to avoid trouble he controlled himself until he reached the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It was the perfect place to exert himself in a fierce but calming way.

The water that flowed in the bottom of the basins would splash up occasionally, cooling his skin. Every fountain was made of either glistening marble or else set in a natural design. Right next to a column in the back and a statue of an unknown Jedi was his fountain.

It was a waterfall really. It trickled down the slab of rock until it pooled out at the bottom where the water was collected. It frothed at the surface and looking down, he could see smooth pebbles residing at the bottom of the basin. Once the water was at bottom, it would go back up through a mechanism and start the cycle all over again. At the top of the waterfall were grass, vines, and flowers constantly being hydrated by the steady stream provided to them.

Approaching his fountain Obi-wan closed his eyes, extending his hand, palm outstretched. There's a technique taught to younglings when they first started learning about the Force. One would simply extend their senses within the Force and become an unmoving force, thus stopping the flow of the water.

Aware of the silence, Obi-wan opened his eyes. To his satisfaction, the water's process had halted mid-stream. Still focusing on the water, he carefully stripped down to his undergarments and climbed into the pool of water.

Goosebumps prickled on his skin momentarily as the cold water went up to his knees, but he scrambled quickly onto the rock that rested in the pool underneath the waterfall. Sitting cross-legged under the halted stream, Obi-wan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. This is what he enjoyed the most on early mornings like this: the faint sound of the water bubbling, the smell of the rich earth in his nostrils, the steady thrum of his heartbeat. He wasn't one for meditating, but this was the one exception.

In the silence Obi-wan began to think; about what he wanted to do, about the people in the temple, about the classes, about anything.

His thoughts strayed toward Kazdan Paratus and he smiled. That wizened old thing was known for his odd appearance and his unique talent with the Force.

On the day of his trials, he had influenced droids to do his task. He had impressed the Council so much with that demonstration that they offered him a seat on the Council. He had turned it down, preferring to teach instead.

It was quite a feat; it gave many of the Jedi a new outlook on the number of uses the Force could be used. Obi-wan supposed that other Jedi Masters could do what Kazdan Paratus can do but they choose not to; droid animation was Kazdan Paratus's thing.

Still, Obi-wan wished that he could do something that was different, something that would be useful in a fight. Although he probably wouldn't use a fancy trick in a fight, he mused. His greatest strength was his light saber skills. It came naturally, as well as being incredibly limber. Now that was something that he was good at and he thoroughly enjoyed exercising that skill.

But there were still things that he struggled with, like technology. One time in a lesson he, along with his other classmates, were given the task to navigate a computer. He had been so bewildered. Around him, little fingers darted across keypads and screens while he just stared blankly at his screen.

Besides technology, Obi-wan wasn't the best with navigational charts, planets, or even piloting. There had been one time when he was riding in a Corellian star fighter alongside Master Plo Koon. He was preparing the jump to light speed and he was watching the stars wink at them. Unexpectedly, a stray asteroid flew right by the hull of their craft and he was so startled that he accidently pressed a button behind him that changed their coordinates. Instead of jumping to Coruesant, they appeared inside an asteroid field. Thank the stars that Master Plo Koon was a superb pilot or otherwise they would have been in serious trouble.

They almost were. Obi-wan's fear was so potent in the Force that small objects inside the cockpit had trembled. Master Plo Koon took notice of the situation, reached over, and laid a hand on Obi-wan's shoulders. Using the Force, he used a strong relaxing technique that acted as a sedative that caused him to pass out cold. When they arrived back at the temple, Obi-wan was brought before the Council where he received a lecture on controlling his fear.

Since then, Obi-wan had a better handle on his fear of flying. Although occasionally, whenever he came across Master Plo Koon, Master Plo Koon would mention the incident with a smile playing on his lips. He sighed at the memory; it would be a long time before he would let the matter go.

Sitting up, Obi-wan exhaled. He was tired of sitting still. By now, the rest of the temple was starting to wake up.

Uncrossing his legs, he discovered them prickling from lack of blood flow. Wincing, he stuck them in the water and began to kick his heels against the rock he was sitting on in hope of getting the blood flowing again. It was beginning to painfully return when he felt something that didn't belong.

Obi-wan paused and then frowned. One moment his feet were touching the wet, slimy wall of the rock he was on and the next, his feet seemed to have broken the surface of the water. Glancing down, the water was quickly draining from the basin.

Distracted, Obi-wan let go of his control of the water and it promptly spewed down on him. Water got in his nose and he sneezed. When he was able to see, he saw to his surprise that the water had filled back up again. It was hard to be sure, but Obi-wan was almost certain that there was a hole in the wall of the rock he was on and that there was enough water from the waterfall to hide it. But he had to be sure.

Bending forward, Obi-wan stuck his arm in the water and felt for the wall of the rock but it wasn't there. Obi-wan arranged himself so that he was lying on his stomach. Plunging his face into the water, he opened his eyes and stared at the wall of the rock. To his amazement, there was a gaping hole that slanted downward. Obi-wan came up for air, his unkempt hair flopping across his eyes. He wiped his hair away from his face and considered what he had seen.

That hole and wherever it led must have been part of the temple's original design when the temple was first built. Perhaps it was one of the hidden passages that the holocrons mention. After all, they did say that there were still some of them that haven't been seen for thousands of years.

Suddenly impulsive, Obi-wan thrust his face and arms into the water, grabbed the edges of the hole with his hands, pulled his body into the hole and slid down a slightly steep slide. It wasn't that long, about thirteen feet.

When it abruptly ended, Obi-wan tumbled forward on all fours, coughing. He could breathe in the room he was in, which it was good. He had expected he would be able to; it was like an underground cave one might find in the ocean. He dug his fingers into the ground and felt it depress under his pressure. Clenching his hand slowly, he felt the soft ground squish between his fingers; mud.

Obi-wan stumbled to his feet and looked around; or tried to. The room he was in was pitch dark, but he could hear the water echoing throughout the room he was in. He took a step forward and felt the mud enclose around his thighs. Swinging his arms, he waded forward, groping for something to touch. His hand slapped the wall of the area he had entered. It was wet, water was trickling down it. Soon his hand became free of its crusty coating.

Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dim light, he could see that he was in a cavern-like room that was underneath the fountain. This place was old; every time he inhaled, his throat would recoil at the musty smell. If he kept walking forward, he could follow the tunnel that he saw at the other side of the room.

Obi-wan bit his lip, torn. He so desperately wanted to explore the tunnel and see where it would lead him, but he realized he had lost track of time. By now, the temple was beginning to stir with Jedi. Besides, Qui-Gon would be looking for him and he knew where to look. He would discover his discarded clothes by the fountain and then would sense him in the Force.

No, not today. He would exit by using the Force and he would clean off in the Fountain. No one would be able to tell that he had found this room. All they would be able to tell is that he took a swim in a fountain which wasn't that unusual. Although, maybe he ought to tell someone about this place. He hesitated for a moment before nodding to himself. No, this place was going to be his secret. Obi-wan patted the wall of the cavern-like room.

"Tomorrow," he whispered.