First Memory
by ardavenport
Qui-Gon Jinn had never said anything about it. It had never occurred to him until that moment, but his very first memory was of Master Yoda.
He did not know why he had been in that hallway. It had been dark and gloomy overhead and the floor had been shiny. The creature in the white robe had turned its head, huge green, pointed ears projecting from either side, and gazed back at him.
He knew he had stared back. The green eyes that looked at him had been just too large for the mouth and small nose. He had walked forward and the face had smiled back at him; the white robe looked as if it were glowing.
That was it.
He had no more of the memory. He didn't know where he had come from, or what had happened afterward, but for the first time in his four-and-a-half years of life, he realized that this was his first memory in the whole world. In the whole universe. He had seen Master Yoda at other times, but now it was different, because he knew that was the first ever time seeing him.
Now, he and his clan mates stood in a row at the entrance to the Senate of the Republic. Qui-Gon did not know what a Senate was, except that it had a lot of people in it and it was very important. At the head of the row, with creche-Master D'Lude was Master Yoda.
It was their first trip outside the Jedi Temple. His clan mates had stared out at the great, gray buildings, or played with the sleeves and hoods of the brown robes they had all been given for the short trip, but Qui-Gon had kept trying to see over the rows of seats to the small, green creature sitting up front with the transport driver.
Now Master D'Lude clapped for their attention and Master Yoda slowly walked forward to face their line. He used a stick. Qui-Gon didn't remember a stick. But he was sure that this was the being from his memory. He was sure of it. He felt it.
How had Master Yoda gotten so small?
He was sure that they had been the same height in his memory, but now Qui-Gon was twice as big as he was. What had happened? What had gone wrong? Was Master Yoda shrinking?
"Younglings," Master Yoda addressed them and tapped his stick on the floor. "Quiet and obedient you will be for our hosts, hmmmmm?"
"Yes, Master Yoda," they all answered back together, properly. Master Yoda nodded and a tall woman, in very bright green pants and coat, stepped forward. She had a black and gold eye fixture across her face. A stem of it poked down to her mouth and it seemed to be attached to her dark, shiny hair. She clasped her hands together.
"Oh you are all so very cute!" she exclaimed. They all straightened. Qui-Gon tugged his hood better into place. Cute was for babies.
She introduced herself to them as their Senate guide and talked to them like they were babies. Qui-Gon frowned and folded his arms like the Masters did. He wished some of the littler ones would stop moving. He knew that he wasn't a baby.
The woman led them away from the transport area. Qui-Gon almost tripped on his robe when he turned to see Master D'Lude helping Master Yoda into a little chair, like the ones the little ones needed to use to sit at the table with, but this one moved. Qui-Gon kept himself from falling and was walking forward before any of the grown-ups could turn to see what the noise was.
What had gone wrong with Master Yoda? Could he not walk anymore now that he had gotten so small? Would he keep getting smaller? Would he disappear?
A growing dread filled Qui-Gon. What would happen to Master Yoda?
The slender woman who talked to them like they were babies asked them if they knew who the Chancellor was. Imra and B'taku both jumped up and down to answer. This seemed right to Qui-Gon since Imra and B'taku were babies, but they were nice. Their group entered a very large lift. They were going to see the Senate chamber. The woman asked them if they were all excited and several of his clan mates replied too loudly. Qui-Gon and the others around him only nodded and remained respectfully silent.
They all squeezed together so Qui-Gon was facing Master Yoda, who floated in his chair next to Master D'Lude. Qui-Gon was bigger than most of the others, so he could see Master Yoda very clearly. It did not feel to him like Master Yoda was in trouble. Qui-Gon Jinn looked very hard. Just before the lift doors opened, Master Yoda turned his head very slowly toward him.
That look, from Master Yoda, had been so similar to his memory that the only reason why Qui-Gon left the lift with the others was because the crowd around him forced him to move when they did.
Master Yoda had been looking at him!
They entered a darkened entryway. At the other side was a plastisteel wall and past that was a huge, bluish, round room. They could see far down into it to a pit below. Lights on the walls of the room beyond the clear barrier made a spiral pattern downward. Each light was the seat of separate delegation to the Senate of the Republic, their guide told them.
Even Qui-Gon forgot his concern for Master Yoda so he could press himself up to the clear barrier with his clan mates to see better. It was bigger and stranger than anything he'd seen in the Jedi Temple, and that was huge. This was huger. They had been shown holos of what they would see, but this was so much better than that.
Their guide pointed out which lights belonged to the most important systems, but Qui-Gon could not tell where she was pointing. The room below them was empty of delegates, so all the lights looked the same to him, but far below they could see a cleaning crew of droids at the very bottom of the pit. This was far more interesting than anything the guide said about the people who weren't there.
When they were finally told that they had to leave, everyone reluctantly pulled themselves away from the plastisteel and lined up as they were told. They were led away from the wonderful view, back into the hall and then over into a room with a very long and high table at one end with many, even taller chairs around it. They all climbed up onto the cushioned benches that lined the walls; Master D'Lude helped a few of the smaller ones up. Their guide asked if the had any questions. The only questions Qui-Gon had were about the droids at the bottom of the Senate chamber, but his clan mates asked first.
When there was a long silence, their guide clasped her hands together.
"Well, if there are no more questions–" she began. Master Yoda interrupted her.
"Hmmmmm, at least one more question, there is, I think." The old Jedi Master slowly walked forward, his stick tapping on the floor as he walked. Qui-Gon sat up. His clan mates' heads turned to look at him. Master Yoda settled right in front of him.
"Questions you have, young Qui-Gon?"
Qui-Gon stared, wide-eyed, down at the Jedi Master before him. His dread of the terrible shrinkage that was happening to Master Yoda was now eclipsed by what might happen if he spoke. Would he make it worse if he said anything?
"Master Yoda," Qui-Gon began, knowing that he would have to ask his question. Master Yoda would know if he made something up. "How did you get so small?"
Master Yoda's eyes widened. His ears rose. The guide remained silent, but some of Qui-Gon's clan mates giggled. Master Yoda frowned toward the giggles and tapped his stick for silence.
"A very good question, young Qui-Gon has." He pointed his stick toward a few kids who now had their hands clasped over their mouths. "Listen, you should, to the questions, if you wish to learn." Yoda turned back, his expression gentle, and Qui-Gon felt reassured that he had not made things worse.
"That question, ask of me, you need not, young Qui-Gon."
Master Yoda moved closer to him. Qui-Gon stared down at those too big green eyes.
"Rather, yourself, you should ask, how did you get so big?"
– END –
(first posted on tf.n - 20-Jun-2006)
Disclaimer: All characters and situations belong to George and Lucasfilm; I'm just playing in their sandbox.