Title of Story: A Promise Kept: A Young Anakin/Obi-Wan Story
Author: Moonscribe
Rating: G
Summary: A few months after Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan tries to come to terms with having Anakin as his apprentice.
Feedback: Welcome and appreciated. Email: moonscribe56@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by LucasArts and affiliates and no infringement is intended by this story. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made by its creation.
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Obi-Wan Kenobi leapt into the air and flipped over the barrier. He landed on his feet and immediately ignited his lightsaber. He slashed left, right, behind. Training bots exploded into blazing pieces of metal. The Force flowed through him as he attacked the oncoming bots. Sweat poured down his face. Fatigue burned the muscles in his arms and legs, but he pressed on until there was nothing in the universe but himself and the lightsaber he held in his hands.
With a final stroke of his blade, Obi-Wan destroyed the last of the training bots. He deactivated the lightsaber and stood breathing deeply in the cavernous training center in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. His arms and legs trembled slightly from his exertion,
"Quite a mess you've made here."
The voice came from behind Obi-Wan. He turned. Mace Windu strode toward him through the debris. He was carrying a towel in one hand. He offered it to Obi-Wan
"Thank you, Master." Obi-Wan clipped the lightsaber to his belt and took the towel from Windu. He wiped his face and neck.
Windu glanced at the lightsaber hanging from Obi-Wan's belt.
"I see you are still using Master Qui-Gon's lightsaber," he said.
"It's not forbidden, is it?"
Obi-Wan immediately regretted his words, for there was a note of challenge in his voice he had not meant to express. If Windu heard it, he gave no sign, except for a slight raising of his left eyebrow as he regarded Obi-Wan.
"No, it is not forbidden, but usually it is customary that when a Jedi loses his lightsaber, he construct another to take it's place."
"I know, Master. I've been very busy with Anakin's training. I haven't had time to construct a new lightsaber. And, I---" but Obi-Wan could not speak the rest of the words which swelled in his heart. This was Qui-Gon's lightsaber, the very lightsaber Obi-Wan had drawn to himself at that last desperate moment in the melting pit on Naboo, when the Sith warrior, triumphant above him, had watched with malicious glee as Obi-Wan had dangled beneath him.
Hanging there, sensing his Master's life ebbing away, knowing his own death was imminent, Obi-Wan had summoned from deep within the Force the strength and the will to leap from that pit, reach for Qui-Gon's lightsaber where it lay near his Master's feet, ignite it even as he soared through the air toward the Sith, and use it to kill the dark warrior. Qui-Gon's lightsaber had saved his life. To replace it with another seemed blasphemous to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan avoided Windu's eyes as he walked towards the control console on the walls of the training hall. He activated the machinery which would sweep up the shattered pieces of the training bots and transfer them to the recycling plant where they would be used to construct new bots.
He hoped Windu would not think he was being rude or disrespectful, but Obi-Wan still found it difficult to talk with anyone about that final battle in the bowels of the Queen's palace on Naboo. He had, of course, given a report to the Council of all that had taken place during the final duel with the Sith warrior, but he had not allowed any emotion to color his descriptions, no feelings to shade his observations. He had been clinical, detached, composed.
The machinery hummed and throbbed about Obi-Wan as he turned back towards Windu.
"Was there something you wanted to see me about, Master?" he asked.
"Yes, Obi-Wan. It's concerning young Skywalker. Come to the Crystal Chamber at the hour of the Ninth Bell. Yoda and I will be waiting for you."
Having said that, Windu turned and left the training hall, his robe sweeping behind him.
Obi-Wan walked slowly towards the showers. He sighed. Now what? Though he felt guilty every time he thought it, there were times when he wished he had not promised Qui-Gon he would train Anakin. It was not entirely Anakin's fault, but the boy was proving to be a difficult student. Lessons which took the other padawans days or weeks to learn, Anakin mastered in hours. However, the speed with which he learned his lessons had led Anakin to believe he did not need to spend as much time on them as the other padawans. Anakin lacked patience, and that, as Obi-Wan knew, could prove disastrous, even dangerous, in the long run.
Later that day, Obi-Wan walked down the gleaming hallways of the Jedi Temple. He had showered, changed into fresh clothing and had even, despite his impatience to know what Yoda and Windu wanted to speak to him about, taken time to eat a quick meal. He now felt ready for his meeting.
He entered the Crystal Chamber just as the Ninth Hour bell pealed through the temple. Yoda and Windu were seated at the far end of the chamber. Obi-Wan straightened his tunic and walked towards them.
He bowed to them both. Yoda and Windu returned his bow with slight nods of their heads. Obi-Wan could not detect from their expressions what the meeting was going to be about. Their faces were, as usual, stoic and unrevealing.
"You wished to see me regarding Anakin, Masters?" Obi-Wan began.
"Yes, about the boy, speak we must," Yoda answered. "But, first, his training, how goes it?"
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Masters, the boy, as you know, has an affinity with the Force unlike anyone I have ever known. He feels the Force instinctively. It is almost as if he embodies the Force, if that makes any sense."
Yoda nodded. "Sense it does make. Continue."
"His scores on the exams are the highest ever recorded and he has already mastered lessons which have usually taken other students months, even years to learn."
Windu leaned forward, locking his eyes with Obi-Wan's. "But?" he said.
"Excuse me, Master?"
"You have more to say." Windu leaned back, cocked his head slightly, his dark face unreadable. "Something troubles you, correct?"
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan hesitated. He did not want to sully any expectations Windu or Yoda had about the boy's potential as a Jedi, but he had never lied to them and today was not the day to start.
"The boy has no patience," he continued. "He means well, but he wants to learn only the surface, not the substance of his lessons. Anakin spent his entire life as a slave. He learned to live his life by cutting corners, knowing that at any moment, based upon the whim of his master or mistress, his life could be completely changed. His mother was, I'm afraid, the only stability he had in his life. Without her influence, I believe the boy feels rootless, without a center upon which he can orient himself. "
"But, you, Obi-Wan, his Master are," Yoda said. "You that place for him now must fill."
Obi-Wan felt his face burning. It was not that he hadn't tried to get closer to Anakin, but ever since he had first met the boy, he had not been able to rid himself of the uneasiness he felt about him. The way Qui-Gon had taken the boy so suddenly from his mother and his unwavering belief the boy was the Chosen One and was meant to bring balance to the Force. All of it had felt too rash to Obi-Wan. It had troubled some part of him which preferred to study and examine a situation before taking action.
But, once again, Obi-Wan could not share these misgivings with Yoda and Windu. He kept them hidden, for he had promised Qui-Gon he would train the boy and, although he had not always believed in everything Qui-Gon had believed in, he had always believed in Qui-Gon.
"I will try harder to be a better Master," he said instead.
"We are not criticizing you, Obi-Wan," said Windu. "Yoda and I both know you have fulfilled your duties as Master to young Skywalker with great care and attention. But the very things you have revealed to us, we too have sensed. We know your relationship with him is not an easy one, but you are his Master now, and he is your padawan. If your training of him is to be successful, you must fill this void within him. You must help him find his way."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand."
"Oftentimes, the very thing most needed is to give the hardest," Yoda said, his large eyes regarding Obi-Wan with an unexpected sympathy. "Walk carefully, young Obi-Wan. Mindful always of the future be, for therein destiny lies."
"I will, Master," Obi-Wan replied. He bowed again, turned and left the Chamber, Yoda's words tolling in his heart like a giant, iron bell.
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A few days after his meeting with Yoda and Windu, Obi-Wan walked into the zoological gardens located on the far west end of the grounds of the Jedi Temple. Flora and fauna from a hundred different worlds were housed under the huge transparent dome. Obi-Wan knew he would find Anakin here, for it was a favorite place of the boy's during the few hours in the day he had free time.
A dozen scents and colors assaulted Obi-Wan's eyes and nose and a variety of screeches, calls, cackles, hisses, roars and barks invaded his ears as he walked through the grounds. Personally, Obi-Wan found it all a bit much, preferring to spend his free time in places which were not so riotous, but Obi-Wan supposed for Anakin, having grown up on a desert planet like Tatooine, the gardens at the Temple were a very exotic and exciting place. Also, it was the only place where Anakin was allowed to keep the tsrup which Queen Amidala had sent him as a gift.
The tsrup was a small, mammalian creature with big orange eyes, short gray fur, and large fleshy paws, native to the jungles of Naboo. Obi-Wan had been told by Ric Ollie, when the Naboo pilot had stopped at Coruscant to deliver documents to Chancellor Palpatine from Amidala, the tsrup was a favorite pet of the children of Naboo. Amidala had sent it to Anakin, fearing the boy might be feeling lonely, separated, as he was, from his mother.
Obi-Wan, however, had thought the tsrup was the most hideous creature he had ever seen, but when Ric had presented the little thing to Anakin, the boy's eyes had grown big and he had immediately swept it into his arms. Obi-Wan had been given the thankless task of informing Anakin that students at the Temple were not allowed to keep pets. The boy's eyes had welled with tears at that, so Obi-Wan had immediately discussed the situation with Yoda, who had suggested the tsrup be added to the zoological gardens. There it would be cared for by the groundskeepers and Anakin could visit it during his free time.
It wasn't long before Obi-Wan found Anakin. The boy was kneeling by a small pond, the tsrup clinging to the back of his neck. Both the boy and the creature were peering down at something in the pond.
Obi-Wan edged closer and looked down into the water. At first he couldn't see a thing, except the reflections of Anakin, the tsrup, and the waving fronds from a tree overhanging the pond. Then he saw movement, a flicker of gold and green, slicing through the water.
Anakin was concentrating so hard on the fish in the pond, he had not even noted Obi-Wan's presence. Suddenly, the fish exploded from the water and landed, jerking and flopping, on the grass not far from the pond.
"Whoo, hooo!," Anakin yelped. He jumped up, turned, and, before he could stop himself, ran straight into Obi-Wan. The tsrup went flying from Anakin's neck, Anakin fell backwards into the pond, and Obi-Wan was showered with a large wave of pond water.
Anakin splashed in the water as he tried to stand up, sending another wave of water across Obi-Wan's clothing. Obi-Wan backed away from the deluge and hoped the sudden flood of anger he felt was not apparent on his face.
"Oh, Master, I'm so sorry," Anakin cried.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, silently recited the 10th Precept of the Venerable Jedi Master L'song, then reached out his hand and helped Anakin out of the pond.
Anakin stood dripping on the grass, his clothes clinging wetly to him, his head bowed. As Obi-Wan began to lecture Anakin on such topics as the proper uses of the Force, the importance of always being aware of your surroundings, and the protocol regarding the treatment of one's Master, especially as regarding the splashing of one's Master with pond water, he happened to glance over to where the tsrup, having recovered from its sudden flight through the air, was sitting on the ground, happily eating the green-gold fish it held between its pink paws. It blinked its big orange eyes at Obi-Wan as it smacked greedily on the fish as if asking him what all the fuss was about.
For some reason, the sight of the ugly, little creature munching on its ill-gotten gain struck Obi-Wan as terribly funny, and, to Anakin's amazement, the young Jedi let loose with an explosion of laughter. And the more Obi-Wan thought about the whole thing; Anakin using the Force to catch, of all things, a fish; the way the boy looked with his hair dripping in his eyes; the tsrup, seemingly oblivious to it all, gobbling down its reward, the funnier it was until Obi-Wan was laughing so hard tears were streaming from his eyes.
Anakin had, at first, just stared at Obi-Wan when his Master had started laughing, but Obi-Wan's laughter was so infectious Anakin couldn't help but laugh too. Soon the two of them were rolling in hysterics on the grass, their wet clothes covered in grass and mud, laughing until their lungs hurt and their eyes stung.
Their laughter spent at last, the young master and his apprentice lay on the grass, staring up at the clear roof of the dome arching overhead. The tsrup had finally finished its meal. After delicately washing its mouth and hands at the pond, it snuggled next to Anakin and promptly fell asleep.
As Obi-Wan lay on the grass, two thoughts popped into his mind. One was this was the first time he had laughed at anything since Qui-Gon's death. The second was this was also the first time he had felt completely at ease around the boy. He looked over and found Anakin was staring at him.
"I'm sorry I got you all wet, Master" he said.
Obi-Wan smiled. "Don't worry, about it, Anakin."
"It's just that Jar-Jar was hungry, and I was too lazy to look for the groundskeeper to give me food for him."
"Jar-Jar?"
Anakin stroked the creature's head. "That's his name."
Obi-Wan suppressed a groan. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of that clumsy Gungan. But then he smiled, for Qui-Gon had been right about Jar-Jar when he had rescued the creature from Boss Nass. He had been of help with their mission on Naboo after all.
"Well, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, pushing himself up from the grass. "I think it's about time we changed into some dry clothes before we catch cold. Do you agree?"
Anakin stood up also. He looked down at his sodden clothes.
"Yes, Master. I do."
Anakin reached down and petted the sleeping Jar-Jar.
"See you later, Jar-Jar," he whispered.
With a last fond look at the tsrup, Anakin followed Obi-Wan out of the gardens and into the Temple.
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As the last bell of the evening tolled in the Temple, Obi-Wan and Anakin stood side by side on the balcony just outside the Jedi Council Chamber.
This spot was one of Obi-Wan's favorites. When Qui-Gon was alive, he and his Master had often come here to gaze out over the expanse of the planet-wide city of Coruscant. The last time they had stood here was the evening when Anakin was being tested by the Jedi Council, before they had returned with the young Queen to Naboo.
Qui-Gon had placed his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and told him he still had much to learn. But now, whatever Qui-Gon had meant to teach him, Obi-Wan would have to learn on his own. His Master was gone. And now he was Master to young Anakin. He looked down at the boy standing quietly at his side and he suddenly realized that, just as he had looked to Qui-Gon for answers, now Anakin would look to him.
The sun around which Coruscant circled set slowly in the sky. Thousands of lights, a glittering rainbow grid of colors, twinkled on the miles of buildings below them. The sky deepened from a dusky rose to a deep lavender to a rich dark blue.
Obi-Wan laid his hand on Qui-Gon's lightsaber. He unclipped it from his belt and showed it to Anakin.
"Do you know what this is, Anakin?"
"Yes. It's..." Anakin stopped and a flash of pain flared in his eyes. "It _was_ Master Qui-Gon's lasersword."
Obi-Wan swallowed past the lump which had formed in his throat at the sight of the pain in Anakin's eyes.
"That's correct," he went on. "And do you know how it came to be in my possession?"
Anakin nodded, his face somber as he remembered. "You used it to kill the Sith warrior, after he hurt Master Qui-Gon."
"Do you know how I lost my lightsaber?" Obi-Wan asked him.
Anakin frowned. He shook his head. "No, Master, I don't."
"When I fought the Sith, there was a moment in the battle when I lost my focus. I was angry, filled with a rage such as I had never felt before. I didn't want to defeat the Sith. I wanted to destroy him. That rage unbalanced me and the Sith took advantage of that. As a result, I lost my lightsaber, and I almost lost my life."
Obi-Wan looked down into Anakin's eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Anakin?"
"I think so. When Master Yoda and Master Windu were testing me, Master Yoda told me that fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering. Were you afraid when you fought the Sith, Master?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Anakin, I was afraid. And because I was afraid, I was angry. And because I was angry, I hated the Sith, for making me afraid, and I wanted to destroy him for that. And for what he had done to my Master."
"But you overcame your fear in the end," Anakin said. "You did defeat him."
"Yes, I did. But, do you know how I defeated him?"
Anakin did not answer right away. His frown deepened and his blue eyes grew soft and distant as if he were listening to someone from far away.
"You overcame your fear by opening yourself to your fear," Anakin said slowly. "You let yourself be afraid until you were no longer afraid."
Obi-Wan felt a flush of pride when he heard Anakin's answer. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed it. Anakin looked up at him and smiled, his eyes shining.
For the first time, hope surged in Obi-Wan's heart. Maybe he would not fail as he sometimes feared he would. He would fulfill his promise to Qui-Gon. Anakin would become a Jedi Knight. Maybe the greatest ever.
He clipped Qui-Gon's lightsaber back on his belt. And, as night descended on Coruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight and Master to Anakin Skywalker, stood with his padawan, watching as the stars, around which all the worlds of the Republic spun, slowly came out.
The End