Summary: At the risk of being flamed into Star Wars hell, this is an Obi-Wan/OC fic, taking place during Episode I. Will be AU at some points, but I will try to keep the main storyline intact, so bear with me. A handmaiden of the Queen is taken to Tatooine along with the rest of the group, but something about her presence attracts the attention of Qui-Gon Jinn, who orders his young Padawan to keep an eye on her.
Warning: Nothing so far, probably nothing at all.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. There, happy! I do, however, own my OC and any screw-ups or plot changes along the way.
I got this idea when I thought - "I wonder what Obi-Wan did when Qui-Gon was in the city all that time..." Which also bears the question - "How the heck long were they there, anyway!" But I digress. My mind simply took over, and this was born. Most of the story will avoid any major scenes for a few reasons: One, she isn't going to be a self-insertion; two, it avoids most mistakes on my part; and three, much will take place with Obi-Wan behind the scenes, dealing with what he did during the whole rest of the friggin' movie.
I hope that this story isn't too bad, and that you all will be fair with it. But, as always, I'm always willing to hear suggestions or criticism, as long as it's not offensive. And I tried hard to make Jar Jar sound like he does in the movies, but I'm not sure I was fully able to do that, so I apologize beforehand! Also, the scene with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon about feelings and commitment is meant to mirror Anakin and Obi-Wan's about Padme. It becomes clear later.
Please review. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
Reli Taviran didn't know exactly what was going on as the two Trade Federation aliens accompanied the Queen and her head advisor down the stairs, but she was sure it wasn't going in Naboo's favor, if the Queen's expression was anything judge by. One of the five royal handmaidens that were allowed to follow in their Queen's steps, Reli kept her eyes on the ground as they proceeded into the courtyard, trying not to draw much attention to herself. As the Federation aliens left the group in the care of several guards to escort them back to their quarters, the gray-eyed handmaiden folded her hands in her sleeves patiently, wondering what was going to happen to them if the Queen was indeed killed.
However, when the two Jedi flew out from a balcony and swiftly dispatched of the droids patrolling the area within seconds, all thoughts flew out of her head as she quickly strode after the others, the thought crossing her mind that Queen Amidala seemed rather calm for such a sudden rescue.
"A Gungan?" she noticed curiously, as she passed the tall alien. Almost tripping over her orange-shaded gown, she gathered her skirts in one hand and kept close to the other young women, determined not to be left in the back as a target.
Arriving in the hanger, Reli headed toward the ship as the others boarded, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention as droids surrounded the room. She stiffened, reaching further into her sleeve, but stopped abruptly when the two Jedi flew past her.
"Quickly – get everyone into the ship," the bearded one ordered the Queen, and Reli hastily skipped up the ramp, trying not to lose her balance as she dodged blaster shots, as did the other handmaidens. Pressing her back against the wall as the two Jedi boarded and the ramp slid shut, her breasts heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and she lowered herself to the ground cautiously as the ship shook from the hits it was taking.
"Is everyone on board?" another handmaiden, one of the oldest, questioned them, peering at their faces closely. Reli nodded to show she was fine, hugging her knees to her chin nervously.
"I think we're finally getting out of here," another young woman murmured, and Reli looked around as the ship suddenly thrust forward.
"It seems like it," she agreed quietly, aware her hands were trembling and clasped them tightly together. Leaning her head back against the wall as the rest of the handmaidens gathered together and moved toward the Queen, who was the picture of composure, Reli closed her eyes and tried to steady her mind before pushing herself upright to attend to her own duties.
"It will be a long trip – we should find somewhere to stay out of the way," the Queen suggested curtly, looking around expectantly. Reli nodded obediently, as did the other handmaidens, wondering exactly how long this was going to be anyway.
Ordered to wait outside the door as the Queen consulted with the two Jedi – who they had learned were Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi – Reli observed the Gungan Jar Jar Binks with curiosity. She had never seen a Gungan before, despite living on the same planet as their race, and wondered if all his people were like him.
"Meesa not bothering you, is me?" the Gungan suddenly asked, and she blinked in surprise.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice naturally pitched in the medium ranges and steady. "I've just never seen a Gungan before."
"Really? Meesa see lots of Naboos," he replied, and she smiled hesitantly, her skin darkened slightly by the sun of Naboo, making her eyes appear lighter than they were.
"Oh, no, I'm actually not from Naboo," she told him, and he cocked his head at her.
"Yousa not? Then were yousa from?"
"A planet called Loovria," Reli told him with a slight shrug. "It's on the Outer Rim. I arrived on Naboo when I was thirteen."
"Oh," Jar Jar paused, and the grinned. "Yousa like it here, then?"
"Very much," she nodded, and he copied her motion.
"That's good, that is. Lotsa nice things there," he continued, and she listened as he proceeded to talk some more, speeding up excitedly so that she was hardly able to understand the gist of what he was saying. She straightened and turned her head abruptly as the door behind her slid open, and she moved to the side as the two Jedi strode past her, looking a bit disgruntled. She peered at them curiously from underneath her visor, and blinked when she caught the eye of the one who had been called a Padawan. Their gazes remained locked for a split-second before he continued on his way, and she released the breath she had been unaware she was holding.
"Hey, wait for meesa!" Jar Jar called after them, leaving the room to follow the two Jedi. Reli watched them carefully for a moment before turning and retreating into the Queen's 'chamber', deciding to block the two Jedi from her thoughts.
"Your feelings betray you, my young Padawan," Qui-Gon said calmly, as the two Jedi sat together as the ship headed toward its destination of Tatooine.
"That young woman who was talking to Jar Jar, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "I sensed something inside her."
"Perhaps she's Force-sensitive," the older man suggested, and Obi-Wan shrugged.
"Perhaps, Master. Something seemed different about her than the others, though," he added, and Qui-Gon observed him with a bit of amusement in his gaze.
"And very pretty, am I right?"
"I…well, I thought so, Master," the Padawan admitted, a bit surprised at his Master's guess.
"Guard your feelings, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon ordered, suddenly stern. "As a Padawan, you have pledged yourself to the Jedi order, and that is not something to be taken lightly."
"I understand, Master," Obi-Wan nodded, glancing at the screen before them. "I was merely observing her."
"I see," his Master nodded solemnly, deciding there was nothing more that needed saying.
"We should arrive at Tatooine in a few hours, Master Jinn," the pilot informed them, and Qui-Gon leaned forward to nod his head in acknowledgement.
"Very good."
"I suppose we're on Tatooine," Reli guessed, having slept crouched in the corner of the room and deciding to avoid such a position in the future. Stiffly getting to her feet, she replaced her headgear easily, covering her light brown-blond hair and tucking it away from her face as a few of the other handmaidens surrounded the Queen, who was already awake. Reli's main duties were to attend to various small chores, as well as a bodyguard in special circumstances. Despite her previous combat training, she was still one of the lowest-ranking handmaidens – and the least-important among the five that were present – and was often left to her own devices, which consisted of hours of meditation and day-dreaming.
"Queen Amidala," the Jedi Master announced, striding into the room.
"Just a moment, Master Jinn," Amidala ordered coolly, nodding her head toward the door expectantly. Reli quickly slunk from the room, trying to remain stiff-backed and collected, but was a bit embarrassed at being excluded so obviously in front of the two Jedi and felt her cheeks heat as she passed the Padawan. She felt him glance down at her from the corner of his eye, her head not even reaching his shoulder, but she refused to look up.
Keeping her head low and her eyes on the ground she retreated without a sound, the door sliding shut behind her once again. Sighing, wishing she knew what was going on, she frowned to herself and leaned against the door, closing her eyes and deciding to relax while she had the opportunity.
"Is something the matter, Master Jinn?" the Queen asked curiously, when the Jedi suddenly paused. He returned his gaze to her after locking stares with his Padawan for a second and shook his head calmly.
"Of course not, Your Majesty," he assured her, taking a step back toward the door. "I shall be leaving to head into the city shortly to look for any parts we can find useful."
"We have no objections," she agreed, and the two Jedi bowed shortly before turning and leaving the room. Qui-Gon almost fell over Reli, who tripped backward awkwardly when the door suddenly slid open behind her, and caught her arm to keep her from falling.
"I apologize, Master Jedi," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.
"What is your name?" Qui-Gon asked soothingly, and she looked at him in surprise.
"M-my name?" she repeated, and he nodded. "Reli Taviran, Master Jedi," she told him, rubbing her head. She had gotten a sharp headache just a moment ago, and it still wasn't gone.
"How old are you, Reli Taviran?" he continued, and she blinked at him, wondering why he wanted to know. The Padawan remained silent, observing his Master with a blank expression.
"Twenty-three, Master Jedi," she said, and he nodded.
"Thank you. I trust you won't be sleeping on any more doors in the future," he added teasingly, and she stared at him for a moment before nodding in agreement, a slight smile gracing her features.
"Yes," she replied, and he smiled before turning and leaving to the small room the two Jedi had reserved for themselves.
"What was that about, Master?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, sitting down and ignoring Jar Jar, who was playing around with the R2 unit nearby.
"Did you not sense a disturbance in the Force?" his Master asked suddenly, and the Padawan blinked in surprise.
"More like a ripple, Master," he replied. "It was as if someone was reaching out with it – someone very inexperienced. Why, Master? It didn't feel that strong to me."
"Nevertheless, anything unusual like that is not to be considered lightly," Qui-Gon informed him sternly, his face remaining calm. "That young woman, the one you sensed something odd about – I believe she was the one using the Force."
"Master, are you sure?" Obi-Wan pressed, still a bit surprised by his Master's words. "If she was Force-Sensitive, she would have been picked out and brought to one of the temples, after all, where she would have been trained."
"She has – but not enough," the elder Jedi said firmly, sure his suspicions were correct. "Her name seems vaguely familiar, my Padawan. If I knew where she came from it would be easier to see if there were any records indicating –"
"Meesa know where she came from!" Jar-Jar announced suddenly, catching the two Jedi's attention.
"Where did she come from, Jar-Jar?" Obi-Wan pressed, and the Gungan grinned at them.
"Sheesa came from Loovria," he told them helpfully, and Qui-Gon nodded for a moment before turning to Obi-Wan.
"I have things to do here, my Padawan. However, while you are on the ship, try to find out if there are any records of children from Loovria in the Coruscant Temple," he ordered, getting to his feet. "Perhaps the Force has guided us to her for a reason. But guard your feelings, my young Padawan."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan nodded obediently, but appeared a bit annoyed. "Am I to understand I'm to remain the entire time, then?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon agreed. "I sense something amiss nearby, and I have a feeling we will need you here soon enough. Trust in the Force, Obi-Wan," he cautioned, before striding out of the room. Jar Jar quickly followed, not wanting to miss out on the adventure, and Obi-Wan remained in the room a few minutes longer, unsure what he was supposed to do now.
"Trust in the Force," he repeated thoughtfully. "And the Force guides us throughout our lives – so this young woman was supposed to meet us?" Crossing his arms in concentration, the Padawan frowned to himself as he tried to figure out his next move, having no idea how long his Master was planning on being gone from them.
"I should've guessed," Reli sighed, her sleeves rolled up and tied back awkwardly as she stood at the sink in the ship's back rooms. "Laundry duty," she muttered, completely dissatisfied with her lot in life at the moment. She wasn't aware how she had known it, but she had mentioned to the Queen that perhaps someone should go with the Jedi Master into the city in case something happened.
What Reli didn't think of was that she was supposed to have been outside the room, unable to hear, and was unable to give a satisfactory explanation when the Queen demanded to know how the handmaiden had known that. Stammering in surprise, Reli had been ordered to remain outside of the Queen's chambers for the remainder of their stay on Tantooine, as punishment for eavesdropping.
"If that was the only punishment, that'd be great," the young woman complained. She had also been assigned all the menial duties on the ship – including laundry, cleaning the astromech droids, and general tidying. She didn't mind the astromech droids so much, their personalities quite amusing for being repair droids, but something about doing everyone's laundry irritated her to no end. Especially since there was no reason for a human to do it by hand, and the task was merely another way to cause her humiliation for her intrusion – something she didn't even remember, since she had fallen asleep outside the door until the Jedi had woken up.
"I wish this schutta of a ship would get airborne so we could go to Coruscant, and – wait, never mind," she sighed, interrupting herself when she realized what she was saying. "I'd rather remain on Naboo, even with those aliens in charge." Her hood was hanging down her back, and her long hair was pinned up as best as she could, but kept falling out and into the water. Shaking her head back to get a stray piece of hair out of her way, since her hands were completely submerged in the water, she gasped when she bumped something behind her, and whirled around to find the Padawan Jedi gazing down at her in dry amusement.
"I never heard a ship referred to as a schutta before," he said wryly, and Reli felt her cheeks begin to burn in embarrassment.
"He keeps doing that to me!" she yelled in her mind, but quickly turned back to her chore in an effort to regain her composure. "I apologize, Master Jedi," she added out-loud, unsure what to call him. "I didn't know you were there."
"I knew you didn't," he replied, backing up a bit now that he had had his fun. "And I'm not a Jedi yet – I'm still a Padawan."
"Oh, excuse me," Reli said, a bit tired of having to pretend she knew nothing of the Jedi ways. "What do I call you, then?"
"Obi-Wan will be fine," he shrugged, sitting down on a bench that stuck out of the wall and began to observe her silently.
"Is something wrong?" she demanded, not liking his gaze directed at her so…so obviously.
"Nothing at all," he replied pleasantly, and she waited another moment before turning around and facing him, her eyes meeting his squarely.
"Then what are you doing here?" she persisted, willing herself not to lose her composure. A smile flickered around his lips before he shrugged and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head casually. "Don't you have Jedi training or something?" she added sourly, turning back to her work with a mutter, a comment that made Obi-Wan's eyes widen slightly. "I thought Jedi were always training one way or another – at least Padawan do," she corrected. "So, didn't your Master tell you to do something?"
"Not particularly," Obi-Wan told her, resisting the urge to start laughing. "Just remain here and guard the ship."
"Are you from Coruscant?" she asked suddenly, and he blinked at her for a moment. "I mean, your accent is from there," she added, wondering if she had offended him somehow. "Touchy Jedi," she muttered in her head, but looked at him when he shrugged.
"I was trained at the temple for a long time, before Master Qui-Gon took me as his Padawan," he replied, and she narrowed her eyes slightly before returning again to scrubbing. "Do you need any help?" he asked after a few more minutes of silent. "That looks like a tough task."
"It's my punishment," she informed him through gritted teeth. His eyebrows raised slightly, and she felt his stare pressing into her back expectantly. "I was eavesdropping on the conversation the Queen had with your Master, when he said he was going to the city," she told him stiffly. Obi-Wan considered this quietly, not replying, and she decided to ignore the Padawan as best she could and return to her work without saying another word.
Several hours later, Reli was finally finished with the laundry, and heaved a sigh of relief as she drew her reddened hands from the water and moved to grab a towel to wipe them off. She started when she saw Obi-Wan still sitting there, watching her through half-closed lids.
"I wasn't aware Jedi were supposed to stare at people all day," she said sharply, a bit annoyed at herself for forgetting he was there and trying to recall if several things she had said could have offended him. His eyes opened fully, but he only shrugged and grinned casually, and she rolled her eyes. "Didn't anyone ever tell you staring was rude?" she continued, beginning to stack the clothing and pile it into her arms. "I'm sure the Queen or the other girls would enjoy talking to a Jedi – even if he is still a Padawan," she added dryly, frowning in concentration as she tried not to drop them.
"Can I help with this, at least?" he asked, and she jumped when she realized he was directly beside her suddenly.
"Carbon flush!" she yelped, promptly dropping the clothing all over the floor, and then clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Obi-Wan stared at her in surprise for a second, but before she could start apologizing he started laughing, much to her own surprise.
"Here – I made you drop them, so I can least pick them up," he offered, crouching down and beginning to gather the clothing together. "Padawans do a lot of menial labor as well, trust me."
"I'll take your word for it," she said finally, hastily beginning to pick the clothes up and shove them into her arms, wishing the Padawan would just leave her alone. As he stood up, stretching lazily a bit, she abruptly shoved her own pile at him, which he caught in surprise.
"Uh…"
"Well, you offered to help," she said stiffly. "And after scaring me like that, you can just carry that load for me."
"All right…" he agreed, a bit taken aback the young woman had suddenly acted like he was just another person, instead of an 'annoying gizka of a Jedi', one of the better endearments he had heard her mutter while she worked.
I took the swearing and terms from reliable Star Wars resources, just to let everyone know. Well, I hope that this is a decent chapter, at least. I personally think it's all right, but I'd like to know what other people think, so please review!