T'was a love not set in writing, His last thought afore that sudden mortality was of her.
but for a single inscription (borne on a simple gold band).
Though her love, cruelly ceased,
His endured by noble silence and spanned
to that terrible burden he carried.
Her last thoughts strayed to that unknown lover whose eternal pledge she carried with her always.
Those secrets forever untold carried to their graves.
The single offspring ignorant of his lineage.
Obi-Wan strolled leisurely to the hangar, where the sounds of tinkering emerged. Nearly a week had passed since he and his apprentice had confronted Count Dooku. The lightsaber wounds he'd sustained still caused him discomfort so Yoda had sent him and Anakin back to Tantooine to recover. As well as to bring comfort to Anakin's family for Shmi Skywalker's recent death. The brief recovery period did wonders to Anakin; even Obi-Wan thrived in the dull, dry Tantooine atmosphere.
Anakin nodded briefly to his master and resumed his repairs on Obi-Wan's starship, which had sustained more than just a few "alterations."
"Really, Anakin, by the time you're done fixing it, I won't know how to fly it."
"In which case I will be more than happy to take it off your hands and outfit you with an apprentice-grade T-5."
"Nice try," Obi-Wan retorted. He examined his starship more closely. "Is that a Dreadnaught-grade proton torpedo I see on there?"
"One of two, in addition to a missile launcher and upgraded blasters."
"Jedi are supposed to be peaceful."
"You should've seen what I left off." Anakin grabbed a rag and began cleaning his hands. "Obi-Wan..." he began slowly "did you know my mother well?"
"Not especially. Why do you ask?"
Anakin pulled a gold band from his pocket and showed it to him. "My mother was wearing this when she died and no one could tell me where she got it."
"Your father gave it to her- your birth father."
"Who was he?"
Obi-Wan didn't reply for several seconds. So the time has come to finally tell him... "Your father," he began "was a great Jedi and possibly the best friend I ever had."
Anakin's attention snapped up from the gold band. "You knew him?"
"You knew him as well." Ignoring his apprentice's incredulity, Obi-Wan went on "Did you ever wonder why Qui-Gon was so insistent on training you to be a Jedi, despite the fact he already had an apprentice? And how he even knew you were force-sensitive? Our crash-landing on Tantooine that day was no small chance." Obi-Wan sat down and Anakin, sensing a story, did likewise. "He transferred his memories to me when he died so, when the time came, I could tell you the unbiased sequence of events."
Anakin glanced at his chrono. "Plenty of time yet before supper. Now tell me everything."
"I suppose it all began when Yoda sent Qui-Gon to Tantooine to investigate a troublesome pirate gang...
Qui-Gon hurried into the chamber, still wearing a flightsuit and his swaying lightsaber tapped rhythmically against it. "You wished to see me, master?" he asked, composing himself for a brief, respectful nod.
Yoda turned to face him. "Always late it is with you, Qui-Gon."
"There were some difficulties for clearance from Coruscanti space control." Just returned from a failed mission from Ziost to track an ancient Sith relic, Qui-Gon looked forward to some comparatively quiet, relaxing time training his apprentice.
"The usual difficulties?" Yoda asked, with a raise of an eyebrow. Without waiting for the other to affirm or deny his inquiry, the elder Jedi continued. "Master Adi Gallia brought us the report of continued raids by a local pirate gang."
"Pirates? But she dismissed them as a local swoop gang only a few days prior."
"New evidence she found. But concerned now that wrong Jedi for job she proves to be. Go you must to Tantooine and continue her search."
"But, master, I've only just returned. My apprentice has fallen behind in his training."
"Assume Apprentice Kenobi's training I will."
For a moment, Qui-Gon said nothing as he personally distasted the idea of getting into his starfighter again so soon. "Very well, master." He nodded again abruptly then strode from the room, thinking all the while how he abhorred the 'yes master' policy into which Yoda conformed him and all the other Jedi. This exchange only reinforced his memory that he and the Jedi Master failed to have the same perspective on every other issue that came up within the Jedi Council. He supposed that was why Yoda hadn't yet elected him to the Council. A wise decision, yet manipulative on Yoda's part, since all the other Jedi bent to his every whim. Qui-Gon was secretly pleased that his own apprentice showed no such weakness.
Obi-wan would make the Council yet. That much Qui-Gon knew.
Especially on the core teachings of the Jedi, he and Yoda disagreed. Once such instance was when Master Quinlan Vos had been removed from the Council on account of his secretly raising a child. His mate had died, in a war Qui-Gon thought, but the child had been hidden away from Yoda's notice. Or so he thought. Yoda had offered him the ultimatum of sacrificing his child or his status as a Jedi Master. Qui-Gon had been secretly pleased when Vos chose the latter. The result had been a long, heated debate between him and Yoda which had only been made worse when Yoda had discovered the encouragement Qui-Gon had given Vos for his decision.
He was in the middle of prepping his starfighter when Obi-Wan came to see him off. The padawan looked significantly crestfallen, which Qui-Gon didn't blame. Surely there were several other Jedi Masters who lacked apprentices and could be spared for the mission. When Obi-Wan came to hug him, the apprentice's head came nearly to Qui-Gon's shoulder and the master noted with amusement that the apprentice's robes had shrunk several inches. Has it really been so long?
Obi-Wan echoed his distaste for the mission. "Do you really need to go? I came in last at yesterday's training assessment."
Qui-Gon sighed. "I mentioned it to Yoda and he promised that he will personally oversee your training until I get back." He lowered his voice in case any of Yoda's "yes Jedi" were within earshot. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but please try to take Yoda seriously. Even if I don't."
"Yeah" Obi-Wan said, with a grimace. "Speaking of Master Yoda, he said to tell you that 'find in Twin Suns cantina you will Master Gallia's former contact. Help you in your search he will," the apprentice said in a strikingly familiar imitation of Yoda's voice. "Sit in a corner booth you must and approach you he will."
Qui-Gon chuckled. "If you dare do that, while I'm gone, I should have to be most displeased with you."
"You could try, but I doubt you'd be successful." The smirk faded from Obi-Wan's face. "It's going to be ages until I'm ready for the trial, at the rate Yoda's interfering."
"I'll make it up to you, as soon as I get back."