I got the idea for this story when listening to Adam Brands song, Little Girl.
AU Special Editions 1 first part
"Both parties rise." everyone stood. Obi-wan looked up at the Senators. Several held triumphant smiles. The rest wore a frown, a sad frown. "In the case of the unfortunate death of Bruck Chun, this sub-committee finds that Obi-wan Kenobi bears responsibility for the death." The Senator turned to the Chun's. "If you wish to go to the courts, you may. But you must contact myself and the Council." He turned to the Jedi. "Padawan Kenobi. We ask that you do not leave the Temple. We will contact the Council and explain everything to them. This is finished."
The Senators filed out
"We'll see you soon, Jedi. Soon, in court and then again we'll see Obi-wan there in jail." Vox told the Jedi all too happy. His party left and Obi-wan sank to his chair.
"Obi-wan?" Bant asked gently.
"I'm fine," Obi-wan muttered.
"Let's go." Bant told him softly. Obi-wan stood, the look of guilt, pain and anguish on his face was replaced by a mask. Bant blinked back a tear and her usual gentle face slid on, with only her eyes to tell her feelings.
Bant had decided that she didn't want to go to the rest of her classes, instead she went to the lake and dived in. The light formed patterns that danced around her as she swam. She felt a peace come over her that she hadn't felt in a long time. Bant knew that she probably wouldn't get into trouble, considering. She came up for a breath and saw Siri standing there. "Finally, I've been following you since you got here. What happened." Siri asked Bant.
"We lost." Bant told her, pulling herself up on a rock. Siri gently sat next to her friend and slid an arm around her. "Garen went after Obi-wan." Siri said softly. Bant didn't hear.
"It was crazy. We...he was innocent and they forbid him from leaving the Temple. The Chun's are taking him to court and they are pretty sure of a win there." Tears rolled down Bants face. Siri tightened her embrace.
"Maybe now, Obi-wan will come with us when we explore the lower levels of the Temple." Siri told her, trying to put a happy look on life.
Bant looked into Siri's face and saw the pain on her face. She nodded. "Wanna swim? That way they can't tell." Bant told her. Siri frowned slightly.
"Can't tell what?"
"That we've been crying." Bant said simply and wriggled out of Siri's embrace and slid into the water. Siri touched her face and realised that it was wet with tears. She shrugged and slid into the water and followed Bant.
Obi-wan walked into his room, lay down on the sleep couch and closed his eyes. The door chime went off. Obi-wan thought about getting up, then decided that it wasn't worth the trouble. If it is important, they'll come back. Obi-wan decided.
Obi-wan heard the knock and pretended to be asleep. "Obi-wan, don't try that trick on me." Garen warned.
"Go away."
"Obi-wan, what happened?"
"I lost Ok, I'm going to the courts and I'll lose there too and then I'll go to a prison world with a Force inhibitor on and I'll be happy because I'll never see any of you again." Obi-wan shouted. Garen back peddled and nodded. "I was just worried." He left. Obi-wan groaned and held his head. He hadn't meant to drive Garen away, or say what he did. Garen walked out of Obi-wan's room and left the apartment.
"Obi-wan, what did you say?" Mace asked, going to the door.
"Something I shouldn't have." Obi-wan told him.
"So informative." He informed him.
Obi-wan shrugged. He felt Mace sit beside him on the bed and place a hand on his shoulder.
"Just because you lost the battle doesn't mean you'll lose the war."
Obi-wan turned his face away. "You don't know how I feel, Master." He managed, against the tears that threatened.
"Obi-wan, I may not know how you feel, but I have some idea. Qui-gon abandoned me when I needed his help on a mission. Only he abandoned me to get the refugees out. He will come back soon."
Obi-wan frowned slightly and sighed.
Qui-gon and Tahl walked up to the sub-committee receptionist. The twi-leck looked up. "Can I help you?" she asked softly, her blue streaked black lekku twitched nervously.
"Is the hearing between the Chun's and the Jedi still in session?" Qui-gon asked, a small smile on his face.
She checked the records. "No. It finished this morning. The Jedi, Obi-wan Kenobi, is being taken to the Courts, charged with murder."
Qui-gon stared at her. "Are you sure?"
She nodded.
Tahl slid her hand in his. "Thankyou."
"I can contact the senators on the committee and inform them that you would like to see them." The twi-lek told them softly, she could see the shock on their faces.
Tahl shook her head. "Maybe later. Thankyou."
"I'm sorry." She knew that the Jedi were a close knit group.
Mace was sitting in a chair in the living room of the apartment reading when the door opened. Qui-gon and Tahl walked in. "Don't go anywhere." Mace told Qui-gon who had started for Obi-wan's room. "I've just got him to sleep and I don't want anyone, you two least of all, disturbing him." Mace stood, his eyes snapping.
"He is my Padawan." Qui-gon argued.
"Maybe you should have remembered that sooner." Mace stated simple. "Tahl didn't need or want your help. Obi-wan did. Now, he's riddled with guilt, afraid and Masterless."
"What?" Qui-gon asked softly, shock evident.
"The Council has decided that it is too dangerous putting Obi-wan with you. Especially if you're not there for him to help and to guide him. We are splitting you up and severing the training bond." Mace gave him a hard look. "Obi-wan isn't in there. We moved him to my quarters."
"You're his new Master."
"I asked him this afternoon. If it makes you feel any better, he thought about it." Mace started for the door. "Get yourself worked out Qui-gon. You will not be allowed to take another apprentice until you do. And just remember this. This time, you were the betrayer." And with that, Mace was gone.
Qui-gon disappeared into Obi-wan's room. Tahl followed him and together they surveyed the empty room. Qui-gon moved over to the sleep couch and picked up an envelope. He opened it read it aloud.
Master Jinn,
I just wish to thank you for the teaching that you have given me, obviously against your will, but I thankyou for taking the time. I fought for your trust, but only now do I see that I was fighting a hopeless battle. I now give you this stone that you once gave to me, may you give it to another who you would like to teach.
Farewell and may I never see you again.
Obi-wan Kenobi.
Tahl gently sat next to Qui-gon. The words had hurt them deeply. She knew that Obi-wan blamed her for keeping Qui-gon away from him. Or at least, she thought so. Now Obi-wan had done the cruelest thing possible, by going along with the Council's plans. Qui-gon was once again the wreck that Obi-wan had got him out of. He had taken an old wooden ship and restored it to it's former glory only to send it to the seas and allow it to be beaten against the rocks. How could he do this? How…
Obi-wan was sleeping, the best thing he had had in ages. Something Mace had put in his drink. He didn't dream, he didn't move. He just slept.
"He's been like this for twelve hours?" Depa asked, gently moving the blankets up.
Mace nodded slightly. "The courts want him there in six hours. They also want several Jedi as witnesses. Yoda, Siri, Bant, Garen, Qui-gon, Tahl, several of his teachers, Aalto, and myself."
Depa looked at him. "Are you sure that taking Obi-wan on was a good thing?"
Mace sighed. "He had no-one else. Besides, this gives me a good excuse to get back into the field and away from the Senate for a bit." Depa smiled and gently woke Obi-wan up.
Bant had heard that Mace had taken Obi-wan on as his apprentice and was slightly confused. Obi-wan had always been afraid of the Master, and now had apprenticed himself to him. Siri raced in to her quarters, gasping for breath. "We have been called as witnesses in the trial." Siri groaned and glanced at Bant. "Well this is great. The first time off my Master gives me in years and I have to go to a trial."
Bant gave her a small smile. "Yeah, well at least you have a Master." Siri flinched. She knew that Bant had been hopeful that Depa would take her on, then Depa had changed her mind.
"She may change her mind yet again." She told her friend gently. "Nothing is certain,"
"Some things are certain." Bant muttered, thinking of Obi-wan.
Siri frowned slightly and left.
The group of Jedi walked forward. Only Obi-wan and Mace was allowed into the hearing room, the rest had to wait in a small room. Qui-gon felt a stab of pain as Obi-wan walked next to Mace, the two had a training bond already up and running and Mace was reassuring Obi-wan through it. The Lawyer met them outside and started talking to Mace and Obi-wan as they entered the room, the heavy doors closing shut. Effectively blocking out any sound.
A young aide walked up to the rest. "If you have any needs, just call me on the intercom and I'll see what I can do about it." The young man smiled at them. "My name is Mered by the way and I'm Alderaanian." Mered quietly left the room and continued with his numerous other duty's. The Knights and Masters went over to a group of chairs and sat down, leaving the padawans and initiates to themselves. Several moments later, the Chun boy, Kad, walked in. He was followed by a group of people. They glared at the Jedi and sat in another corner.
"So Obi-wan, you were always a rival of Brucks, correct."
"Rival? No. friend? No. We just didn't get along."
"Sounds like a rival to me." The prosecutor commented.
"There are many points of view, most of them conflict with another. Which is right, which is wrong?"
"Jedi saying?"
"My saying." Obi-wan retorted.
"So was there even any girl that would have made the two of you fight?"
"Objection!" Obi-wan's lawyer shouted. "The prosecutor knows as well as any that Jedi are forbidden to love."
"I concur," the judge said. "Please stay on topic." The prosecutor and the defender quickly started arguing with each other and with the judge.
"I will answer the question." Obi-wan muttered. Everyone stopped arguing.
"As a Jedi, I am forbidden to marry, have attachments with anyone or anything, but we are encouraged to love in one way. We are taught to have compassion."
"Ah, but you had no compassion for Bruck did you."
"I am an apprentice and only learning properly these things. But I did. Not at first, but in the end. When Bruck started to slip, I threw out my hand, trying to grab his. He looked at me, panicked, remorseful, sorrowful and pleading. His hand just met mine, but by then it was too late. If he had taken my hand, he would have taken me with him, and he knew that. His fingers met mine then he took his hand away. It's not much, but in that instant, we forgave each other. I have to live with his death haunting me. I have to live with the knowledge that if I hadn't left the order, then I might have been able to save him. I live seeing his fall, hearing the dull thud, feeling his fingers. I have to relive the whole episode every time I close my eyes. I may be a Jedi, but we aren't infallible. Bruck wasn't, I'm not. I highly doubt that Master Yoda is infallible." Soft laughter rippled through the crowded chamber. "What I am trying to say is that Bruck became my friend when our eyes met. It isn't easy killing an enemy, but killing, watching a friend die, is infinitely more worse than anything that you could do to me."
Silence reigned through the chamber. "Please take your seat, Obi-wan." The judge said.
"I now call upon…" the court session went on for ages, either helping or damning him.
SEVERAL WEEKS LATER
"Does the Jury have it's verdict?" the judge asked. It was late afternoon, all the witnesses were in the room.
"We do, your honour."
"Will the defendant please rise." The judge called. Mace, Obi-wan and their lawyer stood.
The jury stood. Their spokesperson read out their verdict. "Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi, for the death of Bruck Chun, we find you not-guilty. We understand that you will always live with the guilt of his death, and it is our hope that you will find peace in it. We just ask one thing. That the Council put Obi-wan on a 54 month probationary period."
"The Chun's are not permitted to bring an allegation to the Senate about Obi-wan concerning the Bruck Chun case. This court is adjourned." The judge rose and left. Obi-wan closed his eyes and sighed.
Bruck touched his hand then drew it back. His eyes showed sorrow. Obi-wan watched as his friend? fell and died instantly. Bant still needed his help. Bant was alive, Bruck was not.
"Obi-wan, you did the right thing." A voice told him. He twirled around and saw Bruck. But Bruck was dead. "You helped me see the light. Thankyou." The apparation started to disappear. "Uh, back left pocket." Bruck told him then disappeared. Obi-wan felt in that pocket and grabbed the key then dived under to save Bant.
A touch on his shoulder brought him back. Mace smiled at him. "Congratulations, Padawan. We agreed to the probationary period. We were already going to set one up anyway, just to work on your control."
Obi-wan walked over to the fountain, his apprentice waited at the edge of the clearing. He put a small flower next to the marker in the rock of the waterfall. "Well, I have an apprentice of my own now. Funny how the times change us. I still feel guilt over your passing, but I am mostly at peace about it. My apprentice is like Siri. Except she's brunette. Just as fiesty, Don't know why the Council insisted that we would make a good team, but I enjoy her company. She wanted to come today. Fourteen years to this day." Obi-wan sighed and stood. "You're lucky you got to rest so soon, typical of you to abandon us like this. Especially when we would have needed you the most." Obi-wan smiled and turned to his apprentice. "Ok, now we can go."
OK I OWN NOTHING!
I know you probably hated it... oh well. please review