TITLE: Shaping

SUMMARY: Prequel to 'Holiday Passing'. Taash and Ryin find out about the loss that Obi-Wan suffered and Ryin has an idea for a gift for his friend.

AUTHOR: Obi the Kid G

MY WEBSITE: The characters and venue of Star Wars are copyrighted to Lucas Films Limited. The characters not recognizable from this venue are copyrighted to Tracy C. Knight. The story is the intellectual property of Tracy C. Knight and is copyrighted to her. She makes no profit from the writing or distribution of this story.

January 26, 2008

Shaping

The small blur hurried down the corridor. Stopping for nothing. Stopping for no one. Until reaching the targeted destination. Home.

Home was a small four room apartment on the upper levels of the Jedi Temple.

The blur came to a stop just outside the door of his apartment. But he could hardly keep still as he fumbled with the lock code.

After three attempts, Padawan Ryin Cyr calmed himself enough to finally enter the code correctly. The door swished open. He rushed in, bursting to tell his master the news that had him running the halls. Master Taash Evram, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled for a moment, Ryin, now chewing his bottom lip nervously, took a glance around. "Master?" He asked quietly. Then louder when there was no response. "Master?"

A muffled voice came from the larger of the two bedrooms. "In here, Ryin."

The boy became a blur again and wheeled himself quickly into Taash's room. Taash was sitting at the consol reviewing something that Ryin decided to completely ignore at the moment. He bounced on his toes next to his master, waiting for the man's attention to turn away from the computer.

Taash intentionally ignored the youngster until he saw the feet still and quiet on the rug. Then he spun his chair around and looked up slightly. "Ryin. You need to study these pages I am sending to your consol. It's for our next mission. We leave in two weeks."

"Yes, Master. I will. But…"

"The mission doesn't appear to be a difficult one, but one should always be prepared for anything."

"Yes, Master. I will be ready. But…"

"I want you to devote at least an hour every evening this week to these studies."

"Yes, Master. I promise. I'm excited about a new mission. I really am…"

"But?" Taash asked, continuing the boy's 'but' theme. "You're very excited, but not about a new mission. So, tell me, what has you running the halls of the Jedi Temple like a small blonde-headed blur?"

Ryin shrunk a little in his stance, and his face flushed. Even his voice seemed smaller for a moment. "How did you know about that, Master?"

"The Force works in mysterious ways," he said, while waving his hands around, attempting an air of mystery. Ryin didn't seem to be falling for it though.

"No, Master Qui-Gon told you didn't he? I think I ran by him twice on my way here."

"Twice?"

"Yes, I was going so fast, that I ran right by our apartment the first time. I was past Master Qui-Gon's quarters when I realized I had missed my turn." A smirk folded over the young face as the pale icy-blue eyes shone brightly.

"I see. A good day in class, I take it?"

Ryin found his confidence again and stood up as straight as he could. "No, Master. It was a great day in class. I bested the older padawans for the first time today. Well, they're only a few years older, but they have a lot of experience on me. Master Yoda said he was very impressed."

The apprentice continued to beam. He had Taash wondering, and a bit confused. Ryin had many strengths, but sparring was not among them. He was small for his age and still very young. Most of his classmates were taller and stronger, and had a solid advantage on him with the lightsaber. So, Taash couldn't help but wonder if his student was embellishing the truth a bit, as unlikely as it would be for him to do so.

"Older padawans, huh? You're sparring skills have improved that much in the last couple of months?"

"Sparring? Oh no, Master. I didn't do very well in sparring. I mean, I didn't trip over my feet today, but I still have a hard time matching up with the others. I am getting better though. And I promise that I will keep practicing whenever I can."

Taash nodded, still confused. "That's good, Ryin, but if not sparring, what did you do well in today?"

"Master Yoda set up simulations for mock missions where we had to rely on our thinking skills and our words rather than our physical strength to have success. A negotiating mission. Of the twenty padawans in the group today, my mission was the most successful. Master Yoda said my negotiation skills were very advanced for someone my age. But it seemed to come easy for me, Master. I know it's not an easy thing, and when it happens on a real mission, things will be different, but they said they made the simulations as real as they could. And I did real good, Master. I did. I loved it too. It made me think. And it made me think from two directions. From my point of view and from the planet civilians point of view. I didn't get scared. I didn't back down. When the challenge got harder, I just worked harder to see the problem and to see the possible solutions. I…Master Yoda even nodded at me…I think that means he was proud of me. Sometimes it's hard to tell when he beats that gimmer stick on the floor so many times for so many reasons."

As Ryin's face continued to light up, and his words increased in speed as he spoke, Taash found himself also excited. He knew Ryin was a thinker. And that he worked hard at trying to figure people out and to feel them, but he didn't expect news like this. He'd seen Yoda's mock missions before. They were not easy, even when thrown at younger students. They were meant to be as real as they could be. The fact that Ryin did so well…it left Taash almost speechless at first.

"Ryin…I…that's…"

The hopefulness on the boy's face was aching to break out in a huge grin as he waited eagerly for his teacher's words.

"I am very, very proud of you, Ryin. I've been part of those simulations before. They are difficult. I never did score well on them either, even when I got older. The fact that you did so well on your first try…I think you may have discovered your great strength."

The huge grin did break out then. Ryin pulled his shoulders back as far as they could go. Making himself taller in the process as Taash stood and put a hand on his shoulder. They walked out of the room and into the kitchenette area. Taash heated two cups of herbal tea. "So, none of the other padawans came close to your score?"

"Older padawans, Master."

"Sorry. So, none of the older padawans came close to your score?"

Ryin giggled. A sound only a young padawan could make sound so innocent. "None of them, Master. But they had just beaten me and my age-mates in sparring, badly. Perhaps they were overconfident?"

"Perhaps," Taash agreed, "but not likely. But if they were, that's a weakness. Never let your strength at something allow you to forget your weakness. Your enemies won't forget your weaknesses. They will only seek ways to access them. And overconfidence…is a killer sometimes. That would go for you too, Ryin. As well as you did, and as strong as you may be in this area, physical ability with the saber is a weakness. And one that can be exploited. I'd recommend keeping a close eye on those older padawans next time. They might try and exploit the success you had today."

"I will watch them, Master." He took one of the cups of tea and sipped the hot beverage slowly while watching his master turn his attention to the wall consol, reading over a message left earlier in the day. "Who is the message from, Master?"

"Obi-Wan." He finished reading and sighed sadly, letting out a long, deep breath. Immediately he saw the concern on his student's face standing nearby. "He says that a friend of his died today. A mentor. Someone he looked up to a great deal."

Ryin put his tea down and sat in the large chair in the common area. He laid his hands on his lap and said, "I'm sorry for him. I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he will be," Taash replied. "It'll be a sad time for him though."

"Who was his friend?"

Taash sat across from Ryin. "A great teaching master. Marlee Pradas. He was a wonderful teacher to so many padawans. I never had the privilege of having him as an instructor, but I know of his ways and the type of person he was. He helped Obi-Wan thru a couple difficult years when Obi-Wan first became Qui-Gon's apprentice." He paused for a moment to make sure Ryin was still interested. The boy sat in his usual posture. Alert and curious. Then he continued. "When Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon first began working together, there were problems between them. And there were things that Obi-Wan wasn't comfortable talking to Qui-Gon about. So he turned to Master Pradas. And he was counseled and mentored in ways that helped that rocky relationship with Qui-Gon eventually begin to smooth. He was always a person Obi-Wan could turn to if he needed someone."

"Like I have done with Master Qui-Gon before. Turned to him for help with my deep meditation."

"Yes, very similar to you and Qui-Gon. He's a good mentor for you in areas where I may be weaker. He's been a wonderful mentor to me as well. I'm sure if anything happened to him, you and I would feel what Obi-Wan probably feels now."

Ryin shook his head. "I don't even want to think about something happening to Master Qui-Gon." Then the young Jedi got up and hurried to his bedroom, leaving his master confused again. "Ryin?" Calling to him, he heard the sound of drawers being opened and then slammed shut. Items being thrown out of the drawers and onto the floor. A mess being made. "Uh, Ryin?"

The boy yelled out, "Found it!" and then returned to the common area and opened his palm to Taash. A fist-sized chunk of wood with several slivers carved out of it lay lopsided on the small hand.

Taash nodded slowly and with uncertainty. "Yes, you did. That's…nice, Ryin. It's a chunk of wood." He picked it up and examined it. "And this relates to what we were talking about, how exactly?"

Taking the wood from his Master, Ryin sank back into the chair and placed it on the glass table. "I am going to give this to Obi-Wan."

"You are going to give him a piece of wood?"

"Yes. No. Well, yes. I mean…no, not like this. Well, yes, once I finish with it."

"Okay, wait," Taash said as he held his hands up. "Unconfuse me, Padawan. Please."

"I'm sorry, Master. Remember that mission we were on a month ago with Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan? The one with the banthas?"

Taash nodded. "Yes. And?"

"Obi-Wan told me all about the banthas. How they travel. How they live. About the young ones. And when we got home, I researched everything I could find on them. They're very fascinating animals, Master. Some of them even have tusks. Although it's hard to see them under all that hair. And the hair is exported to colder climate planets and fetches large amounts of money in the marketplace. It always confused me though, how they can live with that heavy coat in so many hot desert places. But they have this incredible internal cooling system that keeps them from overheating. Actually the hair acts as an insulator against the heat. And when they reach an older age…" Again Taash put his hands up to stop the boy's ramblings. "Ryin, as interesting as this is…I do believe that somewhere or other you've strayed from the point."

Ryin changed gears in a snap. "Oh, right. Sorry. I just love learning about them."

"Yes, I can see that. And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. But what does insulated bantha hair have to do with this small piece of wood?" He touched the wood and spun it around on the table to catch all angles, thinking maybe he was missing something obvious.

"I am learning to wood carve, Master. And I am trying to take this wood and carve it into a bantha figure. I know it's not very good right now. But it's harder than I thought, and takes a lot of time. I have to work on it between my studies and my classes."

"A good hobby is never a bad thing. But again, how does this relate to the moment?"

"Because Obi-Wan taught me so much about the banthas, and I had such a great time on that mission learning about them and even riding one of them…all because of Obi-Wan…I wanted to make this for him to say thank you. And I was trying to take my time and make sure it was perfect, but now that his friend died, I thought maybe I could finish it and give it to him before we leave for our next mission. I had planned to give it to him as a Winter Festival gift, but I didn't think I'd have it finished by then. But I will try now. Maybe it'll make him feel a little better," he finished softly as he handled the object once more, examining the crevices and the slivers he had already made. "It's good if he can know that his friends care about him when something like this happens. Right, Master?"

Taash closed his eyes briefly, feeling them dampen and warm. After clearing them, he directed his attention back at his apprentice. "Yes, Ryin. You are very right. And you continue to amaze me."

A confused look crossed the youngster's face. "I do?"

"It's...not important right now. I have no doubt that Obi-Wan will love your carving once you finish it. And more so that you cared enough to do something like this. But can you finish it in two weeks? That's when we leave for our mission."

"I don't know, Master, but I will try very hard." He grabbed the piece of wood, said "I need to start now though" and disappeared into his bedroom again. A moment passed when he stuck his head beyond the bedroom door. "Oh, Master, is it okay that I start now? I promise I will start studying for the mission tonight. But I really want to start on this while I have an idea of how to continue on it."

"That's fine, Ryin." Taash smiled at him. "Just go slowly. Don't juggle too many things at once. I know you have a tendency to focus on one thing too intently at times. Remember, you still have to consider how your weaknesses can be exploited by those older padawans in your next class. Right?"

A brisk nod. "Yes, Master. Thank you." And he vanished back into the room again.

Taash laughed under his breath and smiled back at the boy who was no longer in view. "Padawan, your ability to put the feelings of others above your own is certainly not one of those weakness. It may work against you from time to time, but by no means is it one of your weaknesses."

Two weeks passed quickly. Ryin has spent all of his free time working on the carving. He gave up his downtime with his friends. He gave up his non-study computer time. But he did still manage to continue his success in class against the older padawans. They continued to best him in sparring. But the other tasks that had the students focus more on negotiating tactics and less on physical, Ryin continued to excel in. Taash new that it wouldn't be too long until the Council would assign them a mission where that strength could be tested for real. But even they would be careful about sending a team with a Jedi so young into too dangerous a situation. However, if the right mission came along which would challenge what the boy has been excelling at recently, Taash had no doubt that he and Ryin would be sent to assist.

But that would come later. The impending mission was a lesser one. They would be more observers than anything else. Which is why when Ryin's studies flagged just a bit, while he was focused on the wood carving, Taash didn't push and make a big issue of it.

On the eve of their departure, Taash was packing his bags for the trip. A soft knock came on his bedroom door.

"Yes, Padawan, come in."

Ryin padded in. "I finished getting my bags ready, Master. And I have my study-vid with me too so I can keep reading about our mission on the way there. I'm sorry I haven't finished yet. But I did finish the carving. Will you be seeing Obi-Wan before we leave?" He held out his hand. There lay what was once a plain chunk of wood. It was no longer that. It was now a delicately carved statue of an adult bantha. The lines were mostly smooth. The details, although not perfect, were put there with patience and care. It was beautiful.

Taash was momentarily at a loss. "Ryin, this is…"

The boy's pale blue eyes looked a bit disappointed. "It's not very good is it? There are a couple areas that I just couldn't get right no matter what I did."

"Not very good? Ryin, this is incredible. The first time you've done something like this, and with the tools you used that were probably too large to work on a project of his size…it's beautiful."

The eyes lit up at the words and he smiled. "I hope Obi-Wan likes it. I wish I could see him before we leave, especially since it's the eve of Winter Festival, but I know I have to focus on the mission for tomorrow. And I need to get to bed early."

"Yes, you do. I will see him this evening though. And I will give this to him. I am very proud of the work you put into this, Ryin."

The boy blushed slightly as his master ruffled his hair. "Thank you, Master."

"Finish getting ready to leave. I'll be back later."

Ryin watched him leave with carving in hand.

Later that evening, Taash returned to his quarters. The lights were dim. He saw the small pile of bags in the corner, awaiting the mission tomorrow. Ryin had gathered them all together so their departure could be a quick one. He saw that the door to his padawan's room was still open, but the room was dark. Dipping his head past the door, he sensed all was calm. Not wanting to disturb the youngster, he removed himself and was about to head for the shower when the soft, familiar voice caught him.

"Master?"

Taash returned to the dark bedroom. He was barely able to make out the shadow of the boy lying on the bed as the darkness continued to speak.

"Did you see Obi-Wan, Master?"

"I did. He loved your carving. Said it meant a lot that you did that for him. And he would find the perfect place to display it so it'll remind him. He was touched, Ryin. You did a wonderful thing for him. And I could sense that it made him feel better. These last two weeks have been difficult emotionally. This was something that he really needed…from a friend. Thank you, Ryin."

Through the Force, Taash could feel a sense of extreme happiness floating over the boy, and knew, even without being able to see him, that there was a broad smile on the young face.

"Get some rest now. We have a busy day tomorrow."

The darkness replied once more. "Yes, Master. Goodnight. I'm glad I have Obi-Wan as a friend."

"As am I, Padawan. Sleep well."

Sliding the bedroom door shut, he walked towards the shower to prepare for the mission ahead.

END