AMBUSH
by
GM
Thirteen year old apprentice Kenobi attempts to teach his Master's a lesson
UPDATED fanfiction at these sites:
Man from UNCLE - Hawaii Five-0 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - SW:TPM - Sherlock Holmes
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Not connected with the JA series.
The Canon according to Lucas -- based on the universe provided in the movie Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. All characters copyrights and legal details belong to George Lucas -- the highest Master Jedi of all. This is all for fun.
ORDER OF STORIES IN JEDI WARRIOR BOND SERIES:
. . . every saga has a beginning . . .
Secrets
Ambush
Connecting
The Path of Bonding
. . . always two there are . . .
The Centre of the Bond
Insidious Dragons
The Long Way Back
Sanctuary
The Heart of Existence
Edges of Darkness
The Sorcerer and the Apprentice
Shadow on the Warrior Path
Pilgrimage
Live and Die the Warrior Creed
Bridge Over Troubled Water
The Jedi Blade
When Prophecies Come True
Push Back the Darkness
Always
The Last Hope
The End of the Warrior Path
Curled on the meditation pad, Obi-Wan Kenobi sat with eyes closed, concentrating on the mental exercises promised to achieve a perfect level of Jedi calm. Here at this inner realm of peace and composure the great masters assured every young Jedi a plane of unparalleled understanding with self, Master, Jedi peers and the Universe. On a good day.
Young Apprentices were not expected to achieve this all-encompassing netherworld of harmony to a complete degree, of course. Rumor around the Temple prattled that even Master Yoda had taken several of his numerous centuries to achieve the high peak of Force acuity he now enjoyed.
Taking a breath, Obi-Wan tried again to concentrate, fighting to keep his mind on a blank vision of a peaceful, deep azure; a haze of pacific blue floating in his mind's eye as calming as the gently rippling oceans of Capernium. As cerulean as his Master's eyes when Qui-Gon Jinn was pleased with his progress, or when a particularly difficult lesson had been completed and pride shone from the elder Jedi. Not, as this morning, when the cross sapphire eyes had glared at him with undisguised irritation.
Growling under his breath, Obi-Wan struggled to shift his mind back to that perfect blue world of peace. The heat of embarrassment gradually dissipated from his skin as the dark memory of today's reprimand sizzled across his conscience, then was pushed away.
At the usual sabre training this morning, Kenobi had seen no harm in having a little fun with one of the young initiates. The girl had skulked into the practice session to lurk, watch and listen to the older Apprentices who were assigned to Masters and were full- fledged Jedi. Just over a year ago Obi-Wan had been one of those youngsters dreaming of the day he would be chosen to be teamed with a Jedi Master.
What harm would it do to engage the young girl in a little swordplay while he waited for Jinn to finish consulting with some other Masters? What was so wrong about elevating the aspirations of a novice and allowing her a glimpse into the magical sphere of real light sabres? (Which initiates never handled until they were eleven, close to turning twelve and leaving the Temple with a Master.) How was Obi-Wan to know it was such a huge infraction of Temple regimen? And worse, a serious embarrassment to Qui-Gon (especially in front of fellow Masters).
Upon discovery, an impatient sabre Master had showered Obi-Wan with sharp reprimands. Then he had continued what Kenobi could only consider a Jedi-tirade -- quiet, calm, but scathingly leveling to the ego -- to Qui-Gon! The ugly incident had left the initiate upset, Kenobi abashed and Jinn so aggravated he did not even speak as they made their way back to their quarters.
An extended and tedious lecture had then followed. How many ways were there to harangue and reproach about lack of control? Jinn appeared to know them all. After what seemed an interminable morning and afternoon the Master announced he was leaving to "clear his mind". Obi-Wan was instructed to remain here -- contemplating his offense and achieve a level of mental maturity heretofore absent -- until Jinn returned.
Control! He was thirteen! Of course he knew control! With an angry swipe of his hand he sent a sofa pillow across the room to hit the wall. I'll show you control, Master. He sent a floor pillow into the Master's chair. Then a shower of floor pillows followed.
That felt better! Using the Force he sent the pillows back to his side of the room, planning on attacking the Master's chair again. When a wonderfully delightful idea hit him. Yes, the great Master Jinn was due a lesson on just how much control Kenobi had. A very obvious and tangible lesson.
***
Qui-Gon Jinn finished his perambulation around the outside walkway of the Jedi Temple in a much better mood than he had started. Stalking through the Temple he had come here to the lofty reaches of the gardens to calm his distress over the incident in the training room that morning. His initial response was to release his irritation by a long, strident walk anywhere but those places he would run into Jedi. The upper outdoor gardens were usually isolated and it was here he paced and came to terms with his predicament.
In the course of Universal cataclysms, Obi-Wan's breech of protocol was hardly important. Within the sheltered and close world of the Temple the infraction was noted. Worse, Sabre Master Kreel had actually deigned to lecture -- LECTURE -- him about procedures for Apprentices and Initiates! Jinn, a Master three times over, LECTURED by a Temple instructor! How could Obi-Wan be so careless? How could he act like such a -- a child! He was, after all, thirteen!
After his meditative walk he was able to breath easier and settle into a reasonable mindset. How could he really blame Obi-Wan? The youth was irrepressibly exuberant and enthusiastic. Certainly not qualities to punish. He was eager to share his excitement of Jedi arts with others. Also an admirable trait. So what if he allowed a young learner to use a light sabre. It was powered low and Kenobi, an able swordsman, surely showed patience in his attentive instructions. Kenobi was many things, a few not flattering, but careless was not one of them.
And his lack of maturity? Well, thirteen was not very old. And in the year they had been teamed together Obi-Wan HAD matured and seasoned. Perhaps Jinn was being a bit too harsh? When had he grown into such an old curmudgeon? Perhaps he should be a little more reasonable and try to respond with more flexibility. Think more like a young person? Hmmm, that was a novel concept. But if ever there was an enthusiastic example to emulate, it was the vibrant Kenobi.
The entire incident had been blown out of proportion, ending with his tirade out of the apartment. His stern and rigid lecture had been an extreme over reaction, he admitted as he waited for the lift. He would return and apologize to his Apprentice and smooth things over.
In the last year they had come to a very agreeable working relationship, and even levels of affection and respect. He did not want to damage that with a show of temper over such a trivial matter. Apprentices -- and Masters for that matter -- were hardly perfect.
By the time he reached their quarters he was ready to suggest an evening in the entertainment center of Coruscant. Perhaps an excursion would do them both good. The door slid open and he entered the still, quiet interior.
The object that hit him square in the face was soft. Several objects later he identified the articles as pillows. Big, soft, harmless throws formerly adorning furniture in the common room. As an excuse, he told himself these were non-threatening materials and thus his Force power had not detected a threat. Nor did he yet detect a threat. There was no danger here. At least not to him.
After the pummeling subsided, a smirking Padawan poked his head out from around the corner of the kitchen. "Hello, Master." He stepped out, a little bolder, encouraged by Jinn's surprised inaction. "This ambush was not meant as anything but an object lesson. I wanted to give you a demonstration of my control. I understand perfectly well what control is, Master. And I was not out of control this morning at the training center."
"I see." Half the pillows in the apartment were littered at his feet. Hardly the picture of a mature and respected Jedi. His tone was as bland as his expression. "I must correct you on one point, however, Padawan."
"Yes, Master?"
"Your understanding of control is not perfect. I will show you perfect."
With a sweep of his hand the pillows at his feet flew across the room to collide with the young man. Then the pillows from other parts of the room came, cascading down on the Apprentice who was now laughing so hard he had trouble standing. Kenobi's Force countered, tossing the pillows back, but his might was no match for the vitality of the Master's experience and developed energy. Now the cushions from the sofas and chairs -- pillows and cushions from the other rooms swirled in and pummeled Obi-Wan, who was now laughing so hard he could hardly breath.
Finally out of ammunition, Jinn paced over to the huddled form and smiled. "Will you need any more demonstrations on control, Padawan?"
Gasping and giggling, Kenobi came up to his knees. "Only one, Master," he gasped.
"And what is that?"
"Do you think you can replace them with the Force?"
"Of course. But that is another lesson," he replied, unable to his mirth. "Which means you will have to replace them all on your own." He feigned indifference. "If you would like to leave here in time to eat at the Coruscant bakery. I believe they close just after sunset."
Agonizingly, Kenobi scrambled to his feet, exhausted from the expenditure of Force and from laughing. With amazing speed he raced around cleaning up the apartment while Jinn mused on the complexities of being a Master. It was a tough job sometimes, merging adult discipline and temperance with fresh enthusiasm, praise and teaching. Today he had experienced the highs and lows of being a mentor, and realized that sometimes the highs came when he opened himself up to the possibilities of acting like a kid.
THE END