The dust was everywhere. He went outside for but a moment, and now it was in the very reaches of his trousers for Force sake! While Obi-Wan felt the seemingly omnipresent sand, his mind was elsewhere. Questions of how to defeat the Separatists' Army and the wellbeing of his master were on the forefront of his thoughts.
Qui-Gon had gone off to that trouble ridden town to bring back a child he had met. Curiosity filled his mind as he tried to think of new reasons as to why his master would want a youngling around, but that was short lived. The young padawan was worried for all that was happening and wondered if there was much hope for them during this time of chaos. He found himself wondering all that would happen should things not go in their favor; what would happen to Naboo and all its inhabitants.
The young man took a deep breath and let his worries go into the Force, he called on what his master taught him. Something was different this time, however. Instead of peace he felt a sorrow he had never know. Adrenalin ran through his veins and he found himself getting defensive, as though there was an enemy ready to strike at any moment.
There was a burning sensation surrounding him. He knew there was a Sith apprentice somewhere on this lava based planet. That thought pained him. How could he? How could he do this? How could he forsake all that he taught him, all that they went through together? Obi-wan opened his heart to this man, and even loved him, but he was only met with hate and darkness.
Just then, he heard a saber being drawn.
Drawing his own saber, he slowly turned around to face the Sith that he was ordered to kill by Yoda himself. He looked into the eyes of the man he spent a majority of his life with. Any hope he had stored away of seeing the boy he once knew was gone. His once warm blue eyes had turned yellow and they possessed a fury that he had never known. That fury, was directed at him.
The vision came and went. It left him in a state of discombobulation. He had no idea who that man was or why he felt so close to him. The Jedi in training had no idea what those visions were or why he saw them, but they went as soon as they came.
A loud bleating sound came out of nowhere. Obi-wan turned his head to where the sound came from and saw his master arriving upon the back of a dessert creature, following closely behind him he saw another creature with a small human child upon it. As they approached Obi-wan noticed it was a boy who couldn't be older than 10.
His master dismounted and greeted him warmly. Obi-wan felt all his doubt and worry wash away. Any discomfort he felt that was caused by the visions he saw melted at the sight of his master safe and sound.
"Greetings padawan, "Qui-Gon said with a teasing tone. "I hope you have not been troubling yourself with the matter of my safety. I am a fully trained Jedi you know. "
The apprentice smiled and looked down at his feet. His master knew him so well.
"You're probably wondering who I've brought back with me. Obi-wan, this is Anakin. Anakin, this is my apprentice, Obi-wan. "
As the padawan looked up to greet the young boy, he froze. Those steel blue eyes that pierced into the soul of anyone who looked into them met his grey ones. He couldn't breathe. This boy was Anakin. Anakin, the child he called padawan, friend, brother, and later on, his enemy.
"What's wrong Obi-Wan, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. "
But Obi-wan did not hear him. A flood of memories came rushing in. Ones of great joy, sorrow, and oddly enough, peace. With the over load of memories filling his mind, the apprentice lost consciences and let the rest of the memories wash over him.
When Obi-wan woke, he saw that he was submerged in complete darkness. He did not know whether he was upside down or right side up. His mouth was as dry as a desert and his stomach growled with hunger. He felt so tired, like he could slumber for all of eternity, and yet he could scarcely remember a time in which he felt more alive. The last thing he could recall was Darth Vader's blood red saber striking him down, and then a euphoric white enveloping him.
He began to move his body parts. Not so much as to check their condition's, though that was in the back of his mind, but more so to make sure that they were all there. Tacking in the smells and sounds that were around him, the Jedi master concluded that he was on a cruiser.
This did not put him to ease at all. The only time he felt comfortable in a starship was when he was with …. well he tried not think of the past. Noticing that his feet and hands were not bound, and that he was lying in a clean and comfortable bed, Obi-wan began to assume that he was not entirely a prisoner to the owners of the cruiser.
With the haze of sleep beginning to wear off the Jedi attempted to try and get up. This only resulted in him falling flat on his back. He tried again and again, each time he ended up in the same scenario, with him flat on the bed. After many attempts, too many for him to admit, he was finally able to sit up.
Slowly bringing his legs to the edge of the bed, he placed his feet on the ground. As he began to stand up, he was attacked by dizziness. Nearly falling to the floor, he slammed his hand onto the bed to stabilize himself. When his balance was regained, he began to feel for the wall. After groping the darkness, his right hand met cold metal. Following along the lines of the wall he finally ended up where he wanted to be, in front of a door.
The door opened up with a loud hiss. The light beyond the door made Obi-wan cringe, but his eyes quickly adjusted and he was able to clearly see his surroundings. In front of him was a hallway, which he followed. As he walked along, mindful to keep his footfalls silent, he noticed that the ship was luxurious one. It may have been an older model, like the ones from his youth, but it was one fit for royalty none the less.
When he finally reached the end of the hallway, Obi-wan decided that it would be okay to step into the openness of whatever room he was approaching. As he stepped into the room, a droid ran out beeping and whirling as though he was running from something or someone. Soon after a small blur of blond hair and tan clothes, that nearly rammed into him, ran right after the droid.
"Wait R2! Let me take a look at you! I promise to put you back together!"
"Anakin?" Obi-wan said out loud in disbelief as his eyes followed the boy until he disappeared into another corridor. The next voice he heard, however, nearly sent him into a permanent state of shock.
"Ah, Obi-wan, you're finally awake. Here I thought you wouldn't wake till we reached the temple."
The Jedi master slowly turned around and was met with the face of his formally deceased master who wore an amused face at the sight of him.
"Qui-Gon?!"
"That is my name," Qui-Gon said teasingly.
"B-b-but how?" Obi-wan stammered.
Qui-Gon's face turned from humor to confusion at his apprentice's question.
"How what?' he asked.
"How are you here?! I saw you…." Obi-wan paused as Anakin came back round, finally leaving the droid alone in favor of listening to the Jedis' discussion. The boy came to stand at Qui-Gon's left side as he peered up at Obi-wan.
"Is this about the weird red face guy that attacked us?" he asked.
Qui-Gon's face eased up as the logic in the boy's question that allowed him insight into the confusion of apprentice.
"Ah yes, that must be why you're in a state. That man threw out a force signature so foul, it must have made you pass out seeing as you've never came across anything like him. You must have thought the worst for me, as you always do padawan." Qui-Gon said once more in a teasing tone.
Obi-wan's mind was racing. He could not believe where he was, or more appropriately worded, when he was. The cruiser had reminded him of the ones from his youth, because it was the one from his youth. Somehow, in some way, he has been sent back to the times of his padawan years. And it was not just a random point either, it was the moment in which he first encountered Anakin Skywalker.
He was at a loss for words. The situation at hand needed to be handled delicately and with secrecy, lest he be declared mad. Looking away from Anakin and back to his Master Obi-wan opened his mouth to try and deter the attention away from himself, when his stomach desided let out a loud growl. His faced flushed with embarrassment and he tried to excuse himself.
Qui-Gon laughed and simply waved off whatever he was trying to say, He suggested they start heading for the mess hall to grab some much needed food. Obi-wan followed silently and obediently with a young Anakin in tow.
The once famed Negotiator was at a loss for words. All he could think of was that he had no idea how he got into this situation. Trying to compare this to anything in the past, even when his padawan messed up negotiations and they were imprisoned for three moons, couldn't amount to the sort of mess he was in. At least in those scenarios, there were solutions that allowed him to overcome any problem he came across. Now, in his present time, there was no foreseeable way for him to comprehend all of this, let alone come up with a game changer.
Reaching the mess hall, Obi-wan got the first food he saw and sat down. Soon after, his Master and Anakin came and sat down next to him. Biting into his meal, which was heaven to his stomach, Obi-wan was left to ponder on where he would go from this point forth. When they arrived in Coruscant, it would be so easy to slip into the cracks and live a life away from the brewing war. At the same token, however, could he knowingly let what was bound to happen come true?
A feminine laugh beside him brought his out of his musings and into the conversation that was taking place at his table. Padme, the queen, was still dressed in a handmaid's uniform and was laughing at whatever Qui-Gon had previously said. Anakin, was staring at Padme with such love and endearment that even a non-force sensitive being could sense his adoration for the woman next to him. Even though Obi-wan knew what fate laid for the child, he could not help but lower his guard at the sight of the youngling he once called his padawan. For all the years he spent in exile, all the pain he went through, and even his timely death, he could not bring himself to hate or even be cautious around him. The boy was just that, a boy.
The child had no link to who he would become. Though the child was to become Darth Vader, who he was now had no inkling to that man. In fact, one might argue that because he had not experience what ultimately made the Sith Lord come to the dark side, thus allowing Vader to never exist.
"Obi-wan?" asked a concerned voice. The easy conversation that was going on beside him had stopped and all eyes were on him.
"Are you alright?" Qui-Gon asked. "You haven't been yourself all day young one, what's troubling you?"
Obi-wan tried to come up with an answer that would quell the questions to his "unusual behavior," but the only option that he had was to voice something that he did not want to say at all. It was the only way, however, to steer their attention from him for a good while.
Taking in a deep breath he gave life to a lie that no one was prepared for. "To be honest Master, I don't think you should have brought the boy along. The events that have happened today correspond too much to the boy's appearance. Perhaps the boy should be put back on that dust bowl of a planet, least he brings about more trouble." Obi-wan finished the statement with a half-hearted glare that was aimed at the child.
While he had not meant anything of what he had said, he managed to flabbergast everyone at the table. Of course, the first one to break the silence was Anakin. The enraged boy began to scream at him in Huttese, all of which he understood perfectly. The words coming from that mouth could make a Hut lord blush, thought Obi-wan as he saw his former apprentice lose his composure right in front of him.
After the boy had his say, he stormed off crying to another part of the ship with Padme chasing after him. It was just Qui-Gon and himself at the table now. His Master spoke first.
"That was uncalled for my padawan. That boy has risked everything for us, and we owe our safety to him. He has lost the only world he has ever known in hopes of finding a better one at the temple. While I understand that you are a bit too analytical and that you don't care much for children, you should keep observations like that to yourself least you make an enemy out of an ally." With that, Qui-Gon left and went in the same direction as Anakin. Obi-wan sat alone at the table now.
With no one around, he left out a sigh of relief. While he did not want to make enemies with anyone or get on his Master's bad side, it was the only way he could distract them. All of them would be blinded with their fury that they would hardly notice any more of his "odd behavior," thus allowing him an opportunity to gain his bearings back.
Feeling exhausted again Obi-wan made his way back to the room that he was in. Slinking onto the bed, he let his mind go blank. Then the intercom made an announcement.
"Status report, we will be landing on Coruscant in approximately thirty minutes."
As Obi-wan heaved himself off of the bed, he silently wondered if he should reconsider a life away from the Temple.
