Wordlessly, Qui-gon stepped aside and let the Councilor inside the apartment. Anakin had just left the bathroom, and was staring at Windu with a puzzled expression on his face. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked bluntly. "Anakin, this is Mace Windu, a Jedi Master," Qui-gon replied tersely.
Anakin's mouth formed an O as he quickly sat down next to Qui-gon, frowning slightly. "I have been told by Senator Amidala that the two of you are her bodyguards," Mace said carefully. "In this case, you need to be informed of a situation. We believe that Count Dooku of Serenno intends to have the illustrious senator assassinated, as she may hinder his plans. The Chancellor has appointed a Jedi to guard her, and we'll all need to work together to keep her safe."
"Padmé's in trouble?" Anakin exclaimed. "Yes, but if we cooperate, I'm sure we can ensure the senator's protection during her stay on Coruscant."
Anakins face was growing slightly red, the scowl on his face deepening after realizing that one of his closest friends was in a dire situation. He got up and started pacing, while Qui-gon tried to process all of the information. "So, Senator Amidala is going back to Coruscant, and we have to make sure no one kills her? And who will this Jedi guard be, Master Windu?"
The title sounded bitter on Qui-gon's tongue, but he had not forgiven his friend for what had happened years ago. "It's... it's Obi-wan, Qui-gon," and at this, Windu had the decency to look contrite. "The Chancellor requested him specifically."
"I see." The room was filled with tension, and Anakin's head swiveled between Mace and Qui-gon. "Well, it has been a while." There's something accusatory in Qui-gon's tone and eyes as he glared at Mace, who simply pursed his lips. "Qui-gon, there are rules-"
"Damn the rules!" Qui-gon got up and started pacing. "Ten years, Mace. For ten years, I wasn't allowed contact with the boy that I had raised into knighthood." "You were allowed contact, Qui-gon! You could've called him, you just couldn't meet with him in person. The policy is in place to limit attachments, you know that. It's not my fault that he didn't even want to talk to you, and quite honestly, I can't really blame him."
"It's your fault that I could never visit him! It's your fault that I had to leave in the first place. All because you couldn't see Anakin's potential, and the great man he was destined to become."
"Well, I'm sorry your destiny's child wasn't allowed in the Order, but he was dangerous, and all of us could see it!"
"I'm not dangerous!" Anakin yelled in indignation, jumping to Qui-gon's defense now that their conversation involved him. It was quite a scene. Qui-gon was scowling, hands pulled together in fists, Anakin had a hand on his shoulder, half-heartedly restraining him, and Windu looked like he was mildly irritated.
The door swung open, and in stepped Padmé Amidala, who gawked at the scene. "I see you've met Master Windu, Qui-gon. Anakin," she greeted in a stunned voice. She was dressed in a pilot's uniform, another one of her many disguises. "The ship will be leaving soon, come on."
"No. Absolutely not."
"Obi wan-"
"No, Master Yoda. I am not going on any mission, and if I ever hear the names Anakin and Qui-gon again, Force help me I will drown myself in the room of a thousand fountains."
"Obi-wan! Enough! A mission, the Council and the Chancellor have given you. A mission, you will go on. More discussion, there will not be. A knight you are, sworn to uphold the Code and the will of the Council."
"Master Yoda, I can't see them again, not after all these years! You have to get me reassigned," Obi-wan begged, his heart pounding. He was not ready to face them again.
"The right thing to do, this is. Face your fears, for only then, cease to control you, they will," Yoda grumbled before hobbling off to his next lesson with the younglings. "Easy for you to say," Obi-wan muttered. He doubted the grandmaster had ever been afraid of anything.
"Hear that, I did."
Obi-wan stormed off to his quarters, wincing slightly from the mark that the gimer stick left on his leg. Unfortunately, the old troll was a little stronger than he looked.
What am I going to do?
The ride to Coruscant is fairly uneventful. However, Qui-gon felt a ringing in the Force, and quickly pulled Anakin and Queen Amidala down as an explosion sends bits of metals flying over their head. Their ship had been torn apart, and Cordé, one of Padmé's handmaidens, is found to be dead.
"I shouldn't have come back," Padmé whispered before Anakin puts a hand on her shoulder in comfort.
Qui-gon and Anakin move to help Padmé unpack, but Windu gestured for the two to follow him instead. They took a speeder and arrived at the Jedi Temple.
The temple is just as Qui-gon remembers it. The fortress glimmers in the sunlight, radiating peace, serenity, and the Force. If he closes his eyes, he can sense the brightness that surrounds the Temple. But there is something else there as well. On the outskirts of the Temple, there lies darkness, creeping up on the light, ready to snuff it out.
"Qui-gon?" Anakin questioned, lightly shaking the older man before following Master Windu.
The three of them entered the Council Chambers, where Qui-gon found the entire Council had convened. It's awkward, to say the least, but everyone in the room seems to come to an unofficial consensus that they should just pretend like everything is fine, and not bring up what happened ten years ago.
"My apologies, Master Jedi. I did not mean to be late," a soft, cultured voice called out, and a young auburn haired man steps into the Chambers, slowly closing the doors and turning around.
Blue-grey eyes meet light blue ones, and for the first time in a decade, Obi-wan came face to face with his Master. Anakin tensed up next to him, already on edge from the curious stares the Councilors are shooting his way.
"Let's get this briefing started, shall we?"
The thirty minute long meeting is the longest briefing of Obi-wan's life. First, there's the Councilors, all staring at Qui-gon and him and holding their lightsabers like any moment, they're going to start fist fighting. Then there's Yoda, who has an unreadable expression on his face and is also watching him and Qui-gon and chewing his gimer stick like he's watching a Holonet soap opera. Last but not least, there's Anakin Skywalker, who seems torn between introducing himself and shielding Qui-gon.
Suffice it to say that it was, by far, the most uncomfortable experience Obi-wan has ever been through. He ignored Qui-gon completely and focused instead on Master Windu and Yoda, who were informing them of possible candidates for the senator's assassins. He felt Qui-gon's steady gaze on him, but he refused to look up, blocking out all emotion and chanting the Jedi Code like a mantra over and over again.
He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this. He may look fine on the outside, but internally he was having a panic attack. It was a good thing that years of training had taught him to hide what he felt on the inside.
Even pain, and not the physical kind.
"Any questions, Knight Kenobi? Qui-gon? Anakin?"
Obi-wan shook his head while inwardly cursing, turning red from embarrassment and wishing the floor would swallow him up. Why is everyone looking at me?
He bowed to the Councilors, muttering a half-hearted "May the Force be with you" before all but running out of the Council Chambers.
"Obi-wan, wait!" Qui-gon called out before following Obi-wan out, with Anakin on his heels.
"We need to talk."
The door closes behind them, and the Councilors exchanged uneasy glances. "I bet Obi-wan's going to start screaming at Qui-gon," Shaak Ti murmured to Kit Fisto. "Are you kidding? If anyone's going to be instigating the fight, it's Qui-gon," he whispered back, and pretty soon all of the Councilors were discussing their predictions on how their conversation was going to go.
Mace Windu looked at his fellow Council members and sighed.
"Five credits Obi-wan punches Qui-gon in the face."
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED THIS STORY SO FAR! Your reviews are very helpful as to whether I should continue writing this and feedback is greatly appreciated. I've never gotten such an enthusiastic response for any of my stories before, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!
UP NEXT: A long-awaited reunion between former master and apprentice(spoiler-it doesn't go well), and a hilarious Q and A between Obi-wan and Windu, to lighten the mood after that train wreck, that goes a little something like this:
Windu: "So by any chance, did you punch Qui-gon in the face?"
Obi-wan: "No..."
Windu: "Damn it."
Obi-wan: "Wait, what?"
Also, to Guest: Obi-wan is approximately five-six years younger(it's not too big of a difference).
To Russia says hello: It's always nice to see someone familiar with the Jedi Apprentice series, I will be drawing a little bit from that in my story. I feel like Obi-wan always struggled with a feeling of inadequacy, and Qui-gon, although he had good intentions, never really helped matters.
XXX1994: Thank you for the feedback. You are going to see a lot of emotions unleashed next chapter. Sometimes, even Obi-wan can't be the perfect Jedi.
Phoenix Red Lion: You predicted the "cold shoulder" thing almost exactly like I pictured it in my head.
Also, just a heads up, I typically update my stories Thurs-Sat, sometime around noon or a little later, since a couple people asked me to update this in the reviews. Also, this will NOT be a rewrite of the plot of Attack of the Clones, it just starts out similarly.
