"Can you believe it? While on Ilum."
"No I can't." Griped one of the padawans. Obi-Wan looked up when his anger carried through
the force. "She made it up or cheated somehow. White Pontite doesn't grow on Ilum." He said.
They all looked at Three when she walked in the small study hall. She regarded their stares for
a moment before she brushed it off. Her confidence was strong, it made Obi-Wan's stomach
flutter. Her new lightsaber was latched to her belt as if it had always been there. She wasn't
nervous about it like most padawans. Obi-Wan's saber still felt heavy on his side - it was rare
that he didn't notice the presence of it. Much like Three - this morning he could almost feel her
coming.
"Three! Can we see it?" One Twi' lek girl pleaded as she put her books down.
"Did you really get it on Ilum - you sure Master Windu didn't take you somewhere else?"
"I saw them there. Three you got a white pontite crystal from Ilum - that's amazing!" Some of the
boys were glad for her but the one who claimed she cheated just stood up and blocked her
admirers.
"Lying it not allowed amongst Jedi." He said.
"Neither is aggression." Three countered. She took up her lightsaber and willed it forth. They all
gasped at the white energy blade. The hum of it was quiet but the light it produced was brilliant.
"I've been told my particular crystal has a calming effect. Even though it is a particularly
powerful saber it may never see a fight because it may sooth my opponent's temper. Is it
working?" She glanced at the boy and he did seem to back off slightly. "Speaking of sabers,
where's yours?" He shut his mouth and turned away from her.
"A real Jedi doesn't need to show off. That's why you'll never be one." He sneered before he
crossed his arms and sat down. Three turned off her saber and put it on her belt.
"If that is what you think." She shrugged and took her seat. "You're wrong." she added. The two
girls giggled and the other boys heckled their friend. He just pouted and told them to shut up.
Three was preparing for class when she felt eyes on her. She didn't have to look to know it was
Obi-Wan - stuck in one of his awed stupors. She could feel his adoration, words popping up in
her head:
Amazing! She's so amazing!
… She's so beautiful…
"You were right." Three said as soon as she sat down with Sana.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "About what?" Three chuckled before she fiddled with her braid.
Sana suddenly felt very content while looking at Three. She was surprised, delighted but
reserved and humble like a good Jedi should be. She was significantly more self assured than
in their previous sessions. Something big had happened.
"Obi-Wan likes me. He thinks I'm beautiful."
"He told you?" Sana asked excitedly.
"No. I heard his thoughts."
"Is that a Jedi thing?"
"Sometimes, if you're force sensitive your thoughts and emotions can travel along the bond all
Jedi share and can be felt and heard by others near you… if you're open to them." Three said
as if she was reciting more mantra from her teachers.
"Great. So he likes you - I love being right." Sana said cockily.
"Should I have sex with him?"
"No!" They jumped when Mace suddenly yelled from out in the front room. When there were no
other signs that he was in distress Three slapped her hand over her face.
"Ugh, kill me." She whined. She had just gotten done explaining the bond - of course her master
heard that.
"He's right actually. You went from zero to five hundred. Him liking you means nearly nothing on
that long road to being ready and worthy of sex. You're like sixteen years old - there's no rush."
Sana said - she was sure it put Mace at ease. "Plus aren't Jedi celibate?" Three gave her a look
- she was a former call girl that was now 'friends' with a Jedi master. In all honesty if Jedi were
celibate there was no logical reason they would know each other. They weren't related, she was
never in need of protection, she wasn't a politician with the Republic and she never had
ambitions to join the order. The only reason she knew Mace Windu was because he broke that
rule of 'celibacy' and self control more than once. He broke that rule so many times she stopped
charging him. "My point is give it time. Try actually having a conversation with him. With your
mouths - speaking through the force doesn't count."
"Okay."
"That being said if you have any questions about sex I'll be happy to tell you." Sana offered.
"I think my master is at his limit on that subject - let's give him a break."
Three wasn't sure if it was luck or misfortune that landed her and Mace on several missions with Qui-
Gon and Obi-Wan. The group worked well together. Obi-Wan was in heaven. All it took was one
question to start a conversation with Three and the awkward distance between them began to
close. The other boys at the temple didn't see their progression over the year they spent
together accompanying their masters. They just saw the end results which seemed to be that
they became best friends over night. The other padawans made fun of them spending so much
time together - joking that they were breaking the rules with their 'marriage'. Or that it wouldn't
be so hard for Obi-Wan to stay celibate with such an 'ugly wife'. The boy who said that was the
same one who hassled Three over her lightsaber. The comment about her looks really upset her
more than any of his other jabs and Three stormed off.
"What is your problem?" Obi-Wan asked as he got in the boys face. His name was Van - a
rather average humanoid with pale skin and dark hair. Despite his nasty attitude towards Three
he was well liked by the other apprentices. Obi-Wan had seen him duel, he was quite skilled
and powerful - there was even talk of him being the 'chosen one'. Which might explain his
condescending behavior. But the way he degraded Three every chance he got was not the Jedi
way.
"Just trying to weed out the weaklings." Van said. "Plus it's against the rules for one Jedi to kill
another - she shouldn't even be here."
"What are you talking about? Three has never killed anyone."
"Master Zu would beg to differ." He said. He must've decided that was all the time he would give
Obi-Wan and walked off. Most of the other boys had grown out of that kind of heckling. When
they were younglings everyone teased everyone else but now that they were knights in training
that kind of unjust resentment was cause for reprimands. Van was careful not to insult Three in
front of the other masters so there was no proof he deserved a talking to. Obi-Wan went in
search of Three when he sensed her sadness. She was somewhere alone, dark, trying to
convince herself that what Van said didn't matter.
'He doesn't know you. He doesn't see what makes you beautiful.' Obi-Wan sent his feelings
through their bond. They had been goofing around when they formed it - on some random
mission that was going slowly they did the standard procedure rather than play another game of
cards. They were trying to mimic how they were joined with their masters but half the time their
connection didn't work. He would look at her, sending messages that never made it through and
other times the things he wanted to keep to himself she heard loud and clear. She never
seemed to hear his adoration and respect but his urgent need to relieve himself would always
reach her for some reason. "I'd really like you to know how great you are but all you'll know is
how I haven't peed all morning." Obi-Wan froze when he heard Three laugh. It was odd to hear
it through their link but ultimately a relief.
'Thank you, Obi-Wan.' He smiled, hearing her voice for a second before all her feelings of
inadequacy vanished. Their link went silent and he sighed. Obi-Wan didn't understand why Van
still despised her. Everything he had found weird about her when he first saw her were now
things he loved about her. The shape of her bistre eyes. Her plump full lips. All her even brown
skin.
'Are you sure that's not just hormones talking?' Obi-Wan jumped when he heard Qui-Gon in his
head. He sprayed the urinal and part of the wall before he got control of his aim.
'Master, those are private thoughts.' He said. He had yet to learn how to hide things from his
master - it was one of the final lessons in his Advanced Force Techniques class. Once he
learned it he'd be able to keep Qui-Gon from poking into his deeper thoughts and feelings.
'You should tell her how you feel.' Qui-Gon suggested.
'What? Isn't that against—'
'So is forming a bond with another padawan.' Qui-Gon pointed out.
Obi-Wan was certain now that his master was arranging their team ups with Master Windu and
Three. When Obi-Wan asked why he was pushing them together Qui-Gon just shrugged and
said he 'thought they'd be good for each other'. The cryptic behavior led Obi-Wan to believe that
his master had seen something - maybe a premonition about his future. That having a closer
relationship with Three would not be such an egregious breach of the code. It could be worse,
he could be paired with Van and have to endure his boasting and bullheadedness. The way he
talked about females made Obi-Wan cringe. It was like he hated them - all of them no matter the
color. Van was going to be cause for concern, he could almost feel it.
"Van's a jerk." Three said. Obi-Wan glanced at her. For a moment he thought she heard his
thoughts along their hit-or-miss chain. But it turned out she was still miffed about being called
ugly. 'Sana is right, I'm beautiful. She's wise - Van is petty.' That he heard in his head.
"Who's Sana?" Obi-Wan asked before he could stop himself. Three looked at him sharply -
glaring in a way that made him scoot back from her a little. Her expression eased when she
realized what she was doing.
"A friend of mine. She's not in the order." She answered truthfully.
Obi-Wan had no reason to use the information against her. If Van had asked she'd suddenly
become mute and deaf. The boy was a manipulative little bastard who used any knowledge
against anyone who didn't gravel at his feet. Obi-Wan was his polar opposite - naturally curious,
kind hearted and genuine.
"Hold still." Three instructed as she reached for him. He froze thinking
there was some kind of animal or insect creeping up his sleeve. She reached out with one finger
and swiped at his cheek. He tried not to lean into her hand when she removed the eyelash from
his face. Until now they had barely shared any affectionate touching save for reassuring pats on
the shoulder and playful braid pulling. She had woven a bead into the end of his and that had
been an amazing ten minutes of close contact.
"It's red!" She chuckled as she gave the little hair a closer look. She then studied his face, taking
in his rust colored eyelashes and the clear blue of his eyes. After a very long moment of staring
at each other Three held up the lash on the tip of her finger. "Make a wish." Obi-Wan smirked
before he closed his eyes. The things he could wish for in a moment like this. She was already
sitting next to him, her legs crossed and her knee brushing his. He finally decided on something
and took her hand to hold it steady as he blew the lash off her finger. He felt the jolt it sent
through her when his breath brushed her skin. She sat up a little straighter. Obi-wan worried that
he had gone too far - that she was going to shy away from him. He had no idea if she shared
Master Qui-Gon's lofty interpretation of the code.
"Three—"
"Can I try something?" She asked. Obi-Wan just nodded. He was pleasantly surprised when she
leaned forward and kissed him. It felt like she didn't really know what she was doing. She
pursed her lips after a second and leaned a little closer. Obi-Wan realized he wasn't kissing her
back and over compensated. He put his hand on the back of her neck and pushed his tongue
against her lips. The action made her jerk back. "Eww!"
"Sorry." Obi-Wan pulled away quickly. He felt like burying himself alive when he saw the
disgusted look on her face. She wiped her mouth and glared at him.
"What was that?" She asked.
"A kiss."
"No. What I was doing was a kiss." Three said. "Did you learn that from a Gungan?"
"Sorry." He apologized again. "Wanna give it another go?"
"Sure. Keep your tongue in your own mouth this time."
"Ok." He nodded eagerly. She got close again and pressed their lips together. There was
something oddly satisfying about it. Contact like this wasn't against the rules but he could feel
himself growing more attached to her. The thought of her doing this to anyone else made him a
little irritated. He put the code out of his mind when she sighed. Why would they forbid this? It
was nice. Chaste and so sweet. It made him happy - his heart fluttered when she rested her
hand on his knee. She pulled back when he moaned.
"Sorry."
"No, it's fine." He said and put his hand over hers quickly. He used his other hand to cup her
chin. He pulled her back in - kissing her, being sure to keep his tongue to himself. He really
wanted to use it though, play with hers and taste the inside of her mouth but she wanted to take
it slow and he respected that. For all he knew this was her first kiss.
'It is.' Her voice pinged through their chain and it made him smile. He and Master Qui-Gon
seemed to save a lot of women from peril and as a thanks they'd give them kisses— Three
suddenly pulled away from him. "Now is not the time to be thinking about all the random
floozies that you've had your mouth on." She said.
"Of course you heard that part." Obi-Wan sighed. "Why couldn't you hear the part where I was
thinking how this is so much more exciting than having some strangers tongue in my mouth."
"Boys really do have it better." Three said. "When ever I save a guy he just tells me 'he could've
done that' or 'he was fine all along'. I know we don't do this for gratuity - I have to remember
that." She took a breath like she was trying to calm herself.
"Never mind that right now." Obi-Wan tried to get her mind off of how terrible people could be.
Jedi saw the worst of the worst most of the time. It was really easy to lose hope for the universe
because of how selfish everyone was. Their unwarranted hubris and disregard for other living
things. The Force taught them the connection and significance of all life. And there were many
great things about life. He'd show her if he could.
"Is it really better when you use your tongue?" She asked - seemingly out of the blue. Obi-Wan
looked at her sharply - had he been thinking that?
"Yes." He nodded quickly.
"I think I wanna try it." Three said as she played with his braid. Obi-Wan smiled wide and leaned
in.
"You sure?" He asked. She nodded. "Tilt your head a little." Three did as she was told and Obi-
Wan kissed her. When he licked along her bottom lip she gasped and he slipped his tongue
inside. At first Three didn't like it. The further he went the wider she had to open her mouth. It
was slippery and the taste of his mouth wasn't entirely unpleasant. The sensation it sent through
her was strange. It made her squeeze her legs shut. Obi-Wan pulled back a little just to see if
she was still alright with it. From the way she followed him he guessed yes, she was. Despite
the way she fidgeted and tensed. He put his hand on the back of her neck and she jerked away
at that.
"Not there." Three said sternly. He understood. It was where Master Windu held her to connect
with her. He ventured down instead and wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed her
hands on his bicep and leaned further into the kiss. It was thrilling and a little scary. His entire
body kind of throbbed - urging him to seek more. Lap at her tongue, suck her plump lips. Obi-
Wan caught some of the stronger feelings that pinged along their sporadic connection. She was
excited, frightened - so aroused she didn't know what to do with herself.
"I'm going to touch you." Obi-Wan said after he pulled away. Three looked absolutely terrified at
his statement. Sana had told her quite a few horror stories about the times men had touched her
the wrong way. "It won't hurt, I promise." He slid his hand up her thigh and she jumped out of
her seat and paced away from him.
"No." She said.
"Come on, Three. I just—"
"I said no!" She suddenly yelled at him. Sana taught her that if she wasn't comfortable doing
something then she should make it clear - no matter how any man pushed and tried to talk her
into it. She didn't want to raise her voice to Obi-Wan but she had to get her point across. "I don't
want to. Not here. It's not right."
"Okay." Obi-Wan said calmly. "You wanna kiss? We can just do that." He offered. She paced for
a second longer before she sat next to him again.
'Obi-Wan!' He jumped away from her when he heard Qui-Gon.
"Master?" He looked around the transport ship for any sign of him but that call had come
through their bond. Three looked like she was also receiving something from Master Windu.
"We have to go! They're trapped!" Three leapt up and ran out towards the building their masters
had gone to. Apparently negotiations had gone badly with the 'natives' and to prove they weren't
going to fold to the Republic and their Jedi guard dogs they were going to execute Mace and
Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan followed Three through the corridors and they fought their way through the
guards to where their masters were being held. Obi-Wan was trying to get the door open when
he was shot. Three spotted the guard too late and he got a blast off before Three could disarm
him with the force."Obi-Wan!"
"I'm fine - the door is open. Go, go!" He insisted as he pressed his hand to his arm in an attempt
to stop the pain. Three ran in the small cell and freed Mace and Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan was back on
his feet by the time they came running out into the hall. They were insight of their transport
when it suddenly exploded in a ball of flames. They doubled back into the building - fighting their
way down until they reached the street. They used the force to hasten their retreat - ducking
down alleyways and eventually hiding in the basement of an abandoned building to avoid the
guards that were sweeping the streets in search of them.
"Let me see." Three said as she pulled at Obi-Wan's tunic. He hissed as she helped him work
his injured arm out of his clothes. She shredded one of the sleeves and sprayed it with
disinfectant from her belt. "Ew, yup that's white meat." She cringed at the sight of his laser burn.
She pressed the sterile cloth to it and Obi-Wan gasped at the pain. She wrapped it and helped
him back into what was left of his tunic. "There might be internal damage, try not to use it."
"I've radioed Coruscant for backup. We've got at least an hour." Mace informed them as he put
his communicator away. "Are you alright?" He asked before he checked Three for injuries. The
only mark she had was from a guard that landed a lucky punch to the left side of her face. Her
cheek was already starting to swell and bruise.
"I'm fine. Obi-Wan got shot." She said before she went back to his side. Mace caught the
affectionate look Obi-Wan gave her when she checked his pulse - presumably to see if he was
going to go into shock. He was going to say something when Qui-Gon called him over to the
other side of the room. He could see through the older man's thinly veiled attempt to distract him
from the two teens by discussing what the Viceroy just attempted.
They spent most of the time is silence so the guards wouldn't hear them. Mace and Three
meditated while facing each other. He tried to assuage her fears and doubts.
'These people were only doing what they thought was right.'
'How can they think murder is right?'
'They have no respect for outsiders. They want to handle their problems on their own.'
'Why?'
'Pride. Shame. Arrogance. Any number of reasons they think we can't help.'
'It's wrong to force our help on them.'
'It's what they agreed to when they joined the Republic.'
'The alternatives must've seemed more unpleasant— oww!'
'Are you alright?'
'My arm… it burns.'
Mace opened his eyes and reached for Three. When he checked her arm for injuries he found
none. She came out of her meditative trance a little slower. Mace thought he may have been
missing something - shrapnel from the explosion, an insect sting, a muscle strain - but there
was no reason she should be feeling pain. They both looked over when Obi-Wan hissed. No
one noticed that he had fallen asleep and Qui-Gon moved to him when he saw the sweat
beading his forehead.
"Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon shook him a little to try and wake him but he just moaned. His
eyes rolled open for a second before he passed out again. "He's burning up."
"An infection from the laser blast?" Mace asked. "How could it be affecting him so quickly?"
"Something in the air on this planet. Something may have gotten in it before Three wrapped it."
Qui-Gon said before he pried one of Obi-Wan's eyes open with his hand. Presumably to check
the clarity of his corneas. He then unwrapped his bandage to check the skin.
"It didn't look like that when I wrapped it." Three said. The burn looked like it was spreading
somehow.
"Have you been doing well in your healing course?" Mace asked Three.
"Me? You've both Masters—" She said as she looked at Qui-Gon.
"I barely passed." He shook his head. "Over thirty years ago." He added. Three looked at Mace.
"Never took it." He confessed. Three sighed and got closer to Obi-Wan. She took up her saber
and opened it to get the crystal out. To stave off the growing infection she'd need to tap into the
life force using her crystal as an enhancing conduit. She concentrated - she felt the pain in her
arm like she did before. It almost consumed her for a moment. She felt so tired and cold, she
wanted to curl up and sleep and just give in. She realized it was Obi-Wan's struggle she felt.
She tapped into the life force - it was warm and filled her with energy. There was no pain and no
darkness. She willed it through her crystal which suddenly ignited in her hand. She barely felt
the flames as she used everything in her to heal Obi-Wan. The pain eased and the infection
retreated until the energy petered out. That was all she could do.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes just in time to see Three collapse on his chest.
A/N: So much for her rare crystal :P