Act I: Midnight
Interlude

Obi-Wan stood in the hanger bay and fidgeted. He took several calming breaths and willed his body to still. The technique did little to calm his anxious nerves.

"Obi-Wan?" asked a surprised voice. The aforementioned Padawan turned around slowly.

"Ah . . . hi, Bruck." Obi-Wan managed a weak smile before looking down at his feet. It was strange talking to Bruck civilly.

"What are you doing here?" A shadow passed over the other boy's face. "You aren't here to gloat, are you?" snapped the boy resentfully.

"No!" Obi-Wan replied with a little more feeling than he would have liked. "I mean . . ." He took another deep breath. "I wanted to see you off."

"Yeah, I know," Bruck replied dejectedly. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to stare at the boy. He had never seen his former tormentor look so defeated. It looked like all the life had drained out of him. "You aren't the kind to gloat." There was a flash of something, maybe anger, in the bigger child's eyes.

"I heard you became Master Dooku's Padawan," stated Bruck, voice flat.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to touch his new braid and shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the situation.

"Yes, I did."

"Congrats. I knew you'd become a Padawan. You worked so hard." The words were delivered in a clipped, almost sarcastic tone that made Obi-Wan cringe. The two boys looked at each other for several moments.

"I went to the mind-healers yesterday, you know?" said Bruck almost conversationally. "They helped me search through my feelings and all." His brow furrowed. "And right after that, I found out that they were going to ship me to the Taanab system." He gave a sour smile.

"Oh," responded Obi-Wan weakly. He didn't know what to say, but apparently, that was enough. Bruck continued.

"I'll be working for six months as an assistant for Master Rollan, the system Watchman. Then I'll be sent to the AgriCorps chapter house." He laughed bitterly. "Funny, isn't it? Looks like I'm going to be a farmer." Bruck looked away. "And you . . . you're going to be a Jedi."

"The AgriCorps are part of the—"

"Jedi Order too?" cut in Bruck. "That's what they want you to think. It's really just a place for rejects. And that's what I am. A reject."

"That's not true!" said Obi-Wan in protest. He was placed in the precarious situation of trying to console the boy whom he had loathed yesterday.

"Don't try to comfort me," Bruck said sharply. "I don't need it." He took a shaky breath. "My ship will leave soon. Before I go, just . . . just tell me this." Bruck looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you think we could have been friends?"

Obi-Wan almost flinched from the intensity of his gaze. Him and Bruck, friends? Had anyone asked him this question before, he would have immediately answered no. But now, he wasn't quite sure. Were Bruck and he so different?

"Maybe," he replied finally. "Maybe we could have."

Bruck nodded slowly. "I know." His former rival turned and prepared to board the shuttle. "Goodbye, Obi-Wan." Bruck did not look back.

Obi-Wan watched as the ship's doors began to close. "Farewell, Bruck. May the Force be with you."

The hanger doors opened, and the shuttle flew into the endless sky.

Dooku examined his Padawan. Obi-Wan was lost in his thoughts, contemplating something quite seriously.

"Is something wrong, Padawan?" asked Dooku. Obi-Wan blinked, startled out of his reverie.

"Nothing important," said Obi-Wan, almost guiltily.

"This unimportant issue seems to be affecting you greatly," he observed.

Obi-Wan peered at his suddenly interesting hands. Dooku raised his eyebrows and let the silence do the prompting.

"Bruck left to the Tanaab system today." Obi-Wan paused. "I went to say goodbye." Another pause. "He's going to the AgriCorps."

Dooku nodded. He knew this, of course. Dooku had tracked the other boy's progress after the duel. The mind-healers found Bruck to be suffering from high anxiety and stress. They had recommended a place strong in the Living Force to help him heal, and Tanaab was an ideal location. Though, the timing of the transfer was rather unfortunate, for it gave the impression that Bruck was inadequate. A shame, really. The boy was talented with the lightsaber, but the situation couldn't be helped. Some people were simply unsuited to become a Jedi. However, Dooku was somewhat surprised that Obi-Wan had went to see Bruck leave.

"Why does that disturb you?" Dooku asked.

Obi-Wan was silent again, this time for far longer. Dooku waited as the child searched his feelings for the answer.

"Because it could have been me. I could have been the one on the shuttle to the AgriCorps. It could have easily been me."

They were closer to the heart of the problem now.

Obi-Wan clenched his hands and then relaxed. "So why wasn't it me? Why wasn't I sent to the AgriCorps instead?"

The question Obi-Wan asked had no easy answer. "Will of the Force" was one response, but it wasn't the answer that Obi-Wan needed now.

"What do you think, Padawan?"

Dooku sensed a flare of frustration that vanished as quickly as it came. The boy contemplated the question.

"I don't know," said Obi-Wan, despondently. Master Dooku looked at the confused boy.

"Yes," agreed Dooku. "We will not always know why events happened the way they did. We must make do with what we have, for that is the Jedi way. The future is unknown and liable to change, and we must change with it. However, we must also remain true to ourselves and our ideals. Do you understand?"

Obi-Wan let his master's words wash over him before he replied.

"I think so," he said hesitantly. "Thank you, Master."

Dooku nodded. "Remember this, and you will not stray," said the older man, voice uncharacteristically soft. This was a lesson every Jedi would eventually learn, a lesson taught only through experience. However, words could guide, and he hoped these would.

His Padawan looked up at him, a new fire in his eyes. "I understand."

Someday, the child truly would.