Disclaimer: I do not own nor make any profit off of Star Wars or any related works. It all belongs to George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Fox Studios, etc.
A/N: Well, I'm working at all my stories and I continue to ask for update patience. Sounds like a syndrome, doesn't it?
Thank you CC-645 for the reminder of credits vs. dollars and the issue of Plo Koon. I still don't know why I was so certain about that L in the last name... I've fixed all errors I can see. If you still find incorrect references, just let me know. :)
EDIT (2-22-15): The preface & chapters 1-9 of this story have now undergone thorough editing for grammar and spelling, as well as a detailed revision of structure, plot flow, characterization, and writing maturity.
Chapter 8: Connections
Three things became quite clear within a very short span of time when Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Maen entered the commissary. First, apparently Maen could recover from almost anything with a slight smile and a witty remark, leaving no hints as to her prior emotional state. Second, the young assistant could be the most congenial person Obi-Wan had ever encountered; Maen's method of greeting other Jedi lacked no courtesy whatsoever. In fact, people seemed to gravitate towards her. The third noticeable item was the distinct connection the young woman held toward younglings. Every child who passed Maen could not seem to help themselves from stopping to greet her and chat as long as their elders would permit.
One child in particular, young Ferus Olin, seemed especially enthralled with Maen when he passed by at the food line. The boy had a knack for conversation in the first place, but Maen Rul was only too happy to keep him chattering away even more than usual, a secret grin lingering on her features while the young one jabbered. Jedi younglings were generally discouraged from such chattiness, but Ferus' crèche master appeared to be amused with it more than anything else; only when they had all filled their plates did the Twi'lek prod the small boy back to a table.
"He's a sweet boy," Maen murmured in amusement once Ferus and his crèche master were out of earshot. All in all, the many talks and chats she engaged in had taken up more than a half-hour of their time, something Obi-Wan felt was advantageous.
"Quite chatty, for a youngling," was Qui-Gon's dry response as he led them to a tucked away table where few were likely to come upon them.
"All children like to talk when there is a willing ear to be had," Maen remarked, taking a seat with regal grace. "If we never let the young ones speak, the world would be a dull place indeed."
"Ah, I agree with you, Miss Rul," Qui-Gon replied with a conciliatory smile and left Obi-Wan to take the seat closest to Maen. "I meant no offense upon the children. They are the future, after all."
"So they are," Maen also conceded, backing down from her offensive position immediately. Obi-Wan felt his shoulders relax; the only person who seemed to consistently raise the young assistant's hackles was Qui-Gon, of all people. This fact confused the padawan, but he could find no cause to truly question. Both his master and Maen were equally guilty of defensiveness in the short time they had known each other. Perhaps it was just the way their personalities clashed.
"You have quite a social knack, Maen," Obi-Wan commented wryly, hoping to avoid further 'confrontations' between Master and Assistant. "Everyone seems incapable of resisting at least a quick word with you."
"I do seem to draw in the people around me," the young woman sighed in a long-suffering manner. "Quite unintentional. Senator Yenega claims I have an open, welcoming air about me… When I'm not in Senate proceedings, of course. Then I tend to become something of a draigon in attitude."
Obi-Wan chuckled with her. "Yes, I can see where that would change your attitude entirely. Rather like my behavior in the Council chambers versus outside them."
"You were infinitely stiffer there," Maen teased mildly, trying not to smirk too widely. "Like a statue."
"And you were as frigid as an artic wind," Obi-Wan returned lightly, a slight grin on his features.
"Oh, I fear that is my natural response to being ordered about," Maen groaned daintily.
"You would make a terrible Jedi, then," Obi-Wan teased further.
"Ha! Not compared to Master Jinn, as I hear it," the young woman chuckled, glancing over at the tall Jedi.
"I fear you have the right of it," Qui-Gon chuckled along with her good-naturedly.
"You know she does," Obi-Wan prodded amusedly. "If it weren't for Master Yoda's patience, Master Windu would have your head on a spike."
The look of playful, albeit grudging, acceptance on Qui-Gon's face intimidated Obi-Wan only slightly. He had faced that expression too many times to really take it seriously.
Maen laughed melodically over the exchange, "And here I've been thinking the Jedi have no sense of humor."
"Oh, we have it in abundance," Qui-Gon assured the inky-haired assistant with aplomb. "It may be drier than the sands of Tatooine, but you can't blame us for that."
Once more Maen let loose a melodic laugh that reverberated on the air and in the Force with warmth and strength. Obi-Wan became entranced by the feeling whispering through his system. There was a strange… connection, of sorts… that he felt for Maen Rul, as evidenced by her laughter so affecting his senses. Hardly able to fathom why, the padawan shook his thoughts away before Qui-Gon could pick up on them. It would not do for his master to imagine an attachment forming when there was none.
"I am glad to hear it," the young woman responded pleasantly to the tall Jedi, the set of her shoulders from the morning's tensions disappearing completely. "Dry humor is so fascinating and yet rarely appreciated by most."
"It takes too much thought, probably," Qui-Gon decided over a forkful of mashed tubers. "Many people would prefer simple, obvious amusement that is easy to obtain. The world is increasingly plagued with laxity of mind. So many beings wish to gain a great deal with very little effort."
"This is unfortunately a deeply embedded truth on Palesa," Maen sighed disconsolately. "My people have a distinct weakness in that regard; the ruling classes in particular. It is part of the reason why our government has been in turmoil so many centuries. Weak and lazy people attempting to gain and hold onto power for its own sake, no matter the cost to the rest of the planet. And the other half of the population has mostly been content to let them do so for a great percentage of our planet's existence."
"That is the trouble with most planets these days," Obi-Wan added with a sigh of his own. "The beings who live on any given planet tend to procrastinate about taking a stance, even when their very lifeblood is being drained away by tyrants."
"Precisely," agreed Maen, drooping only a little in her seat. "Our insurgency is small for exactly that reason. No one wants to actually confront the issues that hang above our heads so dangerously. More than half of my work for the insurgency is trying to convince the people to join us or at least to help us in subtle ways. It is the most tiring and challenging part of the entire business. On the one hand, I must give enough information to explain my position, but on the other I must also be wary of whom to trust in my endeavors."
Obi-Wan would have replied, but the communicator beeped before he could do so. Maen joined him in looking at Qui-Gon expectantly, who shook his head exasperatedly while he opened the channel.
"Jinn," the master picked up.
"The Council has come to a decision," came Mace Windu's serious voice over the communicator. "Please escort Miss Rul to the Council chambers in thirty minutes."
"We'll be there," Qui-Gon consented quickly before switching off the communicator. "Thirty minutes, Miss Rul, as you no doubt heard. We have plenty of time to finish our meal at a calm pace."
No doubt the Jedi Master wanted to calm any manic drive in the young woman, but already Maen's gaze was far away and her mossy eyes full of trepidation. Resigned to the unhappy change in demeanor, Obi-Wan merely returned to his own food with disinterest, eating mostly because of necessity. The young assistant pushed her own food with even deeper detachment than he had, and Qui-Gon sighed at their lackluster attitudes as the time for the meeting drew nearer.
"Come," the Jedi master concluded resignedly some twenty minutes later. "There is no use lingering this way if you do not intend to actually eat."
Wordlessly, Obi-Wan and Maen stood to follow Qui-Gon out of the commissary and over to the lifts. Maen's nervous anticipation rippled through the Force with great power, so strong it caused Obi-Wan to unwillingly share in the feelings. A look from Qui-Gon was all the reaction these emotions garnered, but Obi-Wan knew his master harbored confusion over the overpowering sensations. It was unusual for Obi-Wan to be so incredibly nervous. Yet the padawan could not reign it in and he decided it was better to push his thoughts on the matter away as best he could.
As the lift stopped, Maen stepped first out of the small space, quickly followed by master and padawan. Admitted with barely a glance from the initiate outside the door, the three stepped inside the Council chambers much more smoothly than their emotions otherwise betrayed, master and padawan bowing to the Council as was custom. Maen merely nodded respectfully at the assembled members, plainly beyond words until the verdict was delivered.
"The Council has come to a unanimous decision regarding your case, Assistant Rul," Mace Windu spoke first, and from his language and focus, the Council did not wish to mince words on the subject. "Based on the evidence you presented to us, we believe it is in the best interest of all concerned that we aid your insurgency in its endeavors."
Maen seemed to deflate right along with her heavy exhale of relief, eyes closed a brief moment as she reveled in this new aid, saying only, "Thank you, Masters."
"When you return to Palesa for the forum King Bidane is hosting," Master Windu continued, "Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi will go with you. They will be undercover as personal friends of yours, not alerting anyone to their capacity as members of the Jedi Order unless or until it becomes absolutely necessary."
"A good plan," Qui-Gon nodded, looking impressed that the astute consensus the Council had reached was in line with his own.
"And in the meantime?" Maen wondered curiously, an echo of relief still on her features.
"We continue to investigate whatever leads may be found here on Coruscant," answered Master Piell. "The Council has assigned another Jedi to investigate certain leads outside the Jedi Temple."
"I was under the impression Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi would be investigating the matter?" was Maen's vaguely sarcastic question. Her trust had already been placed in two strangers; it did not surprise Obi-Wan that she wished to keep her connections in the Temple to a minimum until her safety was assured.
"These are leads which might compromise the identities of Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi on Palesa three months from now," Master Kolar intervened patiently. "That is the only reason we have assigned another to examine them."
"Pardon me," the young assistant sighed slightly. "I thank you for your considerations."
"This is a difficult time for you," Master Giiett nodded with understanding.
"Have you any suggestions as to how I may work for my cause from within the Temple walls?" Maen asked more calmly.
"We leave any planning regarding the political forum to you and your protectors," Master Windu suggested. "No doubt that will take up a sufficient amount of time?"
"Not three months worth, I assure you," Qui-Gon answered dryly for the three of them. Only after assessing the tall Jedi's veiled frustration for a long moment did Maen nod in deference to his words.
"Certain aspects of your appearance must be altered," Master Tiin explained thoughtfully. "Clothing, obviously. And Padawan Kenobi's braid is far too obvious a sign of his status as a member of the Jedi Order."
With a jolt of dread, Obi-Wan's body stilled to the consistency of cold marble. They could not take away his braid, could they? Was this why he had seen the vision of himself packing without a braid to speak of? The thought was absolutely awful and unexpected.
"Calm you must be, Padawan Kenobi," Master Yoda interceded amusedly. "Asking you to cut your braid, we are not."
The sense of relief that flooded Obi-Wan forced his master to stifle a snort or a chuckle; Obi-Wan could not tell which. Nor did he really care. He was too pleased to be able to keep his braid.
"What idea have you come up with then, Masters?" Qui-Gon asked in his padawan's stead, sensing the young man was not thinking clearly enough to do so himself.
"Young Kenobi can grow his hair out – to the same length as his braid," Master Billaba explained, her amusement well-hidden. "After the mission is completed, he need only shorten the hair once more and make the braid anew."
Another wave of relief broke over Obi-Wan. That was a much better plan than he had imagined; growing out his hair would be very strange, and he would feel rather like Qui-Gon, but he appreciated the plan.
"The problem we have," Master Windu went on, a glint in his eye as he took in the young man's relief, "is that no one must see the changes in your appearance as they are made."
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan finally found his voice, his confusion echoed in Qui-Gon and Maen, all three furrowing their brows.
"For the next three months before the Palesian forum," the dark-skinned master explained, "we suggest the three of you take refuge on another planetary system. Once you have settled in on this other system, you may begin such alterations as growing out your hair and becoming accustomed to new clothing, weaponry holds, information about Palesian laws and customs… This way, your altered identities will be unknown to any who might be watching on Coruscant."
"What system would we be going to?" Maen questioned in surprise. "And how can we investigate here, if we are off-world entirely?"
Qui-Gon nodded with raised brows, clearly irritated by the turn of events and in agreement with the young assistant.
"As we said earlier, we have assigned another Jedi to pursue all avenues of investigation here on Coruscant," Master Windu assured the young woman with patience. Towards Qui-Gon he propelled a not-so patient expression meant to quell. "It will be taken care of very thoroughly."
"Your destination will be the planetary system of Saarn," Master Billaba further explained. Obi-Wan noticed something off in her eyes as she glanced back at master Yoda, who nodded with knowing expectation. Qui-Gon, too, noticed this little gesture, but he made no remark or hypothesis to his young learner. A sense of unease flooded their bond, however, and that spoke enough to Obi-Wan. Something about Saarn was not merely related to the Palesian conflict. He was just afraid to find out what that something was and why they were likely going to spend three months with it.
"When would we leave for Saarn?" Maen asked, and from the tone of her voice Obi-Wan sensed she too had picked up on the strange body language between the councilors.
"Leave in two days, you will," Master Yoda answered, revealing nothing in his speech or features. "Prepare yourselves with all information possible during that time, you should."
"It is an admirable plan," the Senatorial assistant remarked suspiciously yet resignedly. "Seeing that I can concoct no better one, I will consent to it."
"Good," Master Yoda nodded congenially, a distinct twinkle in his eye at the bold young woman's sarcasm. "May the Force be with you."
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed, Maen nodded, and the three of them headed out of the chambers with a mutual feeling of caution and suspicion lording over them.
Maen spoke first once far enough away, turning abruptly to face master and padawan with a piercing look on her features. "Forgive me for being overly suspicious, Master Jinn, but… Is it just my imagination, or does the Council have an ulterior motive for sending us to Saarn?"
"I must admit to finding their subtle interactions about the planet quite odd," Qui-Gon sighed. "But I have no possible idea what Saarn might hold for us. We can certainly look up the system and study it, but somehow I doubt we shall find whatever the Council has determined for us."
Obi-Wan nodded his agreement. If the Council had planned something that could be easily found in the archives, they would have told the three of them outright.
"I suppose you are right," Maen sighed tiredly. "I am just so tired of surprises."
"I cannot blame you," the Jedi Master offered with a sympathetic expression. "We will do our best to be prepared for whatever awaits us on Saarn."
"Yes, that is our best option, isn't it?" the young lady shook her head exasperatedly. "Well, let us discuss as much as we can about Palesa while we still have the archives at our disposal. Shall we?"
"Of course," master and padawan replied in unison, sharing a brief smile at the synchrony and leading the way to the archives.
It was hours later, preparing for bed as he usually did, that Obi-Wan realized exactly how uneasy the Council's secrecy made him feel. There was such an element of wariness regarding Saarn and their three-month stay on the planet. Groaning quietly over his own extreme nerves, Obi-Wan did his best to release his emotions to the Force and climbed into bed.
Not long afterward, a vision of the grassy planet they researched in spite of their earlier assumptions surfaced in his mind. No mere dream, but a true piece of foresight. He stood there with Qui-Gon and Maen. Dressed in dark colors and also standing with a middle-aged woman and a younger man, both of whom looked startlingly familiar. He watched himself step forward slowly, until a gravestone became clear. Barely had the stone come into view when he noticed the surname engraved upon its surface.
With the suddenness of an alarm, Obi-Wan jolted up in bed from the vision, sweat beading down his forehead, breath hitching, and a fierce, unexpected fear clutching at his heart.
"Obi-Wan?" came the worried voice of Qui-Gon from across the hall, coming closer as he headed into his padawan's room, face drawn in concern. "What is it?"
"Saarn," Obi-Wan gasped out uncomfortably, unable to draw on the Force in his state of growing panic. "Saarn."
"What about Saarn?" the master inquired concernedly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed and place a calming hand on his padawan's shoulder. The flowing calm from the Force only dulled the youth's panic a little.
"I was born there," Obi-Wan bluntly explained, offering no preamble or pleasantries. Qui-Gon gripped his apprentice's shoulder tighter, flooded him with more assurance. "I think… I saw two people in the vision. My hair, the same jaw line… and the woman had my nose and eyes. And a gravestone… with the name Kenobi. I think they're my family, Master…"
"And that disturbs you?" Qui-Gon wondered curiously, lifting a brow, his tension draining away visibly. "Many Jedi visit their biological family when they are older. And you are almost of age, Padawan. Perhaps the Council is preemptively offering this chance because of the likely length of our mission. Besides, who better to keep your secret than your own family?"
"I still feel apprehensive about it," the young man admitted quietly, a bit embarrassed now by how much he had overreacted.
As his master had told him, many Jedi saw their family. It was no secret. Usually after they were knighted, but the young man supposed his master's explanation would be quite logical. Perhaps that was why the Council had chosen Saarn. He still felt uncertain as to why they seemed so apprehensive about the choice, however, and maybe that fueled his worry.
"Is this a test for me?" the ginger-haired padawan wondered anxiously all of a sudden. "Like Xanatos' last mission to Telos IV? Do they think I'll turn away because of my family, just like he did? Because I won't, Master, you know I won't!"
Obi-Wan could not explain the panic that began to overcome him once more, but Qui-Gon looked absolutely stunned by its powerful hold over the young man.
"Obi-Wan, calm yourself!" he ordered firmly, grasping both of his apprentice's shoulders. "You are not Xanatos. I know that and the Council knows that. Stars, padawan, I would have thought you'd be interested in your own history, your lineage. What is wrong about it?"
"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan murmured awkwardly, glad of the continued calm being poured into their bond. "I don't really understand it myself. I… I just don't know."
"Would you show me the vision?" Qui-Gon asked him patiently.
"No, I…" Realizing how rude and ungrateful he must sound, Obi-Wan edited his reply, "Not just yet, Master."
The tall Jedi gazed at him with piercing blue eyes, extending their bond to examine the emotions running through his charge. Qui-Gon finally sighed, obviously troubled at what he found. "You had better see Master Yoda as usual. All right?"
Obi-Wan nodded quickly, throwing off the covers within seconds of his master moving to allow him space.
"I'll wait up for you," Qui-Gon explained with a semblance of a smile while the young man hurried about grabbing tunic, pants, and robe. "No doubt you'll be starving by then anyway."
A pale flush crept up the seventeen-year-old's ears, bringing an unexpected chuckle out of the elder Jedi.
"Go on and change," Qui-Gon encouraged him with a pat on the shoulder. Obi-Wan nodded and quickly made his way to the 'fresher for the usual routine.
Master Yoda waited in his doorway as always for the young man when he arrived, though something in the little master's bearing told Obi-Wan he had been expecting this visit more than any other.
"Knew you would need guidance tonight, I did," Master Yoda replied to the unspoken assumption, tapping the floor lightly with his gimmer stick. "Come, discuss this we will."
Obi-Wan much more slowly made his way inside the Grand Master's quarters, wary of what this meeting would bring to light. Yoda set about the makings of tea, warming the water and measuring tea leaves, and gestured for Obi-Wan to take a seat.
When at last the tea was ready, the little master brought two cups across and gestured insistently for the young man to drink. He did so obediently and felt a warm calm spreading through him; just enough to make him think rationally about the subject at hand as he joined the Grand Master in meditation. The vision was so brief that it seemed ludicrous to linger in meditation for as long as they did, but the power behind this glimpse of the very near future was too great to pass over on a whim. By the time they returned to the conscious realm, Obi-Wan felt more drained than he could have imagined.
Much as he knew it disrespectful to talk before the master was ready, Obi-Wan could not help asking, "Why now?"
Sighing a little, Master Yoda set aside his cup and faced the young man head on. "A grave matter at hand, there is. For your safety and secrecy on this mission, only one viable option could I conceive of. Keep your secret without question, your family would."
"There is something more," Obi-Wan pleaded with the Grand Master. "I can tell there is, Master Yoda. Why all the veiled expressions passed between the members of the Council yesterday afternoon? Why such secrecy and caution?"
Another sigh escaped the old Jedi, who slumped minutely in defeat. "Gravely ill your father is. Become a part of the Force he soon will."
"My father is… dying?" Obi-Wan repeated wonderingly, startled.
If he were honest with himself, he was uncertain what to feel on the matter. He did not remember his father or mother or much of his life before the Temple. Did not remember anything except a vague feeling that he had been happy. And a brief memory of playing with his little brother in the green grass. How could he feel adequately like a son would at his father's death, when he did not know the man?
"Hoped to see you again, your father did," Yoda said, lost in memory it seemed. "A stipulation of our training you, it was."
"What?" Obi-Wan again felt startled. "Since when do you allow such stipulations?"
"Different this situation was," the little Master explained patiently. "Of his own mortality your father was very aware. Knew the year of his own death, he did. To see you one more time before the end of his life, your father wished. To see his son as a Jedi he hoped."
"My father has visions?" the young man exclaimed in further surprise.
"Great in number these visions are not," Master Yoda shook his head negatively, "but true, his visions always were. Inherited this strength of your father's you have, but enhanced by the Force it has been."
"Is he force-sensitive?" Obi-Wan asked, growing more curious about his heretofore unknown family than he had guessed possible.
Master Yoda shook his head. "Compared to most humans, higher were his midichlorians. But to be trained as a Jedi, not nearly high enough was his count."
Obi-Wan nodded his understanding. "What about my mother? My brother?"
"Much less than your father," the Grand Master replied simply.
It was uncertain what Obi-Wan could really achieve with his questioning, but he could not withhold his curiosity. Knowing that his father shared in the burden of visions was of such great interest to him, a draw that had never existed before.
"Speak of this further, we shall not," Master Yoda spoke anew, a certain patient care in his tone that Obi-Wan had encountered more times than he could count. "Now, rest you must have. Leave in less than two days you do. Strength for this journey you will need. May the Force be with you."
"And with you," Obi-Wan murmured in return, bowing respectfully to the little Jedi and exiting the Grand Master's quarters with more questions than answers. The instant the door swished shut behind him, the young man stood still in the hallway for a long while, hoping in vain to gain his bearings after the bombshell he had faced.
Giving up after five useless minutes standing alone in the wide corridor, Obi-Wan let out a deep sigh and began to walk slowly through the Temple halls, no precise direction in mind. He knew Qui-Gon waited for him, but he was not yet ready to share what he had discussed with Master Yoda. Why Obi-Wan felt the need to keep this information from his own Master, he could hardly explain. He would have said the Force urged him to do so, but it was more than that. He also had the feeling Master Yoda, too, wished him to keep it quiet. The little master had not said as much outright, but the general conspiratorial ring in their earlier words to each other seemed to say as much.
Unexpectedly, or perhaps instinctively, Obi-Wan eventually found himself at the Room of a Thousand Fountains. As always, the room called to him with an inviting peace and tranquility; it would surely soothe his frazzled emotional state. Had he been any less unsettled, the young man might have noticed another presence in the room. As it was, he nearly ran straight into them without a thought. To his luck, he caught the both of them before they could fall over.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" they exclaimed at the same time, both looking up with wide eyes.
"Maen." Obi-Wan was barely able to recognize her through the darkness as he stepped back, but that same strange connection told him who it was.
"Obi-Wan," she returned in equal surprise, straightening her off-kilter robe. "I'm sorry, I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't see you."
"I could say the same," the padawan half-laughed at the irony. "I'm sure we're thinking along the same lines, at least."
"The mystery of the planet Saarn," she laughed as well. "Am I right?"
Obi-Wan's slight smile evaporated at the mention. "I actually meant the mission in general," he covered up with little conviction. Doubtless he was completely transparent to someone who worked with deceptive politicians all day.
"Oh." The young woman faltered slightly at his dead tone of voice, but recovered in an instant as was her way. "Yes, of course. It's a troubling business. The forum, I mean."
"Exactly," he agreed as though he had not just lied to her face. For once in his life, Obi-Wan's ears did not flush with embarrassment. His confusion and dissatisfaction over his vision and the talk with Master Yoda held too much sway.
A distinct moment of awkward knowledge passed between assistant and padawan, until Maen spoke again with false energy, "Would you walk with me? Perhaps you can introduce me to all the exotic flora and fauna in this grand room."
The forced excitement and cheer in the young woman's voice made Obi-Wan feel distinctly guilty. Guilty enough to accept her invitation against his initial wish for solitude. "I'd be happy to."
With a stiff, uncomfortable nod meant to convey her pleasure at this acceptance, Maen gestured for the ginger-haired padawan to lead the way. Out of some distant remembrance of chivalry, Obi-Wan offered his arm to the young woman. With a rapidly-smothered smile, Maen accepted the proffered limb. Little conversation took place outside of Obi-Wan's identification of the flowers, greenery, and other natural materials in the enormous room, a fact which suited both of them for quite some time.
When at last Obi-Wan could find no more new material to speak of, Maen pulled them out of the darker greens and toward the great windows facing the brightly lit Coruscant evening. Even the unnatural, manmade buildings looked beautiful beneath such a brilliant array of moon and stars.
"You're very troubled about Saarn," Maen stated abruptly. Obi-Wan immediately began to contradict her, irritated by the continuation of the subject he had tried to forget during their walk, but she stopped him with a conciliatory hand on his forearm. "I'm not expecting you to explain it to a perfect stranger. If you ever do need to talk it through, I'm willing to be an unbiased listener, but I just want it clear that I do know it's bothering you. And please, simply ask me to stop discussing it and I will be happy to do so."
Any indignant response that had built up in his throat died on Obi-Wan's lips. The offer was a kind one, and most generous considering the amount of trust their mission now required.
"Can we agree upon that?" Maen prompted him quietly.
Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Obi-Wan responded, "Yes, I can agree to it. Pardon me... I hope you can still trust me."
"I do trust you," she easily answered. "I am positive your integrity is solid."
"Thank you," he murmured gratefully, turning to look the young woman in the eye. What Obi-Wan had not been able to see in the dark entry or amongst the darkness of the greenery, he now could not help noticing in every intrinsic little detail.
Moonlight softened the eyes of his companion paler, here green irises tinged with smoky blue. Without the overhanging cares of the Senate and the brisk position she held, in addition to the loose braid of her long dark hair, the softness of youth overtook Maen's face in the extreme and decreed her true age for the world to see. Emphasizing this vision of soft youth was a much different style of clothing than what Obi-Wan had seen of the assistant's wardrobe so far. A long, soft gold shift with a sheer matching overlay that draped from the shoulders and boasted a vague leafy pattern, the wide-necked dress screamed femininity and gentility. That such a strong woman would wear so delicate a garment spoke to her confidence; she was just as comfortable being a woman as she was being a political figure.
Quite beyond his own control, Obi-Wan's lips moved of their own accord before his brain could contemplate the consequences, "You look lovely."
"Thank you," she murmured, avoiding his gaze of a sudden. A genuine flush overtook Maen's features, mingled with a gentle little smile that Obi-Wan was probably not meant to see.
"I'll walk you back," he offered as a means of diversion, guiding Maen back through the greenery and into the halls.
The absence of their comforting quiet talk from earlier created a great gaping chasm of awkwardness, yet neither of them walked any faster than a snail as they made their mindless way back through the temple and entered the turbolift. Barely paying attention to the button he pushed out of habit, Obi-Wan allowed himself to pass covert glances at his companion, whose feminine garb stood out even more obviously in the bright light of the lift. The two of them passed this brief interlude in silence, barring the sound of reverse propulsion from the lift itself, and exited the same way.
It wasn't until Obi-Wan stood before his own door that he realized the mistake he made. Before he could speak, the door slid open to reveal Qui-Gon Jinn with his arms crossed. A single brow lifted slowly onto his forehead as he took in the sight of his padawan standing arm in arm with the assistant they were meant to protect.
"I'm sorry, Master, I was…" Obi-Wan tried to explain, gulping softly against his suddenly ragged nerves. "We were just talking and I pushed the button for our floor out of habit. I wasn't thinking…"
Well, that wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't really a lie. He had pushed the button out of habit and they had just been talking not too long before then.
"I can see that," Qui-Gon replied blandly, still eyeing the young man. "Perhaps you can explain where you have been all this time? It is very late."
"We should return to our quarters," Maen said absently, thoughtlessly, but suddenly realized what she'd said with a wide-eyed gaze. Obi-Wan had to bite back a grin in spite of Qui-Gon's upset. "Oh! I mean… ah… I should return to my quarters… We don't have the same quarters, do we? I mean that's… ridiculous…"
Her nervous little laughter was entirely too endearing and musical, Obi-Wan decided. Whatever connection they had, he hoped the Force would help him to batten down the hatches. Testing his strength against a teenage attraction to Siri Tachi was one thing, but fighting a genuine link to such a woman as Maen Rul was entirely another.
"I shall escort you myself," Qui-Gon told her firmly. "Obi-Wan, wait here."
"Master Jinn, it was only a walk," Maen attempted to intercede, her wits apparently returned to her. "Obi-Wan and I ran into each other quite by accident at the room's entry and—"
"Thank you, Miss Rul, but Obi-Wan is able to speak for himself," Qui-Gon interrupted, not necessarily angrily, but certainly agitated. Obi-Wan barely withheld a groan of resignation. The reaction was worse than he expected.
"I would appreciate you having the decency enough to listen," Maen pressed forward, eyes flashing.
"I listened," Qui-Gon countered immediately, agitation only growing. "My conflict is not with you, Miss Rul. It is with my padawan. Now please, I will escort you back."
"No, you won't," Maen argued vehemently, shoving past him and into their living area. At the center of the room she swept around to face the two of them with fierce determination. "You will settle this here and now, like a sensible adult."
"It is not your place to question my judgment regarding my student, Miss Rul," the tall Jedi narrowed his eyes at her slightly, stepping into the room with four quick steps. Obi-Wan warily followed, fearing what new conflict could be cooked up between the two of them as the door swished shut.
"Nor is it your place to exclude me from an issue which thoroughly involves me," Maen fought back firmly, taking care to keep her voice on the lower side.
"Disobeying the rules of the Jedi is not your concern," Qui-Gon continued irritably.
"No rules were disobeyed," Maen exclaimed as loudly as her undertone would allow, expression showing her expression all too clearly. "Unless there is a rule against giving one's charge a tour of the Room of a Thousand Fountains!"
"A tour of…" Qui-Gon trailed off in minor disbelief, turning to his padawan, "Obi-Wan, you were supposed to meet with Master Yoda over your vision, not run off in a stew because of it."
"I did meet with him," Obi-Wan argued frustratedly, pushing down his irritation with the aid of the force before he continued, "We meditated and then discussed the vision, but I needed some time to think on my own afterwards, and so I went to the fountains. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I ran straight into Maen. I didn't want to admit to her that I worried about the vision, so she diverted us by asking for a tour of the room. I showed her all the plants and natural materials, describing each in great detail. We agreed that I would not hide my discomforts this way anymore and then we headed back. I was distracted in the lift and pressed the button for our floor out of habit, as I told you before. You opened the door before I could even talk, and Maen was still so distracted with worry that she minced her words."
"Given the lack of sleep I've been faced with lately," Maen added frustratedly, "you can understand how I might misrepresent myself as I did. That is all there is to this."
"I'll show you all of it, if you don't believe me," Obi-Wan offered with the last tiny shreds of his irritability.
Qui-Gon stopped to think for a minute, gaze switching between the two youths with keen discernment. Finally, he sighed loudly and dropped his crossed arms. "I believe you. And I apologize for assuming. To show my faith, Obi-Wan, would you kindly escort Miss Rul back to her quarters? I will wait here."
"Thank you," Maen coolly responded, walking to the door with a slight jerk in her otherwise smooth step. "Good night, Master Jedi."
Obi-Wan waited only for a brief nod from Qui-Gon before following Maen out the door. He knew their discussion was not over, although he could tell the worst had passed and Qui-Gon did mostly believe his story. The problem was that Qui-Gon probably knew he felt an attraction to Maen. A long talk would come and Obi-Wan expected he would have a very long and sleepless day because of it.
"Maen," Obi-Wan called after the swiftly retreating young woman, jogging to catch up to her fast pace.
"Forgive me," she muttered, still full of indignation. "I forgot I needed a nanny."
Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks with a tiny skid beside Maen, inadvertently letting her rush ahead. Within three steps Maen realized the change and turned back to see the insulted expression on the padawan's face.
"Forgive me, truly," she sighed, waving for him to step up beside her again. "I don't mean that. I know you are only keeping me safe."
Glossing over the remark with good grace, Obi-Wan nodded and moved to walk in synchrony with the young woman as she entered the lift and pressed the proper button for the floor on which she stayed.
"I'm sorry my invitation got you into hot water with Master Jinn," she told him.
"It wasn't your fault," Obi-Wan shook his head. "I should have asked him to allow me time to think. He would have known where I was and not become frustrated by my absence."
"Sometimes our minds overwhelm us," Maen disagreed. "Had you contacted him immediately after finding out whatever troubles you, it might have caused you to react in a way you would later regret."
"It doesn't matter now," Obi-Wan sighed as the lift came to a stop. "I have to tell him before we leave anyway. He needs to know my trouble before we encounter it."
"You truly are fearful of what you will find on Saarn, aren't you?" Maen determined concernedly while they slowly made their way to her quarters. As Obi-Wan had already decided, she had jumped back into her professional persona without a hint as to the personal awkwardness already felt between them earlier.
"I know what I will find, really," he admitted. "It's how that will affect me which has me worried."
"This is a personal matter, isn't it?" was the next question out of Maen's mouth, quieter and more conscious of the sensitivity than the first time she asked upon the subject.
The door of Maen's temporary rooms came upon them just as Obi-Wan decided how to answer. "I was born on Saarn. My father, mother, and brother will offer us a place to stay. And I have the feeling someone among them isn't going to be happy with my life. According to what Master Yoda told me, I don't think it will be my father, but I can't be certain of that."
Maen shook her head. "I couldn't imagine going back to my long lost parents and knowing they don't accept who I've become. I truly hope you're wrong on that count."
"As do I," he murmured unhappily. "Sleep well, Maen."
"And you, Obi-Wan." She smiled encouragingly at him and disappeared into her quarters with a swish of gold and black.
Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan squared his shoulders and made the trek to his rooms knowing he would face a long, serious talk about attachment and the dark side of the Force before he ever got to explain about his family.
A/N: I liked the idea of Obi-Wan living on Saarn because it's a really grassy place. For most of his life he lived on Coruscant, which is all-city, and after RotS he lives in the deserts of Tatooine. His native world had better be a nice place, darn it! Besides, Stewjon is a ridiculous name for a planet, no matter who lives there.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 7: Suspicion!
Pronunciation Guide:
Saarn (sahrn)
