I really appreciate everyone staying with me on this. It's been quite a ride, and while we're not done yet, we're definitely nearing the finish line. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and kept me going with this, I certainly wouldn't have continued writing it if I hadn't got such helpful responses. I'm currently toying with the idea of a sequel, but we'll have to see how the end turns out before that happens.
Just so you know, I have no idea how this story is going to end. My writing process goes like this:
Sit around and wait on writing for no apparent reason
Read reviews and start feeling guilty
Think about writing for a week or seven
Sit down and start writing, just letting the words flow and not even thinking about the story, really. I usually hand-write so I can type it up (and therefore make appropriate corrections as I go) and then submit it.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Anyway, without further ado or deliberation, here be chapter 10 of Polarity. Enjoy!
(Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. But if I did, Qui-Gon would have totally pwned Maul.)
Chapter 10: Realizations
There is an alternate universe…and Obi-Wan is from it?
Qui-Gon's first thought was to send the boy straight up to a mindhealer. Something had obviously addled his brain in the alley confrontation, something the healers hadn't caught. And this strange malady was responsible for Obi-Wan's behavior, no doubt.
But Obi-Wan, at least, the Obi-Wan he knew, would never make up a story so dramatic, let alone recite it to his Master. Qui-Gon's instincts told him to trust the boy, and a comforting tendril of the Force wrapped itself around the Jedi's heart, reassuring him. Qui-Gon believed the Padawan.
This other dimension…Qui-Gon frowned. Obi-Wan said it was seriously distorted. And he has been acting so strange… Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes, putting two and two together. Through the Master-Padawan bond, he nudged Obi-Wan gently. The boy was sitting in his room, trying to read about repulsorlifts, but failing entirely. His concentration was on his current predicament, and on how the older Jedi would handle the knowledge he had been trusted with.
Obi-Wan, I must know. In your dimension, were you also apprenticed to a Qui-Gon Jinn?
The boy hesitated. Yes, Master, he said faintly.
And this other Qui-Gon, was he the same as I?
Another pause before the boy replied negatively. Qui-Gon frowned again, then mentally thanked the boy for his help. He didn't want to push Obi-Wan into admitting anything yet. Time would tell Qui-Gon all he needed to know.
In the meantime, though, how to help the boy? He had already surmised that his own Padawan was in danger, but once they had switched places, what was to become of the foreign Obi-Wan? Would he be forced to continue what Qui-Gon suspected was a rather bleak existence? Would he fall to the Dark Side in an attempt to break free of the dark beginnings of his life? An icy chill gripped Qui-Gon, and he shuddered. The Force whispered to him that the consequences of a fallen Obi-Wan would not be felt lightly.
His fall could start a chain reaction that could destroy his universe and everything tied to it, Qui-Gon realized, his heart skipping a beat.
Acknowledging the creeping fear that was weaving through his body, the Jedi sat in meditation for a moment. There had to be a way to save both boys from the darker side of destiny.
Obi-Wan—that is, the Obi-Wan from the other dimension, said that the boys had it figured out, Qui-Gon mused. They know how to switch back; they just need to put their plan into motion. The bigger problem is to somehow keep both boys safe. How do I accomplish that?
Without warning, Qui-Gon's inner vision became hazy. He opened his eyes and blinked, trying to shake himself back to alertness, but his head drooped and his breathing slowed.
"It didn't work!" Obi-Wan cried. Qui-Gon's heart contracted painfully at the fear in the boy's voice. His Padawan reached out and touched the glasslike barrier, staring through at his twin and Master.
"He'll kill me!"
Qui-Gon's vision narrowed as a tall, menacing figure stepped into view. He swallowed, slightly unnerved, as he recognized himself through the barrier.
The man on the other side paused as well, staring at his mirror image and the pale boy who stood at his side. The other Jedi grinned. The smile did not reach his eyes.
Obi-Wan was pressed up against the barrier, oblivious to the man behind him. He has such difficulty leaving in the here and now, Qui-Gon thought, his thoughts disconnected, denying the sudden panic he felt.
"JANUS!" yelled the boy on the other side, his eyes flickering frantically between the two figures opposite him. His fists slammed noiselessly against the barrier. "Janus," he cried again.
Qui-Gon's twin looked at the panicked boy once more, then briefly stared at his mirror image. His gaze was challenging, aggressive, but colder than ice. With a snap-hiss, his grey eyes were illuminated with a flash of electric green.
"NO!" Qui-Gon screamed, igniting his own saber and stepping forward, swinging with all his strength. Instead of hitting the barrier, as he'd half expected, the balde met no resistance as it slid toward the other Qui-Gon.
But it was no longer Qui-Gon standing there. Suddenly the opponent Qui-Gon faced was his Padawan. The boy who had been so hysterical only seconds before now stood stoically as Qui-Gon's blade passed through him like butter. The boy's mouth opened in shock as the blade entered him, but instead of crying out, Obi-Wan's voice whispered "I'm sorry I failed you—" The rest trailed off as the boy slid to the ground, his breath rattling as it left his lungs for the last time.
Without hesitating, Qui-Gon reversed his blade, spearing the other boy where he stood. The Padawan said nothing, just stared at the Jedi before sight left his cerulean eyes. The horror at what he had done swelled within Qui-Gon, threatening to burst free into a cry of pain.
Instead, he let the dead boy's image fill his mind and laughed, loud and clear, feeling fulfilled and so very pleased.
With a strangled cry, Qui-Gon jerked himself awake. He listened to his ragged breathing, feeling panic rage within him.
This is ridiculous, he thought. I am a Jedi Knight, not some nightmare-plagued Initiate. Control yourself, he admonished.
A soft knock on his door brought him out of the self-imposed lecture. "Come in."
"Master? I'm sorry to disturb you, but are you all right?"
"Fine, Obi-Wan," the Knight replied, sighing. "I'm fine." He moved to stand next to the boy. "I believe you, of course," he said, pausing for a moment. He felt Obi-Wan's anxiety lessen slightly. "I want to help you, and the other Obi-Wan. But I am not sure how," he admitted.
"Master Qui-Gon," the boy whispered, his voice cracking slightly, "I told you, it's all on the other Obi-Wan's shoulders now. Two more days and we switch back. There's not much to do but wait."
"I understand, Padawan, but I am more concerned about protecting you from my counterpart." Seeing the sudden fear in the boy's eyes, Qui-Gon paused and put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Yes, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon nodded, "I realize that your life as a Jedi apprentice has not been easy. I would like to be with you when the switch happens. Perhaps we can work out a way to keep your Master from harming you." Anymore than he already has, at least, Qui-Gon added silently.
For a moment, the boy had a familiar stubborn look in his eyes, and Qui-Gon readied himself for an argument. But the Padawan hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"In the meantime," Qui-Gon continued, "we must prepare ourselves. Would you join me in meditation in the Room of a Thousand Fountains?"
Obi-Wan nodded, almost gratefully, and they made their way to the Room. The Jedi pair walked in silence; Qui-Gon was pleased to note that Obi-Wan seemed less unnerved by the "different" Temple.
Qui-Gon nodded to the Padawan as they sat in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. The Jedi Knight closed his eyes, readying himself for serious meditation, but waited until he felt Obi-Wan join with the Force. He sighed, letting his thoughts flow with the sound of rushing water. As his thoughts tuned into the Force, he cast his worries out. The Force would guide them, as it always did.