Disclaimer: All belongs to the great and powerful Mouse.
Summary: The Force moves in mysterious ways and all are bound to its ultimate will, especially the Jedi.
A/N: Well at least the time between chapters wasn't quite as long this time. Welcome to the second to last chapter of Bound. Only one more before this story ends. I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far as we are now approaching the station. Within these last chapters, I can tell you that some things will be answered. However, as you have probably guessed by now, I'm not going to answer everything just yet...
A/N 2: Italics indicate emphasis, visions, personal thoughts and flashbacks. Context should illustrate which device is being used. / / indicates mindspeak.
Thanks:
Romirola: I'm glad you're caught up. I hope you enjoy this next installment!
Francine: Thank you! I wish I could update more often as well, but we do what we can when life tries to interrupt. I'm glad you liked the chapter. So many questions you have. Answer some of them, I will. Answer all of them, I will not. Read on, you must!
WriterGirl7673: For a second there, things were indeed going south, but things usually work out for the best in my stories... usually.
Please R&R!
Chapter 25 – Under Construction
Qui-Gon was restless and he didn't know why. The day had gone well, all things considered. He had endured the crucible of the Council session and his padawan, Obi-Wan, was sleeping happily in his room just a few meters away; yet Qui-Gon was troubled.
Master and padawan had exchanged their pledges of instruction, loyalty, and obedience. Qui-Gon had given Obi-Wan the traditional haircut for human, male padawan learners and he had plaited Obi-Wan's braid while reciting the ritual words. The master and padawan then had cleaned up, eaten latemeal, and meditated together before Qui-Gon had insisted that his apprentice go to bed. Obi-Wan obeyed unenthusiastically, but dutifully; his excitement over the day's events only slightly outpaced by his fatigue.
Once the boy had gone to sleep, Qui-Gon found himself at loose ends. With a sigh, a shrug, and a weary shake of his head, Qui-Gon set himself to the task of brewing some tea. He was just adding the leaves when the door chime sounded.
"Come," he called from the kitchen. With a soft hiss the main door slid open and a tall, cloaked figure stepped inside. Qui-Gon never stopped in his movements nor did he leave the kitchen to greet his guest.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all," Qui-Gon replied from the other room. "Tea?"
"Yes, please," his guest answered as he crossed over to the couch and took a seat. A few moments later, Qui-Gon returned to the main room holding two steaming cups. He handed one to his guest then took his customary seat in his armchair.
"I'm glad you stopped by, Mace," Qui-Gon said after a few minutes silence. Mace looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you? After the session this morning... I wasn't certain if..." Mace's voice trailed off, but the unsaid 'if I would be welcomed' still hung in the air between them.
"The Council's opinion notwithstanding, you are my friend, Mace. That will not change easily," Qui-Gon replied, his voice colored by his fierce resolve. Something in the answer soothed Mace and he visibly relaxed at the utterance. The Korun Councilor regarded the other master.
"I am... relieved," Mace finally spoke. Qui-Gon tilted his head, studying his friend closely. A slight frown marred his expression.
"You were really in such doubt?"
"As necessary as the Council hearing was I feared it could only end one of two ways- either it would work and you would understand or it would fail and your relationship to the Order would suffer irreparable harm," Mace supplied with a shake of his head. "I am grateful it was the former and that you now understand why we had to do it that way."
Qui-Gon didn't answer, choosing instead to take a long slow sip of his cooling tea. Mace stared at him for several moments then looked down as he placed his own half-full cup on the low table with a sigh.
"But you don't understand, do you?"
"Honestly?" Qui-Gon began. He waited until Mace looked up to meet his gaze before deciding what he would say next. He placed his own cup on the table. "Before I answer, may I ask you something?"
Mace nodded, regarding the other master seriously.
"Are you asking me this as a Councilor or as my friend?"
"I didn't think the two had to be exclusive," Mace responded dryly, but when Qui-Gon gave no further reply he gave a sigh and rubbed a hand absently over his bald head.
"As your friend then," Mace answered. Qui-Gon nodded and leaned forward in his seat staring at floor, his elbows resting on his knees.
"I do understand that the hearing had a purpose greater than deciding whether Obi-Wan would be my padawan," he temporized. "But in truth, I'm not sure exactly what happened this morning or at least what was supposed to happen."
"Then it was all an act?" Mace asked, his voice somewhat sharp. The tone of the question did not escape Qui-Gon's attention. His head shot up and he found himself responding with equal heat.
"Of course not!"
"Then why did you do it?" Mace yelled.
"Because Obi-Wan is more important than my pride!" Qui-Gon yelled back. Silence fell as the two masters stared at each other, each breathing heavily yet silently, nostrils flared and jaws tensed. Neither man was able nor willing to break the quiet stalemate, but the option was taken from their hands when the soft hiss of a door sliding open echoed in the quiet space. Qui-Gon looked away from Mace to his padawan.
"Padawan?"
"I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan replied his voice somewhat muzzy. He was dressed in his old, worn sleep clothes and his newly cropped hair was as rumpled as the soft fabrics he wore. He stepped forward looking carefully between the High Council member and his master.
"I heard shouting..." he finished softly. Qui-Gon took a moment to consciously release his anger into the Force before speaking. A moment later he could feel Mace doing the same. Qui-Gon crossed over to where Obi-Wan was still standing expectantly.
"I apologize, Obi-Wan. We did not mean to wake you."
"Were you and Master Windu fighting?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon glanced back at Mace and was met with a faint, wry smile. He turned back to his apprentice.
"We were not... fighting. We were... discussing some matters of importance."
"You discuss awfully loud, Masters," Obi-Wan replied with a grin. Qui-Gon felt the corners of his mouth creep up seemingly on their own accord.
"Imp," the master said as he ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "All is well here, Padawan and it is quite late. Back to bed with you."
"Yes, Master. Master Windu," Obi-Wan acknowledged with a short bow before returning to his room. As the door to his room shut, Qui-Gon began to speak, but he did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on the door to his padawan's room.
"He never doubted that I should be his master. Even after everything I said to him, everything that happened to him... He never doubted me."
"We never doubted you either, Qui."
"Would that I believed that," Qui-Gon sighed. "But I fear that even those closest to me had grave doubts... Doubts that I gave them good reason to have."
"You're speaking of Vresh," Mace filled in, but Qui-Gon gave no reply. "You should know that when there were some among the Council who began to doubt, it was Vresh who tipped the scales back in your favor."
Qui-Gon turned around, a single eyebrow raised over his leonine features.
"After what he has said in the past and what took place this morning, I find that difficult to believe."
"It was Vresh's testimony that ultimately swayed things in favor of the Council giving you a chance, Qui-Gon. But know this, the Council never doubted you," Mace continued. "What we doubted was your ability to listen to the wisdom of others. Your ability to hear a voice other than your own for once. Your intention to take Kenobi as your padawan simply provided an opportunity for the Council to address those doubts."
"I am not so intractable or thick-headed as to believe that I am all knowing, Mace. I am as fallible as any Jedi. As any man, for that matter."
"Yes," Mace answered, "but when you've decided on a course of action you think is right you will not be swayed. Sometimes it is strength, but sometimes your narrow focus causes great injury to those around you, your intentions aside."
Qui-Gon took a step forward as he turned over Mace's words in his mind.
"Then... it was all to get me to notice?"
"Yes."
Qui-Gon stood silent for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright, I've noticed. Now what?"
"Now," Mace replied as he rose to his feet. "You do what you do best. You teach."
Sleep found Qui-Gon easily after Mace left his quarters. His mind finally stilled enough to permit rest, though he would have much to meditate on over the next few days. To simply shrug off a lifetime of self-assuredness and reliance in favor of deferring to others was almost unthinkable, but he would have to think about it. The Council obviously thought it was important for him to see this and, hopefully, to change because of it. Qui-Gon may not, perhaps, always trust the Council's judgment, but he did trust the judgment of his friends and both Mace, Yoda, and Vresh had felt yesterday's haranguing was warranted, so he must believe it to be true. It would not be something about himself that he could change overnight, but it was something he would at least consider, if for no other reason than for Obi-Wan's training. The clarity he had experienced briefly in the mines and again in the Council chamber only reinforced what the Force had been trying to tell him all along.
That Obi-Wan Kenobi was meant to become a great Jedi Knight.
That simple, yet powerful revelation had been the reason he had prostrated himself before the Council and it would be what he would return to, to guide him in the future. Care and training for Obi-Wan was his paramount concern and to that end, Qui-Gon had risen early.
He had work to do.
By the time the master had returned to his quarters, the sun was rising on the Coruscant horizon and, unsurprisingly, his padawan was still fast asleep. Qui-Gon placed the box he had been carrying on the low table in front of the couch. He then went to the kitchen to prepare firstmeal for himself and his apprentice. It was only a matter of a few minutes work to assemble a simple meal of Correllian kestrel eggs, fruit, and grain bread. Qui-Gon then set a pot of tea brewing before reaching out across the training bond.
/Good morning, Padawan./
/...?.../
/It is time to wake, Padawan./ Qui-Gon sent and this time he was gifted with an unintelligible mental grumble and the distinct feeling that Obi-Wan had pulled the covers over his head.
/Padawan./
/Five more minutes.../ came the sleepy reply.
/Very well. I suppose the meal I've prepared can go into the recycler.../
/...!.../
Qui-Gon had to work hard to suppress the chuckle that threatened to escape his chest at his apprentice's sudden shift towards wakefulness. After raising two padawans of his own, the master had long since learned that food was often an excellent motivation for lethargic or distracted apprentices. Sure enough, sounds of stumbling and a muffled "ow" could be heard coming from his padawan's room. Qui-Gon smiled as he placed two plates on the small dining table. He was just beginning to pour two cups of tea when a sleep disheveled and frowzy looking teen entered the main room.
"Good morning, Padawan," Qui-Gon repeated aloud.
"Good morning, Master," Obi-Wan answered around an enormous yawn. Qui-Gon gestured to the empty chair across from him. Obi-Wan took the offered seat and Qui-Gon settled in as well. Both Jedi tucked into their meals enjoying both the food and a companionable silence. Towards the end of the meal where only quiet sips of tea and the occasional nibbling of fruit remained, Qui-Gon decided to put his plan into action.
"Padawan, there are some things we must discuss."
The small cube of muja fruit that had been on its way to Obi-Wan's opened mouth was absently lowered back to his plate as Obi-Wan automatically stiffened at his master's words.
"Yes, Master?" he replied, quietly grateful that his voice had not squeaked under the nervousness he was suddenly feeling. Qui-Gon leaned back in his seat and studied the boy carefully as he sipped his tea. The master was well aware of the growing discomfort the boy was feeling under his silent scrutiny, but he let the moment stretch out a few seconds longer before speaking again.
"Now that we have made your apprenticeship formal, there are several things that require our immediate attention."
"Of course, Master," Obi-Wan replied seriously. "How should we begin?"
"Well," Qui-Gon began as he sat down his cup, "first I will need to speak with your former crèche master and teachers about your academic records. Then we can see about which classes you should be placed in for this academic term. You will, of course, need to be assessed in each subject area before placement."
Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan followed him with rapt attention, nodding every so often to what his master said. Qui-Gon hid his smile as he continued to speak.
"Then there is the matter of getting a full work-up from the healers, building your lightsaber, getting your new uniform from the quartermaster, creating a training schedule," he continued, until blue-gray eyes widened in sudden comprehension.
"What did you say, Master?"
"I said we need to get you your padawan uniform and create a training schedule for you to follow."
"No, before that," Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon made a show of thinking back over his words.
"That you would need to get a complete work-up from the healers?"
"After that," Obi-Wan pressed. Qui-Gon frowned and stroked his beard.
"I don't recall anything else..."
"Maaaster..." Obi-Wan very nearly whined. Finally, Qui-Gon could hold back his grin no longer.
"Oh, you mean the bit I said about you building a lightsaber."
Obi-Wan's eyes were wide and his expression was one of barely contained joy.
"Really? I mean... really?"
"Yes, really. In fact, I think it is long over due."
"Oh stars!" Obi-Wan exclaimed now almost vibrating in his seat with anticipation.
"Have you given any thought to the design of your first saber?"
"I might have... a few drawings..." Obi-Wan offered a bit shyly. Qui-Gon chuckled mentally. He suspected the boy had a stack of drawings half a meter high dedicated to ideas for his first lightsaber build.
"Well then, Padawan, would you bring over that box on the low table?" Qui-Gon asked as he pointed to the container in question. Obi-Wan hopped out of his seat and retrieved the box as requested. He placed it on the table and stood beside his master, his curiosity spilling warmly across the bond.
"What is it, Master?"
"Why don't you open it and see. It is for you, after all," the master replied. Obi-Wan didn't need any more coaxing. He opened the box and revealed an assortment of casings, emitters, dampeners, matrices, and more. He turned to his master.
"Is this..."
"Everything you will need to build your lightsaber, save your crystals. That we will pick out together when you have completed the basic construction."
Obi-Wan ran one hand over the box's contents in a semi-reverent gesture. Then he turned to his master and attacked the man with a sudden hug.
"Thank you, Master," he whispered. Qui-Gon was startled for a moment, but he quickly wrapped his arms around the boy, returning the offered affection physically and across the bond.
"You are most welcomed, my Padawan."
The next three days had been a whirlwind of activity for the Jinn-Kenobi pair. Obi-Wan had been consumed with his sketches and tinkering to the point that his master had to order him to stop his work on his lightsaber to eat, sleep, and attend to other commitments like visiting the healing halls for his physical. But as all things do, Obi-Wan's work finally came to an end when he presented his completed hilt to his master for inspection. Qui-Gon scrutinized the boy's work visually and through the Force, searching for any misconnection or misalignment, any bit of wrongness to be found. Satisfied that everything was, in fact, in order he made the announcement that it was time to visit the crystal keep of the Temple.
Obi-Wan's excitement at that had been nearly palpable. The two Jedi went down to the lesser used area of the Temple complex and spoke at length with the crystal keeper, Master Beharie Kadin-Len, who explained to the young padawan the importance of selecting the proper Force crystals for use in a saber. The process of selecting was long and unhurried as picking the wrong crystal could result in disaster.
Several hours later, the decision had been made and the two were headed back to their quarters where Obi-Wan would install the crystal and prepare his saber for its first lighting.
"It's ready, Master," Obi-Wan said as he stepped to stand before his master. Qui-Gon was sitting in his favorite armchair reading through the day's newsfeeds when his padawan presented his lightsaber for a final inspection. With a nod, Qui-Gon took the deactivated saber from the child's hand and studied it closely. He scrutinized every element, focusing most intensely on the alignment of the crystals stored inside. When things went wrong the cause was usually in the alignment and an alignment error could result in anything from a failure to ignite the saber to moderate burns to the wielder to serious injury in the case of an explosion. Thus, every time a padawan was to activate a new saber or one that undergone significant repair, it was the duty of the master to ensure that all was in proper order prior to activation.
Qui-Gon handed the shined and polished hilt back to his padawan with an approving smile and nod.
"May I light it now, Master?"
"You may, Padawan," Qui-Gon replied. There was a moment's hesitation as Obi-Wan's thumb hovered over the activator button, but then the button was depressed and a brilliant blue beam shot forth from the hilt with the familiar and distinctive hum characteristic of a Jedi's lightsaber. Careful within the close quarters, Obi-Wan waved the saber around his eyes glued to the glowing, azure blade. Finally, he released the activator extinguishing the beam. He turned to his master with a brilliant grin. Qui-Gon returned it with a warm smile of his own and sent a wave of pride over the bond.
"Well done, Padawan. Now, your training will truly begin."