The Book of Small Thoughts
"I do not believe you are being fair to the child," Master Na'tho said as he walked slowly along side Yoda.
"Hmm, same concerns as before," the little master replied as he hobbled through the vast temple corridor. "Remember? About young Obi-Wan they once were."
"You are correct." Na'tho entwined his fingers, studying them as he walked. "I still do not approve of you orchestrating a master/padawan relationship."
"Wrong, was I?"
Na'tho frowned.
"Excellent team they made. Worked with no one else it would have. Thrived, young Obi-Wan did under Qui-Gon's training." Yoda paused with a sad look in his big eyes. "Unfortunate, how it ended. Qui-Gon's vision became clouded." The ancient master hobbled along silently for a while. He chose to be patient and allow Na'tho to voice his opinions, which the tall master never had a problem doing.
After a distance of walking silently, Na'tho spoke up again, "I still disagree with you. Bali is not a pawn. He is a child."
"Protective of him, are you?"
"I am protective of all my children," Na'tho gently warned.
An admirable quality, Yoda noted. Na'tho's opinions were held in high regard for he saw the potential in his young charges that no one else could see. Over the last hundred years, Yoda had often sought the counsel of the other man.
"A good master, the boy needs," Yoda pressed.
"I agree with you," the soft spoken master replied. "But we both know Bali is not a padawan to be pushed on anyone. Even working as hard as he is, he is still falling behind the other children in his group. Whatever Jedi takes the boy on must be patient and understanding with him."
"Most masters are."
"Not to the degree Bali might need. He is a very hard working child. He will fight every step of the way to become a Jedi. I can sense it in him. He just does not excel in group training."
"Understand, I do." Yoda stared ahead at an open balcony. Beyond the constant amber glow of the city planet at night, the stars shined dully in the curtain of black. "Understanding master, he needs."
"But is Obi-Wan the right choice? Will he be as attentive as the boy needs?" Na'tho asked plaintively as he stopped and stared down at the little master. His voice was low as if protecting it from prying ears, "You did a great disservice by allowing Qui-Gon to bring that slave boy into the temple."
"Refused, we could not," Yoda said slowly. Conversations with Na'tho always turned back to the unknown boy. The ancient one could not blame the initiate master, though. Na'tho had a hand in training many of the Jedi. Anakin Skywalker was unknown to him. "Training, Qui-Gon had begun. Great danger lie in sending him away." Yoda shook his head sadly. "Choice we had not."
"You endanger us all by that decision."
Yoda drew his ears back in irritation. "Discuss young Skywalker no more, I will. Speak now of Bali."
Na'tho straightened, but nodded calmly, focusing on the matter at hand. "What shall we do when Obi-Wan refuses? Or is incapable? Master, did you ever consider that? You allowed the Council to send him on a mission that he is not likely to come back from. You very well have made other potential masters leery of the child. Your meddling is dangerous."
"A bond, there is. Deny it, Obi-Wan cannot."
"You're little green fingers have been stirring the pot, I suspect."
Yoda narrowed his gaze. "I did not. Suited they are. Organized chance meetings, all I did."
Na'tho exchanged a curious look with the ancient master. "So you are the reason my little Bali has often disappeared lately."
Yoda nodded. "Good for him the boy would be. Much work Bali is. Singular attention, Bali needs to thrive. A mission to focus on." Yoda stopped and stared up at Na'tho again. This time sadness entered the little master's eyes. "Know as I do, no master will take the boy if he waits much longer."
"He will be too far behind," Na'tho agreed, "and I cannot spend enough time working with him to keep him caught up." The initiate supervisor studied Yoda for a moment, then a gentle smile leapt to the taller man's face. "You must visit during saber practice," he advised, "but I fear that what you would see would only lend to increasing your ego."
"Ego, I have not," Yoda said in mock hurt. "Unwilling you are, to see that I am always right." The little master gave a mischievous grin. "Concern yourself with the children. Bali, take care of, I will." The green skinned master abandoned Na'tho at the entrance to the initiate dorms.
The little master quietly journeyed through the temple. Unnoticed, Yoda entered into the meditating gardens. After a short walk along the stone path he took out over the grass and ducked between ancient trees.
His journey ended under a twisted yawen tree. "Late it is, young one."
Bali looked up from where he sat in a cradle created by the tree's gnarled roots. His bright green eyes shown an edge of weariness as he rubbed them clear. The small figure was dress in a warm gray sleep tunic and was curled up under his cloak. Pale toes stuck out from beneath the brown material.
"Sleep time, it is for initiates," Yoda said softly as he studied the little boy. The initiate leaned heavily against mottled brown trunk.
"Couldn't sleep," Bali said softly, but didn't look up at the small master.
In the distance, the steady sound of a waterfall, drifted through the massive garden.
Yoda sat down on some roots next to him. "Concerned, Master Na'tho will be," he stated but did not admonish the boy.
"I'm sorry." Bali stared across at the little master before dropping his eyes to the ground. "I shouldn't have wandered off."
"Hmm."
Bali frowned.
A soft breeze gently shifted the leaves.
"Nightmare?" The little master asked.
Bali nodded obviously shaken up by whatever he had seen.
"Describe you will, how you feel."
The little boy stared unhappily at his bare feet. "I don't know. I think I'm scared."
Yoda twisted slightly to focus on the boy.
Bali crossed his arms defensively across his chest. "Like I'm being chased. I'm running but I can't get away."
"Hmmm." Yoda leaned heavily against his gimer stick.
"I woke everyone up," Bali said sadly. "They told me to leave." He tugged on his cloak, attempting to cover his cold feet. Big, bright green eyes fell to Yoda, silently pleading for help. "You said you would teach me to better shield my thoughts."
Yoda frowned as he reached out and patted Bali's shoulder.
"In a few days, I will," Yoda answered gently as the boy yawned tiredly.
"I'm scared."
"Do not be."
Bali gave a weak smile, then drew his knees to his chest and buried his face against his folded arms. "There is no death, there is only the Force," he whispered.
_________________
The Book of Falling From Grace
The clearest thought in Obi-Wan's muddled brain was of fear. It wasn't his own. He had made peace with his life.
But the fear remained.
Child-like, burdened with too many emotions.
He exhaled with the familiar hum of his weapon. It didn't go unnoticed that it was the weapon that was going to kill him.
Even with the white band that cut him off from the Force and was slowly closing off his airway he could still sense Soloban's movement. The slight creak in the heavily starched uniform as Soloban brought the weapon back.
Fear was a powerful emotion, even when it was innocent.
Innocent?
It radiated through his mind. He tried to construct mental barriers to close off the emotion. His dazed mind was ineffective against the attack.
Fear, laced with concern.
Worry.
"No!" Obi-Wan screamed. His damaged throat left his voice little more than a pained squeak. He jerked back just as the glowing blue blade crashed down slicing deep into the sod.
Anger reddened Soloban's face as he brought the weapon back again to strike a fatal blow.
Obi-Wan toppled backward, not possessing the strength to leap away.
"Die!" Soloban screamed as he swept the saber forward.
The Jedi twisted out of the way.
Cannon fire erupted in the middle of the circle. Armed soldiers scattered as the small Corellian runner shot out of the trees.
A flash of white light as Soloban was blown backward in an explosion of sod.
The runner twisted gracefully in the sky, firing on the fleeing men. Speeder bikes erupted into flames under the dense cannon fire.
Obi-Wan's gashed up fingers struggled with the collar that had grown too tight over the last hour. He fought for breath as his fingers dug into the bruised flesh of his neck. Through spotted vision, he spied his lightsaber lying just beyond the motionless Soloban's reach.
Crawling across the rough ground, Obi-Wan snatched up his weapon. The runner screamed over head firing madly at the remaining soldiers. Clutching the activated lightsaber, he twisted it in his bound hands. Drawing his head back, he turned the glowing blue blade and brought it to bear against the tight collar. The sudden static snap of the collar deactivating jolted him backwards.
The runner came around and hovered above the fallen knight.
There were so many spots obscuring his vision that the knight could barely make out the opening ramp.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon Jinn called out as he stepped out to the end of the ramp.
Clumsily deactivating the saber, he started to his feet.
"Jedi, scum!" Captain Soloban wailed as he threw himself at Obi-Wan. Air exploded from the knight's lungs as he was crushed to the ground. He twisted, turning Soloban onto his back, but the captain quickly kicked out and had Obi-Wan pinned again.
Obi-Wan could see the dark shape of the runner getting larger.
Smaller Tarsian fighters screamed past, firing at the runner.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon yelled as he pitched a nylon line out of the ship's opening.
Soloban tried to pin Obi-Wan with one arm while he blindly reached for the fallen machete.
Using the man's instability, Obi-Wan kicked Soloban away. He stumbled to his feet. The white line dangling just above the ground had his fuzzy attention.
The runner started to pull away as the fighters began a second run.
He reached clumsily with his bound wrists, but the cord pulled away. He tripped on the rough terrain and fell.
"Come on!" Qui-Gon barked as he reached out his hand.
Obi-Wan just wrapped the Force around himself, attempting to draw a little more strength.
The runner jerked as two fighters opened up their cannons on the small ship.
The knight threw himself at the white nylon line as the ship took off. His feet scraped against the ground momentarily. Just as the pull of the ship pulled him free of the rough sod something crashed into him making him twist in the line. Soloban had caught the knight and was pulling him back down the line. His still bleeding hands only made the nylon slick and Soloban's job easier.
Qui-Gon leaned over the open ramp to stare at the two figures tangled up. He quickly grabbed the line and started to pull it back in. For every arm length he brought up, Obi-Wan slid farther down.
Soloban's weight was too much for him.
Cannon fire rocked the runner, threatening to destroy it with the next blast.
The Jedi master leaned down on the ramp and reached for Obi-Wan's bound hands. He stretched a little further but the younger man slipped just out of his reach.
Obi-Wan stared up into the older man's deep eyes. His voice was drowned out by the engines and by the crack of cannon fire. "Your lives are not worth mine."
"No!" Qui-Gon roared and threw himself forward the instant Obi-Wan let go of the line. His fingers barely grazed the heavy chain that bound the younger man's wrists.
Soloban shrieked, his arms flailed as he fell backward.
Qui-Gon tossed the line back out, and bringing the Force to bear on it, he whipped it toward the falling knight. Reaching out with the invisible hand of the Force, the line twisted around the knight's bound wrists getting caught up in the chains.
Slowly the line was drawn back into the ship and Obi-Wan was pulled to the top. Qui-Gon roughly reached over the edge of the ramp and grabbed him by his bound wrists and pulled the knight into the ship.
Alarms sounded as the runner took another blast. "Now the ship is damaged," Qui-Gon growled quickly glancing angrily away from the knight and he roughly hit the ramp controls. The runner bucked as the master unsteadily made his way to the cockpit.
Obi-Wan just laid where Qui-Gon had tossed him. A low, pained groan escaped. He knew he was going to have to do something. If he continued to lay there he wouldn't be able to get up.
The transport bucked and rocked as explosions shook the hull. The knight was jarred and rolled onto his side.
Now Qui-Gon and Anakin's lives were in danger because of him. This was not completing his final mission.
Pulling on the remains of his strength, he slowly climbed to his feet, but was heavily reliant on the support the walls provided to get him to the cockpit.
Qui-Gon was at the controls, barely dodging the attempts to knock them out of the sky. To Obi-Wan's surprise, Anakin was slumped over in the pilot's seat.
Quickly, he shoved the youth out of the seat and into Qui-Gon's lap as he grabbed the controls. "You can't help him up here, get back there," he growled as he threw the ship into evasive maneuvers.
Without a word, Qui-Gon scooped up the unconscious padawan. The master's concerned look flitted from the boy, turning dark at the knight at the controls. "He wouldn't have been further injured if we didn't have to come back for you." The master hesitated, "What kind of game are you playing?"
Cannon fire exploded too close for comfort.
"Nobody told you to wait," Obi-Wan snapped. "You defied my orders further endangering yourself and the boy."
There was anger fluttering through his signature. He couldn't quite squash it. He sensed that Qui-Gon felt it.
Good.
"Seems I follow orders as well as you do," Qui-Gon retorted.
Sealing his shields up to prevent any attempt by the master to probe his thoughts, Obi-Wan blocked Qui-Gon out and focused on the battle to break free of the planet.
Qui-Gon frowned sadly and carried Anakin out of the small compartment.