Chapter 20: Remembrances

Part 1

Laughter echoed in the cabin as Obi-Wan opened the door. He turned back toward the two trailing him, shaking his head as his Learner and Qui-Gon followed him into the small space. "And then, Atel, he opened his eyes and asked if he was loud enough."

She snickered at that. "Master Jinn loved to play tricks on you then?"

He just chuckled. "A few times. I remember that particular moment because he had never shown any signs of mischief before." Obi-Wan shot his old Master an exasperated look of affection and the delight of old memories. "He had been pretending all along that he was asleep. Snoring louder than a Krayt Draigon just to impress my friends."

He had been so young, naive and concerned that Qui-Gon didn't want him, didn't like him and certainly thought of him as a nuisance. That moment had taught him just how much his Master cared.

"I couldn't believe that he was making a joke. It took me quite some time before I caught on." He glared at Qui-Gon, and then broke into a smile at the look of false innocence wreathing his Master's face. The low amused rumble told Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon remembered the moment with just as much affection. "And then he called my friend's Master to let her in on the deception. Garen didn't realize until weeks afterward that he had been duped."

"Ah, a trickster of merit."

"Indeed he was." Sitting down, Obi-Wan pulled out the datapad and began scrolling through it. "And then there was that time with the nerfs and the speeder-bike…."

Smiling broadly, Qui-Gon began to mock-protest, "Padawan, you will have your Learner thinking I did nothing but play practical jokes throughout the whole of your apprenticeship." Turning toward Atel, he spread his hands in surrender. "I did not."

"You may not have overwhelmed me with sheer numbers but there were enough instances..." He gave a brief snort of disbelief. "My friends would often tease me about my stoic, somber Master but I knew better." He leaned toward Atel, his voice dropping into a mischievous stage whisper. "Don't let him fool you. He has quite a dry wit." A flicker of dancing eyes and a fleeting grin as he looked at Qui-Gon and said, "He taught me well."

"I think, in this case, the Padawan has surpassed the Master." Droll affection laced Qui-Gon's reply.

"Never!" Another pleased grin and Obi-Wan turned back to his work.

He was still amused by the memories, thinking of long-ago days when things were clear and clean and pure.

But then Atel said softly, "Master, what do you want me to do now?"

Her question brought Obi-Wan up short. He had been enjoying the moment, that brief respite of humor and quiet joy that he had so missed in the years since Qui-Gon left. But Atel's query pulled him back to the grinding now, not the bright past but the reality of the situation. Sighing as the laughter leached away into resignation, he nodded to her.

She was right. Time was fast flowing toward Coruscant and there was much still to do.

Obi-Wan lowered his gaze to the datapad, a disquieted frown beginning to cut into his skin. Hard as it was, he realized that he must accept the fact that his old Master was not the innocent in all things. The saber's hard evidence lay in the cabinet beyond; the question of the slaves remained unresolved. And Qui-Gon would not be nearly as cooperative as he had been with the murders. Innocence can be a powerful motive in rooting out the truth.

But there were many truths here.

His glance flicked warily toward the now-impassive Bendu. It might be possible to downplay Qui-Gon's role in the actions of the Bendu group - difficult but possible - if he would be allowed to do so by his Master. However, knowing him as he did, it was quite likely that Qui-Gon would fight him on this. Still, he had to try.

He turned back to his waiting apprentice. "We have a long night ahead of us, Padawan. Now that the murder accusations have proved false, perhaps we can focus on the slavery issue."

She nodded, looking almost eager to begin. As she started to delve into the records, she said, "I'll pull up all the..."

Qui-Gon interrupted her, sharp denial slicing the air. "No. Leave it."

Even as he turned toward the impossibly-stubborn man, Obi-Wan felt a swift flush of frustrated anger warming his face. He had hoped that he was wrong this time. But some things in the universe never change. His foolish Master would not accept help, not if it meant that someone else might suffer for it.

Obi-Wan sighed, thinking on how to persuade Qui-Gon, knowing that it was already useless but instead it was Atel who spoke first.

"What?" The shock in her voice spoke volumes of her confusion.

Qui-Gon shouldered the pointed stares with stoic ease. Leaning against the bulwark, arms folded tight across his chest, he deliberately did not meet their eyes. "Leave it alone. I have nothing to say on the matter. Let the Council members think what they want."

Obi-Wan shrugged, resigned to the inevitable. His Master would not change his position on the slavery issue once his mind was made up; he had learned that from long experience. It was better just to drop the subject and move on. Rubbing at the tense scowl that had abruptly settled on his face, he turned away and began to pull up files on the laws of lightsaber use.

"And will you be discussing the sabers we found or do we have to leave that subject alone as well?" Obi-Wan tried and failed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

In other times long past, Qui-Gon would have objected to the question and the tone with which it had been asked but now he just looked relieved. Obi-Wan could see that he was hiding something, obviously willing to risk prison to keep the problem unresolved. Ignoring the real question, Qui-Gon said, "I use them for training purposes only. Jedi lightsabers in the hands of Bendu would just confuse the people we are trying to help. And it is illegal to use them in public in any case. We are not Jedi, Obi-Wan, and we haven't been for many years."

Obi-Wan shook his head in denial. "You will always be a Jedi, Master."

But as the Bendu looked at him with regret, he said gently, "Not any more."

Another time, another place and Obi-Wan might have argued with him but not now. "You know that the Council will contend that they are still illegal since you made them without the Order's permission. Why then did you not hide them? They were placed where even a crèche baby could have found them."

That he had accepted his fate was clear in the soft serenity that tempered Qui-Gon's reply. "Obi-Wan, the sabers were meant to be found. Just as I am meant to be taken to the Temple. It is the will of the Force, my young Jedi Knight."

"The Force asks much of you."

It was the same answer he'd given many times before. "Always."

With that, Obi-Wan turned off his datapad and began to rise, done with asking questions.

But Atel was not. Looking surprised at the turn of events, she protested, "Master, I don't understand. What about the slaves? We can't just let Master Jinn go before the Council without some explanation."

"Padawan Sl'etah, I've already stated that I have nothing to say about this issue. Please accept this." Qui-Gon's sharp retort was flat and uncompromising.

But Atel would have none of it. "You can't be serious."

"Perfectly serious."

"Master Jinn, if we say nothing about the accusation of slave trading, if we say nothing in your defense, then you will certainly be imprisoned, perhaps for years." She looked confused and a little angry.

Qui-Gon looked away, out into the pulsing light of endless space. His face was impassive, his voice flat. He appeared to be carved from unyielding granite. "There is nothing to say. There is no proof that I deal in slaves. You have nothing concrete, nothing but innuendo. No bills of transportation, no slave papers. No records. Nothing but the accusation of one vengeful man that I had helped send to prison. Not an especially good witness. And I am within my rights to refuse to talk about it."

Shaking her head, she turned and protested to Obi-Wan, "Master, you know him better than I. Can't you do something?"

But Obi-Wan said nothing, stood there deep in thought, all the while frowning at Qui-Gon. Finally, when both of them remained silent, she grumbled, "All that work and he will go to prison for a long time if we don't get him to change his mind." Glaring at Qui-Gon, she said, "If I were Master Obi-Wan, I wouldn't take no for an answer."

Her blind faith in his abilities reminded Obi-Wan of just how important this was. His Master must be made to see reason. "I understand that you are trying to protect the runaways but the slave hunters will latch onto this information and find the slave routes just by tracking your old flight records. Surely you must know this."

"Enough, Obi-Wan."

Glacial cold voice and ice blue eyes glared at Obi-Wan but he would not be deterred. "No, it is not enough. Atel is right. You will go to prison for years if we cannot find a way around this. This is not justice, this is..."

"In the eyes of the Republic, it is. Your protests will only give them the fuel to punish you. I will not allow it." The frigid stance melted into heated words as Qui-Gon scowled his opposition.

"Allow it? Allow it, Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan stalked forward, intent on throttling the misguided fool of a Master. "How I choose to deal with the Council is my affair."

"And this is mine. The answer is no." With that, Qui-Gon deliberately turned back toward the window and stood there, rigid as stone, immovable.

Obi-Wan let out a deep growl of frustration. "You... Qui-Gon Jinn, you are the most stubborn man I have ever met."

When the obstinate Bendu ignored him, his broad back a great wall of blue tunic, Obi-Wan huffed in protest. Then he turned away and sat down on the bed, a thoughtful frown crowding his face. He studied his old Master, looking at the long silvered hair, the large fingers half-curled in disquiet, stern purpose in his stance.

Shaking his head, clenching his jaw in worry, Obi-Wan looked down to find the datapad in his hand. And he grew pensive, the silence in discolored tatters surrounding him like a ragged, ill-fitting cloak.

But Atel would not be quiet. She moved to the porthole and stood there, arms tight across her chest, her eyes flashing challenge, and whispered her displeasure at Qui-Gon Jinn. "He is only trying to help you."

He looked down at her standing there so defensive, so protective of her Master. He sent a fleeting gaze toward a silent Obi-Wan before returning to Atel. "He would do better to help himself. And you."

She pointed out, "He only wants to do what is right."

"I know." Nodding, his voice softened as he accepted the rebuke.

"You are not worthy of him." She glared at him, daring him to disagree.

But he only repeated, "I know."