Title: The Color of Truth Book Two: The Place in Between

Author: Ticklesivory

Summary: In this part of the story, I'm going to delve into the gray. The Kenobi family has returned Dantooine, with Qui-Gon tagging along, in the hopes they can build a new Jedi Temple that would welcome those deemed too tainted for the one on Coruscant.

AN: Chapter 12 seemed to come to sort of an end in my mind, so I decided to divide the story right here. Same characters, possibly a few new. Let's continue...

Rating: T

Chapter One: The Place in Between

Dantooine itself wasn't all that remarkable. It held plenty of interesting flora and fauna with not too many dangerous carnivores, as well as having an abundance of natural rivers, streams, and lakes. What made Dantooine so special, was its people.

By the time our ship had touched down and the ramp had lowered, a small crowd from Dantoo Town had gathered to welcome us. As soon as Obi-Wan and I had planted our feet on solid ground, Dela was immediately drawn closer and zeroed in on Leia.

"Oh, my!" she cooed excitedly during her approach.

Over the past ten years, her face had obtained a few more wrinkles, and her hair had become more silver, but her blue eyes still twinkled joyfully and she was just as plump.

"You've grown so much! I can't believe how tall you've gotten. My dear girl, Leia! How are you?"

Leia blushed and smiled before receiving a fierce embrace. "I'm fine Dela! It's so good to see you! How are you?"

It was some time before the older woman released her, and when she did, there were tears of happiness falling from her eyes.

"You need to come with me. The three of you. I have something to show you!"

We followed Dela across the well-worn path that led to the animal stall we had once called home, to discover nothing had changed. Everything looked exactly the same as we'd left it, although there was a lot more stuff in here than I remembered.

"Each year on your naming day, we made you gifts, my dear," Dela explained. "They're all stored in here because there was no place else to put them. I'm afraid you may have outgrown most of it, but we had no idea when you'd return."

"That's my fault," I told her. "Once we arrived in Coruscant, our lives got fairly complicated and time passed so quickly. Leia was busy studying to become a Jedi and I was doing volunteer work. I'm sorry we didn't visit. I know I promised…"

"Oh pish. Water under the bridge. I'm just so happy you're here now!" Dela replied while waddling over to Obi-Wan. "And look at you in all this facial hair! How handsome you are! You know, my first husband wore a beard quite similar, only not so neat. Needles and pins! Just look at you! All of you! What a happy and handsome family you are! I've missed you all so much!"

The three of us gathered around the kind-hearted woman we considered an extension of our family and hugged her. It was good seeing her again and I felt bad that we hadn't come to visit before now. Dantooine wasn't someplace someone just visited. It was so far away from the Core, it had taken a week at hyperspeed to get here!

"Enough of that now," she told us, backing away and wiping her eyes with her apron. "The others will be waiting to see you as well. And there's good news! The Bowen children came back with children of their own and are staying! Apparently, the rest of the galaxy isn't all it's cracked up to be," she chuckled throatily and sarcastically as she led us out.

"You said a mouthful," Obi-Wan agreed. "Dela, we'd like to speak with Mayor Bibble as soon as possible. There's some business we need to discuss with him."

"Of course! Let's go see him!"

Leia decided to stay and rummage through her ten years' worth of gifts while we followed Dela back out into the street. There, we noticed several people had gathered around Qui-Gon and were peppering him with questions. Apparently, the citizens of Dantoo Town were far more curious about the state of the Republic than they used to be.

"Pardon the intrusion," Obi-Wan announced, butting in. "Master Jinn, we need you for a moment."

We entered the Mayor's office and were received warmly by his secretary as well as the Mayor himself. He'd developed a limp since the last time we'd seen him, which he blamed on his advancing years, but shook our hands with the strength of a man half his age.

"Bless my soul! What brings you all back to our little community?"

"It's a rather long tale," Obi-Wan warned him playfully. "Perhaps we should all sit down."

"Of course! This way!"

Every piece of wooden furniture in his private office was hand-carved by Dela and even though we'd been in the room several times, I was still awed by her remarkable talent.

We went over our plan with Sy, each contributing different views and opinions, thankfully all agreeing on the same goal of providing a safe haven and place to train for those who have been mislabeled like Leia. Mayor Bibble asked appropriate and intelligent questions. How could we be sure of the safety of the community if we were bringing in Jedi who were considered dangerous? How many were we counting on? And could the community provide for them?

Over the next hour, we hatched out a plan; ways to increase the trade value of the community's syrup production as well as offer a wider range of products such as candies, holistic medicines, or cleansers.

"If Dela would train some of the younger generations to carve, you could sell wares such as this for a fortune!" I informed the group while tracing the decorative trim on the desktop with my finger. "I know of two vendors on Naboo who would jump at the chance to offer such fine creations in their shops."

Sy revealed a proud smile. "I'll speak with her about it, although she's a humble woman, especially about her work and prefers to give everything away."

That seemed like something Dela would do.

"Before we shake hands on the motion, allow me to consult the town council," he continued. "I wouldn't want to agree to anything without their consent."

"Of course," Qui-Gon said before standing and offering his hand, which Sy accepted gratefully. "Do inform us of their decision as soon as possible. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

I took Obi-Wan's arm as we strolled down the street, waved to those whom we recognized and even some we didn't. I was pleased to discover there were younger generations that had come back home, as well as even a few children playing in the tall grass. Apparently, things had improved in Dantoo Town, which made me worry about everything that had troubled Sy.

How would they know if a potential Gray Jedi was too far gone? Too dark to be included? Qui-Gon had tried to explain how their actions and their very aura would give them away, but like the Mayor, I didn't understand such things. It wasn't like all the Jedi shared a bond like Obi-Wan and I did and were able to read each other's thoughts, emotions, and intentions. They would trust in the Force, was his final statement.

I would have to have faith in Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's knowledge and judgment and try not to worry about any potential problems – for Leia's sake at least. This was her one chance to remain a Jedi and to use her gifts for the good of the Republic.

Before long, we had stopped at the end of the main thoroughfare and stood staring out at an empty field. The sap tree line had stopped several meters back, and before us lay nothing but grass as well as a small lake.

"This is where I envision the Temple to be," Qui-Gon began explaining, moving his hands out to demonstrate the span of the structure. "A multi-level wooden building with sleeping quarters on the top floor, a large training area on the lower that will also serve as a dining hall. A kitchen in the right wing, classrooms on the second floor."

/He's always been a dreamer,/ Obi-Wan told me silently. /I hope we haven't bitten off more than we can chew. I haven't held a hammer in years./

/I hope whenever we're finished, it doesn't collapse on anyone./

While we shared our thoughts, Qui-Gon had been illustrating his many ideas with his hands and his words, although there was one thing he had left out.

"No Council Room?" I asked him.

"No," he replied immediately and adamantly.

"Thank the Force!" the three of us chorused together.