Chapter 6
Obi-wan padded softly down the empty corridor after
spending a few hours tossing and turning in bed. He knew he needed the sleep,
but he couldn't leave himself vulnerable when Qui-gon was sleeping in the same
building as he was.
He knew he was probably being childish, but he
couldn't help it.
He led himself unconsciously to the training pool.
He just stood there, watching the moonlight shimmer over the gentle ripples the
wind made. He recalled the nights Bant and him used to sit by the lake in the
Room of a thousand Fountains, watching the lake together, waiting for his
ex-master to return from some inplanet negotiations that did not require
Obi-wan's presence.
But those times were gone. He reminded himself. It
was time to focus on the present.
Throwing his clothes aside, Obi-wan dived onto the
water, savouring the cool sensation of water rushing by his side. Pushing all
the frustration, anger, disrest into each stroke, Obi-wan swam. Each powerful
stroke propelled him forward. He didn't stop to think, letting his body move to
its own accord.
For the first time after Qui-gon's betrayal, he opened
himself fully to the Force. He called it the "moving mediation. It always
worked in the past, and it made no sense why it shouldn't now. His mind began
to sort out the junk piled inside there. He finally felt the heavy weight that
had been dragging him downwards, lifted.
He couldn't describe the feeling as joy. He didn't
exactly joyful, but he felt peace. But he still wasn't ready to forgive
Qui-gon, he might very well never will. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself
to hate the man.
"Gullible fool!" He scolded himself. With that, he
added one last powerful kick and felt the cool glass slide beneath his hands.
Suddenly he felt a familiar presence, which held a
Force signature he would never forget.
"Sith!" Obi-wan swore out loud. He for got totally
about the meddling old fool.
"Qui-gon." He spat the name out, slamming shields
as strong as the ones he used against the mind wiping droid up.
"Obi-wan! No!" Qui-gon screamed out loud. But his
former Padawan's Force presence winked out again.
Silently he cursed himself. He shouldn't have made
such an obverse and abrupt appearance. But, he tried to comfort himself; at
least he knew Obi-wan was nearby.
Yah, and when he sees you, he would tear you onto
pieces, grind you into dust and blast you into oblivion. (Sorry,
I couldn't help that.) The irritating inner voice was back.
"I though you were gone."
Never.
"Sithspit, I'm talking to myself!" Qui-gon came to
a conclusion that he was indeed going mad.
Untangling himself from the bed sheets, Qui-gon
walked towards the window. He could tell that this night would be a long one.
