Part V



"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon yelled as he ran towards the boy. His heart began to pound in his chest as if someone was beating on a drum. He had just watched the man violently push the boy down the ramp and then shoot him with his blaster. He couldn't lose the boy now after he had just found him alive.

It seemed to take longer than it should have, to run the short distance that separated the Jedi Master from his former padawan

Qui-Gon, Adi, and Siri reached the boy as the small freighter began to lift off. The boy's hand, which was still on the end of the ramp, fell limply to the ground. The boy looked up at Qui-Gon with pain filled eyes.

Qui-Gon knelt down beside the boy, checking over the wound. To his relief it was not bad; the boy had been hit on his right shoulder. "Obi-Wan," he said.

"I know you don't I?" the boy asked.

"Yes, you do, I am Qui-Gon Jinn. Your wound is not bad, but we need to get you to the healers." Qui-Gon said as he turned towards Adi Gallia who was already using her comlink to call for help. Obi-Wan nodded, and looked up at Siri who stood near Qui-Gon.

"It hurts," Obi-Wan said.

"The healers are on the way, and the authorities are on alert to find Obi's kidnappers," Adi told them after she switched off the comlink.

"I dreamt about you, I think it was a memory."

"Let me get this off of you," Qui-Gon said, reaching for the device around the boys neck. He was surprised when the boy stiffened.

"Will I get sick?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sick, what do you mean?" Siri asked.

"Avery and Hultz told me that I am sick and that I need this medical brace to regulate my medication. Was that a lie too?" Obi-Wan looked from Siri to Qui-Gon.

"Yes, Obi-Wan. This is a force suppressor, it is used to prevent you from having access to the force."

"The force, I read about that in the library. If they used it to block out the force then does that mean that I am a Jedi?"

Qui-Gon smiled slightly at the innocent question and said, "yes, you are a Jedi Padawan."

"I was right about the braid then," Obi-Wan mumbled.

"Can I take this off of you now?" Qui-Gon asked.

The boy nodded, but still looked scared. Qui-Gon could not believe how much the boy had been lied to. Qui-Gon gently unlocked the clasp of the device and removed it from Obi-Wan's neck.

Obi-Wan immediately used his left hand to feel his neck that he had not been able to touch in weeks. "I feel different," he said, "somehow it feels like I'm whole now, except I can't remember who I am."

"Obi-Wan, I'm going to use the force to accelerate your healing, I'm going to need to touch your arm," Qui-Gon said.

"Ok," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon gently reached out and put his hands on the boys arm, below his injured shoulder, and closed his eyes.

"Obi-Wan, you gave everyone a real scare, we thought that you were really dead," Siri told him. "Bant, Reeft, and Garen will be very glad that you are still alive."

"Who are they?" Obi-Wan asked.

"They are your best friends at the temple. They were very upset when they thought you were dead."

"What about you, are you my friend too?"

"Yes, we were not as close as you and the others, but yes I consider you a friend," the girl said. Qui-Gon smiled remembering Adi's comment about Siri liking Obi-Wan but not wanting to admit it to him.

A group of security officers, and healers quickly approached them, led by, Yoda and Clee Rhara. Yoda who sat on Clee's shoulder said, "Good to see you alive it is, padawan Kenobi."

"You're the little green guy with the pointy ears that I talked to in my dream," Obi-Wan said.

"Hmph, Master Yoda, I am."

Qui-Gon smiled as his former apprentice blushed, after realizing that he had said what he was thinking out loud to the "little green guy".

* *** * *** *

Qui-Gon paced impatiently through the waiting room as he waited to find out about Obi-Wan.

"Qui-Gon, you are going to wear a hole in the carpeting," Clee commented.

"He's going to be alright Qui-Gon, it wasn't a serious wound," Adi said. Clee and Adi sat on two chairs near the doors of the waiting room, while Siri slept on the couch on the other side of the room, and Yoda meditated on the floor in the middle of the room.

"I know, I just can't help it," Qui-Gon said, as he stopped his pacing to look at them. Suddenly the door to the waiting room slid open, and one of the healers walked in.

"How is he?" Qui-Gon immediately asked the healer.

"His shoulder wound was not very bad, and his knee was bruised, but after being put in the bacta tanks, he is healing nicely. We did find traces of a sedative called Letill in his blood stream. Obi-Wan told us that his kidnappers had given him the drug three weeks ago," the healer sighed before continuing. "In order for the drug to still be in his system that long after being given the drug it would have had to been given to him in very high doses, more than once. Letill if taken more than four or five times, can have very serious side effects, one of which is amnesia. Master Qui-Gon the boy is lucky that the memory loss seems to be the only side effect that he had suffered. Every other patient that I had that had as much of the drug in their system as he did were sent to the morgue."

"Is the memory loss permanent?" Clee asked from her chair.

"No, it shouldn't be. He is already beginning to regain some of his memory. And I'm sure that if you tell him about his past it will help. When you get him home, the familiar surrounding should help even more. Sometimes a patient will regain their memory gradually over time, and sometimes it will return all at once, or within a few days time."

"Can I see him?" Qui-Gon asked.

"He is resting right now, but yes you can sit with him. It may help him when he wakes up if he is not alone. He will be allowed to leave tomorrow, but I suggest that you take him to see your own healers as soon as you reach the temple."

"Thank you," Qui-Gon said, "I'll see that he does," Qui-Gon then quickly left the room.

Obi-Wan was lying on a bed in the healing room. He was awake and was staring out the window on the far side of the room. Qui-Gon stood in the open door way watching him for a few minutes before Obi-Wan finally looked in his direction, and saw him. Qui-Gon slowly entered the room.

"Hi," Obi-Wan said.

"How do you feel?"

"Better. Thank you for trying to help me Master Qui-Gon."

Qui-Gon noticed that the boy looked sad, "is something bothering you?" he asked.

"I remember some things. When the healers were in here. I was in the healers at the temple because I had broken my arm on a mission. The healer was complaining to Master Craydin because I had been released from the healers only five days before that after I injured my knee during a sparring match."

"Oh, so you've made visiting the healers a habit then," Qui-Gon smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so," Obi-Wan said looking down at his hands, as Qui-Gon sat down on the chair that was near the bed. "He's dead isn't he?"

"Who?" Qui-Gon asked although he had a pretty good idea of whom the teenager was asking about.

"Master Craydin. He was my master. I remember a lot of different things now. I remember that he took me as his padawan after you-after Melida/Dann. When Avery shot me, it reminded me of all the shooting that I saw there."

"Yes," Qui-Gon sighed, "he was killed in the explosion of the capital building. Before he died he said to tell you that he was glad to have you as a padawan."

A single tear escaped the boy's eyes before he could stop it, "what will happen to me now?" Am I going to be sent to Agri-Corps?"

"No," Qui-Gon said, lifting the boy's chin so that Obi-Wan was now looking at him. "I would like you to be my padawan learner, we could try again. Obi-Wan would you be my padawan again?"

Obi-Wan's eyes grew wide after Qui-Gon's question, and then he said, "no."

Qui-Gon felt as if the boy had just stabbed him in the stomach with a lightsaber. "Very well. If you will excuse me Obi-Wan I must prepare the arrangements for our return to the temple tomorrow, and you need to rest," Qui-Gon stood up, and left the room with out looking back.

* *** * *** *

Obi-Wan sat on a chair in the sleeping quarters that he and Master Qui-Gon would be sharing for the trip back to the temple. He was staring out the window at the passing stars, when Siri walked into the small room.

"Obi-Wan," Siri said, "are you hungry? Master Adi asked me to see if you needed anything."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry."

"Ok," Siri said, and sat down on the sleep couch across the room from his. "Master Qui-Gon said that he had asked you to be his padawan again. He really didn't say too much about it, but he is not a very talkative man I guess. I think it's great though; I just can't picture you as a farmer."

"I said no," Obi-Wan told her quietly.

"What?"

"I told him no, I'm not going to be his padawan again."

"Are you crazy Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"No, I would rather go to the Agri-Corps than to be a padawan out of pity."

"You are unbelievable. Master Qui-Gon told Adi that he missed you and realized that he made a mistake; by not taking you back sooner. He was going to ask you when we got back to the temple from our mission, but the Master Adi told him that you were already chosen by Knight Craydin, and then Master Yoda contacted us and told us about the explosion. Master Qui- Gon was obviously upset when he thought you were dead, but he tried to hide his feelings, I think."

"Good at hiding how he feels Qui-Gon is," Yoda said from the open doorway of the room.

"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said. His cheeks began to turn red as he remembered that he had called the wise Jedi Master "the little green guy."

"Temporary padawan Knight Craydin took. Knew Qui-Gon would change his mind, Craydin did."

"You mean that Master Craydin knew Qui-Gon would ask me to be his padawan again?" Obi-Wan asked.

Yoda nodded his head and said, "knew also belong in Agri-Corps you do not. Help you he did, until ready was Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan could not believe what Siri and Master Yoda had just told him. Master Qui-Gon did really want him as his apprentice and had not said it out of pity for him.

He felt relief wash over him, like a warm shower. He had accepted Craydin Shaw as his master, but longed for Qui-Gon to be his teacher, and now after so long, he had gotten what he wanted, and thrown it away just like on Melida/Dann.

"Talk to him you should," Yoda said before leaving the doorway.

"You really should talk to him, I'm sure that his offer for you to be his padawan still stands," Siri said.

Obi-Wan didn't answer her; instead he laid down on the sleep couch. Why would Qui-Gon take him back after he refused the man again? Siri quietly left the room, leaving the boy alone to think about how he once again messed up his life with one stupid mistake.

* *** * *** *

Obi-Wan woke up later on the sleep couch, to a quiet ship. The lights in the small room that he had been on since they departed Vardell were turned out and he could hear the steady breathing of someone else in the room. He guessed that it was Qui-Gon who was asleep in the bed across the room from him.

Obi-Wan was tired of lying on the sleep couch. As quietly as he could he swung his legs over the side of the couch, and slowly stood up. He looked over at Qui-Gon who was laying on his back with his eyes closed, and then started to walk towards the door way.

The boy made his way to the galley as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb the other sleeping passengers of the ship. His knee still felt very sore, and he had a slight limp as he made his way down the hall.

Once in the small galley he was relieved to find that someone had left out some fruits and rolls out on the counter in bowls. He quickly filled a bowl full of fruit and two rolls, and sat down at the smaller of the two tables that were in the galley.

"I thought that you might get up in the middle of the night to claim a snack, since Siri said that you did not want to eat your dinner earlier," Master Clee said standing in the door way. "I remembered Craydin telling me once that you really liked fruit."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said hungrily taking a bite of a piece of muja fruit.

The Jedi Master smiled at the boy, and sat down at the table across from him. "Qui-Gon said that you remembered Craydin."

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered looking up at her. "Master Yoda said that Master Craydin only took me as his padawan until Qui-Gon realized that he did want me back."

"Yes, he did. Craydin knew that you would make a powerful Jedi one day and also knew that Qui-Gon would realize that he did want you back, which he did. Craydin was prepared to be your master on a permanent basis if Qui- Gon did not come back for you." Clee smiled slightly, "he really was fond of you. Every time that he had come to visit me when we were both at the temple at the same time, all he could do was talk of how well you were doing and how eager to become a knight you were. He was proud of you."

"But it took so long for us to develop a strong bond?" Obi-Wan asked.

Clee smiled again, "yes, it did. That I'm afraid was my fault. I asked Craydin to wait to form a strong bond so that when Qui-Gon returned for you it would not be as difficult for him to let you go."

"But if he really wanted me he could have fought for me," Obi-Wan said after swallowing another bite of fruit.

"I'm sure he would have. You see I had told him not to allow a bond between the two of you until after Qui-Gon returned from the constant missions that he was involved in. Craydin told me that the force told him to form the bond with you. He told me that he would remain your master until his death. I at first thought that he had just not wanted to give you up to Master Qui-Gon because we both knew that in a few months Qui-Gon would be finished with his missions.

"I now know that he had foreseen his death, and most likely foreseen that Qui-Gon would take you back."

Obi-Wan looked up at her, "but I screwed everything up again," he said so quietly that Clee could barely hear him, as he lowered his head.

"What do you mean?"

"He asked me to be his padawan again and I told him no. I thought that he was just doing it out of pity, because of Master Craydin's death, and I would rather work in the Agri-Corps than to be chosen as a padawan out of pity."

"And I would never choose a padawan because I pitied them. The force directs my choice, although I do have a bad habit of trying to ignore what it is telling me and causing you pain," Qui-Gon said standing in the doorway of the galley.

"Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said raising his head to look at the tall man leaning against the doorframe.

"I think you two should talk," Clee said and got up to leave the room. Obi- Wan noticed the smile that she gave Qui-Gon before she walked out of the galley. After she had left Qui-Gon then walked further into the room and sat down where she had been sitting.

"I'm sorry Obi-Wan I should have explained my self better."

Obi-Wan starred at the man sitting across from him in shock he was not expecting the man to apologize to him, when it was he who had jumped to conclusions about the man's reasons for asking him as his apprentice. "No, Master Qui-Gon I'm sorry. I shouldn't-"

"Obi-Wan don't apologize. After Xanatos I promised that I would not take on another padawan. And even though the force was pulling me towards you, I tried to deny what was happening, even when we had begun to form a bond. I won't lie to you Obi-Wan after you chose to stay on Melida/Dann I was hurt. I had let myself get close to you and then you had. . . ." Qui-Gon trailed off.

Obi-Wan who could no longer look into his eyes again lowered his head to stare at his half eaten plate of food. "I never meant to hurt you, I just thought at the time that I was doing what I was meant to do, what the force was telling me to do, but I was wrong and I-"

"Obi-Wan look at me," Qui-Gon interrupted him. Slowly Obi-Wan looked up at Qui-Gon, "listen to me. I know that you did not intend to hurt me, and I know that you would never turn to the dark side. After you helped me with Xanatos on Telos, I was frightened that I could not be a good enough master to you. I was uncertain of my ability to train you."

"Xanatos was not your fault," Obi-Wan said, "you would have been a great master, and I would have been honored to be your padawan again."

"You know when I found your lightsaber half melted in the debris near the worst hit section of the building, and realized that there was little chance that you could have survived, I felt lost. I thought that if only it would not have taken so long for me to realize that the bond we had started was stronger than what I had with Xanatos and . . ." he trailed off again.

Obi-Wan stared at the man across from him in awe of the emotions that he saw on his features, and was at a loss for words.

"What I'm trying to say Obi-Wan is that perhaps we could be a team again. Would you be my padawan?"

Obi-Wan could not help but smile, "yes, I accept you as my master."

* *** * *** *

"Obi-Wan," Clee said as she, Adi, Siri, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Yoda sat in the galley eating lunch, before they reached Coruscant in a couple of hours, "when I contacted the temple to let them know that we would be returning in a few hours, Mace told me that the Vardelli's had caught the men responsible for your kidnapping."

Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice who nodded. Qui-Gon knew that the boy did not want to talk about them. Suddenly the boy's expression changed and he noticed the mischievous gleam that sparkled in Obi-Wan's eyes.

"So Siri," Obi-Wan began, "I didn't know that you considered me a friend of yours, I'm really touched. Maybe if you want I can help you with your saber practice, and I'm sure that Bant, Reeft, and-"

"Who says I wasn't just saying that to make you feel better," Siri said.

Obi-Wan smiled, "but you are a Jedi padawan, and you are not supposed to lie."

"You know Obi-Wan Kenobi, I liked you better when you didn't know who you were," Siri commented.

Qui-Gon looked at Adi Gallia and smiled. The girl's master smiled back at him knowing that things at least with their padawans were already beginning to get back to normal.

The End