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For the minus five of you that are actually reading this, here's the next part! I hope you like it! (It'll become very obvious in this part why I say it's just quick, fun story!)

Time's Arrow

~ Part Two: The Reason ~

Obi-Wan:

Mace Windu stopped when he saw me, and frowned. I expected him to call his lightsaber to hand but instead he simply gazed at me curiously. Perhaps he sensed that I wasn't a threat, or perhaps he could feel my desperate confusion and the hint of fright that was beginning to creep into my veins.

"Who are you?" he questioned sleepily, "I've never seen you before."

A felt a growing warning in the Force, telling me to be cautious. Not of Mace Windu, but of what I said to him.

"I'm not surprised," I chose my words carefully; "I was taken as a Padawan when I was very little and my Master and I haven't returned to the Temple in years."

I don't know why I lied, but for some reason I felt I had to. Something was telling me that if this really was Mace Windu, if I had somehow, extraordinarily traveled back in time, I couldn't tell anyone my real identity. It didn't make sense, but I knew I couldn't.

He shot me a skeptical look but instead of pressing me, inquired, "Are you lost?"

Forcing an embarrassed laugh, I nodded. "Yes! I'm lost!" I had to hide a grimace. I had sounded way too eager to use that explanation and I had spoken extremely loudly, as if relieved to be offered a way out. Which, of course, I was.

Both of Mace Windu's eyebrows shot up, and he was gazing at me as if I was a puzzle that needed to be worked out. "Where are you trying to go?"

"Go?" I repeated stupidly, before quickly adding, "I…um, I was actually looking for Master Yoda. My Master told me to…go see him."

Mace Windu was clearly unconvinced, "At two-thirty in the morning?"

Well, at least that explained why the Temple had been deserted. It was too early for anyone to be wondering about. Anyone, that is, except befuddled Obi-Wan Kenobis who had inexplicably awoken in a garden, instead of at home, and then come face to face with a teenaged Mace Windu.

"We just arrived a few minutes ago and Master Yoda is expecting me," I lied, beginning to wish that I could either figure out *why* I couldn't tell him the truth, or be swallowed up by some merciful hole in the Force so that I wouldn't have to finish this conversation.

Either the Force was telling him to cut me some slack, or he was too sleepy to care that some strange Padawan had waltzed into his quarters in the middle of the night, because he apparently decided not to question me as to what was really going on.

"Master Yoda's quarters are in the Masters' living section. You're in the Master/Padawan section. Taking a right outside these rooms, you want to follow the hallway until you pass the gardens. The first quarters after the gardens belong to Master Yoda."

"Thank you," I smiled, and then made a hasty retreat from his quarters.

Force, but this was the beginning to what was undoubtedly going to be a very *strange* day!

Once I was back in the hallway, I leaned back against the wall and rubbed my hands over my face. What in the Sith was going on? Had that *really* been Mace Windu? Was I really in the past? If I was, how in the universe had I gotten here? I hadn't done anything! I had just gone to sleep!

Of course, in the face of any other alternatives, which at the moment I couldn't even come up with, that could be a good thing. It meant that I could go talk to Master Yoda. He would surely help me sort this whole situation out and… No, I couldn't do that. I didn't know why, but I could feel, in the mysterious depths of the Force, that that was not the right thing to do. Just as I had felt that I had to lie to Mace Windu.

"I have to meditate," I whispered to myself, "maybe then I'll be able to figure some of this out, including why the Force had turned me into a liar."

~~~~~~~~~~

Gracefully, I rose from my kneeling position, satisfied at what I had found in my meditation. Within the mystifying rhythms of the Force, I had learned that I indeed was in the past. No friend or foe had brought me here, nor did I have to worry about returning. I was strangely confident that somehow, this was all the Force's doing, and that its power would also take me back, after I had accomplished whatever I was supposed to.

I was supposed to do something. I was here for a reason. I had no idea what that reason was, but whatever it was, it was probably important. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone was whisked off who-knew-how-many years into the past. It had to be important. Of course, knowing my luck, I was here to save some pathetic lifeform, or something like that.

Although I couldn't be certain, I surmised that the reason I shouldn't tell anyone who I was or where I was from was because I might interfere with the timeline in a negative way. What if I did something that somehow altered the lives of the people I came in contact with? There was every possibility that the change would be for the better, but there was also every possibility that the change would be for the worse. It wasn't a risk I could take. I was here for one reason, which meant that I was here to do, or change, only one thing. I couldn't risk doing anything else. I just had to make sure that I didn't do anything that I wasn't meant to do.

Of course, that didn't tell me what I was supposed to do in the meantime. Was I just supposed to sneak around the Temple, suspiciously trying to not be noticed, as I waited for someone to come up to me yelling, 'Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan! This is your task!'? Not likely. I just had to have confidence that I would *feel* when the time came, and then I could act, knowing I was doing the right thing.

However, the question still remained…what did I do until then? No one knew who I was and people would be bound to notice a strange Padawan that just materialized out of nowhere. I couldn't go wondering around without attracting too much attention. So, what? I was supposed to just sit here waiting for something to happen?

I had decided to meditate back in the garden where I had first woken up, so I was back where I had started. This garden was not the most popular in the Temple, but a good number of people still came here frequently. If I stayed here, I would no doubt be noticed. There were, however, a few gardens that were hardly visited at all. It would make sense for me to stay there.

I left my favorite garden but even as I walked I wondered how I would be able to do what I was supposed to do if I was locked away, hiding in some garden? Sighing, I wished the Force could be more specific. I sensed that I was in the past. I sensed that I was supposed to do something. It would have been nice if I knew *what* I was supposed to do!

Fortunately, since it was still early, I probably wouldn't run into anyone on the way there and…

"…it is good to see you again. Did you miss me?" a woman's voice drifted into my hearing range from somewhere ahead of me.

Freezing, I strained my hearing to see if they were coming towards me.

"Any particular reason the Council had you come back this early in the morning?" Came the wry answer of the woman's companion, reminding me of the way that Tahl had never said hello or goodbye to me in the years that I had known her.

"I'm sure they booked me passage on this flight just to annoy you, Padawan," the Master answered tolerantly, "and if you're wondering, I missed you."

From the sound of it, it didn't seem that they were coming closer or moving further away from me either. I discretely sent a probing tendril of the Force out and found that the two were standing at the end of the hallway that branched off of this one a few feet in front of me.

"I missed you too, Master," the apprentice acknowledged, "but you probably missed me more because I'm sure that without me at your side you completely messed up what was supposed to be a routine mission." Her sarcasm, spoken in total seriousness with only the slightest touch of humor, made me wonder if it really *was* Tahl.

"Ah, well, fortunately for me, the Council is not planning on sending me on any more solo missions any time soon," I sensed, rather than saw, the woman's smile, "and, they even decided to let me get some sleep before dragging me before them to give my mission report."

"Master," the-girl-that-could-be-Tahl spoke critically, "the only reason you're not in there right now giving the report is because the Council doesn't want to be up this early either!"

Inching forward, I risked a peak around the corner of the turn-off in the hallway. The two were standing about ten feet away, facing each other and apparently unaware that a time traveling Padawan was watching them.

Even though I would know the Master as being several years older than she was now, I did not believe that I had ever seen her before. She was probably in her thirties and looked like any normal human woman except for the fact that she had to be at least six feet tall and was extremely skinny.

It was not her, however, that I was drawn to. It was the girl. She was sixteen, maybe seventeen, and had silky-brown skin the color of honey. With shoulder-length delicate locks of half-wavy ebony hair framing almond-shaped eyes that were a glittering twirl of green and gold, she was even more beautiful than she had been during the short time I had known her. Even without the scar that testified to her blindness, there was no doubt that this was Tahl. In which case, the Master was Ariala Zabete, who had been killed ten years earlier during a mission.

There was something else drawing me to the Padawan though, other than the fact that she was Tahl. It was as if the Force, swelling and whispering and pulling me forward, was compelling me and tugging me towards her. I felt as if I had to follow her, as if I had to speak with her and do something important.

This was it! I grew excited and smiled. This was the reason I was here! It had something to do with Tahl! I didn't know what, but I knew that I was here because of her. That meant that in order to accomplish my task, I needed to stay close to her and listen to the guidings of the Force.

Not wanting to be seen, I pulled back so that I was hidden by the wall.

"Come along Tahl," Master Zabete said, "let's go back to our quarters so that I can get some much needed rest."

"Actually," Tahl interceded, "now that I'm awake, I'm going to go to one of the training rooms and practice for the 'saber tournament next week. I think I have a good chance of doing well."

"Very well," she granted, "Be sure to be back in our quarters by the time I return from my meeting with the Council. There are still some techniques I can show you before you became the mistress of swordsmanship next week and decide that you don't need a Master anymore."

Tahl giggled, the same delicate, mirthful giggle that had always sounded like music to me, "Do not fear, wise Master of mine," she said expansively, "I will always allow you the pleasure of showing me just how much more I still have to learn."

"You're too kind," Master Zabete retorted dryly, and they both laughed, obviously enjoying teasing and joking with one another, just as Qui-Gon and I had before…before Tahl had died. The thought brought back the echoes of sadness. I missed having my Master to talk to. I missed making fun of him and watching his eyes sparkle as he jibed back at me with equal playfulness.

Sighing, I forced myself to banish those thoughts from my mind. I didn't have time for them now.

I listened carefully to Master Zabete's soft footsteps as she turned and walked towards the far end of the hallway. As soon as I sensed for certain that she was gone, I took a deep breath and stepped around the corner to address Tahl. I had no idea what to say to her, but the Force was buzzing in my mind, telling me to speak with her.

As I moved up behind her, Tahl turned to face me.

"Do you have a habit of spying on people or are my Master and I of special interest to you?" she demanded, all confidence and cool grace.

Surprised, I stopped short and tried to think of something to say. I hadn't realized that Tahl had sensed my presence, and didn't know how to explain why I had been eavesdropping. I couldn't very well say that I was from the future and that I was going to follow her around until I realized what I was supposed to do. Yet, she would be suspicious anyway because she had never seen me before.

"I was just wondering if you'd consider sparring with me?" I asked lamely, not knowing what else to say.

Her eyes narrowed and she seemed dubious of me. Of course, I couldn't really blame her. If some strange Padawan had suddenly appeared in the Temple, I would be doubtful of him too. "Who are you?" she finally asked.

I sighed and inwardly cringed. Normally, that would have been an extremely simple question, but now…now I could risk altering the future in a way I wasn't meant to. It was better for everyone to be wondering who I was and where I had come from than for them to know I was from the future and to question me about it.

"You can call me…" A name! I needed a name! "Ben!" I about yelled out the first thing that popped into my head.

"Ben?" she repeated distrustfully.

"Yes, Ben. I…I was taken as a Padawan at a very young age and I haven't been in the Temple for years. That's probably why you don't remember me." If I was going to lie, I might as well tell the same lie to everyone.

"Who is your Master?" she questioned without pause.

My Master? Well, I couldn't very well tell the truth. She and Qui-Gon were good friends and if I said 'Master Jinn', she'd know I was lying for certain, instead of being almost completely certain of the fact. "Master…Nimrodi," I spontaneously chose one of the characters from my favorite book. The novel was rather obscure and I doubted that Tahl had read it.

A smile tweaked at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes sparkled triumphantly, "You should have picked a different character, *Ben*, Nicolai Nimrodi dies at the end of that book."

Groaning softly, I closed my eyes. Of course Tahl would end up being one of the five people in the entire galaxy to have read 'Moonlit Firesky'. Why hadn't I picked someone from a book that hadn't been written yet?

I didn't say anything. What could I say?

"So," Tahl grinned, "do you want to tell me who you really are, or should I get Master Yoda?"

Wonderful. Just what I needed. A Council session where I could try to explain that I was from the future and that they needed to let me be so that I could follow Tahl around and figure out what I was supposed to do.

"Please don't," I whispered entreatingly, "I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I do not mean to harm anyone. I can't tell you anything about myself."

Tahl sighed, and I felt her finding her center within the Force and searching through it to gain some sense of me. When I had known her, she had always been incredibly empathic, with a degree on insight and understanding of people that I often envied. I only hoped that those weren't skills that she had picked up later in her life.

For a second, her eyes seemed distant, and when she spoke her tone was soft, "You are not a threat," she declared with no trace of doubt, "I knew that from the beginning. Although I sense that you are supposed to be here *now*, you do not belong in this place…no, that is not true…it is more as if, you do not belong here…*yet*."

Swallowing, I stepped back a pace and stared at her thoughtfully. What she said surprised me. Her level of insight, without meditation, was astounding. Even now, as a Padawan, she had extraordinary gifts in the Force. Gifts she would need when she was blinded on Melida/Daan. Gifts she had learned to hone and use to her advantage to 'see' with the Force.

Her eyes focused back on mine. "I will not tell, my friend."

I bowed in acceptance, "Thank you, Tahl."

If she was surprised at my use of her name, she did not show it.

Her curious gaze stayed upon me for countless moments, studying my features and peering into my soul. Pondering, she considered me. I sensed her thoughts reeling, as she tried to figure me out, but they were kept veiled behind a shroud of acceptance and I knew that although she desperately wanted to know who I was, she would not question me further.

Shaking her head, she suddenly turned and began walking towards one of the training rooms. "Well don't just stand there!" she called back to me, "some of the Masters aren't quite as perceptive as I am, and you'll stand out like a frela flower on soil if you stay there."

Smiling, I hurried to catch up with Tahl.

Together, we entered one of the combat tactics training rooms. Usually battle situations were simulated in here by having different types of droids and probes attack in random patterns using low-yield blaster settings. Much time was spent learning to spar but during missions it was rare to ever come across someone who knew how to wield a lightsaber and therefore it was important for us to be able to defend ourselves against the more common dangers.

"Before sparring," Tahl began, "I always find it useful to hone my reflexes and find a comfortable center within the Force. That is why I usually come here before engaging an actual opponent."

As she spoke, she opened the lockers where the seeker/destroyer probes were located and set twelve of them in a circle about the room. They were, of course, older models than I was used to, but they were still quite effective because they were extremely maneuverable and were capable of adapting to different attack patterns. Once they learned your style, they become harder to disable.

For training purposes, the probes were programmed to deactivate after being struck once with a low level lightsaber or having a blaster shot deflected back at them. They could be manually set to more difficult levels but their adaptive capabilities usually made that unnecessary. It was easy to handle the first few; it was the last three or so that became really difficult.

Tahl took her position in the center of the circle and drew her lightsaber. The probes would not be activated until she used the Force to trigger them. After that, short of disabling them all, the only way to shut them down was to punch in the failsafe code into the computer console on the wall.

A cold tension made the Force vibrate and clenched at my chest. A shiver ran through my whole body, making my skin tingle. Foreboding rushed through my veins with the increased pumping of my heart and I knew, even before I heard the low hum of energy as the probes activated, that something wasn't right.

One by one, the probes glowed red and shot up into the air, hovering menacingly about three and a half feet above the floor. That would have been normal except for the fact that Tahl hadn't triggered them. I hadn't felt the activating touch of the Force. They had simply turned on by themselves.

Without willing myself to do so, I grabbed my own lightsaber and held it before me, ready to ignite it and defend myself if the need arose.

Tahl's eyes widened and I noticed her hands tighten their grip on the hilt of her weapon. Her gaze seemed riveted to something but I couldn't tell what from my position near the door.

Stepping forward into the circle of probes, I took my place at Tahl's side. It was then that I saw what she was looking it. The power meters on all of the probes showed five glowing red bars – the absolute maximum setting. That meant that the blaster shots wouldn't be painless bursts of energy, but rather weapons' fire that was capable of injuring and quite easily killing.

"The failsafe!" I exclaimed, indicating the control panel on the far wall of the room.

Tahl nodded tersely, but made no move. I knew why. The probes had begun acquiring us as targets, just as they were designed to do. As soon as we moved, they would fire. Since each one had a built-in Force deflector, we would have to fight our way to the computer. There was no other way.

"Do they teach you how to fight where you come from?" Tahl asked grimly.

"Yes," I nodded, "they do."

"Good," she grinned. "Show me."

TBC…