.Three.
Obi-Wan Kenobi tried not to look back too often on his years as a junior apprentice. For one, he had made so many bad decisions, he'd considered himself lucky to have advanced at all! After the shenanigans he and his friends had pulled and the discipline they'd received by the High Jedi Council, he was counting his blessings to have been given the chance to remain in the Jedi Temple and under the tutelage of Qui-Gon Jinn.
Even though Master Jinn had been extremely disappointed in him, when it came time to report to the council regarding his wrongdoings and his exposure to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan's mentor took a stand and spoke up for him.
The beings on the council were Qui-Gon's peers. He had grown up with them, trained, and fought alongside them. Although he would never be a part of their lofty ambitions and sit on the council himself, they always seemed to listen attentively to what he had to say. His Master's words had merit and even though they had been difficult to hear, Obi-Wan appreciated the faith his Master had in him.
"Obi-Wan may be young and headstrong. He can be arrogant at times and too outspoken, but when it comes to the consideration of others, he is humble and empathetic. I foresee he will someday be a great Jedi Knight."
"But tainted by the Dark, he has been," Master Yoda pointed out.
What exactly did that mean? Obi-Wan wanted to ask, but he followed protocol and remained silent. He was only allowed to speak when asked to, and so far, no one had asked.
"He has touched it, yes," Master Qui-Gon admitted, "but I find no fault or shadow within him."
At that point, his Master, who was considered rather rebellious amongst the older Jedi, rotated and fixed his eyes on every member seated around the perimeter of the tower chamber.
"Can any of you honestly say you have never had a stray thought or any inclination to learn what it would be like to touch the Dark Side? To finally understand what it is and the power it holds? You have, although you won't admit it. You're too afraid to. I sense fear and doubt among you even now.
For too long we, as Jedi, have denied the Dark Side's influence; even its very existence and have done our best to avoid talking about it! But I stand here amongst you and issue a warning. One day, each one of you is going to face Evil and how you treat my apprentice today is going to have a direct impact on how you manage your own reaction then. Are you going to embrace it and try to understand? Or run away and hope it doesn't find you again? Because I can guarantee that it will. Sooner or later, we must all face our demons."
At that moment, Obi-Wan couldn't have said a word even if he'd been allowed to. The student was in awe of not only the things his Master had said, but for the simple fact, Qui-Gon had stood toe-to-toe with the head of the entire Jedi Order!
It took an hour for the council to confer amongst themselves before they called the two back in to hear their judgment. During that time, the Master and apprentice had been dismissed to wait for their decision. Out in the hallway, Qui-Gon glanced down at his apprentice, a smirk lifting one corner of his mouth.
"Don't be too impressed or believe I've done you a favor, Obi-Wan," he said with a quiet chuckle. "Sometimes, I wonder if being a Jedi is even worthwhile. I venture to believe there must be better ways to serve the Light than to be whittled down and made to feel inferior by a bunch of narrow-minded hypocrites who haven't stepped a foot outside these walls in over half a century. They're fools, the whole lot of them, and they can't see the galaxy through their own sense of pride and self-importance."
The sense of hero-worship Obi-Wan had experienced inside the council chamber had vanished. Personally, he would never be so bold as to speak his mind to the council, much less speak badly about them behind their backs!
Still, the young man appreciated what his Master had tried to do for him and admitted it.
"We shall wait and see if they were even listening," Qui-Gon shared while strolling over to the edge of a wide balcony to view the streaming city sky traffic beyond it.
"You meant it though, right?" Obi-Wan asked, immediately detesting his constant need for affirmation. He had come so far and worked too hard to lose everything now! Regardless of what his Master believed, becoming a Jedi Knight was the only thing he had ever wanted. If that wasn't possible, Obi-Wan wasn't sure what he would do!
"Which part?" Qui-Gon smiled, obviously toying with him. "Yes, I meant it," the older man said, placing a large comforting hand upon his student's shoulder. "I have no doubt you're going to become a much wiser and greater Jedi than I ever could. Just…"
The pause lasted a few seconds, prompting Obi-Wan to urge his mentor to continue.
"Don't let them tell you what to do, Obi-Wan, that's all," Qui-Gon encouraged. "You are a Follower of the Light. Listen and do what your heart tells you, not what these stuffy, overrated, out-of-touch…"
"Okay, okay," Obi-Wan said, cutting him off. The young man had heard enough of his Master's disparaging words for one day. "You know, I'd like to be on the council. When I'm older," he admitted quietly while staring out beyond the rapidly moving lights to try and spot a star.
The news shouldn't have come as a surprise to his Master since it was something Obi-Wan had been saying for years. Qui-Gon didn't understand why the young man would want such a thing, but he wasn't going to try and talk him out of it. Obi-Wan was smarter than him and much more patient. He might do well as a council member. He certainly couldn't do any worse than the knuckleheads currently sitting inside.
At that moment, a messenger called for them to return. Qui-Gon took his position in the center of the circular floor of the chamber with his apprentice on his right side, slightly behind him, as per protocol.
There was a buzz in the air that hadn't been there before, Obi-Wan noticed. He could feel it lifting the hairs on the back of his neck. Such a disturbance informed Obi-Wan that the council had been arguing silently amongst themselves, and it confounded him.
Master Windu, a man slightly younger than Master Qui-Gon, began to speak. Obi-Wan liked him well enough, though he'd heard his Master say he was often haughty and too proud. Mace Windu was the one who did most of the talking out of the twelve, and Obi-Wan schooled his features, grasped his hands inside of his sleeves, and listened.
"The High Jedi Council has come to a decision," Master Windu began, capturing Qui-Gon's gaze and ignoring Obi-Wan's completely. "Although we do not sense darkness in your student, Master Jinn, the fact that he not only came into contact with the Dark but actually heard it speak to him - that it called him specifically by name is unprecedented and something that cannot be ignored. You are an effective Master and Apprentice team, so it does not bring me any pleasure to inform you that the council has decided to take you down to Level II status."
The young man immediately noted the change in his Master's stance and the way his hands flew to hips in defiance. Obi-Wan just hoped he wasn't about to argue with the council about their decision. At this point, it was rather moot.
As a lifelong learner in the Temple, Obi-Wan was aware of the particular levels assigned to Masters and their students according to their gifts. He and Qui-Gon had always been considered diplomats and would often be asked to witness treaty negotiations, help end civil wars, and even oversee inheritances in places that still followed the practice of primogeniture.
Level III was considered the highest and most distinguished level any Master/Apprentice pair could achieve, and so far during his time here, Obi-Wan had never heard of anyone being demoted to a lower status. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant.
"This is preposterous!" his Master's thunderous voice exclaimed.
"It is done," Master Windu replied. "You are dismissed."
Obi-Wan could barely keep up with the stride of his Master's long legs as they exited the chamber.
"Where are we going?" he asked his mentor.
"For a walk!" came the succinct answer on a bitter tongue, which hinted that the young man should wait a while before speaking again.
In fact, the two of them had made their way down several sets of stairs and entered the Room of a Thousand Fountains before Qui-Gon seemed to have recovered any type of control.
"Come sit down, Obi-Wan," he told his student softly, motioning to a bench next to a rather ornate structure dedicated to one of the Jedi's fallen Mon Calamari members. It depicted a variety of sea life leaping up and spewing water to one another and was quite intriguing to watch, though it did very little to calm his nerves.
"You have just experienced your first censure by the Council. How do you feel?"
What a question! How did he feel? Angry? Confused? Even though Obi-Wan didn't quite understand the ramifications of the sentence handed down by their leaders, the strong response by his Master made him think it was bad. It had to be bad!
"Disappointed?" he finally managed to say. "Although I will admit I'm not really sure what Level II consists of. Didn't we go right from one to three?"
"Yes," Qui-Gon explained. "There are other side branches to each level, but you and I were determined to become a diplomatic team not long after you began your apprenticeship."
"Based on what?" Obi-Wan asked. He was actually curious. How could the council know what type of Jedi he was to become?
"Your academics, your lightsaber skills," his Master explained. "And my recommendations, of course."
Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to think about all of this. Why would his Master recommend him to only go on diplomatic missions? Most of the time, he found them to be quite boring and tedious. Once in a while, especially during a royal succession that involved a lot of tension within families, they had to use their lightsabers to keep members of royal houses safe from assassins, but missions like those were far and few between.
In the past, the young man would listen to his peers tell stories of their missions that involved narrow escapes, draigons, pirates, and battles. At first, Obi-Wan had envied them, but then Qui-Gon explained to him how very important their type of work was.
And yet, sitting in this room of peace and tranquility, Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder if, for some reason, his Master had intentionally kept him from those types of missions. Was it possible? Did he have enough influence with the council to pull off such a thing?
"Why?" Obi-Wan asked him simply, curious to see if his Master would explain his reasoning.
The man's blue gaze intensified and then Qui-Gon relaxed as if he had decided to finally be as transparent as Obi-Wan had always wished he'd be.
"You've heard of my apprentice, Xanatos," he began. "And his turn to the Dark Side. It was his father's doing. Crion was a manipulative and cruel man, evil and cunning. He had an influence on his son that neither the Light nor I could overcome. I lost him to the Dark and I wasn't about to let that happen to you."
Suddenly, a lot of the things his Master had always told him, the way he acted, and his rebellious nature became much clearer. All this time, all he'd been doing was to try and protect him. Apparently, that time was over.
"What now?" Obi-Wan asked, his heart full of new respect for his mentor.
"We shall wait and see, Obi-Wan," his Master told him truthfully. "Level II pairs are usually called to sit in on war councils, to investigate murders or kidnappings. You might finally get to meet a few pirates."
Obi-Wan couldn't resist the half-smile that spread across his face. "Honestly, Master, I'll be eighteen soon. I think it's high time we let the Kings and Queens handle their own matters. Helping out those who truly need our assistance sounds so much more rewarding."
"Indeed," Qui-Gon muttered, although his apprentice could tell he actually agreed.
Days passed. No new assignments were posted and the High Council remained quiet. Qui-Gon made sure his student kept up with his studies and was helping him with his lightsaber drills when a young courier ran into the sallé and handed him a scripted note. An odd choice that was, he thought, until he read it and all of his fears leaped to the forefront of his mind.
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked him, most likely noticing how pale his features had become.
"We've been summoned to an executive meeting with the council," his Master read from the note before crumpling the parchment tightly in his fist.
Once again, the student was learning something new. "An executive meeting? I've never heard of such a thing. What does that mean?"
"Nothing good, I'm afraid, Obi-Wan," his Master answered gruffly. "Nothing good."