The dinner went as smoothly as politic dinners usually go. Landon B'runi, the host and one of the men who were vying for the kingship, kept his dinner lively with jokes and humorous stories. The rather large guest list of twenty dignitaries all showed up shortly after the Jedi arrived.
Everything seemed to be running smoothly; except for Qui-Gon noticed that Luke was silent the entire dinner. The younger Jedi could have been set in stone, if not for the very few times a corner of his lip would tug upwards, trying to form a smile. Focusing deeply into the Force, Qui-Gon was surprised to find that the Jedi had erected strong barriers within the last hour or so that they had been here to guard his mind. Even with the barriers, he could still detect a level of uneasiness and discomfort that had settled in Luke's mind.
It did not come as a surprise when, later in the evening during the social mingling and some local dancing, Qui-Gon noticed that Luke was missing from the gathered crowd. Glancing at his Padawan, the two Jedi quietly stepped out to the rear balcony.
In the dark night, away from the lights of the dinner party, the balcony was hidden in black shadows. To the casual eye, the balcony appeared to be empty but Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knew better.
"Master Skywalker?" Obi-Wan murmured into the slight breeze.
It was if a cloaked figure had stirred and a light peeked through the gathered clouds when Luke revealed his hidden presence to them. Moving to the right, out of the way of any of the windows that overlooked the balcony, Qui-Gon gestured Obi-Wan to follow him to where some plants had begun to creep over the railing. There Luke stood, leaning on the railing, staring into the night.
"Luke?" Qui-Gon softly called as he approached the slender Jedi.
Very quietly, Luke said, "Don't call me 'Master', Obi-Wan. I see there is so much that I don't know; so much that you…" He stopped short but the bitterness in his voice was reflected in his emotions.
Obi-Wan touched Luke's arm and Qui-Gon could sense a lurking suspicion in his apprentice's mind. "So much that I didn't teach you, right? That's what you were going to say, wasn't it? I was your teacher, your Master, and I didn't do the job right or did a horrible job of it in the first place."
Luke glanced at the younger man. Qui-Gon was shocked by the depth of hurt in his eyes. "You never finished, Ben…Obi-Wan…" He hesitated and turned to face Qui-Gon. "I'm so confused. I don't know what to even call your apprentice! This is someone who I looked up to as an older man and here I am: now the older man. I feel as if time is slipping through my fingers and something disastrous will happen should I stay here any longer but I don't know how I got here so I definitely don't know the way back. Do you?"
Qui-Gon felt the strength of the Jedi's emotions swell…and then ease.
"I'm sorry," Luke apologized, turning once more to stare at the stars and planets in the night sky. "I don't know what came over me. I usually have more control than that." His right hand tightened unconsciously.
Qui-Gon laid a gentle hand on Luke's tense shoulder. "It will be alright. Tomorrow we will begin to discover the circumstances that brought you here to try to recreate them to let you return. I've had enough of all this social chit-chat. We should let you return to the medical building for observation."
Luke sighed and was prepared to return when Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan resist.
"Master," the Padawan said slowly. "I think I'm going to stay with Luke tonight."
Qui-Gon frowned. "I think it best if you stay as distanced from him as possible since you two have a future together. We're trying to limit the damage that this circumstance has put us in."
Obi-Wan looked up, a defiant gleam in his eyes. "The damage, I think, is already done, Master. I want to know more about how we meet…"
"No, Padawan," Qui-Gon stated firmly. "We'll drop Luke off at the medcenter and then return to our quarters." Putting a Force-filled determination behind his words and directing it at his apprentice, he hoped that that would be the end of the matter.
But by the way Obi-Wan's resentment filled their bond, he knew that they would have to discuss this matter further before the end of the night after letting Luke return.
Making polite excuses to leave, the three Jedi swept out into the night, each one silent in his own thoughts. Qui-Gon was turning to ask Luke what time would be better for him for them to come by in the morning when he saw Luke grab his side and gasp, halting in the middle of the street.
"What is it?" He barked in concern, feeling the Jedi's intense pain radiating in the Force. Grabbing Luke to steady him, he wondered if some of Luke's injuries were being overly stressed.
Luke, too much in pain to answer, merely dropped to his knees and curled up in a ball, moaning.
Obi-Wan, however, as much in tune with Luke as he had been since he arrived, spoke up, "It's…strange, Master." His brow creased with pain of his own and he let out a gasp. "Master…"
Qui-Gon felt the stab of red-hot pain lance across Obi-Wan's brain. "Padawan, speak to me."
"Master," Obi-Wan groaned. "It's like…I don't know. We need to get Luke to the medcenter as soon as possible." Qui-Gon could feel the amount of deep concentration in his Padawan as Obi-Wan forced his sudden headache to the back of his mind and standing.
Using their muscles with minimal assistance in the Force, the Jedi team got Luke to his feet and hustled him off to the medical facility.