(12 years later)
Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in the center of one of the training rooms of the Jedi Temple. The young Jedi padawan anxiously shifted his weight form one leg to the other, feeling the mated floor under his feet. His ignited training saber was gripped in his hands. Sweat covered his palms. He looked over to the other Jedi student who stood a few paces away from him. The other student's lightsaber was also ignited. To their right, two-dozen other initiates and a few other young Padawans were seated cross-legged on the floor, observing. But Obi-Wan paid no mind to them, trying keep his eyes on his opponent. Though his gaze would sometimes drift up to the observation gallery that was positioned slightly above the room. The young Jedi could not see through the glass of the observation gallery but he could feel through the force that there was someone up there watching the lightsaber lesson.
The Jedi Master who was instructing the class was walking casually around the students. Watching them as they waited for him to signal for them to start. The Jedi Master stopped his walking and raised his hand and then let it drop back down. The signal for the two initiates to start their mock battle.
Taking advantage of Obi-Wan's distracted state, the other student attacked. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan brought his own blade up just in time to block the blow from his opponent. The crackle of connecting lightsabers echoed through the training room. Using his body weight, Obi-Wan's adversary began to push the young Jedi back. Obi-Wan jumped back and swung his lightsaber down, taking his opponents blade with his. For the split second that the other student was vulnerable, Obi-Wan kicked out his leg, hitting the other student in the midsection. The Student stammered back but quickly recovered. Obi-Wan raised his saber in defense ready for the next attack.
Above the training room, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn stood by the window or the observation gallery, looking down at the students going through their lightsaber lessons. He looked at the two students standing in the center of the room, paying particular attention to one of them.
The Jedi Master could not help but be astonished at how much the boy had grown. The last time he had seen him was many years ago just before Qui-Gon left on a mission. The Jedi Master remembered walking to one of the landing platforms where he would wait for the transport that would be taking him to his destination. When he reached the platform he was a little surprised to see Mace Windu and Yoda already there. A ship was landed on the platform but it wasn't the one that Qui-Gon would be taking.
A woman with strawberry blonde hair walked down the landing ramp of the ship, holding a bundle wrapped in a blanket in her arms. She smiled brightly as she approached the two Jedi Masters. Her gaze briefly met Qui-Gon's who was standing a short distance behind Mace and Yoda. She nodded her greeting to Qui-Gon before turning her attention back to the other two Jedi. The three had exchanged brief words before the woman kissed the bundle and then with a sad smile handed it over to Mace. The woman then bowed her head slightly and walked back to her ship. Master Yoda and Mace then turned and walked back towards the temple. Mace spotted Qui-Gon and stopped. "Here to welcome the new arrival, Qui-Gon?" Mace asked as he pushed back a piece of the blanket that the bundle was wrapped in, to reveal the angelic face of a sleeping child who looked to be six months old, maybe older but certainly not a year.
Qui-Gon looked down at the child, despite all the controversy that surrounded him, the boy radiated peace and calm through the force. Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile. He could feel the strength of the force in this child. He was certainly meant to be someone. He showed promise, like his father. The smile soon faded as thoughts of Xanatos began to reemerge. It was still too soon for him to move on from the pain that his trusted Padawan had caused him.
Qui-Gon's miserable thoughts were interrupted as Mace spoke again. "They tell me I should be happy. Happy for what?" The dark skinned Jedi master looked down at the child and spoke to it though he knew that it couldn't comprehend language yet. "Your Mother's just a child herself and your Father's a Sith and they want me to be happy." Qui-Gon patted his friend on the shoulder but said nothing. Qui-Gon's ship had arrived and now waited for him. As he began to walk towards the ramp he heard Mace continue to speak to the child. "Just for the record, Obi-Wan. I'm on your side."
The mission that he had gone on wasn't a long one but at the end of that mission he just picked up on another and it kept going on like that for years. He never stopped. He didn't want to stop. If he slowed down, if he stopped going on missions, he would have to start thinking about the unresolved feelings that he had in his heart. He had cut off all his connections with the people he knew, seeming to disappear into space only to arise to accomplish a mission and then be assigned another from the council. But there was one person that he had kept up with. Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi Master would periodically send transmissions to the temple requesting to see the boy's records. Qui-Gon didn't know why he did these things. He wanted to get away from Xanatos' memory and if anything, Obi-Wan was a link to Xanatos. He was his son for force sakes! There was a part of Xanatos in that boy.
Once a year the council would call him back to the temple. They said it was because they wanted him to choose another padawan learner but it was also because they were worried about the Qui-Gon, about his physical and mental condition. He was running himself ragged out there going from mission to mission without any rest. He played along with their game. He came and watched the initiates try and impress him and other masters with their skill and then after a few days, Qui-Gon would be off again.
As Qui-Gon let these memories of the past run through his mind, he didn't notice as Master Adi Gallia stepped into the observation gallery and walked up beside him. She studied his face for a moment as he looked down at the Jedi Students. She then turned her gaze to look down at the morning's lesson also. "You've kept tabs on him all these years yet you have never spoken to him. Technically, that can be categorized as stalking." The Jedi Master had commented. She was part of the Jedi council like Mace was though she had only become a permanent member only a few years ago.
Qui-Gon didn't respond to her comment but only smiled politely. "And what brings you here Master Gallia? Is the Council pressuring you to take on a leaner?"
Adi shook her head. "No I am here on my own free will. I have my eye on certain initiate." She pointed down to a Human female with short blonde hair, seated among the other initiates. She looked younger then the rest of the students in the class. "Siri. She has great potential."
"Your right. I've seen her in duals before." Qui-Gon grew silent again and continued to look down from the observation gallery.
"He resembles his mother in features but he has his father's desire to learn and aptitude for Jedi skills." Adi said quietly.
Qui-Gon let out a sigh as Adi mentioned Xanatos. Wanting to change the subject he asked, "What has become of Jibril? I haven't heard anything of her in years."
Adi's mood became grave. "She left the Agri Corps after a few years. Mace had kept in touch with her. I suppose he wanted to patch things up with, make things like the way they were before but Jibril wouldn't have it. She was still mad at them him especially for taking Obi-Wan away from her. Called the Jedi 'cradle robbers'." The Jedi master shook her head sadly. "After that no one heard anything from her or about her."
Another silence grew between the two. The looked down at the training room. The mock duel had ended. Obi-Wan and the other student had returned to their place seated with the others. The Jedi master who was instructing the class was giving his final comments then dismissed the class. The young Jedi students stood up and bowed. They stayed that way till the Jedi master left the training room. Then once he was gone the student stood upright and moved into their little circle of friends and began discussing the Lightsaber lesson.
Qui-Gon watched as a red skinned Twi'lek female walked up to Obi-Wan and stirred him away from apparently so she could speak with him privately. "Who is that?" Qui-Gon asked turning to Adi.
Adi peered over the edge of the observation gallery. "That would be Master Anny. She took Obi-Wan as her padawan a little over a month ago." Adi looked over to see the expression on Qui-Gon face. As usual is gave away no evidence of what the Jedi Master was feeling. "In a few days her and Obi-Wan will be leaving on their first mission together. Which is another reason why I came up here." Adi piped in. Qui-Gon suppressed a sigh and waited for the Council member to continue. "The Council knows how anxiously you're waiting for your next assignment and we believe that we have found the perfect one for you. Seeing as how you've been going from mission to mission none stop we have decided that something with more leisure is in order. The mission that Master Anny and Padawan Kenobi will be undertaking is a simple one and overlooking of a treaty signing between two warring planets. Most of the technicalities have already been taken care of. The Jedi will only be there as a safety measure."
Qui-Gon nodded already knowing what was coming. "And the council in all its infinite wisdom would like me to go along? Adi—"
Adi lifted her hand and stopped him. "Master Jinn this is an order form the council. I know how you love defying such orders but really would you rather be here at the temple for the next few months? Because that is what will happen."
Qui-Gon looked back down at the training room. What could he do? Go on the mission that would no doubt be awkward or stay at the temple and forced to "heal". He was trapped.