Anakin found himself waiting outside the transport two days later, watching for the appearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The past few days had been uneventful, as the tension between the three of them had not dissipated. Anakin could only hope that this mission would bring closure to his Master and Obi-Wan.
He scanned his eyes again over the landing platform, and noticed a tall figure striding towards him. He squinted, and with surprise he noted that it was Obi-Wan. The latter had cut his hair, to a closer fitting cut. It was much like Anakin's own, and he also looked younger.
Obi-Wan soon reached Anakin, and with a mumbled hello, they both embarked into the ship, each their own bags in hand. Qui-Gon had already boarded, opting for the comfort and peace of his quarters. Anakin had been instructed to wait for Obi-Wan, and then they would take off.
Unfortunately, as Anakin had noted, there was no pilot to be seen. Anakin supposed that the Council had thought it best for them to pilot their own ship, but, that said, Anakin was not a very talented pilot. Yes, he could fly many different aircrafts, but only if it was a necessity.
But even as Anakin pondered what to do next, Obi-Wan put down his bag noiselessly and moved to the front of the cockpit. He sat himself at the controls, and started the pre-flight checklist. Anakin sat down next to him, surprised.
"You can pilot this?" he asked, a little bit astounded.
Obi-Wan flashed him a rare grin. "Hey, I wasn't always a hermit. I was a pretty good pilot in my day."
The younger boy returned the smile and awaited lift-off. He had noticed that Obi-Wan seemed to light up when he smiled, that some of the dark cloud that hung over him seemed to rise. He would strive to make Obi-Wan smile again, he was sure.
The ship finished its pre-flight, and lifted up off the ground lightly. Obi-Wan took the ship into manual control, and gave it some speed. The sleek Jedi transport lifted off the ground expertly, and sped out of Coruscant's atmosphere, heading for the unknown.
*_______________________________*
Obi-Wan relaxed at the helm of the transport, having got them safely into hyperspeed without any problems. He looked over at his companion, and noticed that the young boy was very tired. He nudged Anakin's mind slightly with a Force suggestion, and soon the young Jedi was in a comfortable and deep sleep.
He settled back into his chair then, and rested his head against the back cushion. The past few days had been long and arduous, a far cry from the past nine years on Dagobah. How swiftly life can change, he remarked to himself wryly. Seeing Bant had been hard as well, confronting such a large part of his life like that so abruptly.
A sigh escaped his lips, and he closed his eyes. He would get some rest he decided, and then address the problems at hand.
*__________________*
He had felt the ship lift off, but he had remained in his quarters, still in the middle of his meditation. A confrontation with Obi-Wan was not what he wanted at that moment, especially with Anakin present. Qui-Gon had opted to wait until they were in flight to talk to Obi-Wan, and possibly sort out some of their issues.
The Jedi Master strode to the front of the ship, but to his surprise, he found both his companions asleep. Anakin was deep asleep, his youthful face slack without care.
Obi-Wan was also in the realm of dreams, his own handsome face dormant with peace. Qui-Gon was struck by the youthfulness of his former apprentice in his sleep. The pain and hardness in his features had disappeared, replaced by a caring, innocent visage.
Qui-Gon's heart felt heavy within him, and not for the first time he felt the guilt of the past strike him. What had he done to his Obi-Wan? he asked himself painfully. What had he done to this poor, innocent young man? He realized now that Obi-Wan had still a big part to play in the Force's plans, and that he had possibly endangered them by this one mistake.
he shook his head abruptly, and cleared his mind. Unconsciously, his hand reached down and ruffled his ex-Padawan's hair.
"I'm so sorry, Obi." he whispered softly, addressing his former apprentice by a childhood nickname. "I'm sorry for everything."
With that, the older man turned and left, not noticing two eyelids open, revealing blue-grey eyes and awakening the young man who had heard everything.
*I know, I know, my chapters get shorter every time. But I had little time to write this one, since I'm going somewhere for Easter. Yes, I realize that I seem to have an excuse every time, but at least a short update is better than no update at all, am I right?
Anyways, I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all have a nice Easter/Passover/other holiday!!!
Sincerely,
~Eleia Kenobi*
