Epilogue - A Beginning

The ship bearing the Jedi Council landed. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan waited patiently for them to disembark. The Queen and Chancellor Palpatine stood apart from them, there to greet the honoured guests. The council walked towards the small group. The two Jedi bowed to them as they approached.

"Master Jedi, it is a pleasure to have you here."

"Thank you, your Highness. Both you and the Chancellor Palpatine have shown great fortitude in this difficult time." Mace spoke for the Council.

"Thank you." The Queen seemed pleased. "You are of course all invited to the celebration tonight."

"Come we will, but speak with Master Jinn and Knight Kenobi we must first."

Amidala gave the Knight a knowing look that only the Chancellor did not understand.

"Rooms have been arranged for your stay. I will leave you and see you tonight."

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"He is dead." Obi-Wan stated.

"You're sure?"

The look the Knight gave to Mace Windu caused Qui-Gon and some of the other Council members to smile.

"I cut him in half, Mace. Yes, I am pretty sure he is dead."

"No doubt there is, a Sith warrior he was, but two there all ways is. No more, no less. A Master and an apprentice."

"But who was killed, the Master or the apprentice?"

"The apprentice." Obi-Wan sounded very certain.

"You are sure?" Adi asked this time.

"He was afraid of me. He feared the Light would consume him. The Master would have no such fear."

"Grave this news is, the Sith among us again. Find the Master we must, stop him before more harm he does."

"How?" Qui-Gon asked, speaking for the first time.

"He will look for a new apprentice." All those present turned to the Jedi Warrior, waiting for him to read the signs he saw in the Force. "A Jedi will fall to his will first and then, and then he will seek the boy, bending him to his will also."

"Anakin must be protected." Qui-Gon finished for him.

"Meditated on this we have, your apprentice Skywalker will be."

"A lot has happened since our meeting on Coruscant, Qui-Gon." Mace said, glaring at Obi-Wan. "Much that you do not know."

"But agree with you the council does." Yoda once again interrupted. "Trained the boy must be."

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Night came and the city was celebrating, however Yoda found himself alone in one of the palace's great rooms. He was waiting. He knew he would come.

"Come out of the shadows you can, Obi-Wan. Time I think it is."

"Apologies, Master, old habits." Obi-Wan came out of the darkness and knelt before the older Jedi. "You wanted to see me?"

"Hmph, since when has that made you appear. Come to me because speak to me you wish."

"Yes, Master."

"Just like Qui-Gon you are, stubborn and rebellious when you need not be. Your enemy I am not, Obi-Wan." Yoda rarely sounded angry even so when he spoke now his voice contained a hard edge.

"Apologies again, Master Yoda. After keeping myself apart from the Jedi for so long I am finding it difficult to readjust."

"A reason this is, though not yours. Listen I will, Obi-Wan."

"I am going with Qui-Gon and Anakin. I can no longer be dead."

"Abandon you duties you are?"

"No, I will leave them when I must. But Anakin, the Chosen One is a sign that war is upon us, Master Yoda. One we must all fight. The best way I can think to protect the Jedi is to protect him."

"Sense something you do." It was not a question.

"The danger I sensed to Qui-Gon has passed in the present, but I can still feel it." His voice has dropped to a whisper. "It is all around me, I can feel it every where. Darkness and death are surrounding us although from where I cannot tell."

"Clouded the future is, see it clearly I cannot. Words of comfort I have not for you, still one thing I will tell you that I told Mace five years ago. Darkness there may be, young one, shinning through a bright light does. A soulbond I can see."

"Yes I see it too. It is more than a comfort. Will it be enough?"

"What is enough? Do our duty is all that we can do. Trust the Force, Obi-Wan, led us this far it has."

"I must go, Qui-Gon waits."

"May the Force be with you," Yoda said to the shadows. "Jedi Warrior."

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Qui-Gon once again found himself next to the ramp of a ship waiting for another's arrival; he knew that this was the moment that would define the next few years. The Jedi Warrior was never sort out, but instead was the one to seek you. So Qui-Gon waited. And waited.

"This may become a habit." A voice said from behind him.

He turned to see Obi-Wan standing three inches from him. He had not heard him approach the ship, nor felt him within the Force. His only sense of his apprentice had been that he was still on the planet. The Jedi knew that this was how it would be from now on, unless Obi-Wan decided otherwise. Either by allowing him past his shields or by creating a void like the last time they had been here. It was more than any other Jedi would get. And still there was the unspoken bond that lay between them that allowed Qui-Gon this unique connection.

"Are you coming then?"

"Yes. You need me and so does Anakin. But if you agree and I do come, this," he spread his arms to indicate the ship and its lowered ramp. "The waiting may become a habit. I still have a duty to the others, Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan Kenobi may not be dead any more, but the Jedi Warrior is still not ready to step out from his shadows."

Qui-Gon did not look pleased, not because of the waiting, but because still Obi-Wan could not live his life.

"Do not be saddened, my Master, it is simply not time. Before I lived between the living, at least now I have half of a life, with you."

"I'd like nothing more than to have you with me, my Obi-Wan in any way that is possible and I think you will come one way or another, whether I agree or not."

They both smiled.

"The chosen one must be protected, Qui-Gon."

"Yes, and he had us both to do it." he moved up the ramp. "Shall we go?"



Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon up the ramp who had disappeared into the ship. The danger was still there, lessoned, now it was a dull throbbing in Obi-Wan's mind. No other Jedi needed him now. The Force was showing him nothing of his next task, all there was, in the part of him that was the Jedi Warrior, was the lingering presence. It could be accounted for by the re-emergence of the Sith and while Obi-Wan was sure that was part of it he knew it was also a sign of something else. The Sith yes, though not the one who remained ... maybe ...in the future perhaps ...a new darkness.

The hint from the Force did nothing to quieten his fears.

"You'll be the death of me, Qui-Gon Jinn." He turned back to the ship only to glace over his shoulder again when he felt the weight of another's stare. A figure stood behind one of the high windows of the palace, watching the Jedi ship.

Chancellor Palpatine.

Obi-Wan's own gaze lingered on him a moment before strolling up into the ship's belly. As he went he said to no one,

"I have a bad feeling about this."