Disclaimer: Alas, I cannot be the lucky person named George Lucas to go around the universe proclaiming that I own Star Wars. But if he would ever like to give me Obi-Wan, I'd be more than grateful.
Summary: In an alternate universe where Qui-Gon lives, what else could change…? Obi-Wan tries to deal with feelings of jealousy, Anakin struggles with love, and Qui-Gon begins to doubt the Republic. A look at how the series could've turned out, starting with AotC.
Author's Notes: Here is yet another quick update by moi. I'm really excited about how fast I'm getting these chapters out, and I'm beginning to think that I might be completely done with this story before school starts up again. That would make me very pleased because then I could work on the sequel during the school year.
Whatever - Thanks for the review!
The Dancing Cavalier - Yes, I feel so bad for all of them too. But somebody has to be the bad guy and write this story out, no matter how much character torture it includes. Might as well be me.
Doreenthatshot - Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Twinkie - Yes...angst equals good.
Darth Vengeance - Here's another chapter for you! It makes me happy to know you approve of this story. Keep reading.
Jealousy, Love and War
By Kekelina
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Chapter Four: A Fruitless Chase
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Coco town was teeming with life. Beings from all corners of the galaxy wandered around, gazing into the local shops in hope of finding a bargain. Of course, Coco town wasn't the nicest part of the large, planet-sized city that had been deemed the capital of the Galactic Republic. It was neglected and many of the shops that hopeful patrons glanced into were actually fronts for the galactic black market. Stolen goods always managed to make their way onto dusty shelves, just waiting for an innocent customer. Therefore, it was no surprise to Obi-Wan when he walked through the run-down part of Coruscant that many beings shot him dirty or suspicious looks. After all, Jedi weren't exactly wanted in a place like that. But Obi-Wan had no intention of busting a black market ring or bringing petty thieves to justice at the moment. He had larger problems on his shoulders.
He had realized, just shortly after he left the Jedi Temple to begin his investigation, that he had no leads to help him find Senator Amidala's assassin. He didn't even know what or who he was looking for. Was he humanoid? Was he alien? Was he tall? Short? Medium? Whom was he working for? What was he getting by killing the Senator? Too many questions with no answers…
However, Obi-Wan prided himself on being a resourceful Jedi. He had gone through too many complicated and dangerous missions not to be. He had gathered many contacts over the years, ones specializing in the shadier part of the galaxy. This is why Obi-Wan found himself walking through one of those shadier parts, to see an old friend.
Dexter Jettster was a friendly, four-armed friend of Obi-Wan. He had known Dex for many years and considered him to be one of the most loyal people he knew. Dex had traveled to many places in the galaxy and if anyone could help Obi-Wan, it would be him. He owned a diner right in the heart of the business section of Coco town appropriately called Dex's Diner and spent most, if not all of his time there. Obi-Wan, however, wasn't the only person that trusted Dex and the Jedi knew that his friend heard many things in that dusty, old diner of his. He just hoped that Dex had heard something that could help him.
Stepping inside the small, bustling diner, Obi-Wan took a moment to inhale the delicious aromas around him. Dex, despite popular belief, was actually a good cook, though Obi-Wan hadn't tried very many of his dishes, rarely having the time to sit down and enjoy a meal. A waitress droid led him to a booth and went to inform Dex that he had arrived. As Obi-Wan sat down, he gazed about the diner, wondering if perhaps one of these beings was the one he was looking.
Obi-Wan didn't have to wait long for Dex and after a quick reunion, he got straight to business. "I need your help," he said simply, looking the cook straight in the eye.
"What can I do for ya, old friend?" Dex asked with a grin. This wasn't the first time Obi-Wan had come to him looking for answers to questions he couldn't figure out on his own.
"Have you heard about the attempts on Senator Amidala's life?" Obi-Wan asked, lowering his voice in case the assassin happened to be lurking around within hearing range. He didn't want to tip him off.
Dex nodded. "Yeah, I did. Bad business, that is. She always seemed like a nice person," he added.
Obi-Wan grinned. Dex always had to add his personal opinion into any conversation. "Have you heard anything?"
He grunted in thought, stroking his chin with one of his large hands. "Hmm…not anythin' directly related to it, no." Obi-Wan's smile faltered and his spirits dropped just a bit. "But," Dex said, leaning over the table towards Obi-Wan and lowering his booming voice. "There was a murder the other day."
"Really?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. Murders in Coco town were nothing to get overly excited about, but he wasn't about to dismiss anything for a potential lead. He needed every clue he could get.
"Yeah," Dex replied, thinking back over the details. "Funny thing is that it was right near the senatorial apartments." Obi-Wan perked up a bit, his full attention on his friend.
"Who was it?"
Dex thought for a moment. "A Crawdite, I believe." He nodded to himself. "Yeah, a Crawdite bounty hunter by the name of Zam Wesell."
"A bounty hunter," Obi-Wan repeated and shook his head. If Zam Wesell had been the assassin he had been looking for, that was bad news for him. Anyone could place a bounty on a senator and almost everyone had a reason to. A thought popped into his head. "Do you know how he died?"
"She," Dex corrected. "Blaster to the chest. Landed on the ground. She must've fallen over seventy stories!" He shook his head. "The security officers didn't bother to investigate; guess they didn't think no one would miss her."
Obi-Wan sighed. "Why does that not surprise me?" He stroked his beard, trying to figure out how this turn of events would help him unravel the mystery surrounding the Senator's assassination attempts. "What did they do with the body?" If he could see it, perhaps he could find some clues, something – anything – to help him.
"Burned it," Dex replied roughly. "Like everything else in this city. You know how it is," he shrugged.
Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat, momentarily defeated. A dead end. What was he going to do now?
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Qui-Gon gazed out over the lake in amazement, having found a rare moment to himself. He had sent Anakin to practice his meditation and Senator Amidala had retired for the evening. He just couldn't believe how beautiful and calm it was there. The evening sunlight sparkled off the rippling water, creating mesmerizing patterns. Leaves on the many trees surrounding the lakeside retreat bounced in the light breeze, the only source of noise. Not even the birds sang in reverence of this peaceful moment Qui-Gon was enjoying.
He had too few of them, he realized as he stood there. Every moment of his life seemed to be taken up by one duty to the Jedi Order or another. If he wasn't trying to keep up with Anakin, he was explaining his actions to the Jedi Council. And speaking of Anakin…
He hated to threaten his Padawan, but he had felt in necessary to do so. This flirtation of his with Senator Amidala had been getting too far out of control and he had realized that if he didn't do something, it would escalate into a problem none of them could fix. It was his duty as a Jedi to put a stop to it and to his knowledge he had. Sometimes his Padawan just needed a nudge in the right direction. After all, being the Chosen One was not an easy task. Anakin had the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. Only he could bring the Force back into balance.
Qui-Gon chuckled. All his Padawans seemed to be impatient and rash. Xanatos had definitely been those things. Qui-Gon would never fully heal from the wound his first apprentice gave him. He had been betrayed and it still hurt.
Obi-Wan, on the other hand, had been a good Padawan. He had been bullheaded and very, very impatient, but Qui-Gon was proud of the Jedi he had become. But there was a shadow in the back of his mind and he couldn't figure out why it was there. There was always so much tension between them whenever they spoke (not that they did that often) and he couldn't figure out why Obi-Wan always seemed so…cold. While Qui-Gon didn't want to admit it, he could feel the bond between them, the bond they had struggled to form, slowly deteriorating. That thought hurt him more than Xanatos's betrayal.
Now there was Anakin. What would become of him? Would he betray Qui-Gon as Xanatos had and turn to the dark side? Would he let their bond disappear and become cold towards him like Obi-Wan? Qui-Gon shook his head. Each person chose his or her own destiny. Just because his first two Padawans had turned out the way they had, didn't mean that Anakin would. Anakin was a good Padawan; he would turn out well. Besides, he still had hope for Obi-Wan…
Footsteps disrupted his musings. He turned around to find one of Padme's servants standing in the doorway. He noticed that the evening shadows had grown and the hour had become quite late. He had completely lost track of time, but it wasn't hard to do in such a relaxing place.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Master Jinn," the young servant said. "But you've just received a holomessage on your ship. Your astro droid had it transmitted to here. He's waiting for you in the other room."
Qui-Gon frowned. A message for him? He hadn't been expecting anything. Was it from the Council? Had they caught the assassin already? With a contemplating sigh, he nodded and followed the servant into the retreat, hoping the message brought good news.
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The Other Author's Notes: Well, there you go. Things are starting to pick up as we get into the story. I don't know how long this will be (my stories don't tend to have very many chapters) but I can promise lots of action and mystery. Stay tuned for chapter five and keep those reviews coming!