My deepest and most sincere apologies to everyone who has been waiting on this next entry. RL has been a royal pain in the rear. As always, more author notes at the bottom.

--Marie K.

Entry XIV

"Smart-Mouthed & Block-Headed"

Amazement rolled off Anakin with the ferocity of—

Well, I couldn't think of anything at the moment that would fit the comparison, but it was overpowering at best. In the beginning I'd been content to toss my eyes, but gradually, as time wore on, I found a smile attempting to slip onto my face.

That would never do, I decided. I didn't want Qui-Gon thinking I'd gone soft or anything. Even still, I'd catch him trading glances between Anakin and myself from time to time, the barest traces of a self-assured grin touching his lips. Something about Jar Jar's recent courage and my few encounters with the boy on the return journey here had caused a long-held belief of mine to be shaken: maybe I was judging others too soon . I hadn't always been inclined to label every novel being that we came across as being "pathetic." I wasn't sure when this transformation came about; perhaps it was just in the past few years as my connection to the unifying Force grew and my link to the living Force fell to the very back of my thoughts. Regardless, during our walk through the Naboo swamps, I decided it wouldn't hurt to start being more…civil to those we came across.

You're a smart lad, Padawan.

Master—!

Chuckling erupted from his side of the bond and flustered embarrassment burned from mine. I hadn't realized I'd been broadcasting; I'd been too deep in my thoughts to think to check the holes in my shields. When Anakin glanced over his shoulder and gave a slight smile in my direction I felt my face heat physically instead of just the mental sensation this time. It was possible Anakin hadn't heard me, but I was embarrassed nonetheless.

Jar Jar led us with surprising speed through the rich, moist undergrowth. Time was greatly of the essence and I was pleased to find that he had most likely taken this into account. We skirted large puddles of standing water and slipped under curtains of moss. More than once I found myself swatting at bugs that swarmed around the exposed flesh of my neck. Obviously, by the sounds of hands slapping skin coming from all around me, I wasn't the only one having difficulties. Each time before Anakin slapped at his neck, he leaped nearly two feet into the air, a comical sight to be sure. Jar Jar appeared to be the only one unaffected. (And Master, of course, but I have a sneaky suspicion he was somehow cheating.) When I looked behind me to where the Queen walked, I noticed that she was having the greatest difficulty: the bugs loved her make-up and whatever sweet smelling mist she sprayed in her hair. At least the women finally decided to dress practically. If the Queen and her handmaidens had arrived in another set of elaborate dresses and robes, I may very well have made them wear my extra change of clothing. Well now, wouldn't that be interesting—

Padawan.

I sent Master the most innocent expression I could muster through our bond. I don't think he bought it, however. My actual physical expression was just a trifle too devilish.

Look Obi-Wan, we've arrived.

Peering around Qui-Gon's shoulder, I just heard Jar Jar proclaim "Dissen it" before I caught sight of where we'd stopped. There were patches of moss, stands of trees, and…a giant wall to get through. Instinctively I moved for my weapon, thinking that we might have to hack through, but by Qui-Gon's prodding, stayed my hand. The Gungan lifted that oddly-shaped face of his and…chittered.

Well this is exciting…and very beneficial to our cause, may I add.

Obi-Wan—

I apologize, my master. I meant no harm—

Obi-Wan, listen

Wisely I shut up and turned my attention outward. By the time Captain Tarpals and his troops appeared to us on kaadu, Master and I had already been aware of them for quite a few tense moments. They jabbed electropoles at us in warning and those nearest to them shirked away in fright. Instinctively, the Naboo drifted to each other, forming clusters of refugees whose rapidly pounding hearts rent through the Force like a vibroshiv. People feared what they did not know. How many times had I seen this since beginning my apprenticeship with Qui-Gon? The Naboo, under the glaring stares of the Gungan warriors, were the perfect examples of this. I did not even have to touch Qui-Gon's mind to know he felt the same.

This may very well be harder than we'd first imagined.

Words were traded brusquely between Jar Jar and Captain Tarpals. In another moment we were herded off in the direction the warriors had only just come from. For a moment Qui-Gon lagged behind. "Master?" I queried, and he abruptly returned to our chosen path. I traced where his gaze had rested…and found Queen Amidala deep in a private conversation with Padmé.

Swiftly, yet calm to the point that it seemed we were all out for a leisurely stroll, Tarpals and his troops led us further into the swamps. The bugs were just as bad here as they had been everywhere else. How did the Gungans ignore them so well?

Day turned to night as the trees and foliage grew so thick that they nearly block out all light. Slowly but surely I began to notice a difference in the land. Small pebbles turned to chunks of rocks. These chunks became boulders and eventually the boulders transformed into forgotten statues. They appeared to be of heads mostly, and I couldn't help but get the feeling that this had at one time been a sacred place for the Naboo as well: the heads were humanoid it seemed, and the further we delved, the more they appeared, half-buried and decorated with lavish dressings of vines and moss. They were everywhere to say the least.

No…they were everywhere—

No sooner had we broken through a high wall of grass than I found multiple pairs of eyes staring back at me; young Gungans raced beside us.

We had reached the Gungans' safe spot, their haven.

Abiding my Jedi training, I kept my eyes riveted ahead of myself, just as I knew Qui-Gon to be doing beside me, and even though we appeared oblivious to all else we couldn't have been more aware. Of course, the most persistent thing hazing over my mind at that moment was Anakin's bubbly excitement. And the bugs.

Still atop his kaadu, Captain Tarpals announced Queen Amidala to Boss Nass and his retinue of advisors that rested nearby. The Queen stepped around my master and I to join Jar Jar at the head of our company. Her handmaidens stayed surprisingly out of the way, just behind Qui-Gon and me. Their jumpy behavior at the situation (both with the Gungans and with being left behind, I decided), drifted erratically along the currents of the Force. Strange—was the Queen emitting the same?

Jar Jar stumbled over a humiliating greeting just a few feet ahead of us. Whatever resolve and determination he had garnered from Master had obviously just deflated like a punctured oxygen bubble mask.

Boss Nass, his large hand and arm trembling, questioned who the banished Gungan had dragged to their secret place with him. Something inside my head prompted me to glance down: Anakin stood before me, beside Qui-Gon; he had taken advantage of where my Padawan status placed me in concern to Master and sought out the comfort of physical closeness. Trepidation clouded his Force presence and I frowned somewhat. The boy had already let emotions like fear take control of him. Even if the Council did grant permission to train him, the fear would be a hard problem to work through.

Feeling comfortable with our current situation (despite the fact we were surrounded on all sounds by irritated, electropole-weilding Gungans), I slipped my arms into my cloak sleeves and waited.

Gee, wasn't that just my most favorite thing to do—

There was a slight tickling sensation along my scalp that drew my attention away. A bug must be crawling through my spikes like it was a forest or something. With great concentration, I was slowly able to tune the bug out, and the Queen in. I'd deal with it later.

"I'm Queen Amidala of the Naboo," the young monarch ahead of us began. "I come before you in peace."

The deep rumble in Boss Nass' voice told me his reply wouldn't be favorable even before he spoke.

"Ah, da Naboo. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks. Yousa all bombad."

"Mackineeks?" "Bombad?" Was that some kind of trendy Gungan speak?

Obi-Wan—

Yes, Master.

A sigh, half-amused, half-irritated, or perhaps weary drifted lightly to me. Sometimes I wonder about your true age, Padawan.

Yes, Master.

Despite Boss Nass's harsh words, Queen Amidala seemed unperturbed. "We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance," she said calmly, never turning from the head Gungan. Until—

"Your Honor."

Padmé? What in the galaxy was she doing? True, I had interrupted my master at certain times throughout my apprenticeship, but never, never under such extreme situations as this. She must be crazy! It's the make-up, it's driving them all to insanity! Master? What is Padmé doing?

Hush, Obi-Wan. Be patient and listen.

Patient? Yes, patient. Patient was my middle name. It must be Padmé's too, I thought sarcastically. Crazy handmaiden...

Boss Nass seemed to think much of the same. His already big cheeks puffed up even larger. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Whosa dis?"

"I am Queen Amidala."

By the Force—what?

Padmé—the Queen—whoever, pointed to the white-faced royal—handmaiden—whatever! Girl number one indicated girl number two. There, that works well. Why didn't I just do that from the beginning?

"This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I am sorry for my deception, but given the circumstances, I am sure you can understand."

Turning quickly, presumably to keep from losing the head Gungan's attention, Padmé—Amidala—Padmé Amidala looked to my master and me, her gaze resting finally on Anakin's rigid frame. The boy was obviously in a state of shock. "Gentlemen," she addressed us, "I apologize for misleading you."

I felt my eyes narrow somewhat. Yes, she had definitely mislead us. The deception did not cause me to be angry, rather it left me feeling foolish. How many times throughout this mission had I picked up on something unique and different about the Queen and her special handmaiden, or rather the Queen/handmaiden since really they were the same person.

Suddenly, the late night stroll I'd taken with the young girl standing before us seemed that much more interesting.

The soft, underlying scent of unchecked smugness seeped through my bond with Qui-Gon. "You knew," I accused, just barely loud enough for him to hear. Qui-Gon did nothing but peer at me through the corner of his eye, slipping in a nearly invisible grin that somehow transferred itself to my lips. Imagine, a 25 year-old senior Jedi Padawan learner had been bested by a 14 year-old Queen. Well, maybe not bested…maybe just fooled….

Qui-Gon may not have vocalized his opinion over the whole matter for everyone to hear, but R2-D2 sure did, though his whistle and chirp sounded more like a confirming affirmative than anything else. Great—even the droid had known.

My attention returned to Padmé Amidala just as she did the most peculiar thing: she fell to her knees on the moist swamp floor and released a hoopla of mixed emotions from the nearby Naboo. I barely had time to clamp down on my exterior shields before their stunned bewilderment could leave me drowning in its wake. Wouldn't this be the hot news sensation of the week: "Deceptive Queen Bows to Obstinate Gungan."

I got the feeling this was a mission I wouldn't soon forget.

I wish I'd been wrong.

Slowly, one-by-one, the Naboo around us sank to the ground onto their knees. I hesitated, as did Anakin, when the thought that the Jedi kneeling might look like we had taken sides, but prodding by Qui-Gon lowered us both to the lush forest floor. The real Queen offered us all up as "humble servants." Somehow, by the curt emotions tumbling from Panaka, I imagined the captain of the guard to be anything but humble at that precise moment. Or ever for that matter.

There was a moment of quiet, awkward stillness as the Naboo who had been left in the dark continued to absorb their Queen's identity and as the Gungans mulled over the new proposition.

Master, how long? I asked, feeling but still choosing to ignore the tickling sensation that had suddenly intensified along my scalp. The only thing I received from the man beside me, however, was another smug smile in my mind. That sneaky old bloke. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he'd been aware of the whole switch before we even touched down on the planet.

Sudden laughter brought a deep frown to my face. The last time I'd heard Boss Nass laugh was just before he ordered Jar Jar to be "pune-ished." A shudder caught me and stuck between my shoulder blades without having meant it to. There were more Gungans in visible sight than the eye could count. Maybe Qui-Gon and I could get out of this if it came down to an escape, but what about the others? We couldn't protect everyone. Beside me, Master visibly tensed as he raised his chin. It was like he was testing the air and as soon as the emotion appeared, it vanished.

Something akin to joyful relief flowed down to me. Boss Nass was smiling—and sincerely at that! "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans!"

Dead stillness as everyone held their breath. Padmé Amidala's already stiff back straightened further if it was at all possible. Boss Nass continued to laugh; then, surprising us all, he shrugged his massive shoulders and his face grew a large grin.

"Me-e-esa lika dis! Maybe…wesa…bein friends."

The tense atmosphere melted away like ice in fire. I slipped Qui-Gon a lop-sided grin; how funny that Master smiled back the same as I did.

Things appeared to be looking up. It was wonderful news, only—only that darn bug bit me! I can't take it anymore!

Moving quickly I worked to squelch the irritating little life-form. Blasted swamp! Blasted bug! Blasted mission

"Obi-Wan?"

I stopped my ferocious scratching and looked up to see Qui-Gon staring down at me. I was the only one still kneeling; everyone else had already risen to their feet and dispersed. In the near distance Boss Nass was climbing down from the statue he'd been sitting on. Amidala waited at the bottom for him, Jar Jar, Panaka, her handmaidens, and even Anakin standing with her. Somewhere I heard Jono's excited voice as he spoke with his fellow Naboo. Tentative Gungan voices piped up, then grew louder until eventually the only thing to be heard was that of excited beings as they prepared for the struggle of reclaiming their planet.

Feeling Qui-Gon's eyes still on me, I rose as gracefully as I could. That little piece of Sithspit had gotten me good! Slowly, I looked Qui-Gon in the eye. "Yes, Master?" I asked. I watched as the corners of his mouth twitched violently. At least he was kind enough not to laugh in my face over the matter. Or so I thought. Hearty snickering turned into bellowing laughter as my teacher finally gave up the fight. "Nothing, my Obi-Wan," he said between breaths.

I glared the sharpest daggers I knew how with no effect except to make him laugh harder, until—

"Oh!" Qui-Gon's eyes went wide and he slapped at something near the back of his neck. Grinning feral-like I pushed his hair out of the way in time to see a disgruntled bug fly wobbily away from its attacker, woozy but nevertheless very much alive.

"Well, Master, what do you have to say for yourself now?" I queried, beginning to laugh.

"You are an evil apprentice," the older Jedi responded as matter-of-factly as he could, turning to head in the Queen's direction.

I barked a short laugh and started after him just as another fierce pinch seared my neck. Up ahead, Qui-Gon began laughing again, even though I hadn't uttered a sound.

"Smart-mouthed Padawan."

"Block-headed Master."

We stared each other down for a moment, our eyes and expressions hard. When Qui-Gon took a playful swipe at my head I shifted right, falling into him instead. A protective arm encircled my shoulders and I grinned up at my master.

We were father and son, friend and friend, partners and companions, student and teacher; One half of the other. I knew without words that nothing would ever separate us or the love and respect we held for each other. Time was irrelevant and precious all at the same time, but regardless, we were on this journey together, just as we had been for the past 12 years.

Side-by-side we took a step toward Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, and the determined beings who would save Naboo. Somehow, I knew this was the future laid out before my eyes, but I wouldn't worry, because we really were on this journey together.

From start to finish, past to present to future, it would be together.

"And if darkness lies ahead of me, I will fight it."

"We will fight it together, Padawan."

I want to apologize again to everyone for making ya'll wait on this entry. I hate making excuses, but I feel like I have to. Since I started school, my personal life has gone downhill, LOL. Talk about no free time whatsoever...! I still have not had time to sit down and write the DotF entry (Entry XVII). I get a three day weekend starting tomorrow, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to write it. Entry XV is currently in the process of being proofed. Entry XVI is written and waiting to be typed and proofed. I'd really like to keep my posting schedule the way it was, once a week, but until I get Entry XVII typed I'm really not sure how that is going to work. So, tohopefully keep everyone from fretting (and needlessly checking for a new entry), don't expect anything new until Sunday September 11th. That gives me roughly a week and a couple of days to finish XVII.

Thank you's go out to the SEVEN wonderful readers who reviewed!

TempleMistress--Continue the story into AotC and RotS? Oh dear...I don't think ya'll could put up with the wait that I would put ya'll through IF I wrote journals for the other two. LOL I have given the idea of writing them about a second or two of thought in my mind, but that's basically it. It's easier for me to connect with the younger Obi for some reason. Probably because he's still a "student" and a "child" in TPM and in the other two he's like a parent. I don't have experience with those things. I'll give the other two movies some thought though and if I decide anything it will go up on my profile page first. One of these days I may actually try to finish The Kenobi Family Album. >

Katieelessar--I'm going to do my best to not just write the action moves of the duel. I've read a few stories like that and while they are interesting, they get dull after a while. While I haven't started writing the entry yet, I've been wondering if I should write the entry all the way to Qui's death, no matter how long it turns out to be (I usually try to stick to a certain amount of pages for each entry), or if I should stop it at the point where Obi gets separated from Qui...Ya'll would probably kill me if I did that though! LOL College is...interesting so far. My favorite class? Volleyball:-P hehe

Professor Authordude--"Obi-Wanitis," huh? You know, I like that! I may have to start using it! (Including on myself at times! )

koriaena--I'm really not sure what Lucas was doing in the first movie except focusing on everyone else BUT Obi. Considering what a big character he is in ALL the movies, it seems like Ewan would have been allowed to flesh him out a bit more, but...guess not. Oh well. That's what fanfics are for!

Vespa--Thanks for the kind words! I love hearing that I'm on the right track with Obi's actions and thoughts. And yes, he definitely was the bigger man for apologizing first. (Especially when it wasn't his fault anyway!)

Anakin's-Angel359--Thanks for dropping a note! I hope you enjoyed this last entry!

Christina B--You aren't the only one dreading the end--I'm trying to figure out the best way to write it! LOL I've been mulling over where I should end the journal. If I stopped it where the introduction started, it would be a few days after Qui's death, but I'm tempted to show a bit of Obi's "new" life in the Temple. We'll have to wait and see...

Notes on this entry: This was another fun one to write, especially towards the end. My cousin was actually the first to point out Ewan scratching his head in this scene, way back in '99 and I specifically focus on it everytime I watch the movie! I figured I jsut had to add that in here for all of those who had never noticed it before. Hopefully you enjoyed the levity of the past couple of entries, because starting with the next one we're going to be getting pretty serious and gloomy. I wish I could change the ending, but we all know it's inevitable, so we'll just have to make the best of it. Until next time, MTFBWY!

--Marie K.

Snippit from Entry XV, "Battle Plans and Preparations":

I looked around me at the many colorful speeders, all loaded to the brim with mix-matched oddballs; hope, despair, and anticipation dripped from them and pooled together, leaving something akin to an emotional river in our wake.

The sensation of eyes boring into my skull turned my attention a little closer to my presence. Jono was staring. After a moment he gave me a grim smile and thrust out his hand. "Luck," was all he said.

Like Garen, Jono didn't believe in goodbyes.

I shook my head, but took his hand anyway. "There's no such thing as luck." I shook his hand hard once, a grim frown painting my own lips.

Somehow, I knew that wouldn't be true. We would need every ounce of luck we could get.

All of us would.