Title: Exploding Ships and Weary Masters

by DeFemme

Summary: Obi-Wan is lonely, and apparently a little too imaginative for his own good.

Obi-Wan couldn't sleep. He knelt quietly on the floor next to the viewing panel of the Bandoorian Transport, staring out into the vast amounts of stars littering space. He shivered involuntarily and pulled the thin blanket provided by the crew tightly around his small, lean frame, shielding himself from the cold air of the transport. He disliked confined, crowded spaces immensely, but having grown up on Coruscant in the Jedi temple, he had learned to deal with such discomforts.

He yawned, then glanced over his shoulder down the corridor to his master's sleeping quarters. He smiled at the thought. His Master. He had been chosen to be Padawan learner to Qui-Gon Jinn! Bruck Chun would probably throw a fit. Or maybe go insane. He liked the idea of Bruck being hauled away in a restraint jacket… He would probably begin his training as a new Padawan soon, and he couldn't wait to tell Bant and Garren…

He closed his eyes. Force did he miss them. And Reeft, Nadi, all of his age mates. He hadn't seen any of them for what felt like months. Blast, he'd even like to see Bruck, even if it was just to watch get him hauled off to a padded cell.

Still…an odd nagging feeling tugged at his brain and his stomach tightened slightly. What if one of them failed to be chosen by a Jedi Master? He couldn't stand the thought of one of his friends being sent away to be a farmer like he had. He felt a pang in his chest and his throat felt dry. He didn't know what it was; he had never really felt this before, and it worried him. Maybe he was sick. Or dying. Maybe the force was trying to tell him something. Like the ship was gonna blow up. They were going down.

Obi-Wan shook his head violently, smirking at the ridiculous idea. He hadn't let his imagination get away with him like that since he had been in the crèche. Those kind of thoughts were childish. He was eleven for forces sake! He heard a scraping sound and jerked his head towards the far wall of the room, smile faltering slightly. Had that been the engine? No, it was nothing. He was letting his imagination get away with him. His chest tightened a little, his heart quickening slightly. Where was Bant when he needed her? She had always been there when he let his thoughts get out of hand, and would always tell him that it would be alright. But she wasn't here now, and he still couldn't shake the disquieting feeling of emptiness in his stomach. Maybe…

Maybe something was wrong. There was another sudden thump coming from above his head. It didn't sound good. How well built were these transports anyway? He had seen a cable upon boarding that looked slightly worn. And what was that? The noise again. Had the ship always creaked like that? He stood shakily, and decided to go to his masters quarters. Yes, Qui-Gon would know what to do. He paced silently down the hallway, blanket trailing behind him like a phantom and paranoia growing with every step. He wished he was back at the Jedi temple, safe in his room that was so close to Bant's and Garren's.

Whenever any of them had been scared or had trouble sleeping, they would dart across the hall and into one another's rooms for reassurance. But they were so far away now. Would they ever be able to comfort each other like that again? What if they were sent away, and needed him? Or he needed them? There was no way he would be able to be there for them now that he was a Padawan learner. Or if the ship blew up.

And Si Treemba. He had hardly known him for a week and they had become so close. Saying goodbye to the Arconan had been difficult, and thinking back to when they had said their farewells on the loading platform made his stomach clench even tighter.

He wished they were there now. Reeft, Garren, Si Tremba, Bant. The only person that he knew that was nearby was Qui-Gon, and he couldn't go running into his room and wake him up, just because he was scared and lonely. The ship creaked again, and Obi-Wan was sure he felt the hull shudder slightly. He tried to reach out to the force, but the cold of the ship's cabin made him want to pull every thought and feeling inside, as though it would help warm him up. Maybe the ship was leaking, and the cold was from some crack deep in the bowels of the ship that they wouldn't discover until it was too late.

Force, his master would think he was pathetic. That was ridiculous, even for his strange demented mind's standards. Why he would even bother to think about disturbing his master over an idea like that made his feel stupid. Surely other Padawans didn't trouble their masters with things as silly as ships blowing up…

Well, maybe in that case they would.

He cautiously peered into his master's room, and could just make out the large man sleeping uncomfortably, crammed onto an undersized sleep couch. Quietly so as not to wake him, Obi-Wan crept across the room and sat down on the floor in front of his master's sleeping form, unsure of what to do. If he had been back home, he simply would have gone into one of his friends' rooms and crawled into their bed, then fallen asleep. Their presence had always made him feel better, and had always kept the bad dreams away.

Qui-Gon shifted slightly and Obi-Wan froze, his blanket wrapped securely around his body like a cocoon. He was afraid to move, lest he disturb his Master or send the ship into a tailspin. He blinked, and took in a deep calming breath, feeling like the cabin walls were closing in on him. For a brief moment, his years of Jedi training abandoned him and he pulled his knees up to his chest, forcing his eyes to stay open. The ship was not going to blow up without him knowing about it first.

Qui-Gon sensed something. It was just on the edge of his consciousness, a disturbing tremor in his mind. It felt like…he was being watched. He opened his eyes warily, and blinked when he saw a familiar pair of gray-green eyes blinking back.

"Obi-Wan?" He asked, wondering if he was dreaming still. The boy sat huddled in a ball with a blanket wrapped around him tightly, only his eyes and nose exposed through the folds of fabric. He blinked, and Obi-Wan paused before answering.

"Yhm Mhdher?"

"Obi-Wan, what are you doing? Why aren't you asleep in your quarters?"

"Hm hin't whn ha-" Qui-Gon cut him off before he could continue.

"Obi-Wan, I can't hear you."

Obi-Wan pulled the blanket away from his mouth and spoke in a hushed whisper, as though trying to prevent someone from overhearing him. "I think the ship is going to blow up."

Qui-Gon was silent for a moment. "Obi-Wan, why would the ship blow up?"

The boy blinked, then opened his mouth wide to begin what could only be an enthusiastic, highly detailed explanation. Qui-Gon held up a hand, silencing the boy. "Wait, I don't want to know."

"But Ma-"

"Obi-Wan," he cut him off, thoroughly irked by the disturbance in his sleep. "It is very late. The ship is not going to blow up. You have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Now you need to go to bed."

Obi-Wan's eyes were very round and pathetic looking, and Qui-Gon could tell what was coming even before the boy asked.

"Can I sleep in here?"

Qui-Gon rubbed his temples and closed his eyes wearily. "What is wrong with your quarters? You'll be absolutely fine in them."

He was answered with a small silence, then a faint, "Okay."

He sighed and waited for the soft patter of his Padawan's retreating footsteps, and was slightly perturbed when he heard a sniffle instead. He wearily opened one eye, only to be met with the watering, gray eyes of his Padawan.

"Obi-Wan, what is it now?"

"I don't want to be alone."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes wearily. His Padawan had crumpled into a sniveling mess because he was lonely? It just didn't make sense. The boy had been in space transports many times before, and surely he had been by himself on numerous occasions…then again…

Now that he thought about it, a sudden realization dawned on him. Obi-Wan, like most children raised in the Jedi temple, had always been surrounded by his peers – his surrogate family – and when he had been sent to the Agricultural farms on Bandomeer and that 'family' wasn't there. He had befriended the young Arconan Si Treemba then, almost immediately, and they had been nearly inseperable for the entire duration of the mission. And now, suddenly, Obi-Wan was alone with no one his age to talk to or seek comfort in; he had probably never been without some sort of companion in his life, and now the only one he could seek comfort in was his Master.

He had forgotten what it was like to have such a young Padawan. He sighed and rose off the sleep couch, tossing his pillow to the ground and trying to make the floor as comfortable as possible. The sleep couch had been too small anyways.

The floor wasn't very comfy, and he was sure that he would be very stiff when he woke up the next morning. He motioned to Obi-Wan, who quickly joined him at his side on the floor and curled up into a ball next to him, eyes drooping from exhaustion. Qui-Gon lay flat on his back and breathed deeply, smiling when he heard the soft, slow breathing of his Padawan next to him.

Yes, it was going to take some getting used to, but it was to be expected. He hadn't had a Padawan for so long…there was so much responsibility, so many things to be taught…Yet, it all would be worth it somehow. He could tell it would be whenever the boy smiled, gray eyes shining. That smile could charm a hut – and once he was old enough, probably a few ladies.

Qui-Gon glance at Obi-Wan, still fighting sleep, and reached over and smoothed his hair back from his forehead.

"Good night Obi-Wan."

The boy fought to suppress a yawn, and smiled gratefully. "G'night Master."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes and felt a wave of satisfaction sweep over him. He had needed the lonely boy as much as he needed him.

After all, he had been lonely too.