Chapter 40
Obi-Wan and Friends
Obi-Wan was thoroughly sick of his tiny room in the Healer wing. Two and a half weeks of the same room was enough to make even a calm patient soul like himself bored out of his mind. And his very short list of visitors did little to alleviate his boredom.
Even though Vader's term of servitude in the Temple hanger had long since expired, the young man continued to spend most of his time there. Obi-Wan had noticed his talent with machine before, but now he was really starting to see the extent of his interest and talent in that particular field. The bedridden Master was constantly lost as Vader would babble on about fixing something or tackling some odd, complicated engineering problem. And he would cringe whenever the young man would bring up the new Eta-2 Jedi Starfighter.
After Vader his next most often visitor was Mace Windu. The Jedi Master from Haruun Kalwould stop by on occasion to chat with him and discuss strategies for the war. Mace had also stopped by the day he'd realized that the 'punishment' he'd given Vader wasn't much of a punishment at all. Obi-Wan had had difficulty in not laughing just a little bit as Mace had complained about it to him.
And the only other visitor aside from the various Healers that treated him (they weren't friends or colleagues so they didn't count) was Master Yoda. The ancient Master came by a few times to see how he was recovering. Yoda had also asked a few odd questions about him and Vader that had been difficult to answer and just plain strange.
But aside from those three, no one came to see him. Not Bant, not Siri, not Garen. He supposed Bant, being a Healer, became busy with tending war injuries and forgot. Though Bant usually wasn't one to forget about promises.
His solitude was broken by one of the head Healers, Master Trickna, entered his room. The aging violet Twi'lek wasted no words as she studied his charts and ran through his exam. Obi-Wan followed her directions as best he could and waited for today's verdict. Would he be granted some more freedom, or would he continue to be confined to this room?
"Well Master Kenobi, you are doing remarkably well, all things considered." Master Trickna murmured, studying his charts one last time, making a few notes. "So I think today we will be releasing you. When your Padawan arrives, he may escort you back to your quarters. Keep your exercise to a minimum and come back in a week for a check-up. If you continue to improve, you will be cleared for more strenuous activities."
"Thank you Master Trickna," Obi-Wan nodded gratefully.
"You're welcome Master Kenobi," the Twi'lek Master replied, hanging his chart back on the wall and leaving to see to her next patient.
Alone again, Obi-Wan set about getting out of his hospital pajamas and back into his proper Jedi attire. It took a while. He was still and sore from the abuse he'd suffered and weak from neglect and laying in a hospital cot for several weeks. But he managed well enough, and felt much more like himself now that he was properly dressed.
Now all that was left to do was wait. For how long he hadn't the faintest idea. While Vader spent a great deal of time visiting him, he spent the majority of the day in the Temple hanger helping out and staring longingly at the freshly painted Eta-2. He might have to wait hours, or only minutes, it was impossible to tell. So Obi-Wan settled in to wait.
If Vader had to pick one single place in the Jedi Temple and call it his favorite, the hanger would lose out to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. While the hanger catered to his interest in the mechanical, it was beaten hands down by the calm beauty of the Fountain Room. It also helped that large quantities of water had a tendency to fascinate him for hours on end.
The Room of a Thousand Fountains was, essentially, an indoor park. It was so well engineered and so large that at first he thought it was real. The fountains weren't fountains exactly, but waterfalls and pools. It was a well done cascade effect; the highest waterfalls fed pools that drained into mid-level waterfalls that fed larger pools that drained through the lowest waterfalls that fed pools the size of small lakes at the bottom. Beautifully sculpted rocks and cliff-faces supported the waterfalls and lined the walls of the vast room. And wherever there wasn't water or rocks there were plants, beautiful exotic species from all corners of the galaxy.
This wonderful, unique room served several purposes. It was a beautiful garden where Jedi could go to relax, meditate, do homework, whatever they wanted really. The room also served as the Temple swimming pool. This was where Jedi Younglings were taught to swim; the small pools were for wading while the larger ponds were deep enough for real swimming. It was also where Obi-Wan had tested him on his swimming skills, appalling as they were.
That was the drawback to being from Tatooine: no swimming skills whatsoever. When Dooku had gotten his hands on Vader, he'd taken it upon himself to rectify the boy's deficiency. Of course his idea of swimming lessons had been to kick Vader into a deep pool and let him thrash around until he was an inch away from drowning, then fish him out, let him rest for a few minutes, and then repeat. Eventually he had learned enough to keep his head above water for ten or so minutes, but that wasn't anywhere near good enough by Jedi standards.
When Obi-Wan had brought Vader here to assess his skills, the Jedi had been shocked at how terrible he was. What followed that dismal test had probably been the most demoralizing, demeaning set of lessons he'd undergone. At fifteen it was beyond embarrassing to need to be taught things like how to hold his breath underwater or how to float.
But he had learned. It took almost two years, but he'd learned. A five-year-old Jedi could probably swim circles around him, but he knew enough to get by. Sometimes he even managed to have fun in the water.
Vader stretched lazily and settled back against the trunk of an Alderaanian Elm next to a small isolated pool in a secluded section of the room. After an especially busy morning in the Temple hanger, he'd decided a little rest and relaxation was in order before he went to bug Obi-Wan. Maybe he'd meditate, maybe he'd catch a quick cat-nap, or maybe he'd just sit there and space out for an hour.
He shifted slightly to find a more comfortable position against the tree and let his eyes drift shut. Slowly tension he hadn't even known he was feeling melted away under the soothing murmur of the nearby waterfalls and the distant giggles of playing children. And then, without particularly trying to, he drifted off into meditation.
The entire room pulsed with the Living Force. It flowed through the water, wound through the trees and flowers, and shone through the relaxing Jedi. Beauty was too weak a word to describe what he felt and what he 'saw'.
He shifted his 'sight' from outwards to inwards. He studied things that others saw and things that he hid. The outside was the blazing Light that generally blinded anyone who cared to probe him. It was one of the first things he'd worked on, a shield of Light that would be above any Jedi's suspicion. But underneath that had been a roiling sea of Darkness. Now when he looked, there was only hazy shadows left of the Darkness. Scars on his soul he doubted would ever go away. The Taint that, if seen by the Jedi, could stillget him into serious hot water.
Vader generally did not like meditating, especially when he felt like there was something better he could be doing. But when he did meditate, he would sometimes do what he saw as self-maintenance. A check-up on himself, his progress, and his problem areas.
In the beginning, every time he would look, there was some noticeable change. New spots of Light, old Dark spots shifting or fading to hazy shadow. Now, though, there was usually never any change. He seemed to be stuck where he was, eighty percent Light, fifteen percent shadowy gray, and five percent Dark.
Now as he looked, it was pretty much the same as last time. A few of the shadowy blotches had shifted around, but the shadows usually moved quickly and easily. That was their nature, he supposed. Seeing the same major swirls and flows in and around himself, he was about to move on. But then he noticed something.
It was so subtle he almost missed it. Hell, it could've been there for a year for all he knew! A thin filament of Light arced out of his presence and twisted off to…somewhere. Curious, he pressed his mind against it to see just what it was and–
Obi-Wan blinked and sat up a bit straighter on his hospital cot. Something felt off…different. It was almost like when he'd been a Padawan and Master Qui-Gon had touched him through their training bond. Only it wasn't the same.
Frowning a little in concentration and puzzlement, Obi-Wan touched back. (Hello?)
The response he got wasn't so much in words as it was the mental equivalent of a choking sound. And then the contact withdrew, faded down to a background tingle so subtle that he hadn't noticed it before now. Intrigued, he reached for the source of the tingle and tried to locate the source. But when he thought he was close, he hit a mental brick wall.
Puzzled, Obi-Wan drew back and pondered the odd occurrence. To try and help his thinking processes along, he fell back on his old habit of stroking his beard. Normally that helped a little bit, but this time it failed him…
Vader lurched forward off the tree trunk, clutching at his chest and breathing hard. If anyone had been around to see him, they would've noted his pale face and guessed that he'd just encountered a ghost. But he was alone without any witnesses to wonder at his mysterious panic attack.
Force, what the hell just happened? He panted, his hands trembled. What did I do?
Taking a few deeps breaths, he closed his eyes and struggled to calm down and think clearly about what had just happened. Let's see…let's see…I sensed something weird…touched it…and…and heard Obi-Wan in my head? Did he just invade my head?
Vader scowled, more annoyed than perturbed. Obi-Wan knew better, though. And as far as he could recall, he had been the one to do something, make contact. He'd touched on that-that thing and Obi-Wan had…answered?
Deeply confused, Vader jumped to his feet and headed for the exit. Screw the hour break; he'd visit Obi-Wan now. Maybe he could explain just what the hell had happened…
Obi-Wan was still puzzling over the mysterious contact and stroking his beard when the door to his room whooshed open. He looked up expecting to see his Padawan. But his eyes spied–
"Bant?" He blinked, surprised.
"Hello Obi-Wan," his Mon Calamarian friend smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I haven't visited you, but the Master Healers have been keeping me busy lately. If things go on as they have been, they might even assign me to a Med-Star."
"That's alright," Obi-Wan smiled, "I'm just glad you found time to stop by. Master Trickna has cleared me for release, and as soon as my Padawan decides to come see me, I'll be returning to my quarters."
"Well I'm glad that I caught you then," Bant grinned. "To make up for my absence, I have a little surprise for you."
"Oh?" Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.
Bant only grinned at him and stepped away from the door. Then several more people walked into view. Obi-Wan's jaw dropped.
"Siri? Garen?" He blinked, stupefied.
"Hey Obi-Wan! So you do remember us." Garen teased.
"Of course I do!" Obi-Wan sputtered indignantly.
"Could've fooled us," Siri sniffed, only half in jest. Clearly she was rather annoyed that he'd been back on Coruscant for years and never looked any of them up even once. Obi-Wan cringed a little.
"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan sighed apologetically.
"Well, since I'm a nice woman, I'll forgive you." Siri smirked.
"Thank you," Obi-Wan chuckled. Then Obi-Wan noticed a fourth visitor. A Human Padawan roughly Vader's age hung in Siri's shadow, looking a little uncomfortable. "Now who's this?" He asked, looking curiously at the unfamiliar young man.
"Hmph, if you'd kept in touch, you'd know." Siri snorted. "Obi-Wan, I would like to introduce you to my Padawan, Ferus Olin." She stepped to the side and physically shifted Ferus so that he stood beside her.
Now the boy looked very uncomfortably. "Good afternoon Master Kenobi," Ferus greeted stiffly with a slight bow.
"Good afternoon," Obi-Wan nodded in reply.
"Wonderful, now we all know each other." Bant smiled, clasping her flipper-like hands together.
"Now Master Kenobi," Siri mockingly stressed his title and seniority over the rest of them, "shall we drag your dead weight to a more pleasant location since you've been released? The Room of a Thousand Fountains, perhaps?"
"I would love to, but I would prefer to wait for my Padawan to show up." Obi-Wan shrugged. "I don't think he'd appreciate it if he got here and I disappeared on him…again."
"Your Padawan?" Garen blinked.
"Bant didn't mention him to you?" Obi-Wan frowned.
"Oh, I'd forgotten that." Bant winced. "Sorry."
"You forgot?" Obi-Wan snorted. I thought he made more of an impression on you.
"While we wait, why don't we catch up?" Garen suggested, pulling one of the plastic visitors' chairs away from the wall and taking a seat near Obi-Wan.
"A splendid idea," Bant agreed, also taking a chair.
"Might as well," Siri nodded as she and her Padawan took the last two chairs.
"Alright then." Obi-Wan shifted to sit on the edge of his bed and better face them. "Where to begin…"
Vader strode through the Healer wing at a slightly-faster-than-dignified pace. A few of the senior Healers gave him dirty looks for that, but he completely ignored them. All he cared about was getting to Obi-Wan and figuring out just what the hell was going on.
He stopped cold though when he stepped into Obi-Wan's room and found four other people there. One he recognized as Bant, Obi-Wan's Mon Calamarian friend. And another he recognized as Ferus Olin, a straight-laced Padawan who'd been his lab partner for his biochemistry class three years ago. But the other two Humans were strangers to him. They'd all been discussing something, but when he stumbled in they all shut up and stared at him.
"Uh, hi." He blinked, shifting awkwardly under the weight of five different pairs of eyes. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Not really," Obi-Wan smiled and patted an open space next to him on the bed. "Have a seat while we finish up."
Vader nodded and slipped past the visitors to take a seat at the indicated spot. As he settled down on the edge of the bed next to his Master he could feel the others' interest in him. Specifically he was aware of Ferus' curious yet disdainful gaze.
Ferus, his old lab partner, and he had never gotten along. The other Padawan was too stiff for his taste, always whining about some rule or another. To Vader it seemed that Ferus was obsessed with being the perfect Jedi Padawan. In class he'd certainly been a teacher's pet. And Ferus had despised him for his laid-back attitude and disregard for the rules. If Ferus had more of an aggressive personality Vader was sure that the other Padawan might've gotten into a fight with him at some point out of pure frustration with him.
"What are you doing here?" Ferus asked suspiciously. It seemed that Ferus hadn't forgotten about how much he disliked Vader.
"I'm visiting," Vader shrugged, pointing at Obi-Wan with his left hand.
"You know him Ferus?" The blonde woman to Ferus' right asked.
"Yes Master," Ferus nodded stiffly, his tone mildly disgusted, "he was my lab partner for biochemistry."
"Oh, the infamous Vader?" She murmured, arching an eyebrow.
"Infamous?" Obi-Wan blinked. "What did he do?"
Oh no, Vader moaned. He really wasn't looking forward to hearing Ferus whine and complain about him.
"He all but slept through class and he was so lax in following the lab instructions that I ended up doing all the work to avoid him screwing it up." Ferus complained.
"Oh, is that all?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.
Ferus gaped, startled. "Is-is that all?" He choked.
"I just thought he'd done something more serious," Obi-Wan shrugged. "I seem to recall several visits from Master Durkin concerning his habit of actually falling asleep in his Political Studies class."
Vader found the white and pale gray tile floor very attention-grabbing. It was certainly better to look at than the other Jedi in the small room. Picking up on their emotions was more than enough.
"So you went for an easy one for your first Padawan, eh?" Ferus' Master muttered sarcastically.
"Yes Siri, that's exactly what I did." Obi-Wan responded with equal sarcasm.
Siri? Another of your old friends, Obi-Wan? Vader mused, still staring at the floor. Small galaxy. I get paired up with the Padawan of one of your old friends and you never ran into each other…
"Ah, dueling with sarcasm. I've missed watching you guys go at it." The other unknown Jedi, who Vader guessed to be Garen, sighed happily.
"Good to see that someone enjoyed them," Obi-Wan grumbled.
"Now that we're all here," Bant interrupted, "why don't we go to Obi-Wan's apartment?"
Vader glanced over at his Master out of the corner of his eye and finally noticed that he was back in his Jedi robes. The Healers must've released him, he realized. Finally!
"Yes, let's." Obi-Wan agreed, carefully sliding off the edge of the bed to stand on the floor.
Vader was off the bed and at his Master's side a second later. Obi-Wan, however, ignored the silent offer of assistance and seemed determined to do as much for himself as possible. Vader felt rather annoyed as he trailed after the slow-moving Jedi Master and his small pack of friends.
Hey Obi-Wan! I'm here to be your Human crutch! Vader grumbled. Use me damn it! But, of course, being the stubborn old man that he was, Obi-Wan didn't. And so it took all of them forever to get to where they were going.
Obi-Wan was all but asleep on his couch. Even with a constant supply of caf he could barely keep going. Having company over right after being released from the Healer wing was definitely not a great idea. His stamina was shot and he found it deeply annoying.
Yawning every ten minutes is not a good way to get on Siri's good side, Obi-Wan sighed. Especially after I haven't spoken with her in over ten years. And seeing her briefly that one time during the battle of Geonosis apparently doesn't count.
But aside from that, the impromptu little party went well. He'd heard all about Bant, Garen, and Siri's adventures. And they in turn heard about his. Ferus was partly fascinated by what he learned about his Master and her friends, and partly shocked. Vader spent the time snickering about some new details he overheard and serving everyone drinks and snacks.
"You ready for bed yet?" Vader asked with a smirk.
Obi-Wan scowled in annoyance. "Yes," he sighed.
Vader grinned and cheerfully helped pull Obi-Wan to his feet, then supported him as he staggered off to bed. After making back to the apartment, Obi-Wan's legs had decided to give out and so he spent the entire afternoon and evening sitting on the couch to hide that fact. And now he needed help to walk the few meters to his own room. How embarrassing.
"There you go Obi-Wan," Vader grinned broadly as Obi-Wan wearily sank down onto his bed.
"Thanks," Obi-Wan muttered, stiffly fumbling with his boots.
Vader was halfway out the door, probably heading off to bed himself, when he stopped and turned back with a question. "Hey Obi-Wan?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan stiffly stretched out and settled into bed.
"Can we visit Padmé tomorrow?" Vader asked.
"I just got out of the Healer wing," Obi-Wan sighed. "She'll find out that I'm fine in a few days when the Temple finally gets around to admitting that I'm not dead as previously reported." Thankfully the Council had decided to not immediately release the information that he had survived, which kept the media from snooping around. But now that he was definitely on the mend, it was only a matter of time before the information came out.
"Please," Vader begged. "All you have to do is sit on a couch for an hour or two, and it'll really make her happy."
Obi-Wan ran a hand over his face. "Vader–"
"I'll buy you lunch at Dex's." Vader offered hopefully.
Obi-Wan stared at Vader for a long minute. He studied the young man's eager, hopeful expression, considered the lunch offer, and decided. "Fine," he sighed, "we'll visit Padmé tomorrow."
"Thank you," Vader beamed triumphantly.
"You're welcome." Obi-Wan yawned and pulled his sheets over his head.
Vader snickered and turned off the light and shut the door for him. Now alone, he shoved the sheets lower so that he could breathe properly. Moments later, his weariness overtook him and, despite all the caf he'd consumed, he quickly fell asleep. The last thing he remembered hearing, he didn't hear at all.
(Goodnight Master.)