A/N: There you go, a chappi about the Shayariel character. She'll play an important part when it comes to Obi-Wan's and Padmé's relationship. And don't be afraid, she's not gonna take Ben away from Padmé…

Shayariel

„So you got lost in the storm, huh ?" Padmé inquired. Shayariel nodded while drinking the water Padmé had offered her.

"And you are looking for someone, right ?"

"Hmmm. Yeah." she answered shortly and put the cup aside.

"And that someone lives out here in the desert ?" Padmé did not know why but she somehow did not trust the girl.

"Well, actually I don't know. I just had a feeling, you know ?"

"I understand."

Weird girl. There's something she doesn't tell me. I feel it. Padmé thought to herself.

"And you live here on Tattooine ?" she kept asking questions.

"Yep. Means, I'm not born here but I've lived here since I was a little child."

Well, then you should've known that one doesn't go out when a storm is gathering. Padmé told herself, not realizing that Shayariel sensed her distrust.

"I was a slave." she just added. When Padmé heard the word 'slave' coming out of her mouth she suddenly had sympathy for her. She had to think of Anakin, when he had been a little boy, a slave, on Tattooine and how they had freed him.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly.

"Nah, you don't have to be. Look, I was lucky because my owner was a very nice old lady. She was a very good person, treated me like her own grandchild. I actually never had to work for her, I worked with her. We helped each other. You know, I was alone, she was alone. We became pretty good friends. You see it's not always bad to be a slave." Shayariel explained.

"It's just… Nothing. I'm happy for you." Padmé replied and tried to smile.

"Yeah, sure." she returned with sarcasm dripping off her young voice.

"Huh ?"

"From the second that I entered this cabin, I've sensed your distrust of me. You think I'm evil." she said.

"What ? No, I don't think you're evil… I just… have a bad feeling… about this, I guess…" Padmé stuttered and took a seat next to Shayariel.

"So you don't trust me ?" she wanted to know. Padmé responded with a nod.

"Not exactly."

"Yeah, I understand. I mean, yeah, you don't know me, we've just met and I fell in here like a tornado. I apologize. I think I'm gonna leave as soon as the storm's over. But… ahm… One question… Do you know someone named Ben ? Tall man with a beard, uhm…"

"Why do you wanna know ?" Padmé asked while getting up again and moving slowly towards the bathroom.

"Because he's the one I'm looking for." Padmé swallowed and stood there for a few second as if she was frozen stiff.

What do you want from him ? I knew I couldn't trust you. Force, Ben ! I need you right now ! I think we have a little black-haired problem here…

Right after she had thought it to an end, she heard the sound of an activating lightsaber behind herself and turned around. It was Obi-Wan, holding his Jedi weapon in both of his hands and pointed it towards Shayariel.

"Hey, guys, calm down ! I'm not your enemy !" she tried to convince him, but Obi-Wan did not move.

"Who are you ?" he asked sharply.

"Shayariel."

"And what are you doing here ?"

"Ah, for cryin' out loud, I got lost in the damn bloody sandstorm ! Listen, buddy, this would be a lot easier if you'd lay down your saber." she shouted at him desperately.

"Why don't you just start telling us what you expect to find here ?" Obi-Wan kept asking.

"Dammit, Master, I tried it ! But you know how impatient I am…" she whispered. "Wanna fight ? Huh ? Then two can play that game !" she grinned, pulled out her own lightsaber and turned on the purple blade. With an acrobatic movement, she leaped towards Obi-Wan and met his blade with hers.

"Who the hell are you ?" Obi-Wan asked once more, but this time his voice sounded more amazed and confused.

"I'm a Jedi. And obviously, you are a Jedi, too." she returned and deactivated her lightsaber. Obi-Wan had to sit down. Another Jedi who survived. This could not be possible.

"How… ? I mean, how could you survive ? Many of us died… Nearly all of us…" he said shaking his head.

"Now that's probably the simplest answer I can give you: I was here. And who the hell cares about Tattooine ? It may sound ridiculous but right now it's the safest place for a Jedi." she replied.

"Apparently." Obi-Wan murmured, his eyes looking into nowhere. Now he could hear the Force whispering her name into his mind and he sensed that she spoke nothing but the truth. It made him feel horrible that he had been threatening her with his lightsaber. Padmé felt his distress and gently touched his shoulder.

"Ben, are you OK ?" she asked with a soft voice. He looked at her and tried a slight smile.

"Yes. I'm just a little confused, that's all. Don't worry." he said, laying his hand on hers. Shayariel watched them carefully and was deeply touched by the way they talked to each other and how they looked into each other's eyes. She sensed the bond between them and that they must have gone through tough times together.

"So… You're Ben, huh ?" she interrupted the silence.

"I'm known as Ben here on Tattooine. But my real name's actually Obi-Wan Kenobi." he replied, now in a more friendly way. The name echoed in Shayariel's mind over and over again. She repeated it several times, trying to find out where she had heard it before. It sounded somehow familiar.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi… Obi-Wan Ke… Oh my gosh ! You are Obi-Wan Kenobi !" she inquired once more. He responded with a nod.

"You were Qui-Gon's padawan…" she murmured. Obi-Wan stared at her in shock.

"Qui-Gon ? You know… uhm… knew Master Qui-Gon ?" he wanted to know, his eyes wide opened.

"Knew ? Dammit, I know this guy pretty well." she answered laughing.

"Then you should know that he's pretty dead." Obi-Wan returned.

"Yeah, he's dead, but he keeps talking to me like a waterfall." she said smiling.

"And can you see him ?" the Jedi questioned.

"Sometimes. But he prefers to stay invisible. What about you ? Have you seen him since he has returned from the netherworld ?" Obi-Wan nodded.

"Yeah, once."

"Hmmm. Wait a minute… That means, that he's known you're a Jedi because you were his padawan learner a long time ago. And he's already been here. Still he was so nice to send me out into this damn sandstorm. ! Think I gotta talk to a certain someone about certain things that Jedi Masters shouldn't do to their apprentices…" she murmured angrily.

"There are some things in this galaxy that you have to figure out by yourself, padawan. I cannot always be there to tell you what you should do. Being a Jedi means not to follow your Master and do whatever he does. The aim of this was that you learn how to use the Force in a dangerous and uncomfortable situation. And as I see, you did it. Congratulations !" Qui-Gon's ghostly physical self spoke as he appeared in a bright blue light.

"Master Qui-Gon ! Good to see you again !" Obi-Wan greeted and bowed to him. Beside him was Padmé, mouth opened, staring at the apparition.

"Master Jedi… How is this possible ?" she murmured, looking at him in amazement.

"Lady Padmé, by now you should know that the Force has many wonderful ways to reveal itself to us." Padmé smiled happily. It felt great to see an old and wise friend again after such a long time. She had believed him dead and now he was standing right in front of her, talking to her. If even the dead ones can return from the netherworld of the Force, if such a miracle was possible, then there must be hope for the galaxy.

"And she is your padawan learner now ?" Obi-Wan asked. The ghost nodded.

"Yes. I apologize for her… well… sometimes inappropriate behaviour and way of speaking. She's still so young and has a lot of things to learn."

"Nah, that's got nothin' to do with it, I just can't force myself to talk like an old man – no offence to you Ben. You're not old… You maybe just had something I did not have… Something like… what was the word again ? Oh yeah, education… I mean, I'm not stupid, quite the reverse, Qui-Gon thinks I'm pretty smart. I'm just not good with other people. Conversation has never been a strength of mine." she explained. Obi-Wan and Padmé had to grin.

"Apologies accepted, Shayariel. Now tell me, how come that you became his learner ?" Obi-Wan wanted to know.

"Hmmm. Let me think… Oh yes, that's quite a story to tell…"

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About six years ago…

The old lady who had owned Shayariel was gone. Dead. Shayariel was free now and could actually do whatever she wanted to do. She was now the owner of a little apartment in Mos Espa and a little money that she had inherited from the old lady. The only thing that was bothering her was that she was all alone. There were no friends, no family, no one. She only had herself and that was scaring her to death. Only at night, when she was sleeping, she found some relief and peace. It was weird because she used to dream about a family, friends and even something like a father. She dreamed of brothers and sisters and they were all connected in a supernatural way. At first she just considered them dreams, but later on, she found out that she was in possession of some very special powers. Whenever she focussed strongly on a thing, she could move it without touching it. She was able to hear other people's feelings and sensed their intentions. Shayariel was confused by these powers but somehow she was also fascinated and tried to find out more about them. Finally she read something about the so-called Jedi Order, about people with the same powers like herself who fought for peace and justice in the galaxy.

A Jedi. I want to be a Jedi. she thought every night before she fell asleep.

One night, she was lying awake, thinking once more about the Jedi religion and how badly she wanted to be part of it. She was lying under a couple of blankets in her bed, staring at the white ceiling as a harsh light began to dive the room into a blue colour. She straightened up and opened her eyes slowly. At first she could not see anything because her eyes seemed to be blinded by the light. But after a few moments, she was looking at the apparition of a long-haired, bearded man wearing a formal robe, just like the Jedi on the pictures in one of the books she had read about the Jedi Order.

"What the bloody hell…" she murmured. No answer.

"Ah, excuse me ? What are you doin' here ? Hello ? Mister ? What are you doin' in my bedroom in the middle of the night, huh ?" she shouted.

"Are you talking to me ?" the man eventually answered.

"No, I'm talking to the other guy standing right beside you… Of course I'm talking to you. See anyone else shining like a neon lamp in this room ? I don't." she returned sarcastically.

"That means you can see me."

"Are you kidding ? You're almost blinding me with this light around you. Could you please turn it off ?" she said roughly.

"I'm afraid I can't." the man replied.

"Now back to my question, what do you want from me ?" she kept asking.

"No, the question is what do you want from me ?"

"Huh ?"

"Well, I would not be here if you didn't call me. You wouldn't be able to see me if you weren't Force sensitive." he tried to explain to her.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you ?" she inquired.

"Ah… not exactly. I was a Jedi. But in fact I died a long time ago. Seems as if you have brought me back from… the nether world of the Force…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is that a bad thing ?"

"No. It was the will of the living Force. That means this cannot be a bad thing. My name is Qui-Gonn Jinn." the ghost introduced himself.

"I'm Shayariel Soleil and I want to become a Jedi."

To Be Continued…