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Please, remember : english is not my native language, be kind !
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"I am looking for Master Ue"
The gray-haired man asked to the secretary, a wary look on his face. He didn't know Master Ue at all. Master Yoda had advised him to meet him, to talk about the recent troubles with his padawan. And Qui Gon didn't like the idea of talking about such an intimate topic with a stranger. Yet, in desperation, he gave in and went to the nursery.
- Please wait, Master Ue is in private session."
The great Jedi thanked him, and couldn't hold back a sigh. He had made an appointment though, and he hated people who were late. A few chairs were arranged in the room, but Qui Gon didn't feel like sitting down. He still hesitated. His guilt had something to do with his turmoil. As a Jedi, he should have forgiven his padawan for his behavior, put it all behind them, and continued the relatively quiet learning they had been pursuing up to that point. But the Master could not go beyond what he had experienced as a betrayal. No matter how hard he tried, the memory of Xanatos imposed itself, and prevented him from evolving. And his padawan felt it. Already taciturn by nature, prone to self-flagellate at the slightest concern, Obi Wan had closed in on himself, and Qui Gon saw no solution to this impasse. Master and apprentice could no longer speak to each other. He had opened up about it to Master Yoda, who then advised him to meet with Master Ue.
"I don't believe a soul healer can help Obi Wan… Qui Gon grimaced."
He had little confidence in this medicine. It was a little too esoteric for him. And he knew Obi Wan suspicious, he would not speak with good grace to strangers who wanted to know everything about his private life, all Jedis they were. On the contrary, he was very modest, and kept a lot of things to himself, if he could.
- Master Ue is not a soul healer, the little green troll had replied, in a peremptory tone. But appreciated his help to over-stressed padawans is."
"Obi Wan is more than stressed, Master…" objected Qui Gon.
"See or don't see Master Ue, the choice you have. But a mistake would be his knowing not to profit. Very different from ours is his conception of the Force."
Qui Gon raised a puzzled eyebrow.
"There is only one Force".
"But there are several ways to apprehend it."
Master Yoda had slammed his Gimer staff on the ground, a sign that the discussion was over. Qui Gon politely took his leave, despite his annoyance, and sought to know more about this Master Ue before making a decision.
Curiously, Master Ue did not appear on the Temple's organization chart. He held no fixed position. Qui Gon therefore thought he was on a mission, and looked up his name on Jedi movement records. He couldn't find anything either. More irritated than intrigued, he decided to investigate. He first went to the archives, where Master Jocasta Nu confessed that she had never heard of him either. Nevertheless, as a good librarian, she did some research which told them that Master Ue had been knighted a decade earlier, after an express apprenticeship with Master Yoda himself. The ceremony was held with the utmost discretion. No indication of his role at the Temple could be found, however, and no photos were available.
But Qui Gon Jinn's curiosity was awaken. An unknown knight, who had remained padawan less than two years when the average was ten, under the leadership of Yoda in person, and crowned Knight in private, while all ceremonies of this type were public and gave rise to traditional libations ? What a plot! It was enough for the reluctance of the Jedi to fade and give way to a keen interest. But the investigation was difficult. No one had ever heard of this stranger. However, rumors and gossip were rife within the Temple. It was Master Plo Koon, who thoughtfully replied that he thought he had heard that name in nursery recently. Qui Gon had therefore gone there, and had blandly asked for an appointment, which he had been granted without difficulty.
And he was now in this waiting room, trying to keep from stamping his feet, both excited to meet the one who hid his identity so well, and annoyed at the growing delay. He sat down and got up immediately, to walk down the adjacent corridor, under the indifferent gaze of the secretary. At the end of the corridor, a wall was covered with a two-way mirror. He approached and discovered a very young initiate, about three years old, who was singing with a nurse.
"And I saw the Light, and I saw the sea, and it was beautiful…"
He didn't know the nursery rhyme, but the text was pretty, soothing, and the young woman had a pretty voice. He stood there, letting himself be carried away by the notes, when a movement snapped him out of his reverie. A door opened, and the initiate came out.
"Goodbye !"
He waved his small hand in goodbye before running off, not without addressing a slight respectful "hello" to Qui Gon as he passed in front of him. Amused, the Jedi answered but the child was already gone. Then he understood that the little one was going alone through the corridors and he called out to childcare:
"You leave him unattended?" he asked sternly.
The young woman, busy putting away her tambourine, turned to him, astonished.
"What do you want to happen to him?"
"He could get lost, hurt himself…"
She shrugged.
"The Temple is full of Jedis who would immediately come to his help. It fears nothing!"
She smiled at him, and continued her tidying up. A little flabbergasted by such casualness, Qui Gon entered and insisted:
"But the child would live a traumatic experience."
Looking always pleasant, but her face adorned with a smile a little more pinched this time, the childcare worker straightened up. She was small, but she had a certain authority about her. Qui Gon pushed back the funny and slightly disturbing feeling that he was going to be scolded, like a disrespectful insider.
"Are you going to teach me how to do my job?"
Embarrassed, Qui Gon couldn't hold his gaze and looked down. Yes, he would have done better to shut his mouth, the little child, it was him, now!
"For your guidance Master…"
She was obviously waiting for him to introduce himself, so his interlocutor whispered:
"Qui Gon Jinn".
And, contrite, he added an almost inaudible "Mrs".
"Well, Master Jinn, know that this little one suffers from a big lack of self-confidence. Sending him away on his own gives him value, and there is no doubt that he will find his way, because he comes to see me regularly. Moreover, the children's quarters are only about twenty meters to the right."
"Oh !" Qui Gon thought. Yes, that seemed logical.
"I beg your pardon, I didn't think about it."
"I forgive you, Master. The important thing is that you have learned your lesson."
A little shocked by the condescending tone, Qui Gon raised his head, ready to protest again. But in front of him, the young woman sported a teasing air, and her narrowed eyes left no doubt: she was making fun of him gently.
"Well, it was not a first meeting under the best auspices, nevertheless, I am happy to meet you, Master Qui Gon."
She held out a willing hand, which the Master shook with relief.
"Would you like a tea, or a kaffe?"
"It would be with pleasure, but I have an appointment with Master Ue, and…"
"Ah," she interrupted him. "I'm afraid it's only coming soon. Just enough time for a hot drink. So ?"
Qui Gon couldn't help but laugh softly.
"A tea then, thank you". And he added in an amused tone:
"You're the type to always be right, aren't you?"
"I know Master Ue well, that's all."
She gave the tall man a wink, which left him speechless. What familiarity! So, as she went to get cups from the next room, Qui Gon focused on this curious, energetic woman. His signature in the Force was bright yellow, dazzling. What energy! But it took so much to educate such young children…
She returned ten minutes later, two steaming cups in her hands.
"Thank you !"
The drink smelled good. Qui Gon was a tea lover, but what people called "tea" was often quite far from his conception of it. This time, the liquid was perfectly to his liking. Fragrant and tasty.
"It's a tea from my personal reserve", explained the nurse. Made from plants that I grow myself.
"It is excellent."
But he couldn't fully appreciate it: the clock was ticking.
"I'm sorry to have to leave you like this, but really, I have to go to my appointment. He stood up and bowed slightly to his bubbly hostess."
"Looking forward to seeing you again, educator…"
Taken aback, he realized he hadn't asked her name. He was going to apologize, mortified, but a crystalline laugh interrupted him.
"I am Master Ue."
