Disparate Jedi
by ardavenport
- - Part 5 - -
"She doesn't know, why she did it," Dyuda's voice broke the silence. Still standing, Qui-Gon looked down at him. Obi-Wan was confused. Who was he talking about?
Hands clasped before him, one blunt finger pointed toward Toolay. "Or she doesn't know how to say it. She might be able to later, especially after talking to her own lawyers, but for now. . . ." Dyuda lowered his eyes, his thoughts clearly turned inward. "Her actions are part of her. Even without a reason that can be spoken. That must be found later." His dark green eyes found his Master's. "Sometimes, we just do the things we must. And sometimes, we don't know how to do anything else."
Narimoyak's eyes had gone sad. "This wasn't a momentary act of violence or crisis. She planned her actions, for years, and acted on them." Confused about what she was talking about, Obi-Wan watched the exchange between Master to Padawan. He saw the same look of confusion on Qui-Gon's face and on those of Kokom and Tekta.
Dyuda smiled back. "Things that go unspoken don't have words. It takes time to find them." Narimoyak's expression softened, became almost kind.
"It does." She turned back to Tekta. "I don't know why I want to know why she did it." She sighed. "I shall have to accept that she did." She bowed her head, then walked around Tekta and went back to her seat. Obi-Wan stared at her and then at Dyuda, who contentedly contemplated the remains of his lunch before him. Qui-Gon silently glowered from one to the other before taking his seat again.
"Hmmmff!" Tekta went back to her seat and flopped down. She pointed at her friend. "I am not asking now," one eye flicked toward Toolay, "but when I do, Narimoyak, I hope you will have decided whether or not you're going to tell me what that was all about." She leaned forward on her elbows and then snatched the few bugs that had fallen out of Kokom's bowl and popped them in her mouth.
"Pretty good," she nodded approval toward her little Padawan and then began finishing her own meal. Neither Dyuda nor Narimoyad moved, though they both seemed content. Obi-Wan looked toward his own Master for an answer. He replied with a tiny shake of his head. Obi-Wan sensed sympathy, a small consolation to his curiosity. Qui-Gon offered him one of his cookies.
Munch-crunch-munch-munch-crunch-crunch-munch.
Kokom resumed her meal with less vigor, though it was unclear if this was because she was disturbed by the confrontation or just less hungry than she had been earlier.
They finished their meal with few other words spoken. Obi-Wan caught Toolay watching them in the reflection on the viewport. He supposed that their prisoner wondered what had happened just as much as he did.
The droid came back and cleared the remains of their meal. The Administrator did accept some water. Afterwards, Obi-Wan went to the fresher and he was surprised when Dyuda joined him.
"You are wondering what happened." Dyuda stated in the corridor, without turning toward him.
"Um, I know it's not my place to ask," Obi-Wan answered neutrally.
"Thank you." He nodded, his dark horns dipping below his shoulders. "But if I may ask. . . ." They each stood at two separate fresher doors. They were alone in the corridor. "Master Narimoyak said that she knew you, intimately, but not very well at all. Can you tell me. . . . what she meant by that?"
"Um. . . . " Obi-Wan paused for the right words. "Master Qui-Gon and I rescued Master Narimoyak from the transport crash that killed her last Padawan." Obi-Wan didn't want to say 'last Padawan' but his mind had gone blank about what her name had been, though he vividly remembered her in death.
Dyuda did not seem to notice the uncomfortable term. "Aaaaah." He seemed satisfied. "Thank you." He disappeared into his own fresher and Obi-Wan went on to his own business.
The rest of their trip was uneventful with little conversation other than a few comments from Tekta about the 'Island dresses' that she and her Padawan were wearing. Nobody wanted to speak of anything of any importance again with Toolay in the room.
After the ship came out of hyperspace they all suddenly realized that they needed to reassemble Toolay's luggage so that the Judiciary enforcers could take it away when they came for her. There was some confusion about what things had come from which case until Toolay herself, apparently frustrated with listening to six Jedi trying to figure out what to do with her personal things, yelled at them that the 'evidence' would all fit into the smaller case and everything else could go into the larger one. That was the last time she spoke to them.
It was all put away by the time they landed. Administrator Toolay had composed herself by the time the uniformed enforcers arrived at their compartment, though Obi-Wan sensed her facade almost break when she recognized the person leading the squad. With only a few fleeting promises to Tekta to contact her later for testimony, they left, hustling their former colleague away in a tight formation.
Obi-Wan watched them go. It was early evening, but the landing platform and the buildings towering over it were brightly lit. Night was only less evenly illuminated than day in the perpetual city. Toolay disappeared behind stiff-backed uniforms as they boarded an official vehicle. He knew, very likely, that he would never see her again. Unless he made an inquiry, he wouldn't hear whatever happened to her. He felt unsatisfied by that, but he knew that there wasn't any more. He felt nothing for or against her, but Obi-Wan really did not ever wish to meet Administrator Gelemas Toolay again.
There was a tug at his sleeve. He looked to his left.
"Obi-Wan, we have to go," Kokom pointed to the transport that the others were heading toward. He nodded and the two younger Padawans followed to go back to the Jedi Temple.
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The next morning, Obi-Wan Kenobi saw in the Temple announcements and notices that Dyuda Plum had been elevated to the status of Jedi Knight.
Obi-Wan looked down at the glowing square screen that Qui-Gon had slid over to him during the first meal of the day. Then he looked up at Qui-Gon. His Master had no explanation, but he agreed that whatever silent confrontation had gone on between Narimoyak and her then Padawan the day before likely had something to do with it.
Obi-Wan did not understand at all. Knighthood came after a Padawan passed their Trials. Had Master Narimoyak taken Dyuda Plum directly to his Trials as soon as they had parted after returning to the Temple the night before? He pressed his lips together.
"Will you be speaking with Master Narimoyak later?" he asked. Padawans never, ever asked about the specifics of any of their peers' Trials, but as a Master, Qui-Gon was perfectly free to discuss it with his fellow Master. The older Jedi simply smiled. He obviously knew what Obi-Wan was hinting about.
"Possibly, but I do not believe that I will need to ask."
- - end Part 5 - -