I am loving these reviews guys! Keep them coming! :)
Trigger Warning for mentions of suicide and cutting in this chapter!
…
Qui-Gon frowned at the familiar pattern of speech as he strode into the main sitting room. Sitting on one of his sofas was another spirit, "Master Yoda?"
The spirit shook his head and smiled, "Ghost of Yule present, I am. Taken on a familiar form I have."
Qui-Gon shook his head in disbelief, yelping when the spirit used his stick to strike the Jedi Master across the legs. "Experienced one ghost all ready, you have. Surprised you should not be!"
Qui-Gon winced as his leg began to ache, scanning the ghost in amazement. It was almost a carbon copy of Master Yoda himself…except for one minor detail. "You…carry no lightsaber?"
The spirit shook his head and smiled gently at the man, "Peace, I believe in. I need not a lightsaber."
Qui-Gon nodded in agreement, before bowing his head and staring at the ground, "Spirit, conduct me where you will."
Yoda patted the seat beside him in a silent command for the man to sit next to him, which Qui-Gon was quick to obey. However, his eyes soon widened in shock as the floor seemed to vanish beneath his feet as his living room appeared as though it were flying through the corridors of the Temple…"This is-"
Yoda nodded before Qui-Gon could finish the sentence "Very lucky man who gets to see the mortal world from a heavenly perspective, it is"
Qui-Gon nodded in agreement as the sun began to stream into the scene of the Temple corridors and the scene blurred to reveal the Jedi Temple at Yule. The Jedi Master smiled as he watch children playing in the snow, excited padawans opening Yule gifts and the Temple gardens covered with a thin layer of frost. "Beautiful…" whispered Qui-Gon as the sun glittered off of the plant leaves.
The spirit seemed pleased with this and hummed as the scene from beneath them blurred as they zoomed through Coruscant, until they stopped at a local bakery. Noticing the lack of people, Qui-Gon huffed, "The poorer people on this planet now no longer have anywhere to cook their meals…these Yule traditions have robbed them of a well cooked meal!"
The spirit's smile disappeared almost as soon as it appeared, "Hear me. Some upon this planet who claim to know me and do ill deeds in my name, there are. Strangers to me, are they...To them charge the doings, not me."
Yoda huffed and the scene changed again, revealing a group of young padawans in a deserted training room. Qui-Gon frowned, "Why are we here? I don't understand why you're chosen to take me here?!"
"Recognise your padawan and his friends, do you not? Hmmmmm?"
Qui-Gon frowned at this, only noticing at that moment, that his padawan was a member of this small circle of friends. Leaning in closer, he tried to hear what was being said.
"Come on Bant…" called out a human boy, "…what did your Master get you?"
The female Mon Calamari practically bounced up and down excitedly, "Unlimited access to the pool! Whenever I want, and I don't have to book it for an entire year! Master has suggested that I help the younger initiates learn how to swim. What about you Garen?"
Garen, the first one who had spoken, grinned. "You'll be a great teacher Bant…my Master got me a book on speeders and promised to take me to the new speeder convention later on next year so that I can see the new models!"
A male Dressellian chuckled, "You'll practically faint! Please tell me that you've told your Master this!"
Garen scowled, "I won't faint…well I'll try not to anyway. Besides, I bet I can guess what your Master got you Reeft! An unlimited supply of food?"
Reeft shook his head, before frowning and then nodding, "Well…yes and no. He gave me some chocolate…but it's not like it was a whole buffet."
The children laughed at Reeft's flushed face…well almost every child. Bant frowned as Obi-Wan remained silent, occasionally picking at a loose thread on his tunic. "Obi?"
He glanced up at her and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Yes?"
She sighed, "D-did Master Jinn get you anything?"
Obi-Wan frowned and shook his head sadly before weakly smiling at his friends, "No…but that's okay. J-Jedi aren't supposed to have possessions, so I-I wasn't really expecting anything."
His three friends shook their heads, with Bant grabbing a hold of her friend's arm in an effort to make him listen to her, "Obi-Wan, you can't live like this anymore! He is…why are you wincing?!"
Qui-Gon watched in confusion as Bant tugged his padawan's sleeves up, fighting with him as he tried to get free. Upon tugging the sleeve up to the boy's elbow, Qui-Gon found himself taking a step back in shock as the three other children gasped. All up his padawan's arm, were long red scars that were not due to any training….they could only be from one thing.
Bant shook her head in denial, "Obi-Wan! You promised you wouldn't do this anymore!"
Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan pushed his friend away and backed up, tugging his sleeve back down so that it covered the scars once again, "I-it's nothing…honestly!"
"Obi-Wan!" scolded Bant, "Don't you remember what happened the last time!? You cut too deep and almost passed out due to blood loss! What made you start again?!"
Obi-Wan glanced away, giving both Bant and Qui-Gon the answer neither of them wanted to hear. Bant sighed, "You have to speak to the council Obi! Qui-Gon is killing you, can't you see that!?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, "No…he's making me stronger. He making sure that I become the perfect Jedi…attachment leads to the Dark side, therefore my relationship with Master Qui-Gon will help me stronger."
Garen scoffed, "You mean your lack of a relationship. All he gave you for your birthday was a kriffin' rock!"
Obi-Wan scowled and practically leapt to his feet, "You don't understand! We don't need to have a close relationship in order to be a strong pairing….and that rock saved my life, I'll have you know!"
Bant shook her head in disbelief, "That rock might have saved you back then…but Qui-Gon will kill you. All it takes is a cut too deep and that's it! You need to speak to Master Yoda!"
Qui-Gon winced when Obi-Wan simply shook his head sadly, "Maybe…maybe that would be for the be-" He stopped in his tracks, "Never-mind…" he muttered, before seating himself back down and attempting to change the subject.
Qui-Gon turned to Master Yoda, "W-will he live…Obi-Wan? Tell me he makes it to knighthood!?"
The spirit simply sighed, "See an empty seat at the table, I do…a lightsaber with no owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, then die, your padawan will. But care, why should you, hmm? Only your student, he is. Your son, he is not."
Qui-Gon winced as his own words were thrown back at him, "Oh Obi-Wan…" he whispered sadly as he watched his padawan force a smile.
"Force bless us everyone…" chuckled the child as Garen began to tease Reeft.
Yoda tapped his stick against the ground and the scene blurred, leaving the training room far behind. When the room stopped swirling around, Qui-Gon found himself in the Council room, which had been all done up for the special occasion. Sitting in a circle were the Jedi Masters of the order, with Mace Windu pacing the floor.
"So you're thinking of an animal?" asked Master Plo Koon.
Mace Windu nodded, "Yes."
"A live animal?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi this time
"Yes."
"A rather disagreeable animal?" Master Piell
"Yes"
"A savage animal, hmmmm?" The real Master Yoda
Master Adi Gallia put her hand up, "Wait…is it an animal that grunts and growls?"
"Yes!"
"And lives on Coruscant?"
"Yes."
"A Thrantcill?"
"No…"
"A Hawk-bat?"
"No"
"A Pikobis?"
"No"
Master Fisto grinned, "Maybe an ass?"
Mace smirked, "Yes and no."
Everyone was silent for a while, before Kit Fisto suddenly jumped up in excitement, "Oh! I know! It's Master Qui-Gon Jinn!"
Mace chuckled, "You've got it!"
Qui-Gon's face fell as the Master's all laughed at his expense, as Adi shook her head in dismay, "I can't believe that man…how can someone so in tune with the Living Force ignore this time of the year? When the Force practically sings in joy?!" She sighed, "I have very little patience with him…"
Mace shook his head, "I have…I'm sorry for him."
The non-spirit Master Yoda nodded in agreement, "It is only he who suffers from his ill whims, yes? Dislikes us, he does. Come and dine with us, he won't. Only consequence there is, is that he loses a dinner."
The rest of the Masters nodded in agreement, and Mace smiled. "While he's certainly given us some merriment and it would be wrong of us not to drink to his health. He wouldn't take it from us, but he may have it nevertheless." He raised his glass, "To Qui-Gon!"
Qui-Gon simply stared at the ground as the scene went dark, until he and the spirit ended up on an unfamiliar plant, surrounded by rivers of molten lava. "Do you wish to hurt me spirit?" he whispered.
Master Yoda shook his head, turning to the side. "Introduce you to someone, I must." He crooked a finger and two children crawled out from behind a rock. One was a boy with pure white hair and the other was a girl, blonde hair tied into a pigtail…they were dirty, with tattered initiate robes that barely clung to the meager flesh that was on their bodies.
"Bruck? Siri?" Gasped Qui-Gon, taking a step back as he recognised Obi-Wan's old, recently-deceased bully and another classmate of his.
Master Yoda shook his head, "No…familiar forms they have taken…"
"Are they yours?"
"Man's, they are….Ignorance, the boy is. Want, the girl is. Beware of them, you should…"
The spirit flickered, causing it to stumble slightly as the lava spurted up into the air. Qui-Gon shook his head as the children crawled closer, "They must have a refuge or resources?!"
The boy seemed to age before his very eyes into the young man that Bruck had become, "Is this what the Jedi do? Send the failed padawan's to their death…or prison?!" A metal cage fell over the boy, trapping him as the girl aged.
A fully grown Siri stood before him, "Look at me Master…" she whispered, "…If I dare show any nasty emotion like love, the Jedi will shun me!" She screeched as she was dragged away by an invisible force.
Qui-Gon held out his hand in a desperate attempt to help…but soon, the images vanished as soon as they came. "I-I don't understand…" he whispered.
"Judge people too harshly, you should not. Too late it is, for some…but not for all."
The spirit flickered again and he sighed wearily, "Time it is, for me to go."
Qui-Gon opened his mouth to protest, flinching as another spurt of lave shot up into the air. However, the spirit held up his stick in a silent order for him to stop, "Stop this, you cannot. Leave you in capable hands, I do."
With these words, the spirit faded away…and Qui-Gon was left alone. Everything was silent…until the sounds of heavy, metallic breathing echoed in his ears.
