Darsant Avat

Fun in Alderaan

Qui-Gon did not know what he was like when he got his first candy, but he imagined this was what it must have felt like. Alderaan was a gorgeous planet, with architecture structured around its rich natural landscapes, and if there was a single word that could describe the planet, it was art. Pure art, in its terrains, the people and their clothing, the buildings, the music, the language and literature, and the philosophy of the society.

It was every bit as sophisticated as Coruscant, but with less of its congestion and the millions of different sentients that crowded the center of the Republic. Alderaan breathed beauty and grace and fresh, open air. It was less worldly—no planet could be as worldly as Coruscant, but it was refined, and a wonderful way to ease a child like Obi-Wan away from the state-of-the-art modernizations of Coruscant to more nature-inclined environments. His little one gaped at the planet as they descended, eyes wide as if trying to take in as much as possible, and through their training bond the Force sang in excitement. When they alighted from the ship, the boy seemed almost disoriented, his young signature stretching out into the vast Force around them, and he clung to Qui-Gon's hand as if afraid he would float away without an anchor.

It made Qui-Gon wonder if perhaps a person strong in the Unifying Force felt as disoriented by the Living Force as he had been when he first dreamed.

"How come the Jedi don't train on Alderaan? Wouldn't it be better? It would be like an entire planet-sized Room of A Thousand Fountains!"

"Well, there are people who live on Alderaan, so we wouldn't be able to use the whole planet."

"Oh." Obi-Wan tripped, and tugged on Qui-Gon to keep himself upright. "Well, but still! This place is amazing! Can we convince the Council to move?"

Qui-Gon was having a hard time smothering his chuckles by the time the two of them approached their hosts.

"Prince Antilles," He inclined his head, and likewise acknowledged the nineteen-year-old Bail Organa who appeared to have driven himself and his father here, "Thank you for picking us up. Obi-Wan, this is His Highness, Prince Bail Antilles, also senator of Alderaan, Viceroy Organa, and his son, Bail Organa. This is my padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan bowed, looking a bit awed.

"You two have the same name!"

The prince, clearly not expecting such a forward child among the Jedi, blinked in surprise at this.

"Why, yes, we do share the same name," He said.

"Were you named after him?" Obi-Wan asked Bail Organa. Since this was not a mission, the boy was not required to do research, and therefore could not have known that the Antilles and Organa households had been feuding not long before and there was no way an Organa would name their son after an Antilles.

"I wouldn't say that," The senior Organa recovered more quickly than the others, "Bail is a fairly favored name in Alderaan, Padawan Kenobi."

"It's like posting bail!"

Qui-Gon had no idea nine-year-olds would already know about court procedures, and gently pulled his little one back before he could inadvertently insult the two Bails. Not that the three of them were likely to be offended, judging from the thoroughly diverted expressions on all three faces and their corresponding escorts.

"He's not like other padawans," The viceroy noted as they boarded the vessel to fly to his estate. "Then again, most of them are older, but they have such grave personalities. Perhaps it is because I've never seen them on vacation?"

"He's special," Qui-Gon readily agreed, "Most nine-year-old initiates aren't like him."

"I thought most rich people have ca-ca-caperonis," Obi-Wan was saying to the junior Organa. "Does Alderaan not have caperonis?"

"Caperonis?" Bail Organa was thoroughly confused. "Do you mean chaperones?"

"Jedi children are still children, eh?" The viceroy smirked as Obi-Wan, equally nonplussed, proceeded to spell the word correctly—it turned out he had never heard the word pronounced out loud. "Destined to risk life and limb for the galaxy, but as children they are like any other. Bail for court, indeed! It's amazing how young minds work, isn't it?"

Despite the kind spirit of the comment, Qui-Gon found himself feeling a little sour. "We all risk life and limb for the galaxy, in our own way."

"True." The viceroy sensed his displeasure. "No life is better or worse than another, ultimately."

Qui-Gon chose not to comment on the slavery and ignominy he had seen as a Jedi; it would kill the mood completely.

The skyways on Alderaan were less congested than in Coruscant, and within less than half an hour they left the main area of the city. Obi-Wan might have been a little drugged from the sensation of the Living Force all around him, because Qui-Gon could swear the little one was not quite so fidgety and squirmy at the temple.

"What are those?" he pointed.

"Those are nerfs," Said Bail Organa, with some alarm, "You've never seen nerfs before?"

"Not in real life," Obi-Wan pointed out, "Where would I see them?"

Qui-Gon had a sense that he should be feeling embarrassed on behalf of his Order's child-rearing methods.

"Well nerfs are everywhere in the galaxy. We should take you to the wildlife park; you'll see many different fauna there."

"What's 'fauna'?"

"Animals, my padawan," Qui-Gon explained.

"Is that an Alderaan word?"

"No," The viceroy looked a bit nostalgic, "That's a Basic word, son."

"Fau-na," Obi-Wan frowned a little, "How's that spelled?" Once he was told, he then said, "They look strong enough to carry Master Qui-Gon! Can you ride them?"

Qui-Gon scowled as the two other men openly laughed at this. "Are you calling me fat, Obi-Wan?"

"What?" The boy blinked, "No. You're just big and heavy."

This inspired another round of laughter, made all the more hysterical by the fact that Obi-Wan had no idea why it was so funny.

"We should have more Jedi younglings come over," The prince said to the viceroy.

"That would be great!" Obi-Wan chirped at this, "I was telling Master earlier that we should train on Alderaan instead! It's much better than Coruscant!"

"You think so?" The viceroy remarked fondly.

"Oh yes, it's so nice and pretty here. Coruscant is loud and noisy and they do so much work to keep the Room of a Thousand Fountains quiet. On Alderaan they wouldn't need to!"

The viceroy's son snorted. "Can you imagine the tourist advertisements?"

"And then," Obi-Wan was planting his face against the window, "During breaks we can go ride nerfs." He was clearly warming up to the idea.

"What do you do during breaks on Coruscant?" Asked the prince.

"We go to the mall! But we need to go in groups, with a padawan or knight to es-es-escort us, or we go play in the courtyard, which is easier. The mall is no fun, it's just a lot of stores and food, and we can't buy any of them because we have no allowance like normal people," Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose in distaste, as if he had any true inkling of what normal people were like.

I need to take him to Dexter's. It had been a while since he last went to the Besalisk cook. Once they return to Coruscant, he would have to make sure to do that.

"What games do you play in the courtyard, Padawan?" Bail Organa asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"We play tag," His little one replied, "And hide and seek. And we spar, with sticks instead of training sabers, because we're only allowed to use those in the salles, and the salles get smelly. We also play push-feather—that's when we try to push each other off-balance with the Force, and we have tournaments for that too. I'm bad at them." Oafy-Wan, the name echoed faintly through the training bond, and Qui-Gon realized this was how the child got his nickname. "There's also this really tall tree and we race to see who climbs up the fastest—no one's ever been to the top. We use our sabers to carve our initials into the bark…" The little one chattered happily for the rest of the ride, constantly astounding the three Alderaanians with little hints of life at the temple that no one else would have revealed.

"My wife will love this kid," The viceroy said to Qui-Gon.

OoO

The entire Organa family adored Obi-Wan, even the thirteen-year-old sister of Bail Organa, who initially had doubts as to how approachable Jedi padawans were. Lunch was a hastened affair that was primarily taken up by the children, and the teenagers, with the exception of Bail and his older sister, took off with Obi-Wan to play somewhere and perhaps demand some demonstrations of Force tricks from the little one.

"Oh he is absolutely adorable, Master Jinn!" The viceroy's wife exclaimed, "You are under orders to bring him by and visit us again after this."

Qui-Gon laughed, "As you wish, my lady. We will certainly try—Obi-Wan has taken an instant liking to the planet."

"Indeed," The prince agreed, "He wanted to move the Jedi Order here."

"Indeed? Well that boy has good sense, I tell you! Oh this makes me want another one!"

"Another one?" The prince grinned, "Your youngest is but thirteen!"

"I am allowed to be greedy once in a while," She declared, inspiring a round of mirth and agreement. "Oh but he is a darling! Master Jinn, you are a lucky, lucky man."

Jedi did not believe in luck, but Qui-Gon nodded to the spirit of her words. "I am indeed, my lady."

Hours later, Obi-Wan joined Qui-Gon, looking exhausted. "This place is big! They took me on a tour! They have a pool that looks like a lake, and these water birds, and…" He then listed all the sights as if Qui-Gon had never visited the place himself. "They have such great ships in the hangar! Do the Jedi have those ships? Can I fly one of them while we're here?"

"Do you even know how to fly?" Qui-Gon asked past his dumbfounded shock at the little one's audacity.

"It can't be that hard right?"

The viceroy and the prince were snickering behind their hands.

"No," Said Qui-Gon, "You cannot fly other people's ships, Obi-Wan."

"Aw," But his padawan did not beg. "They were really nice ships."

"I'm sure they are."

"My son can fly you around, if you want, Padawan Kenobi," The viceroy was still laughing.

"Really?" Obi-Wan grinned, "I would like that."

"Don't encourage him, I beg you," Qui-Gon could not help smirking as he spoke, "I think this young rascal is rambunctious enough as it is."

Obi-Wan frowned at the term, not sure what it meant but certain it was not something complimentary, while the viceroy's wife insisted, "You have not seen 'rambunctious', Master Jedi, until you've seen what our Bail was always up to when he was your little one's age. Little boys will be little boys."

A silence somehow descended, quiet enough that when Obi-Wan's stomach growled, everyone heard it.

"It's like clockwork," Qui-Gon marveled at his blushing child.

"There's our cue!" Said the viceroy's wife, "Bail, would you go call your sisters?"

Qui-Gon bent down to press a kiss on top of Obi-Wan's head. Despite his earlier remark, Obi-Wan had not stepped out of the bounds of a child guest, and seeing the reactions of other people gave him a new perspective of just what kind of youngling he had claimed as his padawan. Obi-Wan's signature hummed with excitement, but for all his enthusiasm he still showed the kind of restraint any Jedi should be proud of.

It was courage, curiosity, coupled with genuine politeness borne from actual consideration of others. These were not attributes every child was born with, or could really cultivate through nurture. Everything about his padawan was honest and true. It must be refreshing for politicians as well, to deal with someone so guileless. Qui-Gon knew that both the prince and the viceroy were far less manipulative with Obi-Wan than they would be with others, and tolerated the boy's sometimes tactless insights with gentle affection.

"I am interested in seeing what kind of man he becomes," Said the prince, as they made their way to dinner. "I know Jedi often frown upon being…less than Jedi, I suppose, but I must ask you, Master Jinn, to consider that perhaps your padawan does not have to lose this aspect of himself."

Qui-Gon knew that the prince would not bother stating this if he were not truly moved by the boy's charm. It was risky, telling a master to his face that the Jedi child-rearing ways might be wrong. He was fortunate that Qui-Gon was not considered an orthodox Jedi.

"I would argue that this was why the Force chose me to train him." Qui-Gon watched as the little one was led off by the girls to a separate room to dine. "As a Jedi, I am not really the best one to train him, but as I told my colleagues, I might be the better one to raise him."

"Raise him well," The prince nodded, "And the training will take care of itself. You can never teach someone everything, but raise them well, and you'll grant them the ability to learn what they need."

Sometimes Qui-Gon is still surprised by how much insight non-Force-sensitives had, especially since despite his best attempts, he still does not always expect them to have any.

OoO

"Dare I ask how much fun you two are having?" Tahl's voice was a bit wry when he commed her that night. On Coruscant it was early in the morning, before breakfast.

"The boy loves it here," Said Qui-Gon, "He's rather excited, but one can't blame him. He's already stolen the hearts of the Organas, as well as Prince Antilles, and I expect at the princess's birthday banquet next week, he'll be stealing the hearts of all the important figures in Alderaan."

"Yoda says to behave yourselves," She replied, "And I say that too, more to you than to Obi-Wan; Force knows he's better than you. You're a troublemaker."

Qui-Gon only smirked.

"Any episodes?"

"It's evening here, we'll figure out how things go tonight," Qui-Gon sighed, "Hopefully this break will help stabilize everything. If not, I guess we'll have to muddle through."

"Well I hope you two enjoy yourselves while you're there," Said Tahl, "We don't get opportunities to simply relax all that much in our style of life. The trio miss Obi-Wan, they'll want him to contact them at some point."

"Oh, so you're keeping track of the three remaining youngsters now?"

"What can I say? They're adorable."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Any news to the temple that I should be informed about?"

"No. We're still looking through the archives, will tell you once we learn anything. Mace told me to warn you that you'll be working extra hard once you're back. Authsola might be returning soon though, you can snatch her for baby-sitting duty."

"Wonderful." Qui-Gon missed his second padawan. "Tell the council that if she gets sent out before I return, I'll throw a fit they'll never hear the end of."

"Oh I'm sure I don't need to tell them. Take care, Qui."

"You too, Tahl."

OoO

Obi-Wan slept curled up next to Qui-Gon that night. Despite being thoroughly worn out from the excitement of the day, sleep was a frightening experience for him, not because of any particular dream, but because the openness of the Living Force on Alderaan was so vast, the world so quiet, that child was rattled and a bit nervous of sleeping alone. The little one had not learned how to reach across the training bond in dreams, and needed the proximity to anchor himself to Qui-Gon the way Qui-Gon had to Obi-Wan that first night.

It was the first time Qui-Gon lied down next to his little one this way—in the past he had always drawn up a chair, but the Jedi Master had been too tired to do so this time. There was a comfort in actually feeling the little body near him, hearing the heavy breathing that came from a child who was sleeping very deeply. He was aware that he was becoming attached, and that he was allowing the boy to become attached to him, but it seemed a small price to pay. Live in the moment, he always said, it was always said to him, others always said, and in the moment he was completely and absolutely content. The Force was satisfied and at peace, his little one was sleeping next to him, and he had the most restful slumber of his own since bonding with his padawan.

Despite this, he was soon roused when he sensed something wrong with the youngster. Obi-Wan burned with a mild fever, and soon woke himself, murmuring that his stomach felt upset.

Desynchronosis, Qui-Gon knew. Not only did Alderaan have a different sleep cycle, it was also a completely different environment, with different magnetic orientations, all of which could stress the body of a young child. It was not a serious matter, but Obi-Wan was miserable, and Qui-Gon found himself spending about an hour using the Force to soothe the child.

His other padawans had been sick under his care before, but somehow it was different with Obi-Wan, probably because the boy was so young, probably because the boy was so lovable. For Feemor or Authsola, he would have just cured them and be done with that, but for Obi-Wan he stayed awake and watched him. He had that privilege, a privilege that would have been reserved for this boy's true parents, but they had given him up and there was no one to watch over the child for all those years before Qui-Gon came along.

One's loss is another's gain, Qui-Gon thought, before tucking the boy close to him.

OoO

"Oh this is disgusting," Bail Organa declared, "How can he stand to touch that nerf?"

Nerfs were, Qui-Gon had to admit, unpleasant creatures. They smelled, they drooled, and they were all-around gross. Obi-Wan, true to all young boys, did not care so much about this, instead focusing on the fact that there was a living animal in front of him that had a mind of its own that he did not fully understand. The fever from the previous night had passed, leaving the child good as new by morning.

"He wants to ride the beast." The child did not know how to influence the animal through the Force yet. Qui-Gon was not too worried, however. The creature was tolerating the child the way any animal would when harassed by a smaller, benign being, and the Force did not warn of any danger to his padawan.

"He better get out of those clothes once he's done. There are tons of insects and other nasty things growing under their coats. Even our best efforts can't get them all out."

"Jedi do have spares, sir."

The teen chuckled at this. "Oh, I'm sure. And even if he ruins all of them, we have plenty of spares."

Qui-Gon was so distracted by the conversation that he almost missed when the child abruptly used the Force to persuade the beast to hold still for him—a technique most initiates were not taught.

"Well!" Bail blinked, "Would you look at that! He sat on it."

"He figured it out…" Qui-Gon blinked in surprise. What do you know? He always knew Obi-Wan was intelligent, but he is still always thrilled every time when the youngster accomplishes something unexpected.

"Master!" Obi-Wan waved over at them, "Come here and ride with me!"

"Oh no!" Qui-Gon laughed, "You have fun, little one." He was fond of all living things, but frankly there were creatures he knew better than to approach.

Obi-Wan rode for nearly an hour before coming to them smelling like nerf. After a quick change, the three went hiking, with Bail in the lead. In the wilderness, Obi-Wan behaved as if he were on a sugar high, constantly running off to take a closer look at this and that. It occurred to Qui-Gon that this was perhaps why Alderaan had not been the chosen planet to build the Jedi Temple on, but he could not bring himself to feel true annoyance at his child's exuberance.

Honestly, it made him feel young, just to see the sheer joy his padawan emanated as he took in their surroundings.

Halfway through the hike, they stopped for a quick picnic, where Obi-Wan wrestled with Bail. The boy was considerate enough not to use the Force, and Bail was correspondingly considerate enough not to use his height to his advantage too much. Afterwards, Obi-Wan tested the last of his strength on Qui-Gon, and they completed the rest of the hike with the child exhausted and spent. He had the grace not to complain, but weariness had a way of messing with coordination, and it was not long before the boy fell and sprained his ankle. Qui-Gon ended up carrying the child on his back for the rest of the way to prevent further injury. By the time they arrived at the speeder, the boy was fast asleep.

"You're not like most Jedi Masters," Bail observed, as they gently arranged the child to sleep in the back seats. "Most masters are rather…aloof, to their padawans. I guess it's because they tend to be older, but most don't seem to be all that fond of them either. I always thought they didn't care, that much. It's frankly odd to see you two. You Jedi give the impression that you're…not normal, to put it lightly."

"I suppose most of us try to project that image," said Qui-Gon, "We have ideals we do our best to adhere to." The words sounded bitter on his tongue, but he still said them, "We train the children to die for the galaxy. It does not help to have attachments."

"But you don't agree."

Qui-Gon was not sure how to reply; he had certainly not grown attached to Feemor and Authsola, fond of them as he is. With Obi-Wan, it was just…different. The boy was different, first of all, and their relationship veered in a similar way.

"Obi-Wan…isn't like other younglings." Not even outside the Order.

"No, he isn't," Said the teen, "I don't think I was nearly as likeable when I was nine years old. He's a sweet kid."

For some reason, these words filled Qui-Gon with a profound melancholy.

"Well, you know what they say," Bail started up the speeder, "It's not the length but the quality. Anything can happen in the future—what matters is we make the most of the present."

Funny how even non-Force-sensitives know to live in the moment, Qui-Gon thought, turning around to look at his sleeping child.

"He'll be alright," Said Bail, "I don't know about the Force, nor people, really, but I do know that those like him—there is a saying I once read, I don't know from which planet or culture, but it says that for those with good hearts, though they may not meet good turns, are far removed from misfortune, whereas those with evil hearts, though they may not meet misfortune, are far away from good turns. He's a good kid. The Force favors those like him, right?"

Qui-Gon could hardly argue, given that the Force was driving him personally insane in order to protect its darling child.

Odd how he did not mind this at all.

OoO

The next day they went to a museum, where Obi-Wan befriended old people while Qui-Gon and the viceroy's son watched across the room.

"What is it about old people and kids?" Bail asked, reminding Qui-Gon of Obi-Wan's question about Yoda. "What kind of astounds me isn't that old people like kids, but kids like old people."

"They do say that the elderly regress and become like children. They connect better, I think."

"That's what's so astounding."

"They're more alike," Said Qui-Gon, "Both less than their prime, two sides of the curve. Vulnerable, similar tempers, lower stamina, and equally distanced from death—the young just emerged into life, and the old are heading back the direction from whence they came. Also, it's reciprocation. Seniors are fond of juniors, so juniors return the favor."

"I suppose," Said Bail.

Obi-Wan was, frankly, enjoying all the attention, but he was handling it gracefully. The youngster's open nature was a reflection on his master, and Qui-Gon found himself the center of interest for many other visitors of the museum. It was decidedly more awkward to talk to people who were not Jedi, however—so much of a Jedi's life revolved around the Force, which none of the others could sense, and it was not long before people left both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan alone simply because they could not understand them.

The boy did not mind this at all, taking the opportunity to side close to his master as they traversed the many rooms.

"Why are there so many naked people?" Obi-Wan asked him, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Are people on Alderaan naked all the time?"

Bail choked. Qui-Gon honestly had no idea how to answer this question.

"The initiates went on field trips to museums on Coruscant, didn't they?"

"Uh-huh?"

"There weren't any such pictures there? No such sculptures?"

"Well, there are," Obi-Wan said reasonably, "But there are a lot of them in this museum!" He looked at Bail. "But I don't see naked Alderaanians everywhere."

Bail sputtered. "It's—Master Jinn," He turned to Qui-Gon for help, but the Jedi Master was not going to take the blow for him. "It's a study of figure, Padawan. It's to illustrate ideals. It's an artist's job to portray the beauty in everything, including…naked people."

As far as explanations went, it was neither the greatest nor the worst. Obi-Wan seemed to accept this though, and Qui-Gon did not feel like elaborating.

"How come there aren't paintings of naked Jedi at the temple?"

This little one seemed determined to break Qui-Gon's composure.

"I don't know, my padawan," Qui-Gon then added, evilly, "Why don't you ask Master Yoda?"