Darsant Avat
Message through the Force
Obi-Wan jolted out of bed, but the sense of danger did not ease. His master was light years away, and there was literally no one to go to.
That was fine, because Obi-Wan was old enough to take care of himself, except this time it was not Obi-Wan who needed to be taken care of. He ran for the comm. link despite knowing that it would not work. Qui-Gon had no reception.
Darn it! He knew how to diffuse the bomb! He knew how to stop the timer that controlled all the bombs, had seen Xanatos working on it and plant safety checks in case somehow the Sith got locked in that room with his master. He knew what to do, he just needed to somehow tell his master, but how did one send messages light years across the galaxy?
"Master Yoda! Master Yoda!"
The halls were only dimly lit, and Obi-Wan was racing in a manner unbecoming of a Jedi. Those in the corridors through him disapproving looks, but he ignored all of them. He had to get to the Grand Master as soon as possible.
"Master Yoda!" He slid to a halt and pounded on the door, "Master Yoda, please let me in! I need your help! It's Master Qui-Gon!"
When some time passed with no response, Obi-Wan realized that the Grand Master was not home.
Oh no. Where could he be? His master was losing time even as they spoke. What was Obi-Wan supposed to do?
"Is something the matter?"
Whirling around, Obi-Wan was stunned to silence at the sight of Master Sifo-Dyas. In the relatively empty halls, his presence was a bit more threatening than in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
"Padawan?"
Realizing the Jedi Master had asked him a question, the boy stammered, "I-I-I—my master, he's in trouble." How was he going to explain that he saw it in a dream? "I know what he should do but-but-but I don't know how to tell him."
"I see. Have you tried contacting him through your bond?"
"He's too far away," The boy exclaimed in distress, "And he's running out of time."
Master Sifo-Dyas was shaking his head, however. "Distance should not matter. Has he not taught you this?"
"…He's light years away, Master."
The man was still shaking his head. "For others, this would be a problem, but not for the two of you. Come. Time is of essence, but we cannot do what we need to do here."
Master Sifo-Dyas took Obi-Wan to his quarters. The padawan did not even have time to consider the wisdom of entering, because the elder Jedi was already steering him in and directing him to settle on the carpet.
"I need you to listen carefully, Padawan," The Jedi said gravely, "I need you to focus on the bond with your master until that is the only thing that exists; understand? Do not think about how unlikely this is, or how no one else can do it. Your master's life depends on your ability to send this message to him. In the Force, there is no such thing as light years away, or centuries ago. Focus on the bond until you are aware of nothing else."
"Like meditating?"
"Yes, exactly that. When you reach your master, you may feel disoriented. It will not clear up. You have to fight through the confusion and tell him what you need to say without being distracted by the novelty, or worry about where your conscience is. There will be time to analyze later, now is not the time."
Obi-Wan nodded, blowing out a shaky breath.
"And do not hurry," Master Sifo-Dyas warned him, "Follow my pace. I will guide you into the meditative state. After that, you are on your own."
Obi-Wan allowed himself to waver for only a second, before mentally joining with the Jedi Master and allowing himself to be pulled gently into the trance. The Force sparkled around him, and he sensed Master Sifo-Dyas do a double-take, but then continue to lead, gently diverting a path that would lead to the heart of the Force itself.
The training bond glowed like a living thing, and Obi-Wan reached for it, following the strong rope that was the connection between student and teacher. It was there, in his mind, regardless of wherever Master Qui-Gon was, but as he expected as he followed it, it began to fade, trailing into the distance and leading nowhere.
Do not think about how unlikely this is.
Still, what was he supposed to do?
Master Sifo-Dyas was nearby, but if Obi-Wan sought him, he would have to let go of the training bond, and who knew how long it would take to repeat the process. Besides, this was the training bond between Obi-Wan and his master, and it was not like Master Sifo-Dyas could follow the bond for him.
The boy mused, trying not to panic as precious seconds ticked by. He focused on the bond as if sending a message to Qui-Gon, wondering what that would do, and noted that the bond glowed, radiating with the presence that was coming from himself, and then seemed to grow, achingly slowly. He focused harder, imagining he was pushing his will through it, but the growth only sped up a little, and as it moved it became harder and harder to focus, to narrow his concentration to it, as if he were climbing a hill that grew steeper with every step. In frustration, he started relenting to see if there was another way, but as he did the bond started shrinking rapidly back to its original length.
Do not hurry.
The timer was ticking, Obi-Wan had lost time seeking Master Yoda and then more time as Master Sifo-Dyas brought him here. Still, there was no telling just when the dream's events had taken place. It was possible that there are premonitions, dreams that foreshadow the future, and what he saw light years away had yet to happen. Besides, when one meditates in the Force, time becomes skewed, and could appear to pass slowly or quickly, depending on the trance. There was no way to tell how much time Obi-Wan was spending here.
I'll just do my best, The boy thought, And pray I get to him on time. Far better to focus with what he had, rather than lose it all.
With that, the padawan disregarded everything else. He ignored the tingling of the Force in the trance, the edges and bubbles and jingling that had always filled his consciousness every time he meditated, his attention entirely focused on the bond and where it led. Laughter beckoned, song and music, colors and shadows, comets, moons, planets, and stars, but Obi-Wan ignored them all. He focused on the bond growing and made sure it was doing just that.
When it switched to Master Qui-Gon's Force presence, the change was dramatic and startling. There was a flare of alarm from his master's side, and Obi-Wan thought he caught a hint of Bruck Chun's presence nearby.
Obi-Wan? His master seemed to wonder, He can't be here!
Obi-Wan had been focusing on the bond for so long and so attentively that for a moment he completely forgot what he was doing, or why he was doing it. He felt very detached, like his mind had somehow drifted away from his body and was now far away. There was a sudden sense that if he somehow let go that he would be lost, and he would never find his body again, and with that thought everything seemed to spin and the bond began to fade.
No! Wait, Obi-Wan had to tell his master, even as his focus began to waver. He had to do this fast, before he lost all sense of himself. Even as his mind narrowed to the task at hand, the boy felt like he was forgetting who he was, or where he was.
Master Qui-Gon! He called out, not even sure if his master could hear or understand him, but he had no time to confirm, You have to diffuse the bomb! You have to mend the broken circle, make it complete again! There's another timer outside the room that links to the other bombs, you have to get ionite around that to stop the timer and you can diffuse that bomb the normal way, but for this one you have to mend the circle! Can you hear me?
He sensed acknowledgment from his master, despite the fact that the man never answered. With that, Obi-Wan's focus completely decayed, and he was suddenly spiraling through the energies of the Force, a dizzying whiplash back to where he originally was. He felt like he was thrown off a skyscraper and falling, unable to control where he went, with no mental capacity left to figure anything out.
Master Sifo-Dyas wrapped his presence around Obi-Wan just as he went past, pulling him in place. They surged out of the meditation. Obi-Wan opened his eyes to see a blur of spinningcolors. What Kit would call the mother of all headaches pounded in his skull, nausea gathered like a tight knot in his stomach, and he could not tell if he was upright or not.
There was a garble of sound that he could not interpret, and sensations he could not identify. Everything in him seemed to be shutting down, and he was not even sure he was breathing. Was he dying? This kind of felt awful.
And then everything became heavy and still.
"Saved your life, he has," Yoda stated, as Qui-Gon felt his padawan's smooth hand. Obi-Wan was sleeping very deeply, enough that the bustle of the healing wing did nothing to rouse him.
"He nearly put Obi-Wan in a coma."
"No harm, he meant your padawan," Said the Grand Master.
"I'd rather die than risk Obi-Wan's life. He ought to know this."
"Hm, yes, but need you, young Kenobi does. Where will he be, without you, hm? A reason, there was, that vision came to him, instead of you."
"I was fighting a Sith Lord. I wasn't exactly open to the Unifying Force at the time."
"Know that, you do not. After Xanatos fled, come to you, a vision could have, but did not. Instead, to your padawan, it went, and now, communicate across light years, you can."
Qui-Gon stared incredulously at Yoda. "I'm not letting Obi-Wan try something like this again. Not after what it did to him."
"Stronger, he will grow," The Grand Master replied, "Safer, it will be."
Qui-Gon was not sure he believed that, but he kept his silence on that matter.
"In the Corps now, Young Chun is?"
"Yes." Frankly, Qui-Gon did not want to even think about that boy.
"Hm." Yoda's ears drooped. "Much potential, that youngling had. Shame, it is."
"Aren't they all," Qui-Gon remarked dryly, without sympathy, "They all come here with much potential. Every single one. At least he won't harass my padawan any longer."
Yoda was silent, and they studied the boy, who slept on.
"Force," Qui-Gon sighed, rubbing his eyes, "I can't believe I nearly lost him. I can't decide if I'd rather have had him with me against Xanatos or here with Sifo-Dyas."
"Mean harm, Sifo-Dyas did not," Yoda pointed out, "For the best, this is. In no danger, Kenobi is. Rest, you should."
Qui-Gon nodded solemnly as Yoda then turned away.
"…Anything?"
It was that frustrated Jedi again, this time in the temple archives on Coruscant. He was following a Mon Calamari who looked exactly like Padawan Eerin, except much older. She blinked her large eyes sadly, her wide lips drooping.
"The closest I came was this entry that was once accessed by Obi's master, Qui-Gon Jinn. It talks about a phenomenon called 'Darsant Avat', or Plague of Forces. You can look at it if you want, but it doesn't say much."
"I want to see it."
The boy was handsome, Qui-Gon decided. Tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, with a strong profile and strong features, but also elegant and graceful in his form rather than bulky. He wore robes of sleek black that made him look sharp and lean, which was a contrast to his more haggard appearance the first time Qui-Gon had seen him. He also looked less exhausted than the first vision, suggesting to Qui-Gon that this scene took place sometime before the first one.
Everything about him radiated youth, but in this vision he also radiated power. There was passion in his aura, but there was so much aura, all held together by a tenuous grasp of will that could shatter at any moment.
If this child fell to the dark side, the galaxy was doomed.
The Mon Calamari led Anakin to one of the computers and some time passed as he searched and read, his brows coming together in a morbid frown.
"Why Obi-Wan?"
"I don't know, Knight Skywalker."
The boy slammed the table. Obviously use to his antics, the Mon Calamari did not even flinch.
There was a silence, save for Anakin's heavy breathing, like he was trying not to cry or start a tantrum, or maybe both.
"I remember when I first met him," He said softly, "He came into the shop, and he was so kind. He felt so kind. I didn't know anything about the Force and I didn't know he was a Jedi but he was just different. Bright. I didn't know what I wanted then, exactly, but I think I had wanted him to stay, wanted to see him again, and when Watto was trying to trick him I thought he was going to leave—I was so worried he was going to leave and that was that. The life of a slave…you're always leaving people. I was fortunate in that I was allowed to stay with my mother, but not all slaves were so blessed. It was so silly." He bowed his head. "I didn't know what I was hoping for. Maybe find a friend in him. It's so absurd. Why did I want to befriend some guy I just met? I guess it was the Force. He was always different though. Different as a person, different as a Jedi." He paused again. "I don't think I know anyone else who is nearly as wise. He just knows…people. Knows the galaxy, not just in terms of math, or science, or history and location, but he knows…sentients. Even Master Yoda is removed from the rest of the galaxy. Obi-Wan…doesn't just know. He understands." He let out a slow, quiet breath. "Everyone liked him."
"As far as I know," The Mon Calamari said quietly, "Obi's master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had been fighting this sort of thing ever since he was a padawan. There was one time when we were young—he was nine and just apprenticed, there was this twi'lek bounty huntress who was using the Force to murder people. She had never seen Obi, had never heard of him, but somehow she knew him. She said the darkness wanted him. It caused a huge stir in the temple, and for a while all the masters stopped what they were doing to investigate. We all thought this ended after a while, Obi-Wan was strong in the Force and he works hard, we thought he could protect himself from whatever is going on."
Anakin suddenly leaned forward. "Did Master Jinn ever go to the Shaman of the Whills?"
Obi-Wan woke feeling like he had slept for a decade. Master Qui-Gon's presence was now comfortably close, and he smiled sleepily as he blinked his eyes open.
"Hi Master," He said softly, a bit surprised at how feeble he sounded.
Master Qui-Gon leaned close at his call. "Hello Padawan," He reached out to stroke back Obi-Wan's hair, "How are you feeling?"
"Mm…" He blinked, a bit confused at his surroundings. "What happened?"
His master paused for a moment. "You don't remember?"
Remember…? Obi-Wan's face broke into a grin. "It worked!" He then grimaced, "But the headache was awful!" He felt it through his entire being, like he had been yanked abruptly over and over again. In fact, parts of his body still felt misaligned, and he shifted his arms and legs a bit to make sure he still had control over his body.
His master's smile was strangely sad. "How do you feel now?"
"Mm…alright, tired. Why do I feel so tired?"
"You over-exerted yourself," Master Qui-Gon said quietly. "What you did was very dangerous when you're not ready."
"Oh." Obi-Wan frowned a little. "Well, I didn't have another choice."
His master stroked Obi-Wan's hair again.
"Thank you, Padawan," He said softly, "You saved my life, as well as Initiate Chun's."
Obi-Wan grinned. "You'll stop getting yourself into trouble now, Master?"
A snort. "Brat." Then the elder Jedi leaned close. "Next time be more careful. Excess of anything is dangerous, even the span of communication. Just be more careful, alright?"
Obi-Wan nodded, more solemn now. He could tell his master had been very worried.
"I want to go to the Shaman of the Whills."
Yoda's ears flickered slowly, while Ki-Adi Mundi folded his arms.
"The Ancient Order of the Whills does not see just anyone."
"They will see me," Qui-Gon said with confidence. "I would not be surprised if they had expected me sooner." Perhaps years ago.
"The Sith Lord is still at large," Said Ki-Adi, glancing at Yoda, "Perhaps they might help with the matter."
Qui-Gon found it a bit startling to realize that he had not even thought about that. Anyone else would, because no one else knew what he knew. As a proper Jedi, Qui-Gon had remained on Bandomeer to try to trace Xanatos, but once it was obvious he had lost the Sith Lord, his main priority had been his padawan.
In retrospect, he should have just come back to Coruscant as soon as he dropped Chun off at the Corps, especially if all the searching was to be fruitless anyway…but Qui-Gon was not the type to dwell in the past, and what was done was done.
"Doubtful, I am," Yoda shook his head, "But attempt this, we may. Take young Kenobi, will you?"
Should he? Obi-Wan was still recovering from Force exhaustion. The boy spent most of his time sleeping in order to restore his mental capacity. He only woke up to eat, and he ate mostly carbohydrates in order to replenish his brain. Qui-Gon was still biting his tongue and watching out for brain damage. So far it seemed like the boy was fine, but if anything was wrong…he did not know what he would do.
"I'm not sure. He's not at full health. I do not know if that is wise."
"Not a physical injury, this is," Yoda pointed out, "Transport, he can withstand."
"Why take the padawan?" Ki-Adi asked, looking at the elder master in bemusement.
"Hm," Yoda chose not to answer, "Up to you, this is."
"I'll think about it," Qui-Gon murmured.
Yoda hobbled away on his stick, while Ki-Adi waited behind.
"The issues you were dealing with when you first bonded with the boy," He remarked, "They never did go away, did they?"
"What do you mean?"
"I remember how you were," The other Jedi shook his tall head, "It is obvious, however, that the Force had engineered this on purpose. Communication over light years is not unheard of, but they come rarely. The fact that the youngster managed to do it…either young Kenobi is very stubborn, or the bond between you two is extraordinary."
Qui-Gon did not reply. He was preoccupied with deciding whether or not to take Obi-Wan with him. There should be no harm, really, the child could just sleep on the transport, but at the same time transport induces a lot of stress, whether or not one was aware of it.
"Perhaps it was a combination of both," Ki-Adi finished. "Perhaps the young padawan is destined to defeat the evil that threatens the galaxy now."
That did not feel right, and Qui-Gon could tell that Ki-Adi thought the same.
"If his purpose is that, it would likely be indirect."
Like a teacher.
"Hm," Said Ki-Adi, "Well, whatever you decide, Master Jinn, may the Force be with you." He inclined his head briefly, before departing.
Qui-Gon wavered for a while, before heading to see his padawan.