Disclaimer:... yeah. Anything you recognize isn't mine. A few changes, a few ideas, and a single character(for now) are mine though.
Chapter 6: Back on Courscant
The Masters weren't sure what to make of Padawan Kenobi, nor what to do with him. It had been a topic of discussion in the Council since the death of Qui-Gon. Should they put him under a new master, or have him take his Trials? Was he ready? Now that he was standing before them, their initial leaning was being tested. The young man who stood before them now was not the same man who had left for Naboo two weeks earlier. They hadn't expected him to be, but the change they saw in him now was greater than they had expected. He was more grounded in the Force, more confident, and there was a spark of defiance in his gray eyes. "I am ready to take my Trials," he said with confidence.
"Great change in you, I sense. Know the cause, you do?" Yoda asked, mindful still of Rae's 'prediction'. Obi-Wan squared his jaw and lifted his head, back straight and posture perfect.
"I do. And more importantly, so do you, Masters," he said. Yoda nodded.
"Was it the girl?" Windu asked, still a bit stung by Rae's tirade against him. Obi-Wan gave a small smile.
"Rae is something else, and part of the reason, yes. But that was not all of it. I have already gone through a Trial, Masters. The loss of Master Qui-Gon to the Sith Apprentice, for Rae confirmed Maul was the Apprentice, brought me close to the Dark Side. As you can see, I made it through without falling. I feel it would be best for me to complete the Trials and become a Knight," he said.
"Train the boy, you wish to," Yoda said. Obi-Wan nodded.
"I feel I am the only choice for his master, Masters. No-one else would be able to guide him properly. He is too used to his emotions. He needs to work through them, before releasing them into the Force. I doubt he can at the moment. He cares deeply for those who get close to him, thought it is hard to earn his trust. Once you have his trust, he is loyal. Once he is loyal, he will break you, completely and utterly, if you betray him. He will destroy you if you break his trust... because it will destroy him," he said, relating what Rae had told him on the ship back. She had told him some about the Anakin she had watched back in her home... whatever. He couldn't say 'world' because it would make it seem as if she were from the same universe, which she wasn't. The Masters weren't quite convinced. "Ask Rae if you do not believe me," Obi-Wan added. That got Yoda and Windu to sit up and take notice. They had had 'words' with Rae back on Naboo, and neither wanted to have a repeat, though Yoda had been amused by Rae's dressing down of Mace.
"Rae's assurance needed, it is not," Yoda said. Obi-wan smirked, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Yoda huffed, looking away, and Obi-Wan chuckled.
"Ah~. She has that effect, doesn't she?" he said playfully. Mace snickered.
"If promised words, you were, as happy, you would not be," Yoda remarked. Mace was silent and grave immediately. Obi-Wan snickered for a moment. The other Masters were baffled.
"Masters... who would take me on as a Padawan? I am too old to be passed off onto another. Is it really so hard to arrange my Trails?" the Jedi asked. The Masters knew he had a point. There was really only one choice available to them.
/*/
Obi-Wan was amazed. He had passed his Trials. He was a Knight. And today was the day he had his braid cut off. He requested Rae to be there for the Knighting, and the Masters knew if they refused, she would know. It seemed her ability to know had grown and was now randomly spontaneous. To be honest, it was terrifying, but of course the Jedi Council wouldn't admit to that. They had their dignity. And so, there she was, standing where Qui-Gon would have if he had lived to see his Padawan Knighted. Once Yoda's lightsaber sliced through the braid, Obi-Wan picked it up and turned to Rae. "I would be honored if you would accept this, Rae. You gave me comfort and support after Qui-Gon's death and were the reason he was able to properly say good bye before he died," he said, holding out his braid. Rae was a little choked up, but she smiled and nodded, taking the thin braid and twisting it into a bracelet.
"I'm honored, Obi-Wan. I will keep it safe," she said, slipping it onto her wrist and tightening it to make sure it wouldn't slip off. The council was a bit mystified that she'd wear the braid. Then again, it was Rae, and Rae was incomprehensible. Obi-Wan smiled and bowed to the Masters before leading her out.
/*/
"Well, I think we shocked them," Obi-Wan said as he helped Rae into a speeder. She chuckled.
"That, Obi-Wan, is far too easy to do," she said, a sparkle in her eye. He chuckled. He loved how she made him feel. How she could strip away his calm Jedi mask and make him chuckle and scowl and gasp and feel. She was spunky, funny, tough, and just about perfect for him. He sighed as he thought about how busy he was going to be, now that he was a Knight and about to take Anakin as his Padawan. He could only hope that they'd be able to keep some sort of contact. She glanced over at him and shook her head. "Stop looking so glum Obi. If Dex will give me a job, all you have to do to see me is to come for a bite to eat. In fact, it will even give you a plausible, acceptable, reason to leave the Temple. Or, when you're stumped on something, come get me. I'm starting to get a handle on this Force intuition thing I've got going on. I'll need the practice if I want to perfect it," she said. Obi-Wan chuckled again and helped her out of the speeder, noticing they had arrived at Dex's Diner. Rae didn't quite know what she was expecting, but what she saw was a little underwhelming. Of course, this thought sparked an audio memory of a show that she had once watched. A young, male voice echoed in her head saying,
"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" The comment was so random, she just had to chuckle. Of course, she tried to smother it, so the sound that came from her throat was actually a giggle. Obi-Wan gave her a confused look, but she waved it off. When Obi-Wan opened the door, she was greeted by the oddest being she had ever encountered, digital screen or no.
"Wow," she said, looking up into the big face of the four armed alien cook called Dex. "You're a big fella aren't ya?" she added. Dex stared at her for a moment, then bust out laughing.
"Obi-Wan, you sure know how to pick 'em!" the male boomed. Rae gave him what Obi-Wan would call a jaunty grin.
"He didn't pick me. I picked him. And really, the whole thing was basically a cosmic joke with a side of impossible fries and a random milkshake thrown in for good measure. Why the man puts up with my craziness I doubt I'll ever know," she said, shrugging. Dex laughed harder.
"Well then little missy! It's nice to meet you! Got a name?" he asked. Rae nodded.
"Certainly, big sir." The silence dragged on until Dex chuckled again.
"And what might your name be?"
"Rae Donna Mayar," Rae replied with a saucy grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Well then, Rae Donna Mayar, I'm Dex. Welcome to my humble eatery. What can I get for ya?" Dex said.
"First, a celebratory lunch. Second, we were wondering if you could give Rae a job," Obi-Wan said, stepping forward. Dex then noticed that Obi-Wan's Padawan braid was gone and what followed wasn't spoken of again for many years and even then it was with great reluctance and embarrassment at the pleadings of dear friends. Alcohol might have been employed at one point as well. But that was Obi-Wan when he was on a long, lonely mission on a world renowned for its ale with no-one but a rather vindictively mischievous twenty-one year old Anakin as back up and neither one liked to talk about that particular misadventure. Suffice it to say, Rae got a job, Dex got a laugh, Obi-Wan would never want a Quin-Lei Pie ever again, and Rae discovered that Obi-Wan mixed with alcohol was an amusing sight she still could have done without. All three took a long morning to recover from the celebration, but Rae really didn't think Dex would mind if she came for the dinner rush. Luck for Obi-Wan, Anakin's Padawan ceremony wasn't until twilight the next night, so he had time to recover. Still, it was an exciting night of firsts that Rae wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.
/*/
Anakin was glad Rae was there for Obi-Wan. She had been there after Qui-Gon's death, she had been at the funeral, she had been at the Knighting, she had been there when he came back drunk out of his mind(which Anakin thought was kinda funny, but didn't really want to see again anytime soon) and now she was there to keep him from making a fool of himself and Anakin. Okay, so she hadn't been there for the Braiding Ceremony, but really, she wasn't needed. In fact, no-one but Obi-Wan and Anakin were even allowed. Sure, Rae could have intimidated the Council into letting her in, but she didn't want to. Said it was personal. And yeah, it kinda was. But now it was 'party time' and Rae was there to make sure no-one got it in their heads to do a speech. Especially Obi-Wan. Rae shot the boy a glare, as if she... oh wait. Darn it! She did know! How did she... ? Ya know what? Forget it. He was done wondering how, and mostly done with wondering why, and he was just going to roll with it. His life was strange, and it was likely to just get stranger, so why not accept the strange, abnormal, what-the-heck, and I-don't-even-want-to-know as his new normal? Rae gave him a sneaky, knowing smile and he groaned. Why him? Oh sure he had wanted a more exciting life than working as a slave in a junk shop on Tatooine, but come on! Why did the Force have to give him this instead!? He just wanted have a normal life with a few surprises thrown in but nooooo~! He just had to get the crazy, messed up, painqui life. He sighed and Rae chuckled at his elbow. He jerked in surprise, then scowled. "You can still get surprised Hotshot. It should take at least a year and a half before you're fully desensitized. If after five years you still get surprised by the little things, then you can start getting worried about your coping skills," Rae said seriously. Anakin chuckled, not giggled, and sat back to enjoy the party. What would come would come, and he would get used to having such a strange life to the point where he'd be surprised when he had a day that was normal to people who weren't Anakin Skywalker or a Jedi. It was the start of a new life, for all three of them.
/*/
With the Naboo Crisis wrapped up, Rae was faced with the hard facts of life. She needed an apartment, a bank account, and food. And she sure wasn't going to mooch off of the Jedi or Padme. The young Queen had graciously allowed her to stay at 500 Republica indefinitely, but Rae knew she couldn't stay there long. It just felt wrong. So, when she wasn't needed, she looked around for a reasonable apartment and a good bank. Padme pointed her toward the bank and Rae deposited her first two paychecks into it. After that, she found a small one bedroom apartment for the modest rent of 950 credits a month. There was even a gym located within the same building. A membership was quickly purchased and she was moved in by the end of the month. That was when she went on her first shopping trip on Courscant. She was amazed to find Earl Gray and immediately grabbed five boxes of her favorite tea, along with three bottles of honey. Earl Gray just wasn't right without a spoonful of honey mixed in. Food secured, she left clothes shopping for after her next paycheck. Groceries and the apartment had wiped her out, leaving only 10 credits in her account.
/*/
Dex watched as Rae scurried around his diner, talking softly to the costumers and always showing them a smile. She had asked him about getting a pilot's license sometime in the near future. He knew there was a difference between a speeder and a space ship, and he knew she was asking about a ship pilot's license, though you could pilot a speeder with a ship license. He didn't know why she wanted one, but he decided, he'd point her in the right direction. He really couldn't do anything else. He nodded and made a mental note to call one of his buddies about lessons. He had a feeling Rae would put the training to good use.
/*/
When her pay check came in that Friday, Rae began to set up a serious budget. Twenty percent for the rent, thirty percent for groceries, thirty percent for non-food shopping, ten percent for savings, and ten percent for tithe. She was going to find a good charity to donate that ten percent to as she didn't think there were any Christian churches for her to give tithe and offering to. That done, she found that she'd need to wait another week before buying anything but blankets and a towel. She still had three sets of clothes and her boots were still good, so she wasn't too desperate to go shopping for anything but food, and even then she was still in the green.
/*/
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday were work days. Wednesday and Sunday were set aside for shopping and sightseeing, while Saturday was flight training with a grizzled old Human pilot called Jazz. When they first met, Jazz had taken one look at Rae and shaken his head. "You really want to be a pilot?" he asked. Rae nodded.
"There's something I have to do and I need to do it myself," she said. Jazz looked at her like she was crazy.
"Little lady, there's nowhere you have to go a good pilot can't take you," he said. She sighed.
"This is... personal. I don't want anyone knowing where I've gone. Especially the Jedi. It's... a very... special... mission. Now, you gonna to teach me or not?" Jazz grinned, then started to laugh.
"Oh sure! But I'm a retired fighter pilot. No cruisers for me missy!"
"I'm fine with learning how to fly a fighter. Space is a dangerous place," she retorted. That just made Jazz laugh harder. The two were good friends by the end of the third lesson. Jazz had her pegged as his Wednesday Night Designated Driver by the second month.
/*/
Rae soon found herself back in a routine. Six in the morning, without fail, she'd wake up and be unable to get back to sleep. So, she'd get up, tug her blankets into some facsimile of order, and shuffle off to the bathroom. After that, she'd make herself a cup of tea and stare at the unending traffic of the city-planet, her mind blank as it slowly engaged the rest of the way. First cup of the day done, she'd fix herself some food, set the mug beside the stove, and read the newspaper. In her previous life, she never would have thought she'd start her day with the news, of all things, but now her best girl friend was a senator and her best guy friend was a Jedi. Kinda made recent galactic events and policies important to know. Because Dex's usually saw heaviest traffic in the afternoons, Rae had afternoon shifts more often than not. This allowed her to eat breakfast and then change into her work out clothes and hit the gym, alternating cardio, weight training, and close combat before taking a shower and hailing a cab. She also found herself becoming the de facto shopper for the restaurant and Dex even threw in free cooking lessons for her. "If you're going to do the shopping, you might as well learn what the food you're buying is used for," Dex said when asked why he was helping her out. Rae had just grinned and leaned against the counter and asked, with a cheeky grin,
"So, what's next, Chef?" That set Dex to laughing. On the rare days that she had the morning shift, she'd take a quick shower, wolf down some instant oatmeal, and dash out. After the first few times, where she always forgot her morning cup of tea, Dex made sure to have a box of Earl Gray and a bottle of honey on hand. Rae, as Dex discovered, was neither on the ball nor all that pleasant for most of the day if she didn't get her tea. Those afternoons were spent working with the true Gungan staff Jar-Jar had given her shortly before she left Naboo. He had made her promise to practice with it and told her he was going to test her skills the next time they met. She had responded enthusiastically and so never failed to practice with it an hour a week, at minimum.
/*/
Three months after the Naboo Crisis, Obi-Wan and Anakin came walking into Dex's. Rae took one look at them and sighed. Once she was finished with the costumer she had been attending to, she grabbed them both by the neck and dragged them into a hug. It was a bit lopsided, but she didn't care. "Ritter, Überflieger, stop arguing. You're going to give me a headache," she said, seemingly weary. Obi gulped. The grip she had on him was not the grip of a weary woman. And was it just him, or was she stronger?
"What did you call me?" Anakin asked, deciding it would be best to ignore how tight her grip was. Obi-Wan just figured she'd tell him what his new name meant if and when she wanted so he didn't ask. That, and he wanted her advice as quickly as he could get it.
"Überflieger . It means 'high flyer' in German, an Earth language I decided to learn because it sounded cool. Now, hinsetzen und lassen Sie uns plaudern, or, 'sit down and let's chat!'" Rae replied, dragging the two to a booth and sending Dex a hand sign. The two had become fast friends and Rae had told him she might randomly sit with a costumer or costumers, so the they had come up with a system of signs for such occurrences. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"It's Anakin, Rae. Are you sure I'm the one to teach him? He..."
"Refuses to obey you?" Rae asked. Obi-Wan sighed.
"Among other things," he replied. Rae nodded.
"Obi-Wan, I went over this when Anakin was being tested by the High Council. He has been a slave all his life. For as long as he can remember, he has had to call others 'master' and follow their orders without complaint. Now that he is free, it is natural that he would want to question, disregard, or complain about orders from a 'master.' I can offer an alternative that might help, at least partially, his... distaste... for listening to and following your orders and addressing you with a respectful title. There were many countries, each one with different customs and languages, on my home world. One that I enjoyed researching was Japan. There was a warrior class in the olden days that was similar to the Jedi, though much more worldly and political. They were called the Samurai. They carried at least one, long, sword and wore their hair in a top-knot while their casual wear was not much different from that of the Jedi. This is part of the reason I would suggest a title from that culture. A 'sensei' was a teacher, role model, mentor, master, or doctor. What do you think, Hotshot, would calling Obi 'sensei' make it easier for you?" she said. Anakin thought it over as he munched on his bantha burger. After a moment, he swallowed and said,
"Only if he isn't stupid with his orders. Like telling me to meditate and then going into excruciating detail as to how to meditate." Rae's eyes lit with understanding.
"Obi... how much do you really tell him before leaving him to do his thing?" she asked. Obi-Wan sighed and sat back.
"I tell him what I expect and explain how to do so. I thought it would be better than leaving him to flounder through it on his own," he said wearily. Rae nodded.
"Anakin, Obi-Wan was trying to be considerate of your non-jedi upbringing. Perhaps he give too much detail, but would you rather he give you too little?" she said, giving Anakin a curious stare that still managed to be expectant. The boy looked back to his plate, a slight flush crawling up his neck. Rae nodded again, one quick jerk of the neck, before continuing. "Also, this is the hardest part of the apprenticeship. The period where you truly learn about each other and forge the bond between Master and Padawan, or Sensei and Minarai, or Deshi, if you use the Japanese terms. What you two are undergoing right now is what I would call 'growing pains,' the uncomfortable changes that mean you are moving from one stage of your life to the next. Don't worry, as you both learn and grow, the frustration and pain will lessen and, hopefully, go away. However, Anakin, you are very hotheaded, stubborn, and opinionated where as your Sensei has progressed from the hotheaded, reckless stage and entered the practical and methodical stage. Obi-Wan is still stubborn, he just hides it under his cool, clam Jedi mask, and he will match you. Don't push too hard, because you might not like what you find. Anakin, Obi-Wan has already gone through what you are now going through. Granted, it was different, but he still knows some of what it's like. He is trying to help you to not get killed. Listen to the poor man! He has lived his whole life as a Jedi, he won't know some of what you do. Plus, unless I'm much mistaken, Obi doesn't like flying. It will only get worse. Especially when you fly. A punch drunk house fly is more predictable than you in the air. And you crash land. Often. And now I'm off topic. Obi! Quick!" Obi-Wan chuckled at Rae's rambling and put a forkful of cheesecake in her mouth. She sank into her seat with a moan of pleasure.
"Thank you, Rae. That was a big help," he told her kindly. She hummed, waving a hand in front of her face lazily. Anakin sighed.
"Yeah. Thanks. I'll try calling Obi-Wan 'Sensei' instead of 'master.' At least in my head. And I'll try to keep in mind what you've told us," he said. Rae smiled happily at the pair.
"That's all I can ask or give, Überflieger, Ritter. I need to get back to work. Enjoy your lunch!" she said, sliding out of their booth and heading around the dinning room, seeing to everyone. Obi-Wan sighed and turned to Anakin.
"Once you finish that up, we need to return to the Temple. And I suggest not calling the other Masters 'sensei.' Not yet anyway," he said. Anakin nodded, already attacking his food again. With a faint smile that might be called fond, Obi-Wan turned to his own food. Dex called Rae over when they left.
"What did they want?" the large alien asked. Rae smiled at him.
"Advice on how to handle metaphorical growing pains. Nothing too major. If Obi-Wan comes in, late, by himself, and tries to order an alcoholic drink, then you can worry. And refuse to sell him alcohol. And then call me to sort him out. I don't want him getting drunk again. Once was enough," she said, ending with a shiver while Dex chuckled to himself as he cleaned a glass. "Floating pies... so many floating pies..." Rae muttered.
"Alright little lady. Get along now," Dex said. She grinned and went back around her work. And trying to repress her memories of Obi-Wan's Knighting celebration.
/?/
A/N: So... any better then the first six chapters? Reviews are love.
