Qui-Gon woke early the next morning. Despite his luxurious surroundings had not slept well. He was unhappy about how his conversation with Obi-Wan had ended the night before and angry with himself for having allowed it to become a confrontation. He was sure, however, that he had made the correct decision about what the boy should to. It was his handling of the situation that annoyed him.
Nevertheless, in order to keep his padawan focused on his own task, Qui-Gon had dismissed the boy’s prediction lightly. He now wondered about the wisdom of that decision. Although inexperienced, Obi-Wan normally had great sensitivity to the Force and Qui-Gon had gained a lot of respect for his young padawan’s instincts. Although the warning itself was ominous, the possibility that Obi-Wan was feeling the Force strongly was a good sign. It was unusual, however, to have such a specific reading when the danger lay elsewhere. But Obi-Wan had been insistent that the danger was aimed directly at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon wondered again, if Obi-Wan had interpreted the Force correctly. He decided to bear the warning in mind but not to be driven by it.
Yoda’s summation of the predicament had been simple and unhindered by emotion. Obi-Wan needed to accept the Will of the Force both in regard to Bant’s death and his own fate. Once the boy stopped fighting it, he would recognise his flawed logic and once again join his path of destiny.
Yoda’s parting words also gave Qui-Gon food for thought. ‘Strong is the bond between you and the boy. Soon, your counsel he will seek. Prepared, you must be.’ Qui-Gon hoped Yoda was right.
His thoughts were interrupted by a chime at the door. One of the governor’s guards, instantly recognisable by his well-tailored teal uniform, stood there.
‘Good Morning, Sir, the transport to the port leaves in an hour. The Governor wonders if you would like to join him for breakfast.’
*****
Obi-Wan knew it was late when he awoke. He had slept in this room long enough to
know this from the angle of the sun shining through the window. Obi-Wan wondered
what he should do with his day. Neither Yoda nor Qui-Gon had given him any
particular instructions. Perhaps Qui-Gon had meant to but their last conversation
had ended rather abruptly and he hadn’t had a chance. In any event, if he _had_ to
do anything specific he would hear about it soon enough. Feeling decidedly hungry,
Obi-Wan washed, dressed and headed off in the direction of the kitchen.
He wondered if Nancy would be there. She had managed the kitchen at the Temple for as long as anybody could remember. She had fed generations of Jedi initiates, Padawans, Knights and Masters. She was practicably a surrogate mother to every initiate who lived at the Temple. Nancy could solve almost any problem an initiate every had. When it came to the time to leave the Temple, she was as sorry to see them go as they were to leave her. No return trip to the Temple would be complete without a visit to Nancy to catch up on the news.
Obi-Wan knocked lightly on the kitchen door. The familiar voice that called out to him lifted his heart. He peered through the opening. Nancy was busy as usual. She wiped her hands on her apron as she looked up to see her visitor.
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi,’ she said in instant recognition. ‘Come in, come in,’ she called as she walked towards him and gave him a hug. Then holding him at arms length she looked him up and down. ‘My, how you’ve grown. I’d hardly recognise you. You’re almost a man now.’ Peering over his shoulder she asked, ‘and is your good Master with you?'
‘No,’ Obi-Wan replied, ‘but he will be here in a few days.’
‘Good. I’ll be glad to see him. He hardly ever comes to the Temple now that he has a new padawan. Or if he does he never comes down to see me!’ she said in a mock miffed tone. She walked back to her work indicating that Obi-Wan should follow her. ‘You know,’ she said craftily, her eyes full of mischief, ‘I knew him when he was a boy. And he was always up to some sort of devilment, that fellow.’ Obi-Wan smiled at this nugget of information.
‘Sit down, sit down. I’ll get you something to eat. We hear great things about you and Master Qui-Gon…’
*****
It was a cloudless morning, warm and bright. They saw the ship long before it
landed. It was an huge ugly, grey thing. Squat, space-scarred but functional, the
ship seemed unsightly in the attractive surroundings of Aurian and more suitable for
carrying cargo than a Head of State. Qui-Gon approved. It was an indication that
the finances of Laydan were being used for more urgent needs than the purchase of
a super-luxury-ship for the Head of State and his cronies to travel in.
Qui-Gon stood behind Governor Mal Acky and the other Aurian dignitaries while they waited for Thom RosAntu and his entourage to disembark. Thom RosAntu himself alighted first followed by four companions all of whom looked likely to be government officials. He appeared to travel with no other personnel, neither bodyguards nor administrative staff.
Qui-Gon was somewhat surprised by the sight of these five dignitaries as they stood before him during the formal introductions. They were taller than the local Aurians, but not as tall has he. They had no hair on their heads. In fact they had no hair at all that he could see. No beards. No eyebrows. Smooth skin that was purplish grey in colour. Each Laydian had very long fingers with an extra joint and nails that were almost black. They were dressed in long, dark robes of rich blue, purple or wine colour. These robes hid their feet but they walked so smoothly and gently that they appeared to be moving on wheels. They carried themselves with grace and radiated calmness. The Laydians had large deep blue eyes, wide flat noses and broad purplish lips that turned up at the corners. This gave the impression that they were perpetually smiling. But the most startling characteristic of all was that they were almost identical. If it hadn’t been for the fact that they wore different clothing, Qui-Gon could not have told them apart. He had never known a race of people to look so alike. During the introductions Qui-Gon took care to identify Thom RosAntu by his clothes and when they moved off he stayed quite close to his charge.
They passed though the beautiful, well-tended countryside on their way to Mauna Kea. As they rounded a final corner, the Governor’s Palace came into view. It stood on a hilltop, surrounded by gardens and groves containing a riot of colourful and sweet smelling plants and shrubbery. The palace itself was a magnificent structure, its sandy coloured walls and turrets rose elegantly above the surrounding countryside.
*****
When Obi-Wan left the kitchen, he felt better than he had for a long time. He wasn’t
sure if it was the good night’s rest, the good food or the chat he had with Nancy.
Whichever it was, he felt a weight had lifted of his shoulders and tiny embers of
happiness glow within him. He wandered aimlessly along the great halls of the
Temple. Each familiar sight or odour brought a flood of memories back and he once
again relived his time at the Temple. It was easy to recapture the buzz of
excitement that each new day had brought. He remembered his friends and how
they used to laugh and have fun. He remembered Bant. Her smiling silvery eyes,
her concern at his consistent fighting, her dedication to her studies, her love for
swimming. These were good memories.
Obi-Wan had wandered to the chamber where they had practised their fighting techniques. There was a lesson taking place. He could hear the sound of lightsabres humming and the grunts and groans of the initiates as they played out their battle scenes.
Master Yoda was in his usual place offering encouragement and reprimanding foul play. Obi-Wan couldn’t resist the temptation to have a look. Silently he opened the door, crept in and took a seat at the back. A number of initiates sat around the sides of the room but nobody took any notice of him and soon he was engrossed in the ‘battle’ in progress.
Two young initiates, a boy and a girl, fought with grace and elegance. Despite their blindfolds they anticipated each others moves effortlessly. He could sense neither anger nor frustration in them. It almost looked as if they were performing a well-practised dance routine rather than simulating the realties of battle. But then, he remembered, they didn’t know anything about the realities of battle.
Yoda stopped the fight abruptly. ‘Too familiar, you are, to be valuable opponents. A unknown rival, you need.’ Then, without turning, Yoda called to Obi-Wan to assist. Obi-Wan was taken aback when he realised that Yoda knew he was there and immediately berated himself. Hadn’t Yoda himself told him a hundred times that ‘a Jedi needs not his eyes to see’?
‘Choose a weapon,’ Yoda said pointing to the training lightsabres. ‘Against these would-be warriors, defend yourself.’
Obi-Wan nodded as he chose a lightsabre that resembled his own in size and balance. Then bowing low to Master Yoda he put on his blindfold. ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Keyra Gal-Von and Meehall Marteen.’
Speaking to the two initiates Master Yoda said ‘Together, you will fight Obi-Wan. Alert to each other as well as your opponent, you will be.’
Obi-Wan gripped the lightsabre with both hands, trying to get the measure of its unfamiliar feel. He activated the beam and heard the familiar humming sound as two other lightsabres were readied for battle. They bowed to each other, signalling the beginning of the spar and then stood still – ready – waiting.
A sense of calm came over Obi-Wan. He felt totally at ease with his blindfold on. This was an activity that Qui-Gon favoured and Obi-Wan often spent long hours sparring with Qui-Gon to improve his combat skills and better their battle timing. He effortlessly moved around the room, avoiding obstacles, pits and his opponents lightsabres.
Quick to respond to Yoda’s coaching and encouragement, Keyra and Meehall soon worked together to attack Obi-Wan with consistency and accuracy. They attacked with vigour, one from the right and the other from the left. For some minutes the clashes of crossing lightsabres was so consistent there appeared to be one continuous beam of light. As they began to tire, however, Obi-Wan could sense anger in the boy and the rising frustration in the girl as their best efforts had not yet landed a single blow on him.
As they rounded on him again, Obi-Wan turned and leaped onto a box behind him. Using the momentum of his leap, he launched himself into the air in a graceful backward roll, flying high over the two startled initiates and landing quietly behind them. Their tiredness beginning to show, they were slightly disorientated and slow to react and he could have easily knocked both to the ground but his orders were to defend not to attack so he waited for them. As they turned to face him he could feel the Force pulsate between them. He was surprised by the strength of it. They came at him, as one, ready for the attack.
Obi-Wan was exhilarated. He felt the Force move through him filling him with energy and power. And yet he was relaxed. There was nothing to dread. Nobody would die. He gave himself to the dance.
Keyra and Meehall were within striking distance. Obi-Wan readied himself to counter their attack. The Force was with them, he could feel it. He drew from it, cloaking himself with it. Suddenly, in an unexpected and inventive move Keyra somersaulted high over his head. He felt the Force lift her through the air. Obi-Wan knew that as soon as she landed they would have the advantage. With one directly behind and the other directly in front, he would find it difficult to defend himself.
Instantly, almost unconsciously, he extended his hand sharply and using the Force cast the boy half-way across the hall to where he knew there was a crash mat. Then, turning swiftly he was just in time to block Keyra’s strike.
In his enthusiasm, however he lashed out harder than he intended and sent her lightsabre rattling across the room. Behind him he could hear the boy approaching rapidly, once again he reached out with the Force and called Keyra’s lightsabre to him rendering her defenceless. Fixing it to his belt, he turned to find Meehall approaching in a high forward flip. He waited, lightsabre ready, for him to land. As Meehall’s feet silently hit the floor he slipped and fell flat on his back, dropping his lightsabre. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure who was more surprised, himself or Meehall but Obi-Wan recovered quickly. In a single nimble move, he flicked Meehall’s lightsabre out of reach and placed his own near the boy’s neck.
Spontaneous applause erupted around the room. Master Yoda held his hand up for silence. The three sparring partners removed their blindfolds and smiled happily as they bowed to each other.
‘That was great, Obi-Wan,’ Meehall said, his eyes blazing with excitement.
‘Yeah, and that was sure a neat trick you did with my lightsabre,' Keyra added with admiration. ‘I wish you would show me how to do that!!’
‘I’m not the only one who can perform neat tricks…’ said Obi-Wan with a grin. ‘…your final somersault took me by surprise.’ Obi-Wan smiled his approval as he returned her lightsabre.
‘Good, you fought,’ Yoda said addressing all three ‘fighters’.
Turning to Obi-Wan he added. ‘Skilful in the use of the living Force, you are, Obi-Wan. Training you well, Master Qui-Gon is.’
This was high praise coming from Yoda. Obi-Wan felt proud of himself and his Master. However, he couldn’t help thinking that Yoda wouldn’t have been so impressed if he had seen Obi-Wan’s feeble attempts to use the Force to move a small stone the day before.
Yoda looked at him sternly. ‘In the future your destiny lies, young Obi-Wan, not in the past.’ Yoda paused long enough to allow Obi-Wan to digest this, then continued. ‘Now, long enough we have kept you. Attend your own assignments, you must.’
Obi-Wan nodded and bowed to Yoda. Returning the lightsabre to its stand, he turned one last time to smile and wave at his young opponents before leaving the chamber.
*****
Their first stop was the Governor’s Palace to freshen up and to meet the other
Governors in a social gathering.
Qui-Gon watched the five Laydians with interest. It soon became apparent that although they looked alike, they had very distinctive mannerisms and personalities. He immediately set about the task of studying Thom RosAntu’s social characteristics. It was a challenge and one he enjoyed. Qui-Gon noticed that, of the five of them, Thom was the most reserved. He rarely initiated a conversation although once engaged he gave his companion the fullest attention. He used his hands expressively while he spoke and had a habit of extending his left arm out, fingers splayed when he was making a serious point. His right hand was invariably kept occupied by the worry beads he carried constantly. RosAntu also had an inclination to throw his head back before he laughed, a deep resounding laugh, to match his deep voice.
Qui-Gon watched him walk across the room towards him, the gliding movement never loosing its continuity.
‘Master Jinn, allow me to introduce myself properly, I am Thom RosAntu, Chief Governor of Laydan.’
Qui-Gon bowed. ‘Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master and please, call me Qui-Gon.’ Thom RosAntu nodded. ‘We are indebted to the Jedi Council for having sent you here to protect us, Qui-Gon. However I hope we will not need your services.’ He smiled.
‘I will do whatever I can to be of assistance. I too hope that you are in no danger.’ Qui-Gon replied. Obi-Wan’s prediction rose for a moment in his mind.
Qui-Gon noted that Thom RosAntu didn’t have the relaxed social graces that were the norm in people of his rank. He was nervous and the worry beads clinked continually. It occurred to Qui-Gon that leadership did not hang easily on Governor RosAntu. Here was a man who was trust into leadership but would have probably have preferred to pass the burden to somebody else. Yet he had persevered because it was for the common good. Almost as if he had read Qui-Gon’s mind Thom explained that he wasn’t very comfortable in these types of social gatherings. Twelve lean years had left his social skills slightly inapt, in his view and in any event he preferred to be more gainfully occupied. Qui-Gon warmed further to this man who had unwillingly become the leader of a dejected nation and had continued to guide them though the lean years and had done so at great personal loss.
Shortly afterwards they set out on the first official engagement.
It was the usual type of state visit. They went to see all the main places of interest in the morning. They visited schools and greeted well-wishers on the street. They lunched at an expensive hotel and in the afternoon they went to visit the largest industrial area in Mauna Kea.
They were shown state-of-the-art industries and Qui-Gon noticed that Thom RosAntu and his colleagues took much more interest in these visits than they had during the sightseeing expeditions. They asked searching questions. They were interested in where the raw materials came from, the cost, the importing issues, the availability, the shortages and the surpluses. All this useful information was stored away in data pads to be analysed later to help identify niches in the market.
The last meeting of the day was with the Federation of Imported Commodities. Thom RosAntu seemed particularly delighted with the co-operation and information that resulted from this meeting. The Federation had a large data bank of information regarding the types and quantities of products that were imported. They also had undertaken research into the type of products that would be of interest to the Aurians and all this information was made available to the Laydians. The Federation was just as keen to do business with the Laydians as they were to do business with them. By the end of the meeting arrangements had been made for the first shipments and contracts had been signed. This alone had made Thom RosAntu’s visit worthwhile.
It had been a quite day for Qui-Gon. There had not been a hint of trouble. Not even a small protest by some group of radicals that invariably impeded state-visits. Qui-Gon was full of admiration for Thom RosAntu. He was exceptionally efficient and Qui-Gon thought it was no wonder that under the direction of this man, Laydan had been able to make such a remarkable recovery in such a short time.
The evening brought yet another social gathering with an over-indulgence of food and endless long-winded speeches. Qui-Gon noticed that Thom RosAntu was straining to keep himself awake. He was noticeable pleased as the evening drew to a close. Qui-Gon walked with Thom RosAntu as far as his room.
‘It has been a quite day for you Qui-Gon, I hope you weren’t too bored,’ Thom RosAntu said by way of apology.
‘On the contrary, it is good to learn about other cultures, such knowledge can be useful’. Qui-Gon replied. ‘Should you need me later, contact me directly. I wish you good night.’
Later, when he has returned to his quarters, Qui-Gon attempted to contact Obi-Wan but got no reply. He thought this was strange, the boy always carried his com link with him. He would have to try again later.
*****
The day had passed quickly. Obi-Wan spent much of it in the Temple gardens in
meditation. It was now dusk. He wanted to talk to Yoda about his plans for the next
day. Yoda had left him to arrange his own time. He thought he would like to visit a
market in Coruscant and needed the Master’s permission to leave the Temple.
He was distracted by the hum of lightsabres which filled the quiet corridor. Through a crack in a doorway Obi-Wan could see lights flashing as two lightsabres whirled through the atmosphere, clashing in mid-air.
Two young initiates were fighting viciously in the evening light. Just as he and Bruck Chun had once done, some years ago, before he left the Temple. That fight had almost lost him the chance of ever being a padawan. He remembered clearly, the shock and despair, when he realised that he had fallen for the trap Bruck had set and that he was to be sent away to be a farmer.
Here were two more boys, who with each swing and trust of their weapons, were grunting and groaning their way to the Agricultural Corps. Obi-Wan entered the room unnoticed. They were making so much noise, they’d hardly have noticed if an ion bomb had exploded outside. Obi-Wan could feel the anger filling the air in the room. He sighed as he thought that some things never change.
‘What’s this?’ Obi-Wan called.
Two lightsabres came to a sudden halt in mid-air and two wary faces slowly turned towards him. The lightsabres were gradually lowered to the ground. In the dim evening light Obi-Wan could just make out that the boys were about nine years old. Their faces were red and covered with bruises and burns. They were covered with dust and grime where they had been rolling on the floor. Their hair was wet with sweat and their tunics stuck to them. They were a disgrace to their Jedi pupil status.
‘He started it,’ the first one snapped, wiping the sweat from his face.
‘I did not, you lying toad,’ the second one spat back.
‘Don’t you call me a lying toad, you dirty-nailed-plant-picker.’
‘I’ll show you what a plant-picker can do,’ the second one countered. And with that the lightsabres were blazing again.
‘Enough,’ Obi-Wan declared. ‘What are you two like?’ he scolded as he took the lightsabres from them. ‘Now, perhaps we can discuss this without endangering our lives! Or perhaps you would rather discuss it with one of the Masters.’
He gestured for the boys to sit on the blocks that were usually used for obstacles. They sat down immediately. Neither wishing to have to explain this incident to the Masters. Nevertheless, they glared at each other as they sat.
Obi-Wan looked at the two sullen faces and thought that there wasn’t much love lost between these two. He introduced himself. The boys told him they were Badd-r Rawwas and A-Dell Doobaa. He invited Badd-r to tell him what had happened to caused the fight.
A-dell immediately interrupted ‘That’s not fair,’ he said.
Obi-Wan raised his hand. ‘You’ll get your turn,’ he said sincerely.
Badd-r started immediately before A-Dell could get another chance to interrupt. ‘He said I’d never be a Jedi Knight, that I’d be a farmer like my parents before me.’
‘And is that true?’ Obi-Wan quietly asked Badd-r.
‘What! that I’ll never be a Jedi Knight?’
‘No. That your parents are farmers.’
Badd-r almost whispered his reply. ‘Yes,’ he eventually admitted.
It was obvious that this boy was deeply ashamed of his heritage. Obi-Wan wondered why but decided leave it for the moment. Turning to A-Dell he asked him if he truly believed that Badd-r was destined to be a farmer.
A-Dell was much more brazen. ‘Of course,’ he replied with conviction.
‘How can you be so sure?’ Obi-Wan questioned. ‘You must have great powers to be able to see the future so precisely, even Master Yoda cannot see the future clearly.’
A-Dell felt the rebuke. ‘ Well - there is a very good chance he will …’
‘Ah!, so you are not so sure now?’ Obi-Wan observed.
‘…Besides,’ A-Dell continued ignoring the interruption. ‘He says that the only reason that I got a place in the Temple is because my people are rich merchants’, this was said with some pride, ‘and that they bought me the place here!’
Obi-Wan could hardly contain his smile. It was no wonder that his simple background embarrassed Badd-r if he had to listen to A-Dell consistently bragging about his rich, powerful ancestry. ‘But you know that is not true, A-Dell?’ he said
questioningly. ‘Of course it is not true.’ A-Dell agreed. ‘My midichlorian count was checked at birth. I was taken in here on merit, nothing to do with my people!’
‘Yes. And your destiny has nothing to do with your people either - just as Badd-r’s destiny is not linked to his background.’ Obi-Wan said, logically completing the argument. There was a slight shift in A-Dell, barely noticeable, but Obi-Wan felt his point had hit home.
‘Badd-r,’ he said turning to the other boy. ‘Do you really believe that A-Dell’s people bought him a place here in the Temple?’
Badd-r dropped his eyes and shuffled his feet. ‘I guess not,’ he admitted with some embarrassment.
‘Okay,’ Obi-Wan continued. ‘You,’ he said pointing to A-Dell ‘are no longer convinced that Badd-r is destined to be a farmer just because his people are farmers.’ He stared at A-Dell until he got a slight nod of agreement.
‘And you,’ he said nodding to Badd-r, ‘admit that A-Dell gained his place at the temple through merit alone. Is that a fair assessment of the situation?’
Both boys nodded. Obi-Wan felt a certain amount pride in his mediation skills. It was only a small victory but at least it was a victory. It could very easily have gone the other way.
‘I don’t suspect that you two will ever be friends. That’s alright. You don’t have to like everybody.’ Obi-Wan continued. ’But as Jedi you do need to learn to respect others, especially those people who are different from you. Respect for others starts with respect for oneself.’
‘There is not necessarily honour in wealth’ Obi-Wan said looking at A-Dell and then turning to Badd-r, ‘nor shame in being a farmer. We have no control over our birthright and as Jedi we are destined to have no home, no wealth and no measurable power. We are all equal. Our destinies are determined by the Force. We cannot change the Will of the Force.’
This was exactly the point Yoda had made to him less than twenty four hours earlier. He could see the relevance of it here to the situation these boys had created for themselves. Why could he not make the connection with his own troubles? He made a mental note to discuss this with Qui-Gon when he next spoke to him.
Continuing his lecture to the boys, he said pointedly: ‘Neither your farming background, nor your wealth will stop you becoming Jedi Knights, _but you will both certainly fail if you do not learn to control your anger._’
It was not difficult to see that these boys had heard all this before, both wore bored expressions. Obi-Wan knew that his words were not having much impact on them. He also knew just how important it was for them to understand this clearly and thought of how he might make it more relevant. After some measured consideration decided to tell them his own story.
‘You may not believe that anger can destroy your dreams, but I learned it the hard way. Spare yourselves the pain,’ he advised.
He stopped to make sure he had their full attention. ‘I was sent away from the Temple in disgrace just four weeks before my thirteenth birthday, destined not to be a Jedi Knight. All because, just like you two, I could not control my anger and fought with another boy when he provoked me. I almost ruined my chances to fulfil my dream of being a great Jedi Warrior.’
Both boys were entranced. When Obi-Wan stopped abruptly they looked at each other in dismay. They could tell from his hairstyle that he was a padawan. They both wanted to hear the end of the story.
‘But you are a Padawan, what happened?’ Badd-r asked hopefully.
‘Oh!, It’s a long story,’ Obi-Wan responded, ‘perhaps I’ll tell you sometime.’
‘Tell us now.’ They both insisted.
‘No, not now, some other time - maybe.’
TBC
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