Obi-Wan rubbed his towel vigorously on his head, almost instantly drying his shortly cropped hair. In the back, he pulled the small patch of long strands into a short ponytail. The Padawan gave extra special attention to the long strand of hair hanging from behind his right ear. He exited the bathroom, towel around his waist, meticulously combing out the long hair with his fingers. The hair changed colors towards the end where his own ginger hair fused with his Master's rich brown. It had been the short beginning of his Padawan braid not quite four years ago.
Qui-Gon watched his Padawan quietly from where he knelt as he rummaged through the bag that held everything the two would need. Obi-Wan pulled a clean pair of shorts on before sitting on the bed to braid his lock of hair. He watched the boy nimbly separate out three strands and slip a red band up to the top.
"Here, let me do that," he interrupted, moving from his kneeling position to sit beside Obi-Wan. The boy let go as his Master's hands replaced his own, gently twining the hair into its intricate pattern.
"You haven't done this in a long time."
"Allow me the indulgence Padawan." It was almost an order, but not one that Obi-Wan had any objections to following. He allowed himself to enjoy being attended to. Qui-Gon concentrated on getting the bands tight and neat, like Obi-Wan always did. So many memories assaulted him, first teaching the boy to braid his hair, the pride on his face as he did it himself, pride at being chosen as he had always hoped for.
"All done," Qui-Gon laid his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders.
"Thank you Master," he ran a hand along the smooth lock of hair that now hung down his bare chest..
Qui-Gon allowed a small smile, squeezing the boy's shoulders, "My turn now," he gathered his things and slipped into the shower.
Obi-Wan remained on the bed, fingering the ends of his hair. Qui-Gon had become more and more reflective of late. He knew his sixteenth birthday was approaching. They had already made preliminary plans for the event. The day fell shortly after his third Padawan anniversary. Perhaps that was why his Master pouring through memories. No matter. When the time came for focus, Obi-Wan had no doubt that the focus would be there. In the meantime, he would enjoy his Master's good mood while it lasted. And if he wanted it to last, he supposed he should try and get some studies done before they began the mission. Digging through their bag again, he found his datapad and turned it on…only to see his Early Republic Politics reading assignment rather than his hyper-quant assignment. He'd already done the reading he had brought.
Qui-Gon's gonna kill me, he thought morosely. So much for his good mood. That's just great. I've managed to go for a good while without screwing anything up until we get a mission. I'll be lucky if he doesn't send me back. His thoughts were interrupted hearing his Master get out of the shower.
Qui-Gon came back into the tiny room, his hair still dripping a bit.
"Padawan, what's wrong?" he immediately picked up on the waves of apprehension coming off his apprentice. Nothing too terrible could have happened in the amount of time he was in the shower…but then, this WAS Obi-Wan.
"Master, I…I seem to have forgotten my hyper-quant assignment."
"What's that?" he pointed to the datapad in Obi-Wan's lap.
"My politics assignment."
"Which you already did." Qui-Gon finished for him. He sighed and folded his arms across his broad chest "Your forgetfulness is going to cause you to be behind in your studies Padawan," he admonished sternly. Obi-Wan hung his head. "Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"No Master. I have no excuse for my carelessness."
Qui-Gon sighed, "Now, you will have to do extra work when we return to make up for. In the meantime, you will do extra lessons aboard ship. You may as well use the week it will take us to the Naboo system well."
"Yes Master," Obi-Wan said commiserated. Qui-Gon shook his head and finished dressing, leaving the cabin in silence. The young Jedi couldn't take his eyes off the deck. How could I have grabbed the wrong reader, he berated himself. Because you were too busy thinking of Arica to pay attention to your duties, he answered himself.
"I will make out a list of things for you to do since you have no studies," Qui-Gon said, pulling his boots on, "And I will expect you to do them."
"Yes Master."
"In the meantime, why don't you go to the cargo hold and practice the T'mai L'ta." Obi-Wan's eyes widened. The T'mai L'ta was an advanced saber drill that he had not yet begun to practice. It was considered for senior Padawans only, usually when the reached about twenty standard years. It took years to perfect.
"The T'mai L'ta Master?"
"You're ready for it," Qui-Gon stood, "And it should keep you sufficiently busy for the rest of the day while I make up your list of other assignments."
"Yes Master," Obi-Wan made sure to keep his voice respectful, none of the weariness he felt bleeding through. You deserve whatever you get, he reminded himself.
*****
Qui-Gon slipped into the cargo bay to check on his Padawan's progress.
Through their bond, he could feel the depth of concentration his Padawan was
putting into his efforts. Perhaps he had been a bit too stern with Obi-Wan
before. The boy was an excellent apprentice, certainly the best he'd ever
had, and Qui-Gon would pit his skills against any other Padawan at the
Temple, regardless of age, but he could never let the boy know that. He
could never allow too much pride to surface. That had been his downfall with
Xanatos, and he would not allow Obi-Wan to be lost as his former Padawan had
been. It was a delicate balancing act, between approval and pride, and his
apprentice was his own worst critic. Still, he could not allow himself the
slightest bit of leeway. Already he could see that his recent indulgence
with the boy had led to his being forgetful.
In the middle of the cargo bay, Obi-Wan had made much more progress than expected. The boy was a natural with a lightsaber, but the T'mai L'ta was an exercise that kept even the senior Padawans busy on just a few sections for months. Obi-Wan was already into the fifth section of the first exercise.
"So far already?" he made his presence known. Startled, Obi-Wan tripped over his feet and landed on his backside.
"You must be aware of your surroundings as well as your own body and motions Padawan."
I'm only just learning it, Obi-Wan thought, keeping his thoughts well shielded, "Yes Master," he answered aloud.
"Show me the first four sections," Qui-Gon sat down on a crate by the wall. Obi-Wan began the moves. His feet danced quickly in an intricate lattice pattern, his arms held in second defensive position with his lightsaber unignited in his hand. He smoothly flowed from the first section to the second, taking the fifth offensive position and working his feet backwards across the large bay. The third section required a neutral stance and quick feints made from the shoulders and neck. The boy worked through these flawlessly and proceeded into the fourth section, a retreat series that required quick, tight floor rolls and slides. Obi-Wan came to his feet and returned to attention.
It was good…really good. He had never seen anyone take so quickly to the kata, nor perform it so flawlessly the first time. Even he had not done nearly as well when he first attempted it at 16. However, he simply nodded.
"Just a few pointers," he said, showing Obi-Wan a few places where he misstepped or his timing was off. The boy watched attentively, copying the correct movements his Master demonstrated.
"Right," Qui-Gon told him, watching his corrections. "Very well, cool down and meditate until you've recovered, then join me in our quarters."
Obi-Wan watched his Master exit the large cargo bay doors before sighing resigned. He had thought in the past few months that he was finally getting where his Master wanted him to be, but obviously he had let his guard down and fallen behind. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he knelt and began to release his tension and distractions into the Force.
************
It had been a long time since he'd had the nightmare. The mission a year ago
had built the bond between Master and Padawan that had been forged in fire
and blood. It had taken months of sessions with both the Healers and the
Soul Healer, Ty-Yar, before the two could leave the incident behind them.
For nine months now, his sleep had remained undisturbed by the vivid images
that he had seen and experienced. That night, on the floor of their assigned
quarters, the night terrors returned with a vengeance.
Faint shimmerings of distress first alerted Qui-Gon's subconscious that something was amiss. The panic intensified, rousing the Master out of a deep sleep. The room was pitch black, but whimpers, soft cries, and the sounds of a struggle broke the quiet that belonged with the darkness. Silence followed, leaving the Master to wonder if he'd been dreaming…then a spike of fear shot through him along the bond he held with his Padawan.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked softly, sitting up and turning to his right to feel along the floor. He just made contact with the boy's arm.
"No!" his apprentice jerked away, his sleepy speech dripping with terror.
Force! Qui-Gon swung his feet around and flipped on the lights, wincing at the brightness that assaulted his vision. When his eyes cleared, he saw his Padawan on the floor, curled tightly in the fetal position. He was wringing with sweat, his entire body trembling. The covers had been thrown away as if they had been smothering him.
"Obi-Wan," the Master said again, slipping down from the bed to kneel beside his apprentice. He reached out gently and shook the boy's shoulder.
"No, please! Don't hurt me any more!" he cried in panic, pulling his body impossibly tighter and huddling in the corner. His sleeping state had stripped away the bravery and stoicism that had hidden the true terror and pain when the content of his dreams had been reality.
Qui-Gon closed his eyes painfully, recognizing the return of Obi-Wan's nightmares. The Soul Healer had warned that it could happen at any time for any or no reason. He had hoped that they were past them. After their mission to Gamache, the nightmares had haunted the both of them every night for months. Neither of them managed restful sleep, and they spent many a night up with each other, doing anything to keep their minds off the recent past that plagued their dreams. Many of their long conversations came in those nights, from everything to the places Qui-Gon had been to Obi-Wan's initiate days. They would go over training drills, and many nights, they had watched holoproj's till dawn. Qui-Gon had recovered more quickly than Obi-Wan, though, and every night after for a while, he was awakened by waves of distress from his Padawan. He would go into the boy's room to find him in the state he was in now. When Qui-Gon recovered, Obi-Wan actually seemed to regress a bit. Ty-Yar had told him that while Obi-Wan was glad his Master was doing better, his subconscious was feeling abandoned, but as long as Qui-Gon continued to help him, he would recover…and he had, without problems, until now.
Remembering the care he had to take in waking his apprentice, the Master gently reached along their bond, touching his Padawan's mind. A swirl of pain, fear, and confusion buffeted his senses. Taking care not to be swept away by the torrent of emotion, he searched for the eye of the storm where Obi-Wan was sheltered.
//Padawan…Padawan, can you hear me?//
//Master, please make them stop. It hurts so much, and I can't make them stop.//
Qui-Gon had to force himself not to pull back. Obi-Wan had never been this bad before. He had cried and whimpered in his sleep…even moaned and protested in remembered pain, but he had never begged and pleaded as he was now. It had never been in his nature. Pride prevented it.
//Obi-Wan, it's over. You're safe now.//
//No Master! They're still here! It still hurts. Can't you make it stop?!//
//Padawan, it has stopped. You're dreaming. Come back to me. Follow me out.// He kept his thoughts calm and soothing. Pouring into the words the knowledge that there was now nothing to fear.
//I'm dreaming?// The storm of emotions slowed. Qui-Gon grabbed hold of his Padawan a bit tighter.
//Yes Padawan, you're dreaming. Wake up now.//
He could feel the boy's hesitation. //They're not out there?//
//I promise. They're not here. Wake up Obi-Wan//
Slowly, he could feel his apprentice edging towards consciousness. He awoke suddenly, gasping for breath.
"It's ok Padawan," he showed Obi-Wan his hand before putting it to the side of his face gently, "It's ok, it's ok," he repeated the mantra in a low tone, waiting for the boy to calm himself down. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal and the shaking turned to shivers from the drying sweat. Qui-Gon pulled the blanket down off the bed and enveloped his Padawan in it before taking him in his arms.
"I'm ok now Master," he said softly.
"I know," he said, not letting go, "Is this the first nightmare you've had since Eighth Month?" Obi-Wan nodded, "Well that was a whopper to come back with." He said drily. That solicited a faint smile. "Do you want to talk about it?" The boy shook his head. "Do you think you can sleep?" A nod. "Very well then." Qui-Gon used the Force to straighten the linens again on the floor, not wanting to let Obi-Wan go, even a second. "All right, lets get down here."
Instead of putting him to bed as expected, Qui-Gon slid down to lay beside his Padawan.
"Master, I'm all right. You can sleep in the bed."
"Unless you don't want me here Padawan, I'll stay. I don't think you'll be kicking me tonight, and I promise not to steal your covers or roll over on you." That got him a true smile. "May I stay?"
"Of course Master," the boy cuddled up a bit in the sheets. An occasional flash of apprehension would surface, but for the most part, Obi-Wan feel asleep peacefully with his Master guarding his dreams.
*****
The jerk of return to real space roused Qui-Gon from a light doze.
Obi-Wan remained peacefully asleep in his arms. Gently, he laid him down on
the blankets and slipped from the room. The short walk to the cockpit was
bliss for his back, which had remained in a bind since settling with his
Padawan on the floor. He didn't know why his nightmares had returned…what
had triggered it, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, letting their
current predicament take precedence.
"What's happened?" he asked the pilot casually, leaning against the back of his chair.
"The navicomputer went offline in the middle of hyperspace. We estimated that we were ok to come back into real space now."
It was a dangerous move, Qui-Gon thought. Coming out of hyperspace without instruments could land the ship and it's passengers in the middle of a star, black hole, planet, or any number of obstacles, but the pilot was right. The velvet of space was blanketed before them, diamond stars providing the only orientation.
"Where are we?" the co-pilot was doing a good job at hiding his nervousness…had a Jedi not been there.
"We're near Alderaan," Qui-Gon said, having identified the stars visible outside, "It shouldn't take us but a few days in real space to get there."
"I suppose we can send for another ship from there, but it will severely delay us."
"No," Qui-Gon smiled, "I have an old friend who I believe can help us out."
TBC
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