DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
"You know what I'd like to know?"
"What?"
"How."
Mace Windu looked up from his packing. "How what?"
"How do I let you talk me into these things?" Qui-Gon Jinn said, crossing his arms.
They were in Mace's quarters, where the Master was putting the last of his things into a small rucksack.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mace asked, tightening the straps.
"I'm not a stupid man. Not a naive man. Not a careless man. But, somehow, I keep finding myself in these-- these ludicrous situations. And I just don't understand it. I know it isn't Jedi mind control. So how?"
"It's fun," Mace said, simply, hefting the sack. He headed for the door.
Qui-Gon took up his own pack. "What?"
"Fun. You don't know how to have it, but you know you should be. So, here you are. It's your subconscious at work, my friend."
"It's my lack of self-preservation at work."
"We're going to be fine. We'll only be gone overnight, we'll be within easy distance of the Temple, if anything happens; and nothing's going to happen," Mace said firmly, as they walked down the hallway.
"Every time you say that, we end up saying things like 'Well, it seemed like a good idea' to Master Yoda," Qui-Gon muttered. He forced a smile as they emerged into the hallway, where he was unsurprised to find their weekend companions waiting for them.
"We're ready to go camping, masters," Obi-Wan Kenobi said, cheerfully.
The noise in the speeder was deafening. Twelve small children, all excited, all talking, all at the same time. Qui-Gon hunched his shoulders slightly-- a habit from adolescence he had never quite outgrown-- and concentrated on his driving. In the seat next to him, Mace was turned completely around, talking almost as loudly as the children.
"Can we have a campfire?"
"Yes, of course."
"Can we tell ghost stories?"
"Absolutely!"
"And go hiking, and swimming, and--"
"Yes, yes, yes. Anything you like," Windu said expansively. Qui-Gon repressed a whimper as a rousing cheer went up from their little crowd.
"All right, everyone, let's sing!" Mace said, clearly determined to make the most of the experience. Mace's problem, Qui-Gon had long ago decided, was that he was just a little too enthusiastic about everything. "One hundred bottles of juice on the wall, one hundred bottles of juice....!"
Qui-Gon didn't bother to repress his whimper, this time.
"Iiiiiffff one of those bottles should happen to fall, no more bottles of juice on the waaaaall!" Shrieks and applause filled the air. Qui-Gon relaxed slightly.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, in the seat directly behind Qui-Gon's, leaned forward to say, "Isn't this great, Master Qui-Gon? Isn't this great?"
"The greatest," he agreed. And then, the unbelievable happened.
"Sing it again! sing it again!" shouted happy little voices.
And Mace-- damn him, damn him, damn him-- obligingly began again. "One hundred bottles of juice...."
Five hours later ["Close to the Temple, my combat droid," Qui-Gon muttered.], he was in a much better mood. They had arrived at the nature dome without any actual disaster, and unloaded everyone's gear with minimal insanity. They had even got the pavilion they would be sleeping under erected-- even with the children helping. He eyed the pavilion's guy wires. He had tied strips of white cloth to them, to prevent anyone from tripping over them, hoping to minimise the chance of anyone doing themselves damage.
Now, everyone was sitting in a circle, eating the box lunches the Temple cafeteria had supplied them, and Qui-Gon's nerves were beginning to stop twanging. Of course, the fact that all the children were devouring their lunches like starving rancors meant that their energy levels would be peaking soon; but a nice, long nature hike should take the edge off. He looked at their small assembly. They were almost vibrating with suppressed energy.
Yes, a very long hike. Definitely.
"Master Qui-Gon, what's that tree called?"
"That's a kasaba tree."
"Where the fruit comes from?"
"Yes."
"What's that plant called?"
"That's called a..."
"The common name is sarlacc's tongue," Mace said, coming to his rescue. "See how it's all sticky and bumpy?"
"Eeeeeeew!" The squeals were more delighted than nauseated.
The question-and-answer session had begun within moments of the hike, and continued non-stop. So much for peaceful communing with nature.
Obi-Wan and Lesandre stayed close to Qui-Gon, sometimes talking to him, sometimes whispering between themselves. The Shistavanen wolfboy and his friend were constantly straying from the path; but only briefly. Given the boy's excellent tracking skills, Qui-Gon had no fear of their getting lost.
He wasn't entirely sure of the rest of them, and that certainly included Mace, who was now lecturing three of the other children on how to tell the difference between male and female thridbirds.
"Master Qui-Gon?"
"Yes, Obi-Wan?"
"The Force is in everything, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Plants and animals, too?"
"Plants and animals, too."
"Then how come it's okay for us to eat them?"
"That's a very good question," Qui-Gon hedged. To his irritation, he noticed Mace watching them, waiting for his friend to come up with an answer.
"Nature has its own rules," he managed, at last. "Part of those rules determine where each lifeform falls on the food chain."
"So we're supposed to eat other things? Even if they're part of the Force?"
"It's the natural way, Obi-Wan," he said.
"Sometimes we get eaten, too," Lesandre pointed out, practically. "That's natural, too."
"Well, yes, I suppose--"
"Thanks, Master Qui-Gon! It makes more sense, now." The boys hurried off to join one of their friends, who was looking closely at a rock.
"They ask hard questions," Qui-Gon said.
Mace nodded, soberly.
"Everyone, wait a moment." Qui-Gon's voice rang out over the children's, and they quieted. "This path is worn away at the edges by erosion. I want everyone to walk single file, and pay attention. It isn't dangerous, but the slope is very steep, so I want everyone to be very careful."
"Yes, Master Qui-Gon." Mace joined in the chorus, and they giggled.
"Good. I'll go first. Then all of you; and Master Mace will walk in the back."
At the end of the small path, Qui-Gon waited for the others to catch up. He felt obligated to say something; they were looking at him, with the awed expression that made him profoundly nervous.
"When we're with nature, we can feel the Force most clearly-- the living Force, in all its power. The wind and the earth; the birds, and the insects, and the plants. Even the things that can eat us." He smiled at Lesandre and Obi-Wan, and they both giggled. "We're part of something far greater than any single being." He noticed that Mace was hanging back, and took a step to the side, to see what was going on. "Is everything all right back there?"
"We're fine," Mace called back. "Ki'Tohr's caught on something."
Qui-Gon continued his little lecture. "We're part of a pattern; and, when we let the Force speak to us, we can see more clearly what our role in it will be. We can see where we are going; and who will join us on our journey through life." He moved to the side again, to make room for the others, as Mace reached them.
"One false step can lead to downfall," was an old Jedi proverb. The next moment, Qui-Gon became that proverb in action.
"That slope really is steep," Ki'Tohr, a Noghri boy, said. He was clearly impressed with Qui-Gon's knowledge.
Mace looked down the slope. "You all right?"
"Just fine, thank you," came the reply.
"Do you need some help?" a cheerful, if somewhat concerned, voice asked.
"No, Obi-Wan. Thank you for asking." Qui-Gon made his way back up the slope carefully.
*You're the only man I know who can keep his dignity even when he's sliding down a hill on his butt,* Mace commented.
*Feel free to get stuffed at any time.*