Author's Notes: Ok, here's another round. See if you can spot what movie I lifted from for the first event! *smile*
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.
Obi-Wan retrieved his pack and began his way out of Theed. He stopped briefly at the new Qui-Gon memorial and thought a few things he might have been brave enough to shout out loud, if not for the spectators gathered around.
The small band that was ringing the statue was made up mostly of young women. They were staring in admiration-and not just of the artistry.
"Ooooh," a girl nearby said. "He's so impressive."
"Yeah," added another. "Dreamy. I bet I'd just thud if I could have seen him in person."
Obi-Wan stared at them coldly for a moment. His master had been no idol, and he did not care for this gushing. He walked the perimeter of the circle, examining the sculpture from all sides. He was about to leave when he was spotted.
A teenage female was the first to recognize him. "It's the Knight, the one who was with the Master!" She squealed and pointed.
All the other girls turned in the direction indicated. Obi-Wan started to get a bad feeling. He took a deep breath, smiled and began backing away.
"Oh, Mister Jedi Kenobi, I've always loved what you did for Naboo!"
"Can I just shake your hand?"
"Can I touch your cloak?"
"I've got some hot fudge back at my place I'd love to share..."
The girls assembled into a mob and advanced on Obi-Wan.
He realized this was beyond a mind whammy. He turned and started running.
The girls picked up the pace and followed.
No matter where he went or which alleyway he ducked into, they seemed to be able to catch sight of him and take up the chase again. Finally in desperation he saw a passing speeder and jumped aboard.
The driver felt his weight jar the vehicle, and pulled a blaster as he glanced back. Obi-Wan held up his hand. "Sorry, let me explain. I just need a ride."
The older man smiled and put his weapon back in the holster. "It's all right, Son. Climb up in the front here."
Catching his breath and wiping his brow, the Jedi removed his backpack and seated himself next to the driver.
"Thank you," he said as he peered at his rescuer. He was faced with Lieutenant Uzza.
"Now tell me, just how did you get into that situation?" the Lieutenant asked.
As they traveled to the outskirts of Theed, the two men conversed. Obi-Wan explained his incident and Uzza nodded sympathetically.
"Don't worry; things will settle down and you'll be able to walk the street again soon," Uzza told the Jedi. "In the meantime, here we are," he waved, indicating the edge of the city. Pulling over, he asked, "You've got everything you need?"
Obi-Wan reached over and checked his pack. "Yes, sir, thanks. It's all here."
Uzza looked concerned. "Out here, all alone...all you sure you'll be all right?"
The Jedi shot him a glare of mock indignation.
The guard laughed. "I know, I know, you're quite capable of taking care of yourself. It's just that I am a family man, and trust me, my young ladies would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to you. You've made quite an impression on little Meira."
Obi-Wan shrugged as he smiled. "I hope a different impression than the one Jar-Jar has left on her."
"I would say so," Uzza grinned. Then he turned a bit more serious. "Here," he said, reaching into a compartment on the speeder. "Take this comlink, it's a spare. Any message will sent directly to the Royal Guard office. Don't hesitate to call us if you need more supplies, a lift back, anything at all."
Obi-Wan started to wave it away, but Uzza wouldn't have any of that. "I mean it, Jedi Kenobi. Take it, if not for yourself, then for my girls. We'll all sleep better at night."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand." He took the device and tucked away in the pack. He held out his hand to the man.
Uzza grasped him and gave him a firm encouraging handshake. "Good luck, Jedi. I hope you find what you're looking for."
Sabé and Panaka met in the Captain's office, their normal routine before their reports were presented to the Queen. This morning she found Panaka staring at notes on his datapad. He was slouched back in his chair, head in one hand, an air of grief around him.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
He sighed. "Things are progressing with the investigation of the incident after the parade a couple of nights ago. Jaquill did cooperate."
"As well he should," Sabé commented. Her tone was indignant and haughty.
Panaka looked up, irritated with her. "It's not that simple. I've worked with him for years now. What you saw...well, it wasn't the man I knew." He hesitated, then went on. "There's something I've been thinking about showing you. I wasn't sure if I should, but now, it makes little difference. It's a holo of his testimony after he came out of detox."
"Detox? What was he taking?"
"He was loaded with a lot of weird stuff. The chemists haven't tracked it all yet. Here, I've got to go down the hall. Please watch it before you judge him," Panaka implored. He sat the projector down on the table and left.
Sabé activated the holo. Jaquill appeared to be looking straight at her, though she knew that he was talking to an investigator.
He glanced up, a hollow look in his eyes, then faced forward.
"Thank you for coming. I know this has to be difficult, but there are things I must say to all of you now, just in case....," Jaquill swallowed hard. "In case something happens to me. I want to make my peace with you."
Sabé knitted her brow, and looked at the image hard. The investigator echoed her thoughts. "Are they that dangerous?"
"They are," he replied. "They took me and made me into that thing that attacked Minister Calle. I want you to know that what I said there was not how I feel, not about her or the Queen. Please get them before they ruin another life. My career, my dreams, are over now. Stop them, whatever you do."
"I plan to," the investigator assured him. "Tell me more. How did they get to you?"
"They are insidious. They find out what you want most of all, and they promise they will get it for you if you work with them, no matter how impossible it sounds. I think they started drugging me before they approached me directly. It's the only way I would have ever joined them, at least I hope so."
The investigator remarked, "I checked your record and asked around. Everyone who knows you assured me your service has been outstanding until recently. What could you want so much that you would turn? Wealth? Power?"
He seemed to look at her with apprehension in his eyes. "A woman," he choked. It's Minister Calle I want. I've been in love with her ever since she came into service as a handmaiden."
At first Sabé was too surprised for thoughts. Her mind reeled at what he had just said. She reached back for the arm of the chair near her, and fell into it.
He continued, "Let me go on before I lose my nerve. I never felt I could approach her. When she received her promotion not long after the war, I knew she was out of my league."
Painfully, he went on. "I do have to beg her forgiveness for this. What pushed me over the edge was seeing her in the Square with the Jedi a couple of nights before our incident. She was on his arm like she belonged there. I couldn't take it, so I went to have a couple of drinks, and found I couldn't stop. They told me never to take alcohol, I thought they were just upholding high moral standards, so I didn't have a problem with abstaining before. But it reacts badly with the drugs they fed me and that's what she saw in the alley. Believe me, if I had been in my right mind and witnessed anyone treating her the way I did then, she wouldn't have had to break any bones. I'd have done it for her. That and anything else she asked."
Sabé switched off the holo and sat silently for a moment, reflecting on the testimony. It wasn't long before Panaka returned.
She glanced up at the Captain. "What will happen to him?"
Panaka looked as if were going to cry. "He turned up dead on the way to the detention center."
Sabé gasped. "We're really in trouble, aren't we?"
Panaka replied, "Yes, my friend, we are."
Sabé rose, and bowed to Panaka. "I'll meet you in court in an hour. First, I believe I should send a prayer to the Gods."
"I think that would be most appropriate at this time."
As she left the office and walked down the ornate hall, she whispered under her breath, "Farewell, Jaquill. May you find peace."
After the business of court, Sabé and Panaka headed back to their respective offices to take care of their other duties. When Sabé entered the room, she noticed that there was something different, the place was not as she had left it. She looked around, trying to see if anything had been moved, but the room appeared to be untouched. Realizing that it didn't seem to be an object, she inhaled, and caught the slight aroma of a perfume. It was not hers, and she didn't recognize it as the scent of any of her regular friends and visitors.
She closed and locked the door, sat down and began working at the terminal. Under "Personnel Files" she typed in "Lirae, Handmaiden to Queen Amidala"
Obi-Wan had been in the forest a week now. It had taken some time to purge himself of his anger at his old Master, but now he was relaxing and progressing in his renewal of spirit. On the evening of the seventh day, he began his meditation again. This time, the images of the fight with the Sith came, the way they did every night. His pulse quickened, his body responded as though he was actually going to fight. He pushed the images out, like always, forcing them from his mind, refusing to accept them. He tried meditation again, even though he was still agitated.
He closed his eyes, and began the exercise *Be calm. At peace. Let the Force guide you.*
"Obi-Wan, you gave excellent advice to Anakin when I passed. You said he should let me go. Now you need to follow that yourself."
Obi-Wan jumped up from his meditation to find himself facing the spirit of his Master. He was moved when he looked into Qui-Gon's cool steel-blue eyes, and almost began crying.
"Master, I have so much to say to you. Now, not only for myself, but on behalf of Sabé as well. Why did you do it to her?"
Qui-Gon's head raised slightly and looked away. Obi-Wan knew this look well, it meant he had him. "What do you mean?"
The anger almost returned. "I'm a Knight now, stop playing games with me. I'd accepted your manipulations of me, it was part of being your Padawan. I'd even grown accustomed the way you used others in order to accomplish our missions. But what you did to Sabé was uncalled for. She had a life, a career, goals of her own. She did not deserve to be steered toward parenthood without her knowledge and consent. Nor did I, as a matter of fact."
Qui-Gon remained silent.
"Yes, Master. The back massage, I know about it now. The one used by the healers to promote fertility, the same one you used on Sabé. And after that, when you encouraged us to spend time together, knowing..."
"Do you regret that occasion, Obi-Wan?"
He threw his hands up in frustration. "Well, yes and no ... considering the result."
"That feeling will pass as you come to accept them into your life."
"But what about my mission as a Jedi, what about Anakin? You gave me that assignment. I can't shortchange him." Obi-Wan leaned back against the nearest tree. "It's too much," he said, running his hand over his head. "I can't take care of three. I can barely handle my Padawan."
"You won't have to. For now, let Sabé take care of her portion and you take care of yours. Be together when you can. Everything will happen as it should."
Obi-Wan felt he had reached a dead end, that he had stretched himself to the limit. A part of him knew that was not true, but it was a small voice right now, compared to the overwhelming feelings of inadequacy that now ruled his thoughts. He felt his best choice was to bare his soul before Qui-Gon and listen to his advice.
"Master, I miss you so much, You were right, I did...no,I do...have much to learn. Sometimes I feel lost. I don't know how to give the boy what he needs," the young Jedi confessed.
Qui-Gon's expression softened. "It's not just the boy who needs you now. Don't forget, they all deserve your affection."
"Affection, Master? I'll do the right thing, and care for them as best as I can. But how can I give them affection? In many ways we hardly know each other. I'm not sure if Sabé wanted me in her life anyway. Even at the time, she was prepared to end the relationship. Why else would she have kept the child a secret?" Obi-Wan asked.
"First, I will tell you why she kept this secret. Left on her own, she would have told you, and brought the girl to the Temple. She does respect Jedi tradition, even with her misgivings. I knew this, and I arranged matters to encourage her to act as she did. I hope you can forgive me when you hear more and understand."
Obi-Wan found himself stung at this admission. His own master had been involved in keeping secrets from him before, but never ones so deeply important to him, not only as a Jedi, but also as a man.
Master looked serenely at his former Apprentice. "Sabé welcomes you in her life. She always would have. But she knows of the obligations you both have, and neither of you can neglect duty. Work with her, Obi-Wan. The two of you will make an excellent team."
"The only one I have ever truly bonded with is you. I don't know that I have it in me to be that close to anyone again," Obi-Wan confessed.
Qui-Gon replied,"Don't underestimate your heart. When you were my dear Padawan, we forged a unique connection; it was not meant to be duplicated and it will never be replaced. But you have the capacity to love others according to their needs. It is a great strength, one that you should not suppress. Let the Living Force guide you, let Sabé and Meira help you. It would be the best way you could honor me." Qui-Gon waited for a response, studying his former apprentice intensely.
Obi-Wan dropped to his knees, nodded to his master and began meditation again, this time seeking the Living Force. He could feel Qui-Gon's approval and it warmed him inside.
"Remember Obi-Wan, What you give of this will be returned to you, with interest. The Force and I will always be with you." Then the master was gone.
Obi-Wan fought back sadness at losing touch with his master once again. He turned his focus onto the present and how he should proceed. That's whenthe vision started. It was pleasant enough, showing glimpses of Sabé, his daughter and himself, apparently spending some time, now and then, as a family. There was the distinct impression however, that above all, their abilities must be kept secret. Somehow, he knew that although his daughter would be strong with the Force, it was not her place to be a Jedi.
Once he had recovered from the experience, he knew what he must do.