Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn stood shoulder to shoulder, listening to the Council's briefing on their upcoming mission. Mace Windu leaned forward, measured sentences leaving him one after another. Only half-listening, Obi-Wan catalogued them. Slavery, it seemed, was one disturbing element of a new planet that wanted to join the Republic for trading purposes. Since slavery on Ria had religious overtones and the Republic officially supported religious freedom, their petition would be investigated for consideration rather than rejected outright. It fell to the Jedi to determine if the society were suitable despite it. Unfortunately for the Riadans, slavery had both sexual and labor-related aspects, neither of which boded well for their admission into the Republic.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Obi-Wan stifled a sigh. Plain-vanilla missions, one after another. All as boring as they could possibly be. Diplomatic receptions. Guided tours. Polite formality. He stifled a yawn, blanking his mind so that the Jedi Masters would not be able to read his boredom...
... and suddenly, unsure of how much time had passed, he realized that Mace was speaking about an entirely different aspect of the mission. He had permitted his thoughts to wander too far and missed the last several minutes of the briefing.
"It is particularly important to your personal safety that you conduct the roles we have prepared for you in a manner consistent with Riadan culture," Windu was saying soberly. "The Riadans have never before attempted extraplanetary contact. As a result, their worldview is understandably somewhat provincial and perhaps even xenophobic. They will find it difficult to comprehend the existence and respect the values of cultures other than their own. Because of this, their ambassadors have not yet been given any information regarding the political and social conventions of the Republic. After meeting with the Riadan Ambassadors, the Supreme Chancellor concurred with the Council that it will be easier for you to obtain a true impression of their culture if they do not know how to tailor their appearances to meet your expectations."
The Councilor shifted slightly to escape a stray beam of sunlight, continuing. "Also, our initial observations of the Riadans indicate that they are a highly volatile people, a warrior people. You must earn their respect and trust so that they will be open with you about their culture. This may not always entail typical diplomatic tact," he warned. "Confrontation may become a necessity from time to time." His eyes flickered at Qui-Gon, a slight wryness visible in them that suggested he believed the Jedi Master would be more than capable of handling such a requirement.
He continued. "The cultural restrictions they voluntarily place upon their weapons technology forbids you to carry energy weapons, including your lightsabers. The level of technological development on Ria has not progressed beyond simple radio reception and transmission. The Riadan King's ship was furnished to the embassy as a diplomatic courtesy by the Senate so that trade negotiations might proceed. You will return with it." Qui-Gon nodded and Obi-Wan followed suit hastily, pretending he understood what was going on.
Windu paused, seeming uncharacteristically worried for a moment before his normally smooth faÁade reasserted itself automatically. "The Riadans know little of the Republic and nothing of the Jedi. Therefore, the Council has decided that you must operate as though undercover, only revealing your Jedi powers if it becomes absolutely necessary." Windu sighed.
"The roles I have described for each of you have been researched as carefully as we were able, but it is possible that there are gaps in our knowledge, likely serious ones. Little is known of Ria. You were hand-picked for this because of each of your personalities, your strength in the Force, and the depth of your Master/padawan commitment -- especially the level of cooperation and trust between you." He hesitated, eyeing Obi-wan meaningfully. "Also, Obi-Wan, you were chosen because of your high level of combat readiness and your physical beauty."
Only Mace Windu could have pronounced such words and make them sound uncomplimentary. Obi-Wan suppressed a smirk and a flicker of worry. Beauty? Why? But the Councilor was summing up.
"The Council feels that, together, you are the Jedi team best equipped to confront this mission and deal successfully with the special challenges and dangers it may bring." He leaned back in his chair.
Obi-Wan felt a flicker of worry, but shrugged it off. The Council was almost always overcautious.
"Accept this mission do you, Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Yoda focused on him almost suspiciously, as though the small Master guessed he had been woolgathering. Obi-Wan nearly jerked with surprise. By custom, it was the Master who accepted or declined the council's assignments, not the padawan.
"Yes, Master Yoda," he heard himself say smoothly, automatically trying to cover up his lapse with a polished front of reliability. Besides, Qui-Gon had only rarely declined mission assignments, and those for reasons of prior commitment.
"Hmmmf. Thought that you would, I did," Yoda remarked cryptically, shifting his feet and settling his robes. Obi-wan hazarded the tiniest glance at Qui-Gon, who stood placid, face entirely inscrutable. Obi-Wan again felt a shiver of unease shoot through his spine. There was a dynamic here that he did not like, some silent thing. He reached out for a sense of Qui-Gon's emotions, but his Master's emotional aura was cool and smooth as usual, revealing no more than Windu's or Yoda's. He felt a sinking sensation in his gut. Master Mace had tried to warn him, but he had acted in haste and shame, and had dived straight into some unknown responsibility that he would likely wind up regretting sorely.
Oh, well. He had committed them. Qui-Gon would simply have to catch him up on anything important when the time came. Maybe Obi-Wan would even be lucky enough that his ignorance would not be exposed. Yeah. And Hutts would sprout wings and fly.
As padawan, it was his duty to care for the luggage, loading it aboard the hoverskiff that would carry them to their transport. Obi-Wan had done it a hundred times, but this time there seemed to be several more, and much heavier, trunks than usual. Still, he resisted using the Force, preferring to hone his physical strength with honest labor. His muscles strained and sweat darkened the cloth under the sleeves of his robe as he piled the trunks in the cargo bay, listening to various metallic clankings from some of them. He made a mental note to ask Qui-Gon exactly why he had filled his luggage with metal.
"It isn't all metal." Qui-Gon had overheard his grumpy muttering. "Some of it's leather." His Master chuckled, a deep throaty sound with overtones of unease that made Obi-Wan begin to wish he'd listened far more carefully to Master Mace's briefing.
"And it's not my luggage." Qui-Gon laid his hand on his apprentice's sweating back. "It's yours."
Obi-Wan straightened, blinking at Qui-Gon. "It is?" he asked uncertainly.
"I have warned you before about allowing your mind to wander during briefings, Padawan." Qui-Gon's eyes sparkled with mischief. "You declined your rightful option to turn down this mission. Now ... we must accept the consequences." Qui-Gon smiled. He decided to keep those consequences to himself for just a little longer. It would teach Obi-Wan a valuable lesson about paying attention, and there seemed little chance of serious repercussions from his padawan's ignorance since the role set out for Obi-Wan meant Qui-Gon would be totally in command of their activities on this mission. The voyage to Ria should give them a few days for Obi-Wan to adjust to the idea of what he had unknowingly undertaken. Qui-Gon settled his palm on his padawan's shoulder, gently leading him to their seat in the hoverskiff.
Obi-Wan swallowed nervously, sparing a single backward glance for the trunks he'd placed in the cargo bay. There was no time to investigate their contents now. He followed his Master on board, mentally chiding himself for his willful negligence.
He had a bad feeling about this....
[ On to Part Two ]