Dedicated to: My new baby brother Joseph Liam, and to the babies who were recently abandoned. I only wish they had a Jedi to find them.
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 purposes 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. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
The Jedi Temple never really slept. There was always a light on, someone patrolling the corridors, always a child with a nightmare, asking for comfort.
Obi-Wan Kenobi jerked from his slumber at a soft clatter, out in the corridor. He listened hard, as a soft thump-thump started. It was hardly audible... but it was there. Someone was going through the Temple, and they didn't want to be heard.
Obi-Wan swung his legs over the edge of his bed and padded silently through his dark room. He groped along the wall and touched the doorpad, and the door quietly slid open an inch. He crouched and looked out.
The lights were dimmed, giving the wide hall a soft look. Obi-Wan saw a tall, broad-shouldered figure with long brown hair. The odd lighting made his rough, bearded face seem darker than usual. His long brown robe had been pulled off and was now wrapped in a small bundle
Obi-Wan frowned a little as his Master stopped suddenly and began to hum something in a low voice, as a few furious squeaks escaped the bundle. He stared in amazement as a pair of dark eyes in a reddened face appeared over the edge of the robe.
A baby? What was he doing with a baby in the middle of the night?
As the baby stopped fussing, Qui-Gon cradled him against his broad chest and continued down the hall. For a moment, his huge shadow loomed over the floor, then vanished.
Obi-Wan frowned again, and slowly pushed the doorpad and slipped out into the darkened corridor. He could still see the distorted shadow of his Master, moving fast. Toward the medical wing.
Obi-Wan walked fast to the wing, then pulled back suddenly in surprise as a light flashed on, outlining two beige-clad figures. Qui-Gon, still cradling the baby in his arms, and a smaller, gray-haired Jedi with a kind, motherly face.
"Another one?" she asked quietly, smiling a little as a small, chubby fist flailed from the wrappings.
"Yes," Qui-Gon replied softly, pulling his robe from around the child. "Only one... for that, I'm thankful."
The older Jedi gathered the small child in her arms and smiled. "I'll put him in the east wing, with all the others."
Others? Obi-Wan's brow wrinkled in confusion. Other children? He sank into a tangle of confused thoughts, not noticing when the lights in the medical wing dimmed-
"Obi-Wan!"
The apprentice jerked and tensed as Qui-Gon appeared behind him, his eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing up?" the older man said, lowering his voice.
Obi-Wan swallowed, and pointed into the now-dark room. "I heard someone moving around, and saw you... handing a child over in there."
Qui-Gon stared at him for a moment more, then his rough features softened a little, as if he were relieved. A faint flicker of sadness touched his face.
"What were you doing?" Obi-Wan whispered. "Whose child was that?"
Qui-Gon smiled a little, looking pained. "No one's child, Obi-Wan." He sounded less as if he were speaking to his apprentice, as if he were meditating on the words.
Obi-Wan stared at him. "What?"
Qui-Gon sighed and glanced in the open door, from where he had just come. "I suppose I owe you an explanation." He sighed, and beckoned Obi-Wan to follow him as he stepped into the medical wing, turning the lights back on, halfway.
Obi-Wan looked over at a large glass window, overlooking a large room, with about a dozen bassinets inside. "The Medari culture believes," Qui-Gon said quietly, "that it is morally evil to raise more than two children. Any future children are left outdoors, allowed to succumb to the elements."
Obi-Wan's head shot up, staring at Qui-Gon in horror. Qui-Gon's eyes were sadder than the apprentice had ever seen them before, as if something were weighing on his soul.
"The Coruscant authorities have banned this practice," Qui-Gon continued quietly. "But the Medari on Coruscant only find newer, more ingenious places to abandon the infants. This they do without remorse." He paused, and pressed one large, calloused hand to the glass. "I started using the Force to seek them out, years ago. I bring them to the Jedi Temple, where I know they'll be cared for, until they can be given to new families..."
For a moment, Obi-Wan looked at his master, then at the tiny still forms inside the glass room. "Do other Jedi do this as well?"
"Yes," Qui-Gon replied. "Anyone who can searches for the infants, depending on what missions we're on."
Obi-Wan pressed one hand to the glass. One of the tiny babies inside stirred and wriggled, turning its round, flushed little face toward him. A small hand curled into a fist. "Master... may I come with you in the future?" he asked softly.
Qui-Gon smiled a little, and nodded his consent. There was the faint glimmer of a tear in his eye.