Author's Notes: Well, it's finally done! Thanks everyone for the feedback!
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.
Qui-Gon opened his eyes. He hurt. All over. Pain shot through his shoulder like fire, balls of light streaked across his vision, and his head was pounding in time with his heartbeat. Funny -- the concussion hadn't seemed so bad when Eidolon had been in control of his body...
Eidolon. With a groan Qui-Gon sat up, his gaze going immediately to his Apprentice, laying motionless nearby.
"Obi-Wan?" With unsteady fingers the Jedi reached out, checking the boy's pulse, wincing inwardly at the bruises on his throat.
At his touch, Obi-Wan stirred and moaned. Remorse turned to relief within Qui-Gon. "Padawan?"
Obi-Wan's eyes flickered open. "Master?"
"Yes."
Obi-Wan stared at him blankly for a moment, then stiffened as memory assailed him. The cave, the Guardian, Eidolon...that awful moment when the alien had brushed him aside, slamming him into some dark corner of his mind. He shuddered. But there was no trace of the Wraith in his mind...just the bitter echoes of something he would rather forget. He forced himself to relax. It was over. For a moment he allowed himself the luxury of staring into a pair of brown eyes that did not contain an unknown entity. Just...Qui-Gon.
"Is that really you?"
Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. Although I might ask you the same..."
"Eidolon...is gone." Astonishment rippled through Obi-Wan as he realized that the overwhelming agony had also disappeared, vanishing as if it had never been, leaving only more mundane aches and pains in various parts of his body. He drew a deep breath and this time his lungs responded. "Master - the poison... It's gone... But the Guardian said..." His voice trailed off in confusion.
Qui-Gon sat back, trying to ignore the pain that stabbed through him as he moved. "I would imagine that with Eidolon in your body, the Guardian was able to deal with him and the poison at the same time..."
Obi-Wan blinked up at him. "Then...by taking over my body...Eidolon saved my life?"
"Yes. Ironic, isn't it?"
Ironic. That was one word for it. Obi-Wan sat up cautiously and glanced over his shoulder at the now-buried cave entrance. "What happened?"
Qui-Gon said wearily: "I think the computer self- destructed. Either that or there wasn't enough power left to sustain its energy fields."
Obi-Wan swallowed, a shadow crossing his face. "So what happened to Eidolon?"
Qui-Gon shook his head. "I don't know." There was a strained note in his voice. Obi-Wan turned back to his Master, looking more closely at him. There were shadows in Qui-Gon's eyes that hadn't been there before, the Apprentice noticed. The few fleeting moments when Eidolon had been lodged in his own mind had been enough to give him nightmares for weeks. So what must it be like for Qui-Gon? "Master?" he asked softly. "Are you all right?"
Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes." He hesitated. "And you?"
Obi-Wan ignored the question. Suddenly he was noticing the blaster burns on his Master's shoulder and the bruises forming on his jaw. "I shot you," he said abruptly, dismay evident on his face.
Without warning, Qui-Gon laughed, suddenly very pleased to be alive and in control of his body, despite its condition. The shadows in his eyes had vanished. "Remind me never to make you angry, Obi-Wan," he said, smiling. "Or to be prepared to duck, if I do."
"Master, I'm sorry. I.."
"No. I'm sorry. For not recognizing the doubts you've been carrying around all this time. For not realizing how you felt."
"Master..."
Qui-Gon shook his head. "No. Let me finish. Eidolon lied. I have never regretted my decision. Not once. I chose you as my Apprentice...or perhaps we chose each other...and I have no regrets. You're my Padawan learner but in the time we've been together, and especially these last few days, you've taught me many things. No, I have no regrets." He reached out his left hand and touched Obi-Wan lightly on the shoulder.
The Apprentice ducked his head and swallowed, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him for a moment. "Thank you," he said quietly, not meeting Qui-Gon's eyes.
The Jedi released him and, in an effort to lighten the mood, continued. "For example, I didn't know you were such an accomplished pilot."
This time Obi-Wan did look up, startled. "Accomplished? You did see what I did to the ship, didn't you?"
"Yes. I was impressed."
"I crashed it," he said flatly.
"You also made it do things it was never designed to do. I haven't seen flying like that in a long time...if ever."
"I...suppose I was inspired." Obi-Wan glanced away again then winced at the pain in his back and neck.
"You're hurt." It wasn't a question.
Obi-Wan shifted in the sand. "I just wrenched my back a little when we crashed."
"And sprained your ankle, not to mention the damage I...Eidolon...inflicted on you." Qui-Gon couldn't quite keep the note of guilt from his voice.
The Apprentice heard it and turned, shooting his Master a grin that was pure Obi-Wan. "Yes, but on the other hand, this trip has certainly been memorable. After all, how many Jedi Apprentice's get to shoot their Master?"
Qui-Gon gave him a stern look, despite the wry smile that was beginning to curl at his lips. "Not many. I think there's a rule against it somewhere. But Obi-Wan..."
"Yes Master?"
"Just don't make a habit of it."
Obi-Wan chuckled. "Yes, Master."
The shadows were lengthening and the first hints of twilight were appearing in the desert sky by the time Obi- Wan and Qui-Gon reached the crashed remains of the Kherosian shuttle. They had made much better progress across the desert this time, despite their injuries. It would be some time before either of them were completely restored, but the Force had helped them to heal their wounds somewhat. And the pain could be controlled.
They came to a halt beside one crumpled wing of the ship, Obi-Wan immediately sinking down in the shade of the wreckage to rub his ankle. After a moment Qui-Gon joined him on the sandy ground.
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"Who were the Shay'anari, do you think?"
Qui-Gon cast him a look then turned away, staring out across the rolling sands. "I don't know," he said slowly. "They had to be a very advanced race. They built the Guardian, exiled Eidolon to space..."
"Eidolon." Obi-Wan frowned. "I wonder why he came back here. Surely he must have known what would happen if he defied his exile..."
"I think...that he just wanted to go home."
Obi-Wan looked up at his Master in surprise. Qui-Gon looked back at him then sighed. "I couldn't read his thoughts and memories the way he could mine, but there was a sensation -- a feeling really -- of loneliness...and a desire to rejoin his people. I think in the end he was willing to risk anything...to go home again."
"I know how he feels," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath.
Qui-Gon laughed briefly and clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll be home soon enough, my Padawan. In the meantime, let's see what we can salvage out of this ship, shall we?" The Jedi hauled himself to his feet, being careful not to move his injured shoulder too much. Then he turned and walked slowly into the shuttle.
Obi-Wan likewise stood. He was turning to follow his Master when something made him pause and look back at the desert. The red sands were vanishing into the growing shadows while overhead faint stars were beginning to emerge. A faint breeze curled around Obi-Wan, whipping his braid back and rustling his cloak. For an endless moment he stood there, lost in thought.
They had survived. Somehow, against all hope, they had both survived. Obi-Wan was still more than a little surprised at that. And...Eidolon had lied. Qui-Gon's words from earlier still filled the Apprentice with a warm glow. His Master did not regret choosing him. Somewhere deep inside Obi-Wan, the last lingering self-doubts and uncertainties he had had faded away and vanished all together. He took deep breath...and smiled.
As for Eidolon... Obi-Wan's smile dimmed slightly. He didn't hate the Wraith anymore, he realized, a shudder going through him at how perilously close to the dark side he had come over the past couple of days. No, he didn't hate Eidolon, despite what the alien had done. He felt... sorry for him. "I hope you did find your people," Obi-Wan said out loud, "somehow..." And then he was pulling the hood of his cloak up and following his Master into the shuttle. Behind him, the wind sighed over the shifting sands, whispering like a lost soul...or a wraith.