Master Apprentice
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Continued from part 5
Outside the closed doors to the Council Chambers, Qui-Gon, Silva and Obi-Wan waited in silence, but not without emotion. Silva was out of sorts, and Qui-Gon was sure that only the finest thread of Jedi decorum was keeping her from lunging at him. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, seemed present in body only. His head was bowed and covered fully by the hood of his robe, and his shields were so carefully guarded that Qui-Gon was tempted to lift the hood away to verify the young man's identity.
Though he was not looking forward to this Council hearing, Qui-Gon was relieved when the chamber doors finally opened. They walked to the center of the ornately decorated floor. Qui-Gon and Silva bowed, but Obi-Wan dropped to his knees and bent forward until his forehead touched the floor beneath it. Such humility was not required before the Council except for the most grievous offenses.
"Would you care to explain this?" Master Mace Windu asked, looking to Knight Laren and bypassing the usual greetings.
"He has revoked his intent," she said simply.
"Revoked what?" Mace asked, shifting in his Council chair. He had never heard this phrasing before.
"Knight Laren," Master Depa Billaba said, her voice ever so sweetly sensual. "You mean to say that your padawan will not proceed with the Cleansing Ritual?"
"Yes, Master," Silva said, lowering her eyes. She had not contacted the Eratti Master about this change, hoping that Obi-Wan was not serious in his rejection of the ritual.
"And what does this mean to the Eratti?" Council member Ki Adi Mundi asked.
"Without the Cleansing, Padawan Kenobi may not continue as Knight Laren's apprentice. It is Eratti Code," Depa said, sadly. The loss of such a fine padawan would be devastating to the Eratti sect whose numbers continued to dwindle.
"Decide this, when?" Master Yoda asked.
"He informed me of his decision an hour ago," Silva said, keeping her voice calm. "We were in our quarters discussing the hearing and the next phase of the Cleansing Ritual. That's when Obi-Wan announced he would not go any further in the ritual. He revoked his intent to be cleansed."
Qui-Gon smiled at Obi-Wan's prone, motionless form. "He wants to keep his memories."
"He can not!" Silva said, fiercely as she turned to Qui-Gon.
"I would like to hear what Padawan Kenobi has to say," Mace said, stepping in before this became an argument between Silva and Qui- Gon. "Obi-Wan, please rise and address the Council."
Slowly Obi-Wan got to his knees and with Mace's further encouragement continued until he was standing.
"See you, we cannot," Yoda said, in his roundabout way of directing the young Jedi to remove his hood.
Obi-Wan complied, pushing back his cowl with trembling hands. His face was pale and streaked with dried tears. Qui-Gon's heart clenched, seeing the young man's agony.
"Aware we are of what took place between you and Master Jinn," Yoda said. "Tell us now why you refuse your master's wishes."
"I do not want to defy her," Obi-Wan said, looking to Silva. "I want to be Knight Laren's padawan and to become a Jedi."
"Explaining you are not," Yoda said, noting the confusion and pain in the young man's eyes.
"Masters," Silva said, bowing respectively. "Love is forbidden to the Eratti, sex with other Jedi is forbidden to the Eratti... Obi-Wan broke both these tenets with Master Jinn and now he refuses to complete the Eratti Cleansing Ritual." She turned then to speak directly to Obi-Wan. "Do you believe you can act as an Eratti with your memories and feelings intact?"
Before Obi-Wan could respond, Master Billaba spoke. "If Obi-Wan is allowed to retain his memories of his liaison with Master Jinn he will never be able to function as an Eratti. The choices are clearly stated in the Code... he can be cleansed and finish his training as an Eratti or keep his memories and leave it to the Council to decide his future."
The emphasis on Obi-Wan's relationship with Qui-Gon gave the Jedi master an odd sense of hope. Were the young man's feelings so deep that time would not diminish them? And was it true that those feelings would interfere with his duties as an Eratti? Perhaps that was why Silva rushed to begin the ritual before they returned to Coruscant?
"You wish to stand against Eratti tradition... to sacrifice your place among the Jedi for a few memories?" Ki Adi asked Obi-Wan, trying to determine why a padawan would challenge his master.
"The Eratti tradition is a beautiful one," Obi-Wan replied, not wanting his transgression to speak ill of the Eratti. "I am not opposed to Eratti ways. I was honored to be Knight Laren's padawan and to follow in the footsteps of generations of Eratti. It will be with great anguish that I set aside my oath to my master and to the Eratti."
"But you would set aside your oath for your memories?" Mace persisted.
"Yes, if I must," Obi-Wan said, quietly.
His focus drifted above the heads of the Council members to the bustling traffic of Galactic City. Transports, air taxis and personal vehicles were in constant motion around them just as the future was always in motion... or so Master Yoda had told Obi-Wan once.
"My whole life has been focused on one goal... becoming a Jedi knight," he said, returning his eyes to them. "Everything I did moved me closer to knighthood. But yesterday, when I realized part of my life had been taken away from me, I wondered at what cost would I reach my goal? How far would I allow myself to be changed in order to become a knight?" He lowered his head in humility and then said, "I knew there would be consequences when I broke the Eratti Code... but I cannot let my memories be erased."
"Because you love Master Jinn?" Ki Adi asked, to the surprise of many in the room.
Obi-Wan looked up at the knight and nodded. Then taking a deep breath his gaze turned to Qui-Gon. "I don't want to lose what we shared."
The brave words stunned Qui-Gon as he looked into the youth's eyes, shining so clearly with love. It was true... what they had shared was love. "Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, reaching out his hand.
Silva was quick to rip the moment away. "Enough!" she barked and stepped forward to prevent Qui-Gon from touching her apprentice. "You see how Qui-Gon seduces him!"
"The seduction seems mutual," Mace said, grinning. It was obvious that this matter was more complicated than they had been led to believe. "Now, Padawan, to be perfectly clear, you wish to be released from your oath to the Eratti and to your master in order to retain your memories?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, bowing his head. This was the hardest thing he had ever done. He was giving up everything he had trained for with no prospects for the future... and hurting his master in the process.
"Think of what you're saying, Obi-Wan," Silva said, her large, brown eyes swelling with tears. "In a few short years you would be knighted..."
"I'm sorry, Master," he said, unable to meet her gaze.
"Spoken he has," Yoda said, seeing no reason to believe that Obi-Wan had made the decision lightly. "If ritual not complete then Eratti padawan no longer can he be."
Silva gasped, and then put her hand to her mouth. It felt as if a part of her had been ripped away.
Depa Billaba frowned in disappointment, but in her heart she did not cry. Her years as a Jedi master had taught her that the Force always sought balance. Perhaps it was trying to tell them that Obi-Wan's path lay elsewhere.
"His past as an Eratti padawan will prevent him from finding a new master," Ki Adi pointed out wisely.
"Then find him a new path we must or fall to the Dark side he may," Yoda prophesied.
With the weight of the Council's decision looming, Silva pulled herself together and slipped back into her role as a master and stepped close to Obi-Wan, resting her hand on his arm to lend support. They looked at one another and shared a warm smile, a small gesture in light of the magnitude of change that was upon them. Silva's generosity in this moment sent a wave of relief through Obi- Wan. How could he ever thank her for all she had done for him, would continue to do for him, even in her loss?
A tear fell down his cheek as he looked into the eyes that had guided him unfailingly through all the unique challenges that Eratti faced. "Thank you," he said, mouthing the words.
Silva smiled more brightly as tears spilled down her cheeks. She reached up and brushed Obi-Wan's cheek, but could not find the words to express the mix of emotions she was wrestling with now. She could only hope that the Council's wisdom would find an appropriate place for her padawan to begin anew.
It was discomforting for Obi-Wan to listen to the Council debate his various skills. The process seemed a little impersonal to him, but in his heart he knew the Council had his best interests in mind. A half dozen suggestions were considered with great seriousness, including work in the Temple Archives and the AgriCorps. The merits of each were discussed in full, but no suggestion stood out... until one voice spoke above the rest.
"I will train him."
It took a moment for the Council to register that the resolute statement had come from Qui-Gon Jinn. The room quieted in a rush as all eyes bore down on Qui-Gon as if he were of an alien species they had never encountered before.
"I will teach Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, deciding that perhaps they had not heard him clearly.
Obi-Wan openly gaped at the Jedi master. His heart was hammering so hard it was pulsing in his ears. "You would?" he asked, stunned.
"Yes, I would," Qui-Gon said, smiling.
"Hmph," Yoda snorted. "Desire to teach now do you?"
Qui-Gon understood his master's skepticism. "It is true I have not wanted to teach since..." He did not need to finish the sentence. Everyone in the room knew of his last apprentice's failure.
"Master Jinn, you cannot possibly believe that I would allow you to teach Obi-Wan," Silva said in a calm, but firm tone. "You sabotaged his training, and you do not respect the Eratti heritage that will remain with him always."
"She's right, Qui-Gon," Mace said, truly perplexed by the proposal. "Besides, you have had relations with him..."
"Only the Eratti forbid such acts," Ki Adi corrected.
Mace nodded, accepting the fact. "Then tell us why you are suddenly so eager to take an apprentice again."
"It is hardly sudden," Qui-Gon said as he paused to look around the Council chamber. "Thirteen years have passed, but perhaps thirteen more would have if it was not for Obi-Wan. I have never met anyone so filled with purity and Light as he." Qui-Gon smiled, remembering the moment when they had first met. How he had been immediately swept away by the young man's beauty. "Love changes everything... and for me that included waking my desire to teach again. It has been too long."
Mace softened hearing Qui-Gon's sincerity. "You were always a fine teacher."
"And now Padawan Kenobi's only hope for knighthood," Ki Adi said, seeing no impediment to the match.
"Interesting, yes," Yoda said, looking back and forth between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "But what say you, Padawan Kenobi?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, practically leaping out of his skin. He could hardly believe that Qui-Gon wanted him as an apprentice. "Yes, I want Master Jinn to teach me."
"No," Silva said, squeezing Obi-Wan's arm. "This is the Jedi who took you away from me."
"But Master, I have a connection with him... I know I could learn from him," Obi-Wan said, trying to make her see that this could work.
The knight shook her head, confused. It seemed wrong and yet she had seen the connection, too. At first she thought it was merely physical, a desire to bed one another, but slowly she had realized they worked well together and their desire was to partner in all things. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had the makings of a great master and padawan team.
"Knight Laren, let Obi-Wan go," Depa said when Silva remained quiet.
Silva looked up at the Eratti master and was surprised to see only rightness and hope in her eyes.
"I... I don't know if I can," she said, honestly. "The Eratti are already so few..."
"We have already lost him from this path, Silva," Depa said softly. "Now we must think of the greater good."
The knight bowed her head. What could she do? Her own master seemed resigned to the inevitability of the loss. "There is a connection between them," Silva said, acknowledging the bond that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared. "If there is no other way..." she said, raising her head and looking to the Council.
Mace nodded at the young knight, understanding her turmoil. "Then we are agreed," he said, looking to his fellow Council members who did not object.
With the decision made, Silva took Obi-Wan by the hand and led him to stand before Qui-Gon. "Master Jinn, we have been in conflict since we met, now I think it is time we agreed on something," she said, managing a small smile. "I ask that you guide Obi-Wan to knighthood." Then she placed her padawan's hand in the larger hand of the Jedi master and said, "Obey your new master, Obi-Wan, and remember always."
Obi-Wan felt the beloved, callused hand curl around his. "This has to be a dream," he said, looking into Qui-Gon's eyes.
"Dreaming you are not," Yoda said, chuckling. "But much work ahead of you."
"Are you sure about this, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked, covering their joined hands with his other hand.
"Only if you can forgive me, Master."
Qui-Gon smiled, reaching his hand up to touch Obi-Wan's face. "There is nothing to forgive, except the pride that kept me from seeing the truth sooner."
"Then all is right in the Force," Obi-Wan said, smiling.
"Good," Qui-Gon said, smiling in return. He could feel its rightness, too.
"We will follow your progress closely, Qui-Gon," Mace said in friendly warning.
"May the Force be with you," Yoda said and nodded as the three Jedi bowed and left.
Outside the Council chambers, Silva turned to Obi-Wan one last time. "You may come for your things any time."
"Master," Obi-Wan said, as he quickly drew Silva to him in a warm embrace. "Tell me you'll be all right."
Silva wrapped her arms tightly around her former padawan, sending a wave of love and hope to him through the Force. "I'll be fine... in time," she said and pulled back to look into his eyes. She saw so much there... the years of training, the many successful missions, friendship and respect... it all shone in his eyes as they shimmered with tears. "Don't cry, Obi-Wan," she said, brushing away the tears that welled in his eyes. "This is your new path. You will thrive with Qui-Gon."
"I thrived with you," Obi-Wan said, taking her hands in his.
Silva smiled, pleased by his continuing affection for her. "We'll see each other often," she said, trembling with the knowledge that this was their parting. "Now, make me proud, Obi-Wan. Become the great Jedi knight I know you can be."
The young man nodded. He would make Silva proud and, he hoped, in the process close the chasm that still divided her and Qui-Gon.
Knight Laren bowed to them and then slowly turned and walked away, disappearing inside a turbolift at the end of the corridor. For a long moment, Obi-Wan stared after her. He could hardly believe that she was gone. They had been together for eight years and now, when he had so desired, Silva had let him choose another path.
"I'll never forget her courage," he said finally.
"You are both very brave," Qui-Gon said, placing his hand on Obi- Wan's shoulder. He remembered the day he had learned the truth of Obi- Wan's Eratti training and how the youth had bravely confessed his feelings. "You risked everything for love."
Obi-Wan looked up into that beloved face and smiled. "If I was brave it was only because I found my strength and my heart in you, Qui- Gon."
The Jedi master smiled and then leaned down, lightly brushing his lips across Obi-Wan's. "You are an amazing young man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I knew that from the moment I first saw you coming up that boulevard."
"I remember...," Obi-Wan said, his face alight with the knowledge that their first meeting had not been erased from his memory. "You were so calm and dignified... and your eyes... I remember your eyes."
Qui-Gon laughed, enjoying the compliments. "I seem to recall you strutted rather than walked as you came to meet us."
Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You noticed that?"
"How could I not? I wouldn't mind a private demonstration sometime."
Now Obi-Wan was laughing, too. "I'm sure that can be arranged," he said, blushing.
Impulsively, Qui-Gon pulled Obi-Wan to him, slipping his arms around the young man's shoulders and holding him close despite the busy corridor. "The Council won't be sending us on any missions for a while. I'll need to assess your saber skills and go over your previous missions with you."
"Is that all you'll be assessing, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, grinning seductively.
Qui-Gon reached his hand to Obi-Wan's brow and brushed his fingers over it lightly, searching those incredible blue-green eyes. "We share a unique bond, Obi-Wan," he said seriously. "It is my hope that I will be a good master to you... guiding you in the use of the Force and helping you achieve your goal of knighthood." He paused a moment, indulging in the feeling of the young man's pale skin under his fingertips. "I also want to be your lover... to love you as completely and as fully as I am capable of doing. You are my heart, Obi-Wan, and I love you with all that I am."
The beautiful declaration made the Force thrum around them. Obi-Wan could feel their bond even more strongly now.
"And I love you with all my heart, Qui-Gon," he said, raising his hand to touch his lover's bearded cheek. "You opened my heart to beauty and love... all that I am is yours."
They looked into each other's eyes, marveling that they now stood together. Then they leaned forward until their lips met in a sweet kiss of renewal and devotion. The kiss quickly deepened as mouths parted and tongues came together, their bodies warming deliciously to the eager exploration.
A cough from a passing Jedi brought the lovers out of their embrace. Embarrassed by such a public display of affection, Obi-Wan buried his face in the folds of Qui-Gon's tunic. His cheeks were pinked with arousal, but also with the thrill that his love for Qui-Gon was a secret no more.
"I think we need to take this elsewhere," Qui-Gon said softly, as he tugged on his apprentice's braid.
Obi-Wan looked up, smiling. "I would like that. I'm anxious to start our life together."
"Then it's time to take you home, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, taking his lover's hand in his.
That fire 'twas led me on
And shone more bright than of the midday sun
To where he waited still
It was a place where no one else could come
Oh night thou was my guide
Oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover
To the beloved one
Transforming each of them into the other
The End
