“Obi-Wan! Come on, you’re just in time.” Slade smiled, his white teeth flashing.

Obi-Wan crossed the large Crčche chamber to join his silver-scaled friend, smiling back. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Two of my friends got back from the year-seven trip last night. I want you to meet them. I think you’ll like them.” Slade led him through the room to a smaller side chamber.

Obi-Wan swallowed. He hadn’t had much success with the other kids in his classes, although no one gave him any trouble anymore. Being friends with Slade had changed how the others looked at him. Still, what if Slade decided he liked these other two friends better? He wasn’t sure he wanted to meet anyone else, especially any year sevens. “But are you sure that—”

“They’re going to like you, I promise. Any friend of mine is a friend of theirs,” Slade said.

They walked through the slide door, and Slade called out, “You better have brought me something nice from Eithur!”

A movement from behind one of the two sleepcouches caught Obi-Wan’s attention, and a blue-haired boy lifted his head, a grin across his face. “Slade! How’d you know we got back?”

“Because I keep my ears open, Finn.” He pushed Obi-Wan forward, and Obi-Wan tried to smile. “This is my friend, Obi-Wan. He’s in my tech class.”

“Nice to meet you, Finn,” Obi-Wan said, nodding quickly.

“Whoa. You’re a padawan already? And you’re in the tech class? You must be a genius!” Finn stood up, brushing his hands on his leggings. “Where is Nifan? She was just here a second ago.”

“Finn,” a girl’s voice called out as the slide door opened. “Didn’t I just tell you I had to see Master Uni-Chal? You never pay attention to what I say.” The girl, whose equally blue hair fell just above her shoulders, rolled her eyes and then turned to look at Obi-Wan. “Who are you?”

“I’m Obi-Wan, Slade’s friend,” he said, trying not to sound as awkward as he felt.

“He’s a genius,” Finn added.

Her eyes widened as she stared at his Padawan braid. “I heard about you! You were the first year five to get taken.” She smiled. “I’m Nifan, Finn’s sister.”

Obi-Wan attempted not to look as surprised as he was. It was very rare for two siblings to be strong in the Force. “So you’re. . .twins?”

“Unfortunately,” Finn said in mock frustration, and Nifan used the Force to throw her pillow across the room at him.

“Not fair! No Force-throwing in the room!” Finn cried, preparing to throw his pillow back at her.

Slade cleared his throat, and the twins turned their attention to him. “We only have free period for two hours. I didn’t invite Obi-Wan over here to watch you guys fight.” He leaned in to speak in Obi-Wan’s ear. “You see what I have to put up with?”

“So what do you want to do?” Nifan sat on her sleepcouch, tapping the toe of her boot on the green rug.

Slade slipped them all a sly smile, speaking in a lower tone than usual. “You know how we always want to play capture, but we never have equal teams?” He pointed at Obi-Wan. “Now we’re equal. Us versus you.”

“Perfect!” Finn yelled, and then caught himself. “But where are we going to go? Master Uni-Chal is in a bad mood. Til-Hae and Bir got in a fight on the way back from Eithur, and they moved all our luggage to the wrong hangar. We can’t play here.”

Nifan made a high-pitched sound as she stood to her feet. “That’s it! We should play in the Garden. But we’ll have to sneak out.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip. He wasn’t in the Crčche anymore, so the rules of the Crčche were different for him because he had a Master, but if he left the Crčche and his Master came for him, he’d be in big trouble. He looked over at Slade, who nodded encouragingly at him. If he didn’t go with them, they wouldn’t be able to play the game, and then Nifan and Finn would think he was a baby. And Slade. . .what if Slade wouldn’t be his friend anymore?

“But how can we get out? The side door to the Crčche would be perfect, but it’s always locked.”

Obi-Wan spoke up quietly. “I think I know how to unlock it.”

***

“Slade should have brought you around a lot sooner, Obi-Wan,” Nifan said, ducking behind a large fern in one of the smaller Gardens.

“How did you know how to do that with the door? That was incredible!” Finn echoed.

Obi-Wan shrugged, already feeling guilty. If they got caught, it would all be his fault. “I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“It’s okay, Obi-Wan. We’ll be back before they even realize we were gone. There’s so much going on in there right now, and there’s only one Crčche Master on duty. She’ll never notice we left.” Slade put his hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Okay. We get the right side, you get the left side. The game begins in ten seconds. Go!”

Finn and Nifan took off running, both laughing conspiratorially.

“So what do we have to do?” Obi-Wan asked. He was still a little unclear on the rules of the game.

“You’ve never played capture before?” Slade looked at him strangely, but then shrugged. “It’s easy. One of us has to run over there, capture one of them, and bring them back to base and put them in jail. The other stays here and guards the base.”

“What should I do?”

Slade’s expression grew thoughtful. “I think you should run first and try to get one. If you don’t, come back and we’ll switch. Just don’t get caught. You’re fast, right? You look like you’d be fast.”

“I guess so.” He got to his feet, still hiding behind the fern. “You’ll be here?”

“Yeah. Oh yeah, no looking for people with the Force. But try to get Nifan. She’s slower.”

Obi-Wan nodded, and then started running through the loose tangle of leaves and vines. Cleared paths wound throughout the Garden, but they had all agreed not to use them during the game.

As the minutes ticked by and he ran from tree trunk to tree trunk, he felt his worries start to slip away. His Master wanted him to have friends, and he missed being with kids his own age. Besides, he knew enough stories from Bel-San and Mace to know that his Master had broken a lot of rules as a Padawan. He would understand.

A crackle of leaves somewhere up ahead caught his attention. Moving silently along the Garden floor, he saw a flash of white and blue. He wasn’t sure which twin he’d found. He ran a few steps forward, trying to slip up behind the twin. Through the haze of branches, he saw Nifan turn around, panting hard. She looked confused, and she didn’t see him watching her. Smiling to himself, Obi-Wan crept closer, preparing to leap from the behind the tree and capture her.

Suddenly, he realized someone was behind him. He tensed in readiness to run, but a voice said, “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.”

Something cold and metallic pressed against the back of his neck, and Obi-Wan felt his heart start to pound. He tried to speak, but he could barely get air into his lungs. It was Guod. He had come for him.

Obi-Wan gasped, afraid to turn around.

“Obi-Wan, it’s me, Finn. Are you okay?”

When he heard Finn’s voice, he shot off into a breakneck run, tearing through the trees as fast as his legs could carry him. Finn called out after him, but the sound grew farther away as he pressed further into the brush. He had to get out. He had to get away.

Two hands reached out and grabbed him, and he screamed, the sound pushing into the canopy.

“Obi-Wan! It’s Slade! What happened?”

Obi-Wan looked up into his friend’s confused eyes, but he roughly pushed Slade’s hands away. “No! Let me go! No!” He could still feel the cold mouth of the blaster on his neck.

Another voice sounded loudly through the trees. “What is going on in there?” Moments later a tall Jedi entered the Garden’s woods, her face set in a scowl. “You are all in a lot of trouble.”

*** The door chime sounded, and Qui-Gon stood up slowly, stretching stiff muscles. He’d been reading over Bel-San’s mission proposal. Bel-San was interested in studying an ancient tribal race from one of the planets on the Outer Rim, and he’d asked Qui-Gon to help him with the proposal. He wasn’t sure exactly how his friend had managed to pass his language classes; the average ton-ton could probably spell better that Bel-San.

“Coming,” he called, walking from his chamber into the common room. He palmed the slide door open, and he met the irritated expression of Teacher Mulania.

“I don’t know what you’ve been teaching your padawan, but he helped three children escape from the Crčche today to play in the Garden. I hope you can find a suitable punishment for him.” Mulania reached behind her and pulled Obi-Wan forward by his shoulders. “In the future, I suggest you keep a closer eye on him.”

Obi-Wan wouldn’t meet his gaze, and Qui-Gon answered the woman as smoothly as he could. “I appreciate you bringing him back here, Mulania. May the Force be with you.” He nodded, and she sniffed, turning to walk down the corridor.

His Padawan stood in the doorway, immobile. “I think you have some explaining to do, Obi-Wan. Come inside, please.” Qui-Gon did his best to keep his voice level.

The boy didn’t move.

“I asked you to come inside, Obi-Wan.”

When Obi-Wan still remained in the doorway, Qui-Gon prepared to lose his calm tone, but he thought better of it. Dropping down to one knee, he attempted to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze with his own. Obi-Wan looked away, turning his head towards the wall, and Master Heri’s words spoke in his mind: “he’s not a bad kid. When he acts up, there’s generally a reason for it.” He gently placed his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders. “Are you all right, Padawan?”

Obi-Wan finally looked up, and Qui-Gon stifled a gasp. His face was nearly white, paler than he had ever seen the boy. Obi-Wan started to shake, and he began to cry, the tears glinting on his porcelain cheeks.

Sighing, Qui-Gon reached down, picking the boy up. “Let’s sit down and talk about what happened, okay?”

Obi-Wan clung tightly to his shoulders, and Qui-Gon patted his back softly. Reaching out with the Force, he could only sense a massive cloud of confusion and fear circling in the boy’s mind. Something had terrified him. He sat on the couch in the common room, allowing Obi-Wan to sit in his lap. “Did something frighten you, Obi-Wan?”

The boy drew in a shuddering breath, still holding tight to Qui-Gon. A few moments passed before he heard his Padawan answer, “Yes.”

“Was it Slade?” He couldn’t imagine the other boy would hurt Obi-Wan; they had become fast friends, and they had spent a good bit of time together already.

Obi-Wan’s small body trembled, but he shook his head.

He brushed a hand over the boy’s head. “I know you’re scared, and I want to help you. But I need to know what happened. Can you tell me about it?”

“It was. . .Slade’s friend. . .Finn.”

“Did Finn hurt you?”

Tears coursed down the boy’s cheeks. “No.”

“What did Finn do?”

Obi-Wan struggled to gasp in a breath until he could finally speak. “We were playing. . .and Finn. . .came up behind me. . .with a toy blaster and. . .”

Suddenly, realization flooded Qui-Gon’s mind, and he closed his eyes for a moment, furious at himself. He should have talked to Obi-Wan about this a long time ago, but his own reservations had kept him silent, and now Obi-Wan was suffering because of his reluctance.

“. . .I thought. . .it was Guod.”

“Oh, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon said softly, holding the boy tightly for a moment. “I am so sorry.”

“It’s. . .not your. . .fault,” Obi-Wan managed, wiping at his eyes.

“But we should have talked about this a long time ago, and I was afraid to. I am terribly sorry.”

Obi-Wan’s trembling ceased, and he looked up into Qui-Gon’s face. “Why were you afraid?”

Qui-Gon sighed. “I didn’t want to upset you more. I thought it would be better if we didn’t talk about what happened with Guod. But I was wrong.”

“But couldn’t Guod get out? Couldn’t he?”

Qui-Gon smoothed small circles on the boy’s back. “That’s nearly impossible, but even if he did, everyone in the Temple would know it right away, and he would be captured right away. He cannot get to you. I would never let it happen.”

Still holding tight with both arms, Obi-Wan nodded. “I was so scared. I thought he came back for me and he was going to shoot me like he shot you.” He shuddered again against Qui-Gon’s shoulder.

“I know the Dark side is frightening to you, but you’re not alone, remember? The Force is with you always. You can call on it anytime. And you know that I will always protect you, no matter what.”

“But I thought he was going to shoot me.” Obi-Wan started to cry anew.

“I know. Finn didn’t mean to scare you; he was just playing.” He lifted Obi-Wan’s chin to look him in the eyes. “But it’s very good for you to talk to me about how you’re feeling. You and I were in a very frightening situation with Guod, and that is something we will both carry with us always.” He paused for a moment, trying to phrase his scattered thoughts. “But what’s most important is that the Force kept us together. And when you’re scared, you know that you’re never alone.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. “I have. . .a lot of nightmares about Guod.”

“When you have them, you know you can tell me about them, right?”

“Uh-huh.” He wiped his nose on Qui-Gon’s sleeve. “But a Jedi isn’t supposed to be scared of anything. Yoda said that.”

Qui-Gon tried not to roll his eyes at his former Master’s platitudes. “A Jedi is mindful of his feelings. And a Jedi is honest with himself. If you are afraid, you need to acknowledge it and release it to the Force. But being a Jedi doesn’t mean you won’t ever be afraid. Do you understand?”

“You don’t think. . I’m a baby?”

Qui-Gon shook his head. “No. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are just as you should be. You’re my Padawan.”

For the first time in their conversation, Obi-Wan released his hold on Qui-Gon, turning his head away.

“But I was bad, Master. I broke the rules. I unlocked the door.” Fresh tears sped down his face. “I knew it was bad. But. . .I don’t want you to get rid of me. Finn said.. . .you would get another padawan. But please don’t get rid of me, Master. I’ll do anything.”

“Oh, Obi-Wan.” He wiped away the boy’s tears with his fingertips, shaking his head. “If you even knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Obi-Wan, if Masters gave away their Padawans when their Padawans did something wrong, then Master Yoda would have given me away the first day we were together.”

Obi-Wan gulped a breath. “He would have?”

“Yes. And every other day after that.” Obi-Wan shifted and rested his head on Qui-Gon’s chest. “You’re going to make mistakes. It’s part of learning.”

“So you’re not mad at me?”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be going back to the Crčche to play for awhile. I think that’s a fair punishment. There’s a reason that the Masters don’t want you running all over the Temple without anyone knowing where you are. Do you understand?”

Obi-Wan sighed. “But. . .I got Slade and Nifan and Finn in trouble too. And now they’re going to hate me.”

“Whose idea was it to go to the Gardens?”

“Nifan’s.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have let her talk you into doing something you knew was wrong. But Nifan, Finn, and Slade are responsible for their own decisions. They all chose to sneak out, just like you did. If they hold anything against you, then they’re not being good friends.”

“I know.” Obi-Wan sniffed. “But I really want them to be my friends.”

Qui-Gon thought for a moment, reminded of his own childhood and his adventures with Mace, Payter, and Bel-San. “Obi-Wan, anyone who doesn’t want to be friends with you obviously can’t see what a wonderful person you are, and you wouldn’t want to be friends with them anyway.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. “So can I still be your Padawan?”

Qui-Gon held the boy close, resting his cheek on Obi-Wan’s head for a moment. “That is one thing that will never change. I can promise you that.”

“You still want me?” His voice was small and quiet.

“I am the luckiest Master in the Temple to have you for a Padawan. I always hoped that I would get to be your Master, but I never thought it was going to happen,” he said, tugging lightly on Obi-Wan’s braid.

“I know. I wanted you to be my Master too.”

They sat quietly for a minute, and Qui-Gon breathed a sigh of relief.

“Master? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Did you ever shut down a lock and escape from the Crčche and go play in the Garden?”

Qui-Gon pursed his lips, unsure how to answer. “Let’s just say you’re lucky Yoda isn’t your Master. He’d have you scrubbing rocks.”

***

“You can go to your lab stations now. Make sure to put on your goggles, everyone.” Teacher Bel-San stood at the front of the classroom, shouting out instructions over the sounds of chairs moving and muffled talking.

Obi-Wan bit his lip, walking slowly to the lab station he shared with Slade. He hadn’t talked to his friend since they’d gotten caught by Teacher Mulania, and he wasn’t sure if they were even still friends.

A voice sounded behind him. “Obi-Wan!”

He turned around to find Slade, his scaled arms full of lab equipment. “Can I get a hand?”

Obi-Wan reached out, taking some of the tech parts into his hands and placing them on the lab station counter. “So, um…” he said, trying to avoid Slade’s purple eyes.

“Finn and Nifan wanted me to give you a message.”

“Oh. Okay.” He prepared himself for the worst. He knew that Slade would stay with his old friends. But it would be okay. He would find another friend. Somewhere.

A grin split Slade’s face. “They said they thought you were really fun and after we’re all not in trouble anymore, you should come back to the Crčche and play.”

Obi-Wan tried not to look as surprised as he felt. “Are you sure?”

Slade nodded. “Yeah. Finn felt bad because he knew he scared you. But it’s not your fault we got caught. Mulania caught Nifan first anyway. She’s a really bad hider.” Slade pushed around some of the equipment parts with his fingers, flicking his tail behind him. “And hey, I shouldn’t have asked you to open the door. That wasn’t cool. Can you forgive me?”

Obi-Wan nodded vigorously, smiling. “Yeah, I can do that.”