Jedi Go Home
Part 1
"Hello, young man.�He blinked a few times and finally managed, despite the pain in his head, to focus on the middle-aged man bending over him.
"I�m Doctor Maethum. Can you tell me your name?�
"Where am I?�he asked instead, glancing around. It didn�t look like an infirmary. It looked...different. Like a cross between a bedroom and an office, but...cosy, somehow.
"You�re in my home. You ran right in front of my car last night and cracked your head on the curb when you went down. Look here, tell me how many fingers I�m holding up.�
"One.�
"Hmm,�Dr. Maethum assented, then asked,�Do you remember your name?�
He frowned. He had a name, didn�t he? It was right on the tip of his tongue. He just had to remember it. Why couldn�t he remember?
"Never mind. It�s all right. You�ve had a nasty blow to the head and you�ll probably be confused a while longer, but you�ll mend. Why don�t you sleep some more now?�
"All right.�He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the light in the room was different. His headache had also diminished somewhat. Dr. Maethum had gone, and there was a young woman sitting in an armchair across from him, glancing at a book and twisting one of her dark blonde braids around her finger. As he shifted slightly, she looked up, then smiled.�Hey!�
"Hello,�he replied, his voice a bit raspy.
"I�m Rixiar. Rixiar Maethum, but you can call me Rixi.�She had an impish smile with twinkling eyes.
"I�m--uh--I still don�t remember--�
"It�s all right. Dad said you might not. I�ll just get him now.�She went to the door and he could hear her shouting down the hall.�Da-ad! Dad! He�s awake!�
There was a grumbled reply, and a few moments later, Dr. Maethum came into the room, pulling a bathrobe around him.�Funnily enough, so am I, and no doubt half the neighbours, too.�
"Sorry, dad, but you did tell me to call you.�
"I had visions of you sneaking quietly to my bedside and shaking my arm,�Dr. Maethum said.
"Oh, dad! You and your visions!�Rixi grinned and took her seat in the armchair again.
"Do you think you can sit up?�Dr. Maethum asked, turning his attention to his patient.
He managed, but leaned back against the wall with dizziness. Dr. Maethum ran gentle fingers over his head, and he winced as the man hit a sore spot.�Hmm. Swelling�s gone down some. How do you feel otherwise?�
"Dizzy. My head aches, too.�
"Well, that doesn�t surprise me. Nauseous?�
"No--not really.�
"Thirsty?�
"Yes.�
"Rixi, is there any tea left?�
At her father�s glance, Rixi hastily let go of her hair and smiled sheepishly.�Sorry, dad, I drank the last cup half an hour ago.�
"Well, get him some water, then. And put the kettle on while you�re up.�
Rixi returned almost instantly with a glass of water, and he took several swallows. It tasted nicely cool.�Thanks.�
"Do you remember anything more to-day?�
He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but the only memory he had was of being in this room in a dimmer light, talking to Dr. Maethum. That was all. He had no idea how he�d got here, where he actually was, or even what his name could be.�No.�
"It�s all right. It might take a while to come back.�
"Dad,�said Rixi.
"Hmm?�Dr. Maethum was shining a light into each of his eyes now, making him blink.
"We could call him Ben in the meantime.�
"Ben?�
"It suits him somehow. Ben Maethum.�
"Not Maethum, Rixi, and stop twisting your braid.�
"Well, Ben, anyway.�Looking beyond her father to him, Rixi asked,�Would you mind if we called you Ben? Then we wouldn�t have to shout �hey you� to get your attention or refer to you as YM.�
"YM?�he asked.
"�Young Man.��
He shrugged.�I don�t mind. Ben. It sounds all right.�
Rixi smiled, and Dr. Maethum said,�Let me have a look at your leg. Ben.�
He folded back the covers and for the first time, Ben noticed the huge bruise on the side of his left leg. Looking at his face, Dr. Maethum said,�Nothing�s broken, as far as I can tell. I�ve got some salve here that will help it heal.�
The bruised skin was tender to the touch and Ben winced again as the doctor gently rubbed the smelly ointment over it. When he�d finished, Ben said,�Um, I have to go to the--um--to the refresher.�
"Refresher!�Rixi scoffed.�Where did you come from! It�s called a toilet!�
"Rixi!�said Dr. Maethum sharply, and Ben felt his blush of embarrassment recede as the girl murmured,�Sorry.�
"I�ll take you,�the doctor offered, helping Ben to his feet. He staggered, and was glad of the man�s arm around his shoulders, guiding him out of the room and down the hall. When they returned, he all but collapsed back onto the sofa-bed, trembling with inexplicable weakness.
"Are you hungry, Ben?�Rixi asked.�I could make some breakfast.�
Ben shook his head and reached instead for the water again.�Just thirsty.�
"Well, I�d prescribe rest for you, Ben,�said Dr. Maethum.�You can move around the house a bit, but only if you feel you�re up to it. Otherwise, stay in bed. All right?�
"Yes.�His eyes were already starting to close again. He replaced the glass on the bedside table and settled back onto the pillow with a slight sigh.
"Are you going back to bed now, too, Dad?�Rixi asked.
"No. I�m awake now, I might as well get on with the day. Let your mother sleep, though. She was up much of the night yesterday with him.�
"Do you want me to stay here any longer?�
"I think he�ll be all right on his own now. Ben, I don�t think you�ll have to throw up again, but there�s a bucket here, just in case.�
"All right, thanks.�
"I�ll check in on you later. Did you put the kettle on, Rixi?�
"Sorry, dad, I forgot.�
"Well, do it now, while I shave.�
They left the room at the same time, and Ben fell asleep almost instantly in the ensuing silence.
*****
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn stopped pacing and turned eagerly towards the door as Ech-to-tha, the Mayor of Hage, entered the sitting room.
"Sorry,�said the Get-tro-wen.�My aides have asked at the hospital and the police station. Nobody�s seen him, or if they have, they�re not admitting it.�
"Why wouldn�t they admit it?�Qui-Gon couldn�t help asking.
"Well, there�s a lot of resentment here on Theosne against us. They don�t understand that we�ve managed to civilize them and bring them prosperity. Instead, they accuse us of taking every last bit of profit from Theosne back to Get-tro-we, bleeding them fatally, so they say. There have always been protests. A lot of people would literally cross the street rather than get close to Get-tro-wen officials. They shun us whenever they can. And if they find out we�re looking for someone, it would be like them to hide him from us, just to make our job more difficult. Your apprentice is human...the Theosnens are humans...dressed like them, he wouldn�t exactly stick out.�
The Get-tro-wen race reminded Qui-Gon of cats, cats without tails that walked upright on feet instead of paws, and had, surprisingly enough, hands with fingers (and retractable claws instead of fingernails). They were shorter and stubbier than human digits, and covered in fur, of course, but were fingers, nonetheless.
"Obi-Wan would not have wandered off on his own, something must have happened to him,�Qui-Gon said in a low voice, pushing down the irrational, unfounded fear that had plagued him ever since discovering his apprentice�s disappearance.
"But what?�
"Could they have kidnapped him?�
Ech-to-tha considered this, then shrugged.�There�s no ransom note, but that�s not to say that one won�t arrive. I didn�t think their little resistance groups were that well organised or that bold, to tell the truth. We try to discourage that sort of thing, of course. No, we must wait and see. I personally think he might have tried to follow you last night, and got lost. I�ve sent out word to the patrols to keep an eye out for him.�
Qui-Gon shook his head again. Obi-Wan had not been happy about the situation of the night before, when Qui-Gon had been invited to spend an "entertaining evening� with Ech-to-tha and some of the Get-tro-wen officials. They had refused to take Obi-Wan, however, as the boy was only eighteen, and the age of consent on Get-tro-we was twenty. But, disgruntled as he�d been, Obi-Wan wouldn�t have wandered off just like that. Qui-Gon could not fathom what could have made Obi-Wan disappear in the middle of the night wearing only a pair of underpants. They had returned sometime in the early morning hours to find Obi-Wan�s clothes still draped over the chair, his boots side by side underneath. Later, Qui-Gon had found his light saber outside the estate, lying on the ground next to the wall almost as though it had been placed there. Had he left it behind, had he met somebody who�d brought him different clothes? The thought came unbidden to Qui-Gon�s mind, and he frowned.
He knew that Obi-Wan was not dead, he could still feel their bond, but that was all. It was as though his Padawan was deliberately shielding from him, and he tried again to convince himself that Obi-Wan would not have betrayed him a second time. He would not have decided to join the locals, would not have allied himself with the Theosnens, the way he�d stayed behind on Melida/Daan when he was thirteen, because he�d believed that he could help the Young end the war that had ravaged that planet. He was eighteen now, and his commitment to becoming a Jedi had only become stronger every day since that last, almost-tragic mistake. He wouldn�t have done it again. Why should he? Since they�d arrived, he�d hardly had the chance to meet any of the Theosnens. They�d stayed on the Get-tro-wen side, (as though they�d had a choice,) ready to supervise the first negotiations between the Get-tro-wens and the Theosnens (the only ones, if the Get-tro-wens had their way.) No, something had happened to him, of this Qui-Gon was convinced. He just didn�t know what.
"I really am sorry about your apprentice. Please be assured that my men will keep searching for him. But in the meantime, could we prevail upon you to attend this first day of negotiations? The Theosnens are already accusing me of delaying tactics because I�ve asked if it might be postponed until the afternoon.�
Qui-Gon�s heart was heavy as he reluctantly agreed, and followed Mayor Ech-to-tha out of the room. After all, this was their mission. This was the reason they had been sent to Theosne in the first place, and it would not be fair to the Theosnens if he refused. He had to do his duty as a Jedi and not let personal considerations get in the way. He would wait until the evening and then insist on searching for Obi-Wan by himself.
*****
"Wouldn�t he be better off in hospital?�The voice was female, vaguely familiar, but not Rixi.
"He�s fine where he is, he just needs a little rest. All the medical help on Theosne can�t cure amnesia, anyway, so there�s no point in taking him there and attracting unnecessary attention.�
Ben opened his eyes and glanced around. Dr. Maethum was there in the room, and with him a middle-aged woman with brown hair, not yet starting to go grey, cut short at ear level. They were looking at each other and didn�t seem to notice him.
"You shouldn�t have brought him here. We don�t know anything about him. What if he gets up in the middle of the night and murders us all in our beds?�
"Bedec, don�t. He�s a nice boy.�
"How do you know?�
"I know. I have that feeling that it will be all right, that I�m doing the right thing.�
The woman was silent for a moment.
"You trust my feelings, don�t you, Bedec? Remember that I had the feeling we should get married? And when Rixi was born, that she would survive? And all the other feelings I�ve had during the years?�
"Yes,�the woman admitted, still reluctant, but rapidly weakening.
"Well, trust me now, then. Ben will not murder us in our beds. He is a nice boy. He might have done one or two things that the Getters would consider bad, that�s all.�
"You think he�s a fugitive, don�t you?�
"Darling, why else would he be running around in his underwear after curfew on a rainy night? He�s just lucky that I was the one who almost ran him over, and not the Getters. He�d be in prison before you could say �innocent� and we both know what that�s like, don�t we?�
The woman glanced over at Ben and froze just long enough for Dr. Maethum to realise that something was wrong. Turning slightly, he looked at Ben as well, and smiled.�Hello. How are you feeling?�
"Better,�he replied, sitting up.�Dr. Maethum, you think I�m a fugitive?�
The woman frowned and said,�I�d better get started on lunch.�
When she was gone, Dr. Maethum asked,�So you remember me?�
"Yes, you and Rixi, but not her, I�m afraid.�
"That�s my wife Bedec.�
"Oh.�
"And in answer to your question, I can�t think of any other reason for you to be wandering the streets in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, dressed only in a pair of boxers, unless you were visiting your girlfriend and her father kicked you out. In any case, I had the feeling that you were running away from something or somebody, so I brought you in here as fast as I could, before the Getters got you.�
"I don�t think I did anything wrong...�
"Sometimes, it�s enough to look sideways at a Getter, let alone act suspicious,�Dr. Maethum sighed.
"A Getter?�
"Don�t you remember? We�re occupied by the Get-tro-wens. We call them Getters for short. They �get� the best part of Theosne.�
"Oh.�
"It would be better for you to lie low for a while, especially if you can�t remember what�s what. Getters don�t like it if you act too stupid, and they�d never believe you had amnesia. If anybody�s looking for you, we�ll soon hear about it. I�ve got a friend at the police station who can give me information on the sly.�
For the first time, Ben began to wonder if anybody was missing him, and who they might be. A father, a mother, a girlfriend? Then there was a slight knock at the door and Rixi came in, holding a bulging cloth bag.�Old Lady Geard said we could have these. They should be about your size, Ben.�
"How many times have I told you not to call her that?�Dr. Maethum asked.
"Obviously not often enough,�Rixi replied, then released the clothing from the confines of the bag and spread it out on a nearby chair.�Trousers, shirts, pullovers, socks, underwear, even a pair of shoes.�
"Thank you,�Ben said.
"Was she very upset?�Dr. Maethum asked.
"No, not really. I think she was happy to find some use for it after all this time,�Rixi said.�We can get more if we need it. If it all fits, that is.�
At Ben�s bewildered look, Rixi explained,�Old Lady Geard�s grandson was executed by the Getters about five years ago. They said he was forming a resistance movement, but she swears he didn�t have a thing to do with it.�
"I�m sorry.�
"Lucky for you she never gave his stuff away until now,�Rixi replied.�Here, Mum says would you hand over your underwear so that she can wash it to-day?�
"Yes, all right.�Ben made no move to get undressed, however, and after a few moments, Dr. Maethum said,�If you�re waiting for the show to begin, Rixi, you have to buy a ticket first.�
"Oh, sorry!�With a blush that made her suddenly very attractive, Rixi turned and exited the room rather hastily. Smiling to himself, Ben slipped out of his underwear and into the clothes. When he�d finished, he felt something pulling on the right hand side of his head, and put his hand up. A long, thin braid of his hair was caught underneath the pullover, and he freed it curiously. A braid when the rest of his hair was so short?
"How do they fit? Are they loose enough?�
Ben let the braid drop and looked down at the trousers instead. They were just a little too loose and too long, and Dr. Maethum nodded approvingly.�I�ll get you a belt, and Bedec can shorten the legs to-night. Well, if you�re not feeling too dizzy or sick, why don�t you come downstairs and have lunch with us?�
"I am hungry,�Ben realised.�Thank you.�
Despite his hunger, his appetite was small, and although the food was delicious, it was a slight struggle for him to even finish most of what was on his plate. He had to decline the pudding. After finishing hers with obvious relish, Rixi asked,�Dad, can he come out into the garden for a while?�
"If he feels up to it, I have no objections,�said Dr. Maethum.
Rixi led him out through the kitchen door into the garden behind the house, and they sat on a bench by the wall of the house, looking out onto the wet grass. There were only a few clouds in the sky, and the sunshine made everything sparkle.
"So you can�t remember anything at all?�Rixi finally asked, twisting her braid around her finger until her hand was at ear level.
"No,�Ben replied.
"What�s it like? Is it scary?�She unwound the braid and started over.
"Yes,�he admitted.�A little. It�s like...I don�t know. Like I never existed until I woke up here. And yet I feel like I should remember, like it�s right there, but I just can�t.�
"Rugged,�Rixi breathed.
"Your father mentioned something about a curfew. I�ve forgotten all about that.�
"Yeah, well, there�s a general curfew from eleven at night to six in the morning. My father�s a doctor, so he has special permission to go out at night and visit patients. He�s even got a car. If you don�t have permission and you get caught, the Getters throw you into prison and interrogate you! It�s horrible, like torture! You�re lucky that my father picked you up before the Getters got you!�
"How do you know all this?�Ben asked.�Have you ever been caught?�
"One of my father�s friends was, once. I heard them talking about it. No, Dad doesn�t let me out past nine in the evening, just in case.�
"That�s good,�Ben said.
Rixi smiled over at him.�Old Lady Geard said you could have her grandson�s bicycle. When you�re feeling better, we could ride over to the ice cream shop together.�
"Bicycle?�
"How can anybody forget what a bicycle is?�Rixi asked, looking at him in amazement.�No. Sorry. Dad tried to explain amnesia to me, but he said every case is different. He said there�s no way of knowing what a person will remember, or understanding why someone will forget one thing and not another. I guess it�s possible to forget what a bicycle is, but still remember ice cream. Look, I�ll show you mine.�
She went to a shed at the side of the house and returned a few moments later. In her hands, she supported a metal frame attached to two wheels, front and back, with handlebars, a place in the middle of the frame to sit down and pedals for the feet.�Remember now?�
"No,�Ben sighed.
"I�ll show you how it works. Look, you get on like this and push the pedals with your feet, and you have to keep your balance, and then you just go!�She hopped on to demonstrate, and the bicycle carried her across the lawn to the back fence. When she returned, she extended it to him.�Want to try? Oh, no, you�d better not. What if you fell and banged your head even worse?�
"Maybe to-morrow,�Ben said with a slight smile.
"I�ll ask Dad.�Rixi returned the bicycle to the shed. Coming back, she reached out with her left hand and ran it down his braid.�I�ve never seen a boy with a braid before. Maybe you come from the west? They have funny hairstyles out there.�
"Maybe,�Ben shrugged. He had no idea what �the west� was.
"It�s so long. You must have spent ages growing it out.�
"I suppose I must have.�
Rixi smiled sheepishly and let go of it.�The Getters have hair all over. They look a bit like cats to me, mean cats, not the snuggly ones. They don�t have tails, but they do have ears on top of their heads, instead on either side, like we do.�
She kept talking, and Ben leaned back against the house wall and closed his eyes.