Jedi Go Home
Part 13
Nodding, the Get-tro-wen left his tray on the table and began to walk towards the exit. Qui-Gon glanced automatically from him to Obi-Wan and saw the boy stand up to intercept the doctor. At first, Qui-Gon expected him to ask a question about the treatment, or even offer to accompany Dr. Ra-sek-mun back to the infirmary, but then he felt a burst of fury through their bond."Run, Rixi, run!�Obi-Wan shouted, throwing Dr. Ra-sek-mun to the floor and punching him in the face. The Get-tro-wen went limp immediately, and Obi-Wan stood up, one hand darting to the back of his belt and returning to the front again with the fingers in a curled position. He made shooting motions in two directions as he raced for the exit, and then he stopped abruptly, waving his arms a little to keep his balance.�No! Rixi! No, don�t hurt her, you stinking, filthy Getters!�
Tossing the imaginary �blaster� away, Obi-Wan raised his hands and placed them on his head, then knelt down.�Let her go. She hasn�t done anything. It was me. Just let her--ugh!�
He fell sideways and backwards as though he�d been struck, then jerked again before curling into a ball, his arms protecting his head. By this time, everybody in the cafeteria had stopped eating and was staring at the spectacle, and Qui-Gon, who had knelt down to see about Dr. Ra-sek-mun, was torn between the need to help the doctor, and the desire to take his apprentice away to somewhere more private. Fortunately, Bant was already kneeling down on the other side of the Get-tro-wen.�It�s all right. I�ll take care of him.�
"Thank you, Bant.�Qui-Gon stood up and went over to where Obi-Wan was still lying on the floor, then crouched down and placed a hand on his arm. Obi-Wan flinched away from his touch, then looked directly at him, and a surge of sheer terror came through the bond as his apprentice whispered,�Jedi!�
"Get up, please,�Qui-Gon said, trying to make his tone of voice sound friendly and not commanding. Obi-Wan got slowly to his feet, staring at him with loathing the entire time. Taking his elbow, Qui-Gon guided him gently towards the door.�Come with me, please.�
They went out, Obi-Wan looking back one last time. After a moment of hesitation, Qui-Gon decided to head for the infirmary, and they had just entered through the double doors when Obi-Wan stopped walking. Glancing around with a confused look on his face, he asked hesitantly,�M-Master?�
"Yes, Obi-Wan, it�s me. You had a hallucination, but it�s over now.�
"Rixi?�
"She�s fine, Obi-Wan. It was only a hallucination. She was never in any danger.�
"I, uh, did I hit somebody?�He glanced at his hand, then back at his master.
"Yes, you knocked Dr. Ra-sek-mun out cold.�
"I�m sorry!�
"It�s all right, Obi-Wan. You didn�t know what you were doing.�
"I thought I hit--I thought he was a Getter. You were there, too, master, but I didn�t know you, and I was scared! I was scared of you!�
"I know.�
"But it didn�t happen?�
"No, Obi-Wan. It didn�t happen.�
"Rixi didn�t come to the kidnapping with us,�Obi-Wan said slowly, more to himself.�And I didn�t surrender to the Getters like that. And you didn�t take me away for interrogation.�
"Is that what you were hallucinating?�
Obi-Wan nodded and closed his eyes.�It was so real. And yet I know it wasn�t. I know that Rixi wasn�t with us, and I know they didn�t catch us right outside the estate. We saw the Jedi coming through the garden and I went over the wall. I don�t know what happened to the other man. I didn�t see him again until they dragged him into the truck. The Jedi must have got him. That was you, wasn�t it, master? You were the Jedi.�
"Yes, I was there. I saw you go over the wall, then the other man fired at me with his blaster, and I deflected the shot back at him with my light saber,�Qui-Gon agreed.
"There was a diversion for the first patrol,�Obi-Wan continued,�I jumped on my bicycle and I was going to ride away as fast as I could, but my pants got stuck in the chain and I crashed right in front of the next patrol. If I hadn�t fallen, I might have got away.�
"I�m glad it happened the way it did,�said Qui-Gon.�Otherwise I might have spent another five weeks looking for you.�
Opening his eyes, Obi-Wan looked up at him in amazement, smiling slightly.�I never thought of it that way.�
The double doors of the infirmary swished open and Bant came in, supporting Dr. Ra-sek-mun. When the Get-tro-wen saw Obi-Wan, he stopped altogether, then looked at Qui-Gon and asked,�Is he still hallucinating?�
"No, I�m not,�said Obi-Wan.
"Good. I�ve seen a lot of strange reactions from my patients, but this is the first time I�ve ever been knocked unconscious by one.�It was obviously painful for him to move his mouth, and some of his words were a bit slurred.
"I�m very sorry, Dr. Ra-sek-mun. I thought you were part of a Getter patrol trying to arrest my girlfriend. I apologise for hitting you.�
"Thank you. I should get used to it, as this probably won�t be the last time,�said Dr. Ra-sek-mun.�Would you wait out here for a few minutes, please? We�ll call you in when we�re ready.�
"Yes, of course,�said Obi-Wan, crossing to the waiting area and sitting down while Bant helped the doctor along. A minute later, she came back alone and sat down next to him.
"He�s just bruised, nothing broken,�Bant reported.�Master An-Paj is already healing it. You never mentioned any girlfriend at breakfast, Obi-Wan. Who is she?�
Obi-Wan couldn�t help breaking out into a grin.�Her name is Rixi--Rixiar Maethum. She�s sixteen. She�s funny--and pretty. We used to go out for ice cream every day on our bicycles until she was grounded. She�s always twisting her hair, too, and her father�s always telling her to stop it.�
Putting his own hand to his head as though to demonstrate, Obi-Wan�s expression changed to one of horror as he felt around behind his right ear.�My braid! Master, I let them cut my braid off!�
"I know,�said Qui-Gon simply.
"I threw it away! Oh, Force, I threw it in the garbage! I didn�t know, master! I didn�t know what it meant!�
"It�s all right, Obi-Wan--�
"I don�t want to leave the Jedi, master! It was a mistake!�
Qui-Gon sat down on the other side of Obi-Wan and laid a hand on the boy�s shoulder, sending a wave of comfort through the bond.�I know, Obi-Wan. And you�re still a Jedi, as long as you want to be.�
"I didn�t want to be a Jedi when you found me,�Obi-Wan murmured. His voice increased in volume, however, as he continued to speak.�I really believed those rumours. But I remember now. I know those rumours are wrong, and now I want to be a Jedi again!�
"You�re not the first Padawan to lose a braid, Obi-Wan,�said Bant.�It�s only an outward sign. Being a Jedi is a matter of commitment, and not a matter of hair.�
"Look at Mace Windu,�Qui-Gon added.
Bant made a gurgling sound which was the Mon Calimari equivalent of laughter, but Obi-Wan turned a blank face to him.�Who?�
"Never mind. You�ll understand later. But for now, just trust me and remember one thing. You�re still a Jedi and you�re still my Padawan. All right?�
"All right, master.�Obi-Wan managed a brave little smile.
A door further down the hall opened and An-Paj came towards them.�Good morning, Obi-Wan, you can come in now.�
"I�ll talk to you later, Obi-Wan,�said Bant as they all stood up, and as she headed for the door, he replied,�I�m looking forward to it, Bant.�
In the examination room, An-Paj took hold of Obi-Wan�s chin and turned his head slightly for a closer look.�What�s this?�
"What?�Obi-Wan put a hand up and found a sensitive spot on his cheek.
"You�ve got a nasty bruise coming as well. Dr. Ra-sek-mun said you were hallucinating just now. Did you fall and hit your head?�
"No--I--was hallucinating that the Getters--that one of them hit me with his blaster.�He pulled his tunic out of his belt and lifted it to inspect a dark blue spot on his ribs.�And kicked me. But it was a hallucination! Wasn�t it, master? It didn�t really happen?�
"Yes, it was a hallucination. But because your mind believed that it happened, your body reacted accordingly,�Dr. Ra-sek-mun explained.�It�s a rare reaction, but it�s not unknown.�
"Oh.�
"If you promise not to attack me, I�ll heal it for you,�said An-Paj.
"I won�t attack you,�said Obi-Wan.�I remember you a little bit now.�
"Really? What do you remember?�
"You told me you�d break my other arm if you caught me surfing down the main stairs on a metal tray again.�
An-Paj put back his head and laughed.�Great Force! I�d forgotten all about that!�
"Surfing down the stairs on a metal tray?�Qui-Gon asked, watching Obi-Wan blush with acute embarrassment.
"Obi-Wan came down the stairs in the entry hall of the Temple going a little bit slower than light speed, standing on that tray when most kids would have just sat on it. Two thirds of the way down, he realised he was on a collision course with me and Number Two--I was showing Number Two around, it was her first day here after our honeymoon--and he tried to bail out. Ended up with a compound fracture of his left arm and a first-class concussion. It was the will of the Force that he didn�t break his neck! Number Two wanted to take me back to Ossa, away from such a dangerous place, but Number One told her the Force needed me here to keep that poor boy from killing himself.�Still grinning, An-Paj laid his hand gently on the bruise and sent a burst of healing power towards it.
"My nephews are the same way,�Dr. Ra-sek-mun nodded.�It makes my fur stand on edge, just watching them. I keep telling them I deal with brains and not cracked skulls.�
"I�ve changed my mind, Obi-Wan,�said Qui-Gon, watching An-Paj heal the next bruise.�I�m glad I didn�t know you when you were a child.�
Obi-Wan looked up, hurt, and Qui-Gon quickly smiled and added,�Look at all the grey hairs you�ve given me in the last five years alone!�
"What did I do?�Obi-Wan asked curiously.
"Trying to blow yourself up on Bandomeer was a good start. As for the rest, you�ll remember it yourself soon enough.�
"And so that you can do just that, I�ll give you the next dose as soon as we�ve finished the brain scan,�said Dr. Ra-sek-mun, reaching for the helmet.
*****
It had been over an hour since the injection, and Obi-Wan had not noticed any side effects yet. He didn�t feel sick, and the light coming in through the window did not bother him at all, even when he opened the shade and stared out across Coruscant. Turning away, he went out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch across from Qui-Gon.
"How are you feeling, Padawan?�Qui-Gon asked, looking up from his data pad.
"I feel all right, master,�he replied.�I think there won�t be any side effects to-day.�
"That�s good.�
"Master, I�d like to go down to the training rooms and see which katas I remember. I�ve been going over them in my mind and I�m sure I�ve got most of them.�
Qui-Gon frowned a little.
"Please, master. Dr. Ra-sek-mun said I was supposed to go to places where I felt comfortable and happy. And you know I was always happy doing katas.�
That made his master smile, as he�d known it would.
"I�m glad you remember that, Obi-Wan. All right, maybe a little light exercise wouldn�t be a bad idea. But I do mean light. You�ve been out of it for a long time. You�ll need to warm up slowly and thoroughly, and then we�ll see about doing a kata or two, with a wooden bokken instead of a light saber.�
"Yes, master!�he replied eagerly, and then, before he could stop himself, he blurted out,�And if I don�t have any more hallucinations to-day, would you give me my light saber back so we can start sparring again to-morrow?�
"No,�said Qui-Gon firmly.�We�ll talk about light sabers again after the treatment has been concluded.�
Knowing that his master was right did not ease his disappointment very much, and Obi-Wan let his shoulders droop in defeat.�Yes, master.�
"Come on, Padawan. Show me how happy you are doing katas.�
Obi-Wan did not have to force a smile, and Qui-Gon said,�I�ll just clear it with An-Paj and Dr. Ra-sek-mun.� He spoke to the master healer on the comm unit, then came into the bedroom where Obi-Wan was already changing into his training clothes.�An-Paj is going to bring Dr. Ra-sek-mun to meet us there. He thinks it�s an excellent idea to jog your memory and he wants to come and watch.�
*****
Ben looked up as the cell door opened and two Getter guards came in. He could see a third one standing in the doorway.
"Stand up!�they said, and when he didn�t obey fast enough, one of them pulled him up by the arm and threw him against the wall. The other one handcuffed his wrists together behind his back, and then they hustled him out of the cell and into the corridor. After dragging him up the stairs and outside into the courtyard, they turned and went through the innermost gate into the wide strip between two of the three walls that surrounded the prison. A section had been cordoned off there, and he was pushed into position at one end of it. One of the guards released the handcuffs while the other joined the third guard at the other end.
"Execution time, stinking Nen garbage!�the guard told him.�Kneel down and put your hands on your head!�
"I�d rather die on my feet,�Ben snapped defiantly. What did he have to lose, if they were going to kill him anyway? Giving him an angry glance, the Getter walked around and kicked him in the back of the leg so that he dropped involuntarily to his hands and knees.
As the guard went to stand next to the others, Ben struggled to stand up again, fighting against the pain and stiffness in his limbs. He saw the next set of guards leading out another prisoner for execution, and looked again as he recognised who it was.
"Rixi!�he screamed, lunging in her direction.�No! Not you!�
Three energy bolts hit him at the same time, and everything went black.
*****
As Obi-Wan collapsed onto the mat in the training room, Qui-Gon felt a sudden emptiness in the bond between them, and dashed to where his apprentice lay. The boy was still--too still. An-Paj and Dr. Ra-sek-mun had both been standing in the door of the training room, having just arrived as Obi-Wan had lapsed into the hallucination right in the middle of his warm up, but now they rushed forward as well.
"He�s not breathing!�Qui-Gon reported.
An-Paj knelt down laid a hand on the boy�s chest.�His heart�s stopped. Stand back. Don�t touch him, Qui-Gon.�
Qui-Gon had never felt such a strong Force compulsion from the Master Healer before and found himself obeying before he�d even mentally processed the request, letting go of Obi-Wan and scooting backwards. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, An-Paj lifted one hand and pointed a single finger at the apprentice A thin blue bolt jumped from him to Obi-Wan�s breastbone, and the boy arched up for a moment, then fell back. The emptiness in the bond disappeared, and was replaced by a very weak Force signature.
Checking Obi-Wan�s pulse again, An-Paj nodded.�It�s beating again.�
"What did you do?�asked Dr. Ra-sek-mun as Obi-Wan took a deep, ragged breath.�I�ve never seen anything like that!�
"Force lightning, for lack of a better term,�said An-Paj, fumbling at his belt for his comm unit.�A small electrical shock to start his heart again.�
Dr. Ra-sek-mun uttered a few words of awe in a low voice as the Healer contacted the infirmary and requested a hover-gurney as soon as possible.
"Is he going to live?�Qui-Gon asked, shaken by the experience.
"He should be fine,�said An-Paj.�I can feel his life-Force coming back already. This was probably just a reaction to the hallucination. We caught it so early that there shouldn�t even be any after-effects. I�m taking him to the infirmary now for observation, but I�m confident that he�ll be all right in a few hours.�