Obi-Wan Kenobi leapt into the air and flipped over the barrier. He landed on his feet and immediately ignited his lightsaber. He slashed left, right, behind. Training bots exploded into blazing pieces of metal from the impact of his lightsaber. He felt the Force flowing through him as he parried and slashed his blade at the oncoming bots.. Sweat poured down his face, and he could feel fatigue burning in his arms and legs, but he pressed on until there was nothing in the universe but himself and the lightsaber he held in his hands. With a final slash of his blade, Obi-Wan destroyed the last of the training bots. He deactivated the lightsaber and stood, his arms and legs trembling slightly from his exertion, breathing deeply in the cavernous training center in the Jedi Temple on Courscant.

"Quite a mess you've made here." The voice came from behind Obi-Wan. He turned and saw Mace Windu striding toward him through the debris. He was carrying a towel in one hand. He offered it to Obi-Wan.

"Thank you, Master." Obi-Wan clipped the lightsaber to his belt and took the towel from Windu. He wiped his face and neck.

Windu glanced at the lightsaber hanging from Obi-Wan's belt. "I see that you are still using Qui-Gon's lightsaber," he said.

"It's not forbidden, is it?" Obi-Wan immediately regretted his words, for there was a note of challenge in his voice he had not meant to express. If Windu heard it, he gave no sign, except for a slight raising of his left eyebrow as he regarded Obi-Wan.

"No, it is not forbidden, but usually it is customary that when a Jedi loses his lightsaber, he construct another to take it's place."

"I know, Master. I've been very busy with Anakin's training. I haven't had time to construct a new lightsaber. And, I---" but Obi-Wan could not speak the rest of the words that swelled in his heart. This was Qui-Gon's lightsaber, the very lightsaber that Obi-Wan had drawn to himself at that last desperate moment in the melting pit on Naboo, when the Sith warrior, triumphant above him, had watched with malicious glee as Obi-Wan had dangled beneath him.

Hanging there, sensing his Master's life ebbing away, knowing that his own death was imminent, Obi-Wan had summoned from deep within the Force the strength and the will to leap from that pit, reach for Qui-Gon's lightsaber where it lay near his Master's feet, ignite it even as he soared through the air toward the Sith, and use it to destroy the dark warrior. Qui-Gon's lightsaber had saved his life. To replace it with another seemed blasphemous to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan avoided Windu's eyes as he walked towards the control console on the walls of the training hall. He activated the machinery that would sweep up the shattered pieces of the training bots and transfer them to the recyclical plant where they would be used to construct new bots.. He hoped that Windu would not think he was being rude or disrespectful, but Obi-Wan still found it difficult to talk with anyone about that final battle in the bowels of the Queen's palace on Naboo. He had, of course, given a report to the Council of all that had taken place during the final duel with the Sith warrior, but he had not allowed any emotion to color his descriptions, no feelings to shade his observations. He had been clinical, detached, composed.

The recyclical machinery hummed and throbbed about him as he turned back towards Windu.

"Was there something you wanted to see me about, Master?" he asked.

"Yes, Obi-Wan. It's concerning young Skywalker. Come to the Crystal Chamber at the hour of the Ninth Bell. Yoda and I will be waiting for you." Having said that, Windu turned and left the training hall, his robe sweeping behind him.

Obi-Wan walked slowly towards the showers. He sighed. Now what? Though he felt guilty every time he thought it, there were times when Obi-Wan wished that he had not promised Qui-Gon that he would train Anakin. It was not entirely Anakin's fault, but the boy was proving to be a difficult student. Lessons that took the other padawans days or weeks to learn, Anakin would learn in hours. However, the speed with which he mastered his lessons had led Anakin to believe that he did not need to spend as much time on them as the other padawans. Obi-Wan had tried to teach Anakin that just because he knew how to do a thing did not also mean that he possessed the wisdom or experience to know when and why it was best to do or to refrain from doing that very thing. Anakin lacked patience, and that, as Obi-Wan knew, could prove disastrous, even dangerous, in the long run.

Later that day, Obi-Wan walked down the gleaming hallways of the Jedi Temple. He had showered, changed into fresh clothing and had even, despite his impatience to know what Yoda and Windu wanted to speak to him about, taken time to eat a quick meal. He now felt ready for his meeting.

He entered the Crystal Chamber just as the Ninth Hour bell pealed through the temple. Yoda and Windu were seated at the far end of the chamber. Obi-Wan straightened his tunic and walked towards them.

He bowed to them both. Both Yoda and Windu returned his bow with slight nods of their heads. Obi-Wan could not detect from their expressions what the meeting was going to be about. Their faces were, as usual, stoic and unrevealing.

"You wished to see me regarding Anakin, Masters?" Obi-Wan began.

"Yes, about the boy, speak we must," Yoda answered. "But, first, his training, how goes it?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Masters, the boy, as you know, has an affinity with the Force unlike anyone I have ever known. He feels the Force instinctively. It is almost as if he embodies the Force, if that makes any sense."

Yoda nodded. "Sense it does make. Continue."

"His scores on the exams are the highest ever recorded and he has already mastered lessons that have usually taken other initiates months, even years to learn."

Windu leaned forward, locking his eyes with Obi-Wan's. "But?" he said.

"Excuse me, Master?"

"You have more to say." Windu leaned back, cocked his head slightly, his dark face unreadable. "Something troubles you, correct?"

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan hesitated. He did not want to sully any expectations Windu or Yoda had about the boy's potential as a Jedi, but he had never lied and today was not the day to start.

"The boy has no patience," he continued. "He means well, but he wants to learn only the surface, not the substance of his lessons. Anakin has spent his entire life as a slave. He has had to live by cutting corners, by not attaching himself too closely to anything or anyone, knowing that at any moment, based upon the whim of his master or mistress, his life could be completely changed. His mother was, I'm afraid, the only constancy in his life. Without her influence, I believe the boy feels rootless, without any center upon which he can orient himself. "

"But, you, Obi-Wan, his Master are," Yoda said. "You that place for him now must fill."

Obi-Wan felt his face burning. It was not that he hadn't tried to get closer to Anakin, but ever since he had first met the boy, he had not been able to rid himself of the uneasiness he felt about him. The way Qui-Gon had taken the boy so suddenly from his mother, his unwavering belief that the boy was the Chosen One and was meant to bring balance to the Force. All of it had felt too rushed, too rash to Obi-Wan. It had troubled some part of Obi-Wan that preferred to study, examine and contemplate a situation before rushing in where angels feared to tread.

But, once again, Obi-Wan could not share these misgivings with Yoda and Windu. He kept them hidden inside himself, for he had promised Qui-Gon that he would train the boy, and although he had not always believed in everything that Qui-Gon had believed in, he had always believed in Qui-Gon.

"I will try harder to be a better Master," he said instead.

"We are not criticizing you, Obi-Wan," said Windu. "Yoda and I both know that you have fulfilled your duties as Master to young Skywalker with great care and attention. But the very things you have revealed to us regarding Skywalker, we too have sensed. We know that your relationship with him is not an easy one, but you are his Master now, and he is your padawan-learner. If your training of him is to be successful, you must fill this void within him. You must help him find his way."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand."

"Often times, the very thing most needed is to give the hardest," Yoda said, his large eyes regarding Obi-Wan with an unexpected sympathy. "Walk carefully, young Obi-Wan. Mindful always of the moment, of the future be, for therein destiny lies."

"I will, Master," Obi-Wan replied. He bowed again, turned and left the Chamber, Yoda's words tolling in his heart like a giant, iron bell.

A few days after his meeting with Yoda and Windu, Obi-Wan walked into the zoological gardens located on the far west end of the grounds of the Jedi Temple. Flora and fauna from a thousand different worlds in the Republic were housed there under the huge transparent dome. Obi-Wan knew that he would most likely find Anakin here, for it was a favorite place of Anakin's during the few hours in the day when the young padawan had free time.

A hundred different scents and colors assaulted Obi-Wan's eyes and nose and a variety of screeches, calls, cackles, hisses, roars and barks invaded his ears as he walked through the grounds. Personally, Obi-Wan found it all a bit much, preferring to spend his free time in places that were not so riotous, but Obi-Wan supposed that for Anakin, having grown up on a desert planet like Tatooine, the gardens at the Temple were a very exotic and exciting place. Also, it was the only place where Anakin was allowed to keep the tsrup that Queen Amidala had sent him as a gift.

The tsrup was a small, mammalian creature with big orange eyes, short gray fur, and large fleshy paws, native to the jungles of Naboo. Obi-Wan had been told by Ric Ollie, when the Naboo pilot had stopped at Coruscant to deliver some documents to Chancellor Palpatine from Amidala, that the tsrup was a favorite pet of the children of Naboo. Amidala had sent it to Anakin, fearing that the boy might be feeling lonely.

Obi-Wan, however, had thought it was the most hideous creature he had ever seen, but when Ollie had presented the little thing to Anakin, the boy's eyes had grown big and he had immediately swept it into his arms. Obi-Wan had been given the thankless task of informing Anakin that initiates were not allowed to keep pets. The boy's eyes had welled with tears at that, so Obi-Wan had immediately discussed the situation with Yoda, who had suggested that the tsrup be added to the zoological gardens. There it would be cared for by the groundskeepers and Anakin could visit it during his free time.

It wasn't long before Obi-Wan found Anakin. The boy was kneeling by a small pond, the tsrup clinging to the back of his neck. Both the boy and the creature were peering down at something in the pond. Obi-Wan edged closer and looked down into the water. At first he could not see a thing, except the reflections of Anakin, the tsrup, and the waving fronds from a tree overhanging the pond. Then he saw movement, a flicker of gold and green, slicing through the water. Anakin was concentrating so hard on the fish in the pond, he had not even noted Obi-Wan's presence. Suddenly, the fish exploded from the water and landed, jerking and flopping, on the grass not far from the pond.

"Whoo, hooo!," Anakin yelped. He jumped up, turned, and, before he could stop himself, ran straight into Obi-Wan. The tsrup went flying from Anakin's neck, Anakin fell back into the pond, and his fall caused a large wave of pond water to sweep across Obi-Wan.

Anakin splashed in the water as he tried to stand up, sending another wave of water across Obi-Wan's clothing. Obi-Wan backed away from the deluge and hoped that the sudden flood of anger he felt was not apparent on his face.

"Oh, Master, I'm so sorry," Anakin cried.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, silently recited the 10th Precept of the Venerable Jedi Master L'song, then reached out his hand and helped Anakin out of the pond.

Anakin stood dripping on the grass, his clothes clinging wetly to him, his head bowed. As Obi-Wan began to sternly lecture Anakin on such topics as the proper uses of the Force, the importance of always being aware of your surroundings, and the protocol regarding the treatment of one's Master, especially as regarding the splashing of one's Master with pond water, he happened to glance over to where the tsrup, having recovered from its sudden flight through the air, was sitting on the ground, happily eating the green-gold fish it held between its pink paws. It blinked its big orange eyes at Obi-Wan and Anakin as it smacked greedily on the fish as if asking the both of them what all the fuss was about.

For some reason, the sight of the ugly, little creature munching on its ill-gotten gain struck Obi-Wan as terribly funny, and, to Anakin's amazement, the young Jedi Knight let loose with an explosion of laughter. And the more Obi-Wan thought about the whole thing; Anakin using the Force to catch, of all things, a fish; the way the boy looked with his hair dripping in his eyes; the tsrup, seemingly oblivious to it all, gobbling down its reward, the funnier it was until he was laughing so hard tears were streaming from his eyes.

Anakin had, at first, just stared at Obi-Wan when the Jedi had started laughing, but Obi-Wan's laughter was so infectious that Anakin couldn't help but laugh too. And soon both padawan and master were rolling in hysterics on the grass, their wet clothes covered in grass and mud, laughing until their lungs hurt and their eyes stung.

Their laughter spent at last, the young master and his apprentice lay on the grass, staring up at the clear roof of the dome arching overhead. The tsrup had finally finished its meal and, after having delicately washed its mouth and hands at the pond, had snuggled next to Anakin and promptly fell asleep. As Obi-Wan lay on the grass, two thoughts popped suddenly into his mind. One was that this was the first time he had laughed at anything since Qui-Gon's death. The second was that this was also the first time he had felt completely at ease around the boy. He looked over and found that Anakin was staring at him.

"I'm sorry I got you all wet, Master" he said.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Don't worry, about it, Anakin."

"It's just that Jar-Jar was hungry, and I was too tired to look for the groundskeeper to give me food for him."

"Jar-Jar?"

Anakin stroked the creature's head. "That's his name."

Obi-Wan suppressed a groan. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of that clumsy Gungan. But then he smiled, for Qui-Gon had been right about Jar-Jar when he had rescued the creature from Boss Nass. The pathetic creature had been of help with their mission on Naboo after all.

"Well, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, pushing himself up from the grass. "I think it's about time we both changed into some dry clothes before we catch cold, don't you think?"

Anakin stood up also. He looked down at his sodden clothes. "Yes, Master. I do." Anakin reached down and petted the sleeping Jar-Jar. "See you later, Jar-Jar," he whispered. And with a last fond look at the tsrup, he followed Obi-Wan out of the gardens and into the Temple.

As the last bell of the evening tolled in the Temple, Obi-Wan and Anakin stood side by side on the balcony just outside the Jedi Council Chamber. This spot was one of Obi-Wan's favorite places in the Temple. When Qui-Gon was alive, he and his Master had often come here to gaze out over the expanse of the planet-wide city of Courscant, as if Qui-Gon had wanted to remind Obi-Wan what it was that he, as a Jedi Knight, was serving and protecting. The last time he and Qui-Gon had stood here was the evening when Anakin was being tested by the Jedi Council, before he and Qui-Gon had returned with Anakin and Queen Amidala to Naboo. Qui-Gon had placed his hand on his shoulder and told him that he still had much to learn. But now, whatever Qui-Gon had meant to teach him, he would have to learn on his own. His Master was gone. And now he, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was Master to young Anakin Skywalker, and as he looked down at the boy standing quietly at his side, he suddenly realized that just as he had looked to Qui-Gon for answers, now Anakin would look to him.

The giant red sun around which Courscant circled set slowly in the sky. Thousands of lights, a glittering rainbow grid of colors, twinkled on the miles of buildings below them. The sky deepened from a dusky rose to a deep lavender to a rich dark blue.

Obi-Wan laid his hand on Qui-Gon's lightsaber. He unclipped it from his belt and showed it to Anakin. "Do you know what this is, Anakin?"

"Yes. It's the Master's lasersword."

The Master, Obi-Wan thought. He supposed it was Anakin's way of distinguishing between him and Qui-Gon.

"That's right. And do you know how it came to be in my possession?"

Anakin nodded, his face somber as he remembered. "You used it to kill the Sith warrior, after he hurt the Master."

"Do you know how I lost my lightsaber?" Obi-Wan asked him.

Anakin frowned. He shook his head. "No, Master. I don't."

"When I fought the Sith," Obi-Wan said, "there was a moment in the battle when I lost my focus. I was angry, filled with a rage such as I had never felt before. I didn't want to defeat the Sith. I wanted to destroy him. And that rage unbalanced me and the Sith was able to take advantage of that. As a result, I lost my lightsaber, and I almost lost my life."

Obi-Wan looked down into Anakin's somber eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Anakin?"

"I think so. When Master Yoda and Master Windu were testing me, Master Yoda told me that fear leads to anger and anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering. Were you afraid when you fought the Sith, Master?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Anakin, I was afraid. And because I was afraid, I was angry. And because I was angry, I hated the Sith, for making me afraid, and I wanted to destroy him for that. And for what he had done to my Master."

"But you overcame your fear in the end," Anakin said. "You did defeat him."

"Yes, I did. But, do you know how I defeated him?"

Anakin did not answer right away. His frown deepened and his blue eyes grew soft and distant as if he were listening to someone from far away.

"You overcame your fear by opening yourself to your fear," Anakin said slowly. "You let yourself be afraid, until you were no longer afraid."

Obi-Wan felt a flush of pride when he heard Anakin's answer. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezed it. Anakin looked up at him and smiled, his eyes shining. For the first time in a long time, Obi-Wan felt hope in his heart. Maybe he would not fail as he sometimes feared he would. He would fulfill his promise to Qui-Gon. Anakin would become a Jedi Knight. Maybe the greatest Knight ever. He clipped his master's sword back on his belt. And as the night descended on Courscant, master and apprentice stood quietly together, watching as the stars, around which all the worlds of the Republic spun, slowly came out.

The End