*************
TITLE: Compare & Contrast
AUTHOR: ElaineMc - [email protected]
*************
RATING: G
DISCLAIMER: LucasFilms owns all. I'm just borrowing.
SUMMARY: The more things change, blah blah biddy
blah. For Julia
[[email protected]],
who asked about an Obi-Wan / Anakin story.
Unfortunately,
I can't seem to *write* that. Still, we
do what we can.
Chapter
1
The
Jedi stood in the doorway, arms folded into his sleeves. The many
windows
lining the corridor showed the Coruscant skyline, slowly darkening,
providing
the starry heavens as a backdrop. His
expressive blue eyes
surveyed
the room, seeking his master. And,
finding him, Obi-Wan Kenobi
said,
in his quiet, cultured voice, "I
may burst into tears."
Qui-Gon
Jinn looked up. "Well, don't do it
in the hall. Come in, Obi-Wan."
His
former apprentice did so, pulling his cloak off and tossing it on the
back of
the sofa before collapsing. "I
can't believe I'm this *tired*.
He's
just a little boy."
"Mmmm." Qui-Gon went back to his reading pad. "Worn out, are you?"
"Exhausted." He glanced over at his master, who was
apparently fascinated
with a
report. "The situation on
Delagdry?"
"Yes. There's tea, if you like."
"I
like." But he made no more to get
it.
*A very
bad day, then,* Qui-Gon diagnosed. Not
entirely unwilling, he set
aside
his work, and moved to the sideboard to pour Obi-Wan a cup of hot tea,
then
refilled his own cup. He took a seat
beside Obi-Wan on the sofa.
"Here
you are."
"Thank
you, Master."
"What
happened?"
"Nothing,
really. That's what's so awful. It was a perfectly normal day.
One in
a string of them, I suppose."
"Mmmm."
"He
asks the most impossible questions. He
never sits still. He always
wants
to know something, or to do something, or to say something. We'll be
going
on our first assignment in two days, Master, and I can't imagine what
I'm
going to do. The trip itself will be
nearly eighteen hours. Eighteen
hours,
with a hyperactive child." Obi-Wan
shuddered.
"Mmmm."
"I
know what you're thinking?"
"Oh?"
"You're
thinking of every time I ever asked one question too many after a
long
day. You're thinking of every time I
did something entirely
inappropriate
or strikingly self-destructive. You're
thinking of the time
with
the Andorian ambassador's son. And
you're thinking, Serve him right."
"You're
a wise man."
Obi-Wan
sat straight up, then, eyes slightly wild.
Qui-Gon regarded him
with a
slightly quizzical expression, serene and untroubled. The younger
man
smiled, ruefully. "I don't feel as
if I were. That's the worst, you
know: I
feel as if I'm completely and utterly not up to the work. Isn't
there
some training for this, Master? Some
class to take, in Jedi
Masterhood,
perhaps? Some meditation that will
provide me with wisdom and
knowledge?"
"No,
Obi-Wan."
"Didn't
think so." Obi-Wan sank back
again. "Master?"
"Yes?"
"Did
you ever feel like that? As if you were
entirely unqualified for your
work?"
"Did
I? Let's see... no, not often."
Obi-Wan
sighed.
Qui-Gon
considered. "Only once or twice a
day during the entire time you
were my
apprentice, I suppose."
Without
sitting up again, Obi-Wan turned his head to look at the Master in
shock. "Every *day*?"
"Mm-hmm."
"The
*entire* time?"
"When
the Sith... impaled me," Qui-Gon said, thoughtfully, "I remember very
clearly
my thought on the subject."
"I
can't wait to hear this."
"As
I faced my death, I thought to myself, 'Oooops. Didn't see *that*
coming.'
"
Obi-Wan
blinked. Qui-Gon's face was bland.
The
younger man snickered, then sobered, horrified. "I'm sorry, Master.
It
isn't
funny--"
"Well,
it wasn't at the time," Qui-Gon agreed.
"But there's a certain
amount
of humour in it now." He glanced
at Obi-Wan. "I can see you're not
convinced. It's been-- what? nearly six months, now?--
I've had plenty of
time to
see my mistakes. My over-confidence
almost cost me my life; your
competence
saved it." The words 'thank you'
remained unspoken; but were
expressed,
nonetheless.
Obi-Wan
took a sip of his tea.
"My
point is, we are mortal, and fallible, my friend. You have many new and
exciting
mistakes ahead of you. Get used to
it."
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"Please
stop reassuring me."
Qui-Gon
chuckled.
The
next instant, the door slid open again, and a rather damp Anakin
Skywalker,
fresh from an evening children's swim time, rushed in. Obi-Wan
twitched
slightly.
"Hi,
Master Qui-Gon! Master Obi-Wan, I had a
*wizard* time! Master Tsanah
let me
go on the diving board, and, boy, did I make a splash. I kinda
belly-flopped,
though. Still, I made a big
splash. A really big splash."
"I'm
glad to see you're enjoying yourself so much," Qui-Gon said, as soon as
the
child paused. "It's nearly your
bedtime, though. Go and wash, and then
a
snack, and then bed." *For all of
us,* he sent to Obi-Wan.
Anakin
was outraged. "Wash *up*? But I've been in the pool for ages!"
"Now,
Ani," Obi-Wan said, firmly.
"Yes,
Master," was the meek reply. He
bowed, then and hurried off. He was
back in
a few minutes, face pink from scrubbing.
Obi-Wan had set a plate of
biscuits
and a glass of milk on the low table before the sofa; Ani helped
himself,
then climbed up next to his Master, suppressing a yawn.
"Looks
as if everyone's had a long day," Qui-Gon said.
"Y'hv
no idea," Ani managed, around a mouthful.
"Manners,"
Obi-Wan murmured.
Ani
swallowed, then took a drink of milk.
"It's been *busy*, sir."
"That's
the life of a Jedi," Qui-Gon said.
"Sometimes, the busiest days
happen
right here at the Temple," he added, meditatively.
"Oh?"
Ani asked. He leaned forward a little,
recognising the note in the
older
Jedi's voice. Obi-Wan slumped; he knew
what was coming, too.
"Absolutely. In fact, one of *my* busier days came about
thanks to your
master."
Ani
grinned widely. The hour or so before
bedtime, when he sat with both
the
Jedi, being talked to as if he were a grown-up, was probably his
favourite
time of day. And best of all were the
times when Qui-Gon told
stories
about when Master Obi-Wan was a padawan.
Hearing those stories made
him
respect and admire his Master even more, in fact; if Obi-Wan Kenobi, one
of the
Temple's finest Jedi, could make such mistakes and *still* be so
wonderful,
surely Ani himself could turn out well.
"How
old were you, Obi-Wan? Nine or so, I
suppose-- you'd been my student
for
less than a year, I remember that clearly; it was the most hectic year
of my
life."
"But
this past year, sir, you almost--" Anakin cut himself off.
"Almost
died, yes." Qui-Gon finished his
sentence gently, but firmly, not
wanting
the boy to brood. "But trust me,
Ani-- a near-death experience is
easy to
bear, compared to bringing up your Master...."
Chapter
2
"We
have a briefing after the lunch hour," Mace Windu said. "I know you
won't
be going with us to Hoth, but I thought you'd be interested."
"Oh,
I am," Qui-Gon assured his friend.
"When
will you be taking your padawan on your first mission?"
"Soon,
I think. I'd like to see how he handles
field work."
"Field
work." Mace rolled his eyes. "Qui-Gon, he's a child. Try and
remember
that, hmm?"
"I
know how old he is," Qui-Gon began.
"I
know you know how old he is. But I
don't think you know what that
means."
"He's
a very intelligent, responsible boy," Qui-Gon said firmly. "He's very
mature
for his age."
"Uh-huh."
"He
*is*," Qui-Gon insisted.
"I'm
sure he is. He's a great kid. But he *is* a kid. I don't think you
have
any idea what that means."
Resigned,
Qui-Gon stopped walking, and leaned back against the wall of the
corridor,
out of the way of the other Jedi passing by. "But you're going to
tell me,
aren't you?"
"You've
always been too serious. You know what
they used to call you when
we were
kids?"
"Too
Serious Jinn?"
"Ha,
ha. No. They used to call you The Post.
Because you'd just stand
there,
dead silent, like some big-- well, like some big *post*."
Qui-Gon
stared at him, indignant. "They
did *not*."
"Yes,
they did."
"No,
they *didn't*."
"Yes,
they-- oh, for Force's sake." Mace
surveyed the Jedi passing. He
spotted
a familiar face, and grabbed at the owner's arm. "Adric--"
"Whatever
it is, no," snapped their former classmate, shrugging out of
Mace's
hold.
"I
haven't even--"
"I
don't care," Adric said, pushing a strand of golden hair out of his
enormous
grey eyes. "You two are
trouble."
"Listen--
just tell us-- what did everyone call Jinn, when we were kids?"
Adric
regarded Mace with the caution generally reserved for those suspected
of
psychological derangement.
"Qui-Gon."
"Aha!"
Qui-Gon said.
Adric
turned a similar look on him, then shook his head, settled his wings,
and
stalked off.
"You
need mental help," Qui-Gon growled, and continued on his way.
"And
you need kid help. I'm telling you,
Qui-Gon, you can't think of him as
being a
really short adult."
"Obi-Wan
is an extraordinarily competent young boy," Qui-Gon said, as they
neared
his quarters.
"I'm
sure he is," Mace said, soothingly.
"But he's a *boy*. That
means
he's
going to get into trouble, sooner or later--"
"Mace...."
Qui-Gon opened the door to his quarters.
*Ah-- here he is, in
fact. And busy on a project? See-- told you so!*
"Hello,
Master Mace. Hello, Master
Qui-Gon." Obi-Wan stood up very
quickly
from
his place at the worktable. He
positioned himself in front of it, and
bowed.
"Hello,
Obi-Wan. I'm glad to see you're keeping
yourself occupied. Very
adult
of you," Qui-Gon said, approvingly, with a meaningful look at Mace.
"Well...."
"What
*are* you working on?" Mace asked, noting the boy's sudden reticence.
"Well...."
All of
Mace's internal alarms went off. He
took a few steps forward, and
looked
at the array of parts scattered on the table top. *Some kind of
casing
... several crystals... ring assembly...*
Qui-Gon
joined him. "Hmmm."
"Uh,
Qui-Gon? Where's your lightsaber?"
"I
left it here; no need for it in the Temple," Qui-Gon replied. And then,
the
penny dropped.
--
"You
took his *lightsaber* apart??" Ani gasped, overjoyed. "Whoa."
"It
seemed like a good idea at the time..." Obi-Wan replied, voice
muffled.
During
the course of the story, he had slid from the couch to the floor and
buried
his head in his arms. The back of his
neck was bright red.
"I
was greatly... impressed with his abilities," Qui-Gon said.
"Yes,
those were the words you used, all right," Obi-Wan agreed, still not
looking
up.
--
"Obi-Wan?"
"Yes,
sir?"
"Have
you lost your mind?" The question was posed mildly, but the boy
winced. His Master was managing-- barely-- to keep
his patience.
To
Obi-Wan's relief, Mace Windu intervened.
"Come, now, Qui-Gon.
There's
no
right answer to a question like that."
"He
just--"
"--took
apart your lightsaber. I know. I can see that." *Did you promise
to help
him build one?*
Qui-Gon
paused. *Well, yes.*
*And
have you?*
*Well,
no. It's too soon for that.*
*Did
you tell him that?*
*Um....*
*He's a
very bright boy, my friend. But he -is-
a boy. And that means--*
"Trouble,
yes, I know," Qui-Gon sighed. He
looked down at his padawan.
Obi-Wan's
eyes were focussed on the floor.
"Thank you, Master Mace. I
don't
think I'll be at that briefing, after all."
"I'll
send you the reports, shall I?"
"Yes,
thanks."
The
door slid closed behind the Jedi, leaving master and apprentice alone.
"Sit
down, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, nodding towards the chair the boy had
been
occupying. Obedient to the bitter end,
he did. Qui-Gon pulled a chair
of his
own up beside him. "Now, you're
going about this wrong, do you see?
You
disassembled it nicely, but it doesn't reassemble quite so easily; as
I'm
sure you've noticed."
Obi-Wan
nodded, totally confused.
"You
seem to grasp the mechanical theory, but more goes into constructing a
lightsaber
than that. Each Jedi must create his
weapon personally, by
hand."
"Because
of the crystals?"
"Because
of the crystals."
"So
I can't fix this?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No,
you can't. You ought not to have taken
it apart. However, *I* ought
to have
remembered my promise. You're not to
blame for your curiosity."
"I'll
ask, first, next time," Obi-Wan promised.
"Very
good."
"It
came apart *way* easy, though," he added, thoughtfully. "Did you ever
take
apart Master Yoda's lightsaber?"
"Force,
no!" His tone of voice made Obi-Wan laugh. "I did, however, manage
to
disable a transport."
"No
way."
"Oh,
yes. I was convinced it would be easy,
you see."
Obi-Wan
nodded. "I know the feeling."
"That's
another story, though." Qui-Gon
smiled, then very carefully set the
focus
crystals in the hilt of his lightsaber.
He let his gaze turn inwards,
seeking
the calm centre of his soul; and, with the Force, aligned them
perfectly. "There."
"No
way I could have done that," Obi-Wan commented, clearly impressed.
"No
way," Qui-Gon agreed. "At
least, not yet. But later."
"How
much later?"
"Later,
later. When you've gone forward in your
training."
"Everything
is always later," Obi-Wan said, sounding disgusted.
The
Master suppressed a laugh, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Some
things
are. Right now, however, I think it
might not hurt to do a
meditation
exercise."
"Yes,
sir. What should I meditate on?"
Obi-Wan asked, slipping from his
stool
to the floor, and sinking into his mediation posture.
"We
will meditate on patience, my padawan.
I suspect we're going to need
it,"
Qui-Gon said, a little rueful, settling down next to Obi-Wan.
"Both
of us?"
"Both
of us."
*Cool,*
Obi-Wan thought.
Qui-Gon
smiled to himself.
--
"Have
you learned anything tonight, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, finally having
lifted
his head.
"Yes,
master."
Obi-Wan
used his best Wise Master voice.
"And what have you learned?"
"That
if I make a mistake, tell Master Qui-Gon, 'cos all he'll make me do,
is
meditate?"
"I
need another cup of tea," Qui-Gon announced, and fled like a coward into
the
kitchen.
Ani
turned to watch him go, then looked back at Obi-Wan... and grinned.
"Just
kidding, Master." Then he turned
serious. "I guess I'm supposed to
learn
that-- that everyone does stuff wrong, sometimes, and that you have to
just...
try hard not to?"
"That's
a good lesson, padawan," Obi-Wan said, slowly. He stood and offered
his
hand to Anakin, leading him to the kitchen.
They looked in, and saw
Qui-Gon,
sitting on the floor, laughing hysterically and totally silently.
"I
think Master Qui-Gon needs to go to bed early," Anakin said.
"I
think we all do," Obi-Wan said.
"Good night, Master."
Qui-Gon
waved a hand at him, helplessly.
"Come
on, Ani. I'll put you to
bed." As he turned, his Master's
voice
sounded
in his head, very clearly.
*The
next ten years should be interesting, my Obi-Wan.*
*Yes,
well, you're right here with me, master.
So don't get complacent.*
And the
sound of silent laughter followed him to bed.
END