. Bonds of Choice #2 Star Wars: TPM FanFic Series by HiperBunny (message 1 of 3) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The trip back to Coruscant had been a long, quiet uneventful two days. Obi-Wan was at a loss to explain away the lack of change between his master and himself. The promised 'conversation' that came on the morning after had not been anything like what he expected. Just a calm assurance that Qui-Gon loved him, and that all was well with the world. The sleeping arrangements went unchanged; the patterns of interaction were indistinguishable from the days before and most telling, no sex. Of any sort. No kissing, no electric, surreptitious touches, no meaningful gazes, nothing. Only the memory of that one night to remind him that anything had changed at all and those memories were becoming less and less reliable as the hours passed. Of course, they had been very much in the public eye on the tiny vessel 'Arata'. Such behavior would have been unseemly in the extreme. Perhaps now that they were on Coruscant, with the walls of the Temple protecting the venerable image of the Jedi, they could get back to the matter at hand. *Not that this will necessarily help matters,* Obi-Wan thought. The conclusion Obi-Wan had come to was that, although he was an acceptable partner in bed, and although there was love between himself and his master, the relationship would not be a romantic one. Obi-Wan was perfectly okay with that. He was unsure that he could fulfill the role of boyfriend with Qui-Gon. The being who finally held and kept his master's heart would have to be very strong, very sure of their place in the Jedi Master's life. Obi-Wan had enough on his plate with training and missions without trying to live up to whatever expectations Qui-Gon would have for a life partner. He hitched his pack up higher on his back and got a better grip on his master's luggage. Qui-Gon's quarters were a goodly distance from the hanger, and his things should be delivered first. That done, he had a longer trudge down to his own room. Upon entering he heard his water tank bubbling cheerily on the long shelf beside his desk. Corubia had apparently kept her word, coming in to feed Dauhge every day or so. The life of a Jedi did not lend itself to pets, but Obi-Wan found it soothing to watch the small turtle paddle about. He dropped his pack to the floor and sat on it, staring at the small green creature. He propped his elbow on his knee, dropped his chin into his palm and curled the two middle fingers up to his teeth. Tap and think. This was his classing 'brooding' pose, one that he indulged in privately, if at all, these days. Nothing about it could be construed as meditation, any more than his constant fidgeting could be made out as physical exercise. Nerves and habit long ingrained had often led him to blinding revelation, a fact he accepted. His master had even come to some sort of understanding with it, but Obi-Wan doubted any of the other Jedi would understand. *At least I can fake serenity with the best of them.* Dauhge's swimming gave him something to focus on as his mind chased it's own tail. Something odd, something strange, something not right that needed to change. He shook off his brooding to drop a serving of food into the tank, but took it up once again as Dauhge began to eat. If only he could find what that something was. Internal or external? Corporal or spiritual? Black, white, what the hell was it? Where had he gone wrong? Had he gone wrong, or was the trouble elsewhere, unseen? What was that pointy thing poking him in the butt? The door opened behind him, and Qui-Gon stood beside him before he could correct his stance. "The Council wants to speak with us. Is something on your mind, Padawan?" Obi-Wan nodded, but did not answer. "Will it keep? We really must see to this now." "It has kept quite well so far, Master. I'm sure it will not spoil for some time yet," Obi-Wan replied. He fell into step, following his master to the Council Chamber. When they arrived, the meeting was already underway. A tall, slender Knight stood before the council giving his report. "We were separated by force fields, and I could not reach him in time. The Sith Lord gained the upper hand, and killed him. When I was freed, I engaged and wounded the Sith, but he escaped the killing blow. With his dying words, Master Erac asked me to see to the boy." "You've told us this before," Master Windu admonished. "I'm sorry, Masters, but there is no more to tell," the Knight met the eyes of his questioners levelly. Waves of anger and frustration roiled off of him before he found his center again. He had truly been upset by these events. "Perhaps what is needed is a fresh perspective. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Master Qui-Gon Jinn?" Windu gestured to where they stood near the doorway. "No, I'm afraid I ... Oh. Oh my. The resemblance is ... uncanny," Cord lost the thread of his though for a moment, then bowed. "I am Cord Random." "Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. How may we serve?" They took their place beside Cord before the Council. "There is a problem on the planet of Naboo. Rather, the last meeting with this problem occurred there," Windu began. "Did I hear you say something about a Sith? They've been extinct for an age," Qui-Gon objected, which caused him to receive foreboding looks from all quarters. Windu continued, "We have just returned from there and have found few leads as to where this Sith came from. Young Cord here has requested that he be provided with assistance, with the loss of Master Erac. I suggested that you be given the assignment, now that you are back." Qui-Gon looked over his right shoulder to his Padawan. The boy had a calm, attentive air about him, something that had appeared between his quarters and the Council chamber. Here was a matter that must be seen to before embarking on such a mission. If what he heard was true, they would stare the Dark Side in the face. His Padawan must be ready to ignore its pull. "When would we be expected to begin?" "Tomorrow evening, after Erac's funeral. You will be in attendance?" Windu said. "Of course, Master. I knew him of old," Qui-Gon replied. "There is one or two small matters I must see to with my Padawan before then, however." "Then you are dismissed. May the Force be with you." The Master and his student bowed, and turned to go. Windu directed his attention to Cord. "Be ready to join them as soon as possible. I am sorry to impinge on your time of mourning, but time is of the essence." "I am ready to do what I must to see this resolved," Cord replied. "May the Force be with you, as well. You have a question, Master Qui-Gon?" Master Windu asked, seeing that they had not left the room. "No, sir. I simply did not realize Cord would work with us. Excuse me," and he continued his way out the door, Obi-Wan trailing behind him. ************************ He followed Qui-Gon back to his master's quarters, pausing a moment before he went in behind him. No sooner was the door closed than he was pinned back against the wall, his master's mouth covering his, sucking, open, wet and demanding. After the first shock wore off, he returned it with more than interest. Strong hands were pulling at his clothes, and he struggled to drop his cloak before beginning to wrestle with Qui-Gon's. Their outer shirts hit the floor simultaneously, and he jerked the inner off his master with uncharacteristic haste. The taste of skin, salt, heat, and oh the unmatchable flavor of his master filled his senses as he worked a loving path of kisses now the neck, across the shoulder and chest, to seize upon one erect nipple. His teeth sank in, tongue lavishing unparalleled affection there until he was pulled away. His shirts were next to go, and he stood naked to the waist. He reached down to unfasten his pants when he was stopped. "We are Jedi first," Qui-Gon said, gripping his wrists tightly. "What?" "Say it. We are Jedi first, and servants to the Light." Obi-Wan looked deep into his master's eyes. "First we are Jedi, servants of the Light." Qui-Gon pressed his wrists back to the wall. "We are secondly Master and Padawan." "Secondly, Master and Padawan. Oh, don't stop ..." "Only beyond that are we free to be lovers." Long fingers made short work of his pants fastenings, and stroked freely along the exposed flesh. "Thirdly we are lovers, oh, that feels good," he whispered as his pants fell in a bunch around his boots. "That third is just as true and unfaltering as the first two, Obi-Wan. No doubt, no fear on that. Do you promise?" Qui-Gon sank to his knees before his young partner. "Yes Master, I swear, mmmm…" Obi-Wan found himself incapable of further speech as his cock was swallowed into the welcoming warmth of Qui-Gon's mouth. The hot, soft cavern stroked fully down his stone-hard flesh, then sucked him deep, tongue active and teasing all the while. He raised his hands to fill them with the long, thick locks of hair he had so often dreamed of, reveling in the sensations assaulting his body. He arched his hips out away from the wall, trying to get closer, feel more, be deeper inside. Cool air hit him with a shock as he was released and he almost stumbled in his attempt to pursue. Steady hands helped him free of his boots before Qui-Gon said "don't move." His master walked away to the bathroom, but returned quickly, sans clothing of any sort, and bearing a small jar. "Now then." The second kiss was animal, both men's mouths marking territory, sucking lips to full and puffy heat before the mutual exploration of bodies commenced. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as Qui-Gon bit deep along his collarbone. He was lifted up in one arm while Qui-Gon made a fluid gesture with the other hand. All manner of odds and ends swept off the nearby desktop and it was soon replaced with the wiggling form of a terminally aroused Padawan. Their cocks pressed together, rubbing, seeking friction as Qui-Gon bent over to suck one nipple, then the other, to aching red sensitivity. The soft hairs of his beard tickled as he nuzzled and teased the aureoles before a second hard assault. A soft grunt escaped Obi-Wan as he was flipped over onto his stomach. A soft intake of breath caused him to look over his shoulder. "What. Is. This?" Qui-Gon asked, pointing to his left shoulder blade. "Well, you know, the other night ... Sir, I believe the technical term for it is 'monster hickey,'" Obi-Wan replied, grinning. The bruise from a particularly passionate bite was fading to pink and yellow, but still quite visible. A sharp smack to his left buttock took the grin right off his face. "Would you fancy a matching set, then?" "Well ..." but the though was never finished as he felt his body parted for a long, sensual kiss to his most private opening. Qui-Gon opened the jar he had brought from the bath, and a rich, earthy scent added itself to the air. The chill cream was shocking and delightful as it was worked slowly into his waiting flesh. He relaxed easily under the patient touch, allowing, accepting, desiring until his hips began to lift in slow undulations against the probing fingers. "More?" Qui-Gon asked. "Oh, yes," and Obi-Wan was turned over onto his back once again. "What?" "Like this view better," Qui-Gon explained, drawing the strong legs around his hips. "Want to see you. What are you first, Obi-Wan?" "A Jedi." "Oh good," he pressed his slick cock against the ready orifice. "And second?" "Padawan, Padawan. Please, I want you. Second I am a Padawan." The head breached the tight outer ring of muscle, and stopped just inside the second. "Thirdly?" "Lover! I am your lover, totally, completely, with no doubt or remorse so would you please stop the pop quiz and fuck me?!?!" Obi-Wan screamed, thrusting himself down over the hard shaft. Qui-Gon leaned forward and planted his hands on either side of Obi-Wan's head. For himself, Obi-Wan gripped the edge of the desk and hooked his feet together behind his master's back. They arched and moaned in sweet unison, plunderer and plundered, the rocking of his pelvis gave him some slick contact with his partner's belly, but not enough, oh, no. He relinquished his grip with one hand, seizing his aching erection. With that added stimulus, he entered into a sure and steady focus on the moment, his breath, his utter pleasure at being touched, fucked, loved, and oh skies above us, "Ahhhhh!" His semen spilled out over his hand as he bucked and twisted in the throes of an orgasm well gotten. The spasms of his inner muscles quickly dragged his partner up with him into the heavens of sexual climax, and a shout of his own. They lay still for a moment, gasping in much needed oxygen. "How did you keep from jumping me for two days?" Qui-Gon choked. "I could ask you the same thing, old man," Obi-Wan said, spitting out a long lock of hair. "Time is on my side, here," Qui-Gon rolled over, long legs hanging off the desk. "Yes it is," Obi-Wan chuckled, pushing himself up and heading for the shower. But inwardly he worried about words said in passion. And then there was this: There is no passion. There is the Force. ****************************** The next evening returned them to the reality of their life, their calling. Facts and reports fed into their minds, all the details of the fiasco on Naboo. The Dark Side was showing it's uncertain face once again, in the form of the Sith. Cord fed them information in a long, steady recitation as they sat, sipping tea in Qui-Gon's chamber. Master Erac and he had not worked together overlong, but the beginnings of a pairbond had been cut short with the unforgiving wound from the Sith Lord. Finally the recitation came to an end, and the three of them had to face the most perplexing and distressing matter in the long chain of events that had begun so long ago in the Senate. Anikin Skywalker had been kidnapped from the Temple during the night. Obi-Wan fought the urge to pace, to kick walls and pick at his cuticles as the sickening reality of the missing boy sank into his gut. Too old to be accepted for training amongst the Jedi, and too full of potential to be ignored or overlooked by the powerful, Anikin was in the gravest danger. What was worse, his potential, his theoretical place in the scheme of things may have earned him a place amongst the Jedi despite his age. Cord and Qui-Gon had some long, drawn out theories that required they search the scene of the crime. Obi-Wan had been spared that particularly meticulous and fiddly bit of work. Now he sat and took long sets of notes onto his lightslate, fingers working over the keyboard without pause, annotating, footnoting, and copying relentlessly. All the while his mind rattled the problem like a cupful of chance cubes, hoping to roll a favorable outcome for the boy by sheer force of fretting. Cord and Qui-Gon talked and talked, theorizing, laying out plans, one after another, until Obi-Wan thumbed the 'transcribe' key on the slate and laid it down between them. "Think of something, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon inquired. His Padawan was here, more or less, because of his leaps of logic that sometimes outdistanced calm reasoning. It wasn't a talent, or a skill, per se, but it had yielded some ... interesting outcomes over the years. Something in the question tilted Obi-Wan's answer to the flavor of perversity. "I think ... I need to speak to Dauhge about this." Qui-Gon blinked. He had often seen his student work problems of astounding complexity by doing nothing more than staring down a tiny green turtle. Dauhge was not the first reptile to be put to such use and however the ability had come into being, it was a habit that the Jedi intended to preserve for some time to come. What surprised him was that Obi-Wan would speak of it before another Jedi. It seemed the young Padawan felt a bit foolish about finding answers in the swimming patterns of his little pet. "Let me know if he says anything important," was the only reply he made. "Wait. Who are you going to see? Are you sure they can keep this quiet?" Cord asked. "Oh, I assure you Dauhge would never breath a word to anyone," Obi-Wan smiled. "In fact, he may not listen." He bowed and sprinted --serenely-- to his room. His pack lay just where he had left it, so he made a seat on top of it again. *No nailbiting* he ordered firmly to himself. The teeth-tapping and cuticle champing was a sign of futility, which he certainly didn't need hampering him. The problem was complex ... yet too simple and that was the crux of it. This whole mess had started in the Senate, with trade disputes and sneaky moves from the Trade Federation. Then the Federation made that stupid, stupid move to attack Naboo. Now the only reason they retained their trade franchise was the single, solitary fact that Chancellor Palpatine had not yet returned from Naboo to revoke it. Naboo the tiny. Naboo the distant. Naboo the almost entirely inconsequential except that it seemed to be the center of a major struggle that threatened to pull everything apart. If there was anything thing the Trade Federation never lost sight of it was power and profit. They stood no chance of true profit in this endeavor, so there had to be power in there somewhere. What the hell was there on Naboo that would pull so many factors to it? So many disparate factors ... "Well, Dauhge, I'm fresh out of ideas. What do you think?" Obi-Wan inquired. "We've got the Federation trying to take Queen Amidala's little kingdom, a Sith Lord chasing Jedi to that little blip on the starmaps, and a small, dangerous, very missing little boy. What's the connection ... there has to be a connection. Something I'm missing, here. Who in all this mess would want Skywalker?" He fixed his eyes on the paddling of his pet, letting them relax. The bubbles and eddies relaxed his upper thought registers and put his sub-conscious into gear. Nothing to do but let it cook, really. If his logic leaps were going to help at all, they would kick in any minute now. Just any minute now. Any second and the answer would explode right there in his brain. The cool smooth greens and blues washed around behind his eyes, the lone turtle described a figure eight and hovered, dipped and swam, all unknowing that the path he chose would eventually lead the sharp, quick mind of one Padawan into just the right rhythm to see through the tangle of relationship and causality to the truth of the question. He'd have to leave the how's and why's to others. All he was good for was 'what'. He could tell them what, and sometimes who and where. Obi-Wan was reluctant to call this little trick foresight, but it was almost a reliable thing, when he had the luxury to observe his turtle. Trade routes, senate conflicts, Sith, Jedi, Skywalker. Dead Jedi on Naboo. Wounded Jedi on Naboo. Wounded Sith on Naboo. Trade Federation out in force on Naboo. What the hell was on Naboo that was of worth to the Sith, the Jedi and the Trade Federation? "Holy shit." There wasn't a scrap of serenity in the headlong dash he made back to Qui-Gon's quarters. He noticed the time as he passed a water-clock. Three hours had passed as he um, meditated on the problem. "My Master, may I have one or two small words with you?" Obi-Wan burst through the door, and hit his knees in a skid. He knew very well what a picture he made, robes flying and dangerous, his braid whipping around like a lash, lips thin and compressed with urgency. His words were correct, if breathless. His posture unorthodox, to say the least, but at this point he was sort of going for 'beseeching' and maybe a touch of 'desperation'. "Of course, Padawan. Shall we step aside?" Qui-Gon's voice was the very spirit of grave serenity. Obi-Wan dared not look up, least the manic giggles he was trying to sit on should burst free. "Or perhaps this is something these other Masters should hear as well?" Obi-Wan *really* didn't want to see who was in attendance for his performance. "No, Master. I think this should be heard. I think I've found a pattern, and I can say with a small amount of certainty that Anikin is still here on Coruscant." "Tell us more," Qui-Gon encouraged. "I thought, in the manner you requested of me and what I see is that the Trade Federation is the entity that enacted this abduction. This was done on orders of the Sith Master, who seeks Anikin's death to prevent him from achieving any part of the destiny the Masters have seen for him. The Sith is in some position of power here, perhaps in the government, where he can keep abreast of the goings on here in the Temple. In any event, I believe we will find the boy in the custody of the Federation, probably unharmed," Obi-Wan tugged his robes forward and waited to have his little theory pulled to bits. "Unharmed in the hands of the Sith?" This from one of the other Masters. "No, Master. Anikin has not yet been turned over to him. The Sith Master is not on Coruscant at the moment, but seeing to matters elsewhere. Soon he will return, claim the boy and either kill him or begin turning him to the Dark Side of the Force. Just now, with things in flux, he can not begin such a problematic process. Getting the boy off this planet, which is crawling with Jedi on the lookout and onto another planet, also under our scrutiny, is probably beyond his current capabilities." Obi-Wan spun his yarn as best he could. "And what other planet would the boy be taken to, if such a thing were possible?" "Naboo. Everything points to Naboo," Obi-Wan breathed. "So, the Sith are someone who is usually on Coruscant, but currently on Naboo in the wake of this war. He is someone in the government, but we have not sensed his movements here, beneath our very noses. How is that possible?" That was Mace Windu. "I know not, Master. I'm not sure I could sense a Sith Lord if he stood before me. Especially since he would know what I was, and guard against me, and I would have no idea to even look at him twice," Obi-Wan answered truthfully. "Only this else can I offer. Anikin is close. Near to the Temple, where his presence in the Force is disguised by all the other children here who are just beginning training. They are hiding the leaf in the forest, as best as they can under the circumstances." Qui-Gon said, "Thank you, Obi-Wan. Now, about the excess energy you displayed on that entrance. Go out to the garden and follow the Stone Spiral in backrise step. I will see you there later." He watched as his Padawan rose and bowed his way out of the room. A moment of silence followed before Windu spoke. "You say the boy has no foretelling?" "No, Master. It's just a capability he picked up from a meditation exercise I set for him about four years ago," Qui-Gon answered. "It will serve him well. The only point he missed, I suspect he will bring up to you privately." "It is a dangerous thing, to accuse the Chancellor of being a Dark Lord. Perhaps he is wise to keep such speculation to himself," Qui-Gon suggested. "Then are we going to accept his words as a reliable second opinion?" "As much as such things matter, I think his words prompt us to take the course we have selected," Windu rose to call the full council. "Action must be swift, and I must see to them. Can you be ready after the evening meal?" Qui-Gon bowed in acceptance and the others filed out of his tiny living space to prepare for the retrieval of one wayward boy.