.                      Bonds of Choice #5
                  Star Wars: TPM FanFic Series
                         by HiperBunny
                        (message 5 of 7)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


When they arrived on Renal Sejon,  there was a welcoming party waiting. 
Three Nurians came to the foot of the gangplank and bowed as Qui-Gon led
the two apprentices out of the ship.  They returned the bow.

"We greet you, Master Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn.  I am Sen'Danji Nurian, this is
Eleje Nurian and Murana Nurian," the leader introduced.

"I thank you for your welcome.  This is Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.  We return
to you Jenka Nes'Nurian, who we found being held prisoner.  Who comes to
collect her?"  Qui-Gon gestured Jenka forward.

"She is my responsibility," Murana said, also stepping forward.  Jenka went
to her and took her place behind and to the right of her teacher.  Her eyes
shone with happiness.

Obi-Wan was overjoyed to find Jenka's teacher had survived the ordeal the
Kurasians had gone through.  Even if no other of her family survived, she
would have the care of her master.

"We have prepared a place for you in the camps, among the tents of the
Nurians.  Would you like to stay there, or here on your vessel?" Sen'Danji
Nurian asked.

"I would be honored to accept your hospitality," Qui-Gon replied.  Obi-Wan
hefted their packs and followed the little procession.  He had used a spare
sash to sling his Kho'la'bo across his back.  He saw that the Nurians
carried theirs, using them as walking sticks.  Something told him it would
be better if he did not do this thing.

They walked through the expansive camps to the central area where the
Nurians were pitched.  To one side was a cone-shaped tent where the Jedi
were directed to make themselves comfortable.  Jenka went with Murana,
having nothing but the clothes Obi-Wan had given her.  She walked like she
had all the wealth of the galaxy in her pocket.

*****************

The Nurians had set part of the training field apart for the Jedi to use. 
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went over the area familiarizing themselves with the
uneven ground.  They warmed up with a middle-class form and began sparring,
sabers tuned down to static-power.  When they called a hold, Obi-Wan
noticed the small crowd of observers who had gathered.  Qui-Gon's mouth
quirked up.  "Ready for a lesson in humility, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master."

"Let's walk through the second section of the R'Antha, then."

They entered into the dance and for the first portion, Obi-Wan held his
form.  In the beginning of the second, a series of tumbling passes, he lost
his focus and stumbled, but recovered.  Towards the end of the third, there
was as short section of toss-kicks.  He reached out and grabbed Qui-Gon's
forearms, swung up, landed, planed firmly and brought Qui-Gon around.  On
his second arc, his grip slipped and sent them both tumbling to the
ground.  A smattering of chuckles reached him as Qui-Gon helped him up. 
"You must remember to keep the thumb more firmly in place, Padawan.  Do
fifty of those on your own without falling and we'll try this again."

Obi-Wan nodded and began the required exercise.  He found it a simple move
to do on his own.  It was the reliance on another that put him off in this
dance, an obstacle he needed much work to improve.  It was a comfort
though, that Qui-Gon seemed at peace teaching him the dance now.  When they
had begun, thoughts of the unmentioned, long-lost Padawan had haunted his
eyes, his voice.  All traces of that were gone now.  As Obi-Wan completed
his fiftieth jump, he held that thought close to him.

"Good, Padawan.  Again."  This time they made it through the second section
without incident.  Obi-Wan fairly glowed with pride.  Qui-Gon pulled him
close, arm around his shoulders.  "There may be hope for you yet, young
man."

"That is much coming from you, old man," Obi-Wan replied, laughing.

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply but was cut off with a shout.

"Padawan Kenobi!  Come here and select a staff for sparring!"  Obi-Wan
turned to find Jenka Nes'Nurian standing just inside the practice area they
were using.  <<Come here now and say nothing!>> her words rang in his head.

He approached her, puzzled.  They stood side by side, surveying the rack of
staves.  She pitched her voice low.  "That was poorly done, Padawan
Kenobi."

"What have I done?"

"Speaking so to your Master before the people brings much shame to him.  I
have seen the ease between you and know it is not meant that way, but you
must correct this before you both lose face.  There are too many here for
it to go unobserved."  She handed him a staff.  "Tell him."

Obi-Wan nodded, keeping his eyes on the staff he held.  **Master, I have
committed a breach of protocol.  Jenka Nes'Nurian advises me so.**

//I saw no offense.  How do we correct it Obi-Wan?//

**I spoke with words too familiar.  A moment,** and he turned to Jenka. 
"What must we do?"

"I will bring you to him, in the manner of one Nes'Nurian correcting
another.  He must command you not to speak until the evening meal," she
replied.

He nodded.  **Master, I must be forbidden to speak until dinner.  Jenka
will guide us in the correct way.**

//I am ready.//

Obi-Wan nodded to Jenka, who reached up and seized him by the collar.  Her
grip was surprisingly strong as she marched him back to Qui-Gon and pitched
him onto his knees.

"Padawan, I want not another word to pass your lips until we have dined
this eve."  Qui-Gon's eyes danced with humor.  They had been through the
elaborate tangles of protocol such as these before, but never so amused had
Qui-Gon appeared.

Obi-Wan nodded, lips compressed to retain the reflexive 'Yes, Master' which
must go unspoken.

<<Good.  Now, we shall spar.  Try to lose.>>

Obi-Wan stood and turned to face his opponent.  She was a good hand shorter
than he was and thin from her imprisonment, but her staff flashed and
whirled in her hands.  The attack came quickly.  He found himself
hard-pressed to defend himself.  The tip of her staff came in high and he
moved to block.  Suddenly he found himself surveying the sky.  She had
clipped his feet out from under him.  Jenka stood over him.  "To bath,
then," she said.

Obi-Wan followed her as she went to her master, who was speaking to
Qui-Gon.  They turned to the approaching apprentices.

"Well done, Jenka."  Murana said.

"Thank you, Nurian."

"Padawan, that will never do," was Qui-Gon's opinion.

Obi-Wan hung his head and did a most difficult thing.  He let go the shield
he normally held over the bond between his master and himself.  **I am
sorry, Master.**

//You should be.  Shaming me like that in front of all these people.//
Qui-Gon smiled.  //You're doing very well, Obi-Wan.//

Obi-Wan's cheeks burned.  Somehow, he could not get used to this mode of
communication.  He had trained for years to control his mind, to reach out
through the Force and touch his master's thoughts, the thoughts of those
around him.  It was one thing to read another person's mental state, but to
speak without words was far too intimate. 

//You need not do this thing if it disrupts your calm, Obi-Wan.//

**Master, perhaps I must do this thing _because_ it disturbs my calm.**

//I will help you in any way I can, Koateleu.//

**Do not take more than I am giving you, please, Master.**

//That is a thing I would never do to you, Padawan.//

There was nothing to say to that.  They had reached one of the larger tents
and went inside.  For a moment Obi-Wan was at a loss, but decided to follow
Jenka's lead.  She went to a side table and collected oil and a long flat
wooden tool.  Her teacher had begun to undress and Qui-Gon did the same. 
They took places in a shallow basin, Murana Nurian carefully averting her
eyes from Qui-Gon.

//Should I not be doing this, Obi-Wan?//

**It isn't that they find us unpleasant to look upon, Master.  It's just
that we're bald.**  A smile tugged at Obi-Wan's lips.  He began to see the
advantages to this kind of communication.

Qui-Gon's features were so totally serious that Obi-Wan knew he was biting
his tongue to keep from laughing.  Following along with Jenka's actions, he
poured oil over his master's body, coating it thickly.  Then the wooden
tool was dragged along every inch of him to scrape the dirt and grime from
the day's work away.  Obi-Wan was fascinated by the change in Qui-Gon's
skin from the sheen of oil to the smooth, soft clean muscles and lines.  A
truly wicked thought occurred to him, one that he determined to carry out. 
When they were done the two teachers dressed again.

//Now I remember how difficult it is to think boring thoughts with you
around.//

**Funny, I can never forget how difficult it is with you.  We must see to
your hair, Master.  It must be itching by now.**

Qui-Gon nodded.  "Come, Padawan."

Jenka came up behind them, "Padawan Kenobi, would you like to come down to
the river with us?  I'm told the others want to meet you.  We're just going
for a bath and a swim."

Obi-Wan turned to his master, head down.  **May I, Master?  I could fetch
some water to wash your hair.**

"Don't be gone too long."

**Yes, Master.**

****************

Qui-Gon watched the two young people walk away, wondering that Jenka had
slipped back into her community so easily.  He turned to Murana Nurian and
asked, "how is it that she has recovered so well?"

Murana crossed her arms and studied the ground for a long moment.  "She has
not.  I believe she holds her fear and pain inside.  She will open up to me
soon, though.  She needs time to accept that this is real, that this world
is her home now, that she is safe once more."

"And leaving her to do normal things?  This will help?  I see."  Qui-Gon
nodded.  "It must be difficult to not know what is happening within her."

"You should know.  Your son must hide his pain from you at times."

Qui-Gon's brow wrinkled in consternation, then chuckled.  "Obi-Wan is not
my son.  He is my Padawan, as I have told you.  Surely you must know what
that means among the Jedi, your people have known us since joining the
Republic."

Murana touched her temple briefly, her eyes unfocusing.  Then she fixed her
gaze on him once more.  "I see the lines of family between you in the Koh. 
What say you to that, Master Jedi?"

Qui-Gon was taken aback.  She was challenging him, the truth of his
assertion!  He cleared his throat and replied, "more than likely, that
would be the bond between Master and Padawan.  It binds us as closely as a
blood-tie would, on a spiritual level.  But it is not a permanent thing."

"I see.  Then what sort of thing is it?"

Qui-Gon tucked his hands in his sleeves and began walking.  He spoke as he
walked, forcing Murana to follow after, hurrying her steps to catch his
words.  His long legs made it easy to maintain just the pace to keep her at
a trot.  *You're a sly thing, Master Jinn.*  He put on his lecturing tone,
just for good measure.  "Long have the Jedi served the Republic, longer
still have our works been necessary to the greater good of all sentients. 
We are the watchers, the protectors of all life, all justice, all order. 
Now, it sometimes happens that a Jedi will have a child.  More often than
not, the child will be strong in the Force and be raised to the Order, but
such occurrences of propagation through procreation are rare for the Jedi. 
Do you understand?"

Murana nodded.  "Yes.  Your numbers are not replenished through
childbirth."

"Correct."  He gave her an approving smile.  "There are some among us who
have a natural bent towards childrearing.  These individuals are valued for
their abilities because in the main, our Order is continued through the
raising of children not born to the Jedi themselves.  Less than one of a
hundred Trainees have a meaningful relationship with their birth parents. 
Although they may visit their families, those relationships are hopelessly
stunted.  And although our Training Masters are some of the finest beings
to be found, they simply can not create a parental bond with each and every
child under their care."

Murana spoke up.  "All the children then are orphans?  With no family to
protect and care for them?"

Qui-Gon nodded sadly.  "Although they do not know it.  They do not miss
what they have never known, and we are careful to teach them that the Order
is all the family they will ever need.  And we teach them that, should they
be taken as a Padawan, their master will be all the parents they ever
need."

"And if they are not taken as a Padawan?"  Murana pressed.

"Once taken by the Order, one never leaves except by free will.  Those who
have the potential, but not the ability are generally steered towards other
pursuits, other interests.  For many, the life of a Jedi warrior is far too
difficult.  A great number of our charges choose to enter some other field,
rather than take up the burden of our way of life.  Those who wish to be
taken but are not, well, they do feel disappointed, but you must
understand, they know this by the time they are elder children, at the
most.  No promises are made to them, and there is certainly no shame in
being passed over.  There are many more who are offered, but choose not to
accept the role of Padawan than there are those who wish the Braid and do
not receive it.  But that is not the subject we were on."

"Please continue."

"When a child is selected for Padawan training, they are carefully observed
by the Training Masters, the Jedi Council and the prospective Master in
question.  Often the Council will see a connection between a particular
Knight or Master and a particular Trainee and try to match them for
pairing.  Other times, the pair will be chosen on instinct alone.  Still
other pairs are made out of need, or because of special interest or
circumstances.  In any event, from the moment a Master or Knight has a
Padawan, our training requires complete and utter trust.  The Senior must
be able to count on the Junior utterly, and vice versa.  This kind of trust
would normally take years to build between individuals, but through the
Force, there is a faster, better, invulnerable way.  The Master/Padawan
bond.  That is the connection you see between Obi-Wan and I."  He shrugged.
"It has ever been so."

"So you create the parental bond with the Force, rather than genetically
and with time?"  She asked.

"It is not a parental bond, you must understand this.  I am not Obi-Wan's
father in any sense of the word.  I have never had a father, nor did my
Master, nor her master before her.  We do not have that relationship, we
Jedi."  Qui-Gon was getting a headache from trying to explain something to
someone who would never really understand.  Those who could understand
would simply KNOW. 

"And this is a temporary bond, you say?"

Qui-Gon nodded.  "When Obi-Wan passes the Trials of Knighthood, the bond
will break and dissolve.  We will remember this closeness, but only our
self-made relationship will remain.  It is possible that we will not even
be close friends once he is a Knight.  I have not seen my first Padawan, in
many years.  She and I were as close as Obi-Wan and I are, when she was
with me.  She has moved on, as have I.  It is our way."

"And you will not ask him to wed you when he is of age?"

It took every scrap and sliver of control for Qui-Gon to keep from choking
outright.  "No.  Our traditions are very clear on that point.  You'll
forgive me, Murana Nurian, but I must  undo these braids so that Obi-Wan
may see to his duties for me."  He bowed and made off for his tent.  *These
Nurians are too perceptive by half.*  Murana had touched on a particularly
sore point, however inadvertently.  If Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were to ever
have a formalized, romantic relationship, the offer would either be made so
far in the future that present circumstances would not enter into it.

Or it would come from Obi-Wan himself.

Qui-Gon had long ago accepted the wisdom of this guideline.  Somehow,
wisdom had never hurt quite so much.  But as he had learned in a vision
some time before, there was time yet.  Time still to win the heart of his
Koateleu.  Qui-Gon fervently hoped the Force would will it so.

********************************  

When Jenka and Obi-Wan arrived at the river, the others were already in,
splashing and laughing.  Obi-Wan filled the pitcher from his tent with
water and set it on a rock to warm.  He saw that the others were in the
altogether, scrubbing with sand.  He started to pull his shirt off, then
realized the inherent problem.  There were about eight Kurasians there, not
counting Jenka.  They were all trying to not look at him, but he could feel
their curiosity coming off of them in waves.  And he knew better than to
speak with Jenka right there watching.

He clapped his hands once to get their attention, then ran his fingers
through his braids.  One nodded his understanding.  Obi-Wan then removed
his tunics and raised his arms, a little grin playing on his lips.  He then
quickly removed his boots and pants, then gestured towards his groin.

"Jenka, you said he was totally bald!" one of the others accused.

"Well, I didn't look THAT hard!" she protested.

Obi-Wan laughed and splashed down into the water with them.  Jenka helped
him scrub his back with sand and made introductions.  One of them, Ru'path,
wanted to know if it was true Obi-Wan would be taking the Semsha Rite. 
Obi-Wan nodded that it was.

The others seemed very pleased by this information.

"So, Obi-Wan, you're training to be a Jedi?"  Ru'path was clearly trying to
satisfy their understandable curiosity without insulting their guest.

Obi-Wan nodded that he was.

"Is it true that Jedi can, you know, DO stuff with their minds?  Like some
of the Nurians?"  Ru'path pressed.

Obi-wan nodded again.

"Are you allowed to show us?"  Jenka asked.

Obi-Wan thought about this.  This wouldn't be showing off.  Not really.  If
he just did something small ...

He scooped up a double handful of water and gathered the Force to him. 
Concentrating, he formed the water into a perfect sphere.  He lifted it
high above them where it could catch the sunlight and floated it back down
so they could have a better look.  When they had satisfied their interest,
he got a wicked idea.  He drifted his sphere over Jenka's head.  She looked
up, fascinated by the glittering of the water hovering above her.  Obi-Wan
let go of the Force and Jenka sputtered in shock.

"Water fight!"  Ru'path yelled.  Mayhem erupted in the swimming hole.