Mistakes (Story)
Title: Mistakes
Author: Neobi
Spoilers: Jedi Apprentice 6 and Jedi Apprentice 16, very minor spoilers.
Summary: Lets just say it is going be a long line of mistakes.
// = Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bond
italicized = thought
** = From the book (beginning and ending)
Disclaimer: All names and planets, except Tikatee and a few others, are part of Lucas Books.
Hope you like it.
~Neobi
Mistakes
Tahl was dead.
That one fact haunted Qui-Gon Jinn. When Tahl died Qui-Gon had gone dangerously close to the dark side.
It had been only a few weeks since she had died but it had seemed like an eternity to Qui-Gon.
How will I make it with out her?
He shook his head.
No, no, I am never with out her.
With that Qui-Gon closed his eyes and banished all thoughts from his mind. Meditating helped him to get through the day, even though it didn’t lessen the anguish over the death of Tahl.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had talked little since Tahl’s death, none of it had been about the events that happened while on New Apsolon. Qui-Gon opened his eyes, his meditation broken by another’s presents.
“Miss her, all of us do,” began the wise Jedi master, “Bring her back, we can not. Live with out her we must.” Qui-Gon shifted uncomfortable with the subject.
“Need more time, know do I. But calls our attention another subject does.”
Qui-Gon turned to the small master, “A mission?”
Yoda nodded once, “Small it is. Concerns Obi-Wan, it does.”
Qui-Gon became concerned. He had not had a true conversation with his Padawan for some time.
“About his time on Melida-Daan, it is about. Tell everything he has not. Know a girl named Tikatee did you?”
“I met her once or twice. Why?”
“Relations, Obi-Wan had with this girl. Child she bore, force sensitive think they do.”
Qui-Gon looked at the ground in front of him, searching for words.
“Bring Obi-Wan to the Jedi Council later you must. Come too must you.” And with that the Jedi master turned and walked away, leaving Qui-Gon to his thoughts.
* * *
Obi-Wan walked next to his master. They were on their way to the Jedi Council meeting.
Earlier that morning, when he had woken up Qui-Gon was already gone. It didn’t surprise Obi-Wan any more, Qui-Gon had gotten up early and left every day since they had gotten back from New Apsolon.
Today, however, Qui-Gon had come back sooner than usual. And for the first time since they had gotten back he had spoken more than two or three words. Obi-Wan thought back to what he had said, trying to find out why the council wished them to see them.
Qui-Gon entered quietly. He spoke calmly and barely above a whisper.
“The Jedi Council wishes to speak to us. When you are ready we will go,” and with that Qui-Gon sat down to wait.
Obi-Wan reviewed this again. He was about to again but he then realized that they were outside the council room. The door slid open and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon walked to the center of the room and bowed.
“Come here do you know why, Obi-Wan,” Yoda said.
“No, master.”
“We called you here to discus Melida-Daan,” Mace Windu said, wanting to get to the point. Obi-Wan swallowed, talking about Melida-Daan brought back memories; many of which he did not want to.
Mace Windu continued, “This morning we were contacted by a young women named Tikatee. She explained her relationship with you and then said that a child came out of it. She thinks the child might be force sensitive.”
Obi-Wan’s mind raced. Searching for something to tell the masters, but he found no words.
“Know we do that you realize your mistake. Send a Jedi team we must. Accept the mission do you?” Yoda’s voice was calm yet stern.
Obi-Wan, the choice is up to you, Qui-Gon’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Yes, we do.” Obi-Wan said, straitening.
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Hope you like.
~Neobi
Mistakes
“How could you?!” shrieked the upset Bant. “How could you have just thrown away everything?”
“You forget Bant, I had nothing. Not the Jedi, not my friends here, not Cerasi, and for all I knew I could have died the next day,” Obi-Wan replied in a calm, cool, voice.
After leaving the council room Qui-Gon had left him to go and meditate. Obi-Wan had been surprised at his master’s calmness about the subject. When he reached their quarters Bant was waiting for him out side.
They had entered his quarters and Obi-Wan had told Bant what happened on Melida-Daan, and the news of him being a father. That was when Bant ended her silence.
“I know that but… I really don’t understand,” Bant had finally said in a much calmer voice. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow, Mace Windu was able to get a starfighter for us to use.”
“Then I’ll help you pack.”
* * *
The terrain below sped by.
Why did I have to accept this mission?
Obi-Wan’s grip on the controls tightened, turning his knuckles white. Obi-Wan smiled as he saw the familiar canyon ahead. Obi-Wan increased his speed noticably.
“Obi-Wan don’t forget about the outcropping,” Qui-Gon said with slight amusement in his voice. Qui-Gon was happy Obi-Wan had accepted this mission. It would give their bond time to finish healing.
Obi-Wan moved through the canyon with experience. Avoiding every outcropping and making each turn smoother than the last. Obi-Wan’s mind began to remember things like the canyon and the capital city of Melida-Daan, Zehava.
And a thought struck Obi-Wan, and then made him question everything that had happened since he left Melida-Daan.
Why did I ever block out these memories?
After a few more minutes Obi-Wan pulled out of the canyon and headed for Zehava. Flying over the city was astonishing to say the least. Once crumbling buildings were now new. People flooded the streets and well as markets. And the ruins of the once destroyed towers that had surrounded the city were no gone.
The landing platform came into sight and Obi-Wan slowed his speed. The landing gears came out and Obi-Wan landed gently without even the slightest bump. Qui-Gon stood and lowered the ramp, Obi-Wan only a few feet behind him. Obi-Wan stopped at the bottom of the ramp, his vision blurred as his eyes were stung by tears.
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~Neobi
Mistakes
The sun was low in the sky and Qui-Gon had to squint to see. As the sun lowered in the sky a statue that had not been visible before stood a few feet from the landing platform. It was a statue of a teenager and it stood at 7 feet. Qui-Gon knew all too well who it was.
Cerasi, the gray stone could never portray who you really were.
Qui-Gon then noticed that Obi-Wan was not behind him. He turned slowly; he knew what the loss of Cerasi had done to Obi-Wan. They had fought next to each other on the fields of war. They had been a family, a family that had been given to him and had been like no other; and taken away. Obi-Wan’s eyes were glazed with tears, tears that he refused to let flow.
“Obi-Wan, it is getting late and we still have to meet our guild; we must continue,” Qui-Gon said in a low, sympathetic voice.
“Yes, Master” Obi-Wan replied his voice distant.
As Qui-Gon turned he realized another had come while he and Obi-Wan had talked. It was a young man about the same age as Obi-Wan, yet nearly four inches taller. He had dark hair and slightly tan skin.
“You’ve gotten tanned, and taller,” Qui-Gon said with a smile. It had been quiet a while since he had last seen the boy. “Might I say that the white is a change, Nield.”
"Well, when you are as pale as I was; black looked good; but I just had to go and spend time in the sun. And a tan doesn’t look good with black," said Nield with a smirk.
Nield’s smirk faded as he saw Obi-Wan, who’s gaze was still on the statue of his friend. Nield slowly walked over to him.
“I still miss her too,” and with that Nield hugged Obi-Wan. Not as a friend but as a brother.
Obi-Wan hugged back then smiled and took a step back. “She would be proud of you Nield.”
“And of you.”
“Here, come see, I designed the statue myself,” the young man said to the two of them. Eagerly the two friends went to the statue, Qui-Gon a few steps behind to give them space.
When they reached the statue Qui-Gon saw that it wasn’t just any stone but stone that had been polished and detailed to the point were it looked just like her. At the feet of the statue there was a plaque that read “In memory of Cerasi. The light that lead us out of the war.”
Below the plaque embedded in the stone was a holographic message unit. Slowly Obi-Wan pressed a button that would start the massage. An image of Cerasi appeared. Qui-Gon was surprised that time had not changed her picture into a fuzzy mess. In her clear strong voice her message once again rang in his ears:
**“I made my decision after the war ended, I will no longer carry a weapon. I will fight no more in the name of peace. But today I might die for it. Do me a favor, friends. Don’t build any monuments for me. Don’t destroy any, either.
“History isn’t in our favor, but that doesn’t mean we should annihilate it. Don’t let our dream of peace die. Work for it. Don’t kill it. We fought one war for peace. We always said that one war had to be enough. Don’t mourn too long for me. After all, I wanted peace. Look at it this way. Now I have it forever.” **
And with that her image wavered and disappeared. Nield turned to Obi-Wan. “I know she asked us not to build a monument but Wehutti said ‘I am not her friend but her father, and she asked her FRIENDS not to build a monument not me.’ So I told him ok but I would have to design it. Then someone decided to make a monument for each leader of peace.” Nield spread his arms as if to present the surrounding area.
Qui-Gon, for the first time realized there was more than one statue. And as he looked closer he could recognize many of them. There was Deila, Roenni, Nield, and then his eyes stop as he saw one of the last statues.
It was near a fountain that he knew very well. As Qui-Gon walked up to it and the two friends followed.
Qui-Gon read the plaque out loud “Obi-Wan Kenobi. He became part of the three, and showed us that we really are everyone.”
Obi-Wan turned to Nield as to object, saying that he really didn’t deserve one; but Nield stopped him and in a low, friendly voice he said, “You still have to record your message.”
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Hope you like it.
~Neobi