Caveat Padawan

by Inya Dreems

Title: Caveat Padawan
Author: Inya Dreems (padawan.inya@tiscali.co.uk)
Archive: MA, or ask me
Category: Q/O AU
Rating: PG
Warnings: See end of story, major spoilers.
Summary: It's Halloween. My contribution. Obi-Wan is Mace's padawan, Qui-Gon takes an interest.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to George Lucas, not me.
Feedback: Appreciated.
Note: Thank you to Bonny for the brilliant beta, as always. Mistakes are all mine.

Even though most Jedi growing up in the Temple were not expected to have more than just a few members in their close circle of friends, Obi-Wan Kenobi was what could most accurately be called a `loner'. The small groups which gathered to discuss the day's training, mission news and the odd snippet of gossip tended to avoid him. Perhaps it was the aura attached to him by way of his vaunted master, Council member Mace Windu, which made his peers hold him at a certain distance. A loner, but not lonely, he told himself. How could he be lonely? His home was shared with hundreds of Jedi. These were his family.

In the refectory one evening Obi-Wan took his tray and sat with the small group of age-mates, nodding briefly to them. Meals were taken mostly in silence, the only words an occasional request for condiments or a quiet greeting.

Gazing around the high-ceilinged chamber while he chewed, Obi-Wan noticed the unfamiliar master with the startling blue eyes for the first time. Since it was usual to see unknown Jedi in the Temple, Obi-Wan would not normally have given him a second glance, except that when the master glanced towards him he intentionally held Obi-Wan's gaze for a moment before returning his attention to his solitary meal. Obi-Wan had the distinctly flattering feeling that he was being sized-up by the handsome newcomer.

Obi-Wan's curiosity about the stranger was heightened when his own master arrived and seeing Obi-Wan's obvious attention, stopped in his tracks, glaring at the newcomer. Obi-Wan expected his master to ignore him and sit with his own peers as usual. Instead, Master Windu said, "Padawan, there's a folder on the Malastare treaty on my desk. Deliver it at once to Master Wayaka."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan answered immediately and, sensitive to the disapproving tone in his master's voice, rose to leave, although he had only just begun his meal. Obviously his master knew the other, and it seemed as though he wanted Obi-Wan nowhere near the newcomer.

Obi-Wan was not the most skilled padawan when it came to duelling in the training salle. Since taking Obi-Wan on as his padawan learner seven years before, Master Windu had been busy most of the time on Council business and so had no time to train his padawan personally. Obi-Wan's training was therefore left to an assortment of masters depending on who was available between missions. Many of them muttered about "lack of continuity" as they watched Obi-Wan being soundly beaten by younger, less-experienced opponents. Considering the promise the boy had shown as an initiate, it was a sad state of affairs indeed.

Many times, one particular opponent seemed to take an unseemly amount of satisfaction in such a beating. Bruck Chun actually laughed out loud when Obi-Wan dropped his lightsabre and ended up flat on his back with Bruck's blade at his throat. The loser of the bout got up and dusted himself down then reached to retrieve his weapon, ignoring the comments of his vanquisher. He already knew that his skills were not up to scratch and didn't need reminding.

Straightening, Obi-Wan noticed the master that he had seen the evening before was watching him. He lowered his head and walked out of the salle towards the showers, unaccountably embarrassed at his poor performance. The stranger followed him. "You are Master Windu's padawan?" Obi-Wan sensed that the man already knew the answer.

"Yes, Master." He stopped walking and turned, waiting politely for the master to continue. He had time to examine the face in front of him in detail. Well, above him, really. He was a good head taller than Obi-Wan. Long-hair tied back revealing a noble, sloping brow, those blue eyes which he had noticed already, a strangely misshapen nose, lips smiling slightly, beard obscuring most of the jaw. Obi-Wan thought the whole effect very pleasing. He dropped his gaze to the master's hands which were folded in front of him. Huge hands, he thought.

"That would explain why your training is so sadly lacking."

"My master is occupied with the Council..."

"That's what I mean. What's he thinking, trying to train a padawan?" The master suddenly nodded briefly, then introduced himself. "Qui-Gon Jinn. And your name?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Obi-Wan returned the bow. "I'm sorry, Master Jinn, I must go. I have to change for my xenology..."

"You should not be made to suffer for your master's neglect," Master Jinn said sympathetically. "I could train you."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose. "You? Why would you... You mean sparring? Would you?"

Master Jinn smiled. "It would be my pleasure to fill in the gaps left by Mace Windu. There's a chamber - it's in the old lower levels of the Temple - it would be the perfect place. Level Minus Eight. Room 112. I assume you would prefer our training sessions to be private? We wouldn't want to embarrass Master Windu, now would we?"

That sounded very sensible to Obi-Wan. The chance to surprise Bruck Chun with his new skills was tempting, as was the idea of spending time alone with the very attractive Master Jinn. "Thank you! I really have to go now, but yes, I would be very grateful for your help." He began to walk quickly in the direction of the shower room, then turned back suddenly. "Oh, when? I'm free for private study most evenings, after lastmeal."

"Tonight then."

Obi-Wan had never been so low down in the ancient part of the Temple and it looked as though no-one else had for a long time either. A film of dust covered the floor and several of the glowlamps on the walls were inoperative. He counted the rooms off quietly to himself as he walked, excitedly anticipating the forthcoming lesson.

A noise stopped him literally in his tracks, and he was actually leaving a trail of boot prints in the dust along the corridor. It sounded like laboured breathing. Someone gasping for breath, wheezing, struggling... Obi-Wan looked around in surprise and not a little consternation. There was no-one near and only his own solitary prints in the dust behind him.

"Hello?" he called out, feeling silly when he heard the slight shake in his voice. The noise had stopped and only the sound of a quiet hissing from the ventilation system broke the silence. Sensing no disturbance in the Force and deciding that it must have been a fault in that system causing the unusual sound, Obi-Wan shook his head and continued on his way.

112. Obi-Wan was relieved when the door mechanism operated faultlessly and he stepped into the room. It was a large chamber, imperfectly lit by the few remaining functional glowlamps such that areas of light were interrupted by stretches of deep shadow. He judged that the chamber had been used for training and exercise many years ago by the rings and bars on the walls and ropes hanging from the high ceiling. Large dark shapes were scattered around the room -similar to the vaults used for jumping practice. A strong musty, sickly sweet smell, rather unpleasant, filled his nostrils. The door closed behind him and he found himself experiencing an intense silence unlike any he had before. Realisation dawned: the room was shielded. The Force was affected by the boundaries of the room. He was unable to sense the presence of any of the hundreds of Jedi in the rest of the Temple. It was unnerving, but he appreciated that any training work done here would indeed be extremely private.

A movement in the shadow against the opposite wall caught his eye. There was someone else in the room. Obi-Wan's mind was trying to work out how anyone could be here when there were no footprints but his own while he stepped forward to try to see the better. The noise began again.

A shadowy figure moved further into a lightened area and the smell became stronger: decay, decomposition, corruption, something rotting. It was a young human male, wearing a dark robe, face twisted in a grimace and mouth open, trying to breathe in short strangled gasps as though the air wouldn't make the journey from mouth to lungs. He raised an arm towards Obi-Wan so that the robe moved revealing that the body was naked under it. White skin and a dark shadow at the groin were visible, barefoot, pale face and black spiky hair, a long braid... a padawan braid… The terrible wrong-ness of this ill-looking young man was all but screaming to him when the figure spoke, a croaking whisper, "Stay away."

Obi-Wan didn't know how the padawan managed to form the words when he obviously could hardly breathe but he didn't wait for more information. Shaking in fear, he turned and ran.

He had reached the relatively well-lit corridor near the turbo lift that had brought him down to level Minus Eight when he ran headlong into Master Jinn.

Obi-Wan didn't return to the mysterious lower-level room that evening. He had managed to excuse himself to Master Jinn by making up an urgent errand he had to run for his master, and agreed to meet again the following night. He lay in bed in his small room mulling over the events. Why had he been so affected by the sight of the padawan, and why had he not even tried to help as he obviously seemed to be in difficulties? His memory was accurate, but he tried to convince himself that he was mistaken. There must have been another set of footprints. He hadn't really seen anyone. There must be another entrance to the room. Yes! That would explain it. Well, some of it at least. He decided to suggest that they conduct the training session in a different room. Surely there was another suitable area: somewhere with sufficient privacy, a large enough space, free from interruption.

The following day at firstmeal, Obi-Wan asked his master about Master Jinn and was surprised by the intensity of the reply. "I don't want you anywhere near him, Padawan. You are not to have any contact with that man. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master. But why?" Obi-Wan thought it best not to mention his appointment that evening. Or the previous one.

Mace Windu sighed and looked into Obi-Wan's eyes. "I suppose you'll find out anyway if I don't tell you, won't you?" Obi-Wan grinned. He had already made up his mind to search the data records for Master Jinn's history. "He... lost a padawan." Obi-Wan looked puzzled. That was indeed tragic, but certainly not unheard of. He personally knew of a padawan who had been killed on a mission. After a pause, Mace explained further, "His padawan turned to the Dark Side. No-one expected it. Xanatos was an excellent student, grounded in the Light and expected to make a fine knight. They had just returned from a particularly difficult mission." Mace shook his head as he remembered. "Even a seasoned knight might question his beliefs after what they went through. Then suddenly, the boy disappeared without explanation. Qui-Gon revealed that his padawan had turned. Abandoned the Jedi."

"That is awful, Master. But why does that mean I shouldn't speak to Master Jinn? He wasn't the one who turned to the Dark."

Mace sighed again. "You may be right, but for a padawan to choose the Dark over the Light so suddenly, one can't help but begin to have doubts about the master." When Obi-Wan began to protest that that wasn't fair, he continued, "No. I've known Qui-Gon Jinn all my life, and there is something... not quite right about him." He smiled ruefully. "Master Yoda will disagree, but he has always had a soft spot for his grand-padawan. Now. I will hear no more." With that, the master stood and picked up his robe to depart, leaving his padawan musing on what he had heard.

Obi-Wan had a private study period just before midmeal. He seated himself at a data terminal in a quiet corner of the archives with his notes and data chips around him. Master Jinn and his mysterious padawan had been on his mind all morning, when he should have been concentrating on the history of the Tegok spice wars. He keyed in the name "Qui-Gon Jinn" as a search subject and waited. Sure enough, a rather unflattering holo along with the history of the Jedi master appeared for his perusal, complete with a note about his padawan's unfortunate rejection of the ways of the Jedi.

"Xanatos te Crion." Obi-Wan searched and the padawan's likeness appeared. Staring at the handsome young man, Obi-Wan wondered at the padawan he had seen in the lower levels. He gnawed his lower lip uncertainly: it had been dark, he had been unable to see properly, and he wasn't even sure if he had seen someone since there weren't any footprints. But it did look like him. If it was the turned Jedi, down there in the lower levels of the Temple, what was he doing down there? And was it the Dark Side which he had felt and feared, which had sent him running in terror away from the terrible sight?

A hand rested softly on his shoulder and Obi-Wan jumped. "Oh, Master Jinn! You startled me." He hurriedly closed down the terminal, but the master had seen what had been on the screen. He looked sadly at Obi-Wan who suddenly felt terrible for reminding the master of the tragedy in his past.

"You know, your master was never completely sure about my former padawan. He had always doubted him, no matter how I strove to convince the Council. I had no doubts," the master said. He looked at the blank terminal where the image had been. "I do often wonder about Xanatos; whether he regrets his decision." Master Jinn drew his cloak around himself. "I will understand if you do not wish to keep our appointment this evening, Padawan Kenobi."

One begins to have doubts about the master. His master's words came back to Obi-Wan and he made a decision. "No. I mean I do wish to meet you. I would be honoured if you would take the time to train me, Master Jinn."

It wasn't until after the master had left and Obi-Wan was gathering up his things ready to leave that he wondered why he hadn't mentioned what he thought he'd seen and heard down there. He shook his head in bewilderment: he'd also forgotten to suggest a change of venue.

Stepping out of the turbo lift at Level Minus Eight, Obi-Wan decided to wait for Master Jinn rather than retrace his steps along the ancient corridor alone. Listening intently all the time for any strange sounds, he jumped at the whoosh of the lift doors and smiled sheepishly as the tall master joined him. They walked together down the corridor and Obi-Wan was delighted when Master Jinn threw an arm around his shoulders, the master chatting companionably about the direction in which he intended to progress with the training. "You haven't mentioned this to anyone have you, Obi-Wan? I don't think your master would approve of us having contact."

"Oh no, no one. I want this to be a surprise... for everyone." It wasn't until they reached the door to room number 112 that Obi-Wan remembered what he had witnessed last time and blinked in confusion. He had intended to tell Master Jinn of his fears straight away, warn him of the awful risk to the Temple. But what if he had just imagined it? Before he could sort out his thoughts, they entered the room together and Obi-Wan breathed in the unpleasant smell once more. He turned to Master Jinn. "Yesterday, when I ran into you, I had seen... someone. Here, in this room. Master Jinn, I think it was your padawan. I think he's hiding down here."

The door snicked shut and once again Obi-Wan felt himself closed off from the Force; they were completely separated from rest of the Temple. Master Jinn moved closer to Obi-Wan and reached out to rest one large hand on his shoulder. "Oh, he's down here all right." Obi-Wan stared up into blue eyes which were regarding him with amusement. The hand slid up to Obi-Wan's throat.

"What?" Obi-Wan was ashamed of the squeak, but suddenly he was as afraid as he had been the day before. The hand round his throat tightened, and the taller man's other hand joined it. Master Jinn really did have very large hands; they easily circled Obi-Wan's neck.

"Xani is still down here, the dirty little cock-teaser. I left him here; after I had killed him and fucked him, of course. He's in one of the vaults." Master Jinn spoke in a conversational tone and with no apparent effort, sounding almost diplomatic, although Obi-Wan was struggling violently to free himself from the inexorable, vice-like grip. "I've been waiting for this, Padawan. Ever since I saw you, so sweet and innocent and lonely, in the refectory. Waiting to stick my cock up that tight little arse of yours. As soon as you stop breathing."

Obi-Wan pulled at the master's arms and kicked out, aiming for the erection that now prominently tented the front of Master Jinn's leggings, but no air would go down his throat. Blood pounded in his ears and the merciless master, the horrible smelly room and everything was rapidly moving farther and farther away as his legs buckled. Master Jinn laughed jovially. "Now your poor Master Windu will get to know what it's like to have a padawan disappear."

As everything went black, the last thing that Obi-Wan thought he heard was Master Jinn speaking as though from far away. "Don't be afraid, Obi-Wan. You'll have Xanatos to keep you company."

The End

Warnings: Main character death, murder, implied necrophilia. (Is it classed as non-con when you're dead?) Evil!Qui-Gon makes an appearance.