Master Apprentice
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Category: A/U, Romance **ANGST**
Rating: R (for adult themes)
Spoilers: For all movies, including TPM, and the JA books.
Archive: Nowhere right now, thanks. :-)
Disclaimer: Lucas owns 'em, we don't. Damn.
Feedback: Sure! kassxf@aol.com
EXILES SERIES: In an alternate universe set fifteen years after the events in The Phantom Menace, two Jedi live in hiding on the desert planet of Tatooine, awaiting a child's destiny. Will they survive to see a new hope come to fruition?
JOURNALS -- BOOK TWO: The Journal of Qui-Gon Jinn (companion piece to Book One)
Standard Date: 9177810-7698
The Sovereign Court of Naboo
I so nearly lost him. In spite of my fatuous joy, I can't help but remember that I nearly lost him. Not to death, not to anything but my own blindness. Ah, my Obi-Wan, my heart, and I nearly let him go so easily, lost in misunderstanding.
Old man, I tell myself, don't look at what might have happened, but at what did happen, and what did happen was the purest joy I have known in far too many years.
He scolds himself for it, says I should not have been out of bed to begin with, never mind dragging his young and fit self back into bed, but I don't have even the slightest pang of regret over anything but that I had hurt him enough to make him believe I no longer wished to be with him, that I was relieved not to be his master.
Besides, I'm well enough, the only need is to regain my strength and stamina, and I slyly told him that dragging him into bed was a good start.
"That's all very well," said my Obi-Wan, "But until the healer pronounces you fit, one of us, at least, is going to show good sense."
By which, I suppose, he means that I'm confined to bed alone, but I'm still elder and wiser, and considerably more sly.
The depth of his commitment would be frightening, I suppose, except that it feels right, it feels more than right, it feels like a gift that the Force has granted me after a long lifetime alone. I have loved him for many years, and this feeling is simply a new depth and richness to that affection, overlaid with desire.
He brought Anakin in to see me this afternoon, and I was pleased to see that they had formed a rapport after all; Obi-Wan teased him a little, and let him tell the story of his part in the battle.
Anakin's excitement gave me a pang, but he's only a child, and death has scant reality for children. It was the equivalent of winning a podrace for Anakin, not the destruction of several hundred lives.
I confess, I was relieved when Obi-Wan took him back out and consigned him to Amidala's handmaidens, who seem to make a great pet of him. When Obi-Wan returned, I convinced him that I would find it very difficult to sleep without him at my side.
I'm not sure he didn't see through me, there was a suspicious curve to one corner of his mouth, but here he is, scowling at me and telling me that I've got to put away the journal and sleep.
Sleep, he repeats firmly, when my hand wanders, finding warm skin.
Tyrant.
Standard Date: 9177810-7623
The Sovereign Court of Naboo
Having achieved his knighthood, I'm afraid my Obi-Wan has become quite domineering. He took the recorder away from me last night, and was absolutely resistant to my best seductive techniques. I suppose I'm, behaving quite badly, really, but it's think about him and the way his skin feels under my fingertips, or think about the possibility that the Sith are rising again, a possibility that I am content--for the moment--to leave to the consideration of the Council.
The fact is, Obi-Wan isn't completely wrong, I am tired, and I've healing to finish, and despite my foolish desire to simply focus on him and our bond, I know there is work to do outside this little space of peace.
Anakin and Amidala's friendship continues to grow; it's a great comfort to me to see that he admires her so, particularly given the circumstances of his childhood. Despite a bit of temper and stubbornness, his heart is good. Obi-Wan agrees with me now, and it's not merely a question of acceding to my point of view, I've watched them walking out by the lake behind the palace.
Was it for my sake that he chose to give Anakin another chance? I suspect it was, at least partly, but Obi-Wan is also scrupulously fair and questions his initial reaction. He told me thoughtfully that he wasn't sure that it wasn't born of his own negative feeling after the Council meeting.
Whatever the cause, I'm glad to see it, it's good for Anakin, and Obi-Wan has always been more demonstrative than I am. I suspect that we'll be cast in roles, I will be the serious and somewhat stern Master, and Obi-Wan will be the friend. Not an altogether bad arrangement, I think, but Obi-Wan rolls his eyes at me and tells me it could very easily go the other way.
Frankly, I doubt it.
We have not spoken of our decision or our bond to anyone; I don't doubt that Yoda and Mace have a glimmering of it, but they've been discreet or kind enough to keep their silence.
Which is good, I think. There are matters far more important, even for a fool like me, who truly wishes nothing more than to lose myself in uxorious contemplation of my lover and lifemate.
Although if he insists on sleeping with an arm's length between us, I am going to be hard pressed not to simply leap on him.
I told him drily today that I was the old man, and he was the youth who should be fairly shivering with the desire to leap on me.
He calmly told me he was spending a great deal of time in practice to keep his mind off that very thing, and that a bit of contemplation would not go amiss for me.
Willful brat, I told him, mock scowling, and he grinned and came and sat on the bed to give me a kiss.
Soon, he said, I promise you, you will have no reason to complain of my ardor.
I growled something under my breath and took another kiss.
He's far more satisfying to consider than where we look now for the Sith contamination.
Standard Date: 9177810-76945
Space
At last, we're on our way home, and I'm lying here alone in this cursed bunk that is a millimeter too short for someone of my height, looking over at my beloved, who is asleep in the opposite bunk with our small charge.
Anakin was heartbroken, truly, at saying good-bye to Amidala, and I felt a painful qualm about bringing him back to Coruscant. Whether or not he is the Chosen one, he's still only a little boy, and he's lost his mother already. Still, we do not have official permission to train him, but once we were on the ship, Obi-Wan began to teach him small exercises. More to distract Anakin from sorrow, I suspect, than anything else, but it seems to have helped lift the boy's spirits, at least while he's awake.
He whimpers somewhat in his sleep, a sign of nightmares, something that also worries me. He's very likely to have a touch of prescience, as strong as he is in the Force, and yet he claims he remembers none of his dreams when awakened.
More likely, they are painful enough that he doesn't wish to remember them. Of course, they could simply be dreams of his mother, of leaving her behind, and that is as ordinary as can be. What child would not, I ask myself.
Obi-Wan's face is smooth in sleep and I can't help thanking the living Force again that I did not, after all, lose him, that I was granted a second chance, that we are together.
It's been a long and lonely life, and it seems ridiculous that I hadn't realized just how lonely until now.
Now, if I could just get him past this ridiculous notion that lovemaking is going to set my health back.
Standard Date: 9177810-18723
The Temple At Coruscant
Finally we are home, and I must say, the sight of our quarters on Coruscant has never been more welcome. One hates to admit that perhaps my stubborn love is right, but the journey was surprisingly tiring, and lying on the divan in our common area is absolute paradise.
Thankfully, we arrived in the early hours of morning for the Temple side of the planet, and had Anakin safely in our quarters. Obi-Wan ventured out to make certain the commissary sent over supplies and when he returned, he reported that there was a great deal of speculation and gossip going on, that he'd been accosted by several Jedi and questioned about the events on Naboo.
Obi-Wan can be notoriously close-mouthed when he's so minded, and it appears he gave them little satisfaction.
"I don't like it that there's so much talk of Anakin," he told me later, in bed. "The boy doesn't need that, he's already struggling with separation from his mother and his friend, Amidala."
Propped up on pillows, I nodded. "I wish it were possible to train him somewhere else, the way things are going I'm not sure that the Council will allow him much fieldwork." Ah, I forgot to mention, the Council has, at last, given approval for the boy's training, albeit with some degree of reluctance.
Obi-Wan nodded and sighed, rested his chin on folded arms. "But without fieldwork....academics alone do not create a Jedi, you used to say."
"That was only to keep you from complaining about some of our assignments, my love." I arched an eyebrow at him, deliberately mischievous, and was duly leapt on and kissed breathless. "Ah," I murmured, taking hold of him, "Now I have you." Muscular, slim, and oh, didn't he just feel wonderful against my chest. Easy to forget I had nearly died merely a handful of days before.
He laughed softly, tugged a lock of my hair. "Sly."
"Of course." I slid my hands across the warm, smooth skin of his back. "When a direct approach will not work, trickery must serve."
He sobered slightly. "No trickery required here," he told me softly and cupped my face in both his hands. "I'm just--I was worried, beloved." A bit of mischief surfaced. "I'd never thought to have this, and once I did....I won't take any chances."
"I'm quite well enough," I told him firmly. "And if I must tumble you on the bed, I will not be denied."
Well, of course, there was no denial, and that made coming home even more welcome.
I will admit, though, that I slept like the dead after.
Standard Date: 9177810-12223
The Temple At Coruscant
I've told Obi-Wan that it's time to announce our bond to the Council. He seems apprehensive about it, so much so that I reluctantly admitted that Yoda had once suggested that it was our destiny, even though I'd refused to recognize it. That was not the wisest statement I've ever made to my love, I'm afraid, he gave me that look I've come to recognize as Obi-Wan ready to be hurt, and asked me why I'd refused to recognize it. I changed the subject, I hope, with a lingering kiss, but telling him why would doubtless only have caused more unnecessary pain.
It was Xanatos, of course. After Xanatos, I'm afraid I withdrew into, dare I admit it, fear and bitterness and mistrust of my own judgement, of my own heart. It took a long while before I dared feel anything but distant affection for my Obi-Wan, and as events proved, a long time before I dared admit to myself the depth of my feelings, almost a fatally long time.
I nearly lost him. I won't tell him that once again he was paying for Xanatos' weakness and fall because his master was a cowardly idiot.
So, instead of answering, I kissed him, kissed him and caressed him until Anakin came in and we drew apart.
He's working on personalizing his old rooms for Anakin, and his care with the boy is a genuine delight to see. He consults with Anakin about this and that, and has generously given of his own things, objects that he's long since outgrown, keepsakes from various planets, and Anakin is thus distracted from the fact that his nightmares have grown worse. I think we must consult the healers regarding those nightmares, they seem to have taken on a strength and life beyond the norm.
I don't like it.
Obi-Wan is still my worrier. I tell him to be mindful of the moment and matters will arrange themselves, but he worries about how the Council will accept our bond, and how the Council will arrange assignments, and so on.
I'm inclined to worry less and enjoy his presence more, but I do confess that Jedi-Jedi bonds do endure trial by separation on occasion, and I can't hope that the Council will grant us wider privilege than anyone else, not when all Jedi are considered equals.
We must hope for the best.
Standard Date: 9177810-1891283
The Temple At Coruscant
So much for the best. Obi-Wan is furious, and I'm resigned, and while announcing our bond went well, with due congratulations on our choice, Obi-Wan has been sent to Alderaan.
The truth is, I've overdone it, and I'm too tired to rage. I wish there was something we could do, but we are Jedi, and I don't think pleading the newness of Anakin's training bond or my cursed weakness is going to do the trick.
He's even angry with me because I will not protest. Ah, love, this is the shape of our lives together, I think, but don't tell him. He's not in the mood to hear it, and I don't want to quarrel with him, not when he must be gone for Force alone knows how many days.
But I'm dispirited now, and even though I know it's the physical weakness and the prospect of having him gone, I can't quite summon the strength to soothe him.
I told him I was sorry for it, that I, too, was disappointed in their decision, but that it might be well for him to examine his anger.
As I examine my own. It's childish, I suppose, we have the rest of our lives together, but always in the back of my mind is the fact that I am nearly twice his age, that I'm no longer a young man, and I selfishly want all the time I can have.
He stormed out of our quarters when word came, and Anakin came to me, his gaze sorrowful. I pulled him into my chair with me and we sat in silence for a moment. "Will Obi-Wan come back?" Worriedly.
"Of course he will, Ani." I ruffled the fair hair. "He's upset at the moment, and I don't really blame him. I wish the Council hadn't sent him away so soon, and not just because of myself. I'm not quite well enough to attend to your training at the moment, and I know you'll miss him."
He leaned against me. "Master Qui-Gon, why is he so angry?"
I smiled a little. "Because he and I have just chosen to live our lives as partners, and he doesn't want to leave."
Anakin scowled. "The Council shouldn't send him away. We need him." A quick glance upward. "And he doesn't want to leave."
"The Council must do as seems wisest," I countered gently. "And it may be that Obi-Wan is the best suited for this problem on Alderaan. A Jedi must do his duty, Anakin. That doesn't mean we are always pleased about doing it, though. He'll meditate on it and he'll be all right."
Anakin was silent.
And frankly, so was I. When Obi-Wan returned, it was clear that he was not going to speak of it because his temper was still so chancy.
I hope he finds some peace in this, because I feel wearily certain that it's something that will happen again and again in our lives.
Standard Date: 9177810-187873
The Temple At Coruscant
Anakin wept when Obi-Wan boarded the ship that will take him to Alderaan. I admit, I nearly did, my throat ached, and I had to force myself to smile when I drew back from our embrace.
"It will go quickly," I told him huskily and touched his face lightly.
I could see in his eyes that he thought it a foolish statement, and tonight I admit, I don't believe it myself.
How odd, we've only been lovers for a short time, and already the night is empty without his warmth.
I can admit to myself now that I resent the Council's decision to send him away so soon, the more so because I suspect it was a kind of test.
Perhaps I'm being unfair. Who can say?
Standard Date: 9177810-119834
The Temple At Coruscant
The days pass slowly, unfortunately, and Anakin's nightmares, after a short burst of truly awful nights, have subsided again. It helps that we've had messages from Obi-Wan, I think Anakin finds it reassuring.
I know that I do. The anger seems to have eased, and he looks more at ease; my bad temper has increased, at least with the Council, and I was downright short with Mace Windu when he stopped by to see how Anakin was faring.
What's worse is that I know I'm being a fool. This is the way of the Order, and the Order has always been my life. How was I to know that Obi-Wan came first, at least in my heart?
I sent him a foolish recorded message, full of innuendo and carefully veiled allusions as to what I would do to him next time we meet. I also recorded a perfectly innocent message, full of the daily news and activities and even some gossip from the Senate. I told him that Anakin missed him, that I missed him, and that I hoped all went smoothly and quickly.
I think he can probably hear beyond the calm tone of my voice to know that my wish is fervent indeed.
Standard Date: 9177810-19823
The Temple At Coruscant
Amazingly, my foray into lifebonding appears to have triggered others to do the same: Yoda has carefully begun a campaign to convince Yaddle to join him in a bond.
While a part of me is amused, I confess to grumbling silently about it. Fine, I tell myself, then send Yaddle to Dagobah on assignment once the bonding ritual is done. Very bad of me, and I meditated for extra time this evening in hopes of purging this bad temper of mine.
But Obi-Wan sends messages, sends them frequently, and while nothing replaces his actual presence, seeing him makes me feel less....fraught.
There is no fool like an old fool--in all the Galaxy, there are no less than 1500 languages in which this truism is repeated, and Standard is no exception. I, clearly, am an old fool, fatuous and dreamy and if not for the fact that none of my fellows seen anything untoward in my outward behavior, I think I would be ashamed.
As it is, I smile and remain outwardly serene, while missing Obi- Wan quite badly.
How appalling.
Standard Date: 9177810-110983
The Temple At Coruscant
There is something dark on Alderaan, Obi-Wan reports, some series of murders that has Prince Bail Organa at wit's end. I find myself pondering this mystery, and today I was summoned to Council to be told, wonder of wonders, that I am to be sent to Alderaan as Obi- Wan's advisor in unraveling it.
At first, I was conscious only of blinding joy, and then I remembered Anakin.
Anakin, however, seemed delighted. Evidently I've been moping, and he's convinced that with me there, matters will soon be resolved and we will both be home. He will be staying with Master Ki- lumdal, who has a wife and two children, one of whom is Anakin's age, a bright young lad already in training. He and Anakin share a class in the morning, and they've become friends, or at least friendly. Too, these nightmares have me concerned, and Ki-lumdal is widely considered to be an adept in the meditative arts. Hopefully, he will be better able to help Anakin deal with his fears than we have, thus far.
That taken care of, I have no need to worry about anything but the speed of the ship. I can scarcely wait, my heart is thumping like a boy's, and I've tucked in some small, foolish gifts for my love.
Soon, I tell myself.
Standard Date: 9177819-9423984
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
Foolish I may be, but I can categorically state that Obi-Wan has no complaints of me. Nor, for that matter, have I any at all. None. Not even the faintest hint of a complaint.
I feel appallingly smug, looking over at him to see that enigmatic smile that tells me he well remembers every single thing we did upon our arrival in our room.
We did, at least, get the door closed tightly and avoid scandalizing the servants, but the ostensible reason for my presence on Alderaan is the newness of our lifebond, and I will admit that I took shameless advantage of that justification.
The moment, the very instant the door closed, I took hold of him and began unwrapping him like a gift. I can't say he was slow to catch up, I nearly tripped over my legging when he yanked them down and we barely made it to the bed before I was buried inside my willing, eager love.
Force, I must not think about this while at the negotiation table. The scandal....but he is so delicious to watch, all somber and serious and carefully diplomatic, while underneath his tunic I know there are marks left by my possession.
And I'm wearing my hair loose today, and a very high collar.
I must stop thinking about this. I'm here for a very serious reason, not merely to slake my hunger or his.
But oh, I look forward to this evening.
Standard Date: 9177819-23334
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
These murders are becoming more and more troubling, and I don't merely mean in their numbers. That in itself is bad enough, but the daring of the murderer increases each day.
So far as I have been able to ascertain, none of the victims was connected in any discernible way. I have not been able to find even the most casual connection between them, and this in itself bodes ill. Victims chosen completely at random, yet killed with the same precise method--and the scenes are very neatly cleared of anything which might provide us evidence of the killer's identity. This is no madman, no lunatic, but someone who kills for a purpose we have yet to identify.
Obi-Wan is quite right, there is a message being sent, and I think it is to the Order itself, to the Republic. Obi-Wan defeated the Sith on Naboo, but the creatures come in pairs. As Yoda and Mace have said, we do not know whether it was the master or the apprentice who died at Naboo, but it seems logical enough to suppose that it was the apprentice, sent to win his master's battle.
In which case, we are in serious trouble, for I was defeated, nearly killed, and while I am older, I am still a very good warrior. Obi-Wan says he was nearly defeated, although I think this is the usual self-abnegation of youth, looking backward at mistakes. Always Jedi have fought with honor, at least in my lifetime, and we may well have to rethink our approach to matters if we are to defeat opponents who give no quarter.
Despite this darkness, this mystery, it is good to be with Obi-Wan, to work with him during the day and discuss evidence with him in the evening. I suppose it is comforting to know that our bond has not changed things so greatly, at least for me. If anything, he is more mischievous with me now, daring to tweak this Master's surety on occasion in a way that would be irritating to me if I had not made a conscious effort to remember that I am no longer the teacher.
Besides, there's something endearing in his mischief, a kind of trust and sweetness and I reply in kind, which makes him laugh. I love to see his laughter, I always have, he was so serious as a boy, I had to work to make him smile, but perhaps it was his experience of my rejection that made it harder.
Whatever the cause, it brings me joy to make him laugh, to see that smile, like sunrise, even in times like these. He comes to me in bed, eyes shining with happiness and mischief and I gather him up and, Force help me, tickle him until he breaks free and chides me for lightminded behavior. While laughing.
Perhaps Yoda was correct after all, and we are each other's destiny. An odd thought, that another person should be that, but I'm not complaining. We had disagreements as teacher and padawan, and I am certain that once this first glow is past, we shall again. But the structure on which we built is sound; I need never fear betrayal from Obi-Wan, and that in itself seems to spin my years backward until I feel as free as any youth.
And now my beloved has emerged from the bath, his hair sleek and wet and his skin almost golden in the crystal lamp's light, so I will close these ponderings for a taste of the reality.
Standard Date: 9177819-948234
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
Aside from mercenaries, there is nothing new in the investigation, I fear. Two bodies were left on the very steps of the Palace itself, a shocking development and one that makes me ever more certain that this depraved message is intended to be broadcast. If not for Bail's tight security, I little doubt that the populace would be in turmoil, fleeing the city in terror.
Obi-Wan is less than pleased with the presence of the mercenaries, but at this point, I begin to think that the extra hunters will prove of help, like the beaters of the bush in the hunting preserves of Kwai Lampir. Our killer is hunting us, we will turn the table on him and find him instead by driving him in the direction we wish.
To this end, I've given explicit instructions to the mercenaries. One of their number was knifed last night in an alleyway, but it appears to have been his own fault, total inattention to his surroundings and dangerous overconfidence. I don't think we'll have more trouble, but I can't completely rule out the possibility that our killer has deliberately chosen a new method to throw us off track.
So, I bear it in mind, and the mercenaries move in pairs.
Standard Date: 9177819-93234
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
A tiresome day. We spent most of it in hiding near the waterfront; I had doubts about the tips, but one must follow each and every word to rule out the possibility.
Anakin sent a message, and I am delighted to see that his time with Master Ki-lumdal has proven efficacious. Our lad is no longer anxious or edgy, worn out by nightmares, but a confident, happy boy. I must find a way to thank Ki-lumdal, the boy has obviously benefited tremendously from both his friendship with Ki-lumdal's son as well. He's easier in his own skin, happy and laughing, and from the sound of it has found a true friend.
It will be good to get home.
Standard Date: 9177819-923434
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
We lost several of our hunters today, and I, apparently, am the murderer.
I say that advisedly, with some bemusement mixed with horror. Of course I'm not, I know I'm not, and Obi-Wan knows I am not. I was on Coruscant when the murders began, which clears me with Bail Organa, who had to be informed of this despite Obi-Wan's desire to keep it quiet.
One of two survivors of this day's massacre, our hunter describes me in detail, and quails from me if I enter the room.
Two possibilities from the histories spring to mind, and I like neither of them, both open the gates to horrors we have not seen in a thousand years. Either way, there is a kind of chill that strikes a man when he knows that something, someone is wearing his face, and that the someone or something in question is committing brutal murders.
Cleared or not, I see the doubts in the Prince's gaze, and can only stay as calm as possible, allowing him to express those doubts as he will. Nevertheless, it is clear that Obi-Wan must go out alone this night; I must remain where I am fully visible to the Prince and his security entourage, or else there will never be trust for the Jedi again.
I don't like Obi-Wan going out there without me. Yet I know full well that it was he who defeated the Sith on Naboo. I know full well that he's not the boy he used to be, but a fully competent grown man.
He's angry with me because he senses I'm holding something back; before he goes out, I must try and mend that, it's crucial that we are not divided before he goes, I can't say why, but I know it to be true.
Communique to Yoda, Master
The Temple at Coruscant
Master Yoda,
Please excuse this private communication. We found Obi-Wan thanks to Prince Bail's security forces, he knelt beside the body of this...this abomination, keening insensibly, deep in shock.
I've tended to him as best I can, he has emerged from that first trance of shock, but he is yet distraught. I can only imagine how this harrowed his soul, and that only because I know what it would have cost me. Knowing and yet unsure, certain, yet not completely convinced that the creature he slew was not me, not his lifebonded.
He quiets in my presence, and sits with me, allows me to comfort him as I can, but he will not sleep, will not permit drugs, will not allow me to use Force, and while I'm loathe to force anything on him, he must sleep or there will be no healing.
I seek your wisdom, Master, aside from the necessity of determining what this return to old horrors means. Yes, this is personal, not universal, but the Order is composed of individuals and in those individuals finds strength.
Do not fail me, I beg you.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Standard Date: 9177819-9282
The Sovereign Court of Bail Organa, Prince
Alderaan
He is doing better. I write those words and recognize their inadequacy; he is far from well. But, he is doing better. He doesn't sleep, except when exhaustion forces his eyes to close. He speaks with the soul healer, but there's a bleakness in his eyes that frightens me.
My Obi-Wan has borne far too much in recent cycles. I want to take him home, I want to let him do nothing more strenuous than regard the water lilies in the Temple garden pool. I want to let him feed the aawki in the pond, breaking little bits of bread and tossing it to them, and if I could, I would close my eyes and wish us there.
When I am there, he holds himself under iron control, as if he's afraid weakness means he's failed me, and I don't know what to do. This is far from weakness, this is a wound of the soul, precisely as the soulhealer has told him. I cannot begin to imagine my own reaction to this horror, should the abomination have been twin to him instead of to me.
I feared it was this. Either this or the Slythin shapechanger, so long extinct, but rumoured to still exist, and almost I would have rather had the Slythin. At least upon death they resume their own natural shape. This....this remained Qui-Gon Jinn once dead, down to the greying hair on my head.
This has been in preparation for long and long, these are merely the first feints of evil, and the width and breadth of structure thus hinted at are frightening, bonechilling, terrifying.
No simple task to defeat something that has planned for possibly one entire generation.
I wonder if the Order itself is ready. I didn't, not when first I arrived here, it was Obi-Wan who had doubts; seeing what it was that hunted other beings, I doubt now, I doubt greatly.
Of all those who would know the ancient Sith ways, the Order is foremost. Has one of our own number gone rogue? The Sith texts are held in great security and few know that they exist to this day. Someone knows.
Someone has studied the ancient forbidden science.
But Obi-Wan is better. Much better.
I'm going to take him home soon. There are Jedi enough for three planets here now; I have argued Yoda to a standstill, and Mace agrees with me. Restricted duty for both of us, so that we are both fit and ready when called upon.
That we shall be called upon, there's no doubt. Even Bail Organa understands that what he's witnessed here is merely a sortie, a reconnaisance effort that was negligible, nothing of moment, no matter how horrible it seemed to observers.
I'm going to take Obi-Wan home. We'll worry only about training Anakin, and recovering from our separate wounds and holding to each other and strengthening each other.
Tomorrow.
On to Book Three
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