A Tale of Tenric's Training: part V

Part V

Now that he had the benefit of hindsight Tenric regretted the teasing tone he had used. His whole body ached from the many places his Master had struck in order to ‘teach’ him. Set for training mode his Master’s saber was only marginally more powerful than his blue training blade, but that was little comfort. Each time he had dropped his guard or been too slow in recovery his master had nailed him with his sun-colored blade. Most of the exchanges had gone something like slash - block - thrust - parry - counter attack - riposte followed by a loud ‘Yeow!’ and the taunting words “Are you learning my Padawan?” or sometimes the much simpler, “No pain-no gain, my padawan.”

It was much worse than sparring with tool handles and sticks. Those weapons left bruises and calluses. The training saber, however, not only left Tenric bruised but twitchy with frayed nerves from the jolting. Even now, laying in bed the next morning, stray muscles would twitch randomly or send phantom pain messages to his brain. He groaned as he realized that he had to get up and ready himself for more of the same today.

“Tenric, if you don’t come and eat soon I’ll wrap it all up and have you take it to Dale.” Teased his Gam’Ma.

Sitting up, Tenric pulled his worn tunic over his head and shuffled out to the table.

“Well mornin’ there m’little Kindler. Glad to sees ya’s still ‘live.” She said as she winked at him.

“Am I really Gam’Ma?” he replied with feigned surprise as he sat down gingerly.

She came and sat with him, the smell of her ever-present cup of tea reviving him somewhat. She looked at him proudly. Tenric knew she had given his Master a tongue lashing last night over his bruises and felt better knowing she had avenged him at least a little. As he hungrily wolfed down his food he noticed a gleam in his Gam’Ma’s eye.

“Wha’s up Gam’Ma?” he managed, his mouth full.

“Now I dun taught ya more manners than that!” she said with a broad smile.

With a gulp of cool water he washed down the last of his food. “Sorry Gam’Ma.”
Still smiling at him she glanced over at the chair by the window. It was the one she always sat in to watch his comings and goings. Following her gaze Tenric saw a small bundle on the seat.

“For you m’little Kindler.” She said, “An’ it’s ‘bout time too!”

Tenric stared wide-eyed at it until he realized she was waiting for him to go over and unwrap it. His aches and bruises forgotten, he went over to the chair and looked down at the ovoid bundle. There was the faint and unmistakable smell of leather in the area.

“Well I ain’t getting any younger ya know!” she called out in a laughing tone.

Her jibe broke his paralysis and he scooped up the bundle. It felt both firm and giving in his arms. Brining it to the table he unwrapped it and felt his heart leap for joy. There before him was a hand-tooled, double-banded, leather belt. There was one pouch hanging on the side with a curious symbol inscribed on the flap.

“I styled it after his belt ya know. I just added a bit of my own touch to it.” She offered.

“I – I can’t believe it!” He exclaimed. “My own Jedi belt!” He practically danced as he fumbled with the unfamiliar rear clasp.

“Seein’ as how he finally got around to letting you have a real blade I figured you should have somethin’ ta wear it on.” She said with that gleam in her eye.

“Does he know?” Tenric asked, suddenly concerned that his Master might disapprove for some reason.

“Sure does.” She replied. “He even gave me that old clasp thing for you to hang your saber on. Told me where ta put it too.”

Wide-eyed once more Tenric looked down at the side of the belt and saw the clasp affixed in just the right spot. Suddenly remembering, he dashed to his bedside and retrieved the saber that he’d left on the floor. When he had rejoined his Gam’Ma he clipped it to the belt and stood tall for her inspection. She smiled at him and tousled his hair.

“You’ll make a wonderful Jedi m’little Kindler.” She beamed at him. “Why I’ll bet ya even outshine tha stars someday.”

He threw his arms around her and hugged her as tightly as he dared. “Thank you Gam’Ma!” he choked out amidst his joyful tears.

“Now get along now.” She said as she held him at arms length and looked him over. “He’s waitin’ for ya in your clearing.”
Tenric headed off to meet his Master with visions of soaring among the stars as a Jedi filling his mind. Today he felt like more than a Padawan, more even than a Jedi. Today he felt like a man.

Tales of Tenric's Training: Part IV

Part IV

A million things raced through Tenric’s head as he made for the clearing and the fishing log. What was the surprise? How would the lesson start? What would it be like? Would he do well? Would today be the day he remembered to keep his guard up after the low-end combination? His mind filled with such questions Tenric was unaware of the other’s presence until it was too late. Rounding a bend in the path he all but collided with his friend Dale.

“Hey! What the Hutt?” Dale blurted in surprise as Tenric almost ran him down. In order to avoid a collision both boys had jumped to one side and now stood on opposite sides of the path facing each other.

“Dale! Oh, man I’m sorry. I didn’t sen...hear you coming.”

“Where you off to in such a hurry? I was gonna stop by and see if your Gam’Ma was making those mornin’ cakes we like so much.”

“Uh, yeah, actually she did this morning.” Dale answered at a loss as to how to get out of what was coming. “If you hurry you can catch her before she clears everything up. She knows you love those cakes and will probably save a couple for you.”

“You think!” Dale responded excitedly. Then, eyeing Tenric suspiciously, he added; “You’re up to somethin’ Tenric, I can smell it.”

Tenric knew he’d have to give Dale a good answer for why he was racing through the forest this early in the morning. Though a few years older, Dale was his comrade-in-arms, which meant they usually got into trouble together. Reaching out with the Force Tenric added a slight nudge behind his reply, hoping it would be enough to get Dale to accept his answer and not push it. He knew if Dale wasn’t satisfied not even the Force could keep him from finding out what was going on.

“My uncle is waiting for me by the pond. He’s going to teach me how to make my own pole and line and then help me catch dinner. He says there is a huge Lurker-Fish in there waiting to be caught.” Tenric felt bad about lying to his friend and using the Force like this, but his Jedi training was a strict secret and had to remain so.

“Sounds like fun.” Dale responded in a non-committal tone; “Maybe I can join you…after I say good morning to your Gam’Ma.” He finished, obviously thinking more of the mornin’ cakes than the prospect of fishing. He wasn’t quite patient enough to enjoy it much.

“I’ll tell you all about it later.” Tenric called out as he started off again. Dale had bought the fishing reply and wouldn’t go near the pond ‘til at least lunchtime. That way he would hope to avoid all that waiting and teaching stuff and just get in on the catching.

“Sure thing!” Dale called out after Tenric. He turned and started off toward Tenric’s place hoping there were indeed a few ‘cakes left for him. Fishing was boring and he didn’t see the fun in learning how to make your own pole. Tenric seemed awfully excited about it too. For a moment Dale grew suspicious again, but the lingering Force-suggestion was just strong enough to make him decide to ask Tenric later…after all he was hungry and Gam’Ma would be clearing up real soon. His mind made up Dale trotted off thinking of butter and syrup and how to get the right combination of each…

…The close call with Dale made Tenric focus more on his surroundings. The last thing he needed was Dale snooping around while he was training. His Master had been quite forceful in asserting that if his training was discovered it would stop right then and there…forever. There was an edge in his Master’s voice when he spoke of the future. Something he saw or sensed filled him with foreboding and made him secretive about everything. Tenric couldn’t see far ahead yet, or far behind for that matter. He had learned to interpret the Force currents enough to anticipate things a few hours both ways, and sometimes as much as a day. He knew it would be a long time before he could cast his gaze as far abroad as his Master did.

Realizing his thoughts were drifting off again Tenric stopped and used the centering exercise he had learned from his meditation lessons. He was almost immediately struck with the impression of his Master’s impatience. He was close to the pond now and could sense his Master up ahead. He paused long enough to be sure his Master wasn’t angry then continued to the clearing. As he drew nearer the questions began once more running through his mind. Proximity had lent them enough imminence to intrude upon his calm once more.

“So kind of you to join me, Padawan.” His Master purred with a slight bow.

“I ran into Dale on the way and was delayed.” Tenric offered.

“Yes. I know.” Came the unconcerned reply.

“I had to nudge him a little so he wouldn’t follow me.” Tenric confessed.

“I trust you were discreet. Do not worry.” Again not sounding worried.

“Yes Master, Very. He chose to avoid the drudgery of learning to make a fishing pole and decided my Gam’Ma’s mornin’ cakes were the better choice.” Tenric explained.

“On most mornings I would agree with him.” His Master smiled, “but not this morning.” He leaned over behind the log to pick something up. Then he turned and handed Tenric a rough but serviceable looking fishing pole and line. “We’ll catch dinner later.” Then, when Tenric looked shocked, he offered; “I had some free time while I waited for you.”

“But how did you….” Tenric stammered, then thought better of it and finished, “never mind, I don’t need to know.”

“A wise Jedi it is who knows when a line of inquiry leads to an unneeded answer.” His Master teased.

Tenric just made a face in reply. He was eager to begin today’s lesson, but his Master seemed different today. He couldn’t quite place it, but….

“Today shall mark your rising to a new level in your training.” His Master interrupted his thoughts. “You have learned the rough use of the Force, as well as some of the finer points of control. You have mastered the basic exercises and disciplines needed in order to build upon. You have gained the vision necessary to pursue the deeper things of the Force and you have learned to use the Force to anticipate events.” Here he paused and reached into his tunic, leaving his hand there. “Before now we have sparred and drilled using branches and tool handles. I have taught you basic stances, attacks, defenses, and combinations.”

Here Tenric winced a little as he recalled his usual failure to recover quickly enough after the low-end combinations. His Master paused, casting a judging gaze upon him. Then he withdrew his hand from his tunic. In it was a long cylindrical tube with a few grips and buttons on it. Tenric’s heart leapt at the sight of it for it was not his Master’s Light saber. He held his breath and watched in wide-eyed awe as his Master approached him and offered him the hilt with a solemn gesture.

“From now on, my Padawan you shall learn in earnest.” He said as he retreated a few paces. “Let your awareness flow into the hilt and then find its place in the currents around you.” Came the instruction.

Tenric took a few moments to calm himself before reaching downward into the hilt with the Force. When he did so he sensed a unity and oneness in the hilt that was surprising. He had much difficulty telling one component from another and only the power cell and focusing crystal stood out much at all. His Master had told him tales of how Jedi Knights created their sabers, and how they used the Force to activate and enable the separate components to function in ways that would otherwise be impossible. Until now he had thought them just bedtime stories.

“You now know why the Jedi and his light saber are so closely tied.” His Master intoned. “Follow the Force through the hilt and you will sense the echoes of the one who constructed it.”

It took Tenric a moment or two to realize he was actually expected to do it. He focused on finding himself in the currents around him and then on finding the hilt in his hands. As he looked outward and saw the ripples made by the hilt a face took shape before him. It was an older face. It wore a beard and long hair gone partly grey. There was a prominent nose and a twinkle in the eyes. Tenric realized he was looking at the face of the Jedi who had made this hilt…. The face of his Master’s Teacher!

“My Padawan, I gladly give to you the training saber my Master constructed in order to teach me. It is a practice saber and will not do more than singe your clothing and hair a bit…and sting mightily. It is a real blade though and fighting with it will feel no different than with your own one day.”

Tenric took a deep breath and thumbed the activation plate. Immediately a rich blue blade emerged and there was a satisfying ‘snap-hiss’ followed by a thrumming hum as the hilt began to vibrate and shake in his hands. He could feel the immense energy surging through the hilt and was surprised to feel no weight from the blade. He realized it would take a lot of concentration to wield the blade and swung it a few times to test its balance. Deactivated the hilt had definitely been pommel heavy. The vibrating effect, however, seemed to lend the hilt a slight forward balance, as if the tip of the hilt were slightly heavier than the pommel.
With an ear splitting smile Tenric took a ready stance, cocked his head slightly to the side, and said; “Come and teach me, my Master.”

Tales of Tenric's Training: Part III

PART III

He was gonna be in trouble and he knew it. Today was the day his Master began instructing him in Force-Assisted Saber dueling and he was so excited he had been unable to sleep at all last night. Well to be honest he had gotten some sleep…about an hour of it; and he had just been awakened from that to come out to breakfast.

‘Great!’ he thought, ‘I’ll need every ounce of the Force I can muster just to be my old, slow self today.’

“Tenric?” his Grandmother called, “Come’n out to breakfast, honey!”

Quickly pulling on his sparse tunic and breeches Tenric hurried out. He loved a good breakfast and no one made it better than his Gam’Ma. Upon reaching the kitchen area he stopped and looked around somewhat confusedly. His Master was always here before him, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Oh, don’t youz worry m’little Kindler.” She said, “He’s already had his n’gone ahead. Said he had something ta do ‘fore youz started today.” She finished with a gleam in her eye that, combined with her pet name for him, told Tenric she knew more than she was saying, and might be convinced to tell.

As he ate he considered how to ask her for more information. If she indeed had more to tell then either his Master had given her instructions on what to say, depending on his questions, or she would be deciding on her own how to answer. He hoped his Master had left instructions since that would be the easier way to get the information. His Grandmother was devilishly hard to figure out when she had a secret.

“Not like m’little Kindler to be so quiet.” She prompted him, “ ‘Specially on such an impo’tant day.” She finished with a smile.

“Well, I am kinda curious as to why he left so early.” Tenric admitted, opting for the honest, humble approach. “But I’m sure he would have told me if he wanted me to know.”

“Oh now don’t be playin’ that ol’ game with me.” She chided him, “Gam’Ma knows its eatin’ you faster than youz eaten ya food.” Again she smiled.

So much for that approach he thought. Still she did seem to want to tell him so he decided to keep the honest part and ditch the humble.

“Gam’Ma please tell me!” he said with as much enthusiasm as his tired voice could muster.

“Now wha’ makes youz think I have som’tin to tell?” She openly teased him.

“Gam’Ma!” was all he could think to say.

“Oh, youz ‘re no fun this mornin’.” She told him, pouting a little. “Ya shoulda slept some more.”

“I know, but its all just too exciting.” He offered.

“Well I’ll tell youz two things.” She began, “First he says you are to meet him at the root of the lesson after breakfast. Second is that I knows he has a surprise planned for ya.” She finished with a wink.

“Hmmm.” He thought out loud, “what kind of surprise?”

“Oh, I can’t tell ya that, ‘sides I know he wants ta be the one to tell you.”

Tenric knew his grandmother well enough to recognize that she meant what she said, so he’d have to wait on that part. The first part however seemed not too difficult to figure out. ‘The root of the lesson’ was a bit cryptic, but the words root and lesson did remind him of something. After a moment he had it.

“Ah! He wants to meet in the clearing by the fishing log.” He said, “I wonder what the surprise is?”

His grandmother just tilted her head and smiled. “Now your ol’ Gam’Ma ain’t that far gone ya know. I said he wants to be the one to tell you. No sense tryin’ ta get it outta me.”

Tenric just smiled an apology and cleared his place at the table. He had eaten only half of what he really wanted, but getting to the clearing was more important to him right now.

“Bye! See you later!” he called out over his shoulder as he ran off for the clearing.

Tales of Tenric's Training: Part II

Here we have the next installment of the story.....
===================================

(Part II)

It was a small forest clearing deep in the heart of the Darkwood. Low brush grew in and around the roots of the trees that ringed the open space. Lush grass grew interspersed with moss and lichen, filling the clearing except for the exact center, which held a large boulder. It was made of a dark veined, grayish, rock that was easily fifteen feet around and nearly five high. Clearings such as this were rare in Darkwood, and this one was Tenric’s. Tucked up against the foothills of the A’Roupar Mountains the trees here grew so thick that only the hardiest of ground foliage could survive and the trails were little more than wide spaces between the trunks.

The ground was a combination of spongy moss and detritus that had fallen from the trees above. Many creatures lived in the wood. Most were small, some were predatory, and all could be dangerous. Tenric was not concerned, however, because he had grown up in the area and knew their ways. As long as he merely passed through and made no disturbance they remained unconcerned. Aroused, however, they could be noisy, and harassing, even threatening.

He had found the clearing yesterday while searching for a spot to make his own for meditation. Remembering his Master’s last lesson Tenric had tried to feel the ebb and flow between the Unifying and Living Force. He had walked for what seemed like hours without purpose, following his feet and the faint whisperings he sensed in the Force. He had ended up in this clearing and known immediately it was to be his place. He did not know why, just that it was the right place.

Placing the stout stave that functioned as both his walking stick and practice saber against the boulder he clambered lightly up onto the rock and sat with his back to the mountains. Closing his eyes he cleared his mind by imagining the waters of the pond and then smoothing out the ripples on the surface. It took him a few minutes to succeed and then, thus calmed, he reached out with the Force toward his distant homestead…

“Master.” He called silently, “I have found my place. Can you now find me?”

He was not sure if he had enough control to manage such a message, but an answering wave of amusement told him both message and challenge had, at least, been understood and accepted. Now he had only to wait. His Master’s teaching yesterday had changed his view on meditation and he was quite eager to begin learning more about it. It would, however, be some time before his Master could locate him so Tenric thought it would be interesting to explore his clearing a bit.

Crossing his legs he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, emptying himself as he did so. Then he reached out a hand and touched the rock upon which he sat. He could feel the warmth that the rock had absorbed from the sun along with a sense of both size and age. Apparently the rock was much larger than it appeared, with only the tip exposed. There was the faintest hint of vibration in the rock and Tenric wondered once more about the ripples his Master has spoken of. He tried to go deeper, to the bottom of the rock, but kept getting distracted by faint sensations from all around him. Focusing himself he drew his Force-sense inward until he once more felt the sun’s warmth.

With another deep breath and exhale he pushed himself farther down, or was it out, and became aware of what could only be the root system of the grass in the clearing. The Force, he assumed it was the Living Force, was present in the grass as faint echoes not unlike a chorus of Burble Toads heard from afar. He could feel a connectedness something like he did with the pond yesterday. Here and there he could sense open spots with echoes so faint he was unsure if they were real. Those must be the moss and lichen he realized.

So fascinated was he with this new adventure that he was quite unaware of both the passing of time and the arrival of his Master. An uncomfortable sensation rose in his awareness and Tenric realized his right leg was badly cramped. This had the effect of yanking him out of his trance-like state and back to himself. Just as his self-awareness returned his Force-sense went wild alerting him to an unexpected presence right on top of him!

Tenric’s body jerked convulsively as he tried to do to many things at once. It seemed that opening his eyes, extending the pained leg, calling his stave to him, and hopping off the boulder, away from the presence, into a fighting stance was asking a bit too much from his inexperienced muscles. All he succeeded in actually doing was shooting his leg out and losing his balance on the rock, falling over sideways and hitting the ground somewhat painfully, landing next to his stave.

A heavy sigh told Tenric the intruder was his Master. Turning he saw that resigned but slightly amused expression his Master seemed to direct his way at least once a day. Favoring his cramped leg, he rose and smiled a hello.

“Master! How did you find me so quickly?” he asked.

“Have you been sitting there since you called to me?” His Master asked looking concerned now.

“Yes, but I still don’t….” Tenric cut his reply short as he realized that the boulder’s shadow, which fell between he and his Master, was in the wrong position. His Master just stood and waited for it. He knew his Padawan would figure it out on his own, he always did. It took a few moments for Tenric to do the math based on the shadow. When he did get it he whistled loudly and leaned against the rock.

“You mean I was sitting there for almost three hours!” He exclaimed while rubbing his cramped leg.

“I have been here nearly an hour myself.” His Master replied, “I was beginning to worry that you might not be able to find your way back. It has happened a few times. Thankfully, though you seemed not to have strayed too far.”

“Not find my way back?” The thought sent a chill through him.

“Tenric. It was unwise of you to make such an attempt without my guidance. Curiosity is a key element in all learning, but so is discipline.” Then seeing the stricken look on his Padawan’s face he continued more softly, “Besides, it is important for us old folk to at least feel needed.”

The quiet jest in his Master’s voice calmed Tenric. He had been horrified at the thought of being lost in the Currents and not able to get back, not be himself anymore.

“Couldn’t you have helped me get back?” he asked in a slightly hurt tone.

“I was about to do just that, when you pulled that odd little maneuver and fell off the rock.” His Master replied in an amused tone. Tenric acknowledged the jab by screwing his mouth sideways and giving a ‘humph”.

“All living things are connected in the Force.” His Master intoned using his formal ‘teaching voice’. “All things have a place, a purpose, a balance.” He gestured to indicate they should sit upon the rock.

They sat. Tenric knew this was the beginning of today’s lesson so he stilled his mind and focused on burning what he was taught into his mind. He wanted to be able to go over it tonight as he did with all the lessons he felt were of special importance.

“You have chosen your place of meditation well Tenric. I wonder, though, if you understand the why behind it yet.”

“It felt right Master. I followed whisperings in the Force that led me here, and when I arrived I knew this was the place.”

His Master nodded at this. “You show remarkable promise my Padawan. Now close your eyes and let me show you the ‘why’.”

Tenric obeyed and shut his eyes, instinctually calming his mind, and centering himself as he had been taught to do. Then he felt the slightest pressure in his mind, had the merest glimmer of danger-sense from the Force. He let go of it and pictured himself as a leaf floating on the water.

“Heed my voice now Padawan.” Came the formal tone. “You must know your place, your purpose, and your balancing point in the Force before you can step safely into the vastness of it all.” His Master spoke now in a whisper, but Tenric heard him clearly in his mind.

“Many long Millennia ago there were those who knew and understood the currents in the Force. They were neither Sith nor Jedi, but held to the Light. It may even be that their influence began the Jedi on their monastic path. One of my old masters discovered their teachings and taught me. We devoted ourselves to learning their ways. They lived symbiotically with all life and understood how the ripples interacted. They also knew how to become one with the Force and yet retain their essence. Of all things I may teach you, these will be the most useful to you in the time to come.”

Here he paused for a moment to allow Tenric to re-center himself for he had sensed his padawan’s rising excitement.

“You have felt the connections these last few days and sensed the currents as you found your way here. Now you must remain at the center of calm I have shown you how to find, this time however you must open your eyes while doing so.”

Tenric waited a few moments to be sure his whole being was calm and centered. He could feel the rock beneath him as an anchor. The rock was his balancing point he realized, the clearing his place, and as he opened his eyes he began to understand his purpose. There before his eyes was more than just the clearing, the trees, and the grass. Ripples and waves moved all around him like heat on a summer afternoon. The waves seemed to flow and respond much, as would those of water. As he watched he could see currents moving through them, each one setting up new ripples or changing ones already there. So amazed was he that after a few moments he lost his anchor and the current, ripples, and waves vanished from view.

“Master, I am sorry.” He began, “I - -I was overwhelmed.”

“As was I the first time.” His Master smiled back. “Now let us practice a bit more shall we?”

So practice they did. As the afternoon wore on Tenric learned to maintain his Force-Vision for longer periods of time. He learned to stand and even walk while his eyes saw what he thought of as two worlds. He began to realize that there were differences between the currents that flowed from the Unifying Force and those of the Living Force. He also came to see why this clearing had seemed right to him. It was a point of resonance in the Force. The boulder acted like a jetty at the beach, calming and separating the waves.

The next day his Master showed him how to follow individual currents or ripples to see where they had originated or were headed. It was by no means easy and left Tenric so exhausted that he slept heavily and without dreams that night. By week’s end he had begun to “surf the Force”, as he called it, by establishing a cadence between his movements and breathing. In this way he was able to stay calm and centered much of the time while going about his daily activities. He was learning to see the Force active around him at all times.

In the second week his Master helped him focus on the smaller ripples caused by thoughts and intentions. Tenric learned to see another’s indecision or conviction and began to learn how Jedi could tell lie from truth. He also learned how he could use the Force to change those ripples in subtle ways. In the third week he began to see colors in the currents. His Master told him that each Jedi was unique and would find his own way to interpret the Force-Vision. Apparently for Tenric the addition of tints and hues to the waves, ripples, and currents were to be his way. The colors were subtle and did not obscure his normal sight, but they were there and he began to learn to interpret them.

It was at month’s end, though, that Tenric got his first taste of Saber dueling the ‘Jedi’ way…..

A lesson Learned (working title)

OK.
I need a better title for this piece, but plowing ahead anyway...
My blog "Tales from Soma III" has some background info on both
Tenric's homeworld and his being taken as a padawan.

©2007 David Bieri (aka:nightguy)
A Lesson Learned (a tale of Tenric’s training)

Part I

Tenric crashed through the underbrush at the edge of the clearing, breathing heavily. In his right hand was the broken, jagged, end of a stout tree branch and on his left temple there was a darkening bruise. He kept glancing over his shoulder as he ran, looking in vain for signs of pursuit. He cast wildly behind him with the Force trying to both sense and repel his attacker. It was no use, however, for he was still too young and inexperienced to do much more than scare himself with his ineffectiveness.

An exposed tree root caught his foot and sent him sprawling. He jumped to his feet and turned, facing the trees defiantly. A small smile crossed his face as he wiped the dirt away. With difficulty he calmed himself and sought the center his Master had shown him. Sounds of pursuit now came from the trees and he braced himself, gripping the branch as close to the end as possible to extend his reach. It wouldn’t be enough, but that root had given him an idea. He reached out with the Force and moved his hand in a covering motion and the root faded from view.

The brush rustled at the exact spot from which he had emerged and then suddenly parted to reveal…nothing. The area seemed to grow eerily quiet as the brush settled back into place. He could feel the presence of something, but couldn’t see it. There was the faintest of odors on the wind but not enough to help him locate his attacker. He began to get nervous once more. His hasty plan to confront his pursuer now useless since there appeared to be nothing to confront.

Scanning the area, and opening himself as wide as he could to the Force, Tenric prepared for the attack he knew was coming. Suddenly there was a horrendous screech from directly behind him. He whirled and stepped quickly back away from the noise, only to trip once more over the same root. He lost his grip on the branch and it went flying away from him as he fell. He reached out with the Force and called it back, but it simply stopped in mid air and hung there. As his back hit the ground he saw the air over him shimmer slightly and out of the corner of his eye he saw two well-worn boots protruding from the hem of his Master’s robe.

“You are still surprisingly quick footed, my Padawan.” His Master said with a smile, “Quick witted too. Both will serve you well in the time to come.” He finished; referring as he usually did to some future full of foreboding he either could not, or would not explain.

“Not fair!” Tenric spurted as he rose once more.

“Not fair?” his Master chided. “It was you who resorted to illusion first. Do not complain to me of being bested at your own game.” As he finished saying this Tenric’s branch floated slowly back to him.

“But you attacked me without warning!” he complained in return. “You were supposed to be meditating this morning.” He accused.

“Have you still not learned that life very rarely follows the route we have planned for it.” His Master replied. “A Jedi must be always ready, always alert, always attuned to the Force. Otherwise you will fail, whether as ambassador, negotiator, or warrior.” He finished, “Now come and wash up.”

They went to the edge of the pond that bordered the clearing and his Master watched as he washed the dirt and mud from his face and hands. When he had finished his Master examined the bruise that was now a deep purple. “I think we shall let you wear that one for awhile, to help you remember.”

Tenric sighed and hung his head slightly. “Yes Master.”

“Come, my young Padawan, face the water and tell me what you see.”

Tenric wanted to impress his Master so he looked very carefully. “I see fish of many sizes swimming, plants growing from the bottom their fronds swaying as with the current, sediment floating in the water from my washing, and rocks laying upon the bottom.” Then he reached out with the Force and added, “I can sense the life in the pond as it moves and feels, in some way it is all connected.” He finished.

“It is to your credit that you look deeper than the surface Padawan. For this lesson, however, it is the surface I wish you to observe.” His Master’s voice was warm and encouraging. “Tell me what you see there.”

He hid his disappointment at his Master’s apparent disregard for his insight and calmed himself. He pushed down his thoughts about the fruitlessness of watching the water. There was always a good reason for the tasks his Master asked him to do and he knew there was one now as well. He refocused his eyes and watched.

“There are skate-bugs going to and fro on the surface along with other small insects who do not sink into the water, but move upon it.” He began. “There are amphibians swimming along the surface feeding upon the insects as do the fish, and an occasional diver-bird who catches one of the amphibians or fish.” He paused, not sure what else to say.

“Yes. Very good Padawan.” His Master said, “What else do you see?”

He was very much encouraged at this kind word from his Master and bent himself to glean more from what was before him. He was silent for several moments while he watched and thought. “I can see ripples on the water, moving in all directions. Some are caused by the swimmers, some by the divers, some by the fish, while some seem to come from below or are caused by the wind above.” He finished tenuously, not sure if he had sought too hard for something to say.

“You will make a wise Jedi one day my Padawan.” His Master said with a wide smile on his face. “Yes, indeed. Come now and I will teach you about the two arms of the Force, The Unifying Force and the Living Force. It is in understanding them that true mastery begins.”

They moved to the old log usually reserved for fishing and sat with their feet dangling over the water. Tenric was both uneasy and eager. His Master’s tone indicated the sharing of deep knowledge and not just the customary “do this” or “do not do this” that was his usual fare. He was a good student and applied himself diligently to what his Master taught, but up ‘til now it had mostly been physical training or broad teachings about controlling the outward use of the Force. It seemed he had passed some test today and would now begin to learn more of what being a Jedi was really about.

Tenric sat patiently. He knew his Master valued patience above much else. He had often been told that it was the Jedi’s staunchest ally.

“Life is very like the pond and most beings like skate-bugs. Most never really go beyond the surface of it, but skim along unaware of the heights and depths that surround them. They understand only the terror of the unknown.” His Master began. “The Unifying Force is that part which spans the distances of time and space,” he waved his arm upward and out, “like the air above the pond. It surrounds all beings and all things and through it one can gain an understanding of what is happening now, where they are going, and from whence they come. Just as the diver-birds can see their prey and track where they are headed and find their nests by seeing where they have come from.”

“With the Unifying Force a Jedi can look ahead, abroad, and behind. It speaks to us in impressions and visions, sudden realizations and inevitabilities. The Unifying Force brings us peace. It is said that wisdom is to be found within the Unifying Force and the wise Jedi will seek it in meditation.” He paused and gestured out over the water.

“The Living Force is like the water itself. All life directly contacts it and is connected by it; indeed life feeds it and makes it grow like the fish and amphibians that feed on the bugs. It is indeed much as you sensed at the beginning of the lesson.” Here he paused long enough for Tenric to understand that his earlier insight had not gone unnoticed, and for him to realize the nature of the test he had passed.

“Through the Living Force you can gain understanding of why things are they way they are; what influences are at play in a situation, or being. It is with the Living Force that a Jedi can influence those around him and gain knowledge useful for both survival and resolution. Through the Living Force Jedi can heal, touch the minds of beings great and small, and affect things around them.”

Tenric was amazed at how much information his Master was giving him. For the first time many of the lessons he had been made to endure became clear to him. Pieces began falling into place like parts of a puzzle and he could see a picture emerging. His Master sat and watched as this new insight took hold of his pupil. He was, indeed, fiercely proud of Tenric’s progress and sensitivity to the Force. He was waiting now to see what his Padawan would make of this information.

Tenric thought for a few minutes on what he had been told. He knew there was a connection between the two aspects of the Force, there had to be. Each was to be pursued, sought after, and yet both seemed indispensable to the life of a Jedi. His Master had taught him that the Jedi served the will of the Force, but what was that? Which of the two would lead him to that knowledge the Jedi held so dear? He wondered if it was even possible? Was he supposed to realize that?

As he weighed these questions in his mind, each against the other, looking for their merits he found reasons in favor of both. This seemed at odds with what he expected. There should be an obvious path, a balance. His Master had always said that the Force would guide…and then he had it!

“Master!” Tenric exclaimed then, catching himself, continued in a calmer voice. “Is it not the Jedi’s place to stand in the center, between the two arms of the Force, to weigh and balance what the Force shows them and thereby discern the will of the Force? If the Force will guide us then it can do so using either the Unifying or Living Force.” He finished wide-eyed.

“Or through both together,” His Master said with the biggest grin Tenric had ever seen on his face. “The key to a Jedi’s life, to his connection with the Force, is the balance between the two arms. Stray too far toward either side and you will find yourself stepping into darkness.” He finished more somberly. “Now walk with me. It is time we headed back for lunch and I wish to speak to you of how to stay balanced.”

They rose and headed back toward the small hut they shared with Tenric’s grandmother. The walk was pleasant. Tenric listened while his Master explained about the currents in the Force.

“The Force is constantly in a state of flux, shifting and changing, much like the many different ripples you saw upon the water. All living things leave an imprint, or ripple, in the Force, as do all decisions, actions, and events. Each one leaves behind an echo that can be sensed by those in tune to the vibrations, the currents. These currents ebb and flow with the myriad changes of life. Both the Unifying and Living Force produce their own currents and also interact with each other producing new ripples. It is through meditation that a Jedi can learn to discern the differences between the currents and through wisdom that a Jedi learns to interpret them.”

Here Tenric couldn’t repress a sigh, as he found meditation to be difficult and just a bit boring as well. His Master knew this of course.

“You think meditation a waste of time my Padawan.” It was a statement, not a question. “I say to you that the core discipline of a Jedi is meditation. Indeed it is the attitude of meditation that you must cultivate if you hope to remain balanced. Physical training is a type of bodily meditation. Studying is a mental meditation. Why even sleeping could be seen as subconscious meditation…for a Jedi.”

Tenric actually snickered at this last statement, but his Master went on as though he didn’t notice.

“If you ever hope to master the various saber techniques you will need to learn not only to meditate, but to enter a meditative state even while fighting. It is the balance between the Unifying and Living Force that makes a true saber master.” He knew he had Tenric’s attention now, as one of his padawan’s highest hopes was to become a true master of the lightsaber.

“It is the unifying Force that allows a Jedi to see and sense into the future during combat, or other challenges. However, it is the Living Force that flows through a Jedi and enhances his strength, speed, and endurance in order to allow him to take advantage of that knowledge. The Living Force will also fine tune the information imparted by the Unifying Force. Just as the Unifying Force can augment the action of the Living Force.”

He could feel all this sinking into his student like a sponge. Tenric would lay awake tonight rehearsing this day’s lesson over and over until fatigue claimed him.

“All life, my Padawan, is an exercise in symbiosis. The Force is no different. A Jedi who wishes to master the Force must learn to accept this interconnectedness, and learn how to use it. The road is a long and hard one, but the rewards begin even while one is still upon it.”

They continued to the house in silence. Each lost in thoughts of what the future may hold. Tenric was given the afternoon off in order to find his own special place of meditation. His master had promised to show him how to find and recognize the currents beginning in the morning and he was eager to get started.

He did lie awake most of the night…………………..

Welcome to the Club, Nightguy!

We have a new contributor! Nightguy has joined this Pitiful Little Band of creativity and will be posting something soon!

Welcome!

Part 3 - A Force Bond

PART I - PART II

The next day the four Jedi left Alderaan to return to the Jedi Temple. Both masters were oddly quiet towards their Padawans, who went about the business of boarding the star liner without looking at each other, or their masters. Jeran gave Traelyn a medical text to study while Qui-Gon played Dejarik with Obi-Wan, who fell asleep while thinking about his next move.

Master Jeran looked up from the holonovel he was reading while Qui-Gon said, "Perhaps you should not have taken such a long walk in the moonlight last night, my young apprentice."

Traelyn kept her eyes on the text she was reading, while her face grew hot with embarrassment. He knows, she thought. They both know. She felt her master's eyes on the back of her head. They know I was naked and wrapped around Obi-Wan like a vine around a tree. She waited patiently for the words of chastisement that were sure to come.

But neither master said anything, except for Qui-Gon, who merely noted that Traelyn looked as if she could use a cold drink. Obi-Wan immediately went off to the galley for refreshments. When he returned with iced Auerilian tea for all of them, he sat down next to Traelyn and a ripple in the Force came over them.

They smiled at each other, while behind their backs their masters exchanged a knowing look.

"You know what I dreamed about last night?" Obi-Wan said quietly. "I dreamed about that night you came to see me, before I left for the agricultural corps. You saved me, you know."

Traelyn sipped at her tea. "I always thought you saved me, Obi-Wan. If it hadn't been for your distress, Master Jeran might never have discovered my empathy and taken me in."

"Yes, but Master Qui-Gon didn't take me as his Padawan because he was waiting for you to grow older. He wouldn't have come for me if Master Jeran hadn't taken you as his apprentice. He told me that he hoped I didn't mind being second choice," he smiled.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have been your first choice as a Master, either," Traelyn said. "You disagree with him a lot, don't you? You're very different from each other."

Obi-Wan looked defensive. "He's a fine Master," he said stiffly.

"You haven't changed a bit, still seeing the best in everyone!"

"They know, don't they?" He asked.

"Yes, they do, but I don't sense any dismay, just a mild sense of disapproval. We must be mindful of our feelings, Obi-Wan. We can't let anyone else know."

"That won't be easy," he grinned. "Considering how I feel!"

"It will be our secret, like our old hiding places used to be."

Another Force ripple passed between them as they shared that memory.

Across the room the two Masters looked at each other and shook their heads. Qui-Gon sighed. He had a lot to tell Obi-Wan when they got back to the Temple.

"There is something special between them," he said quietly to Jeran. "We would be foolish to try and break it. "

"Surely you remember Yoda trying to separate them when they were younglings, and that didn't work. Perhaps it's the will of the Force," Jeran replied. "We will have to keep their secret."

* * *

"Good morning, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said as he sat down next to him on a bench in a private area of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He'd known he'd find Obi-Wan there, as he knew it was a place he often went to think.

Obi-Wan tried to calm himself, certain that he was in trouble over his recent liaison with Traelyn. "Master, I've been expecting this. My behavior on Alderaan, I know it was wrong, but I don't feel sorry for it."

"Ah, so you are sure I am here to talk about Traelyn?"

"It was the music, and the moonlight, and the wine, and she was so beautiful in that dress," Obi-Wan rambled, looking away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"So, you're saying you couldn't help yourself? It was just lust and you took advantage of your oldest friend?" Qui-Gon's eyes twinkled with amusement that Obi-Wan could not see.

"No, Master, it wasn't like that at all! In fact, it was not like anything I've ever experienced before, it was nothing like being with a Companion, it was... transcendent." He turned around and saw the smile on Qui-Gon's face. "You're not angry with me."

"Calm yourself, Padawan. There are things I need to tell you, to teach you. Things that only two Jedi can achieve. They will make that experience pale in comparison."

* * *

Traelyn sat in the café in the University Complex near her first class of the day. It wasn't long before she was joined at the table by her friends, Baleen and Togaron. Togaron was handsome man from the other side of Coruscant, and Baleen was Alderaanian. They were a couple, and although Traelyn never mentioned it, she always knew when they'd spent a night together. Their emotions spilled over as if they couldn't contain their joy.

"So, Traelyn, how did you like Alderaan?" Baleen asked, innocently.

Traelyn had to hide her grin behind her stimcaf mug. Quickly she dampened her emotions, not that anyone else would notice, but her thoughts and feelings were threatening to overwhelm her. As a Jedi, she had to maintain a calm face at all times.

"It was lovely, Baleen. The palace is beautiful, and there was a full moon over the mountains."

"Oh, I bet it was grand, having dinner and dancing at the Royal Palace," she replied wistfully,

"I was nervous being around all those important people," Traelyn said. "Took all my mental disciplines to stay calm though dinner."

Togaron looked at her suspiciously. "Well, the trip seems to have agreed with you, you're radiating with happiness, and it can't be because this is the first day of the new semester. Even a Jedi isn't that warped!" He said with good humor.

Traelyn laughed. "No, it's embarrassment I'm radiating, you should have seen the dress I was given to wear, I felt positively naked!" Then she blushed deeply, remembering her nakedness with Obi-Wan, which hadn't been the least bit embarrassing at the time.

"Hmmm," he replied. "If I didn't know better, I'd say our Jedi friend is in love!"

Baleen chuckled. "You don't know Traelyn as well as you think you, Togaron."

No, and neither do you, my friend. Traelyn thought. But as much as I want to tell you everything, I cannot. As a Jedi, I have a certain reputation to uphold, true or not.

* * *

Obi-Wan stared at Qui-Gon. "You mean it can be better? I don't believe it! Why is this such a secret?"

"Because not everyone can do it," Qui-Gon replied. "It's pretty much only the humans, or the near-humans. Some of the other species don't believe it's true, especially the ones who don't practice recreational lovemaking. So it isn't discussed openly, it's a secret passed down from Master to Padawan."

"I don't think Traelyn would like me poking around in her mind," he said thoughtfully.

"Well," Qui-Gon replied, "I am not suggesting that you two are ready for this. It may be several years before you feel ready to try it. But you should know about it nonetheless. You know how dangerous this love could be for you, and for the Jedi. But I will not ask you to give her up, because I believe it is the will of the Force that you love each other so much. But, everyone in the Temple knows you and Traelyn are close friends and have been since childhood. I do not want to see a hint or hear a whisper that the nature of that friendship had changed to one of a sexual nature."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master." He sighed. "I bear a great attachment to her, and I know it's against the code, but it's been there since we were very young."

Qui-Gon looked thoughtful for a few moments and then continued, "I know. It was not always against the code, this sort of relationship. But a few thousand years ago a Jedi made a wrong choice. He sacrificed an entire village of innocent lives, three thousand people, to save the lives of his wife and baby. Do you understand that is not the Jedi way? You must swear to me that you will never let your feelings for her interfere with your duties as a Jedi."

"Yes, Master, I understand, I swear to you I will do my duty, always."

"Could you sacrifice Traelyn's life?" He asked bluntly.

"She would expect nothing less from me. Neither of us could live with ourselves if I did not."

"Protect your heart, Obi-Wan, and hers too. Love can be a dangerous thing." Qui-Gon looked away, remembering his own great love, who had become one with the Force not long after he had pledged his heart to her. He would never know that sort of love again, but perhaps his Padawan, whom he loved like a son, would know the joy that he'd missed out on.

Obi-Wan looked up at his Master. "I am sorry for judging you back then, Master. I didn't understand."

"Am I that transparent, my young apprentice, that you know who I'm thinking about?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, but I can think of no other that would put that look of pain in your eyes. I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Obi-Wan, be happy, And be sure of yourself, in everything you do. And above all else, remember that you both are Jedi."

Obi-Wan nodded. The fate of the two young people had been sealed.

* * *

Traelyn finished her drink and gave her mug to the serving droid. Sighing, she picked up her things and rose from the table.

"I suppose we better get to class," Togaron said, as he slipped into his jacket. Gently he touched Baleen on the elbow and guided her towards the door. Outside, rain had begun to fall heavily.

"Oh, stars," Baleen complained. "It wasn't supposed to rain today, and I'm wearing a brand new sweater."

Traelyn felt a flicker of whimsy. "Come closer," she said to her two friends. Puzzled, they moved in close to her. As she stepped out into the sticky, polluted rain, she raised her hand and pushed away the water with the Force. Laughing, the three friends ran across the square to the classroom building without feeling a drop.

"See!" Togaron said to Baleen. "She's different today! Something's definitely going on with Traelyn."

Traelyn just laughed. "I hope no Jedi saw me do that!"

"Saw you do what?" Asked their friend Brolton as he approached them from behind. Brolton was a Corellian with an irrepressible sense of humor. He often boasted that he'd been born in hyperspace while his parents' were fleeing a Hutt freighter they'd just robbed. Traelyn knew he was lying, but couldn't see any purpose in spoiling the fun he had when telling the tale.

"Nothing, just using the Force trivially," she laughed.

They entered the classroom and came face to face with their new professor. "I'm Professor Grazloe," he said. "This is Physcophysiology for Humanoids. "

He was eyeing them suspiciously, taking notice of Togaron and Baleen's fine clothes, and Brolton's generally happy attitude. Traelyn felt a tendril of resentment from the older man, but then he turned his attention towards her.

"And what backwater planet are YOU from?" He asked with disdain as he eyed her from head to toe, from her worn leather boots, up past her baggy, coarsely woven tunic to the hood pulled down over her forehead. "Or did you get dressed out of the charity bin somewhere?"

"I beg your pardon?" She asked in her prim, Coruscanti accent, as she took down the hood of her cloak to reveal her unfashionably plaited hair and her Padawan braid. "I'm from Coruscant."

"Which I'll bet you're not," Brolton remarked boldly. "Anyone raised anywhere near the Core ought to recognize a Jedi when they see one!"

"A Jedi?" The professor said in disbelief. "Right!"

The professor took a step forward and took Traelyn's Padawan braid in his hand. Her friends gasped, for no one touched a Jedi without permission. Slowly, she took the braid out of his grasp, making a minute gesture with her right hand.

"You will not touch me again," she said softly. "We may take our seats, now."

The older man looked puzzled and dropped the braid, while motioning towards the rows of chairs. "You may take your seats, now."

Traelyn felt a tickle of thought nudging at her mind. He's empathic! She thought. She put heavy Force shield around her emotions. Empathic but weak minded.

She removed her cloak, and took a seat. Her friends joined her, Togaron on one side and Brolton on the other, as if she needed protection from the odd man who was running the class.

"May I ask where you're from, Professor Grazloe," Baleen asked, trying to pull his attention away from Traelyn.

"Locaria," he said. "We study the healing the of the human psyche through empathic means, in order to cure the physical ailments. You'll be learning that the Core way of treating patients is not the only way," he said almost rudely.

Traelyn felt an uneasy prickling on the back of her neck. A whisper of warning from the Force. Vaguely she recalled snippets of a conversation that had taken place long ago... back to Locaria... family doesn't want her....afraid of her...

So that's it! She thought. He's afraid of me. Oh, this will not be pleasant. I may to use a few trivial Force tricks to get through this semester!

* * *

Fifty-Two years later, Obi-Wan Kenobi sat his ghostly self down on Traelyn's bed and watched as she unpinned, unbraided, and brushed out her long red hair.

Did you do something to your hair? You dyed it.

"I did not."

You had some gray hair this morning, my love, I saw it. Now you don't.

"I didn't dye it, I healed it," she replied.

He was astonished. You used the Force to change your hair color? He burst out laughing. She turned her back on him and continued brushing out her hair.

"Go ahead and laugh, you still look thirty-five."

Well, I wouldn't know, I can't see myself. What happened to 'A Jedi's beauty comes from within'?

"It's still true, there's just something about being the oldest person around that bothers me. Besides, It's not that much different from healing my aching joints."

I notice you don't teach the younglings those ridiculous lessons we learned about wasting the Force.

She laughed. "Not likely."

Trust me, the Force is infinite.

* * *

A Sort of Homecoming, Part 1

Author's note: Obi-Wan is my favourite Jedi, probably because he's the most like me of anyone in the movies, so it's easier for me to write him. Anyway, a small line in the Wookieepedia entry for Master Kenobi mentions the fact that "it is recorded that he may have occasionally visited [his birth family] later in life."

This is my attempt at capturing that first meeting and the events leading up to him meeting them. It's not perfect, and I know some spots need to be smoothed out a bit more, so any suggestions would be welcomed!

I published it all in one entry, so this may be a bit long.


A Sort of Homecoming


*Bing*
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are approaching the Alderaan System, and will be dropping into realspace in the next fifteen minutes or so. If you need anything, please remember our crew is at your disposal.”

Obi-Wan looked at the holoprojector as the captain’s face faded away, and then turned his attention back to the celebrity gossip article in Beings Holozine he’d been pretending to read. He didn’t exactly know why he’d been pretending to read it. It wasn’t like there were any people in his private cabin that he felt the need to impress. In fact, there wasn’t anyone in his cabin besides himself.

Normal life must be so mundane, he thought, if people need nonsense like this to make it through their little lives.

Still, he didn’t know why he felt jittery. Perhaps it was because hours before he’d thwarted an attack by Merson pirates and defended a sleazy con-man from certain “death by mob.” Such activities were almost de rigueur for a Jedi Knight.

No, more likely it was the knowledge that, after his meeting with Senator Bail Organa on Alderaan, he was off to meet his blood family. He knew that was it.

Obi-Wan set the datapad on the seat next to him and ran through some of the Jedi relaxation techniques that were now automatic to him.

Breathe in through the nose. Draw in the fresh, clean air.

Breathe out through the mouth, and with it, imagine the tendrils of anxiety and fear being blown out with the oxygen and dissipating in the atmosphere.

Breathe in through the nose. Breathe out through the mouth.

He could feel his heart slowing down and a calm settling over him like a warm blanket.

There. That was more like it.

It had been thirty years since the Jedi had taken him from his family, which was an odd thought. For Obi-Wan, the Jedi Order was his family. Jedi whom he’d known since his training as a youngling, like Quinlan Vos and Garen Muln, were his family, or as close as he had. And Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon. And Siri. The two he loved the most, killed in the line of duty.

There is no death, there is the Force, he reminded himself. A small part of him was slightly angry, or maybe just really annoyed, at the triteness of such sentiments. Was he not allowed to feel grief over the loss of his closest friends? Qui-Gon was the father he never had, and Siri was the love he was never allowed to have. He remembered when Yoda had told him that his tears of grief over Qui-Gon’s death did the fallen master no honour. Normal people feel grief, he now thought. Why should I be denied that same freedom?

He responded to himself almost instantly. Because they don’t know any better. Their emotions control their lives, which clouds their judgment.

He remembered the words often spoken by Yoda to younglings and Padawans, and in some case, full-fledged Jedi Knights. Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they. Yes, even Jedi Knights needed to be reminded of the basics sometimes. And Obi-Wan’s experiences had taught him to love with an open heart, which made coping with the loss much easier.

*****

And so it happened that two standard months before his voyage to Alderaan, Master Kit Fisto approached Obi-Wan with the news that someone had sent him a message. The Nautolian Jedi handed him a datacard and said, “Your birth family would like to get in touch with you.”

Obi-Wan was speechless as he looked at Master Fisto, then at the small card in his hand, and back at his friend.

“But only if you want to,” Kit continued. “Some masters discourage such a thing, but I can find no harm in it. When was the last time that love ripped a star system apart?” There was a silence as he waited for Obi-Wan to say something. “I’m sorry, I know this catches you by surprise.”

“Oh, I rather enjoy surprises,” said Obi-Wan finally, and not with a little sarcasm. Kit only smiled, patted the Jedi on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Obi-Wan with his own thoughts.

His family. A mother and father. It struck him that he didn’t even know their names, though he’d sometimes dreamt of someone named Owen. They would be in a grassy field, or eating fruit at a table, but Owen’s face was always in shadow, and when he awoke, Obi-Wan would quickly forget the events of these dreams. But now was an opportunity to remove the cloud that veiled his dreams. He could finally put names and faces with these vague memories, and then maybe they could be real memories, instead of fleeting hints of déja vu.

But was reconnecting with them in the best interests of the Order? Would that be considered selfish of him to want to meet them? And would meeting them open up the door to more distractions or potential problems? Obi-Wan sighed. At this point it was too early to tell. Too early for him to start overanalyzing.

With a datapad in-hand, thanks to the Jedi Archives, Obi-Wan retreated to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. A renewed sense of calm washed over him as he entered the grand garden. He wasn’t sure why, but he always felt at home here, at one with himself, the Force, and nature. He began looking for a quiet spot to sit and view the message, and thought to himself that perhaps one day he could have a little patch of dirt to himself and start a garden of his own.

Even though he‘d been here countless times before, the grandeur of the garden left him in awe. All kinds of imported flora lived here, and each in a section that maintained the appropriate level of humidity. Irrigation was provided by the hundreds of waterfalls that gave the garden its name. Every so often hidden sprinklers would turn on over certain parts of the hall to simulate rainfall, and sensors in the walls and floor prevented unwary visitors from getting soaked unintentionally. As he walked, Obi-Wan recalled the fun times he’d had as a youngling and a Padawan when he would come swimming here with his friend Bant Eerin. And he remembered, with a flash of regret, Bruck Chun falling to his death from atop the waterfalls. But as with so many other things in life, Obi-Wan had learned to let go. He seemed to remember a man who once said, “You can’t do anything about last year’s harvest,” but that was faded in his mind.

He found a little nook at the edge of one of the pools, sat down, and inserted the card into his datapad. A holographic figure appeared over the pad. It was a man, perhaps sixty years old, give or take. He wore simple clothes, yet they still appeared well-tailored. Oh, well. It was a hologram, and not a very high-resolution one at that. The figure spoke.

“Hello, there…uh…Master Kenobi.” The man fidgeted nervously and tried to figure out what to say next. He seemed strangely familiar, but didn’t look like anyone Obi-Wan could think of. “You’re not going to remember us. Not very well, anyway. My name is Rhys Kenobi. Obi-Wan, there’s…there’s no easy way to start this off, so I guess I’m just going to dive in. I’m your father.”

Obi-Wan thought he felt his heart stop. Father?

“We know this is probably going to find you when you’re the busiest, but your mother Lynelle and I…we’d like you to know that we’ve been thinking of you these last, oh, thirty years. And…well…we were wondering if you would come and visit us.”

His parents were still alive? He barely even remembered them. In fact, he didn’t even know which planet he was from.

“We live in Hanna City on Chandrila.” Well, that answered that. “We’ve lived here since before you were born. Anyway, I don’t want to waste any more of your time. If you want to meet with us, please send us a message or something. And if you don’t…well, send us a message anyway, just so we know you got this. We’ll understand. We love you, son. You’ve always been our son, even while you were a Jedi, even when you didn’t know who we were. Anyway, we look forward to hearing from you one way or another. Bye, now.” The hologram flickered and disappeared.

Obi-Wan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. His family wanted to meet him? This was such a foreign concept for Jedi, especially one who began at a young age in order to prevent the close bonds that can sometimes hamper the family spirit present within the Order. Obi-Wan could see that for himself with his own Padawan.

But here was a family that wanted to meet him. Just that. They weren’t telling him his old room was ready, just the way it had been. They weren’t asking him to leave the Order and take over the family business, whatever that was. They just wanted to meet their son. No harm in that, right?

Right?

Obi-Wan set the datapad on a nearby rock, pressed the record button, and stood back.

“Well…um…hello, there.“ He paused, not knowing what to say. How did one begin a relationship with a family he never knew?

Simple, he told himself. The same way you begin a relationship with everyone else. Say hello and introduce yourself. Well that made enough sense.

“I’m Obi-Wan.” He let out a deep breath and looked around, not quite sure where to go from here. Just one foot in front of the other, he thought. “Uh, listen, I got your message and I was thinking….”

*****

“…that it would be nice to travel to Chandrila and see my family. My birth family. For the first time. Ever.”

Bail Organa raised his eyebrows and leaned on the arm of the chair in his office. Rain beat on the windows from outside, and his new droid, 68-RKO, stood silently in the corner, observing with shining silver eyes. “Oh, really? How did they find you? Aren’t you supposed to leave them behind when you join the order?”

“Well, yes. As an initiate I’d had a sort of mind wipe, but apparently some memories have stayed with me. I’m fairly certain that I have a brother named Owen, but beyond that, everything is blurry. They found me. They send a message to me at the Jedi Temple. I suppose if you want to find a Jedi, that’s the first logical place to start looking.”

“Good point. But are you allowed to do that?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I consulted with Master Yoda, and as long as I don’t develop an attachment to them, he sees no harm in it. Of course, at my age, it’s not likely you’ll develop the same attachments as a child.”

“Well, good for you. A man’s family is his treasure, his glory. I wish it weren’t so difficult for Breha and me to start a family of our own. I have to admit I’m envious of your parents.”

“Your time will come, Senator. Life is the way of the Force.”

Bail chuckled and extended his hand. “Thank you for bringing me the ‘droid, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan shook his hand and bowed slightly. “If there is anything you need, the Jedi are at your service and that of the Republic.” And with that, he turned and walked back to the waiting speeder, which would then take him to the spaceport, and from there, he would board a ship en route to Chandrila.

*****

*Bing*
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are approaching the Chandrila System, and will be dropping into realspace in the next fifteen minutes or so. If you need anything, please remember our crew is at your disposal.”

Obi-Wan looked at the holoprojector as the captain’s face faded away, and then turned his attention back to a fantastic article in the Corellian Horticultural Digest about orchids and some of the prize-winning creations from around the galaxy. He found it slightly odd that a detective from CorSec was among the top gardeners in the Core and Colonies. Policemen needed a hobby just the same as anyone else did, so why not, he reasoned. Too much focus on ones occupation, especially in the law enforcement business, could drive one mad.

Obi-Wan inserted a datacard into the side of the pad and stored a copy of the article on it. He figured he’d probably want to read something interesting on the way home. The datacard went back in his travel case. He didn’t need much. Toiletries, a few changes of socks and undergarments, a small travel pillow, a datapad with card, and charger for his lightsaber. Yes, the packing list for a Jedi was remarkably short.

He sat on the small bunk and ran through his Jedi calming techniques again. They must have helped, because it seemed to him like only a moment later he felt the ship shudder slightly.

We must have just left hyperspace, he thought.

*Bing*
“Attention, passengers. This is your captain speaking. We are now entering the Chandrila system, and in a few minutes we’ll enter orbit. The planet will be on the port side. Feel free to make your way to any of the observation lounges and enjoy the marvelous view. We will be landing in Hanna City, so we’ll let you know when it’s time to land.”

Obi-Wan didn’t feel like visiting the observation lounge. Lounges, in his experience, often contained people who wanted you for something, and more often than not, that want was driven by selfish ambitions. And since he’d developed something of a habit of cutting the arms off of criminals, and since there were families with younglings on board, he decided to stick to his cabin. Much safer for everyone that way.

The press of a button opened the rather large viewport on the bulkhead, and offered an excellent view of the ship’s port side. Obi-Wan watched with some excitement as the shimmering blue and green planet crept into view. He’d never been sent there on any missions, so this was a first for him. In fact, this whole trip was turning out to be a collection of firsts, and he knew more was to come. As the ship settled into orbit, Obi-Wan was able to get a better view of the planet. What wasn’t varying shades of blue was varying shades of green. There didn’t appear to be any mountains, no arctic areas, no heavy urban centers. What he knew of Chandrila was that they loved peace, nature, and the democratic process. Just the kind of people he knew he could get along with, and it was too bad there weren’t more like them in the Galaxy.

He made his way to the landing bay and boarded a shuttle. The descent planet side was uneventful, thanks to the skill of the pilots and well-maintained gravity compensators. Obi-Wan had packed up his case, fastened it to his belt, and waited rather restlessly for the shuttle to dock. He felt a nervous energy building up in his chest and spreading to his limbs.

Get a hold of yourself, Obi-Wan. You’re a Jedi Knight, not an unschooled Padawan. Now calm down.

Finally the shuttle pilot opened the doors and bid his passengers farewell. Obi-Wan stood and walked down the ramp. The sun greeted him on the way down, and he savored the warmth that washed over him. Fresh, crisp air, free from pollutants and exhaust, filled his lungs. If he remembered correctly, Chandrila was in its late-spring season. Various scents wafted through the air, some fruity, some flowery, none unpleasant.

Outside the shuttle port citizens had planted a large terraced garden which was now full of blooming flowers, all arranged together according to colour. Obi-Wan recognized some of them from the Corellian Horticultural Digest, and others he remembered seeing in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Still others he’d never seen before. A long set of steps took him down from the landing pad through the terraced garden to a walkway which led to an area filled with landspeeders, airspeeders, and taxis, all either waiting for arrivals or dropping off departures.

“Master Kenobi?” a voice asked. Obi-Wan turned around and was greeted by a slight man with sharp features, wearing a chauffeur’s uniform. “Master Kenobi?” he asked again.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Master Kenobi, if you’ll please follow me, I’ll take you to…um, well…Mister Kenobi.” Obi-Wan followed the man to a speeder and climbed in. “Do you have any luggage, sir?”

“Just a small travel pack. I can carry it.” The driver took his place and the speeder pulled away. They hadn’t gotten far when Pol, as he introduced himself, started making small talk.

“So where were you before this? I bet it was somewhere exciting.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. Everyone assumed that a Jedi was always in the midst of a battle, and most would be shocked to discover that a vast majority of a Jedi’s time was spent training, traveling, or mediating disputes. “I was on Alderaan making a delivery. Quite mundane,” he said. Then he remembered the trouble with the pirates. “That is, until we were attacked by Merson pirates.” He suppressed a grin as Pol yipped with excitement.

“What?! Pirates? What happened?” Obi-Wan gave a recounting of the events, and his story was often punctuated with outbursts from Pol, like “And what’d you do then?” and “Oh, man, that must have been crazy!” He found that he quite enjoyed being able to tell a story purely for the enjoyment of another, without every action and reaction being questioned by one of his masters. Pol was just beginning to ask him about his lightsaber when a *ping* rang from the dashboard of the speeder.

“We’re coming up on the Kenobi house, Master Jedi.” The house might have looked small and flat from the street, but from the air one could see that it was also wide and deep. It was the perfect house for a family who wanted a large home without disrupting their neighbours’ views of the rolling hills and forests off in the distance. As they landed in front of the house, Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of a magnificent backyard.

Pol was first to exit the speeder, and led Obi-Wan to the door. Before they could reach the first of a dozen steps leading up to it, the door swung open. Out stepped a man of about sixty-five, average height, with white hair carefully parted and combed back. Obi-Wan instantly recognized him from the hologram, and began up the stairs.

The older man spoke first. “I hope Pol didn’t talk your ear off on the way over here.” Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder to see the chauffer grinning sheepishly. “He’s been asking about you ever since we told him he was going to pick you up at the spaceport.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “He’s fine company. It was refreshing to answer questions from someone so enthusiastic and without ulterior motive.” He reached the front porch, and now he and Rhys stood face to face for the first time in three decades. As he looked into this man’s clear blue eyes, he felt as if he were looking at an older version of himself. Is this man really my father? he wondered. He briefly tried to sense if perhaps this was some elaborate setup, but there was no deception in Rhys or anyone else in the house. They just stood there for a moment, each man trying to sort out thirty years worth of questions, feelings, and memories.

Rhys finally broke the silence. “Well, come on inside. Your mother is preparing a meal. Have you eaten yet?”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t. Food just hadn’t appealed to him on the voyage over from Alderaan. “I’m actually quite hungry.”

“Oh, good,” said Rhys with a laugh. “Lynelle will be thrilled. Now that Owen doesn’t come over as often--”

“Owen?” interrupted Obi-Wan. “Did you say ‘Owen‘?” They stopped walking.

“Yes. Owen is your brother. He lives over in Nayli, not far from here. You sound like you know him.”

“Well, it’s just that I sometimes have dreams.” Obi-Wan immediately felt silly talking about it. “And in these dreams is someone named Owen, but I can never see him. We’re always sitting in this field, but everything else is very vague.”

Rhys thought for a moment. “You boys used to play in a field near the Silver Sea. Lynelle would sometimes take you out there for picnic lunches if it was a nice enough day. Owen is very excited to meet you. You know, he‘s really looked up to you. We all have, I guess. And we‘re glad you‘re here.”

He resumed the journey towards the kitchen, and Obi-Wan fell in step with him. As they walked through the house, Obi-Wan noticed the openness of the design, and the many windows which let in so much natural light. Little bubbling pools here and there not only provided a very soothing sound, but also, when properly illuminated, greatly increased the ambience of the house. The hallway they were passing through looked down below into a large great room, in which sat very comfortable-looking furniture, various pieces of art on the walls, and small trees growing out of the floor.

Rhys noticed the young man admiring the house as they passed through it. “Though you probably don’t remember, you lived in this house. Down there is where we entertain guests. Lynelle sometimes plays the touchboard, if enough people start begging her to.” They stopped and looked over the railing. “Those plants grow right out of the ground. We managed to build the foundation leaving certain parts of the soil exposed, and built the floor around them. So it’s like we have built-in planters in our entertainment room.”

“It’s ingenious,” remarked Obi-Wan. “It’s a refreshing change from a place like Coruscant.”

“Never trust a planet where you can’t put your feet on its soil,” said Rhys, shaking his head. “It’s a shame to populate a planet so heavily that it becomes one big city.” His head suddenly cocked to one side, and Obi-Wan caught a faint whiff of something delicious. “We’d better get to the kitchen before Lynelle closes it on us,” Rhys said with a wink.

Meeting his mother was decidedly less awkward for Obi-Wan than meeting Rhys had been. The diminutive woman with greying hair trotted over and hugged him as if he was their son home from a long trip, instead of their son home for the first time in thirty years.

“Now, let me look at you,” she said, standing back and looking him from head to toe. She beamed as she searched his face, his eyes. She touched his cheek and wiggled his chin. “Such a handsome boy.” For a moment Obi-Wan indeed felt like a boy, as if it was his first day of school. He smiled. It felt easy, natural, to respond to their affection with warmth, and the ease with which he felt those emotions took him slightly off-guard. Something in his conscious told him that what he was doing, what he was feeling, was a violation of the Jedi Code, but Obi-Wan couldn’t find anything inherently wrong with the situation. It’s been thirty years, he remembered. This is a family you’ve never really known. Don’t force emotion.

“I’m so sorry, Lyn--Mother. This is all still a bit…”

“Weird?” suggested Rhys

“Well…yes. Just a little.”

“Don’t worry, darling,” replied his mother. “We understand. It’s weird for us too, but it’s a different kind of weird. You’ve been our son for thirty five years, but we’ve been your family, as far as you know, for five years that you barely remember. It’s perfectly natural, and it just takes time.”

Relief flooded Obi-Wan, and he smiled. “Thank you for understanding.”

“That’s what families do.” She motioned to the food-laden table. “Now, let’s sit down and start in on lunch. Owen called and said he’ll be a few minutes late. He had to pick something up on his way over.”

*****

I hope that doesn't sound too contrived. I've got some cool stuff planned where he meets his brother Owen, so stay tuned. :)