Qui-Gon raced forward when Obi-Wan collapsed for the second time that day, his crazed laughter still echoing in the area. Qui-Gon reached forward to grab the hand that stretched upwards and knelt beside Obi-Wan as his mirth died, his blue-green eyes drifting shut.
Before any words could be exchanged, the young man lapsed into unconsciousness.
"Could visions really upset him like this?"
Qui-Gon looked up at Anakin, who had slid off the sleep couch to stand beside him in the narrow 'fresher unit. His young face wrinkled in a deep frown as he stared down at the Obi-Wan, and he glanced up when he felt Qui-Gon's gaze, the boy's blue eyes bright with concern.
"I wish I could say for certain, Ani," he said before gathering Obi-Wan into his arms and moving him back onto the sleep couch. "His reaction is unlike any I've ever encountered. Yes, Obi-Wan has been disturbed by a vision before, but he's never been…"
"Crazy?" Anakin supplied, raising his eyebrows, and Qui-Gon frowned in response.
"I was going to say hysterical."
"Oh," Anakin said before frowning as well. "Isn't that pretty much the same thing?"
"Not necessarily," Qui-Gon replied, reaching out to brush away the tear trails on Obi-Wan's cheeks.
What did you see, my padawan, that would trouble you so horribly? he thought, part of him clenching in fear. What could make you so frantic?
"What do you think happened? Why didn't he know who you were?" Anakin asked, interrupting his thoughts. Qui-Gon leaned back after sitting down on the chair.
"I'm afraid I only have suspicions, Ani," he said, frowning a little.
"But he said you were dead," Anakin whispered, his eyes going wide. "Do you think he saw your death? Would that upset him like this?"
Qui-Gon paused at that. It fit, in a strange way, and he found himself hoping that Obi-Wan really wouldn't be driven to delirium when it came time for Qui-Gon to die. Everyone died eventually, after all. It was part of living; being a Jedi meant accepting that. It was written right into their Code.
Qui-Gon certainly didn't expect Obi-Wan to be happy in the event of his death; Qui-Gon knew the pain of loss all too well. But there had been something more to Obi-Wan's reaction, something that didn't fit with Anakin's suggestion. Perhaps it was the strength of the shields Obi-Wan had pulled up; perhaps it was the way he had dissolved into that frenzy of confusion.
Something in him has changed. He almost didn't seem like Obi-Wan anymore, he thought, folding his arms over his chest and tapping a finger against his arm slightly.
"Doesn't that scare you at all?" Anakin whispered. Qui-Gon glanced up, thinking for a moment as he worked to remember the question, and he gave the boy a small smile.
"Obi-Wan has had many visions over the years, Ani," he said, watching the boy frown slightly. "And the one thing they've taught me is how mutable the future can be, so you'll have to forgive me when I don't start leaping at shadows."
Anakin laughed a little, though Qui-Gon could sense a shroud of unease clinging to the boy, who continued to watch Obi-Wan.
"What's wrong, Ani?" he asked, tilting his head to one side slightly, and the boy fidgeted a little. "Please don't let this upset you. I'm sure that Obi-Wan is fine, and once he has a chance to recover, he'll be back to normal."
Anakin nodded a little, and though his disquiet lessened, Qui-Gon could tell he was still unnerved by something. Perhaps he somehow sensed that Qui-Gon had doubts about the statement, and knew Qui-Gon said it as much for his own comfort as for Anakin's.
"How about I tell you more about the Jedi as we wait?" Qui-Gon suggested, trying to draw Anakin's attention away from his fear. He knew he'd succeeded when the boy perked up with curiosity. "Was there anything you wanted to ask me? About training, perhaps?"
Anakin shrugged a little. "Not really. I want to know about everything."
"I'm afraid I can only tell you so much, Ani," Qui-Gon began, his tone a touch apologetic, but the boy merely shrugged again.
"Well, I'm not really a Jedi yet, right? So of course there'd be stuff you couldn't share," he said, making Qui-Gon smile slightly
"Then I believe I'll start where I left off, and explain how we identify Jedi," he replied, watching as Anakin settled comfortably on the sleep couch, his face open and earnest as he listened intently. "Now, you see…"
Qui-Gon wasn't sure how much later it was when the door chime sounded, interrupting their conversation. He glanced at his wrist chrono and blinked when he saw a standard hour and a half had passed. Qui-Gon looked up then, flicking the door open with a small wave of his hand.
He blinked inwardly when he saw Padmé standing before them again, a gentle smile on her face.
"Good afternoon, Master Jinn," she said, bowing respectfully. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I thought I should tell you that we'll be adjusting the ship's sleep cycle to match Coruscant's in a few minutes, and that I found a place for Anakin to sleep."
"Thank you, Handmaiden," he said, returning her smile. "You wouldn't happen to know what time it is there, do you?"
"Candidly, no," she said, rather apologetically. "Check at a terminal in a little bit and it should tell you. In the mean time, would you mind if I showed Ani where he'll be sleeping?"
"Go right ahead," Qui-Gon replied, glancing at Anakin, who slid from the sleep couch and took Padmé's outstretched hand.
"I think you'll like it, Ani," she said as they turned to step out into the hall. "It's a comfortable couch in the maintenance bay, with all sorts of droids lying around that you can tinker with if you want to. Artoo is staying there as well, so you'll have some company."
"Wizard," Anakin said, grinning up at her before waving at Qui-Gon. "I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"
Qui-Gon nodded as they disappeared down the hall, and he flicked the door shut.
He rose then, pulling off the cloak he'd been wearing as part of his disguise as a Tatooine moisture farmer, and he folded it up before placing it on his sleep couch. He wanted to change out of the disguise completely, as his Jedi tunics were much more comfortable and didn't scratch at his skin the way these did. He hadn't done so already because he couldn't bring himself to leave Obi-Wan's side until the young man proved he was capable of recognizing his surroundings.
Considering his reaction, I don't think it would be prudent to give him the opportunity to wander off, he thought, grimacing faintly.
The soft rustling of cloth made him turn, and he smiled when he saw Obi-Wan blink his eyes open, allowing them to focus on the cabinets overhead.
"Good afternoon, padawan," Qui-Gon said, sitting back in his chair as Obi-Wan's gaze slowly drifted to him. "Are you feeling better now? Or do you still feel confused?"
Obi-Wan said nothing; he merely stared at Qui-Gon, horror stealing across his features.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked, his smile fading to a frown, and he reached out to touch his apprentice's shoulder.
Obi-Wan jerked away then, his gaze narrowing, and Qui-Gon could sense he'd come to some kind of conclusion.
"Where am I?" he asked quietly, and Qui-Gon sighed a little before humoring him.
"You are on a ship headed for Coruscant," he said, watching as Obi-Wan internalized the words. "We just left Tatooine, where we'd been marooned in our attempt to bring Queen Amidala to safety. Surely you remember this?"
Obi-Wan ignored the question, however, and stood. He watched Qui-Gon for a moment, as though he were waiting for some kind of reproof for the action, his gaze scrutinizing every small movement Qui-Gon made.
When none came, Obi-Wan began drifting around the edges of the room, running his hands along the back wall as he studied his surroundings. His eyes took in every possible detail, and Qui-Gon had a sneaking suspicion that he was searching for weaknesses.
As for why he was doing so, Qui-Gon had no idea.
"I take it this is Vader's ship then? Did he bring me here?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to face Qui-Gon, folding his arms over his chest. His tone was as hard as durasteel, and Qui-Gon drew back at the frosty expression on his apprentice's face. "I'm not going to tell you anything, you know, so you might as well kill me. I'm not going to betray what's left of the Jedi."
Qui-Gon froze at that, unable to understand Obi-Wan's meaning. "Who is Vader?" he asked. "And what do you mean, betray what's left of the Jedi? Nothing has happened to them, to us."
Obi-Wan favored him with a tight-lipped smile, the young man's face darkening with the expression. "I suppose I ought to congratulate you on your impersonation," Obi-Wan replied, and Qui-Gon blinked. "How much did they pay you to completely change your face? It would fool anyone who knew Qui-Gon well, if they weren't Force-sensitive. You even have his voice right."
"Obi-Wan, what are you talking about?" Qui-Gon asked, dumbfounded. "What makes you think I'm not myself?"
"Or are you a clone? I suppose that would be possible, as Vader did have access to the technology," Obi-Wan continued, ignoring Qui-Gon's questions. "What are your orders? Did Vader actually think I'd fall for this? Did he think I would spill Jedi secrets to my former Master?"
Qui-Gon began shaking his head, unsure of how to answer.
"You think you're some kind of prisoner?" he asked at last, watching Obi-Wan settle himself, the Force coiling around him tightly.
"I thought so, though I'm not sure what kind of captors would give their prisoner a lightsaber, especially if he were a Jedi," Obi-Wan said, pulling the weapon from his side. "Do tell Vader that he's done a wonderful job on his research for once. He remembered I lost this lightsaber years ago and had a replica made to complete the illusion."
Obi-Wan met Qui-Gon's gaze, his blue-green eyes piercing. "But I doubt it works."
"Obi-Wan, of course it works," Qui-Gon said, watching the young man turn the hilt over and over. "What would make you think you'd lost it?"
"I haven't lost it yet at this point in time, so you wouldn't know anything about it," Obi-Wan said, his fingers drifting over the cool metal of the weapon. "They must've found a way to give you most of Qui-Gon's memories."
Qui-Gon gave a small frown of impatience, but it vanished when Obi-Wan looked down into the blade-end of his lightsaber.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, grabbing Obi-Wan's wrist and yanking the weapon away from his face. "You should know not to do that!"
Obi-Wan merely raised an eyebrow, his gaze otherwise blank. "Am I allowed to test it? Would you have a problem if I did?"
"So long as you don't start cutting through walls, you may do so," Qui-Gon said warily, letting go of Obi-Wan's wrist and stepping back to give him space. "Remember we're on a ship, and I doubt you want to be responsible for killing us all by puncturing the hull."
Obi-Wan raised both eyebrows at that before thumbing the on-switch, and Qui-Gon started when the bright azure blade shot forth.
Obi-Wan's brow knit as he tested the weapon, waving it back and forth carefully. He gripped the hilt with both hands, spinning as best he could in the limited area with a grace that made Qui-Gon blink inwardly. He knew his apprentice's fighting style, and the form before him lacked the subdued choppiness it normally held.
Obi-Wan gasped then, the weapon falling from his fingers and deactivating just before it clattered against the floor. Qui-Gon frowned faintly, reaching out to touch the young man's shoulder in concern, but Obi-Wan jerked away, staring at him.
"That's impossible," Obi-Wan whispered, his mask slipping slightly to reveal a flicker of alarm.
"What's impossible?" Qui-Gon asked, retrieving the dropped weapon, and Obi-Wan shook his head slightly, shadows flickering in his eyes.
"I don't know how, but that is the lightsaber I lost, right down to the slight imbalance I couldn't seem to fix. There are no technical drawings for it; even if Vader somehow managed to get an image of that weapon, he wouldn't have been able to duplicate that," Obi-Wan said, his voice uneven, a small shiver shaking his frame.
"Obi-Wan, stop this," Qui-Gon said, taking a step forward and frowning when his apprentice took a step back, drawing himself up. "You had a vision of some sort just as we left Tatooine, and collapsed. You've been unconscious for the past few hours."
Obi-Wan remained silent at the words, his lips tightening as he considered them. Qui-Gon could sense him reaching gently with the Force, internalizing their meaning.
Obi-Wan sank to the floor as shock dawned across his features.
"You aren't lying," he whispered, staring straight ahead, and Qui-Gon moved to sit before him, holding out the dropped lightsaber.
"Do you want further proof, padawan?" Qui-Gon asked, tapping at Obi-Wan's shields through the bond. The young man looked up at him in response, startled. "You know my Force-presence. Examine it. Stretch out through the training bond. Use your feelings, Obi-Wan."
He clasped Obi-Wan's shoulder then, meeting his apprentice's stunned gaze. "This is your reality, padawan. Prove it to yourself if you must."
Obi-Wan shut his eyes then, and Qui-Con could feel him probing tentatively along the edges of their bond. He shut his eyes as well, lowering as many shields as possible and letting himself drift through their link. He was dimly aware of Obi-Wan's gasp when they touched mentally, and he felt something shift in his apprentice.
-You are Qui-Gon,- came the weak thought, and it strengthened the tattered bond. –You are my Master.-
-I am,- he replied before drawing back and opening his eyes. He found Obi-Wan staring at him, his mouth hanging open in disbelief, and Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows when Obi-Wan reached up to touch a lock of his hair.
"Believe me now?" he asked, and Obi-Wan drew back before nodding once, though his gaze remained distant. Qui-Gon sighed a little, but drew back as well, watching his apprentice carefully.
"It's still impossible," he heard Obi-Wan whisper, and Qui-Gon watched as the young man's form began trembling.
Obi-Wan was fighting something; Qui-Gon could see it on his face. The mask was cracking steadily as tears welled in his eyes and he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
"Padawan?" Qui-Gon whispered, hesitant to touch Obi-Wan, considering his previous reactions.
"This can't be…" Obi-Wan whispered, shuddering. "I failed; I fell. I wasn't… and everyone…"
Qui-Gon watched, greatly alarmed as Obi-Wan choked on a sob, curling himself into a ball as tears leaked down his cheeks. Grief wailed through the bond, seeping out from behind even the toughest of shields, and it made Qui-Gon's heart ache painfully.
"Obi-Wan, what happened?" he asked quietly as he wrapped his arms around his apprentice. "What could you possibly have seen to make you this upset?"
Qui-Gon received no response, and he fell silent, letting Obi-Wan shiver and weep as emotions poured out of him. Qui-Gon had no choice but to weather the storm, making the sorrow, horror, and a deep wound of betrayal that passed through the bond diffuse quietly into the Force.
"I failed," Obi-Wan forced out, clinging to Qui-Gon, who could sense that he was calling on the Force to help take away some of the pain. "I failed."
"What do you mean?" Qui-Gon asked, resting his chin on Obi-Wan's fuzzy head. "How did you fail?"
I lost everything, came the unshielded thought, though Qui-Gon had a feeling he wasn't supposed to hear. I was betrayed by someone I once trusted with my life…
"What?" Qui-Gon whispered, freezing, his eyes going wide, and he was hit with an image of Obi-Wan kneeling before a young man, who held a blue lightsaber at his throat.
What is this?
Smoke curled around them, the young man's sneer sending chills racing down Qui-Gon's spine. He could feel the sickening pain that welled in Obi-Wan, his heart heavy with anguish as he stared up at the young man, his blue-green eyes begging the other not to act.
Qui-Gon's fingers dug into the coarse fabric of Obi-Wan's robe as the image faded, and he tightened his grip on his apprentice, shutting his eyes.
"My poor Obi-Wan…" he whispered, reaching out through the bond to try and help disperse the suffering he could feel. "How could visions do this to you? How could you think they were real?"
-…Master?- came the tentative thought, Obi-Wan shuddering against him.
"I'm here, padawan," he said softly, emphasizing his words vocally as well as through the bond. "It's all right."
Obi-Wan drew back at that, shuddering and wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands, though his tears had stopped falling. His gaze trained on the floor as he strove to quiet himself completely, and Qui-Gon let his hands drop to his lap as he tilted his head slightly to one side.
"Are you feeling any better?" he asked and watched Obi-Wan nod once.
"I'm sorry I was unable to control myself," Obi-Wan said softly, shifting away even further before Qui-Gon could stop him. Their bond, which had been one of the strongest, brightest links in the entire Order, now lay shrouded in darkness, choked by the amount of shields Obi-Wan had tossed up around himself.
"It's all right," Qui-Gon said quietly, sitting back and giving Obi-Wan a moment to collect himself as he pondered a way to reopen things between them. What had happened to the strength in the trust they'd shared?
"Do you want to tell me what you saw?" he asked after a moment, and Obi-Wan's gaze flicked up to him silently. "What did you see that would make you so upset?"
Obi-Wan didn't answer for a while, and Qui-Gon sat patiently, returning the uncharacteristically cool gaze he received. He could sense Obi-Wan thinking, considering something.
When he finally spoke, the words made Qui-Gon's mouth fall open.
"Master," Obi-Wan said, looking away, "I'd like to meditate on this first, to see if I can put it away without bothering you."
"You're joking," Qui-Gon replied, his eyes widening. "Obi-Wan, you just collapsed twice from whatever this is, and you were absolutely panicked the first time you awoke."
The young man gave no reaction and Qui-Gon leaned forward slightly. "You are my apprentice and it is my job to guide you when I feel you are incapable of doing so yourself. I am helping, Obi-Wan, whether you like it or not."
"Then if I collapse a third time, I will have no excuse," Obi-Wan replied easily, his tone holding none of the heat Qui-Gon would've expected, and it made him stare. What had happened to the recklessness and the carefully controlled temper that Obi-Wan would normally display?
In fact, part of Qui-Gon mused, he sounded as calm as a Council Master when mediating an argument.
"Master, I just want to try and recover my equilibrium on my own," Obi-Wan said, making him start a little. "If I am unable to work through it without help, I will let you know."
Qui-Gon clenched his jaw, shifting a little as Obi-Wan watched him silently.
"You did say I was ready for the trials, Master," Obi-Wan said then. "Will you be able to help me when I'm a Knight?"
Qui-Gon frowned at that. "I don't recall telling you that," he said, but Obi-Wan remained unruffled.
"You've thought it though, I'm sure," his apprentice said smoothly, and Qui-Gon's frown deepened when he couldn't deny it. "At least let me try once on my own?"
Qui-Gon heaved a deep breath, trying to purge himself of the frustration that began to well up inside him, but the door opened before he could respond.
"…and that's when… oh! You're awake!"
Qui-Gon turned to see Anakin and Padmé standing in the doorway, their attention jumping instantly to Obi-Wan.
"How are you feeling, Padawan Kenobi?" Padmé asked, smiling at him, and Qui-Gon could see that he'd frozen. "You gave everyone quite a scare when you fell unconscious earlier. We were afraid that the assassin who attacked us had done something."
"I'm all right now," he said quietly, and Qui-Gon frowned a little as he watched Obi-Wan bow his head. "Forgive me for causing any trouble."
"It's all right," Padmé said, though her smile seemed to falter with her confusion, and she turned to Anakin. "I'm afraid the queen can't spare me for much longer, Ani. Shall I see you with the others for evening meal?"
"Yeah!" the boy replied enthusiastically, and grinned as she bowed to them and left.
"So what happened?" Anakin asked once the door had slid shut and both turned to find Obi-Wan kneeling in the corner, his eyes shut. Qui-Gon frowned in frustration, half tempted to yank on his padawan's braid, but it was rude to startle someone out of meditation.
He knows this, Qui-Gon thought with a flash of irritation. That's why he started before I could pester him further.
"What's he doing?" Anakin whispered, watching Obi-Wan with a faint frown, and Qui-Gon sighed.
"He's meditating to recover his balance, so to speak," he replied, standing. "Those visions seem to have thrown off every sense of reality he had, so he's working through what was shown to him in an order to return to normal."
"Oh," Anakin said, blinking in slight surprise. "So he's okay, then?"
"I certainly hope so," Qui-Gon muttered, starting for the 'fresher. "I'm going to clean up, Ani. Do you mind keeping an eye on Obi-Wan? If he collapses again, yell for me."
"Will do."
Qui-Gon sighed again as he gathered a change of clothes and palmed the door open. It seemed he was going to have to wait for Obi-Wan to finish whatever he was doing before he would get any answers out of the young man, but that didn't bother him as much, considering the other events of the day. Obi-Wan's reaction was Qui-Gon's main cause for concern, and he just couldn't begin to imagine what would make Obi-Wan so distrustful.
And who is this Vader he spoke of? he thought as the door slid shut behind him. He knew no one by that name and the way Obi-Wan had said it, it sounded as if the person was an enemy.
"Be patient," he told himself. Only Obi-Wan could answer his questions, so he'd wait until his padawan decided to come out of meditation.
Then he'd start asking until everything began to make sense.