Suddenly Obi-Wan felt crowded under the desk. He needed air and space. Sitting up, he felt better and could actually see the kids in the office. He noticed that some of them had adorned their jumpsuits with brightly colored scraps of fabric. Others wore homemade hats or bandannas on their heads. The group was still talking animatedly. Lost in his observations, Obi-Wan did not see the Vorzydiak girl coming toward him.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” she asked.
Startled, Obi-Wan looked up and quickly pulled his hood over his head to hide the fact that he did not have antennae. Luckily the office building was quite dark.
“I’m not feeling well,” Obi-Wan said, getting slowly to his feet. “I came out here to rest. But I think I should just go home.”
The girl eyed him curiously. “What’s with the funny clothes?” she asked.
Obi-Wan looked down at his Jedi robe. “It’s my new bathrobe. I had to sneak out at the last minute and didn’t have time to change.” He looked at the girl’s plain tunic and hoped that Vorzydiaks had different nightclothes. “Weird, isn’t it?” he added shyly.
“I guess,” the girl replied. Obi-Wan thought she looked a little doubtful, but she smiled casually before he headed down the corridor and out the door.
As he made his way down the steps, he heaved a sigh of relief. So far, so good.
CHAPTER 7
Qui-Gon opened his eyes and sat up in a single fluid movement. The room was dark, but he did not need to look at his timepiece to know that it was very late. He did not need to see the empty couch to know that the room was still empty. Obi-Wan had not returned.
Where is he? Qui-Gon thought in frustration. He should have conferred with me before leaving.
Reaching into his Jedi robe, he found his corn-link and switched it on. He was about to contact his Padawan when something told him not to.
Let the boy do some exploring. He is not a child who needs constant instruction any longer. He may be doing something important. And his investigations may prove fruitful to the mission.
Qui-Gon put his comlink away with a sigh. Again he was bombarded with images of his Padawan - images of a talented, impatient boy becoming a man. They had been through a lot together - revenge, deceit, war, death. And things had not always been smooth between them. They each had a strong will and those wills sometimes clashed. But they had also grown to depend on and trust each other. More than a formidable Jedi team, they loved each other and were true friends.
As he looked around the empty room, Qui-Gon wanted Obi-Wan to stay a young man forever. He did not want him to change, to grow up.
If he does, I will lose him, he thought. Just as I have lost TahL
Qui-Gon was horrified at his own desire - how could he want such a thing? Obi-Wan had his own life to live, his own destiny. It was not Qui-Gon’s place to interfere with or wish it to be any different than it was meant to be.
As he lay back on his sleep couch, guilt and sadness kept him awake. He tried to let the emotions flow out of him.
It was a long time before they finally did.
Qui-Gon was resting peacefully when Obi-Wan returned. As the door slid closed behind his Padawan, Qui-Gon sensed his excitement. Energy sparked from the boy like an electric current. Qui-Gon sat up.
Obi-Wan turned on a soft light and sat down on his sleep couch. “Master,” he said, his eyes shining. “I have news. I have learned many things that will help us in this mission.”
Qui-Gon smiled. Just a year or so ago Obi-Wan would have burst out with whatever news he had like an excited boy. Now he was introducing it in a logical fashion, in spite of his stimulated state.
“Go on,” Qui-Gon prodded gently.
“There are two things,” Obi-Wan explained. “The first is that Vorzydiaks are capable of sharing strong emotional bonds. I saw a young girl with her grandmother, and it was clear from their interaction that they loved each other very much.”
Qui-Gon was glad to hear this news. Somehow it was comforting to know that the Vorzyd 4’s had more emotions than they usually displayed. “And the other piece of information?”
“That is even bigger news,” Obi-Wan said. “Vorzyd 5 is definitely not responsible for the pranks.”
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. “And I assume you are going to tell me who is?” he asked.
Obi-Wan inhaled slightly. “Freelies Vorzydiak kids.”
Qui-Gon was quiet for a moment, letting this information sink in. It changed their mission considerably.
“I followed some kids to a secret meeting and listened from outside the room,” Obi-Wan explained. “If I can pass myself off as a Vorzydiak boy, I can pretend to join the cause and gather all kinds of information about the kids and what they are trying to do. Then we can - “