“Of course,” Qui-Gon added, “you would not have succeeded with your plan. I would have stopped you from dying on me.”
“You would not have been able to, Master” Obi-Wan replied serenely.
The exchanged a look, half-challenge, half-amusement. The Force pulsed between them. Both of them saw ahead to the long years and many missions to come. They knew they would debate this over those years, even as the memory of a planet called Bandomeer had faded. It would be a friendly disagreement between them, a bond of history and trust.
They smiled in recognition. Shared thought was one of the first bonding steps between a Master and Padawan. It let them know they were on a path together.
They would stride toward a future, forged from their shared past.
Qui-Gon put a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and rested it there.
“We’d better go pack,” he said quietly. “We have a long way to go.”