One Path Chapter 2-The Voice in the Storm
Title: The Voice in the Storm
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: I am a Jedi he told himself again. I cannot be anything else.
Rating: G
Length: Around 2500 words
Category: Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 2. Set during TPM, after Queen Amidala's transport lands on Tatooine.
The Voice in the Storm
The room was hot, stifling, and it seemed to grow more so as Sio Bibble's garbled voice cracked over the comlink. Padme closed her eyes, her jaw tightening involuntarily as the recording of the transmission from home finished.
"...cut off all our food supplies until you return...death toll rising, catastrophic...must bow to their wishes, Your Highness…Please, I beg of you, tell us what to do! If you can hear me, Your Highness, you must contact me…
She had woken to find Qui-Gon watching Anakin sleep. She joined him, wondering what it was that the Jedi seemed to find so compelling about the boy. He was sweet, and he had definitely inspired her compassion, but she suspected that the Jedi saw something in him that she did not. She didn't ask, though, realizing that she probably wouldn't receive an answer that made sense.
Finally, the two had walked back to the small kitchen table and sat down, talking in quiet voices. Mostly, Padme asked questions about Tatooine and the Outer Rim. For all her education, it seemed that she knew very little about this region of the galaxy. At the moment, Qui-Gon was her most reliable source of information. The conversation slowly turned to what might happen when they reached Coruscant. She wasn't quite sure why she nudged the topic in that direction, since she realized that she would have to be very careful in what she said, but Qui-Gon appeared to realize that she was deeply concerned over the plight of her planet, whether he understood her reasons or not.
The Jedi Master seemed slightly surprised when she asked him if there had been any word from Naboo, but commendably he did not pretend that he had no means of contacting the ship. Padme knew there must be some method, whether technological or by some Jedi skill. She had carefully watched Qui-Gon Jinn and knew that he was experienced and intelligent enough to make certain he would know if the Queen was in any unexpected danger. She pressed him further, hoping only for information, and finally he admitted that he had spoken to his pupil Obi Wan over a comlink. Still, he was rather surprised by her request to use it to speak to the queen.
She tensed, expecting an argument. She knew that if the Jedi said no, she had no means of requiring him to obey unless she revealed herself, but he acquiesced with an air of compassion that made her wonder if he had sensed her worry. Then he discreetly rose from the table and left to give her privacy.
Sabe was in her quarters at the time, and one of the handmaidens aboard the ship had apparently reported a short time before that she had asked not to be disturbed. Believing Sabe to be Queen Amidala, of course, Obi Wan had respected her request and routed the recording from the queen's quarters to the cockpit where he was on watch.
Padme was silent for several seconds after it finished playing, but finally forced herself to ask, "Was a reply sent?"
"No," the Padawan replied, his voice just a bit too certain to be convincing. "The message was a trick. I told the queen not to answer."
She smiled a little, well used to the necessity of having to sound positive of something despite her private doubts. "You were probably right," she allowed sadly.
"Are you all right, Padme?" he asked.
"What?" her eyes widened. She'd expected him to end the conversation with some polite excuse, or at least to try to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about.
"I don't need the Force to tell me that the message upset you," Obi Wan told her gently.
"There's nothing we can do, nothing to be gained by…"
"That doesn't have to mean it's…easy…does it?" he asked, his tone suddenly awkward.
"No," she smiled. "Thank you, Obi Wan."
"You're welcome. Good night," he said softly.
"Wait--" she began as she realized that he was about to end the transmission. Then she bit her lip. "Could I…call you tomorrow?"
He hesitated briefly, and she felt her chest begin to tighten. Then he answered, "You'd--have to ask my Master--but I'm sure he'd allow it."
"All right," she agreed. "Good night, Obi Wan."
***
Obi Wan found himself waiting eagerly for Padme's call. He told himself that he was simply bored and eager for news, but when the comlink sounded that afternoon, he all but tore it off his belt. As soon as he answered though, he realized that it was Qui-Gon who had initiated the contact. Valiantly trying to curb his disappointment, he listened as his Master explained what was going on.
He was silent for a long moment, both considering the situation and hoping to keep his Master from detecting any hint of his emotional state. Part of him desperately wanted to ask for the elder Jedi's counsel, but he knew that his was not the appropriate time. Finally, he gathered his wits and courage to venture a question.
"What if this plan fails, Master? We could be stuck here for a long time," he pointed out.
"A ship without a power supply will not get us anywhere. We have no choice," Qui-Gon replied. Then he paused for a moment before adding, "Obi Wan, something is bothering you."
"Yes, Master," he admitted, letting out a breath of relief.
"I can't talk now. Remember what I told you. Something is amiss here. You must be very cautious. Guard your feelings, my young apprentice. We will talk more when I return to the ship," Qui-Gon promised.
"Yes, Master," Obi Wan said again. Qui-Gon clicked off the comlink and the Padawan slumped in his chair, covering his face with his hands. He massaged his eyes wearily with his fingertips and wondered how exactly this had happened to him. He needed to meditate, he decided. He needed to clear his mind of distraction--clear his thoughts of Padme Naberrie.
It was late the next night by the time she contacted the ship, and he had been unable to meditate. He tried to center himself and focus on the flow the Force, but his thoughts returned again and again to the queen's handmaiden. She couldn't have been much older than Amidala, and even if that was not a problem, he had chosen the way of the Jedi. Yet he couldn't deny that he'd been glad to hear a smile in her voice at the end of their conversation the night before.
When her call came, though, he blinked in surprise at the anger he both heard and sensed. Apparently, his Master had not wanted to give her the comlink. There had been a disagreement between them, and Qui-Gon's typically irreverent response to the authority of her queen had put her off. Tensions had been heightened later when the Jedi had brought the conversation up again, reminding her that "the queen did not need to know" before he would consent to let her contact the ship. She tore into Obi Wan now, furious with Qui-Gon for agreeing to gamble on a Podrace, for putting their fates in the hands of a nine year old boy that they hardly knew. He let her talk, knowing better than to argue back or try to appease her.
"I don't approve of what your Master's doing, and neither will the queen!" she declared.
"He gets that a lot, actually," Obi Wan remarked mildly.
"Well, maybe he should stop doing such reckless and irresponsible things!" she snapped.
"He gets that too," smiled Obi Wan.
"You Jedi!" Padme muttered, and he could almost see her shaking her head in disgust.
"We get that too," he told her, allowing a hint of mischief to color his tone.
She gasped in outrage. "Are you trying to be smart?"
"Yes," he nodded, grinning.
She paused for a moment, then both burst out laughing. Obi Wan leaned back in the chair, still smiling as their laughter faded, but he felt her suddenly withdraw and frowned. She murmured something he couldn't hear, and when she came back, her voice was low and apprehensive.
"I should go," she whispered.
"Why?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Qui-Gon wants to know what's so funny. I--sort of told him that I was calling to report to the queen."
"You what?" Obi Wan's mouth popped open, and he stifled another laugh.
"Well, I couldn't say I wanted to talk to you," she said.
He rubbed his forehead. "Padme, even if Jedi wear robes they can't be mistaken for queens, I'm afraid."
"Huh…?" she asked in sudden confusion.
Obi Wan blinked, abruptly realizing how bad the joke had been. He felt his face redden and cleared his throat. "Uh--never mind."
"Right. Here comes Qui-Gon again, I've got to give the comlink back anyway," she told him.
"Oh. Right," he coughed. "Good night."
"Good night," she said as the transmission ended.
Obi Wan sighed, propping an elbow on the console in front of him. Leaning forward to cover his face with his hand, he let out a long breath. Of all the things in the galaxy for him to say, how had he managed to come up with something so ridiculous? He felt his cheeks grow warm all over again, and wished there was a convenient hole to crawl into.
Then he wondered at his own embarrassment. He slowly sat back, letting his eyes close. The attraction he'd felt to her when he'd first seen her was bad enough, but now he was making an idiot of himself.
A few minutes later, the comlink beeped again, and he picked it up, sure that Qui-Gon must have sensed Padme's deception. He felt a moment's trepidation, but his own confusion overpowered any fear of reprimand.
I'm a Jedi, he told himself, shaking his head. I can't be anything else…
"Yes, Master?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm transmitting a blood sample. Run a midi-chlorian test on it," Qui-Gon instructed.
Holding back a disappointed sigh, Obi Wan did as the elder asked, then blinked in surprise at the results. "Master, there must be something wrong with the sample," he said.
"What do the readings say, Obi Wan?" Qui-Gon asked in a hushed tone.
"They say the midi-chlorian count is twenty thousand. No one has a count that high. Not even Master Yoda," Obi Wan reminded his teacher.
Qui-Gon said nothing for a long moment, then replied only, "Good night, Obi Wan."
The Padawan let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. What was it about this boy that demanded so much of his Master's attention now? He respected Qui-Gon greatly, but at times he felt his teacher was what Padme had accused him of being--reckless, tending to be so caught in the immediate that it blinded him to the larger picture. At the moment, he knew that his feelings for Padme, either directly or because of his preoccupation with the implications they held for him, were affecting him in much the same way. He was not without his own experience in the ways of the Force, and Qui-Gon had trained him well, but he felt a growing need for the advice of another, older, more objective Jedi.
He replayed his introduction to Padme in his mind, mystified by his own behavior. He had felt the Force draw him toward her instead of leading him back to the cockpit where his Master had been. Still, he had let himself become distracted. The fact that the hyperdrive generator had been so badly damaged was important; helping with the cleaning of an R2 unit was not. Yet, in the end, Qui-Gon had appeared, and had wanted to take Artoo with him into Mos Espa. In one way or another, the needs of the moment had been served by Obi Wan's actions. Could he have actually been where the Force required him to be despite his preoccupation with Padme? He wasn't sure. He did know, however, that the Jedi Order forbade attachment, especially of the nature he recognized that he was developing for this girl.
I am a Jedi, he told himself again. I cannot be anything else.
***
She lied to Qui-Gon again in the morning, telling him that the queen had asked for a final report. He fixed a long look on her, and she felt a quaver of uncertainty before he finally gave her the comlink. She had to wonder why it seemed so easy to deceive him. From what she knew of the Jedi, they relied heavily on their ability to sense emotions and discern truth from lies. However, she had managed to conceal her identity both from him and his student, so perhaps the Jedi weren't as all-knowing as they appeared. At the moment, Qui-Gon seemed to notice nothing amiss, and Padme quickly forgot her concerns when she heard the weariness in Obi Wan's voice.
"Are you all right?" she frowned.
"Huh?" he yawned distractedly. "Oh--yes, I'm fine."
"You sound tired or something," she told him.
"Didn't sleep much," he explained dismissively.
"Me neither," she confessed.
"Really?" his tone brightened a bit. "I mean--um--"
"Obi Wan, I'm afraid for my people. If we don't get back to Naboo soon…"
"It'll be all right," he promised, suddenly becoming serious. "We'll get there."
"I'm not so sure," she said.
"The Force led us here; it will get us back to help your people," he assured her.
"I don't--know if I believe that. I don't know the Force the way you Jedi seem to," she said.
"Then trust me," he replied.
"You?" she swallowed.
"I've spent my life learning the ways of the Force, Padme. Believe me when I tell you I've seen more impossible situations than this turn out as I needed them to," Obi Wan told her.
"Is…that why Qui-Gon's so confident?" she asked, frowning.
"Partially. He thinks there could be something special about this boy…Anakin?" he inquired.
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "You don't sound convinced."
"I haven't met him yet," Obi Wan said.
"Well, he's certainly precocious. And, you know, it's funny, but I think he has a crush on me," Padme confessed with a an embarrassed chuckle.
"I don't blame him," Obi Wan replied so quickly that she almost thought he meant it.
"Stop it, I'm serious! He told me he was going to marry me!" she laughed.
Obi Wan didn't reply for so long that Padme started to wonder if the com signal had died. When he did speak, his voice seemed suddenly strained and awkward. "Well, that's a rather strange thing for--a little boy to say."
"That's what I thought," she agreed, wondering vaguely what his problem was. "It was so odd--almost eerie--oh, here comes Qui-Gon again, I've got to go. I'll talk to you when I get back to the ship…Your Highness."
"I'll be here," Obi Wan said with a laugh.
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: I am a Jedi he told himself again. I cannot be anything else.
Rating: G
Length: Around 2500 words
Category: Romance
Pairings/Charaters: Obidala
A/N: One Path Chapter 2. Set during TPM, after Queen Amidala's transport lands on Tatooine.
The Voice in the Storm
The room was hot, stifling, and it seemed to grow more so as Sio Bibble's garbled voice cracked over the comlink. Padme closed her eyes, her jaw tightening involuntarily as the recording of the transmission from home finished.
"...cut off all our food supplies until you return...death toll rising, catastrophic...must bow to their wishes, Your Highness…Please, I beg of you, tell us what to do! If you can hear me, Your Highness, you must contact me…
She had woken to find Qui-Gon watching Anakin sleep. She joined him, wondering what it was that the Jedi seemed to find so compelling about the boy. He was sweet, and he had definitely inspired her compassion, but she suspected that the Jedi saw something in him that she did not. She didn't ask, though, realizing that she probably wouldn't receive an answer that made sense.
Finally, the two had walked back to the small kitchen table and sat down, talking in quiet voices. Mostly, Padme asked questions about Tatooine and the Outer Rim. For all her education, it seemed that she knew very little about this region of the galaxy. At the moment, Qui-Gon was her most reliable source of information. The conversation slowly turned to what might happen when they reached Coruscant. She wasn't quite sure why she nudged the topic in that direction, since she realized that she would have to be very careful in what she said, but Qui-Gon appeared to realize that she was deeply concerned over the plight of her planet, whether he understood her reasons or not.
The Jedi Master seemed slightly surprised when she asked him if there had been any word from Naboo, but commendably he did not pretend that he had no means of contacting the ship. Padme knew there must be some method, whether technological or by some Jedi skill. She had carefully watched Qui-Gon Jinn and knew that he was experienced and intelligent enough to make certain he would know if the Queen was in any unexpected danger. She pressed him further, hoping only for information, and finally he admitted that he had spoken to his pupil Obi Wan over a comlink. Still, he was rather surprised by her request to use it to speak to the queen.
She tensed, expecting an argument. She knew that if the Jedi said no, she had no means of requiring him to obey unless she revealed herself, but he acquiesced with an air of compassion that made her wonder if he had sensed her worry. Then he discreetly rose from the table and left to give her privacy.
Sabe was in her quarters at the time, and one of the handmaidens aboard the ship had apparently reported a short time before that she had asked not to be disturbed. Believing Sabe to be Queen Amidala, of course, Obi Wan had respected her request and routed the recording from the queen's quarters to the cockpit where he was on watch.
Padme was silent for several seconds after it finished playing, but finally forced herself to ask, "Was a reply sent?"
"No," the Padawan replied, his voice just a bit too certain to be convincing. "The message was a trick. I told the queen not to answer."
She smiled a little, well used to the necessity of having to sound positive of something despite her private doubts. "You were probably right," she allowed sadly.
"Are you all right, Padme?" he asked.
"What?" her eyes widened. She'd expected him to end the conversation with some polite excuse, or at least to try to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about.
"I don't need the Force to tell me that the message upset you," Obi Wan told her gently.
"There's nothing we can do, nothing to be gained by…"
"That doesn't have to mean it's…easy…does it?" he asked, his tone suddenly awkward.
"No," she smiled. "Thank you, Obi Wan."
"You're welcome. Good night," he said softly.
"Wait--" she began as she realized that he was about to end the transmission. Then she bit her lip. "Could I…call you tomorrow?"
He hesitated briefly, and she felt her chest begin to tighten. Then he answered, "You'd--have to ask my Master--but I'm sure he'd allow it."
"All right," she agreed. "Good night, Obi Wan."
***
Obi Wan found himself waiting eagerly for Padme's call. He told himself that he was simply bored and eager for news, but when the comlink sounded that afternoon, he all but tore it off his belt. As soon as he answered though, he realized that it was Qui-Gon who had initiated the contact. Valiantly trying to curb his disappointment, he listened as his Master explained what was going on.
He was silent for a long moment, both considering the situation and hoping to keep his Master from detecting any hint of his emotional state. Part of him desperately wanted to ask for the elder Jedi's counsel, but he knew that his was not the appropriate time. Finally, he gathered his wits and courage to venture a question.
"What if this plan fails, Master? We could be stuck here for a long time," he pointed out.
"A ship without a power supply will not get us anywhere. We have no choice," Qui-Gon replied. Then he paused for a moment before adding, "Obi Wan, something is bothering you."
"Yes, Master," he admitted, letting out a breath of relief.
"I can't talk now. Remember what I told you. Something is amiss here. You must be very cautious. Guard your feelings, my young apprentice. We will talk more when I return to the ship," Qui-Gon promised.
"Yes, Master," Obi Wan said again. Qui-Gon clicked off the comlink and the Padawan slumped in his chair, covering his face with his hands. He massaged his eyes wearily with his fingertips and wondered how exactly this had happened to him. He needed to meditate, he decided. He needed to clear his mind of distraction--clear his thoughts of Padme Naberrie.
It was late the next night by the time she contacted the ship, and he had been unable to meditate. He tried to center himself and focus on the flow the Force, but his thoughts returned again and again to the queen's handmaiden. She couldn't have been much older than Amidala, and even if that was not a problem, he had chosen the way of the Jedi. Yet he couldn't deny that he'd been glad to hear a smile in her voice at the end of their conversation the night before.
When her call came, though, he blinked in surprise at the anger he both heard and sensed. Apparently, his Master had not wanted to give her the comlink. There had been a disagreement between them, and Qui-Gon's typically irreverent response to the authority of her queen had put her off. Tensions had been heightened later when the Jedi had brought the conversation up again, reminding her that "the queen did not need to know" before he would consent to let her contact the ship. She tore into Obi Wan now, furious with Qui-Gon for agreeing to gamble on a Podrace, for putting their fates in the hands of a nine year old boy that they hardly knew. He let her talk, knowing better than to argue back or try to appease her.
"I don't approve of what your Master's doing, and neither will the queen!" she declared.
"He gets that a lot, actually," Obi Wan remarked mildly.
"Well, maybe he should stop doing such reckless and irresponsible things!" she snapped.
"He gets that too," smiled Obi Wan.
"You Jedi!" Padme muttered, and he could almost see her shaking her head in disgust.
"We get that too," he told her, allowing a hint of mischief to color his tone.
She gasped in outrage. "Are you trying to be smart?"
"Yes," he nodded, grinning.
She paused for a moment, then both burst out laughing. Obi Wan leaned back in the chair, still smiling as their laughter faded, but he felt her suddenly withdraw and frowned. She murmured something he couldn't hear, and when she came back, her voice was low and apprehensive.
"I should go," she whispered.
"Why?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Qui-Gon wants to know what's so funny. I--sort of told him that I was calling to report to the queen."
"You what?" Obi Wan's mouth popped open, and he stifled another laugh.
"Well, I couldn't say I wanted to talk to you," she said.
He rubbed his forehead. "Padme, even if Jedi wear robes they can't be mistaken for queens, I'm afraid."
"Huh…?" she asked in sudden confusion.
Obi Wan blinked, abruptly realizing how bad the joke had been. He felt his face redden and cleared his throat. "Uh--never mind."
"Right. Here comes Qui-Gon again, I've got to give the comlink back anyway," she told him.
"Oh. Right," he coughed. "Good night."
"Good night," she said as the transmission ended.
Obi Wan sighed, propping an elbow on the console in front of him. Leaning forward to cover his face with his hand, he let out a long breath. Of all the things in the galaxy for him to say, how had he managed to come up with something so ridiculous? He felt his cheeks grow warm all over again, and wished there was a convenient hole to crawl into.
Then he wondered at his own embarrassment. He slowly sat back, letting his eyes close. The attraction he'd felt to her when he'd first seen her was bad enough, but now he was making an idiot of himself.
A few minutes later, the comlink beeped again, and he picked it up, sure that Qui-Gon must have sensed Padme's deception. He felt a moment's trepidation, but his own confusion overpowered any fear of reprimand.
I'm a Jedi, he told himself, shaking his head. I can't be anything else…
"Yes, Master?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm transmitting a blood sample. Run a midi-chlorian test on it," Qui-Gon instructed.
Holding back a disappointed sigh, Obi Wan did as the elder asked, then blinked in surprise at the results. "Master, there must be something wrong with the sample," he said.
"What do the readings say, Obi Wan?" Qui-Gon asked in a hushed tone.
"They say the midi-chlorian count is twenty thousand. No one has a count that high. Not even Master Yoda," Obi Wan reminded his teacher.
Qui-Gon said nothing for a long moment, then replied only, "Good night, Obi Wan."
The Padawan let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. What was it about this boy that demanded so much of his Master's attention now? He respected Qui-Gon greatly, but at times he felt his teacher was what Padme had accused him of being--reckless, tending to be so caught in the immediate that it blinded him to the larger picture. At the moment, he knew that his feelings for Padme, either directly or because of his preoccupation with the implications they held for him, were affecting him in much the same way. He was not without his own experience in the ways of the Force, and Qui-Gon had trained him well, but he felt a growing need for the advice of another, older, more objective Jedi.
He replayed his introduction to Padme in his mind, mystified by his own behavior. He had felt the Force draw him toward her instead of leading him back to the cockpit where his Master had been. Still, he had let himself become distracted. The fact that the hyperdrive generator had been so badly damaged was important; helping with the cleaning of an R2 unit was not. Yet, in the end, Qui-Gon had appeared, and had wanted to take Artoo with him into Mos Espa. In one way or another, the needs of the moment had been served by Obi Wan's actions. Could he have actually been where the Force required him to be despite his preoccupation with Padme? He wasn't sure. He did know, however, that the Jedi Order forbade attachment, especially of the nature he recognized that he was developing for this girl.
I am a Jedi, he told himself again. I cannot be anything else.
***
She lied to Qui-Gon again in the morning, telling him that the queen had asked for a final report. He fixed a long look on her, and she felt a quaver of uncertainty before he finally gave her the comlink. She had to wonder why it seemed so easy to deceive him. From what she knew of the Jedi, they relied heavily on their ability to sense emotions and discern truth from lies. However, she had managed to conceal her identity both from him and his student, so perhaps the Jedi weren't as all-knowing as they appeared. At the moment, Qui-Gon seemed to notice nothing amiss, and Padme quickly forgot her concerns when she heard the weariness in Obi Wan's voice.
"Are you all right?" she frowned.
"Huh?" he yawned distractedly. "Oh--yes, I'm fine."
"You sound tired or something," she told him.
"Didn't sleep much," he explained dismissively.
"Me neither," she confessed.
"Really?" his tone brightened a bit. "I mean--um--"
"Obi Wan, I'm afraid for my people. If we don't get back to Naboo soon…"
"It'll be all right," he promised, suddenly becoming serious. "We'll get there."
"I'm not so sure," she said.
"The Force led us here; it will get us back to help your people," he assured her.
"I don't--know if I believe that. I don't know the Force the way you Jedi seem to," she said.
"Then trust me," he replied.
"You?" she swallowed.
"I've spent my life learning the ways of the Force, Padme. Believe me when I tell you I've seen more impossible situations than this turn out as I needed them to," Obi Wan told her.
"Is…that why Qui-Gon's so confident?" she asked, frowning.
"Partially. He thinks there could be something special about this boy…Anakin?" he inquired.
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "You don't sound convinced."
"I haven't met him yet," Obi Wan said.
"Well, he's certainly precocious. And, you know, it's funny, but I think he has a crush on me," Padme confessed with a an embarrassed chuckle.
"I don't blame him," Obi Wan replied so quickly that she almost thought he meant it.
"Stop it, I'm serious! He told me he was going to marry me!" she laughed.
Obi Wan didn't reply for so long that Padme started to wonder if the com signal had died. When he did speak, his voice seemed suddenly strained and awkward. "Well, that's a rather strange thing for--a little boy to say."
"That's what I thought," she agreed, wondering vaguely what his problem was. "It was so odd--almost eerie--oh, here comes Qui-Gon again, I've got to go. I'll talk to you when I get back to the ship…Your Highness."
"I'll be here," Obi Wan said with a laugh.