The surf pounded the rocks around him as he gazed at the planet’s five multi-colored moons, already beginning to dim with the rising light. He thought about Yoda’s words, spoken only three says ago: “By chance alone we do not live our lives. If take an apprentice you will not, then, in time, perhaps fate will choose.”
Qui-Gon still wasn’t sure if fate had appointed Obi-Wan as his Padawan, or if it had just thrown them together for one odd adventure. He’d thought it coincidence that both he and Obi-Wan Kenobi were going to Bandomeer. After all, Yoda had sent the boy to Bandomeer, while Qui-Gon’s orders come from the Senate — from the Supreme Chancellor himself! There was no way that Yoda and the Supreme Chancellor could have plotted this together.
But here it was.
Both of them were going to Bandomeer, and Qui-Gon had an uneasy feeling about this assignment.
And there was a further matter. It was not a simple thing for one Jedi to touch the mind of another. It was an intimate thing, the kind of thing usually only done between the closest friends. Or between a Knight and his Padawan.
For the first time in a long while, Qui-Gon didn’t know what to do.
“When the path is unsure, better to wait, it is,” Yoda had told him many times. Now he would use Yoda’s advice, even though he suspected Yoda would want him to take the opposite position. He would not ask Obi-Wan to be his Padawan. He would wait.
And he would watch. They had separate missions on Bandomeer, but he would keep any eyes on Obi-Wan. One mission was not enough to test the boy. There would be more to come. Only then would Qui-Gon be able to tell how true Obi-Wan was to his Jedi purpose. Bandomeer would test him, for Obi-Wan was unhappy with the mission he’d received.
Qui-Gon smiled. He had to admit, the boy was no farmer. He was meant for different things. But whether his path would intersect with Qui-Gon’s, he still didn’t know.
Until he did, he would not choose. The boy would have to be strong to dispel the shadow of the one who had come before. And Xanatos cast a long, deep shadow.
Qui-Gon turned away from the rocky shore and headed back to the ship. Yes, he would keep an eye on young Obi-Wan.
And besides, he had a feeling the fate would give him no other choice.
Qui-Gon walked through the labyrinth of the ship’s corridors until he reached Obi-Wan’s cabin. He knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Obi-Wan called.
The boy was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring out at the mountain crags.
“I’ll be glad to leave this place,” Obi-Wan said by way of greeting. “I saw too much death here.”
“You did well,” Qui-Gon said. “I felt the Force move in you.”
“It was… astonishing,” Obi-wan said quietly. “I thought I understood its power. But I see that I had only glimpsed one corner of what it could do. For years, I thought myself worthy of it. But it was not until I recognized my own unworthiness that the power began to fill me.” Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon. His eyes searched his face. “Do you know what I mean?”
Qui-Gon smiled. “You are learning. And yes, I know what you mean.”
Silence grew between them, but it was a comfortable silence. Always before, Qui-Gon could almost hear the pleading Obi-Wan was holding back. Now he felt only acceptance of Qui-Gon’s feelings, and his own fate. Another victory for the boy. He was impressed.
“We should reach our destination tomorrow,” Qui-Gon remarked. “I fear there will be nasty business on Bandomeer.”
Obi-Wan met his gaze. The look in his dark eyes was troubled. Yet underneath it, Qui-Gon sensed his strength.
“I know,” Obi-Wan said. “I feel it, too.”
Afterword
Obi-Wan Kenobi had been raised in the Jedi Temple at Coruscant, a world teeming with people, a world whose every piece of land was covered by skyscrapers.
When the Monument dropped through the atmosphere of Bandomeer, he marveled at the jungles and plains, the broad expanses of empty land and wide sea. He’d never imagined that there could be so much wilderness on one planet.
The port on Bandomeer was a small building, a hanger that could barely hold a freighter the size of the Monument. Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon cautiously from the ship.
A planetary police officer was waiting. When he saw Qui-Gon, he hurried over. “Welcome. My offices will of course be at you disposal.
Qui-Gon nodded. “Can you tell me what this is all about? The Supreme Chancellor said that you requested my help — mine specifically.”
'Perhaps this will explain,” the officer said.
He handed an envelope to Qui-Gon, who tore it open and pulled out a folded note. As he read, Qui-Gon’s face paled, and his breath caught.
Obi-Wan read over Qui-Gon’s shoulder. It said only, 'I have been looking forward to this day.'
The note was signed by someone named Xanatos.
