Reality Changer

Chapter 5 - The Phantom Menace

Author's Note: Enjoy the monstrosity that has become the Star Wars universe in this fic. :)

~ Amina Gila

The bright presence in the Force has been nagging at the back of Qui-Gon Jinn's mind ever since he first arrived on the planet for a mission. He's never felt a presence quite like it before. Something about it instantly strikes him as important, though he doesn't know why. Finding the source of it turns out easier than he expected, because his mission leads him straight to the source.

Qui-Gon stands next to one of the railings inside the elaborate mansion, watching the three-year-old boy who's playing in a room on a floor below him.

The boy's mother, Countess Kenobi, finally seems to notice the glances Qui-Gon keeps throwing his direction.

"Your son is strong in the Force," Qui-Gon explains, "I can sense it. Was his midichlorian count ever tested?"

"It was, right after he was born," she replies, "The tests showed that it was off the charts, so we thought there must be something wrong with it. There was never time for a second one since that's when everything fell into complete chaos. Nothing has been done about it since."

That's... strange, to say the least. Qui-Gon always tries to listen to the Force in situations like this, and right now it's heavily indicating that the tests were not, in fact, inaccurate. That doesn't even make sense, because such a thing has never even been seeing before. How could the count on someone even be so high? He doesn't know what it means, but it's something extremely important.

Something still nags at him, though. A strange sense of wrongness. Despite what he's starting to suspect, something about it feels wrong, even if the Force still seems to be implying otherwise. It doesn't make any sense.

"Who was his father, if you don't mind me asking?" Qui-Gon inquires.

She hesitates a moment before replying. "There wasn't one. I can't explain it."

All the pieces start to fall into place at those words. He's long been interested in the prophecy of the Chosen One, and he thinks he might have found an answer.

***

It's been ten years since Qui-Gon brought Obi-Wan to the Temple. The more he's seen of the boy, the more certain he becomes that he was right, that Obi-Wan is, in fact, the Chosen One. Still, though, the nagging feeling that something isn't right about that won't go away, and he hasn't been able to figure out why. If anything, it seems to be growing stronger.

The sound of clashing lightsabers draws Qui-Gon's attention back to the duel between his thirteen-year-old newly taken padawan and a couple other padawans.

"Come on, at least give me a challenge," Obi-Wan taunts, as he disarms one of the padawans, then turns his attention to the other one.

Obi-Wan definitely is skilled. He's the best duelist in his age range, to be sure, but he shouldn't be acting like this. It's not the Jedi way to be gloating like this because he's the best. Qui-Gon had been wary about taking him as his padawan in the first place, especially after Xanatos, but Yoda continued to pressure him about it until he finally agreed. Still, he knows that the boy isn't going to be an easy padawan to teach.

Obi-Wan finally knocks the other padawan to the floor, stepping back with a smirk, deactivating his lightsaber. "And here I thought you'd actually know how to fight," he mocks, "How did you get taken as padawans fighting like that?"

The other two stalk towards him, glaring.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon cuts in, giving him a disapproving look as he approaches them.