Bound

Serving Notice

Some spoilers from Jedi Apprentice.
No betas, therefore the mistakes are all mine.
See chapter one for disclaimers.

Qui-Gon spent most of the afternoon reviewing the technical specs forwarded by Xanatos. The master had read through the dry descriptions of microcanonical adiabatic processes and municra gas exchange ratios in kinetic resonance induction drilling until his eyes began to cross and his mind began to wander to more mundane things like dinner and a hot shower. Qui-Gon sighed, closed his eyes, and pinched the oft broken bridge of his nose as he resisted the dull ache blossoming behind his eyes. Opening his eyes once again, Qui-Gon laid the data pad down and rose to his feet, stretching as he did so. The muscles in his back and neck protested the movement after so many hours of hunched over reading, but a few isometric exercises eased the worst of the stiffness. The master donned his cloak and briefly considered a stop by the cafeteria, then noting the late hour he decided against it. Instead he made his way deeper into the dormitories. He paused before the desired door and rang the chime. After waiting a patient few seconds, Qui-Gon rang the chime again. Again, there was no response. The master took a moment and sent a tendril of Force into the closed room, searching for the familiar Force presence. It was there, but it seemed even weaker than before. Spurred on by concern, Qui-Gon overrode the door's simple locking mechanism with a judicious application of Force and entered the small room.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon called out as he stepped into the small, darkened space. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and the master could just make out the outline of a small figure sitting on the floor, his back against the edge of the sleep couch. Qui-Gon gathered his cloak about his large, rangy frame and sat down charily beside the boy.

"Obi-Wan? Are you all right?"

"I'm tired," the boy whispered. Qui-Gon suddenly felt a prickly itch at the back of his skull. The Force was issuing him a warning, but to what the master could not tell. Qui-Gon couldn't feel any danger or malice around them. Was the warning regarding the boy himself? Qui-Gon closed his eyes and focused all of his awareness on the child beside him. Through his weakened Force aura the master could still feel the boy's extreme fatigue and despairing spirit, but there was nothing he could sense that was urgent or life threatening. Qui-Gon opened his eyes and turned his gaze to his young charge. Temporary charge the master reminded himself, chiding. Obi-Wan was in need of help and the master would give any help he could freely, but once Master Ja'Prinn arrived Qui-Gon would return to both Coruscant and his duties.

"Come, Obi-Wan, it's time for rest," the master said as he rose to his feet pulling the boy with him as well; the boy's resistance to being moved laodicean at best. Qui-Gon gently placed the boy underneath the light bedclothes of his small sleep couch.

"Sleep now, young one," the master said softly. The boy closed his eyes in slumber under the heavy sleep suggestion. Qui-Gon then left the room and headed to his own chambers only noting remotely that the itch of warning had not abated.

The master did not notice the shadowed figure at the end of the hall that also turned to leave.

* * * * *

Morning seemed to find the master quickly leaving him far less rested than he had hoped, but there was nothing to be done about it and he had managed before on far less. After a quick stop by the cafeteria and a quicker firstmeal of some bread, cheese, and tea, Qui-Gon donned his cloak, hood up, and began the long walk to the southern mines. It would have been much faster to have borrowed a hopper from the Agri Corps transportation dome, but the distance wasn't far for a Jedi and Qui-Gon intended to use the time to think about his current situation.