Chapter Text
Obi-Wan Kenobi was granted the choice between his duty and the follies of the heart and has chosen the latter. Or, as some of the cruder, less tactful Jedi put it, he left for a girl.
Quinlan Vos called Bantha piss.
Quin had grown up alongside Obi-Wan, the two of them making mischief together and training alongside one another. They’d shared secrets and dreams in the dark corners of the creche, dreaming of the day they would both become grand Jedi Knights. When his Psychometry was developing and he would be overwhelmed by what he saw, it was Obi-Wan who comforted him. When Obi-Wan was bullied by Bruck Chun, (Oh, how he hated that boy) it was Quin who was there to comfort him. Even after Master Tholme had chosen him to be his apprentice, he tried his best to maintain contact. Obi-Wan was more than a friend after all; he was a brother. All this to say that he knew Obi-Wan and how important the Jedi Order was to him. Never would he just leave for a girl.
No, there had to be another reason.
Quin had been skeptical about Qui-Gon Jinn becoming Obi-Wan’s Master. This wasn’t just because of the man’s initial rejection of his friend but how different they were. This wasn’t like how Master Tholme was a calming, soothing contrast to his restless and overwhelming presence. Those two being together felt like trying to mix oil and water. They could exist together, but they weren’t meant to mix. Of course, he was just a padawan learner. No one would listen to him.
Not even Master Tholme.
“There has to be more to the story!” Quin insisted, pacing around his Master’s quarters. “There’s something Master Jinn isn’t telling us, I can feel it!”
“Quinlan, what reason does Master Jinn have to hide anything from the Order?” Master Tholme questioned, his tone even and calm. “He is a highly respected Jedi Master, one who was even offered a seat on the Council.”
“I just know it!” Quin threw his arms in the air, exasperation evident. “Obi wouldn’t just abandon us!”
“Quinlan,” Tholme called out again, this time a slight edge to the word, “I understand your frustrations, believe me. However, you are allowing your emotional attachments to cloud your judgment. It is no secret that you harbor a dislike for Master Jinn, but to accuse him of falsehoods…”
“Master, you don’t get it!” Quin felt like he was on the verge of tears. “You didn’t see Obi’s face that day when he was shipped off to the AgriCorps! All he’s ever wanted was to become a Jedi Knight! He wouldn’t just leave!”
“Perhaps that is who he was,” Tholme allowed, “but time makes fools of us all. The Kenobi you knew may not have been the one who turned away.”
Quinlan felt like there was a volcano burning deep in his stomach. He felt like he was about to explode, frustration and betrayal mixing into a white-hot rage. He knew that if he stayed and argued any longer, he would risk doing something he would regret. So, without another word, he turned on his heels and stormed out. Hopefully, he could find somewhere to meditate, to release his rage before someone got hurt.
~\~/~
Why couldn’t life just go his way for once? Quinlan had settled himself down in a large window of the Jedi Temple, focusing on the warmth of the sun as he tried to calm his raging emotions. He preferred the sunny windows over the sealed meditation chambers, but right now, he wished he’d just sucked it up and used one. Mostly because it would have kept him away from the last person he wanted to see.
“Well, well, well,” the snooty, nasally voice of Bruck Chun grated at his ears, pulling him from his uneasy meditation. “If it isn’t Quinlan Wuss.”
Quinlan exhaled slowly, struggling to keep his composure. He cracked an eye open, coming face to face with Bruck Chun. The kid was flanked by his usual cronies, each of them wearing those smug, superior looks as always. Quin forced himself to breathe, turning away from the brats in an attempt to return to his meditation.
“Go away, Bruck. I’m not in the mood.”
“Aww, what’s the matter?” The white-haired boy leaned in, leering at the padawan with a superior sneer. “You upset because Oafy Wan dropped out?”
“Shut it.”
“Well, he did, didn’t he? Turned his back on the Jedi and all they stood for because some girl told him to. How someone like him got into the Order in the first place is beyond me.”
Aalto, one of Bruck’s cronies, let out a derisive snort. “We all knew Oafy Wan was a failure. He should have just stayed with the AgriCorp instead of kissing up to Master Jinn.”
Quin clenched his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. That volcano deep in his gut was threatening to burst again.
“I told you to shut it,” he snarled.
“Oh face it, Wuss,” Bruck taunted. “Little Oafy Wan was never cut out to be one of us. At least with the AgriCorp, he could be doing something useful instead of shaming the Order. And I’ll bet the chick he shacked up with dumps him after she realizes what a pathetic loser he--”
At that, Quin’s fragile patience snapped. With a feral snarl more akin to an animal than a man, he launched himself at Bruck. He knocked the boy to the ground and just began to punch him in the face. He got about three good hits in before the two cronies jumped in, attempting to overpower Quin. However, the padawan managed to fight back and knock them aside, tapping into something buried deep within himself. He didn’t bother with rational thought or trained tactics, simply going with what felt right. And right now, that was beating the snot out of these three scugholes.
Just then, something grabbed hold of them, pulling them apart and suspending them in the air. They all looked down, seeing Master Yoda slowly walking toward them as he held his hand up.
“Enough, that is! Tolerate fighting in this temple, I do not!”
He slowly set the boys down before walking over to Bruck.
“Expect better from you, I do, young Bruck.”
“But Master, he-”
“No! No but. Report to the Hall of Healing, you will. Discuss this later, we shall.”
Seeing there was no point in arguing, Bruck relented. “Yes, Master.”
With that, Bruck and his friends limped toward the Hall of Healing. It made Quinlan smirk when he saw how much his attack had done. That dark thing that had surfaced from the volcano was preening. That is, until Master Yoda fixed his gaze on the young Padawan.
“Young Quinlan, let Bruck affect you, you must not. Only words they are. No harm can they do.”
“I tried to make him leave me alone…” he muttered, turning away. His anger had subsided a bit after his outburst, but it still simmered beneath the surface. “He just kept pushing and pushing. And what he said about Obi…”
“Made his choice, Obi-Wan did. Change his mind, none of us could. Now his life is part of the peace the Jedi work to safeguard.”
“But that’s just it, Master.” Quin turned to face Master Yoda. “I… I can just feel that something’s wrong. Like there’s something Master Jinn isn’t saying. Obi-Wan loves being a Jedi, he loves the order. He’d never just leave! And not for some girl he’d only known for a few days!”
Master Yoda was silent for a brief moment, his expression contemplative. Then, his gaze returned to Quinlan, his voice soft and reassuring.
“Impossible it is to know what is in one’s heart. Even for a Jedi. Regardless of the reason, the choice to leave was Obi-Wan’s alone. Respect it we should.”
Quinlan couldn’t fully stifle the whine that slipped through his clenched teeth. Why couldn’t anyone see that something wasn’t right? Why was everyone so content to just leave things as they were?! His anger bubbled once more and Quinlan quickly got to his feet, storming down the hall. He knew that he was right, he just needed proof. And there was only one thing that could give him the information he needed.
He just had to hope he wasn’t too late.
~\~/~
A Jedi’s lightsaber was akin to an extension of their soul. It was as much a part of them as their limbs, and were treated as such. When a Jedi died, their saber was incinerated along with their body as part of the funeral rights. However, if a Jedi left the Order, things were different. Their lightsabers were confiscated, a painful ordeal for any Jedi, and were sent to be destroyed. It was meant to be symbolic, the death of the Jedi they were meant to be. And since Obi-Wan had left and relinquished his saber, it was slated for destruction as well.
Needless to say, Quinlan could not let that happen.
Knowing that time was against him, the padawan made his way toward the furnace room. By now, enough time had passed to verify that Obi-Wan was not coming back, meaning that his saber would be sent there for its destruction. He opened the door, peering in to make sure no one was inside. Once he was confident he was alone, he made his way in. The heat of the furnace was already filling the room, making Quin sweat, so he had to act fast. He scanned the room, desperate to find his friend’s saber.
The Force must have been on his side because he spotted it within minutes. It was poking out of a small pile of scrap, likely tossed there by uncaring hands who saw no reason to treat it gently. He quickly grabbed hold of it and pulled it out of the scrap, taking a moment to look at it and remember his wayward friend. Then, he shook his head and rushed to leave. He could not get caught here.
With Obi’s saber safe in his hand, Quinlan retreated to the first meditation chamber he could find, sealing it so he wouldn’t be disturbed. Then, he sat down on the cushions on the floor, taking off his gloves before taking hold of the saber in both hands.
“Alright, Obi…” he whispered, quieting his mind and focusing on the weapon. “Show me what really happened.”
As he focused, several images came rushing into his mind. Images that depicted the wartorn hellscape of Melida/Daan. All of Obi-Wan’s fear and anguish flooded his mind, choking him as he nearly drowned in the screams of dying children. He felt Obi-Wan’s determination to fix things, to try and stop the bloodshed and war. Then, he witnessed Master Jinn’s callous dismissal of Obi-Wan, the venom spat at him just for wanting to help. Quinlan winced at the sight of his friend being talked down to in such a way.
Finally, he bore witness to Master Jinn’s ultimatum, the barbed words that promised an end to Obi-Wan’s Jedi career if he didn’t obey. He felt the nauseating wave of confusion and pain that his friend had endured, then the painful acceptance of what he had to do. He watched as Obi-Wan relinquished his saber and could watch no more.
He let go of the saber, letting drop to the ground as he gasped for air. His head was aching and his eyes burned, leaving him disoriented and shaky. He took a few minutes to compose himself, focusing on his breathing and the feeling of the cushion beneath him
“Obi…” he choked out, fighting back sobs.
Left for a girl his ass. He left because Master Jinn wanted to abandon a bunch of children to die in war! He had to tell the other Masters. If he brought Obi’s saber to the council, they’d have to listen to him. His telemetry could not be tricked and they’d know he was telling the truth. Not wasting a second, he rushed out of the meditation room, grabbing Obi’s saber as he did.
~\~/~
The Jedi Council was in session as Quinlan approached the doors. He could hear them as he drew closer, still gripping his friend’s saber as he went to make his presence known. However, just as he was about to do so, he heard what the Masters were discussing.
“-situation on Melida/Daan?” Master Windu’s voice spoke. “Has there been any word on the Civil War?”
“From the intel we’ve managed to gather, an outside force stepped in,” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi answered. “The aftermath resulted in the annihilation of both the Melida and the Daan factions.”
Quinlan froze, stunned by the news. Someone had come and annihilated both factions? What about the Young? What about Obi?!
“And what of the third faction?” Master Kit Fisto questioned. “The Young, I believe Master Jinn called them.”
“They are the only native survivors,” Ki-Adi-Mundi answered, Quinlan all but collapsing in relief. “However-” and his terror returned “-it would seem that the planet has now been occupied by the interloper.”
There was a moment of silence that felt way too long, and then Master Windu’s voice cut the tension. “Do we have any leads as to who could have interfered?”
“While no name has been given,” the wise voice of Master Sifo-Dyas spoke up, “we believe them to be the same entity who crushed the Zygerrian Moon and rendered Gardulla the Hutt a mindless husk.”
Yoda’s voice broke through the tense silence that followed this revelation, pondering over this mysterious individual.
“Opposes evil and injustice, this man one does. But the methods… of the dark side, they appear.”
“Do you think this could be the work of a Dark Side Wielder?” Master Plo Koon wondered, the concern evident in his tone.
“It’s too soon to tell,” Ki-Adi-Mundi replied. “Still, it would be best if we monitor the situation closely.”
“But if it is someone wielding the Dark Side, perhaps we should send someone to retrieve young Kenobi,” Master Fisto suggested, making Quinlan’s heart leap into his throat. Maybe he wouldn’t need to do anything after all! Maybe the Masters would bring Obi back where he belongs!
“That… is not our priority,” Master Windu spoke up, much to Quinlin’s shock. “Obi-Wan Kenobi left the Jedi Order, and thus he is no longer our responsibility. He made his choice and must accept the consequences that come with them.”
Quin stumbled away from the door, feeling like his heart was shattering. Master Windu’s words and the callous tone they were spoken in made it clear what they thought. They’d already wiped their hands of Obi-Wan. They didn’t care anymore, and nothing he said would change their minds. Fighting back tears, Quinlan fled from the Council chambers, the sting of betrayal too much to bear…