He moved to the left, whirled, and struck
with his lightsaber. It slashed through empty
air. Yet he knew he'd been close.
Off to his right, he heard a buzzing sound, and the clatter of metal hitting the floor.
"Point, Siri," Obi-Wan's Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, said quietly.
Obi-Wan felt a trickle of sweat move
down his neck. The hood was hot from his
warm breath. He gripped his lightsaber
harder. His opponent in this training exercise
was Siri, another Jedi apprentice.
She had already destroyed two seeker droids. He
hadn't felled one.
"Remember your purpose, Obi-Wan."
He heard Qui-Gon's steady counsel. Even
though Qui-Gon couldn't see his
Padawan's face, he knew that Obi-Wan
had lost his focus. The purpose of this
exercise, Obi-Wan knew, was cooperation.
It did not matter how many seeker droids
he destroyed or how many were taken
down by Siri. They would be judged on how
they worked together. They would have
to read each other's intentions through
movement, instinct, and the Force.
They would have to be generous, reaching out to
each other to reveal their intentions.
But how could he reach out to someone who fought only for herself?
Siri focused on the enemy and ignored
Obi-Wan. A skilled, graceful fighter, she was
singleminded in her purpose. Every
particle of her being was focused on victory. It
mader her one of the best lightsaber
fighters in the Temple. Even though she was
eleven — two years younger than Obi-Wan
— she had fought in his classes.
Faintly, he heard Siri's soft footsteps
behind him, and heard her foot slide as she
lunged. Another buzz, another clatter
of medal.
"Good footwork, Siri," Adi Gallia called.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. Adi had only
recently taken Siri as her Padawan. She had
chosen Siri because of the girl's extraordinary
promise. Now Siri was proving her
value, showing up a more experienced
Padawan Ð Obi-Wan.
Frustration and irritation surged inside
him, driving out his connection to the Force.
Obi-Wan listened intently for the slight
stir in the air that the seeker droid caused. He
heard the sound, whirled to his left,
and collided with Siri.
"Opposite corners," Adi rapped out. "Begin again."
Obi-Wan moved back to his corner. He
rubbed his palm along his tunic. His hands
were perspiring, and his lightsaber
almost slipped. Dropping it while fighting
alongside Siri would be humiliating.
He wished he had Qui-Gon's patience.
He still had so much to learn. Try as he might,
he could not penetrate Siri's devotion
to the exercise. It was her battle, her challenge.
There was no room for him.
They started forward again. Obi-Wan
moved slowly, reaching out to the Force to tell
him where the seeker droids were flying.
He heard another clang as a seeker droid
hit the floor.
"Trust your partner as well as the Force,"
Adi called. "Aggression and
competitiveness have no place in this
exercise."
Obi-Wan felt Siri move slightly nearer
to him. Yet he still felt nothing from her. Another
seeker droid hit the floor, and Obi-Wan's
irritation crested and drove out his caution.
He reached out, ignoring Siri.
Buzz, clang! A seeker droid hit the
floor as he dropped to one knee and made a
horizontal sweep. He rolled to his
left, then swung upward. Clang! Another droid hit
the floor. Why should he wait for Siri's
cooperation while she destroyed all the droids
herself? He would look like a fool.
Obi-Wan twisted, lunged, and attacked
again. He heard Siri's breathing and the
whisper of her quick footwork as she
did the same. Within minutes, the two of them
had destroyed every seeker droid in
the room.
Obi-Wan felt a glow of satisfaction
as he removed his hood. They had defeated their
opponents in record time. Siri threw
back her hood and pushed her golden hair
behind her ears. Her vivid blue eyes
blazed with satisfaction. They bowed to each
other, then turned to face their Masters.
"You have both failed the exercise," Qui-Gon said sternly.
Adi rose, her garments rustling. Her
tall stature and air of command made her an
intimidating figure. She drew Siri
aside and began to speak to her in a low tone.
Qui-Gon tossed a towel to Obi-Wan so
that he could wipe the perspiration off his
forehead.
"I know you can fight," Qui-Gon told
him. "You've proven yourself in battle after battle.
That was not the point of the exercise,
Padawan."
"I know," Obi-Wan admitted. "But she -- "
Qui-Gon didn't wait for him to finish.
"Siri has her own strengths and weaknesses.
That was for you to discover. You merge
with the strength, cover the weakness.
Together, the two of you are stronger."
"Siri did not better than I did," Obi-Wan
said. He knew he sounded sulky, but he
couldn't help himself. It was Siri
who had changed the rules of the exercise.
"Siri is not my Padawan," Qui-Gon said
sternly. "We are speaking of you.
Remember Obi-Wan, the fear of looking
like a fool is never a reason for doing
something. Or not do it. It is a fear
born in weakness."
Obi-Wan nodded. He knew better than
to continue to challenge Qui-Gon. At least
they would soon be leaving. He would
not have to repeat the exercise with Siri. Yoda
had informed them that he was sending
them on a mission.
Just then Yoda entered the training
room. He tucked his hands inside his robe,
waiting for them to face him.
"A summons we have received," he said.
"Parents have contacted their Jedi. Think
they do that their child might be Force-sensitive.
Kegan, the planet is. Are you
familiar with this world?
He asked the question of Qui-Gon and
Adi. Both Jedi masters shook their heads.
Obi-Wan was surprised. Between the
two, they had traveled an extensive amount.
"Remote Kegan is," Yoda said. "A one-planet
system orbiting one sun. It is an Outer
Rim planet, cut off from the galaxy.
Trade agreements, they do not have. Travel to
other worlds, they do not do. Outsiders,
they do not welcome. No one has landed on
the planet in thirty years."
"That is very unusual," Qui-Gon observed.
Yoda blinked. He had lived long and
seen much. There was not much that could
surprise him.
"A good sign this request may be," he
said. "Think we do that by taking this step
Kegan means to open up relations with
the Inner Core worlds. Welcomes this, the
Galactic Senate does. Relations between
worlds fosters peace. So two parts, your
mission has. Open relations with Kegan
we must. Determine the child's potential we
must as well. A planet that isolates
itself can be filled with suspicion and fear.
Diplomatic you must be. Disruption
you must not allow."
Yoda looked at Adi and Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan
was confused. Was he sending the two
Jedi Masters instead of a Master-Padawan
team?
"Two teams we have decided to send," Yoda said.
"You mean all of us?" Obi-Wan blurted in dismay.
Yoda ignored his tone. "Cooperate you must to complete this mission."
Cooperate with Siri? Obi-Wan wanted
to cry. He'd need more than the Force to
accomplish that!
