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"He said it was mining equipment for future operations," VeerTa whispered.
"Bandomeer was almost destroyed," SonTag said, her voice as sharp as the edge of a vibro-blade. "If it weren't for the Jedi…"
"There was no way I could have known!" VeerTa cried. "Why would Xanatos destroy Bandomeer? He would destroy his own profits!"
Qui-Gon said nothing. He knew that if there was one thing stronger than greed, it was revenge. Xanatos had plotted for this very day. He had used VeerTa. He knew that Qui-Gon would die knowing he had been unable to save countless lives. It was the most painful death Xanatos could arrange for him.
Qui-Gon had underestimated Xanatos once again. He had not realized that his former apprentice was just as much a slave to the past as he was.
No, Qui-Gon corrected. His own past would no longer hold him hostage. He would leave it on Bandomeer.
Clat'Ha rose and moved away stiffly, as if she couldn't breathe the same air as VeerTa. "Where is Xanatos now?" she asked Qui-Gon.
"He has escaped," Obi-Wan reported. "His plans were already arranged; he thought he would be leaving a destroyed planet."
"Perhaps he is at Offworld's home base," VeerTa said.
Clat'Ha shook her head in disgust. "No one knows where that is. Mark this, VeerTa. You will pay for your crimes. Your friend will not."
"Yes," Qui-Gon said softly, "he will."
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned to their chamber to gather their belongings. There was a transport ship leaving in a few hours.
"Yoda has another mission for us," Qui-Gon explained to Obi-Wan.
Us, Obi-Wan felt a thrill at the word.
Qui-Gon stood unmoving, staring down at his sleep-couch. A piece of paper had been stabbed to the cushion with a vibro-shiv. Obi-Wan crossed the room to read over Qui-Gon's broad shoulder:
If you are reading this, I suppose I underestimated you. I won't next time. I enjoyed our adventure together, Master. I am certain you will have the pleasure of meeting me again.
Obi-Wan couldn't read his Master's features. He tested the Force, searching for the waves of Qui-Gon's anger. He felt nothing. Was Qui-Gon containing his anger, shielding Obi-Wan, once again, from his emotions?
"I'm not angry, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "Xanatos is gone from me. He is just another enemy now. The hate is all on his side. I am prepared to fight the evil he does. He may kill me one day, but he will never wound me again."
Qui-Gon turned. "You showed me this. In the mine, when you reached out with the Force and showed me how light can always battle dark. My anger left me. In the end, you taught me something about myself. And when the Padawan teaches a Master in turn, the partnership is right."
"You called me Padawan in the mine," Obi-Wan said hopefully.
"You would have died for me," Qui-Gon said. "Your courage is extraordinary, even for a Jedi. I would be honored to accept you as my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Obi-Wan felt warmth fill him. He didn't feel the pride he thought he'd feel, hearing those words. But the Force moved around him, and he felt a deep sense of home. He swallowed. "I accept, Master Qui-Gon Ji
"Of course," Qui-Gon added, "you would not have succeeded with your plan. I would have stopped you from dying on me."
"You would not have been able to, Master" Obi-Wan replied serenely.
The exchanged a look, half-challenge, half-amusement. The Force pulsed between them. Both of them saw ahead to the long years and many missions to come. They knew they would debate this over those years, even as the memory of a planet called Bandomeer had faded. It would be a friendly disagreement between them, a bond of history and trust.
They smiled in recognition. Shared thought was one of the first bonding steps between a Master and Padawan. It let them know they were on a path together. They would stride toward a future, forged from their shared past.
Qui-Gon put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and rested it there.
"We'd better go pack," he said quietly. "We have a long way to go."