As always great story. For the longest time I was fooled, I thought I was all going to be a sort of adventure comedy. The way Obi Wan dealt with impersonating Beju, how truly the spoiled ostentatious behavior made him truly uncomfortable, and out of place. The clash of his more austere up bringing against the hedonism the the prince and the cooperative members part took. It was all really amusing and funny to read. Specially the banters bordering in the precarious balance between Master/Padawan and Prince/Servant, those where hilarious. Not to mention Obi Wan's discomfort in the presence of females, especially the one to exercise assertiveness.
And then ho and behold, Obi torture! It was very interesting and intense to witness the motives and consequences of their scape. That Obi Wan had been willing to die at his master's side, but Qui Gon was reticent to not to his own death but the Padawan's. I wonder if their placed had been reversed, would've Obi Wan done as Qui Gon. I really hate the Code's repulsion to attachment. Maybe if they cared a little more about each other they'd lived a little longer and there maybe be even more Jedi's to help the galaxy. Though that is too a point of debate as to who they think they are auto proclaiming themselves as justice bearers. Anyways it was touching to see themselves justify their feelings and eventually move forward, cus truth be told I can't imagine Obi Wan as Dooku's apprentice. I was surprised and equally touched by Yoda's intervention in what looked to me in Qui Gon's behalf by counseling Obi Wan. At least the attachment goes both ways. Qui Gon's actions where done because of his attachment to Obi Wan's while in turn Obi Wan's hurt by those same actions are stemmed from his own attachment to his Master.
I loved to see Obi Wan rant and rave, cus he usually is so poised and calm. But then again that is one of the qualities Qui Gon like the best about him as he says in JA V pg 11 "Even under great pressure Obi Wan could strategize, calculate odds and opportunities and make a joke." (my fav line in all of the series), it was unusual to see him so out of control and I kind of enjoyed his unbalance. Also I found it curious how Thal's roll in Obi-Wan's life falls into place in counter part to her relationship with Qui Gon, she has become by all right almost a mother figure to him, some one to turn to when he can't stand his own master. Also the way she responds to his plight is in accordance to those interactions.

Aww cute ending! I love the Lineage series! :) You do a great job!

I was so happy when Obi-Wan cried and got hugged! Poor boy needs more of those!

Hilarious!

Either I'm very slow or stupid, or Obi-Wan was just revieled to be the prince and Beju the stand-in. Can't say I'm sorry for the switch, after all, not all charactiristics come to oneself through genes, some come from upbringing. What a terror Obi-Wan would be if everytime he got bored he choked someone like Vader. That's nearly worth writing a ficlette over!

Yeah, Obi-Wan went with Qui-Gon - for now. I expected that from one point of view, he just would not mix well with the Count, look at Geonosis for instance.

Really looking forward to the next installment,
May the Fiction Be With Us All

I'm Ani-come-lately to this party. I can only offer blasted work as an excuse. This chapter was much anticipated and it exceeded expectation!
***
Ah, I wondered if any noticed that Obi-Wan was purging feelings in behavior that was socially acceptable for Jedi, but only if you weren't aware of his motives. Now, will Yoda take Qui-Gon's saber, too? (Please.) :D
***
Ah, the blurring of the burn mark-I love the roundabout way you show Obi-Wan's emotion. And apparently I criticized the Council too soon for leaving Obi-Wan's situation to an impersonal holo-memo. Good old Yoda-from terrifying (would Obi have learned from the *fight* Yoda might have given him?!) to comforting in seconds.
***
"The Council must not ignore these warnings. A great disturbance is brewing on the horizon."

Yea! Tell 'em, Qui-Gon! And good on you for giving Obi-Wan credit.
***
"Outward dust and grime far preferable to inward. Keep his heart pure, a Jedi does. This gross matter," he waved a hoary hand at the walls and floor, "a distraction can be."

I didn't know I was such a good Jedi! Ha! (Well, I've got the outward dust part down at least.) :p
***
Yoda is so good at these tough love conversations. He is able to help Obi-Wan at least understand what he needs to understand. The comparison of the river stone to personal feelings was very nice. And of course when Yoda frames it as a choice between fighting and surrender, there's no question which Obi-Wan will choose. Of course, later, Qui-Gon has to take up where Yoda left off and help him face his feelings as well.
***
"I understand the reasons for your actions, now, and I do not … I have no cause for resentment."

Very nice! I like how you had Obi-Wan correct himself there-it's a critical distinction between the reality of his feelings and what he thinks his feelings should be. I also think it's very true to his character (probably especially at this stage of relative inexperience) that he's trying to force the two to coincide as quickly as possible.
***
"Of course, his apprentice could not resist the invitation to debate."

A man after my own heart! :D
***
"I do not blame you for possessing a generous and therefore vulnerable heart."

Oh, he does! But I don't think that's necessarily in the top five or even top ten attributes most people would name for Obi-Wan. He's not effusive, he's just quietly devoted. It would take someone close like Qui-Gon to see it so easily. And of course Obi-Wan would be unsettled that someone saw his heart so clearly.
***
I adore the thunderstorm imagery as Obi-Wan's barriers breakdown. (I love a good thunderstorm-the energy, the pregnant expectation.)
***
Ah, they hugged. :p But I won't tell anyone. I wouldn't want to offend their manly pride.

"They stood, cloaking themselves in the humorous excuse, in the thin but sufficient disguise of wit, and turned to face the future together."

What a relief humor can resume its normal function for them once again. This is a good sign for a new beginning. (And for my banter addiction!)
***
Oh! And how did I not think of it before? Perhaps Obi-Wan's Beju tresses stayed while the possibility remained that he might turn his back on his mentor like Xanatos. Now that he has re-affirmed their partnership, he can again walk the Way of the Shorn Head. And the braid! I was so happy to see it re-woven and by Qui-Gon.
***
You know, if Qui-Gon hadn't *just* promised to be worthy of Obi-Wan's trust, I would be *sure* the discussion at the end was a way of establishing Obi-Wan's princely heritage. But I guess I'll have to trust Master Jinn on this one.
***
This was a fantastic ending! The reconciliation was everything we could have hoped for-Obi-Wan's stubborn unnecessary apologies and determination to reason his way to a resolution, Qui-Gon's genuine apology but firm insistence that his student not be chained to anger or fear, and finally true heartfelt understanding and commitment to a new start.

So they're pretty much ready for a new adventure, right? ;) Oh, okay, I suppose they can have a brief sabbatical. Perhaps they can spar together-that should make them fast friends again. :D

I'll be waiting *cough* patiently for the resumption of their duties. :D

I've had this window up for a few days to wait patiently for a reward as my semester ends.
And now that it has ended, I've emerged relatively triumphant and have enjoyed my reward.

Insert tears here.

Wow. I'm not sure whether it was sleep deprivation or your mastery of this...but damn, RB. I can't even.

****

The placid reply earned him another inaudible, deafening rumble of emotion. The Force was whipped by cold recollection, by storm-tossed confusion, by outrage. "You laughed!" Obi-Wan accused him, the inner maelstrom finally making landfall. "You shielded from me! You – you made me scream!"

Qui-Gon seized him by one shoulder. "That was Merggum," he said, sharply. "Obi-Wan: you were barely cognizant. That last strike was Merggum, not me. And I shielded so that you could not feel my pain.. and perhaps to save myself from yours. Do you think I enjoyed myself, Padawan?" He allowed some of his own recalled horror to seep into the tumultuous Force.

The young Jedi's brows contracted into a pained valley. "I .. I don't know… "

The tall man's gut twisted. Had the boy even heard his repeated reassurances, the heartfelt apologies sent across their bond? Drugged and disoriented as he had been, it was possible that any attempt at solace would have been futile. Or had the subsequent lashing scourged all such feeble comfort from his memory?

"I would never cause you such pain if –

THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION. Wow. Raw. So good. I'm so glad this talk happened.

*****

Qui Gon stroked his back, fingers skimming over the fiery scars of a cruel whip, marks muted by bacta and time, but lingering on as livid echoes in the Force. "It will never happen again, " he said gravely. "I promise you. We have nothing more to learn from betrayal."

So. I can only hope this promise is kept. (cough...train him. dying. he is the ...cough. chosen one).

;)

******

Qui-Gon leaned closer. "There is no resemblance, my Prince." He brushed a gentle kiss across the boy's softly furrowed brow, a formal benediction smoothing away the last residue of doubt. "…None at all."

AND THEN I BURST INTO TEARS.

Insert round of applause here. standing ovation.

;ALKSJDF;LAKSDJF;LKASJDF;LKASJDFL;KASDJFFOIJ
Literally am so excited for more.

*sigh* Ah, the fulfilling end of a great story. Great job! Please keep writing these stories!

Most. Fantastic. Story. Ever.

Wonderful ending. Throughout these last chapters I love the way you struck a balance between what is said outright, and what is understood. Being British, I am a big fan of not saying things directly ;)

I liked the differing degrees of moral rigidity Obi-wan and Qui-Gon displayed in the story. Obi-wan said he would rather the mission fail than sleep with Estra (although admittedly, since it would have been rape, this is hard to argue with), and he refused to hurt her father, even though he must have known that doing so was going against his supposed character, endangering his cover and by extension his ability to free all the prisoners later. Qui-Gon in the end was prepared to torture Obi-wan to save him, but would Obi-wan have made the same choice if the situation had been reversed? He might have been, but the idea might also have not even occurred to him.

And I am still interested by Dooku. Assuming Yoda is right, and Dooku will be disappointed, the question is, why? Why is he interested in Obi-wan? He doesn't come across as someone who has friends exactly or is that interested in other people at all, but even in Lineage I he was watching Obi-wan fight, and he has definitely gone out of his way to run into him since then. He also takes some sort of interest in what Qui-Gon does - at least, in Lineage I it seemed like he was in on the scheme to make Qui-Gon take another Padawan, and a lot of the things he says to Qui-Gon also seem to indicate he is not totally indifferent to him. Maybe I am just overthinking this...

Anyway, congratulations on a fantastic story, and I look forward to hopefully reading more of your writing soon.

Oh no. What will Obi-Wan choose? Please, please, please don't keep me in suspense longer than you have to!

"Had Qui-Gon been able to hear the prideful thought, the tall master would have instantly assigned a brutally lengthy essay on, say, the futility of all ratiocinative schema as explicated in the ancient Lotus-of-Force-Awakening sutra. And then, having received the dutifully completed penalty under whatever grueling deadline his whim dictated, he would have set it aside without so much as glancing at its contents. After all, Padawan, the Living Force demands not our eloquence but rather our humility and compassion.

"Yes, master," he whispered."

I haven't even read the whole chapter but this is brilliant!

I've been enjoying this series. Thank you for sharing!

wow amazing just amazing! dooku will be disconcerted with the news no?

Awwww, that was the most beautiful reconciliation in the history! I'm so full of warm happy feelings now, I feel like hugging someone too (it can be Obi-Wan, by all means). Thank you for this lovely conclusion and for the whole story!

"A sinuous burn mark scarred the floorboard beneath his left knee. It blurred into a double and then triple image as he studied it, its contours smearing into a salty river." - I loved Obi-Wan's talk with Yoda and the obvious soft spot the old one has for him! And it says a lot about Obi-Wan's emotional state that he couldn't stop the tears while in front of the Great Master.

"The young Jedi stowed his rock close against his heart. "Yes, master," he answered, feeling the Force-sensitive mineral warming against his skin, a soothing presence. Compassion. Trust. Forbearance. He reached feebly for the Light, understanding that he had been offered the choice of a lesser path as a concession to his youth and weakness, an acknowledgement that he could back away from this struggle without blame.

In the end, he did not feel like surrendering quite yet." - It's great that the moment he sees this choice as a challenge he naturally decides to take it up and refuse to choose the easier option. It's one of the really numerous things I love about him :)

The argument with Qui-Gon felt amazing. Finally they were fully honest with each other and said everything that needed to be said. Loved Qui-Gon's apology, his humility was just a mark of how great Jedi and man he is.

"He looked up, and saw only compassion welling where fury had squalled but a moment earlier. Forgiveness fell, spattering lightly at first and then pouring in clear rivulets from hidden recesses of being, unsullied springs. In flagrant defiance of the Code, Qui-Gon gathered the young man in his arms, pledging to the Living Force a nameless oath, one outside the trammels of tradition, of rubric and ossified wisdom. He held on fast, defying the cruel wheel of fate to break that which outstripped mere attachment as compassion outshone the pale greed of possession.

Eventually, the rains ceased, and the shuddering of his apprentice's shoulders quivered to a standstill. "Master," Obi-Wan muttered, "I wish to remain under your guidance."" - Oh how I love this! (I use a lot of "love" in this review, I know.) The image of forgiveness as rain and combining it with Obi-Wan's weeping - masterful! And I love the opposition of possessive attachment to compassionate love. This is a beautiful lesson and another of the things I adore in your writing - so much wisdom :) Oh, and naturally I loved the hug! They can't do it too often but when they do, boy, it is epic :D

"A stifled hiccup. Qui-Gon rested his chin on top of the boy's head. "We both have much to learn," he sighed. It was true. They were now shackled by attachment and by the open confession of the same – both of them together, bound by more than honor, mutually wounded by their damaged trust. It would be a long road ahead, steep and treacherous – and perhaps more difficult than either had ever dreamed - but aspiring to a rarely attained summit." - Does it mean they'll finally stop pretending they're not attached or does the facade have to maintained? ;)

Back when we were at the beginning and Obi-Wan was undergoing his transformation into Beju I felt there will be a scene where Qui-Gon will re-braid his hair and that it will be great. And so it was! Loved the fact there's no relation between the real Beju and Obi-Wan after all.

"Qui-Gon leaned closer. "There is no resemblance, my Prince." He brushed a gentle kiss across the boy's softly furrowed brow, a formal benediction smoothing away the last residue of doubt. "…None at all."" - And another too lovely for words scene that left me melted. I loved the "my Prince". I don't know if that's what you meant but it reminded me of how some fathers call their daughters "princess" and here is the version with a son :) Love it!

This is my favorite Lineage, I love it to bits and once again take my hat off to your brilliance. And seeing how every new book is even better than the last I can't wait to see the next one!