Star Wars: Giver of Light Book I-Finding a Father in a Memory (AU)

Chapter Eight

Xanatos stood as well, his pacing matching Qui-Gon's. He ran a hand through his long black locks before turning to face the Council.

"I've done my duty to this Order for the last fifteen years. I've been a good Jedi. Now, I want to be a good father," he told them quietly. "But I need to know who my son really is, what he really is."

Mace and Yoda looked at one another, silently communicating. They knew that revealing the truth about Obi-Wan could be dangerous to anyone who knew that truth. Xanatos himself was special and of great importance to the future, but they knew he was right. He deserved to know.

"Xanatos, Obi-Wan is a very special young man. He possesses skills far beyond those of his age-mates, far beyond every Knight in this Temple and approaching the skill-level of most Masters," Mace informed Xanatos quietly.

Xanatos looked at Qui-Gon. He wasn't surprised to see that nothing Mace had just said seemed new to his former mentor. "How is that possible?" he asked. "It should be impossible for a Padawan Learner, especially one only two years into his apprenticeship to have such skills. His presence in the Force, his power is...immense."

"Yes, powerful Obi-Wan certainly is," Yoda said. "Extremely high his midi-chlorian count is."

Xanatos took a step closer to the Council members at the mention of midi-chlorians. He'd known for many years that his own count was unusually high even for a Jedi, but he also knew it wasn't anything approaching Yoda's count. "When you say 'extremely high', how high do you mean exactly?" he asked cautiously.

Yoda stared directly into Xanatos' eyes, green meeting blue. "Over twenty-three thousand, his count is."

////////////////////////////

"Obi-Wan, you do realize that there is a possibility, however slight, that either our Masters or the Council won't agree to let us help Senator Palpatine, don't you?," Garen asked his friend as the two walked the distance between the Senate Hall and the Jedi Temple.

Obi-Wan just shrugged. "I suppose it's possible. Master Qui-Gon will most likely forbid me to be involved after the way I ran off."

"Speaking of running away, I never imagined you for the type to do something like that," Garen said. "You always confront a situation head-on."

Obi-Wan stopped walking and turned to face Garen. "No matter what I do in this situation, someone will get hurt. If I decide to go with my father, Qui-Gon will never speak to me again. He and I have been through this once already a few months ago when I entertained the idea of staying on Melida/Daan," he imparted to Garen. "If I do it again, that'll be the end. On the other hand, if I refuse to leave the Jedi and stay with Qui-Gon, my father will be crushed. I don't win in this situation, Garen. Whichever path I take, either Qui-Gon or my father will think I made the wrong choice."

Garen slowly nodded, finally grasping the seriousness of the problem. He cleared his throat as they started walking again. "Maybe you should forget about what they will think is right or wrong and decide that for yourself. Take the path that feels right for you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Sharing a look as they walked, Garen saw Obi-Wan's choice reflected in his intense blue-gray gaze. As always, his eyes told the story. His decision was already made; he just hadn't admitted it to himself yet.

/////////////////////////////////////

Xanatos back peddled and fell into his chair and he rested his head in his hands. He was stunned. His own midi-chlorian count was nearly sixteen thousand and he knew that Yoda's was somewhere near eighteen thousand.

"Wow," is the only thing that came to mind for Xanatos.

"A child of prophecy, Obi-Wan is," Yoda told him quietly.