The Whirligig of Path

Author – A Horse Called Hwin

Rating – PG-13 (for violent scenes and harsh language)

Genres – Qui/Obi, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Romance, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Summary – Once in the movie Return to Oz, the Nome King offered Dorothy a path that she could choose to forget all the things about Oz and return to home, and Dorothy refused. What if Qui-Gon had been in the similar situation during a mission and he chose that path? A long time has passed after the mission, and the danger finally emerges. Will Qui-Gon be able to correct the mistake he made twenty years ago?

Spoilers – Nope, at least to my knowledge.

Warnings – Uh…perhaps none? By the way, this is a slash (Qui/Obi) story.

Disclaimer – I hereby declare that I am only torturing characters with my twisted mind, and no profit made.

Feedback – I could sense the peace and kindness in you, and the Force tells me that you are such a generous person that you won't begrudge me the reviews.

Author's Note – This is only a piece of trash, so please don't take it too seriously. And this is an answer to the challenge offered by Aayla Security.

To Aayla,

A true Jedi

Who has lightened my soul with her heartwarming spirit

And remarkable wisdom,

Who has granted me a life of care, hope and love.

And also To the Piggy Jedi,

Who has given me light in the dark to complete this story.

Chapter One

Knight Qui-Gon Jinn used his lightsaber to deflect another laser bolt from the Zephyrenes. He was quite confident of himself, like he always did, until he had been noticed by the guard who then immediately roared to alarm the entire fortress. After a few minutes' effort to escape, there he was now –– surrounded by at least one thousand fully armed Zephyrenes.

Even the most powerful Jedi Master wouldn't have the slightest chance to flee from a situation like this, and Qui-Gon was merely a new Knight.

He wasn't able to deflect all the bolts coming towards him, and in the end he was caught by the guards and presented to the Ruler of the planet Zephyrann.

The Ruler sent him to an underground chamber, and a hooded man was waiting there. Qui-Gon was not afraid of the Ruler or what he might do to him, but when he was taken down to the dark chamber lit only by the luminescence of some red stones and left alone with the man in dark cloak, for the first time in his life, he felt fear.

"Don't be afraid, my young friend…" The hooded man spoke slowly as he unchained Qui-Gon with a gesture of the Force.

Qui-Gon was surprised with the man's releasing him, but he still remained silent for he had been taught to better be quiet when the enemy called you friend. And he could also sense the Dark Side in this man –– the man was a Sith.

"I could sense your dismay and pain to have been seized like this." The man continued with a cold yet gentle voice, "However, even the Force cannot guarantee what would happen. What we should do is to use our most strength to seek a way out by ourselves."

Qui-Gon bit his lip –– he had been trying really hard to seek a way out, but the Force just seemed to have abandoned him on this distant planet. He was now wounded and exhausted, and he didn't know what his fate would be though he still wasn't afraid of death.

It was something worse than death that suddenly frightened him when he first entered the chamber even though he didn't have the slightest idea of what that fear was. The Sith himself was sending fear and despair towards the young man in pain.

"Do you know what will possibly happen after we kill you?" The Sith spoke as if he knew what Qui-Gon was thinking at the moment, "The Council wouldn't be able to find your body, so no one would know what exactly has happened to you. They may think you are dead or you have just abandoned the mission and fled. And when they send other Jedi to investigate, we would be prepared enough to disguise ourselves in order not to alarm them by our scheme. They would regard us as a peaceful planet as others.

"Then what would happen to your honor? Apparently, Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn has given up his mission and left the Order. Then there your glory goes…devoured by the gossips and rumors…"

Qui-Gon shivered slightly at the thought of that, yet didn't understand the reason he was so concerned of his fame since he would be sure to leave it behind once he had joined the Force.

"I know you are a brave young man, and are not afraid of death. Yet, your death would lead you to a more frightening consequence. And we all don't wish that to happen…" The man shook his head with pity, "But we will still have to kill you, because you have known far too much…"

Qui-Gon felt unnecessary despair began to grow inside of him and was deeply disappointed with his own self for being afraid so intensely for no essential reasons. And now he was even beginning to lose hope. His self-belief started to dim and turn into doubts about himself.

"So young…so helpless…" The man continued ruefully, "Just think what bright future you could have had if you were not involved in this plan…If you had not heard that secret…" his eyes suddenly lit, "If you could just forget what you have discovered…Besides, it is not a plan that important to the course of the Galaxy, is it?"

Qui-Gon shook his head blankly –– he himself had not yet found out what the entire scheme was.

"I will now offer you one path other than that death with tragic ending," The Sith smiled, "You could choose to lose your memory of all this and return to your Temple like nothing has happened. And please do not feel guilty of it; after all, it is not your fault to be captured by us. Also, your memory loss won't cause anything serious in the entire universe and you can still live a glorious life without remorse, since you will not remember it ever again…"

Qui-Gon collapsed eventually in front of the Sith with drowning doubts of his own truly being a Jedi and whispered, "I choose that path."

To be continued...