INCEPTION

22|After math

Padme' Naberrie was the last person to land. Her fighter glided back into the main hangar and she landed her craft to roaring applause from all the Naboo pilots that had made it back safely.

After shutting down her engines, Padme' opened the canopy to her starfighter and slowly stood up, showing herself to the roaring crowd, a small embarrassed look crept onto her face as she stood.

The crowd went silent as they saw their savior, a small, disbelieved girl. The girl that one of the Jedi had brought with him after their stop on Tatooine. A small beep from Artoo made her still bruised face blush scarlet as she realized that full extent of her actions.

"Am I in trouble?" She asked, casting her head down toward the controls of the cockpit.

 A small laugh erupted from the crowd of pilots before they all began to cheer again. They swarmed around her starfighter, helping her out of the fuselage, all asking questions. Padme' just smiled at them.

 Ric Ollie came toward her then with a large smile adoring his weathered looking face.

 "So, I guess I taught you a lot," he said playfully as he picked the young girl up and placed her on his shoulders.  

Padme' could only smile and laugh at his comment as she wrapped in the euphoria of victory. But out of the corner of her eye, something rent that victory apart.

 The crowd turned to see the younger Jedi walking into the main hangar, carrying a lifeless form in his arms. Padme' immediately began fidgeting on Ric Ollie's shoulder and he let her down gently, her feet carrying her off toward Obi-Wan as soon as they touched the ground. The rest of the Naboo pilots left the hangar, in search of their King.

 Obi-Wan stopped when he saw the girl run toward him. Obi-Wan kneeled before her as she reached him, letting her see and hold the fallen Jedi is she wished. 

Pain was etched in Obi-Wan's face when Padme' reached him. He looked as if he had been crying. She could clearly see that something had happened to him and she felt it in the most profound way. Then, she looked down at the person he was carrying and her heart seemed to slow. 

Qui-Gon Jinn's lifeless form lay in Obi-Wan's arms. He had died. Died at the hands of the tattooed Sith Lord. Padme' tried to swallow around the lump forming quickly in her throat. Tears unbidden surged to her eyes and threatened to fall. Padme' moved her hands toward the wound which had dealt Qui-Gon his fate, and looked at it with hate and rage. Her hands moved from his midsection to his face, running them over his sharp leonine features and eventually stopping at his bearded cheek.

"I...I am so sorry Obi-Wan," Padme' said around her own grief. The thought of losing Qui-Gon, whom she had come to hold as a father figure, overwhelmed  her. Never again would she see him standing tall, or taking to her, or wielding his lightsaber.

"My loss is just as great as yours, Padme'," Obi-Wan managed to say, gaining control if his emotions and outwardly becoming the cool and controlled Jedi. "I know how much you cared for him. And he for you." 

"I know. But he was the greater friend to you. You knew him the longest and I am so sorry that this happened that..." Padme' could not continue what she was going to say as her grief overwhelmed her ability to speak. 

Padme' looked at Obi-Wan, feeling, rather than seeing his pain, and without thinking, leaned forward to hug him. 

Obi-Wan was surprised at her action, but he knew that it was a gesture of shared grief that she felt. He freed his left arm and returned her gesture. He felt himself let go of his resentment of the girl, as a new feeling spread through him toward her. Acceptance.