The ship rumbles away as it flies away from Naboo, carefully avoiding any Federation ships that are littering the atmosphere. Everyone aboard is taking a moment to process what happened and to calm down, those that aren't needed to man the ship anyway. Seja crouches in front of CeeTee and checks over the droid, just in case he needs any repairs done, but he has come out of the fight unharmed, like her. The ship shakes a little, causing people to stumble. Seja straightens up and grabs the back of the chair next to her to steady herself. Her eyes glance around the others to see if they are all alright. Considering the situation, they are. Her gaze turns to Qui-Gon and she watches as he heads into the cockpit with Panaka. They haven't really had a chance for their reunion since he turned up. She doesn't mind. The mission comes first. She knows that. It's just nice to see him again. To have that feeling again. It's been so long since she's felt the blood bond. It offers her warmth and safety that she does miss when it is not there. The other Jedi grabs the arm of the Gungan and leads him away from the main deck. The crew has all dispersed into their roles. Leaving only Amidala and her handmaidens, they all seem rather calm about the situation, but they've all been prepared for something like this. They've had some training. That doesn't mean that it can't upset them. An invasion wasn't on anyone's radar and they are all young. Barely out of their teen years. Padme moves to Seja, giving her a look. Seja rolls her eyes.
"I'm fine" She assures Padme.
"I can see that you are" Padme agrees. "But...Don't do that again" Seja chuckles and shakes her head.
"What?" Seja asks. "Don't do my duty?"
"The queen wouldn't want you to die for her" Padme assures her. The two of them share a look and Seja shrugs back at her. She's not going to stop. As long as she is here and as long as she is assigned to the queen, she will do her duty. She has to trust in the Force and trust in her orders from the Jedi Order.
"The queen should be worrying about her people, let her Jedi worry about keeping her safe" Seja counters.
"And who worries about your safety?" Padme argues. Seja glances over at Qui-Gon as he leaves the cockpit, her eyes softening.
"Him" She whispers and points at Qui-Gon, she then shares a look with Padme and then leans up, moving across to her father. Behind her, the other, the one that she really needs a name for, because calling him the other Jedi or dream guy in her head is not helping the situation. And she is trying really hard not to focus on that dream.
"The hyperdrive is leaking," Qui-Gon informs them. "We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." He moves to a monitor and brings up a star chart of the local system to try and figure out their next move.
"Here, Master" The second Jedi states, pointing at the map. And it does give Seja a sense of who he is. Master. Gives him away. This is Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon's padawan. She's heard about him from her father but that's it. "Tatooine... It's small, out of the way, poor...The Trade Federation has no presence there"
"How can you be sure?" Seja asks him.
"It's controlled by the Hutts..."
"The Hutts??" Seja inquires but she already hates this idea. That sounds more dangerous than staying on Naboo. She knows the reputation the Hutts have. That doesn't really sound safe.
"It's risky...but there's no alternative" Obi-Wan points out. Seja pulls a face.
"You can't take the queen there!" Seja argues, turning to Qui-Gon. "The Hutts are gangsters...if they discovered her..."
"...It would be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation" Qui-Gon stops her. "Except the Hutts aren't looking for her,
which gives us an advantage" She lets out a breath and then shifts away to think about it. they can't leave the system without repairing the hyperdrive, so they have to stop somewhere. Going back to Naboo is out of the question. She lets out another breath. This time, acceptance. He's right. They have to make a stop and a planet with no links to the Federation. "What about you?" Qui-Gon asks, turning to her. She frowns a little behind her hood, unsure of the question. "After the ship has been repaired we are taking the queen to Coruscant, will you be coming back with us?" She lets out a breath. She hadn't thought about it. she was more focused on keeping the queen alive and safe. She is safe now. Three Jedi are watching over her. The Order might think that over-kill. They were happy to have one apprentice doing it, let alone two and a knight.
"I should contact the Order" She offers from inside her hood. "They might not see a need for me to stay if you have the queen's safety under control" The other apprentice gives Qui-Gon a look, he's waited, patiently, for answers. To find out who this girl is. Qui-Gon's eyes crinkle in amusement but he does turn to Seja.
"My apprentice," He tells her, and she shifts closer.
"Yes, the Obi-Wan Kenobi" She assures him that she already knows. Obi-Wan can tell that she is close enough to Qui-Gon that he's spoken about him to her. But he's never heard of her from him. She isn't a Jedi he knows, but he knows her face.
"Obi-Wan, this is Seja-Zaix" Qui-Gon introduces. "She is Windu's current apprentice"
"Windu" Obi-Wan repeats, surprised. Windu isn't known to take on apprentices all that often. In fact, Seja would be his second. He looks at her, what he can see with her cloak and hood. He can't really say anything about her. The only thing he has to go on is the way the Force is reacting to her being near him. Which he is trying to ignore and push away because it is new and he doesn't understand it. He doesn't want to think about what it means that he dreamt about himself in a situation with a woman that he'd never met before, and then she turns up literally the next day.
"I knew there was a Jedi on Naboo, I didn't know it was you" Qui-Gon points out, she hums.
"I was expanding my studies" She answers and gives Qui-Gon a look, he smiles back at her.
"Ah, your lack of political tack" He adds, she smirks and nods.
"I also have issues with authority" She points out. "He thought it might help me in many ways, mostly to temper my attitude" She points out just as Qui-Gon moves closer to her.
"Lower the hood, Seja...I want to see you" He motions to her hood and she raises a hand, curls her fingers and lets a red mist pull her hood down. His eyes instantly find her face. She's matured in the last two years. The last of her childish softness has gone from her face. There is a new strength to her. Her hair is longer and she has returned to her natural long curly red locks after she dyed it for a few years, and it was short before that. That headpiece she is wearing is not standard issue, in fact, nothing she is wearing is standard issue. He is not all that surprised actually. He knows her well enough to know she is not a shrinking violet, nor is she one to disappear into conformity. The Nightsisters might have been one people, but each had their own unique aspects. Qui-Gon flicks the headpiece point and gives her a look.
"What?" She asks, looking up at him with utter innocence. He smiles softly at her. "Just because I'm a Jedi now I have to dress like I'm one with the dirt?" She motions to his beige robes and gives a pointed look at Obi-Wan's brown robes. Qui-Gon hums a little, eyes soft on her. Sometimes he forgets how much he misses his daughter. And he knows it could have been worse. He could have had nothing to do with her. The Order could have forbidden him from having any contact with her, the Nightsisters could have forbidden him. Qui-Gon takes her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks. Her eyes flicker to Obi-Wan who is studying this interaction. The way he's watching them. She doesn't need to read his mind to know what he's thinking. He thinks she and Qui-Gon are sleeping together. Well, if Qui-Gon hasn't told his padawan about her, then she is not about to break that news. He's trying to hide that he's studying them too. Between her appearance, her being on Naboo, and the way Qui-Gon is being with her. He has questions.
"I can see why Windu sent you off alone" Qui-Gon comments. "You must be a nightmare to deal with" He teases. Seja smirks and shrugs.
"I am an unconventional padawan" She parrots something Windu has told her time and time again. Qui-Gon hums a little. She would be like most Jedi had she been brought into the Order at a much, much younger age. Instead, she had years and other mentors that taught her differently and it is harder for her to unwire that. She is an unconventional Jedi. But it still works. She has proven to be one of their more promising young apprentices. Qui-Gon sees the future of the Jedi order in her and Obi-Wan and other apprentices that don't fit the usual mould. It needs fresh blood and new minds to take it further.
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(1) Chaos (O. Kenobi)
FanfictionA child of Chaos, the first in thousands of years, Seja was taken to the Jedi Order to be trained. Years later, she is appointed to Naboo, to protect its Queen and continue her studies. But the world is changing. And Seja finds herself thrown into w...
