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Автор Джуд Уотсон
The Ties That Bind
Chapter 1
The air was thin and sharp on this world. It had taken Obi-Wan Kenobi almost a full day to get used to it. Now he enjoyed the bite of fresh, cold air in his lungs.
He and his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were high in the mountains of Ragoon-6, one of a cluster of planets that were known for their spectacular, remote beauty. The two Jedi's mission was simply to survive.
They took no more than their survival packs. Another Jedi had left a trail for them to follow to a transport. The trail led over snow, high cliffs, and huge sheets of rock, so it was not easy to follow.
Qui-Gon had decided on the test after their last mission. Upon their return to the Temple, he had seemed distracted, almost moody, which wasn't like him. At last he had appeared in the doorway of Obi-Wan's quarters one morning at dawn.
"It's time for some amusement," he said.
Amusement? Obi-Wan had never heard his Master use that word. He had pushed himself up on his elbows sleepily, blinking in the dim light. He wondered if he was dreaming.
Only an hour later he found himself on a transport headed to Ragoon- 6. A Jedi pilot named Rana dropped them off on a high, windy plain. Qui-Gon explained that they would be testing their survival and tracking skills, while also seeing some of the most astonishing scenery in the galaxy. Obi- Wan had felt cold and hungry and doubtful at the time. But for the past ten days, he had enjoyed himself thoroughly.
Obi-Wan sat on a flat rock overlooking the valley below. It was mid- morning, and the sun had already warmed the rock underneath him. He pressed his bare hands against it. Below him he could see a sea of bright yellow wildflowers in a mountain meadow.
The sky here was very blue. At night it turned purple. During one storm, it had streaked yellow and green. Obi-Wan had never seen such deep, clear colors in the atmosphere. There were no cities on Ragoon-6, no industry or transports to give off emissions to cloud the pure air.He and his Master hadn't spoken much. Qui-Gon was in a reflective mood. There were times that he seemed… not tense, Obi-Wan thought, searching for the right word, but distracted. Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon had something on his mind, but he also knew that it was not time for his Master to share it.
Obi-Wan was sixteen years old now, and his relationship with his Master was making a subtle shift. They were growing to be companions, as well as pupil and teacher. Obi-Wan knew he still had much to learn from Qui-Gon, but he enjoyed this new feeling of maturity. For the first time he could see the day when he would stand next to his Master as a full Jedi Knight.
He heard the crunch of his Master's footsteps over the snow. Qui-Gon squatted down beside him. His eyes swept the landscape below. "Tahl and I came here on a training mission like this one, long ago," he said. "We always said we would come back together. We never did. "
Tahl was a Jedi Knight who had gone through Temple training with Qui- Gon. She was a renowned Knight now, and their friendship was deep and long.
