Attainment, Part I

Attainment, Part I  is the seventh chapter in the Re-Entry series, and covers the end events of *The Phantom Menace*. Published originally on January 1st 2006 (sort of), the chapter currently available is the anniversary edit, clocking in at 32,195 words.

## Summary

> Attainment: 1) the act of attaining, or the condition of being attained. 2) something, such as an accomplishment or achievement,that is attained.
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Late in the day of the Temple Bombing, Obi-Wan Kenobi awakes to a comm call from Tascha Farrel, a Temple Guard. Padmé and Eirtaé are waiting at the Temple entrance. Obi-Wan has Farrel bring them up.  He calls Mace Windu and Yoda to join them in a rushed meeting about the Naboo situation.  The Temple Bombing has driven Naboo's plight entirely out of the public consciousness, and Amidala is now convinced the Senate will not act to help them.  She asks the Jedi for assistance instead. They agree that a delegation will accompany the Naboo home on the following day.

Obi-Wan and Anakin go back to their quarters to pack. Micah Giett drops by with Initiate Raallandirr, who still needs a place to stay. They warn her that they'll be returning to Naboo shortly, but welcome her to stay with them until then. Micah goes off to finally rest, and the other three return to Qui-Gon's quarters. When Rillian and Qui-Gon are introduced, the Force forms a training bond between them of its own volition. Obi-Wan and Anakin go to bed, leaving the new Master-Padawan pairing alone to get properly acquainted.

When Qui-Gon finally retires, he asks Obi-Wan why he'd never mentioned Rillian before. Obi-Wan doesn't remember her at all from the other timeline, and theorizes that, with Qui-Gon dead, she had aged out without being claimed as a Padawan and gone to one of the Service Corps instead. Qui-Gon feels that would have been a great loss to the Jedi; he feels she has amazing potential.

Very early the next morning, Obi-Wan wakes and makes his way to Even Piell's quarters.  He shows Piell the Sith Veil over Coruscant, just in case none of them return from Naboo.

The Jedi going to Naboo assemble in the Temple hangar. In addition to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and their Padawans, the party includes Yoda, Mace and his new young Padawan Tuuvino, Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura, Adi Gallia and Siri Tachi, Micah and Garen Muln, and Healers Jale Terza and Abella. Adi travels with the Naboo on the queen's ship, while the others use a Jedi vessel.  En route, Padmé outlines her plans to ask the Gungans for aid and the group hashes out strategies. Anakin lets slip Obi-Wan old title of 'General'.

After the strategy session, the group breaks up for individual training.  Quinlan drags Obi-Wan to the ship's lounge where they and the older Padawans spend the rest of the day listening to music and talking.  Qui-Gon finds him around dinner time and asks him to help set up a four-way bond between them and their Padawans.

The Jedi eat dinner together. Micah asks what Obi-Wan had been general of, so Obi-Wan explains the Grand Army of the Republic, and a little of how such an army came about, including how he came to find the clone army on Kamino. He also confides how many Jedi Fell to the Dark Side, temporarily or not, and that all of them were at least tempted.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have a private interlude. Qui-Gon asks why Obi-Wan didn't say something about his feelings sooner, so that they could have had that much more time together. Obi-Wan confesses that the way his relationship with Qui-Gon ended in the other timeline left him hesitant to make the first move.  He gives a few more details about the arguments they'd had before Naboo, and Qui-Gon says he really doesn't like the "other Master Jinn" Obi-Wan used to know.

On Naboo, Jar Jar leads them to the Gungans' sacred refuge, and Padmé persuades Boss Nass to help the Naboo. Padmé decides to have the Gungans engage the Trade Federation's main forces, with Yoda and Mace's assistance, while Captain Panaka leads a diversionary force into Theed and gets the pilots into space to knock out the droid control ship.  Micah will coordinate with Panaka, while Siri, Garen, and Anakin fly with the Naboo forces.  Padmé herself will take a small force to capture the Viceroy, with Adi, Quinlan, and Aayla to assist. The two newest Padawans, Tuuvino and Rillian, are given somewhat safer tasks: Tuuvino is to wait in the ship as a last-ditch messenger should they fail, while Rillian will accompany the group assaulting the Palace, at least until it becomes too dangerous. Terza and Abella will be with the Naboo healers.  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are going after Darth Maul.

The assault begins according to plan. Micah's explosive diversions allow the main group to infiltrate the palace, and the pilots get to their ships. In the hangar bay, Darth Maul reveals himself and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan split off to confront him, while the Queen's party goes after the Viceroy and Rillian stays in the hangar to see the pilots get away safely.

Anakin tries to find the hole in the control ship's shield he used the last time.  It turns out to be harder to manage deliberately than by accident, but on his third run he successfully penetrates the shield and lands in the control ship's hangar bay. Unfortunately, just like last time, his systems overheat and he has to wait for power to come back before he can blow the ship and escape.

Padmé finds the Viceroy and, thanks to a well-timed decoy maneuver by Sabé, manages to get him to surrender at blaster-point. Mace and Yoda do their best to minimize casualties among the Gungan army.  Rillian gets into a spot of trouble with too many battle droids, and is rescued by Micah.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fight Maul into the generator complex, just like last time.  This time it is Qui-Gon who takes a blow that knocks him off the catwalk, leaving Obi-Wan to fight Maul through the energy shields leading to the melting pit. As before, the two are trapped several shields away from one another.  Obi-Wan worries because Maul is far better than he had been in the other timeline, a difficult fight for them even though they'd spent years improving their dueling skills. Qui-Gon has to argue Obi-Wan into staying put when the shields fall, rather than trying to take on Maul alone to protect Qui-Gon.

They enter the melting pit room together, taking on Maul in tandem.  Obi-Wan struggles with overlapping memories, distracting him from the fight. They trick Maul into an overconfident attack, and the Sith dies on both their lightsabers.  In joy and relief, the partners embrace. The moment they part, Obi-Wan hears something behind him and turns, only to be stabbed through the gut by a lightsaber.

In the air, Garen and Anakin are immediately aware of Obi-Wan's pain, as is Yoda with the Gungan army. Anakin and Yoda both hurry toward Theed as quickly as they can go.  Rillian and Micah feel the same through their own bonds, the intensity nearly overwhelming Rillian. Anakin calls to her through their link, asking her to clear the hangar for him.

Qui-Gon confronts a Dark figure who calls himself a Hand of Sidious.  The Hand claims Maul was supposed to kill them as a Sith version of the Trials, but since he failed, the Hand will kill them and take Maul's place as Sidious's apprentice.  Qui-Gon duels the Hand while, on the floor, Obi-Wan gathers his strength enough for a kick that breaks the Hand's knee and allows Qui-Gon to cut his head off, dumping the body into the melting pit.

Feeling himself dying, Obi-Wan tries to make Qui-Gon promise to protect Anakin from the Sidious's interest. Qui-Gon refuses to let him go, offering to Lifebond with him.  The Lifebond will tie their strength together, allowing Qui-Gon to keep Obi-Wan alive, but it also risks killing them both.  Obi-Wan tries to refuse, but Qui-Gon reminds him of a conversation they once had in another time, and Obi-Wan gives in.  They bond there in the melting pit room, and Obi-Wan passes out while Qui-Gon sets himself to hold on.

Anakin, Rillian, and Micah cut their way into the pit room.  Anakin shows Rillian how to add their own energy to their Masters' bond, supporting them both until the healers arrive.

## Series Arcs

### Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan

Qui-Gon learns more about himself in Obi-Wan's other lifetime.  He doesn't care for the other version of himself, nor understand why he would have been so cold to Obi-Wan.  He promises never to treat Obi-Wan the same way in this reality.

To save Obi-Wan's life, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan create a Lifebond.

### Obi-Wan & Anakin

Obi-Wan finds it harder to let Anakin go into battle than expected.  Ultimately he trusts Anakin's judgement and allows him to pilot a fighter against the droid control ship.

### Anakin & Amidala

Amidala asks Anakin to destroy the droid control ship for Naboo, which only cements his love for her because she gave him the chance to fly.

### Conflict with Sidious

Maul tries to kill Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, fails and dies in the attempt.  A new Darksider appears, calling himself a Hand of Sidious, and succeeds in gravely wounding Obi-Wan before Qui-Gon kills him.  The Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo is defeated.

Obi-Wan shares more of his other life's experiences with the rest of the Jedi, including Sidious's motivations in pushing the invasion: to destablize the Republic, creating a need for an army.

### Clones / Order 66

Obi-Wan tells the other Jedi a little about the Clone Army of his other life: how they came to be created and why they were needed.

## References

1. ↑ n/a:"I am so totally guessing at these original publication dates." http://archiveofourown.org/works/250423