Opening Lesson: Discretion

Obi-Wan was concerned about Anakin. Well that wasn't a surprise to anyone that knew him. Typha-Dor was a mess to say the least. Anakin had been captured and he'd fallen into a gundarks that they'd fought out of. Looking Siri Tachi who was piloting the ship taking them back he said: "I'm going to check on the Padawans now."

"Sure," Siri nodded her slightly long blonde hair brushing up on her shoulders. She'd told that she was cutting it soon. "I think Anakin is brooding in the back."

"That wasn't his fault," Obi-Wan protested.

"Not about Typha-Dor you nerfherder. It's probably about Master Yaddle's near death and the bombing that ensued on the previous mission you guys went on."

"Siri, we both assured that wasn't his fault and that future is in motion. Besides there wasn't much we could do at that point. After all what could we do at that point for anyone in the capital? Absorb the bomb? We're not wizards contrary to what some say. As it is we helped the people of Mawan with relief efforts which was all we could do."

"Obi," Siri rolled her eyes. "Where'd you think he learned it from?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You tend to blame yourself for mishaps and everything that goes wrong," Siri bluntly said. "Just saying."

"I do not."

"Sure you don't," Siri snorted playfully shooing him away. "Now go on, be a mother hen to your poor Padawan. I'll make sure we get back home."

"I'm not that bad," he muttered as he finally turned away and walked down the corridor leading to the room in which Anakin was in. He'd been meaning to speak with him especially once the toxicology test had come back from one of the capitals of Typha-Dor. Being drugged wasn't pleasant and he wanted to assure him that whatever the drug had done or what he'd done under the drug's influence wasn't his fault.

"-Wondering why I didn't tell Obi-Wan what happened at the prison camp," Anakin said rather defensively.

"Yes, I did wonder. But then I figured it out. You were afraid to tell Obi-Wan because you enjoyed it. You enjoyed feeling nothing. It even overcame your loyalty," Ferus Olin, Siri's Padawan, voice answered sounding very condescending and smugly secure in their position.

What?! Obi-Wan paused for split second before entering so he could center himself and breath out quite a bit of his frankly justified anger. Without waiting for Anakin's response to the rather ill informed and rude assumption he walked into the room startling both boys and causing them to stare at him.

"Anakin," he greeted his Padawan before turning a rather cool gaze to Ferus who looked nerf caught in the headlights. Ah so they'd sense his anger. Good. He wasn't in the mood for flippancy or false piety.

"May I ask when you became an expert in psychology and biochemistry?" He asked crossing his arms his barely simmering anger being held back by decades of Jedi discipline as he decided to cut to chase. Might as well cut off the issue at head so to speak. "I must compliment Master Tachi for having quite a uniquely versatile Padawan. A PHD or perhaps a MD in psychology and a PHD in biochemistry at such young age is quite commendable."

"In fact you know what?" He pulled out his comlink not even let the boy get in a word edgewise. "Why don't I just call her here myself to express my thoughts on the matter and offer her my personal congratulations? Yes why not? After all this is an auspicious occasion."

In the stunned silence of both Padawans he pressed the call button and was immediately answered back. Good the faster the better.

"Obi-Wan," Siri's voice rang out with concern. "Is it Anakin? The doctors said there was a possibility-"

"Ah no," Obi-Wan said slightly amused even as his anger stayed steady. And she complained about him being a mother hen? "Have you turned the auto navigation on?"

"Yes." Siri's voice took a suspicious tint. "It's on. I've plugged the coordinates to Coruscant right now."

"Excellent because I'm in need of your assistance," he said.

"On my way," she replied as she cut off communications. Obi-Wan quickly pocketed the comlink and turned his gaze back to Anakin. His Padawan looked slightly taken aback and anxious...over what? Being lectured for doing things while under coercion and drugged? Surely he didn't think that he was that callous? Even Master Windu and Master Mundi would make allowances for that. They did for Padawan Nim Pianna posthumously for the mind probe incident and he knew for a fact they'd do it for Anakin in spite of the distaste for his rather dubious actions and behavior at times. The Jedi did knew that being forcefully drugged or controlled through other means and being forced to participate in activities while drugged or controlled by outside technologies weren't the person's fault. Luminous beings they were but they were still subjected to the whims and fallacies of the flesh.

"What's going on?" Siri entered into the room looking apprehensive.

"I was just going to congratulate you on having such a versatile Padawan. I wasn't aware the tender age of...what is it? Sixteen? Well never mind. In either case I wasn't aware that he'd achieved advanced degrees in biochemistry and psychology. I mean why else would he be lecturing my Padawan on how he liked to feel while being drugged against his will." He barely made it through his speech with hissing. As it was the speech sounded snappy which was the best he could do now. He blamed the fatigue for that outburst. So unseemly.

"What," Siri's voice was glacial her eyes icy blue looking like Rhen Var's ice spires. She turned to her apprentice looking she'd been craved from stone pushing back her blonde red hair from her face. "Would you like to explain what this is about Padawan Olin?"

Whatever he'd been expecting it certainly wasn't the tables being turned on him. He stared at them dumbfounded and for once since Obi-Wan had known him remained silent. Obi-Wan joined her in glaring at him making the boy squirm uncomfortable realizing that he was on the spot and there was no getting out of it. No Ferus was getting into trouble with the Masters. Something he clearly wasn't used to feeling or being the receiving end off.

"Ferus!" Siri's voice cracked like a whip as she crossed her arms. "Now!"

"I confronted him about his conduct on the mission and we started talking. He then asked a rhetorical question if I was wondering what happened. I said I had but I figured out that he liked feeling nothing and that's why he didn't tell Master Kenobi what had happened in the prison," Ferus reported quickly clearly wanting to get out the position he found himself in his normally pink cheeks crimson with either embarrassment or anger. Well it was a bit late for that kind of backtracking.

"Note the word being used Padawan Ferus Olin and that is prison!" Siri snarled lividly at him making the boy flinch. "He was coerced and drugged Padawan! Of course he'd like the feeling of nothing. His mind was in an altered state of consciousness. I wasn't aware being Jedi meant that we were able to ignore physiology of our species and overcome a chemical reaction with that the power of the Force alone! May I remind you that's not how the Force works?!"

Ferus continued to looked stunned. Clearly Siri had never felt the need to lecture him in this manner before. Meanwhile Anakin reasonably startled and began to back away slowly from Siri Tachi. Not that Obi-Wan blamed him. Siri Tachi was quite a force to be reckoned with when angered. Still he was lucky she was doing the shouting and not him even through he had the right considering he'd questioned his Padawan's resolve while he was drugged. It would've been much worse if he was doing the lecturing to him. That fact couldn't be stated enough.

"So in other words you're shaming him for something he felt or did while being an altered state of consciousness!"

"He should've reported it!" Ferus screamed making Obi-Wan raise an eyebrow. Was he really falling back onto protocol at time like this? Certainly it would've been better at this point if he'd been honest instead of hiding behind protocols. Now he was really showing his callous and rather cruel nature. Very unbecoming of a Jedi or a decent being for that matter. Still it was time to end this before it really got ugly.

"That," Obi-Wan cut in before Siri could continue to rip him a new one for dodging the question at hand. "Is up to me to do corrections not you considering your lack of both experience and as you've demonstrated just now a lack of compassion. Anakin was drugged against his will. I found out when the doctors in the capital examined him on my behalf. You're gravelly out of line youngling for insinuating that he enjoyed it."

"Agreed," Siri said having calmed down belated realizing he was giving her a chance to calm herself before she exploded again. "We'll continue this talk when we get to the Temple and you will learn to either think before you speak or keep your mouth shut. Come on, Olin. We're going to the cockpit so you can focus on something else aside from judging your peer."

"Y-Yes Master," Ferus stammered out as he scrambled to follow her. Obi-Wan watched them leave before turning his gaze to Anakin.

"Master, I-"

"I nor will anyone else in the Temple hold you responsible for being drugged and doing things during a state of altered consciousness," Obi-Wan interrupted giving him a a comforting look. "They make exceptions for these issues after all things like this have happened before. In fact ask me sometime about a incident with a Padawan named Nim Pianna if you don't believe me."

Anakin sagged with relief which relieved Obi-Wan greatly. He didn't want shut off Anakin when he already had enough issues with other Padawans such as not having that many friends save for Tru Veld, Jax Pavan and Darra Thel-Tanis.

"While I do agree with Padawan Olin you should've reported it in, not due to punishment but because I would've helped you. However with that said the assumption he made about the reasoning behind your decision was out of line and very judgmental indeed," Obi-Wan continued. "I'm responsible for your care and it's hard to care for you if you don't tell me what's wrong. I don't blame you for what happened. Worse has happened to me on missions."

"I'm sorry Master," Anakin meekly replied looking contrite. "I'll do better. I promise. This isn't like the school incident, I swear. I'll do better."

"Good," Obi-Wan nodded. "Oh and Anakin?"

"Yes Master?"

"Yaddle, Yoda and I don't blame you for what happened at Mawan," Obi-Wan said. "You did what you could and I must say I was proud on how you handled it. Especially the humanitarian relief situation."

"I could've stopped it," Anakin said giving him a determined look. "I saw it happening, I could've reacted faster and stopped that sleemo."

"Always in motion is the future," Obi-Wan quoted Master Yoda ignoring Anakin's usage of more colorful metaphors. "Contrary to popular opinion we can't do everything and for all our power we can't save everyone."

"Then why do we keep trying?"

"Because we're doing the right thing. Anakin, doing good deeds isn't a matter of winning or losing. It's about doing what you can in a situation that benefits most people in a meaningful positive manner."

"And if you can stop something bad from happening?"

"You do what you're able to do and leave the rest to the Force. Now lets mediate on the matter so we can see if we come a better solution on how to deal with issues like this instead of me having to find out via snooping about and how to deal with failure."

His apprentice groaned but there was no heat in it. Anakin got into position knowing there was no escape from Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan allowed himself a secret smirk at his Padawan's impatience and impulsiveness as he settled in for a mutual mediation so they could both reassess their issues and find a better solution. He needed to release his own annoyance and anger at Olin as well. He sincerely hoped that the issue would be resolved with Master Tachi and the hope was that it would be a one off affair. Or at least Obi-Wan hoped it would be.