Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe and characters are copyrighted by LucasArts and George Lucas. Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda are used without permission. Ashanti Vende and all other characters are copyrighted by myself. No profit is being made by this story and is not intended to infringe upon the rights of George Lucas or any of his affiliates. The use of his creations is for entertainment purposes only. Do not use my characters without permission. Thank you. Story copyrighted by Val Gilliam 1999.

Ashanti Vende is a character I created to be the master of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi's master as revealed in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Anyone who has read any of my other Star Wars stories will recognize her from the Gemma Comatara story Student Jedi #1, in which Ashanti has a small role. This character has grown on me significantly. She's tough, quirky, completely chaotic, a rule bender, sensitive and energetic. All of the qualities mentioned about Qui-Gon, his habit of bending the rules that so exasperated Obi-Wan, his picking up strays and oddball creatures (pathetic lifeforms, as Obi-Wan called them), and his rebellious streak are muted tones of Ashanti's own style of being a Jedi. Ashanti, as you will learn, lives by the creed: Don't break the rules, just bend them. A lot. Qui-Gon's syle is muted, near as I can tell, but I wanted it clear where he got that rebellious streak. From the master who trained him, raised him and would have done anything for him. A Jedi named Ashanti Vende.

Please send me comments. I am anxious to see how she goes over. The second story with Ashanti and Qui-Gon, Honor Over Hate, is almost finished and the third story, Strength Over Fear is complete, but you can read it yet! *grin*

^-^ Wolfie

Prologue

Ashanti faced him squarely, using her body to block the entrance. "This house is under quarantine," she stated baldly.

Marteene the Hutt tried to push his considerable bulk past the tiny alien female, but found himself shoved back by a thin, power tail. The three barbs on the end pricked him, stinging him, and he winced. "I heard that the Jinns had a child. I have the authority to remove the child from a possible plague household."

"You're too late. This is a plague household." Ashanti watched his eyes glint with greed. The child, born months ago, was worth a considerable fortune; he was heir to a larger one should his parents perish from the plague gripping the planet Plumera. She did not need her keen sense of the Force to know this Hutt "official" cared less about the child and more for the fortune. "I have been granted guardianship of the baby," she informed the Hutt, continuing to push him away with her powerful tail, her barbs sinking into his hide deeper with each shove. It was a strain on the Jedi to not release the toxins from the barbs into his tough hide.

Marteene backed off the front steps and away from the stinging tail, glowering as he did so. "You have the necessary paperwork?" he demanded belligerently, trying to maintain his waning authority over this small person.

"I will be happy to bring it your superiors when I have the time. Right now I'm tending an infant and two contagious patients. If you'll excuse me," and she slammed the door in his face. The lock slid firmly into place with a satisfying click and Ashanti leaned against the door in obvious relief. She heard the Hutt growl something but couldn't tell what it was. Frankly, she didn't care.

That was another scavenger put off, but she could keep the carrion eaters away for only so long.

The baby was crying, his voice raised in loud protest at being awakened. Ashanti suppressed a sigh. She was worn out. The Jinns had aided her years ago, and so she owed them her life. Now their planet was engulfed in a deadly plague and the natives were dying by the thousands, leaving the alien population to deal with the death toll and the horror.

"Ashanti!" screamed a feminine voice. The sprite-like alien bolted for the back bedroom chamber, tearing past the room where the baby's crying had reduced to burbling.

Ashanti skidded to a halt at the scene presented before her. While Ashanti had guarded his home from the intruder who would destroy his family, Ron-Seng Jinn had died. His wife, Ravia, lay on his still form, still screaming Ashanti's name, weakly sobbing for help.

The Jedi knight approached the woman cautiously and pulled her from her husband's body. Ravia shuddered uncontrollably, as much from the pain as from the loss. Grief itself raged through Ashanti, fueling her with energy. "Ravia, he feels no pain now," she whispered in meaningless comfort.

Ravia's eyes widened and Ashanti felt her give up, felt the life force ebb away. "He feels nothing," the woman whimpered. Ashanti caught the plague-ridden woman as she completely collapsed and with strength born of a race that lived in the high jungles of Maagolon, she held her friend tight momentarily and then laid her back into her sickbed. "My baby," sobbed Ravia, "Ashanti, my son..."

"Will be taken to the Temple," assured the Jedi. "I can already feel the Force strong within him. He will be a great Jedi knight."

"If he is..not..accepted among...the Jedi?" Ravia struggled to find a loophole in the perfect plan laid out for her son. Even now, a mother's instincts were at work.

Ashanti's sincerity and reassurance sifted through the dying woman's worry. "Then he will be my son and will be accepted by my people. He will live with honor and security, I promise you."

Ravia smiled softly, wistfully. "We loved him. Make sure he knows that, Ashanti. Do not let him fail to know that we loved him."

"I swear, my friend, or I forsake my vows as a Jedi," promised Ashanti and felt her friend slip away in peace. Tears stabbed at her eyes and grief howled through her soul. She gently laid the couple together and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall for a moment, but the baby's continuation of his own language pattern broke through.

She had to get baby Qui-Gon from here before the plague became his future.

Ashanti stood over the baby bed, staring at the new responsibility who giggled (at least it sounded like a giggle to Ashanti) at the sight of her. Stretching out her senses, Ashanti pressed the child deep into slumber. He yawned once and his head drooped in sleep. She located the guardianship papers Ron-Seng had signed when he learned of his impending death several months ago, gathered a few baby items, a couple of holo-pictures so that Qui-Gon would know his parents' faces, and a couple other family heirlooms of personal significance for the baby later in his life. She then picked up the child and left the house without a backward glance.

As Ashanti closed the front door, she picked up the black marker left by the Hutt to mark the door when the occupants were dead. The body detail would be by shortly to remove the corpses to reduce the plague's hosts. At dawn, the corpses of Ron-Seng and Ravia Jinn would be burning with hundreds of others of their people.

Her path was clear; the choice irrefutable and non-negotiable. Qui-Gon's future was in her hands and she would make sure that her promise to his parents would come to pass. A Jedi Qui-Gon would be, if she had to fight the whole Jedi Order to do it.

Marteene the Hutt supervised the removal of the Jinn bodies personally. That the child and the fortune that came with him had slipped through his fat, greedy fingers was obvious. Custom authorities, after ascertaining that the child did not carry the plague in any form, had agreed that Ashanti Vende, Jedi knight, did indeed have legal custody over the child. Marteene suspected that the money meant little to the Jedi and growled at the waste the money would come to. It was a lost battle, however, and he knew it. He could always dispose of the fancy furnishings of the lush Jinn household. There was still a profit to be made, just not as lucrative.

Like all Hutts, though, Marteene vowed he would not forget this considerable loss of wealth and power at the hands of Ashanti Vende. He would have his day over her, he swore it. And he would have the fortune she took with her as well.

Ashanti faced the Jedi Council of Twelve, the baby gurgling at her feet as he attempted (even at his young age) to crawl around the fascinatingly colorful tile. Master Yoda blinked owlishly at her, his irritation evident with every twitch of his long, expressive ears.

"No."

Ashanti's chin notched up belligerently. "Its one way or the other, Master. I gave my oath and I will stand by it."

Yoda's teeth ground in consternation, causing the rest of the Council to tense. "Train you I did. Unacceptable this is and you know it." The small green alien emphasized the final three words to no avail. He knew Ashanti, had trained her as his own padawan learner when they were both years younger, and knew all about the rebellious streak that was as wide as his own once was. "Stay here and care for child you will for two years, then back to field you go, Ashanti. Needed more out there you are than needed by this child. Accepted he is as Jedi student."

The baby managed to wiggle and squirm his way to Yoda's small chair and let out a high happy-baby scream, causing the ancient master to jump several inches. He had been concentrating so much on Ashanti that he had neglected to keep an eye on the child. Ashanti stifled a laugh, as did a few other Council members. Yoda's ear twitched complacently as he gazed into the innocent face of the human baby. The boy gurgled and slapped the chair gleefully, mimicking the snickers he heard from his adult companions.

"Very well." Ashanti picked up the child, cradling him. "Come, Qui-Gon Jinn, we must settle you into your new home."

The two years flew to Ashanti's way of thinking and as the child grew more and more aware of his surroundings, Ashanti made herself less and less available. He had to grow up with little or no knowledge of her. She had already decided he would be her padawan learner when he became of age, her first apprentice. Yoda had frowned at this declaration but agreed that she did have call to make that decision. After all, the boy was still her legal ward. The Jedi Temple could not accept guardianship until the age of four.

The time approached for Ashanti to leave, and she grew melancholy, wandering around the Temple dejectedly, heaving long sighs and irritating everyone with her churlish attitude whenever her leaving was mentioned. Her first mission was assigned to her direct from the Supreme Chancellor herself and Ashanti had her bags packed, ready to be on her way.

From a small wooden box, Ashanti pulled several documents and handed them to Master Yoda, transferring her guardianship to him until such time as the Temple could assume full responsibility for the child. She also handed him a small wooden statue and a bag of soil.

Yoda raised his eyebrows at the odd tokens. "Give those to Qui-Gon when he turns five. The wooden statue is a token of my affection for the boy, a statue of the child protector Quizia, but I'd rather he didn't know who it is from just yet. The soil is the soil of his home planet, from his father's home. Ron-Seng was big on ceremony and tradition. I swore that their son would receive these gifts and it's all I ask now."

Master Yoda's eyes drooped and Ashanti could feel his sorrow. "Miss you we will, Ashanti. Like old times it was. Excellent student he will be, you were right. Great Jedi knight he will become under your guiding hand." Yoda looked at the holo-picture player that Ashanti tucked into her bag. "Keep those you will?"

"Yes," sighed Ashanti. "I will give them to him for his thirteenth birthday. I have things that must be said with the giving of these pictures." She paused and Yoda looked at her expectantly. "Tell him his parents loved him and did not willing abandon him."

"They died, not abandon," Yoda pointed out reasonably.

Ashanti gave a brief smile. "Yes, but sometimes children don't understand that, Master Yoda."

"Take care of this and him we will for you and your oath, Ashanti," Yoda reassured her when she still hesitated.

"No, for the memory of his parents." Ashanti smiled wistfully at the old master. "Thank you, my master. I'm glad you understand."

Yoda waved away the sentiment with his typical gruff nature. "Oaths made to be kept, lies made to be broken. If keep the oath completely you cannot, help you will get to do so."

Ashanti nodded gravely, picked up her pack and strode out the door. Yoda sighed heavily, knowing it was ripping Ashanti up inside to leave the boy. Both knew it was for the best and, after all, it wasn't like she would ever see him again.

Then again, Yoda reflected, ten years was a very long wait.