Title: I know, I know

Author: Ornery

Series: Loving

Fandom: The Phantom Menace

Status: Complete

Category: AU

Summary: Mace learns that even "in-house" rudeness is a BAD idea.

Disclaimer: I don't own a damned thing. Even my apartment lease is in my Church's name, that's how broke I am.

Loving 10: I know, I know

In which Mace learns not to do rude things.

by Ornery

"Told you, I did, not to irritate Qui Gon. Think, I did not, so foolish you would be, to irritate Jane, instead." Yoda said through the glass-walled bacta tank at Mace as he hung there, the injuries, while not life-threatening, were still…complicated to heal. Therefore, the physicians had submerged the man. "Protective of Obi Wan, she is. This you knew, why you did as you did, I know not."

"I know, I know." Mace muttered mentally for the dozenth time.

A healer grunted. "His bones were temporarily made very soft so they could be moved without breakage, to get him out of it. He will be very sore for a very long time. She tends to be rather protective of children, Masters."

Behind him, Poof muttered, "What I wish to know is, where Padawan Kenobi got that kind of power. It should have taken far longer for a padawan his age to gather enough of the Force to stop Master Mace's fall from that height. I am not complaining, but I do wish to know."

Beside him one of the senior healers smiled. "It's a perfectly lovely method Jane invented before Qui Gon met her. Since we are healers, she shared the information with us, and even gifted us with the alterations needed. We use the Force more often than you regular Jedi, after all. More of it, and when time is critical. She is no longer the only person who has the skill and knowledge needed to do this, as she will only consent to do it to a human. She doesn't know enough about the brains of other species, as *we* do. "

"Do what?"

"Create and maintain a reservoir of stored Force Energy in the tissues of the human brain, on a cellular level. She said she'd build one for any human in the order, but without having adequate information on other races, she refuses to try. She said she had taught US how to do this, and it was for US to decide which races it would help and which it would hinder."

"In brain tissue?" Poof grimaced. "Alter the brain itself to allow this, it does?"

"Yes."

"And Padawan Kenobi and presumably Master Qui Gon Jinn have both undergone this…treatment?"

"Yes sir, as well as each and every human Healer in the Healer Hall. And several other Masters, I believe."

"How many is 'several'?" Poof asked, staring at her in shock."

"No more than twenty or so. They behave themselves around her family, and she says if the Temple wants her to share, they have to play nice with her family, first."

"Did you find out what happened, exactly, to Master Mace?"

"Tie in knot, he was. To stop him. This I would not have done, but stopped he had to be."

The Healer's tone turned blackly disapproving. "And he has no business mucking about with other people's padawans, never mind giving orders to the children that run contrary to what their own Masters have told them." She snapped. I have no idea what he thought he was doing, teaching 'sabre on the third catwalk without the students own Masters present…you don't DO that without the Master around who has the other half of a padawan's training bond!"

"He did what?" Poof was stunned. "Why?"

"The students…several of them were Initiates, by the way, stated he had told them that Qui Gon wasn't the only Master handy with a lightsabre."

"Showing off, Mace was." Yoda said in disapproval.

"Sounds like that to me, as well." Poof grunted. "As well he is not a Council Member any longer. This was irresponsible in the extreme."

"Poof, Yoda, there were several padawans and Initiates injured…and now that they know why, there are several angry Masters waiting for Master Mace, the Creche Master amongst them."

"HE is a current Council member." Poof said quietly.

"In trouble, Mace is."

"How did he fall, anyway?"

"Knocked his feet out from under him, Jane did. Saw what he was doing, saw how young the children were, she did." He looked up at Poof, "Angry, she is?"

"Outraged, only."

"As well, Jedi she is not."

"She has no trouble releasing her emotions, Yoda."

"True, this is. At top of lung and voice, does she let them go." He snickered. "Doubts have no one, when vents she does."

"Kenobi may have caught Mace when he fell of the catwalk, but I don't think he was the one who tied Mace into that strange-looking knot, Yoda."

"Pretzel, it was. Complete, even to the salt, it was."

end