I was born to the Clan. For generations we have owned humans and served the Greater Purpose by intervening to save them from the harm they would stumble into without us. The need to serve the Sacred Greater Purpose is in my genes and cannot be denied. That is why I came to live with my Jedi.

My lot is not an easy one. Sometimes, I think I will just wash my paws of them. But, I do not. They need me. I shudder to think what would happen, were I not there to intervene.

Someday, I will go back to the Clan. Some far away day when all I can do is done. And I will train the next generations, for the time when the Jedi rise once more and the Clan is needed again.

It all really began, when I was 8 weeks old. My grandfather took me to the main spaceport on Coruscant and told me that there I would find the human I would own. At the time I was very small, rather frightened of so many passing feet and not at all sure I wanted to leave the security of the Clan. But for more years than the Republic has been in existence we of the Clan have served. Now it was my turn.

"How will I know who I am to own?" I asked again as Grandfather gave me a final rubbing over and prepared to leave.

"By the twitching of your whiskers, little one. Remember - you can always call upon the Clan if you need us, but this is your time and you will know what to do in every case. You are of the Clan and the Sacred Purpose is strong in you."

By the twitching of my whiskers, indeed! But I had never known my grandfather to be wrong about anything, so I did as he said. Picking my way with careful quickness, I darted between the passing feet, never looking back.

For the longest time I scurried and slinked my way through the spaceport, with never so much as a twinge in any whisker. I knew I was looking for a human - humanoids and felinoids are frequently companions, but cats of the Clan accept only humans for training. And humans came and went in the busy area, but my whiskers never twitched. Not once.

I was beginning to be hungry and more than a little homesick for my fellow kitlings when another ship docked. The ramp went down. And then I saw a tall man, tall even for a human, dressed in brown and cream. My whiskers began to tingle and then actively twitch. It was the oddest sensation. This was the one then, the human I would own and in so doing, take my place in service to the Clan.

I considered him for a time. No one stayed in the space port for any length of time. I would have to work quickly. I was of the Clan, and I knew exactly what to do.

QUI-GON

By the Force, he was tired. This last mission had not been physically taxing, but mentally grueling and it was not over yet. The Chancellor himself was meeting him at the spaceport in order to get a first hand account of the political situation on Balandria Prime. After that, he would have to repeat his report to the Council, answer their endless questions, and hold on to his temper the entire time. Only after these tasks were completed would the mission be a wrap. And then, and only then, could he go home.

He collected his travel pack and exited the shuttle, drawing on years of training to smother the headache that was threatening, releasing a little of the tension to the Force.

The Chancellor was waiting. Dressed in unremarkable dark clothing he could have been any well-heeled businessman or politician from any of a 100 different worlds. No one in the arrival area took any particular notice of him. He waited quietly as Qui-Gon came forward and bowed.

"Well, I hope it wasn't as bad as you look, Qui-Gon."

Qui-Gon Jinn smiled at that. "You never change, Val. And thanks." Qui-Gon moved his leg slightly as he felt something brush over his ankle.

"Was it worse than we feared?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "As you imagined. Seven rival families all fighting for control of the government, and none of them cares what happens to the planet or the people in the process. The Hutts will get control, I fear."

The something that had brushed past his ankle, was now working its way up his leg. Automatically, Qui-Gon reached out with a tendril of Force energy to remove the unknown "something" then stopped as he registered what it was. Moving slowly, he reached around and firmly grasped hold of his invading climber.

Valorum stopped talking and shook his head. "Where did that come from?"

Qui-Gon eyed the small, orange and white kittling quizzically. It dangled tranquilly from his grasp, not seeming to mind the large hand that held it or being in mid air. "He just climbed up my leg."

"You must have a sign blinking over your head, Qui."

"Obi-Wan insists I do." Without thinking too much about it, Qui-Gon brought the small kitten close to his chest and began to gently rub around its ears. Green eyes closed and a loud purr began, quite out of proportion to its tiny size.

"Walk with me and tell me the rest - and then you can take your new acquisition home."

Valorum knew the Jedi Master of old. Nothing helpless, be it humanoid, felinoid or species unknown had ever lacked a helping hand from Qui-Gon. "What about the factions on the southern continent?" He asked.

Still petting the kitten, Qui-Gon answered.
 

Finis part 1

Part 2
BASKY

The tall man carried me in one hand tucked close to his warm chest. He smelled quite interesting, spicy and off-world scents, and I enjoyed the deep rumble sound of his voice as he talked to me.

"Well, little one, what were you doing all alone in the space port? No claws, kitling, that's right. Oh, you like having your ears rubbed...and I'll bet you're hungry, too. It will have to wait until I go to the Council."

He paused on the walkway and gently pulled me loose from his tunic, then held me up to view my new home. It was huge, with five towers reaching as high as I could see. Yes, I thought immediately, I could own this. It was beautiful and somehow mysterious, and befitting a cat of the Clan. Again my whiskers twitched, this time with excitement.

He tucked me back under his chin and strode forward. Now some humans walk in jerky motions, nothing connected, appendages all over the place. This man moved with such smoothness, I was proud to be his owner. I purred and he chuckled. We went inside the Temple where it was just cool enough, with light and smooth floors. I wiggled my nose -- no other felinoid lived here. Staircases led in all directions, but the man went to a lift and stepped inside.

I'd never been in a lift before, though Grandfather had explained about them. It took us up and up and I will admit that I was just a little frightened as my senses got all muddled. When we arrived, I found that I was on top his head, my laws tight in his hair, my tail dragging over his face, curling around his nose. He stepped off the lift and reached up, and I felt a strange buzzing go through me, soothing and reassurring, and I was moved into his hands.

"Poor little one, you aren't used to lifts, are you?" He said in my ear. "We're up with the Council now. You must behave. Be good and I'll take you to meet my Padawan. Perhaps you would like to fit in here." So saying, he placed me in a pocket of his robe and for a short period I was unable to see or hear what was going on.

That, of course, was unacceptable. I turned a few somersaults until I was upright, and stuck out my head. I was surrounded by darkness, as this was an inner robe pocket. My tall man was speaking and I could smell at least ten other sentients. One scent was stronger even than my man. Such an intriguing odor!

I left the pocket, which had finally given way to my efforts, and mindful of my claws, I gradually lowered myself to the floor.
 
 

QUI-GON

He felt the kitling wriggling around in the inner pocket of his cloak. Using a tendril of the Force to calm the little one, he strode into the Council Chamber and bowed gravely at the three members present: Mace Windu, Master Yoda, and Adi Gallia.

"Grave, the situation on Belandria is, I think." Trust Yoda to make a statement of fact.

"Yes, my Master. The planet is, as you know, controlled by seven ruling families. All are," He paused as the kitling in his pocket dug in its claws rather forcefully, "ah, competing for planetary dominance. They care little what happens to their people or to Belandria itself. Ouch!" The kitling apologetically licked the area around Qui's waist where his back paw had dug in too deeply.

Yoda?s ears wriggled. "All right are you, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master, I am fine.? Qui-Gon took a deep breath and continued, ?The Hutts are interested in the system due to its proximity to middle rim smuggler's routes."

The kitling was getting more and more active. And no amount of judicious Force use was quieting it, either, much to Qui-Gon's dismay. Of course, a kitling getting loose in the Council Chamber was rather mild by Jinn standards. In fact, it wasn't much at all, compared, say, to that awful incident when he was Yoda's Padawan - he would never forget the look on then-Chancellor Tanirin's face when the Corellian Flying Spyder had decided it liked the view from the Chancellor's nose better than Padawan Jinn's cloak hood.

"Then it is as we feared - the Hutts will take control of that system as well." Mace Windu was solemn. But then, he always was solemn and quite used to ignoring odd behavior from Master Qui-Gon Jinn.

Qui-Gon was about to concur, when the kitling did a flip-flop worthy of a senior Senator. The lining of his capacious inner pocket finally proved unequal to the force of a determined object. The kitling escaped and shinnied carefully down his leg. It emerged on the toe of his boot, and then moved with what looked like Force Enhanced speed across the marble floor.

Straight up into Yoda's lap.

There was silence except for the sound of sniffing. Which was coming from the kitling. Initial examinaiton of Yoda completed, his ears up, tail waving, nose moving at a great clip, the kitling was, calmly, moving from chair to chair, checking out each of the three Senior Jedi Council Members over with grave thoroughness. Both Adi and Mace were far too well-mannered to push the little kit aside; Qui-Gon could have sworn the felinoid viewed both with very amused looks. Then it gracefully lept back into Master Yoda's lap and began rubbing its head over his chest.

Yoda sat very still and allowed it. "Ah, a new pet, you have, my former Padawan?"

Only the fact that he was a Jedi Master of may years standing allowed Qui-Gon to beat down the flush that threatened to turn his ears red. "Yes, Master."

"Hmm..."

"You will be giving this away to a suitable party, I hope?" Mace Windu never changed expression, but Qui-Gon was certain the Council member would've frowned if he could ever so far forget himself.

At that, the kitling left off marking Master Yoda, turned around and stared hard at Qui-Gon.

The Jedi Master shook his head. "No, Master Windu. I believe this little one will staying with Obi-Wan and I."

Did felinoids smile? This one certainly appeared to be doing so.

"Good, needs to learn more of the Living Force, does Obi-Wan. Teach him much, I think this one will." Master Yoda and the kitling exchanged understanding glances. Then the kitling went to sit on the arm of Yoda's chair, wrapping its tiny tail around its feet and looking down its nose at the room in general.

"I think so too, Master."

"Now," Yoda said as he began massaging the kitling's ears, "more to tell us about Belandria, I think you have, hmm, Padawan mine?"

Qui-Gon sighed, and resumed being a diplomat.

tbc?

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