Jedi Council Forums - An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Note April 22nd

Jedi Council Forums » Fan Fiction » Before the Saga »

Locked Topic | Read Only Topic | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

Author	Topic: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Note April 22nd
Aunecah_Skywalker Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 3/16/03 4:21pm Subject: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Note April 22nd - Date Edited: 5/5/03 10:40am (7 edits total) Edited By: Aunecah_Skywalker
	Title - An Order and One Author - Aunecah_Skywalker Characters - Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Rain, and almost all other PT people. Summary - How will Qui-Gon deal with an apprentice who has been taught that it is NOT ONLY OKAY to use the Dark Side of the Force, but also GOOD? Genre - Action-adventure, angst, romance, drama, and pretty much everything else. Notes - N/A Disclaimer - As usual, SW belongs to GL and LucasFilms, and so does Obi-Wan Kenobi. Any characters that are NOT known (I doubt there are going to be any, however) belong to me. I'm making no profit out of this except for - possibly and hopefully - feedback. Ehem - I'm having major problems with K+K and DWB because I'm simply NOT liking the way the story is going right now. So I started writing this little vignette that will hopefully make it easier for me to write K+K. What happens? Vignette turns into this nasty plot bunny that's drawing blood and simply NOT leaving me alone. I don't know how often I'll update this, but hopefully, my posts will be long enough to make up for possibly long absences in between. Any feedback is MUCH appreciated. (I'll come back later to do the story formatting.) Here's the post. ------------------- Prologue The Clock's Melting Obi-Wan came awake as though from a long sleep to a sweet fragrance. He gazed down into those beautiful eyes of the woman that he loved so much, and saw there the dance of laughter from ages past and the orchestra of sorrow for ages to come; but right now, in this instant, there was only pleasure there, and he had given her that pleasure, the momentary release from the burdens of life. But life had nothing to do with him, did it? And if it didn't, then this wondrous creature of life had nothing to do with him, either. Her face split into a delectable smile, making Obi-Wan's heart flutter weightlessly. She raised a finger to his face and traced a smooth curve from the side of his forehead down to his chin, emerald eyes fixed intently on her fingers. He realized, in a mild epiphany, that he was shivering as if he had just run all around the Jedi Temple and back. Sweat was glistening down him, reflecting the almost blinding light of the clear-blue skies. But there was no sun. Just as gradually, he became aware of the fervent feelings that were circling inside him, a raging pleasure driving him to the near point of insanity. Was this why, he wondered, his mind mapped to be as chaotic and mystifying as it was? Was this, a little voice whispered in a corner of his mind, how it felt to make love? Obi-Wan couldn't answer that question because he had never made love before. He was a Jedi, and Jedi were forbidden to love. That was, actually, not entirely true. While marriage and children were most certainly off-limits, Jedi Knights and Masters could engage in sexual activities if they so desired. Obi-Wan, however, could not venture into that area even if he wanted to. What time he had left in which he wasn't on a mission he spent chasing Anakin from one gambling arena to another racecourse, and he took his duties as a Master too seriously to risk Anakin's life by making a mistake. "Don't think about the past, darling. There is nothing for you there." Her voice was almost musical in its quality, and it moved something deep in his heart. Obi-Wan looked down upon her, feeling the all-too-familiar feelings of sorrow and frustration well up in him, swallowing away the dregs of happiness that had consumed him only moments before. "I have nothing but the past to think about," Obi-Wan answered remorsefully. "Everything I am is there." Because there was nothing left of him to think about now, was there? "It doesn't have to be that way, my little Knight," she said. "You could have everything you want for the future." "Future?" Obi-Wan asked, for a moment uncertain what she was talking about. "What future do I have? In the Force – there is only the present." He looked down at her in surprise, suddenly unsure what he was seeing or feeling. "I am dead," he said to her. It wasn't a question. "I died a very long time ago." "Yes," she said simply. Obi-Wan flinched as if she had struck her. Maybe he had been expecting, or perhaps hoping, that she would tell him he wasn't. It wasn't that Obi-Wan didn't like being dead. There was nothing but the sheer brilliance of the Force in death, and Obi-Wan wanted to have nothing to do with anything but the Force. In death, there was no remorse, no regret, no guilt, no dark. Everything was bright and lively, and every moment was filled with happiness and the Force. He drew away from her reluctantly. His body was unwilling to part from the warmth of hers, but he needed to find out, he needed to know what was happening. A couple of blankets were strewn astray on the spring grass beside them. Obi-Wan grabbed one of them and wrapped it around his waist. "I never saw you before," he said, eyeing her as she sat up and leaned over to take the remaining blanket so she could drape herself in it. She was a creature of delight, Obi-Wan thought despite everything. She had brilliant emerald eyes and cascades of dark (currently damp) hair that fell down to her waist. Other than the three parabolic-marks etched into the bridge of her nose, she looked completely human. He wondered what species she belonged to, because she most definitely wasn't of any species that he met or read about when he had been alive. "No, you didn't." She smiled at him, amusement tinkling in her eyes as she leaned her chin on her knees and encircled her legs with her arms. "Who are you?" "I?" she said as if she hadn't been expecting the question from him. "I am your future." "My future?" She nodded. "But I don't have a future. I am – dead." "Yes." Only long experience with these kind of circumlocutions stopped Obi-Wan from grimacing in frustration. She was hardly the only person to engage in these "wise-talks," as Obi-Wan liked to call them, though there were very few of her kind in the galaxy. "You remind of Master Yoda, you know. He could talk for days about a question and never really give you an answer." Her face split into an amused smile. "Yes, I know Master Yoda." Obi-Wan hazarded a guess. "Are you … the Force?" He knew it sounded stupid, but he couldn't come up with any other explanation. She nodded, laughing. "I always knew there was a reason why I loved you so much. Yes, to answer your question, I am the Force. A manifestation of the Force, to be more accurate." "A manifestation?" asked Obi-Wan. "What does that mean?" "I was real, my body was real, I existed as a mortal before. I am just like you, but I am the Force." "And you're my future," Obi-Wan said skeptically, not sure if the explanation really helped him any. "That too." Obi-Wan opened his mouth to retort, when he remembered how he had regained conscious. A delicate heat rose into his cheeks as he remembered, making him shiver as shadows of the reminiscent pleasure started to creep back into him in chains of tingles. He looked up at her again, and found her gazing at him through speculative eyes. "Did we really – do that? You an I?" "What – that ?" Obi-Wan nodded. "Possibly." This time, Obi-Wan exhaled noisily in frustration. Sometimes, he had felt frustrated enough with Yoda to want to throw him out the window, and she was no different. He looked at her again. She was blinking patiently, her gaze never leaving his face. "What's your name?" he asked abruptly. "Rain." "What kind of a name is that?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. In the many planets that he had gone to during his lifetime, he had met people from many strange cultures and traditions, but he had never come across someone who used these kind of common nouns for names. An unlikely thrill of curiosity burned in him with the intensity that it hadn't burned since he had been a wide-eyed apprentice under Qui-Gon Jinn. He wondered how Qui-Gon enjoyed his death. Did he now spend all his time with Tahl? And maybe the life spirits of Xanatos and Anakin? Even Mace Windu and Adi Gallia, perhaps? Or his former Master, Count Dooku, and his pseudo-Master, Yoda? "I don't know," said Rain, pulling him out of his woebegone introspections. "You insist on calling me that, so you tell me." "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't know you?" Obi-Wan hissed, wanting to throw something at her. His abrupt hostility toward her was unwarranted, and he couldn't quite explain why he felt the way he did, but he couldn't change what he felt. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to – I don't know what's wrong with me." "You wonder about your Master still," said Rain without any hesitation. It wasn't even a question. "Wonder why he doesn't love you. Wonder what you did that earned you the Master's scorn." Obi-Wan wasn't surprised that she could tell. If her claims were true and she actually was the Force (or a "manifestation," as she called it), then she should know everything. Maybe that was why he had been angry with her. Not seeing any point in using pleonasms, he said, "That came out of nowhere, but yes. And no. I don't wonder why Master doesn't love me. I know why Master doesn't love me." He looked away, feeling his throat constrict as a sudden chill welled up in his heart. "Obi-Wan?" Rain said gently. Her voice was closer to him. Obi-Wan felt a soft hand touch his arm near the elbow. He shivered despite the trill of warmth that rushed into him, or maybe precisely because of the warmth that cascaded into him. Resolutely, he looked at Rain. "I didn't mean to make you sad," Rain continued softly. "You didn't deserve it. You are in the Force after all." "No, that's all right," Obi-Wan assured her in a low voice. "Truth always hurts." "Yes, doesn't it?" Rain sighed heavily. There was something in Rain's voice when she said that that Obi-Wan didn't like. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously, forcing himself to stay still. The closeness of Rain's body to his own was making him incredibly self-conscious, and there was a point when the man he was pushed the Jedi in him to the back-lines. It wasn't lost upon him that the only "clothes" standing in between them were two completely inadequate blankets, or that Rain didn't look as if she was going to object if he were to push her down onto the ground and kiss her again. Rain shook her head, a small uncertainly certain smile on her face. She ran a hand down his bare chest. Obi-Wan reluctantly moved away from her touch and into that of the cold air. Despite the glaring brilliance of the skies, it was indelibly cold. His surroundings, he realized, were masked in that unnatural radiance. "This looks so different," he whispered, fisting his hand on the ground, almost expecting his hand to go right through. He looked up at Rain. "Did we talk before?" "Ah, here we're talking about double-meaninged questions again. Do you want to know whether we met as Rain and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Or as the Force and Obi-Wan Kenobi?" "I don't know. Maybe both." Rain encircled knees with her arms and took a moment to answer. "I never met you as Rain before." "And as the Force?" She closed her eyes a moment, and then opened them again. When she spoke next, two voices came out of her mouth, one high-pitched and the other low-pitched, as if there was another female inside her. It was almost eerie. "We talked many a time in multifarious situations." "Why?" "Many reasons," said the Force or Rain or whoever it was, easily. "Like what?" "I'm not sure you would understand." She smiled at him. "Do you know, Obi-Wan, that I spent an instant more when I created you?" She smiled as if remembering the past. But in the Force there was only the present, Obi-Wan reminded himself quickly. On the other hand, the Force was the past, the present, and the future. He deliberately stopped himself from sighing; there was a reason why he hated tenses in grammar so much. "I watched you through your entire life," the Force/Rain went on. She sighed. "Sometimes, it is difficult to see your most prized possession going through so much agony." "Then why didn't you change it?" "It is impossible. Life comes with difficulties." She sighed again. "Except that in your case, difficulties came along with life." "I was all right," Obi-Wan assured her in a low voice. "It wasn't that bad. Compared to what Padmé went through, and what – what Master must have gone through when Xanatos turned, then died, and then Master Tahl died – I - … - I was all right." "No, you weren't." Rain/the Force leaned forward almost seductively. "Tell me, Obi-Wan, did you ever wish for a different life? Wished that some things had gone differently?" Obi-Wan deliberately kept his gaze on her face. He almost didn't hear what she said, his concentration all bent on stopping his gaze from sliding down her neck. He could hear the pounding of his own heart as blood pumped into his face. He swallowed. "S-sometimes." "What did you wish for?" Her voice dropped to a whisper as she slid in next to him. "It doesn't matter anymore," Obi-Wan whispered. "Why do you ask?" "Just tell me." "I – I – I – " A light kindled in Rain/the Force's eyes. Obi-Wan looked away, feeling a thawing ice well up his throat. The temperature was so cold, so very, very cold. And Rain was so warm. He could just reach out, take her in his arms, and let himself be swept away by that delectable fire that had consumed him moments earlier … Obi-Wan dug his palm into the moist ground and slid away from her, gulping. "I wished Master hadn't died at Naboo," he admitted, his voice coming out hoarse. "That I didn't have to train Anakin." "That you didn't have to bear the burden of him turning?" the Force/Rain asked gently, taking his hands in hers. Obi-Wan didn't answer immediately. He thought he had moved away from Rain/Force, but she was sitting right beside him. He looked at her pale hands, and caressed them with his thumb, letting them glide over her knuckles. He took her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. A single tear rolled down his cheek and fell down onto the back of her hand. "I tried," he said in a whisper. He entwined his fingers in hers and dared to look at her face, at her white skin tinted a fading lavender by the light, at her stormy gray-green eyes, and at her mouth, so soft and lush. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly, feeling heat rush into his body despite the coldness of her lips. Moaning, he deepened the kiss, pushing her down until she was lying flat on her back. He looked down at her, blinking. "You're so beautiful." "Yes, and she is your future," the Force/Rain answered, stroking his cheek. He watched as tears rolled down his cheek and onto her face. She sighed. "It always hurts to loose your most precious treasure." The ethereal glare of the Force faded away into the dark of the night. He saw the twinkling stars overhead, and the plant life all around him. Life. Obi-Wan Kenobi took a sharp shuddering breath into life. It didn't feel very different to be alive – except that everything was darker and colder. And there was no Rain here to keep him warm. --------------- "Our little son." Nyeria ran a damp, shaky hand over her son's cheek, tears flowing down her face freely. After becoming pregnant several times, and each time miscarrying because of what would have been only minor discrepencies in other women, she and her husband had almost given up hope in ever giving birth to somebody they could call their own. "He's such a darling." The woman sitting beside Nyeria, Agumé, touched his flushed nose slightly. Shadowed eyes stared up at them vaguely before occupying themselves elsewhere. "His father would have been proud." "Yes, he would have." Nyeria blinked back a sudden wave of tears. Under the threat of death, she and Ben had fled from their homeworld of Agamar to Naboo. To discourage anybody from following, Ben had taken an especially convoluted and dangerous path through the hyperspace. Unfortunately, that didn't stop anyone from finding them. Just before reaching Naboo, their ship had been destroyed, and everybody from Ben to his mother had perished in the attack. Only Nyeria had survived. Sometimes, she wished she hadn't. It seemed somehow fitting that she should have died on the ship with her family. Agumé seemed to know what was going on in her mind, because she said, "Don't think like that, Nyeria. Your husband knew what had to be done, just as you knew it yourself. If you had been on that ship, your son would have died with you." Nyeria felt her throat constrict at the thought. She held him a little tighter unconsciously. A little surprise faded into her at how protective she was of a son who had been born less than an hour ago, but for most part, her disoriented brain didn't even register her protectiveness. It almost seemed a part of her. "Mama, Cordé is hungry!" The voice belonged to Agumé's two-year-old daughter, Rabé. Agumé shook her head before turning around to meet the tiny "blurball," as Agumé was fond of referring to her, that was her daughter. "Come here, my little devil. Look what surprise Aunt Nyeria has for you." Nyeria was actually in no way related to Agumé, of course, other than by the common bondage of two friends who had become so close to each other during the past couple of months, they could have been sisters. Such relationships were not unheard of in the refuge camps; everybody looked out for each other, because you never knew when there would come a time you would need somebody else's help. Rabé's considerably large eyes widened still more as she looked at the little baby boy in Nyeria's hands. In his what must have been a very blurry vision of the world, the little baby boy paused to look at Rabé, though nobody could be very certain if he really saw anything more than a giant blur of gray and another giant blur of some more gray. Rabé pulled out a forefinger, stared at it for a while (as if she wouldn't be able to look at it again), and slowly drew it closer to the baby boy. She touched his skin near his neck with the tip of her finger. "He's ugly," Rabé pronounced solemnly. "And squinchy. And – and – and ugly." "Ugly? Squinchy? This is my son," Nyeria said in mock anger. "Is he always going to be like that?" "One would hope not." "What are you naming him?" asked Agumé, laughter dancing in her eyes. "Obi-Wan," said Nyeria, smiling fondly at her son, taking care to support his precarious head. "It's his father wanted. We were going to name the baby Orela if it was a girl, and Obi-Wan if it was a boy." "Obi-Wan Kenobi. Well, that has a nice ring to it," said Agumé approvingly. Nyeria smiled gratefully up at Agumé. She was not much older than Nyeria, but in many ways, she acted like one. Actually, Nyeria had entertained a suspicion for a while now that Agumé's gifts included the rare blessing of having the Force, but she had never confronted Agumé about it. She respected Agumé's privacy, trusting Agumé to tell her if and when she wanted to. Until now, Agumé didn't tell, and Nyeria didn't ask. She looked down at Rabé, who was still watching Obi-Wan keenly with wide eyes. "Don't you think, Rabé? How does that sound for a name for your little brother?" "I think it sounds – " Rabé stopped suddenly when Obi-Wan started crying. Just as surprised as Rabé, Nyeria rocked her son gently, spoke softly under her breath, but Obi-Wan only cried louder. "What's wrong, Obi-Wan?" Nyeria shifted her hands on his lithe little body so that she could hold him against her chest. He was sobbing so loudly, people were starting to come out of their tents to see what was going on. Refuge camps were usually some of the quitest places on any world, especially this late in the night, and naturally everybody got worried whenever there was a little too much activity. The answer to her question came not from her little son but in the form of a crimson blasterbolt that tore through the darkness of the night, through Agumé's back, and into Rabé. The aged woman fell down onto the ground with a strangled cry along with Rabé. The child died a painless death, the moment the laser had sizzled through her heart, but her mother knew one moment's horror and an eternity of pain in that moment of seeing her child die in her arms. "Agumé!" Nyeria cried softly, struggling to jerk forward without hurting Obi-Wan. She clasped Agumé's arm tightly. "Come on, talk to me, Agumé. You – you can't die here. You can't leave me alone! Not you too." Agumé took in a shallow breath that ended in a series of coughs. She looked, however, determined when she opened her mouth to take another breath. "Run, Nyeria. They're coming for him." With those words, she died. --------------- Her breaths coming out in noisy gasps that refused to be suppressed, Nyeria sprinted down a meandering path through the forest. Out in the plains, her chances against the attackers were non-existent. Here, in the forest, they weren't much better, but she could at least harbor the illusion of being in the relative safety among the trees. Maybe a black tiger will come and kill the attackers, or maybe they will accidentally collide into a tree and die. Maybe they wouldn't be able to figure out her path. Maybe they weren't after her and her son. They were, of course, and Nyeria didn't need Agumé's last whispered warning to know that. Their planet being overtaken, their citizenship and criminal records being changed, their life being thrown into disarray, the inspectors overtaking their home, their ship being attacked – it was too much of a co-incidence. Somewhere, somehow, they realized that she was pregnant, and they had also realized that her son would make them a valuable asset. Because, Obi-Wan was Force-sensitive, perhaps one of the strongest Jedi ever if he were to be ever trained. Because, despite her husband's silent protests and her mother-in-law's not-so-silent protests, she had called the man Torr Snapit of the Jedi Order, asking him to come and check their son to see if he would be granted admittance into the Order. Because, even then, she had realized the danger she would put her son in once he was born; he was powerful, or so the soothsayer had told her when she had first learned of her pregnancy, his fate entwined into the future of the galaxy. "The galaxy will rise or fall with him, my dear. Night or day, dark or light, black or white, it's all going to be in your little one's hands." In my little one's hands … The thought didn't comfort her, it didn't make her want to jump up and down in happiness, it didn't send a spark of pride into her spine or tears spilling down her cheeks. She would rather have had a son who was ordinary like everybody else, who would catch a kharra-rat yesterday and get a zero on his Astrophysics test tomorrow, whom she would want to hug one moment and spank the next. At least that way, Obi-Wan would have had a normal, happy life – something that he was bound to NOT have. If he ever survives these menaces … "Hold on, little one," Nyeria whispered as she ran faster. Pain exploded in her stomach, sweat glistening down her body as if she had just bathed, and her lungs had all but seized up on her, but she couldn't stop. They were coming closer; no matter what she may wish and where she may run, she knew that they would always be behind her. She could only hope to run a little farther, save her son from a dark fate for one more instant – and maybe the sun would rise a little too early, maybe the birds would sing their morning song, maybe she would feel the warm whisper of the twilight, and maybe, just maybe, a stray sentry ship or two would be there to help her – and protect her son. Obi-Wan wasn't crying, almost as if he realized the importance of keeping quiet. For that, Nyeria was truly grateful. Even though she could run nowhere to hide from those who were following her, she didn't want to be carrying a ringing bell saying "Here we are!" either. Around her, the woods were a dark blur streaked or striped with spindly moonlight. Nyeria had never had the chance to become trained in the Force despite her skills, but she had taught herself, to the best of her abilities. Her one true gift was calling upon the Force to augment her already considerable running speed, and that was exactly what Nyeria did as she fled for her and her son's life. She thought that she had made it, and perhaps she had, because her last hope lay in getting to the settlement nearest to the refuge camps, perhaps even managing to procure a speeder from there, by force if necessary. She didn't. Nyeria felt something in the air, an indelible draught of darkness, before she heard the sound of a blaster being shot, and, an instant later, felt the blasterfire pouring into her legs. Crying in pain, she dropped onto the ground. The bundle of blankets in which she had wrapped Obi-Wan fell out of her hands. Her baby boy started crying. "Obi-Wan … " Gritting her teeth against the pain, Nyeria pushed herself forward with her hands, her wounded legs dragging behind her uselessly. She felt – she thought – somebody – a dark shape, an attacker – coming close. She felt – she thought – cruel emotions – darkness, malice, a sadistic yearning. What gods of stars shining your graces down upon us, protect my baby as if he were your own. Let no fate befall him that doesn't know the light of your smile … --------------- EDIT: Here's the link to the repost.
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 3/16/03 6:15pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	let's see if I am following this. Obi-Wan is one with the force, then we go back to his birth for a back-story? -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Aunecah_Skywalker Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 3/16/03 6:16pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	Nope, Obi-Wan died and then he became alive again - the birth is - ehem - current. Aunecah
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Arwen-Jade_Kenobi Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 3/16/03 6:54pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	Looks good.... more soon? -----signature----- Retired Council Master of the Lightside It's all about the blues, baby "Love can ignite the stars." - ROTS novel I'm a Trekkie: Deal with it, or suffer the wrath of Khan This user is certifiably insane
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
jacen200015 Registered: Jan '02	Date Posted: 3/16/03 7:03pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	wait a sec i'm still confused? -----signature----- If I review then PM me when you update. thanks so much. Send me your completed 'the saga' stories! Attack Of The Sith is here! Obi-Wan's Journal Updated 8/01 Don't quote me the odds. I shall do as I must. Do or do not, there is no try.
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Nifet Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 3/17/03 12:19am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	I think I'm not confused for a change A very intriguing beginning, Aunecah. (And I was wondering why have you left K&K. This seems to be a good reason) Well written, and I'd love to read more - as soon as you can get it up. -----signature----- ~~Beauty is the food of soul~~
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
PaddyJuan Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 3/17/03 6:48am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	very interesting so far. -----signature----- Smile, it makes everyone wonder what you are up to? ~~~ __((O.O))__ ~~~ Panther's Cub - http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=10596413 ~~ Panther's Cub is complete now ~~ others in bio
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Lady_Kandriya Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 3/17/03 4:04pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	Great stuff. More soon?
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Lady_Kandriya Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 3/19/03 6:03am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	UP
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Lurkalidth Registered: Feb '03	Date Posted: 3/19/03 6:30am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU)
	Hi! Intriguing! You always have fascinating premises, along w/ some very good writing. Just one question, please? Obi-Wan's birth is current? Then...is his birth occurring after RotJ? Or did they go back in time to have him reborn to relive? Thank you for sharing this. -----signature----- ~I brake for doughnuts.~
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Aunecah_Skywalker Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 3/19/03 5:18pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19 - Date Edited: 3/20/03 5:53am (2 edits total) Edited By: Aunecah_Skywalker
	Well, I got back to this a lot faster than I was expecting to. The chapter's just slightly less than nine pages long. PK, Arwen, jacen, Nifet, Froggy, and Kandriya : Thank you all for reading! Lurkalidth : It's not after RotJ, but suffice to say OT characters are going to be in here too – though their ages … ???? Don't you wish you could get into my mind. -------------------- Chapter One Ominous Beginnings Twenty years later …. "This place is ugly," Mace Windu commented offhand, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The comment was completely unoriginal and cliché, but it was invariably described the place in a well thought out precision. Coruscant was one of the most technologically advanced planets in the galaxy, but that also meant that it was the epicenter of nuclear exhausts and antimatter wastes. It was a mystery to the natives of other planets as to exactly how people lived in this polluted hell as well as why exactly the seize of this planet was considered a major victory in wars, not that anybody ever said it out loud. "Nobody will ever expect to find us here," Qui-Gon agreed easily. "That's why we're here." Only two more decades of experience as a Jedi Knight stopped Qui-Gon from imitating Mace in his disgust. Several times since he had crossed sixty, he had been given the opportunity to become one of the Jedi ambassadors to the Senate, which meant that he wouldn't have to ever set foot on a war torn planet again. Just as many times, Qui-Gon had declined the offers, preferring to die on worlds that were the epitomes of nature and beauty rather than live on a planet that was the epicenter of death and destruction. He had often wondered about the choice, wondered if it were his destiny to serve the galaxy as an ambassador in the Senate, but he didn't have any such doubts anymore. "Well, I suppose there's no point in delaying the inevitable," Mace said with a sigh. He stared a little at the datapad in his hand, nodded to himself, and then waved them forward down a cobbled street. This was actually the first time that Qui-Gon, Mace, Tahl, and Adi Gallia had set foot on Coruscant. Though they had heard a lot about this planet, their works had often landed them in the Outer Rim territories, on planets as far away from Coruscant as possible, like Tatooine and Dagobah. Without a doubt, all of them had wanted to see Coruscant, especially since all the media coverage that the city-planet got showed towering buildings in a closely-knit network – an awesome, breath-taking sight to those who lived in individual houses in a world that was very much rural compared to some others. Feeling mildly uncomfortable, Qui-Gon scrutinized the dark street with both his eyes, ears, and the Force. He saw, heard, and sensed nothing that set off any alarm bells, but the feeling of foreboding was still present, elusive and jumping around like a wraith, impossible to be quieted down so it can be studied in length. He moved closer to his wife, Tahl, and placed an arm around her slim waist. He slowed down slightly, allowing Mace and Adi, who were conversing quietly about what appeared to be the path they should take, to gain some distance. Like Qui-Gon, Tahl, too, slowed down. "Be wary in the Skipping Jawa, Tahl," he warned her softly. "I sense a disturbance." "I feel it too," Tahl answered gravely, "but I haven't been able to pinpoint its location. Are you sure it's coming from the Skipping Jawa?" "No," Qui-Gon shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it seems like a nice place for trouble to be lurking." Tahl gave him a crooked grin. They caught up to Mace and Adi again, both of whom were still busy arguing over whether to take the right street of left street in an upcoming fork. Eventually, Mace won, and they took the right street. Ten minutes into meandering down the twisting street, Qui-Gon began to wonder if they were lost, though one look from Tahl was enough to stop him from asking Mace the question. Half a standard hour later, however, it became quite apparent that they were indeed lost. "I think it's about time we give in to reality and ask somebody the directions," Adi said testily. Pausing only a couple of moments to glare at her husband, Adi sprinted over to a Dug couple. The two Dugs were very animate, but they seemed to realize that Adi was a Jedi because they didn't advance on her with their four arms/legs and became quite helpful, actually. Mace gave Qui-Gon a long-suffering look. Adi came back moments later and led them back the way they came. "The bar's reputation precedes itself," Adi said with distaste. "Those Dugs looked at if they wanted to ask me if I'd been living under a rock the past ten years." She took several more twisted paths, peering through the haze every now and then, especially when they were in corners of the streets. Qui-Gon, for his part, was quite sure that Adi was making them only more lost, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Finally, however, to Mace's grimace and Qui-Gon's surprise, they arrived in front of Skipping Jawa, a bar in the deep bowls of Coruscant with a notorious reputation. Preceded only by the bars on Tatooine, Skipping Jawa was a safe haven for drug dealers, criminals, bounty hunters, pirates, and various other criminals. That was precisely why the four Jedi were here, of course. Their mission here was fairly simple: Find and capture the bounty hunter named Jango Fett, who was rumored to be heavily involved with the Sith Lords. Qui-Gon could only hope that those rumors were true; if they found an Insider among the Sith who was willing to – either through bribery, bantering, or something else – tell them some inside information about the Sith, the Jedi could save many hundreds of their warriors. Tens of thousands of innocent lives would be spared. A doorbell chimed in a long note as the four Jedi stepped into Skipping Jawa. The bar was lighted in a pale green, giving it an eerie tinge under the cold starlight of the night. Only one look around showed Qui-Gon several dozens of security guards, some of whom were droids. This was slightly surprising because you didn't usually see that many droids around. Artificial intelligence was a recent invention, and droids were long ways from being surrogate living beings. Only the richest or the worst could get their hands on droids, and the owner of Skipping Jawa was probably both. The security guards were dressed in such a way to be unobtrusive, but their presences in the Force were alert and bored, which set them apart from the bar's customers very easily. Of course, exactly what the security guards were doing here was a mystery in itself. If the bar's customers were to engage in a wrestle fight smack down and killed each other, then nobody would care as long as the winning party paid for all the property damage. Coruscant might be the most technologically advanced planet, but it was definitely not a safe world. Its government had long since dissolved into anarchy, and people simply couldn't come to consensus on what kind of government they should now run. Most wanted democracy, but some leaned toward monarchies and others toward downright tyrannies. Looking at places like these, Qui-Gon almost tended to agree that a strong dictatorship regime was needed to get the planet back under control and into some semblance of order. Mace and Adi spied an empty table-for-four and led a meandering path around several chairs and tables over to the other corner of the bar. Their contact, Jango Fett's supposed assistant who had defected from Fett's Hunter Circle because of "personal reasons that will remain private," was supposed to meet them here in around a couple of minutes. The Jedi didn't know whether their contact was going to be a male or a female, a human or of some other species. They could only hope that their contact would recognize them. They had done little to disguise themselves, and that wasn't going to be a problem as long as they didn't have anything valuable on them. "Wha'da'yya wan' hunny?" A waiter materialized as if out of thin air at their table. She was wearing a seductive silk skirt that had a cut up to millimeters down her waist, which showed a lot of her rather shapely leg. It wasn't really a question of what she was wearing as opposed to how much she was wearing. "Juffa juice," Adi said tightly, her eyes narrowed. "Sure abou' that, hunny?" the waiter asked in apparent surprise. "Gotta somethin' stronger here." "Juffa juice," Adi repeated. "Whatever you say." The woman shouted the order to the bartender, who she called "Ick." She trailed over to another table, this time of Falleens who were busy gambling. "Well, I sure hope that our contact is going to be materializing soon," Adi said, her eyes still on the waiter. "This place stinks of kharra rats and Hutt bugs." Tahl muttered something incoherent in reply. "What? I couldn't hear you," said Adi. "I said that I am more worried about drink-poisoning than the smell," Tahl said loudly. "I'm sure the Force will warn us if that's the case," Qui-Gon said smoothly. Adi snorted, but otherwise didn't reply. The bartender, a large human male with little neck and impressive bulk, wobbled over to their table. He slapped on a dirty jug onto the table, spilling half of its contents onto the table. Tahl's eyes widened in disgust as the bartender proceeded to place four glasses in random locations on the crummy tabletop. He pulled out a pen and a datapad out of his pocket. Wetting the pen on his tongue – Tahl drew her chair back toward Qui-Gon as a blotch of blue smeared over the tip of his slimy mouth – he ticked off something on the datacard. "Seventy diateries," he pronounced finally. Mace and Qui-Gon looked at each other in mild surprise. In most bars that they had gone to, they usually had to pay before they left. Shrugging, Mace pulled out a hundred-credit chip from his pocket and gave it to the bartender. "Keep the change." The bartender nodded gruffly and left. "Nice people," Adi muttered sarcastically. Mace poured himself and Adi two glasses of the slimy marine liquid and then pushed the jug over to Qui-Gon and Tahl. He looked, however, very reluctant to actually drink the stuff. Juffa juice was a relatively mild-rated alcoholic beverage, but Qui-Gon, for his part, rarely ever drank it when on a mission. But people coming in and not drinking raised too many curious glances, so he poured himself and Tahl a glass and pretended to drink it. After around half an hour, Adi started to tap her foot in impatience. "Well, where is he?" Mace shrugged and threw Qui-Gon another of those looks that said that he was seriously considering going and getting his lightsaber out of their speeder. Qui-Gon grimaced and stared around at the bar. The cacophony that surrounded him jarred his brain, making it impossible for him to think properly. He and Tahl were one of those gifted couple who could convey emotions and words through the Force, which was one of the reasons why they had been chosen to go on this mission, but it looked as if their "gift" was going to be a complete waste here. Everybody was shouting so loudly, it would be impossible to eavesdrop on conversations even if they wanted to. Qui-Gon's gaze rested on a family of papa and boy Whipids who were gambling with Gotils and Dugs – bad combination, having a potential to lead to ugly, ugly conflicts. Qui-Gon prayed fervently that he would be out and away from the bar before the inevitable happened and the bar turned into a gladiator arena. The waiter-girl came back after around half more hour. //I hope this is not our contact.// Qui-Gon smiled at Tahl's voice in his mind. //Adi's going to have a seizure if it is.// //Let's hope not, then.// "Wanna have anythin' else, hunny?" she asked Mace. Adi scowled, but Mace looked up at the waiter-girl speculatively. He opened his mouth to ask her something, but he never actually got around to asking his question. "There's my macho man," the waiter-girl whispered, her eyes glazing over. "Who?" said Adi. Qui-Gon followed the waiter-girl's line of sight over to the door, through which a young human male had just stepped in. The waiter-girl whistled lowly. With brown hair that was shot with red and gold and twinkling blue eyes (or were they green?), the human male was definitely a sight to withhold and get lost in. He was attired completely in black down to his buckled boots, but his clothes were so tight-fitting, they threw prominence to his broad chest, two fairly muscular arms, and a tight-drawn waist. But what struck Qui-Gon about him was not his physical beauty but rather his mental brilliance; he was a brilliant star in the Force, but there was something about his presence that bothered Qui-Gon – something like tendrils of shadows that masked that brilliance. A strange sense of foreboding and adrenaline rushing into him, Qui-Gon watched spellbound as the young man waved at somebody over in the gambling arenas. He headed – straightly and unmistakably – to their table. Qui-Gon closed his eyes tightly and let out a deep sigh while he had a chance. Why did the Force have to make everything so difficult? He dragged a chair over to the table and dropped into it while calling a waiter over to their table. Qui-Gon saw several girls rush forward, but the waiter-girl who had served them got to the table first. "What would you like?" she asked breathlessly, her speech mysteriously becoming infinitely more cultured and better. Qui-Gon and Tahl exchanged grim glances. "What have you got, darlin'?" "Alderaanian wine!" the waiter-girl answered, a flush creeping into her cheeks at being referred to as such, "Hapan boost, bluefire ale, meadmalt liquor, Corellian rum – " "Get me that," their contact interrupted. "On the double." He looked over at them and snorted in displeasure at the drink that was sitting on the table. "Tell you what, get a double for them too." "We really prefer – " Tahl began in alarm. "Alderaanian wine for the ladies," the other went on as if he didn't hear a thing. Tahl's face tightened visibly. Having the orders, the waiter-girl left them. Only then did the young male turn back to them. "You Jedi don't have any tact, do you?" he asked wryly. "I could recognize your Hutt-stinking faces from the door." At that moment, Qui-Gon knew that the Force did hate him. Adi muttered something incoherent in which only the words "punctuality" and "late" were distinguishable. "Well, my apologies for the delay, angel. I had to run an errand." Qui-Gon was starting to dislike him more and more with each passing moment. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn," he said suddenly. "I assume you're our contact then?" "Well, that was rather abrupt change of mood, but yes, I'm your contact." "Oh good, Mr. …?" "Kenobi. Obi-Wan Kenobi's the name." The name rang a bell in Qui-Gon's mind. He heard the name before, but he couldn't quite place where. "Very well, Mr. Kenobi – " "Hate that 'Mr.' stuff, just call me Obi-Wan." "Very well, Obi-Wan, if you don't mind, we're very short on time – " "Here are our drinks." Obi-Wan took two fine crystalline glasses from the waiter-girl's hands that looked as if they could have belonged in a fancy restaurant and handed them over to Adi and Tahl, who looked disgruntled at the obvious change in service. They stared at their glasses and then, one after the another, pulled them toward themselves. Obi-Wan took two more glasses and slapped them rather carefully in front of Qui-Gon and Mace, without actually spilling anything. He took his drink the last and placed it on the table, though not before the waiter-girl deliberately took the hem of her skirt and wiped the tabletop in front of him. They all waited in silence again until the waiter-girl left. "So, Obi-Wan, like I was saying – " Qui-Gon started again. "Aren't you guys going to drink?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. He took a long draught from his own mug. Qui-Gon grimaced in frustration. Just barely restraining himself from throwing his glass at Obi-Wan, he took a sip and placed it quickly down on the tabletop again. "Now, like I was saying, we are very short on time and – " "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you want information. That's what I'm here for. What d'you want?" "Jango Fett. Where can we find him?" "In his ship." "Where is his ship?" "In space." "I don't find that at all amusing," Qui-Gon said quietly. Obi-Wan grinned. "What else did you expect, Jedi? Credits first, information next." The four Jedi exchanged startled glances again. "This wasn't part of the bargain," Qui-Gon hissed at Obi-Wan. "We already gave you tons of dictarium – " "I want credits." "But we already – " Adi began. "Too bad, angel," said Obi-Wan with a twisted grin. "No credits, no news, no nothing." "How much do you want?" Mace asked finally. "Five million diateries." "Five million diateries?" Adi asked furiously. "We could buy a dozen starfighters with that." "Five million diateries," Obi-Wan repeated unperturbed. "Well, I'm afraid this meeting's over then." Qui-Gon opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when he felt a mild "no, no" from Mace through the Force. He sighed. It was obvious that Obi-Wan wasn't in the mood for any arguments – it was even more obvious that he wasn't in any mood for bargaining. "The dictarium, then," said Adi. "Sorry, angel, it's so long since gone, you'll never see its face again." "But that's unfair – " Qui-Gon felt like doing something very unJedi-like – like Force-choking Obi-Wan or maybe strangling him in midair. "Let's just go, Qui-Gon," Tahl said in disgust, pushing her chair back and standing up. She glared at Obi-Wan. "It's obvious we aren't going to get anything here." Obi-Wan didn't look in the least bit abashed at the thinly veiled, heavily hinted insult. Qui-Gon, Mace, and Adi stood after her. Throwing one last look at Obi-Wan, the three walked around the table. Obi-Wan pushed himself to his feet just behind Adi. He patted Adi's butt. "Take care angel." Qui-Gon had to drag back Mace before he darted forward and wrestled Obi-Wan down onto the floor. -------------------- "How did it go?" Obi-Wan stared at the flickering hologram of the robed and hooded Sith that was hovering a couple of meters above the holopod. It had been scaled down severely until it was half his arm's length, but what part of the Sith's face was visible wasn't distorted in anyway. Obi-Wan could clearly see the menacing smile on the face, but unlike most people, he didn't fear it. "As well as it can be expected," said Obi-Wan easily. "I was right. They wanted information about our bounty hunter." "You're always right," the Sith said, his leery smile stretching, "Obi-Wan. I can assume that you didn't tell them anything?" "Of course," answered Obi-Wan nodding. "Keep up the good work, and keep me informed of any new developments. Be mindful of Jinn, he is rather perceptive in the Living Force." "Don't worry." Obi-Wan gave the Sith a sumptuous smile. "I can deceive even their Master Yoda."
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 3/19/03 10:30pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19
	when he's bad, he's really baaaad -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
VadeyFan2002 Registered: Sep '02	Date Posted: 3/20/03 1:34am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19
	The force gave Obi a second live just to be Sith scum? Vadey -----signature----- Story: http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=9667170&replies= What if Vader learned about Leia before he knows about Luke Other links in my Bio: http://boards.theforce.net/user.asp?usr=717023 Proud member of WJVB Club
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Lady_Kandriya Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 3/20/03 6:08am Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19
	I have to agree with PadawanKitara and VadeyFan here....
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
PaddyJuan Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 3/20/03 4:52pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19
	someone has profited greatly in the drool making lessons. offers AS her own sacred drool bucket you're gonna need this -----signature----- Smile, it makes everyone wonder what you are up to? ~~~ __((O.O))__ ~~~ Panther's Cub - http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=10596413 ~~ Panther's Cub is complete now ~~ others in bio
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Arwen-Jade_Kenobi Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 3/20/03 7:11pm Subject: RE: An Order and One (Obi-Wan AU) Updated 03-19
	Whoa...scary....shivers Obi sure knows how to do it! More soon!! -----signature----- Retired Council Master of the Lightside It's all about the blues, baby "Love can ignite the stars." - ROTS novel I'm a Trekkie: Deal with it, or suffer the wrath of Khan This user is certifiably insane
	~~Locked Topic~~ \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

Jedi Council Forums » Fan Fiction » Before the Saga »