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Author	Topic: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 5/18
dimyavie Registered: May '06	Date Posted: 3/15 7:47pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/13
	I loved the updates! Hopefully everything will work out for the better! As for Qui and Obi, I love their interaction and how your write their personalities. Thanks for writing and please be sure to update soon!
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 3/18 9:14am Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/13
	I thought this was a great post. At first we see one kind of fight - between father and son although they are Jedi first. Then we see another fight with Eiva and herself, trying to stay away from the memories. For so long she had avoided anything that might remind her of her father and their time together. She believed her precious memories of her father were too fragile to stand the overwhelming power of her anguish, so she had buried them where they would be safe and had run from all that was dear and familiar. She had used anger as her shield, anger at the man who destroyed her father, anger at all who had blamed him, and anger at herself for leaving him. Good job. Looking forward to more. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 9/22/08 Fragments of Illusion- http://boards.theforce.net/bts/b10475/28456473 updated 8/16/08 Freeze frame - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b10476/27820434 Master to jedidas3 Impeach Bush!
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AngryWarrior Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 3/22 8:12pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/13
	Up!!
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azizah Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 3/23 8:42pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/13
	Valairy_Scot - Thanks so much earlybird-obi-wan – Thank you for reading and reviewing. Gkilkenny – Yes, she will find a cure, then she will no longer have Obi to herself Bastet - Thank you, there will be more soon and we are getting close to brand new chapters for those of you who have read this elsewhere. Cole_Kenobi – Ack! This story can’t really be that old. But nursing school that takes a special kind of person. Dimyavie – Thank you for reading. dianethx – Thank you, I’m glad you liked it. AngryWarrior – Oops, I did mean to post this on Friday.
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azizah Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 3/23 8:45pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/13 - Date Edited: 3/23 9:05pm (1 edits total) Edited By: azizah
	& This is impossible, Eiva told herself for perhaps the twentieth time, resisting the urge to throw something. But she was impatient even with her own frustration. She roused herself with a shake of her head and a sigh, and began again, concentrating on the screen before her once more, pulling up image after image, searching for a pattern. She had been through these so many times she could close her eyes and reproduce the images in her mind down to the finest detail. She was wasting time, there was just nothing here. She sighed and sat back in her chair, chewing thoughtfully on the stylus in her hand, frowning. For days now she and the healer, Marayanna, had worked non-stop, poring over tissue and blood samples, studying history and genetic structures, searching unsuccessfully for the puzzle piece that would make sense of it all, the piece that she and Obi-Wan shared, the thread that somehow tied them together. Eiva wished her father were here. It was time for a break. Eiva tilted her head to one side, stretching the tired muscles in her neck and glanced across the room to where Obi-Wan sat cross legged on the floor, eyes closed, brows drawn together in concentration. In his lap was the tiny prism casing from the lab’s most powerful microscope. He held his hand outstretched over the small silver box, his fingers extended just above but not touching the smooth surface. Somewhere inside the unassuming palm sized metal box was a single prism filament, too small to see without the aid of powerful equipment. The strand was really a chain of organic light-emitting particles that allowed scientists a glimpse into the mysterious world of subatomic matter. In the corner of the lab, the massive machinery that housed the filament sat unused and useless. Somehow the tiny prism at its core had become dislodged; even a hair out of alignment rendered the microscope inoperable. Hard to believe that the power of such an imposing piece of equipment lay in a single insubstantial thread. Eiva had worked hard to hide her skepticism of Obi-Wan’s offer to repair it. Even with the proper tools, to be found only on the far side of the galaxy for a price Eiva could not even begin to imagine, the precision required to place the filament was almost incomprehensible. She had not discouraged his attempt in truth because she was grateful for his presence in the lab. He had a calming influence on her. Obi-Wan had been silent for more than an hour and he had yet to touch the fiber casing. Eiva wondered if maybe he had given up. Suddenly his eyes flew open, a brilliant flash of blue that caught her gawking. His face lit with a delighted grin. Had it been anyone else she would have turned away, put them at a safe distance with a biting comment or disdainful glare. But something about this young Jedi let her be herself, she did not have to hide from Obi-Wan. Eiva found herself returning his wide smile. He was on his feet and in one smooth movement dropped the small box into her hands. “Try it now.” She could only stare. Surely it was not possible? He’s a Jedi, remember. Impossible just did not seem to apply. “P12?” A small silver and red equipment droid at her elbow blinked to life, rotating toward her expectantly. “Please return this housing to the prism scope and run through the start up alignment cycle.” The droid took the piece from her hand and turned it over and over in its pincher like claw. She thought she heard skepticism in the hum and buzz of its cursory analysis. It stopped suddenly and let out a long low whistle. Then with a click and a resounding beep the droid spun on its wheels and glided smoothly to the large ugly machine on the far side of the lab and began the complicated process of placing the prism. Eiva stared at Obi-Wan in amazement. “So tell me, are all Jedi padawans perfect?” Obi-Wan just laughed. “None of us are perfect, and I am far from it, one of the farthest. Just ask Qui-Gon. He can probably make you a list of everything I still have to learn. “Hmmm, and you think he has all of the answers?” Eiva arched her eyebrows at him provokingly, but Obi-Wan ignored the look. He knew where this was going. “Eiva,” he said quietly, “we have been through this already. Qui-Gon did not ask me to stay, it was my own decision and I don’t regret it. He respects that, why can’t you?” “If he truly cared about you he would order you to leave.” “It would be pointless, I will not leave him. We have an understanding and I will not dishonor it. I will see him through this.” His voice was low and steady, certain, as if his decision was already final. Oh! She fumed silently. He is so stubborn! Well, he’s not the only one. She was not about to give this up without a fight. “Obi-Wan, we do not know if this resistance to the virus will last. Go. while you still have the chance. You are quick enough to make it past the Ion shield, take the chance and escape. Tears blurred her vision, but she did not look away. She was pleading. “You are special Obi-Wan Kenobi. You were meant for greater things. Honor your master’s memory by living your life, not by throwing it away.” “You talk as if he’s dead.” “You talk as if there’s hope.” At this, Obi-Wan smiled unexpectedly. Eiva blinked away tears, as he came and sat beside her. “And what about you,” he asked quietly. “Would you come with me?” She turned away impatiently, this was going no where. “I can answer that for you. You will not leave these people either. So can we agree to leave it alone and not argue?” “Who’s arguing, you stubborn bull-headed gundark.” “Besides, I lack your finer debating skills.” She was laughing through her tears in spite of herself. “We can agree that you are an impossible pea-brained son of a nerf herder” “Quite possibly.” He had said it jokingly, but instantly regretted it when he saw the change in her expression. Eiva stopped laughing and looked at him intently. Again, he knew before she spoke exactly what was coming but was somehow still unprepared for the impact of her words when it came. “You don’t know anything about your family do you?” She asked quietly. “Eiva.” He was warning her not to continue. He did not want to discuss this, but she refused to let it go, even after she saw the bright pain in his eyes. It might be his only chance. If maybe, just maybe she could convince him that there were others who needed him, far away from this wretched little moon. Besides, he deserved to know. “It’s all in here.” She patted the datapad on the table in front of her. As soon as communications had been re-established with the main planet, Marayanna had asked the governor to request Obi-Wan’s complete family history from the Jedi Temple. Genetic information was key to their investigation. Yoda had instructed the archivists to comply and the information had been sent immediately. “No one would fault you for looking. No one should fault you.” She was going to say more, but the look on his face stopped her. “You don’t understand, Eiva.” Obi-Wan wanted to explain, he wanted to find the words and the wisdom that would make the pity in her eyes go away and make his hands stop trembling. But there were no words that could make her understand what it meant to him to be a Jedi. It was impossible to explain to her how something as natural and right as breathing was at the same time so difficult, the hardest thing he had ever done. Eiva’s expression was grim. Her face set in hard lines of determination, as impenetrable as a blast door. She was trying to help him the only way she knew how. No, he did not think she would understand. Eiva watched his struggle and was sorry for the pain she had caused, but she would not back down. She could not imagine what her life would have been without her father, even if all she had left were memories. Obi-Wan might never be given another chance to find out. She silently pushed the data pad toward him. Obi-Wan’s hands dropped to his lap. Then he quickly jammed them into his pockets as if he had to find something to do with them or else they might take hold of the pad against his will. Suddenly the darkness on his face lightened and the tension eased out of his features, smoothing the worried crease between his brows. He seemed to have found his footing. He pulled something from his pocket, turned it over once before his hand closed protectively over it and he finally spoke. “Eiva, I barely remember my birth family.” There was a slight tremor in his voice. “I have lost the memory of my mother’s face.” He looked up at her and the bare blue desolation in his eyes almost made her turn away. But he was not really looking at her, he was remembering. “Sometimes I think I can see her eyes or hear her laughter, but I am not sure if they are real or from my dreams.” He paused and looked down at the object in his hands before he continued. “But I remember the feelings and I know they are real. I know she loved me.” He cleared his throat. “Loves me,” he corrected. “That can never be taken away from me.” He looked up at her, his eyes still bright with emotion, but he was calmer now. “And that is what I choose to hold on to.” Eiva could say nothing. She tried to draw a breath, but her throat constricted with mixed feelings of sorrow and compassion and admiration. They sat in silence for a long time, each sorting through different emotions. When it was finally possible to breathe again she said, “Alright, Obi-Wan. I will respect your wishes. Just remember you can always change your mind.” “I won’t.” And somehow she knew he wouldn’t. “I am so sorry Obi-Wan, I would never do anything to hurt you.” She reached for his hand and realized he was still holding something. At her enquiring look, he opened his closed fist and showed her. It was a rock. He dropped it into her outstretched hand. “Where did you get this?” “It was a gift from Qui-Gon on my thirteenth birthday.” It seemed a lifetime ago. “I thought I had lost it when the raiders captured us, but Qui-Gon returned it to me the morning he found us.” She turned the stone over in her hands and studied it thoughtfully. It was beautiful, but not really that different from thousands of other rocks. Still, she wondered… “Eiva?” “Hmmm?” Obi-Wan must have been talking to her but she had been lost in thought and had not heard a word he had said. He snatched his rock from her hands and with a comment about manners resembling a nerf herder’s headed toward the door, laughing at her. “Me?” She laughed distractedly too, though she was suddenly anxious to get back to work. “Actually, I’ve read your file and your ancestors make nerf herders look refined. I happen to know you come from a long line of stubborn thick skulled halfwits.” Obi-Wan turned and flashed her a brilliant grin, “Well then you’ve already solved it.” Eiva looked at him puzzled, “Solved what?” “What we share in common.” She looked around for something to throw at him, but he was already out the door.
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Dragonlady Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 3/23 8:55pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	Obi-Wan's words about what he wants to hold onto were absolutely beautiful...you have a gift for balancing the serious and the light in your dialogue, which creates magnificently crafted interactions between the characters. I'm looking forward to the next update!
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Bastet Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 3/23 9:09pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	Great update, azizah! I loved the Obi-Eiva interaction, those two are cute together. Eiva stared at Obi-Wan in amazement. “So tell me, are all Jedi padawans perfect?” Obi-Wan just laughed. “None of us are perfect, and I am far from it, one of the farthest. Just ask Qui-Gon. He can probably make you a list of everything I still have to learn. Loved Eiva's concern for Obi-Wan, and how she felt comfortable enough to be herself around him. I already feel sorry for how much she's going to miss him when they finally get out of there. Or should I say if? Actually, I’ve read your file and your ancestors make nerf herders look refined. I happen to know you come from a long line of stubborn thick skulled halfwits.” Obi-Wan turned and flashed her a brilliant grin, “Well then you’ve already solved it.” Eiva looked at him puzzled, “Solved what?” “What we share in common.” Thanks for the update, and the PM I know you just sent, though I haven't read it yet since I was already here. -----signature----- "Oh yeah. Ooh, aah. That's how it always starts. But then later there's running, then...screaming." --Dr. Ian Malcolm "Okay fine. Go ahead and scream. Then when that tricycloplots attacks you, don't come crying to me." --Paul Kirby
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Valairy_Scot Title: PT Rewrite Winner Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 3/23 9:31pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	I love the way you show the relationship between Eiva and Obi-Wan. Very nicely done. -----signature----- http://boards.theforce.net/fan_fiction_resource/b10304/25405090/p3/?52 Prolific Author thread: list & links there. Muse fueled by coffee. Often AWOL despite frequent sipping. Writes on inspiration, not a schedule. Proud master of several padawans
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earlybird-obi-wan Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 3/24 11:40am Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	loved the interaction between Obi-Wan and Eiva. Yes he has so much to learn from Qui-Gon Great update and waiting for more. -----signature----- writer and Star Wars fan FANART [link=http://boards.theforce.net/fan_art/b10020/25793899]fanart[/link] stories in my bio
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ratna Registered: Mar '07	Date Posted: 3/24 3:01pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	Hmmmm what could it be that Eiva and Obi-Wan have in common..... youth stubbornness (not sure that's even a word.... ) precious stones father issues maybe midichlorians ... ... wonder which of these it is that confers immunity to the virus? Or maybe something completely different ... -----signature----- Ou n'a tu pas tellement aime quelqu'un que tu avais peur de l'aimer au peur des souvenirs?
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Cole_Kenobi Registered: Aug '05	Date Posted: 3/24 7:23pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23 - Date Edited: 3/24 7:26pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Cole_Kenobi
	Ahah. I absolutely love the banter between Obi-wan and Eiva, those two are cut from the same cloth when it comes to their caring compassionate, witty, stubborn side(s). I love how Obi-wan remembers his mother, and refuses to look at the datapad. True to his character. Lovely update. Thanks for posting. Cole_Kenobi – Ack! This story can’t really be that old. But nursing school that takes a special kind of person. Seriously, I believe I was a senior in high school. Ahah. And, thank you.
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 3/25 4:21pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	That was lovely. They were so cute together. Poor Evia, not understanding what Obi-Wan thinks about his family. She can't figure out why he doesn't grab onto the info with both hands and find out but that's not what he is. Good job. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 9/22/08 Fragments of Illusion- http://boards.theforce.net/bts/b10475/28456473 updated 8/16/08 Freeze frame - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b10476/27820434 Master to jedidas3 Impeach Bush!
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Gkilkenny Registered: Mar '04	Date Posted: 3/29 3:06pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	you wrote their conversation so well. Who’s arguing, you stubborn bull-headed gundark.” “Besides, I lack your finer debating skills.” She was laughing through her tears in spite of herself. “We can agree that you are an impossible pea-brained son of a nerf herder” “Quite possibly.” He had said it jokingly, but instantly regretted it when he saw the change in her expression. Eiva stopped laughing and looked at him intently. Again, he knew before she spoke exactly what was coming but was somehow still unprepared for the impact of her words when it came. “You don’t know anything about your family do you?” She asked quietly. I loved Obi-Wans explanation, why he did not want to look at his hereditary. that his mother loves him and that was enough. brilliant -----signature----- Padawan to p_stotts Peace over anger - honour over hate - Strength over fear. Links to Stories in my Bio. Obi-Wan forever.
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azizah Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 4/1 12:01pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	Dragonlady – What kind words, thank you very much. Bastet – You’re welcome and thank you. And yes someday they will get out of there. Valairy_Scot – Thank you. fyi, brand new material next post. earlybird-obi-wan – Yes, he has much to learn from Qui-Gon, once the author finally lets them stay together. Thanks for reading. ratna – Or maybe something completely different ...Maybe they both had their travel shots. Thanks for stickin around. Cole_Kenobi – Ok, maybe this story has been around for a long time, but this chapter is fairly new and the next one is brand new. dianethx - She can't figure out why he doesn't grab onto the info with both hands and find out but that's not what he is. Exactly, they are very alike and very different. Thanks for reading. Gkilkenny – Thanks for reading.
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azizah Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 4/1 12:03pm Subject: RE: One Path (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Oc's) Updated 3/23
	& It was late, well past midnight as improbable as that seemed if you glanced at the window. Shutters pulled tight and heavy drapery drawn and still fine white rays of artificial day seeped through, exposing the random movement of trace particles in the still air, giving the light the illusion of movement and substance. The blanket stuffed in the window casing helped some, but the light still found a way, even when he closed his eyes. It was no different from any other night, and he knew the intense generator-powered lights burning bright as mid-day outside were necessary. The light kept them safe, so they could rest without fear. Yet despite this knowledge he still found himself wishing the light away, as if it were the real cause of his restlessness, as if total darkness could really ease away this unsettled feeling, subtle but persistent, that had plagued him all day. Funny, the light had never bothered him like this before. And the room was quiet, too quiet. If he held his breath and listened hard he imagined he could hear the minute hum of the cooling mechanism running smoothly inside the datapad in his lap. Just two in the long list of reasons why Obi-Wan Kenobi could not sleep. He wrenched his attention back to the third lesson of advanced physics displayed on the view screen. He sat cross legged on his bed, back to the wall, the bluish white light from the datapad casting odd shadows on his face, magnifying the worried crease on his brow. He had direct orders from Qui-Gon to get some sleep. His master would not be interested in his excuses, but maybe if he spent his time productively the transgression would be overlooked. Possibly, but not likely. Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh and allowed his focus to shift once again from the lesson in front of him, as he searched his feelings for the source of this nameless apprehension. It was true he was worried about his master. Qui-Gon was sleeping in another part of the clinic tonight, the part of the clinic where the seriously ill patients were sent so they could be more closely monitored and cared for, the part of the clinic from which few ever returned. The Jedi master was not in danger, not yet. He was still responding to the treatment the healer had prescribed, in fact the stasis of the virus in his system was holding better than was normally expected. Qui-Gon was spending the night in the monitoring unit voluntarily. He had been injected with an experimental drug Marayanna had developed to slow the growth of the virus once it emerged from stasis, an experiment she had abandoned even after it had shown some promise because of the damage the drug inflicted on the patient’s immune system. Qui-Gon believed he could control the damage by a Force induced healing trance. The healer had not agreed. After a battle that had raged one-sided for days, Qui-Gon had won the argument, it seemed to Obi-Wan by not actually arguing at all but more by quiet persistent stubbornness. And although Obi-Wan had silently sided with the healer, he had known all along she would never succeed. He had never actually known anyone who could bend the iron hard will of his master. Yes, Obi-Wan was definitely worried about his master, although he worked hard to set it aside, because they had agreed to set it aside. It was there nonetheless and he did not need to look hard to find it. But that was a familiar feeling, fixed to him like a crooked shadow he could not shake loose. This new feeling was different, shapeless and remote, just out of reach. Nothing definite, just a feeling that something was about to happen, something that would affect them all. Obi-Wan did not like it, not now, not while his master was out of reach, deep in a healing trance that it would be dangerous to break. He had tried to talk to Qui-Gon about it earlier, but although his master had listened silently and questioned him closely the older Jedi sensed nothing, and it took more than an edgy padawan to deter the man once he had decided on a course of action. No, that discussion had gotten Obi-Wan no where, except to be sent to bed like a crechling. With no warning his feeling of unease surged from a distant buzz to a live electric current coursing through him, jerking him to his feet and sending him stumbling toward the window, and the data pad skittering across the floor. After only two steps in that direction it felt wrong so he turned sharply, snatched his saber and belt from the table and fumbled them on, then pulling his boots on mid-stride he ran half falling toward the door. He skid to a stop just outside when he hit the wall of light and stood uncertainly, his heart pounding in his chest though he had barely exerted himself. Not waiting for his eyes to adjust he squinted into the brightness, ignoring the stinging tears brought on by the harsh glare and scanned the area searching for some sign of a threat. Whatever it was he was looking for, he didn’t find it. There was just nothing there, everything was as it had always been, the main buildings of the clinic, the scattering of outbuildings, the wall and gate whole and secure. All was as it should be, but he knew he was missing something. Every detail of the yard was lit with painful perfect clarity yet he felt like a blind man unable to read the warning sign, about to step unwittingly into the riptide. He stamped his foot in frustration. Calm. Be calm. And breathe. You do not need your eyes to see. //Master?// Listening he heard nothing in the stillness of their bond but his own call echoing back to him. The voice of his master just some trick of his memory. It was enough. He took a breath and willed his heart to be still, and with monumental effort, shut his eyes. The relief was instant, but it only lasted a moment. Thousands of needle sharp points of light pierced the darkness showering toward him like a hyperspeed burst even as he clamped his eyelids tighter. Again he breathed back his frustration and tried to focus, the Force was like a powerful tractor beam, pulling at him from all sides, demanding action. But which way to go? His feet felt heavy and his head ached from the piercing lights that seemed to be growing brighter even though his eyes were still closed. He wished Qui-Gon were here. Obi-Wan tried hard to remember his training, he refused to move until he knew what was expected of him. He had been taught from a young age to let go of distraction and allow the Force would guide him. If only these lights in his head would go away, then maybe he could concentrate. In that instant he finally understood, the lights were not from the powerful generator, the light was the Force, shining like points of light in the night sky, like stars. Stars! That was it. He was supposed to be looking at stars! He turned his gaze upward. The sky above though dark was suffused with light and rendered a dull gray, only a handful of stars were visible through the haze. The glare had washed away all but the brightest. Not good enough. He had to get out of the light. But how? His first thought was the walls. Outside the gates it was pitch black, but leaving the compound would be sheer foolishness. He had to move higher. The powerful lights burned down from a towering latticed metal framework perched atop the squat windowless equipment building that housed the clinic’s power plant. Obi-Wan estimated the total height as easily that of a five story building, and toyed with the idea of jumping to the top, with the Force the distance would not be a problem. But the structure was tall and slender and jarring it might upset the balanced weight of the lights if he misjudged the distance. He would have to climb. Obi-Wan ran his hands over the rough exterior of the building, the walls were not solid but lined with fine seams criss-crossing the surface between stacked blocks of duracrete. Easy enough to climb if you didn’t mind holding on by your fingertips. He was halfway to the roof in seconds, relieved to finally be doing something, although to what purpose he hardly understood. The last bit of climbing, where the flat roof cantilevered away from the walls, was a bit more tricky. With a quick lunge he caught hold of the drainage ledge and hung suspended for a moment to catch his breath, his entire weight supported by the tips of his fingers curled tightly around the narrow ledge. He further aggravated his precarious position by slowly swinging his feet forward and then back, his fingers straining as his body gained momentum. He released his hold just as his grip failed and launched himself into a flying back flip, easily clearing the overhang and landing cat-like on the roof. Climbing the metal scaffolding was easy, he scrambled up it in a flash. At the very top he stood and looked out, each foot carefully balanced on a narrow rail and a feeling of calm washed over him and he wondered if the danger had passed. Until he realized he was exactly where he was supposed to be. There! A pinpoint of light like a distant star, moving with man-made purpose across the horizon. And then, as if it hit an invisible wall, it shattered in a shower of brilliance and was gone in an instant. Obi-Wan was moving again even before the knowledge of what it meant was forming in his mind. A ship, logic told him it was a droid ship, but the Force told him otherwise. He leapt from the tower and impulsively allowed himself one thrilling terror-filled soul cleansing second of free fall before using the Force to control his descent. The exhilarating rush broke his concentration and he misplaced his footing on the landing, rolling twice before planting his feet, feeling giddy and a little childish. Fleetingly grateful that his master was not here to witness the stunt that at very least would have earned him a stern warning glance. He took off at a dead run toward the covered area that housed the clinic’s transport vehicles. He would need something fast. And maneuverable, they would not open the gates even if he stopped to explain, and the rush of his blood made it understood there was no time to spare. The medical clinic had little use for transports, no one wandered far beyond the walls, but Obi-Wan remembered seeing a speeder bike when he had toured the yard on one of the first days he had been well enough to go outside. It was an older model, but powerful. He thought it might do. It would have to. A flick of one hand fired the bike’s engines as, on impulse, he used the other hand to fill his pockets with spare fuel rods from a workbench. The speeder roared to life and unexpectedly lurched forward, the safety controls either malfunctioning or removed completely. Obi-Wan just managed to catch hold of a hand grip as the speeder rocketed past, and with a painful twist threw himself onboard, landing hard on the worn leather seat. The bike bucked and rolled, like an untamed beast trying to rid itself of an unwelcome rider. Obi-Wan concentrated on the controls, head down, and did his best to hang on. Valuable seconds passed before he was finally able to gain some control of the runaway speeder, he looked up just in time to see that he was headed on a collision course straight for the compound wall. Instead of pulling back, he fired the rear thrusters and kicked the power to full. He stopped fighting for control and the bike leveled out, shooting forward like a shot from a blaster. He flattened his body against the frame, the wind roared in his ears as the speeder screamed forward at flat out suicide speed toward a two solid meters of impenetrable duracrete. Seconds before he and the bike would have become bug spatter on the wall, he kicked it into a rolling sideways turn and powered up the side of the wall itself. The speeder was not built to climb walls, it sped along the ground by the combined use of repulsor power and gravity stabilizers. ObiWan had somehow known that the gravity stabilizers, designed to keep the repulsors in check and the bike upright, had been tampered with. He wasn’t sure how he knew, if anyone had asked he would have said the bike told him. The engine choked and sputtered drowning out emergency chimes warning him of just about every possible malfunction. Obi-Wan ignored the noise and reached into the Force and practically willed the bike up the side of the wall. At the top the engines finally stalled. He just managed to plant one foot on the edge and kicking hard he used his weight to throw himself and the bike up and over, landing with a heavy thud and the harsh scrape of metal. Now the hard part. From the top of the wall he could make out little in the deep pooling darkness below. The Bala were there, he could feel a thousand piercing eyes tracking his movements, waiting. The pacing shadows ebbed and flowed but took no individual form, the ground itself seemed to have become a living swirling vortex, ready to swallow him whole. He pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it. It flared vivid blue against the night sky above, its brilliance eerily mirrored back over and over in frenzied upturned eyes below. The mass of fur and teeth swelled restlessly, the rippling movement surged out into the darkness as far as he could see. There were too many of them, he knew he could not fight them alone. Obi-Wan was surprised to find that he was not afraid. Fear was like a childhood memory. He was a Jedi. This was the moment for which he had trained, the moment to which he had dedicated everything. For the fist time in his young life, the will of the Force rang bell clear, calling him forward along a well-marked path. What lay before him on that path hardly mattered. He would choose no other way. The engine restarted with a single shuttering complaint. Obi-Wan let go of the controls and gripped the bike hard between his knees. Shifting his weight slightly he pitched the bike over the wall in a rolling dive toward the teeming darkness. He reached without thought or intent for the fuel rods in his pocket as he ticked off seconds in his head. He had to make sure he was far enough away that there would be no damage to the wall. By the count of five he was in the thick of it, powerful jaws snapped dangerously close as he plowed through the horde, fighting for distance. On ten, he casually tossed a fuel rod high over his head, then without looking, sliced through it midair with an overhead backhanded swipe of his saber. At first nothing happened, the perfectly matched ends of the split cylinder tumbled harmlessly toward the ground. There was a half-second of pure and total silence filled with a flash of light so intense that it temporarily blinded him even though his back was turned. He flew hard and fast, away from the safety of the clinic, riding the concussion wave of the explosion, intense heat fanning his back and a roar like thunder shaking the ground. He made no effort to steer, pointless when all he could see were splotches of light, the colorful negative of the blast imprinted before him, even after he tried to blink it away. He let the Force guide him, without doubt and without fear. He felt as light and free as the wind.
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