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Topic:
Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/2/00 12:52pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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mmmm. cookies.
Or Beer. I like beer too.
***********
Obi-Wan awoke in agony. Something deep inside of him was screaming with pain and fear. It was like being burned alive - his very nerves on fire. And the feeling of fear was overwhelming. Worse than it had been the day before when he realized he was lost. This was the raw base emotion of fear and it seemed to devour him. Unable to do anything about it, Obi-Wan curled up into a fetal position and waited for it to subside.
And it did. Slowly the torment of it, whatever it was, subsided and exposed an emotion much subtler than the first: sadness. He sat up and looked around, momentarily disoriented. Then he remembered, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He had spent most of the night in sort of a combination of a vigil and a trance.
If Menalu’s leg were more healed, he could walk on his own for short distances. Obi-Wan had put most of his energy into various Jedi healing techniques. He’d also kept watch to make sure they stayed safe as they rested in the shelter of the tree roots. He could see the sun drawing long shadows on the forest floor. They’d made it through the night.
Menalu was sitting up, staring out through the roots as though they were the bars of a cage. He turned to Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan saw a deep hurt in his eyes. "My temple," was all Menalu said and turned back away.
Obi-Wan stared at him in horror, but he knew Menalu was right. The agony he’d felt was the shared emotions of the monks of the Yebbi Temple as they were attacked during their morning rites. He knew Jedi to be sensitive to such events, but as nothing so catastrophic had occurred in Obi-Wan’s lifetime, he had never felt it. It was an experience he did not wish to repeat, ever.
"Then it’s all for nothing," Obi-Wan said.
Menalu turned around to face him again. "No. It is now more important than ever that I appear in Talus."
"But why?"
"There were never any scheduled negotiations." Menalu said. "I needed to leave Es-Speeth. The longer I stayed there, the more endangered my people were. I thought that to leave as I did would protect them longer. I was wrong."
Obi-Wan’s head spun. "Then why face them?" Clearly politics was not his strength. He struggled to understand the meaning behind Menalu’s words.
"They think that we are weak because we do not fight back." Menalu pointed to his chest for emphasis, "They see me as an easy target because I am young. Even my own people believe this. But they are wrong. And now we must show them this."
Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. He knew very well how Menalu felt.
Menalu continued. "Yesterday you told me that it was your desire to get us both out of this forest, yes? Now it is our shared desire."
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/2/00 4:06pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Qui-Gon was already awake when he felt the destruction of the temple. He had gone immediately to find Dash-te and found him in his tent with his head in his hands. He looked at Qui-Gon for a moment and looked away shaking his head.
"The temple. They’ve done it," he said. "This is all my fault."
Qui-Gon knelt beside the monk. "Tell me how," he said, gently.
Dash-te turned once again and this time looked into Qui-Gon’s eyes. He couldn’t lie anymore. He told Qui-Gon everything that had happened over the last year. How with the gathering threat from Astrid Stovall’s movement it had become less and less safe to remain at the temple. He told Qui-Gon about the failed attempts to escape with the Divine Prince, how they had always been driven back by General Ruusk’s army. Finally, in desperation, Dash-te had fabricated a rumor of negotiations and contacted the Jedi council who had dispatched he and Obi-Wan for reasons Qui-Gon still couldn’t fathom. Until then, only Sheniko had known of his ruse. He hadn’t even told the Divine Prince about his plan.
Qui-Gon was angry despite himself.
"How could you?" he nearly growled. And then taking a moment to compose his thoughts, he continued, "You’ve lied to the Divine Prince, whom you are pledged to protect. You’ve lied to the Jedi Council. You’ve endangered your people. And to make things worse, by requesting the help of strangers you’ve endangered me as well as my apprentice, who is somewhere in the jungle doing what you asked him to do. Your carelessness has cost lives and may yet cost more."
Dash-te hung his head for a moment like a scolded child. "Yes," he said standing up, "you are right of course. I must resign this position at once. I am undeserving." He stepped out of the tent and Qui-Gon pulled him back in.
"You will do no such thing. To resign now is a coward’s way out and if there is one thing I’ve learned about you and your people it is that you are not cowards. You must finish what you’ve begun."
Dash-te looked again into Qui-Gon’s eyes and he knew that Qui-Gon was right.
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Trika_Kenobi
Registered:
Nov '99
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Date Posted:
2/2/00 9:34pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Great post! Keep it up!
Trika Kenobi
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 2:53pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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When the going gets tough, the tough get going...
*********
To prepare for the day’s trek through the woods, Obi-Wan made a mental checklist. Menalu seemed better, despite Obi-Wan’s jostling the day before, and so the first item on his list was seeing if Menalu could hobble along with the aid of a stick for balance. That would certainly make the journey a little easier. Then he wanted to check the wound on Menalu’s leg. After that he had a plan to figure out a way to use his tattered cloak to tie Menalu onto his back when he got too tired from walking. He was looking forward to better progress despite the morning’s confusion. He could see their destination clearly in his mind - a tall outcropping of rocks rising up above the highest canopy. It was there that Qui-Gon and the others would see them and pluck them from the jungle.
Obi-Wan leaned over Menalu’s leg and slowly began unwrapping the white scarf he had tied there the day before. The dried blood made the scarf brittle and the delicate material began to crumble.
"Do you have another one of these?" Obi-Wan asked.
Menalu drew a similar scarf from his robe without a word. This one was a pale cream color. Obi-Wan took it and continued to unwrap the first.
"How many do you have?" he asked. These scarves were fairly useful and if Menalu had more of them he wanted to know.
"One for each of the Kallas," Menalu replied proudly.
"How many Kallas?" Obi-Wan asked, having no idea what a Kalla was.
"Five Kallas. Morning, mid-morning, afternoon, mid-afternoon, evening, and night."
"Meditation times," Obi-Wan guessed as he removed the last of the disintegrating white scarf.
"Yes. Very good guess Obi-Wan."
Menalu’s leg looked better and judging from his higher spirits, it felt better as well. The wound was still open and the bone still broken, but healing was taking place and the pain was diminished. As he wrapped the new scarf around the splint, Obi-Wan was fairly sure that Menalu would be able to limp behind him without much trouble. It had been worth staying up well into the night. The healers back at the temple who had told him, "It might be better if you didn’t let anyone get hurt," would be proud.
It felt good to be moving. After completing his chores, Obi-Wan had allowed them each one small sip of water from their diminishing ration and they’d begun the day’s march. Menalu hopped along behind using a stick Obi-Wan had found with a perfect crook for a handhold. Now, Menalu used it for balance as he navigated carefully through the densely wooded trail. Without having to carry someone, the going was much easier, Obi-Wan found and his hands, now protected with leftover scraps of his cloak, weren’t as tender as he pushed the brush aside.
The sun was high in the sky now, and though Menalu showed a few signs of tiring, things were going well enough. Obi-Wan had hopes of reaching the outcropping by evening.
"We should consider a mantra to pass the time," Menalu said from behind them. "It’s like a wise saying, and by considering the meaning, you come closer to the knowledge it imparts."
"Give me an example."
Menalu thought for a moment and then spoke. "We shall consider ‘we entrust the spirit to the love advocated.’"
Obi-Wan stopped and turned around. "That’s a mantra? What does it mean?"
"Only what you think it means matters."
"It doesn’t sound like it means anything."
"Perhaps that is what you should consider," Menalu said, leaning heavily on is stick. "You should consider whether or not it has meaning."
"Do you want me to carry you?" Obi-Wan asked.
Menalu thought for a moment about the throbbing in his leg. "Maybe for a little while." He said.
Obi-Wan nodded and they worked for a moment to tie together the pieces of Obi-Wan’s cloak that he’d arranged for the purpose. The design worked and Obi-Wan could hardly feel Menalu’s weight on his back with it distributed better, and he could use the walking stick to batter the branches away. As he returned to hiking the phrase "we entrust the spirit to the love advocated" ran through his head.
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Jane Jinn
Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 3:04pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Interesting. Obi-Wan is very resourceful, and I'm glad Menalu doesn't whine.
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Mostly retired now
Just making the occasional guest appearance
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Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi
Registered:
Jul '99
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 5:19pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Are we there yet?
My leg hurts!
This is all your fault!
I'm tired!
Aren't we almost there NOW?
He he he
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 6:12pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Doncha know?
Reincarnated child monarch god heads never whine.
************
The Yebbi communication device was crude, but it was strong enough to contact Talus with an audio signal. Qui-Gon leaned in to hear the transmission better. In between bursts of static, he could hear the near frantic voice of a Talusian official.
"It’s unlike anything we’ve seen… Taken over large portions of the outer territories... Supporters are rioting in the streets." For a moment he was drowned out completely by static.
Qui-Gon frowned. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of his ability to control it. He was no longer sure that they would be safe anywhere in Talus, and was considering advising leaving the planet altogether.
"Is the ship on its way?" Dash-te shouted into the microphone.
Static, and then, "Yes, it should reach your position within six hours."
This was good news. Once they were aboard, they could begin the search for Obi-Wan and the Divine Prince. Qui-Gon could sense that Obi-Wan was still alive, but little else. The forest was so alive that it was difficult for him to latch on to any single life form, even one as closely bonded to him as his own padawan.
Qui-Gon once again had the urge to leave the group and search for Obi-Wan. If he could be found and returned to the camp before the ship arrived, they could simply leave. But he couldn’t. Given Dash-te’s poor handling of the politics of the situation, Qui-Gon was now tied to his duties as a diplomat. He needed to remain to ensure the continued smooth operation of the plan.
He sat down to wait with a sigh. He knew that patience was one of the strongest allies a Jedi could have, but there were times when he hated to wait.
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 6:13pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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But Jedi Masters do get cranky, don't they?
Anyways...
***********
Obi-Wan was beginning to get a handle on it. If you broke it down, it wasn’t so hard after all. He assumed by "we" Menalu meant the Yebbi. But it could also mean many individuals speaking in a group. "Entrust the spirit" was the first part to figure out. Perhaps that was a way of saying "I give up ownership of my own will" or perhaps simply saying "I trust you." And then the next part "to the love advocated." He thought maybe that meant you could have love that was merely a fondness for a thing and then you could have a greater love, a love that was actively supported by someone’s actions. Like a mother loves a child and shows that love by caring for the child and protecting the child as well. Advocated love. He thought of Qui-Gon. We entrust the spirit to the love advocated. He trusted Qui-Gon. And now he missed him.
"I could eat just about anything," Menalu said from somewhere behind him. After only an hour, Menalu had declined Obi-Wan’s offer to continue carrying him and was once again hopping behind.
"Don’t talk about food. I’m starving," Obi-Wan said. They hadn’t eaten for a day and a half. He ignited his lightsabre and slashed at a particularly nasty branch.
"You know what I want? Pingos. They’re nuts that grow on trees in Rengaia and even though they’re very tiny, they have the best flavor. I could eat a million of them."
Obi-Wan considered. "I’d want a whole Cask Melon to myself," he said.
"Where do they grow?"
"I don’t know where they come from. But they had them in the gardens at the Jedi Temple. They taste like a whole fruit tree."
The thought of cask melons and food in general was making Obi-Wan’s mouth water. He slashed at a vine and heard a sound he didn’t recognize. He turned to Menalu to say something, but stopped in surprise, his mouth open.
The sound he had heard was the power cell of a blaster rifle coming to a full charge. Now that rifle was aimed at Menalu’s head. The soldier who held it there grinned.
"What are you going to do about it, little Jedi?" he asked.
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Jane Jinn
Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
2/3/00 8:58pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Well, you've got me now! All I can say is "Oh, yeah, oh, YEAH!"
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Mostly retired now
Just making the occasional guest appearance
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Jedi Gryph Grin
Registered:
Sep '99
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Date Posted:
2/4/00 1:50pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Oh this is soooooo deliciously cool! I just happened to stumble upon this thread, excellent work jedillore.
Keep up the great work!
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ACCIO FIREBOLT!!!
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/4/00 3:47pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Astrid Stovall stood looking through the windows of the Talusian State Senate building. The building was hers now and she watched as armored transports rolled down the street below her. She did not look the part of a radical revolutionary and this had served her well. She was a small plain woman with brown hair, gray eyes and a freckled face. At first glance she appeared delicate, but second look revealed the strength that lay hidden behind her unassuming exterior. Her outward appearance of innocence and vulnerability had opened many doors for her and belied the passion for her people and their freedom that burned within.
Taking over the Talus senate building and bombing the temple at Es-Speeth at the same time had been a masterstroke. For years they had ignored her. Perhaps it was because she had been a student, and after that it may have been because she was a woman. But now they would listen. She would force them to listen.
The remaining members of the Talusian government had taken up refuge in the outlying regions, but she didn’t care. Here she could control from the center. The coup had been calculating and careful. Though she had allowed General Ruusk to plan his own actions when it came to the Yebbi, the takeover of Talus was a different matter. As disillusioned by religion as they could be, these were her people. She loved them and she wanted what was best for them. They deserved their whole planet. They didn’t need to share it with a bunch of monks. The time of the sovereignty was over.
She turned away from the window. She had preparations to make. The addition of the two Jedi had surprised her and she wasn’t totally sure that the Divine Prince of Enlightenment, former leader of a dead theocracy, wouldn’t come knocking on her door. She had to be sure that if he did, and if the Jedi were with him, that she kept the upper hand.
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Trika_Kenobi
Registered:
Nov '99
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Date Posted:
2/4/00 9:11pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Very cool!!!!!!
Trika Kenobi
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Trika_Kenobi
Registered:
Nov '99
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Date Posted:
2/5/00 12:54pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Ok, Ok, very, very cool!
Trika Kenobi
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/7/00 1:46pm
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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Wow. Almost couldn't find this after the weekend.
Well, here's what happens next.
***********
Obi-Wan stood frozen. He contemplated the question. What was he going to do about it? He was still in shock at having been sneaked up on. How long had the soldier been following them?
The soldier cocked his head as though he’d heard an answer. "Nothing? Good. That’s what I like to hear." He continued, happy to run the conversation on his own. "Now, if this is who I think it is, I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to kill him. But if you move, I will. How does that sound?"
Obi-Wan looked at Menalu. The soldier had one hand around his neck and the other on the trigger of the rifle. Despite this, Menalu looked serene. In his eyes was a calm acceptance of his fate. It was not passivity, but true bravery. And there was trust there. Menalu knew that Obi-Wan would make the right decision. He trusted him.
Obi-Wan didn’t move. He breathed and felt the force around him. He looked into Menalu’s eyes. Strength over fear. How many times had he heard it? The Jedi’s own mantra. There was strength in those eyes. We entrust the spirit to the love advocated. Menalu trusted him. And the love advocated?
Obi-Wan found his center and in a voice that was so calm and confident he wasn’t even sure it was his he said, "You will release him and drop your weapon." Obi-Wan saw the man’s hand on Menalu’s neck loosen. For a moment, there was doubt in the man’s eyes. Then he laughed and reasserted his grip.
"I don’t think so," he said slowly.
Obi-Wan acted before he could think. The blaster rifle leapt from the soldier’s hands and landed at Obi-Wan’s feet. Throwing Menalu aside the man lunged for his weapon, but Obi-Wan was there, his lightsabre in his hand and before the man reached him, he ran it through his chest. The soldier gasped in surprise and then crumpled to the floor.
Obi-Wan stared at the dead soldier in shocked silence. Though dueling with lightsabres was part of a Jedi’s training, it was rare that it was used as anything but a method of deflecting blaster fire. It was carried more as a symbol than anything else. There were Jedi who had never drawn their lightsabres in battle. Obi-Wan had always enjoyed practice duels, but he had never, ever used the weapon at full power on a person. And now he had.
The smell of burnt flesh made him feel ill and he knelt down. He looked away, and to his embarrassment, felt his eyes welling with tears. There was a hand on his shoulder and for a second he thought it was Qui-Gon. He looked up and saw Menalu with an expression of deep concern on his face.
"I never. I’ve never." But Obi-Wan couldn’t bring himself to say it. He’d fatally injured attackers before, but never like this, never so close. He felt a tear break loose and roll down his cheek. Quickly, he wiped it away with his sleeve.
"When they bombed the temple the first time, do you know what I did?" Menalu asked. Obi-Wan shook his head.
"Nothing. I did nothing. I wanted to do something though, to take up arms against those who would slaughter innocents. But, my heart tells me that aggression must not beget aggression. To fight would have been the end of my people, our way of life. But to do this, to do nothing when people I grew up with, that I loved, are dead. It was so hard.
"You’re a Jedi. And your heart is not the same as mine. You were not angry when you killed this man. You were at peace. Is that not your way?"
Obi-Wan nodded. It was. He hadn’t been angry or frightened; at the very moment the man had lunged he had truly been in the moment, at one with the force, as Qui-Gon and Yoda had taught him. He knew he had done the right thing, and yet it had still been so hard.
Bowing his head to honor the man he had struck down, Obi-Wan had a sudden thought that nearly sent him leaping into the air with joy. This man had been alone. How had he found them? Certainly he hadn’t walked through the forest alone. It was probable that he had come by speeder bike; flying above them and looking down through the trees. If he could locate the speeder, the two of them could get to the rock much quicker.
"I’m going to find his transport." Obi-Wan was already on his feet and running back the way they had come. "Wait here!" he called back and then disappeared into the thick brush.
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Anonymous
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Date Posted:
2/8/00 12:08am
Subject:
Re: Certain Points of View (a JA adventure story)
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where oh where is everyone.
Oh, well.
***************
Obi-Wan was sweating as he whacked through the bush with his hands. Even though they had come this way, the forest had closed up behind them, erasing all traces of their passage and it was like blazing their trail anew. He was unsure of where the soldier might have hidden the speeder, if there was a speeder, but he knew that the man must have come from behind and so he continued to follow their path back into the woods.
He came upon a large flowering tree with bright red leaves that he didn’t remember. When he touched the leaves they wilted almost instantly. He pushed the plant aside and was surprised when it swung back and hit him with such deliberate force that it knocked him off his feet. He shook his head in astonishment at what seemed like a conscious act on the part of a tree. On this planet, anything was possible. He sat up and the burning started. Besides giving him a good slap, the plant had peppered Obi-Wan’s chest, neck, and face with bright orange thorns about a centimeter in length each.
"Ouch," he said to no one in particular and began plucking thorns from his face. The thorns had a strange sticky quality though and no matter how carefully he handled them after removing them, they often impaled themselves into his fingers, spreading the burning to his hands. After several minutes of struggling, he gave up. He would deal with it later. It was more important to try and locate the speeder that could get them out of there.
He walked on, but soon the burning became so unbearable that he had to turn around to find Menalu.
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