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Miles To Go (JA-Drama/Angst) COMPLETE 6/15/02

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction Stories--Classic JC Board (Reply-Only)' started by Cascadia, May 21, 2002.

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  1. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    PLEASE READ THIS: If you read chapter 1 when I first posted it at another website, then please RE-READ IT. IT HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED. You may recognize some of chapter 2, but there is much more added to it. Sorry if I've confused you, but I like the story better this way. I hope you do too.

    This is my first story posted here. So, I'm not sure how often to 'UP' it, like I've noticed people doing, before its considered spamming. So, any help would be great. :)

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    TITLE: MILES TO GO
    AUTHOR: Cascadia
    TIME: 6 years pre-TPM, Obi-Wan is 19
    RATING: PG
    CATEGORY: Drama/Angst, Non-Slash
    SUMMARY: Padawan Obi-Wan is kidnapped by a Force-sensitive. Can he overcome without the Force? Without Qui-Gon?
    ARCHIVE: Please ask first. Sites who have previously archived any of my stories may archive any of them that they want to without asking.
    DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters are the property of Lucasfilm Limited. All the rest belong to me. I receive absolutely no profit from this.

    Voted The Darkness Within's December 2002 Story of the Month.

    Voted A Journey Through A Galaxy Far Far Away...'s Best Dramatic Fiction Award December 2003!


     
  2. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Here's the first half of Chapter 1. :)

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    MILES TO GO



    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep
    And miles to go before I sleep."
    -Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening




    CHAPTER 1 - ILLUSIONS



    "I have a personal matter I need to discuss with Yoda," Qui-Gon addressed his padawan, who was sitting at the kitchen table finishing up his dinner. "I might be gone a long time, so don't wait up for me," said Qui-Gon with a smile. Casually, he crossed his arms, waiting for the expected response.

    Obi-Wan's head flew up to search his master's face. Then a small frown creased the padawan's brow. "Master?" Obi-Wan inquired with one word, but Qui-Gon knew all the weight, all the meaning, carried behind it.

    WHY wasn't Qui-Gon confiding in HIM? If he had some sort of problem - personal or not - his master should tell his padawan. Afterall, they had been together for over six years now as a master/padawan team and, further, they felt as close as father and son.

    Filing away the look of total rejection displayed so openly - and amusingly, although Qui-Gon dared not show any thoughts along that line - on his padawan's face, the tall Jedi master paused at the kitchen door. "It's not important that you know, Obi-Wan," he added before noting the appearance of a look of irritation surfacing to displace the other one.

    He waited to see if Obi-Wan would reply to that statement, but the padawan's eyes quickly darted away, concealing the storm brewing within. This was not something that he wished to tell Obi-Wan, at least not yet. So, without further comment, he exited the apartment.

    Hurt. He was hurt that Master Qui-Gon would deliberately keep something hidden from him. Even if he needed to seek Yoda's advice, did he have to shove his padawan away like that? Was confiding in his padawan so difficult? Was it such a pain, such a problem to tell him something that obviously was important? Was HE a pain to his master, a problem?

    Realizing the irrational jealousy rushing through him, Obi-Wan tamped it down and focused his energies on procuring an object for his master's upcoming birthday. This would provide an excellent opportunity to find what he was looking for. If Qui-Gon was indeed gone the rest of the night, then the padawan should have sufficient time to travel to the merchant shops near the shockball sports complex in the Northern sector and find just that special gift for his master.

    Strolling in the 'fresher, Obi-Wan took in his appearance in the mirror. He looked like he thought he did, only more tired. He and Qui-Gon had had a long day - learning new katas, running errands for various senators who wouldn't take responsibility for their own mistakes, reading more holo-books about the politics and religion of far too many star systems, and the list went on, much too much for Obi-Wan's tired mind to recall.

    He slid an open palm down the side of his face, determining that he needed not to shave. Then he took one last look, casually straightening his braid and smiling at himself, before leaving his apartment and the Temple.

    The evening air was crisp and sweet - not at all humid, as it had felt earlier when they were tirelessly running back and forth from the Temple to the Galactic Senate building. The fall of night brought with it a pause of foreboding that the padawan pocketed, keeping it in mind, but not giving in to worry.

    As he reached the edge of the Temple's property and crossed causeways to reach the transit stop, he surreptitiously glanced around him, a vague feeling of danger lightly touched his senses. There were the regular type of waiting passengers - a family of Rodians, a young human couple, three other single individuals - all fidgeting in wait of the transit. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing apparent to justify caution
     
  3. Jane Jinn

    Jane Jinn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    I'm intrigued! What does Qui-Gon have to discuss with Yoda that he can't discuss with his padawan? And what does Merrik want with a Jedi? Please post more soon!

    As for upping and spamming, why not wait and see how many people reply to your story? If you post every day or every other day, you might not have to up it yourself at all.
     
  4. Tahiri

    Tahiri Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2001
    That was great! I can't wait to read more! Poor lil' Obi getting kidnapped -- I wonder what they want with him? And what was Qui going to Yoda about?
     
  5. jodiwent

    jodiwent Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2000
  6. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Jane Jinn You'll have to read on to find out. And thanks for the advice. :) Though right now, I'm not sure how often I'll post.

    Tahiri Again, you'll have to keep reading. :)

    Jodiwent OK. Here's more. :)



    Here's the second half of chapter 1.

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    Entering the cargo hold where his Jedi prisoner was, Merrik Tennosa carried a bowl of slimy soup and crouched beside the sleeping padawan. Then he set the bowl on the floor and shook the padawan's shoulder to wake him.

    Opening his eyes, Obi-Wan saw his captor's dark eyes staring menacingly down at him.

    "Time to eat," Tennosa informed him as he stood up, keeping his blaster aimed at Obi-Wan.

    How long Obi-Wan had been asleep or on this ship he wasn't sure, but he knew it had been many hours. He could feel the subtle vibrations of the ship, indicating they were travelling through space. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he glanced to the bowl of gray soup. Its unappetizing appearance matched the padawan's desire to eat. He assumed that the drug his captor had given him caused nausea and dizziness, for he now felt both rushing wildly through him.

    Swallowing back a swell of nausea, Obi-Wan said, "Who are you, and why are you doing this?"

    "Drop the formalities and shoot straight to business, eh?" Tennosa asked with a twisted smile. "My mother told me Jedi were too arrogant for negotiations. You are all more suitable to make demands - a trait I find all too often in the Republic's 'peacekeepers'." He spat out the last word as if he were pained to pronounce it.

    Obi-Wan watched the man warily. He took in the man's appearance that he had failed to notice earlier. He stood a little taller than the padawan. His broad shoulders and built chest muscles were carefully concealed beneath a generous black cloak. The man's slick black hair was short and slightly unkempt, while his face had that deranged look found in mental wards. But, Obi-Wan knew the man's intelligence lay hidden beneath that outward appearance.

    "I'm Force-sensitive - not identified until too late by your Temple's wise standards," Tennosa started in derision, pacing the small chamber. "So, I've made a lifetime of intense search and study of Force knowledge. Coming to the sad conclusion that the Force is more steeped in ancient tradition skillfully guarded from the prying eyes of any unwanted pupils by a band of hostile elitists for more centuries than I even care to wonder about, I decided to make a more empirical study... and kidnap a Jedi. I wanted a padawan nearing the final years of studies, but not as threatening as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. And you, my lab subject, have been unmeticulously chosen to fill that need. I must thank you for showing up so soon, so I would not have to look long."

    "What do you think you can learn from me?" the padawan inquired. As the raging dizziness rose, he rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead.

    "I want to understand your thinking. Why do Jedi do the things they do? Is there a method to your reasoning? Or do you just 'follow the will of the Force', as one of your own once told me," Tennosa said with a sparkle in his eye. "Perhaps you can give me insight into this aspect of the Living Force that seems to elude many of the Temple's greats in favor of an unhealthy thirst for premonitions and other visionary conundrums." He paused, his eyes glazing over. "Consider me a hungry mouth to feed."

    "Or a blackhole with no escape?" Obi-Wan added sarcastically.

    Laughing, Tennosa looked back at the padawan. "This is going to be great fun."

    "For you, maybe," Obi-Wan replied.

    "And it can be for you, if you cooperate." Suddenly all humor left the man's expressions, leaving in its wake coldness.

    "Why did you kill..." Obi-Wan's voice died off as he looked back to the Bith.

    "She was becoming... a nuisance," Tennosa's mouth curled up in distaste. "I should have gotten rid of her a long time ago. But, enough of that," he stopped at the door.
     
  7. sheleigh

    sheleigh Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2002
    Oh wow, Cascadia. Glad I didn't miss this! Poor Obi-Wan... always in some sort of trouble! hope to see more soon!
     
  8. Tahiri

    Tahiri Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2001
    Awww! Poor Obi!

    Hehe.

    Still wanna know what Qui & Yoda were going to talk about 8-}
     
  9. Sara_Kenobi

    Sara_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2000
    This is great, Cascadia! :)



    More please!
     
  10. shanobi

    shanobi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2001
    You posted here! You posted here! :) :D

    I like the new changes too.
     
  11. PadawanKitara

    PadawanKitara Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2001
    I seem to remember reading this on the other site. The changes do make it better.
     
  12. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Thanks, everyone. :)

    As for what Yoda and Qui-Gon were going to talk about... keep reading. [face_mischief]
     
  13. RidingMyCarousel

    RidingMyCarousel Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 20, 2002
    Wow, I really liked that. Please give us more soon :D
    This is the first FanFic I've re-read... I really do enjoy this :D
     
  14. Jane Jinn

    Jane Jinn Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2000
    Well, now we know what Tennosa wants, or at least, what he -says- he wants. I'll be looking forward to seeing how Obi-Wan can get out of this situation! Nice touch with Tennosa not removing the dead Bith. Ugh!
     
  15. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    sheleigh - Yes, Obi's always in trouble, isn't he? ;)

    Tahiri - Patience. :)

    Sara_Kenobi - Thanks. :)

    shanobi - I'm glad you like the changes. And I'm happy I posted here. :)

    PadawanKitara - I'm glad you think it's better. :)

    RidingMyCaroselOnYou - I'm glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for reading it again. :)

    Jane Jinn - Oh, you like the dead Bith, huh? I'm finished with it now. Do you want it? 8-}


    I'll have the next post up tomorrow. OK?

     
  16. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    This is the first half of part 2. There isn't much action here, but I'll put up the last half tonight.

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    CHAPTER 2 - ISOLATION



    The Force was far away, like a soaring riko-bird - distant, unreachable, unable to be captured or grasped in hand. The gaping hole left by its absence loomed like a swirling blackhole, pulling and swallowing every attempt to escape its ferocious appetite. He knew that it was there. But every attempt to touch it was like trying to hold water in his hand. It lived and breathed around him, singing the never-ending songs of love and peace that rode on the wind, through the trees, along the gushing rivers and across the wide valleys. But now, a black void was all he could feel.

    Its absence felt undeniably disturbing, leaving him insecure and with flickering feelings of helplessness. Having trusted in it and relied so heavily on it for his entire life, only to now have no awareness of it at all was utterly distressing. It was his life's anchor. And now, all of its precious remnants were missing, as a curtain of blindness surrounded him.

    Where once there were the soothing, warming rays of balmy energy and ecstatic impulses now lay a vast wasteland of lingering emptiness and confusion - scattered to the winds of loss and abandonment.

    It was gone... for now. He forced humble acceptance of his situation, assuring himself that it would return - eventually. But was he lying to himself? Would he ever return to the Temple? Would he ever see Qui-Gon again? Where once the Force filled him with brave certainty and tender assurances, now crept in doubts, fears, and near hopelessness.

    Free of the ship's cargo hold, the full weight of his predicament began to set in. No Force. No Qui-Gon. No help.

    As a gentle tropical breeze tenderly touched his face, he opened his eyes, taking in the environment where he knelt. The green, leafy vegetation and bright jewel-tone colors of blooming, twisted vines and exotic flowers waved flirtatiously, nodding in the soft winds - damp from the morning dew and drawn with divine perfection. Emerald plumes and curving, knotted tree trunks were painted with loving brushstrokes.

    Sparkling sapphire-winged insects fluttered amidst the dew-covered petals, gathering stores of honey-flavored sustenance. Their low drone hummed with a lulling tenderness.

    The thick early morning mist had ended only half an hour before, leaving the landscape awash in chilled, crisp droplets and clear puddles of fresh rainwater. Aromatic botanical scents lingered in the cool of the morning as a pungent perfume - seductively sweet and spicily exotic to the senses. The woody scents of the musky baccra, the zukk-rum, and the citric yeque tree rounded out a full bouquet of tropical ambrosia.

    The transcendent glow of plum and rose washing with liquefied streaks of silver illuminated the waking dawn sky overhead - the brightness shining, blazing like the birth cycle of an undying paradise, perfect in all beauty, perfect in all mystery, perfect in all and all.

    Perfect. Save for the looming absence of the Force.

    The maddening silence of the Force sparked infant tendrils of panic, which were quickly quelled by the padawan's determined intent to remain at peace. He had dealt before with no Force connection, but that did not guarantee an easy battle.

    He bit back the unease clawing at his fragile tranquility beneath the stoic facade a Jedi was expected to project. Outside, he appeared calm and at peace. But on the inside, a tiny flicker of fear lapped at his resolve, and he worried that any sheer temperament would not go unnoticed by his unwanted companion.

    As a nineteen-year-old Jedi apprentice, he considered himself experienced enough to wade through the dangerously swirling tides of emotion. He could conquer this, he assured himself. With or without the Force. With or without help from any outside source. And - most importantly
     
  17. Tahiri

    Tahiri Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2001
    Great post! I like all the description you put of the garden (I wish my backyard was like that) and I also really liked that description of Obi... [face_love] [face_mischief] ;)
     
  18. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Tahiri - Thanks for reading. :)

    I appreciate everyone's replies. Thanks for your interest. :)


    OK. Here's the last half of chapter 2.

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    A light rain fell through the leaves of the trees above them, drifting down to cover everything in a soft mist. The sound of the mistdrops splattering on the leaves and down to the moist ground below produced a steady, peaceful roar - while the emerald hues of the vegetation intensely brightened under the gentle wash of rain.

    His inability to sense things through the Force forced him to completely take in things on a sensory level through sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. The smell of the tropical flowers, the heady woods, the minty and bitter ferns, the passionate cooing by lavishly festive-feathered birds, the breathtaking visuals. It all seemed foreign to him with his lack of a connection to them through the Force - namely the Living Force.

    That brought to mind his Jedi master. Qui-Gon's faith to that philosophy had sent their relationship into many conflicts in the past. While Obi-Wan could sense things in the past and future better than his master could, Qui-Gon lived in the moment.

    But it was not that Obi-Wan disagreed with the Living Force, but his inner strengths lay far greater with the other Jedi philosophy - the Unifying Force.

    Now the padawan had no such connection - whether Living or Unifying. And no way of dealing with his predicament apart from his other - less encompassing - senses. He'd used the Force to move inanimate objects, to strengthen weakened muscles, to move in synchronism with the ways of the mysterious, and to rise above pains that any non-sensitive would cave in to. But now pleasures - as well as pains - took their turn for his newfound captive attention.

    The stabbing pain in Obi-Wan's ankle only increased the further they walked. It was all he could do to remain silent and not cry out from the blazing pain now consuming his foot and lower leg. They had walked for several hours, Obi-Wan estimated. Travelling at such a slow pace, he wondered how long it would take to reach Tennosa's mansion. He was not even aware of how far they had crashed from it. If it were very far, Obi-Wan felt sure he'd never make it on his ankle without the aid of the Force.

    How he dearly wished they would stop - just for a little while - to rest his injury. But he would dare not mention the injury to his companion. He did not know what the man might do about it - whether help or aggravate the pain, for he weighed the risk too great to chance it.

    Although he had been given nothing to eat since before they had crashed here the day before, he did not crave food. The plant extract that Tennosa had injected him with had numerous negative side effects - including nausea and dizziness as the two most prevalent. He remembered once when he was ten, after eating too many Alderaanian cream cones how his insides twisted and his stomach retched for relief that would not come. In the same way now, an insatiable, billowing nausea enveloped him, sending him into prolonged physical distress. Yet, through lack of sufficient bodily sustenance, his energy slowly drained from him.

    "Stop," said Tennosa, with a hint of icy suspicion in his tone.

    Halting as the light mist dripped off of him, the padawan kept his back to the man, praying that Tennosa could not sense anything from him. But, he warned himself, with Tennosa's slight Force skills, the man may indeed.

    Tennosa strolled around to the front of the padawan, keeping the blaster trained on him.

    "You're limping," he stated with a slight chuckle. His eyes of ebony held a taste of glee - however suffused with a hint of threat - at his new discovery.

    A ripple of panic escaped the padawan before he desperately clamped it down. But the fear had already danced behind his eyes. Obi-Wan knew he had started limping, but hoped that it was too imperceptible for Tennosa to notice.

    "Why have you not mentioned it?" the elder man asked, his
     
  19. Tahiri

    Tahiri Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2001
    Yay! Another post :D Obi-Wan's very brave about his ankle (I'd be bawling like a baby) and the way you wrote how Obi-Wan was becoming afraid, and the conclusions that Tennosa came to about the Jedi's connection to the Force was very well written :) I hope to see more posts soon! You've spoiled us with the double post ;)
     
  20. TheFallen

    TheFallen Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2001
    Ah! I always love all of your stories - they're always so nicely written and descriptive. I already read it over at ff.net but WOW I can still read it here no matter what for some reason. ;)
     
  21. PadawanKitara

    PadawanKitara Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2001
    Wonderful- thanks so much for two in one day :)
     
  22. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    just upping
     
  23. Tahiri

    Tahiri Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2001
    *looks hopeful* New post today?
     
  24. Cascadia

    Cascadia Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Uh... no. :D

    It's not ready yet.
     
  25. CYNICAL21

    CYNICAL21 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 2001
    Well, Look who's here. :D. Great beginning, Cas. Lovely Obi images - and really bang-a-rang descriptive passages. Leave it to our Obi to get kidnapped and hauled away to a gem of a paradise that he can't possibly enjoy.

    You are really growing as a writer - with every effort. I'm impressed - and eagerly awaiting more.

    Very ominous that the kidnapper - who seems to have a big, fat grudge against certain Jedi - appears to be acquainted with Obi's Master, leading one to speculate over just who that grudge might be against.

    What's next? Do we get the classic Qui-Gon, riddled with guilt (as in, Why did I ever leave him along? or Why didn't I take him with me?), wringing his hands, and fighting with the Council in his demands to them to do something to allow him to find his Padawan?

    :) - I always like those scenes.

    Keep it coming, CAS. This is really enjoyable.
     
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