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Author	Topic: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - Mar. 1
Amidolee Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/6/05 10:10am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/6
	Creepy? Not sure how to take that. Hmm . . . I s'pose she would seem creepy, being all silent and cloak like. Which is a good thing, considering I had "Secret Agent Man" playing in my head when writing this chapter. I first had her doing a much more exciting, kinda American action flick exit of the Temple's bowels, but it did not fit continuity-wise with Sabe's limited Force abilities. And I'm sure everyone else would have the Agent soundtrack in their heads. So I rewrote it, and then laughed really hard when I read LoE where Palpatine has the same sort of way of getting from Republica 500 to the Sith Temple of Doom. On a side note, I love LoE and was stoked (wow, that's almost archaic!) when the author used a water/flow description with Obi-Wan being "in the Force." Okay, gotta go write now, so I can feel good about putting another post up without getting caught empty handed. -----signature----- Mar. 1 - One Prick to Bleed: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/20423905/p1 "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean to Sam in Roadkill.
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Senator_Lorena Registered: Oct '03	Date Posted: 7/7/05 8:08am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/6
	Sorry it's been so long since I have been on the boards. My husband and I have been busy house hunting and found what we wanted. We'll be moving within two weeks. Very captivating posts, Ami! Sabe seems so haunted and troubled by her life and assignment. It will be interesting to see how she carries out her duty. -----signature----- "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. ~ Less Brown "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~ John 3:17 NIV
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AngelQueen Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 7/7/05 8:47am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/6
	Creepy? Not sure how to take that. Oh, in my case, creepy is a very good thing! I see it as a mark of a good writer! You've done an outstanding job in portraying Sabé's state of thinking, her emotions, and her sense of duty. She's lived such a hard life these past years and it's had a large effect on her. Again, excellent job! AQ -----signature----- "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." "Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must." "You will try." Obi-Wan and Anakin
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bobilll Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 7/7/05 2:21pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/6
	Wow, Amidolee, seeing you back again brings back memories. Love this new twist so much! Sabe, having to kill Anakin, Padme's lover. Wonder what happened 5 years ago to screw Sabe up so much... -----signature----- You'll have to buy him a sweater.
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Amidolee Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/9/05 7:01pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/6
	Ugh! Horrid day! I guess the only way to end on a good note is to put up a post I'm pretty much fully satisfied with. It's just a flashback moment, but as you all know, I love me some Obi/Sabe Chapter Three Life was just out of reach. Standing at the bottom of the royal starship’s ramp, Sabé could almost sense the life that must be nestled under the winking, flickering lights coming from the dark, navy horizon of Mos Espa. But between her and that life lay cold, dead, empty desert. She wanted to reach out with her hand and touch the distant lights, but the cold was too vast. She shivered and her hands remained still at her sides. She knew she wasn’t alone in this lifeless void. Rabé stood just two and a half meters up the ramp, silent and steady. The handmaiden was armed, as always, and watchful. Sabé knew the older girl was removed from the desert night, poised only for what it could threaten. She was in bodyguard mode. Sabé desperately wanted to be there. Lifting her eyes into the endless, star-studded blackness of Tatooine’s night sky, Sabé fought another shiver. She knew she was dangerously close to self-pity, but she couldn’t help it. The heavy, feathered headdress she’d removed for this momentary, secret excursion out of the ship still seemed to weigh upon her head and shoulders. Slowly she rotated her neck, but the heaviness remained. She’d known the role of Queen bore a heavy burden. Amidala smilingly compared it to the role of handmaiden, “just with more bodies to guard and more people to dote on.” But she had not felt it. Guarding Amidala’s life and courting her spiritual health did not feel like a burden, or even, sometimes in the relaxed hours, like duty. It was her life, whether it was to bring a smile to Amidala’s face, cool her temper, prepare her hair, or, the gods forbid, take a death strike. Even when she donned the black travel gown and parted her bottom lip with the Scar of Remembrance, knowing she could be dead within the hour, Sabé had not felt the burden yet. Had not felt the lives at stake, had not felt the weight of fate bear down on her. Her heart had pounded with nervousness as her mind raced, but she’d composed herself in the aloof, emotionless mask that the Trade Federation had quickly come to know as Queen Amidala of Naboo. But landing on this forsaken planet, removed, she felt it. A permanent cold, a crushing vice, a deep void. Amidala was gone, seemingly as far as Naboo itself. Rabé and Eirtaé were no longer her compatriots, her fellow handmaidens. They were her bodyguards, removed from her in a way Sabé had never experienced. Their attention was not just to her physical safety as Queen but to watch for her to slip, to blow the cover, or, far worst, make a fatal decision for Naboo. Especially now with that desperate, terrible message from Sio Bibble. Had she been right to do nothing? Should she have disobeyed the Jedi and taken the situation into her own hands? What would Amidala do? What would she do? Rabé shifted slightly, almost silently. Come on. Let’s get inside. You’ve been here long enough. Sabé did not move. Rabé could roam the ship once the Queen retired to her private chambers. Sabé, as Queen, allowed the handmaidens small reprieves where she could, when it did not affect her presence in the throne room. Sabé could not. Tonight she was breaking her own protocol by wandering out of the ship’s throne room and her quarters when most of the crew was resting. Breaking protocol for a round of self-pity, Sabé thought guiltily. Her thoughts should be solely on Naboo, lost somewhere in Tatooine’s foreign sky. All her waking hours should be spent on worrying over the fate of Saché and Yané and the rest of Naboo. But imagining her home under siege, so close but so far away, only brought her back to this closer, immediate situation. Sabé let her eyes fall to the sand before her. Silver in the moonlight, it was even deader to her than the holo Panaka had shown her after landing. Just as she had the urge to bend down and touch it, she sensed another presence behind her. A tingling presence. Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sabé forced absolute stillness in her body, fastened her eyes on the distant pinpricks of light. Here was her greatest challenge: the Jedi. She could not slip even the slightest around them. So far, she thought she might be doing well. She thought the pressure might ease when Qui-Gon Jinn and Amidala had left for the spaceport, but then an uneasiness started to plague her. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she swore Obi-Wan Kenobi was studying her intently. She had no evidence, and the calm, logical part of her reasoned that Jedi naturally studied those under their guardianship. But she still couldn’t shake her paranoia. And she was too afraid to ask Rabé and Eirtaé about something else that was bothering her. The Jedi had silently come to the bottom of the ramp. Standing just behind her shoulder, he bowed respectfully. “Your Highness.” Sabé turned only slightly in acknowledgement. She had a good inkling what he would say next. “Perhaps Your Ladyship would care to return to the ship?” said Jedi Kenobi. His voice was neutral, but Sabé heard a trace of underlying authority. No, I care not to, she wanted to say. She almost did. “In a moment,” Sabé said quietly in her Queen voice, turning away. “Then I must stay.” Sabé did not answer. Even if she protested, she had a feeling she’d lose against the finality in those quiet words. Behind her, Rabé shifted ever-so-slightly, and Sabé almost smiled. The handmaiden was probably insulted. Barely a minute passed, and Sabé fought the urge to look sharply at the Jedi. She had an intense sensation of being watched. A quick, deft glance out of the corner of her eye only revealed Kenobi to be gazing steadily out at the desert. Yet she suspected he was studying her as much as the bleak landscape. Watching without appearing so—a technique handmaidens were trained to do. But she must have failed this time, because Jedi Kenobi’s blue-gray eyes slid to her. He barely raised an eyebrow and managed to look completely innocent and unassuming. Sabé quickly looked away again. Her left thumb played with the long, open sleeve of her black cloak. She almost bit her lip, but remembered her mask. She had to speak, had to distract. “How long do you think we will be here, Jedi Kenobi?” There. She’d asked this before in the throne room, but that had been a few hours ago. Perhaps he would provide a different answer, or maybe not. But it was a safe question. “Qui-Gon has a possible lead,” said Kenobi. “It could be a matter of days, but . . . circumstances are always in motion.” He paused. “Do not worry, Your Highness. Qui-Gon usually gets his way.” Sabé faced him. Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Usually?” Obi-Wan Kenobi almost smiled, but his face was completely serious. “He will. If the first plan falls, there will be another.” Although his passive expression did not change, Sabé swore his eyes intensified on her, as if he was looking into her. “It was not a mistake to put your trust and fate in our hands.” Sabé, somehow, did not break his gaze. But inside she wondered, Does he know I fear I’ve handed over too much control? But Amidala had approved of this, for which Sabé was both grateful and uncertain about. Did the Queen not have faith in Sabé’s ability to govern? That’s my fear talking, she told herself. She had no reason to be insulted or insecure about the Queen’s decision. The Jedi were no strangers to these sorts of situations; it was why they were here. To help. Feeling calmer now under Jedi Kenobi’s steady presence, Sabé gazed out at the desert again. Loneliness and desolation still blew across the sands, but she could feel the fading warmth left from Tatooine’s suns. Out of the corner of her eye, she studied the young Jedi. His intense gaze was again seemingly patrolling the sand, handsome face passive. Motionless, only the night breeze fluttering his robe, brushing the spiky tips of his hair. Everything about him spoke of tight control, of energy burning under serenity. She’d seen it burst out with fluid, flaring grace as he disposed of battledroids, and calmly, silently fold back into him the moment the battle was over. Kenobi’s eyes finally fell to her again. In his closed face, she saw youth and age worn much like Queen Amidala’s royal mask. A face she wore now. Then the Jedi raised an eyebrow, as if to say What? “Something’s troubling you, Jedi Kenobi,” Sabé said. She did not mean to, but it slipped out. The irony of her words was not lost on him. She detected a twitch at the corner of his mouth. “We both have reason to watch the lights, Your Highness,” he said mildly. As an afterthought he added, “I’m not sure Qui-Gon is pleased about you sending a handmaiden to supervise.” “Then, perhaps, he is in great need of it.” Obi-Wan—Jedi Kenobi—cleared his throat and flashed her a quick, amused look. The brief lack of stoicism did wonders for his face, and Sabé saw a trace of boy. “Perhaps,” he said neutrally. He stared out over the moving, ghostlike sands. Sabé could see he wanted to be out there as well, not stuck on this small, crowded ship. Obi-Wan Kenobi wanted to be doing something about the situation, not sitting, stewing, waiting for someone else to deliver a solution. He was worried, she could tell. Worried, perhaps, about his Master who needed supervising. She could see and feel this, because it was the same for her. Standing beside the quiet Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sabé experienced deep empathy. Here was someone abandoned among complete strangers, risking his own life for a cause not his own. The one person he knew, the only one he could trust or share his concerns with, was kilometers away doing gods-know-what. “Perhaps,” she said quietly, “it is this desert that makes everything seem so bleak.” The Jedi turned to her. She thought, for a moment, he was going to ask her what she meant, play innocent and evasive. But then he smiled softly and dropped his head like a little bow to her. “Then it is not as lonely as I thought.” Sabé returned his smile, thoroughly warmed. They both looked back at Mos Espa, and suddenly the lights did not seem so tiny, so far away. She fancied, for a moment, that she could actually reach out and touch them. “You are right,” she said. Obi-Wan looked at her, brow furrowed. Sabé felt she could have sighed regretfully but did not need to. “I should return to the ship.” Nodding, Obi-Wan followed her as she started up the ramp. She could imagine the relief on Rabé’s obscured face. Once they were inside the ship, the handmaiden fell behind Sabé, only a half step behind Obi-Wan’s own flanking position. Rabé wordlessly sealed the ramp, and stayed silently behind Sabé when she turned to the Jedi. “Thank you for your protection, Jedi Kenobi,” she said formally. Behind her, she was sure Rabé was trying not to scowl. As if Sabé needed protection . . . “An honor, Your Highness,” Kenobi said, bowing. His eyes locked with hers, and although he once again used a neutral voice, there was a hint of command there. “But if Your Highness wishes to leave the ship again, I must be informed and accompany you.” Sabé tried not to grin. “I understand. Good night, Obi-Wan.” She saw his eyes widen slightly, but she was already turning away, Rabé on her heels. -----signature----- Mar. 1 - One Prick to Bleed: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/20423905/p1 "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean to Sam in Roadkill.
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AngelQueen Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 7/9/05 8:58pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9
	Aww! A glimpse of Sabé when she had the weight of Naboo's fate on her shoulders, before she had the weight of the Jedi and the galaxy to replace it... Hm... Loved the Sabé/Obi interaction, Amidolee! Could Obi-Wan have figured something out when she called him by name at the end? Or was he just surprised that she called him by his name? Interesting... Very cool! AQ -----signature----- "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." "Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must." "You will try." Obi-Wan and Anakin
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Yui-chan Registered: Jun '01	Date Posted: 7/10/05 4:38pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9 - Date Edited: 7/10/05 4:40pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Yui-chan
	skids in Am I too late for the fun? Amidolee, one of my favorite writers, and apparently, fellow, "Reinvigorated to Write by RotS"!!! How are ya? I love this story, by the way, and the way it's written -- muted, almost insular. And yay for the Obi-Wan scenes! Looking forward for more, in an entirely non-pushy manner. -----signature----- 4 years of S/O. <3 It must be love. AT THE END OF ALL THINGS - http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=20031707 Post Episode 3 - Featuring an outlaw Sabe, Obi-wan, and Sabewan!
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PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 7/10/05 7:28pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9
	Ohh- I found a nice treat -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
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Amidolee Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/11/05 1:04pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9 - Date Edited: 7/11/05 1:05pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Amidolee
	Attention, everyone. I had a little time this afternoon to rewrite the next post because it is Bad, and I sat down in front of my computer to do so. But. I went and read Yui-chan's Obi/Sabe story instead. It is her fault. Blame her. Or go read her fic. Seriously, though, I will work on it tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully you'll have another post by tomorrow night. Darth RL has been eating into my already-written posts, greedy bugger, so I'm almost empty. What I have is Bad. I could post it, but you do not deserve Bad Writing. No one does. Placing the blame elsewhere like a Skywalker, Amidolee -----signature----- Mar. 1 - One Prick to Bleed: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/20423905/p1 "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean to Sam in Roadkill.
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Yui-chan Registered: Jun '01	Date Posted: 7/12/05 4:53am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9
	Waaah! stabs self with a fork hug You'll do great, I'm sure! Meanwhile, I have to get this fork out of my chest... -----signature----- 4 years of S/O. <3 It must be love. AT THE END OF ALL THINGS - http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=20031707 Post Episode 3 - Featuring an outlaw Sabe, Obi-wan, and Sabewan!
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 7/12/05 6:21am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9
	I just found this and love it. If you do send PMs when you update, please add me to the list! -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Amidolee Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/12/05 11:52am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/9
	Alright, folks, I'm giving you a long post! Partly because overheating on my walk this morning seems to have made me benevolent, and partly because the first bit of this post is too short to really count as a post. The action will come soon. But first we need a bit of angst--just a wee bit, a leak, really--and let some things fall into place. Hyperspace is boring. On a public transport, travelers are entertained by onboard casinos, holovids, and recreation areas for the hours or days spent in blue-mottled void. While civilians caroused around the decks, Sabé was either already executing the mission or preparing for it. When traveling alone in her small ship, she used the time to study the information required for her mission and meditate in preparation. Yoda provided her access to the Jedi Temple archives. Countless hours had been spent in his quarters or hyperspace reading files on active Jedi and the Order’s history. On an “ordinary” mission, Sabé would likely have her feet resting atop a cleared space of panel, datapad resting in her lap, eyes devouring information. But not this mission. Sabé knew the files by heart. She paced up and down the small, narrow passage from the cockpit to the tiny hold. Her movement was not nervous nor agitated but focused, relieving excess energy that could turn into negative tension if bottled. She did not see the soft, soothing gray-blue interior of the craft; her eyes were turned inward as her mind clerically rifled through the fastidiously read files of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Even before Yoda had assigned her to observe three of their missions, Sabé had followed the active, constantly updated files on the Master and Padawan. Yoda knew but did not seem to mind. She hardly needed to be briefed when it came to observing the pair. Kenobi and Skywalker seemed to be aggressively, perpetually stalked by trouble. Simple missions went awry, but they generally ended well. From the files and Sabé’s own observations, it seemed that Obi-Wan had to spend half the missions keeping his Padawan in check. Although Anakin had quickly and amazingly surpassed other Padawans his own age in physical Force skills, he was lagging far behind in everything else. The Temple notes did not list speculation over this. Yoda only offered a little of his thoughts on the unprecedented acceptance and training of Skywalker, but Sabé suspected he did not want Obi-Wan saddled with Skywalker. “Knows better than I do, the Force does,” she heard him mutter once. “Learn much from this, Kenobi will.” Sabé paused, remembering reading about that particularly eventful mission log. Yoda had peered over shoulder, muttering about it. Now, as she hurtled along the Corellian Run, she wondered how this mission would appear in the log. Would it be the last entry under Skywalker? Or would she— “No.” Sabé shook her head firmly and started forward again. But the walk was short, and all too soon she was heading aft, right where she’d dropped her dangerous thought. A ridiculous urge to remain forward almost overcame her, but Sabé scowled at it and continued to the back. It was utterly foolish—nonsensical—to think her anxious, treacherous thoughts would be waiting for her. Even so, she did a quick about-face just before she reached the cargo hold. Even so, another hissing thought entered her head. What about Kenobi? What will this do to him? Sabé halted, a nasty taste in her mouth. And then she was there, back in the generator pit. The small squad Panaka had sent to find the missing Jedi were at her back, waiting her command, but they were not really there at all. Only Obi-Wan was there, kneeling over a limp body—a dead body. And it was all so silent, all so numb. But then it hurt and she spun, the floor ached under her knees, but that wasn’t quite right . . . Obi-Wan did not move. Did not breathe. Like the body. Only cold, painful waves flooding the room, suffocating, drowning . . . Dried tears streaked through dried sweat on his blank face. The waves of unbearable anguish invisible in the room filled his eyes, giving full vision to emotion. Sabé’s lungs succumbed, her throat closed, and she had to look away. Black spots danced with the waves, filling her eyes, filling her lungs . . . But then he breathed for her. A shallow, trembling breath. She could draw a shaky breath and look back. Not at the body. At Obi-Wan. Drawing the waves into himself, absorbing every agonized, grieving drop, letting her breathe. He was tightening, pulling it in like a tide, all his energy closing over it, water-tight, sealed. The pain was fully his, locked behind tense, hard blue eyes. “He’s with the Force now,” he whispered. The words were for her. He had nothing for himself. Sabé blinked. She stared up the ship’s corridor to the viewscreen twirling through hyperspace. Her chest pounded urgently, as if she had not been breathing properly. She took a slow, deep breath, allowing the urgency to leave in exhale. The past did not matter. Only the now. She could not think about how the success of her mission would affect someone on the other side of the galaxy. She could not feel. It was time to meditate. ~~~ She was a tool. A mere instrument, an extension of something greater. An appendage extending forth with purpose. Clear-headed and focused, undeterred by personal . . . ineffectiveness. The mindset of a tool—a knowing and accepting tool—is not blank and mindless. Her mind calculated, constantly but distantly weighing the facts and possibilities of the operation set for this tool. Personal uneasiness and concern were tucked and folded, neatly set on a shelf to be studied and measured with the facts. They were merely factors of the equation, an effect, physical and emotional numbers arranged and calculated for an outcome. They should balance. To let one overweigh the other resulted in foolish, headlong, and blind actions. A tool was not a blind. The Lorian S-417 approached Tatooine’s night side. The planet hung corpse-like, its northeastern curve glowing pale gold from the twin stars light years behind it. Dayside of Tatooine would appear just as dead as the night, its warm glow just as desolate and disheartening as the cooling shadow. As Sabé guided the Lorian into the almost vacant local space, the former bodyguard allowed a small, inner shake of her head. Anakin Skywalker had a lot to learn about safeguarding a hunted politician. Even before his vision, Yoda had known that Skywalker had left Naboo, thanks to the former Head of Security’s denial over true retirement. Captain Panaka, as he would always remain in Sabé’s mind, continued to pester and “advise” the Royal Security Force, and had informed the Jedi Master when he noticed one of the smaller Royal cruisers had been cleared under High Authority. But Queen Jamillia was not spacebound, nor any of the council members with authority to use the fleet under classified, unquestionable conditions. Just months before Sabé’s dismissal, Panaka had installed an inner networked tracking system in the Royal Fleet, a vestige of his paranoia from the Trade Federation’s occupation. The moment he’d confirmed the cruiser was on Tatooine, he knew exactly who was aboard. The former captain had pondered whether it was a decoy to entice another assassin into the open, but Yoda and Sabé doubted it. While the Senator loved these tricks and ruses, Skywalker was much more straightforward. And Tatooine held something for him more than a hot, sandy hideout with no security. Controlled by the Hutts, Tatooine was a free-for-all hive for the wretches of the galaxy. Hutts provided what passed as security here. Those born on the planet wanted to leave. Foreigners were either fugitives and underworld opportunists or the unwilling products of misfortune, as the Naboo had been ten years ago. Someone in the market for an underhanded deal could go to Nar Shadda, but if he wanted a better chance of living, Tatooine was his next best bet. Anakin Skywalker, though a native, had a lot to learn. He had unwittingly led Sabé here to Tatooine. All those sand dunes, craggy canyons, and vast, empty desert. Where the only authorities were kings of underworld bounty hunting. The perfect place for an assassin. Now all Sabé needed to do was hack into the Naboo inner network. Had Panaka waited a few more months, this would be impossible, and her tracking would take longer, if not come to a dead end. But Sabé had been one of the silent highest in the tight-knit world of Naboo security. Panaka irrevocably trusted the Queen’s life to her. The former handmaiden would be appalled by this breach of trust, but the tool only acknowledged this and focused on what that trust and breach meant, how it served her. She knew the system. It would take some time, but she felt certain she could tap the private beam. Sabé set the Lorian in a near-distant orbit around Tatooine. She had to stay clear of spaceport traffic, where her hovering presence would be noticed, but she also needed to be close enough to decipher the private Naboo signal and channel it. Landing on the planet allowed for more interference, both from planetary communications and enterprising fiends. And if events did not go smoothly—as they are disinclined to—an observing orbit would provide more possibilities. And, Sabé had to admit, she had no desire to be on Tatooine longer than necessary. Once the small cruiser settled in its orbital path, moving smoothly above the planet’s rotation, Sabé engaged the communications computer. In a very distant corner of her mind, a young handmaiden sighed. Panaka would never have expected his extensive, rigorous security training to be put to such use. But that was no reason to ignore her resources. Such negligence went against all of her training, past and present. And it was the present that mattered. In the present, she must be mindful of the future. Unfortunately, the Lorian was not equipped with advanced hacking instruments, and so Sabé had to subtly, gently, coax. If she’d had the proper technology, she would have known the problem less than five minutes into the intrusion. Just as the hours were starting to agitate and frustrate her, just as she was beginning to doubt her ability to even begin to trace the Nubian cruiser’s signal, the private channel pinged three times. Blinking out of her concentrated daze, Sabé stared at the blinking channel for a minute. Then it trilled, as if scolding her immobility. She knew the sound. A coded, pre-recorded message from Yoda. How long had it been in the ship’s receiving computer? Why hadn’t she noticed it before? Quickly she entered the decryption key engrained in her mind and fingertips. The Jedi Temple did not communicate over the HoloNet, but its network was far greater than the small, isolated one she had spent the past hours trying to find. Although the Jedi coded network was impenetrable, Yoda had his own secret link. She’d often wondered if the Temple technicians had any idea of just how far Yoda’s knowledge extended. In less than a minute, Sabé was staring at a tiny, flickering image of Master Yoda. Even before her spoke, before the message played, an inky sensation crept up her back. The tiny, translucent Jedi carried deep foreboding across the galaxy, and Sabé saw him as he’d gazed sadly upon her in the Temple chamber. “Grave news, I bring,” spoke Yoda. “Discovered the Separatist leaders’ stronghold, Jedi Kenobi has. Captured, he was. Inform me, Panaka did, that left Tatooine Senator Amidala’s ship has.” That’s why I couldn’t lock on to anything, Sabé realized. “To Geonosis, to Obi-Wan, I believe they have gone,” Yoda continued, unable to break for Sabé’s mind to race over his words. “Follow them, you must not.” The transmission seemed leaden under the Jedi Master’s sigh. “A battle, there will be. Discovered a clone army, Kenobi has. Surrounds it, great mystery does. Many Jedi will die, I fear.” The Jedi Master paused, and Sabé knew he was feeling those deaths, as if they were happening during the message’s recording. “Patience, you must have, young Mabriee,” he said quietly but sternly. “Do not enter the Geonosis system. Wait for me, you must. May the Force be with you.” The message flickered out into loud silence. Sabé sat very still as Tatooine moved miles beneath her. At these times of isolation, she almost forgot the state of the galaxy around her. She should not, because her missions, even the seemingly passive ones, involved the turmoil in the Republic. The past five years were like a disillusioning veil, lifting higher and higher, revealing the ugly, rotting innards of the crumbling Republic. And it just kept lifting. When she collected the trophy Padawan braids off a cold-hearted bounty hunter, she knew with a sickening gut the braided deaths in her fist were a result of corrupt politicians. When the bounty trail always seemed to run cold, she felt the financial backers of the Separatists laughing at her. But she also smelled the stank of Senate committee representatives collecting money and “friends” when cries of injustice echoed behind them. She’d suppressed eyerolls and scowls when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine regretfully, helplessly, apologetically spoke to the Queen of the Senate’s move to keep him beyond term. Of how he truly did not wish to hold onto the great power of leading the galaxy, but if the galaxy which he served believed it to be in its best interest, he could not possibly refuse. The Separatist figurehead, a former Jedi Master, carried the banner of outright disgust with the Republic’s corruption, of the Senate’s bickering and financial politics. But Sabé did not buy his idealist banner-waving. He was backed by the Trade Federation. And politicians were all the same. Once, Sabé had amended her misgivings. She’d grown up in a world of ideologies and moralities, had been schooled in freedom in peace. Politics on Naboo were less suspicious and more of a bore. The inevitable corruptions were continually remedied, stamped on, blasted by a charismatic, idyllic leader. Oh, there was the usual bickering, the bouncing back and forth, but the power plays were a smaller scale, less devastating. Sabé had not intended to enter the political world, and even on peaceful Naboo, she had her doubts about those in positions of power. But Queen Amidala had shown Sabé power could be wanted not for its own sake, but for the good of the people, the ideologies insincerely toted by the dishonest. Ten years ago, Sabé discovered a politician with belief, with conviction, with heart. A brilliant mind and tongue, Amidala could make anyone believe in ideal democracy. But, in the end, they were all the same. Sabé stood from the computer console. In the end, politicians said and believed whatever they wanted, whatever worked to their best advantage. Body tight, rigid with tension, Sabé stared down at Tatooine. Far below she could see Mos Espa’s pinprick lights. She closed her eyes, willing her body to relax. The momentary meditation forced her dark thoughts from her mind, letting her focus on the situation at hand. Yoda’s message was not filled with details. He trusted her to gather information that did not need to be repeated over the private channel and waste precious seconds. Sabé terminated her covert operation on the comm computer and switched on the HoloNet receiver. Quickly, she scanned the official news bulletins, piecing together Yoda’s words, her own observations, and the Republic’s official current state of being. The Senate voted to grant Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers. Naboo Representative Binks, operating under the authority of the absent Senator, moved for the immediate assembly of a Republic army. Now that their absent leader wishes seemed to have change, the hypothetical army’s opposition swung their vote. Sabé bowed her head, trepidation filling her. Now she fully understood the foreboding in Yoda’s message. She did not understand or fathom what a clone army had to do with this, or how Kenobi’s bounty tracking had stumbled onto it, along with the Separatist stronghold. She did know, however, that she had a bad feeling about it. Pressing her lips together in a tense, grim line, Sabé pulled Geonosis up on the HoloNet’s planetary information bank. The name seemed vaguely familiar, but she could not recall anything about it. Its entry on the HoloNet was one of the shortest Sabé had ever read. Although a close neighbor of Tatooine (she must have heard the name in school when studying Naboo’s neighboring systems), it did not even attract the riffraff supporting the dustbowl’s commerce. Arid and surrounded by an asteroid belt, Geonosis was isolated and considered hostile by the side note next to the image of the red planet. Why had the Separatists rooted there? How did Obi-Wan Kenobi wind up there? How did they manage to capture him? How could Skywalker take the Senator there? What of these clones? What did they have to do with this? And why were so many Jedi going to die in a battle? Sabé had no answers. And as badly as she wanted them, she knew she must wait as Yoda had instructed. She could not follow Skywalker to Geonosis. But she could leave Tatooine. She no longer had reason to be here. Grateful for something to do, however briefly, Sabé pulled the cruiser out of its orbit. Tatooine fell behind her, growing smaller and smaller behind the orange-white glow of her afterburners. When she was out of the Tatoo system, sitting in a dead, empty section of space bypassed by the Run, Sabé settled down to meditate again. Just before she opened herself to the Force, Sabé felt the poignant difference between her solitary meditations and those shared with Yoda. She craved that total, overwhelming immersion. For most of her life, she had always known, always felt, she was only a small, miniscule part of something bigger, that the small universe that was herself was only a tiny particle in something greater. But only in those wondrous meditations with Yoda, being so fluid and permeable in the overpowering flow of the Force, did she truly feel it, know it. But all alone, with only her limited power and connection, Sabé could only feel the near surroundings of her particle. She knew it was all there, that really the limit was her, not the Force. Here, with more inner focus, with an actual self, Sabé felt smaller, lesser. Once, she’d spoken to Yoda of this paradox, but the Jedi had seemed more pleased than troubled. Letting go of this memory, of her inhibition, Sabé opened herself to Force. She did not even settle into her meditation before it filled her with disturbing pain. ****** Hope I didn't kill you all with boredom. -----signature----- Mar. 1 - One Prick to Bleed: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/20423905/p1 "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean to Sam in Roadkill.
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AngelQueen Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 7/12/05 2:37pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/12
	Ten years ago, Sabé discovered a politician with belief, with conviction, with heart. A brilliant mind and tongue, Amidala could make anyone believe in ideal democracy. But, in the end, they were all the same. Sabé stood from the computer console. In the end, politicians said and believed whatever they wanted, whatever worked to their best advantage. Oh my... it sounds as though there is some sort of bad blood between Sabé and Padmé. I wonder what happened to them... Wonderful post, Amidolee! So, things seem to be continuing along the canon events. Anakin is still alive and will probably go on to marry Padmé. The twins still have a chance at being conceived... Hm... Excellent job! AQ -----signature----- "Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy." "Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must." "You will try." Obi-Wan and Anakin
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Amidolee Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 7/12/05 10:28pm Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/12
	Yep, there's some, um, backstory between Sabe and Amidala. Yeah, so far this isn't very AU, but it'll get there in a bit. On a sidenote, I saw Batman Begins with my brother tonight and kept thinking of Star Wars. Didn't help that Qui-Gon Jinn was pseudo ninja Sith, either. -----signature----- Mar. 1 - One Prick to Bleed: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/20423905/p1 "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." Dean to Sam in Roadkill.
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Yui-chan Registered: Jun '01	Date Posted: 7/13/05 1:18am Subject: RE: One Prick to Bleed - an AU beginning in AotC (Obi, Ani, Sabe, Yoda) - 7/12
	Ohh bad blood between the two former "best friends" huh? And even bigger OOOH! Is that a connection with Obi-Wan I see? -----signature----- 4 years of S/O. <3 It must be love. AT THE END OF ALL THINGS - http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=20031707 Post Episode 3 - Featuring an outlaw Sabe, Obi-wan, and Sabewan!
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