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Saga Administrative Announcements (Obi/Depa/Qui/OC Ch 5: 10/1)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by jdaltton, Sep 28, 2003.

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  1. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    SUMMARY: Obi-Wan Kenobi has one month to impress a Jedi Master into taking him as an apprentice or look forward to a life of farming. But the Master he has in mind isn't interested in taking apprentices.

    NOTES: The short first part of the story takes place when Obi-Wan is thirteen. In the rest of the story, Obi-Wan is twenty-five.


    Chapter One

    Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in a long queue, near the very end, of initiates that were scheduled to spar today. He looked up surreptitiously at the balcony, where several Jedi Masters were standing, watching the current initiates, Siri and one Twi'lek girl whose name Obi-Wan didn't know, fight. There was no doubt about who was going to win: though the Twi'lek seemed formidable, she didn't handle the lightsaber with the ease and grace of Siri. When Siri scored the winning slash, there was a muted applause from the Initiates. The Jedi Masters up in the balcony hadn't even flinched. Siri and the Twi'lek bowed to each other, the next pair of initiates walked into their positions, and the line moved forward.

    As Siri passed him, Obi-Wan gave her a thumbs-up. She grinned at him, mouthed 'good luck,' and hurried to the girls' refresher. Near the door, she looked up at the balcony, perhaps to see if she had made an impression on anybody. Obi-Wan looked up too. None of the Masters were looking in Siri's direction; all their attention was focused on the Wookiee and the Gotal who were currently sparring. Looking miffed, Siri pressed the appropriate button for the door to open. Obi-Wan would have sworn in front of the Jedi Council that Master Adi Gallia's gaze followed Siri as she exited the hall.

    Having nothing better to do, he stared at Master Adi for a couple of moments, but she never looked at him. His gaze inevitably crossed over to the other Masters standing beside her. There was Qui-Gon Jinn, the venerable swordsman and diplomat whose former apprentice had turned to the darkside and broken his heart. Behind Master Qui-Gon was Mace Windu, a Council Master who was said to be on par with Master Yoda. Standing right next to him was his young former apprentice, Depa Billaba, young but formidable, stern but fair, slender but strong, quiet but humorous. Or so Obi-Wan had heard. There were other Masters there too, two more humans, a Twi'lek, and a Wookiee, but Obi-Wan knew none of them.

    None of them looked very interested in taking an apprentice; well, Master Adi looked as if she was interested, but Obi-Wan knew that she had her mind set on Siri. As the sparring matches continued on and he slouched forward, he tried not to be jealous of Siri as he imagined her getting called before the Council, where she would become an apprentice. Siri was two years younger than him; it wasn't fair that she should become an apprentice before Obi-Wan, who had only a month to impress a Master look forward to a future of farming on a planet nobody (other than Jedi) knew or cared about.

    The two people in front of Obi-Wan had just finished fighting now. Obi-Wan waited until they had bowed to each other and ambled down the hall before walking out of the line and took out his lightsaber. He looked over at Master Traila, who was peering intently at a datapad in her hand, in which she had made a list of sparring opponents. She opened her mouth.

    "Bruck Chun."

    Obi-Wan grimaced as Bruck Chun, a smug smile on his face and his lightsaber already in his hand, walked over to stand before him. Just what he wanted -- to make a fool of himself in front of the Masters. He eyed the balcony again. Master Mace was whispering something in Master Qui-Gon's ear that was making the latter frown deeply. Similarly, Master Adi and Master Depa were talking, though Obi-Wan couldn't make out the head or tails of their expressions.

    "On my whistle," said Master Traila, pocketing her datapad and raising the whistle to her mouth. "Three, two, one."

    And she blew the whistle and Bruck was moving even before that. Obi-Wan barely had the time to turn on his lightsaber before Bruck attacked him like one of the mu
     
  2. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    I liked it very much. The fight, while not from the JA books, was more impressive and I liked how the two fell into fighting well past what was expected of the initiates. I look forward to seeing more!! Great job!

    I'm also intensely curious as to your title....
     
  3. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks dianethx. The mystery of the title will be explained as the story progresses.
     
  4. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Chapter Two

    "He can become a formidable Jedi if he learns to control his anger," Mace Windu thought out loud.

    "Or a formidable dark Jedi if he can't," Qui-Gon was quick to respond.

    It was a couple of hours after the sparring match between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bruck Chun, whose out-of-proportions egos had landed them on their butts with loud noises. Adi, Depa, Mace, and Qui-Gon were heading toward the mess hall for a dinner, having spent the time in between arguing fervently about the two boys. Though Mace could jabber hours on end if he wanted to, he was impressed with Qui-Gon's ability to hold his own when arguing against three Jedi, two of whom were widely acknowledged to be rhetoric gurus in the Temple.

    "Well, that depends on the Master he has, doesn't it?" Depa asked dryly. "We'll just have to put our trust in whomever he becomes apprenticed to."

    "_IF_ he becomes apprenticed to anybody, that is," Qui-Gon pointed out. "He doesn't exactly have an unblemished record, that one."

    Depa shrugged. "If you count hacking into computers and publicizing private information to be a 'blemish on the record' -- "

    "Yes, I do," Qui-Gon said flatly. "Hacking into computers is not only ethically wrong, it's also against the law -- unless that changed in the last twenty-four hours."

    "Come on, Qui," Depa said sportingly. "You're just prejudiced against that kid because he told everyone you got an underwear with pink lightsabers. We thought it was pretty funny. Didn't we?" She looked around at Adi and Mace, the latter of who made an effort to study the air-traffic.

    "Yes, we did," Adi said earnestly, a lopsided grin coloring her beautiful face.

    "Well, I didn't," Qui-Gon snapped.

    "Besides," said Adi, "you got him landed in detention, anyway. What's your problem with that kid?"

    "My problem," Qui-Gon said through gritted teeth, "with that kid is that he has way too much anger in him."

    "Most initiates his age _are_ angry, Qui-Gon; and I suppose that adolescent anger is starting to rear its ugly head, as well -- he's almost thirteen, you know."

    "Then take him as your apprentice," Qui-Gon answered. "Don't bother me with it. I'm not -- "

    " -- interested, so you keep telling us," Adi finished.

    The two Jedi Masters continued to bicker all the way to the mess hall. Mace tuned them out with difficulty and tried to focus on something that would let him think. There was Master Virto'kut's statue, with its intricate designs, but there was a lightsaber there, too, and it pulled him back into the sparring match and, consequently, to Qui-Gon and Adi. It was too dark outside.

    Depa cleared her throat. Mace looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

    "You've been pretty quiet, Master."

    Mace shrugged.

    "I prefer letting people with strong personalities take the front."

    "So, where do you stand on the issue?"

    "I am very sympathetic to initiates who are facing AgriCorps as a future," Mace answered carefully. "Jedi should serve wherever the Force calls them, but try telling that to a thirteen-year-old who is being ripped away from the only family he knows. On the other hand, I also think Qui-Gon's arguments have some merit to them. Obi-Wan has a lot of anger in him." He paused. "Bottom line, his future really depends on whether or not there is a Master who is willing and has the courage to take a headstrong boy as his apprentice."

    Depa thought for a moment. "Why don't _you_ take him as an apprentice?"

    Mace shook his head ruefully.

    "I gave it a lot of thought, Depa, and I would really like to have him as an apprentice. But I have too many pressing demands on my time to do him justice. He needs somebody who isn't a Senior Council Master, isn't in charge of overseeing the initiates, and isn't lecturing half a dozen classes."

    Depa peered at him closely, her eyes scrunched down as though in speculation. "You're gloating," she said finally.

    Mace threw up his hands in exasperation as they entered the mess hall.

    ---------------

    Not too far away from where the four Masters were
     
  5. obaona

    obaona Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    BAD Obi-Wan! :eek: And Siri! But more Obi-Wan! :eek:

    I have to admit, the title got me interested in this story. I thought at first it might be humor (humor stories have the oddest titles, sometimes), but it doesn't seem to be. It seems to be a well-written drama. ;)

    Nice job, jdaltton! :D
     
  6. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    Good job on the next installment. Obi-Wan should really be thinking about what he is doing. Bant is right. It will only get him into more trouble! I don't know where you're going with this but keep it up!
     
  7. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks obaona. Yes, this is a drama fic, but there is also a lot of humor in it.

    Thanks dianethx. The story will explain itself very soon.
     
  8. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Chapter Three

    The next three weeks passed monotonously. Obi-Wan spent half of his days doing katas and a variety of chores as punishment for his disgusting behavior in the sparring match, the other half evading Master Qui-Gon, and his nights contemplating on his fate. He tried to imagine himself as a farmer, maybe trying to force water out of the air via giant machines on Tatooine. He tried to imagine planting, growing, and nourishing spice on Kessel, a valuable herb used extensively by healers. It was also a drug, and therefore attracted a lot of smugglers. Well, fending off smugglers should at least be more exciting than moisture farming.

    The lift opened and Obi-Wan stepped in, holding a huge garbage can in his arms and with the Force. He pressed the appropriate button and the lift started descending. Though it was something the Jedi could easily have assigned to droids, they had decided that Obi-Wan's crime had been big enough to deserve this punishment. For the past several days, he had been taking garbage cans from individual quarters and dumping them in the magnificent trash hall in the basement. At the end of every day, he would turn the compressor on so that the unnamable stuff in the hall would get turned into much-needed oxygen molecules, which would then be released into the air through massive ventilation ducts. Ever since he had learned the process under a janitor, he came to doubly appreciate the air-filters in the Jedi Temple.

    The lift stopped in the basement, and Obi-Wan stepped out of it, making sure that the garbage can didn't unexpectedly rake against the edges of the lift. That had happened once and Obi-Wan got showered in slime and muck; it had taken twenty hot water and three sonic showers and four days for the stink to get off of him. Once safely out of the confines of the lift, Obi-Wan trotted down the dingy hallway whose lighting systems weren't functioning very well. He opened the door to the compressor hall with the Force and kept it open while he slipped in, threw the contents of the garbage can into the mountain that had been steadily building up over the day, ran out, and slammed the door shut. He threw the garbage can into the pile next room, turned on the compressor for the night, and took the lift back to his room, thinking only about shower and then maybe some food.

    But there was already somebody waiting for him at his room.

    "Master Windu," Obi-Wan said in surprise. "What can I do for you?"

    Mace Windu looked up and down Obi-Wan, his face impassive. Obi-Wan's face flushed. He wiped his dirty hands against his pants, hoping he didn't look too bad.

    "I was -- " Obi-Wan motioned behind him at the lift, "garbage --"

    "I quite understand," Master Windu said. "Come along to my office in ten minutes, Obi-Wan. We have something to discuss."

    "Okay," Obi-Wan said automatically.

    Mace nodded and headed to his office. As soon as Mace's back disappeared around the corner, Obi-Wan ran into his room, stripped, spent five glorious minutes in shower, and, after drying himself, changed into new clothes. Five minutes later he was running out of his room again, headed toward Mace's office. He wondered what Master Windu had to discuss with him. His heart sped up. Maybe Mace wanted to take Obi-Wan as his apprentice. Why else would he be here, waiting for Obi-Wan? He was too important to oversee Obi-Wan's punishment, and besides, it wasn't in his jurisdiction, anyway. Master Traila, being Obi-Wan's creche Master, had that right.

    No, that couldn't be. If Master Windu wanted to take him as an apprentice, why wait until Obi-Wan changed? Why not tell him as soon as he saw him? Maybe he had been afraid that Obi-Wan would jump and hug him and transfer some of the stink. Or maybe he wanted to take Obi-Wan as an apprentice, but then thought otherwise after seeing Obi-Wan in this state. Maybe...

    Obi-Wan knocked on Master Windu's door.

    "Come in," Mace's voice called.

    _If I become an apprentice, I'll return Master Billaba her dagger..._

    Obi-Wan walked
     
  9. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    I really like how you've taken the typical Obi story and turned it around. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what is going to happen to Ob-Wan.

    Great job!
     
  10. PadawanKitara

    PadawanKitara Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2001
    The title was interesting enough to lure me in; and story well written enough to keep me.

    Keep going :)
     
  11. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks dianethx!

    Thanks PadawanKitara!
     
  12. Shaindl

    Shaindl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    Yep, I'm with PK and Diane (hi guys! :) ). Interesting title and well-written. I can't tell where you're taking this, but a Depa and Obi-Wan combination is something I don't think I've seen. Good job, and I'll look forward to more.

    Shaindl
     
  13. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks Shaindl. I work to impress.
     
  14. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    Awesome tension, emotion, etc.!
     
  15. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks DarthIshtar!
     
  16. obaona

    obaona Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    Obi/Depa? So she'll be a major character? Interesting! :D
     
  17. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Yes obaona. Depa will be a major character. I really like her and I thought _Shatterpoint_ didn't give her the credit she deserves.
     
  18. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Chapter Four

    Obi-Wan swallowed a lump in his throat. He was standing in front of Master Billaba?s door. It was late in the night, well past 1100 hours. Master Qui-Gon had spent almost an hour drilling Obi-Wan on information that might prove useful. He had somehow managed to get out of Obi-Wan about the little dagger that Siri had handed over to him earlier. Though Obi-Wan had taken pains to avoid mentioning either Siri or Bant in it, trying to make it appear as if he had stolen it himself, Qui-Gon seemed to know that he was lying. Fortunately, he didn?t seem to care much, though he did exhort Obi-Wan to not lie in Master Billaba?s presence.

    After they had come up with some semblance of a plan, Qui-Gon had brought Obi-Wan to Master Billaba?s room (Obi-Wan never had been in these levels before, which were restricted to apprentices and up). He talked about Master Billaba as a person and a Jedi Master on the way, and Obi-Wan found that most of what he had heard about Master Billaba held true. She wasn?t all that bad; just very, very fair. Then again, what could you expect out of a person who was trained by Master Windu? Obi-Wan tried to think of Master Windu?s reaction if Master Billaba did take him as an apprentice (and Obi-Wan swore to himself that he would do everything within his power to make her take him as an apprentice). Did he really mean it when he said he would be happy if Obi-Wan found a Master? Or had he been trying to make Obi-Wan feel better, because he was going to the AgriCorps, anyway?

    ?Obi-Wan, pay attention to what I?m saying. You?re going to need every bit of luck and some more to get you through this.?

    ?Yes, Master Qui-Gon,? Obi-Wan said. ?But I was paying attention.?

    ?Right. And I am a blabbering old fool who likes to give redundant instructions.? Qui-Gon, a pained look on his face, closed his eyes tightly. ?How many times do I have to keep telling you to not lie in front of Jedi Masters? You?ll do that in front of Master Billaba accidentally and ruin my masterful plan and land yourself in Kessel and end up carrying a bone-filled hatred toward the Jedi Order and become a terrorist looking for the first ship that will bring you to Coruscant so you can blow up the Jedi Temple.?

    ?I wasn?t lying,? Obi-Wan said in a small voice. ?It was just a manner of speaking.?

    ?Whatever you want to call it,? Master Qui-Gon said, opening his eyes. ?Don?t do it.? Obi-Wan nodded quickly, and Master Qui-Gon went on with his sermon. ?Depa is obsessed with her pretentious toys, so don?t comment on them unless you have something good to say (most people don?t). While you?re at it, try not to bring up Master Windu into the conversation. Nobody can tell whether she?s another of those people with a closet-hatred toward their Masters or not. Once things get settled a bit and you two seem to know each other, show her the dagger and tell her you?re completely, horribly sorry you stole it from her room. But don?t mumble over your words, and try not to sound as if you are reciting from a book. Depa is telepathically very attuned to her surroundings. She knows a lot and can be very scary sometimes. She won?t come bearing down on you for stealing her dagger, though. The dagger?s been dominating breakfast/lunch/and dinner conversation for the past three weeks, but she also has a soft spot for people who try to resolve their mistakes.?

    Here, Master Qui-Gon paused to catch his breath. Obi-Wan, as though this were his cue, asked, ?I wonder why that?s so??

    ?Because she had a notorious reputation for doing things like that when she had been an apprentice, and she is a big-time believer of second chances. Not that she?ll be thinking about second chances with you. She values bravery, and whatever you lack (if you lack anything), you more than make up with courage -- or maybe you?re just stupid.? Qui-Gon shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. Obi-Wan thought that was a more appropriate gesture if it came from _him._ ?At any rate, she?ll become one with the Force when you tell her that there?s som
     
  19. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    Loved the You?ll do that in front of Master Billaba accidentally and ruin my masterful plan and land yourself in Kessel and end up carrying a bone-filled hatred toward the Jedi Order and become a terrorist looking for the first ship that will bring you to Coruscant so you can blow up the Jedi Temple.? - Isn't that the truth!!!

    The fact that Qui-Gon was helping Obi-Wan by coaching him was quite amusing and a little disconcerting (but in a good way). I loved that it took Obi-Wan so long to confess about the dagger and kept trying to almost lie his way out....

    Great job. Keep it up!
     
  20. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks dianethx! :)
     
  21. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    I will be posting more of this a couple of hours later, but may be I should start updating in the mornings?
     
  22. Shaindl

    Shaindl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    Great post, Daltton! I personally would like mornings better, but it's your story, so do what's best for you. :)

    Shaindl
     
  23. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Thanks Shaindl! I'm out of home by six, so if I post in the morning it will be about five o' clock.
     
  24. jdaltton

    jdaltton Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2003
    Chapter Five

    Depa was fond of the boy.

    Yes, he was a little too big for his age, maybe a little too fat (okay a lot too fat), and was certainly clumsy and awkward (though that said nothing about his skills in sparring); but he had a homely, cheerful nature about him that could probably convince a Sith that he wasn?t one to be hated. Depa had seen a wide range of initiates, from the ones who became very moody to those who became downright hostile and went on to curse the entire Jedi Order when they were told of their expulsion, and she didn?t blame them. She didn?t blame them one bit. On the other hand, she found Obi-Wan?s un-whiny manner quite refreshing.

    But would she be doing the right thing in taking Obi-Wan as an apprentice? She spent almost all her time running from one planet to another; getting shot at was something very common to her, and torture wasn?t anything new. Many people knew that she hunted relics (more due to her obsession than because of her duty), but few knew that she was also part of the Republic Intelligence Group (RIG), which, other than playing the doormat to the Wartime department and the Ethics committee, gathered Intelligence. The Intelligence work wasn?t something that majority of the galaxy?s population held in a good opinion, and Depa had a shrewd feeling that there would get introduced a bill in the senate discussing its demise somewhere down the line. Not that there was much left of the RIG right now?

    Depa sighed heavily and got into bed.

    Whatever she did, she wouldn?t lie to herself. She had kept a close eye on Obi-Wan for a couple of years now, with the very idea of taking him as an apprentice. Out of the half a dozen people who she had been monitoring over the years, he proved to be the only one as strong in the Unifying Force as she wanted. His connection with the Living Force was tetchy, but he could be trained. And he had a taste for relics. Anybody with a taste for relics and relic digging gained an immediate admission into her heart. He had also gambled on his life to get the dagger back to her -- he wasn?t lacking in courage -- though she doubted he was the one who actually stole it.

    There was no reason for her not to take Obi-Wan as an apprentice. Except that his running speed was woefully inadequate. But all he needed to do was run regularly and the speed would skyrocket on its own. Then again, when she got to the dirty details, what were the chances that she would be able to train him into a Jedi? Master Qui-Gon?s words kept coming back to her. He could become a formidable Jedi or a dangerous Sith, and it all depended on the Master that he got. If Mace stayed ten meters away from Obi-Wan, then why was Depa not taking a ship out of Coruscant? Mace had said that he didn?t have enough time to be a Master; she didn?t either. She also wasn?t part of the Council; she also wasn?t teaching any classes; she also wasn?t responsible for anybody except herself.

    Yes, she rarely ever was on Coruscant, but hyperspace travel provided a great time for training. Field experience was also better than theoretical knowledge, wasn?t it? How much did apprentices really learn in the control environment of the Temple? Sparring matches with apprentices they knew weren?t real enemies, with lightsabers that were set to stun, with Masters standing nearby just in case things turned ugly. Who could blame them if they resorted to mischief to break their tedious lives? But how could you take thirteen-year-olds and throw them directly into blasterfire? They needed the controlled environment at least in the beginning.

    Depa ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

    She had told Obi-Wan that she would consider it. What if he was getting his hopes up, and Depa would plunge him into a suicidal depression if she said no?

    Decisions made at two o? clock in the morning rarely turn out to be right, Depa told herself. She rolled over on her bed and decided to think about it tomorrow morning; she will not do anything until she got this matter settled and packed in a bag.

     
  25. dianethx

    dianethx Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2002
    It depends where you live. If you live on the west coast of the USA, I'd prefer mornings. East coast or Europe, evenings or mornings make no difference. I usually read in the morning and at night but since I live on the East coast, it gets hard to load up in the evenings - traffic gets very busy.
    Just note that if you live on the East coast or Europe, posting in the morning means that your fic stays on the first page most of the day....

    But you should do whatever you would like!
     
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