Fire and Ice

Okay, I put the plot line for this story together when I was on a caffiene rush, so forgive me if it doesn't make sense. I got the title from a Robert Frost poem. Here it is:

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire
But if I ahd to perish twice
To say that for destruction Ice
Is also great
And would suffice

 

That was very nice but i dont think it belongs in this forum.

Nice work though.

 

Obi-Wan speaks:
Ice and Fire, husband and wife, quiet possibly the insanest couple in the galaxy. Bounty hunters, assassins, mercenaries, they're your basic sword-for-hire couple. They've tried their hands at just about every job that means you get to kill people for a living.

They're wonderful, decent people, don't get me wrong. They're just completely insane.

And I get to deal with them, aren't I so lucky?

I've been working with my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, on a mission for a few weeks now. Whatever it is, it's got to be important, otherwise why would the Council have asked Fire and Ice to help?


Fire tossed back her flame red hair in obvious impatience. "These Jedi," she said. "All rules. They never let you have any fun." She pouted.

"They pay well, Love, you'd do well to remember that," Ice reminded her gently. His voice was always gentle, he rarely ever got angry. It was always deep, the kind of voice that made women go weak at the knees. He also had an accent that someone had once described as 'scottish' whatever that meant. Fire thought it was some dialect on a little planet she didn't know much about.

"Yes, but we're paid to kill things," Fire said, with cool logic. "And we're not doing our job because someone," she glared at nineteen-year-old Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi "won't let us go out kill things."

"Would you quite whining?" Obi-Wan growled, annoyed. "That is the fifteenth time in the past ten minutes that you've complained about not being able to go out and kill things. How many more times do I have to tell you no? You cannot go out and kill things!"

"You're going to have to keep telling me 'no' until 'no' starts meaning 'yes, you can go out and kill things'." Fire made an attempt at a charming smile, which didn't quite work. When she smiled, the tips of her pointed teeth were visible. "Come on, Obi-Wan, if we can't go out and kill things, at least let us go out and have a little fun."

"You mean a little fun like that bar fight you got into last night?" Obi-Wan asked pointedly.

"Exactly like."

"I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

Fire shrugged and grinned wider. "You seemed to be having fun while you were fighting," she commented mildly. "Those were some good moves you used too."

"High praise, coming from you." Obi-Wan tried to make light of the compliment, but was flattered all the same. When one of the galaxies best fighters said that you had good moves, it was okay to be flattered.

Ice decided a change of subject was in order. He wasn't sure yet whether or not Fire was flirting with the young Jedi and he wasn't about to give her the opportunity to.

//Now, love, you know I'd never do that,\\ Fire said, with mock hurt. She sensed his thoughts through the bond they shared. //Obi-Wan is far to honorable for something like that.\\

//Hmph,\\ he replied, unconvinced. "What time is Qui-Gon supposed to meet us?" he asked, possibly for the twentieth time in the past ten minutes.

Obi-Wan glanced at his chronometer. "He said the second hour after sunset."

"It's getting close to the third hour after sunset," Ice said logically.

"I know." A flicker of worry crossed the young Jedi's face. "I'm sure Master Qui-Gon is fine. He would have gotton a message to us otherwise."

Ice and Fire exchanged a worried look. They knew the Jedi Master well. He should have arrived by now.

"Maybe we should go out and look for him," Fire suggested, all traces of the wild out of control woman she'd been before were gone.

Ice nodded, backing his wife. "She's right. We should."

Obi-Wan hesitated. That was what he wanted to do, that was what his instincts said to do, but... "We're supposed to be waiting here for the messanger, with or without Qui-Gon," he reminded them.

Ice opened the door to go. "The messanger will get here..." he trailed off. He said something in a language only Fire understood.

Fire and Obi-Wan peered around Ice to look out the door. Fire paled, for some strange reason. Obi-Wan knelt by the body of t

 

Quick response and/or small explanation about the very first post. That was the poem written by Robert Frost. It's up there so that the story eventually makes sense. Sorry. I probably should have mentioned that then, shouldn't I? Oh well. Again: Sorry.

 

Good story so far...

 

This title keeps catching my eye so I decided to read it.I'm intrigued (sp?) I'll keep reading this.

 

whoops sorry i thought that poem was your whole post. great job!! keep this going cuz I wanna read more.

 

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn meditated quietly in his cell. He looked again at the hateful bars made of some type of metal that inhibited his abilities to use the Force, and wistfully wondered whether or not he could get himself out of this mess. Qui-Gon reached for the keys to his cell with the Force. The keys were just on the opposite side of the room, it normally would have been nothing to lift them and bring them to where he wanted to. Now just the effort of making the keys wobble on their nail brought sweat to his face. It's going to work this time! he thought, reaching farther with the Force. I know it!

The keys remained on their nail.

Qui-Gon slumped to the floor of his cell, exhausted. It didn't work. The thought kept hammering at his mind, making him feel absolutely hopeless.

No. I am a Jedi. I will not lose hope, he told himself fiercely. I will get out of here. Qui-Gon wrapped the thoughts around himself like a comfortable cloak, and settled into a more comfortable position to plot his escape.

 

"What?!" Obi-Wan demanded. "What do you mean, they've got Qui-Gon? Who are they?"

"Calm down," Fire said quietly. Her well tanned skin was drained of it's normal color, making her look pale and scared.

She was.

//How did they find us, Ice?\\ she whispered.

//We've built up a reputation,\\ he replied uncertainly. //They must have tracked us through that.\\

//Yes, but we made sure that there was no part of it that could link us to...to them,\\ Fire said, desperately sounding as if she were trying to convince herself this was true. "What are we going to do?" she asked aloud.

"We've got to find him," Obi-Wan said, resolve in his eyes. "Whoever kidnapped him must be involved in those murders we've been trying to solve. We find Master Qui-Gon, and we'll find the killers."

"I'm not so sure that's wise, Obi-Wan," Ice began.

The young Jedi rounded on him, worry and fear and anger in his expression. "Wise? You're going to lecture me about wise?" he demanded. "You're a hired killer! And this is your chance to go out and do what you're getting paid to do!"

Fire punched him in the stomach, then pinned him against the wall. "Don't, Obi-Wan," she hissed, pointed teeth gleaming in the light. "Don't go so close to the Dark side. You're a good, honorable young man. Don't blow it."

Obi-Wan's breathing was ragged, but he got his emotions under control. He studied the floor until he was calm again. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said that."

"What is done cannot be undone," Ice said sagaciously. "It is a way of life. Now, young Jedi, what are we going to do to get your Master back?"

Obi-Wan leaned heavilly against the wall as he thought. "You recognized that writing, didn't you?"

"It is the language of our homeworld," Ice admitted reluctantly.

It was on the tip of Obi-Wan's tongue to ask what their homeworld was, but he thought better of it. "So you'd be familiar with the mindset of the killers?"

Ice thought back to the handwriting. He recognized it, not just the words. "Oh, yes," he said softly. He looked up, and there was an unholy light shining in his pale gray-blue eyes. "I'm very familiar with their mindset."

"Good," said Obi-Wan. "Then I've got a plan."

 

JediRogue9:

Be nice to Tyra. She's my best friend.

 

Thanks Renton! =) Okay, here we go.


"This is insane," Fire muttered.

"Tell me about it," Ice agreed.

"Would you two quit whining?" Obi-Wan asked. "By the Force, what happened to the tough-as-nails, cold-as-ice, and meaner-than-anybody-else-in-the-galaxy people I've been dealing with?"

Fire took a long drag on her red cigarette and deliberately blew the smoke into the young Jedi's face, an odd expression in her flame colored eyes. "We're scared, Obi-Wan. This is the closest we've been to our own kind in centuries."

"Centuries," Obi-Wan repeated. "What do you mean? You don't look that much older than I am."

Ice gave a small, bitter laugh that was completely uncharacteristic of him. "We rival your Master Yoda in age, Obi-Wan. Our race is a long lived one."

Obi-Wan digested that for a moment. "It's not my place to ask, but...what race are you from?"

//Do you think we should tell him?\\ Fire asked.

//I think we can trust him.\\

Not for the first time, Obi-Wan got the sense that they were talking without talking. It was like they were using the Force, except he couldn't sense that they were. It was frustrating. He schooled himself to be patient, and waited.

//How does he do that?\\ Fire asked. //He's always so patient. So is Qui-Gon. It's got to be a Jedi thing.\\

Ice chuckled out loud. //And we all know you've never been patient a day in your life, have you?\\

//Nope.\\

They studied Obi-Wan together. Finally, Fire looked at Ice. "It's your call."

Ice glared at her. There were reasons he usually hung in the background and appeared to let Fire run things. There were too many unpleasant assocations he had with leading... "Our race is known to you as the Nosferatu."

"The Nosferatu?" Obi-Wan repeated. "The Nosferatu. Wait a minute. You're vampires?" He started to chuckle, an amused look in his crystalline blue eyes. "That's a good joke, Ice."

Ice looked insulted. "Did I say that? No! We're Nosferatu. Vampires are shadows compared to what we are. We are born, not made."

"You're also born to be killers," Obi-Wan said coldly, no trace of amusement was in his eyes now. He held his lightsaber out, ready to use it, making the transition from boy to warrior in a heartbeat. "I recognize that method of killing now. There were killings not too long ago on another planet that looked exactly like that. Another Jedi was sent to handle it, but I saw the pictures. The way the throats had been cut with something jagged." He turned his lightsaber off and gripped Fire's face in his hands. "Something like teeth. How do I know you two aren't responsible? I know how you like to kill."

"Because you know us," Ice said. "Could you let Fire go now? I think you're hurting her teeth."

Obi-Wan released her, and looked apologetic. "I thought so," he murmured. "I'm sorry, Fire, but I had to be sure."

Fire turned and spit something into the bushes nearby. "How did you know how to grab me so that I couldn't use my fangs?" Fire asked bluntly, ignoring the apology.

"I spoke with the Jedi who dealt with the killings. She said that it was the only way to stop you for a moment, because your teeth are so sensitive."

"It's not like that..." Ice pondered for a moment. "There's a gland, right above our fangs, kind of like a snake's poison sack. The gland secretes a substance that allows us to numb our victims flesh to the point of paralysis. If you grab us in a certain manner, then the gland goes into overtime, and that hurts, because it feels like we should be biting something when we're not in feeding mode."

"What does feeding mode look like?" Obi-Wan asked.

Fire and Ice exchanged uneasy glances. He knew so much about them...almost enough to kill. He was the closest they'd had to a friend in centuries. Could they bear to lose him because he thought they were monsters? "I think we'll save feeding mode for another time," Fire said. "Let's just get this over with."

Obi-Wan nodded, accepting her decision not to show him.

 

OOh that was kind of creepy..very well thought out.

 

yub yub

Translation:

UP! UP!

 

Just a quick question Tyra:

Is "Fire and Ice" two certain fanfic characters that will remain nameless for now because it will just confuse people.

Butterfly=Fire perhaps?

Just asking but very very good Tyra!

 

In answer to Renton's question: Maybe. (J/K, yeah, Butterfly is partially who I based Fire on.)

 

Obi-Wan carefully examined the murder site, looking for something he might have missed before. Now he had an idea of what to look for, a nagging sensation in the back of his mind that felt important. It reminded him of something. What was it? It was something important...if he could only remember what it was!


Qui-Gon looked like he was meditating. He was, to a certain extent. He was using the Force to try and contact Obi-Wan through the bond each Master and Padawan shared. //Padawan!\\ he called. //Padawan?\\ It was no use. He'd been calling for the past hour. Outside his cell he could hear his captors arguing amongst themselves. Qui-Gon didn't doubt the fact that he wasn't supposed to hear this converstation, but he'd lived long enough to use the Force to sharpen his senses. Now his hearing was still sharp, with or without the use of the Force.

"Look," said one. "All I'm saying is that the Jedi is bait. We know he's a friend of Prince Fian. We're using him to lure Fian in, aren't we?" The voice was female.

"Yes," someone else said, sounding annoyed, exasperated, and angry, as if they'd been through all of this before. This voice was also female.

"Then why can't I feed a little?" the first demanded. "It's not as if we really need him alive. If Fian thinks that we've got him, and he knows that we do, then he and the other Jedi will come running to save him. Then we'll kill him like we're supposed to, and then we can all go home. We don't really need the Jedi alive at all, and I'm hungry!"

Qui-Gon tried to understand what that meant. He got the distinctive sense that he was a possible dinner course for whoever was speaking, which made very little sense at all, because his kidnappers looked human. Qui-Gon really didn't like the prospect of a becoming a dinner course.

Unfortunately, the second speaker didn't share his sentiments. "Just a nibble," the second voice said. "We still may need him alive. And the Gods have mercy on you if Prince Kian decides that you're feeding on the Jedi was the wrong thing to do."

The door to the room that held his cell swung open. Two women stood in the doorway. Their eyes glowed in the dim light, like an animals would. They were also red. Qui-Gon allowed himself a brief moment of staring as they grew nearer. They were so impossibly beautiful they were monstrous, because such beauty couldn't possibly exist within. Their eyes were empty and cold. The red glow made them look like windows into the depths of hell itself. There was no mistaking the purpose of their fangs.

One of them, Qui-Gon assumed it was the first speaker, opened the door. "Hi there," she said.

Qui-Gon reacted instantly. He kicked her feet out from under her and dashed for the door, shouting mentally to Obi-Wan as the second woman punched him. Qui-Gon reeled, struggling to stay on his feet as he used the Force to knock the second woman into the wall. The first woman rushed at him, knocking him over. Qui-Gon used the momentum of his fall to fling the woman off of him even as her fangs sought and found his neck. He touched his neck and tried to stop the mild blood flow as he looked at the two unconscious woment. "Hi yourself," he said.

Qui-Gon spun around to face the door again when he heard the sound of someone clapping. A man leaned against the doorway, smiling. "That was an impressive show, Jedi."

"I have a name, you know," Qui-Gon said calmly. He didn't feel so calm seconds later when the man stepped fully into the light.

He looked just like Ice did. Exactly like, right down to the Don't-mess-with-me-or-I'll-rip-your-arms-off expression.

"I see you've noticed the family resemblence between myself and my brother, Fian," the man said.

//Obi-Wan!\\ Qui-Gon shouted. //Prince Fian is-\\ he broke off as the man darted forward with the swiftness of an attacking cat, and snapped a Force inhibiting collar around his neck.

Prince Kian shrugged. "I can't have my honored guest calling for help, now can I?" he asked, smiling. Then a

 

SWEET!

*Grins* Do you know how it feels to be choosen? HAHAHAHHA!

*Ahem*

Please continue.

 

Ice raced the wind through the city. He leaped from building to building, rooftop to rooftop, checking out various illegal organizations, trying to see who'd turned him in. Quieter than a whisper, he was usually gone before anyone thought to check if he was there. He savored the feeling of being what he was, what he'd denied himself so long for fear of being caught. Nosferatu, a predator. He wanted to run, to hunt, to take down his prey after a glorious chase.

Ice shook himself away from those kinds of thoughts. He'd been living as close to human as he could get, he wasn't going to give it up now unless the Game required it. That was all it was to his Nosferatu nature. A game between warring brothers. The Game invented to keep them constantly at odds with one another so that nothing good could be accomplished on their planet.

A crooked smile graced his lips as he prowled the next rooftop, listening with heightned senses. He'd left that Game, but apparently it hadn't left him. It was calling him back to play again, and he was going to play it.

This time, to win.

 

Fire dropped gracefully down in front of Obi-Wan at the club where they were supposed to meet. She'd been hanging from the light post, watching the people coming and going from the club for some time now. As far as she was concerned, they were all prey. Dinner. Maybe a midnight snack.

And then Obi-Wan walked into view. Now he wasn't dinner. Not even a midnight snack. He had the potential to be so much more...

"Where's Ice?" he demanded. He seemed angry. That was good. It would make it easier for her to pull him into the Game.

She shrugged easily. "Ice goes where he pleases. Can I help you instead?"

He gave her a shrewdly calculating look. "Maybe."

Fire lead him into the club, triumphantly tossing her hair back so that it cascaded down her back like dripping fire. She looked good, and she knew it. She was also going to play it to her advantage through the plan she and Ice had worked out earlier. "Buy you a drink?"

"We're here on business, Fire!"

"Suit yourself." Fire leaned over the bar. "Two Corilleans," she murmured, eyes flashing. "Put 'em in glasses, okay?"

He stared at her, a mixture of terrified and entranced. "Sure." He poured them quickly and set them on the bar. Fire picked them up and smiled at him.

She threaded her way through the dancers to a booth near the back of the bar. She set one of the drinks in front of Obi-Wan while she set about draining her own.

"Qui-Gon contacted me," Obi-Wan said abruptly. He seemed agitated, and also determined. He wasn't going to let up until he had the answers he wanted.

"What did he say?" Fire asked, genuinely concerned for the Jedi Master.

"He said that he's being used as bait," Obi-Wan said. "A trap for some guy named Prince Fian. He said he was being held by some guy named Prince Kian. Sound familiar?"

Fire ignored his question. "Did he say anything else?" she pressed quietly. If their secret got out before they could tell Obi-Wan, there was definately going to be a problem.

"He started to tell me who Prince Fian was, but then something stopped him."

"Something stopped him?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Maybe they stunned him. Maybe they put him somewhere that inhibits his ability to use the Force. I'm not sure yet."

The boy's good, Fire thought approvingly. He acts like he's not worried much. He'll do very nicely. She sipped her drink again, and continued to study Obi-Wan thoughtfully.

Obi-Wan's demeanor changed suddenly. His face was predatory, dangerous. "You know about Prince Kian, don't you? And you know who Fian is too."

"Ummm....yes." Fire toyed with her glass. "I do."

"Well?" Obi-Wan waited expectantly. Fire wondered if he planned to do whatever it took to get the information from her and judged from his expression that he did.

"Prince Fian is Ice," she said bluntly. "Prince Kian is my brother-in-law, Ice's twin. They've been feuding for years."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "Explain," he ordered.

"It's complicated."

"So give me the Cliffnotes version, I haven't got all night."

Fire smiled slightly. Oh yes, Obi-Wan definately had the potential to be so much more than what he was. "Very well then. Once upon a time, in a far off place..."

 

This is really interesting and cool so far, Tyra!!! I'm looking forward to more!

 

"Fian and Kian were the royal heirs to an empire. They're identical twins, and the problem is, nobody is really certain which one of them is born first. There's been lots of contention over that. When they were younger, they worked together really well, up until everyone else on the planet decided that change was a bad thing, and that if the two worked together, then things would definately change."

Obi-Wan waited impatiently. "I'm waiting for how all of this connects to the fact that my Master is missing."

Fire gave him a look that was both superior and flirtatious all at once. "I'm getting there. Just keep waiting. Drink your Corellian and enjoy my little story."

Obi-Wan sighed. "So where do you come into all of this?"

"Well, lets see. The higher classes on our homeworld created something called the Game. Fian and Kian would play it against each other. It's a combination of politics, chess, and the deadliest bloodsport you can think of. Winner takes all. I know it probably sounds stupid to you, but for them, it was a way of life. It was survival. They learned to hate each other." Fire paused, her eyes looked a little sad.

"Mostly because of me."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, intrigued in spite of himself.

"I mean, I was hired to make both of them fall in love with me. I was to play both of them against one another." Fire toyed with her glass. "I was Isandra. That was my name then. I was one of the planets five great beauties, and everyone loved me for it. I didn't count on falling in love with Fian. After awhile, we wised up. We left the planet. For awhile, we stayed alone. It was safer that way, and everybody else was just fodder anyhow. Your Master was one of the first friends we've had in centuries. I guess we just got careless. Kian must have realized that he could use Qui-Gon against us."

"That's what I thought."

"And that's what he's going to do. He's going to use Qui-Gon to get us exactly where he wants us, and then your Master will be dead. You will too, unless you join the Game."

Obi-Wan felt a fresh burst of outrage. "Now, wait just a minute!" He yelled. "You told me that we could get him out of there!"

"I did no such thing!"

"That's what you lead me to believe." Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "Or were you just playing me like you used to play Fian and Kian? Maybe you haven't really given up being Isandra."

Fire shrugged. "Ouch," she commented. "It's good to see that you've got fangs." She leaned forward until she was inches from his face. "How'd you like to have them for real?"

Wariness and instant understanding flickered in Obi-Wan's eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"I mean, there's only one way to get into the Game for real. Only one way to save your Master. And that's to become...a little bit more on the savage side."

Obi-Wan gave her a slow, deliberate look. "Fire?"

"Yes?"

"I would like it very much if you would drive your speeder off a cliff into a den of large animals who will most likely eat your liver and what's left of your pretty face," Obi-Wan said, in the kindest, sweetest tone he could muster up so that his sarcasm was painfully obvious. "Suddenly, I don't want your help in finding my Master any more. I'd like it very much if I never see you or your husband again. I think you're both insane. Get the picture?"

"Is that your way of telling me to go to hell?"

"I get the feeling that would be to kind for someone like you, Isandra." Obi-Wan turned and left the bar, deliberately turning his back on one of the galaxies most dangerous people. It was an insult, he was saying Fire wasn't dangerous enough to face, something that could get him killed. Right at the moment, he didn't care.

Fire watched Obi-Wan go with an unreadable expression in her eyes. Ice stepped out of the masses in the crowded bar, his face a careful mask. Finally, Fire smiled. "That went better than I thought it would."

Ice lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "That was a wonderful pe

 

Haven't read this story in awhile. I love it! The characters are really well developed making it enjoyable to read.

 

By the Force, Obi-Wan thought wearily. I thought they were good people. I thought I could trust them. And now? They want to make me...I don't know! A parasite? No, that's not exactly right... How do you classify someone on a liquid diet anyhow? He shook his head purposefully. No matter. I have to find Qui-Gon. And I'm on my own now, since I don't know what their motives are. Or their plans, for that matter. I sincerely doubt that they are sane or involve anyone living for very long.

Obi-Wan headed back for the warehouse where he'd been with Ice and Fire for Qui-Gon and the messanger only hours before, in the vain hope that maybe Qui-Gon had somehow found a way to get a message to him, or maybe that someone had seen his Master earlier.

There was nothing. Obi-Wan searched the warehouse inch by inch, from the basement to the roof.

To his surprise, there he wasn't alone on the roof. There was a girl on the roof. A pretty girl, but looks didn't matter much to Obi-Wan. For all he knew she could be a conniving woman like Fire, someone he couldn't trust. Not any more, at least. The way Fire had talked of people as dinner, of killing so casually... Obi-Wan grimaced, trying to chase away some of the taint he hadn't known was there before.

The girl had pale blond hair, and large, trusting blue eyes. "Are you Obi-Wan?" she asked in a soft, melodic voice.

Obi-Wan's heart leaped. Maybe she had seen something or could tell him where his Master was? Or maybe she just wanted a date, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. Except for the whole being consumned with worry and various degrees of confusion part. "I am."

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a considering look. "I'm supposed to give you a message."

"Really." He waited. And waited. "Are you going to give it to me?"

"Well, actually, I'm supposed to take you to your Master," the girl admitted. She seemed shy/embarrassed, and for some reason, Obi-Wan's senses said to distrust her.

"My Master?" he asked, as if this were an odd statement.

"Well, yes. Your Master is the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, is he not?" the girl gave him a deliberately innocent look with those wide blue eyes.

"Yes," he admitted cautiously. He wouldn't be caught off guard again.

"I know where he is. If you'll come with me, I'll take you to him. He wants to see him."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Obi-Wan demanded. "I don't even know your name."

"I'm Alia," the girl said, now a little impatient. "And you don't know if you can trust me or not. Neither did your Master when he gave me the message. But I'm a chance that you've got to take." She paused, then made deliberate reference to one of Qui-Gon's favorite sayings. "I represent a fork in the road that's presented itself. And that's got to be dealt with, that's what Jedi do, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan was still mistrustful. But Alia was right. She was a chance he'd have to take. Plus, he really didn't have any other choices, did he? His Master was missing and couldn't be reached through the Force. Fire and Ice were clearly insane, he had to find the killers on his own, and he really knew no one else on the planet. "Let's go."

 

COOL! POST MORE!

 

I agree with Renton, More!