Saga The Last of the Old (Dear Diary Challenge 2010 - Completed 1/2/2011)

Title: The Last of the Old
Author: Corellian_Ale
Timeline: inter-trilogy
Summary: Response to the Dear Diary Challenge of 2010!



ENTRY ONE

I vaguely recall the survival classes Master Yoda and several others of the more adventurous knights and masters taught to us as younglings and padawans. I remember quietly agreeing with a childhood acquaintance at the temple, a Ferus Olin, when Master Yoda and other teachers were instructing us on wilderness survival skills. His opinion was that we?d never have use for such knowledge, because as Jedi we would only need to call the Temple for credits or transport back to Coruscant.

It saddens me how wrong we were.

I?m surviving the elements in an abandoned Krayt dragon?s cave. At least I hope it?s been abandoned, at least until I can construct some sort of shelter ? I refuse to call it home ? I can see now why Anakin had such disdain for his homeworld... sigh



END OF ENTRY MARKER ACTIVATED

 

Great start--intertrilogy is cool. If you're keeping a PM list, I'd like ones for updates.

 

Hmmm, colour me intrigued. Put me on your PM list, if you please!

 

Please add me to the PM list for this one.

 

I?m surviving the elements in an abandoned Krayt dragon?s cave. At least I hope it?s been abandoned,


For my own entertainment, I hope it is not.

 

Sign me up for the PM list please. Loved this...can't wait to see where you take it.

 

I've got to second that - we want suspense, drama...oh, and continuation of great writing.

 

That was the real tragedy of the prequels. Forget Anakin's fall or the rise of the Empire. After all the crap he put up with, what does Obi-Wan get for beating on Darth Vader and outwitting the bad guys? Decades of exile in a sandbox

sigh

That about sums it up, don't it?

His opinion was that we?d never have use for such knowledge, because as Jedi we would only need to call the Temple for credits or transport back to Coruscant.

Sounds like a chump. There's one in every organization

I saw in your resolutions that you've been wanting to work with some canon characters (is that even allowed?). Watch it, pal; before you know it I'll be peer pressured into finally starting that Boba Fett story that BigE put me up to all of three years ago.

Looking forward to the scene where the Krayt eats Ben, too. He'll never see it coming.

Definitely excited to follow this one, man! Add me to whatever list you have going. The good list, I mean. Not the other one.

P.S. Don't let me forget about my review for Army of One Man? I started a text file for it (you know how my reviews get...this one's already longer than the first post) back on 1/15/09 and kept at it until about April, when my usual instincts kicked in and I went AWOL.

 

Thank-you all for reading! Wasn't sure how I'd survive in the canon-verse.

Jade_eyes: thanks! will do!

DWH: I was going to color you cherry, but interested will do.

Vadey: Sure! Thanks!

MsLanna: Quite evil you are.

Takianna: Thank-you, and you too are added!

Valiary_Scot:

Ex: I swear, no pots shots... thanks for reading... yeah, Obi-Wan did get a bum wrap. Babysitting another Skywalker brat for almost 20 years...

---

[b]ENTRY TWO[/b]

The shelter that will be my residence for the foreseeable future has been complete for almost a Coruscant week now - I must learn to adapt to the Outer Rim calendar ? and it has successfully survived its first sandstorm.

And it?s second, and it?s third. Well, nine altogether if I?m being honest. Now I know why the walls were supposed to be so thick. In the hot double sun days, the heat is absorbed into the sand mortar walls, and actually leaves the inside feeling cool.

Not to mention the constant sandstorms will wear structures quickly. Perhaps I will have to re-mortar the walls on a regular basis. Perhaps not. A shopkeeper in Anchorhead chatted that we were entering the sandstorm season ? which I apparently occurs 3 times per year and accumulates almost three quarters of it.

[i]*sigh*[/i]

I suspect my craftsmanship shift isn?t as first-rate as the natives who live amongst the dunes, so it may do me some good to befriend some of them and learn any of their tricks for surviving the elements on Tatooine.

The cave I originally used as a shelter seems to beckon me when frustration over my inability to commune with those who have become one with the Force harrases me. There was no krayt dragon inhabiting it, at least the remains indicated there hadn?t been one for some time. However, at night, when I took shelter, there was a sense of darkness that seemed to glare at me from its bowels. I can?t shake the feeling that the cave or another similar will somehow be instrumental in the fate of the Jedi.

END OF ENTRY MARKER ACTIVATED

 

I'm really liking the premise so far because it's not often we see the Jedi completely out of their element. Sure, there are times they struggle, but most of the guys we know from the films are Jacs-of-all-trades, at once James Bond, Bob Vila, and Abe Lincoln rolled into one. But what happens when you throw one into an unfamiliar situation?

I suppose you'll tell me

It's great because almost everything that makes for an awesome Jedi is useless (and dangerous) here in exile on Tatooine. It's back to using that ol' Kenobi brain first and foremost.

Good to see you nabbing the "learn how to play parchesi with Yoda and Qui-Gon in the Force" bit; I was kind of bummed that got cut from ROTS. It'll be interesting to see Obi-Wan work on that predicament. I always wondered how tough it was because we get conflicting information. The fact that a hippy like Qui-Gon was the first to "rediscover" the talent and that Sith supposedly can't do it because they're mean and dumb and stuff suggests it's a pretty nuanced process. But then we see Anakin, just hours after he died, pop up overhead projector-style. Maybe it's like those virtual reality programs that were popular in the 90s or the online games where people can automatically see you, but it takes more effort to actually interact with others. I can envision it going something like this:

aNaKiN: how do u talk
aNaKiN: hey
aNaKiN: r u guys here???
aNaKiN: obi-wan r u still mad
aNaKiN: u said if i struck u down u would b more powerful
aNaKiN: yoda
aNaKiN: palps?
aNaKiN: u guys suk

Tatooine, as bland conceptually as it can sometimes seem ("how about a planet full of sand?! how alien is that?"), is such a great setting for stories. It's not overwhelming enough that it can tower over your characters and sort of obfuscate what's going on if you're not careful (Coruscant), but it has enough of an atmosphere to provide a backdrop for pretty much anything you want to do. And aside from Dagobah, it's hard to imagine too many places more lonely and bleak to spend decades in exile on.

So Obi-Wan's already looking at getting in touch with some of the locals, eh? I wonder if he's thinking moisture-farmer/Owen Lars kind of locals or Tuskens. Let's hope whoever they are, they didn't vote for Palpatine (which is gonna be tough, seeing as how the guy won 100% of the precincts). That's gonna make those poker nights awkward.

And a mysterious Krayt-less cave! With glaring, potentially dark-side lined bowels that might or might not have a sister on Dagobah. You know, somebody really has got to do something about these cavern ruiners. It's getting to be quite the epidemic. I'll be contacting the Union of Galactic Spelunkers to discuss this urgent matter.

Looking great so far, ale! If you're having any trouble adjusting to writing in the canon world, it sure doesn't show. Keep up the great work.

 

Enjoyed seeing Obi-Wan grappling realistically with the facets of practical everyday matters. Life on Tatooine especially for someone who's not a native doesn't allow the luxury of too much head in the clouds kind of meditation and/or second guessing about Anakin

 

Great update...I gotta say, though, I think reading this in tandem with Exeter's posts is really going to make for reading pleasure.

 

Love the unique flavor of this diary!

 

And it?s second, and it?s third. Well, nine altogether if I?m being honest.

Looks like you're not on Coruscant anymore, Ben.

A shopkeeper in Anchorhead chatted that we were entering the sandstorm season ? which I apparently occurs 3 times per year and accumulates almost three quarters of it.

So? Just one more reason to love your new home.
Suck it up already.

There was no krayt dragon inhabiting it, at least the remains indicated there hadn?t been one for some time.

Oh bother.
It's not as if there had been much danger. He'd have survived...

 

I can?t shake the feeling that the cave or another similar will somehow be instrumental in the fate of the Jedi.

Very intriguing detail there. HMMMMM! You always make me wonder. I LOVE IT!

 

Thanks for reading guys!

Ex-Man: There's something to be said about someone who leaves a reply longer than the post, and makes it more entertaining! I'v been contemplating on how long it took Yoda to commune with Qui-Gon, so who knows if Obi-Wan will ever reach that level...

Jade_eyes: Yeah, I have trouble with the whole notion that Obi-Wan just dropped off Luke with the Lars' and then bought a hut with a view... or lack there of.

Valairy_Scot: Great update...I gotta say, though, I think reading this in tandem with Exeter's posts is really going to make for reading pleasure. Here that Ex?!?! You need to keep your R&R up to par so I can keep my readers!

MamaV: As always, I'm flattered!

MsL: You??? Reading a canon story??? Ah, but you have no sympathy for Obi-Wan I see...

Takianna: I always make somebody wonder something... would you be more specific?

---

[b]ENTRY 3[/b]




My, this place is dreadful. No wonder I have yet to commune with Qui-Gon Jinn as Yoda instructed, he doesn?t want to return here anymore than Anakin had.


Yoda said my greatest difficulty during exile would be maintaining my vigilance against despair over Anakin?s fall. I wish he would have confided in me about his relationship with Senator Amidala. Yes, I would have berated him; but in the end I would have opposed any backlash the Council would have attempted. He was never bound to the life of a normal Jedi. Qui-Gon knew it, I knew it, and the council knew it. Despite my attempts to force him into the Jedi mold, he would have transcended to a level beyond any Jedi. Perhaps I was too harsh on him, [i]forcing a square peg into a round hole[/i] as they say. On the other hand, maybe I was too easy on him, gave him too much consideration when he broke the rules. I saw it evident with his treatment of his all too brief time with a padawan of his own.

He had a very, ?do as I say, not as I do,? approach with Ahsoka, acting more of a father figure than that of a mentor or teacher. Anakin had made that reference regarding me on several occasions, no matter how much I tried to dissuade him of that notion. If only I had noticed that Palpatine had been serving that parental role, that Anakin had longed for.

I saw how deeply his caring ran for his padawan, much like my own affection for Anakin. If only I had been less rigid, and more open to the pressures of the position the Jedi Order had placed on his shoulders from the moment he entered the temple. During moments of reprieve, I saw how Anakin treated young Tano, almost as if it were the way he wished I had mentored him. Despite the laws of the Jedi Order, I could have helped Anakin and his indiscretions with Padmé, I saw how he was with Ashoka, and now I can?t help but think of how he could have channeled that kind of passion into being a father to Leia and Luke.

But that didn?t happen. And Anakin is gone. His shell has survived I?m sure, through the darkside. However, the man inside is gone, replaced by the entity of a Sith Lord. Just as I, Ben Kenobi, now wear the shell of former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

END OF ENTRY MARKER ACTIVATED

 

Hindsight in always 20/20, Obi-Wan. You weren't responsible for the boy's choices; you had a hand just like a lot of others, but the ultimate decision on who to trust and how to act was Anakin's alone.

Ah, I'll hang around even if Ex's post fail to live up to snuff.

 

Excellent introspective reflections and insights.

Being caught up in the Clone Wars and also not having any thought or apparent reason to treat Anakin any differently at the time -- and Anakin not feeling able to confide in Obi-Wan contributed greatly to Palpatine being able to fill that parental role, as Obi-wan calls it.

 

Love the reflection! Great job as always.

 

But that didn?t happen. And Anakin is gone. His shell has survived I?m sure, through the darkside. However, the man inside is gone, replaced by the entity of a Sith Lord. Just as I, Ben Kenobi, now wear the shell of former Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.


but

 

It's a defense mechanism, really. I'm usually so bad about catching up with stories that I have to overcompensate so people don't totally hate me.

Tough crowd.


As for the update itself:

My, this place is dreadful. No wonder I have yet to commune with Qui-Gon Jinn as Yoda instructed, he doesn?t want to return here anymore than Anakin had.

You know, for whatever reason, when I read that opener I got this vision of incorporeal Qui-Gon & Yoda watching Obi-Wan play hermit, patching wall cracks, building sandcastles, practicing his Krayt dragon mimicry...and laughing their asses off.

QUI-GON: Oooh! Let's do another sandstorm. He just finished re-mortaring.
The deceased Jedi Master tries?and fails?to stifle his giggles.
YODA: Shh! Hear us, he will!



Yoda said my greatest difficulty during exile would be maintaining my vigilance against despair over Anakin?s fall. I wish he would have confided in me about his relationship with Senator Amidala.

Yoda, you dog! I knew there was more to that scene in AOTC when he said to Padme, "Seeing you alive brings warm feeling to my heart." Oh, wait. Obi-Wan meant Anakin's relationship with Padme, didn't he? Damn, I thought I was on to something

The point about Anakin being a unique case among Jedi is spot-on. By rights, he never should have even been a Jedi. But against the better judgment of the cantankerous "Old Folks Home" (as Kenobi called the Council in AOTC), they brought him aboard anyway. This is a kid who was told from day one that he's special?so special that they broke the rules so he could join up?and that he's the heart of an ancient prophecy fortelling that a guy will basically become the biggest thing in the Force since sliced Sith. It's implied by ROTS that even Mace "Basically what I do is, I murder bad guys" Windu believes Anakin's the real deal. So yeah, you're the awesomest Jedi ever, but don't get a big head over it, kiddo. Don't abuse the Force even though it's like telling Jordan not to use that 48" vertical jump; don't expect any kind of entitlement even though we let you skip the Jedi Trials and gave you your own padawan even though you're not a master; and whatever you do, don't you dare touch this sexy, intelligent politician who obviously adores you, even though we'll keep finding ways to pair you up with each other.

Honestly, if the Galactic Republic wasn't such a mess, a few days after TPM a child protective services agent would've arrived at the Jedi Temple to take Anakin away.

AGENT: Let me get this straight. First, you coerced his mother into giving you custody. Within mere minutes, some tatooed death metal whacko with a cape almost runs the boy down. I mean, playing in Tatooine traffic? What kind of people are you?
OBI-WAN: To be fair, I told Qui-Gon we didn't need another pathetic life form to hold us back.
AGENT: Then you take him to Naboo, a war zone.
OBI-WAN: Yes, but in our defense, the kid doesn't like sand. You see, it's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like on Naboo. There, everything's soft...and smooth...
AGENT: Please stop caressing my arm, sir.
OBI-WAN: So the runt got into a tangle with a Sith Lord at age eight, big deal! Who didn't?
AGENT: I certainly never blew up an orbital space station at that age. Unsupervised or otherwise.
OBI-WAN: See what you missed out on? That's why we abducted the little brat.

Worst parental unit ever, the Jedi. Really, the prequel trilogy as a whole might be called "How NOT to make a Dark Lord of the Sith" and subtitled, "Don't Do THIS". Consider them instructional videos for Luke Skywalker after ROTJ.

It's nice to see that Kenobi would've stood up for Anakin h

 

Yes, I am here, reading something canon.
So what?

Still, I refuse to post something after Ex' comment.
I feel inadequate.

 

Nice to be back!

V_Scot: Hindsight in always 20/20 Exactly the point!
(glad to hear Ex is not a deal breaker, you know how flakey he can be... - <yet quite respected!> )

Jade_eyes: Thank-you so much, exactly what was missing from RotS. A deeper explaination.

Takianna: Thank-you!

Mamma V: Thanks for the kind emoticons!

Ex: (catches breath) Didn't realize you could get soooo much insight from barely over three little paragraphs...
And your spot on about these baby thieves needing to be reported to child services.

And yes, Qui-Gon is laughing his ass off about all of this... he knew Anakin would screw up.

Hi-jack away, if this the majority of your writing lately, I'll take what I can get!

MsL: So you have nothing to say?!?! I'm marking this down in my calendar!!!


ENTRY 4


I have returned from visiting with Anakin?s step brother, Owen Lars. I wonder what the basis for resentment of Anakin is? Anakin was one of the few Jedi who knew their parents, and perhaps Anakin?s mother, poor Shmi spent many a day carrying on about her estranged son, causing an unseen rift between Anakin and the brother he never knew he had.

When I first implored the Lars to take baby Luke into their care, Owen did exude feelings of resistance and bitterness, although he did seem to stifle his objections for the sake of his sweet wife Beru. The best I could ascertain was that the young couple was incapable of bearing their own children, and the sight of Luke was bittersweet. They accepted charge of Luke with open arms, even if Owen seemed somewhat off-putting about the scenario.

But today, I when I arrived to visit with the moisture farmers and Luke, I felt the resentment more focused on me. Beru was polite and hospitable, if wary, while Owen was more openly gruff and offensive. I even sensed anger when I asked if I could look upon the baby, even if for a moment.

I tried to advise them on what to do if Luke started displaying certain traits and habits common to Force-sensitive children his age, but was met with false appreciation before I was politely dismissed so they could attend to their daily chores and work.

Perhaps they quietly resent the burden I?ve thrust upon an already overtaxed moisture farmer?s family.

 

A great diary. Love Obi-Wan's musings on Tatooine.

 

So the resentment is already popping up, I see. No Qui yet, eh?

Alright, Ex, what can you make out of this short update? Huh?