Saga A Farmer's Tale--OCs Clone Wars Updated 7/25! Chapter 3 is finally up after a long hiatus. Sorry!

Title: A Farmer's Tale
Author: VadersMistress
Genre: Drama
Time: Clone Wars
Summary: How were the ?common? people affected by the Emperor?s reign?


A Farmer?s Tale


My name is Ravi Mamaji. The story I am about to tell you all is not one of epic battles, nor is it of a great journey for the soul. No, I was never a great figure in the clone wars. I never fought Darth Vader or the Emperor; nor did I fly off in an X-Wing to kill Imperials. But I was affected by the war, as were we all.

See, when I grew up on a planet I highly doubt you have ever heard of, Patel Martel, and I was raised to be a farmer. That?s it. A farmer and nothing more. My family grew paca-- a common vegetable used mostly in soups and such, but it could be eaten plain-- and I was to follow in their footsteps and take over the family business as many generations before me had done. We were a peaceful people, just wanting to be left alone and be allowed to sell our crops.

My father, a lovely man and an excellent business man, implanted the idea of being a farmer in my head practically since the day I was born. He always told me ?the farmers are the backbone of the galaxy. Without them, everything would wither away and die.? Now, I am not sure I believe this wholly, but he did have some very valid points. When the war started, the Separatists took over everything they could get their money grubbing hands on, including Patel Martel. This meant that nearly everyone else was cut off as well.

****

My father looked away from the holonet, to which his eyes had been glued to before, and said with a heavy voice, ?The stock?s gone down another three points.?

My mother hissed between her teeth and replied, ?The sooner this war is over, the better.?

My father nodded, disturbing his gray flecked black hair. ?Yes, and if it doesn?t end soon we?re going to be out of business.?

I sat in the corner and watched my mother?s face as she bustled about the kitchen, preparing dinner. Her face was hard and her wrinkles more pronounced, but when she caught me looking at her she smiled cheerfully. ?Now, now Ravi. We?re going to be just fine. Don?t you worry about it, your father and I will take care of everything.?

I nodded, continuing to watch her. Her smile never faltered. No, she wouldn?t let us see how much we were actually hurting. If there?s one thing I remember, it?s how much my mother tried to reassure us everything would be okay and never let us see just how bad things got.

She saw me still looking at her so she said, ?Do you want to slice the paca??

It being my favorite vegetable, I happily obliged, getting up from my chair and crossing over to the counter. As she handed me the small, nearly dull knife used especially for me, I saw that the paca were smaller than the ones we usually had. That was my first true hint of how things were going with my fathers business. Hoping my mother didn?t see me notice I shook the thoughts away and set to work.

*****

One night, while lying in bed, listening to the wind whistle through the tiny wholes in the paca strands, I heard something new. It was my parents arguing. Now, that is not to say they never argued, but they usually did it so low that we couldn?t hear them. I sat up a little in bed and pressed my ear against the mud wall.

?Sita, we?re losing money. If we don?t leave soon, all of the money will be gone. The Separatists have set up a blockade around the planet and won?t allow us to transport any of our shipments to other planets. This guy says he can get us through the blockade and I think we should go,? my father said sadly.

?No, Vipin. We can?t leave now. Our lives our here, our families have lived for hundreds of years. We cannot let the Separatists control us like that. I won?t allow them too,? my mother said with just as much sadness, but also a fire in her voice I had never heard her use. Not even when she was yelling at my brothers and me.

?But Sita, what if the Separatists decide to attack? We are defenseless here,? my father said urgently. I hear

 

My name is Ravi Mamaji. The story I am about to tell you all is not one of epic battles, nor is it of a great journey for the soul. No, I was never a great figure in the clone wars. I never fought Darth Vader or the Emperor; nor did I fly off in an X-Wing to kill Imperials. But I was affected by the war, as were we all.

I was hooked from the opening paragraph. Looking forward to updates, which will come soon I hope.

 

BrokenNoseofQui-Gon-- Thanks to my first reader. I know OCs don't usually get much fanfare, but having a reader is always wonderful.

Ravi is sort of my baby for right now. This is a short story, so be sure to watch out for new posts. (Hopefully, if my Muse cooperates, within the next few days.)

Thanks again.

VM

 

Hey - great start! An interesting point of view, too. Wonderful to see a fic involving civilians and their own view of the war that is rapidly engulphing the galaxy. Your OC Ravi has lots of potential too! I especially liked this bit:

I jerked my ear away in shock. My head began to spin and I felt nauseous. Send us away? No, they couldn?t. We had to stay with them, our parents. They couldn?t just send us off like a shipment of paca. We were their children."

I could really get a sense of that heart-sinking feeling of realisation when Ravi understood the truth.

Well done!

 

You know how much I like this one!

Looking forward to what comes next.

 

Looks like the beginning to a very interesting story.

 

This was so lovely!! And so very sad.

 

Nice! I hope you'll be updating this one soon. Hint, hint.

 

I found this a very interesting story with a lot of potential. It's interesting indeed to hear the story of how the common man is affected by the struggles of galactic powerbrokers.

I do have one thing I'm curious about. Is this AU? Indeed it is a Clone Wars story, but I've noticed several references to the Empire, though, unless I misread the one line wrong, it sounds like its still the beginning of the CWs.

Also, I spotted one line ya might want to fix, nothing major, just a little oversight: I heard my mother begin to cry and my mother try his best to console her.

Unless the Sita has a male personality as well, the second mother should be father, right?

Anyway, I hope we get to see the further adventures of Ravi and his kin soon!

 

That night, instead of listening to the wind like I usually did, I listened to sound of my mother?s sobs mix with mine.

So sad, but very nicely done. It's interesting to see how the Empire impacted the lives of the everyday person, not just the war heroes. Great job, VadersMistress.

 

Authors Comments:

Jemmiah-- Thanks! I tried to make it as real as possible, and it seems I hit some sort of mark. Thanks again!

Mom-

AnakinsHeir-- Thanks!

NYCitygurl-- Awww... Thank you.

DreamofKenobi-- Here's your update! Thanks for reading.

RZion-- Thanks for letting me know about the error. I fixed 'em. Thank you so much for reading.

Gina-- Awwww!!! Thank you so, so much. I really appreciate it.

Sorry it has taken so long to update. My Muse is currently on Parole for good behavior. But for a while he was being rather disobedient! This update is short, but I already have the next update written. (If only I could find the paper it was written on!) But, enjoy!

---

[b]Chp. 2[/b]

The next morning my mother woke me with a gentle shake. ?Ravi, it?s time to wake up. Your father needs help in the fields.?

I moaned, but didn?t roll over. I wasn?t about to let her see my bloodshot eyes. I sat up slowly, but let my back face her. ?Okay, mom.?

She lingered behind me for a moment; I could almost feel her wanting to tell me everything. To tell me that there were sending me away. I wanted her to tell me; I wanted her to say it to my face.

Instead she leaned over and kissed me on the head. ?I love you, Ravi. Never forget that.? And then she left.

I sat in bed for a moment, angrily wiping at my tears. I didn?t know how they could just send us off like that.
After a couple of minutes I stood up and glanced over at my brother?s bed, it was empty. My mother must have let me sleep in a few minutes.

I pulled my clothes on without showering because I wasn?t really up to putting effort into a shower.

I went down to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of paca for breakfast before heading out into the fields.

I stepped out into the momentarily blinding sun, taking small comforts in the warm soil beneath my bare feet. I hardly ever wore shoes, as I found them strange and uncomfortable.

My father, his head peeking above the tall paca vines, waved me over. I made my way through the maze where I spent most of my time hiding from my brothers. When I came up to him, I saw his eyes were red and swollen. ?What?s wrong papa??

He shook his head and smiled. ?Nothing, nothing. Just allergic to something is all.?

I frowned. I certainly knew this was a lie, as he had never had a problem with allergies in his life. But to make him happy, I shrugged and picked up a tool.

I worked until lunch, turning the soil, making sure the vines had received enough water, and checking to see if they needed to be sprayed again. The sun lashed our backs, leaving red splotches in its wake. But after working in the fields since you could lift a tool, one gets used to it.

Finally, my father put his tool down into the freshly turned earth and said, ?Well, boys, I think that is enough for now. Why don?t we see what your mother has made us for lunch??

My brothers and I nodded in agreement and slowly turned to go inside. About this time my brothers would push me down into the dirt and race into the house shouting, ?The last one in is a rotten paca!? But today I didn?t much feel like racing. Today my spirit was heavy, and my brain mush. I still couldn?t figure out why my parents would send us off. Why wouldn?t they even give us a choice?

I finally had enough. I was going to ask my papa those very questions. But when I turned my head to stare up at his towering figure, there was something in his eyes that told me not to. There was a look that told me he was trying to be a man and not let anything through his shields, but some things can?t be hidden. He looked as if he were losing control, as if his shields were wearing down under the pressure.

Instead, I forced a smile that I hoped didn?t look half as miserable as I felt it were. My papa didn?t smile back, he simply took my hand and we walked into the house together.

 

Oh, that was so heartbreaking. You literally had me in tears. My heart ached for both father and son - and the rest of their family.

 

Wow, this is a nice change of pace from your typical "Save the galaxy" fic.

 

Nice work. I truly enjoyed reading it. In a galaxy as vast as the imagination there are thousands of tales to be told. Glad you've written one of them. Quite a refreshing change to see such great use of OC's and how events have an impact on everyone. Really nice work.

 

I finally had enough. I was going to ask my papa those very questions. But when I turned my head to stare up at his towering figure, there was something in his eyes that told me not to. There was a look that told me he was trying to be a man and not let anything through his shields, but some things can?t be hidden. He looked as if he were losing control, as if his shields were wearing down under the pressure.

Wow... Thats sad. It sort of reminds me of Grapes of Wrath without the needless filler. This is really good, its nice to see people writing about the common people of Star Wars. They're more than just extras dangit, they have lives too...

 

I've only read chapter 1 so far, but i love it!
I finished the second chapter. I really like it.

 

Ohh, thanks Brant. Never would have seen this without your help.

Interesting OCs, original theme...I like it. With all of the action heroes that choke-hold Boba Fett and arm-wrestle Banthas before breakfast, it's refreshing to see things from the point of view of the everyday folks. As Bale said, with a galaxy of trillions there are endless possibilities.

Nice work.

 

Would it be weird if I said I was a little stunned to see this brought up again?

Gina-- Thank you! I tried to convey the heartbreak of leaving family behind so I'm glad to see that it came through.

-RebelScum--- Awww... Thanks former Paddie!

Bale-- Aww... Shucks. Thanks. I tried to do something original.

OmnipotentSeal-- Thank you oh fair reader. The kind words are greatly appreciated. I tried to show that the war not only affected the soldiers and the Jedi and the politicians, but the common people as well.

Brant_Flir-- Thank you so much, Brad!

Exeter-- My sentiments exactly. I've never done an OC centered fic, but I felt this was an important topic to write about. Thank you for reading!


Actually, I already have chapter 3 done. It just needs to be beta'd. It should be up tomorrow... Next week... Next month...Next year. Soon.

EDIT:

I'm terribly sorry about the delay. I've had this written for months (really, I have!) but never got around to posting it. Forgive me?

Okay, here it is. It's short, as is my custom, but hopefully good. A big thank you to darksideyesplease for looking it over for me.



Chapter 3




It?s funny how time seems to speed up when you are dreading something; yet unbearably slows down when you are excited about something. Well, the former happened to me and the day my parents told us we were leaving came all too soon. I knew it would be only a matter of time but that didn?t mean I wanted it to come. It started out as routine a morning. My brothers and I got up to work in the fields with Papa as my mother fixed things around the house. Routine enough. But shortly after the midday meal, my mother called us all into the house.

With questioning looks etching our faces we went in and sat down in the humble living area. My mother?s face was worn, her wrinkles seemingly more pronounced; rivers and canyons dancing across her face as she fought her tears back.

My father came in as well and sat beside Mama, wrapping his muscular arms around her petite shoulders. He too looked as if he were fighting back tears.

Mama glanced at Papa who opened his mouth and then closed it. My brothers exchanged concerned looks, most likely thinking the farm had gone bankrupt.

Silence hung like a heavy curtain in the air; unwavering though desperate to be broken. Mama broke the thick silence first, surprising me as she rarely did such things. She was a shy woman who seldom lost her temper or spoke before Papa.

?Boys, we have to tell you something very important. I am sure you all know by now that the Separatists have formed a blockade around Patel Martel?.? Her voice quivered and my mother threw a pleading look at my father who took over.

?As I am sure you know, the possibility of attack is imminent.? He broke off, swallowed, and resumed again. ?Because of this, we have to send you boys away,? Papa said with great difficulty.

My brothers were too stunned to say anything at first. Instead they simply stared into space, eyes wide and mouths agape. Finally, Vishnu cried out, ?W-what? You can?t send us away!?

?I am afraid we must, boys,? Mama said as tears rimmed her eyes. ?I hate to do it, really I do, but I cannot let you stay here with such a possibility of attack. If something were to happen, I could never forgive myself.?

?So you?re going to send us away even though the attack may never happen?? Xavier said, bitterness coating his voice. ?How is that fair??

?You?re going to send us to some gods forsaken place on a hunch?? Vishnu barked.

Clearly trying to take hold of the situation before it got out of control, Papa stood up. ?Listen, I know it is hard to accept but it will still be done,? Papa said harshly, leaving no room for argument. But of course, my brothers still tried.

?Papa! You can?t seriously be considering making us go!? Vishnu exclaimed, his dark eyes suddenly scared

 

Very interesting seeing all this from the "common people's" view, and I like the OCs! Poor kids, just wanting to stay together as a family.

 

Wow, that chapter was great. Reminds me of English children being sent Stateside during WWII in the midst of the Luftwaffe bombings. The parents made the right decision, though the children might not understand that for some time.

Nice work.