Saga Against Fate (Obi/ Ani/Palpatine- post TPM, AU) -LAST POST #64- 9/22

Against Fate

Written by Rogue_49 and Halcyon03 :

Finished 9/22/05

Obi-Wan Kenobi made a promise to his dying master, but will he be able to keep it? Anakin Skywalker?s destiny is already preordained, yet decisions are still to be made. It is a battle in which the characters will fight against their fates, but the Force has a will of its own.

This will be AU, but only as far as the time just following TPM, as newly Knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi has not yet agreed to taking Jedi initiate Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice. It does not have the purpose of interrupting anything significant in future canon besides the exact time during which this story takes place, though a few things may contradict some history due to unavoidable ignorance on our part. Creative license was taken into account when creating this plot, though we tried our best to keep things reasonable.

Disclaimer: Yes, we played around with things a little, but George still owns the SW galaxy and the majority of the characters. We think you?ll know which ones aren?t his. We thank Mr. Lucas that he?s nice enough to let us keep this place as out playground.

Feedback more than welcome! Enjoy!

**********

It was a glorious day. The sun?s rays reflected brilliantly off of the city?s domed roofs, giving a cheerful, magical feeling to the occasion. The light seemed to dance everywhere, scattering even the smallest of shadows.

Except for the shadow that had settled permanently onto Obi-Wan?s soul.

The people of Naboo joyously celebrated their freedom from the recently lifted oppression of the Trade Federation. They danced merrily through the streets, smiling, singing, and enjoying the peace that had finally been restored to their planet. The Force glowed with their excitement and happiness of life, but all Obi-Wan Kenobi could feel was the gnawing emptiness within him where there had once been the continuous presence of his master.

Qui-Gon Jinn had been his constant companion since his childhood and had been so much more than a teacher. The Jedi Master was his closest friend and the only true ?father? Obi-Wan had ever known. His death had torn a whole in the Force and across their now shattered bond, leaving Obi-Wan feeling lost and uncertain about the future.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt utterly alone.

Promise me you will train the boy.

The Jedi Knight spared a guilty glance for the young boy that stood by his side. Anakin Skywalker?s eyes were enormous as he took in the splendors of the celebration around him, but even without using the Force Obi-Wan could read the sadness underlying the former slave?s awe. Qui-Gon?s death had been nearly as hard for Anakin as it had been for Obi-Wan, a fact that caused the Knight to feel some resentment. He quashed the feeling, knowing it to be selfish and unbecoming a Jedi. Besides, Anakin had hardly asked to develop such a bond with the deceased Master and cause such a rift between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

The boy could not know that he had been Qui-Gon?s last concern, the subject of his dying breath.

Anakin raised his eyes to meet Obi-Wan?s, and the Knight saw a flicker of hope in his gaze. He knew what the boy wanted. An assurance, the promise of a future. Ashamed, Obi-Wan turned away.

He is the Chosen One. He will bring balance. Train him.

Yes, Master.

Obi-Wan had told no one of the promise he had made, though it had preyed on his mind ever since. He had done nothing to act directly on his promise, but he had ensured Anakin?s training at the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan told himself that that was enough for the time, that he had done his part by making sure someone would train Anakin. After all, why did that someone have to be him?

Promise me you will train the boy.

Suddenly angry, Obi-wan folded his arms into his cloak, earning a curious glance from some of the Council members present. Why did Qui-Gon have to do this to me? I?m not ready for the responsibility of a Padawan. Force! I?ve only been a Knight for less than a few days, he complained to himself. He reached up to absently tug at his Padawan braid, only to find it missing. Another subtle reminder of how his life had been altered forever. He sighed inwardly in exasperation. I don?t have a bond with Anakin like you did, Master! It should be you here, not me. You?re the one who found the boy. You who were so sure he was the Chosen One and must be trained.

You?re the one who was so willing to shove aside one Padawan to accept Anakin as another.

A single tear threatened to spill out, but he blinked it away, keeping his face an impassive mask of Jedi calm. Any show of his inner turmoil would be unacceptable and out of place on such a joyous occasion. He turned his attention back to the ceremony he was here to witness and realized with a start that it was nearly over. Boss Nass stepped forward amid cheers and whistles to accept a glowing trophy from Queen Amidala, meant to represent peace between their peoples.

As Obi-Wan gazed at the crystal light that was emitted from the sphere, he felt a temporary resolve settle over him. I will wait He nodded to himself. It wou

THIS IS GREAT! I LOVE IT! UP! I SOOOOO LOVE ANI!

Oh R49 See I found this easily on the new index. So yeah! Nice start. I am a huge Obi-wan fan so I am excited for this as well as your Corran story. I have a Obi-wan story on the backburner I hope to get to after Echoes. hee hee. I am glad I can enjoy yours. Keep up the good work.

UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. Hopefully my co-author will show up here soon... hehe! If she can find it- This board split is kind of crazy, but you're right TK, it will make it easier to find things. I started reposting my Corran Horn Vignette in the "Beyond the Saga" forum in hopes of picking up some new readers as well. The old one will still keep going for a little while though. I'm just going to see where my readers end up.

Well, I have to check with Emily, but I think the plan was to post the next part tonight because technically the post already up and the next one are the two posts of a prologue and we wanted them close together. Just a hint- it might be interesting to go back and read the Obi-Wan post again before or after you read the second one. They really could have been posted together.

Got to go get ready for church. ttyl

-Rogue

WE HAVE TO REPOST OUR STORIES IN THE RIGHT INDEX'S?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must say, this gives me oppurtunity to quote a very famous superior of mine.... "Impressive! Most impressive!"

Definitely a character statement for Obi-Wan- the whole anger and jealousy thing. I could identify whole-heartedly with him. I loved the knight line. I never thought about it but, Obi-wan was like a three day old knight when he took Anakin on. Kind of a statement there. Of course, you know how I feel about Obi-Wan!

Ash- WOW! How do you manage to go between stories like this, in such a small period of time. I think I would go batty, especially when it came to keeping my stories straight. Although, I suppose the characters are quite different. Hey! Everyone check out a Corran Horn viggie by R49. Its awesome and well worth it!

M- Even you keeping your stories sraight. I can't imagine what it must be like to have all these ideas swirling around in your head at once. I don't know if I could muster it.

Keep up the jolly good work!! Don't wait too long to give me some more meat!!!!

**********

Anakin Skywalker strained to take in all the details of his overactive surroundings. The sights and sounds assaulting the young boy?s senses were almost too much for him to handle. Booming music, swirling confetti among the celebrants, and the happy cheers and laughter of the crowd all contributed to an excited atmosphere as the people of Naboo reveled in their newfound freedom.

Anakin knew sort of how they felt. He had been a slave his whole life, and now, all of a sudden, a door had opened, one he had never imagined really existed. He had not only received his physical freedom, but the chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a Jedi Knight. Anakin felt he could almost jump for joy at the thought. It was the fear and absolute uncertainty of what his future held that prevented him from completely joining in the celebration being played out before him.

That and perhaps the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Jedi Knight stood stoically at Anakin?s side, privately contemplating his own thoughts. The boy could hardly suppress a scowl at this. It should have been Qui-Gon standing there. The venerable Jedi Master had always encouraged him to express himself and had been more than willing to share his private thoughts with the boy from Tatooine. Instead, next to Obi-Wan, Anakin felt confined and restricted to his own inner musings.

These thoughts turned sad as he continued to ponder the absence of Qui-Gon Jinn. Though Anakin had only known the Jedi Master for a short time, a bond between the two had begun to form. Despite his fears of leaving everything he had ever known behind, especially his mother, Anakin had always been reassured by the Jedi?s strong encouragement and deep sense of understanding. He had done everything possible to ensure Anakin?s path towards Knighthood. Anakin had felt that Qui-Gon had expected great things from him under the Master?s tutelage.

Qui-Gon had called Anakin ?the Chosen One.? The boy wasn?t sure what that meant, but certainly the Master?s death didn?t mean that he would now be turned away from the Temple. Besides, Anakin thought, I still have Obi-Wan.

Anakin was suddenly ashamed. Moments before he had been resenting the Knight?s presence, but now he realized that Obi-Wan was the only friend he really had left. At times he seemed a bit too serious, and the way Obi-Wan tended to keep his thoughts always to himself often bothered Anakin. But I?m only a boy, he reasoned, and Obi-wan is a great Jedi Knight now. Besides, it wasn?t as if Obi-Wan was Anakin?s master. The Knight?s business was his own, and even if Anakin had been his Padawan he would be expected to respect his master?s way of doing things.

The thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi as his master elicited a flicker of excited terror in the boy. Despite his wariness of the Knight, he knew that Obi-Wan was not just any Jedi. During his short stay on Coruscant, Anakin had often heard talk of Knight Kenobi, though then only a Padawan. Amongst the Jedi in the Temple, and Obi-Wan?s name was always spoken in respectful awe.

His slaying of the Sith that had killed Qui-Gon had only enhanced his reputation. Imagine, the first Sith-slayer in a thousand years as his master! Anakin didn?t know whether to be afraid or thrilled with the thought. Always one drawn towards the more dangerous of circumstances, Anakin held his fear at bay and dared to dream of the Jedi he could become under Obi-Wan?s instruction.

If Anakin could come anywhere close to the Jedi Qui-Gon had trained... The boy tilted his head to look up at the man beside him. Slightly startled to see Obi-Wan?s hard, gray-blue eyes already upon him, Anakin, for but a moment, allowed his sense of hope to surface. What was Obi-Wan thinking? Anakin found it near impossible to read anything from that face masked in perfect Jedi calm. For an instant those now intense blue eyes bored into his, and Anakin could tell that the Knight was contemplating the boy?s unspoken question.

All too soon he seemingly received an answer. Un

AWESOME!!!!!!

Thanks!

Hmm.... it looks like the new boards haven't quite succeeded yet in attracting lots of new people. I was kind of expecting a little more traffic- oh well- patience is a virtue.

Up!

-Rogue

Wow. I havent seen a Ani Obi in ages. I cant wait for more. Well overdue!

UP!

Whoo! Readers already! It's hard to believe Ash and I just decided to post this last week. We like to reply to our readers individually- so, I just have a few comments to make to everyone:

d_p2002- Thanks for reading! Personally, I'm more of an Obi-Wan fan than Anakin, but he IS a fun character to play around with. I apologize if Ash and I get out-of-character at all... we tend to portray Obi-Wan and Anakin a little differently than George. Oh, and just so you know, you don't HAVE to repost your stories in the new index, but you can if you want to attract more readers. Its up to each author.

TK- Wow! Ashley has told me a lot about your stories, and you sound like a talented writer. Glad to have you along for the ride!

Shadow- Thanks for reading, and for the up!

BD Thanks for reading, Nick. I'm afraid Ash's Corran viggie and my Purge viggie are a little more sophisticated than this one, but hopefully you'll have fun reading it. And its not THAT hard to keep different plots sorted out in my head- although every once in a while, I get planets and characters confused, lol. No, actually, it's kind of like a family tree- if I follow one train of thought, I get ideas for that story, then I can retrace and take a different branch to come up with ideas for a different story. Lol... what's really hard is throwing homework in the middle!

darla- Thanks for the comments! Yeah, there has been a lack of Obi/Ani stories. I guess after Episode Two and the newest NJO books (especially the Jag/Jaina/Kyp concentrated ones) there just hasn't been that much attention given to Obi and Ani.

Again, thanks for reading everyone! ('thanks for reading, thanks for reading'- starting to sound redundant... hehe. Sorry for the parrot imitation!) More coming later this week!

I can see why these posts should be read together!!!!! Comparing the two perspectives is wild. Cool idea!!

I love how both of them kind of act like little kids. I got this picture of two stubborn kids standing back to back randomly turning around to see if the other one isn't doing something fishy. It really sets up the characters in the movie.

Anakin angrily crossed his arms over his chest, completely unaware of how closely he was mimicking the Knight beside him.
This is a funny picture! Really don't know why. I just think it is ironic how alike these two start out!

COOL POSTS

BD- I almost missed your second post, Nick! We must've posted at the same time, lol.

I love how both of them kind of act like little kids. I got this picture of two stubborn kids standing back to back randomly turning around to see if the other one isn't doing something fishy. It really sets up the characters in the movie.

Lol~ that's a funny way of putting it. It made me laugh! But that is kind of how they act... throughout the whole story, almost... hehe.

Up!

You know.... I just don't think that there are very many people over on the new boards yet. It could take a little while to pick up readers.

Oh well- patience is a virtue

-Rogue

To the top!!!!

Hmmm... I'm curious as to whether a promise of a post tomorrow would get any kind of enthusiastic response...

OK I'm here!

His slaying of the Sith that had killed Qui-Gon had only enhanced his reputation. Imagine, the first Sith-slayer in a thousand years as his master! Anakin didn?t know whether to be afraid or thrilled with the thought. Always one drawn towards the more dangerous of circumstances, Anakin held his fear at bay and dared to dream of the Jedi he could become under Obi-Wan?s instruction.

Great paragraph, there where others too but that one said alot! Keep it up - this story has alot of potential to fill in the blanks and you definitely have a handle on the characters. I love Obi-wan, so I will gladly read.

I have to agree the new boards are a little slow. I have had no new readerrs on my repost of my viggies. I thnk people are going to have to get used to jumping around. I have to go to three forums to get all the stories I want to check.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE! PEOPLE WILL FIND YOU EVENTUALLY. THAT IS WHAT I HAD TO HOLD ONTO WHEN MY STORY STARTED OUT WITH ONLY A FEW READERS.

TK- what boards are your viggies on? I'll read 'em! Once I get my English paper written, that is. I haven't had much time to do anything else yet. Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps this is just a busy time for a lot of people, as I have not had much time to explore the new boards either. Things'll kick up around Easter or Spring break, I'm sure.

They are in my bio. Echoes is in the Classic board and the viggies, called Dreams of the Future, are in the Beyond the Saga board.

You can link to Dreams here

The viggies are a good place to start to see if you like you can link from there to Echoes if you like.

OK- I need something fun to do this evening since the rest of the night I have to work on a blasted English paper that I just started yesterday....

So I'll post!!!!!!

It's a long one too.

-Rogue

**********

Obi-Wan Kenobi trudged slowly towards the lift that would take him up to the Master/Padawan apartments. He reached his destination and blindly thumbed the buttons that would place him on his room level.

The emotional exhaustion of the last several days, a result of struggling to keep caged the grief and pain of experiencing a shattered Master/Padawan bond, was finally catching up with him. Obi-Wan leaned heavily against the lift doors and closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief moment to refocus himself. When the doors abruptly opened, releasing the support they?d once yielded, he was centered enough to maintain an upright position, instead of falling out of the lift.

Obi-Wan straightened as he exited into the hallways that would lead him to his room. Allowing his subconscious to navigate the way to his door, the recently knighted Jedi tried to think of nothing but what lay ahead. A bed and sleep.

Moments before, all thoughts and memories from the resulting events of the Trade Federation?s actions had been banished from the forefront of Obi-Wan?s mind. But now, a single glance at the entrance to his apartment, their apartment, brought them all flooding back. Jinn/Kenobi read the simple metal plate beside the door. Never again would he cross that thresh-hold at the side of his master. Never again. This realization hit him like a ton of duraslab, and Obi-Wan faltered, shields collapsing and all his strength abandoning him as he sank to his knees on the floor.

Somehow, amidst the shock, Obi-Wan managed to drag himself through the doorway after a few moments, before giving in to grief and exhaustion. Stumbling into his own room, he limply fell down upon its sleep couch, allowing his body to finally give out, and passed mercifully into unconsciousness.

~~~~~

Knock, knock, knock. Obi-Wan was roused from a dreamless sleep. He groggily accessed the Force, seeking out the person responsible for waking him at such a sithly hour. The Knight groaned as he quickly identified the culprit to be one of the last creatures in the galaxy he wanted to talk to right now. He buried his head deep in his pillows and curled himself into a ball in an attempt to shut out the now increasing racket at his front door.

He would not escape torture so easily though.

As was typical when Obi-Wan refused to let her in himself, and she was sure not to be invading upon a certain master?s privacy as well, which was surely not the case now, Bant did the honors using stolen codes from the medical center. She barged into the living area and pressed on towards the smaller bedroom. The Mon-Calamari Healer proceeded to assault the Knight?s still half-asleep senses. ?Obi-Wan Kenobi!?

Obi-Wan dared to sneak a peek up at his best friend from between strategically placed pillows. Bant stood at the foot of his bed, hands on hips in her traditional fashion. ?I?m sleeping,? he whined.

?You?re always sleeping when I come to visit you.?

The sleepy Knight mumbled something incoherent into the jumbled bedding.

?I love to see you too.?

Obi-Wan groaned, then made sure nothing was blocking his mouth when he spoke again. ?You?re not supposed to use that medical override unless it?s an emergency.?

?You are an emergency, Obi-Wan. I came here to drag you down to the healing center and fix you up, since you found it impossible to pay me the courtesy of a visit last night. Now get out of bed this instant so I can look you over!? Bant continued to rant as she yanked at the Knight?s tangled bed-sheets.

Obi-Wan struggled to maintain his position on the bed, but to no avail. With a loud thud he tumbled to the hard floor. He fought to free himself from the constraining mass of sheets and emerged ruefully rubbing his elbow. ?I was fine until you took it upon yourself to inflict bodily harm on me.?

When Obi-Wan raised haunted eyes to meet Bant?s gaze he was touched by the depth of concern in the Mon-Cal?s deep brown eyes. ?I?m pleased to find that your sense of humor hasn?t suffered as much as the rest

up - I am going to read this in a bit.

R49 you've been waiting for the confrontation between Jag and Jaina on my thread over her deception, well I finally posted it and you haven't been there yet. I am very sad, because I put that in just for you.

I'll reply shortly after I read this looooooong post

OK here's my reply...

Obi-Wan struggled to maintain his position on the bed, but to no avail. With a loud thud he tumbled to the hard floor. He fought to free himself from the constraining mass of sheets and emerged ruefully rubbing his elbow. ?I was fine until you took it upon yourself to inflict bodily harm on me.?

Haa haa haa haa

Obi-wan is such a wise - *%^

That's why I love him.

Having only moments before stepped forward to examine his absurd claims, Bant now found herself taking a step backwards in surprise. Obi-Wan had always been strong and seemingly unshakable, and even now these characteristics were notable. The evidence of powerful muscles tensed beneath the surface of a practically unblemished body and a unique sparkle in those deep blue eyes, present even amidst his grief, boasted of undeniable strength, courage, and determination. And yet, he was hurting. That was evident in his face as well.

Great paragraph, sums all the emotion up in one package!

Unaware of the source of this seemingly random statement, Bant eyed him strangely. ?Yes, well, even ?the Chosen One,? I?m sure, will succeed in injuring himself eventually.? The Healer laughed. ?Having spent so much time with you has offered him the opportunity to observe a prime example of how one can most easily get into trouble.?

How true. Great use of what you already know will happenand weave it into the story.

Well, I must say I truly enjoy your writing as a team H03 and R49 keep up the good work!