Before - Legends An Improbable Mission (Qui/Mace action/adventure) Ch19 Updated 10/16/05

Sorry this took so long. Partly it was working out a snag. And partly it was too full a life.

I note that there were only two votes for what to use for an excerpt. And they didn't agree which is just about what I expected. I guess I won't worry about it for now. But oodles of hugs to everyone for the noms and nice words and for enjoying the tale.

I need to run and do some other stuff but wanted to get this story post out. So, thank you everyone for continuing to read. I regret that I'm too flustered to do individual replies. I shall try to catch everyone next time.

KD

~~~~~

When last we left our heros, they were coming out of hyperspace near Corellia with a destination of the second moon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Qui-Gon had left Mace to do the talking when they were hailed by Correllian traffic control. Mace's confidence had been restored by successfully negotiating a landing on the second moon. Once they had landed in the hanger in which they had been assigned space, he had left Mace in the ship with instructions to change back into his Jedi clothing now that they could access the external storage compartments with leisure.

"And then leave for Coruscant in an hour whether I am back or not." he had finished. Mace couldn't keep his feelings off his face. Qui-Gon's parting comment as he walked out of the hanger was proof that he was looking as mulish as he felt. "Regardless, Padawan. If I am delayed it is all the more vital that you return to Coruscant as quickly as possible."

Mace had nodded acceptance of his Master's instructions and had turned to their craft to extract his normal clothes.

~~~~~

Qui-Gon adjusted the vest he wore yet again. No matter how he tugged, it still seemed uncomfortable. He would have to ignore the petty discomforts. Jedi were of course supposed to be immune to discomforts both petty and serious. Qui-Gon had found in his years that the petty discomforts were the more difficult to overcome. The itch on the bridge of your nose when you were chained and unable to scratch it was somehow more irritating than the chains themselves cutting into your flesh.

"It's supposed to look like that." The clerk at the labor sign-in station said with a look of commiseration. His own clothing was just as tight fitting.

"Well, at least it is not too uncomfortable." Qui-Gon replied.

"And I'm afraid you won't be allowed to wear the belt. Nothing but the company uniform, and your boots. All your personal possessions must be placed into this lockbox which will go in cargo. You'll be able to get it when unloading is completed on Malastare." The clerk handed Qui-Gon the lockbox.

Qui-Gon wondered how he was going to take his lightsaber and hand-comm with him. The Force was singing a tune of danger that meant he was not going to leave his lightsaber locked away where he could not reach it. His concern for his padawan meant he was not leaving the hand-comm there either. Finally, he decided that he would have to resort to storing them in his boots. He ducked back into the changing cubicle and removed them from their pouches on his belt and tucked one down each boot. Then quickly bundled everything else into the lock box locking it with a standard Jedi code just in case.

When he came out the clerk took the box and handed him his auth-card. "You'll need this to get around the ship. It is programmed to let you in the areas you are supposed to be. Loading starts in an hour. Make sure you're there in half an hour for clock in. They won't allow for late arrivals, they'll just hire someone else hanging around and you'll be billed for the costs of replacing you."

Qui-Gon nodded his thanks and strode out of the offices. He just had time to check on Mace one last time and then get to his own ship.

~~~~~

Mace found he felt a lot more cheerful once he was dressed normally again. The jumpsuits had been necessary but they somehow felt wrong. He decided that he felt a lot more respect for Jedi who could work undercover successfully.

 

Oh that was cute! The lil humor there with Mace and Qui! hehehehe loved the punishment *snrk*

Oh no! Mace! Poor Qui... and he won't know what has happened!

Ack suspense! hehehe evil cliffy! hehehe

 

Now that's just mean, to leave us hanging like that!

 

Evil cliffe KD!!!


We must have more now

 

*gasp* How exciting! Ooo, Mace could be in trouble, and Qui-Gon's gone! Oh dear, whatever will they do? Haha, the bit about 'casing the joint' was good, I was thinking the same thing as Mace, I think. It did sound a bit odd when Qui-Gon said it, lol. Very, very good, fun story.

 

Kynstar, Layren, Leona, and AnakinsHeir: Didn't you folks see the <evil cackle> warning?

BTW, Welcome AnakinsHeir. Mean? Moi? You ain't seen nothin' yet.

Besides, maybe it's just some female in Transit Company Wear(TM) who wants to distract a Jedi on a bet. However, I am certain she would be doomed to failure. Mace is very focused.

Athena It is an odd phrase for a Jedi to be sure. But then, so are some that they have actually used in the films. Perhaps Qui-Gon's training caused him to pick up a few bits of lingo that have lingered. *ducks the rotten fruit*

KD

edited to make more sense. I hope.

 

evil cliffie alert!!!

 

Bad Padawan! Didn't he TELL you to get your tushie off the planet? We don't want to know what's going to happen to you now!

LOL re: the laborer's clothing. While the author's explanation makes sense --and I suppose you could also make the case that excess fabric could catch on heavy loading equipment and cause injuries-- I still have the sneaking suspicion that a certain author is simply pandering to the prurient imaginations of readers who are in need of a cold shower!

She knows us too well, ladies!

So... What has Mace gotten into? Will he be able to get off the planet, then return & stage a rescue? Will Qui-Gon be surrounded by drooling female co-workers? Tune in tomorrow & find out!

 

You people are awful, just awful. I have never pandered* in my life! Well** except for then, and maybe then, and then***, and....

Actually, in this particular case, it is more plot point than window dressing (or undressing as the case may be), but you'll have to wait until at least tomorrow (eeep!) to find out why. And it comes from having read at some point (many many years ago now) about how diamond workers (and also cocaine laborers which is where I started in the reading, iirc) were forced to work in minimal clothing or specific clothing or something so that the management could see, without the expense of wasting time on searching everyone, if they had hidden any of the product on their person. In the case of the diamond workers I thought it was outrageous to assume their employees were criminal. In the case of the cocaine workers, well, it was less surprising to me that criminals would expect people to be criminals. It still seemed a bit much.


Unfortunately, all I could find when I went searching recently was much worse information about how diamond workers are treated. So much so that now I almost want to get rid of the only diamonds I have. But since they are my engagement ring, and my grandmother's ditto, I am probably not going to really live by the principles I ought to. Not that it would really help I guess to get rid of existing diamonds. But I won't buy anymore. Which yes, is possibly an empty promise so I am still a bit depressed that I am not really living up to my supposed principles.

KD

*Never by definition 1 here.
**On the other hand, definition 2... exploiting the weakness of others...
***That was definitely pandering (def. 2), but it was a PM, though you never know... It might make it in here or somewhere someday.

 

<All PMs are to be forwarded to this individual's account>

Does that help?

Got PM? hehehehehe Sorry couldn't resist *snrk* hehehehe

 

Sweet Spice! Kyn That icon is too too too... ack! runs screaming from the thread

KD

 

Uh oh, can't be good. Not at all. I suspect the phrase "poor Mace" is rapidly going to come into use. And I for one quite enjoy when you pander. Pander away (as in def. #2) all you want.

Looking forward to more soon!

Shaindl

 

How come they don't have Mace in the holiday hat this year? They had it last year. pouts Didn't they? Oh well. I can't find anything that makes the work of changing back after the holidays really worth it...

Shaindl Poor Mace indeed...

OK gang, this next bit is a longish one and may well have to hold you all the way through the weekend. I will however try to post another section Saturday as originally proposed although probably not in the AM as I may not get to write again until Saturday.

There is no pandering in this post. When you get to the end, please do not lynch the author.

When last we left our heros, they had foolishly separated. The padawan had been engrossed in his work until he was surprised. The master had found himself lifting off the planet at the same moment as something had alarmed his padawan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mace stopped in the middle of closing the last access door, and looked up over his ship toward the other people in the hanger. All but one had disappeared. She was approaching his ship with a blaster pointed at him. Her boots were the ones he had been ignoring for too long. She was about 15 paces away, and he felt panic fill him for a moment. He shook it off, and covering the motion by moving slightly to the front of the ship, quickly tucked the box into the space behind the open access panel. She was a stride and a half closer now.

He started to close the panel when he remembered the emergency transmitter that was also in that section of the craft. It had an activation control in the cabin, but there was a wire he could pull loose and it would set off the automatic signal that would be relayed to the Temple. He reached in, and hanked the wire without moving his upper arm to alert her to his action, before he could consider too much the results of calling in any and all nearby Jedi if there was a simple explanation for the blaster approaching him. He moved slightly to the rear of the craft while closing the panel the rest of the way. Fortunately the panel was already set to lock so he would not have to arouse suspicion by locking it.

"Can I help you?" Mace asked the brunette in his very best imitation of a befuddled mechanic.

"You can help yourself at any rate. You are in a lot of trouble, boy. Baden wants his artifact back. Now." Her voice was rough, as if she had a sore throat, or was very angry about something. Her expression tipped the balance to very angry.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you." Mace answered.

"You better. I already know your partner doesn't have it."

"I don't have a partner." He answered. It was true from a certain point of view. He and Qui-Gon were a team but it was not an equal partnership. He was deeply concerned by her apparent certainty that Qui-Gon didn't have the box, though. Had her people waylaid him? Was he hurt? Surely he would feel it if Qui-Gon were hurt and still on the moon? He tried to draw on the Force to see what he could tell about his master's condition. But she interrupted his concentration.

"Please don't try my patience. My name is Layren d' Zhitnuja and Corellia is my little corner of Baden's empire. If you give me what I want, I will let you go." She smiled, showing her teeth in a vicious grin. "If not..." She laughed in a way that rose finnefowl-bumps on his skin.

The laugh was perhaps a signal, the rest of the people that had come into the hanger with her appeared from some of the various places of concealment Mace had identified earlier. What a fool he had been not to keep an eye on them! The only reason no one had caught him out from behind already, was that their corner of the hanger was just that, a corner. There was hope that they had not seen him hide the box. But not much that he would get out of this alone. He was now facing close to a dozen blasters. All of them very expertly handled. Even Qui-Gon would be hard pressed to take on that many with his lightsaber still quiescent on his belt. Mace began to hope the Force would guide him to die well if

 

He debated ignoring her for a moment. "Mine's set to heavy stun, boy. Move yourself or I'll have one of the boys move your unconscious body. Either way you're coming with me. Don't fret. When your friend gets to Malastare he'll have his own set of Ventari Guildsmen waiting for him. One or the other of you will tell us where you hid the box. Baden is allowing me to bring my prize personally." She smiled again. Mace got a queasy feeling in his stomach that she would enjoy the interrogations.


Whoooo! I get Mace! Go... er.. me! LOL!

Excellent post KD I just LOVED IT!! Being evil is nice sometimes eh? Quite refreshing! I feel so honored to be included

Looks like the boys are in trouble now eh? *cackles*


Edit -- Looks like I got first review here too!

 

Poor Mace Qui should be proud of him! He's keeping 'face' and being brave!

Ohhh boy...guess we'll get to see what all is involved with Qui's new 'job'.

Great chapter! hehehe Layren being a baddie *snrk* yep right up her alley...so to speak hehehe

 

oooooooo, a real mess they're in now! haha, Layren, such a baddie! They took Qui-Gon's stuff!! That's so rude! I'm highly offended at them! *pokes them* oh well, they don't have the important stuff. Another great chapter!

 

I might as well join everyone else down in the gutter this evening are you suggesting a strip search?

why are they using force binders- did they find the lightsabre?

 

whew There was an element of concern that Layren would not like her portrayal here. 'Course, it's not really Layren. Just some evil woman who has a similar sounding name. We all know Layren is not evil. More cameos in due course... Speak up (in PM is fine if you are shy) if you don't want to appear even in cameo. Otherwise, if you have replied more than once you are fair game.

Kynstar Yep, Mace is being very brave. Let's hope he doesn't pay for it later.

Leona tsk tsk Goodness. Am I really going to have to have Miss Evil 2004 go through all the exposition of how her underling saw Qui go in to take the job, watched him come out in clothing that couldn't possbily have hidden the box, and so took his effects by threat or collusion or whatever from the person who was supposed to load them on the ship that Qui was taking a job on. That's how they know Qui doesn't have it. I'm glad you're liking Dooku, Qui, and Mace together. I'm a bit worried because for both Mace and Dooku I am going solely off the movies...

Athena Careful, these are some very dangerous people. It takes guts to tangle with Jedi. You might want to make sure you do your poking with a very long stick. But you are right. It was rude.

Kitara Sigh. Pander once and they never let you forget it... No strip searches. None of that. This isn't that kind of story.

In case I need to clear up some confusion, Qui-gon's original jumpsuit is what was in the cut open lockbox. The nice loosely comfy one the Temple gave Qui-Gon to go thieving in. On the theory that if they got in and out without being noticed no one would know they were Jedi. Of course, that didn't work out. When they had to resort to lightsabers to get out, then the bad guys knew they were Force users if not Jedi and since Mace is back in his Jedi robes now, I think it is safe to assume they know Mace and Qui are Jedi now even if they didn't know for sure earlier.

First off I have to apologize, not only didn't I post over the weekend like I intended, I'm not going to be right now either. I need to get my excerpt ready (and thanks again to those who nommed this story, you really made my month with that! and so many! wow!) and I am panicking about getting ready for our trip. During which I will probably be allowed to write but I may not be allowed to post. I am not sure if my hubby is trying to see if I can go cold turkey on my net use or is just too cheap to be willing to pay for in room (which seems reasonable to me but I know I am warped) or is just trying to keep me from checking in on work that week.

I will try very hard to get another post up before I leave on the 18th. And to get lots done afloat while I am enjoying the sea breezes. No one will get confused if everyone goes off to some tropical paradise planet for no discernable reason right?

KD

 

Well, I myself would give Layren a Force-push or use the Force to grab the blaster myself, but...Mace, under no circumstances put those Force binders on!

Yes, they are indeed in a sticky spot. Somehow, I DON'T think that holo will appear on the news, since it would only lead to more intense scrutiny of the bad guys. Bad guys HATE scrutiny!

I understand about the diamond mining think, KD. I've read about those practices myself. (Eeewww...)I thought it had gotten somewhat better in recent years, though, in terms of treatment of the workers. I console myself that I can't afford real diamonds anyway... just my grandmother's ring.

 

Hi Renata,

Was wondering what you'd think. Yes, Mace could deal with Layren's blaster but that still leaves 11 others in similarly competent hands.

The diamond mine stuff is differently icky now. They're still making young teens work without eye protection and they're manipulating "workshop ownership" so that they can avoid oversight. Workers often work long hours only to sleep under their workspaces etc. Considering what they charge for the things and how they have kept the prices artificially high I really think they could treat the people who actually get and cut the diamonds better. Of course, it is entirely possible that this info is not quite accurate since it came from websites whose bona-fides I haven't researched. Still, considering greed etc. I wouldn't be surprised if it were basically correct.

I've decided to use a slightly modified version of the portion of the second post where Qui and Mace escape through the stairwell for the excerpt. So now I must go get that sent off.

I will write more as soon as I can and post more as soon as I can get online again after I have finished a post's worth.

KD

 

Yay! I liked that scene hehehehe