" Darkest Hour, Brightest Hope"JA1**3/29*END OF BOOK 1 !!!!

Um...wow!

Sorry, but I just keep thinking that it took all this agony for the abusive Buckethead to even *deign* to consider Obi for his apprenticeship? Hmm, we don't know if he'll ever wake up, but if so...maybe he'd be better off as an aggie than working for someone that dense.

Nice chapter. Thx for posting it.

 

Yay to Xani, who's trying to keep Qui focused on Obi.

A shock, you say ewen? I can't wait.

 

There have been times I double post after someone asks me too only to have no one read it.

If you promise me to read it tonight, I will post, say in the next half hour, just after I put together a salad with some iced tea?

Anyone feel like reading more today?

PEACE ewen

 

Why sure. But then again, it's midnight where I live so I'll probably not read it before the early morning. *yawns*

 

So Qui-Gon is finally starting to remove his head from his behind!!!!

Poor little Obi-Wan his selfless noble actions show exactly what a great Jedi he is and Qui-Gon is actually acknowledging that fact

I really hope Xanatos finds the right path and our Obi just might be the best person to show him the way.

Of course I will read your next post as soon as I can ewen. I just love double post days, triple post days are even better

 

quit giving her ideas. she is bad enough. lol. thanks for the post,ewen. hoping to see more soon. hoping that qui gets to keep obi. ********aha.... gimer stick is ready
to go. *********hovering over the heads of
unsuspecting author and qui, too.*******

 

So Qui-Gon is finally starting to remove his head from his behind!!!!

KK I have to post now after that priceless statment. ewen

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Xanatos sat on the window sill of the waiting room window. Qui-Gon nervously paced its floor wringing his hands and stomping as he walked.


?Master Jinn if you would only calm down. The child is stable now. We just have to find what is causing this reaction.?

?You yourself said you have done every test on my apprentice you can think of. Why hasn?t something been found? You are absolutely sure it is not from his lack of oxygen??

?I will go over this again although I don?t think I should have too. We put Obi-Wan in a hyperbaric chamber to soak his entire body, every cell with pure enriched oxygen. We saw no substantial improvement. He hasn?t even woke up Master Jinn. Like I said. Obi-Wan Kenobi breathed some kind of toxin in that dust and smoke. It probably was more harmful to him because he refused to use the breathing pack and instead opted to use it on the others. Quite commendable, but very stupid.?

Xanatos jumped off the window sill and marched toward the healer and Jinn. He had doubts that the stress Jinn was under that he might not hold his temper. The healer might land on the floor if Qui-Gon should lose control and land a powerful upper-cut to the healer's jaw.

Fists clinched, Qui-Gon did make a threatening move toward the healer only to run directly into his former padawan of almost his equal in height.

?Master be reasonable. He didn?t say Obi was stupid he said *it* was a stupid act. That?s all. Arguing and fighting is going to do nothing to help Obi-Wan.?

?I am sorry Master Jinn. I do know how concerned you are for the boy.?

Master Jinn doubted this healer before him had a heart and certainly couldn?t know how upset he was. Guilt ate at the big master. Obi-Wan in a sense committed an almost act of suicide. He denied himself the life line of fresh air down there because he felt he had no future. That was caused directly by Master Jinn himself.

Now that Qui-Gon* wanted* him, there might not be enough of him to have. It seemed the boy suffered at least some brain damage.

While Qui-Gon had worried about that in the mines, he had no idea that the boy would suffer brain damage to some degree and that it was not from the lack of oxygen; it was from some caustic agent in the mines themselves that had caused the damage.

The worse part, the toxin was of an unknown origin and impossible to speed up the elimination of it from his system if they didn?t know what they were ridding his bloodstream and lungs of!!

A touch of acid could be heard in the healers next words.

?Look Master Jinn, I didn?t come out here to argue with you again over the condition of the boy. He does seem to have settled into a lighter comma, if that?s possible. He obeys minor commands like squeezing my hand. We thought with your bond you might be able to link with the Kenobi child and pull him out of his state of semi consciousness.?

The healer waited and studied the worry written in the lines of concern etched in the big Jedi master?s face by his constant frown.
A man who battled the *sith*without batting an eye with worry or concern, now succumbed to the more terrorizing worry over a five-foot-one, rustic-haired child with phenomenal aquamarine eyes that could penetrate your very soul with one look..

The healer?s face softened to one of quiet sympathy for the man who wanted more hope than he could give him right now where his newly appointed apprentice was concerned..

Xanatos thought he heard a gentleness in the doctor?s voice start to creep in and his face softened its once hard look into one of compassion for the worried man before him. His tone balanced out to an almost compassionate level with his next remarks.

?Could you do that? Just as you, I wish we could have gotten him to the temple healers on Coruscant. I admit they know so much more than we do here ,especially about a child of the force, but if we could get

 

Obi's blind??

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh you're so evil, ewen, you really are.

 

see i told you she was bad. lol. nice twist ewen. even i was not expecting that. which way will the story go now? only the author knows. and i always read a post from you.
you are my fav author you know

 

Thanks for the post ewen, glad you liked my little observation!!!!

What a great post it was. It was looking like the light at the end of the tunnel, I should have know you would have some twist to throw at us.

I have to admit I expected Obi to have some kind of injury that would require long term care, but blindness was surely the last thing I expected.

As always I can't wait for more!

 

Ewen, I'm new here, and really enjoyed this story, and can't wait to read more of it. you are a great writer.

Peggy

visit my website at http://obiwan.g3z.com/index.html

 

Glad to see everyone enjoyed my last post????

I will have another up later this afternoon.

Also welcome to the new readers well new since they just came out of the wood-work!!

PEACE ewen

 

NO! NO! NO! Oh noooooo! The only good thing would be Qui-gon Jinn eating himself up with guilt and anguish, cause he's the cause of Obi's pain. blind, ewen how could you. [face_pout] 7

 

I'm late, I know, I know. I didn't realize you posted yesterday. You evil person - you blinded Obi-Wan I'm in full awe of you - that is something I can NOT do. I can torture, mutilate, hurt, injure, maim, harm, damage, disfigure, psycho-hurt, mar, deface, spoil, wound, and any number of things to Obi-Wan, but I just can't do anything that would make him blind On the other hand, I did give him a terrible virus infection that destroyed his ability to make short-term memories ...

Aunecah

 

Oh, YEAH! I smell real Obi-torture and possibly mush across the Atlantic!

 

I enjoyed all the feedback. Now everyone calm down. All of us know Obi is twice the apprentice with a minor flaw than some are with *perfection*. ewen

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Had the situation not been so serious it would have been comical to see the healer abruptly stop at Obi-Wan?s door before entering only to have the two men, Xani and Qui-Gon almost run over him before they saw him in the doorway, silent for a moment. The men watched as they noticed Obi-Wan didn?t even turn his head to the light of the opened door.

One reason the healer stopped so quickly, he didn?t want to startle or shame the young man laying in bed. You see he could hear the quieted sobs and occasional whimper that indicated the child had found out some way, while his master was away, that he was blind.

One of them shuffled their feet and Obi-Wan?s now more sensitive hearing abilities picked up on it.

Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan quickly try to wipe the tears on his face away to leave an obedient and brave apprentice for his master.

?Master is that you??

?Qui-Gon literally shoved Xani and the healer out of his way to reach the boy. At first he felt compelled to reach out and just hold the child, but Jedi reasoning told him Obi-Wan would like to be treated as an apprentice, a real one; one strong enough to suffer and bounce back. Instead he held his place and gently put his hand on Obi-Wan?s free arm.

?Here padawan. I am here. The healer is here as well as is Xani. You have to let Healer Conroy check you over. Will you allow that??

Obi- Wan shrugged his shoulder.

?I suppose if I have too but I can diagnose my own problem.?

The healer stepped forward and turned a large light beside the bed right into the eyes of Padawn Kenobi.

??So you are a healer now are you padawan??? Those standing there and Obi-Wan couldn?t tell if the healer made a bad attempt at a joke or if he was down-right serious. His voice was a monotone of blandness, words just spoken without feeling behind them. ?Let me decide what your problem is?.
He went to gently turn Obi-Wan from his side to his back when suddenly the boy made a feeble weak attempt to stop him.

?No !? He clearly didn?t want the others to see his face just in case there were still tears staining it. At least on his side he could attempt to hide his fears and disheartening feeling he had right now.

?Like I said Healer Conroy. I know. I. Am. Blind. What else is there any need to know? The bacta did not heal my injuries.?

Obi-Wan was not awake during the bacta suspicion, but he had flash backs of being in the tank, floating in red coo, with nostril stoppers, mouth mask, and ear plugs to block it from seeping in. He thought almost humorously but embarrassedly that he was certainly glad that was where they stopped plugging up entrances to his frail body since there was only one left.

?Obi-Wan just let the healer take a quick look. ?

It was a plea from Xanatos as he started to step closer to the bed before Obi-Wan?s command held him at bay.

?No Xani please don?t come any closer. I don?t want you to see me like this. I would have liked for my master not to have witnessed my weakness, but I find myself needing him.? Everyone needs someone don?t they? he thought without reservation.

Jinn tried to quell the boy?s fears and possible doubts.

?It is alright Obi-Wan. It is my duty and honor to see to your care. I am your master now.?

Qui-Gon missed the stiffening reaction by the boy, but Xanatos, so clever at judging people, didn?t miss it, nor did he miss how cold and heartless his former master sounded. His duty! Good one Jinn, real comforting I bet!!

Obi-Wan finally gave in and allowed the healer to look in his eyes and check the progress of the healing of his ribs. His head slashed opened by a beam was stitched and well on its way to recovery, the ribs created very little discomfort for the apprentice, however, his hands remained shaky and uncontrollable, Qui-Gon would find out later that the brain da

 

this is really cool. i like how xanatos told qui-gon the way it was. and can't believe that qui-gon is still being somewhat of a jerk.

can't wait to read more.

Peggy

visit my website A Journey Through A Galaxy Far Far Away at http://obiwan.g3z.com/index.html

 

You tell him Xanatos!!! I swear to the force that I don't know who's more blind Kenobi, or Jinn.
did I just say you tell him Xanatos!?, I must be coming down with a virus or something 7

 

Oh, oh wow, ewen. I can't believe Qui-Gon is so cruel to Obi-Wan. Okay, so maybe I can, but for Force's sake, Obi-Wan is blind. What does it take for Qui-Gon to stop thinking about something stupid like Jedi duty and perseverence and simply taking care of Obi-Wan as the little boy that he is?

Well, I like Xani in this one. I'm still mindful of what you said somewhere in first page about there never being any lack of problems with Obi and Qui with Xani around though.

Aunecah

 

7- please don't get sick! I need you to keep posting!

Aun-- Yes the three do seem to attract trouble.

masterobiwankenobi-
Now that you have posted more than once, I have to call you a regular and expect you to keep it up.{LOL}

For those who actually like Xani, I think yu will enjoy this story. You must remember though, no matter how good he seems he stills borders on the dark side!!! I mean he didn't report his father for his treachery. GREED I think is another way to spell Crion. Xani will always have a little of Jude Watson's *Xani* in him.

PEACE ewen

 

Still trying to catch up. You're a fast writer, ewen And a good one, too.

 

up. ewen i miss you. where are you. i promise not to hit you with the gimer stick. lol. til tomorrow my friend

 

that was a lot to catch up with. But blind???

 

Oh, I didn't see that you'd posted, ewen, the date wasn't changed.

Good for Xani, you tell Qui off! I'm glad Obi's got a defender ready, since Qui's plagued with doubts.

 

It had been five miserably disappointing days that dragged by. Jinn continually checked the outlook and progress of the meteorite storm out in space, that to the knowledge of the space scientists on Telos had not moved but a few miles since it started.

Qui-Gon still held out hope that the healers at the temple could possibly find a reason for Obi-Wan?s blindness and also be able to correct it. That was about the only hope Healer Conroy had, for all the experts on Telos, and there were several, could not find a reason for his apprentice?s blindness.

It certainly wasn?t in the realm of injury of the caustic substance that had reaped havoc on his nervous system, centering primarily on his hands and arms.

Master Jinn was torn between staying everyday with Obi-Wan or restarting the trade agreement talks. The senators implied that since Obi-Wan was out of danger then maybe the talks should resume. They were not all that understanding where the boy was concerned. The senators quickly forgot who was responsible for keeping four of their comrades alive while waiting to be rescued.

Healer Conroy voiced his desire to send Obi-Wan home, well back to their little cottage on Telos. He thought it might actually do Obi-Wan some good. Qui-Gon was hesitant about it. His padawan had not even adjusted to him enough to eat in front of the master. His shaky hands plus his blindness made his eating or anything else extremely difficult.

Qui could feel the shame and embarrassment as Obi-Wan tried valiantly to adjust to his new self; A padawan who missed his mouth and spilled drinks continually because of unsteady his hands. On top of that, mount the overhaul challenges blindness brought to the young apprentice, such as just walking through a door without walking *into* the door and you had the makings of a miserable, an almost ready-to-give-up-apprentice.

###Back at the Crion home.####

?You might as well get use to it father. Maybe we should have the discussion about the mines now. I plan to ask Master Jinn and Obi-Wan to stay here while they await the meteorite storm?s end. After the storm breaks another team can be sent to negotiate the trade a agreement and peace treaty. Until then the Jedi *will* be our guests in this house, my home equally as it is yours.?

?You are well out of line Xanatos. What if Master Jinn starts to snoop about the cave-in. Yes, his concerns have been with his apprentice but once the boy is out of the healers ward, he may direct his attention to finding out why the mines collapsed.

?Then it will be no worse here than if he stayed at the cottage. In fact we can keep better track of him if he?s here with us. Just be sure to keep the little gnome of a henchman of yours out of the house. I don?t trust him . Besides Father I didn?t have my hands in your dirty work, whatsoever.?

?Maybe not my dear son, but do you think your former master would believe you?. After all you left and hour ahead of him. You could have planted the bomb or you could have certainly ordered the bomb planted. Either way Master Jinn will suspect you first over me I think. He holds a certain lack of trust for you anyway.?

Xanatos would not give his father the satisfaction of knowing he was right, but in truth he was more than right. Qui-Gon would lay his suspicions right on Xanatos? head if there was any minute indication of foul play where the mine explosion was concerned?.

Three days later#####

Jinn couldn?t hold off his decision any longer. The senate committee was indeed anxious to start back. Obi-Wan was in excellent health, other the damage done that could not be corrected right now. He had too make a decision and finally he did.

His former apprentice offered them a place to stay that would be far more comfortable and convenient while Jinn went to the trade talks. Yes, the Jedi would take the extended offer of the Crion living quarters. Right now the Jedi master didn?t feel that the senators would think there were an improprieties for they knew of Jinn?s certain tainted