Elementary, My Dear Obi-Wan (the revised version)

Darth Cuppa, what is that quote you have from? It's funny!

That's from The West Wing, Season 2, Episode 9, "Galileo". I've actually reduced it a bit to fit it into the 250 chars maximum for a sig. The complete quote goes like this:

JOSH
What?s going on?

TOBY
They know it [the probe ship Galileo] entered the Martian atmosphere at 3:01 p.m. Eastern, which it was supposed to do.

He follows Josh to the copy machine and to JOSH?S OFFICE.

TOBY
They know it was on course traveling at a rate of 15,400 miles per hour, which it was supposed to. Somewhere during its descent it was also supposed to release two probes -- each about the size of a basketball -- firing them deep into the ground as part of the mission?s search for evidence of water under surface.

JOSH
We think if we hit the ground hard enough, we can make it to the center of the planet and find water?

TOBY
Yeah.

JOSH
That?s not a theory of physics pretty much disproved by Wile E. Coyote?

TOBY
The probes were supposed to send a signal back to Earth through the Global Surveyor Orbiter.

JOSH
And we haven?t gotten the signal?

TOBY
The last the flight controllers heard from Galileo was 11 minutes before landing, when all systems were operating normally. Then it entered what they call a communications blackout period and it hasn?t been heard from since. [beat] I know how it feels.

JOSH
What are they trying?

TOBY
They?re... uh... trying the things they try. I?m going to give it an hour.

 

?Remind me never again to sneak up on you in a fight, Watson,? Holmes drawled.

Indeed, you show us a tough and resourceful Watson here! Great stuff!

 

Glad to find another West Wing fanatic around here.

 

Up!

 

Wow

 

Up!

 

Up!

Sarah >^,,^<

 

Glad to find another West Wing fanatic around here.

I luv The West Wing too!!!

One my my fave quotes:

C.J. Cregg: The more photo-friendly of the two turkeys gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's petting zoo; the other one gets eaten.

President Bartlet: If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch.

... all from IMDb's Memorable Quotes From The West Wing.

 

Oopsie! Missed the last post!

I agree whole heartedly with the Watson-is-NOT-an-idiot statement! I don't know how it happened that he was relegated to such a post, but according the books, he's not even overweight. Thank you for granting him his bravery, his shooting skills, and his cleverness!

?Or they might just go out the front door instead,? he added.

LOL! Remember: the simple solution is best.

Great post!

Sarah >^,,^<

 

I hate being so busy that I scarcely have time to read or reply. Good thing for me that Frostfyre seems to be too busy to post, too, otherwise I'd be far behind by now.

This is a good portrayal of Watson. I suppose next to Holmes, even people of near-genius intelligence would appear ... um ... less so. I like the way Watson keeps his head and is able to suggest solutions that include 'supernatural' things such as lightsabers and Force-pushes. He sounds like a good soldier and a likely hero to me.

Age before beauty? Well, at least Qui-Gon didn't respond with "pearls before nerfs."

 

pearls before nerfs? Is that an inside joke from another fanfic or something? I'm hopelessly confused...it's a funny line, though!

 

Sorry that you're confused. I was going to write "pearls before swine", but then I wondered if they had 'swine' in the GFFA.

Edit: Come to think of it, maybe they don't even have pearls. But "Corusca gems before nerfs" just doesn't have that ring to it. Ah, well.

 

More shouts and the sound of running feet drew our attention. ?They?re all over the area,? Holmes said. ?It has been increasingly difficult for me to avoid them?and it will be all but impossible with four of us.?

?Are you suggesting we split up?? I asked.

?No,? Qui-Gon interrupted. ?I have a feeling that would be unwise.?

Ben pulled out the small device he?d called a ?comlink.? ?Time to call in reinforcements,? he said. His master shot him a curious glance. ?It?s a long story, Master. The short of it is that there are Jedi posted here on the planet, and they?ve offered their assistance.?

?If they have swoopbikes or something of that sort, then I strongly suggest they use them,? Qui-Gon said. ?We aren?t going to get out of here on foot without a full scale war?which will draw far more attention than a few ?bikes.?

?I?ll do my best, Master.? He turned away and spoke softly into it.

?There?s a blind alley not too far from here,? Holmes said. ?It would be easier to hold them off there.?

?Narrow?? I asked, running scenarios in my head.

?Perhaps six feet.?

?Good. With some crates and debris to make a barricade, we should be able to hold them off quite well.? I glanced around, noting our position, and gauging the distance of the enemy. ?How far is it??

?Right over there.? He gestured to a dark hole a hundred or so yards away. ?Lead on, Major Watson.?

I raised an eyebrow at his use of my military rank?something he almost never did, and started for the alley. As I had expected, it had more than its share of junk, like most alleys in this slum. It was short work to make a barricade with the assistance of Holmes and Qui-Gon Jinn, while Ben argued softly with his little machine. We had just finished our wall when the first shots echoed across the street, one narrowly missing the preoccupied young Jedi. With a muffled oath he dove behind our pile. ?Is that proof enough for you?? he snapped at the comlink. ?I know it?s conspicuous, but we need help if we?re going to get out alive!? There was a short pause, then: ?Thank you.? He replaced the device in his pocket and turned to us. ?Can we hold them off for fifteen minutes? MacEiver has to clear it with their Jedi Master before they send a squad out to get us.?

***

As I remembered all too well from my service in Afghanistan, time slowed to a crawl as the battle raged on. Perhaps ?battle? is too strong a word, but with only four of us?one still unsteady on his feet?and only a little over a score of the enemy, it felt like one.

The two Jedi were incredible?an army unto themselves, despite the older man?s lingering disorientation from the drug. If we?d had even a handful of men such as them fighting for Her Majesty?s army in India, perhaps we would have had fewer casualties, and the war would have ended much quicker. (Remembering the unfailing politeness I?d encountered so far, perhaps the war wouldn?t have begun at all.) They seemed to sense every move our attackers would make, before they made it, and not only blocked ninety percent of the shots being fired at us, but anticipated and blocked a rush on our left flank, where our hasty barricade was weakest.

Moriarty?s men were losing their morale by the bucketful. The pauses between volleys were growing longer, and we could hear muttering in the shadows. They weren?t pleased with our resilience?and the fact that fully half of their men were down or wounded from the Jedi throwing their shots back at them, my revolver, and Holmes?s growing accuracy with the blaster. They clearly had expected this to be an easy victory.

During one such pause, as I searched my pockets in vain for more ammunition, Qui-Gon ran a critical eye over Holmes?s weapon. ?The power pack is almost empty,? he said. ?If it weren?t so dark, I?d try and get you another.?

?I?m out of bullets,? I said. ?Unless I can get my hands on one of those blasters, I?m afraid I?ll be of no use.?

?It won?t take them long to discover we?ve lost some teeth,? Ben said grimly. ?And when they do,

 

Goodness, that's so very exciting

 

?Is that proof enough for you??

Heh!

Excellent, as always!

 

while Ben argued softly with his little machine.
It's rather funny how Watson sees it as Obi-Wan arguing with the machine, and not with the person on the other end. Imagine him seeing someone using a handsfree Terrific Frostfyre!

 

Remembering the unfailing politeness I?d encountered so far, perhaps the war wouldn?t have begun at all.

I'm pretty sure that's a new line... Even if it isn't, I liked it!

More kudos on Watson's role in the fight, and all your decription skills! Loved the 'proof' line of Obi-Wan's.

As for corpses, I should think not.

Sarah >^,,^<

 

I'm really enjoying the extra added details that weren't there before. They give some more dimension to the story and flesh out the wonderful characters even more.


You're doing great, Frosty, keep it up.

 

Up with thee!

 

Up!

 

I also liked the line about Ben arguing softly with his little machine.

And I liked the way Watson was comparing this 'battle' to what he'd experienced in Afghanistan, and especially his ruminations about how things could have been different if they'd had a few Jedi on their side there! (Remembering the unfailing politeness I?d encountered so far, perhaps the war wouldn?t have begun at all.) Very true!

It was good, too, the way Moriarty's men had been anticipating a quick and easy victory, and how their morale was sinking when things didn't go the way they'd planned. I thought that part was very well described.

Oh, dear, Watson's out of ammunition and the power pack on the blaster is running low, too! Time for the swoops to ... er ... swoop down and rescue them!

*walks off singing "Swing low, sweet chariot ..."*

 

Yeesh, sometimes I feel like it's all can do to stay caught up.

I love your Watson. I agree that he is put down far too often. It was great to see him taking charge!

I can't wait till the reinforcements come.

*Jadis*

 

Upwards!

Sarah >^,,^<