Saga Empty Chairs at Empty Tables (RotS AU Les Mis-Songfic)

Title: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
Author: Miana Kenobi
Timeframe: RotS
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, Kit Fisto, Aayla Seccura
Genre: Angst, Songfic
Keywords: Songfic, Les Miserables
Summary: Obi-Wan reflects on his last days with his friends.
Notes: I wrote this back in late April/early May of 2005. I was Spoiler Free for Episode 3, so I didn't know how things would play out in the movie. The song is from Les Miserables and I envisioned it fitting Obi's mood perfectly. Again, this was written before I saw RotS, thus the AU aspect.

Forgive the 1st Person/Present tense. I wanted to be different.

Much thanks to The Musical Jedi for her original beta of it in 2005 and Daughter_of_YubYub for her recent beta of it.


*Disclaimer: I own neither Star Wars nor Les Miserables. If I did, I would be rich.

************


There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone?

The coldness of space has never bothered me. Qui-Gon took me on so many missions when I was younger that I grew accustomed to it. We would travel on ships that were sometimes dingier than this one, huddled in a corner away from the other travelers.

I don't have to worry about privacy or interruptions for once; the transport, while full of refugees from Coruscant, is deathly silent. Most of the passengers are asleep yet a few remain awake. They look frightened; their eyes are bloodshot and lined with dark circles. They look around themselves, startling at the slightest movement.

After an earlier glimpse in a mirror, I understand why I am blending in so well.

I haven't slept in... What has it been now, three days? Four? I'm almost positive that I remember eating yesterday. My mind has been elsewhere for days. I know I should sleep, yet my thoughts will not permit it.

Qui-Gon would always remind me to sleep on long missions. Usually he remained awake and sat next to the viewport, looking out into space. He hasn't done that in years...

Oh, of course. He can't. How odd it seems to me, that I forget he's gone; how he was cut down before my eyes.

Perhaps I am just used to it now. Death, I mean. Qui-Gon was but the first to fall. More fell during the battle on Geonosis, then onward into the Clone Wars.

Anakin. How I wish I could forget. He killed them all. Slaughtered may be the better word. He and his troops slaughtered them all. How in the name of the Force did I alone survive? Is this some practical joke that the Force is having at my expense? It is rather ironic, don't you think? Obi-Wan Kenobi: the Jedi who killed a Sith all those years ago on Naboo, turned around and created the new lord of the Sith. Somewhere, someone must be laughing.

There was no laughter at our final stand. How did I live? I watched the last of the great Jedi fall in battle one by one to the ever-growing fist of our new Empire. All because of me. All because Anakin. No, all because of my failure with Anakin.

Here they talked of revolution.
Here it was they lit the flame.
Here they sang about `tomorrow'
And tomorrow never came.

Hope was all that we had left during the last days of our resistance. By the end of it, we only held a small corner of Coruscant: a small quadrant of deserted buildings and old cantinas. We spent our last week in a small alley. It reeked of garbage and mildew, the common alley rodent being the only visitor we saw for days. There were less than three dozen of us: civilians, children, old men, mothers, sons, a few Padawans, a small handful of knights and masters, and half a dozen clone troopers. The clones were the oddest of the bunch; they had not stayed with their brethren and become the new Imperial guard. They chose to follow me.

Their general.

Their loyalty to me was touching, and I was grateful for their help, y

 

Ooh wow, beautifully done Mi! So sad....but I love it! The song worked perfectly! Excellent work my dear!

 

Thanks darling!

 

Oh, Miana, that was so sad. You did a wonderful jobof conveying the desolation that Obi-Wan had to have been feeling after Anakin's fall.

 

Wow Miana! This was one of the most powerful fics I have ever read - and the song fit it beautifully!

As much as I enjoyed ROTS, I think I would have preferred to have seen an ending like this. At least the Jedi would have gone down fighting instead of being shot without any warning. Stupid, cowardly Palpy!

Lovely work! This truly is a masterpiece!!

 

I have loved the Les Miz broadway show since I was about 4, and I am now in the process of reading the book.(More like attacking it with my highlighter) I think about every song in that musical can relate to star wars, and I think you nailed this one. Great Job!

 

Aya-Na_Bashu - Thank you!!
VA_Parky - As much as I enjoyed ROTS, I think I would have preferred to have seen an ending like this. At least the Jedi would have gone down fighting instead of being shot without any warning. Stupid, cowardly Palpy! I KNOW! That was the one thing that really irked me. None of the Jedi really put up a fight (except Jett Lucas, of course). Thank you!
MasterEnder - I have loved the Les Miz broadway show since I was about 4, and I am now in the process of reading the book. Good luck with the book. In 2 years, I think I've gotten to page 60. And thank you!

 

I second/third the opinion that the ROTS way of taking out the Jedi kind of sucked. I'd rather have seen them all go down in a fight like that rather than being shot from behind.

PS, I suck at commenting on stuff, so I'll just say "Good job".

 

*sniffs* Aww, Miana, this made me cry! Poor Obi-Wan and the addition of Les Miz.... I love your twist on RotS; would've defintely enjoyed seeing something like this in the movie as well.

 

Nicky - Aww, thanks babe! And yeah. I was still bummed that Kit, even though he was up against Palpy, got taken out so easily!
CodeName - *hands tissue* Thanks for reading!

 

Each pixel tear is a compliment. Bravo! *tosses and resumes *

 

I normally don't venture too much into this neighborhood, but I'm awfully glad I did. This was so touching. Thank you for writing such a beautiful piece. This echoes the survivor guilt of the musical so very well. Well done!

 

That's a very interesting alternate possibility, Mi, and an excellent choice of song. It fits Obi-Wan very well. Great job!

 

Moriah: Thanks darling!
divapilot: Aww! No, thank you for reading!
Gabri: Thanks babe!!

 

Let's see... only four months late? Anyway, it was wonderful Miana! I like the way it ended up (AU or no AU ) and the way you captured Obi's thoughts on the matter. Plus, anything with a reference to Les Mis is bound to go over well.