Saga In song and story--AOTC vignette--Jemmiah Chronicles

Title: In Song and Story
Timeframe: Just after the battle of Geonosis.
Characters: OCs, except where mentioned in passing.
Summary: An archivist at the Jedi Temple is forced to face the grim aftermath of Geonosis and the disillusionment that comes as a result.
Author's Note: An-Paj is JaneJinn's. Bal Jolenar is Ty-Gon Jinn's. Leona is HealerLeona's. Various other characters can be attributed to Jemmiah. Li is mine. Any recognizable people places and things belong to the great flanneled one. My thanks to all those who lent their characters.
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I believe in the Force. I believe that those who are sensitive to it should devote their whole energy to it and serve the purposes that it designates. I believe that my calling is a product of the will of the Force.

Nevertheless, I hate this job sometimes.

I always thought that it would be a difficult job to be a Jedi Healer, since you have to deal with the guts part of "guts and glory." I thought that it was fortunate that I would not be a warrior because I wasn't ever sure that I could place myself in harm's way, trusting in the will of the Force and the partner watching my back.

When the Force chose Master Yu, one of the Archivists, to guide me through my training, I took it to be a sign that I had found my niche and vocation.

No one ever told me that the work of the archivist could put you face to face with things just as grisly as those that the Healers and Knights had to face.

No one ever told me this, but I found out just the same.

They sent me to Geonosis on the same ship as the Healers because we would not be involved in the confrontation with Count Dooku unless things got severely out of hand, but we would need to be readily available in the aftermath.

Healers An-Paj and Leona and their current Padawans were the ones assigned to this particular mission. I knew them, mostly because I tended to have my fair share of injuries, usually induced by falling datapacks or angry Whiphids.

With little better to do until I was called upon by circumstance, I offered to help set things up.

?There?s not much to do,? Leona said grimly. ?We won?t know until reports start coming in if we?ll need to conduct matters as if this were a field hospital, not a transport?s medical wing.?

?Understandable,? I conceded. ?What can I do in the meantime??

She nodded to An-Paj, who was pacing and taking inventory for about the thirtieth time. ?Put together the medkits and try not to irk him. He gets very grouchy in situations like this.?

We never did have to face battle droids or Dooku. While the people who left the Temple with us were becoming the heroes of Geonosis, we were preparing bacta purges, rolling pressure bandages and keeping our ears open for the first summons.

We had to wait a full hour and a half before the first distress call came in, indicating that things had, indeed, gotten severely out of hand.

?We?ll meet you on the east side of the arena,? Leona was instructing Master Windu. ?We?ll need some able bodies??

?There aren?t any able bodies,? he barked. ?We can have those with minor wounds direct you, but we?ve got problems of our own.?

And then he cut off. Obviously agitated, An-Paj headed for the cockpit to give instructions to the pilot.

?Why didn?t they call for help earlier?? I asked.

?It happened too fast,? she guessed quietly, her gaze frank and cold. ?When dealing with the Dark Side, things always happen too fast.?

Of course, the unspoken heartache was that the Sith had been too quick and cunning for Qui-Gon Jinn. Most of those in our generation had known him enough to mourn his passing, but she had been the one to love him as something more than a brother in the Force.

As one who knew the feeling, I didn?t hold that against her.

?You have your instructions??

?Of course,? I said, voice slightly tremulous at the thought of what lay ahead.

I was assigned to interview the survivors to get an accurate accounting of what had happened. The main reason why I had been assigned to the same s

 

Sounds good! And those descriptions.

 

Wow! You managed to give that a real sense of scale, Ish! I could just visualise the enormity of the post-battle situation, with all the casualties: and what makes it work so well is the fact you have someone observing who isn't remotely used to witnessing such horrific sights.

Now, that was plain sad! How terrible to see the ones you love in such a horrible situation and be unable to do anything except record their last thoughts for posterity! And those last thought were heartbreaking, and very touching...

Well done Ish! *sniffle*

 

Thanks, bria. This took me work over 2 days to finish because I didn't want it to be too lighthearted or lose its innate humor at times.

 

oops, missed one...

Jemmiah--Wow! You managed to give that a real sense of scale, Ish! I could just visualise the enormity of the post-battle situation, with all the casualties: and what makes it work so well is the fact you have someone observing who isn't remotely used to witnessing such horrific sights.

The arena thing really struck me when seeing the movie. I remember seeing an article before I saw the movie where they had a picture of all these Jedi sprawled dead on the ground and I kept thinking "Okay, they're not invincible, but what the heck could do something like that?" I was kinda in a state of shock. And Obi-Wan's checking the pulse of a Padawan when Dooku talks again, so that struck me.

Now, that was plain sad! How terrible to see the ones you love in such a horrible situation and be unable to do anything except record their last thoughts for posterity! And those last thought were heartbreaking, and very touching...

Well done Ish! *sniffle*

Yeah, the helplessness of it all is what I was really aiming for. Glad you liked it.

 

Upping because I'm in a good mood and my Shatterpoint is now signed.

 

That was heartbreaking Ish! But I will admit that I liked their banter. Like they were trying to comfort each other that nothing was really wrong and everything was going to turn out right in the end, but they both knew they were lying.

I was also touched when Obi checked the pulse of the padawan. But what really got me was getting home and finding out what Jem had planned for that scene!

 

mouse2--That was heartbreaking Ish! But I will admit that I liked their banter. Like they were trying to comfort each other that nothing was really wrong and everything was going to turn out right in the end, but they both knew they were lying.

I liked that too. I always liked bal/li in S&R and wanted a bit of that back.

I was also touched when Obi checked the pulse of the padawan. But what really got me was getting home and finding out what Jem had planned for that scene!

Wait, what the heck did Jem have planned for that scene?!

 

Here's an ironic fortune-teller thing that I didn't remember until I just read a scene in Swings and Roundabouts--Li's first story. Li and her best friend Ana go to a fortune-teller while she's still an Archivist.

"Anyway," Li plowed on, resolute. "Glory, she says that I will lead the weak in spirit against their oppressors. My name will be remembered for generations to come for my courage and how I went out in a blaze of glory."

"Oppressors," she repeated, eyes widening in mock horror, "weak in spirit, blaze of glory. What can it mean?"

Li shuddered, one hand going to her barely-concealed bosom. "I should think it obvious," she gasped. "I will overthrow the archives' system of overdue fees, lead the indignant students to kill the mighty, subdue the tyrannical Jocasta Nu, and will die of a self-inflicted flimsiplast-cut."