Before - Legends Invisible Enemy -- (An-Paj!) COMPLETE and with thanks!

Title: Invisible Enemy

Author(s): Jane Jinn, Mistress_Renata

Timeframe: about eleven years pre-TPM

Characters:

Jane?s: Jedi Healer An-Paj with his six wives and four of his five children, Jedi Knight Hachas Tlatilco, Jedi Padawan Kiusan Waurk

Renata?s: Jedi Mistress Alta Corona, Jedi Knight Rendell Trett, Jedi Padawan Arwen-dai Istarri, Jedi Councilmember Wiyella Lluworit

Genre: original character, adventure

Keywords:

Summary: Jedi Master An-Paj is looking forward to his new assignment as Chief Healer of the Jedi Chapter House on Sarawaksala. But he is soon up to his antennae trying to stop an outbreak of a deadly plague that is devastating the population. As the death toll mounts, troubles between the colonists and the homeworld grow, until the Jedi themselves are under attack. Can An-Paj and Councilmember Wiyella Lluworit find a way to cure the disease and restore peace?

 

Prologue



?Are you looking for a chance for an adventure?? An-Silf asked.

An-Paj roused himself from the viewscreen where the lushly green planet of Sarawaksala was becoming steadily larger, and blinked up at his fifth wife. ?Why do you ask??

?I just wondered if you decided to accept this transfer because you felt too confined in the Temple back on Coruscant.?

An-Paj considered the possibility, then shook his head. ?I felt that I was needed out here in the field. Anyway, as a Healer, I?m involved with enough adventures, dealing with what goes on inside our bodies. War, natural disasters, breakdowns in communications, it?s all there.?

An-Silf looked at her own hand in mock horror. ?War? Natural disasters??

?The body fighting off viruses and bacteria could be termed a war. As for natural disasters, a drought would be dehydration. A heat wave would be a fever. Getting a nasty shock is like having lightning strike.?

?Having a baby??

?I wouldn?t exactly class that under natural disasters. More like ? harvesting something??

?Or maybe a flood and an earthquake at the same time?? Their three-year-old daughter An-Auk jumped into her lap at exactly that moment, and she added, ?With lots of after-tremors, of course.?

They both laughed, and then An-Paj admitted, ?Well, maybe I was hoping for a small adventure.?

?I thought so.?

?A walk in the forest with my wives and daughters, fleeing from mosquitoes, and discovering rotten logs and mud puddles the hard way ? that?s about as much adventure as I think I could take.?

An-Silf laughed. ?Let our adventurous new life begin, then!?

She made a buzzing sound like that of a mosquito, and they laughed again.

 

Wheee, I can't believe we're finally posting this!

The sweeping epic saga that has been over a year in the making! We started writing this a year ago August, and we're still not quite done.

We need to give a HUGE thank you to our scientific advisors, LadyPadme and Emma3Jane, who helped put the "science" in our Science fiction, and gave us ideas for complications and plot twists. Thank you, ladies!

Hope you all enjoy. Clearly An-Paj has forgotten the old Jedi saying: "Be careful what you wish for..."

 

It's finally here. I was just about ready to give up on your promise. I know- patience is a virtue. But I'm not feeling terribly virtuous today

 

I. too, have waited quite a while for it to begin! Finally, it's here and I can see the mosquitos beginning to circle already! Adventure, ha, excitement, ha, A Jedi craves not these things.

I look forward to seeing how An-Paj and his wives and children interact! And Hachas Tlatilco and Padawan Kiusan are back. Has she learned to wear something other than beige in her time being Hachas's Padawan? LOL.

Looks great so far! More, please!

 

Oh, replies! Thank the Force! (I was rather worried that there wouldn't be any.)

Renata Thanks for adding all the information that I forgot, due to nerves and general lack of brain cells. Yes, we've been working happily away on this little epic for over a year now, and have had lots of much-needed, much-appreciated help from LadyPadme and Emma3Jane.

PadawanKitara Your patience will only be tried from one day to the next. Now, perhaps, it will be a test of your endurance! Thanks for reading!

dianethx Glad to see you here! On occasion, I've read that a Jedi seeks not adventure, but adventure certainly seems to seek a Jedi. Let's see what happens to An-Paj. Hope there will be enough interaction with him and his family to satisfy you. And as for Kiu and Hachas, well ...

*****

Day one, suntime:

"There you are," said the small, almost-stern-looking woman waiting at the bottom of the loading ramp.

Without letting go of either of the two wives with whom he was linked at the elbows, An-Paj managed a bow. "May the Force be with you. I am Master Healer An-Paj, these are my wives." He looked her over curiously. The woman was human, not fat, but solid-looking, with steely blue-gray eyes and hair cropped as close as a Padawan's style. But there were creases at the corners of her eyes and mouth, and she radiated a rather awesome authority. Even a non-Jedi would recognize her as a Master.

"May the Force be with you, Master An-Paj. I am Alta Corona, Councilmember-in-Charge of this chapter house. Now, if you don't mind, I've asked some of the padawans and knights to come give you a hand." She raised one hand imperiously, and a small group of Jedi came forward, ready to help move the numerous hover-floats full of household goods that the An clan had brought with them from Coruscant. An-Paj smiled, recognizing a few familiar faces among the helpers. "I have reminded them that they are to obey your wives as they would obey me."

"For how long?" An-Hwaet asked, letting go of An-Paj, casting an appreciate eye over the helpers, and rubbing her hands eagerly at the prospect.

"For as long as it takes. They will show you which rooms will be yours. In the meantime, I would like to give our new Chief Healer the grand tour."

"Any urgent cases?" An-Paj asked, glad that he had slung his travel case of medicine and equipment over his shoulder before exiting the transporter.

"Nothing really urgent, no, but we are rather short of healers, and I'd rather not waste any time," Master Corona explained. "We got many of the injured from Marabile, and we're almost to capacity right now."

"I should have known they'd be putting you to work already," An-Darste sighed, letting go of An-Paj's other elbow.

An-Paj leaned over to entwine his antennae with hers, then smiled and went to follow Master Corona from the landing platform into the large, flat building set in the middle of a forest.

"Our infirmary is somewhat smaller than the one on Coruscant," Alta Corona said, showing An-Paj the reception area and then leading him back towards the examination rooms.

"Not that much smaller," he nodded.

"No. We are rather a magnet for injured Jedi from this quadrant." She walked down the broad corridor, flicking the switches to open those doors where she was sure that nobody was inside to be disturbed. "And we are anxious to keep up with the latest equipment."

"Master An-Paj, thank the Force you're here!" came a familiar voice.

An-Paj tore his gaze away from the latest version of a cell scanner and glanced down the corridor to the little group of people coming straight in from the emergency landing pad. At first, it appeared to be a little family; mother, father, and young girl, but something about them caught his attention, and An-Paj gave them his best welcoming smile. "Hello, Hachas, hello, Kiusan."

"How'd you recognise me?" Knight Hachas Tlatilco demanded. He was not wearing his usual purple cloak, the one that made other knights and masters frown

 

Very Auspicious beginning!

I look forward to reading this - getting way behind in November, and catching up again in December - because your writing (both of you) is always excellent!

Just Jill

 

Ooh this looks interesting, I love An-Paj. (I thought he was canon for the looongest time ). He's very cute with his wives and children.

Can't wait for more!

 

What!! No purple cloak...LOL!

Great post. I like how you are setting up the story line. Looking forward to more information on the Chapter house, the introduction of the other characters and how An-Paj is getting along with his wives...

 

*snicker* And Jane was sure there wouldn't be any readers! Welcome, everyone!

Just for the record, the role of Alta Corona will be played by Dame Judi Dench, who REALLY would make a fabulous Jedi Master (are you listening, George? )

 

::Considers the screen thoughtfully, then jumps up, grabs the hapless student next to her, screaming "YAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAYAY!"::

An An-Paj story by JaneJinn! Meesa so happy!

 

Excellent casting Renata

Poor An-Paj- he doesn't even get a fresher break before jumping into work.

 

Oh, good grief. I'm sorry, Renata. i didn't mention you at all! I love you too!

 

Just Jill Good luck for National Novel Writing Month! Are you doing a Star Wars novel or something completely original? We'll be happy to see your comments here anytime you have time. Thanks for reading!

padawan lunetta Great to see you here, and thanks for stopping by! Yes, An-Paj was very popular for a while there, wasn't he?

dianethx The purple cloak will come back, don't worry! Yes, we're setting up the story line here, so it might seem a little slow and rambling at the beginning.

DarthIshtar I didn't know you even knew who An-Paj was -- oh, that's right, you're a fan of Jemmiah's, aren't you? I think Jemmiah and I have different ideas about An-Paj -- I'm sure this won't be nearly as funny. Thanks for your enthusiastic replies and I hope you stay with us during the long serious stretches.

PadawanKitara Never a dull moment when you're a Jedi Healer! And as for the refresher, maybe the Force inspired him to go on the ship.

*****

"Baby?" Alta Corona asked sharply. "Here?"

An-Paj hesitated. Delivering babies was not a usual occurrance at the Temple infirmary, and somehow, he'd managed to miss observing all five occasions except one. Briefly, he wondered how little Arwen was doing.

"Don't tell me you haven't got any experiences with babies, Master Healer?" Hachas asked incredulously, catching the hesitation. "You've got six wives and -- how many children?"

"Five," An-Paj replied. In a slightly apologetic tone of voice, he added, "My wives gave birth in the traditional manner, with an Ossar midwife and their own mothers in attendance."

"Oh," said Hachas, looking deflated.

Another healer came rushing up from behind them, a young man, scarcely out of padawanship to judge by his youthful face and short, brown hair. "Is this the emergency? Is it pregnancy or a tumor?"

Why use the Force when you can ask so tactfully? An-Paj sighed to himself.

"How dare you refer to my baby as a tumor? And, yes, thank you for asking, it's due soon! My water just broke," the princess snapped, and An-Paj could hear that she preferred to be angry instead of afraid.

The younger healer made an apologetic sound that reminded An-Paj of a dying nerf. "Aaayiiii.?

?And this is Healer Johakin,? Alta Corona put in tartly. The young healer smiled ruefully, but continued on in the same vein, ?Master Healer, if you are who I think you are, then you have twelve wives and ten children at least ?- that?s ten times more experience with this sort of thing than I have ..."

Sighing again to himself, An-Paj saved the numerical corrections for later and took charge of the situation instead. "Yes. You take Kiusan into one of the exam rooms and look at her arm. The Princess can come with me. .."

He glanced around, spotted an examination room, and began to lead the Princess in that direction. " ... In here. Now, just lay back here and we'll have a look."

Clinging to Hachas' arm, Princess Rallan heaved herself onto the examination table and laid down awkwardly. Noting where the blaster bolt had grazed the upper part of her swollen belly, An-Paj gently placed his hand just over the wound, not quite touching it. Closing his eyes, he reached out for the Force and focused it on the organism beneath his fingers.

"It's not serious," he said, "and the baby is not harmed."

He both felt and heard the princess relax with relief, and Hachas murmured, "Thank the Force."

Still reaching out with the Force, An-Paj turned his attention to determining how close the actual birth was. His wives had never minded him doing that much, and it had been much later in the process when the midwife had sent him away.

"The boy is completely healthy and quite strong, too," he announced with a smile. "And we still have some time -- several hours, if I'm not mistaken. The water has broken, but the contractions are still in the early stages."

"A boy," the princess sighed sadly. "I was hoping for a girl."

Hachas ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek and

 

Yes, Jane, I'm a Jemmiah fan, but personally, I'm going to be thrilled to see An-Paj in a more, shall we say, normal light?

 

Well, "normal" may be a relative term...

Yes, the story does start a bit slowly, but it builds. Trust me on this.

 

I loved that the Princess decided to go with the more experienced doctors. Believe me - having kids is no picnic and I'd go with experience over the Force any day when giving birth.

So I guess we are going to find out how Kiu hurt her arm??? And how the two of them are doing as Master/padawan...

Great job. Looking forward to more from both of you!

 

I'm confused- did he name his last one little Arwen, or is there something that we don't know about Arwen-Dai???

 

Not too surprising An-Paj got his way there. Hachas was cutely reassuring.

And, yes, he was quite popular for a time, and rather confusing that he wasn't canon for a person who has never read the JA books.

More soon? :-D

 

DarthIshtar Well, stick around, and we hope that 'normal' An-Paj does not mean 'boring' An-Paj.

dianethx Yes, I'd go with experience, too! And as for Kiu and Hachas, wait and see.

PadawanKitara There's something about Arwen-dai that you don't know -- she was born at the Temple and An-Paj was privileged to be allowed to observe.

padawan lunetta More soon? How about a little bit every day? If anybody is having trouble keeping up and thinks this is too much, please tell us! We can always slow down!

*****

The city of Kalikinabo was drab, with windowless, bunkerlike buildings. They were very low and An-Paj worried about bumping his head on the ceilings, but as they disembarked, he realized that there was at least one step down to each door, if not two, and that more of the city was underground. There was an emergency entrance to the hospital that involved a lift, and a ramp curving around the outside of it in case the power should go off. They took the lift, and emerged one floor below. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, the lights inside the hospital were dim enough to suggest a night shift, and then An-Paj remembered that the colonists were a nocturnal species. Their arrival provoked immediate interest from the young Batangan male behind the reception desk, and he stared at them for several moments.

"I'm human, she's human, he's Ossar, and you're the Batangan who can tell us where to take someone who's about to give birth," Hachas said.

The brisk sentence left the young male flustered for a moment, and then he remembered his manners. "Yes. Uh. Welcome to the Kalikinabo Hospital. What can I-birth. Uh. If you'll just go down the corridor to Room Two, a doctor will be with you in a moment."

"Thank you," An-Paj replied.

As they moved towards the indicated corridor, the Batangan asked breathlessly, "Are you a Jedi?"

"Yes," An-Paj and Hachas both replied at the same time. Turning his head, An-Paj saw Hachas give him a conspiratorial grin. He was also aware of the wave of awe that literally rolled off the Batangan, which was a feeling he wasn't completely familiar with. A moment later, an older male came out of the first room and almost bumped into them. He was holding the fingers of one hand tightly inside the fingers of the other.

"Kriff. I'm so sorry," he apologised. With his next breath, he demanded, "Hissarlik! Who's in charge of stocking these exam rooms? There's no antibiotic spray left, and no bandages, either! That cub kriffing near bit my fingers off!"

"I am sorry, Doctor Trem!" Hissarlik replied. "I don't think the latest supply ship has landed yet, but I'll check the stockroom and see what we still have!"

An-Paj reached out his hand. "Let me see."

It was a simple bite. He'd had a few of his own like that from children in the Temple, and it was easy enough to call the Force to soothe the bruised flesh and close the tiny wounds in a matter of seconds. There was a touch of something that could later turn into an infection; he used the Force to incincerate it without affecting the healthy cells.

Dr. Trem retrieved his hand and stared at it in amazement, turning it over and over as though expecting to see the bite mark come back again. "That's amazing! How did you do that?"

"I used the Force," An-Paj explained. At the Batangan's quizzical look, he added, "I am a Jedi Healer."

"And he's come to ask what you can do to help deliver Princess Rallan's baby," Hachas put in.

"A man who can do this --" Dr. Trem indicated his hand -- "comes to me for help?"

But he was already ushering them into Room Two.

"At last!" the Princess muttered as they went in. "I thought I was going to have to deliver it right there on the floor."

"Unfortunately, we Jedi don't have a lot of experience delivering babies," An-Paj explained.

"And we only want the best care for Princess Rallan," Hachas put in, smiling at her.

"I see the problem. And here I was hoping you'd come to apply for a job. Wel

 

Heee! This looks like fun. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

I liked your description of healing - what he does in specifics, like incenerating that thing that might become an infection. Nice detail!

As for NaNoWriMo - I'm writing a story that I've had in my head for a few years (it's mutated into something... very different). I just hope I reach the 50,000 words...

Just Jill

 

Poor doctors! This is rather amusing, to see ordinary people becoming acquainted with the extraordinary. And of course AnPaj is not boring!

 

It's so hard for me to think what to say; since I already know what will happen & don't want to give away anything. I'm just glad you are all here.

 

Oh, good foreshadowing. Out of supplies and the cub has the "flu". I wonder if the Princess is going to catch it. I liked how An-Paj incinerated the "something" with the Force.
Looks like things are speeding up!

 

Ohhh yeah, this "flu" doesn't sound good. Specially if a doctor got it, (Unless that was what An-Paj incinerated?)that could spread pretty quickly. I loved An-Paj's healing too, interesting take on it. Oh and the Princess' indignatin was great, specially Hachas reactin to it. hehe

A post a day is great for me :-D