Before - Legends Mask of Duty - AU - guess what? A POST!!! 12-21-04!! :D

Alright, my peeps, despite a rather hectic day today, I managedd to write a chap for you. I may not be able to get you one tomorrow. If all goes well, I might have another chap of Forsaken done. But that's only if it's not as busy as today. *sigh* gosh I hope so.

Anyway, here's your chap for today. Oh and just so you know, you guys are wrong again. At least not yet anyway. Dianethx was the closest thus far. But I suggest you all just wait another chap or so and I'll explain a lot more to you.

Enjoy.......

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A soft thud roused him from a light slumber. But he was tired still from the events that morning and didn?t have the strength to open his eyes. Quickly, he searched with his senses to determine if there was any danger. Finding none, he tried to drift back into the comforting darkness but was denied when another rustling sound and pained moan snapped him awake. The sight he was greeted with only further annoyed him. How was it that he still could not sense the torment inside the figure in front of him?

Obi-Wan had woken up and realized very quickly he was in a transport. He was not pleased with this discovery and decided to find a way to correct this error. But his body was not as cooperative as he would have liked. When he tried to climb out of bed, he found his legs would not support him and he abruptly fell. The blankets that had been wrapped around him cushioned his fall. Slowly, he worked his way back up but not without difficulty. The strain of pulling himself up elicited a moan from him. His senses still on alert told him that the Knight had woken up, even if Obi-Wan had his back to the man.

His annoyance building, he rasped, ?Why have we left Melida/Daan? The mission was not complete.?

?The mission was over Obi-Wan. You have done what you were sent to do. They have peace.?

Obi-Wan turned to glare at the man. ?We have a start but there is still much that needs to be done. I have to go back.? Determination fed his weary form giving it strength once more.

?The only place you are going is to the Healers. You need treatment.?

?My needs are irrelevant. I still have work to do on Melida/Daan. Now take me back.?

?No, Obi-Wan. Your well being is not irrelevant. The blaster wound needs tending and I cannot allow you to put off your care any longer.? Obi-Wan looked as if to protest further, but Qui-Gon cut him off, ?How long?? The confusion in the Padawan?s face was visible. ?How long ago were you injured??

Suddenly, the boy?s entire demeanor changed. Averting his gaze, Obi-Wan looked his age, young and innocent and having seen too much too early in life. A weary whisper finally answered, ?At least a week ago.?

Qui-Gon?s eyes widened in surprise. A week, his mind repeated. Cautiously, he continued, ?And was your Master aware of this?? Obi-Wan closed his eyes keeping his head lowered, he nodded slightly in response. ?And he did nothing to help you??

There was a definite edge to the man?s tone that caused the boy to peer up at the Knight questioningly. The murky depths held on to that confusion, but the voice was crisp, clear and clipped when he answered, ?My Master was unable to offer anything as he died shortly after.?

Chagrinned, Qui-Gon swallowed hard. He should have considered the possibility that the boy was injured the same time as the Master. Suddenly, memory flared, rekindling the dream the night before. Flashes. Shouts. Crackles in the air from bolts too close for comfort. Then suddenly pain. Running. Burning rain continued to fall. More shouts. Another burst of pain. ?Ambush.? His mind had recalled the first sense of pain, but it was slightly distant as if it was not his own. But the second burst was his - or rather who ever was in the dream - and it was a horrible burning that pierced his chest. Subconsciously, his hand touched his chest where the ghost pain throbbed. He was pulled from his thou

 

I think Qui-Gon should kick Obi-Wan's butt. No matter how well the mission turned out, Obi-Wan is being insubordinate to a Jedi Master - whether he likes him or not. And Qui was trying to be solicitous of Kenobi's health! Perhaps, Qui-Gon should offer to heal the wound (or start the healing process). I can just see the Council giving Obi over to Jinn just because they have been together on Melida/Daan. Oh, yeah, Kenobi would "like" that.

Good job. I'm still guessing about the blackout thing.

Keep going!

 

Our fair Obi was quite the brat in that post. It was a nice change...not to mention funny (though I am not quite sure that it was meant to be taken that way....oh well ).

Hey, I just realized this is the second new post in this story that I read today. Huzzah!

Great Stuff, keep it up!!

 

[face_shocked] Absolutely stunning.

More detailed feedback later, when it's not 1 am...

 

No Bond?
Argh, so we have to wait and see...

 

Keep trusting the muse, Arldetta. She hasn't led you astray yet.

 

I'm in agreement w/dianethx - Obi-Wan ought to be disciplined for his insubordination, not to mention withholding information about the situation on Melida/Daan. It would serve him right to be officially placed under Qui-Gon's authority if they were sent back. I don't think any 15-year-old, no matter how well-trained, would be authorized by the Concil to negotiate a treaty that would largely have to be upheld by adults.

As regards the blackouts, if it's not a bond forming, could Obi-Wan have been trained to be a sort of Force vampire, leeching off skills and power as needed? Just speculation on my part.

 

?Once we reach the Temple and this affair is settled, rest assured that our paths will never have to cross again.? Uh oh... I do hope that doesn't happen! At least Qui still wants to have contact with him. Hehehehe Qui-Gon is taken back by the boy's stubborness *snrk* hehehehe a little something of 'Jinn' in the boy prior to the 2 meeting, hehehe and it's taken Qui by surprise! Loooooving this!! hehehe

 

There is nothing quite like waking up and then having a post to read before beggining the day. I do have to agree that Obi-Wan was certainly quite insobourdinate. Perhaps its an effect of exaustion/illness. It will be interesting to see what happens when the Council gets a hold of him. Thanks.
~Rosy

 

Well, our Obi-Wan is certainly a bit rough around the edges, but I think that is just because he is used to having to take care of himself. He was taught to be independant - and it took quite well apparently.

Qui-Gon may not be his master, but is still his superior - and should be shown proper respect. And Qui needs to remember that regardless of his feelings for Klp - he was still the boy's master and in all liklihood the boy had formed some attatchment to him.

I think Obi performed above and beyond what any mere padawan should be expected to have done on this mission. As for hiding his injury and giving the aid to those who needed it instead - does that not sound like a typical Qui move to anyone else?

He's hurt, he was alone, his master died, a new friend died and he was trying his darndest to put an end to a planetwide war - - let's cut the kid some slack Maybe what's bothering Qui so much about this young man, is that they are so much alike, hmmmm? Oh, and not to mention, the poor boy has got to be wondering what is going to happen to him now. His future is totally up in the air.

Great writing Arldetta! I'm loving this Obi you've created. Can't wait for more. I'm keeping my guesses to myself as to the blackouts - for now More soon??

--shan

 

Wow, well that was interesting feedback. I understand and agree that Obi-Wan is being a bit of a brat. But I am surprised that none of you seemed to notice that Qui was not helping matters. Right now, Obi doesn't have much left. And though I haven't actually said it, he is scared. His future is no longer certain, as a Padawan he had purpose, but now he's Master-less. Remember Obi-Wan has kept his emtions tightly inside himself, a way of protection. But he is very distraught that he has lost his Master. And what did Qui do? He critisized the man. Obi's already feeling Garg's loss and Qui is accusing Garg of not caring for his Padawan.

I told you guys that I'm putting a twist to this whole story. When I first read the PB I was thinking of a very harsh and mean Master. One we would love to hate. But that's been done before. So what was originally in mind is no longer the case. I'm not saying that Garg's perfect, I mean we all have flaws but maybe he's not exactly what we thought he was.

So like I was saying, Qui's questioning Obi's Master. And Obi is trying not to show how much those thoughts and sentiments are hurting him. All he wanted to do was bring Melida/Daan peace. For his Master and Cerasi. And Qui took him forom the last thing he can offer them. Obi knows now that Qui and Garg didn't get along. And it obviously annoyed Qui. So he's offering the man an 'out.' And since Obi's already been hurt by Qui's accusation, Obi would be happy not to have to deal with him either. His methods may be wrong, but how many times do we say and do things we don't mean? And he's physically exhausted and in pain on top of all that.

Sorry if all that didn't come out as well as I would have liked. But that's probably due to the fact I'm not going into the detail as much as I normally do. So once again, sorry for the confusion. Hopefully, this next chap will clarify one aspect. BUT I'm sure it will bring out even more questions. Oh and Musing you're getting warmer.


Now on with today's post!!

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Peripherally, he was aware of the slumbering form in the seat next to him as he made the descent in to Coruscant airspace. They had not spoken since that first discussion. And soon after, Obi-Wan succumbed to exhaustion. Of course he was still annoyed over that conversation, but there was little he could do about it now. Touching down, he decided that he didn?t want to wake the youth simply so he could avoid another frustrating conversation. So he carefully, lifted the boy (who was still too light for his liking) and took him to the Healers. He was greeted by Master Vv Zon. He was a short, a number of years older than Qui, and a little on the hairy side.

?Ah, Qui, I see you have brung me my favourite patient.? He said cheerily in a heavy accent.

?Then I am to assume he is here often??

?Not as much as before, but more than he probably should.? He answered cryptically. Qui-Gon frowned slightly at the comment. ?Come, come. This way.? The small Healer led them to a room where Qui-Gon could lie Obi-Wan down. Vv asked as he began to remove the boy?s tunics. ?So where is Master Garg? He?s usually here when Obi?s brought in. What?s keeping the old nemah??

Qui-Gon tensed. Apparently, the Council has not revealed the details of the mission to anyone else yet. His tone was soft when he answered, ?I am afraid that Master Garg has joined the Force.?

He watched the Healer?s reaction carefully. Piercing gold eyes widened in shock before glancing compassionately down at the youth. He had stopped working for a moment but quickly resumed his work when the initial shock was over. ?What happened??

?I am unsure of the whole story. I was sent to Melida/Daan to retrieve Obi-Wan. It was already presumed that Master Klp was dead but we needed confirmation. Obi-Wan had been wounded by Blaster fire and an infection has set in. Amazingly, he was still able to complete his original mission befor

 

I can certainly understand Obi-Wan's exhaustion and pain. I just thought Qui-Gon was giving him a lot more latitude than he should have. Any other Master would have kicked Obi's butt - made him rest, ignored his need to complete his mission, in general made him into the Padawan everyone expects him to be - whether he wanted to be or not. Qui was remarkably calm about the whole thing. Interesting that you wrote and I read the same thing and see different things in the same post. We'll discuss....

And now you've added more mystery. So he has unique abilities, he's maybe seen a Soul healer before and he needs more control than bacta can give. And Musing was getting there. Well... okay, now I'm thoroughly confused but in a good way. Keep going!

 

Your simply spoiling us with these frequent updates- not that I'm complaining or anything.

 

Shh! You're not supposed to *admit* we're being spoiled. But yeah, this story rocks!

 

I like spoiling in fics but not in butter.

I'm quite interested to see what is so special about Obi in this fic, not that we don't know he's special anyways. I liked Qui's honesty. Its refreshing from the usual. Keep it up.
~Rosy

It was indeed a Rainy Tuesday.

 

Special abilities, eh? Ummmm able to absorb the Force from others... now that is interesting... that is if that *is* one of the abilities. That could have caused Qui's collapse. Now that's a scary thought... ummm keep Obi from the baddies of the darkside. He'd be waaaaay to good to pass up! hehehe
Oh I never was slaming Obi myself... the boy has gone thru a lot...prob more than most Padawans have gone through at the same time. Maybe over a period of years, but not all on the same mission.

Good work!

 

Hmmm...special abilities...and something about sucking power from a Jedi, very interesting...

I am not sure what direction that this story is going in (which is a good thing) but I am excited for it to get there! And all these posts! I love it!

 

Your little hints are more cryptic than the clues in the last few posts. Hmmm- a jedi that can suck up the living force around him like a vacum cleaner?

 

No argument that Obi-Wan's been through a lot in a short span of time or that Qui-Gon's dislike of Garg led him to make incorrect assumptions.

However, Obi-Wan is still a young Padawan on the verge of physical and emotional collapse. While he's correct in saying that there's still work to do on Melida/Daan, he's in no shape to do so, nor does he have either the experience or the authority to direct matters. He's apparently overlooking the fact that Qui-Gon allowed him to complete as much of the original mission as he could before taking him to Coruscant. As a Master and under orders from the Council, not to mention his concern over Obi-Wan's health, he didn't have to do so. If it had been anybody else, Obi-Wan would have probably forcibly removed, regardless of the situation, and he wouldn't have been able to prevent it.

Obi-Wan's got special abilities? That raises all sorts of interesting possibilities, but some concern as well. If that was the case when Qui-Gon blacked out, it would constitute a major breach of ethics to drain a person of his power and skills without his consent or knowledge, especially someone senior in rank. I doubt someone as hidebound and rule-conscious as his Master would have failed to emphasize this, especially knowing about Obi-Wan's abilities. I think it's a pretty clear indication that Obi-Wan's on the verge of a complete breakdown.

Looking forward to what comes next, Arldetta[/b[! Love the way you're posting so frequently.

 

Musings, I always love when you post. Your insight is wonderful to read! We'll have to see if Ari agrees... LOL.

Looking forward to more.

 

Rainy Tuesday? Hah! I can beat that - I've got a snowy Wednesday here!

Lovely set of posts, Arl. There's so much going on here under the surface. I'm sure Qui will get frustrated soon and demand some sort of explanation from somebody. I can't wait until it all comes out. It should be incredible.

Shaindl

 

Perhaps Obi-Wan is so powerful because he is connected very close to his surroundings and all living beings. I would like this idea!
But if not... I think it's is on the verge of the darkside to suck up the living force of another being. I am somewhat suspicious now about the vanishing of Obi-Wans master during the mission. Perhaps Obi-Wan killed him for whatever reason with force-draining to help the young ? Could explain his total lack of emotions regarding the death of his master.
The part of child abuse is very disturbing. Who did this to our Obi-Wan?

Can't wait for the next chapie!

 

Woo hoo! We are totally being spoiled, and I lurve it. I hadn't considered the idea of Qui-Gon's black-out being caused by Obi-Wan and him having a bond. That would be such a strange reaction, and what would cause it? It seems almost as if Qui-Gon was hoping that Yoda would confirm a bond; So Obi-Wan has been keeping close tabs on Qui-Gon, learning his intricacies. And Qui-Gon has been unable to do the same with Obi-Wan because of his intense shielding? No wonder there is no real bond: a bond must go both ways. I don't blame Obi-Wan for keeping up his shielding like that; he probably feels that Qui-Gon is intruding on a situation that involves him only a little. And while Qui-Gon seems rather interested, he is intruding, almost playing the part of a master to a padawan. Huh. And I agree with musing: if Obi-Wan's special abilities involve leeching the force ability from others, there has to be some moral problems behind that! Well anyways, yay! 2 posts in such a short time, we are so spoiled! And I hate to put a negative not in here, Arldetta, but are you going to be working on FnB anytime soon? This has been an awfully long cliffie!

 

Ok I dont check the boards for two days and what do I come back to?

**points at last two posts**

More questions un-answered then answered my friend. I think it is time we start to clear stuff up no?

PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!


--PT

 

Well, well, well, kiddies. Who would have thought this little PB would have taken off like this. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!

I can't believe the response. Now for a few matters, I had hoped to have the next chap of Forsaken up today. *sigh* But for some reason this muse has snagged me and snagged me good. Every time I go to open up that file, I start writing on this! [face_shocked] All I can say is I hope by tomorrow I will be able to find tim eot work on both and get you TWO updates. Well, here's to hoping. *crosses fingers*

For today's post. For your enjoyment it's a rather long chapter for this fic!! Yeah, right?? And on top of that I decided I could wait no longer and felt like offering you all an explanation. This is a variation of another concept I had for Obi. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to that someday soon as well. But anyway, you go ahead and read it and I'll check back with you after.

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?Hello?? She waved her hand in front of his face slowly. Just as slowly, he re-emerged from his thoughts for the tenth time that night. Tahl regarded him with mild concern. Sitting back she continued, ?You?re a million miles away.?

?I am sorry.? He answered quietly, looking down to pick at his food again.

?You know, when you asked to join us for evening meal, I was expecting a little more conversation than this. The only thing I?ve been able to find out is that Obi-Wan is in the Healer?s right now.? Tahl glanced over at her Padawan and both smiled briefly. The news had concerned the apprentice but it also made her very happy to know her friend would recover. Looking back at the Knight across from her, the worry returned to Tahl?s gold-green striped eyes. ?What happened on Melida/Daan??

He continued picking for another moment, contemplating what he should say. In the end, he placed his utensil down and pushed his plate away. ?To be honest, I am not exactly sure. I went to retrieve Obi-Wan as directed. He found me before I could even search for him, which was remarkable in its own right. He informed me of his Master?s death but demanded that he finish the mission. I have not seen anything like it before. He was remarkable. He negotiated a truce and managed to uncover someone who had been undermining their original efforts for peace.? He paused, frowning.

The two women glanced at each other curiously. ?Is that when Obi-Wan was injured?? Tahl prompted.

He shook his head. ?No, he was injured prior to that.? Silence filtered between them for long moments. Finally, Qui-Gon voiced his real concern aloud. ?The accused man pulled a blaster out and fired at Obi-Wan. The amazing part was that Obi-Wan was able to deflect the fire with the Force.? A pair of eyes watched him intently. There was something in their depths that he couldn?t identify completely, but it was the deciding factor that made him ask, ?Have either of you experienced any blackouts while in Obi-Wan?s presence??

The wide-eyed look of shock on both faces surprised him. A moment later, the Master recovered and turned to regard her Padawan pointedly. Bant?s salmon skin darkened and she looked down at her hands. He knew by their actions that they knew something about what he was talking about. He waited patiently hoping that they would reveal something to him. At last he was rewarded by a small tentative voice.

?It was along time ago. Bruck had been picking on him again. He ignored him for the most part until Bruck started harassing the rest of us. Obi told him to leave us alone that it was only between them and to leave us out of it. Bruck must have realized that attacking us would incite Obi more, so he kept going. The next thing we know is that we?re all passed out. Later we found out that Garen, Reeft and I were knocked out and Bruck was knocked unconscious by a Force blast. Both Garen and Bruck were unconscious for days. Bruck almost died.? Her voice had gotten softer as she spoke. She glanced up for a moment