Saga Spirit Warriors of Angharad *COMPLETE* Link to MS Word version available 8/4

Ooooh! Your Darth Vengeance is quite scary, even without the Dahmer references. The Sith seems to have Anakin's number... poor guy, he's only competing for his Master's affections. An insulting feeling to know that your replacement is being groomed and you are indirectly helping out.

LOL, I totally agree that R2 is the real hero of the GFFA. I toyed with writing a story where R2 slipped up, but then everyone would have died in Episode I and there wouldn't be much left to the story, would there?

Trying not to hit "reload" too many times today in anticipation of an update

 

Domina_Tagge wrote:

An insulting feeling to know that your replacement is being groomed and you are indirectly helping out.

Yeah . . . I hate when that happens.

I toyed with writing a story where R2 slipped up, but then everyone would have died in Episode I and there wouldn't be much left to the story, would there?

Well, I guess not . . . but think of the money they would have saved! I think you should pitch that idea to Rick McCallum.

Trying not to hit "reload" too many times today in anticipation of an update

Oh, twist my arm already.

****

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked. When he got no reply, he said, "State what you want from us or be on your way. We have no desire to play games."

After a moment, the voice hissed: "Death to Jedi." The words seemed to hang in the damp night air.

Anakin sensed the hidden being's desire for battle. //What's he waiting for?// he wondered.

"Not very original," Obi-Wan replied to the creature's taunt. ?If you want to kill Jedi, you?ve got a lot of competition.?

Anakin felt the waves of malice increasing in intensity, and wondered if their adversary might be goaded into revealing himself after all. Then, all at once, he felt the dark pressure in his mind go slack. A sudden movement to his right caught his eye. As he turned his head, he glimpsed a crouching, cloaked figure leaping from the roof of the barn out into empty space. An instant later, there was only the barn's sloped roof silhouetted against the lightening sky.

"What was it?" Anakin asked, near-breathless.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said, in a tone that made it clear he had an idea, but was refusing to overreact. They remained in position for a time, listening until the forest insects began their trilling, creaking songs again. Then Obi-Wan extinguished his blade and patted Anakin on the shoulder a couple of times, giving assurance that it was all right to stand down from high alert.

"Master, I--" His words were cut off by a hideous squeal coming from near the house.

Both Jedi turned sharply before the nature of the sound sunk in--the cry had been that of a stricken weavole, a tunneling garden pest the skrikes devoured whenever they could. Soon the lizard creatures' own barking calls started up, and the farmyard began returning to normal.

"I was going to say, I don't think I'm going to get back to sleep," Anakin said, allowing himself to relax slightly.

"Nor do I." Glancing up at the sky, Obi-Wan said, "I suggest we spend the time until dawn in meditation--preferably somewhere the skrikes can't get to us."

Anakin followed his Master to the farmyard gate, and then a short way along the path to a clearing amid stands of pinyin trees. Pinyins were primitive-looking trees, almost more like giant reeds; they were little more than towering stalks with sprays of hard, green blossoms sticking out of awkward knobs in their trunks. The morning mist was beginning to rise from the ground, making the alien forest seem even stranger. Both Jedi knelt down and rested their hands on their knees. Anakin sensed Obi-Wan's mind falling into the silence of deep meditation almost at once, but it was some time before Anakin himself found enough inner peacefulness to do likewise.

****
End 30/?

Hey . . . I've been posting this for a whole month. Woo-hoo!

 

Much later that morning, Obi-Wan sat with Anakin and R2 in the front room of Pepik Ketanqa's cluttered hut, working to assemble the parts from three different makes of swoop onto an Aratech frame. Pepik had made a brief, intoxicated scene in the village meeting the previous night over the swoop Obi-Wan had destroyed, and the Jedi had promised to make it up to him.

In theory, Pepik could have submitted a damage report to the Senate, but Republic credits weren't much good out here. Obi-Wan had little to offer in the way of compensation except skilled labor. Pepik might not have appreciated how skilled. Obi-Wan and R2 could have done a competent job of assembling a swoop by themselves given the right parts and tools, but Anakin took the effort to a new level entirely. The boy had always had an intuitive understanding of machines, and was capable of making the most improbable collection of components work as though they'd been made to fit together.

Anakin was currently busy setting a series of alloy shims into an Incom housing, which would allow it to accommodate a Mobquet control vane. Obi-Wan leaned his shoulder against the Aratech repulsorlift engine, holding it in place as R2 carefully soldered it.

In just four hours they'd assembled most of the vehicle from a collection of parts strewn about the floor, no matter that many of the components were supposedly incompatible. Many of them might have been stolen, too--a possibility that prickled Obi-Wan's conscience. Alleged theft of Coridani speeder components had provoked the massacre at the Grove of Martyrs. Then again, Obi-Wan had "borrowed" Pepik's swoop and destroyed it, so perhaps he wasn't qualified to sit in judgment.

Obi-Wan glanced over at his student, who was sitting cross-legged on the dirt floor, seeming contentedly absorbed in his work. Anakin had always found it tremendously soothing to work with his hands.

Ani seemed all right now, but Obi-Wan worried about him. What if the creature who'd called to Anakin from the darkness truly was a Sith? There were certain similarities between this creature and the Sith he'd confronted on Naboo. Both assaulted their would-be victims with mental attacks designed to provoke dread and demoralization. Obi-Wan would have liked to believe the Sith had no motive for menacing a sixteen-year-old boy, but Anakin was no ordinary sixteen-year-old. If he truly was the Chosen One, as Qui-Gon believed, the Sith would naturally seek his destruction. Another possibility was that Anakin was not the primary target at all, but only a convenient way of getting at Obi-Wan, who had killed a Sith on Naboo.

"If," always "if." "The Dark Side clouds everything," Master Yoda would say. Obi-Wan briefly shut his eyes against the image of Anakin speeding off across the surface of the Shasti, and himself leveling a blast rifle at his Padawan's back. No, Anakin definitely did not need any contact with the Sith. Obi-Wan would not permit himself to feel something as un-Jedilike as fear, but he had begun to feel the pressure of time acutely, as well as his inability to contact his superiors on Coruscant.

Anakin had just finished sealing his steering vane housing, and he held it up for Obi-Wan to see. "What do you think, Master?" he asked. It would have taken an expert eye to detect that the parts had not been made to fit together.

"Very nice," Obi-Wan said, inspecting the piece. R2 finished welding the engine in place, and the Jedi sat back, rubbing his shoulder.

"Still want to sell me to the tinkers?" Anakin asked, which made Obi-Wan smile.

It was a reference to a very old and rather tacky joke that Anakin found unaccountably amusing. "Oh, I expect so,? Obi-Wan said, pretending to be very serious. ?With skills like that, I might be able to get three, four-and-a-half credits for you.?

That got a grin out of Anakin as he attached the newly-assembled steering vane to the swoop's frame. ?Wow. That?s two more than you thought you could get for me last time,? he s

 

Whoa! I sure missed a lot! Sorry! I was at an FFA convention since the 7th and just got back today! They were awesome posts!

 

Since you're basically working in the parent/child relationship building genre, you could even look as (apparently) far afield as "Freaky Friday" (either version)


I?m sorry I haven?t replied in a really long time, it?s not because I hate you now or something. I don?t have *that* strange of mood swings. This has been a really busy week or so and I really despise that because I would much rather have absolutely nothing to do all day, I never get bored. So now I have many a post to catch up on, but that?s ok because I love them.

----

I love Obi-Wan?s story because he?s not afraid to make an example of himself. The way you portray the Anakin/Obi-Wan relationship in this story is really nice. I don?t think they were always fighting, but I also think you portray a more healthy relationship than what I imagine from the films that their relationship would have been at this point in time. That?s not a bad thing at all because it?s still in fitting with their characters? it?s just that it?s perhaps Obi-Wan at his best (since I think in AOTC he wouldn?t be very willing to make such an example of himself). Does any of this make sense? Is this thing on?

This was more or less exactly what Anakin had done that afternoon, and the boy looked away, apparently trying not to be amused by Obi-Wan?s story. In this case, laughing at Obi-Wan carried the price of being willing to laugh at himself.

It?s really too bad that the Jedi in general seem to get in these moods where they take everything too seriously. Unfortunately, I know exactly how that is and I can?t help it. I just think things are pretty serious a lot of the time. I like how you portrayed, for once, that Obi-Wan was willing to try to amuse Anakin and lighten the mood. Obi-Wan, as serious as he is, has this wryness about him and I love the way you capture that.

Watching bickering is no fun . . . unless it's hilarious bickering, like between Han and Leia.

While I have to agree with you that Han and Leia bickering certainly takes the cake, I have to admit my penchant for angst, so I?m not sure I can completely go along with that opinion

Still, he was milder than the captain of the guards was. *He* wanted me pilloried--literally, as a matter of fact.

This made me chuckle but at the same time it was rather sad to think of poor young, silly, ADHD Obi-Wan being threatened by a guard captain.

Anakin?s variable moods lent him a certain resilience, while Obi-Wan's more stable personality worked against him sometimes. Depression had settled over him shortly after the battle on Emyr and refused to lift.


Darn Obi-Wan and his propensity for brooding. It only makes things worse. I think he had to force himself to get over that during his time on Tatooine, otherwise he would have literally gone insane and probably wouldn?t have been around by the time of ANH to help Luke.


That wouldn?t be good enough for the Jedi Order; they?d tell him he?d have to make a choice. But Anakin didn?t want to choose.

Ah, such a very telling little section this is. Anakin does feel guilt about it, but I think he?s unsure if his guilt is his own or just that imposed by the Order. And him thinking that he just doesn?t want to choose is very typical of someone his age. He?s stuck between a rock and a hard place, and as much as he wants to think he?s mature and capable of taking care of himself, he really doesn?t want to have to make a hard decision either way.


"Stop," Obi-Wan said. He traced a small half-circle on Anakin's forehead with his thumb, accompanying the gesture with a gentle Force-suggestion: //Go to sleep.//

That trick worked on really small kids, and Anakin wasn't impressed. ?Master, I?m almost an adult,? he pointed out. ?You don?t do that to people my age.?

?Fine then,? Obi-Wan said. He raised himself up on his elbow and leaned in toward Anakin?s face. Anakin got a realy good look at his Master's exhaustion-reddened eyes as he said: ?Go. To. Sleep.? With that Obi-Wan rolled back over and tossed a fold o

 

Welcome back, Diamond_Pony2000! It's good to see you again.

Thank you for your wonderful comments, solojones! Forgive me if I post this first and get back to them in a little bit.

****

Obi-Wan nodded in response to Anakin's questioning look, and the boy rolled effortlessly to his feet. Anakin wiped his grease-stained fingers on his tunic hem as they walked out onto the packed-earth path that led through the trees. Like the Oyas, Pepik lived a short distance away from the village center. R2 trundled out after them, wobbling slightly over sticks and irregular lumps in the ground. Apparently Pepik found the daylight uncongenial; he lumbered back into his other room muttering to himself.

"Did your father say how many people he saw coming?" Obi-Wan asked the little boy.

"No, sir," Uyek said. "He just said to find you and tell you that somebody's coming up on the village from the north."

Coridani territory lay to the north, but surely, anyone coming from the desert would approach from the west, climbing up the valley wall from the river basin. "Thank you, Uyek. Why don't you run home and tell your father you found us."

As the child hurried off, Anakin asked, "Do you think there's any danger? I don't sense any."

"Nor do I--just yet. But after meeting with that creature last night I don't want to take any chances," Obi-Wan said. To R2 he added, "Follow us. I don't quite trust you with him." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the dim interior of Pepik's house, where, judging by the grumbling and rustling sounds inside, Pepik was creeping back into bed.

R2's warbling whistle had a grateful sound. He obviously had no desire for any of his internal components to join the collection of mechanical parts lying on the floor of Pepik's front room.

Morning was nearly over, but a heavy mist still hung in the air, turning the village houses into dark, indistinct shapes in the fog. Hoel Oya either had very keen eyes or this visitor was being unusually careless as he approached Nidawi. Still, perhaps the intruder had his own reasons for making his approach known. Obi-Wan swung the edge of his mantle back and hooked it behind his saber hilt, and Anakin did likewise.

R2 fell behind the Jedi as they strode through the village toward its northern boundary. The street was nearly deserted; a group of villagers had left early that morning for Wemilat, in order to arrange the children's evacuation. That left fewer adults capable of fighting in an emergency. Grimly, Obi-Wan considered the possibility that an enemy had chosen now to attack because the young ones were left relatively undefended.

As they came up to the northern edge of the village, Obi-Wan saw that Hoel's perceptions were correct. A shrouded figure was visible through the mist, leaning against one of the white posts that marked Nidawi's boundaries. It remained motionless they approached. Obi-Wan thought the being looked exhausted or injured; however, whether it was truly debilitated was anyone's guess.

He made sure to stop well away from the creature. "Who are you?" he called out. Neither Jedi had drawn his weapon, but Anakin had taken his proper "ready" position, slightly behind his Master and to his left.

The strange being straightened up and lifted a hand as if to push back the hood of its cloak, then seemed to hesitate. "You are Jedi?" The voice was a woman's; her tones the dry, clipped ones of a well-born Core World resident.

Obi-Wan's surprise quickly changed to equal measures of hope and disbelief. This couldn't be who he thought it was . . . surely, all the missing Freespace volunteers were dead. "Yes," he answered.

He thought the woman whispered, "Thank the gods." She walked toward them, bone-deep exhaustion telegraphed in her every movement.

Obi-Wan met her more than halfway, catching her arm as she stumbled. "Thank you," she said softly. As she regained her balance, she brushed back the moisture-darkened hood of her cloak. "I'm Matreya Leilani."

 

R2's warbling whistle had a grateful sound. He obviously had no desire for any of his internal components to join the collection of mechanical parts lying on the floor of Pepik's front room.

Haha, beautiful. Yes, indeed, the true hero of the saga

Obi-Wan swung the edge of his mantle back and hooked it behind his saber hilt, and Anakin did likewise.

I like that little action. It gives them easier access to their weapons, should they need them, but it also serves to kind of display their sabres to this ?guest? or whomever he is. Jedi and their bragging

"You are Jedi?" The voice was a woman's; her tones the dry, clipped ones of a well-born Core World resident.

*glances at newcomer*

*glances at Obi-Wan*

*glances at description of story in first post*

Uh oh ?

"Lady Bedegraine," he said, his voice soft with amazement.

"Yes," she said, with a surprisingly rueful smile. "Regrettably."

Hah, I like her so far. This is certainly going to be an interesting twist. I had almost forgotten what their original mission on the planet was supposed to have been, and then you bring up those lost people they were supposedly looking for. Clever, very clever.

 

solojones wrote:

I?m sorry I haven?t replied in a really long time, it?s not because I hate you now or something.

Oh, I know. Hatred of me generally develops slowly, inexorably . . . I can feel it swelling in you now . . . give in to your anger! (Aaand so on and so forth, daaahk shide will bee complete, etc., etc.)

I don?t think they were always fighting, but I also think you portray a more healthy relationship than what I imagine from the films that their relationship would have been at this point in time.

Yeah . . . I had to skew it a bit toward the positive side so I could possibly stand to write about them. It's hard to care about characters who are jerks to one another most of the time.

it?s just that it?s perhaps Obi-Wan at his best (since I think in AOTC he wouldn?t be very willing to make such an example of himself).

I have personally decided that mitigating factors have contributed to Obi-Wan's near-ceaseless crabbiness in AOTC. For one thing, Anakin seems not to want his sympathy--he wants his agreement and permission to do whatever he wants . . . or at least that's sort of implied in the "dreams pass in time" scene. I also expect the bratty, angst-ridden teenager routine has gotten old for Obi-Wan. I imagine him as having compassion for actual angst-ridden teens, but thinking that by age 20 a person should have given that up. . . . then again, he could just be a terminally arrogant grouch.

Incidentally, we get to see Anakin in a much more positive light later on. He doesn't spend the *whole* story needing crisis intervention.

Obi-Wan, as serious as he is, has this wryness about him and I love the way you capture that.

Alec Guiness' Obi-Wan is willing to engage in some self-deprecating humor ("Oh, he's not dead . . . not yet.") Whether there were traces of that in him as a younger man is anybody's guess . . . although I admit we haven't really seen it in the prequels.

I have to admit my penchant for angst, so I?m not sure I can completely go along with that opinion.

I'm a huge angst fan myself, but I prefer dismal, interior-monologue angst . . . preferably undertaken in a barren field of gray, wind-twisted grass . . . alone . . . in the rain. (Okay, mostly that's my X-Files fic.)

Actually I used to have this animated gif banner that said: "Discovery Channel Sicence, Atmospherics, And Men Who Aren't Afraid To Cry. It's All Good. --Ophelia's Fan Fiction." That's still more XF stuff than Star Wars, but you get the general idea.

This made me chuckle but at the same time it was rather sad to think of poor young, silly, ADHD Obi-Wan being threatened by a guard captain.

I've always wondered what local populations thought of Jedi kids . . . I can imagine them thinking, "Aaaaaaa! It's a super-powered adolescent! Get it away! Get it away!!" Some people may not be very nice.

Incidentally, the whole Emyr fiasco isn't the only time a well-meaning Qui-Gon set Obi-Wan up for spectacular failure. **cough** Obi-Wan promise...promise me you'll train the boy... **cough**

I think he had to force himself to get over that during his time on Tatooine, otherwise he would have literally gone insane and probably wouldn?t have been around by the time of ANH to help Luke.

I think so too . . . I've always been tempted to write an Obi-Wan-in-the-desert fic that explored how he came to terms with things. If I can think of a way to shoehorn Discover Channel science into it, I may do it.

And him thinking that he just doesn?t want to choose is very typical of someone his age.

Actually, I'd argue that his desire to have it all is his main problem throughout the saga. Obi-Wan's not perfect, but he manages to cope with loss and grief. Anakin won't let go of *anything.*

The fact that he wishes he could contact his ?superiors? back on Coruscant was a nice reminder that, as skilled as Obi-Wan is, he is still very unsure when it co

 

Damn, you're quick on the draw, sj!

solojones wrote:

*glances at description of story in first post*

Uh oh ?

I must admit, nervousness over readers' possible reactions to Matreya Leilani contributed to the breakdown of this story last time. This was in the fall of '02, when there was a huge backlash against the proliferation of Obi/Other fics on the board. I was actually scared to put that categorization in the story header, for fear no one would read it.

FWIW, my original beta reader, the incomparable Aanix_Durray (who, sadly, seems to have left the boards) liked Matreya and officially declared her not a Mary Sue. However, Matreya's also not a traditional Star Wars heroine, in that she's not a Jedi, a tough-as-nails pilot type, or a galactic political leader. I can't say I based her on any particular character, but I did look to movie heriones of the 40's as a partial inspiration. For some reason, I can only imagine Obi-Wan involved in a rather old-fashioned kind of romance. (Medieval courtly love themes are present, but in the background . . . the formality seemed not to work here, and the idea's been done an awful lot. There's definitely more a wartime Greatest Generation feel to their relationship . . . or at least there's supposed to be.)

Anyway . . . Matreya's a bit softer than what we're used to seeing in the GFFA. On the positive side, she's definately not going to be a rival for Obi-Wan in terms of taking center stage. On the negative side, she's an OC romantic interest . . . the ultimate sin among fanfic authors. Here's hoping the whole thing doesn't blow up in my face.

 

Lor' bless ya, solojones, for looking this over for me! ::touches greasy forelock obsequiously, goes back to rattling change in tin cup in front of sign which reads: "Fanfic addict, pleeze hlp."::

Potentially startling POV shift commencing in 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . .

****

Matreya Leilani sat by the hearth in Dar the healer's hut, her hands wrapped around a wooden bowl of stew. The Jedi had led her here at once and asked Dar to look after to her, to which the old man had agreed. Nidawi's people had little reason to help or trust offworlders after what the Coridani had done to the mountain country, so she was doubly grateful for Dar's offer of food and shelter.

She'd had little time to form an impression of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, other than that both Jedi were helpful and concerned, and that Anakin was much younger than she'd initially thought. He was a tall boy who carried himself more like a Jedi adult than a deferential Padawan. He'd certainly seemed formidable enough when the Jedi had stopped her at the edge of the village, thinking she might be a threat. And yet he, like his Master, had been quite kind once they discovered that she was only a fool of a volunteer, far out of her depth and in need of help.

She'd wanted to talk to them at once about the information she carried, but they'd insisted that she rest and eat first. They'd promised to return before long and listen to what she had to say. She'd been impatient at first, but now she had to admit she was grateful for the reprieve.

Matreya had eaten little but pellet-like emergency rations for days, and the solid food she'd eaten sent an unaccustomed rush of warmth through her. Sleepiness followed soon after, and by the time she set her bowl on the floor she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Sleep would have to wait, however. She pressed her hand against the hard shape of the holocube tucked into the inner flap of her tunic, a gesture that had become reflexive over the past three weeks. This time, she pulled the cube out and let it sit in the palm of her hand. The little data storage device resembled nothing so much as a block of dirty ice. Yet three people had already died for the information it contained, and there was no telling how many more might perish if its contents weren't transmitted to the Senate in time.

Slowly, she curled her fingers over it. The cube looked out of place beneath her fingertips' torn and dirty nails. She'd chosen a life of service that at times involved calculated risk, but she was no adventurer. This was a mission better suited to the Jedi Knights, and she looked forward to turning the holocube over to them. After that, she hoped to sleep for about a week.

Mouse, her little med tech droid, bumped his nose against her ankle. She looked down at him and asked, "What is it?" A hatch opened on Mouse's rounded carapace, and one of his delicate sensor arms unfolded with a faint whine of servos. He wanted to take her vital signs.

She smiled at him with weary affection. There was something faintly comical about a cybernetic being the size of a bread basket trying to look after her. "Are you telling me I don't look lovely today?" she asked, hooking a strand of her twig-snagged hair behind her ear in an gesture of mock vanity.

"Lovely t-today," Mouse answered in his buzzing little voice. He opened and closed his sensor arm's grippers until Matreya pushed up the sleeve of her tunic and let him grasp her wrist.

"Flatterer," she told him.

The single blue eye on top of his head flickered as he processed her information. Within seconds he released her arm. "Distress, Tech II," he said, sounding as concerned as his low-budget vocorder allowed. "Distress." Technical units like Mouse did not come with the programming that allowed easy learning and pronunciation of proper names. That cost extra, and Freespace was perpetually strapped for money as it was. The ironic result was that Mouse got a name while Ma

 

"My lady," Anakin replied, brushing his moisture-darkened hood back from his head. She'd noted earlier that he had a directness about him that was unusual among Padawan learners. The Padawans she'd met tended to go through life with downcast eyes, trailing their Masters in deferential silence. She rather preferred Anakin's boldness to the eerie silence of his fellows. Obi-Wan, by contrast, seemed similar to other Jedi she'd known: quiet; polite; distant.

"Thank you, Ayita," Obi-Wan said as the child shut the door behind them. When he brushed back his hood and looked up, he appeared surprised to find Matreya standing. "My lady . . . please," he said, holding his hand out toward her chair.

"We're not the formal kind," Anakin said, smiling.

"I'm glad to hear that," Matreya said. She smoothed her skirt under her and sat down. "My life at home always seems to consist of nothing but receptions full of officials and their protocol droids. I think I've seen enough formalities to last a lifetime."

She thought she saw the faintest trace of humor cross Obi-Wan's face. "To be sure. It's a hazard of life in political circles."

Besides the chair Matreya was sitting in, the only pieces of furniture in Dar's front room were a drop-leaf wooden table and a single mismatched chair. This didn't seem to bother the Jedi, who knelt down on the well-scrubbed planks of the floor. They tucked their toes under them and rested their hands lightly on their knees. Matreya knew this position allowed Jedi to spring to their feet at an moment's notice, but to her it always looked extremely uncomfortable.

They looked at her expectantly. This was the moment she'd been waiting for; responsibility for the dangerous information she carried would now pass to someone else. Yet as she looked down at the holocube in her hand, she was a little reluctant to let it go. It was her connection to her fallen companions. It had been her reason for getting up and moving on for the last three, terrible weeks. Still, there was no denying the reality of the situation. She was a socialite-turned-medical volunteer, not a warrior. She could take this mission no farther. "I have something I want to show you," she said.

At last, she uncurled her fingers and held out the holocube to Obi-Wan. "This is the recording I was telling you about."

He accepted the small block of duraplast and turned it over in his hands. "You believe this contains evidence that would force the Republic's intervention on Angharad?" he asked. His tone was one of guarded interest. Matreya had, after all, made some remarkable claims about the data it contained.

She nodded. "We managed to record Perahta's invasion preparations in the desert. He's amassing equipment for both ground and air strikes . . . it's obviously not a simple security force, no matter what CMC?s chairman claims."

Obi-Wan set the cube on the floor in front of him with a sort of grave care. He seemed to be considering how to phrase his reply. "It was very brave of your friends to make this recording," he said at last. He looked up at her and added quietly, "I take it they paid dearly for it."

The understanding in his voice sliced through layers of distance she'd put between herself and what had happened in Moroara Pass. She turned away from Obi-Wan's too-perceptive gaze and pushed back memories of those last terrible moments: Wullie forcing her and Mouse into a hollow in the rock, pressing the holocam into her hands. //?Wait here. I?ll be back,?// the Wookiee volunteer had growled. Then he?d casting a last, anxious glance over his shoulder toward their attackers before rushing out to meet them-?drawing them away from her.

Moments later, he?d been dead.

Matreya blinked back the stinging in her eyes and forced her breath to remain steady as she gazed out one of the narrow windows that pierced the stone walls of the room. She reminded herself that she was here to honor her friends? sacrifice; she?d brought the evidence of their murders this far.

 

I don?t mean to make you nervous about the character and plotline. From reading this chapter so far, I don?t think Matreya is a Mary Sue either. She doesn?t seem to be perfect or amazingly talented and powerful. Leave that to the skrikes! I think people get scared out of writing OCs just because there?s such a stigma surrounding them sometimes. Don?t worry about it. You are such a wonderful author, you are no where near being in danger of writing some ridiculous Mary Sue story. I trust your ability to make it for the better, not for the worse. You have a great grasp on the existing characters, so I?m not worried at all- just interested

For some reason, I can only imagine Obi-Wan involved in a rather old-fashioned kind of romance.

Oh, oh, does this story end with him saying ?Frankly Matreya, I don?t give a damn?, putting on his hat and then walking out into the fog? I knew it


He'd certainly seemed formidable enough when the Jedi had stopped her at the edge of the village, thinking she might be a threat.

It?s interesting, again, how the Jedi padawans are such a mix of young and old. Anakin?s a teenager, and yet, when he snaps to attention and has his sabre ready, he?s a very real and formidable threat.

The little data storage device resembled nothing so much as a block of dirty ice. Yet three people had already died for the information it contained, and there was no telling how many more might perish if its contents weren't transmitted to the Senate in time.

It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing? I?m sorry, was I in the wrong universe there? Hey, it?s a recurring theme in fantasy, though. There were those Death Star plans in ANH, afterall. The ever-present McGuffin which everyone wants badly enough their willing to kill for it, and which conveniently drives the plot


a strand of her twig-snagged hair behind her ear in an gesture of mock vanity.

I like the little details like this and her fingernails being dirty and torn that give this a gritty feel. It definitely helps with the impression that she?s been out in the woods by herself a while and has encountered some really tough things.


The ironic result was that Mouse got a name while Matreya was stuck with a number. "Tech II" happened to be her job title and field medic certification level.

Brilliant. I always wish I could work such amusing little characters and relationships into my stories, but seem to fail. Those little quirky in-jokes and things between people/things add to their characters and, once again, make the story feel more real.





"Be all right," he repeated, as if reminding her in case she forgot.

Yes, sir, I promise to be all right, sir. *salutes Mouse*


Surely, if she were capable of carrying an infant to term, she'd have done so by now. Last she'd heard, he was planning on having himself cloned.

*snorts* Men. I see this as an interesting aspect of her character, though. Clearly, she?s grown up in a very proper world where women seem to be treated like objects. Her past experience with men makes for an interesting set-up


She rather preferred Anakin's boldness to the eerie silence of his fellows. Obi-Wan, by contrast, seemed similar to other Jedi she'd known: quiet; polite; distant.

Intriguing first impressions. To the Jedi, Anakin is more of the problem than Obi-Wan, clearly. In the non-Jedi world, however, Obi-Wan definitely comes across as being rather bland and Anakin as being a more interesting person? it should be interesting to see how Matreya?s perspective on this affects how she relates to both of them, and to see how it might change. *gets out a red pen and adds after ?distant?: ?endearing?; ?brave?; ?delectable?.*


Matreya knew this position allowed Jedi to spring to their feet at an moment's notice, but to her it always looked extremely uncomfortable.

Yeah, is there some kind of Force trick to keep your feet from falli

 

solojones wrote:

I trust your ability to make it for the better, not for the worse. You have a great grasp on the existing characters, so I?m not worried at all- just interested

Thank you! It's always good to have reader confidence to fall back on when writer confidence fails. For some reason, no matter how many stories I write, I still get squirrely about them sometimes. I'm trying to give that up for mental health reasons. Hobbies can be dangerous, man. There's no whistle that blows when it's time to quit.

Oh, oh, does this story end with him saying ?Frankly Matreya, I don?t give a damn?, putting on his hat and then walking out into the fog?

I was hoping more for "The problems of three people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." Obi-Wan's a Jedi and a gentleman, after all. He always gives a damn.

when he snaps to attention and has his sabre ready, he?s a very real and formidable threat.

I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, that's for sure. Well, maybe the grownup Ani . . . if he'd given me his phone number first. ::Thinks about that:: Nah, he's still too young. The skrikes and I will take Obi-Wan.

It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing?

Right--and that's when Boromir the Unconscious Gondorian comes in with Gollum, who's still dressed as a magic sitar . . .

::Brain starts melting, gropes around on desk for medication::

The ever-present McGuffin which everyone wants badly enough their willing to kill for it, and which conveniently drives the plot

Actually, Anakin Skywalker's more of the McGuffin in this case, but yeah, you do need stuff that characters want, or they go on strike and refuse to work. (Stupid characters.)

I always wish I could work such amusing little characters and relationships into my stories, but seem to fail.

But sj . . . you're hilarious. Maybe you're working on other elements of writing right now, and later you can figure out how to have your characters "inherit" your sense of humor? (Not that they don't sometimes: ". . . a particularly shiny floor tile . . .") That was evil, but I loved it. Of course . . . I should be posting this *there* instead of *here* . . .

*gets out a red pen and adds after ?distant?: ?endearing?; ?brave?; ?delectable?.*

Hey, you're preaching to the choir.

Yeah, is there some kind of Force trick to keep your feet from falling asleep? Because that would be useful.

People in Japan can sit like that for hours and it apparently doesn't bug them. This is why their cars are so small. They're used to being cramped.

You?re in a Star Wars story, darling- nothing?s ever easy

Worse than that--she's in a Star Wars fanfic story. Can you imagine Fanfic!Obi-Wan trying to buy insurance? "How many illnesses and injuries have I had? Ummm . . . about 300 a day, not counting mental breakdowns and things . . ."

Writers are evil.

Evil!

 

****
Outside, the morning mist had congealed into a stubborn, condensing fog, and she focused on that, using the haze to block out memories she was not yet ready to examine. After the back of her throat stopped squeezing so hard, she was able to answer: "Yes, Master Jedi. They paid very dearly."

?I?m so sorry for your loss,? Obi-Wan said, his voice very gentle. Matreya sensed permission to grieve there, but she forced her sorrow down. She feared that if she started to weep, she wouldn?t stop, and she knew in her gut that if she began to break down mentally, she would never survive this place.

Obi-Wan continued with some reluctance, as if he were breaking bad news: "I wish I could tell you this would bring an armed response from the Republic,? he said, touching the holocube, ?But I fear that isn?t the case. We can make no transmissions offworld, my lady, and even if we could, maintaining a private army on corporate property is essentially legal. It violates the spirit of the law, certainly--"

"We were fired on in the Pass after making that recording," she broke in. Her voice sounded husky and strange to her own ears. The Jedi fell silent, waiting for her to continue. "Wullie's death is on that holocube," she said. "And Dekkan's . . . Nanapoeg fell before we had any idea what was happening. You can make out the shape of the scouts' helmets as they come down . . . Perahta's men retrieving the bodies."

In the quiet that followed her words, the sounds of the little house seemed to have grown loud: the whickering of the fire; the creak of the roof beams in the wind; Dar grinding something up with a stone pestle in the back room.

?I?ve seen friends fall, and there?s nothing more painful,? Obi-Wan said, his voice gentle. ?I can only imagine how terrible it was for you.? His words seemed to fall into the silence like pebbles dropping into a well.

She nodded, acknowledging he'd spoken, but her thoughts were far away. The image of Wullawumpura's body filled her mind: his powerful limbs bent at unnatural angles, dark blood matting his fur . . . .

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Anakin look at his Master, and she heard the youth's boot leather creak as he shifted position. Belatedly, Matreya remembered that Jedi could sense others' thoughts. Her first embarrassed impulse was to cut the interview short and withdraw. Before she could excuse herself, Obi-Wan reached out and placed his hand over her own. It was a measured, deliberate touch, professional rather than familiar, but the gentle pressure conveyed a sense of comfort and strength.

Her grief had been waiting for just such a moment of kindness to break loose, she felt a sudden urge to pull away. //I can?t do that,// she told herself, //he?ll think I find him offensive.// The too-well remembered voice of her girlhood protocol master informed her that this was no way to treat a man who?d risked his life to rescue her. She forced herself to meet his gaze, uncertain of what she would find there, and what her reaction would be.

She needn?t have worried. His expression was simply one of deep compassion. It didn?t seem to matter to him that she was an ex-senator?s wife or a meddling amateur who?d gotten into trouble and needed to be hauled out by the professionals. She was suffering and he was concerned, and that?s all there was to it. For the first time in a very long time, Matreya felt some of the aching tension in her body lessen.

****
End 35/?

 

"Master?" Anakin asked. Matreya did not need to be telepathic to interpret the look he was giving his teacher: //We can do something, can't we?// Apparently the younger Jedi was more willing than his Master to get emotionally involved in the struggles of those they rescued.

Matreya gave the Jedi a grateful but embarrassed smile as she sat back in her chair, withdrawing from the contact. "Forgive me," she said, reaching up to wipe her eyes. Exhaustion and relief were quickly eroding her resolve to stay calm.

Obi-Wan tugged a neatly-folded handkerchief from out of his belt pouch and held it out to her. "Thank you," she said. She blotted her eyes, and noticed with embarrassment that the cloth came away smudged. She folded the handkerchief around the smudge and smoothed the piece of cloth on her knee.

"My lady . . . please don?t apologize,? the young Knight said. ?It is I who owe you an apology.?

"For what?" she asked, puzzled.

"My orders were to find and rescue you," he said. "But after all my attempts to find you or reach you by comm failed . . . I?m afraid I assumed you were dead. Had I known, I would never have left you to wander the mountainside alone." There was sincere regret in his clear-eyed gaze, but he seemed neither to expect nor ask for forgiveness.

Matreya was never comfortable thinking that she?d put someone out, even a Jedi Knight who was doing his job. She tried to put him at ease: ?I certainly understand the mistake,? she assured him. "I thought I was dead myself once. It turned out I was only a guest at Prince Ezdred's dinner party . . . imagine my disappointment."

Jedi were notoriously immune to socialite charm, but she did get a grin out of Anakin. Obi-Wan smoothed down his beard, apparently as cover while he worked to extinguish the beginnings of a smile. "Yes . . . well, that's as maybe. There's still no excuse for my negligence, and I am sorry," he said.

More seriously, Matreya continued, "Master Jedi, I have been desperately trying to appear dead for weeks. I don't see how you are at fault. I learned not to trust anything that came over Freespace's emergency comm channel anyway. The frequency's not exactly a secret, and I began hearing 'emergency search and rescue' messages almost at once after Wullie and the others were killed. It was far too soon for any real rescue attempt to have started, so I didn't respond. All kinds of terrifying things came over the comm after that . . . I think they were trying to frighten me, so I?d turn myself in. I switched the channel off rather than listen to it.

?I kept the wide-band receiver on because I could sometimes pick up bits of unencrypted conversation. The information wasn?t very helpful, but at least the strength of the signal helped me figure out when Perahta?s scouts were getting close. Last night everyone on the channel was talking about Jedi in Nidawi. At first I didn?t believe it, but then I decided they were all too frightened for it to be a lie. I took a chance and came here." She didn?t mention the part about being nearly out of emergency rations and becoming increasingly desperate to be among people again, no matter what sort of reception they gave her.

At the mention of comm transmissions about Jedi being in Nidawi, a chill had washed over both Obi-Wan and Anakin. She caught Anakin's pained glance at his Master, and the stern one the elder Jedi gave him in reply. Matreya got the sense she?d just put her foot in her mouth.

"Do you recall what they said about Jedi in Nidawi?" Obi-Wan asked her.

"Well . . . most of it seemed like rumors--the kind of stories that spread among people when their leader won't give out accurate information,? Matreya said, almost regretting she?d said anything at all. ?Some soldiers said there were two of you, some thought there were a dozen. Until I found you, I wasn?t sure if any of it was true."

"Can you recall anything else Perahta's men said, even if it didn't seem important at the time?" Obi-Wan asked.

Matreya th

 

I'm sorry I disappeared for a while! *kicks DRL*

I like Matreya so far -- I wouldn't call her a Mary Sue at all, unless you are secretly a socialite doing charity work yourself I will come back with comments later.

 

Ah, you are fast approaching where you left off the first time and I am eager to see where you are going totake your story. I wonder, for instance, if the fact that Matreya (who apparently detests Court life as much as Obi-Wan does the political arena) and her husband have been childless for so long will become a plot point. I realize that the galaxy can never have enough Kenobis, but...

Sounds like a sequel to me.

But oooooooooooooooo, you've cut a couple of my favorite passages (the reference to Obi-Wan's flair with a needle and thread and the gundark story). I can see where you might have thought those lines were not in keeping with the solemnity of the conversation about Matreya's comrades being slain.

No matter. I really love this story and look forward to more. I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of Anakin's penchant for AWT (Action Without Thought).

 

DarthPenguin wrote:

I wonder, for instance, if the fact that Matreya (who apparently detests Court life as much as Obi-Wan does the political arena) and her husband have been childless for so long will become a plot point. I realize that the galaxy can never have enough Kenobis, but...

Sounds like a sequel to me.

LOL! Honestly, I've thought about it, even though that would take us wayyy into AU territory. Anything's possible, however.

But oooooooooooooooo, you've cut a couple of my favorite passages (the reference to Obi-Wan's flair with a needle and thread and the gundark story).

Whoa! I'm surpised you remembered all that! Maybe I shouldn't have cut it, then . . . as I was reading the chapter over, I was thinking, "None of this has anything to do with anything, why did I even include this stuff?" So I cut it. I may be able to get a stripped-down version of the same story in later, though, since I know at least one person likes it. It's just that as it was written, it didn't seem to justify the two pages or so it took up.

I can see where you might have thought those lines were not in keeping with the solemnity of the conversation about Matreya's comrades being slain.

There was that, too. I was trying to shoehorn too much into one scene, since I was worried everyone would hate my Obi/Other OC and was somehow trying to make her introduction all things to all people. It makes more sense to let her character develop in a slower and more natural way.

No matter. I really love this story and look forward to more.

Thank you! And I'm relieved and flattered that you like things about this scene. It still seems a bit creaky and info-dumpy to me, but my mantra has become, "I'll fix it in post!!" I figure I'll give the thing one more overhaul when it's complete and then submit it to TFN's fanfic archive. After that I'll do a happy dance as I bury a stake in the heart of this deathless, time-sucking vampire of a plot bunny.

I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of Anakin's penchant for AWT (Action Without Thought).

Not really, no . . . although he tries harder to be smart about the things he does. He *wants* to be a good boy, really.

 

"At any rate," Obi-Wan sighed as he turned back to her, "There's nothing we can do about it now. What's done is done. My lady, if you're able to travel tomorrow, I suggest you go to Wemilat with the evacuating villagers. Nidawi isn't a safe place for you. As for this . . ." he picked up the holocube and held it cupped in the palm of his hand. "Evidence of murder would indeed get a swift response from the Senate." He looked upward, clearly imagining the offending blockade ships as they hung in orbit around the planet. "If only we could get it to them."

Anakin looked up suddenly and said, "I could get it offworld."

It was the last thing Matreya was expecting him to say, and for an instant she wondered if they boy was joking or delusional. One teenage Padawan against all of Perahta?s forces? The idea defied belief, but Obi-Wan's look was stern rather than disbelieving.

"You know I could," Anakin near-pleaded. "I could make it past the patrols, and once I'm in a ship I can out-pilot anybody."

"It's not a good idea, Padawan," Obi-Wan said. A bad idea-?but perhaps not impossible? Once again, Matreya had the maddening sense she was only hearing half of the conversation.

"Is it true, Master Jedi? Could he do it?" she asked. Now Obi-Wan was giving *her* a stern look.

"With all due respect, my lady, there are issues you're unaware of," he said.

"But Master--" Anakin protested.

"I don't want to hear any more about it," Obi-Wan said firmly. His voice remained as calm as ever, but Matreya recognized the look he was giving his student from her own days of living under the authority of her governess and protocol master. Although she was still heartened by the idea that Anakin could do as he said, she found herself sincerely hoping that the boy would stop arguing.

After a long moment, Anakin looked down at the floor and muttered, "Yes, Master."

A terribly awkward silence followed. Matreya didn?t think she?d ever seen a Padawan learner challenge his Master before, and she wasn?t sure how Obi-Wan would react. She?d just started to like Obi-Wan-?in fact, she *needed* to like him, since he was quite possibly her only hope of survival?-and she anxiously hoped he would respond with more composure and kindness than her protocol master had.

In the end, Obi-Wan scarcely seemed to react at all. He gave his student a long, steady look, and then turned back to Matreya and continued their earlier conversation. "My Lady, do you trust me with this?" he asked, holding out the holocube in the palm of his hand.

She glanced at Anakin, who seemed unhappy and ashamed, but not frightened. She would have been in a tearful panic if she?d ever dared question her governess in public, knowing the woman would skin her alive when they were alone. However, Anakin didn?t look like a boy who was going to be whipped. As far as she could tell, Obi-Wan expected to be listened to, but he didn?t back up his authority with harshness.

"Yes, Master Jedi," she said at last. ?I trust you.?

In truth, she was a little surprised he?d even asked. The Jedi of Matreya?s acquaintance had generally considered the public?s trust to be their right.

"Then I suggest you allow me to hold onto it for safekeeping. If worst comes to worst and you are captured, it's far better they don't find this on you," Obi-Wan said.

?Of course, Master Jedi. Thank you,? Matreya said. Possession of that holocube was akin to carrying one's own death warrant, but if anyone could get it to the Republic?s authorities, a Jedi could.

"I promise you, we'll do everything we can to keep you safe, and to get your evidence to the Senate and the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan said.

"Thank you," Matreya said again, looking first at one Jedi and then the other. ?I?m most grateful.? In truth, gratitude didn?t even begin to cover what she was feeling. It didn?t matter that she?d found the Jedi rather than the other way around. They were her rescuers, and they had agreed to take her terrible burden from her. That was

 

Obi-Wan seemed to sense her exhaustion. "You've been through quite an ordeal," he said. "We don't want to tire you."

"Not at all," she said. "I only hope I'm not keeping you from your duties."

That was a polite euphemism for ?I need to be alone so I can sleep,? and Obi-Wan picked up on it instantly. He got to his feet, and Anakin quickly did the same. Matreya prepared to get up as well, but Obi-Wan stopped her with a gesture. "My lady, please, it's not necessary," he said. For an instant, the mischievous smile he'd struggled to quell a few moments ago made an appearance. "I think we can find our own way out," he said.

She wondered if he knew it was Kirillosan custom for a hostess to see her guests to the door. She couldn?t help smiling back as she said, ?Of course, Master Jedi.? Even she had to admit that this particular custom was ridiculous in the current situation. //And this isn?t even your house, you idiot,// she reminded herself.

"In the morning, then," she said, looking forward to speaking with them when she was able to stay conscious.

?In the morning,? Obi-Wan said. ?May the Force be with you, my lady.? The Jedi bowed in farewell, then put their hoods up in preparation for walking out into the dripping afternoon. Anakin trailed his Master slightly as they went out, still looking slightly dejected, she thought.

Once the door was shut again, Matreya slumped back in her chair. She couldn't remember ever being so weary. "Distress, Tech II," Mouse reminded her, speaking up now that the Jedi were gone.

"I know," she said. "I'm going to bed as soon as I can make myself get up."

"Distress," Mouse repeated. Matreya suspected that was his way of telling her she was starting to sound like a blithering idiot.

"So what did you think of them?" she asked, looking down at the end of Mouse's nose, which he'd just poked out from the side of her chair.

"Think of them?" Mouse asked, perhaps to buy time for his miserably slow speech processor to dredge up the right words. For the several-thousandth time, Matreya promised herself that if she were ever in control of her own money, she'd donate enough to upgrade the vocorders on Freespace's med tech units.

Finally, Mouse came up with, "J-Jedi. Peace and justice."

"So it's 'Jedi, right or wrong' with you?" she teased him.

" . . . wrong with you?" Mouse asked in apparent incomprehension. He was a technical unit after all. No one had ever programmed him to debate about religion and politics.

"Never mind," Matreya said. Gazing out the window in the direction the Jedi had gone, she said, "I must admit, they're not what I expected." Glancing down at Mouse she added, "That's probably a good thing." She?d found most Jedi to be cool and somewhat intimidating. Yet Anakin was clearly a passionate soul, and Obi-Wan had a curious gentleness underlying the steely self-confidence common to Jedi. It wasn't lost on her that he'd reached out to reassure Anakin when the youth appeared to take a reprimand too much to heart. Nor had she forgotten that Obi-Wan had apologized to her and asked for her trust.

Mouse interrupted her thoughts by extending his sensor arm toward her again. His padded grippers opened and closed rhythmically, and she took the hint. "All right, all right, I'm going," she said.

As she pushed herself to her feet, she said, "I suppose we'll have quite a story to tell later. Well--if we survive, that is."

"If we survive, that is," the little droid repeated. He trundled along behind her as she walked to the ladder that led up to the loft.

Matreya wished Mouse had found some other phrase to mimic, but he had a point, whether or not he'd intended it. She'd seen the tremendous amount of military power Perahta was amassing in the desert. If someone didn't get help from the Republic soon, the chances of any non-Coridani surviving the next few weeks on Angharad were very poor indeed.

****
End 38/?

 

Hobbies can be dangerous, man. There's no whistle that blows when it's time to quit.

I hear you on that one. I think I have become the definition of being too intense about hobbies, but hey, that?s why they?re called passions It?s not like I can get that interested or excited in school


I was hoping more for "The problems of three people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." Obi-Wan's a Jedi and a gentleman, after all. He always gives a damn.

I?ve just been making so many comparisons between SW and Casablanca lately that I thought I?d try a new one. I mean, Rhett is quite handsome and charming, right? But you know, he has more of that roguish Han-ness about him. Rick has that more dry, heroic, Obi-Wan thing going for him. So we?re going to end this story with Matreya getting on a spacecraft with some other guy, and Anakin and Obi-Wan walking off into the mist as Obi-Wan says, ?I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship? ? Perfect! Man, I love Casablanca.


The skrikes and I will take Obi-Wan.

Can I be a skrike?


Right--and that's when Boromir the Unconscious Gondorian comes in with Gollum, who's still dressed as a magic sitar . . .

::Brain starts melting, gropes around on desk for medication::

I know how you feel. Trust me. All the time


Actually, Anakin Skywalker's more of the McGuffin in this case, but yeah, you do need stuff that characters want, or they go on strike and refuse to work. (Stupid characters.)

Are you suggesting that Anakin?s not really important? Well, when you realise that he is around Obi-Wan all the time, it kind of starts to seem that way? Chosen what *follows Obi around like a good skrike*


But sj . . . you're hilarious.

Well, thank you. I?m glad someone thinks so. Otherwise, that Obi-Wan/Anakin humour story I?m working on right now wouldn?t get any audience at all I said nothing.


(Not that they don't sometimes: ". . . a particularly shiny floor tile . . .")
That was just irresistible. The thing is, I just have to let my characters be themselves and do whatever in the situations I give them. Honestly, sometimes I?ll be writing and I?ll think ?how did this story end up *here*?? but it always seems to make sense. Sometimes, people just pop into scenes unbidden. Anyway, I had a point?what was it? Ah, yes! (too many Cokes at lunch hurts the brain) Right now in my story I?ve only been writing TPM and post-TPM, and no one?s in a very light-hearted mood most of the time, as you might imagine. It?s definitely something I?m trying to work into places where it?s appropriate. I don?t know, usually I just have to let Obi-Wan crack his own jokes


Worse than that--she's in a Star Wars fanfic story. Can you imagine Fanfic!Obi-Wan trying to buy insurance? "How many illnesses and injuries have I had? Ummm . . . about 300 a day, not counting mental breakdowns and things . . ."

So hilariously true. I?m happy to say that (besides the head-kicking from TPM for DotF), the only injury Obi-Wan has received so far in my story is a burnt hand due to mechanical ineptitude?which isn?t to say it won?t get worse, but as I said, I?m mostly just following whatever GL does to him, and when you have someone who?s willing to put a character on a desert planet for 20 years, I get the feeling he?s not going to be too kind to him when it comes to Episode III.



----

//I can?t do that,// she told herself, //he?ll think I find him offensive.//

I loved this bit. It shows a lot about her character, I think. She clearly is very polite and well-mannered, unable to drop that even under the circumstances she?s in. Reminds me of someone else we all know and love


Obi-Wan tugged a neatly-folded handkerchief from out of his belt pouch and held it out to her.

Aw, he has a hankie? *folds hands gingerly over heart* This is a 40s romance. Hooray! Oh, and speaki

 

I think I have become the definition of being too intense about hobbies, but hey, that?s why they?re called passions

You do have a point . . . but both my writing and I seem healthier when my fanfic and I remain "just friends." When it spirals into passion this love-hate thing starts, and I get murderous Fatal Attraction stalker plot bunnies like THIS NIGHTMARE OF A THING YOU'RE READING RIGHT NOW

. . . sorry. Sorry. I shall be sane now. I promise.

So we?re going to end this story with Matreya getting on a spacecraft with some other guy, and Anakin and Obi-Wan walking off into the mist as Obi-Wan says, ?I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship? ?

Sort of, only . . . not. (I can't tell the ending *now* . . . that would suck!)

Man, I love Casablanca.

Me too . . . and "The African Queen," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The Maltese Falcon" . . . all of it's great stuff.

Otherwise, that Obi-Wan/Anakin humour story I?m working on right now wouldn?t get any audience at all I said nothing.

I shall have to check this out . . . after you've said something, of course.

I don?t know, usually I just have to let Obi-Wan crack his own jokes

Yes, characters do sometimes get a mind or their own. You're right that it's best to wait until Obi-Wan feels like saying something funny . . . forcing it on him would sound odd.

I loved this bit. It shows a lot about her character, I think. She clearly is very polite and well-mannered, unable to drop that even under the circumstances she?s in.

She's very slightly out of her mind, poor pet.

Reminds me of someone else we all know and love

Ditto.

Aw, he has a hankie?

In an earlier draft I implied that he'd sewn it, too. He doesn't like to call it "sewing," though. He prefers to call it "combat tailoring." (Saving the galaxy is hell on your clothes, and who's gonna fix 'em? Your mom?)

Oh, and speaking of romances, this is an odd tangent? but you have to read the latest chapter of SotC I?ve posted. There?s something in there just for you (how?s that for a way to bribe readers? I am the master!)

**Squeaks with glee** I shall check it out forthwith, madam.

I have to say I am very much liking Matreya thusfar, Ophelia.

Oh, good . . . I can relax some, then.

I really don't know why I get so uptight over fanfic . . . it's not very healthy, really.

Extinguish, nice wording. As though it?s something dangerous like a fire that must be put out at once. Obi-Wan, if only you knew.

Quite so! Watch where you aim that thing, buddy. Someone could get hurt.

Now, Ophelia, according to my information, Obi-Wan has many children and numerous wives throughout the galaxy. And I mean, come on, would FanFiccers lie to me? I think I?ve proved my point

Oh, that's right . . . the "loose canon." However could I have forgotten that?

my mantra has become, "I'll fix it in post!!"

Don?t give in to the Dark Side

I can't help it . . . last time, this story made me so neurotic that I had to quit. It's a dad-blasted white whale of a thing, it is.

I wonder how she is going to start to view Obi-Wan in relation to all the other well-mannered and strict men she?s known?

I'm about to find out, since I'm just about to reach that point in what I'm writing. Vengeance is harassing Anakin at the moment, and I need to get that out of the way first, though.

See, you do a beautiful job of melding all these plotlines together instead of just forgetting about any one of them.

I do actually have a detailed plot outline written up, so I won't forget bits . . . I had to try and convince people of that last time I posted this, since I'm opening a lot of plot elements that look disparate, and some folks were skeptical that I could close them all again. Aanix_Durray has seen the whole outline . . . convenient that she's left the boards and can't contradict me.

 

In an earlier draft I implied that he'd sewn it, too. He doesn't like to call it "sewing," though. He prefers to call it "combat tailoring." (Saving the galaxy is hell on your clothes, and who's gonna fix 'em? Your mom?)

And when your mom dropped you off as a young child in a Temple full of strange people with shiny weapons, can you really trust her?

"Combat tailoring" though... wow. That is so Obi-Wan

Please don't let yourself get stressed out over the story. You're doing an awesome job and I have complete faith in your writing abilities. I'm just pleased to be able to enjoy the ride. You help keep a young lady sane as well (all right, not entirely sane, but still). This always gives me something to look forward to and know I'm going to enjoy, along with your own great commentary

About that humour fic I may have mentioned, I'll be sure to let you know when it's posted, but I'm trying to finish it first. It's so theraputically fun to write

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

solojones wrote:

And when your mom dropped you off as a young child in a Temple full of strange people with shiny weapons, can you really trust her?

Excellent point.

About that humour fic I may have mentioned, I'll be sure to let you know when it's posted, but I'm trying to finish it first. It's so theraputically fun to write

Cool! Please do. And yes, side projects can help you stay out of the loony bin when you have some huge fic in the works that won't die.

Thank you for telling me not to stress out about the story. Sometimes I get very myopically focused on doing things "right," which could never possibly explain my personal identification with a certain Jedi Knight whose initials are "Obi-Wan."

::Waves hand:: You don't need to see my identification . . .

. . . anyway. And now, a Sith Lord.

****
Vengeance hung from the branch of a xhotha tree just beyond the outskirts of Nidawi. He'd wrapped his cloak around himself and plunged his hand-claws into the branch's wood. The claws of his bare feet were sunk deeply into the trunk. This was the way most of his species slept throughout the day: slung belly-side up beneath the branches of Illoria's forest, like so many massive insect cases.

Vengeance, however, had gotten no sleep that day. He'd crept along behind the Bedegraine woman as she'd made her way to the village. He had watched her intently, but neither helped nor hindered her. At the moment, he had no orders regarding her at all--a situation he thought he might be able to turn to his advantage.

Sidious wanted the Republic to waste its resources fighting this petty little outworld battle. Sarpedon and the Coridani Mineral Company were useful, but it was all the same to the Dark Lord whether they prevailed or not.

Perhaps it would be best if Lady Bedegraine's little holo recording were presented to the Senate after all, so the Republic could send in its ion-cannon-toting "peacekeepers" as soon as possible. In fact, the effect might be heightened further if m'lady were tragically dead at the time, along with her brave Jedi protectors.

Such a carefully engineered tragedy could be very useful for the Sith. For that matter, Vengeance might be spared punishment if the terrible event that claimed Kenobi and Lady Bedegraine's lives drew in young Anakin in as well. After all, it was well-known that the boy was impetuous and willing to follow his Master to the death.

Now that he thought about it, Vengeance knew just the place to spring the trap. He had the skeleton of a plan, and he began debating its merits with himself, as was his custom. Kenobi would certainly order his student to safety at once. What if Skywalker suddenly became sensible and refused to throw his life away? That would be unfortunate. And yet, the Jedi brat's discovery of good judgement might fade quickly if he found himself alone without his teacher . . . in fact, without any contact with the Jedi Order at all.

Poor little Anakin . . . wandering lost through the trackless mountains, with only his lightsaber and his instincts to guide him. With Kenobi dead or presumed dead, Skywalker would self-destruct like a breached reactor core, Vengeance thought. The mental image made the Sith's thin blue lips part in a rare smile, revealing his fangs. Soon Sidious would see how foolish it was to take an interest a Jedi at all, much less one so weak--so pathetically driven by "love" and "need."

The idea began to soothe his wounded pride over his failed attempts on Skywalker's life the day before--attempts largely thwarted by Kenobi's meddling. It was not lost on the Illorian that Kenobi was a Sith-killer. He'd destroyed Vengeance's predecessor while still a Padawan learner, after all. Clearly, the Jedi knew what he was about. Yet Kenobi was not all-powerful. He had his weaknesses: his overconfidence; his blind attachment to a liability like Skywalker; his baseless loyalty to the spiritually-deadened Jedi Order. Once again, pitiful, strength-sapping l

 

The Oyas' barn was a pretty cheerless place as the late afternoon light faded from the sky and the damp air grew colder. The mist had coalesced into a half-hearted sort of rain, and every now and then a droplet would leak through the rafters and splatter on R2's domed head or the raised hoods of the two Jedi.

Obi-Wan had dragged over a rough wooden crate to sit on as he drew the layout of Moroara Pass on the floor, using a charred sweetgrass stem as a pen. In front of his drawing he'd set up the little slate easel Yerik Aingeru's father had given him, listing the names of Nidawi's volunteer fighters. Anakin sat dispiritedly at his Master's feet, watching him work.

R2 had played Lady Bedagraine's holo recording for them, and both Jedi had fallen silent as the unsteady images flickered just above the floor. Whatever else you could say about Perahta's soldiers, they were good at their jobs; the unarmed Freespace volunteers never stood a chance. The Jedi were going to have their hands full trying to keep this last stand from turning into a mass slaughter.

In a ritual Obi-Wan had already repeated a dozen times, he turned to hold his makeshift pen over the flame of a borrowed oil lamp. When the stem caught fire, he cupped it with his hand and blew it out. Herbal-scented smoke curled upward from the pen tip as he began sketching the route Perahta's troops would take through the Pass.

Anakin's feeling of helplessness lay upon him like a weight. "I still don't see how any plan's going to work unless we get at least one of us offworld," he said.

"I told you, it's not worth the risk," Obi-Wan said. "Even if one of us did manage to escape and get help, I doubt there'd be much left of Angharad when he returned."

Anakin had to concede the point, but it didn't make him feel any better. "At least they'd know what happened to us," he muttered.

"Patience, Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "We can't defeat Perahta's army, but we may be able to delay them. Time is our strongest ally at the moment. If the Republic doesn't save us, the summer floods might."

"Well, what if they don't?" Anakin protested.

"We may lose," Obi-Wan said. Niether Jedi added anything to that. It wasn't necessary to elaborate on what "lose" would mean in this situation.

"Well, what if you stayed here to delay Perahta, while *I* got offworld?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan gave him a stern look and said, "I told you before--I don't want you out of my sight."

"I made a mistake," Anakin said, trying to keep his voice as calm and controlled as possible. "I can see why you don't trust me. But this is bigger than me and my problems learning to--"

"This isn't about punishing you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, setting down his sweetgrass pen and turning toward him. "I admire your courage, but you aren't ready. It's that simple."

"It doesn't matter if I'm ready," Anakin pleaded. "A whole planet full of people will die if I don't go."

"No future is certain," Obi-Wan reminded him. "There may be options we haven't seen yet."

"*Maybe,*" Anakin conceded grudgingly.

"I know waiting is hard, but it's truly our best strategy at the moment," Obi-Wan said. "Try a meditation on patience," he added, as he returned to his work.

"It won't help," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan shrugged and said, "Suit yourself."

****
End 40/?