The Wrong Reason (New JA Story) AUTHOR'S NOTES (1/31)

Interesting! So Lewix is not going to be her master? Sounds like she needs somebody, though.

 

Well, there is more to come on that!
Okay, I promise the next post will have Obi-Wan in it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mace Windu regarded the tall, folded figure of Master Lewix, folded in his seat. The dark eyes looked troubled as the eyebrows remained knitted in thought.

"She's very upset," he said, quietly.

"I'm beginning to see why you resigned as a mind healer, Lewix," replied Mace, dryly. In most cases, Mace would not have cracked a joke but the dark-haired Jedi looked so naive in his comment, it was hard to resist.

For his part, Lewix shot Mace an annoyed look. "Funny," he muttered. The Councilman sobered somewhat, his serious expression returning.

"The Council appointed you, Lewix because we felt you would understand Padawan Halcouri and her current position. We know that Master Damaeo had spoken often of her to you in his letters."

"Only some of his letters," amended Lewix. He didn't really know why he sounded like he was trying to deny he and Damaeo had been such good friends. While both had lived separate and very different lives, they were the closest of friends. Or had been, Lewix reminded himself, sadly.

Mace seemed to see the argument. "Regardless, you are the best one to help her."

"Help her with what exactly?" asked Lewix. "Any mind healer...perhaps a REAL one could help her." There was a moment's pause. "Who do you intend to take over as her new Master?"

"That would all depend on how much progress you make with her."

"I have no wish to take on a padawan," Lewix stated, firmly.

"So you have told us...many times," answered Mace.

"Yes. And I am NOT changing my mind on that matter."

"And the Council understands that," said Mace, coolly. "What I meant is that should your work with her prove to be less than successful, we may have to consider alternatives for her."

Lewix stopped short, blinking silently as he digested the words. "You mean to remove her from the Order? Not assign her to a new Master?" he asked, sounding remotely horrified.

"You have stated yourself she showed bitterness and a lack of interest in continuing her studies-"

"Her Master died TWO DAYS ago!" Lewix exclaimed. "Does the Council really expect her to just brush herself off and continue as if nothing happened?" he demanded.

"That is WHY we have assigned her to YOU to discover instead of removing right away," said Mace, sternly. The two men regarded each other in a muted silence. Lewix looked almost disgusted. "Lew," Mace began. The other Jedi grimaced. He had always hated that shortening of his name. "We are not trying to be ogres. We understand the seriousness of Padawan Halcouri's feelings on this matter and are trying to handle it sensitively but not shy away from some hard facts."

"How about some other facts?" challenged Lewix, darkly. "Such as Padawan Halcouri being a student to fight for. To give a good deal of time and patience towards? How long do you expect her to be like this? A week? A month? What sort of deadline are you giving her to cheer up before throwing her out?"

"Lewix-"

"Or maybe you can just keep her on after some shabby former healer like me tells you she's fine now and she learns to put on a happy face for the Council's convenience? That way, if she goes on a mission and gets killed you always tell yourselves it wasn't possibly because she was unhappy or wanted to die? As long as the Council is covered, who cares, correct?"

Lewix ended his tirade, having shifted his attention away from the actual subject of Neela, though he still spoke of her. His obvious anger was now directed at something else. Some other issue. A bitterness now clearly radiated from the dark eyes. Mace only sat and waited.

"You shouldn't have sent Damaeo there," Lewix said with now quiet anger, his eyes accusing. "He was too young. He didn't know what he was getting into-"

"He was prepared. He was, in fact, older than you and he was experienced enough for this mission."

"THREE missions! He'd only had THREE active missions before becoming a Temple-bound Master! You call t

 

"I have no wish to take on a Padawan," Lewix stated, firmly.

"So you have told us...many times," answered Mace.

"Yes. And I am NOT changing my mind on the matter."

uh-huh. hey, Lewix, did u know that Qui-Gon said more or less the same thing concerning Obi-Wan?

Mace: "we do not act like we know everything or can predict everything there is to come. so there."
Lewix: "you do."
Mace: "do not."
Lewix: "do too."
Mace: "do not!"
Lewix: "do too!"
Mace: "DO NOT!"
Lewix: "DO TOO!"
Yoda: "shut up you will!"


sorry. just feeling a little hyper

anyway i'm beginning to really like Lew. why don't u have Yoda intervene in making him take Neela as his Padawan and drive him nuts?

 

UP!

 

Very nicely written. Loved the way you're weaving the past into this post; Lewix and Damaeo were friends, until something happened, Damaeo had only three missions before he became a Temple-bound master, and so on. And Lewix has no desire to take a padawan, but Neela needs one? Well, let's see what happens!

 

Thanks guys!
I'll post more soon.
Oh, and someone asked about mush? Well.....there is some sort of mush...a variety of mush let us say.....

 

*starts rocking* Need....more...of...good....fic...

 

Come on!!! More, more, more!!!

 

I will later....I just gotta think of something first!

 

I really like the story more please

 

Hey, just found this. Looks really good. Can't wait for more.

~Swede

 

Here's more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time he arrived back at their quarters, Obi-Wan found his master sitting quietly on the couch in their livingroom, reading over something on a data pad. Upon seeing Obi-Wan enter, Qui-Gon waved him over. Settling down in a chair across from the large Jedi Master, Obi-Wan felt a small sense of relief.

The aura of sadness and chronic weariness still surrounded his Master. It seemed even heavier these days with the death of Master Damaeo but underneath it, Obi-Wan could still clearly sense the part of Qui-Gon he had come to see more and more. It assured the padawan that while his Master grieved, he was not closed or pulling away again into the ball of self-isolation he had first encountered his Master in.

"How were your studies today, padawan?" asked Qui-Gon in a rather parental tone.

Despite being slightly surprised by the seemingly unrelated question, Obi-Wan felt a slight beam of pleasure at the inquiry. "Very good, Master. Well...good," he amended, not wanting to sound boastful. "Master Twill told me today she'd switched me to spar now with Padawan Demm next week."

"Padawan Demm is a fifth year padawan, is he not?" asked Qui-Gon.

"Yes, he is," Obi-Wan answered, his voice being a mix of pride, embarrassment and uncertainty. He was only a second year now advanced to sparring with a fifth year. And despite being creamed by Garen today, the sparring Master had still believed it would be good for Obi-Wan to try his skill with a more seasoned padawan. It was an impressive advancement.

It seemed tha Qui-Gon agreed. "That is very good, Obi-Wan," he stated, simply. To anyone else, it would have sounded like the understatement of the year, a true lacking of due praise. But for Obi-Wan, they were words that would be burned into his memory and ones he would cherish more than perhaps even obtaining his Knighthood. Many students achieved knighthoods. Very few got true praises from Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Thank you, Master," he said, happily.

The Jedi Master's eyes crinkled slightly in a small smile that seemed tinted with a wistful sadness. "And your other classes? How are you progressing? I get your semester reports but I would like to hear from you as well," he said.

Good Force, I don't think he's asked me so many questions about my schoolwork ever. thought Obi-Wan, not unhappily.

"Well, my physics class is going well. Master Belg suggested I try for honors next term. Ummm...most of my math courses are fine. We won't be having any exams for awhile by my last marks were good. Ah, I still don't like my Music Appreciation course much," he admitted last.

Qui-Gon chuckled at that. Music Appreciation had been an elective his Master had strongly recommended he take. While Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon had a special love for music, Obi-Wan just couldn't get into it. Music was pleasant enough but he could never seem to grasp the underlining essence of it that his teachers and various other students grasped. It just sounded like randomly stringed notes to him. He saw little purpose in analyzing them so much.

"Well, despite your lack of enthusiasm Obi-Wan, I am pleased to hear that your courses are going well," said Qui-Gon. "Because I think it puts you in good shape to miss a few of them," he added.

Obi-Wan blinked. "You mean...are we going on a mission?"

"Yes, the Council has told me today of their decision and will meet with the both of us tomorrow for a full briefing."

Obi-Wan's first instinct was to be incredibly joyous. A mission! The highlight and dream of pretty much every knight and padawan in this Temple. Except, perhaps Master Gabrien...but he's an oddball when it comes to that, Obi-Wan thought in a rather hyper manner, his brain rather fueled at the prospect of this mission.

But before much of his exuberance could shine though, the 15 year old rewinded in his mind how his Master had given him the news and sobered himself. Qui-Gon sounded strangely melancholy at telling him about this trip. And Obi-Wan guessed rather quickly why. "Is this

 

Obi-Wan doesn't like his music appreciation classes!
Wait till Neela finds out that Lewix and her Master were great friends...might open up more towards him.

 

That was great!! Post soon, UP!!!

 

GREAT post! LOL @ Obi! Nice little moment at the end there too

MORE SOON!!!!!

 

Ah, well, for those who are getting interested even mildly w/the characters of Neela and Lewix, let me tell you, I've got a SLEW of plans for them that may or may not be written all the way out depending on how people like them on the boards.

The next post will be Neela and Lewix centered but Obi-Wan will be in it as well! Don't despair!

 

Okay, this one is kinda short. Sorry, next one will be longer. Umm...I guess a tissue warning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were moments where Neela wondered if she cried just so that she could finally be bone dry and finally be unable to physically weep. But no matter how hard and how long she wept, the tears continued to come and seep into her pillows, dampening her already hot and swollen face.

Nighttime at the infirmary was always the worst. The room was enclosed in darkness and vacuumed out any defining lines that reminded Neela that she was in the infirmary. She would wake up late in the night like a shot, having dreamt a nightmare or something of that kind. And for a split second, she would think the entire thing was a dream and she was in her own bed, in her own room, in the apartment she shared with Master Damaeo.

But just as she lay back in her bed, feeling comforted and eased by that assumption, she would notice that the pillow underneath her head was not quite as soft as it should be; her eyes would soon adjust to the darkness and she would see that it was the infirmary room. She would remember that Master Damaeo was dead. And she would begin to cry again.

Master Damaeo had been one of the softest spoken Masters at the Temple. Quiet, thoughtful, and mild mattered that seemed such a contradiction to the fiery redness of his hair color. He was the sole proof that not all red-heads had a temper. Despite being taller than most other Jedi and thinly muscular, he moved through the world with a shy, seemingly childlike naivete.

Not that he was ever timid. There are had been a few occasions Neela had seen her Master deeply upset and it was obvious he was not a person to be trifled with.

Lying in the infirmary bed, Neela continued to face the wall, recalling with masochistic diligence every feature and nuance of her beloved Master. How his hair would always be parted to the right. The smile lines that ran down the sides of his thin face. The way his eyes would crinkle slightly whenever she would send him a private message through their bond during sometimes long and tortuous meetings during missions.

Master Damaeo knew everything about her. Her deepest fears, her deepest desires, her most personal thoughts she shared with him. And no matter how embarrassing or how horrible she thought they were, he had always helped her approach them with a critical but sympathetic eye. He never judged her character but pushed her to improve it. No one knew her like Master Damaeo. And she didn't want anyone to ever know her like he did.

In his death, he had taken with him a large chunk of her with him. When she had lit his funeral pyre, Neela had known very clearly that she was not destroying Master Damaeo's remains. That body was not Master Damaeo. It was just a shell. Master Damaeo had been lost days ago. And when she had cut her wrists in her refresher room, she didn't believe she was killing herself. She was already dead. She had died with her Master.

Neela allowed herself to drown in her own sorrows. She didn't want to pull out to do anything else. She didn't want to talk to whatever former mind healers the Council planned on throwing at her. All she wanted to do was lie in her bed and be alone with her memories of Master Damaeo.

 

OK, that was reallly sad. hhmmm, I wonder...mission, Obi-Wan, dead Master,... Are they going after the killer?

 

Okay, the kid's not doin' so good. You gotta give us more.

 

more will come soon.

 

Okay, this one's got Obi-Wan. It's a split post so everyone whose reading tell me what you thought!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Strangely enough, the only thing that went through Obi-Wan's mind as he listened to the Council's briefing was that Master Damaeo must have stuck out like a sore thumb on Goliathan. Contrary to what the planet's name suggested, the main inhabitants were very small in height and all had similar, dark coloring of both skin and hair. Master Damaeo being over six feet tall with red hair probably went as being rather noticeable.

For a brief, morbid moment, Obi-Wan wondered if that had been the reason why he had been killed so easily. The Council had receieved reports from the Goliathian authorities that the Jedi Master had been supposedly ambushed. The crime site findings had suggested at least five people being present, although the only wound on Damaeo had been the knife stab through the chest.

"The Goliathian Government are proceeding with their peace negotiations with the Civil Armies," said Plo Koon. "The prisoner exchange is still being considered and a time for the switch was being discussed when the incident occured."

Goliathan had been a planet of great civil wars for the past six years. The government had been under attack by groups from within the civilians who had worked for the overthrow of the current leader. Master Damaeo had only been sent to try and oversee a possible prisoner exchange between the two parties. Until he had been killed.

"Exchange first, you must deal with," stated Yoda.

"And the other?" questioned Qui-Gon, meaning Master Damaeo.

Mace Windu looked throughtful as he pressed his fingers together in a perfect arch. "You will be given leave to investigate when time allows during the negotiations. But know that the prisoner exchange is of the first importance."

++++++++++++++++

There was a light rap on the door before Neela felt it swing open behind her.

"Hey, Neela. How's it going?" asked a familar voice. The female padawan didn't move in her bed and pretended that she was still sleeping. "Come on, Neela, I know you're awake. Don't try and fool me," stated the voice.

Seeing as it was no use, Neela turned over to see the familar figure of Wes Ban'An in the doorway. He gave her a small smile as he walked in without invitation to do so and sat down in a chair a few feet away from her.

Wes was an 18 year old padawan, three years her senior and had been famous for being a latecomer to the Temple. Being almost 5 when he had entered the Creche, he had just barely made it into the Temple by the skin of his teeth. The Council had actually been considering sending the strange, pupil-less child away but Master Damaeo had spoken in his case.

Only five years into his Creche life, Wes had been picked as a padawan to a Master Soov who was as untraditional as Wes was. They made a good match. But Wes had known, even as a child of the redheaded Master who had spoken in his favor and had always remained close to Master Damaeo.

Pushing back his slightly too long brown hair, Wes looked around the infirmary room with his nearly solid black eyes. "Nice place you've got here," he commented, keeping up a light mood. "I'd recommend some wallpapering though. One would think it was an infirmary room."

Neela didn't reply but just looked back at him, blankly. "Oh, come on. That warrented at least a smile, right?" pressed Wes. He leaned back, as if in great thought. "Hmmmm....well...how about this one? When's a door, not a door?" Neela remained silent. "Give up? When it's ajar." Silence. "Okay...what's blue, white and scares even Master Yoda? Give up? Master An-Paj."

Again, Neela didn't reply but only closed her eyes. "Come on, kiddo," said Wes, softly. "You used to love those when you were little."

And to Neela's great frustration, those words made her cry again. Sith! She was so TIRED of crying! That's all she ever did! But as soon as she had to sit up to sob even properly, she felt Wes sit down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "That's okay.

 

aw, how sweet! Post more soon, please.

 

That was good. I really like Wes, it'd be neat to see him and Obi-Wan meet up. Keep posting!!

 

thanks Cheryl_Kenobi and Lonewolf89!
And what an interesting comment Lonewolf89 b/c guess what's coming up?

 

OK!
so, for those of you who don't know, Healer Apprentice Lina is another author on the JC and before she went on to write a lot of good original character fics, she used to write a lot of good JA fics.

The story I am writing now with all the new characters I've created is largely thanks to brainstorming with her and in many ways, some of these characters are more hers than mine. SO, I did some begging and pleading and she has kindly offered to co-write this story with me.

So, from here on out, "The Wrong Reason" has two authors and will be updated by BOTH of us. Hopefully, this means you guys will get more posts more frequently!

--Jedi_Joon