Through a Glass, Darkly (A little postie 21/05/04)

This all started because Kylenn asked people what their original characters looked like. After much deliberation, I picked James Marsters (a.k.a. Spike the vampire) as a reasonable approximation for Jedi Knight Barin Truthfinder. Then I wondered- what would happen if Spike and Barin met?

From acorns of idle musings are mighty Plot Bunnies grown.

Or something more grammatical, if you prefer.

Title: Through a Glass, Darkly
Focus: Buffy/JA Crossover
Summary: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Barin and Thom find themselves in Sunnydale as yet another Apocalypse is brewing- and they end up working on opposite sides.
Rating: Anything on this board will be PG-13. Some scenes will be rated higher, and an off-site link will be posted with an appropriate warning.
Timescale: Eight years pre-TPM/Buffy Season Five. AU.
Spoilers: Fairly major spoilers for Buffy S5.
Notes: Special thanks to my beta-readers- Healer Leona, Heather, Keren and Nikki. I'll send you some more soon, promise!

So, how many Buffy fans do we have on the boards?

 

I've seen a few episodes.

Um...exactly how high are the offsite ratings going to go, and for what? Violence? Hopefully not sex.

 

Nothing X-rated, Jane! Nothing worse than some of the scenes in the Xanatos Snapshots, and definately nothing pornographic.

 

Whew! Thanks!

 

I watch Buffy. I'll read this gladly.

 

Well, I was going to keep everyone in suspense and start posting tomorrow, but as I was tweaking a later scene and got myself in the mood for it, I'll post a teensy bit now.

******

Through a Glass, Darkly

"These monks sure went in for heavy decorating," Jedi Padawan Thom Capella remarked aloud, peering at the ancient carvings and decorated panels of age-darkened wood that lined the long, echoingly empty cloisters of the old monastery. Most pictured fiery apocalypses and horned humanoids pouring out of a stylised mouth from what he guessed was the monks' idea of Hell, interspersed with the occasional winged reptile- breathing fire, he noted- and ornate tablets of a script he couldn't translate. Flaking gilt and tarnished copper picked out the flames that formed the prevalent image. He shook his head, his shaggy mop of black dreadlocks moving in counterpoint to the motion. "Hokey religions are for weirdoes. Sheesh, happy bunch of beings, weren't they?"

Nobody answered him. The young apprentice wasn't really expecting it, unless his Master had chosen to call a halt to his translation work and creep up behind him for a joke. His Master hadn't been in much of a joking mood since they'd started on this mission anyway. Thom hadn't been allowed to see the bodies of the monks that had, until only a few days ago, occupied the sprawling complex of stone buildings. His Master's grim face and sleepless nights were enough to persuade him that he didn't want to.

Those monks might just have been right, too, Thom thought uneasily, and all of a sudden the graphic images of destruction and damnation seemed more threatening than silly. The dark-skinned human pulled his tunics a little more closely about his lanky, loose-limbed frame, realising as he did so that he'd grown yet again and his Master would be grumbling about finding new clothes and carefully not mentioning that Thom was now a finger-width taller than he was. Thom peered at the narrow brown wrists poking from his sleeves and grinned broadly, defying the gloom of the deserted corridors. He had every intention of growing a whole lot more. Maybe he'd even catch up to Master Jinn.

His own Master would be really bugged about that!

As if in response to the thought, Thom felt a faint stirring in his mind over the link they shared which meant his Master was Up To Something. Sometimes it was the start of a chase, a heady dash on foot or by landspeeder or starship as they ran down a criminal too dangerous or elusive for the Galaxy's local law enforcement agencies; or the roles were reversed and they were the prey, throwing off pursuers with the aid of the Force and a wealth of tricks Thom was willing to bet his Master hadn't picked up in the hallowed sanctum of the Jedi Temple. Usually it meant his Master had just found a Clue. Or, of course, some rare volume of poetry or a play by an unpronounceable writer. And occasionally a new dictionary.

Thom shook his head again. He'd wound up with a Master who collected dictionaries.

Which was sort of the reason they'd ended up here. There weren't many homicide-investigation-trained Jedi who could also translate the language that the ancient order of monks used for the writings and records.

"And lucky me, my Master's one of them," Thom muttered, playing hopscotch along the flagged stone floor as he headed back to the room where he had left his Master working. The tug on his mind came again. "Definitely a Clue," the padawan decided, hurrying a little.

A brief spurt of surprise echoed over the mental link, and then it went dead. Thom's eyes widened in shock. "Master?" He broke into a run, skidding around the corners and shoving through the heavy, carved-wood door into the small library where he had last seen his Master. Books still lined most of the shelves. The low table and rich, tasselled floor-cushion where his Master had been seated were undisturbed, the table tidily stacked with musty tomes of bound flimsies, loose scrolls and flimsy sheets. There was no sign of his Master.

"Whatcha got, Master? Whe

 

Very good! The suspense builds!

 

Do I sense a George S. Patton fan?

If you're not, I'll be surprised, and feel really stupid.

 

Great start, HaiGan! I hope Thom will be able to follow his Master. And how exactly will Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan become involved? Very interesting!

I particularly liked how Thom would really like one of his Master's awkward hugs when he realised how worried Thom had been. Excellent post!

 

Wow, FABULOUS description! I liked the bit about the hugs, too. And if THOM is nervous, things must REALLY be creepy!

I admit, I never watch Buffy, but fortunately my flatmate does, so she'll explain all the references for me.

Let's see... "Active Topic Notification..." OH YEAH, baby!!!



(oops, no, vampires here...)

 

It certainly does look like Barin's found one of those ancient, mysterious devices, and looks like Thom's about to activate it as well. Keep writing!

 

I'm a huge, huge Buffy fan! This is an extremely well written tale, so far. Like your characters! Can't wait for the next post.

 

Yes! I have really been looking forward to this!

A new Buffy fan (who has some catching up to do) here! But I love the adventures of Thom and Barin!

Now if Thom is nervous something is really wrong! I'm worried already!

 

Well, this is how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan become involved, Imzadi... But I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the George S. Patton fan query, ArnaKyle. I think I've heard the name before, but that's it- so far, anyway. Tell me more?

Hello to the new readers! Nice to see you . Of course, it's always nice to see familiar faces too.

******

"Master!" Obi-Wan struggled to sit, flames roaring in his ears, but something was holding him back. His cloak was tangled around him, stopping him from rescuing his Master, from reaching into the flames before the body crumbled into ashes. The tall figure was relaxed in repose on the funeral pyre, the noble face grave but serene, rising slivers of fire throwing red-gold highlights over the high-bridged nose and slightly hollow cheeks, playing with the ends of the man's long, steel-grey hair. Snapping sparks were settling in the beard, points of ruddy light already pricking into the cold flesh.

"Master!"

"I'm here, Obi-Wan!"

The padawan gasped at the deep, soothing voice. How could his Master sound so calm when he was burning? "I can't reach you, Master!"

"I am right here with you, Obi-Wan. Wake up, padawan, you are dreaming."

Large, gentle hands grasped his shoulders and patted his face. Obi-Wan fumbled blindly towards the firm, reassuring bulk of a leanly-muscled chest, buried his face in rough cloth that smelled of starships and rimworld markets and maleness.

"There. You are awake now, padawan." It was a statement rather than a question. The bond they shared meant that the Jedi Master knew his padawan was awake, just as surely as it was now telling seventeen-year-old Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon Jinn was still alive and well.

Obi-Wan slackened his grip and pushed himself away a little sheepishly, blinking sleep from his slate-green eyes, running a hand through his short, sandy-brown hair to leave it even spikier than usual. He was a young man now. He shouldn't be clinging to his Master like a child, no matter how bad the nightmare.

"Reach for the Force, padawan," Qui-Gon instructed. "Feel it surrounding you. Holding you. Release your fear."

Obi-Wan obediently closed his eyes once more, deliberately slowing his breathing, mentally reciting a relaxation mantra until the last terrors of the nightmare had fled the corners of his mind.

"Good." Qui-Gon gave one of his rare smiles of approval, a fleeting crinkling at the corners of his eyes and mouth that faded once more into peaceful solemnity. "The same nightmare again?"

Obi-Wan scooted back on the narrow bunk to prop himself against the wall of the starship cabin, and nodded. "I couldn't find the key. I knew I had to destroy the key or the Chosen One would die. But I couldn't find the key in time, and the darkness came, and..." he struggled to keep his equilibrium, to recount the dream calmly, as a Jedi should. Peace. Calm. "...and you died to protect the Chosen One," he said, his voice wobbling despite his best efforts.

"It was a dream, padawan." The Master's voice was as it always was: measured, rational and wise, and Obi-Wan let himself feel soothed once more.

"There was more this time," the padawan said. "They... the Council... held a funeral. You were lying on the pyre, and it was burning, and then... I knew you were still alive. I knew it was all a mistake, that you weren't supposed to have died... but I couldn't reach you. I couldn't pull you out of the fire."

Qui-Gon nodded. "A new element to an old dream."

"Is it just a nightmare, Master? Or is it something more?"

Qui-Gon thoughtfully rubbed at his beard. "Going on your past record, Padawan, it is unlikely to be a prophesy."

Obi-Wan gave a small smile. "I knew I should never have told you about the strip-dancing Banthas."

Qui-Gon's eyes smiled back at him. "So we will not worry about this dream until it comes to worry us."

Obi-Wan nodded.

Qui-Gon rose from his perch on the edge of the bunk. "But just to be on the safe side-"

Obi-Wan looked up at him, sharply.

"Let me know if you ever manage to lose a key."

Obi-Wan c

 

Excellent start to the story!

The way Thom was wanting one of Barin's hugs, the description of the monastry, how comforted Obi was when he hears Qui's voice... wonderful.

Another one for me to keep an eye on.

 

Through a Glass, Darkly is a poem written by Patton, one of the most famous generals in all of WWII... I believe it was also a short story by (oh darn, forgot the author) as well as an eastern philosophy in Asia.

I've been intrigued with that title for some time now...what are the origins you took it from?

PS: the story looks good, but I've never seen Buffy...

 

Obi-Wan dreamt about having to destroy The Key? Very interesting! I liked the interaction between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, how it was professional but with underlying affection. Good distress call from Thom as well! Thanks for the post!

 

Ah! The quote is from the Bible (probably where Patton got it from?):

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

1 Corinthians 13 12-13

Despite a religious upbringing, I know the quote mainly because of its appearance in a Doctor Who episode (The Curse of Fenric, if you were wondering, and my parents would no doubt be horrified). The whole of the quote will be relevant to the story, too.

 

That was a fascinating dream. I thought it was a flashforward to the movie, but then Obi-Wan started struggling to get to Qui-Gon on the pyre. What kind of key would Obi-Wan have to destroy in order to save the Chosen One? The key to what?

I liked the "heavy" way that Qui-Gon responded to seeing Thom on the distress signal and the grim way he resolved that the boy would be cleaning refreshers until he was Yoda's age, if this turned out to be a practical joke.

 

Dawn? Dawn is a key...

 

I'm loving this HaiGan!

You've already got me on the edge of my seat! I have a few ideas about what's going to happen, but I'm keeping my mouth shut. You always put that twist on things and I tend to come out wrong.

Anxiously awaiting your next post!

 

Post again when you can. That was great!