To Live Life as Strangers --JA (**Special Editon** repost)

My lips are sealed! ::Starts to reveal everything but clamps a hand over her mouth at Gimpy's evil look::

Whoops!

More soon please!

 

OF COURSE I remembered Kelly - particularly becaues you quoted it back at me! Glad you liked that Leona, I changed it to a more Star Wars version of the phrase at the last moment!

*eyes Kenobisgirl as well* Hmm.... be sure both of you don't saying anything, AprrenticeM! I might be forced to tie you up...


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Six days previous

Qui-Gon spent the next three and a half months on numerous missions, the more work he had the less time there was for his mind to think ? or feel. Even then he found himself sitting in empty quarters in the evenings, unsure of where to go and what to do. When he had first taken Obi-Wan as his padawan he had to readjust to living with another person again, and now he found himself trying to get accustomed to living by himself once more, and having a much harder time than before.

He specifically requested missions during the time that Narshia and Obi-Wan were supposed to be back at the Temple, hoping in that way to delay any confrontations that might occur. Every time he saw the pair walking together or heard their names mentioned it was a stab to his heart. In fact, the first time he saw their names together on a list awaiting a new mission he had almost gone in and told the Jedi in charge that he had made an error? It was disturbing to see someone else so closely associated with the boy that had been his sole charge. Needless to say, it was a major surprise when Qui-Gon appeared for his Council summons and found Narshia and Obi-Wan already standing outside the large closed doors.

Sith.

At first he hoped that they were in fact leaving the room, but it was apparent by the way they stood that they were waiting as well.

Double Sith.

At least they hadn?t seen him yet.

Even as the thought crossed his mind Obi-Wan stiffened at the familiar presence, although the teenager seemed determined not to turn and look. Narshia noticed her padawan?s obvious discomfort and glanced at Qui-Gon, taking in his forced strides and the small frown tugging at the corner of his lips.

Triple Sith.

Qui-Gon decided it would be easiest to take the initiative, so overlooking Obi-Wan he asked Narshia bluntly, ?Are you here for a mission?? He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping she would say no.

?Yes, we are.? Narshia offered cheerfully, obviously trying to overcome the tension that all felt. ?It looks as though we might have been paired up.?

How could she smile as she pronounced that death sentence? Qui-Gon groaned inwardly and forced a pleasant, if tight smile. ?It would appear so.? He noticed Obi-Wan watching him while trying to appear like he wasn?t. The teenager?s face was passive and cold, but the hurt and faint hint of longing was clear in his eyes.

//I have a feeling that Yoda has something to do with this particular pairing,// he thought darkly. //Why must he throw us together like this?! Doesn?t he know that it will be easier for m-// the Jedi Master quickly caught himself and continued, //for Obi-Wan to recover from this if we stay away from each other?//

Obviously the little troll didn?t think so.

He was spared from having to say anything else when they were called into the Council chambers. ?Come up a matter has that requires the Jedi?s attention,? Yoda stated, his large ears twitching.

Qui-Gon could have sworn the master?s eyes were gleaming and for a small second he was filled with an even more troubling thought ? were they going to question his dissolution of his and Obi-Wan?s bond?

That fear was quickly put to rest as Mace Windu leaned forward and begin to speak. ?The planet of Riftan has been experiencing some rather mysterious deaths. People have been found murdered without a mark upon them, and the number of these death has begun to grow recently.?

?There have been one or two eyewitnesses of these deaths,? Ki-Adi Mundi continued. At times it was almost disturbing at times how the masters could be so in tune as to pick up right where the others left off. ?

 

Tie me up?!? Ummm....as long as I can still read the story I guess it'll be ok....... And the second part of that post was new right? I just want to give Obi a big hug and tell him Qui is a big meanie, then go beat Qui up for making our boy feel like that!! So, gimpy, if I want to beat up people who really don't exist, you must be writing a outstanding story!! Of course, that doesn't mean Star Wars doesn't exist somewhere out there.....afterall, it was "a long time ago, in a gaxaly far, far away"............

 

LOL ApprenticeM! As long as you promise to be good I'll let you stay free.

Yeah, you're right! Sorry I forgot to mention it but yes, the second part is a new post - I decided that the story needed a few more posts from Obi's POV.

Thanks for the compliment, and yeah - I don't think we would be true SW fans unless we held out a small hope that somewhere, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars did happen!

 

"So, gimpy, if I want to beat up people who really don't exist, you must be writing a outstanding story!!"

Outstanding indeed! I love it!

::mumbles something about kicking Qui-Gon::

I can't wait for the next post! This is an excellent story!

 

Thanks Laura!


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Five days previous

The next afternoon Qui-Gon briskly headed for the transport that would take them to Riftan. He got there early so that he could inspect their transport and cabins before hand, and hopefully have first choice of quarters. Unfortunately, Narshia and Obi-Wan appeared to have the same idea. When he saw them the Jedi Master was slightly unsure of what to say, having expected some time onboard alone to meditate before having to confront them.

He was saved the trouble when Narshia spoke up first. ?Hello, Master Jinn.? She smiled welcomely seeming unaware of Obi-Wan?s sudden interest in his boots.

Qui-Gon nodded formally to each before quickly turning his attention back to the Jedi Master. ?I assume you?ve already inspected our transport??

She smiled that bright smile again, and Qui-Gon decided it made her quite pretty ? when it was downright annoying that a person could be that cheerful, of course. ?Let me show you to your cabin. We lucked out, there?s a small room for each of us.?

Qui-Gon held in a monstrous sigh of relief and followed the slender woman past a silent Obi-Wan and farther into the slightly cramped spaceship. Inwardly, he was praising the Force for this rare show of kindness. He had been extremely worried that there would only be two rooms, and, while on the one hand Narshia and Obi-Wan would be expected to share as Master and Padawan, there was an equal chance that Obi-Wan and himself would have shared as the two males on the trip. It wasn?t Qui-Gon?s idea of fun at the moment, and he was grateful the problem would not arise in the first place.

The room he was led to was not too small, although he did have to stoop slightly to enter. The main thing was that it was to himself, and besides that everything else seemed inconsequential. ?This will do nicely,? he offered politely.

Narshia chuckled but speared him with a penetrating look. ?Separate rooms are better than we usually get, at least.?

Was he broadcasting? Qui-Gon managed a small smile before turning back to his room and setting his bag down on the narrow bunk.

?We lift off in fifteen standard minutes,? Narshia called back as she disappeared down the corridor.

Qui-Gon waited until the door to his cabin hissed shut before dropping onto the bed and holding his head in his hands. ?Force help me.?

It was after two hours of meditation that he emerged from his room again, drawn to the transport?s main room by the sound of lightsabers. Narshia and Obi-Wan had pushed all the furniture to the edge of the room and were sparring in the cleared space in the middle. Qui-Gon slipped in unnoticed to watch.

It hurt to see them like that, so obviously Master and Padawan. Here it was Qui-Gon who was the outsider, the third in the ?crowd.? He knew it was his own fault and they weren?t trying to leave him out, so to speak, on purpose, but it still stung. He was, without a doubt, the ?extra? of the mission.

This was all Yoda?s fault.

Obi-Wan was giving Narshia good fight, although the woman was much more experienced. During a brief respite in the fighting she would praise him on a particularly good swing or thrust and Qui-Gon experienced a feeling he hadn?t felt this strongly in a long time: jealousy. Pure jealousy shot through him. Qui-Gon wanted to be, should be the one sparring with Obi-Wan. He was the one who had taught and refined most of those skills!

And why did Narshia always have to praise Obi-Wan when he did a particularly good series? Qui-Gon wasn?t good at showing his feelings, why did Narshia have to be? That glow of pride on Obi-Wan?s face Qui-Gon had rarely seen himself? he was jealous.

No.

Qui-Gon pushed his feelings down. He had already been through this. Obi-Wan was happier with Narshia. She did a much better job as a master than he had ever done, however much it hurt his pride to admit so. It was better for Obi-Wan to be with her. If he had been Narshia?s Padawan a y

 

"Qui-Gon couldn?t think about that. He didn?t love Obi-Wan. After all that had happened, he couldn?t."

Oh yes you can! Why were you feeling jealous then, hmmmmm? Get your act together, Qui-Gon Jinn!

::

Now that I've gotten that out of my system...

GREAT POST, gimpy! This is such a wonderful story! I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

Hey **waves** I'm back **notices peoploe just staring ** Yeah, I was away... **crickets chirp** Oh well, that doesn't matter...

Anyway- I remember so well reading about Obi and his new Master thinking about how bad I felt for both of them. Obi-Wan longing to be with Qui-Gon and Narshia longing for Obi-wan to be happy.

I really enjoyed (and enjoy) Narshia because she is made to be such a kind and compassionate character. She's not demanding Obi-Wan to like and trust her right away- she's willing for time to heal the wounds he's recieved.

As for Qui-Gon...that old Master...GRRR! I also, vividly, remember being quite PO'ed with him- and look that hasn't changed It's weird becuase you can understand what's going on in his head. I mean Xanatos had to almost kill him and, if not that, it damanged him- so trusting another would be quite hard. Yet, at the same time you can't help but want to kick him for his treatment of Obi-Wan becuase the kid didn't really do anyhting wrong. I mean M/D sure...that was "wrong", but at the same time he was just trying to better a suffering world...isn't that what the Jedi are taught at the Temple?

Anywhoo- I'm blabbing...can you tell I haven't had a computer for a while? Im going through withdrawl!!

A wonderful set of posts and I'm looking forward to more!

 

"It was all Yoda's fault"

Don't think so Jinn!! Gimpy. can we have more please? Please? I promise I'll be good......

 

I'm starting to feel bad for Qui ::::: Greencat ducks the bottles and rotten fruit thrown her way ::::::: He realizes he screwed up badly, knows he was a lousy master, and athough he can't admit to himself that he wants Obi back, he still keeps telling himself how much better Obi is with his new master who is more open about her feelings and who praises Obi for his accomplishments. I also understand that Qui brought alot of baggage to his relationship with Obi (yeah, bringing up Xanatos again) and Obi did betray him on M/D (yeah, Qui helped that betrayal along with his coldness, but Obi still has some responsibilty for those events, too)

So, poor Qui. He still needs another good thwack on the head for the way he is handling the situation, but then give the guy a hug and reinforcement that he should give the master-padawan thing another shot. (Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I can't give up hope about Obi-Wan returning from the dead. After all, look how active he was as a dead guy in the movies )

 

"After all, look how active he was a dead guy in the movies"

True Greencat, very true!

(sorry if the qoute isn't exact. I'm too lazy to go look back)

 

lol, greencat. And yes, I noticed you were gone Susie!

Thanks for reading everybody! There's a little bit of humor in these posts...


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Qui-Gon looked up from the computer terminal and sneaked a glance in Obi-Wan?s direction. The thirteen year-old was huddled over his datapad working on some school assignment or another. Occasionally his brow would furrow or he would bite his lip, face screwing up in concentration and an assortment of facial expressions that the Jedi Master dearly missed. Qui-Gon found himself constantly watching Obi-Wan and at times found the boy watching him as well.

He had hoped for Obi-Wan?s sake that the boy would bounce back from their dissolution, whether for the teenager?s sake or his own sense of guilt he couldn?t be sure. At the same time, it was touching how much the boy still obviously cared for him.

?Qui-Gon, take a look at this.?

Qui-Gon was abruptly pulled back to the work at hand and quickly glanced where Narshia was pointing. The two Jedi had reports from the governor of Riftan?s capital city pulled up in front of them. Qui-Gon looked at the particular report Narshia was referring to and raised an eyebrow. ?If this is right??

?Then these deaths have been going on for years!? Narshia exclaimed. ?At first it was just one or two and people assumed they were just freak accidents or unrelated murders, but they?ve become more and more frequent as of late and people have actually seen these wraiths lately.?

Qui-Gon pondered the information. ?It could be the number of wraiths has been growing over the years.?

?Or they?ve been ?eating? the life force of small animals and rodents up until recently. It could be all the small prey in the area were killed off so they?ve come to like the ?taste? of sentients more,? Narshia replied thoughtfully.

?Or a combination of the two.?

Both masters glanced up in surprise as Obi-Wan peered over their shoulders at the data. ?As the number of wraiths grew, the food supply of small animals would go down.?

The two masters exchanged a glance. ?Don?t you have schoolwork you should be doing?? Narshia asked.

Obi-Wan flushed and dropped his eyes. ?Yes, Master.? He turned downcastedly away and shuffled towards his forlorn datapad.

Narshia followed his progress with a frown and when he reached his chair seemed to come to a decision. ?However, that was a good observation and you have been working hard on that quantum physics assignment. I suppose that as a valuable part of our team, you should in included in our mission background and planning.? She paused. ?Would you care to join us, Obi-Wan??

A slow grin spread against the teenager?s face. ?Really, Master??

Narshia smiled. ?Really.?

Obi-Wan pulled up a chair and leaned forward to stare at the screen intently. ?Do you have a map of where all the deaths occurred?? he asked distractedly. ?Maybe we could get an idea of their home territory.?

Qui-Gon smiled to himself. Narshia and he had already thought of that, but Obi-Wan was very bright to have caught onto it so quickly at that age.

?That information wasn?t included,? Narshia explained. ?We?re supposed to receive it when we arrive.? She smiled fondly as she watched Obi-Wan tilt his head once more to study the data.

Qui-Gon watched in silence. He desperately tried to remember a time he had let Obi-Wan read over the mission reports with him. He couldn?t. Obi-Wan had schoolwork and Qui-Gon had just told him the important things later. It had never even occurred to him that Obi-Wan might want to read the tedious reports.

Qui-Gon sighed. Yet another thing he had done wrong.


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Four days previous

Narshia sat patiently in the transport?s main room, watching Obi-Wan attempt to appear completely engrossed in his schoolwork while surreptitiously watching Qui-Gon Jinn out of the corner of his eye. The thought of the Jedi Master made her want to growl

 

LOL. Narshia that was a very naughty prank to pull

Do I understand correctly what was implied by "Narshia knew that just as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were meant to be paired together, so there was a padawan for her somewhere out there. It was just a matter of finding them."

Is Narshia just acting (Unknown to both Obi & Qui) as sort of a foster-master until Qui-Gon can get his act together enough to be a better master? Do I sense the mainipulations of a certain short, green troll?

 

*Renton Kenobi sits at her desk and taps the paper in her hand* Hello and welcome Coruscant Holonet! Your number one source for galatic news!

*Coughs* Yes and the 2001 Jedi Awards were handed out last night and once again the dumbest Jedi Master Award went to. *GASP!* Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn! *Renton puts down her hands and claps vigorusly.* Way to go Qui-Dumb! Woops I mean Qui-Gon!

 

Seems everyone but Qui can see him and Obi belong together as Master and Apprentice.Does anyone have a blunt object I can borrow to hit Qui over the head with?

 

ROFLOL, "If his fingertips start glowing blue......." Hehehehe Great posts!!!!!!

 

Great post, gimpy! So there is kind of a 'foster master' thing going on... hmmmm...



And by the way, I like how you seperate the sections with the green bar things - it somehow makes it easier to read... or maybe it's just me...



Post again soon!

 

I had almost forgotten how much I like Jedi Master Narshia

She is a great Master for Obi, everything Qui-Gon has not been so far. I love her sense of humor, she really got Qui-Gon a good one

 

greencat -erm.....I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!!!

Cute, Renton!! Qui-Dumb certainly has a lot to answer for in this story!

Laura that's funny, because I actually put them in there so it's easier for me to tell how I broke up the posts!

Kelly, just wait for the frying pan line!

Alrighty guys, sorry this post is slightly shorter than normal, promise it won't happen again!


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Three days previous

The next morning Qui-Gon walked across the hall to the set of rooms Narshia and Obi-Wan were sharing. Narshia had apparently ordered food and it was already laid out on the small table, but Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. Strangely, it made the tall Jedi feel even more uncomfortable.

The two masters sat down to eat, making small talk about the mission and the Temple in general. A few minutes later a sleepy Obi-Wan walked in, rubbing his eyes and short hair poking out every which way. He blinked a few times when he noticed Qui-Gon. ?Oh?hello Master Jinn.? He ran a hand through his ginger hair but only succeeded in making it stand up even more. He had the expression of a deer caught in the headlights, clearly not expecting this intrusion of his quarters. He quickly turned to Narshia. ?Good morning, Master. Did you sleep well??

Narshia smiled at him. ?Yes, I did. And you??

?Fairly well,? Obi-Wan offered with a shrug. He sat down and began shoveling food into his mouth, indicating that was all he had to say, in present company at least.

Qui-Gon winced inwardly. He remembered the numerous times Obi-Wan and he had carried out the same type of conversations, the good morning jokes and pleasantries one became accustomed to when living together.

The two masters chatted through the rest of the breakfast but Qui-Gon?s eyes were continually drawn back to the silent teenager. He was painfully aware of Obi-Wan?s discreet glances in his direction, eyes full of thinly veiled longing. The Jedi Master cursed himself inwardly.

What went through Obi-Wan?s mind when he thought about Qui-Gon? After all that Qui-Gon had done, how could the boy still be so attached to him? It made it so much harder for Qui-Gon to keep his distance when every glance reminded him what he could have had.

But it was better this way, better for Obi-Wan. He didn?t deserve the boy.

After breakfast they studied the information on the datachip Brandel had left. It showed an enlarged view of the portion of the city where the deaths had occurred. There were red dots marking every place a body had been found and a light blue shaded area encasing where dead animals and rodents had been found. All the red marks were inside the blue and the blue was shaped rather like a four-leaf clover, with four distinctive areas that came together in the middle.

?There?s four separate territories,? Obi-Wan noted, peering over the older Jedi?s shoulders. ?Do you think it?s four colonies??

?No,? Qui-Gon replied thoughtfully, one finger tapping against the small screen. ?There is not enough food to support four complete colonies. I would say four wraiths, total. Those small animals don?t provide much ?food.? We don?t even know how or if the wraiths can reproduce.?

Obi-Wan nodded, face scrunched up as he pondered that. ?Yes, but we also don?t know how big they are or how much ?food? they require to sustain them. Even then,? he added, face falling as he saw the problem with this concept, ?they would need more than a couple rats to keep a whole colony alive.?

?Yes, but it was a good thought,? Qui-Gon replied almost absent-mindedly.

Neither saw Narshia watching them silently as the two discussed the possibilities, a slight smile crossing her lips. The two were still a team, no matter how much they fought it. Months of working together had accustomed them to each other?s thought patterns. It was ironic, she thought. Qui-Gon was running away from himself, his guilt and his past. He was run

 

I agree completely with Leona observation of Qui-Gon. I mean as much as we state his just being stupid it's also kinda the way he is, just here he's taking it to such a degree. Qui-Gon, since we learned about him more in the JA books, is the epitome of a stoic Jedi Master and yet some of that icyness melts away and, it seems, that leaves him confused and somewhat at a loss as to what he should do.

I enjoy how Narshia knows what is going on with Qui-Gon (it's obvious what Obi-Wan feels) and she's not willing to let him off too easy- kinda reminds me a Yoda (save for the lack of greeness).

Glad you noticed I was gone. I woiuldn't feeel I did my job as a reviewer if you didn't

Can't wait for the next part.

 

I gotta agree with Leona and Susie, it's stories like this that are the reason I like Qui-Gon. If I would only have canon to base my opinion of the character on I wouldn't like him at all. Fans bring out the best in the big guy. Not to mention that the fans can toture Obi-Wan like George never thought possible

 

Great posts Gimpy! I didn't remember how much I liked Narshia. I like how she accepts the fact that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan belong together.

Can't wait for the next post!

 

Aw, so can someone pm me and tell me if Obi's really dead? PPPLLLLLLLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEEEEE??????