"When in Rome..." (JA fanfic, version 2)

No Bastet you are very wrong, that was very worth the wait! I am just glad you have promised to post more soon and we won't have to wait as long.

Great touch to have the merchant they need for the parts not be very willing, I like the way Maia had to argue with him and then negotiate for the parts they need. Qui-Gon is so funny with Obi-Wan. He had better watch out with the teasing, Obi has enough to deal with. With that pig having such a crush on him and all. Btw... I love that pig, he has got to be the funniest creature to fall for Obi yet!!!!

I will hold you to that promise to post more and post soon!!!!

 

Here's some more! I would have had this up last night, but someone else needed to use the computer. It's iffy as usual!

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Maia led the way to the village hall, her thoughts in a whirl. Meti, son of Moghi, had said he could make the parts they needed, but it would be rather complicated and take quite a bit of time. In other words, in would cost a great deal of money. Money neither she nor her family could spare at the moment. Meti had taken the strangers to his house to make sure they understood his situation as well. With the crops doing so poorly this year, it was a situation that many families were facing right now, but Meti had been struggling for longer than most. Ever since Kimni, son of Tilu, had gone into business with his stone that sharpened weapons, people didn?t need to buy as often from Meti. And since the crops weren?t doing well, there wasn?t as much of a demand for farm equipment either.

Maia had no idea where the money for those parts would be coming from. She kept looking sideways at Que-gun, trying to judge his abilities, to see what he could perhaps do to raise the money himself. She already knew he was a good hunter, but the village had always had an over-abundance of those. And he couldn?t be a warrior unless he had proved himself in battle, or was tested. But that would take several weeks, and he was obviously anxious to get that box fixed as soon as possible. There was no guarantee that he would pass the tests anyway.

Maia wished fervently that she could pay for the parts herself, but all the money from those truffles had gone to pay for the wedding. Truffle season was almost over anyway, and the ones she had sold had not fetched full price, because they were almost too old already. Since the growing season was almost over with and harvest time was starting, everyone was trying to stock up for the winter. Consequently, her father would have no money to spare, either. And the modest village treasury would be used to help the widows and orphans to get enough food. Maia knew that no one would be willing to just give money away to pay for little metal parts in a black box, especially when no one knew why they were needed in the first place. Maia didn?t really know either, though she did have an idea.

So what could Que-gun do to raise the money himself? And Obae-wahn too, for surely he would want to help. She hoped her father could come up with a solution, which was why they were heading for the village hall. Maia waved to the guards at the doors, then she ushered in her new family, including Toi. The chief was not there, but Himni, one of his advisors, was standing by his chair, giving orders to various people who were coming and going. He was the advisor in charge of farming. He smiled when he saw the new arrivals.

?Ah, Maia, good morning. Enjoying the married life, are we?? he asked merrily, with a twinkle in his eye.

Maia felt herself blush. ?Er, yes Himni, thank you. I need to speak to my father, do you know where he is??

Himni looked around the room. ?He was here a minute ago. Wait just a moment, I?ll find him for you.? The chief?s advisor headed out a side door, but returned barely two seconds later with Kael. Maia?s father grinned widely when he saw his daughter.

?Maia, good to see you.? He hugged her, and then shook hands with Obae-wahn and Que-gun. He patted Toi on the head, who snorted happily to see him. ?So,? he said, turning back to his daughter, ?what are you four up to? Anything I can do to help??

?Actually, father, there is,? Maia said, glad he was in such a good mood. She proceeded to explain to him all about the parts in the box that Que-gun needed fixing. ?And so,? she concluded, ?I was hoping you would know of a way that Que-gun and Obae-wahn could raise the money to pay Meti for his work.?

?Hmmm.? Kael fingered his chin thoughtfully. ?Himni, any ideas?? he asked, turning to his friend, who had been listening as well.

?Actually, I do have one,? Himni said with a slight grin.

 

Excellent solution Maia. The guy may be an old grump, but compared to what Qui and Obi are used to a grumpy old man will be a breeze!

I hope we get more soon, I really like this story!!!

 

Yeah, it can't be much harder than dealing with Master Yoda, can it? Or is the crotchety old geezer going to come out and whack them with his stick, too? Good solution to the problem! I can't wait to read more! (Hint, hint!)

 

Well the guy has to be more open minded then the council. They should have some problems but not many.

 

Must push story off the fifth page.

 

TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Phooey I was hoping there was another post from Bastet.

Bastet if you can hear me WE WANT MORE!!!

 

MY comp. blew up 2 weeks ago and i just got a new one today so ive been out of the loop, how sad Can anyone post up like the posts i missed, not the ones on this topic of course, this is where i stopped

"Well, whatever happened, Maia was determined to be ready for it. She would not be left behind. The idea of leaving the planet frightened and fascinated her all at once, but mostly it frightened her. She really had no desire to explore the stars, for she enjoyed her life here. But wherever Obae-wahn went, she was to follow. That was just the way things were. Maia had a feeling, though, that they just might try and sneak away without her when the time came. They would need to have another little talk soon. And also, she would pack a bag, just in case.

"

 

Thanks you guys! Here's some more! Sorry it's kind of short, but I've been having a hard time writing more. Everytime I get on the computer to type more, I get kicked off for one reason or another. And I would have worked on it yesterday, but I was sick. Oh well, hope it's okay! And I apologize for any spelling and grammar errors, but I am at the library w/o Word Perfect.

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Obi-Wan watched Kael and Himni walk back to the village, a strange foreboding creeping over him. What were they doing out here? What did Maia find so amusing? And why was Mog in such a bad mood? He could guess the answer to his first question well enough. It looked like they were here to earn the money for the parts to the comm themselves. That felt weird to Obi-Wan. Jedi were never to be paid for their work, they were the servants of peace. They didn?t use their powers for personal gain. But then, Obi-Wan reasoned, they didn?t have to use those powers here. They simply had to farm.

Obi-Wan was brought back to the moment when Mog cleared his throat noisily. He was eyeing him and Qui-Gon appraisingly, yet suspiciously as well. Then he started speaking again to Maia. He began gesticulating at his cart, then at Toi. Maia turned to her pig, looking thoughtful. After a moment, she grabbed its collar and led it over to the cart, while Mog unhitched his pig and sent it away toward the village. But as soon as they had Toi in position to hitch it up, it started squealing and struggling to get away. Obi-Wan realized that it had never been made to do anything like this before, and wasn't taking too kindly to the idea. The young Jedi staggered himself, as he listened to the pig's frightened squeals and snorts, when he felt a pang of sympathy for Toi. But the pig really did sound pitiful.

Qui-Gon thought so too, for he strode forward up to the struggling beast and laid a hand on its head. He started talking softly to it, and Toi gradually calmed down, to the point where it stood perfectly still when Mog and Maia quickly finished hitching the pig up to the cart. They were both looking at Qui-Gon in amazement, who was smiling back at them, as if what he had just done was a commonplace occurrence.

Obi-Wan was glad that his master was so attune to the Living Force; it made it easy for him to deal with animals. He had always had a great rapport with creatures they encountered on their many missions. Obi-Wan just wished he got along as well with people, especially the members of the Jedi Council.

Once Toi was securely hooked to the cart, Mog started speaking to Maia again. He led the group over to the first un-harvested row of plants, which were almost as tall as Qui-Gon, and began to demonstrate what they had to do. It looked simple enough. He cut the stalk of the plant near the ground with a small, hand-held scythe-like tool, and then plucked off all the leaves, letting them fall to the ground. What was revealed was what looked like a large, fat purple cattail on a green stalk. Mog squished the purple part between his fingers, and then started measuring it with his hands. It was almost two hands tall, but the old man looked disappointed. It was obviously supposed to be bigger than that.

Shaking his head, Mog tossed the plant into the cart now pulled by Toi, who was looking sullen. He handed his scythe to Qui-Gon, and then he dug an extra from the cart and handed it to Obi-Wan. Then he took something else from the cart that made the young Jedi groan inwardly. It was a walking stick. Mog?s was much longer and thicker than Master Yoda?s, and it was intricately carved. With a wicked grin, Mog whacked it hard on the side of the cart, causing Toi to jump. Then he pointed the stick at the two men, and then at the fields. The message was clear: "Get to work, or I'll whack you too."

Mog laid down in the cart and got comfortable as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan turned to the first row of plants. Maia stayed up by Toi, holding the reins. Apparently it would be her job to move the c

 

Hmmmm.... What do I think? I think it was great and you need to post again soon, real soon!!!

I sure didn't like the way that old geezer was treating Obi-Wan, but what a great character for this story. He fits in perfectly! Its nice that Qui-Gon will be returning with out Obi-Wan, the poor kid has definatly gotten the lions share of the abuse on this planet! Hope the pig's okay, I wouldn't put it past the old goat to make bacon out of her!

 

I just *knew* that Mog was a whacker! And how cowardly of him to beat up on the little guy and leave the big one alone. Poor Obi-Wan. I'll bet Maia will be ready at home with some sympathy and salve, which will probably mean Obi-Wan taking off his shirt...

Can't wait for more! I'm sorry about your computer problems, but I just have to say it. Post again soon!

 

lol thats so funny I love it MORE MORE MORE!!!

Buffynick6

 

Glad you all liked it! I don't have more right now, but expect an update early next week, like Monday or something. I have just been adding people to my favorites list, and I came here first to add all of you who have been replying to my story. Thanks Jane Jinn, Kelly Kenobi, Padawan3, Buffynick6, and Healer Leona! And a special thanks to padawan3 for upping my story for me!
This library computer is being a MAJOR ninny right now, though, so I am leaving this site now. It keeps kicking me off every five minutes or so for some sort of "illegal operation". I'm half expecting cops to show up and drag me away. Oh well, as long as they're cute.

 

Well I was wrong. That old man was worse then the council.

 

Top!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Where are the new posts I want more!!!

Padawan Buffy

 

Well I'll just sit here and wait for a post.

 

Rats... I saw this at the top and was hoping for a new post. I'll just sit here at wait too!

 

Bastet, just to let you know we're still waiting.

 

Cool! I was already to search all gazilion pages of this forum to update my story, and it's on the first page! Thanks padawan3! And thanks all you guys for reading my story, and giving me a page 3!

Unfortunately this post is iffy, 'cause I'm tired. But since I now have unlimited access to this computer for a week, I'll be able to update much more frequently. In fact, I want to finish this story soon, so I'd best get back to work right now!

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Qui-Gon led the way to the metal smiths shop this time. Meti emerged from the back as soon as they walked in. He smiled broadly as Qui-Gon began to draw the forty small coins from his pocket and hand them over to the eager native. Meti counted them slowly, and then put them carefully in a leather pouch on his belt. Then he motioned the three of them to follow him to the back of his shop. The comm unit was sitting on a table against the wall, surrounded by various instruments of the metal smithing trade. Meti picked up just one of the small, delicate components of the comm, then he pointed at his pouch and jingled the money. Qui-Gon sighed inwardly, having gotten the message. This was obviously going to take a long time, and be very expensive, that was for sure.

The big Jedi nodded his understanding to the native metal smith, then turned to Obi-Wan, who had been watching him with concern. He smiled and nodded at his apprentice, telling him that all would be well, not to worry. The young man did smile back, if a bit hesitantly.

They left the shop and headed home. Obi-Wan had invited Qui-Gon to come over earlier, for the young man very much needed to resume his Jedi training. Neither of them wanted him to fall behind. But they would probably be doing nothing more tonight than meditating, since they were both worn out from the long day in the fields. As they walked, the Jedi master heard a distinct rumble coming from the vicinity of his apprentice.

?Hungry, padawan?? Qui-Gon grinned.

Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly. ?Yes, master.?

?Me too. We?ll eat first, then we?ll get to your training.?

?Sounds good to me.?

They continued the rest of the way to the house in silence. Qui-Gon was surprised to see Toi already there, rooting around in the bushes by the front door. He could tell that Maia was very relieved to see her pig. She bent down and hugged the beast as if she had expected to never see her again. Qui-Gon could certainly understand why.

?Hmph,? said Obi-Wan as Maia and Toi led the way into the house, ?I still don?t like that man.?

?Neither do I, padawan, but he is going to help us get out of here, at least,? Qui-Gon responded reasonably. Once they were all in the house, Obi-Wan walked over to the bed and sunk onto it with a tired sigh. He looked ready to fall asleep. Qui-Gon took a seat at the table. His back hurt from bending over all day, and he was certain that Obi-Wan?s did too, though his padawan hadn?t complained. Toi came over and nuzzled the Jedi master?s leg. For once she wasn?t wet and slobbery. //Which is probably why she came to me and not Obi-Wan,// Qui-Gon thought wryly.

As the big Jedi patted Toi, he suddenly realized that Maia was standing by the fire, watching them nervously. She was wringing her hands in apprehension. When she noticed Qui-Gon watching her, she smiled uncertainly, even more nervous still.

The Jedi master gave her a questioning look. Maia looked over at Obi-Wan, who was now watching her curiously as well. The native girl hesitated, as if thinking of the best way to explain her problem. She picked up a pot sitting by the fire, and showed them the inside, which was empty. Then she gestured to the shelves on the wall next to the fire, all of which were also empty. Qui-Gon understood; they had nothing to eat. And they had just spent all of their money on the comm unit parts. Maia gestured at the big Jedi, and then in the general direction of his guesthouse. She made an eating gesture, to show Qui-Gon that he would still be given food back at his place.

 

Excellent post Bastet!!! Wonderful news about having more computer time this week, I look forward to more updates. Although I hate to see it come to an end. I have truly enjoyed this thread, it is both a very good story, an original idea and well written!!

Obi-Wan seems to be adjusting to domestic life, The Great White Hunter that he is! I love the way Qui-Gon musses over Obi-Wan, just like any good parent!

 

Sounds logical to me! Good post! I like all these intricacies that you build into the story, Bastet. It makes rich, satisfying reading. Keep going!

 

I love this story and I'm happy that your back Bastet This story is getting to be a hand full for Obi well Qui as well I cant wait for more!!