Saga When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted (Obi, Asajj) Thanks to readers!

Wow... didn't expect that, but then again I should have.

Great update! Poor Asajj still taken by the darkness. I feel for Obi too cuz he tried so hard with her.

Well done!

 

I agree. In the end, I feel mostly sadness for Obi-Wan, and a sense of pity for Asajj.

Nice ending.

 

Wow JL this went in a totally different direction to what I thought! You caught me off guard there! lol...I really enjoyed this chapter. I loved the way you wrote Obi and the force - wonderful details and imagery...

The ending was so powerful...

Obi-Wan's blade flashed into the weak spot with the burning heat of a supernova. The single motion cleaved both of her hands from her wrists. Ventress screamed as the blade burned through her flesh and bone and she dove at Obi-Wan, brandishing no weapon but her desperate desire to destroy her long time foe.

Completely flooded by the power of the Force, Obi-Wan was barely aware of his own reaction as the banshee he had once taken under his care came flying towards him. Time stood still as his azure blade came around and sliced her shrieking head from her body. Still in motion, her torso landed in his arms and he knelt under its sudden weight.

This was me!

I've so enjoyed reading this fic - i look forward to the epilogue!

 

WOW....I had hoped that somehow Asajj would be able to embrace the light.

Still, I applaud Obi-Wan for having the strength to do what had to be done.

Wonderful update

 

i will do replies and such in another day or so. for now, i'll just put the final flourish up for you to read.

~.~

Epilogue

Obi-Wan stood before the transparisteel window, lost in thought as he contemplated his next action. His sense of honor required a bonfire and a crowd of solemn mourners for the body before him. Circumstances well beyond his control prevented him from giving the still form a proper burial. His very existance was one of the best kept secrets in the galaxy and it was vitally important that the deception remained veiled from the outside world. A smoking pyre would be sure to draw attention, especially on the dry desert dunes of his destination.

Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan said a few words over the the remains of a woman he had battled, befriended and been forced to destroy. Her story was a long and tragic tale, yet it gave the Jedi a small bit of peace. If nothing else, Asajj Ventress' death closed one of the many incomplete circles in his life.

His hand hovered over a button on the panel at the side of the door. With a heavy sigh, Obi-Wan pressed it until it clicked passed the safety mechanism. There was a soft whooshing noise as the outer airlock door opened, sucking out the contents of the small chamber.

Running a hand through his greying hair, Obi-Wan moved back into the cockpit of the craft. He watched the monitor as Asajj's body floated back behind the exhausts. Carefully manuevering the craft, he ignighted the engines and watched as the drifting form was engulfed in the flames of the afterburners.

While he returned his attention to the piloting the craft, a dull ache began to work itself across his shoulders, then through his entire body. The last few days battles finally wearing on him as weariness set in. After reprogramming the navicomputer for his destination, Obi-Wan lay back in the pilot's seat and closed his eyes.

In what seemed like a few scant moments, the hyperdrive indicator began to beep, waking him from an uneasy sleep. He shut off the alarm, ceasing the loud, irritating sound and leaving the small space in silence. Rubbing his eyes, Obi-Wan took a few deep breaths, then stretched as best he could in the chair.

The dusty surface of Tatooine reflected the light of its two suns into the cockpit, the glare so bright it stunned the eyes. An odd feeling came over Obi-Wan as he piloted the craft away from the normal landing patterns and turned on the distress signal. He was going home. The Temple had been home for so much of his life, yet he had never spent much time there. Tatooine had sheltered him for years now. Despite the dangers out in the galaxy, there was a certain amount of security afford him here.

After sending the craft into a dive, he stood and moved toward the single escape pod at the rear of the ship. Checking that the two lightsabers were securely attached to his belt, he closed the door and launched the tiny shuttle towards the surface.

As the craft decended through the dry atmosphere of the desert planet, Obi-Wan curled his feet up in the cramped space. The pod was much like Tatooine, a microcosm of his situation. Here he was in a precarious place, vulnerable to asteroids and debris with precious little lifesupport; only enough air to reach planetside and no more.

In much the same way, Tatooine was a planet-sized escape pod for the exiled Jedi. Dangers surrounded he and Luke on a daily basis. Their safety was at risk from attack by Sandpeople, sever drought and desperate criminals. Yet it was out of reach of the Emperor and his new apprentice. Neither of them cared much for what occured on the Hutt-controlled planet.

Obi-Wan was lost in thought as the tiny pod came in for a rough landing at the edge of the Dune Sea. Qui-Gon's words floated back to him, reminding him of their first visit to Tatooine. A queen was in danger and the Jedi chose to hide her on Tatooine. When reminded that the Hutts were quite dangerous Qui-Gon, in his calm, reasoning way, had replied, "But the Hutts are not looking for us, and that gives us the adva

 

Cool epilogue!

So, the Emperor knows of Luke, and intends to exploit him once he gets his training from Obi-Wan.

Let Obi-Wan get him started, and ol? Palps finishes the job. He knows in Empire that Vader would start to feel the change in the Force, so he initiates the meeting and acts like he first learns of Luke at this point.

Sneaky.

 

This was the ending that I've been so eagerly awaiting:
Time stood still as his azure blade came around and sliced her shrieking head from her body. Still in motion, her torso landed in his arms and he knelt under its sudden weight.
Fabulously executed.

I love how the epilogue here provides a much needed bridge between the Obi-Wan of ROTS and the Obi-Wan of ANH. You can almost feel him getting older. Stress does age a person and from the looks of Obi-Wan in ANH he's had a hell of a stressful 19 years.

If nothing else, Asajj Ventress' death closed one of the many incomplete circles in his life. And you've really given us a cool insight into Obi-Wan's experiences after ROTS. This feels like canon, smells like canon and in my little head I think I'm going to pretend it is. When I think of Ventress's end, this is the one I'm going to think about--it's such a rich story and I've had such a wonderful time providing support and suggestions with it that I'm kind of sad to be letting it go. **sniffle** I've had so much fun with this and helping make all those disturbing parts creepy.

While he returned his attention to the piloting the craft, a dull ache began to work itself across his shoulders, then through his entire body. The last few days battles finally wearing on him as weariness set in.
I definitely think that 'weariness' is just the right word to describe Obi-Wan and this is an apt description of the physical manifestations of weariness.

As the craft decended through the dry atmosphere of the desert planet, Obi-Wan curled his feet up in the cramped space. The pod was much like Tatooine, a microcosm of his situation. Here he was in a precarious place, vulnerable to asteroids and debris with precious little lifesupport; only enough air to reach planetside and no more.
And you used the word 'microcosm' **sigh** that was indeed eloquent.

"But the Hutts are not looking for us, and that gives us the advantage." Bonus points for that one.

I really liked how you played with the significance of name in this story and Obi-Wan's conclusion "My name is Ben." is really quite telling with regard the transformation that he is in the process of making.

An ominous ending!

What's next???
Do I hear sequel? prequel? a return to the hallowed halls of mush or are you going to be throwing down with Zombie fics from here on out?? You're a hell of a writer, JL, and these boards are really lucky to have you. Don't crawl into a hole just because you've finished this tale.

BRAVO! to truly amazing story!
[face_alien_1]

 

Man, I'm sad to see this one end, but it was a good one. Well done Jennifer.
Let me know when you start your next fic. You've got a loyal reader here.

Thanks for the ride.

 

Excellent epilogue!! Well done!

Thanks so much for sharing/continuing this tale! I have truly enjoyed it! Poor Obi he has so much grief, but at least he can talk to somebody about it over the time.

 

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get here (ridiculously busy), and that I missed the last post. *sad* I missed The Battle, too! I loved the careful attention you paid to each motion between Obi-Wan and Asajj, and described the motions with each bit of their personal histories. Very adept. And, yes, he killed her. *sigh* That's my Obi.

And the epilogue was wonderful. I love how Obi-Wan had such mercy on Asajj to burn her with his afterburners. That was perfect. And now Obi-Wan is back on Tatooine... indeed, such symbolism in that place. I love it. And Palpatine considering Luke? *shivers* Wonderful. A sequel! A prequel! A...nother!

Much I loved it, JL. I loved it very much.

 

I loved that Obi-Wan gave her the closest thing he could to a Jedi funeral. It was so fitting. I also really liked the parellels between him landing with Qui-Gon and landing now. And the way he took the name Ben really made a nice transition between this story and ANH.

Chilling at the very end too.

Wonderful epilogue but I'm sad to see the story end too. The relationship and characterization between Obi-Wan and Asajj has been so complex and wonderful to watch. You've kept things unpredictable and yet made it into something that truely feels like canon. I'll always think of this story when I see Asajj.

 

Just finished reading this tonight, fantastic work.

 

9 months
26,405 words
1 amazing beta
a group of loyal, patient readers

= one amazing journey.


thank you all for sticking with me, enjoying the details and catching things i didn't even realize were there. the idea that some of you view this as canon just makes me turn shades of red they've yet to invent names for.

this story has been a trial and a joy. i've learned so much about writing it's astounding and i've yet to absorb it all. all of your comments have been so encouraging and truly touched me. to any of you that may have lurked your way through this story, i thank you, too, for reading and enjoying this in your own quiet way.

it's always a challenge to take on a canon character, and with Asajj this was especially difficult as i barely knew who she was when i started this story. i debated and struggled for along time with this ending, but when the time came to write it, i went back to who she was at her core and the answer became simple.

Obi-Wan, too, was a challenge. exploring his development from the General to the Crazy Old Wizard has become a pet project for me. how does he work through his grief, regain his swagger and prepare himself for that final showdown on the Death Star? not an overnight process, i'm sure.

sequel? prequel? if the story presents itself, i'll be sure to let you know. Obi-Wan has a long journey ahead and i don't believe his adventures are over yet.

so thank you all for coming along for the ride.

most of all, thank you to Obi-Wan, Asajj and the Inkies for letting me tell their tale.
[image=http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g302/lbugjennifer/stuff/junk/obireflects.jpg]
(obi and asajj sketches by adam hughes, i just had fun in photoshop)

 

DRL has kept me from the boards this last month, but I am back and finally catching up on what I missed.

Ch. 12

He stared at her, trying to catch a glimpse of her intent. Her expression spoke of nothing but the truth, that she was desperate to get away from her captors and he was her only hope.

I love the way you echo Leia's line.

"Betrayer!" Venictum howled as he dove toward Asajj. "I will pull your entrails out through your nostrils!"

Um... yuck.

Surely Kenobi could not be that good, he was known as a master of defense, not attack. Realizing they had grossly underestimated the Jedi, he now understood exactly how Lord Vader came to find himself within a cage of plastisteel and wiring.

Over-confidence is their weakness, lol.

When a hole opened in Venictum's defense, Obi-Wan plunged his saber in and sliced upward as the Inquisitor fell, melting into a gelatin coated pile of fabric at his feet. Surprised to see his foe disappear before his eyes, the Jedi poked at the pile with his foot, stopping suddenly when a tremor ran through the Force. The premonitory feeling sent a shiver down his spine before a pained scream drew his attention back to the battle.

I love this part, since it is so eerily similar to Obi-Wan's own death, when Vader is looking at his empty robe.

Ch. 13

Then it appeared, small and subtle, but all he would need. Her hand slipped on the hilt of her saber, her sweat preventing her from keeping a firm grip. The action of readjustment took the blink of an eye, but when the Force is your ally, a blink is all the time in the world.

You descibed this so wonderfully. I really didn't expect Ventress to remain in the light. The ending is very fitting for her character.

Epilogue

Upon arriving, Obi-Wan looked around his small dwelling. "Ben" he reminded himself out loud. "My name is Ben." He sighed audibly, "I don't know how long it will take me to remember that." Then he laughed at himself. "Surely a time will come when I will be unable to recall the last time I heard my own name!"

Yes, there certainly will be.


You have done an incredible job with this story, and I have enjoyed reading every moment of it!




Ani-maniac

 

JL - Sorry for the lateness in replying...blame the awards

The first half of the epilogue was lovely, so 'obi' (if that makes sense lol), sad and serene...beautifully written.

The second part was scary! They know where Obi is?! You'd better be planning to write some more JL, it's not nice to leave us hanging like that!

I've so enjoyed this story - every part of it has been amazing. Thank you for your wonderful story-telling. I look forward to taking many more journeys into the SW world with you.

 

Catching up again - this is getting to be a habit. But, wait - you're done!

First of all - LOL on your "who's on first" of sabers (yes, I'm that far behind), but it was helpful actually, because I like to think about those sorts of things, too. Good to know that Anakin's saber is safe. Being me, of course, I'm heartbroken that Siri's saber got shattered, but I'll get over it.

Ch. 12: Loved Obi-Wan revelation about Asajj's true nature, and I'd wondered if Light and Dark could co-exist in one being. It's definitely an apt description for Asajj. It's a good thing that Obi-Wan is the sort of man who can set aside doubts long enough to get through the situation at hand.

And it was great to see once again that he can be aggressive and kick some serious tail.

Ch. 13: I was on the edge of my seat for that chapter. Love the way you built up to it. That was extrememly vivid and moving, and it reminded me again of why I love Obi-Wan so much (as if I need reminders ). The idea that he was forced to fight and destroy yet another of his students broke my heart. But in a way, I'm sure it helped him come to terms with his past.

Epilogue: Great job bridging Obi-Wan to Ben. That last moment with him brushing the lightsabers with his fingers was very touching. And the end, of course, gave me the chills.

Congratulations on finishing it up! Give yourself many, many pats on the backs.

 

Kes and Mousche: thank you both so much! so glad you got caught up and enjoyed the end of this crazy trip. well, it was crazy for me, anyway.


THANK YOU for the nominations!

i'm honored and floored. thank you so much for following this through to the end and for your kind consideration when nomming time came around.

in case any of you loyal readers missed it, When The Hunted has earned noms for:
Best Canon
Best Drama
Canon Interpretation, Male - Obi-Wan Kenobi
Canon Intrepretation, Female - Asajj Ventress
Best Villain - Equatorum the Inquisitor

and i truly appreciate every single one of them.

 

Oh wow, J_L- I can't believe I fell behind on this. *shakes fist at DRL* I love your portrayl of Obi and Ventress- and I thought your ending for her was perfectly suited to her, no matter how sad it made me. Your ending for the story was excellent as well- I love Obi's line about his name.

Anyway, great job!

Stormqueen

 

SQ!

i've missed your smiling face! so glad you got caught up and enjoyed the ending!
thanks for reading!

 

Looooong overdue, but here i am finally!

Wow! What a lot to take in!

I loved this I will pull your entrails out through your nostrils Say it with me now, eewwwwwwwwww! And that is just the kind of vivdness that is unique about your stuff! Sounds odd, but i hope you know what i mean!

As for the rest, the duel between obi and asaji was wonderfully well done but awww how sad for obi to have to let go another fallen student and i feel asaji too, though the conclusion definately had a sense of closure that obi needed from 'one of the many incomplete circles' (wonderfully expressed!)

The epilogue, what can i say except it was so quintessentially Ben not obi but ben! that's an amazing piece of characterisation! can't identify just what did it, but somehow i ended up reading something that immediately brought to mind the faded robes and greying beard! loved the crack about his name too

It's been a fantastic ride! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

 

wow! thank you so much! that means a lot to me that his characterization came through that strongly. means i did my job right.



Winner 2006 Summer Saga Awards
Best Canon
Best Canon Interpretation, Male - Obi-Wan Kenobi

and a huge THANK YOU here for everyone who nominated and voted for this little fic. i'm honored and grateful for your readership and those of you who've followed along know how very much the canon recognition means to me.

 

What an incredible story!

"Come, let us eat now and let the suns have their way with things."

That was my favorite line of the whole fic. It just sounded so Obi-Wan. I could really hear his soft voice saying that.

The Inkies are COOL as HELL. They remind me of the Alliance operative from Serenity - the first time you see them, you get a glimpse of the nasty things they do. You don't see much of them after that, but it's enough to scare the crap out of you. Then the big battle where you see what they're truly capable of. I love that they were so dark, twisted, and uber-creepy.

I wasn't expecting the ending at all. Kept hoping that Asajj would be able to live as a Greysider.

One bit that I loved was with the lightsabers. With Obi-Wan's reaction to the purple lightsaber breaking, and when there were hints that the green one belonged to Qui-Gon, I figured the former must have belonged to Siri, and that's why he felt so much pain when it shattered. Wonderful details to weave throughout the story. Really great work, JL!

 

thank you so, so much for taking the time to read this!

so glad you enjoyed it! the Inkies were a blast to write, they were just so deliciously evil.

i was waffling back and forth with Asajj's fate even as i was writing the chapter where she died. i kept looking for a way out for here, but in the end i went back to Obi-Wan's characterization and his whole purpose in being on Tatooine... protect Luke at all costs.

yippee! the lightsaber things! they were one of my favorite little details to put in there. they meant absolutely nothing to the story itself, except to root it firmly in place and build bits of Obi's character. still, the idea that he had Qui, Ani and Siri's sabers just makes me happy.

thanks again!

 

Wow, took me long enough to get back here, and you've finished! Wonderful story, I really loved the descriptions. It was sad that Obi-Wan did end up having to kill Asajj, but with the way she was, it was too much of a risk for him to let her go. Love how Obi-Wan has developed too, coming to accept the past and becoming more like ol' Ben. But the ending is a little foreboding...Palpatine already knows of Luke and Obi-Wan? Makes me wonder why he hasn't already moved in on them.

Great job!