Saga Wild Knights: Grasping an Ancient Fire (Obi-Wan, Siri, Garen) - Digital Specters/Completed 5/5

Loki?I'll just say Quim knows a lot.

Diane?Lucky for you, you will get a hint at what treasures that are hidden?.

Kynstar?Good questions about Ben'al.

honour?LOL Well, you get a little more of the "mingling" stories today.

Moldy-One?Well, you will get a feel for Siri's feelings?today. But really, you are insanely jealous of Amare, you are looking for a reason to really hate Siri?

Neo-Paladin?Oh, don't worry about Maka, he'll snap back, eventually. As for Quim, kind of sad, no?

Noi?Well, you fly analogy is going to be put to the test shortly.

Thanks everyone! New posty up now, and I am going to try for another one for tomorrow but it will probably be Friday before I get it up.

 

Chapter Eighty-Four

The ash blew lightly across the dusted floor of the landing pad, under the shelter of the Obsidian Raptor's wings. Brushing her hand along her other arm, Siri twisted to look back at the variety of aliens guarding the ship's ramp. All them heavily armed and all of them quite focused on her and her companion.

She stole a quick glance toward the Jedi kneeling on the ashen floor in a meditative pose but quickly returned her attention to the crew that watched them. Koth had refused to let her back on the ship. He had muttered something about the cost of repairs outweighing his tolerance of a pretty face. It had taken the Draigon's smooth talking to even get Garen a private audience with Koth.

A tinge of worry struck her as she wondered where Garen was and hoped that he was okay. He had been gone for more than an hour. There was no danger in the Force, though she doubted she could easily sense it.

What had once passed as light and truth now came with wary recognition. She did not know how to cope with the situation that had presented itself.

Kneeling quietly on the broken tarmac, though his posture was rigid, Ben'al's entire focus seemed to be on his hands. No, not his hands, Siri corrected herself. Obi-Wan's.

She did not understand this strange aberration. This Ben'al was dead, a character in stories told to younglings. Sure he was real, she understood that, but so disconnected from her that he was no different than any one of a hundred different fantasies.

Still, a small part of her wanted to believe the truth, wanted to accept without question this strange presence was indeed the great saber master, Ben'al Houk. Whatever wonder she should have felt was encompassed by fear. The specter or whatever he was, wore the face?the scent?of her friend.

It was more than that though. The voice, the smile, the look in his eyes was different. A Jedi mask of serenity could hide a lot and Obi-Wan was a master at hiding behind a serene look. This man did not hide emotions. She sensed touches of anger and grief, but her thoughts always returned to his eyes.

They were the eyes of a true killer.

She had seen eyes like that throughout her galactic travels, but she didn't think she had ever seen them in a Jedi. Certainly there were hints, briefly here and there. She had once seen Master Windu in a tight situation when the lives of younglings were at stake. She had seen that narrowed look and the strange, cold fire that lit his eyes. And although she knew Mace capable, she knew it was only a small part of him, the white fire vanishing when it is not called upon.

The white fire seemed always present in the man before her. From the very moment that he had called the Draigon by his true name, the fire had been there, never dimming.

Growing brighter with ever passing minute.

While she struggled to understand, even accept the situation, Ben'al remained silently fixated on his hands.

"Where is Obi-Wan?" she asked, almost timidly and hated herself for it.

The face of her friend looked up. "Sleeping." He offered her a slight, lopsided grin. Then, as if he knew her worries, he said, "He is unharmed."

"Will he stay that way?"

"You have my promise."

"I do not know you."

Rising smoothly to his feet, Ben'al looked her over. Pausing to study her gray Y'Beggar coat. "I am Jedi. My word should be enough."

The intense look made Siri nervous and she tugged at the edges of the long cloak. "I lost my cloak."

He did not seem to care. Once more, he studied his open palm, stretching his fingers and drawing them into tight fists.

After a few moments, he looked to Siri again. She felt startled by the fire in once familiar eyes. Something about them told her they had seen too much. She would have become lost in them had not a rumble from beneath shook the ground. The great volcano Tyrian was reminding the inhabitants of Tobos' southern continent of its presence.

"Some day, this all will be nothing but a crater," she said, surpris

 

<delurking> Whoa. I'm as awed as Siri.

 

Looking at his hands once more, Ben'al frowned. "My reflexes are a little slow. Now, my time is limited and I will not waste it on the likes of you," he said, staring at the pirates. Coolly shifting his gaze to the toward Siri, he said, "Are you coming, my lady?" And he smiled.

My hero! Just loving this Red!


And he's too much man for Siri so no worries there.



The kiss was for Ben'al, not you.

 

Whoa! He called her 'lady'! Now if Siri wasn't so shocked I don't think she'd much appreciate that!

Well he said his time is limited...so I take it he means it!

Great chap! Liked the description of the 'fire' in the eyes Mace having it that one time that she saw and now Ben'al most of the time.

Great job! Can't wait for the next posting

(edit: about his reflexes being a little 'slower'!)

 

The kiss was for Ben'al, not you.



I'm surprised you are even functional after reading that travesty last night.

 

Wow, loved that Ben'al feels that the Jedi have grown soft - as so they have. And loved that Siri was so uncomfortable with him. I'm glad that Ben'al knows about the Temple and what it means to the Jedi.

Great job.

Man, did I miss a travesty last night? Can I get a PM? I feel so cut-off from everything right now!

 

Man, did I miss a travesty last night?

You'll have to wait. oe is spending some quiet, quality time with it first.

 

Ben'al is yummy. Scary. But yummy. (oe, I'm just admiring him from a distance, okay?)

More, more!

If memory serves, red, Ben'al and Obi have a physical resemblance? If so, will Ben'al notice that at some point, I wonder?

 

Sorry I didn't read and respond yesterday...I guess I didn't take it seriously that you would update again so quickly.

Both posts are just great. Loved how Garen picked up on Quim being an ex-Jedi.

And Siri with Ben'al. Sounds like trouble. I wonder when Obi returns if he will remember everything Ben'al says and does.

Can't wait for more.

 

Excellent couple of posts!

 

He had muttered something about the cost of repairs outweighing his tolerance of a pretty face.

The specter or whatever he was, wore the face?the scent?of her friend.

This has to be so strange for her, and I love the description of the fire in his eyes.

A smile tugged at Ben?al?s lips. ?A master and an apprentice? Is that all??

This just reminds me how much I loved your descriptions of the Sith of Ben'al's time.

Looking at his hands once more, Ben'al frowned. "My reflexes are a little slow. Now, my time is limited and I will not waste it on the likes of you," he said, staring at the pirates. Coolly shifting his gaze to the toward Siri, he said, "Are you coming, my lady?" And he smiled.

I just love Ben'al's arrogance. To cut down six weapons at once and then complain that his reflexes are slow. Be nice Ben'al. Siri is sort of spoken for.

 

After Ben'al showed up here in this story, I finally read the Tales of a Jedi series of stories. Those are really well written. I love the differences in the Jedi of Ben'al's time and the Jedi of Obi's time.

I'm glad that we sort of get to see the 2 types of Jedi side by side. Gotta love Ben'al's contempt of the master&apprentice Sith of this time period. I wonder though if Obi will remember having his body commandeered? Aren't Obi and Ben'al supposed to be distantly related? Or is this a completely different universe from the Bali Tiro stories? I know Bali doesn't exist in this story's universe, but is Obi's lineage the same?

Poor Siri and Garren though. It's got to be tough seeing their friend's body but have it be someone else entirely.

Great writing, Red! Thanks for sharing this story with us!

Sorry for lurking so much and not commenting as much as I should.

 

Wow. Darth Tater and I both really enjoyed that. Ben must have had awesome relfexes. Will they ever find out that Ben and Obi are related?

 

Princess Arulmozhi?Glad to see you delurk.

Moldy-One?You just don't want to share Ben'al, do you?

Kynstar?Yup, this isn't the Obi-Wan Siri knows. She should be careful around him.

Diane?Not to worry Diane, you'll get to see the travesty soon enough.

honour?Ben'al notices something, I don't know if it will be a mirror reflection or not.

Jedikma?You didn't take me seriously?

Zebra3?Thanks!

Noi?It wouldn't be Ben'al if his arrogance didn't shine like a beacon in the night.

ObiLegolas?Thanks! And glad to see you! Tale will be coming back after WK is finished in a few weeks. I've really got the bite to work on finishing Ben'al's story. And yup, Obi-Wan and Ben'al are still distantly related.

ca tron?Glad you and Darth Tater enjoyed it. Ben'al was something when it came to lightsabers. Too bad, he was also seriously flawed in so many other aspects of being a Jedi.

Thank you everyone and surprise! Another post. I think I will post again Saturday?so there won't be a long weekend between posts and then start daily again on Monday.

 

Chapter Eighty-Five

This was a turn in fortune that Garen Muln had never expected, let alone planned for. His hands, steady in the most intense of firefights, trembled as he picked up the H'Assari Pyramid and placed it in the center of the plate that Quim had provided. Exhaling slowly, he focused, steadying his hands as he shifted the holoimager into place, lining it up with the shape in the center.

He glanced up at the Draigon standing across the table in Koth's ready room. "So, at what point did I give myself away?"

?The moment I met you.?

The matter of fact way the Quim had replied drew Garen's attention. He stared at the silvery beast and thought he saw a smile tug at the long muzzle. "Oh."

With his gaze fixated on the darkened pyramid, Quim leaned forward slightly, studying the intricate carvings. "Do no be so hard on yourself, young one. You fooled Maka for nearly a month. More than many. Of course, they would not live to tell the tale.?

"How did I get so lucky?"

Making an adjustment to the placement of the holoimager, the Draigon said, "I talked him out of killing you." He withdrew a large paw before sinking into one of the chairs. "Activate it."

There was almost a sense of impatience in the Draigon's voice. Obeying, Garen reached out and laid his fingers along two of the panels and offered up a small pulse in the Force, the key that opened the secrets locked within. Dancing particles of light filled the chamber and spilled across the plate.

Withdrawing from the table, Garen watched the strange blue characters shift as they floated through the air. It did not take long before he noticed Quim was studying the flowing characters of an ancient tongue spilled across the curved edges of the plate. He reached out, pressing a hand to the back of a nearby chair. Shaking his head he pulled the chair out and sat down. "There is so much information. All I can make out is bits and pieces. It all jumbles together. The only reason we got this far is I recognized the coordinates." He scanned the strange, curling images of Benedaact but a strange sense of helplessness washed over him. "Mountains. The tomb is in the mountains," he announced but his voice trembled with uncertainty. "We are surrounded by mountains." Frowning, he looked to the Draigon who was focused on the script. "I was supposed to retrieve a lost holocron. It was suppose to be a quiet, non-attention getting mission. How did I get from there to being ordered to destroy the tomb of Dormus Escario." He shook his head. "This is all just some tale to scare younglings coming to life. Like the Council is doing this just to give the crèche masters a new story to tell. Jedi are not entombed. They are returned to the most basic of substance in a funeral pyre, that's where the whole legend of Escario vanishing whole into the Force came from."

Again, that deep sadness seemed to envelope the Draigon. "And there are no Force ghosts," Quim whispered.

Sighing Garen looked up. ?Did you always see them??

?Why do you think I read so much around the weapon? To see those," Quim tightened a paw into a fist, "whose faces you had known in flesh, mere specters in the light?" He looked at Garen thoughtfully. "They are merely characters and stories to a youngling like you. I had known some.?

?Ben?al Houk?? The care worn face of a lifelike statue seeped into Garen?s memories. A face that was not so unlike his friend?s.

Quim smiled.

"Why Obi-Wan? Why not me, or Siri or you? We all had contact with the weapon before him." Those little fears, the ones that told him things had forever changed nipped at him with a thousand tiny teeth.

"I think you know the answer."

"Because they share a distant relationship?" Garen offered an uneasy laugh. "I'm distantly related to the Prince Consort of Alderaan. It doesn't exactly give me a sense of kinship."

"Who said anything about blood kinship?" Quim asked.

The words caught Garen. "They are related, somehow, I don't know. There are probably quite a few Jedi running aroun

 

*Shudders* 'The dead still wait' Kind'a reminds me of RotK about the quote of 'The way is shut'.

So Ben'al chose Obi cuz of his saber skills? Odd...

Great work Garen got a lil insight at least

 

Oh, the dead still wait. Which dead? Sith or Jedi or both??? Nice that Ben'al chose Obi-Wan for his saber skills but maybe not. It might be that he will need them - not good, not good.

Great job. Looking forward to more

And I shall be patient about the travesty!

 

"Who said anything about blood kinship?" Quim asked.

I could be way off base here, but does Ben'al maybe know or sense that Obi-Wan is the only Jedi since his days to fight and kill a Sith And isn't Obi-Wan known as the Sithkiller? A moniker Ben'al also carried?

More!!!!!

 

I have a bad feeling about this....

Love it!

 

I think OE just said something really insightful.

"I'm distantly related to the Prince Consort of Alderaan. It doesn't exactly give me a sense of kinship."

He's related to Bail?

Ben'al in that last post, he's a smooth guy. But selfish and arrogant - just the opposite of Obi-Wan. So maybe that's why Ben'al chose him, because he would use his own skills plus Obi-Wan's inner strengths.

 

I think OE just said something really insightful.

And why do you act all shocked?



*waves spoon in honours direction*

Back away from the Ben'al wrapped in Obi goodness and I won't have to hurt you.

 

I really like Quim and Garen's interactions. I don't know it just reminds me of how someone would treat a kid brother (much younger in this case). It's sweet that Quim was watching out for him.

I like [/b]oe's[/b] insights. There is a reason that Ben'al chose Obi-Wan and I'm kind of worried about it.

oe, you are just reveling in the best of both worlds with Ben'al wrapped in Obi goodness, aren't you?

 

"Ben'al is my friend, but the truth is he was selfish and arrogant. I know he is not above using beings to serve his needs and your friend is just a vehicle to get what he pleases."

Ok, I can see the arrogant part of that statement being true from the first 2 volumes of Tale. But where does the selfish part come in? I know that he asked a lot of his friend (to burn another word into his back), but I believe he would do anything that his friends ask of him. Will we find out in a later volume of Tale?

Great post, Red! Your writing is superb.

So Tale of a Jedi v.3 is going to take precedence over Reminiscence and The Muzio Gambit? I hope you can get back to those 2 stories soon!

 

Very creepy. What kinda trouble is Ben gonna get Obi into? And will he be able to get out of it?