Awards 2008 Before the Saga Awards Excerpt Thread

Welcome to the 2008 Before the Saga Awards Excerpt Thread !

Here you will find snippets of each qualifying entry for all award categories. Read them and decide which you feel is the best for that category.

As a reminder, these are all who qualified for the voting round:

Best Alternate Universe

Scion of the Warrior House by VaderLVR64
The Truth Shall Set You Free by jedidas3
Not Myself by Bek
Into Another Day by Jinngerbread
Headstrong by Itachi-Uchiha

Best Canon

Glory Days by azizah
Road to Mandalore by Dar_manda
Patience by Glenstorm
All the Correct Things by ardavenport

Best Action

Threads of the Past by Magier
Attraction by Dianethx
Fast Forward by ardavenport
The Wise by 1Yodimus_Prime

Best Drama

Headstrong by Itachi-Uchiha
The Truth Shall Set You Free by jedidas3
Remembrance by jedidas3
The Wise by 1Yodimus_Prime
A Long Time Ago but Not So Far Away by Bastet

Best Romance

Heart in a Cage by Meredith_Kenobi
Spindrift by JediNemesis
Does Kissing Count? by Alley_Skywalker
To You by ardavenport

Best Humor

Epistles to a Master by Princess_Arulmozhi
Attraction by Dianethx
Little One by Lilith Demodae

Best All Around

The Best of Intentions by jedidas3
Attraction by Dianethx
Not Myself by bek

Style

Most Underrated

Preservation by Jedi_Perigrine
Kinetics by Rogue1-and-a-half
Heart in a Cage by Meredith_Kenobi
"The One Below" Emerges by Alasse_Earfalas
[link=http://boards.theforce.

 

Best Alternate Universe

Headstrong by Itachi-Uchiha

Smoke from their burning ship hung in the air, the cloying gray tendrils seeping into his lungs and making it difficult to breathe. Squinting his eyes against the grit laden air that surrounded them, he cautiously peered over the pile of twisted metal that had once been their twin seat starship. It was unrecognizable now and served as a temporary hiding place until he could figure out what their next move would be.

Exhausted physically with his body screaming for water, Jedi Padawan Quinlan Vos ducked back behind the safety barrier before kneeling down beside the figure sprawled out on the ground. Golden eyes took a careful inventory of the unconscious man, the young padawan?s honey brown fingers tentatively lifting the bit of cloth that covered a wicked wound. A grimace twisted his handsome features, the yellow tattooing across his nose glowing in the predawn light as he noted the angry red skin around the ragged hole. His efforts to clean the wound and keep it that way had failed and infection was setting in.

A low guttural moan broke from his companion?s lips, the first sound issued in over an hour's time. Pressing his palm against the man?s cheek, Quinlan was flooded with concern as he felt the chapped hotness of the pale skin beneath his hand. Trembling fingers brushed a long lock of ebony hair away from the sleeping man?s eyes before he twisted around to grab the travel bag laying behind him. There wasn?t much water left in his canteen but he knew he needed to keep the fever down until help could arrive.

"Padawan?"

The whispered word had him spinning around. Bending down he found his mentor fighting to lift weighted eyelashes, the gleam of deep blue eyes glowing with an abnormal brightness in the gloomy light. The hand he slid beneath the Jedi Master?s neck was wrapped to the forearms with his trademark black material, as he gently propped the man?s head up and held the canteen against chapped lips.

"Drink, Master," he urged, a sigh of frustration following soon after when the precious liquid dribbled out of the corner of his master?s lips.

Setting his mentor?s head back down on the ground, Quinlan screwed the cap back on the bottle. "You have a fever, Master."

Trembling fingers weakly lifted to wrap in the front of Quinlan?s tunic before pulling him down. He had to strain to hear the words that spilled from the Jedi Master?s lips in a disjointed ramble.

"Danger. You must go. Leave. Find help. Head north to the warlords. Only hope."

Quinlan pulled back at the order, resistance immediately burning in his eyes. There was no way he was going to leave his wounded master behind and go off to find some outlaws that may or may not help them. Entwining his fingers with those that still clung to the front of his tunic, Quinlan pressed their now combined hands close to his racing heart.

"I won?t leave you, Master. My fate shall be the same as yours."

A derisive snort was his mentor?s reply as the injured man stared up at the sky overhead. "Impudent whelp. Wait until I get you back home."

"I?m merely following your training," Quinlan protested, his teeth gleaming brightly in the pre-dawn light. "Disobedience and arrogance. I learned from the best."

"That you have." The expression of regret that briefly flooded his mentor?s pale, handsome features had Quinlan wondering what thoughts were going on inside the Jedi Master?s head.

---

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/27926050/p1/?144]Into Another Day[/link] by Jinngerbread

[b]A/N: [/b]In this AU, Qui-Gon is a fresh-faced knight, 22 years old. He is looking to pick his first apprentice.

[b]Entry Twenty-One[/b]

I did not realize it had been so long since I last wrote.

In my defense, the last two years have been quite busy, with missions seemingly back to back and I moved due to ah?well. I moved. Let's just leave it at that. I

 

Best Alternate Universe continued

The Truth Shall Set You Free by jedidas3


The Jedi master spoke once more, ?Padawan, can you tell me what happened here? What happened to your master??

?He?s dead,? came the raspy reply from the cowering figure.

?I know that young one. Can you tell me what happened??

?I killed him,? the padawan whispered. ?I killed Master Elad.? Exhaustion began to claim the apprentice as he leaned his head against the wall. ?I?m just so tired?I just wanted it to stop.?

A nervous energy filled the room as other Jedi who had gathered began to react to the padawan?s words. Rumors and ideas that this apprentice must be full of the dark side flowed from one side of the room to the other. Ignoring the low roar of voices behind him, the Jedi master continued to press for information. He truly believed that things were not always as they seemed to be. ?What is your name, young one??

The padawan choked back a sob. ?Obi-Wan?Obi-Wan Kenobi.?


The Jedi master knew of the young apprentice and of his slain master. Master Elad was well known for his aloof manner and his strict authoritarian approach. He had only trained one other padawan and that student had left the order before he could complete his trials. Whenever he had seen Padawan Kenobi with Master Elad, the tension between them had been evident. Obi-Wan had given the appearance of being the perfect padawan but there was obviously something amiss between the pair. The Jedi knew that nothing could be done for Master Elad, but the apprentice needed help. ?My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. Let?s you up off the floor?you can?t be very comfortable.? Qui-Gon extended his hand and waited for Obi-Wan to accept his offer.

The apprentice simply shook his head and closed his eyes. ?Please, just leave me alone. I just want to be left alone.?

?Alone you can not be.? The sea of onlookers parted as Yoda made his way into the room. He surveyed the carnage and the devastation that hung in the air like a thick fog. He slowly walked over to Obi-Wan and stood before him. ?Help you need. To the healers you must go. Work this out, we will.?

Obi-Wan slowly stood using the wall for support. His eyes met those of Qui-Gon as he leaned heavily on the Jedi master. For the first time, Qui-Gon was able to catch a true glimpse of the padawan?s appearance. Blood stains adorned the front of the robe as well as the sleeves. His hair was disheveled and bruises arrayed his face. The padawan felt as if he weighed next to nothing as he leaned on the tall Jedi. The healers met the pair and relieved Qui-Gon of his burden. Silently, they took the broken padawan from the master and headed towards the healer?s wing.

Qui-Gon?s gaze turned back towards the crowd that still remained in the room. He diverted his attention to Master Elad lying on the floor as the speculations continued to pass between the other Jedi. Something caught his attention as he made his way through the crowd. He knelt down beside the fallen master and took his hand. The remnant of a padawan braid was clenched in Master Elad?s hand. Qui-Gon silently admonished himself for not noticing that the apprentice was missing his braid.

?Answers you seek, but they are not here. Lie with the padawan they do.? Master Yoda stood beside his former student as he silently indicated for the crowd to disperse. He knew that an investigation would be warranted and that those Jedi in charge of the inquiry would need to study the scene.

?He confessed to killing his own master. Do you think he did it??

?There was no deception in his words. Speak the truth, he did. Help he will need. Help him you will.?

Qui-Gon began to protest. He couldn?t deny that the boy needed help. However, the Jedi master did not believe that he was the one to help the young padawan. Yoda tapped his walking stick on the ground to emphasize his point. ?Argue with me you will not! The only hope that boy has, you may be.?

?Master,

 

Best Canon

All the Correct Things by ardavenport

In the fresher, Qui-Gon filled a large drinking cylinder; he sniffed the contents. It was fresh, clear and cool, purified, but still with a trace of the hillside springs from outside. He took it back along with a stack of thick, absorbent cloths, pale and unblemished, like the room and the furnishings inside the cottage. He put them on a stand next to the sleep bench and sat next to Obi-Wan who had slid off his own robe and travel pack and taken his med-kit off his belt. It lay opened next to him.

Qui-Gon dampened a cloth and began wiping off the grit and mud from Obi-Wan's face, revealing the scratches underneath.

The shadows of people darkened the window and something thumped against the closed door. Muffled voices, loud enough to penetrate into their refuge, drew Obi-Wan's startled attention.

"That does not concern us, Padawan," he instructed sternly, taking Obi-Wan's chin in his hand and turning it toward him. Obi-Wan's eyes were wide with disagreement, but he said nothing.

Qui-Gon continued cleaning, first the left cheek, then the right. Streaks of red stained the cloth along with the grime, but not much. Qui-Gon's eyes critically evaluated the bruises and scrapes while Obi-Wan watched his Master with increasing intensity behind his blue-gray stare. But he did not squirm or fidget while he submitted to the examination.

Flipping the cloth over, Qui-Gon dipped the unblemished side into the water cylinder and continued wiping Obi-Wan's face, uncovering bruises on his cheek and forehead, and a long shallow scrape slashed across his nose. He dabbed the mud off from the ginger hairline and a round, shiny black bug crawled out onto the pale skin. Qui-Gon caught it on the end of his little finger and scrutinized it critically. Little legs and antennae twitched and wiggled, but it was clearly not parasitic. He flicked it away and continued to wipe away dirt along with tiny brown and black bits of dried muddy plants, but nothing else crawled out of Obi-Wan's hair.

Picking up and dampening a new cloth, Qui-Gon cleaned his apprentice's neck and the collar of the tunic before laying the cloth aside. He gently placed his hand on Obi-Wan's right arm.

"Let me see," he said quietly and Obi-Wan nodded. Qui-Gon gently drew the injured arm away from where Obi-Wan had clutched it to his body and folded his hand around the point of injury. He had not sensed any broken bones or torn tendons and there were none. But it was badly bruised, warm with pain.

"You can lessen the impact of this on your own, Obi-Wan," he said and Obi-Wan nodded, closing his eyes. He felt the Force from his Padawan, a little fitfully at first, gather about the wound, cooling the swelling. Qui-Gon watched carefully before reaching up and touching the bruise on Obi-Wan's forehead. They remained still, Obi-Wan's wounded arm relaxed, still cradled in his Master's hand. A faint mirror sensation of Obi-Wan's bruises prickled the same places on Qui-Gon's body and forehead through the Force. But there was no more serious injury underneath them.

There was more thumping on the door and more muted shouting penetrated the interior of the cottage. Neither Jedi reacted or moved. The noise and shadows over the windows receded.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes and looked down at his apprentice. He picked up an antiseptic stylet from the open medkit, clicked it on and began passing the tip over the facial scrapes, his hand under Obi-Wan's chin.

"You are concerned about what happened," he stated.

Obi-Wan's eyes opened slowly. Qui-Gon read the personal disappointment in his expression, a sense of failure.

"I'm sorry I fell, Master."

"I am sure you are," he agreed, again laying his hand on Obi-Wan's injured arm. While the Force could speed up healing, it was hardly better than a medical droid and bacta. The arm would be tender and sore until they returned to their ship and took advantage of its facilities.

 

Best Action




Attraction by dianethx

Note: Qui-Gon Jinn eats something, making him irresistible to women.


At the moment, he was trapped. Women were pulling at him and I could see him shrugging off the brown cloak that entangled him in the mob, that hampered his movements. The women seemed to enjoy this, lifting it high into the air and they began to tear it to pieces, making happy noises while they shredded it.

This was not good. They were eyeing him like he was a wrapped present and it was Life Day. As one woman, bolder than the rest, started to reach for his tunic, he was able to get one hand free and raised it high. I threw my cable launcher at him.

With a slight nudge in the Force, pushing the women back to get some breathing room, he caught it; then he was suddenly in the air, scrambling up the cable toward the chandelier.

There was a low collective moan and some of the more athletic in the mob were jumping up, trying to reach him.

He may be a large man but he's Force adept. He hung there, swaying slightly, looking down at the agitated crowd, a stunned and rather confused look on his face.

Some of the women were calling to him, begging him to come down, hands raised in entreaty. A few of them were crying. Others were still hopping around, trying to reach him any way they could. An enterprising woman, shorter than the rest, had taken one of the high-backed chairs, climbed up onto it and was using the added height to try and grab his ankle.

If it hadn't been so troubling, it would have been amusing - the chandelier with a Qui-Gon ornament attached, the crazed mob swaying back and forth in time with the fixture's movement.

But Qui-Gon's refuge was starting to disintegrate. Bits of dust and ceiling were floating down, covering the mob in white powder. And he was lower than he'd been just a few moments ago.

Not good.

There was a soft sputtering sound; larger pieces of duraplast clunked to the floor. Qui-Gon and the fixture he was clinging to slipped again and now he was only a few meters above the mob. Jumping distance if the person was athletic enough or standing on a chair.

It seems impossible but the chair-grabber launched herself into the air, hoping to catch my master's foot and drag him down. She missed, falling instead into the center of the pack, collapsing the crowd. For a moment, there was a scramble of arms and legs as the women tried to stand up again.

This gave Qui-Gon the opportunity he needed. Using the Force, pulling up his legs and using them to gather enough momentum, he and the lamp began to swing wildly, first one way and then another and finally, in one final desperate move, past the edge of the rabble. He let go, leaping free and sprinting for the door.

With a low groan, the mob realized that their prey had escaped and they turned, almost as one, and pelted after him.

I was a few steps ahead, barreling down the corridor toward the kitchen area. He was catching up fast. Long legs and the added incentive of an aroused swarm of demented women would do that.

I forced myself to go faster. But unfortunately, the hallway was the main conduit for food and drink to be moved from the kitchen into the ballroom. Hovercarts piled high with desserts choked the passageway; the remainder was filled with droids carrying trays of drinks.

We were in trouble.

Qui-Gon sprinted past, hair flying and tunics askew. "Keep up, Obi-Wan. Those women are..." Then, without missing a beat, he ducked under a mechanical arm and leaped over one of the floating dessert trays. All grace and style. "Irrational."

How he could fly through the air seemingly without effort was beyond me at the moment. But now was not the time to ask, not when a rabid mob was closing on us both.

Qui-Gon glanced back at me, then pushed ahead, forcing some of the droids out of the way. He was trying to make a path for me but I wasn't the one with the problem.

Still, I didn'

 

Best Drama

A Long Time Ago, But Not so Far Away by Bastet

Author's note: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have crash-landed on a familiar planet (to the reader, that is), and now they've found out that their fight for survival has only just begun.


The vision abruptly ended, like a light switch being turned off, and Obi-Wan felt himself falling backwards into darkness. ?Master!? he cried out, hardly aware he had done so out loud. The sound of the roaring water faded, and he landed on his back in the warm sand.

?Obi-Wan!? he heard Qui-Gon calling, and then he felt strong arms around him, lifting him up, and he reached out, grabbing onto rough cloth, anything to anchor himself to reality. ?Padawan, what?s wrong? Speak to me!?

?The fire, it was burning everywhere, and the wave, Master!? Obi-Wan cried, his hands twisting in Qui-Gon?s tunic. ?We?re going to die!?

?Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, look at me!? Qui-Gon said commandingly, and the boy immediately opened his eyes to see the concerned face of his master looking down at him. ?You?re alright, Padawan, everything is okay.?

?No,? Obi-Wan moaned, shaking his head. ?No, it?s not! It?s coming, Master! The Force warned me, it showed me! We?re in trouble!? He clutched harder at Qui-Gon?s tunic, unable to look past the man?s head and out at the ocean, for fear of what he might see. He felt his master?s large hand on top of his head, and then suddenly he felt a blanket of peace and calm enfold his mind, soothing his terror, allowing him to begin to relax.

?That?s it, my Padawan, calm down,? Qui-Gon said softly. Obi-Wan felt his master continue to pour comfort into him across their bond, and he closed his eyes again, dropping his shields to allow it to flow into him unhindered. Slowly his breathing evened out, and he sighed quietly in gratitude.

?Thank you, Master,? Obi-Wan finally whispered as he opened his eyes. He looked around, and saw that everything was the same as it had been earlier, the sky was blue with the occasional puffy white cloud, a cool breeze was blowing, and the forest was green and dim. And finally he was able to bring himself to look out over the ocean, and he saw with relief that it was still the same blue-green body of water stretching to the horizon that it had been before he had started his meditation.

?Can you tell me what happened, Obi-Wan?? Qui-Gon asked gently, and the padawan turned back to his master?s concerned blue gaze. He nodded, finally feeling calm enough to tell the big Jedi about his vision, as the horror of it was slowly fading under the clear blue sky and the tranquility of the moment, though he knew that it was something he would never forget. Slowly at first, Obi-Wan told his master of every detail, hardly aware that his shields were still down, allowing Qui-Gon to see everything as it had been in his vision as he spoke of it.

When Obi-Wan finished speaking, Qui-Gon remained silent for several minutes, taking in everything his padawan had told him. ?Master, what are we going to do?? the young Jedi finally asked, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen. ?We need to get out of here!?

It was another moment before Qui-Gon finally spoke, he had been gazing out at the ocean. He turned back to his padawan, his face serious. ?Yes, we do, Obi-Wan,? he said regretfully. ?We need to be far from here when that asteroid hits. But from your vision, I?m not even sure that will be enough. We need to find shelter, something much more substantial than a tree.?

?Like what?? Obi-Wan asked, still a bit too rattled to think very clearly. The desire to get as far away from the ocean and the forest as possible as quickly as possible was almost overwhelming him, it was taking almost all of his control not to jump up and start running right {i}now{/i}.

?I was thinking a cave would be ideal,? Qui-Gon said. ?The deeper the better.? Then he put his large hand back on Obi-Wan?s head, and the boy closed his eyes as he felt his master

 

Best Drama continued

The Truth Shall Set You Free by jedidas3

?Kneeling down beside the padawan, Qui-Gon reached out to the hurting youth, placing his hand gently on Obi-Wan?s shoulder. ?Obi-Wan? Please let me help you. There are no more games to be played.?

?That?s good,? Obi-Wan replied wearily. ?I don?t have anything left to lose?except my life?and that?s not worth much.?

?Padawan Kenobi?Obi-Wan?I will not allow that to happen.? Qui-Gon prayed to the Force that he sounded more confident that he felt. He had the ability to bring peace to warring worlds, but he had yet to find a way to bring peace to the decimated spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan shook his head and sighed heavily as he leaned back against the wall. ?Master Jinn, I?ve lost the Force, most of my friends, and what little dignity and self respect that I ever had. By my own hand, I?ve lost my master and there?s nothing I can do or would do to change that. But more importantly, there is nothing that you can do. I?m asking you one last time to forget about me and leave me alone.?

Qui-Gon realized that he was just beginning to gain insight into Obi-Wan Kenobi and what he had been forced to endure at the hands of Master Elad. Even if he had the desire to, he could not turn his back on the young padawan. ?I can?t do that, Obi-Wan.?

The Master and the Padawan said nothing as time seemed to stand still for a moment. The day had been filled with turmoil and chaos as well as several unexpected discoveries. The Jedi master did not want to ruin the first moment of tranquility that the youth had been able to claim as his own.

Qui-Gon finally broke the silence as he spoke to the young man. ?Obi-Wan, why did you react to my request with such vehemence? Were you afraid that I was actually going to harm you??

Obi-Wan briefly recalled the simple command of removing his under tunic that had spawned the events of the last few moments. ?Afraid? No, Master Jinn, I wasn?t afraid. Fear?after all, fear leads to anger?I?m sure that I don?t need to tell you the rest.?

?No, you don?t. However, you haven?t answered my initial question.?

?Why don?t you tell me why it is so important to you? What are you expecting to see, Master Jinn??

The padawan was raising his defenses, once again. He silently cursed himself for allowing the Jedi master to see through the minute crack that he had allowed in his armor.

?Why don?t you tell me what it is you?re afraid that I?ll see? I hope that I?m wrong about what I?m expecting; but judging by your reaction, I would venture to say that my perceptions are correct.?

?If I do as you ask, will you leave??

Qui-Gon smiled as he stood up and offered a hand to the padawan. ?For now,? he replied. ?But only because you need to rest and eat something and I have another engagement.?

Obi-Wan struggled to his feet ignoring the Jedi master?s offer for assistance. ?Fine,? he angrily replied. He hastily pulled off his under tunic and stood before the older Jedi.

What Qui-Gon saw was not what he was expecting?it was far worse than he could ever imagine. Obi-Wan?s back and chest bore scars both old and new. It was evident that various tools of torture had been used to mar the once perfect skin. The Jedi master immediately recognized several scars that would have been caused by a lightsaber burn. Other scars appeared to be the result of someone who was very proficient at wielding a knife. Qui-Gon could not even fathom a guess as to what other forms of pain had been inflicted on the padawan. The older Jedi stood speechless as he continued to stare at Obi-Wan.

?Satisfied?? Obi-Wan asked. He desperately wanted the older Jedi to leave and never come back. ?Not very pretty, are they??

?No they?re not,? Qui-Gon finally answered. ?However, what is on the outside does not make you who you are. Who you are on the inside, your soul, is what is important.?

?Well, Master Jinn, I guess I?m out of luck. My soul

 

Best Romance

Spindrift by JediNemesis

The story so far . . . Seven thousand years before Anakin Skywalker?s birth, four Jedi - Masters Iri Khaliqui and Charlaithe Maur, and their respective apprentices Flamini and Mairìs - have been sent on a mission to the planet Spindrift as representatives of the infant Republic to the planet?s native race, the Eluaha.

For four long days now they had been under the water. Four long days of, for the Masters, delicate and spun-out talks with the Eluaha elders; for the apprentices, of silent, obedient attention. The Eluaha knew the Force, it turned out; they referred to it by a complex chain of motions that was, as far as Flamini could tell, much the same as the figure for ?ocean?.

The most practised Eluaha Force-sensitives, when they had been contacted and summoned to act as interpreters between the elders of the people and the outsiders, had proved as attuned to its nuances as any trained Jedi. In four days it had been possible to defuse any lingering suspicions the Eluaha held, and begin the long, long process of explaining in all its conflicted detail the nature of the society being born amongst the stars.

A break had been called in the discussions to allow the Jedi a little while above water, breathing air that - though it was hot and tasted of unnameable alien vegetation - was fresher than the compressed supply in their breathing apparatus. They had a few more hours ashore, and then it would be time to don fresh breathing masks and go back under the waves. The two apprentices had been given the last few hours free, whilst their Masters saw to the upkeep of the ship and made their reports back to the Council.

Flamini had cleaned himself up and changed into a new depth suit. The glossy black synth-fabric had been worse than armour earlier in the day, with the sun at its height, but now as afternoon drew on the dreadful heat was lessening.

Out in the water, Eluaha occasionally broke the surface; their appointed handlers, keeping a watchful eye, or just curious passers-by eager to catch a glimpse of the strangers from another world. Flamini waved to the shining heads when they appeared, his attention only half on them.

His attention was taken entirely away from the Eluaha when from further up the beach, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement, and a moment later a figure waving on the horizon.

He sat back, the Eluaha forgotten, and waited as Mairìs came wandering unhurriedly down the beach, scuffing up sand and stones like a child on his first outing to the seaside. The depth suit glistened wet, clinging to the lines of his body. Flamini looked away, embarrassed, and gazed resolutely out to sea until the other apprentice slid down the sand dune beside him.

They sat together in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Mairìs said dryly ?The horizon?s very interesting, I have to say.?

?The alternative is looking at you in that wetsuit,? Flamini said, without taking his eyes off the skyline.

?What with being crèchemates,? Mairìs retorted, ?growing up together, baths, swimming, and sparring shirtless, you?ve seen just about every inch of me. Now turn round.?

Flamini obeyed, unable to conceal a grin.

Mairìs was grinning too, eyes glowing green through his wet fringe. The glow was only a genetic quirk, but an unusual one, and Mairìs, a born extrovert, loved every iota of attention it got him.

?I went up the headland a way,? Mairìs said, yawning. ?There?s a swamp.?

Flamini nodded consideringly. ?A swamp. Anything else??

Mairìs shrugged. ?Rocks, mainly.?

The conversation subsided. Flamini followed the lines of salt and sand crusted in Mairìs? hair and the folds of his wetsuit, and commented absently ?I?m sure there?s more interesting things to look at.?

Mairìs glanced out to sea, and said with uncharacteristic quietness ?It?s all under the surface, isn?t it??

Flamini nodded.

There was another silence.

 

Best Humor

Attraction by dianethx

Note: Qui-Gon Jinn eats something, making him irresistible to women.


"How badly is he injured?"

Oh, dear. I wanted to explain everything right then and get it over with but I didn't think it would be a good idea without Master Qui-Gon here. Instead, I stumbled my way through, trying not to say too much. "He.... isn't injured, Master Windu, but he might still be contagious. He will need to see the Healers when we arrive."

With every word, Master Windu's frown deepened. But I couldn't stop now, especially since it was important not to spread this contagion any further than could be helped. Force-sensitive females fighting to get to Master Qui-Gon would not be a good idea. "I think it would be better if they were only male Healers or non-humans." My courage faltered as he stared at me and I finally stuttered out, "Mmm... Master."

I swear his eyes flashed yellow for a moment. Leaning back in his chair, he glared blaster bolts at me but his voice was deadly calm. "Ah, so the holovids are true."

My heart stopped beating. If there were vids of what my master had been doing, it would be all over the Temple. Everyone would see them. Everyone would know that Master Qui-Gon had been kissing women for hours, that he'd been covered in cake and sweetcream and loving it - that he'd been singing that obscene smuggler's song in public.

Blast! Master Qui-Gon would be known as the sex-crazy, singing Master for the rest of my life. I'd never hear the end of it and no one would understand what I'd gone through. Instead, I'd be linked forever with kissing and riots and flying dessert.

I'd be Kissing-them Kenobi, pathetic padawan to that rogue womanizer, Get-me-some Jinn; even Oafy-wan would be better than that! I tried not to whimper.

"Hhhh.. holovids? As in more than one?" I couldn't keep the horror out of my voice.

Master Windu's eyes got colder. I don't think he liked the situation and the fact that my master was at the heart of it just made it worse. "As in dozens, Padawan Kenobi. They started appearing on the holonet shortly after you left the planet. And there have been complaints as well. Your Master has a great deal to explain to the Council."

"It wasn't his fault. Master Windu, it really wasn't."

I was babbling now. I just hoped that Master Windu wouldn't try to have Master Qui-Gon expelled. Much as I don't always like what my master does - he confuses me sometimes - he's the greatest Jedi in the Order and he didn't try to do this. It just happened.

"We shall determine that when he comes before us. Windu out."

The transmission static died as Master Windu clicked off but I didn't see it. Instead, I stood there, panicking, my brain in total shut-down.

I'd never make it to Knight. Master Qui-Gon would be kicked out for bringing disgrace to the Order and no one would take on the padawan of a rogue Jedi. I'd be cast off as well and we'd have to make our way in the galaxy without the backup of the Order or the friendship of our fellow brothers and sisters in the Force.

No money, no friends, no way to pay for food or shelter or anything, we'd be disgraced, poor pathetic fools living on the streets of Coruscant, begging for our supper, the example to Jedi everywhere. We'd probably even be written into the Archives as the epitome of failure.

All because of kissing.

I swear if we get out of this in one piece and I'm still in the Order, I swear on my honor, on everything that I am and ever will be, that I'll never kiss anyone ever again. Ever!

---

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/a/b1/27933440/]Little One[/link] by Lilith_Demodae

Note: This was a response to a Missing Scene challenge.


[b]Little One [/b]



"That's the new child?"

"Yes. Quite a young one, in fact."

"It'd fit in my palm."

"I understand that at his full growth the top of his head wouldn't reach your knee."

"Ah, I suppose that explains it."

 

Best All Around

Attraction by dianethx

Note: Qui-Gon Jinn eats something, making him irresistible to women.

Humor and romance

I must admit that I was worried. I've faced draigons and Togorian pirates and Master Yoda's gimer stick but this was really much worse. Those women were crazy and they weren't afraid to do whatever they could to get to my master. I just hoped that they didn't try to kiss me or worse, pinch my cheek like some baby. I hated that.

Luckily, the first woman ignored me once I let her pass. She bound up the ramp and tried to jump into my master's arms but after his struggle with the Captain, he knew what to expect. He grabbed her and held her at arm's length for just a moment and then leaned in to kiss her.

I was looking back to make sure everything was okay and I'm sorry I did. People look silly when they go to kiss someone. Master Qui-Gon had his eyes open at first and then closed them as he reached the woman's face. As far as I could tell, his mouth was slightly open as he pressed in. I bet the women liked it but I don't think it's very sanitary.

All I know is that I'm never going to kiss anyone like that... ever.

From my location, I could hear the female give a pleased little sigh. As I glanced back, my master whispered something to her and she turned around and started down the ramp, humming under her breath, a huge smile on her face, a happy woman.

One down and ninety-nine or so to go.

Drama and action

There was a soft sputtering sound; larger pieces of duraplast clunked to the floor. Qui-Gon and the fixture he was clinging to slipped again and now he was only a few meters above the mob. Jumping distance if the person was athletic enough or standing on a chair.

It seems impossible but the chair-grabber launched herself into the air, hoping to catch my master's foot and drag him down. She missed, falling instead into the center of the pack, collapsing the crowd. For a moment, there was a scramble of arms and legs as the women tried to stand up again.

This gave Qui-Gon the opportunity he needed. Using the Force, pulling up his legs and using them to gather enough momentum, he and the lamp began to swing wildly, first one way and then another and finally, in one final desperate move, past the edge of the rabble. He let go, leaping free and sprinting for the door.

With a low groan, the mob realized that their prey had escaped and they turned, almost as one, and pelted after him.

I was a few steps ahead, barreling down the corridor toward the kitchen area. He was catching up fast. Long legs and the added incentive of an aroused swarm of demented women would do that.

I forced myself to go faster. But unfortunately, the hallway was the main conduit for food and drink to be moved from the kitchen into the ballroom. Hovercarts piled high with desserts choked the passageway; the remainder was filled with droids carrying trays of drinks.

We were in trouble.

Qui-Gon sprinted past, hair flying and tunics askew. "Keep up, Obi-Wan. Those women are..." Then, without missing a beat, he ducked under a mechanical arm and leaped over one of the floating dessert trays. All grace and style. "Irrational."

How he could fly through the air seemingly without effort was beyond me at the moment. But now was not the time to ask, not when a rabid mob was closing on us both.

Qui-Gon glanced back at me, then pushed ahead, forcing some of the droids out of the way. He was trying to make a path for me but I wasn't the one with the problem.

Still, I didn't want to slow him down. I followed his lead, dodging droids, leaping over the hovercarts, trying to catch up.

Unfortunately, I didn't have Master Qui-Gon's Force skills.

Jumping over the mountain of sweet treats floating down the hallway, tucking in as much as possible to avoid an accident, I thought I'd left myself enough room. Unfortunately, I was a little too cocky. Making it past

 

Most Underrated

Serpent Spawn by AzureAngel2


On Aargonar Anakin Skywalker touches an amulet that is in possession of General A'Sharad Hett. Overwhelmed by empathic powers his mind travels back into the early historical roots of the Tusken raiders. He comes to know more of their fierce nature and their dark secrets.

Looking closer at the amulet itself Anakin felt his heart beat in his chest very painful once more. It was a very simple, yet elegant thing. Very much alike the Japor stone that he had given Padmé so many ages ago.

Hett went on talking, but Anakin paid no attention at all. His fingers moved closer and closer to the amulet, until the sun went out and the universe began to explode around him

My story has many roots as I explain in my fanfic threat. But it was actually the following sentence from the mini-series TERRY PRACHETT´S HOGFATHER did trigger me back to writing in my spare time: "It was some time after this creation when most people forgot that the very oldest stories of the beginning are, sooner or later, about blood."

In my fanfic I want one clear path in front of me with the main character Isabeau knowing as little as the reader. Her knowledge will grow in time. We experience times of peace with her:

The ever blowing desert wind made the feathered leaves of the date tree tremble. I raised my arms high above my head, stretching my body lustfully. A soft meow escaped my throat. I just loved the peaceful moon hours in the open desert, especially here in the sanctuary of my favourite oasis. The never-ending intrigues of the serail were very far away then. Carefully I listened to the stories that the wind carried with him. I watched him stroking over the surface of the salt lake with his invisible hands.

Get annoyed with her:
It was a profane thought for me to bathe in the milk of a bantha. The morning milk of a fully grown cow was enough to feed an entire tribe of twenty people. How the women in papa?s homestead could bathe in it, I would never ever understand. They were obsessed with cleaning themselves. What was wrong of smelling of sand, blood, salt, stone, animal fur and the desert winds?

Go into battle with her:
This very movement made a huge male womp-rat jump straight into my way. He was an ugly thing. His hair had turned grey at some spots and there were scars all over his body. He had parts of his ear lobes missing. They were not more than shreds of skin. One of his eyes was also missing and a front tooth was splintered.

Some instinct told me that this was the boss of the entire colony and the old battle veteran had come out to answer to my challenge.

I pulled my lance out of the ground again and while I did so, he attacked with full force. And I had to admit that he was damn fast and flexible. His claws hit me more than once, cutting through the fabric of my camouflage suit and leaving ugly marks on my skin, but I was able to pay him back with my lance. That made him more and more furious.

Hear wondrous things:
?Mother Nature is indeed the most clever and talented architect of all. In the run of evolution she has created countless spirals, cherida: galactic mists, the destructive powers of a tornado, whirlpools, resting snake bodies in the undergrowth of the jungle, fern leaves, and glittering spider webs between the branches of the trees. Even the DNA molecules have their chair in the dance of creation. She is a living force that binds the universe together in its very essence.?

Feel the dark side of the force:
In her anger Solitaire was as beautiful and as frightening as a sandstorm. I stared at her with open mouth, prepared of getting my flesh torn from my bones. She jumped on her feet, raising her arms high above her head. I felt my throat getting tighter. Breathing became hard.

?The bastard! Now his real loyalties show. I knew it, I knew it. Only he could be so bold.?

Stars danced in front of my eyes.

?He

 

Most Underrated continued


The White Twi'lek by Katana_Geldar

Half an hour later, Jali and Xhen left an airtaxi and walked for a few blocks. They had left Eastport and were in the harsher environs of one Coruscant?s industrial sectors.

Jali could feel the heat on his face as they walked, several times he wiped his brow free of sweat and he could feel more running down the back of his neck and down his spine. Was he doing the right thing? Handing himself over like this? It was what Nuada would have wanted, wasn't it? Jali knew he was either being very brave or very foolish by doing this.

One thing was for sure, this wasn?t about Lucen Vertey?s killer anymore. He?d done that, Xhen was a murderer, but he had been forced into his role in a similar way that Tira had been. Nuada had played on their weaknesses, making them act out of sheer desperation.

And it wasn?t even about Antiene?s investigation about the illegal weapons anymore, as that was only one thread of many that led to the centre. And that, Jali hoped, was where he was going right now, the centre of everything to stop things like this from happening.

Just as they passed an electrical grid a long black airspeeder slowed to a stop next to them. The doors opened and out jumped two burly Klatooinians, the seized Jali and forced him into the speeder. A third figure, an eyeless human in a dark suit, emerged and spoke with Xhen.

?You?ve done better than I thought you would,? Nuada Vekstar said to him. ?You can go now, we?ll be in touch.?

?But, I thought you?? Xhen faltered.

?You can go now,? Nuada repeated.

Xhen didn?t protest twice.

Soon enough, Jali was sitting between the two thugs with Nuada sitting across from him. The speeder raced through the deserted streets before taking to the air.

?Did you really have to come all this way just to pick me up, Nuada?? Jali asked impatiently.
The Miralukan made an impatient gesture. ?Good to see you still have manners, Dawler.? He smiled. ?There?s something I've been waiting to give you.?

He signalled to the Klatooinians. The first one punched Jali in the groin, the second hit him in the stomach. As Jali collapsed in pain, Nuada continued talking. ?Now, I know what it is that you?re doing,? he said calmly. ?And seeing as you won?t stop, I thought it was time we had a talk.? He paused for a few minutes. ?You never stop, do you Dawler? It doesn?t matter who tells you.?

?It?s not like that,? Jali groaned, ?but you?re not going to make me.?

Nuada leaned forward and grabbed Jali?s collar. ?Whatever your course is, the plots you put there go right in my direction!? he shouted. ?You think I like talking to scum like you? Bah!?

?Perhaps it makes you feel more comfortable,? rasped Jali, his air rapidly running out through Nuada?s grip.

The Miralukan threw Jali back, Jali collapsed in his seat and gasped for air. ?So,? Nuada continued, ?since you won?t listen to what?s good for you, I?ll take you to meet some friends of mine.?

?Aurek?? This was what Jali had been hoping for.

Nuada laughed out loud. ?Someone sure keeps you up to speed, Dawler,? he sneered. ?You probably won?t get to see Aurek, not unless you?re very lucky.? He took out a black cigarette case and opened it. He lit one for himself then offered the case to Jali.

Jali shook his head. ?You take the first draw,? he said.

Nuada smiled again, removed the cigarette from his mouth and lit another. After a quick inhale he passed it on to Jali. ?You know, Dawler,? he said casually as he put his own cigarette back in his mouth, ?I reckon you?re smarter than I gave you credit for.? He inhaled deeply. ?And that?s not a compliment.?

---

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/28371653/p1]Preservation[/link] by Jedi Peregrine

?Wilch!?

The human smiled. ?Hello, old friend.?

?Listen, I really should apologize for the way I acted earlier.?

?No, I?m t

 

Best Response To A Challenge

Into Another Day by Jinngerbread

A/N: In this AU, Qui-Gon is a fresh-faced knight, 22 years old and receives a gift for his knighting/birthday.

Kyran bought this journal for me, so I might as well humor him and actually use this. I?ve never been much for journal writing but perhaps it will be useful. Writing is good therapy, or at least the givers of this diary claimed. Yesterday I was knighted. It was also my twentieth birthday. I endured a good deal of ribbing from Sian and Kyran. Kyran said something about this journal keeping me busy with all the spare time I would have now.

Spare time.

I?m not convinced such a thing exists, myself. They are both knights, so perhaps they know differently.

Maybe.

Sian wasn?t helping my case by agreeing with Kyran, rather loudly, I might add. His gift was a stylus to write in this journal. I tried to tell them that I would be busy with missions and would have no time to write, but my remarks fell on deaf ears.

~*~

Today I moved out of the rooms I used to share with my Master. Even at my knighting ceremony I suppose it took time to actually sink in even with the party we held afterwards, and the gifts I received.

It feels more real now that I'm truly a knight and not a padawan anymore.

I'm not quite sure what I think about that just yet. It makes me nervous, even as I am looking forward to the future and what it holds. My master won't be there to fix problems anymore, or come after me if I get in trouble.

It's a definite heavier responsibility than I've ever felt before.

I hope I find myself equal to the task and the confidence that the Masters have placed in me.

Speaking of the move, I found a few things I had been looking for as I packed them away, and many more things that I didn't need at all.

I never realized how many things I had acquired on various missions over the years. I tend not to want to throw things away, that have sentimental value, or that I find interesting, because you never know when something will be useful later, but on the other hand, I did clean out two heaping cans full of old things that I could honestly not remember why I had kept them at the time, only that I did.

It made the move to my own rooms much easier, I must say, after I cut down on the acquisitions.

During the move, my friends came to help me. As we were moving boxes, Sian asked if I'd used the journal yet. The smug look on his face as I said yes, though, almost made me wish I hadn't.

Oh well, at least I didn't tell him how nice his pen was. I pretended nonchalance, but I don't think he fell for it, the way he grinned at me when I told him I had used the stylus also.

Blast.

The Council has asked to see me tomorrow. They sure don't waste time, do they?

I'm actually rather curious about what they have in store; a mission perhaps, or some other Temple assignment that they would consider a newly knighted padawan good at.

I suppose I'll have to wait to find out.

---

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/28398434/p1/?5]Birthright[/link] by UnderCoverJedi



?Is the Force speaking to you?? Qui-Gon asked, coming to stand beside his apprentice. Their shoulders brushed against each other and Qui-Gon could feel the tension quivering in the young man?s muscles.

?The Force?? There was a snort of laughter from the Padawan. ?I don?t think so, Master.?

?How do you know?? Qui-Gon asked with a slight smile. ?The voice of the Force is sometimes subtle?hard to identify. It is only when we are still and quiet in ourselves that we can hear what the Force is telling us.?

?I?m not a very still and quiet person.?

?So I?ve noticed,? Qui-Gon answered dryly. ?I?m a Jedi; we tend to notice these things.?

A smile appeared briefly on the young face, only to flicker away like a candle flame.

The two were silent for a moment, and then the apprent

 

Best Songfic

You?ll Be In My Heart by Glenstorm

Without thought Qui-Gon closed his arms around the child and was surprised by an overwhelming sense of familiarity and? rightness.

Mystified Qui-Gon wondered again at how Ben had managed to link with him, to see what he had been trying to do with the Force and emulate it. Such a feat usually required a strong bond between a full Master and his Padawan. Qui-Gon looked down at the boy. He didn?t even know the child?s real name and Ben did not know his, Qui-Gon realised suddenly.

A sleepy voice cut though his musings. ?Know who you are.?

Startled, Qui-Gon asked. ?Who am I, Ben??

A slight knowing smile touched the small lips. ?You my Mast?a.?

Qui-Gon?s breath caught. The tall Jedi stared but Ben said no more.

My Master.

Could it be possible? Whatever would Xanatos say?

Ben shivered slightly and Qui-Gon tightened his hold. Setting his questions aside, he simply let himself marvel at the tiny form next to him, for there was no doubt in his mind that here in his arms lay the makings of an extraordinary Jedi.

A Jedi to whom he owed his very existence -- with or without his front teeth.

?Rest, Ben,? he said above the sounds of their rescue. ?I?ll still be here when you wake up.?

Impossibly Ben replied. //Know.//

Qui-Gon smiled and let him rest against his heart.

***

For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us
Can?t be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

***

Exhaustion dogged Qui-Gon?s steps as he made his way back from the Council debriefing. The mission to Bandomeer had tested him severely. Both physically and emotionally.

For on that unlikely backwater planet, he had been forced to confront his own bitter past and finally face up to the approaching future.

And now all he wanted to do was retire, reflect and? sleep.

But no, he had one more duty to perform. A most important ceremony.

Silently he glanced over his shoulder at the young boy following softly in his footsteps. His senses told him that his new Padawan was also having trouble fighting sleep?s siren call, even as he carried his small bag of belongings to his new home and life in Qui-Gon?s quarters. The mission had been no easier on Obi-Wan than it had been on him. Maybe harder, due in no small part to himself.

Letting the shame for his behaviour wash through him, Qui-Gon promised himself that he would try his hardest to set things right for this boy. Starting this instant. By the time he was finished this evening Obi-Wan Kenobi would no longer have any doubts as to where he belonged.

The pair reached the Master?s quarters and Qui-Gon palmed the door open. He had not stayed in these rooms for a long time and was not surprised when he was greeting by a cool, impersonal atmosphere. The homely feel that the place had enjoyed in years past was gone.

Obi-Wan shifted uneasily beside him, clearly uncomfortable with being in Qui-Gon?s private living space. Qui-Gon frowned. He realised suddenly that he was standing next to a virtual stranger. For all the hardships they had faced together on Bandomeer, they hadn?t really had the chance to get to know one another. At least not enough to be comfortable in silence. Which was stretching now.

Attempting to ease Obi-Wan?s sudden shyness, Qui-Gon stepped forward placing a warm had on the boy?s slim shoulder. ?Welcome home, Obi-Wan,? he said gently. The boy gave him a shy smile and Qui-Gon squeezed his arm in response. Stepping away he pointed to a doorway on the left side of the living space. ?Now, that door there leads to the Padawan?s room. It is yours now, Obi-Wan. Everything you need you will find in there.? He pointed ahead. ?Through there lies the kitchen. A place that I?m guessing will now need constant restocking.?

Obi-Wan flushed and Qui-Gon smiled. As a growing thirteen-year-o

 

Best Poem


Observation by MsLanna


Observation


Maybe his are calloused hands,
Who will ever see?
Sheathed in gloves when they touch,
their grip like steel made to restrain
not to hold
Tenderness? nil return
- uncompromising -


Maybe his are fearful thoughts
Who will ever know?
If they are full of fire and steel,
or they threaten to reveal
- regret -
What does a man in iron think?
You can take the helmet, but to find
a face as hard as the Mando steel
Revelation? nil return


Maybe his are pensive eyes
that hide behind that mask
full of dark and depth and fire
mirrors of hopes and of -

But in his eyes the sudden
- vulnerability -
quickly retreats behind the sadness
of knowing the world too well



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Vercopa by MsLanna


vercopa

bes'laar cuun runi laraari
mesh'la kaab tome
al ni
laraari lise dar

sal cuun kar'ta hetti
dral tracyn tome
al ni
haa'tayli lise dar

kyrbej o'r kovid
kyr'am an rud
bal ni
akaani lise dar

ni ne sibu 'mhi' tug'yc
n'sibu 'su'cuy', cyar'ika
tion meh
- tion meh -
Vercopa 'meh' ven cuyi

vencuyot bes'larr
al ni
susulu lise dar



Yes, I'm mad and it's in Mando. But I am also nice, so here's a translation:



Wish/dream/I wish

the music our souls sings
is beautiful sound together
but I
can sing no longer

the colour our hearts burn
are a bright fire together
but I
can see no longer

a battlefield in my head
death and destruction
and I
I can fight no longer

I cannotsay 'we' again
can't say hello/still alive, beloved
what if
what if
I wish 'if' had been

the future is music
but I
can listen no longer

---

 

Best Crossover

Gate Crashin' by Jinngerbread and Lithiniel

O'Neill stood, his bullpup FN P-90 slung across his chest. His hand rested lightly on it, ready to take aim at a moment's notice. O'Neill glanced to Jackson, their linguist. "You wanna talk to him, or should I?"

"You go ahead and see if he can understand English, just don't shoot at him unless he goes for his weapon," Jackson advised. "Even then, I'd be careful," he added.

O'Neill shot Jackson a look that said... "Well, duh!" ... and took a step forward, waving at the stranger. "Hey, there!"

The Jedi looked at the stranger who was waving, evidently in greeting. He was trying to decide on the best approach but he supposed friendly was a good one for now, even if he didn't really understand what was going on yet. "Hello there." At least they spoke Basic. That would make things easier.

O'Neill was mildly surprised. They'd run into scores of humans in their travels, and most of them had spoken any language but English. And half the time, Jackson had been forced to use all his linguistic skills to make himself understood. But all of a sudden, here, and so far from home, was a complete stranger, speaking perfect English. It put him on his guard. "Uh. I don't suppose you could tell us where we are."

The Jedi Knight arched an eyebrow. "And here I was hoping you could tell me what you guys were doing out here sitting next to a big circle in the desert."

Jack paused, frowning slightly. Was it possible this guy didn't know what a Stargate was? He decided to voice that opinion. "You mean the Stargate? How can you not know what a Stargate is?"

Kyran eyed the circle warily, then the one speaking. "Stargate? No, I can't say I've ever heard of it and I've traveled extensively through the galaxy."

O'Neill was oddly pleased to have one-up on someone who was so advanced technologically. He still didn't know exactly how the doohickey worked -- that was Carter's job anyway -- but that wasn't any of this stranger's business. "It's for travel. Wormholes. Sciencey stuff."

"Sciency stuff?" The Jedi had thought he was speaking to someone intelligent at first. Yet the language he was using was belaying that fact. "You couldn't be anymore vague, could you?"

Jack folded his arms across his chest and gave the robed figure his best stony look. "Oh, I probably could."

Kyran sighed heavily. "So this Stargate somehow develops wormholes that allow you to travel from star to star? Why would anyone need that with hyperspace capabilities? It seems a bit primitive to me."

O'Neill frowned. Hyperspace? This was starting to sound oddly familiar. Of course, Earth had hyperspace capabilities, too. It was all wormholes, everything seemed to come down to wormholes. "Yeah, well...we like it."

"So then you four were the disturbance I felt, " he mused thoughtfully.

"Nah, it was probably the 'Gate. It takes a lot of power. "O'Neill paused, realizing belatedly that if he was going to get anywhere with this guy, he'd probably be better off introducing himself and his team.

"By the way, I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, US Air Force. And this," he said, gesturing at the blonde woman, "is Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, also USAF. Our companions are Dr. Daniel Jackson, civilian consultant and resident archaeologist." Jack nodded toward his bespectacled friend, then to the Jaffa. "And...Teal'c," he concluded.

Kyran nodded at each in turn, memorizing their names and faces as he was trained to do automatically. "Kyran Josel," he finally replied, bowing. "Pleased to meet the four of you. I'm an official representative of the Galactic Republic. I was actually on my way home, when I felt this wormhole, as you call it. It was too powerful a disturbance not to do an investigation. I do hope you understand."

Galactic Republic? O'Neill realized with a sinking feeling that they had somehow stepped into a world of fiction. He took in the hooded robe, the cylinder -- l

 

Best Vignette

Völuspá by JediNemesis


Notes: Völuspá is an Old Norse word derived from volva, something like sibyl or prophetess; the compound means roughly "what the seeress said". This is a deliberate attempt to replicate the feel of the Norse myths - often quite complicated but oddly lucid and powerful in the language they use. So I guess that's a warning of unusual styles and archaic punctuation ahead.


It began for humanity when the scattered tribes of that infant race turned their eyes to the stars, and wonder at the wideness of the universe was kindled in their minds for the first time.

It was then that the gateways, the openings into the world beyond, began to dwindle and then to close; the gift, the strange blessing that connected a living mind to the All that waited on the other side of the gateways, was born in fewer and fewer children with every generation.

The clans shrank from the prospect of a world so darkened, and began to go more often to the sacred places where the seers and seeresses watched over the remaining gateways, to ask for advice and to plead for help.

Alone amongst the leaders of the clans in spurning the seers? offers was Marben Skywalker, the gifted son of Maor son of Maen, lord of many families and newly wed; a man of few words and many deeds, a fine young soldier born to a people more inclined to worship than to war.

But soon after his marriage Marben?s first child was born, and though it was a healthy daughter, the Skywalker lord felt the cold hand of fate touch him for the first time.

The baby had no gift. The All flickered only feebly around her, and she could not touch the great ocean of light that had been taken for granted by her father and all his forebears.

And so in the winter of that year Marben of the Fair Hair went to the seeress? cave.

Marben stood before the seeress and made no secret of his contempt.

These are the words that Marben son of Maor said to her:

?Listen, wisewoman, and listen well. It is the lord of the clan Skywalker that addresses you now, and if you are truly all-knowing you will know that I do not often plead.

?The All is drawing away from us and the gateways are closing. Every year fewer children have the gift. What have we done that we should be cut off from the world beyond?

?The shadows close in. Only the gifted and the lucky will survive.

?I beg you, seeress. Go to the gate you guard and intervene with the All for me. Ask that the threads of fate be twisted to give the children of my name the gift for eternity.

?I will do anything, fulfil any command, pay what must be paid though it were my soul.

?Do this for me, then, if it can be done. And if it cannot, say, and I shall take down the weapons of my father and go to war for the sake of my children.

?For if the All cannot give them a future I will carve one for them with the sword.

?Answer!?

And the seeress stirred on her cold stone throne, and said to Marben ?It is a terrible thing you ask, Marben Skywalker, and one that should be trusted to the will of the All. The bestowing of the gift was not meant to be immutable.

?Yet you would not take such advice kindly, would you, Marben? For you have never wholly trusted the seers and our uncanny ways.

?Rather it is truth you respect, and certainty, and the fixed things of this world. There is no shame in that. But there is a place also for faith, Marben son of Maor.?

To that, Marben said only ?I have never found it so.?

?It is a terrible thing.? the seeress said again, ?and though you offer your soul in payment it is not you who is in danger.

?All the generations of your after-children will pay with you, and they will pay for a thing that was none of their asking.

?Would you dare to ask it for them, Marben?

?Would you call that heavy trust upon yourself? A mortal man??

The Skywalker lord was silent for a long time, before answeri

 

Best Short Story

Laundry Day by ardavenport


The next day, they only waited for a short time before the younglings appeared.

There was a flush of warning, of excitement in the Force and a squeal. Then a small being dropped into a bin of clothes. Another, slightly larger youngling followed immediately after the first.

Then another and another. And another.

The fifth and last one was conspicuously long and thin and pale in the body. There was a lot more squealing and thrashing of tiny limbs. A few undertunics and a small pair of pants were thrown up and out of the bin. A brown robe slid half way out before a small squirming body pushed it all the way out. It fell in a little pile on the floor.

"Ssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh!!!" A small Twi'lek girl with a very deep purple skin tone imposed some order, and soon all her creche mates took up the 'sssssshhhhhhhh'.

When they were all silent, they looked around, peeking over the edge of the bin; a Duro boy with bright alert red eyes climbed higher on the pile of clothes to scan the room. Not one of them thought of looking up at the walkway from where they were being watched.

A stick-thin pair of legs in off-white leggings pushed their way out and over the edge of the bin followed by a bottom and a long skinny body. The Quermian's feet touched the shelf at the side of the bin, his head swaying on top of his long neck. He was very young, but still tall enough to help his comrades out of the bin. Along with the Duro boy and Twi'lek girl, there was also a fluffy Bothan with ears perked up high and a little Human girl with very short black hair cut close to her head.

None of the younglings looked like they could have been more than five standard years and they all wore crechlings' dsuty white and tan tunics, pants and short boots.

They warily avoided the busy droids that ignored them, moving in a line together until they found a place where they could help each other climb down to the floor.

Qui-Gon silently paced them on the walkway and Obi-Wan went with him to the stairs. The hums and occasional thumps of the machines and droids in the room easily covered what little sound they made.

The younglings disappeared around a bulky cleaning machine, but they were easy to follow. They soon heard little feet running, cries of excitement and high-pitched laughter.

The two Jedi came around a line of broad pillars, gray boxes stacked around them. Obi-Wan looked around his Master to stare up at a huge mound of plush blue fabric. It had apparently been laid out on a soft rounded surface to be cleaned. At the base of the mound Obi-Wan recognized a curling blue pattern in brown and dull gold that looked possibly like stylized crossed lightsabers with wings. Anyone who had ever meditated in the upper chambers of the center spire of the Jedi Temple would instantly recognize that pattern.

Obi-Wan wondered if that sacred chamber was now bare with naked gray walls. Would anyone wishing to go there have to wait until it was restored? Or was there another identical set of curtains stored away somewhere to be hung up just for these occasions? He supposed that the latter was true since he had never heard of any meditation chamber being closed because the curtains were being cleaned and that particular one always looked the same.

The younglings had climbed up on top of the expanse of blue fabric and were bouncing on it. Three droids, all waving cleaning wands, backed away from the unexpected mayhem.

Qui-Gon spoke softly into his com before putting it away and moving away from the pillar, he waited to be seen.


%O% ||| %O% ||| %O% ||| %O% ||| %O% ||| %O%


The happy play, screaming and squealing continued for another moment until the little Twi'lek girl turned and in mid-jump saw both of them. She landed flat on her bottom and slid down off the soft mound all the way to the ground in front of Qui-Gon. Her face was frozen in shock and horror, her two purple lekk

 

Best Epic

Not Myself by bek

A/N: Obi-Wan's grandmother pays him a visit, leaving Kale (Obi-Wan's father) to wonder about her motives.


The transport stopped a short distance from the house, the passenger exiting the vehicle gazed around the property as she walked toward the house door. The site was beautiful, nature in its entire splendor. Kale had purchased the estate, knowing how much his wife had fallen in love with it the moment she laid eyes on it. She talked of raising a family here. A sound from the rear of the dwelling caught Kana's attention causing her to travel the cobblestone path that led around the side. The sound grew louder the closer she moved toward the back; when she rounded the corner, she stopped. The sight before her was something she had only heard of but had never seen. Two lightsabers clashed, green and blue collided in harsh abandonment as the two combatants battled it out. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw her grandson fighting against a larger man, the two having shed their outer tunics long ago. Obi-Wan's face was creased in concentration, his moves precise. Qui-Gon grinned when the teen managed, for a split second, to catch him off guard. Obi-Wan flipped over the older man to land deftly behind him, lifting his arms quickly to place his blade behind him to block the attack aimed at his back and then turned, gaining the upper hand long enough to go back on the offensive.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Kana startled at the voice beside her. She looked over to see Kale sitting on the swing that hung on the back porch, watching his son and colleague.

"What are they doing?" she demanded.

Kale gave her neither an explanation nor a glance. Instead, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my grandson." She started to run forward when Obi-Wan fell but was restrained by a hand on her arm.

"He's a bit busy at the moment."

Jerking her arm out of her son-in-law's hand, she turned to glare at Kale. "What exactly is going on? He should not be participating in this sort of sport. I've heard the stories of what those things can do. They're dangerous!"

A half smirk found its way to the Jedi Master's lips. "Not in the proper hands they're not. Obi-Wan is more than capable of handling the weapon, he's a fast learner. Besides, the blade is set on low. If it hit him it would be no worse than a slight burn."

"I find it unacceptable that you're teaching him the Jedi ways. After all, look where it got my daughter and her son."

A murderous look entered Kale's gaze, and he allowed it to linger long enough for Kana to get a good look before he ruthlessly squashed it. "Because you loved her I will allow you this one last allowance."

It was hard to swallow through a throat tight with fear. Kana realized that she had just overstepped a boundary that Kale would from this moment on fight for. She cleared her throat before asking, "Why hasn?t he been to the house??

The look Kana received was that of disbelief. ?You can?t be serious.? When she merely looked at him for the explanation she expected to receive, Kale leaned back against a wooden support beam that was but once piece of the frame of the deck. ?How can you even begin to ask that question after the reception he received from you??

?Our meeting went rather well.?

?Really? Because he got the impression that you don?t want him.?

?That?s absurd.?

?Is it?? Kale stepped away from the pole and moved closer to her. ?What were you expecting exactly when you conjured up this idea of him ruling by your side?? The Jedi waited patiently for an answer, when none was immediately forthcoming, he continued, ?Were you expecting a remnant of your ten year old grandson, or a young man changed by circumstance?? When she gave him a confused look, he said, ?I assure you the two are quite different. By accepting the younger version, you alienate the older version. In his mind, they are two se

 

Best Series

Fragments of Illusion by dianethx

Author's Note: various drabbles from humorous to dramatic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please
Summary: TPM's saddest hour

"Please?" I choked on desperation.

Qui-Gon lay in my lap. My heart waited for him to say it was only a flesh wound, that he'd be up in moments. That everything would be all right. That he loved me.

The words didn't come. Only gurgling agony, life fleeing beneath my hands.

A single breath, hitching and the long slow exhale.

In desperation, my hand pushed at the hole in his chest, trying to plug it, trying to turn back time.

And I waited for the next breath to start the cycle over again.

"Please," I begged.

There was only silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anniversary
Summary: TPM's Council scene ? Obi-Wan's POV

Twelve years today.

It seemed a lifetime. Of training and arguments, laughter and pain. Of his stubborn reluctance to accept me and my unwavering belief that it was meant to be.

Of Bandomeer and last-minute apprenticeships.

Of Melida/Daan and mistakes, Telos and choices.

Then the shattered cup was remade; we became more than distant Master and pathetic Padawan. We became family.

I learned to relax into dry wit, he into smiles.

Inseparable, balanced, loved.

Until?.

"I take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan Learner."

Twelve years gone in a single breath.

Now I am the Unchosen one.

Again.

Happy anniversary, Master.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forgive Me
Summary: TPM's Council scene part 2 ? Qui-Gon's POV


Twelve years today.

I had hoped for a day of remembrances, of easy laughter and wry smiles, of successful missions relived, of discovering once again joys in a cherished partnership.

We have been so much to each other over the years. More than merely friends, we had been teacher, student - family.

And I wanted nothing more than watch you grow into Knighthood.

But the Force will not be silent. Urging, screaming, thrusting into me, demanding more than happily-ever-afters, I cannot?.

Forgive me what I am about to do, my Obi-Wan.

Forgive me.

"I take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan Learner."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alone
Summary: On leaving Obi-Wan ? Qui-Gon's POV


I left him there.

Abandoned on Melida/Daan.

Haunting me, taunting me, I try not to remember his eyes growing more vulnerable with every scornful word.

I try not to remember his fingers curling empty, the lightsaber I'd taken, confiscated ? stolen - still warm in my hand.

I try not to remember his face twisting into grief or how he stood there looking as if he'd been gutted when I walked away.

Tearing him, tearing me apart.

I try not to remember the boy so silent, so bewildered.

So young.

I left him there.

Abandoned on Melida/Daan.

And I still don't know why.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hungry
Summary: all creatures need sustenance. Predator's POV
Characters: Obi-Wan (little white meat grub), Qui-Gon (big white meat grub), very large predator


I hungry.

Little white meat grub attacking me. I chase grub. Blue glowing stick in paw of white meat grub hurts my tail. Ow. I grow new one back tomorrow. Glowing stick bad.

I reach for grub. I grab little grub with claws, squeeze hard. Glowing stick falls down. Good.

I shake my paw. Grub is asleep. I sniff. Smells like food. I give grub a lick. Tastes like food. I shove grub in my mouth. Grub is food. Bones crunching. Warm meat.

Bigger white meat grub hurting me with green glowing stick. Making loud upset noises.

I still hungry.

---

[link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/28405471/p1/?0]Jinngerbread Cookiees[/link] by Jinngerbread

[b]Pathways of the Force[/b]

[i]Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the h

 

Best Canon Interpretation, Male

Obi-Wan in Attraction by dianethx


Master Qui-Gon wouldn't have let a little thing like fear stop him and neither should I. I should go, look everyone in the eye, sit down right in the center of the place and dare them all to do their worst.

Sure I should.

On the other hand, there was a small side entrance little used and an alcove nearly hidden from the rest of the dining area, one with lots of privacy.

Even better would be to snatch some food and go eat it in my quarters while I looked through the holonet.

I'd deal with my friends and their questions later: when I was calmer, when I had learned to accept the whole embarrassing mess as something every Jedi goes through, when I was much, much older - maybe as old as Master Qui-Gon or even Master Yoda.

I should have known.

"Is it true that your Master had sex with a thousand women?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone, padawans and a few of the younger knights, even the docents handling the food, turned toward the loudmouthed idiot and then twisted around to look in my direction. I heard a distant snicker, then another as people began to recognize me.

Blast! It was Aalto, quickly coming my way, his little friends clustering behind him like felis-toads. I recognized Slern'ta and Rechne and the bully of the group, the one who had spoken, Kenth Ts'ean.

My face growing hot with embarrassment and not a little anger, I turned away, shaking my head, hoping to escape before more stupid questions were shouted out - but no such luck.

One of the younger Padawans blocked my escape, "Is Master Jinn going to get kicked out of the Order?"

I didn't have time to be polite. Brushing past her, I said curtly, "No, he's not."

But now the escape route was now choked with other beings, all of them trying to find out what was going on with one of the most notorious rebels in the Order. The air was peppered with questions.

"Who's going to be your new Master?" A Zabrek boy wanted to know and his companion, a Twi'lek girl nodded. "Yes, who is going to be?"

"I bet it's Master Windu. I heard he's furious with Master Jinn."

Several beings nodded and there was the sound of giggling. But before anyone else close could ask, Aalto's partner in stupidity, Rechne, yelled out over the crowd, "Does Gonna-Get-em Jinn ever think about anything but sex?"

"Did he teach you any tricks on getting women?"

Ignoring them all, I started to push through, trying to get out before I said or did something I'd regret. My face was flaming hot and I was shaking with humiliation.

"Your master must really like cake since he was covered in it." With grand gestures and loud slurping noises, Aalto's follower, Slern'ta, started to lick at a couple of his fingers as if enjoying a phantom dessert.

Shaking my head, I forced my way through the crowd, looking for the exit. The questions followed me. "What was your master singing? I couldn't hear the words but some of the gestures looked familiar."

Kenth grabbed at my tunic, bunching the cloth in his hand, holding me there. "I heard that your Master's going to be a father. Doesn't he know about the Code?"

I couldn't take any more. "Don't be ridiculous. You have no right to speak about Master Jinn that way."

Unfortunately, that last question caused enough of a delay that Aalto had time to reach me.

"What's the matter, Oafy-Wan or should I say..." As he paused, with a dramatic flourish, he put his hand up to his forehead as if fainting and rolled his eyes, pretending to be one of those silly girls that sometime followed the padawans around outside the Temple. "Oh... oh... Obi-Wan." His high-pitched fake girl's voice carried around the hall.

Laughter swept the room. Then there were snatches of 'Sexy-whoa' and 'Kiss-me-not Kenobi' and 'Oh-wanna-girl' and Aalto's parasites chanting 'Oh-Oh-Obi-Wan.'

"That's enough." At first, I couldn't get the words

 

Best Canon Interpretation, Female

Shmi Skywalker in A New Beginning by Kelia


I am so sorry for all you?ve lost,? Pash took both her hands in his, stroking them gently. ?Nothing can ever replace the life you should have had, but I hope you can focus on your freedom and the life you can now give your child.?

?I don?t even know what I?m going to?,? she stopped abruptly as Pash?s words sank in. ?Wha?what did you say??

?You should focus on your freedom,? he repeated gazing at her with concern.

?No, after that.? Shmi clenched her hands, her heart beginning to pound.

?You can now give your child a better life.?

?What child?? she demanded. ?I don?t have a child and there weren?t any children -,?

?You?re pregnant,? Pash announced. ?Didn?t you know??

?No,? Shmi shook her head violently. ?I?m not?I can?t be!? She grabbed Pash?s arm frantically. ?It?s impossible.?

?Perhaps you?ve blocked it from your mind,? Pash offered tenderly. ?I?ve seen a lot of women, especially if the?event was violent, block it from their minds.?

?It?s a mistake,? she insisted. ?Run the test again.?

?I don?t need to,? he countered. ?As I was saying, the tests were positive and,? he held up his hand to stop her interruption. ?The sensors showed me the baby and it?s heartbeat. I estimate you?re about..,? his words trailed off as he glanced down at his patient.

Shmi had fainted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

?You?re certain??

?Yes.? Dr. Pash Orunitia squeezed Shmi?s shoulder sadly. ?I ran the tests three times. I?m so sorry.?

Shmi nodded, closed her eyes and sighed deeply. It all made sense now. She had been having increased dizzy spells and weakness for the last few weeks and while Nyla and the doctor were originally convinced it was due to her advancing pregnancy, she knew deep down inside there was something more happening.

?We should schedule the operation immediately -,?

Shmi?s eyes flew open, her heart beginning to pound. ?Operation? What operation??

Pash gazed at her with concern. ?To terminate the pregnancy,? he explained gently. ?We can not begin your treatment while -,?

?No,? she exclaimed, eyes widening with horror. ?I?m not going to kill my child.?

?I understand how difficult this is for you,? Pash began softly. ?Perhaps I didn?t explain clearly. The treatment would be toxic for the child. There really isn?t a choice.?

?But there is,? Shmi interrupted. ?I can continue with my pregnancy. It?s only four more months.?

?You could,? Pash admitted. Taking both of her hands into his, he gazed squarely into her determined eyes. ?But you need to understand, should you decide to do this, your prognosis would be,? he paused, tears beginning to fill his eyes. He?d grown much too fond of her in the last couple of months. ?Grim.?

?I know.? Shmi looked away. The news she wouldn?t survive to raise her child wasn?t as heartbreaking to her as the knowledge the child would have no opportunities other than working in the dangerous, back breaking mines. There had to be a way to give him or her a better life.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

?You?you want me to what?? Qui-Gon gasped in disbelief. ?I?m apologize, I don?t think I heard you right.?

?My child is destined to be a Jedi,? she declared firmly. ?I know this with every fiber of my being,? she paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. ?I will not survive long after the birth and I need to know the Jedi will take my child. Please,? she cried placing his hands on either side of her stomach.

Qui-Gon gazed at Shmi silently. Something in the back of his mind was telling him he must help this woman and her child. Exhaling softly, he reached into the Force, searching for the child?s presence.

He smiled gently as he felt Shmi?s anxious yet hopeful presence, reaching deeper towards the faint Force signature coming from the baby.

Abruptly, his eyes snapped open, his

 

Best Original Character, Male

Flamini Lang in Spindrift by JediNemesis


The star was Sel?haa on the oldest charts, but some more romantic soul on a more recent mapping ship had seen to it that the solitary planet in its long leisurely orbit was not merely Sel?haa I but Spindrift. It was ninety percent ocean, only the tops of the tallest mountains showing above the water, and the fat sun set the wavelets glittering like flame.

Flamini Lang sat on a beach somewhere in the southern hemisphere, seventeen and Jedi and guilty at heart, and rested his head on his arms. He had welcomed the news that they were going to Spindrift. That was as it should have been.

And it was, partly, for the right reason: because it was an honour beyond price to represent the Republic, the Jedi and humanity to an alien race. The reason uppermost in his mind, though, had been because it would be a welcome respite from the endless prying eyes of the Order and the world, and a chance to be alone with his feelings and the reason for them.

The awe he had felt for Spindrift and the lithe, restless, intellectual race it harboured was a rational one; an awe born out of a knowledge of the wideness of the galaxy, and of the infinite potential of nature to nurse wonders.

It was an awe of the scientific senses and thinking brain, and receded into dimness behind the wrenching immediacy of the feeling that caught at his heart and set it fluttering birdlike in its cage of bones.

He had been sitting staring blindly into the sunset for what could have been hours when Iri and Charlaithe came down the beach from the ship to remind him that they would be going back underwater in four hours, and to make the most of the break for air.

Charlaithe went off in search of Mairìs after exchanging a few words of friendly small talk with Flamini. Iri sat down beside him, and Flamini said politely ?Hello, Master.?

?Guilty about something?? Iri said cheerfully. ?You only ever call me ?Master? when you?re feeling guilty. Don?t worry,? she raised her hands, ?I won?t pry if you aren?t talking.?

Flamini had to smile. It was a running joke that Iri did the talking for both of them, the Order?s most irrepressible Knight turned into its least masterly Master. But she was an exacting teacher and a formidable talent, and Flamini had learned over the years that beneath the fluff was steel.

Now, Iri scraped a wayward rat-tail of hair back behind her ear, and asked with an oddly maternal anxiety ?Green is still your favourite colour, isn?t it? Or have I gone senile at last??

Flamini lifted his head off his arms. ?I like green.?

?Good,? Iri said cheerfully. ?I found this down by the ship. Hold out your hand.?

Feeling like a child asking for sweets - and it was a curiously comforting feeling, a brief hark back to a time when life seemed, in retrospect, to have been a great deal simpler - Flamini did as his Master told him, and held out his hand.

She dropped into his palm a sea-worn piece of green glass, wet from the surf and warm, that caught the light and glittered. Then, without as much as another word, she stood up, patted her apprentice companionably on the shoulder and walked off down the beach towards the ship.

---

Kale Kenobi in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/27322607/p1/?94]Not Myself[/link] by bek

[b][i]A/N:[/b] Kale and his sister-in-law have a talk regarding Obi-Wan after the events that took place at the spaceport.[/i]


Jes sat silently, staring out the window of the transport taking them to her childhood home. Shifting her gaze to the seat across from her, she saw Kale staring straight ahead, his eyes unfocused as if his thoughts were far away. She could see his anger at the situation simmering just beneath the surface. She knew he was worried about his son, and she knew he had questions about what had happened at the space port. Obi-Wan had reacted on instinct, years of training kicking in, only it was

 

Best Original Character, Female

Anais in A Win-Win Situation by Jinngerbread

"A deal is a deal," Anais told him flatly, scooping up her handful of credits.

When she had originally agreed to this it was because she needed money to make the very last amount of her monthly rent payments. She hadn't had much time to come up with a way of how to earn it, and she had been getting all the hours she could at her two part time jobs. She absolutely could not abide lazy people because she scraped so hard to earn a living and stay in school, and had thought that a good way to make her rent payment would be to prey on those who failed to live up to her standards and those who deserved to be flunked out of medical school anyway.

It had been a win-win situation, she had thought.

"Yes but I was under the assumption that when we paid for your services, that you would get the correct answers, not the wrong ones! I hired you to take this test, and you flunked!" He waved the flimsiplast with the failing marks in her face.

"I have no patience for lazy people," She said coolly. "I was under no obligation to get the correct answers according to the contract."

"But I'm going to fail!" he whined.

"Perhaps you should've thought of that before the end of the semester," Anais shook her head as she shoved the credits into her bag.

He took a step back. "I'll tell everybody about this," he threatened sullenly.

She arched both brows, and one of her lekku twitched in irritation. "Like I care?"

His tail slithered around her waist. "You should care, pretty," he paused for a moment. "I'll make you a deal. Why don't we find somewhere to spend the night, and I'll keep quiet about this whole affair, and nobody will ever have to know."

"You're thinking I ought to bribe you to keep quiet about this, and you want sexual relations in exchange for your silence?" Anais asked incredulously.

"Well yes, that's about the extent of it," he said tightening his grip around her.

"You know, Gerard, I had hopes that this would teach you a lesson in not to be a scoundrel but it appears my lesson was in vain," she said with a sigh.

"How you wound me," he mocked, leering at her.

Without warning, a blaster shot went off and he fell backwards, a gaping hole in his chest. "How indeed," she murmured.

She pushed his body away from her and it fell to the floor with a thump. One less lazy person to worry about, and she had the next month's rent in her pocket.

A win-win situation indeed.

---

Aelinor in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/27538743/p1]Captive to Crown[/link] by Tych_sel

This first excerpt shows Aelinor as a young girl, but already with plenty of spunk?


"Yeah, but space knows no clock. Their night may not be the same as ours." He turned, heading towards one of the lift tubes. I suspected he was heading for the bridge, which is where Daddy would be if something were truly amiss. I looked down at my nightdress, knowing that it probably wasn't appropriate dress for the bridge. But if Rique was going up there with nothing on but a pair of loose pants, then decorum be karked. I smiled inwardly, knowing that Mother would wash my mouth out if I ever actually gave such language voice.

Rique and I arrived on the bridge to find Daddy already there, issuing orders to bring the yacht about. I never studied the layout of the yachts in the company's fleet, but I knew enough about space travel to know that one ship wasn't going to be able to hold off the five that were arrayed against us.

"What are you doing here?" Daddy asked as he turned and caught sight of us. He was dressed in dark trousers and an open white shirt, his black hair falling almost to his shoulders. It was unbound, and somewhat unkempt. Apparently, the attack had caught him asleep as well.

"You didn't raise us to run and hide, Father," Rique said. "I just wanted to find out what was going on. I couldn't help it that Ael de

 

Best Child

Quinlan Vos in Headstrong by Itachi-Uchiha


Milcah left and made her way down the hallway to a smaller room. Xanatos had been treated there upon first arriving and she wanted to gather his possessions before a cleaning droid disposed of them. She pulled up abruptly in the doorway as she came upon the lone and unexpected occupant in the room.

Young Quinlan Vos knelt in front of a chair where Xanatos? few belongings had been laid. The Kiffar boy was slowly fingering the dirt coated tunic they had cut from an injured Xanatos? body, his dark skinned face creased in pained lines, sweat beading his forehead. Milcah knew everything there was to know about young Quinlan as she had been counseling him for the last few years. She was well aware of his prodigious psychometric gifts and how that gift had been used against him, nearly driving him mad when he had been forced to experience his mother?s death.

It didn?t really come as a great surprise to find the boy here. Quinlan could understand the dragon that Xanatos battled everyday since he himself had inner demons that tried to seduce him to the dark side. Milcah truly believed that the Force and fate were trying to draw the two wounded souls together. Both had made mention of the other during their individual sessions with her recently and she sensed that each was the other's salvation.

Moving quietly so as not to startle him, she came up behind the boy and knelt down. Agitation hummed through the Force, his distress evident in the shivers that coursed through his body. Quinlan was reliving everything that had happened to Xanatos.

"Quin?" Milcah spoke in a soft and gentle voice as she lay a hand on his shoulder.

The boy started at the sound of her voice, his hands quickly jerking away from the torn shirt as he turned a guilty look toward her. "I?.I?m sorry, Master Milcah. I know I shouldn?t be here but?I heard he?d been found and brought back injured. I had to see for myself."

Offering him a reassuring smile, Milcah gestured toward the ruined clothes. "Quin, did you see anything that could help us uncover what happened to Padawan Akshay?"

Dark eyes grew guarded before drifting away from her piercing stare, white teeth worrying his bottom lip. Milcah didn?t want to do anything to traumatize the boy further and yet she was desperate to find some clue to explain what Xanatos had been through.

"Quin, we have no idea what happened and Xanatos is unable to tell us himself. I want to help him but need something to go on. I would be very grateful for any information you can give me."

Clearly torn, Quinlan searched her gaze before giving a decisive nod. The words spilled from his lips as if he feared that if he stopped, the memories would slip from his grasp. He described the disgust Xanatos had felt as he?d faced the killer, the white hot rage that had beckoned him to put all of his anger into the killing blow. Xanatos? close brush with his darker nature and the guilt he had felt afterward. Frustration at Dooku for diverting their course without informing him and the uneasy fingers of fear that had dogged each step he?d taken on the Sith planet. Dooku?s betrayal and the voices that had promised him great power if he would only agree to accept their training, and their enraged threats when he had refused.

Quinlan?s eyes gleamed with pride as he met her gaze, his normal reserve vanishing. "He didn?t give in, Master Milcah."

Nearly overcome with relief, Milcah smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "No he didn?t. Thank you, Quin. I know how difficult reliving that must have been."

"Can I see him?"

Staring into dark eyes that were filled with such hope, Milcah found herself unable to refuse. Standing, she pulled him to his feet and gently stroked a braided piece of ebony hair in a show of affection.

"Very well. But only for a very short time," she warned, fighting back a smile as he fairly brimmed with excitement as s