Saga A Jedi Shall Not Know Love - (Obi-Wan/Siri, pre-AOTC) Complete

Timeframe: Between TPM and AOTC
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Siri Tachi, Anakin Skywalker
Genre: Drama/Romance
Summary: A short story on what happens when the hearts of two Jedi become conflicted.
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The usual disclaimers apply. George Lucas owns it all; I am not making any money on this.

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Author's Note: This will only be six daily posts long. Just a short, evil little plot bunny, that took over my limited writing time for a while.

Thank you, Froggy, for beta reading this mess! Your help is very much appreciated.

Additional Notes (29 November): After the story was posted, I turned it back over to Froggy and Obi-Ew once more for beta reading. After many, many, many pretty colors were spilled over Love, I have cleaned up the errors, weaknesses, and filled out a few areas.

I replaced the existing text with the new and improved.

Again, thank you, Froggy for the joy you take in torturing my prose. Thank you, oe, for pointing out the things that I was to stubborn to change in the first place.

16 February: I was bored and created a little artwork for this story.

[image=http://members.cox.net/red_roseknight/Love_story_cover.jpg]

A Poster

Wallpaper

 

A Jedi Shall Not Know Love

Inhale

The duty of a Jedi is to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to maintain peace in the Republic, but most important is to follow the will of the Force.

The first blush of morning, like each one before, came with faint purples that bled into the dark sky; slowly burned red, bright orange, and then a sharp unyielding yellow as the smaller of Tatooine?s twin suns surged over the heat rippled horizon.

On the five hundred and twelfth day of his self-imposed exile, Obi-Wan Kenobi would be there, as the intense morning light tore into the fading remnants of night. Nearly two years spent on the sun soaked planet in the Arkanis Sector of the Outer Rim Territories and he had not missed a single daybreak.

Maybe he should consider his count of the days doubled as each one brought two sunrises. The thought was abandoned just as quickly as it had come into existence. His time there was long enough without pointless notions compounding the punishment.

Forty-three thousand light years from the galactic core and it was not far enough. It would never be far enough to escape the past, or the memories of what had once been and never could be. All the distance of space could not keep his demons at bay, for they would follow him no matter where he went. Manifesting in his dreams, in his waking hours, his ghosts were never far away.

The memory of the dead?all of his fellow Jedi?was tempered by the reality of the living. It seemed with every death, every voice in the Force lost, a piece of him had died as well. Through battle and slaughter the Jedi had dwindled, sometimes he saw or felt their deaths, other times he just knew. Yet, with time, he had hardened to the small pains, the growing emptiness, it was a necessity of his continued survival.

He was not alone in suffering; a galaxy shuddered under the black fist of the Empire.

While blood still flowed through his veins and life beat in his chest, escape was not an option. He lived with the knowledge that it would only be a matter of time before he would be brought into conflict with the Jedi?s destroyers once more. He would be found.

For now, he had an abundance of time. Each morning began in the same prescribed manner?with a single step. Before the blistering suns could unleash their full fury on the new day, while a touch of chill still lingered in the predawn air, he set out from the domed hut, draped in the familiar shelter of his cloak. Some mornings, he wished his daily regiment did not begin so early, so that he could miss the coolness that brushed his skin, the wispy reminders of the past, of worlds with temperate climates and crisp spring breezes. With each morning, he rose to begin the daily regiment without pause, knowing that if he were to fail that, he would be lost to the ever changing sands of the desert.

With a determined step, Obi-Wan left the protective confines of the hovel at the edge of the Dune Sea he now called home. After only a few paces, he turned to look back at the cupola of the run down living quarters. Its drab gray, brought on by years of sandblasting, a lonely beacon in a never-ending ocean of tans, was strangely comforting. While it did not look like much, cleaning and care had improved the dirty, sand clogged hut he had found abandoned nearly two years ago.

Sometimes, when he found a moment of pause, he wondered what had happened to the previous owners. Not that it much mattered, the beings that inhabited the barely hospitable planet shifted as often as the sands.

In the cruel environment, in the mercilessly scorched days, and in a tale of the harsh shadows that cut across the sandy floor, he found insights he never expected. Even among ruin there is life; a single plant could sprout up through the nutrient deprived sands. Hope could thrive. A piece of him began to see the dusty boy that had been his apprentice in a new light. He had grown to appreciate the hardships that had littered such a young life. A pie

 

Woohoo! It's here! (and I got first post!)

EDIT: I was so excited I forgot to say more I think you described every shade of color in the visible light spectrum, Red. Absolutely amazing--every description was so detailed and so vivid. I especially loved the part about the Force singing and the orchestra of auras. Only six posts?

 

Happy Padawan bouncing with glee!!!

darnit didn't get first, but I guess second is ok

 

Beautifully descriptive and breathtaking! No one writes him better than you do Red .

 

absolutely beautiful, Red. Such vivid descriptions.

 

Your descriptions were breathtaking Red and Obi-Wan's desolation was heartbreaking. Can't wait to see where you take this.

 

Geez, red. [face_shocked]

That was the most gorgeous, haunting post you've ever written.

And that's saying alot.

Sometimes in the darkest hours, he thought he heard far away screams only to realize they were his.

Truly heartbreaking. This is so beautiful, as the others have said. Can't wait for more.

 

Breathtaking, heartbreaking and desolately beautiful. Lovely, haunting beginning, RRD.

 

such an overtone of haunting sadness that is so at odds with your title. This is intriguing

 

have nothing else to say then ditto to what
alredy have been said.

 

Wonderful, This one goes to the active topic list for sure.

Can't wait to read more of this one.

 

That has got to be one of the most powerful things I've ever read. Breathtaking. I'm in awe.

Thanks, Red - this is sure to be another of your masterpieces.

Shaindl

 

See you big silly! I won't even be petty and say I told you so! ! Truly amazing!

 

JadeSolo?I was so excited I forgot to say more?Only six posts? ?? Yup, just 6. Although I probably have spent more time on these six than I did the last sixty of anything else I have written. ?? I think you described every shade of color in the visible light spectrum ?? You can thank Froggy for that, she demanded?threatened?that I put more colors in.

Wookiee?Happy Padawan bouncing with glee!!! ?? Oh dear. [face_shocked] I can see Wookiee hair flying all about. Get the DustBuster® out or this thread is going to get really messy.

obi ew?Beautifully descriptive and breathtaking! ?? Thank you.

Froggy?absolutely beautiful, Red. Such vivid descriptions. ?? Thank you, Froggy.

Sheila?Can't wait to see where you take this ?? I guarantee it will be an interesting trip because I have never truly gone in this direction before.

LuvEwan?That was the most gorgeous, haunting post you've ever written. And that's saying alot. ?? Thank you.

naw ibo? Breathtaking, heartbreaking and desolately beautiful. Lovely, haunting beginning ?? Wow, thanks!

PadawanKitara?such an overtone of haunting sadness that is so at odds with your title. This is intriguing ?? I always love replies because more often than not, readers see things in a post that I don?t.

Aquas Knight?have nothing else to say then ditto to what already have been said ?? Thanks!

Crystal Kenobi?Can't wait to read more of this one. ?? More will be up in a few hours.

Shaindl?That has got to be one of the most powerful things I've ever read. Breathtaking. I'm in awe. ?? You are spoiling me! Thank you.

obi ew?See you big silly! I won't even be petty and say I told you so! ?? It isn?t so much the first post, it is the other five that scare me!

Thank you, everyone, another post will be up in w few hours. I just need to read through it again and format it.

 

Wow. Very discriptive Red.

 

ca tron--Wow. Very discriptive ??

Next posty up in a few!

 

Exhale

Our path is often a solitary path, but it is not lonely, for we revel in the energies of the Force.

Bright azure slashed through the still air of the small training cell as a gangly fourteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker bounded over the soft green floor mat. His lightsaber flashed about in a quick succession of preordained moves as he sprung and danced across the room. The soft tans of his clothing a mere blur of motion as the tip of the blade grazed the gray stone walls.

The blue fire licked the edges of the mat, singeing it as he completed the final movements of the saber bearing kata before coming to the rest position he had started from minutes earlier.

?Very good, Padawan,? came the familiar cultured Core accent of Obi-Wan Kenobi as he stepped from the wall farthest from the practice floor. His polished leather boots echoed over the blue veined marble that covered the floor.

At the mat, keen eyes noted the youth?s heavy breathing from the exertion. Anakin straightened under the watch, shifting his shoulders back in a thin façade of recovery.

?What is bothering you?? the older Jedi asked as he folded his arms across his chest. The creamy outer tunic pulled at his shoulders, elbows and tightening along the taut muscles around his back and gently curving spine.

?Nothing,? Anakin quickly replied, slicing his blade through the air. After a pause, he sheepishly added, ?I am just tired.?

?I am hardly surprised,? came the frank reply. The serious tone of the words melting as a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Bright blue eyes glanced up from the floor; the white overhead lighting cast harsh shadows across the youthful face. His intense gaze meeting the older Jedi?s often wearily patient expression.

?I was not the one who sat up all night repairing a maintenance droid,? Obi-Wan said as he paced a few steps across the floor. His arms still folded across his chest as his gaze fell across the soft colors of his tunic. Serves you right, echoed in the young master?s voice, but such brutally honest words were never put to voice. There were always better ways of getting a point across.

Falling back into a relaxed pose, Anakin?s straight shoulders drooped as he shifted and checked a slight singe in the material on his upper right arm. Offering a mischievous look, the eager apprentice said, ?Call it meditation.?

Quirking a brow, Obi-Wan held his apprentice?s gaze before turning and walking slowly along the outer edge of the mat again. ?Only if you are in a maintenance hangar.?

Anakin laughed as he too began to pace, matching the older Jedi?s step, turning when Obi-Wan did. ?I?m sorry, Master,? the blond haired youth said. ?The noise soothes me. Concentrating on fixing the droid relaxes me.? His hands waved animatedly about as he went on. ?I can?t meditate most of the night like you do.?

Obi-Wan stopped, his vision filled with the wall of the chamber, muscles rigid refusing to obey the simple, mental request of looking toward the boy.

Anakin continued to tread the length of the practice cell, undamaged by the words. He extended his arm as he walked, holding the saber hilt out for quiet inspection before moving it through the air in an imagined battle.

For a moment, he thought he sensed pride in the apprentice for revealing a truth about the older Jedi but the emotion left as quickly as it had appeared. He had thought his long nights in mediation were better concealed from the boy. How wrong?apparently?he had been.

Hardly a boy, Anakin was as tall as Obi-Wan, since his most recent growth spurt.

Withdrawing from the mat, the Jedi returned to the wall, leaning against it. He pushed any thoughts concerning his late night activities to the back of his mind. The revelation had rocked him but it had no bearing on the moment. ?Back to practice,? he said, he would concern himself with questions later. ?We do not want to be here all evening.?

Firing off a bright grin, Anakin returned to the center of the mat. ?Yes, I have a droi

 

Of all the things you've written Red, I'm beginning to suspect that this is going to be the best of them. The descriptions, imagery and emotions are palpable.

And you were worried?

Amazing.

Shaindl

 

The interaction between Obi-Wan and Anakin was very moving. Knowing how they end up just makes well written scenes such as yours so much more tragic to read. I thought you did well showing the caring and affectionate boy, and yet shades of what he later became shone through at times.

Siri's preoccupation with one ginger haired Jedi had me smiling one moment and sad the next. I have to agree with my brilliant co-writer, I think this may turn out to be some of your best writing so far, and that is saying alot!

 

What the old ladies said (that's right, I said old ) The images you've put forth are so clear, it's like watching a movie.

 

Hey! * glowers at the infant Jade* Best you remember that I am the keeper of all things Des!

 

A menacing tattooed face was met with the heel of his barefoot. The distinguished gentleman, former Jedi turned Sith vanished with the single stroke of an imaginary lightsaber. Not even the Force could take all of his pain away. Some of it remained no matter how hard he tried to accept it or tried to let it go as part of an unchangeable past.

Spinning about to face another phantom enemy, he struck out, willing his hand to connect with the chest of the final dark figure. In mid motion, jarring him from the dance, he came to an abrupt stop.

Instead of a towering figure shrouded in black, at the fleeting edges of memory was a dusty nine-year-old boy in ragged attire. Before he fully registered the figment of his imagination, it was gone, drifting like the sand across the plains.

This ghost was no different than all the others that lurked just beyond his reach. Phantasms out of the corner of his eyes, vanishing the instant he turned.

[face_shocked] That was a breathtaking passage, red. Sums up much of Obi-Wan's pain, so much of his regret while he's on Tatooine. I was blown away by that, as well as the entire post.

I really enjoy how you've made color a major part of this story. The fact that Obi-Wan spent his entire life around vibrant hues, only to be left in a land of colorless dust. Beautiful job, yet again!

 

Absolutely beautiful Red. The imagery is wonderful and I really liked the interaction between Obi-Wan and Siri and Anakin. It is heartbreaking to see the care and affection between Obi-Wan and Anakin knowing what happens in the end.

 

I am so utterly in envy of your talent and wonderful imagination.