FREEZE FRAMES - Vignettes of life in the Jedi Temple - UPDATED 11/19/03 Obi-centric, cradle to purge

Cyn - Just found this! Will catch up tomorrow. Looks very interesting!


Sabe126

 

A few posts without him? How did you pull that one off?

 

TMJ - Is that a dig?

Don't be too astonished - because I haven't - yet!

Otherwise, morning, All! You WILL note that I specifically did NOT say, "Good morning."

So far, it hasn't been great - but I'm optimistic (although I absolutely refuse to speculate on whether or not it could get worse.)

CYN

 

Oh, it can always get worse. But it can also always get better. The question is, which is more likely?

And it's only a dig if you think it is.

 

CYN - I hope that your day did get better.

Have just finished reading. Sniff! It was beautiful!


Sabe126

 

CYN -just wanted to say thanks for another great story

This is only my second post but I've read many of your fics and I love your beautifully descriptive writing style. You write like painting a picture!

 

Good morning, Friends - and yes, it is a good morning because I just got my confirmation for reservations at a Florida resort for this week-end. Lots of sun, surf, sand, seafood - and (forget the alliteration) margaritas by the tub.

Lovely comments, as always - and my continuing gratitude. I might be able to post this PM - depending on how the day goes - but if I don't get it in before 5, it'll be tomorrow because my net connection at home went "Kablooie" sometime last night, and tech support has to come out and take a look at it to find the prob. Wonderful!!

Anyhow - have a good day - and I hope to get back to you later.

CYN

 

All right Cyn--

My co-workers all ready think I am nuts..but its cool..

This was a great little post...And I can't wait to see what ya write next..



Keep up the good work!!

PT

 

Well CYN, i did finish your post and Wow, thats all i can say, you have a great talent with expainding those who are really expained on. Mace, Xantos... pre-tell with this trend go on. if it does let me suggest to you a Jedi to maybe dive into...A Character that we see fight, but not speak, however there will be a Book with him and your ginger haired heart throb coming in 2004. I am talking about Kit Fisto, or any Jedi we now nothing about, i know there is a little on these Jedi on the Offical site, but i would love to read you thoughts on them. well i will keep my eyes out for the next one

Yoda


oh and i am glad you finally are getting that tub of marguritas that you wanted in H-town, have fun on your trip.

 

UP!

 

Sorry this has been slow coming. I?ve been traveling ? and had a teeny bit of writer?s block. I?m still not sure this says everything I meant for it to say ? but if I fuss over it any more, I?ll probably ruin it completely.

So here goes.

Let me know what you think.

* * * * * * * * * *

SMALL WONDERS


* * * * * * * * *


It really shouldn't have made any difference. The idea of annual seasons had long since been forgotten on the city-world of Coruscant. There was neither spring nor fall nor summer - and the only winter occurred during the annual Festival of Lights when the weather-control engineers programmed a few days of ice and snow and stunning, nose-nipping cold. Other than that, if there was real, distinguishable weather on Coruscant, one could safely assume that the planetary climate governing system was out of order.

Nevertheless, every year, it seemed, mirrored every other, and, for the few days preceding and during the holiday event known universally as the Quickening, there was a lovely, crisp sweetness in the air, lingering like a barely discernible fragrance, borne on breezes gentle as a baby's breath. The sun's brilliance, as pure and unbroken as on any other day, was somehow gentled slightly, as if some phantom hand had draped the fiery orb in a veil of soft mist, designed to temper its harshness, for just a span of hours. The air seemed cleaner; the sky, bluer; the pace of life at the center of the great Republic, slightly less frenetic; and - above all - the laughter of children, brighter, happier, and more melodic.

If one managed to ignore every other facet of that unique event - one could never successfully evade the sound of the voices of those children.

The Festival had not, exactly, been invented for them - but, over time, they had certainly co-opted it as their own.

Unlike other holidays celebrated on the planet - and in the Jedi Temple - there was little of solemn ritual in the Quickening; it was much more about the celebration of youth and energy than any somber remembrances of obscure events preserved now only in dusty archives and vaults of antiquity.

As such, it was an occasion of warmth and shared good will and great amity, and it was almost impossible to maintain an air of melancholy within its ambience.

Almost.

As a Jedi Master, it should have been completely within his power to ignore the great, annual outpouring of mawkish sentiment (and silliness, he thought - but didn't quite dare say - out loud) but that situation, while devoutly to be wished, was not to be, due to the machinations of one very short, very meddlesome, and fiendishly determined old Jedi troll.

As Mace Windu had once remarked, when Master Yoda made up his mind about something, The Force seemed to conspire with him to do his will - and neither time, tide - nor toddlers in the throes of the terrible twos - could stand against him.

So the towering Jedi Master searched out a shadowed niche in an alcove heavily screened with a thick growth of urija vines - and prepared to weather whatever storm of endeavors-in-the-guise-of-fun the day might hold in store for him. He sat motionless at a tiny table, nursing a flagon of Alderaanian ale - and allowed his consciousness to float into the Force - fully aware of every nuance of his surroundings, but sublimating the uproar into something manageable. He saw little purpose for his presence during this madness; indeed, he saw little purpose for the madness itself. He was neither heartened nor gratified to note that this was the only occasion during the entire cycle when the Temple's vast gardens were opened to a select group of visitors: children - swarms and gaggles and pods of children, representing dozens of races, scores of worlds, and hundreds of political entities scattered throughout the Republic. Indeed, it felt a bit like this sovereign territory, this almost sacred space, had been invaded by a pack of hooligans - and the fact that the hooligans in question were all very, ve

 

Oh Cyn what would we do without ya? Hope we never have to find out.That was just...precious!

 

I just spent the past 4 hours with my 2 1/2 year old nephew who was being exceptionably adorable tonight. This little story just added to the charm of the evening.

 

Oh, that's so sweet, Cyn. What a priceless moment! You've made my day once again, thanks!

 

Finally de-lurking to give a round of resounding applause: that was glorious dear Cyn.

I have been immersing myself in your fiction lately - have done the 'short bits' and started on AUF last night! (I have printed them all out, believe it or not! See what a fan I am!!) So you shall undoubtedly be hearing from me at some point as I will have to write you an Epistle of Serious Appreciation! You are, without a doubt, the absolutely best writer on these boards - stylistically, techically and in terms of content.

Brava Brava!

 

Many thanks, Chums, for the kind reviews - but I think I'm hearing the word 'sweet' entirely too frequently. 'Sweet' is NOT usually my ambiance.

Time for a bit of darkness, hmmmm?

Let's see now - how about something really menacing that hovers over our adorable little tyke? Or someone he loves? Or maybe a look at a Jedi protocol that isn't exactly sweetness and light?

Or - maybe - all of the above?

Off to plot more chaos!

CYN

 

Well, that WAS really sweet CYN There is no other word for it.

I hesitated to even say it--now i'm afraid you'll go too far the other way

We all put Obi through some awfully dark stuff, but the way you do it tends to linger with the reader long after you're done reading. That's the mark of a good writer I guess Keep doing it.

More soon??

 

Well, I looked in my thesarus for an alternative word for "sweet" and I found, among others, "precious" and "dear". So I will say that was both precious and dear. But with a nice hint of darkness. I loved seeing a young Palpatine and Bibble. Also, I find it quite interesting that you and I seem to be on the same wavelength when it comes to Oppo Rancisis and his feelings towards a certain ginger-haired Jedi. You'll see what I mean in the next posts in my fic.

Anyway, great job! Your vignettes are truly wonderful to read! I feel like I'm learning more and more about the Temple with each one. I do wish Georgie had spent more time in the Temple in AOTC. We saw some nice big hallways, the Council chamber (but saw that already in TPM) and Yoda's place, but I do wish we could have seen more.

 

Hrmph!!

Cyn - please note - I used the word 'glorious' which is something entirelly different from 'sweet'. I don't think you do 'sweet' really - heartwarming perhaps when you're feeling benign, but not 'sweet'...!

I love your idea of a Jedi protocol that is not all sweetness (there we go again!) and light. As you might remember from our discussions over on the Official Obi thread a few months ago, I have an absolute passion for the Jedi, especially as far as the parallels between them and the practises of Zen are concerned. Sometimes I feel people have no real understanding of how harsh and demanding and disciplined a life within a spiritual order of this sort would really have been. It's NOT Sitcom Land out there!

And I agree with everyone who laments the abundance of the comic book adventure elements in ATOC (and TPM!) over the far more interesting stories that could be told of the Jedi Order. The Jedi are, after all, the one genuinely unique and inspirational creation of GL's.

So Cyn, I think you should regard these efforts of yours in the light of a public service. We NEED to be told all this. In fact - GL should start sending you flowers - at the very least! - on a regular basis for doing his job for him!

As for suggestions - I'd also love glimpses into the very early days of Qui-Gon and Obi together - together as Master and apprentice, that is.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


OK ? this one is on the short side ? I think ? and doesn?t really say much. It just lays a bit more groundwork for things that will occur later. Hope you guys are not waiting around for big, dramatic tales. I mean ? some of them (hopefully) WILL be dramatic and gripping ? but not just yet.



Sub-Title: Touching the Storm


Master Mace Windu was in a hurry ? and few indeed were the Jedi ? from initiates to Masters ? who would dare to impede his progress when his characteristic headlong stride became even more headlong than usual.

Few ? but not few enough, he muttered under his breath, as a fellow Master ? one of a very small minority who were actually taller than Windu himself ? fell into step beside him as he made his way through the traffic congesting the main corridors of the Jedi Temple.

?Mace,? said the new arrival, ?do you have a minute??

?Do I look like I have a minute??

?No ? you look like you?re on your way to a fire ? but, since the Temple is, in fact, not burning, I must assume it?s nothing quite so drastic that moves you.?

?I have ? an engagement.? The response was entirely too vague ? but delivered with absolute conviction.

?Mace??

?What?? The Jedi Counselor?s replies were growing shorter and more abrupt with every step taken.

?It?s storming.?

And that, of course, was that. Master Windu stopped short and turned to stare up into midnight blue eyes that saw entirely too much ? and were entirely too filled with something that might have been understanding.

?Your point??

?My point,? said Qui-Gon Jinn, making a point of NOT smiling, ?is that if you don?t hurry, he?ll be gone before you get out there.?

Windu?s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. ?Exactly how many people know about this??

?Mace,? said Master Jinn, ?he?s five years old. Did you think no one would know??

And the large, extremely sophisticated, very self-confident Jedi Master seemed suddenly not quite so comfortable within his own skin, as he stared at the man who had been his friend for as long as he could remember. ?You probably think I?m a foolish old man ? don?t you??

But Qui-Gon did not look as if he thought that. On the contrary ? his smile was gentle. ?I think that we give up almost everything in life to be Jedi ? and if there?s comfort to be found ? in the company of one small child who finds a source of laughter in the roar of thunder ? the foolish man would be the one who turned his back on such a gift.?

A subtle shudder rumbled through the great building as the storm?s full force descended out of the heavens, and Master Windu resumed his rush toward the gardens. ?Want to come?? he offered.

But Qui-Gon had already started to move away. ?Thanks ? but no. This is for you ? and him. Come by my quarters later ? and we?ll discuss . . . things of mutual interest.?

It was only when he was close to completing his journey that Windu recalled a trace of something vaguely alarming in Master Jinn?s words ? but he would worry about that later.

The largest of the informal Jedi gardens lay before him now, dark and battered by the storm, but somehow wonderful as well. At least, so it seemed to a tiny five-year-old boy.

The planetary climate control was not as efficient as it should have been, so such storms happened occasionally and, when they did, invariably, one little initiate found a way to elude his caretakers and make his way to this garden, to the semi-shelter of a vine-covered arbor where he would sit and watch the rain and listen to the drumroll of the thunder. This had been going on since he arrived at the Temple more than two years before.

Only he didn?t call it thunder. He called it the Lifebeat.

No one knew quite what he meant, and it was the subject of much speculation.

But it was Master Windu who finally realized the truth. It simply didn?t matter. The boy?s reasons for the terminology would almost certainly never be understood ? but it was obvious that the sound of t

 

Earlier post - Naughty little Obi-Wan, he got his licks in to Palpatine early, didn't he?

Latter post - The second one was sadly ominous. Poor boy would have nothing but storms his entire life.

 

Hey Cyn,

Loved both vignettes - I really loved seeing Palpy getting his literal just desserts. I also really enjoyed Mace as the caring father-type - will we see more of him in that role? Great work, and hope to see more soon.

Shaindl

 

Awesome work on both peices, Cyn!!



Boy, you really can't resist putting our Obi in your work, can you? I can't blame you!

Glad to see you've been incorporating more Mace into your peices, as I know that's a character you've been wanting to explore more. You're doing a great job with him, and I hope to read more of these moments from the Temple!

 

This is layng the groundwork for later posts? interesting

 

I really liked this closer look at Mace. It's only natural that there were many at the temple were drawn to Obi-Wan, other than Qui-Gon.

I know you said these little vignettes weren't necessarily in the same universe as AUF, but I couldn't help but think of Mace's sculpture at the end of your postscript--he really did love Obi too

I love these little peaks you are giving us, i'm not always looking for the mind blowing, long, angsty, crying my eyes out prose you usually grace us with. I could definately do fine with more of these

I loved it.