Saga Guardian in the Desert (Obi-Wan/Luke post-ROTS vignettes) Author Note 1/25/06

GUARDIAN IN THE DESERT

I've been toying with this vignette series for a while. Not sure why, but posting in the Saga boards has been a daunting process. I have to thank a few people for getting me here.

Darth_Lex, for your ever helpful betas and undying support. You are one of the masters of the Saga characters.

Obi_Ew, for telling me I'd be fine. Thanks. I needed that.

The Two Reds, one a friend who constantly backs me and the other who sort of inspired me over in the Obi thread with her playful banter and with her clever portrayals of Obi-Wan on these boards.

Leona, I don't know why but that little word inspired a bunny beyond imagine.

LadyPadme, for niggling that bunny on

and

Kima, for that ever-present vision of a blasted bunny latched onto my leg with sharp teeth, going, "Write me! Write me!" ;
I plan to, as the inspiration strikes me, create an anthology of vignettes that travel along time with Obi-Wan and Luke and span ROTS to ANH. I hope you enjoy.

As always, this is not my universe, I am simply playing in George's sandbox.

*takes a deep breath*

---

[b]Luke - Age 5


[u]Not Mine[/u][/b]

?Choy-kla!?

At the sound of Luke?s earsplitting yell, Beru?s gaze popped up from her stitchwork. Her instantaneous panic vanished in a heartbeat. It vanished at the sight of her little son toddling around, swiping and swatting at something only he could see. He was so beautiful in those moments, sandy hair flowing and blue eyes sparkling, that she felt a place deep inside swell with love, like he were her very own.

A smile erupted on her face, and a giggle followed. A giggle with two echoes. Around the quilt, her girlfriends Redya and Aleon were just as amused by Luke?s merry antics. They joined her laughter until it became a bubbling chorus.

Then Redya?s eyes widened, and a gasp replaced the happy sound.

Swinging her head back toward Luke, Beru?s smile was chased away by a mother?s fear. He had swiped again, knocking his tiny body out of equilibrium. One precarious misstep after another, the boy teetered between remaining upright and smacking the earthen floor. Hands shot out. Legs scrambled. Yet somehow Luke found his balance - before Beru could even think of extricating herself out from under the quilt.

?Amazing,? Redya whispered.

?I can?t believe he didn?t fall,? Aleon added.

Beru said nothing. She should have known Luke wouldn?t fall. He would never fall. Because her son was special. Her son - who wasn?t her son, but rather the son of the greatest Jedi ever - had unique powers. If she were honest, Beru might never have to fear the obvious. Instead, she would always fear the future, the unknown. She feared Luke?s destiny.

?Choy-kla!?

Luke, on the other hand, feared nothing. He resumed his hunt with carefree abandon, determined to finish his quest.

For a few more heartbeats Beru watched her son careen and leap around in the open air sunken courtyard of their Tatooine home before she returned to the task at hand. They needed to get this quilt finished quickly. It was only a matter of days until their friend Lapa?s wedding, and this was their gift to her. So for days they had sat in the shade of the dining area, buried in the monotony of sewing.

?He must be getting bored,? she wondered aloud, glancing back at Luke as he danced around in the light.

?We?re almost finished.? Aleon gestured to the nearly complete design.

From her spot finishing the trim, Redya nodded. ?Almost.?

[i]?Choy-kla!?[/i]

There was a different tone to the child?s voice this time that gave Beru cause to look up once more. Luke stood in place now, utterly still, with one hand extended forward in a fist. He held it up like he was offering it to someone, someone Beru couldn?t see. She was out of her seat in an instant, her corner of the quilt practically forgotten on the ground.

?Luke??

He walked away, still holding out his offering. ?Choy-kla.?

?Lu-?

 

Let me be the first ? woohoo! first reply! ? to officially welcome you to the Saga board. I?ll definitely be looking forward to more viggies in the series.

And a great beginning!

Beru said nothing. She should have known Luke wouldn?t fall. He would never fall.
Wow. If that?s not packed with double meaning for the saga?

The man chuckled softly, the sound a low melodic hum that possessed little volume yet managed to resonate everywhere.
Ah ha! Now I see the origins of this bunny? Maybe he should read audiobooks?

Anyone could have seen that this man loved the boy, or so Beru worried.
Interesting connection to Obi-Wan?s bond with Anakin, and a powerful statement too about how Obi-Wan feels at the Lars homestead. In public, he no doubt plays the quiet hermit and keeps his distance from Luke. Perhaps it?s the resonance of the place in the Force, with Shmi and Cliegg, Owen and Beru, even echoes of Anakin and Padmé, that lets him drop his guard just a bit in this setting, though.

A shoikler
Too funny!

?It?s not his voice that has you enamored, Reddie.?
Oh my. Is it getting hot in here?

?Perhaps you could say I? negotiated them into finding a new hunting ground.?
What a great Obi-Wan line. And yet, tragic too ? because we know even his ?aggressive negotiations? with the Sand People were so different from Anakin?s?

?Spe-ci-ality??
You girls are too much. You really are.

And of course I liked the ending. Great connections to Anakin and Padmé, the fate of the Jedi, and Obi-Wan?s lonely task. Sad, yet very powerful.

 

First drool! Er... first reply!

Darn you, Lex!

*be back too*

edit: *back*

Wonderful, my twin! I love it!

You do Obi Wan so well! I mean, you nailed him? um, his characterization, that is! LOL.

Swinging her head back toward Luke, Beru?s smile was chased away by a mother?s fear. He had swiped again, knocking his tiny body out of equilibrium. One precarious misstep after another, the boy teetered between remaining upright and smacking the earthen floor. Hands shot out. Legs scrambled. Yet somehow Luke found his balance
That?s just beautiful! Of course, a grown up Luke later on would teeter between lightness and darkness, but manage to not fall, finding ?balance??

The man chuckled softly, the sound a low melodic hum that possessed little volume yet managed to resonate everywhere. ?Hello there.?
I was hearing Ewan there?

By now Ben had brought his hand out of the deep robes and held a finger up to Luke?s hand. ?Yes. I see. A shoikler,? he pronounced in a smooth voice, which spoke of elegance and roots closer to the Core.
A shoikler?! Hah!

?Good job, hmmm?? A tiny insectoid jumped onto Ben?s finger and flapped its wings to celebrate a newfound freedom. He drew his finger up toward his face, then grinned at the buzzing shoikler. ?You gave a good chase, my little friend.?
I can see Sir Alec there giving Luke his frist lessons about the Force? *grins*

?I could listen to that man talk all day,? Redya said quite suddenly.
I can so relate to what Redya is feeling there? I?m sure I?ve said the same thing about Ewan.

He tipped his head respectfully. ?Of course. The Sand People are my speciality.?
It?s that word! It makes me LOL (check my .sig)

?Spe-ci-ality?? This time it was Redya. ?Where are you from? Certainly not from around here.?
Hah! Redya reminds me of somebody! She?s a hoot? *Red surreptitiously wipes drool*

He chuckled once. ?I suppose not. But is anyone really from Tatooine??

Redya giggled, flirty and saucy, as she tipped her head back. ?No. Or at least no one I know would care to admit it.?
The poor girl, she?s got it bad! *looks around guiltily*

Obi-Wan pulled up the cowl of his cloak so his expression was hidden. ?Always fixing things. Perhaps more like his mother in that way.?

?Ben?? Luke?s voice called from above.

The flash of a toothy grin beamed from the shadow of the Ben?s hood. ?Always on the move.? He spun and bounded up the steps.
Wow! I think you were channeling ObiWan there. Your grasp of his character is simply amazing? I think I've discovered another one of your spe-ci-alities!

[Obi] Good job![/Obi]

Can?t wait for more!!!

 

Interesting.

 

Gahhh!!!

Fourth in line!!! * shakes fist at Lex *

Anyway, marvelous viggie, TKL! I can't believe you really managed to get both shoikler and spe-ci-ality (Saw ROTS again today ) into this viggie! Adorable, and poignant, and slyly funny!

Great job!

 

That was very good, TKL! Great job!

 

Wow...I really like this. It has a tender and sweet air along with the sadness. And I like the idea of Luke learning little things about the Force from Ben. This promises to be a really fun series.

~Lurker

 

First response: awesome!

(Will have more in a second; give me a bit )

And for the expanded response...

This vignette was amazing. Beautifully emotional, yet the truth rang strong through out the entire piece.

Beru said nothing. She should have known Luke wouldn?t fall. He would never fall. Because her son was special. Her son - who wasn?t her son, but rather the son of the greatest Jedi ever - had unique powers. If she were honest, Beru might never have to fear the obvious. Instead, she would always fear the future, the unknown. She feared Luke?s destiny.
Wonderful how you managed to pull both a mother's fear and the truth of Luke's life together. Beru would always have to worry about Luke. After all, he's not very much like the other kids around him. And it's interesting, because we see a continuation of this in the Lars's refusal to send Luke off to the academy in ANH.

Beru wanted to be mad, wanted to chase this man away. She wanted to tell him to leave her son alone. But in the end, they needed him. She listened as the lonely man from the desert, their benefactor and Luke?s protector, explained to the boy about the value of all life, how no individual was more important than another, not even an insect like the tiny shoikler. That no living thing could ever be truly possessed. And Luke simply listened, entranced by the rhythmical truth-filled cadence of the man?s voice.
This really stood out to me when I read it. It reminded me of Anakin's wish to free the slaves, the fact that Han ended up freeing Chewie from slavery under the Empire, and just the whole idea that ended up being behind the Rebellion: equality and freedom for all.

They had stopped sewing and sat dumbstruck, watching the man formerly known as Obi-Wan instruct Luke in one of his first lessons about the mystery called the Force. A lesson so cleverly disguised and the deeper truth so powerfully veiled that its meaning would be lost to all, even Luke. For now. There was a momentous turn of history in the making, yet all her friends saw was a mysterious handsome stranger with an intriguing accent.
Things are not always what they appear On multiple levels here: Obi-Wan, the lesson, "the momentous turn of history"...

The robes once more were the man, and Obi-Wan Kenobi disappeared behind an emotionless mask.
I found this part most sad, because I saw it as far more permanent then just putting a hood up, etc. Obi-Wan Kenobi was much more of an individual in the prequel trilogy, yet when we see him briefly in ANH, he's lived for two decades for one purpose: to help train Luke Skywalker in such a way that it would lead to the Empire being overthrown.

She left the rest unsaid as sadness rolled across Obi-Wan?s face. Beru wondered often ? about Anakin and Padmé, Luke?s mother and father. Obi-Wan had brought Luke to the homestead five years before. A tiny infant swaddled in Jedi robes. Those had been the darkest hours of the galaxy, and as much as she had needed to know, Beru hadn?t asked. The haunted look in Obi-Wan?s eyes even now told her perhaps she would never want to know. Anakin had been a Jedi, and the Jedi were no more. Save one. And she would no more forsake him, than forsake her son.
Again, this is wonderfully written. It captures so many ideas in such a limited number of words, yet manages to convey all of them brilliantly.

Obi-Wan pulled up the cowl of his cloak so his expression was hidden. ?Always fixing things. Perhaps more like his mother in that way.?
Some might have instinctively attributed Luke's ability/need to fix things to his father, but the fact that you attributed instead to his mother is interesting. If you think about it, BOTH of Luke's parents were trying to fix things that they saw were wrong: Padmé through politics, and Anakin through being a Jedi. In the end, Padmé was the one who stuck more by her beliefs than Anakin, who was willing to compromise them for the most important thing to him: Padmé's survival. And in the en

 

Oh ... I loved that. Luke was adorable, and the way you wrote Obi-Wan just - fit so nicely with him in ROTS. I can't explain it any better than that. And seeing it all from Beru's perspective - ah, I can understand her feelings, of being both blessed and burdened. [face_thoughtful]

I look forward to more lovely vignettes.

 

Lovely work! Loved how you had slight ROTS lines mixed in there

Poor Ben indeed last of a dying breed all right.

Liked how you portrayed Beru Great job!!

 

TK: Aww. Beautiful!

Special!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

You started it! See, there was no reason to be wary.


He tipped his head respectfully. ?Of course. The Sand People are my speciality.?

?Spe-ci-ality?? This time it was Redya. ?Where are you from? Certainly not from around here.?

Thrilled you were inspired by the Obi thread. It has that affect on people.

Loved this from start to finish and can't wait to see what comes next. Luke was adorable and I hope he doesn't grow up too fast in these.

Marvelous job with Obi-Wan, you nailed the ROTS version of him perfectly.

Write more and write faster!

And welcome to Saga.

 

Oh my. How lovely.

Shoiklers! Ha!

Wonderful ROTS Obi. But I really liked hearing Beru's thoughts, especially since she seemed to have some reservations about Obi-Wan being there. Nice detail.

 

I liked this story a lot! A story about little Luke, Obi-Wan's brotherly love for Luke, and Beru...Beru enjoying him

I liked it!

 

That was a beautiful vignette, and I'm looking forward to seeing more fic posts from you.

 

Poor Obi! You've done a wonderful job portraying his inner sorrow and loneliness and yet it's still Obi. Great job.

 

Great viggie! It was great seeing things from Beru's perscpective.
--Wynssa

 

Eighteenth in line? Phooey.

Kia, new stuff! (Write me! Write me! ) And Obi-Wan and Luke ! How marvelous!

?I could listen to that man talk all day,? Redya said quite suddenly.

Amen to that. I was going to say it, but you beat me to it:

He tipped his head respectfully. ?Of course. The Sand People are my speciality.?

?Spe-ci-ality??

*swoons*

Running short on time, Kia darling, but the whole thing is lovely. And fitting in shoikler, too! Can't wait to see the rest!

 

How can I miss a thread with "shoikler" in the title bar?

That was so lovely, I just love your descriptions. Beru watching Luke chase the bug about was so sweet but it was so sad when Obi-Wan arrived. Beru's observations of Obi-Wan, how wonderful.

I'm looking forward to more in the series and I don't know what you had to worry about.

Spe-ci-ality

 

Beautifully done, TKL. That was just lovely. The last paragraph was terribly sad though. I like how Beru was caught between Obi-Wan and her friends - knowing more than they ever will, but wanting still to be more like them. It would have been a hard life for her, knowing what she did.

Again, this was just lovely. Thanks for sharing it, and I can't wait to read whatever else you care to share with us.

Shaindl

 

I had a very hard time posting at work so I'll try again. This was lovely. I thought it was wonderful how you were able to get so many of Obi-Wan's sayings into the story and have them flow so naturally. It was sweet/sad that the ladies were all hot to meet the hermit but he went with Luke. Of course he did but I could just picture it.

Great job. You should do more!

 

Aww, nice job! I loved it!

 

I think I have just died of cute. I look forward to more.

 

Little Luke was adorable. I have three little boys and can really relate to having "guests" show up and my little ones rushing to show them everything new and exciting.

I liked Beru and her thoughts on Obi-Wan and her curiosity of what had happened to Anakin and Padme, but willingness to go on without the details.

And of course, who couldn't love Beru's friends swooning over Obi-Wan.