Before - Legends Qui-Gon Jinn Challenge Thread - Note on first post

Oh this one is good!

 

Well, I just posted one in a separate thread. I might have put it up all at once, but with all the technical problems lately, I didn't want to try posting anything too big right away, so I broke it up into two posts.

However, I did see that the new tech administrator posted an amusing announcement that things were better.

It's working, it's working!

Is having everything go wacky on the first day some kind of 'trials' for tech administrators?

 

I'll start a new challenge index for the new challenge once I've gotten over this rotten cold. It's lasted way too long as it is.

 

I hope the cold goes away! They seem to come in extra long-lasting varieties these days.

I mentioned posting a Qui-Gon on the Council story, and then put it in the wrong place and reposted it...I should probably put the link here, since it's in Saga where things move really fast:

Council of Change

Note to self: If Qui-Gon has adopted Anakin as his Padawan and the story is post-Naboo, that puts it into Saga, even if it's AU.

 

PG

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.

---
When dusk breaks here, it is a slow thing. The sky is never in a hurry to accept the darkness, to trade its smooth azure for a black void. And yet, when the heavens do give in, and the day splinters, that is when the light burns brightest.

A sultry, glowing halo of orange settles around the spire. The shades of the high windows have been lifted, so the brunt of pre-evening scorch bands over my eyes, and for a moment, it is too much, and everything is indecipherable shadow smeared into great, warm, mandarin flame.

I can only see the light, with its pale fringes and illuminated core, pouring into this stagnant silver space, reaching clear to the corners, touching all but what it cannot?

For there are places where radiance simply cannot dwell. There exists a pall that cannot be penetrated.

I wish others could understand, but when I sit in my stiff chair and look across the room into their leveled, stoic gazes, I know they never will. They wear their honor and nobility and detachment like a heavy velvet cloak, while my flesh is cold beneath my tunics. I am the limp, stringy weed growing from their flower bed, the swelled digit of their otherwise polished hands. But it was their invitation, freely extended.

I cannot say that my acceptance was unchained from obligations, however. It was the light, ringing around my conscience, reminding me of the promises I had made.

It encompasses me now, me and the tower, in an embrace so close and intense I think for a second that I am somewhere else completely. But then it subsides into the unreachable distance, and I am watching it and wishing for it and galvanizing myself against the cold. I don?t wish to be marooned on this alien disk, suspended in the sky where their morality is absolute and their ideals are without reproach. I was not meant for this, I say quietly to myself. I was not meant to be the isolated member of the High Twelve. My feet prefer the dirt, and my hands long for work.

But my heart is insistent, even when I falter.

I look down at the object that has inexplicably landed itself in my palm. My thumb moves slowly over it.

You?ve asked so much of me. Isn?t joining them enough? I know what you want?but this time, I may have reached my limit.

?Qui-Gon.?

I am not startled by the voice. Nothing startles me anymore. My fingers close around the small possession, and I turn, giving an acknowledging nod. ?Mace.?

He is standing near the door, his mahogany robe spilling to the floor, skull reflecting the low lights of the Council Chamber. His face is etched in careful indifference. ?An odd time for you to be here. Shouldn?t you be in the company of your new ward??

I detect the twinge of sarcasm in the last few words. I sigh. ?Anakin will procure a Master, Mace. He is an extremely talented boy.?

?There has never been any doubt about young Skwalker?s capabilities. But any potential Master would be hesitant to accept an apprentice whose own liberator and champion won?t even consider training him.?

My muscles tighten. ?I have my reasons.?

A few of the strident lines ease from his brown skin. ?Qui-Gon,? he begins softly, ?we?re aware of your reasons.?

I turn my eyes to the traffic. It flits past, blinking and blurry, and I will myself to be soaring beside it, to be anywhere but where I am. Talking of anything but this. ?Then you know why I cannot take on Anakin?s training.?

?It wouldn?t be a betrayal.?

Shut your mouth. ?Don?t speak of what you cannot know.?

?I know life goes on,? he counters, voice so civil, ?even if another life doesn?t.?

My eyes close, and I take a steady breath. ?Please, Mace??

I can hear the rustle of his sleeves, know blindly that he is crossing his arms. ?It?s been four years. How many more do you intend to spend this way??

Four years? And only this morning I had to remind myself. My eyes open. ?I am a Jedi Master and a Councilor. I go on missions. I deliberate. I do everything expected of me.?

?And yet, when the opportunity to

 

Force, woman, that was breathtaking! That isn't the end is it?! You can't just leave it like that!

 

Breathtaking, my dear. Your lyrical prose and sheer talent for emotion amazes me. And it was perfect - Qui-Gon thinking about his lost padawan, and refusing to see Anakin. That he will always be a part of the Council, but never one of them.

Beautiful.

 

LuvEwan that was heartbreaking...and so sad, on so many levels, and wouldn't Obi be shaking Qui-Gon for mourning him like this?

This especially got to me:

Hope? Hope for what? In any case, he?s wrong. I hope. I find myself wandering into a still room, hoping that I will suddenly see him there. And when I don?t, and I move to my own stale, cold bed, I hope that it will end. This, Mace does not know. I prepare myself to speak that name, that name I have hidden inside my heart, but my composure is thready, and I can feel moisture gather in the corner of my eyes. ?Obi-Wan wanted me to be on the Council. As he?? Gods, ?as he started to?to go, it was all he talked about.?

?Obi-Wan was a wise young man, Qui-Gon. He was right to want that for you.?

A tremulous smile takes my mouth in its shaky, strange grip, and I turn away, towards the mellowing horizon. I remember how light his fingers were, brushing against my arm like phantom tendrils. His voice was a small whisper in a huge room, so he had allowed his eyes to move me. ?I don?t know if he was right, but I know it was what he desired. I couldn?t deny him it.?

Qui, Qui, Qui - you should honor his memory by celebrating his life rather than mourning his death.

 

Aaaaaah, your descriptions are just alive in this one. Poor Qui-Gon mourning his lost Padawan. He is so wounded.

 

That was amazing, LE. I love your language, the colors and the way you put things together is just breathtaking. I loved, too, that you let us into why Qui-Gon was a councilor a little bit at a time, all the while showing us how devastated he was at Obi-Wan's death.

This was especially vivid

They wear their honor and nobility and detachment like a heavy velvet cloak, while my flesh is cold beneath my tunics. I am the limp, stringy weed growing from their flower bed, the swelled digit of their otherwise polished hands.

And this discussion

?You?re denying yourself, and Anakin. Obi-Wan told you he foresaw great happiness and success for you. It eased him in his pain.?

No no no no no no no. ?It made him let go, when he needed to keep fighting.?

?Qui-Gon, he fought so long, he-?

?He let himself slip away.? I grind out, wheeling around and staring at the calm face. ?He said I would be fine, that he loved me, and then he just??

My heart still hurts.

Great job. As always!

 

Councilor Jinn Challenge Index
Qui-Gon Jinn - tenacious, tender-hearted, Living Force rogue Jedi - is now on the Jedi Council. How did he get there? Is he happy about it? Will he cause the collapse of the Order or save it? Humor, angst, drama, you get to choose.

Title: Untitled
Author: LuvEwan
Timeframe: post-TPM
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, Mace Windu
Genre: drama
Keywords: Obi-Wan Kenobi, braid
Summary: Councilor Qui-Gon Jinn refuses to let go of his grief. He keeps his promises but they tear out his heart until he has nothing left.

Title: Council of Change
Author: ardavenport (Anne Davenport)
Timeframe: Saga, AU
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker,
Genre: drama
Keywords: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Council
Summary: Qui-Gon on the Jedi Council
Note: This is for the Councilor Jinn Challenge over in Before the Saga. Well, this turned out longer than I thought it would, thought it?s not too long. Typo is my middle name, with missing words and errors that spell checkers don?t catch being my speciality ? if you see any, just post a reply or send a PM with the what and where and I will kill them with no mercy.

Title: You Have Got to be Kidding
Author: Valairy_Scot
Timeframe: pre-TPM
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Mace Windu
Genre: humor
Keywords: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Jedi Council
Summary: Qui-Gon gets quite a surprise. They make him a Council Member.

Title: Untitled
Author: Princess_Arulmozhi
Timeframe: Pre-TPM
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, Xanatos
Genre: Humor
Keywords: To be determined
Summary: Qui-Gon is made a member of the Jedi Council. Xan is quite alarmed by the idea.
Notes From her Epistles to a Master universe

 

Please let me know if you post a challenge response on your own thread and PM me. I'm having a hard time keeping track of things lately.

Plus if you find that your story is NOT listed in the index that it should be, please let me know. It's not on purpose... I just forgot.

 

Just a quickie response to the Councilor Jinn challenge so this comes with a disclaimer: I had to write fast. I don't claim this is one of my better stories...but it is timely.

You Have Got to be Kidding

Qui-Gon Jinn stood with arms in his sleeves, patiently awaiting the drawing of the next Councilor's name from the small bowl. By his side, his young padawan stood outwardly serene, but emotion running like electric current through his body.

"Padawan," Qui-Gon said quietly, looking at him. "Control your emotions."

"But what if your name is drawn, Master?" The hopeful eyes returned his gaze.

The Jedi master shuddered. "Force forbid it," he said darkly. "My first act would be to resign. No Jedi master would force this on me, or even think of nominating me. I made that quite clear to them over the last few weeks as we met. The decision is left to the Force to direct the proper name to be chosen."

Around them, other masters and their padawans awaited the arrival of the Council. It was not often a vacancy opened up.

As the head of the Council, Mace Windu carried in the empty bowl and went around to all the masters, collecting their small flimsiplasts with the name of their choice. Then the most junior member of the Council shook the bowl and held it.

?Our newest member,? Yoda said with a flourish, as he reached into the bowl, ?Is ? humph?? The master stared in disbelief at the slip of flimsiplast he had plucked from the bowl.

?Joke, is this?? he asked, whirling to face the assembled Jedi, but they were all staring at Yoda in their own inscrutable ways.

Swiveling his ears in disbelief, Yoda quietly announced, ?Qui-Gon Jinn.?

The assembled Jedi Masters exchanged looks, but none dared speak, or ask who had championed the Order?s most ? maverick ? Jedi to be on the Council itself. It would be discourteous to ask, so each held their tongue.

Just as astonished was Master Jinn himself, and he was far from pleased, though beside him, his padawan grinned broadly. Obi-Wan Kenobi so forgot himself, that he nudged his master with his elbow.

?Master, congratulations! A more worthy Jedi I cannot think of.?

?This is more like a punishment than reward, Padawan,? Qui-Gon whispered sternly, as he plastered a smile on his face and bowed. As he dipped forward, he scowled, only to straighten up with the smile on his face again. He didn?t dare look at the young man at his side. Obi-Wan was biting his lip, trying to keep a respectful and quiet face, but the young man was also trying hard to restrain a hearty laugh.

?Padawan!? Qui-Gon hissed out of the corner of his mouth, hoping the young man wouldn?t embarrass the both of them, for it seemed his padawan was in the unseemly position of almost being ready to drop to the floor and roll in laughter. It would be humiliating as his master to observe such behavior.

It wasn?t just Qui-Gon who had noticed his apprentice?s mirth. Yoda himself, ears swiveling in disapproval, stared at the young man with a noticeable twitch of his lips.

?Padawan Kenobi, a comment you have?? the diminutive Jedi master said pointedly.

?Oh, I do indeed, thank you, Master Yoda,? Obi-Wan gasped out. ?Master Jinn ? April?s Fool!?

Qui-Gon merely gaped at his padawan, and the rest of the laughing masters and padawans, then a slow smile spread over his face as he realized it was indeed April?s Fool day, a day the Jedi Order let hilarity ensue. He had totally lost track of time.

?Just you wait until next year, my Padawan!? he threatened.

 

Amazing! Can't stop laughing!

 

That was adorable, Valairy. April Fool's. The poor guy, that he would think it a horrible thing to be on the Council and then there were others just hoping to be picked.

Great job.

 

LE - ?Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan is still with you. If only you would search in the Force for him.?

My chin drops slowly to my chest. ?The Force swallows everyone, Mace. I cannot find him. He is?he is lost.?

And so am I. I grasp the dried-out braid in my hand, and walk out of the Chamber.

You do it to me everytime...wonderful, but sooo heartbreaking...Bravo

Valairy- that was good...loved it!

 

Okay, I just updated the Master Challange Fan Fiction Index It's a list of all of the stories that have been done with the challenge threads. The Qui-Gon list is the 3 post on that thread. If you look for your story and it isn't there, it's a mistake and you should tell me by PM. Be sure to include the link.

Thanks.

 

Obi-Wan better watch out! That was great!

 

Aaaaaah! Now I see why you had to write so fast. April fool's. I wonder if Obi-Wan was one of the ring-leaders for the joke?

 

?Padawan!? Qui-Gon hissed out of the corner of his mouth, hoping the young man wouldn?t embarrass the both of them, for it seemed his padawan was in the unseemly position of almost being ready to drop to the floor and roll in laughter. It would be humiliating as his master to observe such behavior.

It wasn?t just Qui-Gon who had noticed his apprentice?s mirth. Yoda himself, ears swiveling in disapproval, stared at the young man with a noticeable twitch of his lips.

?Padawan Kenobi, a comment you have?? the diminutive Jedi master said pointedly.

?Oh, I do indeed, thank you, Master Yoda,? Obi-Wan gasped out. ?Master Jinn ? April?s Fool!?

Qui-Gon merely gaped at his padawan, and the rest of the laughing masters and padawans, then a slow smile spread over his face as he realized it was indeed April?s Fool day, a day the Jedi Order let hilarity ensue. He had totally lost track of time.

?Just you wait until next year, my Padawan!? he threatened.



That was great, Valiry_Scott!

 

Not only was Obi-Wan one of the ringleaders, but most of the Jedi were in on it, too, even Yoda and Mace.

I was so tempted to have Obi-Wan answer "It's Saturday Night Live" but that wouldn't have worked.

 

Wow! All of these responses have been superb! LE, you never fail to move me! That was great, ardavenport, and of course, my Padawan made me smile with pride!

Hope I didn't miss anybody!