Saga Spirit Warriors of Angharad *COMPLETE* Link to MS Word version available 8/4

For the first time, in Padmé's imagined presence, he began to feel the stirrings of the healing and return to wholeness that meditation on the Force had not granted him. Relief worked its way into the broken places of his spirit like water seeping into the cracks of a rock, and soon tears made slow tracks down his nose. He didn't even hate himself for them. He felt close to something infinitely powerful and better than he was, and he allowed himself to take comfort in it. He knew that Jedi sometimes talked about deep spiritual healing this way: like being held tenderly in the arms of a mother. A father. *A lover.*

After a while he got up and went to sit beside Obi-Wan again. "I'm sorry, Master," he said, his voice quiet and husky with emotion. Obi-Wan glanced up, clearly surprised to see the change in him.

Anakin wiped at his nose with the back of his knuckle and gazed toward an indeterminate spot on the floor. "Please don't listen to me when I start acting like I know everything, and I don't have to listen to you. I don't really mean those things. At least the good part of me doesn't."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said. For an instant he seemed concerned but at a loss for how to respond, then he held his arm out to Anakin.

Anakin found a warm spot in the hollow of Obi-Wan's shoulder and leaned into it. "Thank you for making me learn to act like a Jedi, even when I don't feel like it," he said.

There weren?t many times when Obi-Wan had difficulty thinking of what to say, but one of them was when he was deeply touched. ?Well . . . it?s my duty, Padawan,? he said, then seemed to regret his choice of words. ?No, it?s more than that . . . it?s an honor.? He leaned back and looked at his Padawan, seeming to truly take in the change in him. ?It?s an *honor* being your Master,? he said quietly.

?Thank you, Master,? Anakin said, and pulled Obi-Wan close again. He didn?t want his foster-father to look at him like that. Anakin had seen the path that was Obi-Wan?s idea of honor, and it was too much for him. A man?s spirit could break against that kind of honor. Anakin preferred to be held close and loved, without questions, if possible.

Obi-Wan, naturally, always had questions. ?May I ask what led you to . . .?

Anakin shook his head, not wanting to explain. ?I just had a successful meditation on repentance and healing, that?s all,? he said. ?No chains this time.?

?Ah,? Obi-Wan said. He seemed to relax, as if Anakin?s answer made it all make sense. ?That does make all the difference, doesn?t it?? After an awkward hesitation, he began to comfort Anakin the way Anakin wanted him to, taking him in his arms and smoothing down his hair with his hand, the way he had when Anakin was little.

The words hadn?t come easily for Obi-Wan back then, and they didn?t now. ?It can be very . . . intense, can?t it . . . especially after you?ve been blocked for a time,? he said.

?Yes, Master,? Anakin said, although he was fairly sure that he and Obi-Wan were talking about different things. Anakin had certainly never felt like this when contemplating the Force.

?I think . . .? Obi-Wan continued, ?I think it can sometimes help to have . . . oh, sort of a witness, who can . . .? he paused, and Anakin was surprised to sense an upwelling of actual emotion in him. ? . . . who can help bring you through it. Someone who can be the arms the Force doesn?t have.? He seemed to be speaking from personal experience, and his unusual candor was moving. However, once again Anakin suspected that the experience Obi-Wan was describing was not one the two of them shared.

****
End 48/?

 

awww!!! mushy!

 

doamond_pony2002: I figure any group that claims compassion as a major value has to be willing to be mushy occasionally, especially with their kids. If kids don't get mushy stuff from time to time, they don't do well.

****
If a teenaged Obi-Wan had ever sought comfort from Qui-Gon after a watershed moment during meditation, he would have been able to talk to him about what he?d thought and visualized and felt. He?d probably have done it haltingly, with some embarrassment, but he could have done it. ?A witness,? he?d said. Someone to watch and listen and understand. Unfortunately, a witness was the one thing Anakin *didn?t* want. If Obi-Wan knew what Anakin was really thinking, he?d insist that he choose between the source of his deep spiritual healing and his life as a Jedi.

At that moment, Anakin truly envied Obi-Wan, who could afford to be transparent to people. He could go to the mind-healers if he felt like it. He could talk about his profound spiritual experiences without any more shame than any very proper Jedi felt when discussing a deep emotion. Anakin, by contrast, had to stand permanently in the shadows, neither fully part of the Jedi world nor Padmé?s world.

?I don?t really want to talk about it Master,? Anakin said, tightening his grip around Obi-Wan?s ribcage, just in case his teacher felt like pushing him away. ?It?s just kind of . . . personal.? It wasn?t a lie, but it was something Obi-Wan called a squinting truth, and he?d made it clear to Anakin long ago that such subtle misdirection was beneath a Jedi. Anakin?s guilt was compounded by the fact that Obi-Wan went for it.

?All right,? the Master Jedi said, patting him on the back as if reassuring him that deep confessions weren?t required. "I suppose every man needs a little privacy in his life."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said.

After a short time, Obi-Wan leaned down toward him, appeared to hesitate, and then gently kissed him on the forehead. Anakin was surprised, since Obi-Wan usually wasn't comfortable with that kind of overt display of affection. Obviously, he thought a very important moment had arrived in Anakin's spiritual development. Then again, perhaps he wasn?t far wrong. Perhaps Anakin *had* begun to find his way toward his destiny.

At last Obi-Wan disengaged himself and said tenderly, "Get some sleep."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said. He got up and returned to the hollow he'd formed in the hay, rolling himself up tightly in his mantle. When he fell asleep, it was to dreams of his beautiful queen.

****
End 49/?

 

Seems like Anakin has come to a cross-roads of sorts and has decided that whatever he is looking for will not come from his master or the Jedi, but with the woman he loves. The path Obi-Wan is trying to guide him along requires too much self-sacrifice. It is telling that at one point he speaks of Obi-Wan teaching him to "act" like a Jedi. There's a big difference between "acting" like a Jedi and "being" a Jedi.

Anakin craves an overt intimacy with his "foster father" that Obi-Wan is not comfortable with although his affection for his apprentice is clear (to us, anyway).

So, sadly, it seems they are destined to grow apart and this will eventually place them on a collision course.

"Squinting truth"...it's phrases like this one that make your story such a pleasure!!

 

That was so sweet!!!

 

DarthPenguin wrote: Seems like Anakin has come to a cross-roads of sorts and has decided that whatever he is looking for will not come from his master or the Jedi, but with the woman he loves. The path Obi-Wan is trying to guide him along requires too much self-sacrifice.

That's about the size of it, yep. This was the scene that just broke me last time, because I *could* not get these boys to behave. Neither one would give an inch, and I could hardly have a "final" confrontation 1/3 of the way into the story--even if I wanted to get that wildly AU. Besides, how do you go "up" from Obi-Wan being willing to shoot the kid?

I ended up giving them each a little bit of what they wanted--Obi-Wan's much warmer and more understanding than he was in the original version, and Anakin manages to dredge up his own reasons for at least *looking* like he's doing what he's supposed to. It's definitely an illusory resolution to their problems, but it will at least allow them to more or less work together for the rest of the story. (I'm as big a fan of angst as the next fic writer, but even I couldn't stand listening to them bicker for 200 pages.)

Anakin craves an overt intimacy with his "foster father" that Obi-Wan is not comfortable with although his affection for his apprentice is clear (to us, anyway).

That's certainly Anakin's major complaint of the moment, but I'm not entirely sure he'd be happy even if Obi-Wan morphed overnight into Bill Huxtable from "The Cosby Show." That kid doesn't seem to have a very great capacity for happiness just now.

So, sadly, it seems they are destined to grow apart and this will eventually place them on a collision course.

Yeah, I like to think that their relationship is a decent one in many ways, but their basic values are obviously at right angles to one another. I figure that's how you end up trying to kill a guy you love.

"Squinting truth"...it's phrases like this one that make your story such a pleasure!!

I think I may have stolen it from somewhere . . . but I'm not sure where.

diamond_pony2002 wrote: That was so sweet!!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes to see some warm fuzzy stuff between these characters.


And now, proceedeth we, to Chapter Seven, which having been written entirely in the year 2004, representeth the fruits of my slacking off since Winter semester did end.



****
The next day started achingly early for Obi-Wan. He awakened the still-sleepy Anakin before dawn, and the two of them made their way to the southern edge of the village, where Nidawi?s non-combatants were gathering. There were the children under the age of fifteen, a few very ill or frail elders, a few pregnant mothers, and a few nursing women. Many families had chosen to send at least one adult along with their young ones, an idea that Obi-Wan had strongly supported in the village meeting the other night. In the event that Nidawi?s casualties were catastrophic, someone needed to be left to raise their little ones. After all, what good would it do them to defend their home and culture if both those things were wiped out in the process?

Obi-Wan was particularly relieved to see that Hoel Oya had wisely chosen to send Azelie away with her younger siblings. The young Oyas had already lost their mother, and could very well soon be losing their father. They needed someone to help care for and look after them.

Obi-Wan and Anakin stood a respectful distance away from the family as the Oyas said their goodbyes. Hoel had picked up seven-year-old Uyek, who was crying pitifully into his shoulder. Fourteen-year-old Leb was obviously trying hard to be a man, standing guard over his tearful sisters and swallowing his own sniffles. Obi-Wan ached for the whole family, but it was Leb who really pierced the calm he was trying to let settle over his emotions. After all, Obi-Wan had been a child in a warrior culture too. He?d been on both sides of that heart-re

 

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan couldn?t allow himself even that much emotion at the moment. Unlike Anakin, he hadn?t had the chance to sleep, seek solace in deep meditation, or even find relief in the embarrassing but honest release of tears. Despite his Jedi training, he was human, and overload was possible.

He was a man with a job to do, and he had to focus on that. ?Once we get going, you and I will bring up the rear of the column,? he said. ?Be watchful, but wait for my instructions before you respond to any danger. All right??

He sensed Anakin?s flicker of resentment at getting yet one more reminder that he was *not* the one in charge, but the ripple of anger faded as he released it to the Force. ?Yes, Master,? he said simply. There was some quiet courage in the boy?s acceptance of his role as the learner in their partnership, and Obi-Wan was pleased.

?Good lad,? he said, and clapped Anakin on the back.

As the two of them completed their circuit of the gathering area, they came upon a solitary figure standing at the edge of the group, its hooded head quietly bowed. Nidawi families, preoccupied with their own sorrow, walked around the stranger without a sideways glance. ?Lady Bedegraine,? Obi-Wan said softly. He?d asked her to travel to Wemilat with Nidawi?s other non-combatants today, but somehow it hadn?t occurred to him how alone she?d be out here. She knew no one in Nidawi, much less in the village they were traveling to. The best way to protect her was to conceal her among these strangers while he worked to forestall the Coridani invasion, but he resolved to offer her some comfort while he was with her.

Obi-Wan walked up to her and said gently, ?Good morning, my lady.? Once Obi-Wan?s attention was engaged, Anakin moved immediately into a stance of greater awareness, turning his head to scan the crowd around them. It was exactly the way that Jedi were supposed to trade off watching each other?s backs, and Obi-Wan was glad to see it. He chose not to acknowledge Anakin?s positive behavior at the moment, however. If the boy was serious about being treated more as a young adult, then he would have to be weaned off receiving praise for simply doing his job.

Matreya brushed her hood back with both hands and smiled up at him, seeming relieved to have someone to talk to. ?Good morning, Master Jedi,? she said. ?Did you and your apprentice rest well??

He had the oddest sense that she?d call over one of the house droids and have it bring tea and fresh towels if he said no. He smiled back at her and said, ?Yes, thank you.? Any other response would have seemed rude. ?And yourself??

****
End 51/?

 

?Oh, yes,? she said. ?Apa Dar and his apprentice were very hospitable. It was such a relief to sleep in a bed.?

?I imagine it was, after your time in the wilderness,? he said. Despite her cheerful manner, her eyes looked red-rimmed with stress and exhaustion. ?I believe we?ll be walking for much of the day, my lady. I hope you?re up to the journey,? he said.

?Mouse and I will be fine,? Matreya said, reaching back to pat the little droid who rested in a netted pouch of her backpack. ?We?ve made it this far, after all.?

? . . . f-far, after all,? stammered Mouse, his electronic voice sounding slightly muffled by the netting.

Anakin was always curious about mechanical things, and the little medical droid got his attention. He leaned around to get a better look at Mouse, and Obi-Wan very pointedly dropped into the ready-alert posture that Anakin had abandoned. Adult Jedi did not leave their partners? backs unguarded simply because a shiny droid had said something in a funny voice.

Anakin took the hint and quickly went back to looking out for signs of danger. It was only a small slip-up, and Anakin had accepted his Master?s correction and gone straight back to what he was supposed to be doing. *That* was what the Jedi Order expected of Padawan learners on the edge of adulthood. So far, the boy?s improved attitude was wonderful?only time would tell if it would last.

If Matreya had made anything of the exchange between the two Jedi, she gave no sign. ?I wanted to ask you, Master Jedi . . .? she said, her face clouding over as if with the return of anxiety, ?have you had a chance to look at the recording I gave you??

?Yes, my lady, and don?t worry, it?s somewhere safe.? Better she not know where, in case Perahta got hold of her despite Obi-Wan?s best efforts. He and Anakin had uploaded a copy of the recording into R2, and hidden the cube itself in a shadowy niche up in the rafters of the Oyas? barn.

?Do you think it would be enough to justify the Republic?s intervention here?? she asked,

?I believe it would be, but I?d be lying if I said I had a way to get it to them at the moment,? Obi-Wan said. He sensed Anakin?s stiffened posture behind him. This would be a sore test of the boy?s new commitment to Jedi discipline. This time Obi-Wan sent encouragement to him through their psychic bond.: //You?re showing restraint and conducting yourself with honor, Padawan,// he told him. //I?m proud of you.//

He got a flicker of gratitude as a reply, but the boy?s emotions were still in turmoil. Anakin truly believed he could sneak past all of Perahta?s defenses, take command of some kind of starcraft, and get offworld without being caught or killed. The goal wasn?t completely impossible for a Jedi--Mace Windu could probably have done it. Master Yoda, perhaps, too, although the elderly Jedi couldn?t move as fast as he once could. But Anakin Skywalker, teenage Padawan, veteran of seven years of Jedi training? Not on his or anybody?s life, and the sooner Anakin realized that the better off they?d all be.

****
End 52/?

 

?My lady, my apprentice and I have a plan to protect you and the other people here, but it might be for the best if you didn?t know what,? Obi-Wan said. She bowed her head and nodded, seeming somewhere between disappointed and relieved. Although she hadn?t asked, the compassionate thing to do would be to at least let her know why he had to keep her in the dark. He rested his hand on her arm as he continued, hoping the touch would give the comfort his words would not: ?The Coridani Mineral Company is still trying to keep its activities a secret, and in any such situation knowledge is the most powerful weapon. I don?t know what Perahta might be willing to do in order to get it, I?m afraid.?

?Yes, Master Jedi. Of course,? she said. She seemed dejected, but did not immediately challenge everything he said. That alone was enough to endear her to Obi-Wan.

Speaking very gently, he added, ? . . . and I am *so* sorry about what happened to your companions in the Pass. The people who did this will be brought to justice.? She met his gaze then, and her hazel eyes scanned his own, as if hoping to find proof there that he was serious, that he would do what he said. ?I promise you,? he said gravely. No Jedi said those words lightly, and Obi-Wan made an additional promise to himself that whatever it took, he would keep his word. He hadn?t inspired faith in very many people lately, and the satisfaction implied in her simple nod meant a great deal to him.

****

Vengeance crept alongside the evacuation party as they walked through the forest. The fleeing Nidawians certainly made a pitiful little company as they straggled along. The very young and infirm seemed unfit for the walk, and the warriors who guarded the group at each end were frequently preoccupied with encouraging, nudging along, and even carrying their charges. Vengeance?s eyes glinted with interest when Kenobi scooped up a child who had fallen and carried him a short distance. The Jedi Knight managed to keep his saber arm free, but that involved bracing the boy on his left hip, just above his weapon. Skywalker sensed the tactical weakness of the move and looked daggers out into the trees, seeming to dare anyone to take advantage of what he surely must see as his Master?s ?compassion.? The situation appeared to make Kenobi uneasy too, and before long he set the child back on his feet. In the end, Lady Bedegraine carried the little boy, who had been persistently lagging toward the back of the group.

For the life of him, Vengeance couldn?t fathom why they didn?t simply leave the child behind, or at the very least take a stick to him in order to force him to keep up. Kenobi was the deadliest fighter of the group, and for him to weaken his position by carrying an entirely useless person was bizarre to say the least. No matter how long Vengeance stalked the Jedi or how intently he watched them, he would never understand them.

Force willing, he wouldn?t even have to watch them much longer. He secured his blast rifle a little more firmly across his back and leapt soundlessly from his perch to the trunk of a nearby tree. He knew the group was heading for the crossing point of a deep gorge, and he intended to get there first.

****
End 53/?

 

great post going to be jedi on sith action soon ?

 

Something like that. There has been quite enough navel gazing for a while, and it is now time for more things to explode.

Mmm . . . exploding things.

 

Happy 4th, everybody.

****

Obi-Wan could not relax as the group continued to make its way through the trees. No immediate threat had presented itself, but he could not seem to lose the edge of a nagging anxiety. He did not like how the weary evacuees straggled, or how frequently some of them had to sit down and rest. Their every movement telegraphed weakness, and that drew the eye of predators. He found himself repeatedly torn between wanting to help the weakest ones along, and wanting to be optimally ready to defend against an attack.

At the moment, he was bringing up the rear of the group while Matreya and Anakin walked slightly ahead of him. ?That?s very clever,? Matreya was saying, nodding at the makeshift sling Anakin had made by folding up his mantle and hanging it over his back. Their most recent companion, a very small Nidawi boy named Nour, lay passed out exhausted in the sling, his head resting against Anakin?s shoulder.

?It?s the way poor women carry their children where I?m from,? Anakin said. ?Everyone in a poor family works, so mothers have to take their children with them when they go to the moisture fields or to serve in a rich person?s kitchen.? Reaching back to pat Nour?s leg through the sling, Anakin added, ?This is the easiest way.?

? . . . easiest way,? echoed Mouse from his spot in Matreya?s backpack.

?Yes, you like it, too, don?t you, Mouse?? Matreya said, turning her head to smile at her little droid.

Obi-Wan had to shake his head in amusement at that. She was almost as bad as Anakin, whose best friend was an astromech. She must?ve caught his movement because she glanced back and flashed a smile at him too, seeming willing to share a joke at her expense.

?Master Obi-Wan thinks I?m ridiculous to have a droid for a baby,? she cooed to the little machine.

? . . . b-baby,? stammered Mouse, as if reminding her of his proper role in her life.

?It?s not ridiculous at all. In fact, I think he favors you,? Obi-Wan said, gesturing toward Mouse.

?He might,? Matreya said, casting one last look back at her mechanical companion. ?The servants in my father?s house used to claim my mother was part droid. That, and part witch. They used to call her ?Darth Dedrika.??

//?Darth Dedrika? . . .?//

?They?re stopping up ahead, Master,? Anakin said.

****
End 54/?

 

This is still excellent. I wish I could give the detailed comments I usually do but I almost broke my hand this week and am not up to typing much. My appologies. You still have me glued to the monitor, though. Keep it up!

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Welcome back, solojones! I'm so sorry to hear about your hand. Rest up and save it for updating "In the Shadow of the Chosen."

 

?Oh, good,? Matreya said.

?Are you tired, my lady?? Obi-Wan asked. ?I could carry your things for a while, if you like.? He nodded toward her pack. Despite her good cheer, her eyes looked just as hollowed and exhausted as they had early that morning, and he was concerned about her.

?Nonononono, Tech II,? Mouse said, proving he could do more than mimic when it suited him.

//Wonderful. A droid with separation anxiety. That is absolutely, positively what I needed right now,// Obi-Wan thought.

?I?m fine, Master Jedi,? Matreya said, turning to look at him briefly. ?It?s just that this morning, Ayita said something about a crossing point at the halfway mark. I hope we?ve reached it. It would be nice to think that we?ll make it to safety soon.?

?Safety? was relative in a situation like this, but Obi-Wan wasn?t about to point that out to her. ?I agree, my lady,? was all that he said.

Anakin was standing on his toes, trying to peer ahead at what their guides were doing. Ordinarily Obi-Wan would have just told him to run ahead and see, but at the moment Anakin was still on a very short tether. To the boy?s credit, he hadn?t pestered Obi-Wan about it all day. ?I think I can hear a river, Master,? Anakin said.

An enormously pregnant and exhausted-looking woman sat down on a rock nearby looked up and said, ?That?s the Kilaiya River. We?ll be crossing on the tree-bridge in a minute.?

Matreya took Mouse over to the woman to monitor her vital signs, which she?d been doing on and off since they?d left the village. One helpful thing about putting the Jedi and the med tech at the back of the line was that they were there to help pick up any stragglers?sometimes literally, in Nour?s case.

?What?s a tree bridge, Master?? Anakin asked quietly, as Matreya saw to the woman.

?I?m not sure,? Obi-Wan admitted, ?but it looks as if we?re going to find out shortly.?

The group moved forward slowly, and for a brief time the surrounding foliage was too dense to see what lay up ahead. A sound like a distant waterfall continued to grow louder however, and soon Obi-Wan was repressing an urge to stand on tip-toe like Anakin in an attempt to see where they were headed.

He found out soon enough. They threaded their way through one last thicket and then suddenly clearing opened out in front of them. Obi-Wan was startled at how close they were to the edge of a deep river gorge, and made a mental note of how unexpectedly the land could drop away here. The Kilaiya River itself was hidden by the morning mist which still clung to the mountain?s low and shaded places, but tall, waving evergreen spires stuck up out of the fog. Obi-Wan was no botanist, but to him those looked like the tops of mature trees. The treetops drifted back and forth in the breeze some three meters below the gorge lip, giving some idea as to its depth.

****
End 55/?

 

?Wizard,? Anakin breathed.

Obi-Wan was less enchanted. ?*Dangerous,*? he answered back. He was especially wary of the bridge that some members of the group were already walking across, which was, in fact, made of trees.

Two massive xhotha trees had been nearly uprooted by erosion on either side of the gorge, and their tops had been lashed together in the middle to form a kind of shallow arch. Branches on the top sides had been cut away, and those on the lateral surfaces had been strung with a crazy-zig-zag of ropes, thus forming a crude guard rail. Obi-Wan didn?t like the look of it as their guides began walking across, two of them carrying an ancient lady in a travois, but the tree trunks under their feet stayed as steady as a modern bridge of duracrete.

?This is the best thing we?ve seen since we got here, Master,? Anakin said, suddenly a delighted galactic tourist on a very unorthodox camping trip.

The giddiness wasn?t really very becoming of a Jedi, but Obi-Wan didn?t have it in him to scold all the adolescent sparkle out of his student. ?Hmm,? was all he said. ?Just be sure and watch your step. You?ve got some important cargo, there,? he added, gesturing at Nour.

?Yes, Master,? Anakin said, somewhat sobered.

The boy looked around wide-eyed at the forest around them, which had become fascinatingly visible in cut-away cross section on the opposite side of the gorge. Noting his distraction, Obi-Wan moved into state of greater watchfulness. At least *one* Jedi needed to have his mind on what they were doing. He didn?t reprimand Anakin this time, however. Anakin had been working hard that morning, and he was learning. //Let him enjoy the last of his childhood while he can,// Obi-Wan thought. For Padawan learners, that childhood ended all too soon.

Many of the evacuees didn?t move fast, and it was some time before it was the two Jedi?s turn to step onto the tree bridge. Obi-Wan walked around the great half-wheel of upended xhotha roots with some trepidation. Anakin got up onto the tree first, and then Obi-Wan offered a hand to steady Matreya as she made her way up set of narrow stair-like niches that had been conveniently carved into the side of the trunk. He stepped up onto the bridge last, casting a wary glance up at the hidden recesses of the forest canopy above. He wasn?t sensing any danger through the Force. If he had been, Anakin certainly would have sensed it too, and at the moment the boy looked as if he were completely absorbed by the struggle between being a fascinated sight-seer and a being responsible caretaker for Nour. Instead, it was experience that nagged at the back of Obi-Wan?s mind. This was a dangerously exposed position, and they were not a group that was well able to defend itself. Frankly, if he were to pick a place to wipe out a lot of Anghara and a couple of Jedi while he was at it, the bridge would have been his first choice.

****
End 56/?

 

Rest up and save it for updating "In the Shadow of the Chosen."

Easier said than done



?What?s a tree bridge, Master?? Anakin asked quietly

This reminded me of in TPM when Obi-Wan asks Qui-Gon what a bongo is. I don't know if you intended that link or not, but it was a nice parallelism. I still maintain that those two have had more similar experiences and such than they'd like to admit. Did I mention that on that personality type thing, it had mentioned that when Obi-Wan's type gets very angry, they express a negative version of the ENFP personality... which is Anakin's I found that extremely odd and yet intriguing. Hmmm...


?Wizard,? Anakin breathed.

*shakes head* You just couldn't resist, could you?


Obi-Wan was less enchanted. ?*Dangerous,*? he answered back.

That's the perfect Obi-Wan reaction. Anakin expresses his childish awe and Obi-Wan expresses his very old man-esque worry. What a team.


The description of the tree bridge was great, very vivid. Not to mention just the image I got of the gorge as a whole, with all those trees on both sides and everything. I could imagine animal sounds lightly in the air as well. It kind of gave me an eerily calm impression.


//Let him enjoy the last of his childhood while he can,// Obi-Wan thought. For Padawan learners, that childhood ended all too soon.

All too true. And of course it was even worse for Obi-Wan, who, as soon as he was born, began chiding the other children in the maternity ward for their peevish crying.


This was a dangerously exposed position, and they were not a group that was well able to defend itself. Frankly, if he were to pick a place to wipe out a lot of Anghara and a couple of Jedi while he was at it, the bridge would have been his first choice.

I sense foreshadowing. Obi-Wan is clearly actually the bad guy in this story and is going to give the signal for his gungan mercinary army to jump the group at their most vulnerable point midway across the bridge. Fiend!


-sj loves kevin spacey

 

solojones wrote:

Did I mention that on that personality type thing, it had mentioned that when Obi-Wan's type gets very angry, they express a negative version of the ENFP personality... which is Anakin's I found that extremely odd and yet intriguing. Hmmm...

That is odd . . . so when Anakin's type gets very angry, do they turn into a negative version of Obi-Wan's type? Darth Vader never reminded me very much of Obi-Wan, even snarky, crabby Obi-Wan, but what the hey.

?Wizard,? Anakin breathed.

*shakes head* You just couldn't resist, could you?

Sorry! At least I didn't have him talk about the "gonzo" color of anything.

The description of the tree bridge was great, very vivid. Not to mention just the image I got of the gorge as a whole, with all those trees on both sides and everything. I could imagine animal sounds lightly in the air as well. It kind of gave me an eerily calm impression.

We both saw the same kinds of movies as kids, I think. I'm sort of cribbing off the Indiana Jones films here.

All too true. And of course it was even worse for Obi-Wan, who, as soon as he was born, began chiding the other children in the maternity ward for their peevish crying.

Probably . . . and the obstetrician too, for not getting the lead out. "What, I'm supposed to wait around in here all *day?!*"

I sense foreshadowing. Obi-Wan is clearly actually the bad guy in this story and is going to give the signal for his gungan mercinary army to jump the group at their most vulnerable point midway across the bridge. Fiend!

You guessed my entire plot! Stay out of my head!!

I mean, um . . . thank you for your kind comments. I really appreciate them, especially considering your injured hand.

 

You know, Temple of Doom was actually *exactly* what I was thinking of when you were talking about the tree bridge in the story. Now you get out of MY head!


so when Anakin's type gets very angry, do they turn into a negative version of Obi-Wan's type? Darth Vader never reminded me very much of Obi-Wan, even snarky, crabby Obi-Wan, but what the hey.

The really interesting thing is that I determined both their types separately and have only now begun to see that many sites analysing these personalities point out these two types as anima to each other. And actually, when I did the separate analysis of Vader, I ended up with ISTJ just like Obi-Wan. I admit, this seemed a little odd to me as well, until I realised that Vader is always in negative mode. Here's what this one site had to say about that:

Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ENFP's shadow may appear - a negative form of ISTJ. Example characteristics are:
? being pedantic about unimportant details
? doing things to excess - e.g.: eating, drinking or exercising
? being critical of others, and finding fault with almost everything
? taking charge without consideration to others


I think basically it's a very obsessively controlling and critical thing that makes it the negative ISTJ, and I can see that in Vader. All that power hunger has gone to his head, and he clearly has little care for others.



Now, we don't really get to see a dark Obi-Wan, but here's what it has to say about that:

Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ISTJ's shadow may appear - a negative form of ENFP. Example characteristics are:
? having a gloomy view of a future
? suggesting impractical ideas
? acting impulsively, and changing things without any thought
? having intense negative feelings towards others (though these might not be expressed)


Those things do remind me of Anakin's qualities in his more negative moments. As for Obi-Wan having them, though, as I said, we don't really see much Obi-Wan under extreme stress. It would be interesting to explore in some very AU story I don't have time for, though


...sorry if I'm boring you with all this personality type rambling. It's just something I find very intriguing and useful in my writing. But then again, I also write down thoughts in a notebook with fuzzy monkeys on it, so I'm not sure my methods should really be followed.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

solojones wrote:

You know, Temple of Doom was actually *exactly* what I was thinking of when you were talking about the tree bridge in the story.

Heh . . . and did I say *which* Indiana Jones film I was cribbing from? No, but you nailed it.

Now you get out of MY head!

I'll try. At this rate, I may end up having to pay rent.

The really interesting thing is that I determined both their types separately and have only now begun to see that many sites analysing these personalities point out these two types as anima to each other.

Yeah, they are. I thought about that when you posted Anakin's type--Obi-Wan's direct opposite. The moral of the story is: "never let a dying man make educational decisions for you."

And actually, when I did the separate analysis of Vader, I ended up with ISTJ just like Obi-Wan.

No way! Well, I guess there's no question that, unlike Anakin, Vader understands duty and discipline. I've often wondered if Palpy didn't take that early Jedi training of Anakin's and twist it somehow. Obi-Wan could never get the lessons to take root, but maybe that's because he didn't have a carrot and stick like unlimited evil power and death by Force lightning.

Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ENFP's shadow may appear - a negative form of ISTJ. Example characteristics are:
? being pedantic about unimportant details
? doing things to excess - e.g.: eating, drinking or exercising
? being critical of others, and finding fault with almost everything
? taking charge without consideration to others

Hmm . . . the only one I really see here is the last one . . . presumably you don't *vote* for Sith Lords. "Finding fault with almost everything" could be construed as whining, which is an Anakin trait but not a Vader one. ("But *I* was going to the *sanctuary moon* to pick up my *son* . . .") Excess is definitely Anakin . . . I'm not too sure about Vader. I think it depends on how excess is defined. I don't see either of them as pedantic, really . . . although Vader does wave his finger at people.

I think basically it's a very obsessively controlling and critical thing that makes it the negative ISTJ, and I can see that in Vader.

Yeah, actually, I can see that too.

Now, we don't really get to see a dark Obi-Wan, but here's what it has to say about that:

Under extreme stress, fatigue or illness, the ISTJ's shadow may appear - a negative form of ENFP. Example characteristics are:
? having a gloomy view of a future
? suggesting impractical ideas
? acting impulsively, and changing things without any thought
? having intense negative feelings towards others (though these might not be expressed)

Hmm . . . I can see the impulsive and impractical stuff being more characteristic of a very young Obi-Wan, although it's true that he's willing to leap out of windows with far less provocation than most of us require.

He goes through the wringer by the end of "Spirit Warriors," and the only trait from the above list he really exhibits is the gloominess one. Then again, my fanfic is about as canon as Grando Calrissian.

As for Obi-Wan having them, though, as I said, we don't really see much Obi-Wan under extreme stress.

I'm thinking we will in Ep. III. I'm already bouncing up and down, chanting, "Emote, Ewan, emote!" Obi-Wan has a hard time at the end of my story too, but he's mostly very quiet and dignified about it. Not quite as stiff-upper-lip as Colonel Nicholson in "Bridge on the River Kwai," and a little less . . . I dunno, 2003-contemporary as Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn in ROTK, but that's the general idea. Or at least that's what I'm aiming for.

...sorry if I'm boring you with all this personality type rambling.

Not at all. I think Meyers-Briggs stuff is interesting too, and I used it in character generation for years.

I also write down thoughts in a notebook with fuzzy monkeys on it, so I'm not sure my methods should really be followed.

 

Well, it's been a long time since I have sat in a classroom of any kind, but I just came back from a conference and I sure wish I had had a notebook to scribble in during a VERY, VERY poorly delivered presentation. I had to settle for day dreaming behind my dark sunglasses.

Okay, so our heroes have talked the talk and walked the walk and it would appear that nasty things are about to hit the fan. And we shall soon see, I surmise, if Anakin's "improved attitude" is going to last. He's still somewhat resentful of being kept in a decidedly subordinate position, thinks Obi-Wan's strategy is too conservative and not designed to "win", and that if he should happen to disobey his master's orders and save the day in spite of that, his reward will be great.

Neither Jedi has given much thought to the presence they confronted that night outside the barn. But Obi-Wan is not liking their present position of vulnerability and we all know that when he gets a "bad" feeling about something...time to duck!

 

DarthPenguin wrote:

Okay, so our heroes have talked the talk and walked the walk and it would appear that nasty things are about to hit the fan. And we shall soon see, I surmise, if Anakin's "improved attitude" is going to last. He's still somewhat resentful of being kept in a decidedly subordinate position, thinks Obi-Wan's strategy is too conservative and not designed to "win", and that if he should happen to disobey his master's orders and save the day in spite of that, his reward will be great.

If I say anything about that it might kind of ruin what element of surprise there may be, but you're sharp. (You guys know me too well already.)

Neither Jedi has given much thought to the presence they confronted that night outside the barn.

It's there in the back of their minds, but Obi-Wan's refusing to let himself obsess about it, and Anakin's just distractible.

But Obi-Wan is not liking their present position of vulnerability and we all know that when he gets a "bad" feeling about something...time to duck!

That's about the size of it.

****

Matreya appeared to have picked up on his cautious looking around, because she asked, ?What is it, Master Jedi??

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and said, ?It?s nothing, my lady. We?ll be fine.? However, when she wasn?t looking, he casually eased his mantle back, exposing the hilt of his lightsaber.

The bark along the topside of the massive trunk had been partially carved away, leaving a narrow, flat strip that was relatively easy to walk on. Obi-Wan continued to scan their surroundings as they headed out over the chasm, but his gaze could not fasten on anything that seemed out of place. Sunlight streamed in bars through the misty air, and it soon brought an unwelcome heat. Obi-Wan could feel sweat prickling up beneath the collar of his layered tunics, giving him yet another reason to long for the protective shade of the forest canopy.

As they neared the center of the bridge, a clamor broke out away to their right. Obi-Wan?s hand immediately went for his lightsaber, and Anakin did the same. Matreya backed quickly out of the way as the two Jedi stood ready to draw.

A moment later, the source of the sound was revealed: a flock of long-winged white birds swept up out of the mist. They gave a chorus of keening cries as they headed for the opposite side of the gorge, spiraling in a wild skirl. The relative quiet soon returned, but both Master and apprentice remained in position, extending their Jedi senses outward. While nothing about the river gorge seemed to have changed, the stillness left in the birds? wake was somehow different than the stillness that had been before. ?I don?t like this,? Obi-Wan said quietly.

?I don?t either,? Anakin said. Obi-Wan heard the boy take a deep breath and release it, obviously forcing his breathing back into the calm, centering pattern that would allow him to keep steady and in control.

?See if you can move them along faster,? Obi-Wan said, sparing the surrounding forest one last, wary look before offering his hand to Matreya. She accepted it, and he helped her back up from the side branch where she?d taken refuge. Being stuck between two Jedi who were about to draw their lightsabers would be an unnerving experience for most people, and he was glad she?d done the sensible thing and gotten out of the way.

****
57/?

 

While Obi-Wan assisted Matreya, Anakin turned to the pregnant woman in front of him and said gently, ?We?re going to need to move along a little faster, ma?am.?

?I don?t know that I can *go* any faster,? the woman said. There were few people in the galaxy who knew less about pregnancy and childbirth than a male Jedi Knight, but Obi-Wan could see how far forward her center of gravity was, and how awkwardly her pelvic joints seemed to move. She was clearly not going to be able to move quickly along a narrow path on a tree trunk.

?The baby?s head?s practically engaged?she can?t run,? Matreya said. That certainly sounded serious--whatever it meant. Matreya seemed to hesitate, and then said, ?Let me help her.? She darted forward to try and duck around Anakin.

This was *not* the kind of bridge were people could safely pass one another, and Obi-Wan caught her arm. ?My lady?" A needle of blaster fire from the trees behind him cut him off.

Cries erupted from the people on the bridge, quickly turning to screams as the blaster fire intensified. Obi-Wan glanced back toward the unseen sniper and then shouted to the guides up ahead: ?Keep them moving!? Some of the noncombatants were cowering, trying to cover their heads, while others ran headlong into them in their rush for the opposite side of the gorge. Anakin had drawn his saber and was looking around wild-eyed, seeking something to deflect. Obi-Wan could see that this tactic wasn?t going to help him.

?He?s not aiming at us?he?s aiming at the bridge. Now get them across!? Obi-Wan shouted. He turned back to Matreya, who had skidded off the tree trunk and was clinging precariously to some of the side branches. The guardrail-ropes weren?t helping her; she looked like a fish half-caught in an over-wide net, and her heavy backpack was making things worse. It was pulling her down and back toward an empty space between ropes and branches. Ordinarily, Obi-Wan would have just told her to disengage the backpack and let it fall, but he doubted she?d be willing to lose the damned droid.

He could hear Mouse mumbling now: ?D-distress Tech II. Distress.?

Matreya?s normally dusky-colored skin looked ashen as she nodded and said, ?Yes, Mouse, you?re right. This is definitely distress.?

?Take my hand, my lady,? Obi-Wan said, crouching down near the trunk and leaning forward as far as he dared. Her eyes caught his for moment, and he took in her terror, her desperate desire to believe that he could make things right. He was a Jedi Knight, after all. Jedi could fix anything. ?Take my hand,? he said again, more a reassurance this time than an order.

They couldn?t reach each other, and Obi-Wan was dangerously close to off-balance as it was. ?Just a little bit farther up,? he encouraged.

She hauled herself upward using a small branch, planting her feet carefully against knots in the tree?s bark. Her fear was palpable as she stretched herself into an even less-balanced position, but, Force bless her, she didn?t panic. He?d just about managed to catch hold of her fingers when a jolt ran through the tree trunk, at the same time a sickening groan of wood under terrific stress filled the air. Matreya grabbed desperately for the branch she?d released a moment ago.

****
End 58/?

 

?Master!? Anakin shouted.

Matreya had managed to catch the branch, but was now essentially back where she started. Her eyes were hugely wide as she cast a glance over her shoulder toward the misty chasm below. A second, lesser jolt dislodged some small piece of gear from her backpack, and it fell and fell, whirling into near-infinity before disappearing at last into the fog. She shut her eyes tightly after that. Grimly, Obi-Wan lay down on the tree trunk, bracing one hand against a side branch while he held his other hand out to her. He had almost no leverage in this position, but he was running out of options.

?Master!? Anakin called again.

?I?m a little bit busy right now!? Obi-Wan shouted back. He?d managed to reach as far as the branch she was clinging to and tapped her hand, letting her know it was all right to open her eyes.

?He?s shooting out the main support,? Anakin called back.

//Oh . . . of course.// He finally managed to catch hold of Matreya?s hand, although he wasn?t in a good position to pull her up. Fortunately, she was very eager to help rescue herself, and once he?d helped her into a more balanced position she struggled her way over him and onto the tree trunk. Once she was out of immediate danger, Obi-Wan looked up to find Anakin standing at the center of the bridge, his saber still drawn and Nour still slung from his back. The tiny boy looked rigid with panic?too terrified to cry.

The bridge?s center point consisted of two interlocked treetops lashed together with rope, but that rope was burning and giving way under a persistent hail of precision laser fire. Anakin was able to whirl some of it away with his lightsaber, but most of the blasts were hitting the underside of the trunks, where he couldn?t reach.

When Obi-Wan looked toward the other side of the bridge, he saw that about half the refugees had made it to safety. Some of the group?s guides were pulling children and frail elders onto the firm ground of the gorge lip as fast as they could, while others returned fire at the unseen sniper. Obi-Wan had a bad feeling about who their hidden attacker was, and he didn?t expect any of the guides? shots to hit home.

Another round of laser fire struck the trees? interlocking point at the middle of the bridge, and there was another terrifying drop. Matreya gasped and grabbed at the bark of the trunk.

?Master!? Anakin shouted, with real anguish in his voice. He looked back and forth between Obi-Wan and the line of refugees struggling to safety, clearly ready to bolt to someone?s rescue, yet confused about where his duty lay. Obi-Wan could sense Anakin?s urge to act building to a kind of panic. However, this time the boy held steady and waited for instructions.

Flames were beginning to lick up from the junction at the center of the bridge, practically right underneath Anakin and Nour. If Obi-Wan didn?t tell Anakin which way to go within the next few seconds, neither boy would be able to go anywhere but down.

****
End 59/?

 

Obi-Wan glanced behind him; he and Matreya were closer to the Nidawi side of the gorge. There was little question of the direction the two of them would have to go. Anakin had the same distance to travel either way. The boy?s voice pleaded with him in his head: //Let me go with you.//

Obi-Wan was drawing breath to tell him to do that when laser blasts bit into the trunk around the fleeing villagers. The bridge had been the sole target before, but now the sniper was targeting individuals. An elderly man took a hit to the back and fell screaming to the tree trunk. Obi-Wan was on his feet immediately, not that there was anything he could do for the man. The next shot stuck at the feet of the pregnant woman, knocking her down and halfway off the bridge.

In a flash, Obi-Wan knew the sniper?s plan: //He?s trying to separate us . . . he?ll keep shooting the refugees until he drives us apart.// Much as he dreaded it, he also knew what Anakin?s duty must be. ?Go!? he shouted to his student, waving at the far side of the gorge. ?Go?keep the blaster fire off of them!?

For a long second Anakin looked at him. Obi-Wan could sense the boy?s turmoil of grief and anxiety over what might well be a final parting, but Anakin very consciously, deliberately, set those feelings aside and resigned himself to obeying his Master. For a moment, Obi-Wan picked up his thoughts through the Force, expressed more in images and emotions than in words: //I?d have followed you to the end. I?d have followed you anywhere.//

Then Anakin turned and strode to the aid of the fallen villagers, his mantle billowing dark against the rising flames.

Obi-Wan firmly crushed out whatever his own emotions might have been as he pulled a tow cable ejector from his belt. Anakin was a Jedi, and he was acting as a Jedi should. Now, Obi-Wan had to do the same. He glanced at Matreya and said, ?Once I get this attached we?re heading back toward Nidawi. I?ll have my blade drawn to deflect blaster fire, but that?s only good to the length of my arm, so you?ll need to stay close to me. Don?t worry about avoiding me or getting in my way. I?ll avoid you.?

She drew breath as if to answer, but had to swallow before she could do so. ?Yes, Master Jedi,? she said finally.

At least he was rescuing someone with the common sense not to argue. Obi-Wan fired the tow cable anchor deep into the wood of the trunk. The cable itself hissed out about a meter or so, and then there was a snapping jerk on the line as the hooks dug into the wood around them. Obi-Wan wrapped the cable around his hand and leaned back, testing it with all his weight. It held. Of course, the weight of a man was one thing. The weight of an entire bridge was something else.

He had no idea how much traction the hooks were getting, but he had a bad feeling this would be a very temporary solution. Next he removed a second cable ejector from his belt and fired this one at the stoutest-looking tree he could spot on the Nidawi side of the gorge. The anchor shot out like a blaster bolt and hit home with a vibrating *thunk* that was palpable even through fifteen meters of cable. Obi-Wan removed a clamp from a pouch on his belt, touching his third and final cable ejector as he did so, to ensure it was still there. The way things were going, it looked as if he might need it.

****
End 60/?