Title: Design of the Force
Author: It Is Your Destiny
Genre: AU
Characters: Primary- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda / Secondary- Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Darth Sidious...
Timeline: Intertrilogy [between PT & OT] (begins 1 standard year post-Revenge of the Sith)
Summary: After the Force bestows Qui-Gon Jinn with new powers and incredible knowledge, he takes it upon himself to provide additional training for Obi-Wan and Yoda. Now the two Jedi Masters must face several trials, such as Obi-Wan's return to Mustafar and Yoda's brush with the dark side.
Author's Notes: This is an extreme AU and here's a brief mention of important events-
1. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan defeated Darth Maul at Naboo.
2. The Force has granted Qui-Gon new knowledge and abilities. (The circumstances surrounding this mysterious gaining of power are explored during the latter stages of the story.)
3. Darth Sidious bested the team of Qui-Gon and Yoda at the conclusion of RotS, while Obi-Wan was sent to his epic duel with Anakin.
Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine. Just playing with the sand.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
STAR
WARS
Design of the Force
With help from his promising young Padawan, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn defeated the Sith apprentice known as Darth Maul at the Battle of Naboo. Due to circumstances surrounding this event, the Force mysteriously granted Qui-Gon new knowledge and abilities, raising his Jedi status beyond that of Yoda's.
Over twelve years later, the formidable team of Grand Master Jinn and Master Yoda failed to destroy the newly revealed Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. However, all hope was not lost. Also a Master himself, Obi-Wan Kenobi was sent to battle his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker.
A standard year has transpired since that epic duel. At the request of Grand Master Jinn, Obi-Wan now finds himself nearing a familiar world...
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Prologue – The Return
There was one place in the galaxy that Obi-Wan Kenobi wanted to avoid at all costs. It was the volcanic planet known as Mustafar. Yet there he found himself, watching turbulent lava dominate a gloomy sky from the cockpit of his newly acquired ship.
As he approached a nearby landing pad, his mind reeled on about many disturbing truths. However, the forefront of his overall mentality was focused upon one particular ordeal.
Only twelve months ago, Obi-Wan endured a fateful confrontation. Damaging his soul beyond repair, it happened on this very world.
'What was I thinking?' he mused to himself. The concerned Jedi had obtained a shoddy vessel back in Mos Espa on Tatooine, for that planet was presently his home.
He cut the tiny ship's realspace engines and activated its repulsors. Then, with gentle precision, Obi-Wan completed the landing sequence. Touching down upon the warped durasteel was no easy task with such a feeble craft.
Up to this point, the cheap vessel had provided adequate transportation, but nothing more. Obi-Wan became most displeased with its substandard performance and lack of advanced capabilities. 'Never swap parts in Mos Espa,' he thought, scolding himself.
After his yearlong exile, Obi-Wan charted a roundabout course from Tatooine to this superheated world. His ship's condition was certainly a problem, and his bold decision to make the journey without a droid created an additional hardship.
"I must be out of my mind," he muttered quietly. Trading with junk dealers from Mos Espa could still prove costly. Though wonderstruck by the hyperdrive's functionality during the trip, Obi-Wan still doubted it would get him back to Tatooine.
He had bargained with dealers known to be crooked, so it was easy to predict trouble from the slapdash vessel. However, prior to launch, he decided that reaching Mustafar would be enough. If the hyperdrive components wouldn't cooperate upon his departure, so be it.
It was time to disembark. Obi-Wan pushed the appropriate button but nothing happened. There was no mechanical whoosh to signify the opening of the cockpit's hatch. "Pitiful," he mumbled to himself. After taking a deep breath, he repositioned himself in the pilot's seat. Now sitting awkwardly, Obi-Wan gave the hatch a swift kick. It wouldn't budge. Exhaling calmly, he thrust his leg at the transparisteel again, this time with assistance from the Force. The cockpit opened.
His senses were instantly bombarded. Relentless heat and the smell of burning durasteel struck at him fiercely. As he adjusted himself and returned to an upright position, the surroundings of the landing pad flooded his vision.
Dunes of fine soot formed hills and valleys. Giant mountain ranges towered above the horizon in all directions. Rocky plateaus protruded from the sediment, sculpting unique canyons into the landscape.
Lava churned and crackled next to the landing pad, as an eerie orange-red river. Thousands of airborne lava fragments floated through the atmosphere. Swaying to and fro, these lightweight particles were caught by heat-generated air currents.
Obi-Wan exited the craft slowly. The drifting pieces of lava danced around him randomly. Now standing upon the durasteel platform, he used the Force as a shield. This prevented the larger lava particles from striking his skin.
He approached the edge of the landing pad, where intense heat was rising from the nearby lava flow. Above the mighty river, countless lava fragments of orange ruled the air.
Looking around, Obi-Wan spotted an attached durasteel pathway. Overwhelmed by tremendous discomfort, he stared at the metallic path with regret. After a quick deliberation, the pensive Jedi neared the structure.
He grasped the damaged handrails and took some deep breaths, but only for a moment. Determined to face the walkway, Obi-Wan boldly crossed the threshold. 'Again,' he thought, for he had used the metallic path a year before.
Both the familiar landing pad and connected walkway stirred up unwanted memories. Obi-Wan began to think about his harrowing confrontation with Anakin Skywalker. The altercation took place upon these very structures. Now, as Kenobi made his way along the suspended path, every step represented a key point from the duel.
Shaking his head vehemently, Obi-Wan pushed away the horrible thoughts. He focused upon the plausibility of his mission instead. The tasks he had been appointed would be difficult to complete, for doubt had crept into his psyche.
Knowing the Klegger Corp Mining Facility had been abandoned, Obi-Wan expected the opposite end of the suspended walkway to be damaged by lava. However, he never imagined that the entire complex would appear barely recognizable.
He reached the edge of the catwalk, and sure enough, his prediction was right. Lava had melted away the eastern portion, so there was no way to proceed. Obi-Wan looked across the slow-moving flow and realized his destination was gone as well.
Grand Master Jinn had given Kenobi specific instructions. He needed to enter the small antechamber just outside the mining facility's control room. 'By the stars. What am I supposed to do now?'
There was no longer an access corridor running adjacent to the walkway, and it didn't matter. The antechamber and attached control room were nowhere to be seen. Along with hundreds of worker droids, all remaining structures were wrecked beyond belief.
Due to unmanaged lava flows, the mining facility had taken stunningly severe damage. Obi-Wan deduced that the whole area had been overrun by an astronomical amount of lava. The resulting, durasteel-based mixture must have cooled and mixed with rock. Metallic wreckage and droid parts jutted out of the jagged formations like sculptures.
The unwanted thoughts returned. Obi-Wan knew that misdirected lightsabers had destroyed the facility's power controls. 'Our blades.' His horrendous duel with Anakin had caused the shields to deactivate. The exterior of the mining complex had been exposed to the hazards of Mustafar.
Kenobi stared at what was once an impressive establishment. Now the facility was submerged and twisted. The altercation between Obi-Wan and his former Padawan had left the lucrative development in ruins. Disgusted, he shook his head again.
Crouching, he examined the warped metal of the catwalk's edge. It seemed sturdy enough. Obi-Wan hung from the edge and dropped to the soft riverbed below. He would have to navigate through the jagged rocks ahead to proceed, but his attempt was to no avail. Besides, his destination, the antechamber, was probably somewhere beneath the hardened lava and durasteel.
The nearby lava flow oozed forward, forging a valley around the astonishing wreckage. Obi-Wan decided to walk along the exposed riverbed, parallel to the stream of lava. Perhaps a solution would present itself on the other side of the ruins. He imagined the exact spot was located at the center of the rubble.
A steady flow of bubbling lava crept slowly next to Kenobi. As he progressed through the valley, he hoped the molten river would remain calm, for he could observe volatile lava in the distance, and in all directions. This liquefied rock seemed most active and turbulent on the horizon. Fortunately, exposed riverbeds existed across the planet.
Now nearing the opposite side of the wreckage, Obi-Wan entered a giant canyon. Initially, he believed the canyon's great height would prove advantageous. However, fiery lava spurted outwards from fissures in the walls. The cautious Jedi stopped. He would have to find a way to the center of the rubble from here. Otherwise, progressing further into the canyon would become unavoidable.
Suddenly, lava ceased to spew out of the canyon walls. This unexpected decrease in volcanic activity made Obi-Wan very uncomfortable. He knew dramatic lulls were common before huge eruptions. The discomforting calm caused him to quicken his pace.
Once again, the Jedi Master tried to advance beyond spiky rock formations and sharp metallic obstructions, but he found no spaces big enough to slip through. 'How am I supposed to reach the center of the ruins?' Wiping sweat away from his forehead with a tunic sleeve, he considered the other option.
Obi-Wan didn't want to continue further into the canyon, especially during an ominous lull. 'Perhaps I could approach the spot from above.' Force jumping over the jagged creations was far too dangerous, and using the crude ship was also out of the question. There were no smooth, level sections anywhere among the wreckage.
Without an obvious way to the rubble's center, he opted to tackle the other part of his quest. There was a second spot that Qui-Gon had instructed him to locate. With great reluctance, Obi-Wan followed the riverbank through the canyon. Though lava still oozed down each wall, the overall quietude continued for the duration of his trek.
The space between the river and nearby wall thinned significantly at the end of the canyon, but Kenobi still managed to squeeze through. Now perched upon a lofty cliff, he watched the river cascade over the edge as mighty falls of lava.
He knelt, grabbed some of the bank's soot, and rubbed it between his fingers. Looking over the cliff and down below, he remembered Anakin jumping onto a droid in the river. Kenobi's eyes scanned the lava back in the direction of the facility. He quickly spotted his new destination.
'There it is,' Obi-Wan mused to himself. It was a place he wanted nothing to do with. Glaring at a high mound on the opposite riverbed, he stood again and cringed. Intense discomfort sent his hand to his head instantly.
During Obi-Wan's epic duel with Anakin, that particular embankment provided him with the leverage needed to gain an advantage. Its tallness gave Kenobi the high ground.
Unlike the mining complex, the hideous spot appeared unchanged. The surrounding lava flows had not risen. Obi-Wan stood on the cliff, transfixed. He felt as if the hill was taunting him.
Here, upon the hottest world he could think of, Obi-Wan Kenobi experienced a chill that made him shake with regret.
Staring intently, he found himself unable to look away. The longer he gazed at the embankment, the harder it became to avert his eyes. After a standard minute, Obi-Wan mustered up enough strength to fight it off. However, the chill intensified, for his focus shifted to the bottom of the hill, where he had once abandoned a writhing Anakin.
'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'that's the spot where I left Anakin. The spot where I left pieces of myself… the spot that left the Jedi Order burning in my mind like some wicked dream.' The sound of bubbling lava tormented Kenobi as he fought back tears. It was time to near the river's edge.
As he made his way towards the lava, the heat became unbearable. Obi-Wan could proceed no further, so he grabbed a shiny rectangular device from his utility belt. Holding it lightly in his palm, he turned a small knob at the top.
The gadget beeped every few seconds. Facing the infernal spot across the river, Obi-Wan moved the instrument through the air in an arc. "No readings," he said quietly. The Jedi Master sighed and a puzzled look formed upon his face. He waved the device in an arc once more, but the interval between beeps did not change.
Now Obi-Wan stroked his beard and thought about the words Qui-Gon Jinn had spoken.
"The river… it calls to you."
Hand still stroking his bearded chin, Kenobi pondered vehemently. After a moment, he disabled the tiny gadget. The beeping ceased, which made the churning of the lava all the more noticeable. It produced a relentless noise that continued to taunt Obi-Wan.
Again, he looked across the river to the opposite shore. Shifting his view closer to the lava falls, he spotted a mangled platform lodged in the valley's soot. It was the lava skiff that allowed him to ride the chaotic river only a year before.
'That's the skiff we battled upon.' Obi-Wan was sensing Anakin's Force signature, as well as his own, a year after the duel had transpired. Even though thousands of lava skiffs existed on this world, he knew exactly which one he was looking at.
Obi-Wan was perplexed by his certainty, and shuddered at the knowledge. Only Grand Master Jinn could detect signatures so proficiently after that amount of time, for the ability was quite advanced. Perhaps Qui-Gon had conferred this skill upon Kenobi through the Force.
Turning away from the metallic wreckage, Obi-Wan put his hands to his forehead. "How am I supposed to do this?" he questioned aloud. The mission seemed rather extreme. 'Is this a fool's errand… or a legitimate test from Qui-Gon?' he wondered.
As Qui-Gon's Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi had learned much. Now, Obi-Wan was apprenticed to Jinn again. The unorthodox practice of having a Jedi Master as an apprentice became necessary as Jinn's power grew. Yoda held the honor too. As disciples of Qui-Gon Jinn, both Obi-Wan and Yoda trained over the last six months.
Kenobi almost smiled as he thought about Yoda, but he smirked instead. Jedi Master Yoda, his friend and mentor, was stuck on some swampy outworld, learning from Qui-Gon. 'Does Yoda know of my journey back to Mustafar? He must.' The diminutive Jedi seemed to know all, even after switching ranks with Jinn. Obi-Wan wished they could be together again, but they were being trained separately.
One year ago, Qui-Gon and Yoda failed to defeat the Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. They went into exile immediately, and so did Kenobi. Naturally, it surprised Obi-Wan when Qui-Gon showed up on Tatooine to tell him of his quest.
Obi-Wan sat on the sooty riverbank in a meditative position. He reached out with the Force. He reached out for the Force. Not many could comprehend the paradoxical nature of the exercise. However, those who mastered such a technique could achieve unparalleled fortitude.
The river of lava continued to flow and the heat persisted. Volcanoes erupted from afar. Obi-Wan Kenobi sat there meditating. He wanted to gain a deep intuitive understanding of Qui-Gon's intentions. The attempt failed.
Obi-Wan was still baffled by the subtleties of the appointed task. Why was he sent back to the oppressive world known as Mustafar? He couldn't answer his most pressing question.
{Revised 2/10/18}
~to be continued
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Chapter 1 - Words Unspoken
Mustafar
Obi-Wan Kenobi had progressed quickly as Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan, and he'd come a long way since being granted the rank of Jedi Master. Now Qui-Gon's student once more, his skills were steadily improving again.
He tapped into fond memories of Qui-Gon instructing him at the Jedi Temple. Together, as master and apprentice, they would sit cross-legged on a temple balcony and gaze at the hypnotic skylanes of Coruscant. It was a practice that worked wonders for Obi-Wan, and he began to excel in meditation at an early age.
His comforting recollection was melted away by persistent heat. This was not Coruscant. This was Mustafar.
If there was anyone else on this forsaken riverbank, Obi-Wan might have appeared foolish. He was sitting next to an unpredictable river of lava, meditating deeply. As Kenobi absorbed the extreme warmth, the Force converted it into raw energy. Only Qui-Gon could teach such an exercise. Total engrossment would allow the midi-chlorians to suppress the sweat glands.
Sitting upon the soot with his legs crossed and remaining dry, Obi-Wan opened his eyes. He looked at the disturbing spot across the river and held his gaze. A blanket of pure stress fell off him as if he were a dewback shedding its skin. The air somehow became cold, and the Mustafar sky actually grew darker. His senses ceased to provide realistic information.
Desperate to find answers, Obi-Wan pressed his fists against his legs and continued to stare fixedly at the troubling spot. He brought forth a Force-induced vision, and with it came illusions that could only be produced by an altered psyche.
Thick clouds gathered above, adding to the darkness. Slowly, they descended, obscuring the brilliant reds from distant volcanic eruptions. The riverbank now felt like a cave, and Kenobi watched as all color faded away.
Seeing his surroundings in shades of gray, Obi-Wan stood up. He took a step forward and stopped. 'Something's out of place.' Acting on instinct, he turned around and observed a stunning sight. His actual body was still sitting there in the fine soot. Yes, his true self was still meditating with eyes open.
Shocked, he looked at himself hard. His true form continued to gaze across the lava at the distressing spot. Obi-Wan waved a hand in front of his actual body's face, but there was no response.
He'd never experienced a Force vision of this magnitude before. He shook his head and tried to make sense of the situation. All color had disappeared, and he was looking at himself! Obi-Wan backed away from his sitting form. 'I'm seeing myself from the outside,' he surmised. His instincts told him that he had not actually left his body. Instead, he was controlling this new version of himself through the Force.
This was way too bizarre for the Jedi Master. He turned away to face the river once more. Expecting to see churning lava, Kenobi was surprised again. The Force allowed him to stare through the lava. In essence, his line of sight was carving a pathway through the superheated river. The lava ahead had vanished, replaced by a path constructed by pure mentality.
Directly in front of Obi-Wan, the pathway led straight across the river, and ended at the discomforting spot on the opposite bank. Now gray, the visible lava on both sides of the path ceased to flow. His mental construct was acting as a barrier.
Kenobi knew what he must do. There was no hesitation. He stepped foot upon the pathway and it felt like solid rock. With astounding calmness, he progressed through the mental passage, for the Force assured him that he would remain safe. Halfway across, Obi-Wan chose to turn around and look back. Sure enough, his true form was still sitting on the riverbank in deep meditation.
Kenobi continued, marveling at the static lava next to him on both sides. Half a minute later, he arrived at the opposite riverbank. One more step would bring him to the spot. 'Yes,' he thought, 'the spot where I abandoned Anakin to the flames.' Obi-Wan teared up instantly. 'The spot that left the Jedi Order-' His musing remained incomplete and he fell to his knees. Thoughts of the Jedi Purge flooded his psyche.
Before anguish could consume him, the Jedi Master heard a familiar crackling sound. He spun around in the soot and witnessed the gray lava flowing once more. The mentally constructed walls collapsed, and the lava filled in the carved pathway. Again, the river was complete.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan's resolve grew stronger and he stood. Looking across the river from his new vantage point, he could still see his actual body sitting on the opposite riverbank. Still in a meditative state, his true form gazed back.
Eerily, the gaze bore into Obi-Wan, piercing through his very soul. The penetration allowed for a clear view of the agonizing spot. His sitting form focused on it with intensity.
The time had come.
Still gray, lava flowed across the land as it did a year before. Intuitively, Obi-Wan knew that he must face the spot. Again, he turned around. Now facing the crucial spot, he intended to walk straight through.
Kenobi took the plunge. Oddly enough, he felt nothing as his boots came down upon the soot of the troubling spot. He walked through it, and made his way up the steep embankment. After a few steps, Obi-Wan found himself higher on the riverbank, in a position that generated even greater agony. He now stood upon the high ground, the exact location where he had swung a year prior.
The agonizing Jedi couldn't help but look back across the river yet again. His actual body still sat there at the base of the opposite riverbank. Even from this distance, Kenobi could see chunks of floating lava striking his true self's skin. Fortunately, he felt no pain, for the Force was shielding him.
Obi-Wan's midi-chlorians were still converting the heat into energy. It acted as raw fuel, allowing him to summon the Force as never before. He lingered on the high ground, which was about halfway up the steep embankment. Then, he squeezed his hand into a fist of frustration. 'Is this real?' he questioned to himself.
A wicked gust of wind sped through the valley and adjoining canyon, and for a moment, Kenobi felt lost. He didn't understand what Qui-Gon's words had meant.
"The river… it calls to you."
Obi-Wan thought he'd done the right thing. However, crossing the river to the critical spot wasn't enough. Now, in some kind of Force-enhanced trance, he pondered about the words again.
Qui-Gon Jinn's crucial phrase had been uttered back on Tatooine, where he'd appointed Kenobi with several tasks. These tasks, to be completed on Mustafar, would test Obi-Wan as part of his advanced training. So far, his performance had yielded nothing useful.
Kenobi needed to find a small antechamber outside the mining facility's control room. He'd already failed there, and acquiring any readings with Qui-Gon's unique device had been a bust as well. Nevertheless, the spot where he'd left Anakin had been located.
Yes, the hideous spot, but facing it revealed nothing, or so he thought. The volatile world of Mustafar would continue to haunt Obi-Wan until he figured this out. Qui-Gon's phrase was the key. The Force told him so.
The fierce wind picked up and whipped through Obi-Wan's hair. 'Is this really me?' he inquired, for he could still see his real body meditating across the river. Standing upon the high riverbank, he felt quite ethereal, as if he could float on the strong gusts speeding through the valley of soot.
'Is this a dream?' he wondered, as he examined his hands closely. With palms in front of his face, Kenobi witnessed another oddity. Although his hands still felt real, he began to see through them as if they were transparisteel. 'They're fading.'
He looked at the opposite riverbank immediately. His true form was still there, unchanged. Obi-Wan averted his gaze slightly, and then quickly looked back. Again, his real body's visage remained unaltered.
The gale strengthened even more, and the gray lava became suspiciously active. Crackling, bubbling, and churning at an accelerated rate, the molten chaos flowed rapidly. Obi-Wan adjusted his view, looking down the river towards the lava falls. 'Where's the skiff?'
The mangled platform that Kenobi had seen lodged into the soot was no longer there. In fact, the fateful lava skiff was nowhere to be seen. He shook his head profusely, but nothing changed. All of his surroundings remained gray, from the low clouds to the churning lava.
Now, there seemed to be far more pieces of floating lava swirling around Obi-Wan. These colorless particles gave off incredible heat. The Jedi Master felt his temperature rise, but his midi-chlorians suppressed any sweating.
Like his actual body, Obi-Wan's ethereal form felt no pain when struck by pieces of lava. He could hear colossal eruptions taking place in all directions, but the ominous clouds were blocking his view of the mountainous regions. Mustafar had become dangerously active.
Despite the intense heat, Obi-Wan felt an icy chill engulf his core. His ethereal form continued to fade. Squinting, he followed the shoreline with his eyes, all the way to the lava falls. Then, he was struck by an extraordinary sight.
Just before the mammoth drop over the falls, he spotted the lava skiff hovering over the river. Stranger still, the platform was in perfect condition and exploding with color. Moving away from the falls and toward Kenobi's position on the riverbank, the skiff progressed against the lava flow's current.
The situation was familiar. Too familiar. As the platform drew closer, the gray lava behind it turned a bright orange-red. The path of the skiff eradicated the shades of gray, like a vapor trail of brilliant color.
Squinting again, Obi-Wan couldn't believe what he witnessed next. Dumbfounded, he opened his eyes wide. The infamous lava skiff was carrying an occupant. There, aboard the hovering platform, stood Anakin Skywalker. Employing a battle pose with lightsaber ignited, Anakin faced an opponent.
'Am I being punished?' Obi-Wan could do nothing but stare. Anakin's adversary was yet another manifestation of Kenobi. Lightsaber activated, he was locked in combat with his former apprentice.
Eyes wide, the ethereal Obi-Wan watched in amazement. He was witnessing the epic duel play out again from his vantage point on the embankment. As the skiff neared, it continued to leave a trail of colorization. From the falls to the platform, the lava was now an intense red. And much like a year earlier, the volatile flow moved rapidly.
Shaking his head from confusion, Obi-Wan looked across the river. His actual body was still sitting there, gazing at the pivotal spot in a meditative state.
Then, he checked his own hands again. They'd become transparent. The ethereal version of Kenobi was about to vanish.
Out of ideas, Obi-Wan turned back towards the approaching lava skiff and watched his third self. The Force told him to keep his eyes on the battle.
Suddenly, while watching the duel play out, Kenobi heard his own voice resonate through the valley. "Anakin… Chancellor Palpatine is evil!"
Then, even louder, Anakin's voice boomed across the river. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" The hurtful exclamation echoed throughout the adjoining canyon.
"Well then you are lost!" As Kenobi heard himself yell the words, he experienced an eerie chill.
Obi-Wan couldn't comprehend how he was hearing the voices so clearly from his position on the embankment. Was he processing the sound through his third guise aboard the lava skiff?
'The lava skiff,' he thought. 'Something's amiss.' Obi-Wan realized that the duel was playing out differently. Anakin was already aboard the skiff. One year ago, his comment about the Jedi came while he was still on the droid.
Kenobi remembered it vividly. Anakin should be riding a droid. That's when the heated exchange transpired. Then they darted around two Mustafarians working on a rock formation. The recollection was clear in his mind's eye.
So why had Anakin already flipped onto the skiff? Obi-Wan had no answer. Still vanishing, he focused on the duel again.
"This is the end for you, my master." Once again, Anakin's words hurt deeply. Kenobi let out a sad sigh as he observed from the riverbank.
The clashing of blue sabers was thunderous, echoing through the entire canyon. The ethereal Obi-Wan stared intently as the platform neared the riverbank. 'Not again,' he mused with distress. 'I can't watch.'
Despite Kenobi's discomfort, he did watch, and just before the skiff touched shore, the combatants struggled against each other in a fierce saber lock.
Breaking the intense lock, the dueling form of Obi-Wan jumped off the skiff, flipping in the process. Shocked, and fading fast, the ethereal Kenobi could do nothing but observe.
The flipping Obi-Wan landed precisely where his other guise stood. In essence, the two manifestations of Kenobi combined, becoming one being. He had jumped inside himself.
Still standing upon the high ground, Obi-Wan examined his hands. Proper color had returned, and he wielded a lightsaber. He felt whole again, and now had direct control over the duel.
He couldn't help but take a quick peek across the river of lava. Sure enough, his true self was still sitting there meditating, and looking at the crucial spot.
Again, Kenobi understood. He was simply controlling this manifestation of himself through meditation. He never truly left his real body. 'At least there's only two of me now,' he joked, accepting the bizarre nature of the situation.
Anakin, still brooding on the lava skiff, glowered at Kenobi with menace. Suddenly, it dawned upon Obi-Wan; he had a chance to change the outcome of the duel. To his own surprise, he spoke. "It's over Anakin. I have the high ground!"
'What?!' Kenobi thought to himself. 'I said it?!' He paused and took a deep breath. 'I have to take control or it's going to happen again.' Obi-Wan's historic words had come instinctively.
Then, it happened. Time seemed to slow. "You underestimate my power." Anakin had spoken the words again. His eyes were glowing yellow, and lava fragments were drifting all around him, making the scene intensely horrific.
Hot lava blasted upwards from the river as Obi-Wan thought about the next moment. 'Don't try it,' he mused. 'I can't say that again! I won't speak those words!' So, instead of uttering the line again, he posed in a battle stance. With a stern look across his face, he charged Anakin at full speed, lightsaber at the ready.
Anakin jumped with a guttural yell, and this time, he easily cleared Obi-Wan due to the new positioning. Kenobi stood on the lava skiff, which was now lodged in the soot. He had done it. 'I've changed things,' he thought. 'But now what?'
After a smooth landing on the embankment, Anakin immediately ran back towards the platform and assaulted his foe with rage. Obi-Wan blocked the attack evenly. 'Anakin made his jump and I didn't swing,' he mused to himself, relieved. Clash after clash, both combatants swung their sabers wildly. The blue against blue glimmered in sharp contrast to the bright red lava.
And so this time, the epic battle continued.
{Revised 2/10/18}
~to be continued