Disclaimer: All recognizable Star Wars characters are the property of George Lucas. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made by the author. The storyline and all original characters are the property of the author.
Spoilers: not yet, maybe some Jedi Apprentice later, but probably not. Frankly, I kinda think JA took a turn for the stupid pretty early on, and so stopped reading them. Instead, I turned to the lovely authors of ff.net who share my obsession with the Irish/Scottish dynamic Jedi duo.
Time: 3 years pre TPM
Author's note: okay, i confess that it took an outrageous amount of time for me to come back to this, and i apologize. first i had to finish the semester, then i had to start my internship, and now i no longer have any excuse. thank you v. much to everyone who reviewed the first two chapters. Feel free to review this one as well!
Chapter 3
********
Qui-Gon handled the explosion with a smooth facade, calming the hysterical members of the negotiating parties with a remarkable finesse. In fact, in a way the explosion was almost a blessing for then negotiations - both sides seemed to feel a new sense of urgency for coming to some sort of agreement and bringing an end to the violence. In fact, they now seemed almost unnaturally urgent - and the Efling now seemed much more willing to compromise. This was particularly odd, since the Efling really were in a better position overall - higher population, more military, etc. - Qui-Gon sensed more than ever that there was another party's interests present at the negotiating table, and this presence now seemed tipped in the Ionians' favor.
More than ever, Qui-Gon was extremely concerned for his apprentice. Where was he? Why hadn't he answered calls both over his comlink and through the Force? Was Obi-Wan's disappearance a factor in the sudden conciliatory manner of the Efling? It was at times like these that Qui-Gon began to wish he had some of his Apprentice's talent with time/space Force. Obi-Wan often had a better sense of what was happening and what was going to happen than Qui-Gon, though Qui-Gon would never say so aloud, at least not until Obi-Wan was knighted and they became equals.
Qui-Gon nearly started to lose track of the negotiations with his worry for Obi-Wan, but quickly regained his focus, resolving to not allow what had probably been a ploy to disrupt the negotiations to succeed. Obi-Wan was still alive, and Qui-Gon's first responsibility was to the mission, not his apprentice's every move, now that Obi-Wan was a senior apprentice and so capable. Still, he thought it wise to do a little investigating about the feelings of the two parties . . .
"I think we are making excellent progress, and so I would like to take a little time to meet with each group separately in order to determine what the next steps should be. I'll meet with the Efling delegation first in Breakout Room 1 in five minutes, and I ask that the Ionian group await me in Breakout Room 2 in an hour."
He may not know where his Padawan was, but he could at least try and find out how Obi-Wan's disappearance fit into the situation.
********
Obi-Wan sat in his nightmare-world, meditating on the time/space Force that he could distantly sense. He knew now for certain through his mediations that whoever had orchestrated his capture was a Dark Force user, though how powerful he wasn't certain. He also knew that his disappearance was having a discernable long-term effect on the planet's conflict, but his sense of it was vague - he didn't know if it was because Qui-Gon was mediating more urgently, or if his absence had changed something that would have happened, or if he was going to die and affect the situation that way somehow . . . *OK Kenobi, let's stop with the negative thoughts. You basically have next to no clue about what's happening, let alone what's going to happen.*
Pretending to draw a deep breath (not that his self-manifestation needed to in nightmare-world - he didn't need to blink, either, but did so anyway occasionally - old habits die hard), he regained his focus, allowing time-space Force to amaze him with its vastness. There was so little he could even begin to comprehend about it - yet he sensed that it spoke more to him than it did to Qui-Gon. Of course, every Jedi's talents differ, and his Master's connection to the living Force was the envy of many a weaker Jedi. Obi-Wan respected his Master's strengths, yet was frequently irritated by Qui-Gon's unwillingness sometimes to consider that the living Force might not always hold every key to opening every door - some doors had a multitude of locks, requiring a diverse collection of carefully sought-after keys, even some from the beautiful, unimaginably complex realm of time/space Force . . .
I sense you took my advice, Ambassador. It/they had returned, rudely interrupting Obi-Wan's pleasant musings and mediation with a mental sneer - Obi-Wan half thought he sensed jealousy, as well. Your captivity will have to continue, though not quite as before - some new circumstances have arisen.
Before Obi-Wan had a chance to reply, his mental awareness was painfully jolted, nightmare-world swirled crazily, then blinked out. For a brief instant he felt a flood of the living Force, of malevolent others surrounding him, of his own body incapacitated, and strongest of all, he felt a great flood of pain before losing all sense of everything real.
********
Qui-Gon felt a searing flash of pain and panic through the Force from Obi-Wan, which ended almost as soon as it had begun. Obi-Wan?!? But his own Force call echoed hollowly back at him through the living Force, it was as though Obi-Wan had been removed from the physical realm altogether. But through time/space Force, Qui-Gon felt a response so faint and obscure, he almost thought he was imagining it. Master?
********
m'kay kids, waddya say everyone please review this one? i know from the handy-dandy little stats provided by ff.net that more people are reading than reviewing, and while i appreciate readership very much, i also crave reviews. perhaps i have a fragile sense of self-worth when it comes to my writing abilities, i don't know.
Disclaimer: All recognizable Star Wars characters are the property of George Lucas. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made by the author. The storyline and all original characters are the property of the author.
Spoilers: none.
Time: 3 years pre TPM
Author's note: look at this! another chapter for you folks! you know what that means? it means i fully expect reviews. please.
Chapter 4
********
master? No, Qui-Gon had not imagined it, Obi-Wan had most definitely responded.
Obi-Wan! Where are you? What has happened? But this time there was no response. Qui-Gon strained his abilities to the greatest, focusing all his attention on time/space Force, until he felt he would collapse from the effort. But although he had not felt Obi-Wan leave completely, he was unable to make further contact. Slowly, Qui-Gon became conscious of the Efling delegates looking at him with concern on their faces (which actually reminded humans more of a look of someone who is about to be ill, but fortunately Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had done thorough research before the mission, and so the expressions were interpreted correctly).
"I apologize, I sensed a disturbance concerning my apprentice. It is nothing to be greatly concerned about, however . . ." Qui-Gon let off, realizing that the expressions of concern had now changed to those of horror (which rather resembled strange acts of facial contortionists, such as one would see at a carnival side show).
One of the Efling delegates, Shao, queried with an unusual tremor to his voice, "He is not dead? He survives yet?"
This comment left Qui-Gon intrigued. Not wanting to upset negotiations, he had not informed the delegates of Obi-Wan's disappearance or possible injury, but had excused his Padawan's absence by explaining that he had sent Obi-Wan to conduct further research and interviews outside in the surrounding camps.
He replied, "No, he is not dead. What made you think he may be?"
Terrified, Shao replied, with too much force in his voice for a soft-spoken Efling, "Nothing! Nothing at all! I just tend to assume the worst!"
"Delegate Shao, without trying to sound disrespectful, if you have any information about today's proceedings and events, I suggest you tell me about it. To do otherwise is to hinder the peace process, which as I'm certain you realize your people cannot afford to do." That was laying it on a little thick for the ordinary role of a negotiator (who is supposed to listen more than they talk), but Qui-Gon was willing to bend some rules. His Padawan was in serious danger, unlike anything he had ever encountered before with Obi-Wan - this was no ordinary negotiation.
Now all the delegates looked terrified (bizarre), and Shao stuttered out, "Please Ambassador Jinn, just know that I and my fellow delegates will do ANYTHING it takes to bring these negotiations to the swiftest end possible!"
"Delegate Shao, I again mean no offense, but I am concerned by your reaction. I must ask if you have been threatened in some way to bring these negotiations to an end?"
"N-n-n-no! Absolutely not! I can assure you in all honesty that my concern is for the Efling people, and that it is for their sakes that I wish to bring an IMMEDIATE and PEACEFUL end to the conflict!" At this all the Efling delegates simultaneously burst into tears, signifying in their ancient way that the discussion was at an end.
Qui-Gon left Breakout Room 1 with many more questions repeating themselves in his head than he'd had before entering. But he knew one more thing for certain - the Efling knew that something had happened to his apprentice, and that knowledge for some reason *terrified* them.
********
Detachment, floating, confusion. For what seemed an eternity, Obi-Wan had felt only impressions of himself, and nothingness. Reality as he had previously experienced it had ceased to exist. Now his existence seemed only to be comprised of vacuum. *Have I entered the Force? Is this what it is to end physical existence? No, for I have been taught that when a Jedi enters the Force, our consciousness unites with the living Force and time/space Force together, creating a new existence beyond the comprehension of our crude corporal minds. There is no living Force here - I must be caught in time/space Force, the physical world must somehow be blocked . . .*
Very good, young Ambassador. It/they's stream was no longer as strong and forceful as before - now the stream of it/their thought swirled and faded in the vacuum. Obi-Wan sensed that this was a realm in which it/they had little power. Your return to your corporal existence depends now on your Master, though he is not aware of that fact.
Why do you hold me here? No response, of course. Obi-Wan felt frustrated. Felt. He could still feel, could still think. What had been done to him? Perhaps he was more connected to himself than he thought . . .
Focusing on his own consciousness, (an act of incredible focus and concentration, one that took many years of training and meditation in order to turn the Force-eye inward), Obi-Wan searched. And searched. finally, he began to find a thin trail from his consciousness that led out of the strange prison of controlled time/space Force. *Controlled? How can that be?* Yet the realization was True, this was not time/space Force as Obi-Wan had ever experienced it. *This cannot truly be time/space Force, else it would be free. I am not dead, nor am I entrapped in the Force, this is a synthetic rendition of it . . . or only a sliver of it . . .*
Somehow these realizations allowed Obi-Wan to gain a firmer grasp on the trail of consciousness back to life, and he began to attempt to follow it.
********
kindly review! thanks for reading!
Spoilers: not yet, maybe some Jedi Apprentice later, but probably not. Frankly, I kinda think JA took a turn for the stupid pretty early on, and so stopped reading them. Instead, I turned to the lovely authors of ff.net who share my obsession with the Irish/Scottish dynamic Jedi duo.
Time: 3 years pre TPM
Author's note: okay, i confess that it took an outrageous amount of time for me to come back to this, and i apologize. first i had to finish the semester, then i had to start my internship, and now i no longer have any excuse. thank you v. much to everyone who reviewed the first two chapters. Feel free to review this one as well!
Chapter 3
********
Qui-Gon handled the explosion with a smooth facade, calming the hysterical members of the negotiating parties with a remarkable finesse. In fact, in a way the explosion was almost a blessing for then negotiations - both sides seemed to feel a new sense of urgency for coming to some sort of agreement and bringing an end to the violence. In fact, they now seemed almost unnaturally urgent - and the Efling now seemed much more willing to compromise. This was particularly odd, since the Efling really were in a better position overall - higher population, more military, etc. - Qui-Gon sensed more than ever that there was another party's interests present at the negotiating table, and this presence now seemed tipped in the Ionians' favor.
More than ever, Qui-Gon was extremely concerned for his apprentice. Where was he? Why hadn't he answered calls both over his comlink and through the Force? Was Obi-Wan's disappearance a factor in the sudden conciliatory manner of the Efling? It was at times like these that Qui-Gon began to wish he had some of his Apprentice's talent with time/space Force. Obi-Wan often had a better sense of what was happening and what was going to happen than Qui-Gon, though Qui-Gon would never say so aloud, at least not until Obi-Wan was knighted and they became equals.
Qui-Gon nearly started to lose track of the negotiations with his worry for Obi-Wan, but quickly regained his focus, resolving to not allow what had probably been a ploy to disrupt the negotiations to succeed. Obi-Wan was still alive, and Qui-Gon's first responsibility was to the mission, not his apprentice's every move, now that Obi-Wan was a senior apprentice and so capable. Still, he thought it wise to do a little investigating about the feelings of the two parties . . .
"I think we are making excellent progress, and so I would like to take a little time to meet with each group separately in order to determine what the next steps should be. I'll meet with the Efling delegation first in Breakout Room 1 in five minutes, and I ask that the Ionian group await me in Breakout Room 2 in an hour."
He may not know where his Padawan was, but he could at least try and find out how Obi-Wan's disappearance fit into the situation.
********
Obi-Wan sat in his nightmare-world, meditating on the time/space Force that he could distantly sense. He knew now for certain through his mediations that whoever had orchestrated his capture was a Dark Force user, though how powerful he wasn't certain. He also knew that his disappearance was having a discernable long-term effect on the planet's conflict, but his sense of it was vague - he didn't know if it was because Qui-Gon was mediating more urgently, or if his absence had changed something that would have happened, or if he was going to die and affect the situation that way somehow . . . *OK Kenobi, let's stop with the negative thoughts. You basically have next to no clue about what's happening, let alone what's going to happen.*
Pretending to draw a deep breath (not that his self-manifestation needed to in nightmare-world - he didn't need to blink, either, but did so anyway occasionally - old habits die hard), he regained his focus, allowing time-space Force to amaze him with its vastness. There was so little he could even begin to comprehend about it - yet he sensed that it spoke more to him than it did to Qui-Gon. Of course, every Jedi's talents differ, and his Master's connection to the living Force was the envy of many a weaker Jedi. Obi-Wan respected his Master's strengths, yet was frequently irritated by Qui-Gon's unwillingness sometimes to consider that the living Force might not always hold every key to opening every door - some doors had a multitude of locks, requiring a diverse collection of carefully sought-after keys, even some from the beautiful, unimaginably complex realm of time/space Force . . .
I sense you took my advice, Ambassador. It/they had returned, rudely interrupting Obi-Wan's pleasant musings and mediation with a mental sneer - Obi-Wan half thought he sensed jealousy, as well. Your captivity will have to continue, though not quite as before - some new circumstances have arisen.
Before Obi-Wan had a chance to reply, his mental awareness was painfully jolted, nightmare-world swirled crazily, then blinked out. For a brief instant he felt a flood of the living Force, of malevolent others surrounding him, of his own body incapacitated, and strongest of all, he felt a great flood of pain before losing all sense of everything real.
********
Qui-Gon felt a searing flash of pain and panic through the Force from Obi-Wan, which ended almost as soon as it had begun. Obi-Wan?!? But his own Force call echoed hollowly back at him through the living Force, it was as though Obi-Wan had been removed from the physical realm altogether. But through time/space Force, Qui-Gon felt a response so faint and obscure, he almost thought he was imagining it. Master?
********
m'kay kids, waddya say everyone please review this one? i know from the handy-dandy little stats provided by ff.net that more people are reading than reviewing, and while i appreciate readership very much, i also crave reviews. perhaps i have a fragile sense of self-worth when it comes to my writing abilities, i don't know.
Disclaimer: All recognizable Star Wars characters are the property of George Lucas. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made by the author. The storyline and all original characters are the property of the author.
Spoilers: none.
Time: 3 years pre TPM
Author's note: look at this! another chapter for you folks! you know what that means? it means i fully expect reviews. please.
Chapter 4
********
master? No, Qui-Gon had not imagined it, Obi-Wan had most definitely responded.
Obi-Wan! Where are you? What has happened? But this time there was no response. Qui-Gon strained his abilities to the greatest, focusing all his attention on time/space Force, until he felt he would collapse from the effort. But although he had not felt Obi-Wan leave completely, he was unable to make further contact. Slowly, Qui-Gon became conscious of the Efling delegates looking at him with concern on their faces (which actually reminded humans more of a look of someone who is about to be ill, but fortunately Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had done thorough research before the mission, and so the expressions were interpreted correctly).
"I apologize, I sensed a disturbance concerning my apprentice. It is nothing to be greatly concerned about, however . . ." Qui-Gon let off, realizing that the expressions of concern had now changed to those of horror (which rather resembled strange acts of facial contortionists, such as one would see at a carnival side show).
One of the Efling delegates, Shao, queried with an unusual tremor to his voice, "He is not dead? He survives yet?"
This comment left Qui-Gon intrigued. Not wanting to upset negotiations, he had not informed the delegates of Obi-Wan's disappearance or possible injury, but had excused his Padawan's absence by explaining that he had sent Obi-Wan to conduct further research and interviews outside in the surrounding camps.
He replied, "No, he is not dead. What made you think he may be?"
Terrified, Shao replied, with too much force in his voice for a soft-spoken Efling, "Nothing! Nothing at all! I just tend to assume the worst!"
"Delegate Shao, without trying to sound disrespectful, if you have any information about today's proceedings and events, I suggest you tell me about it. To do otherwise is to hinder the peace process, which as I'm certain you realize your people cannot afford to do." That was laying it on a little thick for the ordinary role of a negotiator (who is supposed to listen more than they talk), but Qui-Gon was willing to bend some rules. His Padawan was in serious danger, unlike anything he had ever encountered before with Obi-Wan - this was no ordinary negotiation.
Now all the delegates looked terrified (bizarre), and Shao stuttered out, "Please Ambassador Jinn, just know that I and my fellow delegates will do ANYTHING it takes to bring these negotiations to the swiftest end possible!"
"Delegate Shao, I again mean no offense, but I am concerned by your reaction. I must ask if you have been threatened in some way to bring these negotiations to an end?"
"N-n-n-no! Absolutely not! I can assure you in all honesty that my concern is for the Efling people, and that it is for their sakes that I wish to bring an IMMEDIATE and PEACEFUL end to the conflict!" At this all the Efling delegates simultaneously burst into tears, signifying in their ancient way that the discussion was at an end.
Qui-Gon left Breakout Room 1 with many more questions repeating themselves in his head than he'd had before entering. But he knew one more thing for certain - the Efling knew that something had happened to his apprentice, and that knowledge for some reason *terrified* them.
********
Detachment, floating, confusion. For what seemed an eternity, Obi-Wan had felt only impressions of himself, and nothingness. Reality as he had previously experienced it had ceased to exist. Now his existence seemed only to be comprised of vacuum. *Have I entered the Force? Is this what it is to end physical existence? No, for I have been taught that when a Jedi enters the Force, our consciousness unites with the living Force and time/space Force together, creating a new existence beyond the comprehension of our crude corporal minds. There is no living Force here - I must be caught in time/space Force, the physical world must somehow be blocked . . .*
Very good, young Ambassador. It/they's stream was no longer as strong and forceful as before - now the stream of it/their thought swirled and faded in the vacuum. Obi-Wan sensed that this was a realm in which it/they had little power. Your return to your corporal existence depends now on your Master, though he is not aware of that fact.
Why do you hold me here? No response, of course. Obi-Wan felt frustrated. Felt. He could still feel, could still think. What had been done to him? Perhaps he was more connected to himself than he thought . . .
Focusing on his own consciousness, (an act of incredible focus and concentration, one that took many years of training and meditation in order to turn the Force-eye inward), Obi-Wan searched. And searched. finally, he began to find a thin trail from his consciousness that led out of the strange prison of controlled time/space Force. *Controlled? How can that be?* Yet the realization was True, this was not time/space Force as Obi-Wan had ever experienced it. *This cannot truly be time/space Force, else it would be free. I am not dead, nor am I entrapped in the Force, this is a synthetic rendition of it . . . or only a sliver of it . . .*
Somehow these realizations allowed Obi-Wan to gain a firmer grasp on the trail of consciousness back to life, and he began to attempt to follow it.
********
kindly review! thanks for reading!