Hey all!
Here's a few thank u's and a few answers...
Thanx: Luthien Tinuviel (in response to your question, the dreams are really just vague images, feelings mostly, of impending doom, that's all Obi-Wan can make of them, all he can remember of them...some of them come to pass in this chapter, the rest in the later ones=) siri, shen panda, Freakizimi, ~Becky~, Shanno (here's the next post...you inspired me to write with your "ways of finding out" hehehe=), BlueElli, DarlaDru, Sentimental Star, Mourning Star, KenobisGirl, Yoda (your question is the topic of chapter six...), Xejo, Ginger Ninja (lol, def. Good lil Jedi) and CYNICAL21
And, yes, I do LUV the cliffhangers, lol...And they're not over yet! You will not believe the one I have in store for you later...OH am I gonna get flames about that one...
Thanks so much for the incredible reviews! Ahhh, the posts after a cliffhanger are the best of them all=) You know, I considered leaving with the last part as the most recent post for an undetermined amount of time (hmmmwaahhhahaha (evil laugh)) just to see the reactions, but then, after reading the reviews, Shanno's post in particular lol, I decided that I just could not leave you guys there...so I posted this...enjoy hehehe=)
Thoughts are ~ in these ~
Speaking through the bond, //In these//
*****
Qui-Gon froze. Slowly, his fingers wrapped around his lightsaber as he turned to face the apparent leader. His gaze latched onto that of the man and, though he bowed slightly, it never wavered.
"As you wish," Qui-Gon responded calmly before brandishing his weapon in an attempt to catch them off guard for a moment. All he needed was one moment...
Most, as the Jedi master had hoped, *were* taken aback by the sudden ignition of the light sword. Most. The leader, however, was not phased in the least and wasted no time firing at the Jedi as he made a Force aided somersault onto the top of the wall. The power stream was impeccably aimed and struck its mark, despite Qui-Gon's Force enhanced speed. The blow was not enough to seriously wound, but it did break his concentration, resulting in the man's mad grab for the edge of the rock partition.
Catching the erosion-smoothed stone with one hand, Qui-Gon quickly hoisted himself up and threw his body over the top in an effort to avoid any other on target shots. Dropping silently to the other side, Qui-Gon began sprinting towards the service station, putting as much distance between him and the somewhat irate group of people as possible. His escape was slowed, however, by the occasional well-aimed blaster bolt, coming from the group, all of whose members had little training with the weapon. All except one. The man with the black eyes seemed to know *exactly* where to place the power streams in order to cause the Jedi the most difficulty. But Qui-Gon was making his way back to the ship. He tried to contact his apprentice, but each attempt, his concentration was shattered by a too close for comfort shot. He could only hope the boy had followed his instructions to prepare the ship for takeoff.
A sudden, fierce battery of shots was upon him, forcing him to come to a near halt in order to deflect them all. Even then, he knew he couldn't keep it up for long. Sooner or later, one would make it past his defenses...
All such thoughts about his imminent demise were abruptly forced from his mind with the appearance of a blue, glowing light to his left side. ~Sith! Does the boy *ever* intend to take my instructions to heart?~
With Obi-Wan's efforts, the pair was able to deflect most of the shots back to their senders, sharply cutting their number.
~Well, if he did ever listen, I suppose there would be no one for him to continue to receive orders from.~ Qui-Gon thought wryly, glancing over as his padawan returned another power bolt to its sender.
//Obi-Wan, I recall giving you an order to ready the ship.//
//Yeah, so do I..//
Qui-Gon paused, deflecting another blaster fire and giving his apprentice a sharp glance. The latter did not go unnoticed.
//Master...you defy the council, I defy you, it's a never ending cycle of defiance. I couldn't, with a clear conscience, be the one to break this time honored tradition.//
Qui-Gon glared at him. //Ship. *Now*.//
//Yes, sir.// And with a final grin, Obi-Wan was off, sprinting back towards the ship.
Qui-Gon was slowly making his way to the service station, to his escape. Sweat was running down his face and stinging his eyes. No, his garments were *not* made for this type of heat.
He tried to decrease the amount people able to fire. Though the number had diminished to about ten, those left were the ones who had the most deadly aim. His attempts, however, were not successful. His 'saber's deflections were not taking anyone out. ~Force! What is going on?! There should be several more down by now!~
Qui-Gon was about 50 yards away from the ship when he heard it fully power up. Deflecting one last shot, he jumped, twisting in the air, and landed some ten feet away, now facing the ship. Making a mad dash for the entrance ramp, he didn't notice when the blaster fire ceased or that the leader had holstered his weapon. All that mattered was getting on the ship.
Qui-Gon made it, literally diving into the hanger. He palmed the ramp door closed, slumped against the wall, and panted something sounding vaguely like "Take off" to his waiting padawan.
After a moment, having recovered enough to relinquish his hold on the wall, Qui-Gon stumbled into the cockpit to join his apprentice and promptly slumped into the co-pilot's chair. As they taxied down the sandy turf, Qui-Gon glanced out, though the windshield, at the band of humans, who were dangerously close to the spacecraft, watching their departure. Their expressions, the leader's in particular, caused his blood to run cold. The man was standing, arms crossed, lazily watching the take off, a smirk playing across his face...
"Obi-Wan, stop!" Qui-Gon nearly shouted, causing the boy to jump so high that he smacked his head on the cockpit's relatively low ceiling.
"Force! Warn me next time!" Obi-Wan grumbled as he rubbed his head, but glancing at his master's grim expression, he quickly turned serious. "What is it?"
"Stop the take off," Qui-Gon's voice was tight. He couldn't get the leader's smirk out of his head.
Obi-Wan pressed a few buttons. Nothing. He tried again, still no response. In fact, the craft felt as if it sped up. Desperately, Obi-Wan pulled all his knowledge of the vessel up and tried to power down the ship every way he could thing of, even going as far as to attempt to disconnect the engine's link to the fuel cells. *Nothing* worked.
Obi-Wan turned to his master, "I-I can't" his voice calm, but they boy's eyes betrayed his fear. "All the controls have been frozen...I'm not in control of the ship." Obi-Wan gripped the armrest tightly as the ship left the ground.
The two sat in silence trying to fully grasp what was about to happen. Most master/padawan pairs which met their deaths together had no time to say goodbye. This one did, yet neither could bring himself to utter the words.
Instead, Qui-Gon gripped Obi-Wan's hand, and each clung to the other. Each clung to life.
Closing his eyes, Qui-Gon attempted to find his center. He accepted that he was going to die long ago, but it is entirely different when one is on the brink of death, verses simply contemplating it. He could feel his padawan's emotions coming, unshielded, through the bond. Uncertainty, grief...guilt. Qui-Gon's eyes flew open. His padawan blamed himself for what was happening!
Qui-Gon turned to the boy and started to say how *none* of this was his fault. If anyone was to blame, it would have been Qui-Gon for ignoring the Force's warnings and going off to explore the planet. Not Obi-Wan.
Unfortunately, his words were stifled before they even left his tongue by the sudden downward motion of the ship. This was it, the end.
Obi-Wan turned, sorrowfully, to his master, his eyes reflecting the feelings felt across the bond. He knew there wasn't much time. He had to say it now.
"Master...I'm *so* sorry and...I-I love you,"
This was said not a moment too soon, for Qui-Gon did not have even the time to formulate a response before the impact. Qui-Gon knew what was happening, but it was almost as if he was watching it happen to someone else, rather than himself. He knew that he was being injured and knew exactly how and where, but he didn't *feel* anything. Didn't feel the explosions burning through his tunic. Didn't feel the shards of metal slicing his flesh. Didn't feel the impact of the shatter windshield or the scrape of the glass splinters as an explosion threw him through the window, landing him in a pocket of dry weeds, well away from the now flaming ship.
Through glazed eyes the Jedi master watched as the shuttle which had once been an aged, yet still functioning member of the Republic fleet became a warped, twisted piece of melted metal. Melted metal which imprisoned his apprentice.
As the darkness began to overwhelm him, Qui-Gon gathered his strength and sent out one message through the force before he succumbed.
//I love you too, my padawan.//
There was no response.
Is this one better than the last? Sorry, I feel evil today...Be a good lil Jedi and, as always, review...flames, threats, comments, concerns, whatever...It *might* motivate me to write faster...=)
~Megan
Here's a few thank u's and a few answers...
Thanx: Luthien Tinuviel (in response to your question, the dreams are really just vague images, feelings mostly, of impending doom, that's all Obi-Wan can make of them, all he can remember of them...some of them come to pass in this chapter, the rest in the later ones=) siri, shen panda, Freakizimi, ~Becky~, Shanno (here's the next post...you inspired me to write with your "ways of finding out" hehehe=), BlueElli, DarlaDru, Sentimental Star, Mourning Star, KenobisGirl, Yoda (your question is the topic of chapter six...), Xejo, Ginger Ninja (lol, def. Good lil Jedi) and CYNICAL21
And, yes, I do LUV the cliffhangers, lol...And they're not over yet! You will not believe the one I have in store for you later...OH am I gonna get flames about that one...
Thanks so much for the incredible reviews! Ahhh, the posts after a cliffhanger are the best of them all=) You know, I considered leaving with the last part as the most recent post for an undetermined amount of time (hmmmwaahhhahaha (evil laugh)) just to see the reactions, but then, after reading the reviews, Shanno's post in particular lol, I decided that I just could not leave you guys there...so I posted this...enjoy hehehe=)
Thoughts are ~ in these ~
Speaking through the bond, //In these//
*****
Qui-Gon froze. Slowly, his fingers wrapped around his lightsaber as he turned to face the apparent leader. His gaze latched onto that of the man and, though he bowed slightly, it never wavered.
"As you wish," Qui-Gon responded calmly before brandishing his weapon in an attempt to catch them off guard for a moment. All he needed was one moment...
Most, as the Jedi master had hoped, *were* taken aback by the sudden ignition of the light sword. Most. The leader, however, was not phased in the least and wasted no time firing at the Jedi as he made a Force aided somersault onto the top of the wall. The power stream was impeccably aimed and struck its mark, despite Qui-Gon's Force enhanced speed. The blow was not enough to seriously wound, but it did break his concentration, resulting in the man's mad grab for the edge of the rock partition.
Catching the erosion-smoothed stone with one hand, Qui-Gon quickly hoisted himself up and threw his body over the top in an effort to avoid any other on target shots. Dropping silently to the other side, Qui-Gon began sprinting towards the service station, putting as much distance between him and the somewhat irate group of people as possible. His escape was slowed, however, by the occasional well-aimed blaster bolt, coming from the group, all of whose members had little training with the weapon. All except one. The man with the black eyes seemed to know *exactly* where to place the power streams in order to cause the Jedi the most difficulty. But Qui-Gon was making his way back to the ship. He tried to contact his apprentice, but each attempt, his concentration was shattered by a too close for comfort shot. He could only hope the boy had followed his instructions to prepare the ship for takeoff.
A sudden, fierce battery of shots was upon him, forcing him to come to a near halt in order to deflect them all. Even then, he knew he couldn't keep it up for long. Sooner or later, one would make it past his defenses...
All such thoughts about his imminent demise were abruptly forced from his mind with the appearance of a blue, glowing light to his left side. ~Sith! Does the boy *ever* intend to take my instructions to heart?~
With Obi-Wan's efforts, the pair was able to deflect most of the shots back to their senders, sharply cutting their number.
~Well, if he did ever listen, I suppose there would be no one for him to continue to receive orders from.~ Qui-Gon thought wryly, glancing over as his padawan returned another power bolt to its sender.
//Obi-Wan, I recall giving you an order to ready the ship.//
//Yeah, so do I..//
Qui-Gon paused, deflecting another blaster fire and giving his apprentice a sharp glance. The latter did not go unnoticed.
//Master...you defy the council, I defy you, it's a never ending cycle of defiance. I couldn't, with a clear conscience, be the one to break this time honored tradition.//
Qui-Gon glared at him. //Ship. *Now*.//
//Yes, sir.// And with a final grin, Obi-Wan was off, sprinting back towards the ship.
Qui-Gon was slowly making his way to the service station, to his escape. Sweat was running down his face and stinging his eyes. No, his garments were *not* made for this type of heat.
He tried to decrease the amount people able to fire. Though the number had diminished to about ten, those left were the ones who had the most deadly aim. His attempts, however, were not successful. His 'saber's deflections were not taking anyone out. ~Force! What is going on?! There should be several more down by now!~
Qui-Gon was about 50 yards away from the ship when he heard it fully power up. Deflecting one last shot, he jumped, twisting in the air, and landed some ten feet away, now facing the ship. Making a mad dash for the entrance ramp, he didn't notice when the blaster fire ceased or that the leader had holstered his weapon. All that mattered was getting on the ship.
Qui-Gon made it, literally diving into the hanger. He palmed the ramp door closed, slumped against the wall, and panted something sounding vaguely like "Take off" to his waiting padawan.
After a moment, having recovered enough to relinquish his hold on the wall, Qui-Gon stumbled into the cockpit to join his apprentice and promptly slumped into the co-pilot's chair. As they taxied down the sandy turf, Qui-Gon glanced out, though the windshield, at the band of humans, who were dangerously close to the spacecraft, watching their departure. Their expressions, the leader's in particular, caused his blood to run cold. The man was standing, arms crossed, lazily watching the take off, a smirk playing across his face...
"Obi-Wan, stop!" Qui-Gon nearly shouted, causing the boy to jump so high that he smacked his head on the cockpit's relatively low ceiling.
"Force! Warn me next time!" Obi-Wan grumbled as he rubbed his head, but glancing at his master's grim expression, he quickly turned serious. "What is it?"
"Stop the take off," Qui-Gon's voice was tight. He couldn't get the leader's smirk out of his head.
Obi-Wan pressed a few buttons. Nothing. He tried again, still no response. In fact, the craft felt as if it sped up. Desperately, Obi-Wan pulled all his knowledge of the vessel up and tried to power down the ship every way he could thing of, even going as far as to attempt to disconnect the engine's link to the fuel cells. *Nothing* worked.
Obi-Wan turned to his master, "I-I can't" his voice calm, but they boy's eyes betrayed his fear. "All the controls have been frozen...I'm not in control of the ship." Obi-Wan gripped the armrest tightly as the ship left the ground.
The two sat in silence trying to fully grasp what was about to happen. Most master/padawan pairs which met their deaths together had no time to say goodbye. This one did, yet neither could bring himself to utter the words.
Instead, Qui-Gon gripped Obi-Wan's hand, and each clung to the other. Each clung to life.
Closing his eyes, Qui-Gon attempted to find his center. He accepted that he was going to die long ago, but it is entirely different when one is on the brink of death, verses simply contemplating it. He could feel his padawan's emotions coming, unshielded, through the bond. Uncertainty, grief...guilt. Qui-Gon's eyes flew open. His padawan blamed himself for what was happening!
Qui-Gon turned to the boy and started to say how *none* of this was his fault. If anyone was to blame, it would have been Qui-Gon for ignoring the Force's warnings and going off to explore the planet. Not Obi-Wan.
Unfortunately, his words were stifled before they even left his tongue by the sudden downward motion of the ship. This was it, the end.
Obi-Wan turned, sorrowfully, to his master, his eyes reflecting the feelings felt across the bond. He knew there wasn't much time. He had to say it now.
"Master...I'm *so* sorry and...I-I love you,"
This was said not a moment too soon, for Qui-Gon did not have even the time to formulate a response before the impact. Qui-Gon knew what was happening, but it was almost as if he was watching it happen to someone else, rather than himself. He knew that he was being injured and knew exactly how and where, but he didn't *feel* anything. Didn't feel the explosions burning through his tunic. Didn't feel the shards of metal slicing his flesh. Didn't feel the impact of the shatter windshield or the scrape of the glass splinters as an explosion threw him through the window, landing him in a pocket of dry weeds, well away from the now flaming ship.
Through glazed eyes the Jedi master watched as the shuttle which had once been an aged, yet still functioning member of the Republic fleet became a warped, twisted piece of melted metal. Melted metal which imprisoned his apprentice.
As the darkness began to overwhelm him, Qui-Gon gathered his strength and sent out one message through the force before he succumbed.
//I love you too, my padawan.//
There was no response.
Is this one better than the last? Sorry, I feel evil today...Be a good lil Jedi and, as always, review...flames, threats, comments, concerns, whatever...It *might* motivate me to write faster...=)
~Megan