All right. All authors who were just typing like a crazy person to get
this in by the time of self-imposed dealline say here..."Here!"
So maybe it was posted like an hour before the dealine expired and
maybe you won't be reading it until that time...but hey, isn't the
important thing really that its here now? And here it is. Pleaze
review. Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaze? Eileenblzr@yahoo.com
Also, next chapter is friday....Bye now!
Chapter Eight: Escape!
It was wrong. It went against everything that she had ever been taught.
But much to Amidala's chagrin, she was enjoying the moments of quiet
intimacy shared with the much more care-free Obi-wan. They spent the
night wandering through the forrest, tasting fruit and avoiding worried
guards, secret fugitive lovers. There were minutes in the black of
night when she considering giving up the fight and just running away
with him, forsaking everything.
But then a voice was in her head, reminding her about Naboo, and the
innocent people that would get hurt, and Obi-wan Kenobi, a young,
unsure man staring at the stars for guidance and understanding her the
way no one else could. And that was the Obi-wan she loved. Not the
reckless, corrupted man that stirred her body but never made ripples
through her soul.
"Ami," he whispered down her back, the tone a little rough as though
he'd known what she was thinking. "We've got to get away from here."
"Where will we go?"
He shrugged. "Anywhere. Everywhere. The world is teeming with
opportunities for us, Ami. We need only to reach out and grasp them in
our hands." At this, he caught her arm again and placed a soft kiss on
her fingertip. "You know, I don't believe there has been a ruler of the
entire galaxy in a very long time. But Emperor Kenobi does have a nice
ring to it, doesn't it?"
"I don't know. Maybe-"
He stopped her lips from moving. "Hush now, future Empress. No doubts
should exist. Be as confident as I am madly in love with you."
She smiled. "I'll try."
"Good. Now I need to get us a ship. We can't take yours, its probably
crawling with guards. I don't want a huge battle. Not yet, anyway. I
think one of the locals would be best. I saw one a while back." It was
agreed that Obi-wan would retrace his steps, and Amidala would collect
assorted foods so they wouldn't have to stop for anything.
She watched his figure disappear and collapsed onto the ground.
The queen stumbled through the woods, picking up berries and such.
Eventually she found a cave, its entrance covered by vines and long
tree branchs. Cautiously, she pulled back the covering and crept in.
It was dark, and the air felt a little moist. Animals, perhaps
dangerous ones, were no doubt inhabiting the cave. But that meant
nothing because the speeder in the center of the small area absorbed
all her attention.
Amidala ran over to it, and opened the hatch. Throwing a leg over to
side, she jumped in. The controls were cool and smelled of mildew, but
when she pressed them, they worked. Lights filled her surroundings, and
the gentle hum was music to her ears. Her hand, nervous, hovered over
the radio controls then quickly snapped them on.
They too worked. If she so desired, she could contact her people and
arrange for her rescue. Or...Amidala thought, she could send a message
to Master Yoda and the Jedi Council. If anyone else knew how wonderful
and good Obi-wan really was, and how powerful he could become without
restraints, it was the Order that had trained him.
It was a choice that would make all the difference in the world. Should
she try to save herself and let things play out as they would? Or did
she owe her loyalty to Obi-wan. It was her safety, after all, that
first brought him to the mess.
Amidala stared at the controllers again and made her choice.
"This is Queen Amidala with very distressing news. Master Obi-wan
Kenobi has fallen into darkness. My own people played a part in his
descent and I don't think they can help him. I need you, Master Yoda,
and your people. We are on Parisia, in the B'lanni system and but I
don't know for how much longer. He plans for us to leave soon. Please,
help us both."
********
Master Yoda watched the message with a heavy heart. It was as he had
thought. The brightest, strongest, and most confused Master had turned
to that forbidden realm of evil. Across from him, Mace Windu raised an
eyebrow.
Obi-wan didn't belong on that side of the war, Yoda knew that. Whatever
doubts ate away at his mind, Obi-wan was filled with the kind of rare
goodness that made being a Jedi hard. He felt too much, despite all the
training.
"Retrieve him, we must. Belong with the Sith, Obi-wan does not."
"It will not be an easy task. Master Kenobi *is* a Sith now, and they
are always formidable foes. We risk losing more men and gaining
nothing."
"Always a risk, there is. Have faith in the Force, you should."
"How many will you send?"
"Only one. Attempt to rescue Obi-wan myself, I will."
"Sir?" Asked a quite voice. Yoda and Windu both turned to see young
Anakin Skywalker standing in the door way, listening and frowning. He
took a bold step forward. "I want to too. I need to. Please?"
There was a pause before Yoda nodded his head. "Very well."
************
They didn't stop anywhere in the B'lanni system. They kept going,
farther and farther, until Obi-wan was sure that no one was following
them too closely. He rather loved the feeling of soaring through the
air and Amidala clutching at his side. It was the ultimate freedom. But
it ended when he stopped in a small system for fuel.
"Ami Dearest," He said while packing what little belongings they had
into a pouch. "We're gonna find a new ship. I'm thinking something big,
this time around."
She went along with it, there was little she else she could do.
Smile, nod, and stay alive.
They found a bar, filled with smelly, treacherous, vile people. A
scantily clad singer, dressed in a stringy, thin material, had all the
drooling, mind-numb men mesmerized and the bartender, a short man with
a blue face and loose arms sat pouring a drink from one cup into the
other. Amidala raised an eyebrow as Obi-wan led her on, but spoke
nothing.
The Jedi helped her into a stool at the counter and waved to the
bartender for service.
"Greeting," Said the man with a nasaly voice. "What do you want."
"The very best."
"That'll be six credits, please."
With a roll of his eyes, Obi-wan said "You're not going to charge me
anything. We can have it for free."
The bartender nodded blankly. "I'm not going to charge you anything.
You can have it for free."
"That's better." Obi-wan picked up his glass and spun the stool around,
so that he had a clear view of the rest of the place. He snorted when
the crowd cheered, the singer having put down her microphone and
resorted to dancing. "Look at the garbage." He muttered, taking a sip.
"Low class garbage working off of no talent and a mediocre body." he
eyes drifted to Amidala sitting stiff, peering into the dark liquid
before her.
"What's the matter, Ami?"
"Nothing!" She jumped. "Nothing, Obi-wan. I'm just tired, thats all."
"Don't worry, I'll find us a place to rest."
"Sure."
He raised her chin. "Hey, its all right. Soon you'll be back in royal
garbs and commanding a galaxy. And we will be the happiest people in
the whole world."
"I can't wait."
Obi-wan pulled at the shoulder of a man walking by. "Give me the keys
to you're room."
The passer gave him a look that said Pry-them-from-my-cold-dead-hands.
"I paid good money for this room, I'm not going to give it to some
maniac on the bar counter."
Obi-wan shoved the man's face into the counter in a rouch motion. "See
that pretty lady, she needs to sleep. To do that, she needs a room."
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I preventing you from getting it on with some
street-side dame? Forgive me-" Those were the last words he could say.
And, arguably, the last words he might ever say. No sooner had a cocky
smile touched his lips than Obi-wan smashed it off with a swift blow to
the head. The man was knocked to the ground, unconcious, and Obi-wan
pulled out a saber. Across the man's cheek, he burned a scar. With a
glance around the room, he shouted, "Tell this man what happened when
he revives. And the next time anyone interfere's with me or my lady,
they die on the end of this saber."
He tossed the keys to Amidala. "Go to the room. I'll be there in a
bit." The crowd parted for him, some flinching at his brush against
them. A brave soul near the exit called to him. "Hey Jedi, you could've
just used your Force-thing. Arosi wasn't too bright."
"Yeah," Obi-wan answered. "I could have."
*******************
Obi-wan stepped out of the room and walked down to the area below. The
tacky lights were on in another local bar, and screeching music came
blaring out at him. Couples, some real lovers, others paid-for-prizes,
were scattered about engaging in all sorts of activities.
One tall, slender woman slid over to Obi-wan's arm and latched on to
it. "Hey there, honey. Lookin' for a good time?"
He stared at her in such disgust that she pulled away and fell back
into the shadows, head hung low, like a scarecrow amidst dancing black
birds in a garden. "Sorry," she muttered before vanishing completely.
The Jedi kept up his walk.
came that haunting voice, no longer a sultry feminine
hush, but a ragged, aging cough.
Waiting? If that pitiful excuse for a Sith lord was waiting for
anything, it was Death. "You're wasting you're time." He answered,
shaking his head. "I'm not that confused man any longer. I know what I
want and I know how to get it. I don't need your manipulations."
"Master Qui-gon taught me how to be a Jedi, and love for Amidala
brought me to this point. Go find yourself someone content to be a
lackey. I have bigger things in mind."
Like a volcano, Obi-wan erupted. "You old man, have just signed you're
own death certificate! No one, not one single, solitary soul, can talk
to me about Ami like that and hope to live. Gather what strength you
have, because you'll need it when I find you."
The voice insisted.
"I said shut up!" He broke into a run and didn't stop until his legs
wobbled.
******************
When Obi-wan Kenobi returned to the quiant room, Amidala was standing
by the window pane, watching speeder after speeder zoom by. She didn't
react first at his presense, but her body changed, she could feel him
watching her now. He thought of what Sidious had said to him. 'She'll
only betray you.' That was impossible, of course. The old fool hadn't
know what he was talking about. Amidala was his, surely as the sky
could grow blacker than coal. No one could take her away.
"Do you like the view?" He asked, remaining a distance away.
"Its distracting. I like that right now."
"Hmmm. How do you feel now? Any better?"
"Yes. I'm much better, thank you. And you?"
"Drained."
"How so?"
He thought of how to explain the ever-growing weight of his soul.
"Think of a world, this constant, spinning sphere. Everyone takes for
granted the amount of Force and strength it takes to keep it going. It
can never show how tired it really is."
"And are you tired?"
"Maybe. But its more of a weariness. I could sleep forever and it would
only grow worse. I feel like I'm trying to get everything but I can
only grasp a few in my hands."
"You're a powerful man, Obi-wan. But even you can't have everything.
You need to have priorities. What do you want most of all?"
He touched her arm, just barely. With a playful chuckle, he responded:
"I have the whole universe at my fingertips. Both figuratively and
literally." The Queen blushed.
"If you could have one wish, Ami, what would it be?"
"I would wish," she answered slowly, making sure her words were
heartfelt and true -a bit of truth was appropriate now-, "that you
could really be free of all your troubles."
Obi-wan smiled, almost sadly, and stepped closer. He cuppped her head
in her hands, but his eyes were closed. And an old tender inflection
came into his voice as he whispered quietly, "I love you Amidala."
The Queen paused, trying to sense his emotions. But only clear devotion
was evident. Without any further hesitation, she leaned forward and
kissed him on the lips. And somehow, she knew that it was the real
Obi-wan responding. For a brief second, he was warm and sweet, holding
her like as though she were the greatest treasure in the world.
And then his arms stiffened and his touch grew cold. In a move so fluid
it made water look stiff, in less time than it took to blink, Obi-wan
had jerked violently away, spun around, and drawn out his saber. The
all too familiar sneer was back on his mouth when he acknowledged the
person standing in the doorframe.
"Yoda."
this in by the time of self-imposed dealline say here..."Here!"
So maybe it was posted like an hour before the dealine expired and
maybe you won't be reading it until that time...but hey, isn't the
important thing really that its here now? And here it is. Pleaze
review. Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaze? Eileenblzr@yahoo.com
Also, next chapter is friday....Bye now!
Chapter Eight: Escape!
It was wrong. It went against everything that she had ever been taught.
But much to Amidala's chagrin, she was enjoying the moments of quiet
intimacy shared with the much more care-free Obi-wan. They spent the
night wandering through the forrest, tasting fruit and avoiding worried
guards, secret fugitive lovers. There were minutes in the black of
night when she considering giving up the fight and just running away
with him, forsaking everything.
But then a voice was in her head, reminding her about Naboo, and the
innocent people that would get hurt, and Obi-wan Kenobi, a young,
unsure man staring at the stars for guidance and understanding her the
way no one else could. And that was the Obi-wan she loved. Not the
reckless, corrupted man that stirred her body but never made ripples
through her soul.
"Ami," he whispered down her back, the tone a little rough as though
he'd known what she was thinking. "We've got to get away from here."
"Where will we go?"
He shrugged. "Anywhere. Everywhere. The world is teeming with
opportunities for us, Ami. We need only to reach out and grasp them in
our hands." At this, he caught her arm again and placed a soft kiss on
her fingertip. "You know, I don't believe there has been a ruler of the
entire galaxy in a very long time. But Emperor Kenobi does have a nice
ring to it, doesn't it?"
"I don't know. Maybe-"
He stopped her lips from moving. "Hush now, future Empress. No doubts
should exist. Be as confident as I am madly in love with you."
She smiled. "I'll try."
"Good. Now I need to get us a ship. We can't take yours, its probably
crawling with guards. I don't want a huge battle. Not yet, anyway. I
think one of the locals would be best. I saw one a while back." It was
agreed that Obi-wan would retrace his steps, and Amidala would collect
assorted foods so they wouldn't have to stop for anything.
She watched his figure disappear and collapsed onto the ground.
The queen stumbled through the woods, picking up berries and such.
Eventually she found a cave, its entrance covered by vines and long
tree branchs. Cautiously, she pulled back the covering and crept in.
It was dark, and the air felt a little moist. Animals, perhaps
dangerous ones, were no doubt inhabiting the cave. But that meant
nothing because the speeder in the center of the small area absorbed
all her attention.
Amidala ran over to it, and opened the hatch. Throwing a leg over to
side, she jumped in. The controls were cool and smelled of mildew, but
when she pressed them, they worked. Lights filled her surroundings, and
the gentle hum was music to her ears. Her hand, nervous, hovered over
the radio controls then quickly snapped them on.
They too worked. If she so desired, she could contact her people and
arrange for her rescue. Or...Amidala thought, she could send a message
to Master Yoda and the Jedi Council. If anyone else knew how wonderful
and good Obi-wan really was, and how powerful he could become without
restraints, it was the Order that had trained him.
It was a choice that would make all the difference in the world. Should
she try to save herself and let things play out as they would? Or did
she owe her loyalty to Obi-wan. It was her safety, after all, that
first brought him to the mess.
Amidala stared at the controllers again and made her choice.
"This is Queen Amidala with very distressing news. Master Obi-wan
Kenobi has fallen into darkness. My own people played a part in his
descent and I don't think they can help him. I need you, Master Yoda,
and your people. We are on Parisia, in the B'lanni system and but I
don't know for how much longer. He plans for us to leave soon. Please,
help us both."
********
Master Yoda watched the message with a heavy heart. It was as he had
thought. The brightest, strongest, and most confused Master had turned
to that forbidden realm of evil. Across from him, Mace Windu raised an
eyebrow.
Obi-wan didn't belong on that side of the war, Yoda knew that. Whatever
doubts ate away at his mind, Obi-wan was filled with the kind of rare
goodness that made being a Jedi hard. He felt too much, despite all the
training.
"Retrieve him, we must. Belong with the Sith, Obi-wan does not."
"It will not be an easy task. Master Kenobi *is* a Sith now, and they
are always formidable foes. We risk losing more men and gaining
nothing."
"Always a risk, there is. Have faith in the Force, you should."
"How many will you send?"
"Only one. Attempt to rescue Obi-wan myself, I will."
"Sir?" Asked a quite voice. Yoda and Windu both turned to see young
Anakin Skywalker standing in the door way, listening and frowning. He
took a bold step forward. "I want to too. I need to. Please?"
There was a pause before Yoda nodded his head. "Very well."
************
They didn't stop anywhere in the B'lanni system. They kept going,
farther and farther, until Obi-wan was sure that no one was following
them too closely. He rather loved the feeling of soaring through the
air and Amidala clutching at his side. It was the ultimate freedom. But
it ended when he stopped in a small system for fuel.
"Ami Dearest," He said while packing what little belongings they had
into a pouch. "We're gonna find a new ship. I'm thinking something big,
this time around."
She went along with it, there was little she else she could do.
Smile, nod, and stay alive.
They found a bar, filled with smelly, treacherous, vile people. A
scantily clad singer, dressed in a stringy, thin material, had all the
drooling, mind-numb men mesmerized and the bartender, a short man with
a blue face and loose arms sat pouring a drink from one cup into the
other. Amidala raised an eyebrow as Obi-wan led her on, but spoke
nothing.
The Jedi helped her into a stool at the counter and waved to the
bartender for service.
"Greeting," Said the man with a nasaly voice. "What do you want."
"The very best."
"That'll be six credits, please."
With a roll of his eyes, Obi-wan said "You're not going to charge me
anything. We can have it for free."
The bartender nodded blankly. "I'm not going to charge you anything.
You can have it for free."
"That's better." Obi-wan picked up his glass and spun the stool around,
so that he had a clear view of the rest of the place. He snorted when
the crowd cheered, the singer having put down her microphone and
resorted to dancing. "Look at the garbage." He muttered, taking a sip.
"Low class garbage working off of no talent and a mediocre body." he
eyes drifted to Amidala sitting stiff, peering into the dark liquid
before her.
"What's the matter, Ami?"
"Nothing!" She jumped. "Nothing, Obi-wan. I'm just tired, thats all."
"Don't worry, I'll find us a place to rest."
"Sure."
He raised her chin. "Hey, its all right. Soon you'll be back in royal
garbs and commanding a galaxy. And we will be the happiest people in
the whole world."
"I can't wait."
Obi-wan pulled at the shoulder of a man walking by. "Give me the keys
to you're room."
The passer gave him a look that said Pry-them-from-my-cold-dead-hands.
"I paid good money for this room, I'm not going to give it to some
maniac on the bar counter."
Obi-wan shoved the man's face into the counter in a rouch motion. "See
that pretty lady, she needs to sleep. To do that, she needs a room."
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I preventing you from getting it on with some
street-side dame? Forgive me-" Those were the last words he could say.
And, arguably, the last words he might ever say. No sooner had a cocky
smile touched his lips than Obi-wan smashed it off with a swift blow to
the head. The man was knocked to the ground, unconcious, and Obi-wan
pulled out a saber. Across the man's cheek, he burned a scar. With a
glance around the room, he shouted, "Tell this man what happened when
he revives. And the next time anyone interfere's with me or my lady,
they die on the end of this saber."
He tossed the keys to Amidala. "Go to the room. I'll be there in a
bit." The crowd parted for him, some flinching at his brush against
them. A brave soul near the exit called to him. "Hey Jedi, you could've
just used your Force-thing. Arosi wasn't too bright."
"Yeah," Obi-wan answered. "I could have."
*******************
Obi-wan stepped out of the room and walked down to the area below. The
tacky lights were on in another local bar, and screeching music came
blaring out at him. Couples, some real lovers, others paid-for-prizes,
were scattered about engaging in all sorts of activities.
One tall, slender woman slid over to Obi-wan's arm and latched on to
it. "Hey there, honey. Lookin' for a good time?"
He stared at her in such disgust that she pulled away and fell back
into the shadows, head hung low, like a scarecrow amidst dancing black
birds in a garden. "Sorry," she muttered before vanishing completely.
The Jedi kept up his walk.
came that haunting voice, no longer a sultry feminine
hush, but a ragged, aging cough.
Waiting? If that pitiful excuse for a Sith lord was waiting for
anything, it was Death. "You're wasting you're time." He answered,
shaking his head. "I'm not that confused man any longer. I know what I
want and I know how to get it. I don't need your manipulations."
"Master Qui-gon taught me how to be a Jedi, and love for Amidala
brought me to this point. Go find yourself someone content to be a
lackey. I have bigger things in mind."
Like a volcano, Obi-wan erupted. "You old man, have just signed you're
own death certificate! No one, not one single, solitary soul, can talk
to me about Ami like that and hope to live. Gather what strength you
have, because you'll need it when I find you."
The voice insisted.
"I said shut up!" He broke into a run and didn't stop until his legs
wobbled.
******************
When Obi-wan Kenobi returned to the quiant room, Amidala was standing
by the window pane, watching speeder after speeder zoom by. She didn't
react first at his presense, but her body changed, she could feel him
watching her now. He thought of what Sidious had said to him. 'She'll
only betray you.' That was impossible, of course. The old fool hadn't
know what he was talking about. Amidala was his, surely as the sky
could grow blacker than coal. No one could take her away.
"Do you like the view?" He asked, remaining a distance away.
"Its distracting. I like that right now."
"Hmmm. How do you feel now? Any better?"
"Yes. I'm much better, thank you. And you?"
"Drained."
"How so?"
He thought of how to explain the ever-growing weight of his soul.
"Think of a world, this constant, spinning sphere. Everyone takes for
granted the amount of Force and strength it takes to keep it going. It
can never show how tired it really is."
"And are you tired?"
"Maybe. But its more of a weariness. I could sleep forever and it would
only grow worse. I feel like I'm trying to get everything but I can
only grasp a few in my hands."
"You're a powerful man, Obi-wan. But even you can't have everything.
You need to have priorities. What do you want most of all?"
He touched her arm, just barely. With a playful chuckle, he responded:
"I have the whole universe at my fingertips. Both figuratively and
literally." The Queen blushed.
"If you could have one wish, Ami, what would it be?"
"I would wish," she answered slowly, making sure her words were
heartfelt and true -a bit of truth was appropriate now-, "that you
could really be free of all your troubles."
Obi-wan smiled, almost sadly, and stepped closer. He cuppped her head
in her hands, but his eyes were closed. And an old tender inflection
came into his voice as he whispered quietly, "I love you Amidala."
The Queen paused, trying to sense his emotions. But only clear devotion
was evident. Without any further hesitation, she leaned forward and
kissed him on the lips. And somehow, she knew that it was the real
Obi-wan responding. For a brief second, he was warm and sweet, holding
her like as though she were the greatest treasure in the world.
And then his arms stiffened and his touch grew cold. In a move so fluid
it made water look stiff, in less time than it took to blink, Obi-wan
had jerked violently away, spun around, and drawn out his saber. The
all too familiar sneer was back on his mouth when he acknowledged the
person standing in the doorframe.
"Yoda."