Summary: An attack on the Jedi forcibly removes Obi-Wan from the Order.
With no memory of who he was, he begins a new life surrounded by darkness
and deception. Qui-Gon searches for Obi-Wan, believing him to be connected
to a new threat in the Outer Rim.
Spoilers: Jedi Apprentice #1 - #13 for now.
Disclaimer: This story is not intended to infringe upon the copyrights of George Lucas, LucasFilms, Scholastic Books, Jude Watson, or any other party affiliated with the Star Wars universe. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and not intended for profit. I don't own them, I'm just playing with them for a while...
**
Touched by Darkness
by danakate (danakate@danakate.com)
Chapter 7
He found something buried near his shelter. Hidden a good ways down into the ground, he never would have found it if he hadn't felt something, some unseen force call to him.
It was a simple object, a metallic cylinder no longer than three hand's widths. The weight seemed familiar in his hands, as if he'd possessed an object like it before.
For a while he merely stared at it, even long after he'd cleaned it of mud and grime. Something warned him to be careful, a feeling he was grateful he'd followed when he discovered the activation switch and a vibrant pillar of light shot out from one of its ends.
"Lightsaber," he breathed, unaware he'd spoken aloud.
The hum of the energy beam filled the air and a tingling sensation began in his mind like he was on the verge of remembering something. The feeling passed with nothing gained and frustration bubbled inside him. With a cry, he flung the lightsaber across the room, its blood red blade swiveling as it sailed through the air. It hit the far wall at an angle, the blade sinking in through the hard material partway before the beam shut off.
He stared, shocked and a little fearful. The hole in the wall smoldered, mocking him.
The lightsaber remained on the floor for the rest of the day.
*
"Master Jinn."
Qui-Gon turned at the call of his name. Mace Windu raised an eyebrow in question, but he waved the other Master ahead. Qui-Gon re-entered Senator Palpatine's office and stood respectfully just beyond the threshold.
"I was wondering," the Senator asked, emerging from behind his desk as a gesture of informality, "if I may inquire after the progress on the search for your missing Padawan?"
Qui-Gon blinked, careful to keep any emotion from his face.
"I must admit, Senator, I wasn't aware you knew of Obi-Wan." In fact, Qui- Gon was surprised the Senator kept informed of any Jedi doings at all.
"I have called upon the Jedi many a time, Master Jinn. I find it useful to keep abreast of goings on with the Order," he replied, half-smiling.
"I see. We are still researching leads," Qui-Gon responded curtly.
"Ah," Palpatine said as he realized he would get no more from the Jedi. "Well if my office can be of any assistance..."
"I thank you kindly for your offer," Qui-Gon replied with a bow.
"Do keep me informed," Palpatine ventured. "It would be quite the shame to lose a student with so much potential."
"Indeed," Qui-Gon said neutrally. "Force be with you, Senator."
*
Mace Windu bowed to an aide as Qui-Gon left the Senator's office. He walked over to Qui-Gon and they walked toward the building's lift.
"This task should be fairly straightforward," Windu said while they waited. "A series of negotiations on the affected planets should be all that is needed."
"Are you sure you're up to it, Qui-Gon?" the Council Member asked as they entered the lift.
Qui-Gon flashed him a neutral look. "I will be fine."
A heavy silence filled the descending lift.
"Am I to assume I will be sent alone?" Qui-Gon asked.
"The Council feels your skills are all that are needed," Windu replied diplomatically. "To be truthful, I did not think you would accept additional assistance anyway."
"Oh?"
"You always preferred to work alone, old friend," Mace responded. "I'm actually surprised you agreed to go off planet."
Qui-Gon sighed heavily, his shoulders slightly bent.
"He's out there somewhere, Mace. Staying on Coruscant, while it has many opportunities to learn what we can of the abduction, does not get me any closer to where Obi-Wan may be."
"It's a big galaxy, Qui-Gon..."
"I know," he replied. "But I cannot stay idle any longer."
Windu nodded.
*
He stood just outside his shelter, the setting sun casting long shadows all around him. A soft breeze ruffled his hair and swirled the leaves. Slowly, his eyes closed but he remained where he was, unmoving.
He thought of nothing, releasing the frustrations of the past several days, and focused on the present. He felt comfort in the moment, no anxiety of past situations to tie him down, no apprehension of the future to hold him back. He merely was.
Unconsciously he began to move, his body flowing with rhythm and balance, his motions strong. He didn't dwell on what he was doing, understood his body remembered more than his mind allowed. His feet stepped, glided over the ground; his arms complemented their position. Offense. Defense. Offense. Defense. Back and forth he fought an invisible foe.
He opened his eyes, surprised to find the lightsaber in his hand. Its red beam blazed, overpowering the dying sunlight. He felt no fear this time.
Closing his eyes once more he resumed his movements, flawlessly incorporating the lightsaber into a deadly dance. He focused on the hum the beam made as it passed through the air, marking its territory.
*
Thousands of parsecs away, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn paused in mid-stride as he felt an ominous chill ripple through the Force.
*
Darth Maul crouched on the ground, head bent, and waited. His Master paced angrily before him. Idly, he wondered if he would be punished, a thought that brought him mixed feelings.
"How?"
The sharp voice of his Master pierced his thoughts.
"I do not know, my Master," he said.
"Rise."
Maul stood.
"You will find him," Sidious said, his voice frighteningly quiet. "He is not yet ready to be out from under our supervision." Sidious whirled and began walking away, his cloak falling around him.
"What if he meets other beings?" Maul asked. If the boy was moving in any direction away from his shelter, he would eventually be led to a settlement.
Sidious stopped and turned, glaring at his protégé with one eye.
"Kill them."
Maul shivered at the menace in his Master's voice. "Yes, my Master," he spoke. "I will not fail you, again."
"See that you don't," Sidious replied before disappearing into Coruscant's night.
----
To be continued.
**
Author's notes: Well, it's not nine months but it has still been a long time since my last post. Thanks much to everyone who keeps encouraging (guilting) me into writing more. :)
The writing in this part kind of sucks, but I'm more concerned with actually getting the story going than perfecting the prose. I'll go back later and refine things later.
Sigh. I'm going to have to give Amnesiac!Obi-Wan a name, soon.
-
Created: 2003-04-16
Spoilers: Jedi Apprentice #1 - #13 for now.
Disclaimer: This story is not intended to infringe upon the copyrights of George Lucas, LucasFilms, Scholastic Books, Jude Watson, or any other party affiliated with the Star Wars universe. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and not intended for profit. I don't own them, I'm just playing with them for a while...
**
Touched by Darkness
by danakate (danakate@danakate.com)
Chapter 7
He found something buried near his shelter. Hidden a good ways down into the ground, he never would have found it if he hadn't felt something, some unseen force call to him.
It was a simple object, a metallic cylinder no longer than three hand's widths. The weight seemed familiar in his hands, as if he'd possessed an object like it before.
For a while he merely stared at it, even long after he'd cleaned it of mud and grime. Something warned him to be careful, a feeling he was grateful he'd followed when he discovered the activation switch and a vibrant pillar of light shot out from one of its ends.
"Lightsaber," he breathed, unaware he'd spoken aloud.
The hum of the energy beam filled the air and a tingling sensation began in his mind like he was on the verge of remembering something. The feeling passed with nothing gained and frustration bubbled inside him. With a cry, he flung the lightsaber across the room, its blood red blade swiveling as it sailed through the air. It hit the far wall at an angle, the blade sinking in through the hard material partway before the beam shut off.
He stared, shocked and a little fearful. The hole in the wall smoldered, mocking him.
The lightsaber remained on the floor for the rest of the day.
*
"Master Jinn."
Qui-Gon turned at the call of his name. Mace Windu raised an eyebrow in question, but he waved the other Master ahead. Qui-Gon re-entered Senator Palpatine's office and stood respectfully just beyond the threshold.
"I was wondering," the Senator asked, emerging from behind his desk as a gesture of informality, "if I may inquire after the progress on the search for your missing Padawan?"
Qui-Gon blinked, careful to keep any emotion from his face.
"I must admit, Senator, I wasn't aware you knew of Obi-Wan." In fact, Qui- Gon was surprised the Senator kept informed of any Jedi doings at all.
"I have called upon the Jedi many a time, Master Jinn. I find it useful to keep abreast of goings on with the Order," he replied, half-smiling.
"I see. We are still researching leads," Qui-Gon responded curtly.
"Ah," Palpatine said as he realized he would get no more from the Jedi. "Well if my office can be of any assistance..."
"I thank you kindly for your offer," Qui-Gon replied with a bow.
"Do keep me informed," Palpatine ventured. "It would be quite the shame to lose a student with so much potential."
"Indeed," Qui-Gon said neutrally. "Force be with you, Senator."
*
Mace Windu bowed to an aide as Qui-Gon left the Senator's office. He walked over to Qui-Gon and they walked toward the building's lift.
"This task should be fairly straightforward," Windu said while they waited. "A series of negotiations on the affected planets should be all that is needed."
"Are you sure you're up to it, Qui-Gon?" the Council Member asked as they entered the lift.
Qui-Gon flashed him a neutral look. "I will be fine."
A heavy silence filled the descending lift.
"Am I to assume I will be sent alone?" Qui-Gon asked.
"The Council feels your skills are all that are needed," Windu replied diplomatically. "To be truthful, I did not think you would accept additional assistance anyway."
"Oh?"
"You always preferred to work alone, old friend," Mace responded. "I'm actually surprised you agreed to go off planet."
Qui-Gon sighed heavily, his shoulders slightly bent.
"He's out there somewhere, Mace. Staying on Coruscant, while it has many opportunities to learn what we can of the abduction, does not get me any closer to where Obi-Wan may be."
"It's a big galaxy, Qui-Gon..."
"I know," he replied. "But I cannot stay idle any longer."
Windu nodded.
*
He stood just outside his shelter, the setting sun casting long shadows all around him. A soft breeze ruffled his hair and swirled the leaves. Slowly, his eyes closed but he remained where he was, unmoving.
He thought of nothing, releasing the frustrations of the past several days, and focused on the present. He felt comfort in the moment, no anxiety of past situations to tie him down, no apprehension of the future to hold him back. He merely was.
Unconsciously he began to move, his body flowing with rhythm and balance, his motions strong. He didn't dwell on what he was doing, understood his body remembered more than his mind allowed. His feet stepped, glided over the ground; his arms complemented their position. Offense. Defense. Offense. Defense. Back and forth he fought an invisible foe.
He opened his eyes, surprised to find the lightsaber in his hand. Its red beam blazed, overpowering the dying sunlight. He felt no fear this time.
Closing his eyes once more he resumed his movements, flawlessly incorporating the lightsaber into a deadly dance. He focused on the hum the beam made as it passed through the air, marking its territory.
*
Thousands of parsecs away, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn paused in mid-stride as he felt an ominous chill ripple through the Force.
*
Darth Maul crouched on the ground, head bent, and waited. His Master paced angrily before him. Idly, he wondered if he would be punished, a thought that brought him mixed feelings.
"How?"
The sharp voice of his Master pierced his thoughts.
"I do not know, my Master," he said.
"Rise."
Maul stood.
"You will find him," Sidious said, his voice frighteningly quiet. "He is not yet ready to be out from under our supervision." Sidious whirled and began walking away, his cloak falling around him.
"What if he meets other beings?" Maul asked. If the boy was moving in any direction away from his shelter, he would eventually be led to a settlement.
Sidious stopped and turned, glaring at his protégé with one eye.
"Kill them."
Maul shivered at the menace in his Master's voice. "Yes, my Master," he spoke. "I will not fail you, again."
"See that you don't," Sidious replied before disappearing into Coruscant's night.
----
To be continued.
**
Author's notes: Well, it's not nine months but it has still been a long time since my last post. Thanks much to everyone who keeps encouraging (guilting) me into writing more. :)
The writing in this part kind of sucks, but I'm more concerned with actually getting the story going than perfecting the prose. I'll go back later and refine things later.
Sigh. I'm going to have to give Amnesiac!Obi-Wan a name, soon.
-
Created: 2003-04-16