Thanks, Misti. I couldn't let Anakin wander around clueless forever, could I?Actually I could, but that wouldn't be very interesting. And now for our next installment. Wherein our hero is mauled by an acklay, brainwashed by the Ssi Ruuvi, and run over by exactly twelve landspeeders as he wanders the galaxy in his usual stupor. Will he finally get a grip? Will he regain the ability to think rationally? Nah. But he'll be back on his feet and stumbling around for our next episode of Anakin Solo: The Eternal Sleepwalker. By the way, it was very helpful of you to clarify what the line breaks are for.
Sorry about the wait, by the way. I know this is a short little chapter, but the next is much longer.
The swish of the door opening startled Jaina, causing her to lose her grip on the precarious arrangement of a datapad, writing tool, and several sheets of flimsiplast that had been balanced over her knee. The pile collided with the floor in a flurry of rustling and clatter.
Jaina sighed in frustration. She gathered the junk up and set it on the bench beside her. At the other end, Qui-Gon suddenly opened his eyes. Siri Tachi looked up from a report on recent political disputes on Bothawui.
No act of clumsiness ever went unnoticed around here, thought Jaina. She smiled wryly.She could have sworn Master Jinn was asleep.While she was not as allergic to meditation as some, four hours of it on an uncomfortable hospital bench seemed a little extreme.
Luke Skywalker entered the room, looking slightly rushed.
"We've finally got some good news."
Jaina watched in surprise as her uncle quickly levitated the items off of the bench, and arranged them in mid-air with so much elaborate maneuvering of objects that she was reminded of the dogfights she and her brothers used to have using plastic ships.
Now neatly arranged, the assortment of things touched down on the floor adjacent to the stasis unit containing Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke sat down between Jaina and Qui-Gon, pulling back the hood of his robe.
Surprise turned to near shock as Luke grinned at her. She hadn't seen him appear so unworried, even cheerful, in months. He often seemed to be either solemn or overwhelmed by stress these days.
Jaina felt a bit guilty that she hadn't even realized how worn-out he appeared until noticing the absence of his usual anxiety.
"The doctors say they'll be able to start bringing him out of stasis soon." He gestured towards Kenobi's unconscious form.
A look of relief crossed Qui-Gon's face. "That is reassuring." His voice took on a more humorous tone. "My life has been far too quiet lately."
"It's about time." Siri sounded slightly irritated. "If I have to deal with that Ianth much longer, you'll be investing in ysalamiri and a padded cell for me."
Qui-Gon added, "She is competent and I can respect that, but I have to say the stress of the job seems to make her a bit difficult at times."
Jaina was highly amused by this, though she tried not to show it. Coming from these two, this was almost a Zekk-style character analysis.
Zekk's evaluations tended to take into account complicated theories about the subject's possible species, personal hygiene, bizarre compulsive habits, devious motives, and style of underwear; they were not for the faint of heart or the humorless.
As she turned to look at the speakers, the face under the transparisteel caught her eye. Somehow, she had difficulty connecting the young man before her with the ancient hermit of Uncle Luke's stories. She wondered if it was stranger for her uncle, since he had actually known Kenobi at that time.
Jaina quietly picked up a piece of flimsiplast, and again began scribbling notes on the Outer Rim map. The others continued talking while she marked another probable location of Imperial activity.