LIVING HISTORY
by ardavenport
= = = Part 26
The orchestra swept through a dramatic section of music. "To officially welcome you, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Living History Lands, Twees Awn MWETTA!" A woman in tan clothes with the Chancellor's name hanging around her neck stepped forward on the platform and the lights all converged on her. She winced from the brightness and backed up a step. Mwatt's com sounded and he answered it.
"How are they going to do this with the Chancellor?" a Person nearby asked Someone Else.
"The Chancellor and all the others have done this for all the other History Plays. They kept the layout and the routine the same, just changed all the names for each one," Someone Else answered in the shadows where the bright lights weren't shining.
"All right, lets try it again," Mwatt called out. The show lights went down, the music went out with a few objecting horn blasts; the regular lighting returned instantly and Tamwa Hall went back to being a huge empty indoor theater.
There were a couple more false starts with different things going wrong. The orchestra missed their cue. Something loud crashed behind the black walls at the back of the stage. The announcer coughed. But they finally got the pseudo-Chancellor out onto her floater. Then her pseudo staff. The pseudo-senior members of the Maarzim government. The pseudo-off-world ambassadors.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan took their places on the platform.
"Venerate Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Venerate Jedi Apprentice Obi-Wan KENOBI!" The music swelled again. Arms folded before them inside the sleeves of their robes, they both half-closed their eyes in the glare and presented themselves to a theater full of sound, lights and empty chairs. They stepped forward together and the floater took them away. It was a very smooth ride, with good inertial compensation, over to their viewing platform where they stepped off, formally stood, bowed and then sat down.
They stayed seated while the announcer called out the Castle staff. The chairs were comfortable with plush red seats and high backs, with Qui-Gon's chair half a step higher than Obi-Wan's. They had a full view of the tilted stage on the front right side. Resting in a slot by the right armrests of each seat was a flat handheld data screen, but they were dark and wouldn't activate. The introductions were soon over, the orchestra wound down and the normal room lights came back. They could hear people calling out and talking below, but not what was being said. After a few minutes a voice that was not the announcer filled the Hall.
"All right, we've had some problems with the recorders. We need to try it again one more time."
Moans echoed in the Hall. Some people in the orchestra made rude noises with their instruments. The two Jedi stood and waited for their turn to get a ride back to the platform on one of the floaters. When not in use, the floaters parked themselves high up by the walls on either side of the stage.
Back in the modified gallery, the atmosphere had turned casual, people softly chatting, making jokes. Except around the Jedi.
Obi-Wan detected a noticeable zone of silence immediately around them. He supposed that it was because they were real Venerates and not the Castle staff that everyone else was used to. Qui-Gon stood in his formal semi-meditative pose and Obi-Wan did the same, feeling annoyed that, between his confrontations with Director Tykon and jumping out of the tower, his Master had made himself so infamous on this mission.
The second rehearsal of their entrances proceeded with no problems and they were released when it was done, though Mwatt spoke to them briefly before they left. Since Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knew the Mystery, they would be taken to a special, private place with the Castle Custodians for the intermission, separate even from the Chancellor and other highly placed partons. Qui-Gon thanked him and they left.
There was a gate now blocking the corridor back to the tower and it appeard that Custodian Tykon was staying for the Play rehearsals. Unconcerned, Qui-Gon joined the others and Obi-Wan followed them through the security gate out of the gallery.
Custodian Grawden met them at the entrance to the corridor leading to other parts of the Castle. He apologized for their circuitous route. With Tamwa Hall and its adjacent rooms devoted to the History Play, the direct path to their new rooms was blocked. On their way through the Castle passageways Obi-Wan saw much more activity than he had seen only a few days ago. Stacks of new supplies in open courtyards being distributed, people cleaning and scrubbing with old fashioned instruments, floaters of furniture and fresher units similar to one they had been using in the tower apartment. Everyone walked quickly, but they always stood aside for their escort when they saw the Jedi behind him. They finally reached a door at the end of a short corridor off a busy main one. A temporary sign designating it as a guest room covered up a more permanent plaque. Grawden opened the door and gave Qui-Gon the key slat. They first entered a sitting room dominated by a large desk and stout low chairs. The walls were dark blue with inset dark wood cabinets. Behind the desk, screened windows opened into a garden courtyard where a crew distributed boxes to a line of Custodians. Along with the scents of flowers and plants, the savory scents drifting in from outside indicated a food preparation facility somewhere nearby.
Grawden led them into a second room dominated by a large sleeping platform in a heavy dark wooden frame, their packs rested on a padded bench at the end. He manually slid open a door and held a hand out to the fresher. There was an enormous bathing tub made of polished stone, cabinets, a big stone wash basin and another sliding door that their guide pushed open and a light came on. There was the usual seat, sized for typical humanoids, for elimination of bodily waste along with an aromatic bundle of leaves hanging from the ceiling. Grawden put his hands together.
"Naardin reclaims all waste as it has for thousands of years. All of the Living History Lands live in harmony with the native fauna which we also preserve. All - - "
"Eeeeeeeee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk. Eeeeeeee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk!"
It wasn't loud, but it definitely came from below, from the fresher seat, along with a faint trickling sound of water. Grawden winced.
"Just as there is an ecology that we support and are supported by up above, there is also one down below and - - "
"Eeeeee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk! Mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah."
Obi-Wan suppressed a smile and he could see his Master doing the same.
"And sometimes the below-fauna is more active - - "
"Mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah."
Qui-Gon raised his hand. "I trust that there are sufficient barriers between the fauna above and below? And that these facilities otherwise work in the usual way?"
"Yes, of course," Grawden assured them with relief. "But some guests find the noises disturbing, especially at night, so we usually assign guests to the towers. Particularly this time of year."
"This time of year?" Qui-Gon inquired.
Grawden grimaced. "It's mating season."
Obi-Wan lowered his head and covered his mouth.
"Eeeee-eeee-eee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk! Mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh."
"It will not disturb us. We have dealt with far more challenging facilities. This will do fine."
Such as Jedi survival training where the 'facilities' were a hole and a lightsaber. But Obi-Wan did not say anything.
They left the fresher. Grawden offered the Castle services for cleaning any of their clothes, but they had already used the unit in the tower on the previous evening and had clean changes of clothes in their travel packs. Grawden bowed and promised to return at midday meal and later when they were needed for the official reception. He bowed and excused himself.
"Custodian Grawden."
Standing in the doorway, the young man turned.
"Please thank Custodian Tykon for the use of her rooms tonight. My Padawan has told me how crowded conditions have been for you while preparing for this event. We appreciate her sacrifice."
Grawden smiled and nodded back. "I will tell her." He left.
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"So, everything has been going well, during your stay on our world?" The Minister of Public Resources balanced his drink and small plate in one hand while popping golden nuggets of reception snacks into his mouth with the other. He chewed with his mouth open.
"Yes, except for the delays, everything seems to be going well, though you would need to ask the other members of the Creative Committee for any details. My Padawan and I spent most of our time in the tower."
"Oh, well we can't talk to them. Not before the big performance." He laughed and a little chunk of nugget came flying out. "But while you were . . . interacting with them, there weren't any conflicts or anything?" The government official looked up at Qui-Gon with inquisitive brown eyes.
Qui-Gon gave him a minimal shrug. "Not really."
"Ooooh." Disappointed, he sipped his drink. He had cornered Qui-Gon by a tall plant near the edge of the outdoor garden where the reception was being held. It was fairly standard for diplomatic affairs. Food. Drink. A receiving line with the new Chancellor of the Living History Lands. She was a modestly dressed, pleasant, slim, small older woman with a warm smile and very short, silvering black hair. She worked the reception line with a politician's skill and an attention to detail like a mother welcoming her new family. The Castle Custodians muttered favorably about their first meeting after their turns in the line.
When the Jedi presented themselves to her, she smiled up at Qui-Gon; the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest.
"So, you're the one who is supposed to have tamed the wild and mighty Tykon."
Qui-Gon did not answer her comment with anything more than an eyebrow raise and she did not follow it up with any questions to worm out any juicy, delectable details about what was rumored to have been going on during the auditions . . . . unlike the Minister of the Public Resources, who finally got bored with Qui-Gon's vague answers and moved on. The sky above was darkening, lanterns above coming on. The party would break up soon. It was only a formality. Afterwards, the new Chancellor and her staff would be meeting with the Castle Custodians about the mundane details of the new regime.
By the refreshment table, Obi-Wan, holding a plate full of food, chatted with a couple of off-world ambassadors. Qui-Gon was pleased to see that his apprentice was quite skillful at deflecting the intrusive queries about the History Play auditions. He was showing some talent for diplomacy, a very positive and useful characteristic for a young Jedi. Obi-Wan disdained politicians as much as Qui-Gon did, but he had learned how to be civil with them and even see their points of view, even if they were disagreeable to him.
From the corner of his eye, Qui-Gon saw another Minister eyeing him speculatively, sizing him up for an approach. Qui-Gon pushed himself away from the plant. They had done their diplomatic duty for the day; it was time to collect his apprentice and retreat.
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"Eeeee-ee-ee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk! Mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah."
"Pfff-kkk."
"Obi-Wan."
"Sorry, Master."
"Eee-ee-ee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk! Eeeeee-ee-ee-tk-tk-tk-tk! Mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah. Eeee-tk-tk-tk! Mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mawh- mwah."
"Ppp-ff-pp-fff-kkk."
"Obi-Wan."
"Sorry, Master. Pp-fff-kk."
Qui-Gon opened his eyes and turned to his apprentice. They sat cross-legged on the bench at the end of the sleeping platform in their temporary room. The noise was not very loud at all, but even with the doors to the fresher closed, the amorous denizens of the Naardin sewers made themselves heard. Obi-Wan had a hand to his mouth, hiding a grin.
The biggest distraction to a clear mind to the Force was not noise, nor threat of dismemberment, hot, cold, nor even itchy clothes. It was humor. And if the Padawan started laughing then there was not going to be a lot of meditating. Worse, with more than one Padawan, the giggles were contagious. Humor and laughter were healthy, but there was a time and place for them. And this was not it.
"You find our new surroundings funny, my young apprentice?" They had both washed and used the facilities while the noises continued, with plenty of time for Obi-Wan to adapt to the novelty.
"Sorry. I was just imagining what their other guests must think about those creatures and what they're doing."
Imagination was also a great distraction to the focus a Jedi needed to train.
"I would presume that is why they lodge their guests in the towers of the Castle where the activities down below cannot be heard - - "
"Ee-ee-ee-tk-tk-tk-tk! Eeeeee-ee-ee-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk-tk!
" - - Perhaps," Qui-Gon unfolded his long legs. "Custodian Tykon's desk may have a holo-receiver in it and we could check the public feeds to find out more information about these creatures and that would satisfy your curiosity about them?"
Immediately straightening, Obi-Wan assumed a more serious posture. "No, Master. That won't be necessary." He faced forward, his Padawan's lock in profile, and closed his eyes, arms resting on his knees.
Qui-Gon quirked his own smile that his apprentice could not see. He resumed his position and cleared his mind.
"Mwaaaaaaaaah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-m wah-mwah."
= = = End Part 26