| Title: One Apprentice, One Pathway #4: Changeover Author: Ginger Ninja Summary: On a visit to a strange planet, Obi-Wan picks up a gift for his girlfriend, Kyrana, unaware of it's amazing power... Archive: Anyone who wants it, just drop me an e-mail. Time Frame: Obi is 16 in this story Disclaimer: The legal stuff: Qui and Obi belong to Master George *falls to the floor and bows repeatedly* I'M NOT WORTHY!! I AM NOT WORTHY!!!! but Kyrana and Lena are MINE!!!!! Ha HAH! And Jaffaren and Calie belong to my good friend Tessa. Dedicated, forever, to Dara, Tessa, Laura and Jess, my other close friends and absolutely everyone who ever encouraged me to carry on writing! Please note the stuff in ~ is from a poem I wrote called The Uncertain Deep Order of series: Brewing (WIP) Hidden Twisted Changeover (WIP) // Indicates talking over a bond. / Indicates thought. ***Part One*** "This is truly amazing Master," sixteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi announced as he gazed around the scene before him. "I'm glad you think so Padawan," Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn replied with a smile. The pair were on a planet know as Obru, renowned for it's sprawling, ancient ruins of civilisations long since extinct. Ruins of towns, homes, places of worship, of study and of leisure could all be found within the dense green forests of Obru. But most impressive perhaps were the sites of amazing technological feats. From what historians said, the ancient people of Obru were incredibly advanced for their time. They had ships that travelled across the planet, microchips and many other basic versions of technology found in modern times. There was also gadgets lying around the place that were rumoured to be even more powerful and, in some cases, mysterious then technology found in the modern day. It had been these rumours that had sparked so much curiosity in Obru. With it's mix of ancient ruins and seemingly modern yet antiquated technology it was a truly unique historic place. Until recent years Obru had been all but closed to the outside galaxy. For fifty years it hadn't allowed anyone on the planet without prearranged permission. Before they had closed themselves off to the galaxy, Obru had had a thriving tourist industry. Unfortunately this industry had brought about many problems. Tourists began to take over the planet and damaged many of the ruins. The native people decided to close the planet in order to preserve the ancient civilisations and their technology. The only reason Obru had been forced to allow visitors land again was because of the terrible troubles the planet had faced with famines and droughts. But even now, it was a planet solely for careful research. The tourist industry would never be reopened. Obru had learnt its lesson. Qui-Gon had taken Obi-Wan to Obru for a history lesson in ancient Jedi, as it was believed many resided here at one time. A time so far in the past even Master Yoda had not been a part of it. Obi-Wan's eyes shone with sheer amazement as they travelled over the large hallway of the ancient temple he and Qui-Gon stood in. It was rectangle in shape, with six chipped stone pillars holding up the ceiling. The walls were covered in murals depicting the history of a people no longer part of the galaxy. The floor was littered with debris from the ceiling, including large chunks of masonry and tree roots that had descended from above. The ceiling was more or less intact but there were many little openings in the ceiling that allowed sunlight to filter through, illuminating the otherwise pitch-black recess of the massive temple. They walked through the hall and into a corridor that led to an enormous stairway that led to the temple altar. Ancient torches, all but destroyed due to time, lined the walls that led up to the altar. The stonework here was an eerie green colour, dyed that way due to chemical reactions in the stonework. An odd smell permeated the air and all seemed chilly. But none of this could keep Obi-Wan's exuberant spirits muted. "Race you!" he called out to his Master and bolted off up the stairs. Qui-Gon stood for a moment, hands on hips and grin on face. His poor, short-legged Padawan didn't stand a chance against beating him, even if he did have the benefit of youth on his side. Laughing a little, Qui-Gon took off after the hyperactive boy. As he had predicted, Qui-Gon soon caught up with Obi-Wan and swiftly overtook him by the time they were halfway up the massive staircase. Grinning, Qui-Gon looked over his shoulder. //Looks like the old man is going to win this time// Obi-Wan smirked. //Oh really?// Gathering the Force around him, Obi-Wan shot past Qui-Gon and was soon at the top of the stairway. On the very last step, he performed a half twisting somersault, landing facing the stairs just as Qui-Gon walked the last few steps slowly and meaningfully. "You cheated," he stated calmly, not even slightly breathless. Obi-Wan laughed. "No I didn't, you're just a bad loser." "A bad loser? I wasn't the one who used the Force when I was losing," Qui-Gon stated as he walked past Obi-Wan towards the main part of the huge altar. "No, all you used was your freakishly long legs," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, turning to follow Qui-Gon. "What was that Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at Obi-Wan. He held back a grin and maintained a stern look. "I said..." Obi-Wan paused thoughtfully, raising one hand to his chin. "Yes?" Qui-Gon prodded expectantly. "I said there were no rules therefore I didn't break any," Obi-Wan said, not quite suppressing his smugness. Qui-Gon raised one eyebrow. "Good save," he told Obi-Wan, patting the boy on the shoulder. Obi-Wan just grinned in response. The pair walked over to the main part of the altar, their footsteps echoing around them in the otherwise silent room. Now and then there was the sound of wildlife or of water dripping but it was predominantly quiet. The altar was lost in shadow as the roof above was perfectly intact. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan lit their glow rods and held them up as they looked around. Tiny animals scuttled away at the light, their claws clattering on the stone floor. Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon. "Creepy," he whispered with a grin, rubbing his arms as if cold. "Indeed," Qui-Gon whispered in return. Speaking loudly seemed wrong somehow so both Jedi kept their voices down. The pair inched forward, Obi-Wan looking at all the murals around him while Qui-Gon kept his eyes focused on the small stone pedestal in front of him. "These murals are fascinating," Obi-Wan commented, stepping nearer to them. "Look at this one Master! It seems to be showing some kind of ritual." Qui-Gon went to Obi-Wan and looked at the murals. They showed a rather odd event. There were two people, one outline in red, one outlined in blue. There was a stone in-between them. In the next picture there was just a spiky ball of white paint that was probably meant to be a ball of light. From what Qui-Gon could tell, the last picture was almost as if the two people touched some kind of rock and then somehow swapped positions around the stone. "Maybe it's some kind of ritual dance or something," Obi-Wan suggested, studying the pictures. "Maybe the rock stands for a god or goddess." "Maybe," Qui-Gon murmured. "How very interesting." Qui-Gon moved closer to the stone pedestal and Obi-Wan followed a moment later. The boy stepped around his Master. He looked at what was on the top of the pedestal. "Master look at this! It looks just like the stone in the murals," Obi-Wan said excitedly. The stone was clearly not a natural thing. It wasn't possible. It was as dark as space and had tiny multicoloured glowing lights floating around it. Obi-Wan reached out for it and placed his hand on it. The stone vibrated momentarily beneath his hand, then stopped. The stone heated his palm. Qui-Gon bent down and looked at the base of the pedestal. "There's some kind of ancient text here," he told his Padawan as he brushed away some of the dust that had collected on the ground. "Can you read it?" Obi-Wan asked as he also bent down to peer at the writing. Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. "Although I would never admit this to Yoda, all those long, boring lessons on ancient languages just paid off." Obi-Wan sniggered and watched as his Master traced a finger along the ancient, chipped stone tablet that was engraved in the floor underneath the pedestal. "Fascinating," Qui-Gon said more to himself than to Obi-Wan. "What does it say?" Obi-Wan asked impatiently. Qui-Gon cleared his throat dramatically. "'The Stone of...' hmm, I can't read that word...anyway, 'The Stone of something-or-rather is a gift to us from the gods. We must treat it with the utmost respect. Never should more than one person touch it if they do not wish to suffer the gods wrath'." Obi-Wan laughed a little and picked the stone up. "Looks like a pretty paper weight to me," he said. "I bet Kyrana would love it. Maybe I'll take it home for her." Qui-Gon frowned. "Well...if you're willing to risk the wrath of the gods..." Obi-Wan turned to face his Master, one eyebrow raised. "Tell me you are kidding." "I just think you should be careful. I have a bad feeling about this," Qui-Gon replied. "Hey, that's my line," Obi-Wan retorted as he placed the stone in his pocket, feeling the skin underneath it warm immediately. "Come on Master, what harm could come from a rock?" Qui-Gon chose to remain silent. ***** Later on, after much exploration and interesting discoveries, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan headed out of the massive structure and back out into the forest. They set up camp in a nearby clearing and prepared to turn in for the night. Wildlife fell silent as the night went on. A gentle breeze whispered through the trees. Everything on the planet seemed to be preparing to sleep. Tomorrow they would hike back to Obru's one and only spaceport, Lisgua, and head back to Courscant while they waited for the next assignment. Obi-Wan was particularly looking forward to returning to the Temple because he would get to spend time with his girlfriend, Kyrana, who he had not seen for six months. The last time they had been together for a long amount of time, they had nearly killed each other because they had been under the influence of drugs and alien technology. Obi-Wan shovelled down his ration bar, barely satisfying his hunger and then yawned loudly. "Go to bed Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon suggested. "It's been a long day." "Yeah but it sure was great!" Obi-Wan said with a grin. He pulled the stone out of his pocket. "Kyrana is going to love this," he commented as he inspected the stone for the umpteenth time. Qui-Gon smiled as Obi-Wan put the stone back in his pocket. "I'm sure she will." "Night then Master," Obi-Wan said and gave Qui-Gon a quick hug. "Night Obi-Wan. Early morning tomorrow, we want to catch that shuttle out of here," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan grumbled under his breath. "I despise early mornings." Qui-Gon laughed but decided against lecturing his Padawan in the importance of 'the early Padawan catches the lightsaber'. It was a saying his good friend, Master Jaffaren, was often telling it to his Padawan Calie, who was a good friend of Kyrana's. Obi-Wan shuffled off into his tent and was quickly changed into his sleep clothes and was asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Qui-Gon looked in on the boy once before heading off to his own tent, as equally tired. Soon, not a living being in the forest stirred. ***** ~...A twinkle of light...~ It was so peaceful in this place. Water dripped from all around. A figure floated peacefully in a large pond, not disturbed by the warmth and gentle breeze around her. ~...The sparkle of sunshine...~ Sunlight bounced off the water, and glittered from her long hair. ~...She could stay here forever...~ Slowly, almost lazily, she dove under the surface of the water and sank to the bottom. ~...The ominous silence...~ Strands of long, dark red hair swished over her peaceful face. Bubbles rose slowly from her nose and mouth. Her green eyes closed. ~... The gloom of the darkness...~ Her hair continued to swirl around her. Her lips became tinged with blue. The air bubbles slowed. Her peaceful look twisted. ~... The sudden fear that surfaces...~ She struggled to escape from the water but something held her down. Her mouth opened in a cry but only bubbles came out. ~...Just one more breath...~ Her hair drifted around her, pulled by invisible currents. ~...Just one more...~ Her mouth closed. ~...Just one...~ Her features slackened, the tension left her body. ~...Just...~ No more bubbles rose. ~ please ~ ***** With a cry, Obi-Wan sat bolt upright, panting for breath. Sweat dampened his clothes, causing them to stick to his body. He ran a hand over his eyes and back through his hair. He worked to calm his breathing. /Just a dream, it was just a dream./ Obi-Wan looked up and he could tell that it was daytime. /Good, that means I don't have to go back to sleep./ But the girl...she must have been Kyrana. But why had he dreamt that? His tent flap swung open. "Time to..." Qui-Gon's call died on his lips. "Obi-Wan? What's wrong?" Obi-Wan met his Master's eyes. "Just had a nightmare," he replied, hoping he sounded more casual than he felt. "Want to talk about it?" Qui-Gon asked and sat down. Obi-Wan pulled his knees to his chest. Hesitantly, he explained what he had dreamt to his Master. "It's probably just because you're so anxious to see her," Qui-Gon reasoned, placing an arm around the boy's shoulders. Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "Probably." "Right well, why don't you get dressed while I make breakfast then we can get packed and start heading back," Qui-Gon said and got up, stooping low so he didn't whack his head on the roof of the tent. Once his Master had left, Obi-Wan let out a pent up sigh as he slowly changed into his usual attire. He hated it when he had dreams like this. They always left him feeling odd. The stone in his pocket vibrated just a little more. ***End Part One*** |
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