Be Careful What You Wish For

Rating: PG-13
FeedBack: Of Course! [email protected]
Category: Not long after TPM, during the time Obi-Wan is teaching young
Anakin Skywalker.
Disclaimer:I do not plan to make any profit off this story or any Star Wars
story; it is just for fun and enjoyment. LucasFilm owns all rights to Star
Wars. This is a tribute not only to Star Wars, but to another film icon,
Heavy Metal. Be careful what you wish for you may get it, assuming you want it
in the long run!

Obi-Wan stared at the strange multi-colored ball that seem more ethereal than
anything he had seen before. And yet. . .he sensed something dark-forced
about it that almost made him want to take his lightsaber and destroyed it.
But the moment passed as he remembered what the strange little creature he
had gotten the ball from said this thing could do. And Obi-Wan Kenobi forgot
everything the Jedi order had taught him, only wondering it the object could
really do such a thing.

"Three wishes, Jedi-san", he remembered the creature's words. "Whatever your
heart truly desires, the Pernicious Ball will evoke for you."

Obi-wan closed his eyes for a minute, remembering his master's last words to
him. "Teach the boy, Obi-Wan. . ."

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, and in that moment decided. "First wish. . . my own
light-saber restored to me." This would prove once and for all that this was
just some ordinary bauble, not something that could grant wishes.

He opened his hand, palm-side up, and the air glimmered above it. An object
formed out of the air and fell gently into his palm. It was Obi-Wan's
lightsaber, the same one he had lost in the battle with the dark being, two
weeks earlier! But as he peered closer, he saw that it was broken. Of course,
it had fell into that vast pit-- The Jedi placed it on the table by his
chair, and he prepared to make another wish.

"Master Obi-Wan, sir!" A voice called to him. It came from his padawan,
Anakin Skywalker. Irritation engulfing him, the young Jedi Master turned
around and found himself looking into the blue eyes of young Skywalker.

"What is it, Anni?" asked Obi-Wan, trying to gain control of himself.

"Master Obi-Wan, sir, I had a nightmare."

"What about?" inquired Obi-Wan, keeping all irritation out of his voice.

"I dreamed that you found some strange ball and it granted you three wishes.
One wish, which was your third one, brought Master Qui-Gon back from the
dead!" the boy answered, his voice full of fear.

"But how could bringing Master Qui-Gon back be bad, Anni?"

The boy gulped. "He wasn't like he was before he died, sir. He was. . . awful
and scary. It wasn't him, not the Master Qui-Gon we knew! It was something
else. . .dark and warped!"

Obi-Wan sighed wearily. "It was just a dream, Anakin. Go back to bed as we do
have much to study tomorrow."

The child said good-night and left Obi-Wan alone once more.

Once again, Obi-Wan felt the pull of the Pernicious Ball, as it seem to try
and lull him into a second wish. Yes, his lightsaber was damaged, but then it
had fallen from a great height. If it wasn't how he had wanted it--

Obi-Wan wished his second wish. "I wish for Qui-Gon Jinn to be alive once
more. . .please."

The ball hummed and glowed, becoming red-hot, searing Obi-Wan's palm and
causing him to drop it onto the carpeted floor beneath his feet. The young
Jedi Master stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over. He went to the
bathroom that was connected to his room. There he ran cold water over his
hand then bandaged it. He left and reentered his room where he picked up the
ball, now cold and quiet. A knock sounded at the door to his room.

"Who is it?" he inquired.

A voice replied from the other side of the door. "Open up, Obi-Wan. It's me,
Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan felt joy as it grew inside him at the familiar-sounding voice he
heard. It was Qui-Gon!

He headed for the door, but stopped. A tiny voice persisted, tugging in his
mind. Was it Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan? The Qui-Gon you knew, or the one burned on
that funeral pyre? Remember your lightsaber. . .and Anakin's nightmare--

He felt a connection to the Force then, warning him that all was not as it
should be. That the other wasn't who it should be, but an illusion of the
Darkside.

Quickly, he made a decision to make one last wish. "I wish that all was as it
was before I met the person who gave me this Pernicus Ball."

The ball became ice-cold to the touch, freezing his hand and a shadow covered
his mind.

Obi-Wan found himself conversing with Anakin as they walked a small
marketplace on Coruscant, filing past many colorful stalls of goods for sale.
At one he stopped before it and looked into the dark eyes of a strange
creature, hunched-backed and wearing a black hooded robe. It held a
multi-colored ball in the middle of its open palm and for a moment the ball
seemed to glow.

"Ah, Jedi-san," purred the creature, moving toward Obi-Wan, "A treasure of
infinite worth and need have I, the Pernicus Ball."

Obi-Wan snorted. "And how much?"

The creature grinned then, the smile, sharp-toothed and nasty. "For you,
great Jedi-san, nothing, nothing at all."

It held the ball closer to Obi-Wan and the Jedi Master saw himself in all of
the colors, shifting and reshaping. He peered closer and closer when he felt
something tugging on his robe.

"Master, can we go back to the Temple now?"

Obi-Wan broke out of his hypnotized state and looked down. He saw a
worried-looking Anakin.

The boy begged. "Let's go, Master-please."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Of course, Anni."

Then, ignoring the dealer and the ball he offered, Obi-Wan took young
Skywalker by the hand and they headed back to the Temple. Both could feel something dark in nature behind them as they hurried quickly.

As they were about to enter the main entrance of the Temple Obi-Wan heard
manical laughter, then a voice as it said gleefully, Soon, the Darkside will
come and cover the land, no matter how you wish it to be otherwise, Jedi-san!"

Once inside the Temple, and after waving Anakin to head on without him
Obi-Wan remained motionless.

He felt something-a disturbance in the Force-was it that creature, or--

"Well done, Obi-Wan, you are still learning and learning well, just as a
great Jedi knight should. Listen to the Force and let it serve you well."

Was that Qui-Gon's voice he had just heard? He called out to the emptiness
around him.

" Master Qui-Gon? "

Silence was the only answer he received.

THE END