The Fear of Death.
Aug. 29th, 2007 01:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quigonejinnFor ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
babel, even though she never asked for this story and doesn't even love Star Wars anymore. She knows why this story was written with her in mind, though. XD
Once upon a time, there was a grassland planet.
...
Long hills gave rise to micro-climates, and bringing the shuttle to the rendezvous point took skill: nevertheless, as far as Obi-Wan could tell, there was nothing to distinguish this spot from any other. There were hills, but hills ran down much of the spine of the continent. A cluster of trees in the distance signaled water, but ponds and small bodies of water were to be expected. This was not a desert planet, and after landing, Qui-Gon went on a solitary meditation. It had been cramped going for the better part of a week on the cargo ship, so it was some time before he returned. Dark had fallen, and Obi-Wan had lit the fire and made the camp site.
Qui-Gon helped himself to a significant portion of reconstituted stew. He made some discussion of what he had seen while walking to the site that he chose for his meditation.
After a while, though, Obi-Wan looked down at his empty plate. He was twelve and had an appetite disproportionate to his size.
"If you want more stew, Obi-Wan, you are welcome to it." The campfire lit Qui-Gon's face from below, and he seemed amused. "I have had more than enough."
"Master," Obi-Wan asked, frowning. "If the resident sentient species is truly solitary, how do they reproduce?"
...
There was plenty of life on the grassland planet. Most of it was small, but Obi-Wan woke in the morning to an enormous rustling sound that seemed to come from every corner and crevice of the world: it was, apparently, produced by an eight-legged hopping insect that lived in the grass. There were enormous numbers of them, and they called to each other until the heat of the noon sun drove them silent. Birds passed overhead, and a four-legged creature with a dark red pelt began to visit the fringe of their camp. It had yellow eyes and a long pink tongue that showed when it yawned.
"Master," Obi-Wan asked. "If the resident species is solitary, do they have a language?"
Qui-Gon lifted his eyebrows, then went back to reading.
...
On the third day, Obi-Wan went exploring. The cluster of trees visible from the campsite lay west, so he went east across the hills. He took water and food and, just in case, an insurance beacon in case he should run into trouble. It was strange to walk without his lightsaber -- he had left it behind at Qui-Gon's insistence. Think of it as training, Padawan, and after a while, the red-colored animal from the campsite appeared and went with him. At times, it followed; at others, it ran before him, catching insects that jumped out of the grass ahead of Obi-Wan.
At lunch, Obi-Wan offered it half of his protein bar. It refused, but brought out what Obi-Wan assumed were its offspring.
They were willing to eat bits from his fingers, and eventually, Obi-Wan lay down on the hillside, in the afternoon sun, with the boldest two in his lap. Perhaps, he supposed, just before falling asleep, they were not afraid because they, too, were Force-sensitive.
...
"Master, what happens to a Jedi when he dies?"
There was a moment of silence -- or rather, there was a moment where Qui-Gon did not answer. It was raining noisily, with great enthusiasm, and they had been forced to take shelter in the shuttle itself since their camping gear was insufficient to keep the rain off of them. The hangar bay was still open, though, to bring the fresh air into the confined space. Still, they sat very close to each other, and Qui-Gon had to stretch his legs out almost until the rain.
Obi-Wan, being shorter, did not have this problem, and it took Qui-Gon a moment to answer. "I have assigned you the readings, Obi-Wan. You have all the information, both clinical and philosophical, available on death."
"I know what the information is, but what happens? What do you think dying is like?"
Qui-Gon considered him. They had been working in the field since Obi-Wan was seven, and Obi-Wan had seen men and women and children die. On occasion, he, himself, had killed, and finally, Qui-Gon smiled.
"You ask an enormous number of questions." A pause, and Qui-Gon raised his finger and pointed directly at Obi-Wan's face.
"There is stew on your cheek. You will find, Padawan, that root vegetables detract from a Jedi's bearing. Particularly when they are in brown sauce."
In the embarrassment that followed, Obi-Wan almost forgot the question that he intended to ask after: is it likely we will die on our next mission? The Order has decided to send us to Shrakar, after all.
...
During the sixth night, they woke to find the child in the encampment: it had either been left there or come by itself. Obi-Wan was surprised that its approach had not woken them earlier, and Qui-Gon later expounded, at great length, his theories about why the Force had not roused them, but the immediate surprise was that it could walk. A pass with the medical scanner indicated that it was only a week and a half in age, and they could both feel the Force, strong and bright, in the child. This was, indeed, the child they had been sent to receive, and while the child did not say anything, when Obi-Wan picked it up, it stuck two fingers into its mouth and began looking around with interest and a complete lack of fear.
It was dark, and there were many things that Obi-Wan did not understand about the planet. Nevertheless, there were also the stars, and a child who would become a Jedi knight turned its face to look at them. Qui-Gon had turned his face to feel the night wind blowing through the grasslands. The same wind lifted the edges of Obi-Wan's robes.
There was, Obi-Wan thought, closing his eyes, too much joy to fear death.
...
Once upon a time, there was a grassland planet, and once upon a time, there was a species of creature that never felt grief or loneliness. Even fear was a distant, strange thing.
Once upon a time, there had been a Jedi Order, and once upon a time, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been young.
babel, even though she never asked for this story and doesn't even love Star Wars anymore. She knows why this story was written with her in mind, though. XD Once upon a time, there was a grassland planet.
...
Long hills gave rise to micro-climates, and bringing the shuttle to the rendezvous point took skill: nevertheless, as far as Obi-Wan could tell, there was nothing to distinguish this spot from any other. There were hills, but hills ran down much of the spine of the continent. A cluster of trees in the distance signaled water, but ponds and small bodies of water were to be expected. This was not a desert planet, and after landing, Qui-Gon went on a solitary meditation. It had been cramped going for the better part of a week on the cargo ship, so it was some time before he returned. Dark had fallen, and Obi-Wan had lit the fire and made the camp site.
Qui-Gon helped himself to a significant portion of reconstituted stew. He made some discussion of what he had seen while walking to the site that he chose for his meditation.
After a while, though, Obi-Wan looked down at his empty plate. He was twelve and had an appetite disproportionate to his size.
"If you want more stew, Obi-Wan, you are welcome to it." The campfire lit Qui-Gon's face from below, and he seemed amused. "I have had more than enough."
"Master," Obi-Wan asked, frowning. "If the resident sentient species is truly solitary, how do they reproduce?"
...
There was plenty of life on the grassland planet. Most of it was small, but Obi-Wan woke in the morning to an enormous rustling sound that seemed to come from every corner and crevice of the world: it was, apparently, produced by an eight-legged hopping insect that lived in the grass. There were enormous numbers of them, and they called to each other until the heat of the noon sun drove them silent. Birds passed overhead, and a four-legged creature with a dark red pelt began to visit the fringe of their camp. It had yellow eyes and a long pink tongue that showed when it yawned.
"Master," Obi-Wan asked. "If the resident species is solitary, do they have a language?"
Qui-Gon lifted his eyebrows, then went back to reading.
...
On the third day, Obi-Wan went exploring. The cluster of trees visible from the campsite lay west, so he went east across the hills. He took water and food and, just in case, an insurance beacon in case he should run into trouble. It was strange to walk without his lightsaber -- he had left it behind at Qui-Gon's insistence. Think of it as training, Padawan, and after a while, the red-colored animal from the campsite appeared and went with him. At times, it followed; at others, it ran before him, catching insects that jumped out of the grass ahead of Obi-Wan.
At lunch, Obi-Wan offered it half of his protein bar. It refused, but brought out what Obi-Wan assumed were its offspring.
They were willing to eat bits from his fingers, and eventually, Obi-Wan lay down on the hillside, in the afternoon sun, with the boldest two in his lap. Perhaps, he supposed, just before falling asleep, they were not afraid because they, too, were Force-sensitive.
...
"Master, what happens to a Jedi when he dies?"
There was a moment of silence -- or rather, there was a moment where Qui-Gon did not answer. It was raining noisily, with great enthusiasm, and they had been forced to take shelter in the shuttle itself since their camping gear was insufficient to keep the rain off of them. The hangar bay was still open, though, to bring the fresh air into the confined space. Still, they sat very close to each other, and Qui-Gon had to stretch his legs out almost until the rain.
Obi-Wan, being shorter, did not have this problem, and it took Qui-Gon a moment to answer. "I have assigned you the readings, Obi-Wan. You have all the information, both clinical and philosophical, available on death."
"I know what the information is, but what happens? What do you think dying is like?"
Qui-Gon considered him. They had been working in the field since Obi-Wan was seven, and Obi-Wan had seen men and women and children die. On occasion, he, himself, had killed, and finally, Qui-Gon smiled.
"You ask an enormous number of questions." A pause, and Qui-Gon raised his finger and pointed directly at Obi-Wan's face.
"There is stew on your cheek. You will find, Padawan, that root vegetables detract from a Jedi's bearing. Particularly when they are in brown sauce."
In the embarrassment that followed, Obi-Wan almost forgot the question that he intended to ask after: is it likely we will die on our next mission? The Order has decided to send us to Shrakar, after all.
...
During the sixth night, they woke to find the child in the encampment: it had either been left there or come by itself. Obi-Wan was surprised that its approach had not woken them earlier, and Qui-Gon later expounded, at great length, his theories about why the Force had not roused them, but the immediate surprise was that it could walk. A pass with the medical scanner indicated that it was only a week and a half in age, and they could both feel the Force, strong and bright, in the child. This was, indeed, the child they had been sent to receive, and while the child did not say anything, when Obi-Wan picked it up, it stuck two fingers into its mouth and began looking around with interest and a complete lack of fear.
It was dark, and there were many things that Obi-Wan did not understand about the planet. Nevertheless, there were also the stars, and a child who would become a Jedi knight turned its face to look at them. Qui-Gon had turned his face to feel the night wind blowing through the grasslands. The same wind lifted the edges of Obi-Wan's robes.
There was, Obi-Wan thought, closing his eyes, too much joy to fear death.
...
Once upon a time, there was a grassland planet, and once upon a time, there was a species of creature that never felt grief or loneliness. Even fear was a distant, strange thing.
Once upon a time, there had been a Jedi Order, and once upon a time, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been young.
