Title:- “This Silent Place” Author:- Geraldine Stokes elim@xtra.co.nz Archive:- m_a yes, my homepage https://members.tripod.com/~elims_trip/index.html ,other ask first and you’re welcome to it :) Category:- AU, angst, pre-slash, action/adventure, drama Ratings:- PG13 Spoilers:- what doesn’t it spoil? :) It is assumed you’ve seen all the movies and know what’s happening to Luke et al, while Obi-Wan & Yoda are busy doing other things. A number of SW books are mentioned directly or vaguely.

Warnings:- *very* AU, only vaguely Q/O until the end, also Obi-Wan’s Padawan could almost be described as a Mary-Sue. In that she is based on a little on me and believes that Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan are soul mates, who never quite got together before Qui-Gon was killed. So damned if she isn’t going to do something about it :)

AU note:- with 2 exceptions, imagine this Universe did happen almost the same way as the movies and books up to “I, Jedi” by Michael A. Strackpole. But Obi-Wan wasn’t killed and Yoda is also still alive, admittedly I’m picturing Yoda as about 100 years younger than he was in the movies. Secondly there was a organised resistance of Jedi, run by Yoda and Obi-Wan to a lesser extent. (Also run by Rostek Horn - a character from “I, Jedi” who had been best friends with a Jedi and had adopted his son when the Jedi had died in the clone wars. The Jedi’s grandson - Corran (Halcyon) Horn is one of the main characters in the book & my story).

Short summary for m_a and other archives:- Obi-Wan has to live with the knowledge that Qui-Gon was his soul mate and with his death, Obi-Wan has to spend the rest of his life alone. And how Obi-Wan tries to cope up to the point the Emperor decides Obi-Wan and Yoda have to die before they can arrange the new Jedi order starting in A New Hope.

Feedback:- Yes please! :) At elim@xtra.co.nz

//..... // means telepathy

“Looking out from this silent place
A ray of light to darkest space
A warm wind gently blowing across your face
So lift up your eyes
Slowly to the sky
And dream about a place were we could be
Cause I can see
You standing there with me
If you can wait until tomorrow
I’ll meet you there”
A unseen Qui-Gon singing to Obi-Wan straight
after TPM

***

Time - end of The Phantom Menace

Obi-Wan lashed out at Maul with the last of his strength, hitting him in the waist and pushing Maul backwards into the shoot. Only realising that Maul was dead, he staggered over to his Master.

Unable to think clearly, because of the strange sensations shooting through their bond, all Obi-Wan could do was seek physical contact. As their minds meet, he drops his shields to comfit Qui-Gon.

As soon as their minds touched without any of the usual shields they both knew two things. They had both always know they were both half of a soul bond, who had yet to find the person carrying the other half of their soul. But, neither of them saw themselves as gay, so had always assumed they were both looking for women......

As soon as they touched their minds started to join, to follow into each other. But, Qui-Goon feeling himself dying tried to push Obi-Wan away mentally. Not wanting to imagine the hell Obi-Wan would be left in, knowing his soul mate *was* dead, knowing there could be no one else ever again.

Qui-Gon died knowing he was too late, knowing that he was leaving a empty silent place in Obi-Wan’s soul until the day he joined Qui-Gon again.

***

Time - sometime around Empire Strikes Back

Obi-Wan was heading towards his yearly meeting with Yoda on Dagobah, taking a long winding route to hide himself from the empire. He was on a small war ravaged world, searching. He still had to get were a few supplies Yoda requested. And something else..........

Soon after Obi-Wan had arrived in the ruins of the capital, he felt someone using the force. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t much intelligence or skill behind this use. But he still felt compelled to find it.

The emperor had ordered this world destroyed, after learning of a small group of Jedi hiding out here. They had been running a small training school, waiting for an opportunity to help defeat the Sith.

Very few people moved around, eyeing each other with suspicion. Most seemed to survive on the animals they caught and the planets that had been left to take over. But, Obi-Wan ignored them as he slowly moved towards the buildings that had once housed the Jedi group. He couldn’t fathom why Yoda had been insistent that there was anything left for Obi-Wan to find. Something that wasn’t here 3 years ago and wouldn’t be here in a years time.

As he neared the main building sudden fluctuations in the force almost threw him backwards. The sudden untrained use of the force hit him before he could put his shields, as he got to his feet his shields were protecting him from the random attacks. As it became more obvious the person attacking him couldn’t hurt Obi-Wan, he felt the growing terror transmit itself along the force currents.

//I won’t hurt you// Obi-Wan sent, along with calmness.

There was the noise of something small scurrying through the rubble sending, //Mine// towards Obi-Wan.

//I can help// He replied, trying to reassure the `creature’. //Please?//

//Why help?//

Obi-Wan sudden decided to tell the truth //I’m a Jedi, I help when ever I can.//

Sadness suddenly rushed towards him //No Jedi. All dead....//

//I’m not dead.//

//No Jedi//

//I can talk to you like this, can’t I?//

There was a sense of the creature trying to move as far away from Obi-Wan as it could. Fear still radiated from it’s general direction, fear because Obi-Wan was the first person it had come across that could track it. Fear of change.

//Do you want to stay here?// Obi-Wan asked.

//Here home//

//You sound like Master Yoda// Obi-Wan suddenly sent before he realised what he had thought.

//Yoda nice// came back with a very vague picture of the little master.

***

The creature making the noise turned out to be a little girl, one of the many children abounded during the Emperor’s purging. Once she had clamed down enough to have a decent conversation, he managed to work out she was very force sensitive. And even seemed to have had the beginnings of training given to the children in the creche before the Clone Wars.

//My mummy and daddy were taught me how to hide myself// She told Obi-Wan. //Before the men in white killed them.//

“You know they are dead?” Obi-Wan asked, he was talking out load to try and encourage the girl to as well.

//Saw them// she replied, miserable.

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.” Obi-Wan paused as he tried to think of a good way to change the subject. “Would you like something more to eat?”

//YES!//

***

“Know her, I do.” Yoda said, as they watched the little girl eat. “Mace Windu’s daughter she is.”

“Mace?” Obi-Wan asked. “When did he have any children?”

“Only one, did he have. Quiet the emperor had been, for over a year....”

“So they thought they were safe enough, in hiding.”

“Yes, and safe they had been. Found they were, soon after Amies 3rd birthday.......”

***