Mini-Review: Don't buy it. This book has some downright disturbing implications, particularly considering the age of the target audience, and finishing it was quite a chore.
Star Wars
Jedi Apprentice I
The Rising Force
by Dave Wolverton
-CHAPTER 1
The Force. A random scene about a mock duel between Jedi apprentices/initiates (known in other sources as "younglings"). Obviously, the kids are shown from a very early age how to use the lightsaber (Obi-Wan is one of the oldest kids around when he is a few weeks away from becoming 13 years old) with training lightsabers that have a much lower power output than the real deal.The blade of the lightsaber hissed through the air. Obi-Wan Kenobi could not see its red gleam through the blindfold pressing on his eyes. He used the Force to know precisely when to duck.
The searing heat of his opponent’s lightsaber blade slashed overhead, nearly burning him. The air smelled like lightening.
“Good!” Yoda called from the sidelines of the room. “Let go. Let your feelings guide you.”
The words of encouragement spurred Obi-Wan on. Because he was tall and strong for a twelve-year-old, many assumed that he’d have the advantage in battle.
But strength and size counted for nothing where agility and speed were needed. Nor did they have any effect on the Force that he had not yet mastered.
Obi-Wan listened intently for the sound of his foe’s lightsaber, for his breathing, for the scrape of a shoe against the floor. Such sounds echoed loudly in the small, high-ceilinged chamber.
A random jumble of blocks on the floor added another element to the exercise. He had to use the Force the sense those, too. With such uneven ground, it was easy to lose his footing.
[...]
Seat trickled underneath the blindfold, making his eyes sting. Obi-Wan blocked it out, along with his please at his opponent’s clumsiness. He could imagine himself a full Jedi Knight, battling a space pirate . . . a Togorian with fangs as long as Obi-Wan’s fingers. In his mind, Obi-Wan saw the armored creature glare at him through eyes that were mere green slits. Its claws could easily shred a human.
The vision energized him, helped him let go of his fears. In seconds, his every muscle was tuned to the Force. It moved through him, giving him the agility and speed that he needed.
Obi-Wan swung his blade up to block the next blow. The attacker’s lightsaber hummed and whirled down. Obi-Wan leaped high, somersaulting over his attacker’s head, and thrust his lightsaber down where the Togorian’s heart would be.
“Aargh!” the other student howled in surprised rage as Obi-Wan’s hot blade struck his neck. If Obi-Wan had been using a Jedi Knight’s lightsaber, it would have been a killing blow. But apprentices in the Jedi Temple used training sabers set to low power. The touch of the blade only gave a searing kiss, one that the healers might need to tend.
“That was a lucky blow!” the wounded apprentice shouted.
Until that moment, Obi-Wan had not known who he was fighting. He’d been led into the room blindfolded. Now he recognized the voice: Bruck Chun. Like Obi-Wan, Bruck was one of the oldest apprentices in the Jedi Temple. Like Obi-Wan, Bruck hoped to be a Jedi Knight.
“Bruck,” Yoda called calmly. “Leave your blindfold on. A Jedi needs not his eyes to see.”
Also, Obi-Wan Kenobi, regarded by Yoda as a good student, one of the most experienced kids in the block and naturally strong in the Force, is likely to be well above average in his ability to use the Force, although he mostly uses it for early warning against enemy attacks and needs to mentally visualize the enemy as an "space pirate" to bolster his physical prowess.
Culture. Considering that these kids have been raised and educated in the Jedi Temple from a very early age, they seem remarkably petty in their behaviour.Bruck struggled with his own simmering anger that could quickly ignite into hot rage. He usually kept it well under control, so that only other initiates glimpsed it.
Bruck also held grudges. A year ago, Obi-Wan had stumbled in a Temple corridor, tripping Bruck, who had fallen. It had been an accident, caused by legs and feet that were growing too fast on both boys, but Bruck felt sure that Obi-Wan had done it on purpose. Bruck’s dignity was very important to him. The laughter of the other students had goaded him. He’d called Obi-Wan an oaf then - Oafy-Wan.
The name had stuck.
The worst thing was that it was true. Often, Obi-Wan felt that his body was growing too fast. He couldn’t seem to catch up with his long legs and large feet. A Jedi should feel comfortable in his body, but Obi-Wan felt awkward. Only when the Force was moving through him did he feel graceful or sure.
“Come on, Oafy,” Bruck taunted. “See if you can hit me again! One last time, before they throw you out of the Temple!”
“Bruck, enough!” Yoda said. “Learn to lose as well as win, a Jedi must. Go to your room, you will.”
Culture. Maybe it's just me, but raising future Jedi in such a way that they are largely ignorant of the darker side of life outside the Temple sounds like a good recipe for disaster when they are supposed to operate in the most unpleasant parts of the galaxy once they leave. Not to mention that despite all their Jedi training, both Obi-Wan and Bruck have clear anger management issues.“You knew all along that Qui-Gon Jinn was coming to search for a Padawan, didn’t you,” Obi-Wan said slowly, as the suspicions hardened into certainty. Since Obi-Wan was the oldest apprentice in the Temple, the Jedi Masters would encourage Qui-Gon to take him - the lost cause. Bruck would not want that to happen.
Bruck laughed. “I made sure you didn’t find out. If I’d had my way, you wouldn’t have found out until he’d left.”
Bruck hoped to become Qui-Gon’s Padawan! And the only way to do it was to make sure that Obi-Wan failed. He’d tried to keep him from preparing, and now he was trying to make him mad. Obi-Wan’s anger, his impatience, had been his downfall often enough in the past Bruck hoped to fill his mind with rage and despair so that he would not be open to the Force.
Obi-Wan had been raised in the Jedi Temple since he was a baby. He hadn’t seen much of greed or hatred or true evil. The Masters shielded the children from such things, to keep them from turning to the dark side of the Force.
The Force. After this, the bully goes to the healers with a sad story about being beaten by Big Bad Kenobi. He doesn't quite lie, but he happily twists the facts. By all indications, this fools the healers.Bruck leaped toward him with a snarl, his lightsaber held high. Obi-Wan spun to meet him with a cry on his lips. Flashing blades clashed in a burst of light and buzzing sound as the boys met in the room’s center.
Weary as they were, the boys fought until they could hardly move. By the time they crept from the training room, both boys were badly burned and bruised.
Neither had won, and both had lost.
As Obi-Wan headed to his chamber, Bruck took a lift to the upper rooms of the Temple, where the healers practiced their arts. He limped into the medic’s chambers, pretending to be more hurt than he was. His clothes were slashed and singed from the practice sabers, and blood ran from his nose.
-CHAPTER 2
Culture/Misc. Beyond the ethics of sending a kid who has rarely left the Jedi Temple alone to the other side of the galaxy and the fact that miniaturized repulsorlifts seem to be fairly commonplace technology, I think that the presence of a lightsaber in Obi-Wan's room (and no it isn't a training model) is probably the most interesting. Although I am not positive at the moment, I am fairly sure that the construction of the lightsaber is described as an important step during Padawan training in other sources, so... what exactly is Kenobi doing with one of them when he isn't even a Padawan yet?“Here now, it isn’t that horrible.” Docent Vant said. She was a tall blue-skinned woman with an elegant headtail that twitched nervously.
Obi-Wan stared at the orders in shock. The data pad told him that he would ship out of the Temple in the morning. He needed to pack his bags.
He was to report to the world of Bandomeer -- some planet he’d never even heard of, out on the Galactic Rim. There he would join the Agricultural Corps.
“But I don’t understand,” he said numbly. “I still have four weeks until my birthday.”
“I know,” Docent Vant said. “But your ship, the Monument, leaves tomorrow, with a thousand miners aboard. It can’t wait just because you have a birthday.”
In shock, Obi-Wan looked around at his room. Overhead, three model Verpine fighters droned near the ceiling. He’d made them himself. Repulsorlift fields held them aloft, and their running lights flashed purple and green as they hummed about. Miniature insectoid pilots swiveled their heads, as if to look around. Books and charts were piled on his study table. His lightsaber hung in its usual place on the wall. He couldn’t imagine leaving here. It was his home. But he would leave it all gladly for the hard life of an apprentice. Not a farmer!
Culture. Supposing that the explanation about the function of the Agricultural Corps isn't bullshit destined to make Obi-Wan feel slightly better, it boggles the mind that he considers it a job for rejects.The shock and despair made him feel sick. He raised his gaze to Docent Vant. “I could still be a Jedi Knight.”
Docent Vant touched Obi-Wan’s hand tenderly. She smiled, revealing pointed teeth. She shook her head. “Not every one is meant to be a warrior. The Republic needs healers and farmers, too. With your Force skills, you will be able to treat sick crops. Your talent will help feed whole worlds.”
“But -“ Obi-Wan wanted to say that he felt cheated. He deserved four more weeks. “It’s a job for rejects, initiates too weak to be knights. Besides, tomorrow Qui-Gon Jinn will be looking for a Padawan. Master Yoda said that I should fight for him.”
[...]
There was nothing else to do but pack his bags. Obi-Wan felt to devastated and ashamed to say good-bye. Not to Garen Muln or Reeft, or even to his best friend, Bant. They would feel angry and hurt if he left quietly, but he couldn’t face them. His friends would want to know where he was going. Once he had told them that he had been ordered to report to the Agricultural Corps, word would get around. He could imagine how some of the others would laugh, There was nothing he could say or do to clear his name.
The Force. Unfortunately, I think that we never see a Jedi member of the Agri-Corps actually doing his work, so we don't exactly know how they use their powers to heal sick crops, only that they supposedly have the capacity to do so.
-CHAPTER 3
The Force. Considering that Kenobi had no assistance from the Jedi healers, it seems that even as a youngling he can heal minor burns overnight when the conditions are right, even when experiencing a great deal of emotional turmoil.With the help of Jedi healing techniques and the Temple’s marvelous ointments, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s burns and bruises were healed by morning. But the pain in his heart had not eased. He slept briefly, then rose well before dawn.
Culture. More stupid behaviour from the future Jedi. Quite sincerely, I find the mental maturity of this lot rather lacking. They definitely do not seem mature enough to be allowed to use deadly force with very little oversight.Obi-Wan nodded. It was good that he had given Reeft most of his food. He couldn’t eat. He knew his friends were trying to make him feel better. But they still had plenty of chances to become Jedi. That highest honor was what they all wanted, all they worked for. No matter what they said, they all knew his lost chance was crushing disappointment.
Around him, Obi-Wan heard the swirl of conversations at the other tables. Students looked over at him, then looked away. Most gazes were compassionate, and some tried to cheer him. But he sensed that the overwhelming feeling in the room was that everyone was glad that what had happened to Obi-Wan had not happened to them.
At Bruck’s table, the voices were loud and reached their ears. “Always knew he wouldn’t make it,” Bruck’s friend Aalto said loudly. Obi-Wan’s ears burned as he heard Bruck’s high snicker. He turned, and Bruck stared at him, daring him to pick another fight.
“Don’t mind him,” Bant said. “He’s a fool.”
Obi-Wan turned away and finished his meal, just as a huge black Barabel fruit plopped on the table near his tray. Juice from the fruit splattered on Bant and Garen Muln. Obi-Wan glared over at Bruck, who had come halfway across the room to throw it.
“Plant it, Oafy,” Bruck said. “I hear they’ll grow just about anywhere.”
Obi-Wan started to rise from his chair, but Bant put a hand over his and held him down, trying to calm him.
Obi-Wan smiled at Bruck, keeping himself in control. He want to anger me, Obi-Wan knew. He hopes to anger me. How often in the past have others played me like this, making me lose the chance to become a Padawan?
Obi-Wan held his anger, and merely smiled at Bruck. Yet a white-hot fury was building inside him.
Just then, Reeft muttered, “I don’t mean to sound greedy, but are you going to eat that Barabel fruit?”
Obi-Wan nearly burst out laughing. “Thank you, Bruck,” he said, scraping the fruit off the table and placing it in a cup. “The people of Bandomeer will be honored when I share with them your gift - the gift from one farmer to another.”
Androids and Computers. Ignoring the fact that the Jedi Masters are holding the idiot ball in this one (so they have a witness in the form of an advanced droid capable of describing the fight in exquisite detail and only Yoda bothered to ask?), the Advanced Jedi Training Droids seem to be pretty good at picking biometric information from a distance.Mace Windu asked, “And what of last night, the beating Obi-Wan gave to Bruck?”
Yoda waved his hand and, as he did so, a referee droid appeared from behind the bushes.
“Advanced Jedi Training Droid 6, last night the fight you saw,” Yoda prompted.
“Obi-Wan’s heat was beating at sixty-eight beats per minute,” the droid reported. “His torso was faced northeast at twenty-seven degrees, with his right hand extended down, clutching his training saber. His body temperature was -“
Mace Windu sighed. If allowed to continue, the training droid would take an hour just to describe how Obi-Wan crossed the room.
“Just tell us who provoked the fight,” Mace Windu said. “Who said what, and then what happened?”
The training droid AJTD6 gave an indignant buzz at being curtailed. But after a glower from Mace Windu, it began the story of how Bruck had provoked Obi-Wan into the fight.
-CHAPTER 4
Culture. In all fairness, Qui-Gon Jinn seems to have particularly serious issues with this ever since his own Padawan, Xanatos, went all darksidey after a very nasty business that the Jedi was unable/unwilling to stop early on. Still, destroying like this the hopes of a boy who is both strong in the Force and really wants to be a Jedi Knight, seems like a most excellent form of ensuring that he will eventually fall to the Dark Side.“Who taught you to fight like that?” Qui-Gon asked. The Jedi had rough features, but his was a sensitive, thoughtful face.
“What do you mean?”
“Students in the Temple rarely attack so viciously. They learn to defend, to wear one another down. They conserve their strength. Yet you fought . . . like a very dangerous man. You left yourself open to attack time and time again, and relied on the other boy to take the defensive stance.”
“I wanted to end it quickly,” Obi-Wan said. “The Force allowed it.”
Qui-Gon studied Obi-Wan for a long moment. “I am not so sure. You cannot always rely upon your enemy to take the defensive stance. Your fighting style is too dangerous, too risky.”
[...]
But Qui-Gon merely said, “In future fights, rein in your anger. A Jedi Knight never exhaust himself when battling a stronger foe. And never expect your enemy to miss an opportunity to do you harm.”
Qui-Gon turned and headed for the door.
Obi-Wan stood still, confused. Qui-Gon was not taking him as his apprentice. He was merely giving out advice, the way the Master’s always did.
Obi-Wan couldn’t let his dream walk away. He couldn’t see his dream die.
“Wait!” Obi-Wan called out. “If I was wrong, it only means I need the best teacher. Will you take me with you?”
Qui-Gon turned slowly, and eyed the boy. He frowned, deep in thought. At last he murmured, “No.”
“Qui-Gon Jinn, I will be thirteen in four weeks,” Obi-Wan said. The truth was a desperate gamble, but he had to say it. “You are my last chance to be a Jedi Knight.”
Qui-Gon shook his head sadly. “It is better not to train a boy to become Knight if he has so much anger. There is the risk he will turn to the dark side.”
With that, the huge Jedi wheeled and strode for the door, his cape streaming.
Obi-Wan sprang to his feet. “I won’t turn,” he said with certainty.
But Qui-Gon neither slowed his stride nor turned back. In a moment he was gone, as quickly and silently as he had appeared.
-CHAPTER 5
Culture. So not just sending a lone boy to the other side of the galaxy, but sending him to a particularly nasty backwater. This keeps getting better and better.“Very well,” Yoda said. “But by chance alone we do not live our lives. If take an apprentice you will not, then, in time, perhaps fate will choose.”
“Perhaps,” Qui-Gon agreed. He hesitated. “What will happen to the boy?”
“For the Agricultural Corps he will work.”
Qui-Gon grunted. “Farmer?” Such a waste of potential. “Tell him . . . that I wish him luck.”
“Too late,” Yoda said. “On his way to Bandomeer he is.”
“Bandomeer?” Qui-Gon asked in surprise.
“Know the place you do?”
“Know it? The Senate has asked me to go there. You knew this, didn’t you?” Qui-Gon eyed the small Master suspiciously.
“Hmmm . . . “ Yoda said. “I knew it not. But more than coincidence this is. Strange are the ways of the Force.”
“But why send the boy to Bandomeer?” Qui-Gon asked. “It’s a brutal world. If the weather doesn’t kill him, the predators will. He’ll need all of his skills just to stay alive - never mind the Agri-Corps!”
“Yes, so the Council thought,” Yoda said. “Good to grow crops Bandomeer may not be. But good place for a young Jedi to grow it is.”
-CHAPTER 6
Technology (Misc.). A decrepit civilian operated starship big enough to carry a thousand passengers of several different species (including Hutts and Whiphids, both of which are considerably larger than humans) can land and take off from the surface of Coruscant.The Monument was an old Corellian barge, pocked and scarred from meteor hits. It was shaped like a crate, and attached to the front of it were a dozen cargo boxes destined to Bandomeer. It was the ugliest, dirtiest ship that Obi-Wan could have imagined.
If the exterior was ugly, the interior was foul. Its battered corridors smelled of miners’ dust and the sweaty bodies of many species. Repair ports were left open, so that wires and pressure hoses - the ship’s guts - spilled out as if from an open wound.
Everywhere on the Monument enormous Hutts slithered about like giant slugs. Whiphids stalked the corridors with their moldy fur and tusks. Tall Arconans with triangular heads and glittering eyes moved in small groups.
Obi-Wan wandered in a daze, his bags in hand. No one had been at the entry port to guide him. No one even seemed to notice him. He realized gloomily that he had left behind the data pad Docent Vant had given him. On it was his room number.
Defenses. The ship is also durable enough to have survived multiple direct meteoric impacts to the hull, although unfortunately no quantifiable information is actually provided about these incidents.
The Force. Item the first: Obi-Wan doesn't get the slightest precognitive warning, which might have been useful to avoid the attack of a Hutt who has the clear intention of causing him grievous bodily harm.Suddenly, a huge Hutt blocked his path. Before Obi-Wan could say a word, the Hutt grabbed him by the throat and threw him against a wall.
“What do you think you’re doing, slug?”
“Uh, what?” Obi-Wan asked in surprise. What had he done wrong? He was just trudging down the hall. With a sense of unease, he noticed that two particularly evil-looking Whiphids stood behind the Hutt. “B-Bandomeer,” he stammered.
The Hutt studied Obi-Wan as if here were a morsel of food. The creature’s huge tongue rolled from its mouth and slid over its grey lips, leaving a trail of slime.
“That’s not a ship’s uniform you’re wearing, and you’re not Offworld.”
Obi-Wan looked down at his clothes. He wore a loose gray tunic. He suddenly realized that the Hutt in front of him wore a black triangular patch that showed a bright red planet, like an eye. A silver spaceship circling the planet became the iris of the eye. Beneath the logo were the words Offworld Mining. The Whiphids wore the same symbol.
“He must be from that other outfit,” a Whiphid said.
“Maybe he’s a spy,” the second Whiphid growled. “What’s he got in those bags, you think? Bombs?”
The Hutt pushed his huge grotesque face close to Obi-Wan’s. “Any miner who doesn’t work for Offworld is the enemy,” he roared, shaking Obi-Wan roughly. “You, slug, are an enemy. And we don’t allow the enemy on Offworld turf.”
The Hutt’s fingers were like slabs of meat. They tightened around Obi-Wan’s neck, strangling him. Choking, Obi-Wan dropped his bags and grasped the Hutt’s fingers. His lungs burned and the room spun.
Culture. Item the second: Although Offworld is apparently particularly infamous for its cutthroat tactics, strong-arming competitors seems to be a moderately common way of doing business in the Outer Rim.
The Force. Obi-Wan tries using the old Jedi Mind Trick against a Hutt with little effect. Considering that this is the first time he actually uses it against a hostile mind and that Hutts are consistently described as having some natural resistance against mental manipulation, this is no great surprise.Using all his strength, Obi-wan managed to pry the Hutt’s fingers from his throat long enough to gasp a breath. He stared into the cruel, blank eyes of the Hutt, trying to summon his Force powers.
“Leave me alone,” Obi-Wan gasped, struggling to breathe. He let the Force carry the command to the Hutt, to batter his will, change his mind. This was not like fighting another student. He sensed a cruelty without conscience. There were no rules here, no Yoda to call off the fight.
“Leave you alone? Why?” the Hutt roared with cruel amusement.
I’m getting off to a good start, Obi-Wan thought despairingly.
The last thing he remembered was the Hutt’s fist coming straight at him.
-CHAPTER 7
The Force. Even prior to becoming a Padawan, Kenobi knows something about healing himself with the Force and how to resist the effects of pain.Obi-Wan tried to shake his head, but even a tiny movement rocked him with pain. He took a long breath. He called on his Jedi training to accept the pain as a signal his body was sending. He had to accept the pain, respect it, not fight it. Then he’d have to ask his body to begin to heal.
Once he’d centered his mind, the pain seemed to ease. He turned to the woman. “I didn’t seem to have a choice.”
Culture. Beyond the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi apparently didn't even get a briefing about the political situation in Bandomeer before being kicked out of the Temple, it is interesting that the Republic allows one of the largest mining companies operating in its territory to be owned by unknown parties...“We’re the Arcona Mineral Harvest Corporation,” the woman responded. “If you don’t work for us, why did the Offworlders beat you?”
Obi-Wan tried to shrug, but pain shot through his shoulder. Sometimes it was hard to respect his body’s signal. “You tell me. I was only looking for my cabin.”
“You’re a though one,” the woman said cheerfully. “Not everybody could withstand a pounding by a Hutt. Did you come on board looking for a job? We could use you at Arcona Harvest. I’m Clat’Ha, chief operations manager.” She looked young to be running a mining operation - perhaps twenty-five.
[...]
He laid back and Clat’Ha withdrew. “Good luck to you, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” she said. “Watch yourself. You’ve stepped into the middle of a war. You’re lucky to be alive. You may not be so lucky next time.” She turned to leave, but Obi-Wan touched her hand.
“Wait,” he said. “I don’t understand. What war? Who’s fighting?”
“Offworld’s war,” Clat’Ha answered. “You must have heard of them.”
Obi-Wan shook his head. How could he explain that he’d lived his whole life in the Jedi Temple? He knew more about the ways of the Force than the ways of the universe.
“Offworld is one of the oldest and richest mining companies in the galaxy,” Clat’Ha told him. “And they didn’t get that way by letting others compete with them. Miners who get in their way tend to die.”
“Who’s their leader?” Obi-Wan asked.
“No one knows who owns Offworld,” Clat’Ha said. “Someone who has been around for centuries, probably. And I’m not even sure that we could prove he or she is responsible for the murders. But the leader on this ship going to Bandomeer is a particularly ruthless Hutt by the name of Jemba.”
Size and Scope. A starting private mining firm can build in an airless world an underground facility large enough to house at least a quarter of a million people... At the same time, the loss of this facility apparently resulted in bankruptcy for said company, so it had to be a major investment.Obi-Wan repeated the name in his mind. Jemba. It might have been Jemba who had beaten him. “Ruthless? In what way?”
Clat’Ha glanced over he shoulder, worried that someone would hear her. “Offworld used the cheapest labor possible. Out on the Rim world, in places like Bandomeer, half of Jemba’s workers will be Whiphid slaves. But that’s not the worst,” Clat’Ha said. She hesitated.
“What’s the worst?” Obi-Wan asked.
Clat’Ha’s dark eyes flashed. “About five years ago, Jemba was Offworld’s chieftain on the plant Varristad, where another startup mining firm was also working. Varristad is a small planet, without any air, so the workers all lived in a huge underground dome. Someone or something pooped a hole in that dome, instantly destroying the artificial atmosphere. A quarter of a million people were killed. No one was ever able to prove that Jemba did it, but when the other company went bankrupt, he bought the mineral rights for practically nothing. He made a huge profit for Offworld. Now we’ll have to deal with him on Bandomeer.”
Obi-Wan said, “Are you certain it was intentional? Maybe it was an accident.”
Clat’Ha looked unconvinced. “Maybe,” she said. “But accidents follow Jemba the way stink follows Whiphids - accidents like the one that happened to you. So take care.”
Culture. Slaves? Did I miss something in TPM? Because I definitely remember something about the Republic having outlawed slavery and Bandomeer is by all indications in Republic-controlled territory (for starters, Qui-Gon Jinn is being sent there in an official mission by the Galactic Senate).
Misc. Considering that the Monument carries a thousand miners and that roughly half of them seem to be Offworld employees, the ship is crewed by no more than twenty individuals.He locked eyes with her. “Clat’Ha, we can’t let this continue. The Monument isn’t Offworld’s ship! They can’t just go around beating people up.”
Clat’Ha sighed. “Maybe it isn’t their ship, but Offworld’s miners outnumber the crew thirty to one. The captain won’t be able to do much to protect you. So if I were you, I’d stay off their turf. You’re welcome on our side of the ship any time” She headed for the door, then turned and flashed a grin that made her serious face suddenly look young and mischievous. “If you can find it.”
Obi-Wan grinned back. But he still struggled against Clat’Ha acceptance of the injustice. He didn’t understand it. He had grown up in a world where disputes were mediated and resolved. No obvious injustice was allowed to stand.
“Clat’Ha, this isn’t right,” he said gravely. “Why should we have to stay off their side of the ship? Why should you accept that?”
Clat’Ha’s face flushed. “Because I don’t want them on my side of the ship! Obi-Wan, listen to me,” she said urgently. “Accidents happen around Jemba. Drilling rigs blow and tunnels collapse and people die. I don’t want his corporate spies and saboteurs on my side of the Monument, any more than he would want mine on his. So just accept things the way they are. It’s better for everyone.”
The Force. Have I perhaps mentioned that Obi-Wan Kenobi is in no way, shape or form ready to handle the world outside the Jedi Temple?
-CHAPTER 8
Androids and Computers (?). The wounds caused by a severe beating are more than what the medics (medical droids?) of the monument can handle.He woke in sickbay, with tubes in his arms and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. For a moment he thought he was still dreaming - Qui-Gon Jinn was standing over him. Then the Jedi’s large, cool hand rested on Obi-Wan’s forehead, and Obi-Wan realized he was awake.
“H-how?” Obi-Wan whispered.
Qui-Gon’s hand dropped, and he took a step back. “Don’t try to speak,” he said gently. “You’ve had a bad fever, but I’ve taken care of it. Your wounds turned out to be worse than what the medics could handle.”
The Force. Qui-Gon Jinn can use the Force to heal others. It isn't specified if this is something he could have done with anyone or if Obi-Wan's own Force potential helped matters in this.
Culture. Unusual psychological traits of this species (Arcona).An Arconan edged into the room. He was slightly shorter than most, with skin that was more green than grey. “We did not mean to disturb -“
“It’s all right,” Obi-Wan said kindly.
“-but we were told to meet Clat’Ha here. She has a situation she needs to discuss. We heard that a young boy faced a Hutt in a great battle, and survived,” the Arconan said softly. “We wanted to see the great hero. We are sorry to disturb. We will wait outside.” He began to retreat.
Obi-Wan looked over the Arconan’s shoulder before he remembered that Arconan’s always referred to themselves as “we.” They did not have a sense of an individual self and lived all their lives in colonies.
Misc. An apparently semi-common example of mining machinery. Supposing that the statement about the machines "melting from the heat" can be taken at face value, I'd guess that they must move at pretty high speeds to create that much friction.“We have a problem,” she said crisply. “Someone has been tampering with our equipment. Young Si Treemba here discovered it on a routine inspection. We have three Arconan tunneling machines in stock, and all three have been sabotaged.”
“How so?” Qui-Gon asked.
Si Treemba stepped forward. “The thermocoms that monitor the tunnelers’ hull temperature have been removed, sir. And the coring couplers have been rigged so that they will not disengage.”
“What does that mean?” Obi-Wan asked.
Qui-Gon thought for a minute. “The Arconan tunnelers are vehicles that drill through rock and soil. As they do, the friction of the hull moving past all that stone makes the vehicle very hot. Without the thermocoms, the cooling system would not work. And with the coring computers sabotaged, the driver of the tunneler would not be able to shut if off. The machine would simply keep digging until it melted from the heat. Everyone in it would die.”
Nonetheless, this is the guess of someone with no formal background in engineering. If someone here has the adequate education, we might be able to narrow things from my "pretty high speeds" down to something a bit more concrete.
Misce. Some interesting details about Hutt biology. If they really get more cunning as they age, one wonders how Jabba (who is considerably smaller than this "Jemba") managed to become so powerful at such an early age.The Hutt outside the door was much larger than the one that had beaten Obi-Wan. Hutts can live for hundreds of years and they never really stop growing - either in size or cunning. This one, Jemba, had a mouth so vast that he could have swallowed three men whole. Jemba’s huge face and eyes filled the doorway.
Culture. No further details about this "mining guild" are offered in the book, only this statement about it having the power to remove a company from a planet and the authority to enforce such a ruling.“Perhaps,” Jemba said, his eyes narrowing craftily, “your people did it to hurt me. Your unreasonable hatred for me is well-known. You have already asked the mining guild to have Offworld banned from Bandomeer. Now, by casting suspicion on me and my crew, you hope to have me lawfully removed.”
The Force. Qui-Gon Jinn apparently manages to calm down a rather furious Hutt using the Force. Also, Obi-Wan apparently considers that the best way to solve a potentially explosive conflict between two groups would be to kill the evilest faction leader in the spot.Clat’Ha drew her blaster, but Qui-Gon stepped in front of her and raised his hand. He locked eyes with the Hutt. Obi-Wan felt the power of the Force fill the room.
“Enough,” Qui-Gon said quietly.
Jemba stopped pushing to get inside the room. The Hutt knew he could not get to Clat’Ha. Qui-Gon glanced at Clat’Ha. Slowly, she lowered the blaster and returned it to the holding device on her leg. Obi-Wan had to admire Qui-Gon’s skill. He felt a pang of regret. There was so much he wished he could learn from the Jedi.
“Now,” Qui-Gon said in a reasonable tone, “let us review the situation. The machines were sabotaged. Yet both of you insist you did not do it. There is nowhere to take this except open warfare.” Qui-Gon looked at each of them in turn. “And that is something that neither of you wish for, I’m sure.”
“Jedi,” Jemba said, “you think yourself to be a fair man. But when Hutts and Humans argue, even the fairest of men join sides against my kind.” The Hutt’s voice boomed in a tone of pure venom. “If it is war that she wants, then war will come. And if you take her side, I swear, I will squash you like a pta fruit! Your Jedi status does not protect you!”
Menace hung thick in the air. It was clear that the Hutt meant everything he said. He was willing to kill anyone who stood against him. Obi-Wan had never encountered a creature of such malice.
It would be so easy to solve the situation, Obi-Wan thought. The Hutt was vulnerable, trapped in the small hallway outside the sickbay. Qui-Gon could draw his lightsaber, lunge forward, and slice the Hutt in half.
Culture. Hutts obviously are aware of how much bad press they have and don't like it much, even though Jemba personally matches the worst stereotypes.
Culture. Coming from alleged defenders of peace and civilization, this sounds a bit... dunno, stupid?“I don’t understand,” Obi-Wan said. “Why did you let the Hutt go? He may be innocent of the crime of which he has been accused. But I’m sure he’s guilty of others.”
“Yes, he’s guilty,” Qui-Gon agreed. “But Clat’Ha can defend herself. As Jedi, we are bound only to defend those who have no other means of defense.”
-CHAPTER 9
Misc. A couple of humanoids can do a rather thorough search of half the Monument in a single day. This would suggest that it is a large ship, but not some kind of multi-km giant.Obi-Wan had forgotten how Arconans think. They had no word for me or mine. So Si Treemba wandered from cabin to cabin, searching each bunk and storage compartment. A dozen times, Arconans asked, “What are we doing?”
Each time, Si Treemba answered, “We are looking for something that was lost.”
To which the Arconan would ask, “May we help find it?”
And Si Treemba would merely answer, “We need no assistance.” The Si Treemba and Obi-Wan would search the room and leave.
But not all the workers for Arcona Mineral Harvest were Arconan. Some were short, silver-haired Meerians returning to Bandomeer, some Human. Obi-Wan had to treat these carefully. More than once he found himself using the Force to convince some burly miner to let him search.
It was exhausting work for someone who was still recovering, but Obi-Wan ignored his own pain and weariness. A Jedi did not give into such feelings.
After a long day, Obi-Wan and Si Treemba went to the kitchens for a late meal.
The Force. Less than a day after failing to use the Mind Trick against a Hutt, Kenobi manages to successfully use to influence several non-hostile miners.
Propulsion. The hyperspace travel from Coruscant to Bandomeer (somewhere in the Outer Rim) takes at least one day.
Misc. Once again, biology ain't exactly my field of expertise, but the Arconan dietary requirements seem rather weird for humanoids who can breathe an oxygen atmosphere without trouble.Obi-Wan ate a full dinner of roast gorak bird cooked in mall petals from Alderaan. Si ate Arconan fungi covered with dactyl, a type of yellow ammonia crystal. The Arconan’s food smelled . . . well, the fungus wasn’t bad, but the dactyl smelled like poison.
Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose. “How could anyone eat that stuff?”
Si Treemba smiled. His faceted eyes glittered. “Some creatures wonder how Humans can drink water, yet you take delight in it. Dactyl is as necessary to us as water is to you.” Having said that, he took a couple of crunchy yellow stones and popped them into his mouth like candy.
When Obi-Wan reached for salt, Si Treemba pulled his plate away in fear.
“Salt increases our need for dactyl a hundredfold,” Si Treemba explained. “It is a very dangerous substance to Arconans.”
Size and Scope. According to Obi-Wan, a potential conflict involving a large mining firm could result in incidents in hundreds of worlds.“In Offworld mining, the chiefs and overseers make fortunes, while the common workers make nothing. Many of them are slaves. But at Arcona Mineral Harvest, we have no chieftains, no overseers. Each worker shares in the profits. This did not bother Offworld until Clat’Ha began to expand our operations. So she contacts the better workers at Offworld. If they are slaves, she offers to buy them and set them free if they will work for us. If they have signed work contracts, she offers to buy the contracts.”
“That sounds fair,” Obi-Wan said.
“It is fair,” Si Treemba agreed. “That is exactly why Jemba fears us. Many good workers wish to join us, only the bad will stay at Offworld.”
“I see,” Obi-Wan said. “So in a few years, Jemba will have only chiefs with no one to boss around. He’d hate that.”
Si Treemba grinned, then turned serious. “But Jemba has stalled us. He has raised the price on labor contracts and slaves. We can no longer afford to hire Offworld workers.”
Obi-Wan was beginning to see that the galaxy was a far more complicated place than he’d realized. The Temple had prepared him for so many things. But they had not prepared him for this. He had known that most worlds in the galaxy had outlawed slavery, and he had assumed that it was rare. But here were hundreds of workers locked in an illegal practice.
Obi-Wan was horrified at the idea of slavery. Since Offworld had paid good money to buy and train slaves, the company wasn’t likely to sell them cheap - or to let them go without a fight. Clat’Ha had been right when she told Obi-Wan he had stepped into a war. This battle would probably wage through mining camps on hundreds of worlds.
Culture. Turns out that there isn't a Republic-wide ban on slavery. It is just something that is only allowed in a minority of worlds.
Realism. If Offworld really works as described, there are issues from a purely economical point of view. For starters, under such conditions, the workers -be they employees or slaves- would have no incentives to be productive (brutality and technology can ensure that the miners actually work, but negative reinforcement isn't the way to get people to work well and with enthusiasm) and the external competitors would eventually kick the firm out of the market. Unless the conditions under which these competitors operate are more or less the same...
-CHAPTER 10
Culture. Frankly, the way the Whiphids are presented here makes them seem little better than overgrown LOTR Orcs who have learned to use rayguns.The cabin looked like a monument to filth, just like all the others Obi-Wan had seen today. The Whiphid wore dirty, half-cured hides from his homeworld of Toola. Piles of painted animal skulls were stacked in every corner, looking like hunting trophies. Worse that that, Obi-Wan could see that Hutts had been bunking in the same room: The floor was littered with the furry parts of half-eaten small animals.
The Force. Obi-Wan can feel generic "evil" energy all around the Offworld miners, but apparently lacks the skill/experience to understand what the Force is telling him.Obi-Wan studied the shadowy scene below for a long minute. The Whiphid was probably drunk. Otherwise he would have been out playing sabacc or some other card game with his friends.
But something felt wrong. Maybe the Whiphid was only faking sleep. It could be a trap.
Obi-Wan tried to peer farther into the room. It looked empty but for the lone Whiphid. He couldn’t see the corners of the room, however.
His unease deepened. He could feel dark ripples in the force, but what did it mean? Evil streamed through this side of the ship like poisonous air.
Ground Combat. Riot guns seem to be just glorified stun weapons (one wonders why they are illegal), whereas biotic grenades can create focused explosions and are used for mining, according to Wookieepedia.He’d found illegal weapons - riot guns and biotic grenades. He’d found a small casket filled with credit chips that might have been stolen loot. But he hadn’t found any thermocoms.
He studied the Whiphid again. He was lying on his cot. Beneath his head Obi-Wan could see a barely concealed weapon. Among such creatures, sleeping with a blaster was the norm.
Ground Combat. Effects of a handheld blaster being fired in close quarters. As Si Treemba (who is a completely mundane individual) doesn't suffer injuries, despite being right next to the airshaft, the smoke mentioned in the passage is unlikely to be a byproduct of vaporization of metal.Glancing back down the air shaft, Obi-wan could see Si Treemba cautiously inching toward the previous air shaft. Obi-Wan waved a hand, trying to get the Arconan’s attention, when suddenly a blinding flash of light erupted through the shaft, and a deafening boom roared.
Someone had shot a blaster through the vent!
Smoke began to fill the air. They were trapped!
Misc. It seems that Hutts have an unusually good olfactory system.Through the vent behind him, Obi-Wan heard a Hutt laugh cruelly. “And you said there were womp rats in the air shaft! I told you I smelled an Arconan!”