A Doorway

by Alice J. Capen

~

	"With you, take Obi-Wan." urged Yoda.

	Qui-Gon was getting rather annoyed with Yoda.  Qui-Gon felt that he wasn't

ready for another padawan -- and felt that perhaps he shouldn't ever have

another padawan.  Not after the failure of his last one.

	But Yoda was getting increasingly persistent.  Yoda wasn't going to allow

his favorite to forever blame himself for the fall of Xanatos, and he knew

that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would make a good team.  Yoda, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon

had often gone to places together either as training missions for Obi-Wan,

or recreational.  Obi-Wan liked Qui-Gon, and looked up to him.

	But this mission was one that Qui-Gon felt was too dangerous for an eleven

year old padawan, even if the subject of the mission was just a rumor.

	"The boy will be safe, I doubt not." said Yoda, referring to the fact that

two Jedi Masters were going on this mission:  Qui-Gon himself and Plo Koon.

Yoda will not be denied his wishes.

	Qui-Gon sighed.  "Oh right.  We'll take him with us."

	"Tell him to get ready, I will." and with a look of satisfaction, Yoda

headed for Obi-Wan's friend Janell's room where he knew Obi-Wan to be.

	Plo Koon, a Master who often fought along side Qui-Gon in battle, smiled

sympathetically and said, "Yoda is right, you know."

	Qui-Gon scowled at the floor and grunted.

	"Yoda lost a few to the Dark side," said Koon, "and he didn't throw up his

hands and give up.  Those failures weren't his fault.  Xanatos wasn't your

fault.  People who are ruled by the darkness in their souls are always

blaming other people; or more cowardly still -- blame things or objects."

	"I know." replied Qui-Gon.  "I know deep in my heart that his fall wasn't

really my fault.  But I can't help but feel that I had done something wrong."

	"Yes, that's typical.  And people like Xanatos know that and take full

advantage of it to do further harm."

	Qui-Gon sighed and nodded his head.

	They were silent now; waiting for the arrival of Obi-Wan.  As Qui-Gon

thought about Obi-Wan, a memory was triggered -- the memory of when Yoda

chose Qui-Gon to be his padawan.

	  He was a two year old crumbcruncher playing in the Temple nursery.  He

had commandeered a toy from a fellow Jedi tot, but immediately after, a

Master took the toy away from him and gave it back to the other.  Qui-Gon

sat down, or plopped down, on his behind and started pitching a crying fit.

       Almost immediately, he saw Yoda stand in front of him, and with eyes

wide-round, Yoda went "oooooaaaaaaaaooohhhhhh!!!" in a way that conveyed the

question:  'So you think you're the center of the Universe, do you?'  Along

with that sound, was a kind of a chortling/clucking  sound that he made at

the back of his tongue, a lot like the sound a lizard might make.  Its

affect soothed Qui-Gon.  His feeling of anguish seemed to melt away as he

looked at Yoda through teary eyes.  As Qui-Gon calmed down, he focused on

Yoda's nose.  He thought that Yoda's nose was cute, and he pushed it gently

with his finger.  Something clicked between them, and it was that moment

that Yoda decided to choose him as his next padawan.  He had been without a

padawan at that time; his one prior to that was now a Jedi Knight.

	Qui-Gon's thoughts turned to Praea and the last time he and Yoda were

there.  It was just a week before Qui-Gon was to take his final test to

become a Knight, and he and Master Yoda were on Praea for a politically

social visit.  When they were introduced to the Duchess of Teakham, she

responded to Yoda as if he were a little child.  She picked him up under his

arms and brought him eye level.  "Oh he's so cute!!"  Then she hugged him

and kissed him on the nose.

	"An old man am I!" exclaimed Yoda.

	"Oh that doesn't matter!  You're just so darling!"  She placed him against

her shoulder and gently patted his back as if she were trying to burp him.

	Qui-Gon tried to hide his mirth, but when Yoda did, in fact, burp, Qui-Gon

could not contain it any longer and laughed hard.  Yoda looked at him with

reproach and zapped him with gentle jolts of energy.  Qui-Gon could not stop

laughing though, and his laughter was interspersed with exclamations of "ouch".

	The sound of Obi-Wan entering the room broke Qui-Gon's reminiscence, and he

couldn't help but smile as he gazed at the bright-eyed padawan.

	"Ready to go?" asked Qui-Gon to Obi-Wan.

	"Yes, sir."

	They boarded the ship and took off toward the planet Praea.

	Praea was home to an old medievalisk society of indigenous humanoids who

were allowed to technically advance at their own pace, and not have outworld

technologies and mores thrust upon them.  And they mostly confined their

periods of war and peace to themselves.  They were not, however, unfriendly

people, and they welcomed visitors, newcomers and tourists.  They gave an

especially warm welcome to the Jedi when they landed, for the problem for

which they asked for Jedi had not been able to be solved by their own

people, exorcists or psychics.  And it was particularly troublesome.

	It started out as just a strange tale going around in a town, and it was,

for a while, easily dismissed by reasonable people, about a frightening body

or image that would venture out from a crypt at night.  Only a few people,

at first, saw the image, and they were laughed at; accused of trying to

create sensation, or were on some kind of hallucinogen.  But as time went

by, more and more people witnessed the macabre image, then finally, the

vicar and the mayor saw it.

	The reception for the Jedi was a large one.  Even though the problem

centered around a relatively small town, denizens from all over the region

and beyond traveled to the town to see both the ghostly image and to see the

Jedi.  A barricade had to be set up to allow the Jedi to be escorted to the

best inn where rooms were reserved for their visit.  Most people were awed

by the Jedi, but others did not see what the hubbub was about -- two men and

a boy in plain, dark robes.  They were expecting something a bit more

flashy, such as armor or heraldic bearings or shields.  Weren't these

knights?  These Jedi looked more like monks.

	After the Jedi were shown their rooms, they were treated to a nice lunch on

a terrace.  The view from the terrace was beautiful.  The buildings were of

stone masonry or wattle and daub.  Newer streets were smoothly paved, while

older streets were cobble-stoned.  Beyond the town was a paradise of scenic

farms and forests

	The Jedi wished to walk to the old cemetery where the haunted crypt was,

after they ate.

	It was Autumn on that part of the world, and the trees wore brilliant hues

of gold, reds, browns and greens.  The brook that ran through the village,

then through a grove past the cemetery, sparkled in the warm sun like a path

of diamonds.

	When the group, led by the mayor, reached the cemetery, the vicar came out

to greet them.  With him was his pet tembi, a large friendly dog-like

creature named Tulu.  After introducing himself and Tulu to the Jedi, he led

them past ornate head markers and statues of angels and strange creatures

guarding the bones of the dead.  A sprinkling of fallen, multicolored leaves

adorned most.  The group's trek ended at a natural cave that had been made

into a crypt.

	"This is where the hideous thing comes out of at night." said the vicar.

"We looked in there for signs of occupancy by a ne'er-do-well or a hobo, but

nothing was there except for the caskets.  Nothing was out of place or out

of the ordinary.  This entrance is the only way in or out, and the lock has

not been broken."

	"May we see inside?" asked Qui-Gon.

	"Certainly."  The vicar chose a large key from the set he was carrying, and

unlocked the heavy, iron-banded wooden door.  Sunlight entered the crypt as

the door was opened, and everything looked peaceful.  Qui-Gon and Plo Koon

stepped inside, with Obi-Wan following.  There were four caskets, each atop

its own dais made of stone steps.  Several other stepped dais were built in

the room, empty, reserved for family members. There was some kind of energy

there.  A quiet energy that felt like a presence had been there, and was now

gone.

	Plo Koon turned toward the vicar.  "Does anyone else besides you have a key

to this place?"

	"The only other key is in the possession of the family that owns this

crypt.  But I really don't think that the creature we saw was any of them.

It's just not mortal enough.  It would be impossible."

	The Jedi knew that what the vicar was saying was true.  It did not feel

like anybody -- alive -- was pulling a prank.

	Qui-Gon asked, "Is there anything else we should see before tonight?"

	The vicar shook his head.  "The image always centers around this place.  It

always looks like it's coming out of this crypt."

	The Jedi exited out of the crypt, and walked around it and its vicinity

while the vicar closed and locked the crypt's door.  None of the energies

around and about seemed out of the ordinary, or at least, not what the

locals would be afraid of.

	That night, near the crypt, a rectangular table with chairs was set up.

Mugs of hot chocolate were on the table as the three Jedi and a few town

officials sat around it, waiting for the time that the image usually

appeared.  No light source was used except by that of the two small moons.

	Obi-Wan was standing a little apart from the table, examining some of the

artistic carvings of the statues.  The elder Jedi kept an eye on him, making

sure he didn't wander too far.  They didn't have to worry about it though,

because when the mayor started elaborating on the tale of the ghostly image,

Obi-Wan and his curiosity headed back to the table, eager to hear the story.

It was almost as fun as listening to the ghost stories around the camp fire

during wilderness training missions.  Obi-Wan loved wilderness training

missions.  The trip would involve junior padawans going to a chosen planet

to learn about different terrain, and search and rescue, plants and animals,

what could be used as food, and what is poison for most humanoids.  The day

would usually end around a campfire under the stars, roasting delicious

treats while the elders told spooky stories -- especially fun when those

stories were actual experiences.

	As time went by, and the mayor's story progressed, peppered with

embellishments from some other people around the table, Qui-Gon felt the

atmosphere get heavy.  It also felt as though a dark spirit had flown into

the crypt like an invisible bolt of lighting.  Qui-Gon looked at Plo Koon

and knew that he felt the same thing.  The sinister feeling must have been

heavy enough for some of the regular folk to feel, because the mayor, who

most likely recognized the feeling from his past experience, suddenly

faltered with his talking, and with worried countenance, looked nervously

toward the crypt.  So had the vicar.  Something seemed to press upon all the

folk around the table and everyone became silent.

	The insects stopped chirping.

	Tulu, who had been sniffing around at the entrance of the crypt suddenly

whined, then barked as she bounded for the safety and company of the people

around the table.

	A sense of excitement welled up in Obi-Wan as he stood behind Qui-Gon with

one hand on the Master's shoulder, as Qui-Gon sat and watched the crypt,

expectant.

	A stronger sense of dread spread all around the natives.

	Dead silence.

	Was something there?   A face slowly formed in the darkness of the crypt's

entryway.  An ugly face.  Ugly, not so much as a physical aspect, but more

from the intense ugliness of the soul creating the visage.  The cadaverous

face was bloodless white.  The mouth was gaping wide open as if trying to

scream, but no sound came out.  Eye sockets were pits of darkness.  The

expression was that of hideous fear.  Malevolent fear shot out from that

face and washed over the spectators like an ocean wave.

	That tide of fear affected most of the people around the table, including

the tembie.  Some were gripping the table, hard, and trembling.  Others felt

sick, some were having trouble breathing.  The only ones not affected by the

fear were the Jedi, including Obi-Wan, who stared at it wide-eyed and

breathed, "Wow!".

	Qui-Gon stood up and slowly walked toward the cadaverous being.  The ghoul

met the challenge by floating out of the darkness of the entranceway toward

Qui-Gon, its body becoming more complete and solid; its unmoving feet

scraping through the grass.  Plo Koon stood up and also walked toward the

creature.  Obi-Wan wasn't to be outdone in the courage department,

especially in front of the natives, so he too walked toward the ghoul.  Plo

Koon pushed his robe's hood off his head.

	When the ghoul saw Koon's face, it stopped its approach.  The fear energy

stopped shooting from it, and a strange sound, perhaps physical, perhaps

mental came out of it.  It sounded like surprise.

	Plo Koon had a face that could stop a clock.

	The cadaverous specter started to back up toward the crypt entrance.  Koon

became more aggressive in his strides as his eyes narrowed to dark slits,

and his expression became fierce enough to have put a yellow streak down the

back of a pro-wrestler.  The specter wailed and was about to escape.

	Qui-Gon could not suppress laughter as he threw a Force "net" around the

ghostly cadaver.  It failed to capture it however.  The soul behind the

image disappeared as if to another dimension, leaving the semi-physical

body.  Before Qui-Gon could reach it, the body collapsed into itself and

melted into a foul greasy looking puddle at the entrance of the crypt.  The

smell was nauseating, and it made Qui-Gon take a few steps back before he

was able to throw a Force blanket over it to dampen and disperse the stench.

	"Well, that was thoroughly disgusting." said Qui-Gon amicably.

	"Sorry." Said Koon jokingly.

	Qui-Gon chuckled.  "Not you.  I'm used to you."

	Obi-Wan carefully stepped over the mess and checked the door.  It was still

locked.

	The folks around the table crept up to the crypt and investigated the

puddle with disdain.

	"Is that the end of it?" asked the mayor."

	"I'm afraid not." said Plo Koon.

	"Its spirit got away." said Qui-Gon.  "It went back into the crypt."

	"What was this?" asked another, pointing to the goo.

	"I believe it's a physical manifestation created by the spirit.  We need to

get into the crypt." said Qui-Gon.

	The vicar stepped up to the crypt door next to Obi-Wan.  "It just so

happens, I had the good sense today to keep the key handy."  He unlocked the

door, then, containing his fear, pushed the door open.  Obi-Wan was the

first to peek in, using his Force senses to see.  Nothing untoward was

there.  Just the four caskets.  Obi-Wan walked in with the two elder Jedi on

his heels.  Both Plo Koon and Qui-Gon immediately sensed that the spirit

they had encountered had not belonged to any of the bodies laid here.  There

was an invisible opening to another dimension, and the spirit was using it.

Perhaps the doorway was opened there long before the cave was used as a crypt?

	Qui-Gon could feel a spot of concentrated energy on one of the dais that

had a casket.  It may be the doorway.  He looked at Koon, who nodded back,

indicating that he felt the same thing.  Obi-Wan also felt it, and started

to walk toward it with hands stretched out before him as if he were trying

to feel the texture of it.  Qui-Gon laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder to

keep him back.

	"Hold it, Obi-Wan."  Qui-Gon wasn't going to let his charge go before him.

Qui-Gon, in turn, was being protected by Plo Koon, who kept close.  Qui-Gon

stepped onto the bottom stone step, then stepped onto the second step.

	Qui-Gon found himself falling through starry space.

	Plo Koon jumped onto the same step in the effort to follow his friend.

Obi-Wan saw both elder Jedi drop through what looked like solid physical

stone.  He quickly leapt onto the step hoping to follow his elders.  During

the quick instant that he dropped, he was just barely able to glance at the

thunderstruck looks of the townspeople before their physical world

disappeared, and he was dropping through space.

	The mayor, vicar and others ran to the dais steps and a few of them

gingerly touched the guilty step with a foot, but the step felt solid.  One

of them carefully stepped up, placing both feet on the step.  Nothing

happened.  He started jumping on it, while another person stepped onto it.

Nothing happened.  The step was as solid stone.

	"Does it work only for ghosts and Jedi?" asked one.

	Another shrugged.

	"How 'bout tembies?" asked another as they watched Tulu sniff around and on

the steps, tail wagging.  Nothing happened to her either.

	Plo Koon had grabbed onto Qui-Gon as they fell.  They heard Obi-Wan's voice

and looked up to find Yoda's apprentice falling above them, reaching out in

the effort to catch hold of one of the Masters.  Both Koon and Qui-Gon

reached up and grabbed Obi-Wan's hands, and they fell as a unit.

	It was strange.  For though it looked as if they were in deep space, there

was a great amount of wind, as if they had fallen off the top of a building

on Coruscant.  Their cloaks and clothes, and Qui-Gon's hair whipped upward

by the wind as they fell.  The fact that they definitely had the feeling

that they were falling down was also strange for space.  There was no

gravitational pull of a planet -- beneath their feet was endless starry

space.  They were also breathing.

	Someone started to scream, but it wasn't coming from any of the Jedi.

Still falling, they looked around for the source of the scream, until they

realized that it was coming from that malevolent spirit they had encountered

at the crypt.  The spirit remained invisible, but it continued to scream in

the effort to frighten the Jedi.  But it didn't work.  The Jedi weren't

frightened at all; only perplexed.  What frustrated the spirit further was

the fact that the boy was having fun.

	The ineffectual screaming eventually died off.  It was effort wasted.

	Something was changing around the Jedi.  The stars disappeared and the

black of space became pure white.  The descent halted, not in a jarring way

-- they suddenly just found themselves to be no longer falling.  They were

standing in a space of white nothingness.  There was no hard floor beneath

their feet, but they were standing nonetheless.  The Jedi straightened their

clothes.

	"I know what's happening." said Qui-Gon.  "That spirit is trying to scare

us.  It seems to exist for the purpose of creating fear."

	"Why?" asked Obi-Wan

	"That I don't know."

	"Some souls live off of the fear of others." said Plo Koon.  "They thrill

in it."

	As Plo Koon was speaking, a solid image of a skeletal demon appeared before

them, holding a drawing in front of it.  Its head was very blurred, almost

to the point of being vaporous.  Its talons curved around the edges of the

picture.  For each Jedi that viewed the picture, the picture was different,

and each Jedi knew that by the thoughts conveyed among them.  The picture

depicted a scene that was supposed to disturb the viewer.  But the Jedi

gazed upon it and the demon before them with interest, and without the

reaction the spirit hoped for.

	The spirit gave up.  The demon image was fading away, but Qui-Gon said,

"Come back here." in an authoritative tone.  Confused, the demon image came

back.

	"We're not finished looking at the pictures yet."

	"Stars and damnation!" exclaimed the demon, " What must I do to cause you

to fear me?!"

	Plo Koon asked, "Why is it, that you want to frighten us?"

	The demon looked at Plo Koon rather enviously and said, "If I looked like

you, I could frighten anybody."

	"Why, thank you!" said Koon as Qui-Gon laughed.

	"We met in a dark alley." quipped Qui-Gon

	"Why do you want to frighten people?" asked Plo Koon.

	Qui-Gon sensed that no one had ever encountered the demon on this level

before, and asked, "What, or who were you before?"

	The spirit was uncertain about what to do.  He had failed with those three

with what had worked fine with others.  Then surprised him further by

following him and added insult to injury by ordering him back and grilling

him.  He hid his frustration by growling, then he abruptly disappeared.

	The Jedi knew that the spirit was not coming back.  They looked around at

their space of white nothingness.

	Plo Koon asked, "Do you think it's been a wasted effort on our part?"

	Qui-Gon looked doubtful. "Well, I don't know if we accomplished anything.

Take my hand Obi-Wan.  Let's see if we can find our way out of here."

	They found themselves floating, rather than walking, as they searched for a

way out.

	"Let's go that way." said Plo Koon , his finger pointing in the direction

where he felt was the crypt.  "I feel the presence of a door over there."

	They floated toward where Plo Koon had pointed.  As they traveled, the

sound of muted voices met their ears.  They came upon an almost

imperceptible window of wavering energy.  Plo Koon carefully stuck his arm

through.  As he did, the voices on the other side seemed to get excited.

Koon pulled his arm back in.  He looked at his companions and shrugged.

	"We may as well go through.  I can't sense what's on the other side, for

some reason."

	"Neither can I." said Qui-Gon, "But we may as well go through."  Qui-Gon

put his arm through, then his hand and shoulders as though he were climbing

out a window.  The voices he was hearing became recognizable as those

belonging to the townspeople.  The dimensional door felt strange to him.  He

felt as if he were going through a birth canal.  Warm hands suddenly grabbed

his arm and pulled.

	Qui-Gon found himself being pulled out by the town leaders.  It was, at

first, disorienting to him because he had entered the dimensional door as if

it were a window on a vertical wall, yet he came up out of a horizontal

step.  He still had a strong hold of Obi-Wan's hand and began pulling.  The

townspeople helped, and Obi-Wan was pulled out from the solid looking step.

He blinked several times after he stood on his feet.

	Qui-Gon waited for the appearance of Plo Koon.  He thought he could reach

down through the step, but his hand met with solid stone.  He was worried

that the door had closed until his friend's hand suddenly popped up from the

stone.  Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan grabbed onto it and pulled.  With the

over-zealousness of the townsfolk trying to help, Plo Koon was thrown up

into the air.  His Jedi reflexes took over and he made a graceful somersault

in the air before landing on his feet.

	"That felt weird." said he.

	"What happened?" asked the mayor, excitedly.

	"We talked with that spirit," said Qui-Gon, "but we don't know if he's gone

away permanently."

	"The spirit was not willing to converse.  He disappeared when we started

asking him questions." said Koon.

	I think the best we can do is close the door." suggested Qui-Gon.

	The mayor screwed up his face and bounced the key on the palm of his hand.

"But we already know that that doesn't work!"

	"Not that door."  Qui-Gon pointed to the stone step.  "This door.  This is

a door to another dimension, and it might keep the ghost away if we close

it.  Close the door Obi-Wan."

	"Huh?  I?  I've never closed a dimensional door." admitted Obi-Wan.

	"After today, you'll have a new skill to add to your collection."

	"How do I start?"

	"Connect yourself mentally with the door."

	Obi-Wan closed his eyes and concentrated.  He could feel the spot of

otherworldly energy through the Force senses.  Plo Koon and Qui-Gon also

closed their eyes to monitor the activity.

	Qui-Gon softly murmured, "In your mind, picture the door closing using the

Force."

	To add clarity to his task, Obi-Wan placed his hand on the step.  The step

was cold and hard to his touch, but his Jedi senses felt the swirling energy

beneath as if the stone were a thin barrier between this world and another.

He pictured and willed in his mind the door getting smaller and smaller.

The doorway obeyed.  The door closed until it became a pinpoint dot which

then Obi-Wan fused closed.

	"Now put a Force lock on it, strong, so that no one could open it from the

other side, or from this side either, unless it is opened by you."

	Obi-Wan took the concept from his Force shield ability and forged a sturdy

lock around the fused door, and left his signature on it.  Judging by his

past experiences with this strong talent, no one should be able to break it

until he opens it.

	Plo Koon nodded his approval, and Qui-Gon grunted in satisfaction.

	"Good work Obi-Wan." said Qui-Gon.

	Obi-Wan smiled in a subdued manner, careful not to appear improperly giddy

in front of the townsfolk.

	Then Qui-Gon said to the group, "This dimensional door is closed.  That

spirit should not bother you anymore, unless there is another door opened

somewhere."

	"What if, by chance he does come back again, what then?"

	"First of all, don't be afraid of him.  He feeds on fear.  The more you

react to him, the more he's going to act.  He can't hurt you -- but he wants

you to think he can."  Qui-Gon smiled.  "If you want to get his goat, make

him a tourist attraction."

	The next day was spent in honor of the Jedi.  They were breakfasted,

entertained and lunched with the best that region had to offer.  And they

were, of course, asked repeatedly to tell the tale of their adventure in

"the other side".  Apart from the description of what it was like, the Jedi

felt that the events that took place weren't all that exciting, but people

kept wanting to hear it over and over again.  And the vicar, mayor and the

others who had been in the crypt would tell with great drama about how they

pulled the Jedi out of the stone.

	When the Jedi arrived back on Coruscant, they gave their report as usual.

Yoda did not ask further questions pertaining to Obi-Wan.  This was one of

the few times that the future revealed itself clearly.  He bided his time.

Alice J. Capen