Fandom: Star Wars Ep.I: The Phantom Menace / Highlander
Rating: The parts will have different ratings, from PG-13 to NC-17
Archive: Yes, you know who you are.
Disclaimer: The Force-boys belong to George Lucas, the Immies to Rysher:Panzer/Davis (I think... they're not mine, this I know *sigh*). "Saving Grace belongs to The Cranberries.
Feedback: Cherished, as always. gdukat_42@yahoo.com
Summary: Methos is thrown into the Star Wars-universe. 'nuff said for now *G*
Chris and Nia did wonderful beta, thank you so much.
This is Nia's bunny. She gave me the original idea and thought of so many little bits and pieces that the story wouldn't be here without her. *biggest hug ever*
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It could happen here today
It could happen here today
And I can't wait to see your face
No, I can't wait to see your face
Can you hold on while I take hold of myself
Can you hold on while I take hold of myself
You're the little thing, my saving grace
You're just a little thing, my saving grace
Will you be strong while I take hold of myself
Will you be strong while I take hold of myself
It could happen here today
It could happen here today
You are my saving grace
You are my saving grace
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This time, he dared it.
As he stepped into the swirling colors, the only thought on his mind was that there was nothing left for him to lose.
His head ached, and he didn't want to wake up. He could hear a few voices, but didn't understand a word they were saying.
Interesting.
He had seen so many languages come and go, develop out of and melt into each other, that he simply wasn't used to not being able to decipher a single word.
Something new.
Something he didn't know.
Quite interesting, indeed.
Interesting enough to finally make him open his eyes. He did so, and blinked. Standing next to his bed was a - a ... well, "it wasn't much taller than the bed, and it looked like -
Methos closed his eyes again.
Great.
Of all the worlds in this universe, he had to land on E.T.'s.
Fine. He would deal with it, one way or another.
He peeked at his right side, and to his relief saw someone looking more or less human. One could never be too sure, of course.
The tall one checked the monitors and the various other machines that beeped around him. Methos frowned slightly, he didn't feel that bad, actually. A little weak, yes, but not so bad that he had to lie down.
The tall one exchanged a few words with E.T. He had nearly no throat, so he looked like a mixture between E.T. and a hamster. Green, with sharp-pointed ears. Then the hamster started to talk to him, very slowly. Which didn't make him understand it any better. The hamster noticed that. After a moment, he tapped his hand on his chest and stated something that was obviously his name.
Methos frowned. The hamster's name was - yoga? "Yo...? he asked carefully.
The hamster's ears perked up as he said "Yo-da., clearly understandable now.
"Yoda. Methos repeated slowly, which got him an enthusiastic nod.
That's at least something, Methos thought, before tapping to his own chest and stating his name.
"Methos. Yoda repeated, looking at him expectantly, something akin to a smile crossing his features. He said a few more words, patted Methos' shoulder and left the room.
The physician followed him, probably asking him something. Methos decided that he had lain there long enough and tried to sit up.
It was time to explore this world, so he would have no possibility to think about the world he came from.
Or why he chose to leave.
No, thinking about all that wouldn't be helpful, right now.
First things first.
He didn't know a thing about this world, and he needed knowledge to survive.
It always came down to the basics.
Learn.
Survive.
No room for other things.
No room for feelings.
Feelings distract.
Distract from the important things.
Methos sat up and started tugging at the electrodes which were glued to his skin. Finally he managed to get them off and grabbed his bag, which stood with his clothes neatly folded on top of it beside the bed, and was out of the door in a second.
He sneaked down the corridor and stepped through the first unlocked door.
Some sort of storage room, Methos thought, shivering a little. Time to wear something more than his boxers. He put on the jeans, the sweater and the shoes he had worn when he had arrived there.
A peek through the door confirmed the corridor was empty, so he walked carefully, always staying close to the wall, until he started thinking and stopped dead in his tracks.
He had to learn. The language, the way of life, the people... and he couldn't very well do this alone.
These people, at least the two he knew so far, didn't seem too unfriendly. He could have been sitting cuffed in some dark hole, when he found himself in a hospital instead.
So.
Maybe fleeing wasn't the right decision.
For once.
For now.
He started as he felt a light tap against his shin. As he looked down, he saw the green... dwarf. He didn't look like a hamster, actually. Or E.T. In fact, Methos had never seen anyone looking anything like him.
Yoda looked up at him and smiled, motioning for Methos to follow him.
So Methos did.
They walked slowly down the corridor. The floor was shining, almost reflecting, and Methos wondered if it still needed to be wiped and polished, or if it somehow did that on its own. That would be a useful invention for once. It had to take hours to get it this clean. Their shoes didn't make any sounds on the material, and Methos noticed that it hadn't any seams. Maybe it was fluid before fitted in... something smelled differently.
It smelled like... he couldn't actually say, there wasn't anything that had ever smelled like this, but it was certainly different from the rest of the corridor. Rich and earthy...
They walked around a corner, and the corridor simply ended. No door or something like that, just one step over the threshold and they were standing outside.
Methos looked around curiously, trying to gauge the styles and materials of the buildings, only to find that he couldn't. The style was of beautiful practicality, and everything seemed to be made of metal, although it didn't look cold. Peculiar.
He looked away from the buildings and was consumed by the sight that lay before him.
The garden.
It was beautiful.
Right in front of him was a large lawn, sprinkled with colorful flowers, none of which Methos had ever seen. The lawn itself was green, but in between grew bunches of a plant that *looked* like grass, except that it was violet. Well.
A few people were sitting on benches in the shadows of large trees, or walked around.
Recreation, Methos pondered. Nice.
Good to watch people.
Two young men about eighteen years old, practicing something like a kata. They moved with concentration, nearly perfectly in synch. Very meditation-like, Methos pondered. If they did fast ones just as well... If they *fought* this well...
A young girl on a bench, frowning over - well, it seemed to be a data-pad. Maybe there was a use for watching Star Trek all these years after all. She seemed to be learning something. Well, at least her frowning didn't look very enthusiastic.
A young man, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the lawn, just staring into space. Sad.
All clad in the same earth-colored robes. Seemed to be en vogue.
At least, his clothes weren't, because the girl was staring at him open-mouthed right now. He saw Yoda wielding his stick a little, and the girl blushed - blue?! - and turned her attention back to her data-pad.
Behind this part of the garden he could see several people at work, obviously harvesting some kind of vegetables. Bright-yellow vegetables.
They walked slowly and were frequently passed by people, and Methos began to wonder if the brown robes were some sort of uniform. The whole surroundings didn't seem militaristic at all, but still... He noticed that all the passers-by knew Yoda. He seemed to have great influence, since a few people asked Yoda about him, judging from their curious looks, and Yoda didn't ever say anything except for the greeting. No one insisted. Hm...
The next part of the garden was delicately ornamented with stones, single flowers and pieces of carved wood. It reminded Methos of Zen-gardens. Looked as though it would be just as much work. He hadn't tried that for a very long time.
Beside that part was a big area of land that was the total opposite: the grass was nearly a meter high at some places, flowers growing between it, completely wild, not gardened at all.
Methos wondered if this world had butterflies; this surrounding would be perfect for watching them.
Again, he felt a light tapping at his shin, and as he saw Yoda smile up at him, he realized they must have been standing there at least for some minutes.
"Beautiful. He told him, because he felt he had to, even though he knew Yoda wouldn't understand.
Yoda looked as if he understood, though, nodded and started walking again. They went into another building with white walls, high ceilings and unbelievably big windows that showed a wonderful view of the gardens.
After walking up a few stairways, Yoda opened the door to a set of rooms, and in an instant Methos knew that these were his quarters. Yoda made an inviting gesture, and Methos went into the bedroom, dropped his bag and made a bee-line for the window.
The view was breathtaking, he could see the parts of the garden he had seen before, but behind the walls surrounding it, he saw a giant skyline with unbelievably high buildings in all kinds of shapes. Something kept irritating him, though, the skyline seemed not normal... it looked as though he could only see the very spires of the buildings, but that wasn't possible, was it?
As impossible as violet grass, maybe.
Absolutely beautiful.
This time, he remembered Yoda before he was tapped.
"Thank you, he said quietly.
Yoda's eyes quivered, and he said something that probably meant "You're welcome.
Probably.
It would take a long time before he would be able to really understand him.
Understand anyone here.
He noticed Yoda was patting the bed, so he took a guess and sat down on it. Good guess, he thought as he saw Yoda smile.
His headache was starting again. At the base of his neck, feeling distinctly like a quickening, but not really - a peculiar sensation, a tingling, somewhere in the - in the depths of his *mind*, nothing had ever felt quite like that... Yoda was standing in front of him, staring at him intently, and Methos felt -
Felt Yoda. Saw Yoda. Was Yoda.
In his mind.
He felt calm and control and something that had caused him great sadness - he saw the gardens again, out of Yoda's perspective, saw his own knees, saw the flowers and trees seem much taller, saw the girl, the two boys, the sad man - felt the surge of sadness that was Yoda's own, knew suddenly that Yoda was very old - old.
Old.
If he knew how old Yoda was -
He breathed harshly, scared, scrambling up the headboard, fighting, and not even knowing what he fought against.
[Read your thoughts, I do not.]
Methos let out a relieved breath.
Right before he stopped breathing all together.
He had understood.
