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Author	Topic: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
Solo_and_Fel Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 5/7/08 10:18pm Subject: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Title: To Suffer and Be Strong Author(s): Solo_and_Fel Timeframe: LOTF Invincible Characters: Jaina Solo, Kyp Durron, Jagged Fel Genre: Drama/Angst Keywords: final battle Summary: A speculation that happens immediately at the cover of Invincible. Notes: This is the beginning of a longer story I began writing in January but haven't been able to finish. Since it's inspired by the cover of Invincible, I thought I'd at least put out the beginning before the book came out. If I ever finish it I'll add on, but for now it's a vignette. I've been pretty good about staying away from Invincible spoilers, so there's no known spoilers here... just speculation. To Suffer and Be Strong Know how sublime a thing is to suffer and be strong. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Her lightsaber drove through him, searing through layers of cloth and skin and muscle, forcing him to the ground. His breathing grew shorter and shorter. His arm seized in an attempt to grab at the weapon. He couldn't seem to latch onto it though. Shock was in control. Little gasps came out now. His arm fell unceremoniously to the floor. And then, silence. She stood there for what seemed like a very long moment, afraid to step near him. Afraid that this was another trick. Afraid she wouldn't see through this one and it'd cost her. She was still in battle mode, knees slightly bent, hands at the ready, eyes unblinking. Tentatively she reached out in the Force and found his presence drifting away. It wasn't a controlled pull back but a staggering fade laced with images of those who'd once been his family. Her saber deactivated and clattered to the cement floor. She then allowed herself the few steps toward where he lay. She felt no evil, just the last traces of the man he was before all the darkness as he brushed past her cheek in a goodbye. Her words crawled out as barely a whisper. "I love you, Jacen." Her breath seeped out as the water filled up her eyes. She felt lighter but also dizzier. Squatting down to pick up her lightsaber, she found her legs ached and burned. Before she could stand back up, they gave out and she lay there a crumpled mass on the floor. Sobs racked her body and suddenly she felt everything. Everything. The burns on her skin. The bruises on her hip. The steadily growing welt on her cheek. The broken toes. The gashes. The torn ligaments. Blood rushing out. Her heartbeat that just didn't want to slow down. The fear she had had of him and what he would do unstopped. The final cold emptiness in the place she always held for him in their bond. The disbelief that it had come to this... She could barely remember where she was. She had no idea how long she had fought nor how long she had been laying on the ground. Her brain couldn't even fathom what to do next. There was only right now. Boop...boop. The noise came from her collar. Her hand trembled toward her neck and she pushed the button with what felt like her last bit of strength. "Jaina?" She recognized the brisk concerned voice as Kyp's but said nothing. "Jaina? Can you answer me?" She opened her mouth to reply but a pant came out. "I can hear her, but she's not saying anything." His voice sounded muffled. She couldn't tell if he had turned his head away from the comm or if it was just a trick her ears were playing. Everything seemed fuzzy. "Jaina, I'm coming for you. Hang in there." The connection cut. Hang in there. The phrase echoed in her head. She focused as best she could on it. A compulsion surged through her to not let go, to follow those words. There must be a reason to hang on. The next thing she knew she heard the sound of boots running toward her. Her sobs had stopped but her face remained wet from the constant flow of tears. Kyp Durron was kneeling on the floor next to her, obstructing her view of the other body. Her glistening brown eyes moved up to meet his anxious pale green gaze. "Where does it hurt the most?" he asked even though she could feel him trying to assess her physical situation in the Force. "All...over," she muttered. "Do you think you could stand? You can lean on me, I just need to get you up." She slowly rolled on her back a little, then convinced her arms to move up to his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her to his body. In a soft tone he murmured, "Here we go. C'mon." And together they made it to an upright position. "There we go." The blood rushed out of her head but she somehow managed not to black out. Realizing she wasn't going to make it even one step, he scooped her up and depressed the comlink in his sleeve. "She's hurting bad. Follow the beacon. Get as close as you can." Kyp carried her to the doorway and soon there was the rumbling of a ship's engine. It set down practically next to them. The hatch opened. Jagged Fel jumped down and hit a panel to extend a ramp. Kyp carried her up and Jag followed silently close behind. Inside Kyp placed her on a small makeshift bunk while Jag made sure she had a few cushions for whatever comfort they could bring her. A medpack was already rolled out on a small crate. Jag kneeled next to the bed and helped release her grip on her lightsaber and pull off the crushgaunts. He rolled up her sleeve and administered two hypos of a pain reliever. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked up at Kyp who was hovering nearby. "Would you get us ready for takeoff?" Looking back at Jaina he added, "I'll take care of her from here." Kyp nodded. "Hang in there, Jaina. You'll be ok." "No." Her voice was still quiet but now edged with icy determination. "No what?" Jag asked. "Not ok." "I know, Jaina. Let Jag take care of you," Kyp said as he laid a hand lightly on her shoulder. "No." Her breathing was raspy. "Ja..." She blinked back tears. "...he...still out there?" She could tell from the looks on their faces that they weren't quite sure how to answer her, how to tell her he wasn't a threat anymore. But that wasn't what she was asking. "Body... body or gone?" She could see the realization dawn on Kyp's face. "I'll go check," he said somberly and sprinted out of the ship. Jag cut away a burnt part of her jumpsuit. He moved with such precision and care. He had just started applying a salve to the darkened exposed skin when Kyp returned. "He's still there." "Get him." Kyp sighed. "As soon as we lift off, I'll call someone to get him." He slapped the outside control for the ramp and saw Jaina from the corner of his eye start to protest. "I promise. But my first priority is you. You're still alive." With that he stepped into the cockpit. Jaina could hear him start the launch sequence and then pull shut the divider between the two areas. Still alive. It was the best and the worst feeling in the whole universe. -----signature----- "Hurling black lightning is one thing, but quoting Kyp Durron puts me lower than I ever expected to get." To Suffer & Be Strong: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28435487&brd=10477 Check profile for more fics.
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canadianjedimama Registered: Jan '08	Date Posted: 5/8/08 4:35am Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Very nice You captured Jaina's feeling during the duel perfectly. When you actually read Invincible, I think you're going to be...surprised. Bravo, CJM -----signature----- Team Jag I may not always love the canon, but it amuses me so I read. Sara -- Told you so!
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MarasFire Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 5/8/08 5:12am Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	This was perfect! An all-out battle with her twin brother would naturally exhaust Jaina, and I love how she even had broken toes. Well, not the fact that she has broken toes but that you thought to add that in. I wouldn't have... I feel so bad for Jaina. Fighting Jacen would be awful for her, but she'd do it since she sees it as her duty as the Sword of the Jedi. Why weren't Kyp and Jag with her during the fight? It's interesting how Jaina wanted to retrieve Jacen's body, just like Anakin's. -----signature----- It's better to laugh than to cry, don't you think? I do. Even when the world is scary and sad. Especially when the world is scary and sad. That's when you need to laugh. —Marco
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jadesabre75 Registered: Nov '07	Date Posted: 5/8/08 6:09am Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Loved it! I loved how Jag and Kyp were the ones that came to get her. Great job! -----signature----- Stories are in my bio! Have at it! "Writers block is when your characters get tired of everything you do to them and go on strike." Lucky Member of the Jagateers: Jagateer of the Imperial Red Swim Trunks
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/8/08 6:16am Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Nicely done! Jag cut away a burnt part of her jumpsuit. He moved with such precision and care. He had just started applying a salve to the darkened exposed skin when Kyp returned. "He's still there." "Get him." Kyp sighed. "As soon as we lift off, I'll call someone to get him." He slapped the outside control for the ramp and saw Jaina from the corner of his eye start to protest. "I promise. But my first priority is you. You're still alive." With that he stepped into the cockpit. Jaina could hear him start the launch sequence and then pull shut the divider between the two areas. Still alive. It was the best and the worst feeling in the whole universe. -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Solo_and_Fel Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 5/9/08 4:43pm Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	CJM: You captured Jaina's feeling during the duel perfectly. Thanks! I've never written a battle/duel before so I decided the cover was the end of the battle and went from there. Plus I figured Jaina would be super focused to get through it but when it was over it would hurt a lot... in more ways than one. When you actually read Invincible, I think you're going to be...surprised. Ah! You can't say that to me! ...because I don't know if it means surprised good or surprised bad. But I don't want to know - I'm beating good about being spoiler-free for this one (which is tough because usually I love me some spoilers). MarasFire: This was perfect! An all-out battle with her twin brother would naturally exhaust Jaina, and I love how she even had broken toes. Well, not the fact that she has broken toes but that you thought to add that in. I wouldn't have... Ha! I'm glad you don't want her toes broken. Oddly enough the broken toes were one of the first things I thought of for her injuries. It's an injury you could keep walking with but it is so uncomfortable. I know from personal experience. Why weren't Kyp and Jag with her during the fight? I think facing Jacen was something she'd want/have to do alone so she'd do whatever she had to in order to ensure that. That's all I'm going to say for now though because how she ended up separated from everyone else will be revealed if I continue with this. It's interesting how Jaina wanted to retrieve Jacen's body, just like Anakin's. Well his body is one of the only Jacen-y things that was left of him in the end. It's a bit of closure. There's also an off chance their parents might want to say their goodbyes to him. And on another level, if the body leaves with her, she knows he won't get up and start terrorizing again. jadesabre75: Loved it! I loved how Jag and Kyp were the ones that came to get her. Glad you enjoyed it! Jag and Kyp coming to Jaina's rescue is a tiny shout out to the NJO. Zekk got left out because I decided he's still on the edge of falling back to the dark side. This is actually the fic that King of Pain got spun off from. Thanks for stopping by! VaderLVR64:Thank you! Author's Note: I'm going to try to keep plugging away at this story. Keep your fingers crossed. The next part's done, but I won't post it until I have the a whole lot more done after it. In case it never gets finished, this makes for a nice little vignette... a nice, dark, painful little vignette. -----signature----- "Hurling black lightning is one thing, but quoting Kyp Durron puts me lower than I ever expected to get." To Suffer & Be Strong: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28435487&brd=10477 Check profile for more fics.
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Trepidation Registered: Aug '05	Date Posted: 5/28/08 8:08am Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	A-ha...Found it... (Invincible Spoiler warning...) - - - - - - You brought up a point in this that I was scratching my head on after reading "Invincible." Do Sith Lords disappear into the Force when they assume room temperature? More importantly, and relevant to "Invincible"... If Jacen/Caedus didn't disappear into the Force after assuming room temperature, can we assume that all this malarkey about him being redeemed at the very end was, in fact, nonsense. I loved the way you showed Jaina operating on focus and adrenalin....which caught up with here eventually. That was true canon. Nicely done... Trep -----signature----- "I've met people who figure me for a spoiled Jedi brat." --Jaina Solo "Nooooooooooo !!!!!" snort---Trepidation
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Solo_and_Fel Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 7/9/08 8:37pm Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Sorry for the delay in replying, but I really appreciate you stopping by, Trep! I wondered that too. I'm still not entirely sure I understand the whole disappearing/not disappearing thing. I'm eager to see what you do with this in your fic. As for the focus/adrenalin, could you imagine throwing yourself fully into a fight like that? (Well, I bet as an author you can, but... rhetorical.) Everything would just come crashing down at the end. Thanks again for your compliments! -----signature----- "Hurling black lightning is one thing, but quoting Kyp Durron puts me lower than I ever expected to get." To Suffer & Be Strong: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28435487&brd=10477 Check profile for more fics.
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JediMaster_Jen Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 7/9/08 9:16pm Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Exceptional! The thing that jumped out at me was her asking Kyp to retrieve Jacen's body. Despite his evil deeds, his atrocities, he was still her brother and she loved him. Simply wonderful. -----signature----- "Qui tacet consentit"~~ (silence implies consent) NY Yankees!! 2009 World Champs!!!
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TKeira_Lea Registered: Oct '02	Date Posted: 7/10/08 12:56pm Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Love the title; just had to click. You captured Jaina's emotions at that moment very well. -----signature----- http://www.lominalecantina.com Do you ever talk to yourself? Worry when you answer back. current fanfic ~ Return to Bolis Island http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/29571370/p1/?19
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Solo_and_Fel Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 7/10/08 8:20pm Subject: RE: To Suffer and Be Strong (Jaina-centric inspired by Invincible cover)
	Thank you, JediMaster_Jen. The thing that jumped out at me was her asking Kyp to retrieve Jacen's body. Despite his evil deeds, his atrocities, he was still her brother and she loved him. It'd be hard to look at him and not see her brother at all - especially with them being twins, it's just got to be heart-wrenching for her. Hopefully I captured some of that here. And thank you for stopping in, TKL! I haven't been that creative with my titles before, but I really searched for the perfect one for this. I'm glad you like it. It's my mini-motivator to keep writing this one. How could I not fully use it? Unfortunately, I just haven't had time to finish it yet. Thank you both for taking a moment to reply! -----signature----- "Hurling black lightning is one thing, but quoting Kyp Durron puts me lower than I ever expected to get." To Suffer & Be Strong: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28435487&brd=10477 Check profile for more fics.
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