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Author	Topic: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) completed 6/15
Jedi_Nifet Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 5/9/04 3:20pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/8
	Hmmm, mmmm and all other sounds. Excellent post, Lilith, dynamic and detailed. And here I thought you would let one of them win... -----signature----- ~~Beauty is the food of soul~~
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Shaindl Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 5/10/04 7:17am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/8
	Wonderful detail, Lilith, like everyone said. I love that you gave an accounting for how Qui broke his nose. Great job! Shaindl -----signature----- Halfway Moment - Qui, Obi, Anakin AU - http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20110461/?0 - UPDATED JULY 3!
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Lilith Demodae Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 5/12/04 6:32am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/8
	Thank you ladies, for your wonderful comments. I'd reply in more depth, but I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning.... _________________________ "Who did it?" "Where?" "Was anyone hurt?" "Shut your yaps! I'll tell what I just got told." The crowd quieted somewhat, though there were still several muttered conversations going on here and there. Roble rubbed a hand across his face and sighed wearily. "The patrol was just north of Kensing, east of the Loring Tower, when they were hit by another group of swoopriders. Bait says that there were no markings on either the rides or the riders. The patrol scattered, as per orders. Now we're waiting for them to start reporting in. That's all I know, so don't bother asking for more." I scanned the crowd quickly. //Who's not here?// I ticked faces off on a mental list. Bait, Cougar, Chaser, Marlo, Dez ... My heart seized and I gasped as I came up with one more. Sloan. I slid off Phyl's shoulder, not helped much by his attempts to keep me from ‘falling', and ran to Shael's side, my arms going around him automatically. His kid brother was out on that patrol. I could see it in his face, in the line of his body, the tension in his muscles. Shael was scared, deep down, pit of your stomach scared. His dark eyes refused to focus on anything and he turned this way and that, as if to scan the assembled crowd for his brother, to discover that his fear was silly. But Sloan wasn't there, and Shael, who had helped make the patrol schedules, knew it as well as I did. Roble settled a hand on Shael's nearest shoulder, offering what comfort he could. Mason did the same on his other side. The four of us didn't move, but just stood there, waiting, hoping for that call to come in. After a moment, I noticed the difference in temperature between my skin and Shael's. He was coming down off his fight high and crashing hard with this news about the patrol to help. I flagged Ishtari down and gestured to her. The red head nodded and dashed off to get shirts for the two men with me. We pushed Shael down into a chair next to the comm board, got his shirt on him, and I sat in his lap, snuggling up against him. He clutched at me as if his life depended on it, but he had eyes only for the comm board and that dark incoming indicator. And there was nothing more that we could do. We didn't even know where Sloan was, so it wasn't as if Shael or anyone else could go out looking for him or the others. Sloan and his fellow patrollers would call as soon as they had time. Until then, all we could do was wait and hope. Bait, true to orders, had remote triggered the alarm system for Armageddon when he commed in. Roble had known that it would likely be the only thing that would get immediate attention, what with the Fights taking place. Each of the other patrollers would do the same as they commed in. I pressed myself as close to Shael as I could, alternately hugging him and stroking his face, hair and chest in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mason hovering nearby. I knew he wanted to ask me about something, but I just didn't have time for him then. Talk to Ishtari, I signed to him. She knows what you are, and she won't tell. After a momentary hesitation he nodded ever so slightly and strode away, much to my relief. Ishtari could answer his questions about the other gangs or alarms or whatever it was he was stirred up about. I couldn't leave Shael. The alarm warbled the first couple of its high pitched notes, and we all jumped in reaction before Roble hit the override. He punched the receive button and spoke toward the mic as several others drifted silently closer to listen in. "Report." "Patrol was hit and we scattered." Marlo's voice crackled out of the speaker. "I've taken cover at location seven and will wait for nightfall to come in." "You clear?" "Right now, yeah. I'm worried though, Boss." Death's hand gripped the edge of the board and his knuckles whitened, but that was the only outward sign he gave of any apprehension. "Why?" "I was ridin' drag, and they hit us from the side, so I had a purty good view of things when we scattered. Boss, they split into threes and followed Bait, Dez, and Sloan. Whoever they was, they didn't look like they was choosin' at random." Shael's hands gripped me tightly and I tuned out the rest of the conversation. I focused only on him, my hand forcing him to turn and look at me. "Shh. Sloan knows the streets of our territory as good as anyone else in the gang.," I said. "He's just a kid," he broke in sharply. "Shh." I pressed a kiss to his lips to keep him quiet. "He's not. Sloan's twenty-four and he can take care of himself," I corrected. "He's my brother!" Shael gritted out. "Shh. I know. I know." I stroked his cheek and pressed another kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You've just got to believe that he'll be okay." Shael wrapped me in a fierce hug and buried his face in my hair. "Mom and pop made me promise," he whispered, his voice husky with emotion. "They made me promise that I'd take care of him." I was an only child, so I didn't pretend to understand brothers and sisters and the way they seem to drive each other crazy while still loving deeply. All I could do to help was be there for him and let him hold me until Sloan came back. Or didn't. //No, don't think like that, it won't help anyone.// -----signature----- This post is brought to you by: This space for rent
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Jedi_Nifet Registered: Feb '02	Date Posted: 5/12/04 6:47am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/12
	Emotional, gripping. I could even feel the tension. Great job, Lilith! -----signature----- ~~Beauty is the food of soul~~
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Shaindl Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 5/12/04 2:03pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/12
	No! Sloan! As worried as I am for him, I'm intrigued by Qui's conversation with Ishtari. More soon? Shaindl -----signature----- Halfway Moment - Qui, Obi, Anakin AU - http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20110461/?0 - UPDATED JULY 3!
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PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 5/12/04 4:18pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/12
	great post -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
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Miska Registered: Apr '02	Date Posted: 5/12/04 4:46pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/12
	THIS STORY IS SO GOOD!! Sorry I just had to get that out The fight scene was amazing and I have to agree, it was a fair (if maddening!) way to end the fight, with no real winner. Everyone's a winner here, right guys? But the last post was awesome- love the tension, Crash's inner diaologue, and gotta feel for poor Shael! Great work, and I have my fingers crossed for a happy ending! -----signature----- You know it's love when you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. H/L and L/M fics in my bio!
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Lilith Demodae Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 5/15/04 10:33am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/12
	Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and I love writing fight scenes. _______________________________ I just held on to my man until the next alarm jolted us a third time and started the fears flowing all over again. Roble hit the cutoff before more than the first note of the alarm could do more than jangle our nerves. "Report." "Patrol was hit, Boss. We scattered. I'm about a klick out and coming in hot," Cougar warned, no hint of his usual smile in his tone. "Make sure the door's open." "You seen Chaser, Sloan or Dez?" "Chaser's tight off my aft end, Boss. We met up at location eleven." "I hear you, door's open." Instead of decreasing, Shael's tension was winding higher and higher. The rule was that you shouldn't use the comm if you think someone might be monitoring. We didn't want anyone else figuring out what frequencies we used, though I have to admit the rule's a bit on the paranoid side. It's not like everyone on the planet knew we even had the helmet comms. It was Frank who figured out how to fit them in and between him and Tri'est the channels and switches had been hammered out so that anyone could get the hang of using them. In fact, not everyone had one yet, though the few Horsemen without were the ones that didn't ever go on patrol. The only reason I could think of that Sloan hadn't reported in yet was that he was still being chased by those other riders. Or he was down. //Don't think like that!// Sloan was just still being chased. He'd lose them and we'd hear from him and he'd come back safe and sound. I slipped away from Shael only once while we waited there for his brother to comm in. I grabbed Mason and explained what I wanted and he accepted it silently and left to get it done while I grabbed some food and went back to my man. As soon as Roble was done talking to Cougar and Chaser, Mason pulled them aside and took them over to Ishtari. The woman was a superb fighter, rode like a Sith out of hell, and on top of that was a surprisingly skilled artist. I'd charged Mason with making sure that everyone who came in from the patrol talked to Ishtari about what they'd seen. She would draw up any faces that could be remembered. Maybe Shael or Trapper would recognize one of them as the men who had ambushed them those weeks ago. If they did, I wasn't sure what it would mean, but it would be one more piece of the puzzle that Mason and I could use to try and figure out just what was happening around us. Shael didn't particularly want to eat, but since I was pushing food in his mouth, the easiest thing for him to do was chew and swallow. I didn't blame him. I didn't particularly want to eat either, but it gave me something to pass the time, other than watching the commboard and biting my nails to the quick. Dez checked in, reporting that he'd managed to lose his tails, after a dogged and relentless chase in the heavy evening traffic as normal people, people who had no clue that a war was being waged around them, hurried home from a long day's work. It was surprisingly easy not to be bitter about those people with normal jobs and normal lives. Sure, their world was more secure, safer than mine, especially now, but mine was alive. I soared with the eagles and chased the wind, I risked reputation and mainframe against glory and my family with every single slice I did. Even when my heart ached, my eyes stung with tears I wouldn't let fall, and my gut felt hollow with denied fear, I knew I was alive. As a once popular song went: ‘If you're going to feel the pleasure, boy, you're bound to feel the sting. I'd rather have it broken, broken, than to never feel a thing.' I gladly exchanged a life of same old, same old for moments that let me feel such strong emotions. With great gain comes the possibility of great loss, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except, at that very moment, Sloan's life. Darkness fell, Bait and Dez rocketed in and Marlo commed to let us know that he was on his way, and still no word from Sloan. Doc ended up slapping bacta patches on a couple of blaster burns, and old riding leathers were brought out to help patch up current sets. Roble, Shael and I were rarely more than a couple of paces away from the comm board. The triplets gladly brought us dinner there, but we ate very little of it. When it happened, instead of the alarm, the triple note of the encoding warning warbled once and went silent. The two men were only half a step behind me as I snatched up a headset, plugged in, and brought up my decoding programs. An ID program spun through its routine and spat out the information it had before triggering the next program in line. Whoever was on the comm, and I was certain it was Sloan, wasn't using one of the seven standard encryptions I'd set up for the gang, but one of the three emergency ones. Roble inhaled to speak, but I held up a hand to stop him. I had a feeling that it was very important for us to keep as quiet as possible and I didn't want him to say anything that might be picked up by his headset's mic. Sure enough, a moment later a soft whisper hissed in our ear pieces. "Crash?" "Sloan?" I whispered back, following his example. It wasn't likely that anyone would be able to hear us through the sound dampening on the helmet, but if he was being careful there was probably a reason for it. "Sloan, are you okay?" "Yeah, tell Shael I'm fine, but they've got me." "Who's got you? Angels?" "Don't know, never seen ‘em before," he replied. "I spent all afternoon dodging ‘em and trying to shake ‘em, but they must have called in reinforcements ‘cuz they finally managed to box me in." "Turn on your tracking pulse," I instructed, fighting to keep my voice level and calm. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to get him and I didn't like what that could mean. "What if they notice?" A touch of healthy fear tinged his voice. "We'll risk that," Death broke in. "Turn it on. If you think they've stopped moving you, you can turn it off again in a couple of minutes." There was a muffled click and I began flicking switches on the board. "Okay, we've got you, Sloan," I assured him. "Now, let us know what kind of building you're in, entrances, exits, that sort of thing-" Shh!" he whispered sharply, cutting me off. Then, the young man who might as well have been my own kid brother launched into a creative string of ear curling curses that seemed to cut off mid caustic description of someone's probable parentage. Shael gave a blistering oath of his own and lunged forward, as if he could reach through the comm board and pull his brother back through it. I slapped a hand across his mouth to prevent any more loud outbursts and shouldered him aside. Turning up the gain on the comm, I also kicked in some filters. Seconds later I had him back. "You'll never get away with this, you pigeons." Roble winced away upon hearing this. Sloan was about to get himself killed. Everyone knew that pigeons were just slow-flying sacks of sh- well, you get the idea. If you wanted to insult a swooper, that was the easiest way to accomplish it. To my everlasting surprise, nothing happened. "Let me go now and the Horsemen may let you leave with your pathetic rides in one piece." "Quiet, kid," someone snarled back. "Shut him up," someone else commanded. "And bring that helmet. His nibs thinks there might be comm gear in it." There were slight, distant sounds of struggle, and closer, a scuff of a boot, a scrape of duraplast on permacrete. After a tense moment, what I had feared most happened. "Hey, there's a light of some sort in here." The voice was almost enough to deafen, since it was so much closer to the helmet's mic. "Boss, I think he was right, and I think this kid's been talking to his crew." "Let me see that," again distant and low. A slight whistle, probably from being tossed through the air. "Could be. Did you hear anything?" "–" "Give me your blade." A sharp, high-pitched hum announced the arrival of a vibroblade near the mic, a crackling hiss, and then nothing. Again Shael scrabbled at the board, turning filters off and on, changing the gain across the spectrum, switching frequencies, anything that might possibly bring the signal back. But it was gone. Roble and me, we let him do what he wanted. He needed to expend the energy and frustration that I could see driving the muscles in his arms and back. I wanted to help him, to hurt for him so that he wouldn't have to, but I couldn't. When he was done venting at the electronics we would see what else was needed. For the moment, though, there was no reasoning with him. I stood back, my arms wrapped tightly around myself, hands chafing at my arms. In a drifting moment's thought, my mind brought up mental pictures of the three men deliberately singled out, and looking back it wasn't hard to draw the lines and connect those dots. Dez and Bait were both about the same size and build as Sloan. He had been their target the whole time. Fear spiked through me, but I quashed it ruthlessly. I didn't have time for it. Shael needed me still. I could let Shael and Roble do all the worrying for me. Soon Shael's desperation played itself out and he leaned, defeated and weary in mind and body, against the comm board. He closed his eyes and rocked slightly back and forth. Darting close, I hugged him tightly. "He's okay, Shael. They wouldn't have gone to such trouble if they just wanted to kill him." "I'll hunt them to the ends of the galaxy if they so much as bruise him." Shael's voice was low and menacing in a way I'd never heard before, the muscles under my hands tensing and jerking. "We'll get him back if we have to go to war," Death told him softly. "He's my little brother, too." "And mine," I echoed, still holding my man tightly. Shael's chest still heaved with deep, ragged breaths, but I could feel his muscles relaxing just a little under my hands as he accepted our reassurances. A slower breath, a tired nod, and then he returned my fierce hug. We were silent then, just holding each other, Roble supporting us both with his presence. The rest of the gang would know soon enough what was going on and Shael would have all the sympathy and vengeful agreement he could stand. But for now it was just us. "Is there any chance they'll recognize the tracking pulse?" Roble asked me after a few moments. I shook my head. "I don't think so, not unless they knew exactly what they were looking for," I responded. "Frank or Tri'est would be able to tell you for sure." "Then we have an advantage. We know where Sloan is, and they don't know that we know." Death sighed and reset the comm board to the default stand-by mode. He was sighing a lot more than usual recently. This gang war and all that went with it was something we Horsemen could really have done without. "They took Sloan for a reason and they'll tell us when they're good and ready. Get some rest, you two." I caught Roble's eye and we shared a worried look. Yes, there was a reason, and I think we were sharing similar thoughts about what that reason might be. I pulled Shael away toward his bunk, and he came easily, more tired than he would ever willingly admit. I didn't even need to give him a gentle shove to get my man to lay down. He didn't let go of my hand though, and pulled me down beside him. Cuddling up close, he tugged the light blanket up over us, and I spent another night in his arms, though this time I was comforting him. -----signature----- This post is brought to you by: This space for rent
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Jemmiah Registered: Mar '00	Date Posted: 5/15/04 12:35pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/15
	sigh I love this story... You effortlessly master action, be it fighting or high speed drama. I'm so very jealous! Wish I could make my action scenes as dramatic and realistic as you! Don't suppose I can hire you to write my swoop scenes for Swings and Roundabouts? "Cuddling up close, he tugged the light blanket up over us, and I spent another night in his arms, though this time I was comforting him." Love that last line! -----signature----- The new improved Hell's Chance Cantina! Home for many assorted JA fanfic stories!: http://www.hellschancecantina.com/index.html Open to all: have a go at Star Wars Caption Contest no.7: http://www.hellschancecantina.com/Caption_comp.html
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Healer_Leona Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 5/17/04 6:04am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/15
	Poor Shael, it's horrid worrying over someone. Excellent idea for those invovled in the suirmish to give Ishtari the details. Not sure if I agree with Crash's assestment of an exciting life. There's something to be said for routine... well most of the time anyway. I'm glad Crash is beside her man to keep him a bit calm... again poor Shael and Sloan. Outstanding posts Lilith!! Jem's right -----signature----- Break away from everybody Break away from everthing If you can't stand the way this place is Take yourself to higher places
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Shaindl Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 5/17/04 7:38am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/15
	I don't envy whoever's got Sloan when Death and Shael catch up with them. Great post, Lilith! Shaindl -----signature----- Halfway Moment - Qui, Obi, Anakin AU - http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20110461/?0 - UPDATED JULY 3!
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Lilith Demodae Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 5/17/04 8:42pm Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/15
	Jemmiah -- They say write what you know, and growing up with three brothers in the back of beyond, then training in martial arts... what I know is violence, erm, I mean action. Leona -- I guess that's why Crash is a swooper and you're not. It's all good. I, too, crave routine and predictability. Shaindl -- Neither do I. And thank you. Yeah, it's short, but you'll survive. __________________________ Too early in the morning, Roble's hand on my shoulder woke me from an unhappy dream. As disgustingly early as it was, I almost thanked him for it. My sleep had been full of horrible images of loved ones lost, starting with my parents and continuing right on to Sloan. I rubbed tiredly at my eyes as he went on to wake Shael and then the two of us followed him to his office. Shael slumped into the first chair he came to and I slumped down right on top of him, my head on his shoulder. Death's face was grim as he settled into his chair on the other side of his desk. "We just got a call," he said with no preamble. "It was the men who have Sloan." That got our attention. Shael, a sick fear lurking in the back of his beautiful eyes, swallowed, then nodded. "And?" "And their request wasn't what I expected. They want us to skirmish against one of the other gangs, specifically the Wildcards." "But we can't attack Bobby and his crew," I protested. "They haven't done anything to us!" Death nodded, his head moving slowly, and I took a closer look at him. There were dark rings around his eyes, and the muscles of his face and shoulders all drooped just a little. It seemed that he had passed the night even more badly than me or Shael had. "I haven't a clue why they would want us to do this, but they say that's the price for Sloan's life." "We can't do that," Shael stated flatly. "We can't ..." He took a deep breath that shuddered through his chest and I stroked at his cheek, trying to comfort. "We can't trade Sloan's life for those of Bobby and his family, or the Horsemen who might die as a result." His voice sounded dead, like the heart had been ripped out of him, and my own heart cried for him. "Maybe we don't have to," Death said softly. "What do you mean?" "They're not swoopers, Sloan's message got us that much information about them. That means they won't know how we'll react. That's one advantage. Unless they figured out what the tracking pulse was or thought that he managed to tell us where they'd taken him, odds are long that they'd move him. That's the next advantage. We know where he is and they don't know that we know." -----signature----- This post is brought to you by: This space for rent
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Healer_Leona Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 5/18/04 4:26am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/17
	rolls around the floor moaning and groaning Well fine then! gets up and dusts off I suppose I will survive... for a while! And their request wasn't what I expected. They want us to skirmish against one of the other gangs, specifically the Wildcards." -- and yet after that rather bizarre meeting at Heaven, it does make sense. Ahhh, a rescue mission??? -----signature----- Break away from everybody Break away from everthing If you can't stand the way this place is Take yourself to higher places
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Shaindl Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 5/18/04 7:03am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/17
	There's going to be a fight, there's going to be a fight... What? Awesome set up, Lilith. Can't wait to see what happens next. Incidentally, I'm coming to like Death more and more. Such a complex character - don't suppose you have any stories on him, do you? Shaindl -----signature----- Halfway Moment - Qui, Obi, Anakin AU - http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/20110461/?0 - UPDATED JULY 3!
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Lilith Demodae Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 5/18/04 8:13am Subject: RE: Crash Course- Repost (Action/Adventure Non-JA OC) Updated 5/17
	As a matter of fact... no. Though he does feature rather prominently in the plot bunny that's trying to become Crash Course III. -----signature----- This post is brought to you by: This space for rent
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