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Author	Topic: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) CHAP 10 UP 20/09
Jainasolo101 Registered: Dec '07	Date Posted: 6/30 10:08pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) *CHAP 6 UP 1/7
	Wow so many posts. Any way I'm going to reply by post. First post. Love the bad guys. They make every story good. I wonder who the traitor is? I hope it's not Wyn. But Sharrvon said it was a he so that might not mean her. I don't know. I'm all confused. I hope they aren't able to destroy the Alchemist. Second Post. Another great post. That's so sad what happened to Ben. First his Dad then he found his mother dead. No wonder he doesn't use the force. An Anakin felt sorry but had to leave him to find "Jacen". Third Post. My favorite of all. Jaina and Ben finally meet. This post made me think that Wyn was the traitor. But then again she is frail and probably unstable to help the Vong. Also the part that we find out Tahiri is going to have a baby is great. Even better is that Jaina knows because she is the so-called "evil older-sister". Great Job. Can't wait till next post! -----signature----- " Do or do not. There is no try." Jagged Fel ROCKS! I love Twilight.
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/1 6:02am Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) *CHAP 6 UP 1/7
	dancinut1080 Hi! I just found this amazing story and I'm catching up as fast as I can, could you please add me to the PM list though so I don't miss the next post? Thanks! Hi to you as well. Thanks for reading, and consider yourself on the PM list. Always lovely to get new readers. jadesabre75 Now that's what I call an update! Yeah baby! So much good stuff going on, I'm not sure I can comment on anything. I do love how Ben took to Jaina so fast. You have to love the adaptability of young kids. It was supposed to be one post, but for some reason the boards HATED that second section. I just decided it would be easier to split it up. Glad you liked it (as disjointed as it was). Awesome job! Thanks Jainasolo101 Wow so many posts. Like I said above, the boards wouldn't let me post it in one thing. I think I had a few too many markups in the second section. Anyway, at least it's up, right? Any way I'm going to reply by post. As you wish First post. Love the bad guys. They make every story good. I wonder who the traitor is? I hope it's not Wyn. But Sharrvon said it was a he so that might not mean her. I don't know. I'm all confused. I hope they aren't able to destroy the Alchemist. I remember reading somewhere that the villains are usually more important than a story's heroes, and I have to agree. I've gone all out on Artran and Tanyra. As for the traitor, it is revealed later. I will confirm it is a 'he', though. Second Post. Another great post. That's so sad what happened to Ben. First his Dad then he found his mother dead. No wonder he doesn't use the force. An Anakin felt sorry but had to leave him to find "Jacen". Ben's Force-phobia was one of the few things I liked about his character in the pro fics (stupid LOTF authors mutilated his character), so I had to keep it. Third Post. My favorite of all. Jaina and Ben finally meet. This post made me think that Wyn was the traitor. But then again she is frail and probably unstable to help the Vong. Also the part that we find out Tahiri is going to have a baby is great. Even better is that Jaina knows because she is the so-called "evil older-sister". Yes, Wynssa is a bit too unstable to be a spy... for anyone. And I'm glad you liked Tahiri's pregnancy revelation. She had twins in the original, but I've since... revised... that little detial. Great Job. Can't wait till next post! Shouldn't take too long TO ALL READERS: I have been remiss in not doing this immediately, but I must thank everyone who nominated Artran for Best Villain. Thank you and all round! -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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Jek_Windu Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 7/2 2:12am Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) *CHAP 6 UP 1/7
	Wow, I nearly missed the last few chapters. This just keeps getting better and better. The writing is very smooth and efficient- it never gives so much detail that it bogs down the pace. Characterization continues to be spot on as well. I feel like I can take Anakin in Star By Star, splice in his character now, and no one would be able to find fault. Can't wait for more. -----signature----- Tryanids: You don't have enough bullets! Imperial Guard: YES WE DO! R.I.P. Trini
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/6 8:09pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) *CHAP 6 UP 1/7
	Jek_Windu: Wow, I nearly missed the last few chapters. This just keeps getting better and better. The writing is very smooth and efficient- it never gives so much detail that it bogs down the pace. Characterization continues to be spot on as well. I feel like I can take Anakin in Star By Star, splice in his character now, and no one would be able to find fault. Can't wait for more. Um... I... wow... I'm not quite sure what to say. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about my writing. Thank you, Jek! -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/13 4:38am Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) *CHAP 6 UP 1/7
	I’m sorry this took so long, readers. The almighty muse abandoned me for a few days. This one is a bit shorter than the others, but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. Have fun! CHAPTER SEVEN Family Reunion Star Destroyer Magician Deep Space near the Unknown Regions The Antilles family didn’t actually have a home aboard the Magician perse. They all lived on the same deck, but they didn’t share the one set of living quarters. Wedge had given up the larger captain’s quarters to his daughters, while he had taken the first officer’s room next door while the ship’s first officer, Tycho Celchu, shared his wife’s room on the next deck down. Little Ben Skywalker had joined Wedge inside the first officer’s quarters. At first, Jag had had difficulty accepting that a career officer like his uncle would set his family up aboard a warship, but he had to admit that in this case it made sense. Wedge needed to be aboard the ship at all times, as did his Tycho, and everyone else whom Wedge might entrust his daughters to was either fighting aboard the Alchemist or dead. Besides, the Magician’s cloaking ability made it the safest place to be if the Vong ever did find Last Hope. At the moment, Jag was inside the girls’ room with the rest of their extended family from the Alchemist. Valin and Wynssa had disappeared into the girls’ bedroom to watch a holo-vid with Syal and Myri, while Jaina had been dragged by her cousin Ben into the room he shared with Wedge to play, leaving only Anakin, Tahiri, Jag, and Wedge in the main room of the former captain’s quarters. The conversation had just been about general history at first, but it had turned inevitably towards how Jag and Jaina had gotten together during the war and how he had a managed to make her agree to marriage. Eventually, Wedge asked Jag if they could talk together for a moment, and thus Jag found himself seated on the small couch the girls used with his uncle beside him. “What did you want to talk about?” Jag asked. “I just wanted to ask about my family in your universe,” Wedge said as he sat down beside Jag. “Are they still alive?” “Yes, they are,” Jag replied, glad to deliver some good news. “You were all on holiday on Naboo the last I heard.” Wedge nodded painfully, and Jag decided that he wasn’t going to get a better chance to ask the question that had been in the back of his mind since meeting his extended family. “Uncle Wedge, I didn’t want to discuss this in front of Syal and Myri, but… if Aunt Iella were alive, I would have met her by now. Is she dead?” Wedge gulped hard, gazing at the floor as he tried to maintain his composure. “Yes, she is. The Magician took a broadside from an Imperial frigate when we were trying to steal it, and a power coupling exploded near the station Iella was working. Wes and two other people died instantly, but we managed to get Iella to the med lab. The medics tried to save her, but… there was nothing they could do. The girls and I were by her side when she…” Wedge choked on the last word. Beside him, Jag absorbed the news in solemn silence. “I’m so sorry, Uncle Wedge.” “I know, and… thank you… for not mentioning it in front of the girls. Myri still cries whenever we talk about her.” Wedge sounded truly grateful. “I’m just glad the girls and I had a chance to say goodbye. I know too many people whose loved ones got caught in the middle of a Vong invasion and were never heard from again. What happened to Wynssa is a very rare thing.” Jag understood that all too well. He knew that, for the most part, being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong meant either being eternally tortured as a slave or bled out as a sacrifice to the Yuuzhan Vong gods. Despite her emotional scars, this universe’s Wynssa was extremely lucky to be alive after her ordeal. “I did want to ask you about Wynssa,” Wedge said. “I’ve only known her since Anakin, Tahiri, and Zekk brought her back from Myrkr. Don’t get me wrong; I love my niece just as she is. I just wish I’d known what she was like before Myrkr.” “You would have adored her,” Jag assured him. “She’s one of the kindest and most spirited people I’ve ever met. She’s a lot like mom, actually. Though Wynssa does have a slight problem knowing when not to talk about something. She’s a wonderful young woman.” “You sound like you miss her.” “I’ve lost siblings before. Chak, Cherith, and Davin all died fighting. But this is…” Jag glanced at the door leading to Syal and Myri’s room. “…worse. I know my Wyn’s still alive, back in my universe, at our home on Csilla with my parents and Cem. They probably know that Jaina and I are missing by now, and in a few weeks we’ll both be declared dead… and that’s going to break Wynssa’s heart. Meanwhile, I’m here, fighting a war that’s supposed to be over. “The worst part is that I keep thinking about how much this is going to hurt my parents and my little brother and sister.” Jag leant his arms on his knees. “I keep wondering whether or not this is what Chak, Cherith, and Davin were thinking about just before they died.” Wedge’s hand rested on Jag’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t give up hope just yet, Jag.” “There’s a difference between giving up and being realistic, Uncle Wedge,” Jag replied. “There might very well be a way to send Jaina and I back to our own universe, and I’m going to operate assuming that there is, but I’m also going to operate knowing that you—we don’t have the resources required to find it.” Jag sighed. “I’m not even sure my galaxy would have the resources we’d need.” “I certainly can’t argue with the logic of a Chiss command officer,” Wedge replied lightly. “At least your family is safe, right?” “Right,” Jag agreed. “Now I only have to find some way to talk to the family I have over here.” “What does that mean?” “Wynssa,” Jag began. “She’s been avoiding me ever since Valin told her that Jaina and I are from an alternate universe.” “She told me as much,” Wedge explained. “Don’t take it personally; she’s just confused. You’re so close to the Jag we remember that, if she didn’t know about the different universes, she wouldn’t know the difference. It’s the fact that she does know the difference that’s confusing her. You should just talk to her.” Something on the far side of the room caught Wedge’s attention. “Speak of the devil…” Jag turned to see Wynssa standing just outside the door to Syal and Myri’s room, a look of complete apprehension on her face. She managed a small smile in Jag’s direction before he politely excused himself from Wedge and headed over to meet her. Jag wasn’t quite sure what to say, but he eventually settled on a neutral “Wynssa.” She almost winced at how cold he sounded. “You certainly sound like my Jag used to.” “Used to?” “For a couple of months after Csilla, he—you thought you were the last Fel alive,” she explained. “When the Jedi rescued me you were ecstatic. It was the first time I ever saw you cry. You were a lot more… open after that.” Jag didn’t quite know how to take that. “Wyn, listen,” he said at last. “I know this must be difficult for you. It’s difficult for me, as well. The Wynssa in my universe never got involved in the war. You’re… quite different.” “I figured that,” she replied sadly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know you,” he said before she could make any wrong assumptions. “You’re still my little sister as far as I’m concerned.” She looked at him then, offering a faint hint of a smile. “Thank you. I wish I could say the same Jag, but you’re just so close to the Jag I remember… and I don’t know whether I love you for that, or hate you for it. I just need to figure this out, okay? It’s confusing.” Jag nodded. “I understand, Wyn, and you can take all the time you want. But you know I have to ask this: is this going to make working as my first officer difficult for you?” “Just like my Jag,” she muttered to herself before she answered, “If I can take orders from Anakin, I can take orders from you.” Jag couldn’t resist asking, “What’s wrong with Anakin?” “I honestly don’t know,” she replied. “Ever since I met him, I just haven’t been able to stand being around him. I don’t know why; I just can’t.” Jag decided not to press any further; Wyn certainly didn’t seem eager to talk about it. “Myri and Syal wanted to spend some time with you,” Wynssa said suddenly. “If you wanted to come watch the holo-vid with us?” Jag shook his head. “I wanted to talk to Jaina sometime today. I haven’t had a chance to, yet.” “Little Ben getting in the way?” Wynssa asked with a noticeable smirk. “It is amazing how much difficulty a four-year-old can cause without even trying.” Jag growled through a nod. He had intended to talk to Jaina alone after they got onto the Magician, but that was before Anakin had introduced Ben Skywalker into the equation. Although he would never admit it, he was actually starting to get a little jealous of how much of Jaina’s attention Ben was getting. “Just go talk to her,” Wynssa suggested, pointing towards Ben’s room. “I wanted to go finish watching this holo-vid.” Jag nodded and took her advice. The door to Ben’s room was unlocked, and Jag found Jaina and her cousin inside. Jaina was relaxing on the floor, smiling and laughing as Ben showed off what few toys he had. His favourite seemed to be the X-wing model he was using in a make-believe dogfight with the TIE Interceptor model he had given to Jaina. Jag couldn’t be sure, but Ben’s X-wing seemed to be winning, and eventually Jaina gently crashed her defeated Interceptor into the ground, providing the appropriate sound effects herself. Ben squealed in delight and boasted over his triumphant X-wing. “You two seem to be having fun,” Jag observed after Jaina finally noticed him. The smile Jaina replied with was blissful. “I didn’t think getting shot down three times in a row would be fun, but it is. Isn’t that right, Ben?” Ben nodded vigorously. “Ankin always said X-wins are better than TIEs.” “Depends which TIE you’re using,” Jag countered. “Defenders usually have an advantage over an X-wing, though you can do it with an Interceptor if you’re a skilled pilot.” Ben blinked in confusion as Jaina smiled. “Doesn’t matter what you’re using as long as you’re the best pilot, Ben,” she assured him, then directed her chocolate eyes back at Jag. “This is Jag Fel. He and I are getting married.” “Just like Ankin and Tahree?” Ben inquired. “Yeah, just like Anakin and Tahiri,” Jaina repeated. “Would you mind going to play with them for a while? I think Jag wants to have a little talk with me.” “Why? Are you in trouble?” Jaina laughed. “No, I’m not in trouble.” She gave her little cousin one last hug and then sent him scurrying out to find Anakin and boast to him about how he was a better pilot than the great Jaina Solo. “He’s adorable,” Jaina announced as Jag sat down beside her. “I can’t really tell the difference between him and our Ben.” “He is only four years old; not much time for any differences to emerge,” Jag pointed out. Jaina nodded in agreement. “So,” she said. “How are you holding up?” “I… don’t know,” Jag confessed. “Wedge, Syal, and Myri don’t seem to mind having me back… so to speak. Wynssa, on the other hand…” Jag sighed. “She can’t seem to decide whether she loves me for being so close to the brother she remembers, or hates me for it.” “It’s not like you to be so melodramatic, Jag.” “I’m quoting her word for word, Jaina.” “Oh.” Jag sighed, shuffling back until he could rest his back against the wall. Jaina snuggled up against his chest. “It’s almost ironic, actually,” Jag groaned. “We’re both dead in this universe, both of our younger siblings missed us terribly, yet when we show up only one of them seems able to accept us.” “It’s not like you to mope, either.” “I’m not moping,” Jag protested. “You and Anakin are actually lucky, in a way. You both died at the… split point, I guess you could call it. Myrkr. Before that, the only difference is that Anakin lost his hand. Wyn and I, on the other hand, both have years of memories of each other after Myrkr.” “Which makes it difficult for her to accept you because you’re not quite the same as she remembers you.” “Exactly.” “Just give her some time,” Jaina advised. “No offence, Goddess, but that’s easy for you to say. You don’t have the only family you have left in the galaxy trying to decide whether or not she despises you for being who you are.” “Wyn isn’t the only family you have left, Jag. You still have Wedge and the girls,” Jaina reminded him. “Besides, you’ve always got me. Or don’t I count as family until we’re actually married?” “As far as I’m concerned, you count.” “Good.” She leant further into his arms and reached up for a sensuous kiss. Jaina’s heart started beating harder against Jag’s chest, sparking a smile across his face. Jaina let out a pleasured sigh before she reached up for another kiss. “Hmm… I’m never going to get sick of that.” “Neither will I,” Jag admitted. “It’s a good thing we didn’t decide on a date for our wedding, now that I think about it. It might not be such a good idea now.” “Excuse me?” Jag grimaced; he hadn’t said that the way he’d meant too. “Jaina, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that getting married in this universe doesn’t seem like a good idea. I don’t want to marry you and then get shot down defending this ship the very next day.” “I don’t care, Jag.” “Jaina—.” “I mean it,” Jaina huffed. “I don’t care if we both die on our wedding day. It would hurt just as much whether we’re married or not. At least I’d be Mr Fel’s widow instead of just his fiancé.” “That’s very cold of you, Jaina.” “Not at all. I just meant it when I agreed to marry you.” “Well, I meant it when—.” The end of Jag’s sentence disappeared amongst the sudden barrage of alert sirens that assaulted their ears. The two were on their feet in an instant and out through the door an instant later. Valin and Wynssa appeared from the door to Syal and Myri’s room in the same instant, the two girls half a step behind them. Wedge was already on his comm link as they burst into the main room. Jag heard his uncle curse at least twice as he received his report from the bridge, and when he put the commlink away and turned to the others gathered around him he looked almost panicked. “Someone sold us out,” he shouted over the din of the alarms. “A fleet of Vong ships just dropped out of hyperspace twenty-five klicks away, and they’ve got an interdictor analog with them. Your fighters were moved over from the Alchemist a quarter of an hour ago; get to them and prepare for launch.” “What? Why?” Wynssa demanded. “Why don’t we just cloak, move out of the interdictor’s range, and jump out of here.” “Someone blew up a bomb inside the Alchemist’s stealth core,” Wedge explained. “Mirion believes it will take almost four hours to repair the system, so we’ve got to fight our way out of this one. We’re keeping the Black Knights aboard while we cloak and sneak up on the Vong interdictor, everyone else is going to launch and protect the Alchemist. Move!” The pilots took only a brief moment to listen to the girls’ asking them to be careful and wishing them luck before they raced towards the hangar. Wedge took an extra moment to hug his daughters and ask them to look after Ben before he left to get to the bridge. [end of chapter] Next time on Shattered Mirror: Ambush, Part One -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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Jainasolo101 Registered: Dec '07	Date Posted: 7/13 6:48am Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 7 UP 13/0
	Great Job. I like that x-wings beat TIEs and that 4-year-old Ben Skywalker can beat 21-year-old Jaina Solo who has been a pilot for years. Also Jaina making that bad joke about being Jagged Fel's widow insted of his fiancé. And I feel so sorry for Wedge and the girls because of what happened to Iella. I hope that the fight doesn't go to bad. Can't wait till next post! -----signature----- " Do or do not. There is no try." Jagged Fel ROCKS! I love Twilight.
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jadesabre75 Registered: Nov '07	Date Posted: 7/13 1:43pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 7 UP 13/0
	Yay! Update! LOL Great chapter. It's so sad how Wyn can't just take Jag for her 'real' brother and move on. Course, she's not in a good headspace...LOL 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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Jek_Windu Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 7/14 1:47pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 7 UP 13/0
	Oh, dear. Looks like some things are about to come to a head. -----signature----- Tryanids: You don't have enough bullets! Imperial Guard: YES WE DO! R.I.P. Trini
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/15 8:21pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 7 UP 13/0 - Date Edited: 7/16 2:11pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Draconarius
	Jainasolo101 Great Job. Why, thank you. I like that x-wings beat TIEs and that 4-year-old Ben Skywalker can beat 21-year-old Jaina Solo who has been a pilot for years. X-wings win every single time... especially when I'm flying them in X-wing Alliance . And flying experience doesn't count for much when you're using plastic models... and, I guess, when you're fighting a four-year-old who would probably cry when his favourite ship lost. Also Jaina making that bad joke about being Jagged Fel's widow insted of his fiancé. Well, it wasn't meant as a joke (bad or otherwise) but oh well. And I feel so sorry for Wedge and the girls because of what happened to Iella. Stealing an Imperial warship has its risks. I hope that the fight doesn't go to bad. Well, no promises... aside from lots of 'skips blowing up, of course. Can't wait till next post! Noted. I shall redouble my efforts jadesabre75 Yay! Update! That it is. Great chapter. It's so sad how Wyn can't just take Jag for her 'real' brother and move on. Course, she's not in a good headspace... Three months as Artran Kharran's prisoner will do that to you. Great job! Thanks! Jek_Windu Oh, dear. Looks like some things are about to come to a head. Indeed. Next post is coming along nicely, everyone. Will be up soon. -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/27 8:14pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 7 UP 13/0 - Date Edited: 8/10 8:06pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Draconarius
	This one took longer than I expected. This battle is considerably different from the ambush in the original Shattered Mirror (which is probably part of the reason it took so long for me to write). Anyway: enjoy, everyone! CHAPTER EIGHT Ambush, Part One Deep Space near the Unknown Regions Jag and Wynssa were amongst the last pilots to launch from the Magician’s hangar, so by the time they got their fighters into space, the battle had already begun in earnest. No sooner had he and his sister left the Magician’s hangar than a quartet of corals flew past beneath them, angling after a trio of Halo squadron Scorchers. Jag dropped onto the skips’ tails and locked onto the far left one while his sister took the far right. “Just make them back off and move on to the other two,” Jag ordered his sister. “The Halos will take the ones we let go.” “I can take two skips, Jag—.” “I thought you said you could follow orders, Wynssa.” Jag didn’t like the furious silence that descended onto the com, and was about to prod for an answer when Wynssa said, “I can. Understood, sir.” There might have been the slightest edge of sarcasm on sir, but Jag dropped the issue until after this battle was over. For now, he and Wynssa had coralskippers to kill. Jag let his crosshair lazily track its way onto his target skip and waited until he was just slipping into firing range before he the second button atop his flight stick, triggering all six of his fighter’s guns at once. The skip’s pilot, obviously suffering from a severe case of target fixation, was so focused on his target that he didn’t even notice Jag’s approach until all six laser blasts burned into his skip’s rear end and turned the entire back half into superheated gas. The front end began a slow death spiral as the skip on what was left of its wing broke right and up, springing above its dead partner in an attempt to avoid the same fate. Jag sent a spray of rapid-fire laser blasts after it, all of which disappeared into a dovin basal. Wynssa, reacting quickly to Jag’s unexpected kill, targeted the same ship with her own main lasers and waited until the skip’s dovan basals wore out before she triggered her ship’s heavy laser cannons and sent two blasts into its hull. Jag didn’t bother congratulating her; amongst Chiss, congratulations were reserved until after the battle was over, not for a single kill that likely meant little in the overall fight. In fact, he was almost disappointed with the show offish barrel roll Wynssa performed through the cloud of superheated gas her dead target left behind. It made her flying resemble the actions of a child out for revenge instead of the professional soldier Jag expected Chiss training to produce. He angled his fighter away and told Wynssa to follow him away from the last two skips, both of which were trying to twist their way through the red-streaking hyphens being sent their way from the three Halo squadron Scorchers they had been trying to sneak up on. Jag took the brief moment away from the fight to study his sensor boards. The first thing he saw was that the Magician was gone, and in the moment it took for him to realize that it must have activated its stealth systems he actually thought it had been destroyed. With the Magician no longer involved—at least, for the moment—the battle was focused around the Alchemist. A large part of the Vong coral force was focusing solely on her, leaving the rest of their number to keep the Scorchers occupied as more coralskippers trickled into the fight from the Vong warships. While the skips did the majority of the fighting, their command ships were trying to close in on the vulnerable Alchemist. Jag could see three cruisers, five destroyers, and a single interdictor on his sensor board. The interdictor was holding back, guarded by one of the cruisers, a pair of destroyers, and a handful of coralskippers. The remaining ships were chasing after the fleeing Alchemist while the main force of skips tried to disable her engines. Not the most subtle strategy, but effective nonetheless. “Wynssa, find the rest of our squadron,” Jag ordered. They needed to link up and support each other to fight this battle effectively. He would probably relay orders through Wynssa for this battle; he hadn’t even met the rest of Raven squadron yet. A few moments later, his earpiece crackled to life and his sister’s static-distorted voice came through. “Found them. They’re fighting right on top of the Alchemist’s hull. There’s over a hundred skips between us and them.” “We can’t fight through all that ourselves.” Jag scanned his sensor board again and found the nearest friendly fighters. “We’ll link up with Fury squadron and support them until we can regroup with the rest of our squadron.” “Acknowledged.” Jag aimed his fighter at the snarling battle ball Fury squadron and a dozen or so skips were locked in and keyed his comm over to Fury squadron’s channel. “Raven One to Fury One. Raven Two and I are cut off from the rest of our group. Do you need some help?” “It would be appreciated. Yes,” Major Forge replied. “Jump in whenever you like.” “Acknowledged, Fury One.” Jag locked onto the nearest target and sent the data to Wynssa’s Scorcher. “Go high, Wyn. I’ll take it from below.” Wynssa’s end of the commlink clicked an affirmative, and she slid her fighter away from Jag’s as they closed on their target. Jag sprayed laser fire over the skip’s bow, forcing it to spiral out of the way to avoid wasting its dovin basal’s strength. Jag followed it and fired again, and again the pilot had its dovan basal suck up only those shots he couldn’t evade. Jag continued to track him and started mixing up his rapid-fire onslaught with twin-gun blasts from his heavy lasers. The skip continued to evade, and Jag was quickly forced to admit that this pilot was definitely skilled. But he wasn’t perfect; a single one of Jag’s laser blasts slipped around the dovan basal and chewed a chunk out of the coral’s starboard side. The damage wasn’t lethal, but it was enough to make the pilot instinctively launch away. Jag sprayed fire in its wake, waiting for Wynssa to come at it from another angle and take it by surprise. She never did. It was only when his comm crackled with a desperate, “Jag, help me!” that he realised she was under attack herself. Jag swung away from his target and cast a glance at his sensor board to find his sister. The amount of nearby red blips had almost doubled since last he looked only moments before, and he also counted three less friendlies. Wynssa was one of a group of friendly ships exchanging fire with a group of corals that outnumbered them three-to-one. Jag grimaced and swung around after them, leaving his old target alone for a moment. He knew it would try to slip on his tail and attempt to make him regret trying to shoot it down, but right now he had other concerns. “I’m on my way, Wyn. Hold on,” he sent over the comm. “Hurry up,” came her grunted reply. Jag chose the nearest skip and sprayed laser fire up and down its spine, triggering his fighter’s heavy cannons at the start of the second upward sweep. The skip’s basal tracked after his rapid-fire guns, leaving its rear end open for the heavy cannon blasts to drill in and burn away more than a third of the skip’s hull. Jag left his second kill to begin a death spiral that was oddly reminiscent of his first and turned towards another target. Red fury spurted from his ship’s guns as he closed in on his prey, but the speed with which he had dispatched his first target had garnered the attention of numerous nearby coralskippers. He didn’t have anywhere enough time for a kill before a pair of skips came at him from each side. Jag ducked below the firing line of the first pair. They broke off as they saw him move squarely into the second pair’s line of fire, expecting a simple kill. They were quite wrong. Jag spent less than half a second inside the crosshairs of the second skip duo; he triggered his maneuvering thrusters and bounced his fighter back up, dodging a stream of orange-pulsing lava globules. He hauled back hard on the throttle and triggered his emergency braking jets, slowing his fighter down so hard that his head would have rang with the G-forces had his vehicle been equipped with a gravity system. It would have been worth it; slowing down so hard made the skips coming at him from the side overshoot. They had been aiming at where Jag was going to be, so when he suddenly halved his speed they found themselves flying towards nothing but open space. Open space which was right in front of Jag’s crosshairs. He triggered a torpedo and opened up with all six of his fighter’s lasers. The two skips put their dovin basals out in front, trying to absorb the wall of laser fire they were about to fly into. Jag’s torpedo detonated the moment it sensed their dovin basals, filling the space in front of the skips with a furious nuclear explosion, an explosion the skips flew straight into as Jag continued to pour on the laser fire. Two skips went in; only a few pieces of molten slag came out. Jag throttled up and went after the first two skips that had attacked him and singled one out when they split up. Jag hammered at the fleeing skip, spraying red-streaking hell over its hull. He suddenly understood why the Scorcher had been designed with such ridiculous firepower; the tidal wave of lethal energy its four lasers and dual heavy lasers generated was so great that the skip couldn’t block all of them. Laser blasts snuck past the dovan basal or were skewed in by its attempts to block another shot and the skip quickly disintegrated. Jag was beginning to like the Scorcher fighter just for its raw firepower. It did, however, lack a bit of defence, which Jag found out when he tried to evade the skip he had yet to kill and realised too late that he had timed the maneuver thinking of his more agile Clawcraft. His fighter rumbled beneath him as lava slammed hard into his aft shields, draining half their strength in a single hit. Jag, berating himself for his mistake, broke right and made sure his opponent was following him before he inverted his fighter and pulled back on the stick. The skip performed a wide falling turn around Jag’s sudden ‘descent’. Jag slowed his fighter again and put himself alongside his opponent, where a quick feathering of the throttle and maneuvering jets brought him in line with the skip’s tail. Jag’s sensors picked up the anomaly thrown over its tail by the dovan basal an instant before the skip vanished amidst a hail of laser fire from Inyri Forge’s Fury One. Jag passed a brief thank you across the comm and searched out his sister again. Wynssa was still barrelling through a spider web of lava bursts, fighting four skips almost single-handedly. The first skip Jag targeted never saw him coming and went from lethal attack ship to molten slag in an instant. Jag’s second attack distracted another target’s basal just long enough for Wynssa to drill it full of holes. The crippled skip limped away, and Jag and Wynssa were suddenly engaged in a simpler two-on-two. Jag killed his opponent the old fashioned way; he stuck to its tail like glue and pounded blast after blast into its dovan basal until the creature finally tired and laser fire shredded its host coral. The burning remnants spiralled away into oblivion. Meanwhile, Wynssa had her skip on the run, trailing it with sporadic bursts of flashing red. Jag trailed after her, forced to pull his fighter into a vicious climb that just couldn’t keep up with the angle Wyn was flying at. “Wyn, force it back towards me,” Jag barked. “I can do this.” “Wyn—.” Jag cut himself off when pieces of ruined coralskipper seemed to fall past his cockpit. Wynssa’s Scorcher eased out of its attack and slid in beside her brother. “This isn’t going very well,” she observed. “The scarheads took out four Furies and the Alchemist is already losing shield strength.” Jag cast one last look at his sensor board and decided that things would be a lot easier if the Jedi were out here with him and the other pilots. Whatever you’re planning, Anakin, I hope you do it very soon, he thought as the latest coral squadron continued to close in. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The pilots involved in the raging battle outside had little regard for the battle’s overall strategy. Most couldn’t care less; they were more concerned with nailing the next skip or dodging the next lava globule or finding their lost wingman. It wasn’t until it became horrifically clear that the battle was being lost that the average pilot would wonder what his task force commander was thinking. Anakin Solo was not an average pilot, and neither was he involved in the battle outside. He and the other six members of the all-Jedi Black Knights squadron were still waiting inside the Magician’s hangar, sitting restlessly in their Scorcher’s cockpits as their fellow pilots fought and died outside. If Anakin didn’t know how painfully necessary it was, he would have screamed out of sheer frustration. But that knowledge only diminished his frustration; it didn’t wipe it out, and it was still more than powerful enough to make Anakin reach for his comm controls again. “Bridge, what’s our position?” he asked. Anakin was almost surprised to hear Wedge replying in person. “We’re still closing on the interdictor. Be patient, Anakin; you’ll get to kill it soon enough, then we can all get out of here.” “I just don’t like waiting in here while everyone else dies outside.” “They’re not dying, Anakin. They’re winning, actually.” “What about Jag?” Anakin asked in concern. The Colonel had only been in this universe for two days and hadn’t even flown a Scorcher before. “He’s outflying everyone but Rogue One,” Wedge replied. “If he had a Clawcraft, he’d probably have won the battle for us by now.” “And how many Scorchers have we lost so far?” “Fourteen, but the Vong have lost three times that many skips.” Wedge sensed Anakin’s next remark coming and cut him off. ”They’re doing their jobs, Anakin. Just focus on doing yours.” Easier said than done, Anakin thought. “Yeah, I know,” he muttered, then thumbed the commlink off and returned to sitting impatiently in his fighter’s cockpit. Normally, Anakin was all for blowing the hell out of a Vong warship or wiping out a coralskipper squadron or two or three. This fight was different, though; his entire remaining family were either going into battle alongside him or stuck about the warship that was about to go into battle as well. Anakin was worried about all of them; Ben, because the boy couldn’t do anything to defend himself. Jaina he was worried about because this was the first time she would have ever flown a Scorcher and it was the first time she was going to be operating inside the Battle Meld Anakin and the others had perfected. But Anakin was more worried about Tahiri. He’d been fighting with his wife at his side for years, but that had all been before she had been pregnant. Now they would be fighting not just to protect each other, but to protect the unborn life Tahiri held inside her. Losing Tahiri to the Vong would have broken Anakin’s heart before; to lose her now that he knew about her pregnancy would— Focus, Dummy! Tahiri’s Force call was so powerful that Anakin’s head rang with an echo afterwards. He shook his head to clear his mind, calling on the Force and the support flowing from his wife’s end of their Force bond to calm himself. He wouldn’t be able to protect anyone distracted like that—not Ben, not Jaina, not even his wife and unborn child. Killing corals, first. Worrying about Tahiri, later. Then a series of whistles from his cockpit speakers gave him something else to focus on. [Two klicks and closing. Thirty seconds to optimal attack range.] Anakin didn’t really need to read the words coming up on his display; he had spent so much time tinkering with Artoo over the year since Uncle Luke’s death that he could practically hold a conversation with the little astromech strapped in behind him. “What are you going on about, Artoo?” he asked. [You asked General Antilles what our position was, but he never told you. I tapped into the ship’s sensors for you.] “Anything else you can tell me?” [General Antilles told you everything else,] Artoo whistled. [Colonel Fel is doing very well.] “I just wish I was out there helping.” [Everyone with Skywalker blood wishes they were out there helping.] “Really?” [Yes, really. You’re also all very good at making me think you’re suicidal whenever you fly.] “You’re becoming very grouchy, Artoo. You know that?” [It’s been almost fifty years since I’ve had a memory wipe, Anakin. I’m allowed to be a bit grouchy.] “I could fix that, you know.” [Don’t even think about it.] The Magician’s hangar lights dropped before Anakin could bait Artoo futher, and an instant later other lights coated the hangar in a dark red glow, announcing that the ship was preparing for attack and every fighter needed to be ready to launch. Time to play, Anakin thought as he powered his fighter up. “Lock and load, Artoo.” He flicked the comm controls to his squadron frequency. “Black Knights, report in.” Tahiri answered first. “Black Knight Two, ready to launch.” “Black Knight three, reporting in,” Jaden said next. “Black Knight four here. Ready when you are.” Valin this time. Zekk was next. “Black Knight five, reporting in.” Which left Jaina last. “Black Knight six, reporting in.” Anakin confirmed all six of them were locked into the squad tactical frequency and then lifted his fighter up onto its repulsorlifts. “Black Knight one to bridge. All fighters ready to launch.” “Acknowledged, Black Knight One,” the dry voice of the ship’s starfighter control officer replied. “Your sole target is the enemy interdictor. Launch on my mark, not before.” “Understood.” Anakin’s gloved mechanical hand tightened on the throttle control. “Alright, everyone, the ship’s in position. They’ll snap off a barrage and then we can demolish that interdictor and get the hell out of here.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Huddled on her bed inside the room she and her sister shared, Myri Antilles waited for the shaking to start. Most of the time, she loved living on her Daddy’s ship, but whenever it went into battle she wished she was anywhere else. The way the ship shook with each hit reminded her of the battle around Wizardry One, which in turn reminded her of how her mother had looked in the med lab, left burned and dying on a bed because the medics had already filled up all the bacta tanks with other patients. Then she couldn’t help but think about how her mother’s grip on her hand had slowly given out until she finally died with her and Myri’s fingers still intertwined. A brief moan from the young boy beside her snapped Myri out of her anguished trance before the tears took over. Little Ben Skywalker had decided Myri was the better person to stay near during the upcoming fight; Syal seemed more interested in watching the battle from a computer terminal. Ben looked scared, which didn’t make any sense to Myri. Daddy had told her, Syal, and Ben about the Vong that had shown up, but she doubted Ben understood any of it. He still looked just as scared as she felt, as if the fear she felt was somehow transferring from her to him. She didn’t understand it at all; she was under the impression he was cutting himself off from the Force. Myri reached over and plucked the boy off the bed and brought him onto her lap. His arms clamped onto her chest. “I’m scared, Mirwee.” “I know; so am I,” Myri confessed. “But we’ll be fine; daddy won’t let anything happen to us.” Then the ship rocked with the fountains of destructive energy released by its turbolasers, and Myri had to bite her lip to stop herself squealing in terror. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The advanced holographic stealth system shared by the Alchemist and the Magician made the ship invisible to most sensors and the naked eye while still allowing the ships to use basic sensor systems such as gravitic sensors and infrared to feel its way around. The ships even retained the ability to use their weapons; the only restriction was that having anything pass through the holographic stealth field—whether it was a turbolaser blast, a missile, or a launching fighter—would cause a huge disruption in the field, and continued disruption would cause the entire field to collapse. But the field would last long enough for the ship to unleash a full barrage from its guns before the field dissolved, and so the poor destroyer it targeted first never saw it coming. Massive lances of blurring green dug hard into its side, burning holes big enough to fly a starfighter through in the destroyer’s hull until the smouldering hulk was consumed by a climatic final fireball. Wedge watched through the bridge viewports as his ship’s cannon batteries turned their deadly rage upon the next destroyer. This one fared better, having had time to throw up a few dovan basals to catch some of the incoming fire, but the Magician had unleashed more than just turbolaser blasts this time; a line of blue-trailing proton torpedoes jetted out from the starboard launchers. Three of the five torpedoes detected a dovan basal about to catch them and detonated early, bathing the destroyer’s hull with enough energy to vaporise a small city. The destroyer fared slightly better; its hull melted instead of just disappearing inside the nuclear inferno. The last two torpedoes did the vaporising, hitting dead centre into the destroyer’s side, blowing out a massive portion of the hull and sending a fireball screaming out of the destroyer’s other side. The destroyer tumbled away as debris and crew were sucked out into space through the tunnel bored in the ship’s side. Then six small dots streaked from beneath the Magician on brilliant lines of golden engine exhaust. Jaden and Anakin led the rest of the Black Knights towards the Vong cruiser even as the panicking warship moved itself and its escorts between the Magician and the interdictor. Wedge directed his ship to start firing on the cruiser as the Jedi tore its coralskipper escorts apart. The cruiser fired back and bright orange magma washed over the Magician’s shields. “Starboard shields holding,” one of Wedge’s officers hollered. Wedge shouted his reply over his shoulder. “Maneuver us head on with the cruiser and target all weapons on it.” The cries of “Yes, sir” were soon backed up. The Magician shifted beneath Wedge’s feet and aimed its dagger shaped hull at the Vong cruiser, bringing all of its firepower to bear on the enemy ship. The cruiser backed away with the interdictor it was protecting even as the Jedi finished carving its coralskipper escorts to pieces. Anakin and the others turned their fury onto the cruiser itself, launching an almost chaotic attack that caused more damage than the Magician could have hoped for. Satisfied that Wedge’s ship could handle the damaged cruiser on its own, the Jedi turned away and headed for their real target: the interdictor. The interdictor turned itself broadside to the oncoming Scorchers and— —and, as Wedge watched in horror, the interdictor broke up. Chunks of its hull fell away, tumbling away for a few seconds before they spun around and raced towards Anakin’s Black Knights. It was then that Wedge realised that the chunks of hull that were still falling away from the interdictor were each about the same size as a coralskipper. That realisation led to the next one: he had just walked into a trap. The Vong had expected him to ambush the interdictor. They’d rigged it with dozens of coralskippers so the Jedi wouldn’t realise just how many of them they had to fight until it was too late. Wedge turned his head over his shoulder, unable to tear his eyes away from the impossibly large swarm of corals headed for the six Jedi. “Are those coralskippers? How many of them are there?” “I’m picking up over a hundred of them, sir!” a frantic voice replied from behind him. Wedge turned his head back in line with what his eyes were locked on just as deceptively small yellow-white flashes of dying corals started flaring around the impossibly outnumbered Jedi Scorchers. “Oh,” he groaned, “not good.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ [end of chapter] Next time on Shattered Mirror: Ambush, Part Two -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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jadesabre75 Registered: Nov '07	Date Posted: 7/27 8:27pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 8 UP 28/0
	Not good? That's a bit of an understatement I think. LOL AWESOME action! Loved it! R2 cracks me up too. Awesome job! Can't wait to see the next part and how they get out of this... -----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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Jainasolo101 Registered: Dec '07	Date Posted: 7/28 12:59pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 8 UP 28/0
	All right. I love battles! Lets just hope that the squads can take out all of thoes coralskippers. Great job. Can't wait till next post. ps. Jade your right. Not good is an understatement. -----signature----- " Do or do not. There is no try." Jagged Fel ROCKS! I love Twilight.
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canadianjedimama Registered: Jan '08	Date Posted: 7/28 9:11pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 8 UP 28/0
	Awesome action and R2 was a hoot! Loved it! CJM -----signature----- Lucky member of the Jagateers, my e-sister's of Jag-love! Current avatar is a homage to my first ban.... I stink at Shelf of Shame! But I'm playing again!!!
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Draconarius Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 7/30 8:02pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 8 UP 28/0
	jadesabre75 Not good? That's a bit of an understatement I think. Oh come on, it's not that bad. Having a hundred coralskippers jump a measely six Jedi and their single warship escort... okay, yeah. It is that bad. AWESOME action! Loved it! Thanks! R2 cracks me up too. Yay! I wasn't quite sure how to write Artoo--the last time we had something from his perspective was in one of the earlier NJO books, I think. Anyway, I'm glad you liked him. He'll make quite a few appearances throughout the fic. Awesome job! Can't wait to see the next part and how they get out of this... Thanks, and let's just say that there will be quite a few less coralskippers in the universe by the end of the next post. Jainasolo101 All right. I love battles! As an avid RTS and Gundam fan, I must agree wholeheartedly. Lets just hope that the squads can take out all of thoes coralskippers. Indeed. Great job. Can't wait till next post. Thanks! canadianjedimama Awesome action and R2 was a hoot! Thanks! Loved it! Glad to hear it. I was actually starting to wonder whether you were still reading or not... anyway, glad to have you back! CJM Draco -----signature----- Shattered Mirror - http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28487856/p1/?1 Proudly A/T and J/J Knighted by the wonderful SilSolo "Damned if I'm gonna lose to you!" "Then damned you shall be!" - my brother and I playing Smash Bros.
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Jek_Windu Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 8/8 2:05pm Subject: RE: Shattered Mirror (Post-NJO AU; A/T, J/J, Valin/Wynssa, Kyle Katarn, Danni, OCs) **CHAP 8 UP 28/0
	That was one of most beautiful battles I've ever seen described in fanfic. Great trap at the end, completely and utterly unexpected. -----signature----- Tryanids: You don't have enough bullets! Imperial Guard: YES WE DO! R.I.P. Trini
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