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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends The Journal of Talon Tantiss (DDC 2013 ) Updated 22 Dec 2013--Complete.

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Jedi_Lover, Jan 1, 2013.

  1. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Hehehe. I'm currently reading this with a kitten in my lap.

    Great entry. Talon will eventually love Fuzzy.
     
  2. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    Owwwwwwww) Talon is just heartless! How can one not to love fluffy pitten baby? I think he will love it anyway. When my 11 year old cat died, my parents brought little kitten from the street. I was so annoyed, because it followed me everywhere, mewling, purring and liked to sleep on me. I hated it. And then I understood, that this kitten is innocent little baby. It's not it's fault, that my cat died. Kitten just wants his mommy, and it needs love and care as any baby does. Now it is big gourgues cat)[face_love]
     
  3. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    He hasn't hurt the pitten. Talon is just one of those people who doesn't know they are actually a pitten-person until they live with one a while.

    My husband hated cats when we got married. I hated motorcycles. He wanted a motorcycle so I said, "Fine, but I want a cat." I got the cat, he got a motorcycle, he crashed the motorcycle, and I still had the cat. The cats love him. They sleep on top of him when he is sleeping. He is now a bigger cat person than I am.
     
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  4. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Entry #12: [face_laugh] [face_laugh] on the teasing going on at the reception. ;) Entry #13: [face_laugh] Oh, yes. I could so do without unpredictable things happening to my keyboard ... Jaden cracks me up. Dude needs to get a girl and have a youngling. [face_laugh] He needs someone to spoil ;) On a general note, looking forward to Talon and Valla.

    Yumsy! Just thought of something LOL Mark and Kira can get their groove on in all kinds of spontaneous ways, not having to worry about Talon in an :oops: :shock: fashion. [face_mischief]
     
  5. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    Awwwww, poor Talon. Looking for a party pad and he got a pitten instead. [face_love] You know he'll love that pitten. They always seek out the one that doesn't love them to attach to. (Or the one that feeds them, whichever comes first). LOL! Love Talon!
     
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  6. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks Hazel, Kahara, EmeraldJediFire, benknobi1, Briannakin, Demendora, Jade_eyes and ginchy for reading. Can you tell I am a cat person. If I lived in the SW universe I would own a pitten.

    ______________________

    Entry 14

    This is a day for the record books. I didn’t know it was possible to irritate so many people in one day.

    It was the weekend and Jaden and I return to our apartment after lunch. We walk in and there is Jaden’s pet pitten, Fuzzy, lying motionless on the floor and looking very much dead.

    “Fuzzy!” Jaden yells out. He runs over and scoops up the small animal. Despite the fact that I don’t like pittens…that one was growing on me, so I was also upset.

    “Is she dead?” I asked my brother.

    He is checking her out and we notice she was breathing. “No, she’s unconscious, but I don’t know why.” Suddenly we saw movement on the floor. Jaden made a hilarious and very unmanly yelping noise before he jumped on the couch. He’s stood on the cushions and pointed to the floor. “Watch it! I think that is Jacen’s Crystal Snake.”

    I don’t want to get bit so I jump on the couch also.Which is probably stupid because I am positive that snakes can climb up a couch.

    “Where is it?” That snake is translucent looking and can blend in with its environment. Its venom can also cause a person to go unconscious for an hour or two. We needed to catch it before we were bitten. I look around the room and see an empty storage box that I kept from my move to the apartment. Fuzzy liked hiding in the box and then jumping out to attack me when I walked by. I reach out with the Force and grab the box and brought it to my hands.

    “Do you see it?” I asked Jaden.

    “There!” he said while pointing to the floor right under us. I jump down and drop the box over the reptile.

    “That is the second time that snake has escaped.” I told Jaden.

    He laughed. “Remember when it bit Dad? He was passed out for an hour.”

    “Yeah, but dad did think it was funny.” I pulled out my comlink and contact Jacen. “Jacen this is Talon. Your stupid Crystal Snake is in my apartment. If you're not here in ten minutes I am going to take out my lightsaber and use it for target practice.”

    That’s a lie. I wouldn’t have killed it, but I thought that would get him moving. And I guess it did because he was over in five minutes holding a small reptile carrier.

    “You better have not hurt him.” Jacen said to me irately…like it’s my fault his snake is loose. I’m the one who should be mad.

    “It’s alright,” I said as my brother climbed off the couch.

    Jacen takes the carrier and opens it up. He then gently lifts the box and got ready to nab the creature with the Force…but it’s not there. Jacen lifts the box up all the way and the snake is gone. So we are all looking for the runaway snake when something catches my eye. Jacen is still holding the box and the snake is crawling out from it. The box had flap tops that were folded into the box. That snake must have been hiding behind the flap…because just then it slithered out and bit Jacen on the hand. He looked down at his hand, wide-eyed and slack jawed…right before he collapsed on the floor and the snake slithered off across our floor.

    Jaden jumps on the couch again while clutching his pitten and I use the Force to put the box over the snake again. So now I have an upset brother clutching an unconscious pitten and a unconscious overconfident cousin lying on the floor. What to do?

    I move over to my desk and grab a permanent marker.

    “What are you doing?” Jaden asked me.

    “I thought we would draw some Zabrak phallic symbols on his face for what his snake did to Fuzzy.”

    My brother gives me an incredulous look. “What are you, twelve?”

    I just laugh. “I wasn’t really going to do that…although that would be funny. I was just going to see how he would look with a mustache.”

    “No!” my brother said firmly.

    “How about putting his hand in a bowl of warm water.”

    “Not unless you like cleaning up urine,” Jaden replied.

    I look at Jaden. “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

    “Take him back to his room and I am going to bring Fuzzy to Cilghal. Maybe she can check her out.”

    My brother is no fun. “Fine.” I pick up Jacen and toss him over my shoulder. I gestured to the box. “You better put something on top of that so it doesn’t get out again.”

    I then leave the apartment carrying my cousin. On the way to his room I come across Jysella Horn.

    “What happened to Jacen?”

    “Crystal Snake,” I responded.

    “Again,” she laughed. “Where are you bringing him?”

    “To his room.”

    “Wait, wait.” She says. “I want Tenel Ka to see this.” She walked down the hall until she was standing in front of her room. “Just put him in here while I find her.”

    I shrug my shoulders. “Fine.”

    So I bring Jacen into the room and get him ready to see the girls.

    And then later…………….

    I went back to my apartment and managed to get that snake into the cage Jacen had provided and I delivered the animal to his quarters. About a half hour later Jaden comes running into the room with his still unconscious pitten in hand, all red in the face and sweating.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “I don’t know. I was coming back and Jacen started chasing me saying he was going to kill me. He’s gone all darkside!”

    I was going to laugh but a loud bang sounded at our door like somebody was trying to break it down.

    “Open up or I will slice up the door with my lightsaber!” Jacen called out.

    I looked at my brother. “I guess we should open it.”

    My brother brought his pitten to his room as I open the door for my irate cousin. He muscled his way in and glares at me. “Where’s Jaden?”

    I point to the back room. Jaden comes out looking nervous. “What is it Jacen?”

    “What is it? I know your pitten got hurt but what you did in retaliation was way over the top!”

    My brother is all confused and flustered. “After you got bit I brought my pitten to Cilghal.” He pointed to me. “Talon was supposed to bring you to your room…didn’t he?”

    Jacen turned to me and I swear his eyes turned all Sithy yellow…but that might have just been the overhead lights playing tricks on me. “You did that to me?”

    “Did what?” Jaden asked.

    Jacen points an accusing finger in my direction. “He stripped me down to my boxers and left me on Jysella’s couch and wrote this on my chest.” He then lifted up his shirt to expose an inscription made in permanent marker; “Jacen loves Tenel Ka” I even put down a little heart and smiley face. Okay maybe that was something a twelve-year-old would do. “Jysella brought Tenel Ka to the room and they both saw me like this!”

    Jaden was standing there and biting his lower lip. He is trying so hard not to laugh that his face was turning red. Finally he burst out laughing. “I’m sorry Jacen…it’s just…” He takes a couple deep breaths and collects himself. “That was wrong of Talon.”

    He turned to me and glared. “Are we going to settle this like men?”

    I laughed. “What? Are you talking about fighting?”

    “Hand to hand, in the gym.”

    “Fine,” I said as I motioned to the door. “After you.”

    Jacen stepped out to the hall and I shut the door behind him and lock it. I can’t believe he fell for that old trick! He starts pounding on the door again so I call Corran Horn who is Jacen’s master for help. After a few minutes I hear the two Jedi outside talking. I can feel Jacen’s anger through the Force and I know I went a tiny bit too far.

    Corran tells me to open up, so I do. He drags me to the gym where I get my butt thoroughly handed to me by Jacen. My cousin is really, really good at hand-to-hand combat. He told me there were twenty very painful submission holds that he knew and he then proceeded to demonstrate half of them on my body. I became intimately acquainted with the arm-triangle choke, an armbar, a kneebar, a hammerlock, a calf slicer, and the infamous leg triangle choke. That last one was particularly humiliating.

    I can’t use the Force to help me because of the ysalamiri in the gym, so I am all huffing and puffing and sweating like a Gamorrian. Being Force-blind is not fun. I don’t know how my father tolerates it.

    Jacen is looking all smug and vindicated. Okay, he deserves some payback…although revenge is not supposed to be a Jedi thing.

    So I go home. When Jaden sees me he starts pulling out bacta patches and practices his pre-med stuff on me. I looked in the mirror and cringed. Jacen really messed up my handsome face and what's really irritating is Jacen looked fine when he left the mat. I really need to get Corran to teach me some of those techniques.

    About ten minutes later Jaden is done patching me up. “You deserved it!” he proclaimed. “That was an immature and cruel thing to do to him. You know he likes Tenel Ka. Now you humiliated him in front of her.”

    I snort. “Hey, Jacen doesn’t look bad with his shirt off. I thought I would just give Tenel Ka a little preview. Maybe it will speed up things.”

    “Still it’s wrong.” Jaden looks over to the floor and noticed the box was no longer there. He turned to me. “Where’s his snake?”

    “I put it in his apartment.”

    Jaden looks at me suspiciously. “Where in his apartment?”

    I turn away laughing.

    Jaden knew I was up to something, so pulls out his comlink. “Jacen! Jacen! Pick up!” He looks up to me again. “Where did you put it?!”

    “In the ‘fresher.” I finally say with a chuckle.

    And... that's how I got two weeks of room confinement from my Uncle Luke and a second demonstration from Jacen of the other most painful submission holds I didn’t experience the first time around.

    Neither were pleased that Jacen was found unconscious in the bathroom with his pants around his ankles.

    The good news is...Fuzzy made a full recovery.
     
  7. benknobi1

    benknobi1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Yay ! Fuzzy is ok again :D
     
  8. EmeraldJediFire

    EmeraldJediFire Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2012
    LOL Talon...wow..you really like top push it to the limit don't you...
     
  9. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Oh testosterone. Life wouldn't be nearly as funny without it.
     
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  10. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I know they sound immature but I figure young teens, Jedi or not, are going to act like teens. When I was a teenager in the Army my friends and I got into so much trouble. I remember one time my Army buddies and I got so rowdy while out on the town that the sheriff ended up escorting us to the town line and told us not to come back ever again or he would arrest us. [face_plain] I still can't believe the stupid stuff I did when I was young.
     
  11. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    Haha! They are typical teenagers, It's normal for them to behave this way, Especially for boys.)
    at least you have something to remember. What good are in the youth, in which there weren't fun and stupidity?
     
  12. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    You see, this is why don't like snakes. But treated pranks are fun. [face_laugh]
     
  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_laugh] [face_laugh] Very much - universal young teenagerish behavior -- full of pranking silliness. [face_laugh] Snakes are at the top of my :eek: list. :p
     
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  14. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks benknobi1, Jade_eyes, Hazel, Demendora, Briannakin, and EmeraldJediFire for reading and taking the time to comment. Talon is a teenager wanting to have fun, but he is a Jedi Apprentice. So it can't all be fun. I thought I would write a little about his first combat mission. He is assisting Ben while he is on his trials. Ben is a little older so he should be Knighted soon.

    I put in the MP and EOD references because that was what my husband and I were in the Army. He would always use the wimp joke on me.

    ~JL~
    ________________________

    ENTRY 15

    I am finally on my first Jedi Mission to a combat area. I have done a lot of training in the field and at the Temple, but this is the first time I am actually in a situation where people would really want to kill me.

    Since I am now no longer a minor I was able to tag along with Ben during his trials. He should be knighted after this mission.

    I’m really excited to go on this expedition with Ben and my father. Dad is Ben’s Master and they have been going on missions together since Ben was fourteen. I was always a little jealous because I was not allowed to participate in any hostilities until I turned eighteen. That was my mother’s rule, not the Jedi Order’s.

    My mom said she did not bring two children into the world so they could become child soldiers. She sees Jedi younglings killing others as an atrocity. I know my mother loves my Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, but she is appalled that Ben was allowed to accompany my dad into firefights and other nasty situations at such a young age.

    I don’t know what my father thought about the subject because he rarely goes counter to my mother. He may be a Jedi Master in the Temple, but Mom’s the master of our home. And I don’t say that to disrespect my father. One has to understand the situation…he’s gone on Jedi or GA Military missions…a lot. He said it would cause extreme stress in the family if he left Mom to take care of the home and family for months at a time alone and then he wandered back to their quarters and expected to take charge and do things his way…only to leave a few weeks later for another two month deployment…after screwing up her entire system. He said Mom is the commander of the home front and that means if she doesn’t want me to go into combat until I am an adult…then so be it.

    Anyway, my first mission was to the planet Taris where the GA military had tracked a group of terrorists to an outpost in the middle of a large city. The terrorist had barricaded themselves into a building and had taken hostages. Artillery couldn’t be used within the city… and even if they could the hostages would perish.

    We were transported through the city by a Military Police armored personnel speeder. It had a driver and a gunner manning twin turboblasters attached to the roof of the vehicle.

    We pulled up to an abandoned building that was used as a field headquarters. A stocky muscular soldier ran up to the speeder. “Are these my Jedi?”

    The driver sneered. “No, they are a three homeless guys I dressed up in Jedi robes.”

    The other soldier laughed. “I see sitting all day in the safety zone has made you a comedian.” He opened the speeder’s blaster proof doors and motioned for us to get out. My Dad squeezed his hulking body out of the vehicle. He stood up to his full height, towering the soldier. The man smirked as he stuck out his hand to my father. “Corporal Rycus, EOD. We met before on Null.”

    EOD means explosive ordnance disposal…he is the guy that takes apart bombs.

    My dad shook his hand. “I remember. It’s good to see you again.” He looked at the man’s hand and grinned. “And you still have all your fingers.”

    Corporal Rycus laughed. “That’s the mark of a good EOD Tech.” He released his grip and then went back to the driver. “I’ll let you get back to your cushy job. Remember you can’t spell wimp without MP.”

    The driver scowled at Corporal Rycus. “Well, you can’t spell….idiot without EOD.”

    ‘Huh?’

    Rycus laughed and punched the driver on the shoulder. “See you later Rik.” He turned to us. “He’s my brother-in-law. I have to give him a hard time.”

    “What’s the situation?” my father asked.

    The Corporal gave us a sitrep as he walked up to the forward operating center. “There are snipers on the upper floors. They’re not amateurs. They’re using a slugthrower and obviously shooting through tiny loopholes because we haven’t been able to pinpoint their location. It is much easier to suppress the muzzle flash from a slugthrower than a blaster any day.” Rycus hesitated for a moment. “It’s not a normal slugthrower…it’s a Blaster Buster. So you can see our problem.”

    My father turned to me and Ben and explained a Blaster Buster was a slugthrower that could fire repulsor and heat sensor equipped slugs that will home in on a recently fired blaster. Because the slugs had repulsors it could make turns around corners to seek out the blaster. It usually wasn’t fatal to the soldier holding the weapon, but when it blew up the blaster it usually took off the hand of the man holding the weapon. Injured soldiers were often more valuable than a kill. The terrorists knew the GA military would temporarily leave a dead man during a retreat (although it is greatly frowned upon), but they never left an injured man behind. It usually took two soldiers to evac one injured…and therefore pulling three military men temporarily out of action.

    My father explained that the heat sensor slugs had to be adjusted to specific heat gradients specific for various models of blasters…and they were very ineffective against lightsabers.

    We walked up some stairs to the second floor of an old warehouse where we met up with a small group of military men examining blueprints…probably for the building where the hostages are being held.

    “They’re here LT.”

    A young lieutenant who didn’t look much older than Ben turned to greet us. “Thanks for coming. I’m Lieutenant Ludoga.” He extended his hand and my father shook it. “Jedi Master Tantiss,” my father said and then motioned toward me and Ben. “And with me are Jedi Apprentices Ben Skywalker and my son Talon Tantiss.”

    The Lieutenant looked impressed. “Skywalker? I heard Luke Skywalker’s son might be coming. It is such an honor to meet you.” He then walked up and shook my hand. Ha! Ben was not amused.

    You really can’t blame the guy. Dad and Ben have bright red hair and I look just like Luke Skywalker.

    “I’m Talon Tantiss,” I said then pointed to Ben. “This is Ben Skywalker.”

    The Lieutenant gave me a confused look but then pulled himself together and offered his hand to Ben. “My apologies.” He pumped Ben’s hand enthusiastically. “It is an honor to meet both of you.”

    My father chuckled and then got to business. “How can we help?”

    The Lieutenant gave him a grim look. “I was hoping to get you and your apprentices do a R.E.B.J.”

    Dad must have seen my confusion. “That is Rapid Entry by Jedi. We go in lightsabers swinging and clear a path.”

    From the corner of the room I heard Corporal Rycus snicker and whisper to another enlisted man. “I thought that meant Really Egotistical Braggart Jedi.”

    The Lieutenant scowled and turned to discipline the man, but was interrupted by my father. “That’s only when I have Jedi Apprentice Raynar Thul with me.”

    Ben and my Dad started laughing and I realized I must have missed some private joke, but I could imagine what they meant. Raynar Thul is the son of Alderaanian nobels and he made sure everybody knew it. He’s a spoiled and arrogant Apprentice with a flair for brightly colored robes. Obviously he made an impression on the military men in the field…a bad impression.

    Dad turned serious and looked to the men in the room. “We’ll make a plan of attack and then move out.”

    I will write more when I get back from the mission. This should be exciting.
     
  15. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Can't wait to see. What comes next.

    Talon must get annoyed when people always think he's Luke's son. Though I understand, I look more like my aunts than I look like my mother.
     
  16. EmeraldJediFire

    EmeraldJediFire Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2012
    Yay...loved it...poor poor Talon..think that's ever going to stop...mmmm probably not...I think even if they saw Ben's mom...it still would be confusing
     
  17. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    I don't know who'd be more annoyed, Talon or Ben. It could be quite annoying that people think someone else is your father's son instead of you.

    Great details on the mission!
     
  18. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Bravo JL on the humor and the situation you detail. =D= =D= I'm 100% in agreement with Kira's opinions on soldiering. @};- And that's why L/M go on joint missions: they can't stand to be apart for too long and hee! they work and play so well together. [face_love] !!!
     
  19. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    Poor Ben. He's never able to bask in the fame of his name because he doesn't look the part! But I bet he's still a cutie. I can't say I disagree with Kira on not wanting her kids out in combat. I love that she's the commander at home. Mark loves it, too. [face_laugh]
     
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  20. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks ginchy, Jade_eyes, Hazel, Briannakin, and EmeraldJediFire for reading and taking the time to comment. I guess Mark can say Mara is his sister. Then the resemblance would be understandable (at least for Ben). So now we go to Talon's first mission.

    ___________________________________

    Entry 16

    I finished my first combat mission. It was extremely exciting, but right about now I wish I could do a memory rub on myself in order to forget everything that happened.

    It started out okay. Dad and Ben decided on a route of entry and our plan was fairly simple…run up, deflect blasterbolts or slugs, pull the doors open and then enter making as much noise as possible. As we made this huge distraction the Galactic Alliance’s Special Covert Action Team (or GASCAT) would move in and secure the hostages. I was told the men were already in position. They were wearing stealth bodysuits to hide their heat signature and it could render the wearer visually undetectable for a short period of time. I never really understood the technology behind it, but when the suit is activated it supposedly blends light sound and electromagnetic waves around the wearer making them invisible (I wouldn’t mind getting one of those. I could really put a scare into my brother).

    Anyway, although we are actually going to attack the enemy, we are also acting as a diversion. We should have worn tunics with big neon targets painted on the front because our job was to be shot at while the real heroes--currently hiding in underground steam tunnels or ventilation shafts--went in for the rescue.

    Using infrared sensors the GA troopers had tried to figure out where the hostages were held. Unfortunately, the terrorists were using a number of countermeasures such as sensor scramblers and the use of heat sticks to confuse the sensing equipment. The bottom line was nobody knew where the hostages were located. Once we entered we had to either kill the terrorists or at least keep them busy long enough for the small search and rescue team to sneak in, locate and evacuate the prisoners.

    Finally the time came to go. My father put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a tight smile. “You ready, son?”

    “Yeah.” I sounded confident, but I have to admit I was nervous. I look over to Ben and he gave me a classic Skywalker smile. He’s not nervous. All I can sense from him is a eerie calmness in the Force. It is an inner tranquility that the Grand Master often tried to teach me but I have so far failed to emulate.

    We moved out of the field headquarters and because we wanted to be noticed we walked toward the building side-by-side with lightsabers blazing. Immediately we started taking fire by the slug thrower. We can’t see the slugs rushing toward us, but we can sense them in the Force and I can hear stray slugs wiz by me overhead. We cut down the projectiles, but because these were exploding slugs we had to use the Force to shield ourselves from shrapnel. Despite the heavy deluge of gunfire in our direction we were able to make it to the front doors.

    We all had comlinks screwed into our ears and we can hear updates on the GASCAT team. They were in and clearing the back of the building and moving to the higher floors to take out the snipers and look for the hostages. Our job was to clear the front part of the building. Everything was going as planned and I started to feel very proud of myself…even a bit cocky. I was able to hold my own against the enemy and help out my fellow Jedi. It felt good.

    “Talon,” Ben said over the din of slugthrower fire. “Cover us while we pull these doors open.”

    I nodded at him and scan the building above us for enemy fire which wasn’t much since we were now outside the shooter’s line of sight. My father and Ben closed their eyes and their faces distorted into a look of fierce concentration. I see the double doors in front of the building shake violently before they were forcefully yanked off their hinges and thrown across the street. “Now!” Ben said to me indicating it was our time to rush in and make a lot of noise.

    I followed behind Dad and Ben all pumped up and confident. My green lightsaber was blazing, and then…I hate to admit it…I stopped dead in my tracks and froze at the sight before me. We found the hostages, or what was left of them. They were tied to chairs facing the door. Most were stripped of their clothing exposing the horrific wounds and mutilation they suffered. I have heard the term ‘skinned alive’ used metaphorically, but this wasn’t a figurative use of the term, and they were obviously alive when it happened. Their mouths were taped shut, but their eyes…the ones who still had their eyes…showed the sheer horror of their demise. Before I knew what was happening I doubled over and vomited.

    I am not sure how long I was out of action but I eventually became aware we were under heavy blaster fire.

    “Talon! Talon!” I could hear Ben’s strained voice. “Pull it together! I can’t keep the blaster fire off you forever.”

    I look up and Ben’s blue lightsaber is a blur of motion as he deflected blaster bolts away from both of us. Ben’s usual boyish freckled-faced appearance was gone and replaced by an intense expression that made him look much older than his twenty-one years...and I was amazed at his immense power in the Force; it was as if the Grand Master himself was next to me. If that GA Lieutenant was around to see Ben fight there would have been absolutely no confusion whatsoever as to who was the true son of Skywalker.

    My face flushed as I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth. “Sorry Ben,” I am able to croak out before I brought my lightsaber up and started deflecting the blaster bolts coming my way.

    I can feel a jumble of emotions coming from my father. There was shock, sadness and a grim, intense resolve to end this now. The room we were in was probably once used as a warehouse. There was a one-story office that was built onto the empty floor of the large three-story room. Gunmen were positioned on the top of the building and there were also a couple terrorists on a small access skywalk located a little over two meters from the ceiling.

    My Dad ran toward the terrorists positioned on the office roof, deflecting blasterbolts as he moved, before he leapt the three meters to the roof of the building. He decapitated the first man he came to and then he brought his oversized lightsaber crashing down on the other man’s head. I have seen holovids where men were cleaved in half by a lightsaber, but I have never seen it done from head to groin. The sight was gruesome and the bile crept up my throat once again.

    Ben stretched out his hand and used the Force to pull the other men off the skywalk. My father cleanly sliced them in two before they hit the ground.

    Finally there was silence with the exception of the hum of the lightsabers and my heavy breathing.

    “Tantiss here,” I heard my father’s voice as he called into his comlink. “The entry room is clear. Four terrorists are dead. There are eleven other bodies, possibly the hostages. Two of them look like children.”

    It wasn’t until the last sentence that I heard my father’s voice falter.

    He shut off the comlink and calmly walked off the roof of the office, using the Force to cushion his fall. There was a clatter of boots as GA Military personnel swarmed the room, but I barely registered their presence. I was still in a fog. I remember Ben putting a hand on my shoulder and saying something to me, but I don’t remember what was said. I do remember my father coming up to me and pulling me out of the building.

    I was so embarrassed. I had let everybody down. I let Ben down, my Master Mara Jade Skywalker, the Grand Master and worst of all, my father. The shame was so intense that my face heated uncomfortably as the blood rushed to my head. My dad’s hand as firmly clutching my shoulder as he steered me away from the commotion to a quiet place where I assumed he would tell me how disappointed he was.

    We went to an abandoned public square that had duracrete benches surrounded an old decrepit fountain. My father guided me to a bench and gestured for me to sit. He sat down and stared at me silently for a moment before he talked. “Talon…that was not something you should have seen on your first time out. What happened in there was awful.”

    I dropped my head. “I know I did awful. I’m sorry Dad. I could have gotten Ben killed.”

    “No, no, what happened to the hostages was awful.” My father reached over and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Talon, you pulled yourself together after a few seconds. You did fine.”

    I shook my head. “No I didn’t. Ben didn’t hesitate. I shouldn’t have.” I paused for a moment. “If Mom had let me train in real combat situations earlier…”

    I didn’t get to finish my sentence. My father’s hand—that seconds earlier was giving me a reassuring squeeze—now clamped down on me painfully. He looked me directly in the eye and glared intensely. “Don’t you dare blame your mother for anything that happened today.” He pointed toward the building holding the dead hostages. “Seeing the depths of human depravity like we did today changes a man. Not one soldier that entered that building today will forget what he saw. It will haunt their sleep, it will cause anxiety attacks and trouble coping…and I’m talking about hardened combat soldiers.”

    He must have seen me flinch at his grip because he let go of my shoulder and gave me an apologetic look. “It changes men,” he said softly. “Your mother and I wanted you to have the chance at a non-traumatic, un-kriffed up childhood before something horrific like this warped your view of the galaxy. A happy childhood is something a lot of us didn’t have. Your Aunt Mara was raised as the Emperor’s Hand, your Uncle Luke lived in harsh desert conditions, and I never had a childhood. You deserved to have some nice youthful memories before the horror of war was thrust upon you.”

    His words made me feel better, but not by much. “Why were my cousins allowed to train in real world situations if it’s so bad?”

    My father sat back and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When you are a Solo or a Skywalker you are a target for kidnappers, assassins and nutball Jedi stalkers. Your cousins needed to be able to protect themselves at a very young age. You are a Tantiss and we don’t have the problem with notoriety.” He gave me a small smile. “Excluding some lovechild sleemo stories, we’re unknowns…and that’s good! If you think being a celebrity Jedi is a blessing, think again.”

    “I know.” I said as I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “We’re lucky.”

    My father laughed. “You are damn right we’re lucky. Not only do we avoid the publicity, but also you have a huge extended family compared to your cousins. You have your mother’s family…grandparents that dote on you and your brother. You also have your mother’s brothers and their kids and all her cousins.”

    Dad paused and looked to the ground before he stood. “Don’t let your performance today get to you. You did great for a first time out. I’m proud of you.”

    Dad left me sitting there. It was nice of him to say I did well, but I know I didn’t. I swore right then and there that I wouldn't fail again. I promised myself I would train harder and longer. Never again would another Jedi have to protect me while I stood frozen like a dewback in the speeder headlights.

    Never again!
     
  21. EmeraldJediFire

    EmeraldJediFire Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 23, 2012
    I think Talon's response was natural. He may have felt like he screwed up but it was his first combat mission and no one would have expected to see that, so yeah..I don't blame him for his reaction
     
    Jade_eyes likes this.
  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    :shock: !!!! No one would be unfazed by such a thing, first time, last time on a mission. I liked the father-son talk and agree that emotions shouldn't paralyze you in moments of needed action, but they need to be embraced and acknowledged. The day one stops responding compassionately is a very sad day indeed. [face_thinking] And to do such things to children too :eek: -- That could lead one to feel righteous, but vengeful, retribution is in order. It's a very delicate balance.
     
  23. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    That was hard for a first mission. Poor Talon! Mark was great though.
     
  24. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    What a horrible first mission.
     
  25. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    I guess, nobody is ready for this kind of thing. It happens for everyone for the first time, and it turns one's world upside down on some point of life. I am glad that his dad was there for him. Facing this alone could be traumatic, just because you will think about it again and again. This moment will replay in your head until you go mad. It's just dangerous if you have nobody to talk to in these moments.
     
    Jedi_Lover and Jade_eyes like this.