Lit A Cynical Walk Through the NJO

TWO: THE NURSERY

The ship Jacen was imprisoned on docks with the seedship. Jacen has been released from the Embrace of Pain for some time, and his wounds have healed. Vergere is there to take him somewhere else, and reveals that the ship they've been in will be digested by the larger ship. Jacen gets a self-healing robe.

"Putting it on hurt. Slower to heal than his skin, his shoulders and hip joints grated as though packed with chunks of durracrete, but he didn't so much as grimace.
"This was merely pain; he barely noticed."

Vergere seems to have some sort of hook in her hand, but Jacen seems to forget about it. Vergere leads Jacen through the ship, which is a massive worldshaping enterprise, and explains that this ship will be responsible for shaping the new Yuuzhan Vong homeworld. Eventually, they reach the eponymous nursey, which is a massive space with a simulated star and slaves working throughout. The slaves demonstrate absolutely no coordination or cooperation. Vergere explains it's a playground for the dhuryams, as they learn how to control their slaves and coordinate an ecosystem. Jacen thinks this is madness. He's horrified by the whole situation, and refuses to have anything to do with it, drawing the line when Vergere continues to use the phrase "our masters." Vergere tells him he's mistaken, and the chapter ends with her stabbed him in the chest with the aforementioned hook and implanting him with a slave seed.

This would seem to be the first morally dubious act which Vergere commits in the book, unless you consider the shadowmoth metaphor to be morally dubious. However, the fact is that Jacen was going to be implanted with a slave seed whether Vergere was the one to do it or not, and I think her doing it is preferable to a Yuuzhan Vong warrior doing it, but that's just me. It's simply another example of the shadowmoth metaphor -- she's doing something which superficially seems to be hurting Jacen, but is actually beneficial to him in ways he can't see.

 

Okej, so what is his problem with the jedi? Or is it just an opinion he have chosen to follow to please his allies?

Digested? As in the bigger ship is eating the smaller one?

 

Well, in terms of war, one of my major dis-satisfactions with NJO was that the politicians learnt bugger all from the Caamas Crisis!

In TTT, Fey'lya is a pain in the arse, albeit with a coherent, if repellent, motivation, but he isn't running things thus the damage he can cause is limited. Thrawn exacted maximum value from Fey'lya's machinations against Ackbar.

 

For one thing, he didn't like them because he felt they were antagonizing the Yuuzhan Vong into attacking the New Republic. Secondly, he didn't like them because they didn't listen (in a way, he was like Daala in that respect). Thirdly, he didn't like them because, I think, they were a factor that he could not touch or understand; they served the New Republic but didn't take orders from him so they became a nuisance. There were many other reasons, but these were the three I can think of off the top of my head.

 

How do you mean? Is the robe helping him heal or is the robe, which I guess is living vong biotech, capable of healing itself?

So knowing what the ong was going to use the ship for, why have Verger not sabotaged it?

You could also argue that her first morally dubious act was to not stay with Republic when she had the chance instead of returning to the vong. She could have given the Republic and/or the jedi information that could have saved many lives and explained the vong culture and way of thinking making it possibly possible for diplomatic contacts with the less radical fractions.

I see, thanks. Eh, just can you explain how the jedi was antagonizing the vong any more then other groups?

 

They really weren't; Borsk just thought they were. Well...actually, Kyp and his group specifically were antagonizing the Vong more than usual. They went and attacked the Vong unprovoked, specifically attacking any viable target, whereas the Jedi only attacked targets that could've threatened the New Republic (like Garqi).

 

I see, thanks. But regarding Kyp's group attacking the Vong unprovoked don't dropping a moon on a planet count as provocation? After a stunt like that most people would consider the other side's ships fully allowed targets, or did he attack civilian vong ships and/or escape pods?

 

Kyp fools Rogue Squadron into destroying a Yuuzhan Vong civilian worldship in Rebirth, IIRC. Jaina slaps him afterward.

 

Oh, I see. Not the character arc I hade hoped for for him.

 

Gamiel. Most people can not feel the force or sense it. Han Solo certainly cant

 

Well to my understanding so can he, he is just not naturally good at it or have trained that sense.

 

Probably also doesn't help that the Jedi are close to the people he considers his political enemies - Leia, Ackbar, Rogue Squadron.

Probably ALSO didn't help that the first Jedi he met (Luke and Leia) were humans, and therefore immediately suspect.

 

It's not inhabited. It's just that because it's destroyed, the Yuuzhan Vong will have to divert military resources to sustaining the civilians who would have been transferred to it. There's really nothing wrong with doing it except that Kyp tricked everybody into attacking it on false pretenses because he didn't trust them to see it his way.

 

I can see that.

I don't remember him being a speciesist in TTT, was this something that was introduced in the X-wing books or somewhere else?

Why would he need to use false pretenses? If it is uninhabited it should count as a cargo ship and you attack enemy cargo ships all the time in war, it is a fully accepted tactic to my knowledge.

 

It was way back behind enemy lines and well guarded - Kyp probably reasoned that if he told them the truth, no one would want to strike it. But say it's a superweapon and you're gold.

 

Oh, I see. I hade missed that it was far behind enemy lines.

 

X-wing books with Stackpole. It's never stated outright, I don't think, but it's pretty strongly implied.

 

i will sya that Han is probably protected and guided by the force to a degree, how else do you explain all his luck. But i disagree that anyone can feel the force. yes the force resides in their bodies and spirit, but it is only a few that can feel it. Where do you get this info that anyone can feel it?

 

Can't remember any author, or Lucas, ever saying everyone can feel it - but in TCW Season 1 Episode 1 "Ambush" Yoda tells the clones that "use it you can, to quieten your mind" (because "the Force is in all things").

 

I don't remember from were, or even if it is stated. What I remember is it just the impression I have got from all the different sources I have read.
As I said: "to my understanding" and I know that I can be wrong on this.

I see, thanks.

 

I'm surprised Denning didn't make him one outright.
Wasn't there a scene in the NJO where he thought he felt Chewie's presence after he died?

 

so it was retconned in tcw? geez.

 

The idea that those with low midichlorian counts (like Han or the clones) can still access the Force has been a thing since Vision of the Future, with Car'das.

 

Oh yeah. But he did not access it right. Just honored it.