Beyond - Legends Blood Trail (Post-LotF: Jaina, Tahiri, Ben, Jag, Han, Leia, Luke) Completed 11/4/09!

SIXTH! Now to edit.

Jag's escape just goes to prove the Sith are never as smart as they think they are. I love how Cem/Evlyn got in: people just never think about such things when they design their evil cults, do they? Now they just have to break Jaina and Tahiri out and hopefully the two ladies will be smart enough to leave and come back to get Anakin once they've gotten some backup (I'm thinking something along the lines of two batallions of Jedi Knights and half the Imperial Navy would be appropriate).

Just so you know, there's a lot of things that could be said right now...

 

What have I done now?

 

Definitely going back and reading your other fics while I wait for you to post another chapter. Great job as always! Let me tell you, you're killing my productivity at work.

 

Magnuskn: First.

Nicely done

*edit* Now, that this has been done, here as to the chapter:
Man, oh, man. I really hope you are not going to kill Jag, but it surely seems that way.

He's in pretty bad shape, I'm afraid.

Let´s just hope there is some kind of force healing which can cure him, but I begin to doubt it.

I doubt it too, but I'm sure it will come up at some point if he makes it off of Korriban alive.

Especially with him being so stubborn as not to tell the only people who have a chance of helping him.

Yeah Unfortunately, I think Jaina would pretty much have to beat it out of him to find out. (Which, or course, is entirely possible!)

The whole chapter is excellent, as always.

Thanks and thanks for reading and replying






Durroness: Second!

Good job

I can't help but agree with Magnuskn- things aren't looking so great for Jag. But I wonder how long he can continue hiding it from Jaina?

Probably not forever. I'm sure she'll catch on when he dies

Also, I don't have a good feeling about this escape attempt. Jaina isn't goinng to want to leave without figuring out whats going on with Anakin, and even more so for Tahiri.

I agree with you completely. That is definitely going to be a sticking point in the coming chapters.

Plus, last we saw Jaina was in really bad shape.

Yeah She'll still be in pretty bad shape the next time we see her.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out

Glad to hear it. Hopefully it won't be disappointing

Thanks for reading and replying





Ubersue: Awesome post, as usual.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it

The action sequence is excellent, but I particularly love your interpretation of Jag's character. He strikes me as a classic stoic hero and Jaina's perfect partner...

Good to hear. Jag can be a tough one for me to write.

it will be sad if he dies, but at the same time it's kind of reassuring that he won't go without a fight and is facing his mortality with courage and dignity.

Yeah, if Jag is going to die, I don't think it's going to be wasting away somewhere. He seems geared up to go out in a blaze of glory if need be.

Thanks for reading and replying





Rew: At first, when I read the chapter title, I thought it said, "Reminiscent of Mario"--and you can imagine the mental imagery of reading this chapter with the Super Mario Bros. theme song playing in one's head.

Just wait until the next chapter when Jag escapes on Korriban's native riding mounts:

[image=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/YodaKenobi/mario-party-advance-yoshi2.jpg]

I love this line! In my opinion, it's right up there with "Sith piss!" (And given that they're on Korriban, might even be more appropriate. )

lol. Thanks. I'm quite fond of "Sith piss!" ... wait, that doesn't sound right.

Anyway, I imagine that as a writer, this must've been a very difficult scene to write. You've essentially got non-Force sensitive Jag escaping from a prison guarded by fully trained Sith Lords. I confess that some parts were a bit of a stretch (I'm thinking the Gotal would've seen it coming when Jag injected him and stole his lightsaber), but perhaps these were rather weak Sith in the pecking order? Nevertheless, for the most part, this was done plausibly, and for that I applaud you! Cem's reappearance was a pleasant surprise--I'd forgotten about her.

Yeah, I realized I may have been stretching things with Jag getting the drop on two Sith. I did imagine that the One Sith didn't have their best watching Jag, a non-Force sensitive, but yeah. I could have just had Evlyn come in, kill them both, and release Jag, but I wanted Jag to have a bit of a hero moment. Granted, he still would have gotten killed in the end even after getting out of the cell, but still...

Also (to everyone else), I'm

 

I have gotten so far behind in this story. Just got caught up and am loving it. Loved Jag's escape plan, even sick, he's still got what it takes.

Jag has only 3 (very optimistic) months to live, and there are only 8 posts left, somewhere in those 8 posts Jag will find a cure, correct. You're not that evil that you're considering killing him off, right? He will find a cure, probably at the last minute, but a cure, right?? And him and Jaina will find their way back to each other?

 

How cool is Jag? Ravaged by sickness and still able to break out and take down the bad guys. Now off to join up with Jaina and do the power duo thing!

 

Wow! Jag can come up with an escape plan like that even when he's sick? That's pretty good. It's just a good thing Cem was looking for him, otherwise his brilliant plan would have choked!

 

BTW, YK, check your private messages. I got something for you, but I need something from you first.

 

I'm a horrible reader. I still haven't replied.

Alright I'll do it now.

YOU WILL NOT KILL JAGGED FEL!!!!

Seriously. This is breaking my heart to see my fave character dying and I can't do anything about it.

*Jaya gets on her knees at YodaKenobi's feet* Please.Please.Please.Please.Please.Please. Don't kill him. I'm begging you.

JJB

 

Kailene: I have gotten so far behind in this story. Just got caught up and am loving it.

Thanks, I'm glad you're liking it

Loved Jag's escape plan, even sick, he's still got what it takes.

Yeah. He may not have Force-powers, but he's got his wits

Jag has only 3 (very optimistic) months to live, and there are only 8 posts left, somewhere in those 8 posts Jag will find a cure, correct.

Well, no, that's not one of the things that's going to happen in the next (7 now) posts. But there is another story after this. If Jag survives, maybe he'll find a cure in that one

You're not that evil that you're considering killing him off, right?

Umm... No, of course not

He will find a cure, probably at the last minute, but a cure, right?? And him and Jaina will find their way back to each other?

I can't make any promises like that All I can say is that Blood Trail is the first of two stories, so don't expect a super happy ending in this one

Thanks for reading and replying





TSF: How cool is Jag?

So cool his callsign is "Dry Ice" in Invincible?

Ravaged by sickness and still able to break out and take down the bad guys.

That is pretty impressive. Jag may be dying, but he's not dead yet

Now off to join up with Jaina and do the power duo thing!

Well, maybe not quite But we'll see.

Thanks for reading and replying






jedimasterjsa: Wow! Jag can come up with an escape plan like that even when he's sick? That's pretty good.

Yeah, his illness doesn't really seem to be slowing him down all that much

It's just a good thing Cem was looking for him, otherwise his brilliant plan would have choked!

That's a good point. Looks like it was going to backfire without her help.

Thanks so much for reading and replying






Magnuskn: BTW, YK, check your private messages. I got something for you, but I need something from you first.

Thanks!






Jaya_Jag_Ben: I'm a horrible reader. I still haven't replied.

No worries

Alright I'll do it now.
YOU WILL NOT KILL JAGGED FEL!!!!

"I will not kill Jagged Fel"

Seriously. This is breaking my heart to see my fave character dying and I can't do anything about it.

Sorry about that Hopefully Jag will find a way to pull through. Maybe that MD droid didn't really know what it was talking about?

*Jaya gets on her knees at YodaKenobi's feet* Please.Please.Please.Please.Please.Please. Don't kill him. I'm begging you.



Well, I'm not going to kill him. His illness or the Sith might

We'll just have to wait and see. Obviously, I can't make a promise like that without ruining things

Thanks for reading and replying






There should be a new post tomorrow

 

So the jedi are escaping from Coruscant - I hope they all make it, including Han and Allana.

I loved Jag's escape attempt. Despite being sick and not being force sensitive he still did quite well even if he needed help in the end!

Great chapter yoda

looking forward to next

 

All right! Finally caught up after a day of power reading!

Wow again, YK! You certainly do know how to weave a compelling story! I'm especially enjoying all the 'blood' symbolism going on here- The title, the bloodtrail on Jaina's neck, Jag's coughing up blood, the description of the bloody meat before Saba's killed ( btw), and the list goes on and on... Makes for some awesome, if macabre, continuity with the theme.

The 'save him' plot is intriguing, as is the Jacen/Cadeus thread in regards to Chaos. If there's one thing that I love about your fics, YK, it's the use of religious themes. It lends depth and intellectuality to your stories, making them truly thought provoking.

It's looking to me like Anakin's had his memories wiped or blocked or something. I really hope it is Anakin, even if he's dark. He's just too awesome to be truly dead.

The thread with Jag and his illness, while tense and unpleasant, is actually a really good one. It's giving Jag more personality than he's been given in profic, and again, it's lending him the depth needed for a reader to really invest time in the character. Although it would be heartbreaking to see him die, being a writer myself, I can truly appreciate the decision to have him pass on (if you do go that route .) It leads to some serious explorations in characterization, which you're doing really well with so far- Jag's starting to realize that he is mortal, and that there are more important things in his life than being the stoic Grand Moff (like Jaina.) Part of me even agrees with his stubborn decision to keep his condition a secret. I don't think Jag wants to tell Jaina, because it might seem like some cheap ploy to make her like him for the last few months. I think he'd rather woo her and win her on his own merits and not use the pity card to snatch her (not that Jaina's one to be 'snatched' in the first place, but you know what I mean.)

All in all, it's excellent so far, and I'm looking forward to the remaining 7 posts.

~Celeste

 

Diamond: So the jedi are escaping from Coruscant - I hope they all make it, including Han and Allana.

Me too You'll find out what became of Han and Allana in the post below.

I loved Jag's escape attempt. Despite being sick and not being force sensitive he still did quite well even if he needed help in the end!

Yeah, it was pretty good all things considered Hopefully things will go smoothly when he and Evlyn bust Jaina out.

Great chapter yoda

Thanks and thanks for reading and replying







Celsete: All right! Finally caught up after a day of power reading!

Wow, you're reading everything!

Wow again, YK! You certainly do know how to weave a compelling story!

Thank you

I'm especially enjoying all the 'blood' symbolism going on here- The title, the bloodtrail on Jaina's neck, Jag's coughing up blood, the description of the bloody meat before Saba's killed ( btw), and the list goes on and on... Makes for some awesome, if macabre, continuity with the theme.

Yeah, it's a dark story with a lot of dark themes in it. I think you're the only one who noticed the Saba thing Nice catch!

The 'save him' plot is intriguing, as is the Jacen/Cadeus thread in regards to Chaos.

I'm glad you're enjoying that. Obviously, the two are the central mysteries of the story.

If there's one thing that I love about your fics, YK, it's the use of religious themes. It lends depth and intellectuality to your stories, making them truly thought provoking.

Yeah, there have been more of those slipping in lately for some reason. I think I'm just telling two really dark stories at the moment and those sort of themes lend themselves easily to dark stories

It's looking to me like Anakin's had his memories wiped or blocked or something. I really hope it is Anakin, even if he's dark. He's just too awesome to be truly dead.

I agree. I wish they would adopt that mantra in canon

The thread with Jag and his illness, while tense and unpleasant, is actually a really good one. It's giving Jag more personality than he's been given in profic, and again, it's lending him the depth needed for a reader to really invest time in the character. Although it would be heartbreaking to see him die, being a writer myself, I can truly appreciate the decision to have him pass on (if you do go that route.)

Thanks, I'm glad you like that storyline Sometimes characters do have to die. Hopefully, when they do, it opens up new storylines and actually makes things better overall.

It leads to some serious explorations in characterization, which you're doing really well with so far- Jag's starting to realize that he is mortal, and that there are more important things in his life than being the stoic Grand Moff (like Jaina.) Part of me even agrees with his stubborn decision to keep his condition a secret. I don't think Jag wants to tell Jaina, because it might seem like some cheap ploy to make her like him for the last few months. I think he'd rather woo her and win her on his own merits and not use the pity card to snatch her (not that Jaina's one to be 'snatched' in the first place, but you know what I mean.)

Yeah, I think you're exactly right here. Jag isn't just going to go to Jaina and say, "I'm dying now so we'd better get together while we can." I think his illness has clarified what's really important to him and he wants to be with Jaina, but he doesn't want to make it about the illness, if that makes sense.

All in all, it's excellent so far, and I'm looking forward to the remaining 7 posts.

Thanks, and thanks so much for reading another of my stories and replying to it I've really enjoyed reading your reactions.

And I hope you like the last few posts.





Sorry, post will either be late tonight or early tomorrow. I have a few things to take care of and it's not finished yet. [/

 

"That's it? You just wore a black cloak?"

"Yeah," Evlyn said, shrugging again.

Awesome! I love how she's so casual about it.

I really liked Jag in this post, and now I'm really hoping he survives somehow. Looking forward to the next update!

 

amidalachick: Awesome! I love how she's so casual about it.

Yeah. The One Sith's secrecy, from the galaxy and each other, can be a weakness sometimes. The trick is finding ways to exploit it like Cem did. It seems so simple

I really liked Jag in this post, and now I'm really hoping he survives somehow.

Maybe he will. There's no cure, but there's a lot of magic in Star Wars

Looking forward to the next update!

Hope you like it

Thanks for reading and replying





New post will be up in a second

 

Removed

 

First and before the PM

D@MN! Allana just took out Fett! I honestly didn't see it coming. The fight between Han and Fett reminded me of Obi-Wan vs Jango in AotC. Allana's actions reminded me of Force Repulse.

Great post, can't wait for the next one.

 

Wow! That was unexpected! Allana just reminded all of us that she is the daughter of Jacen Solo and Tenel Ka. And she did it in a very BIG way!

I'm going to have to agree with Han on this one, most definitely NOT the wisest decision he could have made! But I guess everything worked out in the end, right?

 

That whole fight was classic Han!
And I must say....way to go, Allana!

 

Great chapter!!!

You write action scenes so well, YK! I was on the edge of my seat reading this chapter! It had just the right blend of suspense and surprise, and I'm always awed by your creative ways to describe things.

And I'm seeing more blood... in keeping with the theme are we?

I did not see Allana's perfectly timed attack coming. It's really sweet to see how protective she is of her Grandpa.

As always, Threepio is just hysterical, and Han's chagrin with the protocol droid is just perfect!

I'd write more, but my brain is fried after a long day of work followed by a grueling rehearsal...

Can't wait to see what's coming next!!

~Celeste

 

Typical 3PO.

Excellent chapter all around... although it´s only two old guys beating the piss out of each other.

I *wonder* if Allana having shown her force proficiency to Fett will at a later point somehow play into the storyline of children being abducted by the Sith...

You really think that you can finish up this fic in only seven more posts? There still seems a lot to be done. Or am I smelling a sequel ( hopefully including time-travel to the Legacy era )?

 

Sixth!

I just know Han is going to regret not putting a blaster bolt into Fett in the sequel. Sad old man he may be, but he's a sad old man with near impenetrable armour, a rapid-fire assault blaster, backpack missile launcher, wrist rocket launcher, wrist flame thrower, a pocket-gunship of a transport, etc, etc, etc. Not the kind of person you want to leave running around with a grudge against you and your family.

That being said, way to go Allana! It always pays to have young children who are strong in the Force by your side; they tend to have very... powerful... reactions to you being placed in danger. To think, the mighty bounty hunter Boba Fett got taken down by a six year old. For shame, for shame!

 

Wow.

Allana Kicked Boba's butt!!??!! That was awesome!

C3PO. what more can I say?

Han was right on the ball. A fight very similar to the Obiwan/fett fight in AOTC. Awesome.

"Baby Fat!!"

All in all. Fabulous update.

Can't wait for more.

JJB

 

(I had a nice lengthy reply made yesterday, but the boards eated it. )




Mind-blowing climax! Like the others, I definitely did not see that coming. Suffice it to say, Allana has had her first bonafide Crowning Moment of Awesome.

And yes, it was very gratifying to the Boba hater in me to see the legendary Sarlaac fo--I mean, bounty hunter--Boba Fett himself owned by a 7-year-old girl.

Also, how interesting that Allana spared the life of the man who a couple years earlier spared the life of her father. (Who knows, maybe that means Allana will kill Jaina Solo one day. )

But yeah, Allana is already exhibiting the signs of a true Jedi--powerful enough in the Force to subdue an enemy endangering Han but empathetic enough to spare his life after he's defeated. Truly the daughter of (NJO-era) Jacen Solo!

Speaking of which, it looks like the whisperkit is out of the bag on Allana now. Not only has Boba felt the full tilt of her Force powers (not just any Jedi child could do that!), but he had to have heard her call Han "Grandpa" and heard him refer to her as Allana, not Amelia. This could have...ramifications.

Definitely looking forward to where this goes next!


Now to reply to your earlier reply:

*Yoshi pic*


And yes, Jag is the ultimate survivor! Indeed, I daresay he has come into an ability infinitely more powerful than even the Force itself: Character Shield!

Oh, and in regards to the "internet speak" thing--in Gabri_Jade's LJ blog, she linked to a friend who recreated an entire scene from Fury with Luke and Ben solely in smilies and text speak.


In other news, I recently finished The Age of Heroes and am now on Exodus! So I'm almost caught up on your "YKU" continuity. Anyway, Lands of the Dead is almost finished now, right? How many chapters/posts remain in that one?