Beyond - Legends Cryoclasm (Author's Note, 9/19)

Author's Note: One of the major threads I feel I dropped from The Shifting Tides was the Shi'ar invasion of the Chiss Ascendancy ...

that oversight is about to be corrected.

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(20th Century Fox logo)

(Lucasfilm logo)

(Marvel Films logo)

(black screen; opening notes of Luke's theme)

(cut to orbital shot of Earth)

Voiceover: Thrawn: Since the dawn of the Old Republic, my people have watched one seemingly insignificant blue orb in the night.

(flashes of various superheroes and supervillains fighting)

Thrawn: "Seemingly" is false. Earth's superhuman population once made the Chiss fearful.

(Action shot of Betsy Braddock with lightsaber, dueling Yuuzhan Vong)

Thrawn: But we realized, perhaps too late, that those superhumans might learn about and resent us ...

(Golden glow fills screen, dying down to reveal a grinning Vulcan holding Deathbird's hand)

Thrawn: And now we must stand with odd allies and lost relatives ... as the watched find us.

(Image of the Inhumans, Avengers, Starjammers, and some X-Men)

(black screen)

(Opening notes of Duel of the Fates)

(Rapid succession of scenes

(Shi'ar fighters launching from Warbirds, fighting with clawcraft)

(Storm Ewoks and Shi'ar troops fighting on a jungle planet)

(Thrawn, wearing silvery armor, surprising Vulcan by fighting hand to hand on an ice field)

Vulcan: You're just one man!

Thrawn: One man can be a keystone to collapse an empire.

(Black Bolt and Gladiator duel over Csilla's skies)

(A YT-1300 freighter approaches Attilan as it hovers over Csapla, lands on platform; Medusa, Vergere, Lilandra, and Ronan greet Kyle Katarn, Saba Sebatyne, and other Jedi)

Kyle, to Vergere: You seriously want us to help you?

Vergere tilts her head, replies: The Jedi I remember would not stand by in the face of slaughter.

Kyle: No, we wouldn't. But we won't help annihilate either side.

Vergere looks over her shoulder: Master Katarn, whoever said the Chiss OR Shi'ar were the greatest threat?

(Music accelerates)

(Something yellow and black accelerates through a starfield toward distant flashes of starship fire)

(Chak and Cem Fel, with Saba and Octa Ramis, lead charge of Storm Ewoks, Imperial Knights, and Jedi toward rush of Imperial Guardsmen)

(Chiss technician turns to Shawnkyr Nuruodo and Soontir Fel with a frown)

Technician: Ma'am, sir, long-range sensors are detecting ... scanning probes.

Shawnkyr frowns, asks: What kind?

Technician looks worried, replies: ... in Binary, ma'am.

(Starjammers, with Neal Shaara, Davis and Heather Cameron, and Lilandra, fight their way aboard a Shi'ar dreadnought; Lilandra crosses energy blades with Deathbird)

Lilandra: END this, sister!

Deathbird scowls, replies: The Chiss would see us all in chains.

Lilandra: And Vulcan is any better?

(Black and yellow blur approaches an Imperial Star Destroyer; aboard its bridge, alarms go berzerk as the bridge crew reacts)

Imperial Captain: Brace for impact - full shields!

(Galactic Alliance pilot Lyska Chad leads XJ-7 squadron into battle against Shi'ar fighters)

Lyska, snarkily: So help me, the first one who says anything about bagging womp rats gets blaster repainting duty for a week ...

(Vergere's crest rises as she stares into the starfield from Attilan)

Vergere, to Crystal: Something dangerous has been awoken too soon. Something ... hungry.

(Karnak, Mentor of the Imperial Guard, Danni Quee, Peter Parker, and Hank Pym analyze sensor readings aboard Attilan)

Peter, afraid: This can't be right. The estimated number of contacts -

Mentor, scowling: Match the estimated number of Chiss in the Ascendancy.

(Nova Corps members, with the YT-1300 and the Starjammer, weave through an asteroid field toward a world made of circuitry)

(Music crescendoes)

(Something enormous, with black and yellow highlights, looms ove

 

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Prologue: 4/17/40 ABY: Jedi Temple, Coruscant:
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She'd sworn she'd never set foot in this place - at least not without a lawyer.

But I follow orders. And so, here I am, in this place that's totally AGAINST what I stand for - order. Rule of law. Hard facts and realities ... Lyska Chad - Galactic Alliance fighter pilot, 27 standard years of age, with dirty blonde hair cut above her ear and steel-blue eyes - thought, finishing her unpacking as she continued moving into her new billet.

No; not a billet. The practically-luxurious suite she'd been given per her shocking elevation to the Jedi High Council, as the GA military's observer on the Council after the disaster that'd been the latest Battle of Korriban, * made Lyska practically uncomfortable. It was so ... wasteful.

* - in Stoking Home Fires: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/30352443/p1/?35

You could bunk my entire training platoon in the living room. And GA credits - credits that could've gone to a charity for needy civilians, if not the military - paid for this travesty, Lyska thought, frowning while she peeked into the living room.

To their credit, the Jedi quartermaster corps - ironic in the extreme to Lyska, that an order so clearly militant yet calling themselves "peacekeepers" still used so many military terms - had listened to her request for something small for quarters ... comparatively small, anyhow. She had a mixed living/kitchen area, a bedroom, and a refresher. But the place was still enormous, even compared to some officers' quarters.

Columex wasn't like this. Neither was Nam Chorios ... but Nam Chorios was just a dim dirtball. I wanted out, so badly ... Lyska thought, sitting in a chair she practically sank into.

She'd spent her first 16 years on Nam Chorios, raised by kind but rotating foster families - she'd been a ward of the planetary state. Lyska fully suspected that was part of why she'd ditched Nam Chorios as quickly as she could for Columex - she'd wanted some kind of permanence to her life, and the military seemed as good an option as any.

That, and I was damn good behind a joystick. One of the best pilots the induction station on Columex ever came across, the recruiters said ... Lyska remembered proudly.

She frowned, concentrating on a pair of her socks, and reluctantly summoned them to her hand telekinetically.

Only my insistence that kept me from being turned over to the Jedi. That, and my work to become the best pilot I could be ... Force sensitivity or not, Lyska remembered, sighing.

She'd never quite felt calm on Nam Chorios - she realized, while at boot camp, that it'd been her latent Force sensitivity interacting dangerously with the native tsils, running the risk of touching off a miniature "storm" of Force energy. Lyska had been a definite tomboy, but she'd taken to the military discipline well.

Didn't hurt that I refused to let the guys show me up. I might not be a Jedi, but I do damn well with a blaster or in hand-to-hand, thankyouverykriffinmuch, Lyska thought, smiling for a moment.

She also had developed a few actual Force powers, more through trial and error than study ... but she would not, REFUSED to, ever touch a lightsaber.

It'd be an acknowledgement of what she'd long-suspected - long had to deal with stupid jokes about.

The Oldtimers on Nam Chorios said I looked like one of their "saviors" ... and I'm honored, if it's true, that I'm Callista Masana's daughter, Lyska thought, hoping as she had for years.

She was embarrassed to admit that she'd been too afraid to face the Jedi until now, until she'd had no other choice ... afraid to find out the truth about who her father might be.

Anger - very un-Jedi, and very satisfying - filled Lyska as she thought on the hated face, the visage of the man she blamed

 

You know that's not a good place to end the chapter. You definitely need to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.

 

When I'm not so that I can't write clearly ...

I will say this, though: Callista IS alive - and well - in the Braddockverse. Where, I'm not ready to reveal, but she's definitely alive.

As to whether Lyska's parents are who she thinks they are ...

More on this soon. She's definitely right about at least one of her guesses.

- Thanks,
Onderon1

 

And the one she's right about better be Luke. I just love the idea that she's his daughter because it's always been a disappointment for me that Luke only has one kid in canon. Now in your canon you're going to give him a kid who for all we know could probably be the best fighter pilot ever (though we haven't heard much from Chad outside the fact that she's really good), another who's going to be the leader of the Jedi Order (can't see anyone else but Ben leading as he's developing into a very fine leader), and his final kid is holding the living entity of the force.

 

I do NOT like this girl...She's too full of herself. Makes me want to see Mara take her down a peg..or 6 or 12..

As for L/M having another child, Hope is certainly "different" and clearly fits some sort of Prophesy, like Anakin.

40 ABY? is this happening while everyone else is on Earth in Karrde Reign?

 

Guessing Cryoclasm and World Tour are going to be running on the same timeline at the same time, similar to what was done with Karrde Reign and Stoking Home Fires. But only Onderon can confirm that.

I'd say give Lyska a chance, she obviously has a long history of hating Luke because she thought he had walked out on Callista and moved onto Mara without a second thought. And by extension not recognizing her as his daughter. From what was revealed in this chapter Lyska didn't have a bad life, but she went through her early life bouncing between families and not having a stable childhood. She knew who her parents are, but she didn't feel the love of a real family.

I'd want her to be someone elses kid besides Callista's, one of Luke's other relationships, but Callista is the only one that was involved with him at the time. Unless of course she's somehow connected to Gariel Captison, but considering Gariel had a kid from her husband in 14 ABY that's probably not going to happen.

 

Onderon1 just amazes me .. How does he come up with all these situations??? I USED to read the Star wars EU. I have read mid sixties to early eighties marvel (X-men, Hulk, FF, Thor) but putting it all together like this?? Simply amazing.!! All had annoying/stupid things happen I hated.. I gave up on the series--He seems to have decided to FIX them!!!

Which means he's probably still reading this stuff NOW--EEEUUWWWWWW!

Luke would always be honorable. IF he had a secret child he would take responsibility. ONLY if the woman HID them from him could he not know!! The Bakuran lady would have motive. Callista would have motive too. But she seems like she would tell him to cause him heart-ache. so I have NO idea who the mother is--or if Luke is even one of the parents

 

wbsaw: Yeah, this is after Karrde Reign and Stoking Home Fires - Lyska was one of 3 political appointees to the Jedi High Council after the PR disaster that was Kenth Hamner's exposure as Davin Fel.

As for Lyska's attitude ... people can change, as the truths they cling to are exposed as real or not. Her pride, at least, at being a good pilot is justified - more of that as things progress - but whether she's as good as Jaina or Kyp remains to be seen.

It might be educational for Lyska were she to meet another Force-sensitive pilot in, say, a training sim ... or elsewhere ...

whateveritis12: Thank you. You've hit a very important point about Lyska's attitude, and her at least somewhat legitimate issues with Luke.

She didn't have a stable childhood, even if she had people who cared about her - but being moved from place to place didn't help. And being a Force-sensitive who joined the GADF after the Vong War, she faced a bit more resentment and suspicion than, say, Kyle Katarn or Keyan Farlander because of the military personnel who blamed the Jedi for foot-dragging (which, in the Braddockverse, was much less than in canon - but there was still some foot-dragging ).

That doesn't mean that Lyska lacks for friends (more on this soon - just that she's had to fight her way to becoming a major (albeit for different reasons than Daala, who faced sexism, among other obstacles). She has a fairly solid idea of what's "right" and "wrong" with the Jedi Order ... but that'll be challenged.

And Lyska's familial heritage will play an important role in facing the REAL BBEGs lurking in the background ...

- Thanks,
Onderon1

 

Author's Note: Getting back to this after way too long ...

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Chapter 1: 4/17/40 ABY: Jedi Temple, Coruscant:
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Tekli was no stranger to dealing with strong emotions. Her Chadra-Fan excitability had always been a challenge to her achieving what most would consider "proper" Jedi self-control, although Master Cilghal's patient, caring guidance had paid off in the end. Besides, a medic needed a strong focus, especially when dealing with the shock and horror of injuries - and the injured.

But the diminutive healer was still surprised by the intensity of her latest patient's wariness and mistrust toward Jedi.

She doesn't hate Jedi ... but we bother her, Tekli realized, carefully gauging Lyska Chad's visible expression and her nuances in the Force. The GADF fighter ace and major wasn't as tense as she'd been when she'd first arrived at the Temple - clearly, Lyska hadn't been any happier to be ordered to serve as a representative on the Jedi Council than some of the Jedi were to have Lyska ON the Council - but she was still keeping her guard up.

And now she's asked for a genetics test ... to see if she's Master Skywalker's daughter! Not that it's impossible, Tekli allowed, finishing her genescan of Lyska and transmitting the results to the master medical computer for the comparison.

Jedi gossiped as much as any other sentients, even if it was technically frowned upon, and it was no secret that Luke had had his share of girlfriends before marrying Mara. Everybody in the Order had been warned to keep an eye out for Lumiya, while Alex Winger, like Keyan Farlander, served in the GADF with distinction. And then, there were the tragic stories - Gaeriel Captison, the most well-known; but also Mary of Solay, and Jem Ysanna's noble sacrifice during the Emperor Reborn crisis ...

And, of course, Callista, Tekli remembered, both from the archives and Cilghal's stories.

Callista Masana had, by her own telling, been a student of Old Jedi Order Master Djinn Altis before she'd sacrificed herself to help protect Jedi students hidden at Plett's Well on Belsavis. Merging her Force-essence with the lethal battlemoon Eye of Palpatine, Callista had survived most of the Empire, until encountering Luke and Cray Mingla in 12 ABY during the attempted rise to power of Irek Ismaren. Cray had sacrificed her life to help stop the Eye and to be with her beloved, Nichos Marr, in the afterlife - and she'd "bequeathed" her body for Callista to inhabit.

Unfortunately, Callista had found that in Cray's body, she was only able to tap into the Force through the darker emotions. After a search to try and restore her access to the light side of the Force, including a stay on Gamorr, Callista had helped Luke and Leia stop the mad droch-lord Dzym and Seti Ashgad in 13 ABY, then had vanished ... reputedly done with her relationship with Master Skywalker. There'd been no trace of Callista since then, just unconfirmed rumors.

At least, until Lyska Chad had surfaced. With dirty blonde hair and blue eyes - not to mention the set of her jaw - she definitely resembled Master Skywalker, while her nose was less clearly defined; it was shapely, as Tekli understood human aesthetics, but it wasn't precisely like Master Skywalker's.

And Tekli had still been a very small youngling at the Yavin 4 praxeum when Callista had traveled with Master Skywalker in Cray Mingla's body, so Tekli wasn't that familiar with Callista as she'd been during most of her time with the Jedi Order.

Master Solusar and Master Cilghal believed Major Chad resembles Callista. Nobody wanted to bother the major while she got settled, though ... and she hasn't talked much to most of the other Jedi, just studied a lot in the library, Tekli remembered, looking at Lyska while they waited.

It can't

 

Now we just have to wait for the reactions and the meetings, definitely looking forward to those.

By the way another good chapter and now the biggest question would now be who is Beyrn, and whether or not the SkySolo clan will have to show up on his doorstep for a little chat?

 

Author's Note: RL's been quite busy lately, but I've not forgotten or abandoned this ...

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Chapter 2:
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The interim Grand Master of the Jedi Order arched an eyebrow at his acting chief medical officer's report, and took a deep breath; this was going to make things very interesting, when the Skywalkers and Solos returned ...

How many times have the sludgefeeds talked about illegitimate offspring of Luke's? He had close to a dozen girlfriends before settling down with Mara ... Lyska being Luke's daughter by Callista shouldn't be a surprise. I just hope they can work things out, Kam Solusar thought, checking his datapad before sitting in the chair of the Grand Master's office.

It didn't fit him. Oh, he could order the flowform chair to become comfortable, he supposed - but such extravagance chafed against the Jedi doctrines his father Ranik had instilled in him. Kam was a simple man, accustomed to teaching combat techniques to students while his wife Tionne taught Force techniques and Jedi lore.

But for the moment, due to Kam's seniority, he was the Grand Master, while Tionne was researching more information about the Celestials on Earth.*

* - in World Tour - O1

I miss you, Ti ... I miss Ossus, and a simpler time, Kam thought, sighing while he scrolled through a list of the Council members and their status.

Luke Skywalker - on leave; current location: Earth

Mara Jade Skywalker - on maternity leave: current location: Earth

Kam Solusar - active; current location: Coruscant

Tionne Solusar - on sabattical; current location: Earth

Corran Horn - on leave; current location: Earth

Cilghal - active; current location: Earth (due to return shortly)

Zekk - active; current location: Coruscant (at Naboo embassy)

Octa Ramis - active; current location: Coruscant

Kyle Katarn - active; current location: Coruscant

Adria Torvo - active; current location: Coruscant

Tresina Lobi - active; current location: Coruscant

Lyska Chad - active; current location: Coruscant

INACTIVE/RESIGNED/DISMISSED:

Kyp Durron - resigned (?); current location: Earth

Kenth Hamner - dismissed (revealed as Davin Fel); status pending review/assessment by Galactic Alliance legal division

K'Kruhk - resigned; current location: Tython (assisting in establishment of new Praxeum)

Uldir Lochett - resigned; current location: Ossus (assisting in reaclimation of former One Sith members)

Kam shook his head at the list, wishing for the umpteenth time that Luke, Corran - kark, Kyp - would return and offer to take back the Grand Master position. The blunt fact was that the Order had been through too many shocks and changes in leadership during the past four, nearly five, months, and that had left it open to outside influences which bothered Kam.

We have military observers on the Council, for kark's sake! I can accept that we have to be more accountable to the people we're supposed to serve, but the Galactic Alliance Defense Force resents us - and whether or not she's Luke's daughter, Major Chad's hostility is pretty obvious. And an Imperial Knight sitting on the Council, even one as polite as Adria Torvo is ... Kam thought, shaking his head again.

Still, the Jedi could be in a worse spot, Kam supposed. Kyp's heroics during the recent Battle of Korriban had led to the capture of Darth Krayt, who was in Alliance custody with his second-in-command, Darth Wyyrlok. And the alliance Kyp had forged between the Jedi, the Paladins of Varykino, and the Imperial Knights had proven critical in stopping the mad rampage of Natasi Daala when she'd tried to destroy Korriban. *

* - in Stoking Home Fires - O1

Still, we've taken serious hits to our standing among the public. If it wasn't Jacen's flirtation with the dark side

 

Everyone -

First, I want to thank everyone who's been reading the Braddockverse stories, and the very kind responses. This is a fun AU, and I'm having a blast with it. I especially appreciate the reception I've received here on TF.N

That said, I've had to come to a difficult decision, and one I owe you all an explanation for.

I've been looking at what was my original outline for what's grown into a sprawling bunch of plots - and how things have drifted from my original intent - and after all that, I've decided to take things back to the beginning.

Within the next week, I'm going to unlock and start focusing on Amethyst on Sernpidal, the original - and uncompleted for FAR too long - Braddockverse story. Elements of what would've been Amethyst have appeared as short stories here and there for the past few years, but I want to pull everything together and tell the story of this AU's Vong War as, IMHO, I should've told it by now.

After that, I'm going to continue with The Suppression Crusades, and after that ...

There's still huge gaps in the timeline that I've yet to get to, and stories that I have told that, tbh, haven't turned out as I thought they would. There'll be changes to stuff that I've written - but changes that, I hope, will be for the better.

Thanks,
Onderon1