Echoes of the Past (NJO, Jaina/Jag, post DW) - Love Letter Challenge Entry 02/24/04

Hey Master Jacen! Welcome...

Good reading!

 

Here the reader's choice for Best Drama excerpt...


He hurried down the dark alley, dragging Jaina behind him. He was anxious to have her all to himself, but he was more concerned with putting sufficient distance between them and the crowd. The alley wound around to the right. Turning the corner, Jag felt Jaina slow behind him. He turned to check on her progress with a smile.

His smile disappeared as Jag watched Jaina collapse to the ground, her eyes rolled back in her head. The joy in his heart fled, to be replaced by a feeling of dread. It had been too much to think everything would turn out like the ending to one of his mother?s holodramas. He fell to his knees, pulling Jaina?s lifeless body into his arms. His voice sounded distant and weak as he cried out her name.

?Jaina??

There was not even the slightest of stirring. Jag clutched her body, then dropped his ear to her heart. A heartbeat sounded as her chest rose and fell softly. Jag picked his head up and used his palm to ease her head into the crook of his arm. He caressed her cheek as tears dripped off his own cheek, falling on her eyelids.

?Jaina, please??

Not even a hint of life could be found except the shallow fall of her chest. Jag felt something wet against his arm. He found the wound in her shoulder, now pouring freely because Jaina?s Force control was no longer stifling the blood flow to the injury site. He shook her gently, taking care to not unsettle the wound further.

?Sweet Force, don?t take her from me now!?

Mara?s voice startled him. ?Pick her up, Jag. We have to hurry.?

Jag glanced up to see the blond woman who had been leading them through the crowd. There was no hesitation on his part once he recognized the urgency in her voice. Jag rose swiftly with Jaina cradled against his chest. Mara was already leading the way through a maze of alleys. Jag followed, practically at a run. He had to stop once to adjust Jaina when her head flopped over his arm.

Mara turned back, now free of her ooglith masquer. ?Hurry!? Her tone was forceful, but not harsh.

Jag resumed his trek along the hidden corridors of the Palace ruins. Mara stopped ahead and activated a door. Jag found himself stepping into a hangar. The Jade Shadow sat in the middle with its engines humming. Mara, then Jag, skimmed up the ramp, Mara stopping at the top to slap the ramp controls.

She shouted toward the cockpit. ?Make like your brother-in-law in the Kessel Run. Head straight for that Supe.?

The ship lifted on its repulsors as Mara indicated for Jag to head away from the cockpit down a corridor. The hall ended in a large common area. Jag placed Jaina on a bench that could serve as seats for the retracted table. The redheaded Jedi knelt down beside Jag, splaying her hand across Jaina?s brow.

Jag watched intently as Mara?s face washed over with concentration. He did not realize he was holding his breath until he tried to speak after Mara finally met his green-eyed stare. He had to suck in air to form the words.

?How bad is it??

?The baby is fine. I am not sure what exactly is causing her collapse. Other than her wound, she shows no other major injuries, but she is very weak in the Force.?

Jag glanced at Jaina, brushing a tendril of hair off her forehead tenderly with one finger as he spoke. ?She was infected by a Vong bioweapon on Bimmisaari. She has been fighting it ever since. Today may have been too much. We had to try to stop it here for our daughter?s sake.?

When Jag turned back to Mara, he saw a flash of unadulterated hatred in her eyes. She hissed a question. ?Nom Anor - was it Nom Anor??

Jag nodded. She stood abruptly, her fists clenched. Not once, but twice, Nom Anor had come after her family. It was personal now. Even for a Jedi, it was hard to avoid the trappings of hate in this circumstance. He had put Mara through her own hell, and now the same terrible pain had fallen on Jaina. Her niece had willingly risked everything, including her very life, to end the war. It was

 

good exerpts, Commander

and here's a good morning up before i head for church...

 

*collapses* finally...done...finished...read through 200 pages...mostly banter...mouse wheel...dead...me...dead...

 

jags_gurl: thanks for the uppers!

*a group of Wraiths stand huddled around the limp form of Master Jacen*

XO: Do you think we can save him?

WraithLead: We should try...

Spy Boy: He's just thirsty, just dump some lomin ale down his throat and he will be fine.

Sarge: You can't do that. We're on duty still.

Ears: Why not? I always fly with a bottle of Whyren's stashed under the crash couch.

*Enters the Commander*

Pick that poor pilot off the floor and get him showered off and stop telling the new recruits they have to run on the mousewheel to power the simulators!

Wraiths: Yub Yub Commander!


The following excerpt was chosen by the readers to represent me, TKeira_Lea, for Best Author in the Summer 2003 Fan Fiction Awards


Jag blinked his eyes slowly, rousing from his slumber. It took a few seconds for him to recognize his odd sleeping position, propped awkwardly in a chair beside the bed in Jaina?s room. A noise from the refresher caught his attention. Jag checked the bed, illuminated solely by the light filtering out of the open refresher door and found only the shadowy depression in the sheets.

He pushed out of the chair, glancing at the backlit face of the wall chrono ? 0200. Arriving at the refresher door, he spied Jaina hunched over the toilet. Jag stepped into the small space, then knelt down behind her. Her hands clutched the toilet in a white-knuckled grip. He reached over and gently pulled her hair out of the way. He sat silently as her body expelled the remains of her dinner. The heaving of her sides subsided, and Jag simply placed a comforting palm on Jaina?s back.

There was so much he wanted to tell her, so many reasons to ask for her forgiveness. As Jaina finished spitting out the bitter remains of her stomach, Jag tasted the bile of his own self-loathing, shame for forgetting to be the man who had pledged his undying love only weeks before.

Jag was thankful when Jaina accepted his assistance as she struggled to rise. If she had shunned him, the pain in his heart would have been unbearable. He guided her to the sink and quietly offered assistance as she brushed her teeth.

Then Jaina met his gaze in the reflection of the mirror, and Jag thought his heart actually did break. Staring into the sadness of her eyes, Jag was sure he heard the cracking of it over the pounding of the blood in his ears. Jag wanted to express the regret he felt, to beg for forgiveness, but no words would escape his lips. As if she knew the pain in his heart was consuming him, Jaina offered the most generous of acts. The corner of her mouth twisted up, just barely, but it was enough for him to know what she meant.

*****

Jaina had felt the gentle hands brush her hair back as her stomach finally decided to finish the job it had been threatening for the past several minutes. When all that remained were a few dry heaves, a comforting palm splayed across the back of her tank. Jaina, confident the worst was over, spit the last bit of foul taste out of her mouth in disgust.

She braced her arms, but before she could push up, two strong arms helped her stand. Jaina shuffled to the sink; the arms were never far away, always offering a comforting, supportive touch. She picked up her toothbrush, and one hand stayed on her waist, the other offered an application of toothpaste. She brushed her teeth and found a cup of water held out for her as she straightened up from spitting out the bubbles.

Taking the cup, Jaina looked into the mirror to find the reflection of her husband. Instead of the terrible fury that had burned in his eyes earlier, there was an overwhelming sorrow, coupled with uninhibited love. Jaina tried to smile at his reflection, but her overtaxed body and angry stomach made the effort nearly impossible. She raised the cup to her lips and drank. Then she broke the eye contact to spit out the water.

A hand took the cup to set it away and before Jaina could thi

 

@ the group of Wraiths! LOL Commander!

and such a good excerpt, that one was... mmm if only, if only, if only...

 

*a group of Wraiths stand huddled around the limp form of Master Jacen*

XO: Do you think we can save him?

WraithLead: We should try...

Spy Boy: He's just thirsty, just dump some lomin ale down his throat and he will be fine.

Sarge: You can't do that. We're on duty still.

Ears: Why not? I always fly with a bottle of Whyren's stashed under the crash couch.

*Enters the Commander*

Pick that poor pilot off the floor and get him showered off and stop telling the new recruits they have to run on the mousewheel to power the simulators!

lmao

*yells at the recruits in the mousewheel* c´mon ladies, even my grannie runs faster!!!!

*commander glares at her*

*cough* I mean get out and....ummm...ummm...
and ..... ok, get some sleep
*hmpf* coughspoilsportcough

Welcome Master Jacen

~Arissa

 

LOL Haahaahaa!!!

I think the Boss is the craziest and most demented of us all. I think she should have been the one with the CD callsign. LOL

 

Up up and away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

uppers

 

Hello Arissa long time no sea!
!


PLJ- IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!

I THOUGHT I WOULD CRY!!!!!!!!!!

THE POOR BABY!!!

WELL IN A WAY SHE WILL PROBABLY SEE MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE WHAT THE WORLD IS.

Although she cant become a fighter pilot like her parents.

AWW HAN AND SOONTIR ARE SO CUTE FIGHTING OVER BEST GRANDPA POSITION LIKE THAT! THEY'RE SO SILLY~ !

JAGS SO SWEET!!!!!!!!!!

 

Me demented?

R11JS: thanks and glad you got to catch up!

Throing this back up to the top!

 

uppers

Hiya Rogue You´re back

~Arissa

 

uppers

 

Kicking this way up! New post on All Angles to come in the next day, so keep an eye out.

The 2003 Summer Fan Fiction Awards are going to be some time next weekend. Hope to see all the EotP fans there!

Find something nice to wear. Jaina let me borrow that red dress!

 

Alright! Now where's my flak jacket?

 

Is that all you're wearing?

 

Hey guys!

The 2003 Summer Fan Fiction Awards will be held this Saturday at 6PM board time. Be there or be square!

 

* Huffs and puffs into thread, very nearly passing out *

Whew! Finally finished!

Wow, TKeira_Lea, I must say that was one fabulous fic! I was a bit daunted by the story, mainly because of the enormous size of the thread, but when I read your excerpts for the fanfic awards, I was impressed and decided to take a plunge.

I'm glad I did.

I think you did a marvelous job, and at points I sometimes forgot I was reading fanfic. You had great characterization, humor, drama, angst and action all in one. What's really amazing is that I can't stand Jaina Solo. She's my least favorite of the three Solo kids, and not only that, I'm more of a K/J'er than a J/J'er. The fact that you were able to keep me riveted through a fic with this subject matter is a testament to some great writing skill.

My favorite parts of the fic were the bits dealing with the Han's first discovery of Jaina and Jag's relationship, plus all the contretemps the couple went through to hide their secret marriage. The post where you had Threepio not quite able to spill the beans about Jaina and Jag being married and pregnant was simply a joy to read. I'm so glad I was reading AFTER everything was done because that was just cruel and unusual punishment for your readers . But, my absolute favorite parts are the way you handled Kyp's feelings for Jaina. There's something so bittersweet about his relationship with her, and every post on this topic was handled with great delicacy so that Kyp didn't look disgusting or out of character.

* LP bows before TKeira_Lea's might *

Off to read Legacy, now

 

LadyPadme: First of all WELCOME!

Wow, TKeira_Lea, I must say that was one fabulous fic! I was a bit daunted by the story, mainly because of the enormous size of the thread, but when I read your excerpts for the fanfic awards, I was impressed and decided to take a plunge.

Well, thank you.

I'm glad I did. Me, too.

I think you did a marvelous job, and at points I sometimes forgot I was reading fanfic. You had great characterization, humor, drama, angst and action all in one. I was surprised by the fact that EotP was nominated in so many categories - i.e. drama, action. I was aiming for romance, but the kicker with Star Wars is that most of the books combine all three to a degree. It was fun to be able to write a little of everything and then learn to weave them together. This is actually my first attempt at putting something this involved together, and at the same time I let people read it. The task was daunting to say the least.

What's really amazing is that I can't stand Jaina Solo. She's my least favorite of the three Solo kids, and not only that, I'm more of a K/J'er than a J/J'er. The fact that you were able to keep me riveted through a fic with this subject matter is a testament to some great writing skill. Thanks. I have found that many of my readers are J/Kers or J/Zers so it's fun that I could draw them in. Although an interesting story is just that, no matter who the characters are. Personally I am drawn to the military type (my dad was in the Army) so Jag naturally appealed to me. I think Kyp and Zekk appeal to those that like the bad boy or the rogue, which is often the case. If you like Jag you are bound to despise Kyp or vice versa. Actually for all my torture of Kyppie, I really do love the guy. He will be a pivotal character in Legacy.

My favorite parts of the fic were the bits dealing with the Han's first discovery of Jaina and Jag's relationship, plus all the contretemps the couple went through to hide their secret marriage. Daddy's never deal well with their daughter's men. Writing Han made it all the more interesting. The secrecy of the marriage is an interesting plot tool. I think what started out as an innocent plan snowballed as the pregnancy and illness erupted on the scene. Jaina and Jag never knew how to stop the beast once they got it started.

The post where you had Threepio not quite able to spill the beans about Jaina and Jag being married and pregnant was simply a joy to read. I laughed so hard writing that scene my husband thought I had lost it!

I'm so glad I was reading AFTER everything was done because that was just cruel and unusual punishment for your readers. TRUE. I hate reading fics peicemeal. I much prefer to see that complete on the end, then I dive right in.

But, my absolute favorite parts are the way you handled Kyp's feelings for Jaina. There's something so bittersweet about his relationship with her, and every post on this topic was handled with great delicacy so that Kyp didn't look disgusting or out of character. I tried to keep it angsty but bearable. A difficult task, mind you, filled with multiple rewrites.

Glad to have you! Thanks for the input too. It's nice to know people are still reading EotP.

 

Commander , had to check in & see what was happening here, and find out if there were new recruits that needed to be inducted? My chickens are all ready

 

Auntie: Bring those chickens to the awards. That should make for some great Wraith-style mayhem.

What is our motto again? I know there is something about mayhem in there...

 

flak vest= Explosion Girl's formal wear

Chaos, mayhem and disorder, our work here is done. I think. . .

 

Personally I am drawn to the military type (my dad was in the Army) so Jag naturally appealed to me. I think Kyp and Zekk appeal to those that like the bad boy or the rogue, which is often the case.
If my dad was in the army I think I might go for the rogue.

If you like Jag you are bound to despise Kyp or vice versa.
Actually I love Jag and I love Kyp. Zekk, I like. He's not that great but I don't despise any of them, although sometimes you may be fooled by my rants.

Actually for all my torture of Kyppie, I really do love the guy.
It's good to know that I'm not the only J/Jer that loves Kyp.

Chaos, mayhem and disorder, our work here is done.
Yeah, it's something like that. lol. I can't remember exacley what it is either. DQ would know.

This Saturday? Hmm. What to wear. *grabs her replica of the purple dress Jaina wore for their first date* Is this good enough? I figured since our wonderful Commander was stealing her red one from Dark Journey I might as well take the awesome one she wore for their date.

 

walks in with line of headless chickens, all attired in replica "Jaina's purple dress" dresses. <<waves>>

Ok, the chickens & I are all ready! When do we leave?