Falling and Fallen (Post-Rebel Dream, Jaina/Jag AU)--Completed 7/25 (Epilogue and a note)

Maybe, if I put another post up, I'll get some replies. (I hope)

Excruciating pain, like nothing he had ever felt before. They had stuck him in something that inflicted pain every time he tried to stuggle or even move in the slightest. They had taken some sort of blade, and sliced his face. He had thought that they were going to slice his face right off his head.

Eventually, he had passed out, from blood loss and pain. The escape of unconsciousness brought him blissful nothingness for a short time. Soon, though, they figured out how to torture him even in his dreams.

They would show him images of him fighting his sister in a death duel. Sometimes, he would win and would then be killed in a glorious sacrifice. Sometimes, his sister would win, with the same end results. Always, they would both end up dead.

A few times, they would show him images of his friends. He was sure that they were somehow stealing the information from his brain, but he could do nothing to stop them. Pictures of a grieving Tahiri, Tenel Ka as queen, and Lowie tinkering with some machine all pervaded his dreams. But always, in those visions, the Vong would come and restrain his friends as he himself killed them in cold-blood.

Every few hours, he would awaken, screaming. He knew that he had been broken. They had broken him with his brother's death. Now, they were trying to shape him into their image. They wanted him to be just like them. They hated everything that was even remotely different from them.

For months, they had tortured him, trying to implant false memories in his head. They had partially succeeded, when an unlikely being had come to his rescue.

The "rescue" and becoming Jacen Solo again had been almost more painful than becoming an Yuuzhan Vong. Vergere had to use the Force and pierce through layers of Vong memories. She had to forcefully pull his other memories to the surface. After every session, he was left barely alive, his throat raw from screaming

After what seemed like an eternity, his family had come to rescue him. There had been a great battle aboard the worldship, with many Vong left dead afterwards. Vergere had tried to escape and come with them, but had been struck by an amphistaff as she ran. She had fallen dead fifteen meters from their escape ship.

The image of the feathered Jedi falling dead, her lifeless eyes staring at nothing and everything at the same time, haunted Jacen: in his dreams, in meditation, at odd moments.

Now, that image came, along with remembered pain. Somehow, it felt worse than it had the first time. He began to scream....

Ha ha! It's a cliffie! Now you have to reply!

 

Great post! You'll let us know when you start putting up new stuff, right?

 

I'll PM you, Jade. Promise.

 

Oh my! Poor Jacen! [face_shocked]

 

Well, as with many other stories on here, I started reading this on stupid fanfiction.net *narrows eyes and shakes fist menacingly*. Oh how I loathe that site. Anyway the story's awesome so far, keep going!!

 

Here's some resolution to that cliffie for all of you hanging percariously. It's kinda long, so get comfy.

Tahiri glanced at her wrist chrono as she left a meditation chamber: 18:11, time for evening meal. The young Jedi headed for the messhalls, her bare feet almost silent on the cold durasteel plating. She keyed open the turbolift and was about to enter when she heard a piercing scream. Forgetting the lift, Tahiri sprinted towards the source of the scream.

She entered a meditation room at a dead run, but stopped short just inside the door. Jacen Solo was sprawled out on the floor, crying, but still screaming. He seemed to be in some sort of trance. After a second, Tahiri's mind reasserted control over her body and she stepped over to Jacen.

Crouching quickly, she gently reached out to Jacen with her hands and mind. His body was shaking, but his mind was in absolute turmoil. Something was causing him pain. Tahiri caught brief glimpses of Jacen's rescue from the Vong before his barriers were subconsciously slammed down again.

"Jacen," she called out vocally and mentally. "It's Tahiri. You're safe, Jacen. You're with friends now. The Vong can't hurt you anymore. Come on, Jacen. Wake up." Tahiri called out to him some more, trying to get him to wake.

Jacen's screaming subsided into quiet sobs. A few minutes later, he awoke. He stared up at Tahiri, his chocolate-colored gaze strong and penetrating. Tahiri looked back at him, her own emerald gaze non-wavering.

Jacen sat up, but never took his eyes off of Tahiri. He sat cross-legged, facing the other Jedi, and gestured for her to do the same. Once she had complied, and they were sitting knee-to-knee, Jacen spoke. "Thank you." His voice was hoarse from screaming and sobbing, but other than that, was strong.

Tahiri nodded. "You had a vision about your time with the Vong." It was a statement, not a question, for Tahiri already knew the answer. She knew that Jacen needed to speak about his time with the aliens, but he would never bring it up himself, so she had provided him with that opportunity.

He nodded, and for the first time since waking, shifted his gaze from Tahiri and looked at his hands. Tahiri, not knowing what else to do, reached out and took his large hands in her own small ones. Jacen looked up, startled at her action.

"Jacen, I've been where you've been," she said softly. "I've gotten over my time as an Yuuzhan Vong captive. I don't need to talk about it. But you do. That's the only way you'll get over it and heal."

Jacen nodded, then looked back down at their clasped hands. "They broke me," he told her after a moment. "I was weak, and I was broken. They scarred me like I was one of them. They tried to turn me into one of them."

He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "They showed me visions of Jaina and I in a death duel. Sometimes, I won, sometimes, I lost. But always, always, we both ended up dead. They showed me visions of me killing you, killing Tenel Ka, killing all of my friends. I even started to believe that I was one of them and that all of my 'infidel friends' needed to die."

He paused again, still looking at his and Tahiri's hands. Tahiri squeezed his hands encouragingly. He looked up at her a smiled a small, grateful smile. The smile faded, though, as his eyes became unfocused and his memory took a hold of him once again.

"Vergere saved me from the shaping. She broke through the barriers the shapers had put up and brought my real memories to the surface. That hurt more than my breaking and shaping, but it was worth it. I owed her my life.

"What haunts me is her death," he continued quietly. His eyes focused on some point on the wall over Tahiri's shoulder. "We were almost free, and she was struck down. She died, and I couldn't prevent it. We didn't even take her body for proper burial rites. She saved me, and I couldn't even do the simplest task for her." Tears were again coursing down his cheeks, but this time silently. He didn't even attempt to wipe them away. He was too lost in a world

 

Even though I didn't get any replies for the last post, I'll give you another one, just so I can get new stuff out for Jade and JPS.

Tionne Solusar awoke as the alarm on the chrono began to chime. As usual, Kam as already gone, leaving his wife to get some extra sleep. She glanced at the chrono. She had thirty minutes before her first lesson started. Just enough time for a quick shower and breakfast.

She grimaced as a dull ache emanated from her lower back as she sat up. I've got to start sleeping in more comfortable positions, she thought. I don't want to have a strained back when the baby is born.

The minstrel took a quick shower and dressed in loose, comfortable, sand-colored Jedi robes. She slipped into a pair of comfortable boots, and headed for the nearest messhall. Once done with breakfast, Tionne headed for the nearest turbolift. Her classroom was two levels up, and she was definitely in no shape to take the stairs adjacent to the turbolift.

"Hold the lift!" she called as she saw the doors closing. A hand slid in the way of the doors, and they opened again, their programing keeping them from closing until the obstruction was out of their way. Tionne hurried as quickly as she could and entered the lift. "Thank you, Valin," she told the young man already in the lift. "I believe you know what level I want."

"Yes, Master Tionne," Valin said, pressing the appropriate button. "And before you say anything, I wasn't trying to skip out on your class. I was just on my way to it."

"I wasn't going to accuse you of skipping class again," Tionne told the boy with a smile. The lift started to go up, but abruptly came to a halt after a second. Tionne sighed, digging in her pocket for her comlink, and grimaced when she remembered that she had left it on her dresser. "Valin, do you have a comlink?"

Valin dug in his own pockets for a second, but came up empty handed. "Sorry. I guess I forgot it. Isn't there an emergency one in here somewhere?"

Tionne shook her head. "It was never hooked up. I knew--" She stopped as abruptly as the lift had. She reached out a hand to rest against the wall to steady herself, her other hand coming to rest on her swollen belly.

"Master Tionne, is something wrong?" Valin asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

The Jedi didn't answer, but focused on the tiny life inside of her. The baby was in turmoil, scared. Suddenly, the sensation hit her again. It was from the baby. Her environment was changing, and she wanted out.

"Master Tionne?" Valin's voice was full of worry. Tionne smiled at his concern for her.

"I'm alright, Valin," she told her student. "I really am. But, my baby is eager to be born, and she isn't willing to wait any longer."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"My baby is going to be born today. And soon," she added as she felt her uterus contract. "I'm in labor."

 

ooooooh, she's giving birth in a lift!!! very interesting....

 

The next post will be stuff that no one (except JPS) has ever read before. Isn't everyone excited!

 

Can't wait for some new stuff. I was reading your story on ff.n, but then the site went weird. Good job so far.

Yoda

 

Hey you are a good writer, has someone ever told you this?
Can't wait for your next post.





And this goes UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here's some brand new stuff! Not even up at ff.net yet.

"You're joking, right?" Valin asked incredulously. "This is just a big practical joke. It has to be. You're not really in labor." Belaying his words was his feelings. The boy was nervous and scared, and it was showing.

Tionne leaned her back against the wall of the turbolift and slid to the floor. "I'm sorry, Valin," she told him. "I wish this were just a big joke, but it's not." She stretched her legs out on the floor and winced as another contraction hit her. "And it seems that my baby is in a rush to be born."

Valin started to pace within the small confines of the turbolift. "Oh Force, oh Force, oh Force," he kept repeating under his breath.

The elder Jedi reached out for her husband and found him on the other side of the base. One of his philosophy classes is right now, Tionne thought to herself. She could feel his annoyance at his students' willingness to argue every point he made. Kam, she called out to him.

What's wrong? She sensed more than heard the words. She knew that he could feel her distress through their bond, just like she could feel his worry. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?

We're fine, she called back. But, I'm in labor and stuck in a turbolift with Valin Horn. She felt her husband's worry start to turn to full blown panic. Don't worry about us, Kam. Just get us out of here.

Kam cut their connection and Tionne sighed. She just hoped that her baby wouldn't be born in a turbolift. It would make a good story to tell her someday, though. The minstrel smiled, imagining telling her daughter stories from before she was born.

"Valin, calm down," she ordered the agitated teen. "I'm the one in labor, not you. If they don't get us out of here in time, you're the one with the easy job. Just sit down, breathe, and try to relax."

The young Jedi complied, and sat against the wall opposite Tionne. "I've never delivered a baby before, and to tell you the truth, I never want to. I'll leave that job to the doctors and healer, thank you very much."

"I sincerely hope that you won't have to deliver my baby," Tionne told him. "I don't want her born in a cramped turbolift."

Valin was silent for a moment. He pulled his legs up so that his feet were flat against the floor, and rested his forearms on his knees. "If you don't mind my asking, have you and Master Kam decided on a name?"

"We haven't been able to agree on anything," she said wearily. "It seems as if we have very different tastes in names." She grimaced in discomfort as another contraction hit her. They weren't yet bad enough to cause great deals of pain, but she knew that they would get that way soon enough. Valin moved to sit next to her and grasped her hand. Tionne smiled gratefully at him as he helped her through the discomfort.

"I have a suggestion for a name," Valin told her, letting go of her hand and sitting cross-legged next to her. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Any suggestion would be appreciated."

"Mekira." At Tionne's questioning look, he continued. "It was my Grandma Terrik's name. Mom's always saying that she was beautiful and kind and loving. I figure that any little girl raised by you would be like that. So, I think it kinda fits."

Tionne pondered it for a second, then smiled at her student. "Mekira is a beautiful name. I'm sure even Kam will love it," she said. "Thank you, Valin."

Before the young man could respond, the lights in the turbolift abruptly shut off. After a few moments, the dim, red, emergency glowpanels flickered on, casting an eerie, crimson glow in the turbolift.

"Great," Valin said sarcastically. "I wonder if the entire base is on emergency power, too."

Tionne reached out for Kam, and caught a glimpse of red-tinted corridors through his eyes. "Yes," she told Valin, pulling away from her husband. "Oh!" she cried out as a sharp contraction ripped through her. She panted for breath through the pain, squeezing Valin's hand.

After almost two minutes, the pain subs

 

ooo.. Complications.. Great post, LB!

A question though, if I may.. How much longer til Jag is out of the bacta?

 

This is day 3 of Jag's 5-7 day bacta treatment. Right now, I'm still not sure when he's going to come out. But there's at least four more chapters until I get there, I know that much.

 

Ok thanks

 

No problem As soon as I get some more replies, I post some more.

 

Waiting for replies can be torturous for an author.. at least for me sometimes..

 

That's my least favorite part, Jade. But I can't spoil you. (At least not until I get some more people to review! )

 

That's all right.. I can be patient

I'm also trying to get a part of my fic to work though.. It stopped cooperating on me..

 

I hate that. I especially hate when you know you want to put something in, but you have no way of doing it smoothly. But don't worry, Jade, it'll work out! I know it!

 

Yeah.. it's a transition into battle part for me.. well, the characters have been fighting a bit through the rest of it, but it's going to become more intense.. it's that 'how are we going to do this' part..

 

You're lucky that you can write action. Everytime I try, it always turns out stiff and unconvincing. I guess I'm a better romance and drama write.

 

Hurray! Now we're to the point where you left off at FF.net

 

Just out of curiosity, have you read my fic?

 

JPS, we posted close to the same time again..