Beyond - Legends Have Blaster, Will Travel: First Chapter of the New Year!

1...2...3...

AWWWWWWWWW.

Man, that earlier post was intense! I'm actually starting to take a shine to their arguments - very involved and very evocative. It interests me how you started this fic with large blocks of text and now it's so smoothly switched to large blocks of dialogue. Are things apt to get a little cosier between these two?

 

Uhm, gee whiz, can I say anything you already haven't Jedi_Eruanne?
Probably not.

Ahhhhhhh, that's very interesting. I wonder if in the future we'll see Eclan working with some of his afformentioned compatriots.
Yeah, that would be cool. *hint, hint, nudge, nudge*

 

amazing yeahhhh

 

Great story, enjoying it so far. Sadly, I'm going on a vacation. So, can you send me a pm to let me know when the story is updated, please?

 

Haven't forgotten this, just running a bit behind Should have a nice reply for that post tomorrow

 

*catches her*

So many smileys!

It was inevitable.

Yeah, I'm wondering about that. I decided it served as a plot device because I'd earlier had the Nightsister Matriarch comment that they were trying to lure the Jedi to Dathomir, and it seemed a likely way that they'd go about it.

And he doesn't want to admit it.

C'est lamour, or is it?

Glad you like it. Keep reading!

He is.

I'm betting it will be. Further bulletins as events warrant.

Thanks!

Coming rrrrrrrright up.

Not to worry. I know you'll be here.

Count on it, but not, I think, until this story concludes.

The next chapter may answer that question to some extent.

Fortunately I'm not a Blood Carver, or I wouldn't be able to thnak you for that compliment.

Their arguments are a lot of fun to write. I like watching their personalities collide as they spar.

I've noticed that. This is the first real story of any kind I've ever written, and it's been very interesting to see how it's evolved, writing on the go.

All will be revealed in time.

Just wait.

(probably not in this story

 

Part Two, Chapter Eight

The Cure for Insomnia?



Sometime later, I'm folded up almost double on the rear passenger seat at the back of the Estoc's cockpit, trying to concentrate on going to sleep and keeping the thermo-blanket from slipping off, neither one of which I'm having much luck at.

The reason that I'm currently undergoing this chiropractic realignment is that I've ceded control of my bunk and living quarters to Arani, both for reasons of privacy for her and the fact that I find it necessary to stay close to the cockpit to keep an eye on the instruments.

My father would always tell me that "an experienced soldier'll always find a way to sleep warm and dry", and then add "let me know when you do". Well, he'd be happy to note that I'm dry, but not really warm, although that doesn't matter.

I like cold. I have trouble adapting to heat, but cold doesn't really bother me. What does bother me is my incurable habit of cocooning myself in the blanket in order to sleep, something I've done ever since my mother used to tell me the Anzati would get me if I didn't go-to-sleep-this-very-instant-and-I-mean-right-now! And since this one blanket in particular seems to have been made with a Chadra-Fan in mind, I discover (ha ha) that I'm still facing invisible monsters.

Only this time I think the name of the beast is insommnia.

To take my mind off of this new and exotic form of torture, I start running the events of the past few hours through my head. Dredging up her memories of mistreatment seems to have taken a lot out of Arani, but she apparently recovered herself after I intervened and held her.

After we held each other.

Eh, no. I don't want to start dwelling on the that. It was nice while it lasted, having her curled up in my arms, and it served the purpose of soothing her when she was distraught, but now that that's over I'm starting to feel more than a little embarassed over actually having done it. Physical contact is something I generally try to keep to a minimum at all times, occurences of hand-to-hand-combat notwithstanding, and despite the fact that I could probably get used to it in a blink, I don't want to start making exceptions, even if she is smart, strong, beautiful and on the verge of driving me crazy.

It?s a love-hate-near-strangulation relationship I tell myself. It?s very complicated.

Yeah, right, it's complicated, and this train of thought is starting to take on a distinctly Nius P. Sovel* tone, not that I'd admit to ever having read any of his nerf-waste, and I haven't.

Di'kut, di'kut, di'kut.

I wonder if it would have been better not to let my emotions get in the way. I know that while it's generally derided as being outmoded, there's still the ingrained cultural imperative for a man to protect a woman, something my by-now undeniable attraction to her is only exacerbating, and I also know that as the male in this relationship, however temporary it might turn out to be, I feel a hard-wired response to protect the female, which I know is another one of those nature-derived survival instincts designed to keep the child-bearers safe and insure the continued existance of the family, tribe, or whatever.

Why am I even thinking like this?

Trying to work my spine into a slightly less excruciating contortion, I realize that the whole possibility of a deeper relationship is out of the question. She's a Jedi-in-training. I'm a failed, heretical Jedi-turned Mandalorian mercenary/assassin/errand-runner-for-hire. She comes from a wealthy, upper-class aristocratic family. I'm a Mandalorian Warrior, not exactly what I'd assume your average set of parents dream of as the life-partner for their little girl. All in all, Arani and I are about as compatible as a Wokling and a Basilisk War-Droid.

It then occurs to me, that one: I've assumed that what her parents think is likely to have some kind of impact on our relatioship, such as it is, which, judging from her tirades against them, wouldn't matter in the slightest, and two: I've starte

 

Seeing as you were apparently part of the conspiracy to flood the boards with posts I needed to reply to while I was on vacation this weekend, I'm just now getting around to this. Sorry 'bout the delay, I'll make it up to ya with a double-review.

7/5 post

I really liked the beginning of this post; it worked extremely well. Good job!

I'm going to engage in rigourous self-criticism, and it's not going to be pretty.

Another reminder of why I love this story so much - I enjoy the sarcastic tone. So much fun. And good job with the argument about the Will of the Force - again, it was very well-written.

Great job with the conversation about killing people - very realistic-sounding (not that I've killed anybody to know what it's like, but you know what I mean ). Nice take on fear and the Dark Side, I like that.

I reach out, extending my arms, and she collapses into them, weeping gently against my shoulder, grateful for the chance to be physically comforted by another human being.

Awww! How cute. Great post!

7/8 post

I like cold. I have trouble adapting to heat, but cold doesn't really bother me. What does bother me is my incurable habit of cocooning myself in the blanket in order to sleep, something I've done ever since my mother used to tell me the Anzati would get me if I didn't go-to-sleep-this-very-instant-and-I-mean-right-now! And since this one blanket in particular seems to have been made with a Chadra-Fan in mind, I discover (ha ha) that I'm still facing invisible monsters.

Only this time I think the name of the beast is insommnia.

Wow, what a great passage! Fantastic writing, there; the invisible monsters line was a stroke of genius, and what a great way to tie in the insomnia.

It?s a love-hate-near-strangulation relationship I tell myself. It?s very complicated.

*snicker* You keep telling yourself that, Eclan.

Oh, I love how you tied the whole post together with the references to how uncomfortable the chair is, how he's breaking his spine, etc. That was perfectly done - the repetition worked extremely well to tie his thoughts together and to show his insomnia, but it was slightly different each time so it wasn't bland repetition. Fabulous!

A woman deserves much better than that. Much better than anything I have to offer.

Aw, stop beating yourself up, Eclan! (And you, QM, know you're doing something right when people start ignoring you and talking directly to your characters instead. )

Liked the bit about the lightsaber, him being scared of it and all - kinda fits with everything else we know about him and his Jedi life, that it wasn't for him. Also liked the part about her parents.

Rolling over to let my vertebrae slowly fracture at a fresh new angle, I wonder if I could interest New Republic Intelligence in the techniques of using this chair as a means of interrogation. That wouldn't really fit with the N.R.'s sqeaky-clean public image of course, but what the Chief of State doesn't know never hurt Adm. Hiram Drayson.

!

All in all, fantastic post, QM! Keep up the great work!

 

Damn, that is some great FAnFIc! I am on the top of page 5, but i couldnt hold my enthusimasm any longer. This has some of the best action sequences that i know of, plus some good ol' dark humor. Do post some more!

 

My father would always tell me that "an experienced soldier'll always find a way to sleep warm and dry", and then add "let me know when you do". Well, he'd be happy to note that I'm dry, but not really warm, although that doesn't matter.
HEHEHEHE, I like it.

After we held each other.
Heh, Love his 'comments' on that subject

I feel a hard-wired response to protect the female, which I know is another one of those nature-derived survival instincts designed to keep the child-bearers safe and insure the continued existance of the family, tribe, or whatever.

Why am I even thinking like this?
ROFLOL, I love his self-criticism, lol. *wipes eyes*

Regaining control of my self, I quickly discard that idea for a few glaringly obvious reasons and several obscure ones.
Obscure, eh? Like....*shuts up just in time*

It doesn't work.

I'm going to sleep on the deck.
Lol, if all else fails, try again.

Awesome post!!!
when's the next one? heheheheh.....

 

The defendant's name was Jaster Mereel, and he was found guilty of murder and exiled, though he was innocent.

Jaster Mereel? You've certainly been doing your research

He was-

Eclan's father? Grandfather?

"Well, among other things, we know that the Dark Side exists, but there isn't a "Will" of the Dark Side."

I like this woman Took the words right out of my mouth.

"Arani, do you remember what I said yesterday?"

I noticed he's calling her Arani now instead of Hesas

"I remember that you spent a good deal of time waving your arms about."



"Just listen. The Force is supposed to be an energy field created by all living things, right?"

It's not created by all living things, is it? It just exists within them...

"And by the way Arani, "we" are not doing anything. I'm going to take them on and you're going to stay back here in the Estoc. If I get killed, you're going to fly it straight back to Yavin IV."

I wonder how this is going to go over

Enjoyed reading Eclan's thought on killing and the story about his father. Very interesting and revealing about the character. He also shows an astounding amount of self-doubt for someone so confident. Very complex

I reach out, extending my arms, and she collapses into them, weeping gently against my shoulder, grateful for the chance to be physically comforted by another human being.

Awww. Eclan is human

Really liked Arani's story about the Dathomiri torture and how it scarred her. I like those sort of ugly details that make things seem more real.

Outstanding post. Sort of strange that I enjoy the Arani/Eclan interraction way more than I do the action scenes


Okay next post (I promise not to make a habit out of doing this two posts at a time ) :

Yeah, right, it's complicated, and this train of thought is starting to take on a distinctly Nius P. Sovel* tone, not that I'd admit to ever having read any of his nerf-waste, and I haven't.

He's not going to like that...

I've started thinking of Arani in terms of wife and marriage.

Indeed he has

I know that there's nothing against a warrior taking a wife, if there was I would never have been born,

Well, that's not exactly true

I have, by now, been in contact with her for longer than any female I've encountered since I left the Jedi, and even then I was never alone with one like the two of us are now.

Poor fella

Jedi meditation would help in a situation like this

So would a cold shower.

One of the best peices of introspection I've ever read, Mandalorian We can definitely see all the conflicts going on inside of Eclan, and especially those Arani is bringing to light simply with her presence. He's now questioning everything.

I really like the turn this story has taken and am looking forward to the next post (which I will hopefully read on time!)

 

Still doing greta, QM! Especialy with chararter development. Heck, if you wanted, you could probably get this published if you made it long enough. WHile you probably coulnt get it to be a 300 pg book, i swear this could become a 90 pg book if you tried. Then publish it, make enpugh money to become a millionare, and voila! One new phenonoman on your way!

 

virtually the only humanoid I've met who's displayed no obvious adverse reaction to my staring her directly in the eye

This just cracked me up.

She's also pretty, if you want to put it mildly, or beautiful if you want to be more accurate, or easy on the eyes, or breath-taking, ravishing, striking, stunning-

Wow. A mandalorian in love. Ah, the fresh smell of blaster bolts in the air is soon to come....

 

Conspiracy? Me?

Thanks! That's one of my favourite passages.

Good on ya!

I'm sure I do.

Good. I like writing those philosophical segments. They're a blast.

THanks again.

Wow! I didn't expect it to go over that well!

Needless to say, I'm honoured.

I'm sure he will.

I'm glad you liked it as much as I did. I must have broken out laughing every fifth word.

As for the bland repetition, that's a very important lesson I learned from reading K.W. Jeter's Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy.

Hey! I did something right!

AS for him beating himself up, believe me, I feel the man's pain.

Good. I plan on doing some more work with the repective pasts of the two characters soon, particularly Arani. I seem to have been neglecting her, poor girl.

 

Yeesh, poor Ec...re both the chair and Arani! I think he's at his funniest when he's uncomfortable. Very cool little soliloquy. Conflict, both internal and interpersonal, can really give a fic some gas (or plasma or tradium or whatever else might be considered a motor fuel in the GFFA).

 

he one confused mandalorian

 

When is the next story? I need more! Then again, it is Darth Real Life that is the problem. goes off to attack Darth Real Life. Then atempts to kill Darth Real Life.

 

Well, I've just spent a lot of time getting caught up with this story, and while I can't think of anything particularly original to say, I will say that I love it! You've come up with a wonderful character with a unique narrative voice, and all I can say is MORE!

 

Hehe, poor guy. I'd sleep on the deck too It's gotta be way more comfortable than that chair.

Though I doubt with all those thoughts going through his head, he'll get any sleep

 

UPPPP!!!!

when's next post?????????????????????????????????????????

 

Yes, when will the next post be? When you made this stroy, you brought in powers tha you can not even imagine. If you do not give more soon, we will destroy everything! HAHAHAHA!

it has been a long time since the last post. We all humbly ask if you could bring in the next chapter.

 

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!

 

Next post?

 

Yes, when will it come? Can you give us a date for it to come? ( even if you say a year, it is better then not knowing)

 

Wiat till you see him when he's angry and uncomfortable!

Nice gas reference there BTW.

No kidding.

Another reader! It's great to hear you like my story and thanks for the compliments. I'm still working on the next chapter right now.

That's deductive reasoning for you.

Working on it.

Well, it's giving me a bit of trouble right now. Should be finished, say, maybe around the next couple of days (I hope).