Beyond - Legends Shark Kibble: The Datapad of Student ISBTECH 815761 - Update 1-1-15

Author’s Note: Shark Kibble is currently nominated for two awards, (Beyond the Saga) Best Epic and (Beyond the Saga) Best Original Character for Lydia Shelvay. I’m honored and thankful for the nominations. Beyond the Saga will be up for voting soon. Before and Saga are in the voting process right now, so check that out if you’re inclined. I encourage anyone to participate, including if you’re voting for the “competition”! The rules and excerpts thread is here: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/2014-award-excerpts-thread-rules-and-excerpts.50018054/.

This is still not the end of the chapter. It’s been slow going for many reasons. On the bright side, I’m hacking my way through the jungle one inch at a time. Here’s a little more story to show for it.

Now I understand why people have said writing telepathy can be incredibly confusing. They were right. I’m hoping that the results aren’t too much of a pain to read. As the dominant personality involved, Zarza is the most-used name for the creature formerly nicknamed as Broken Tusk. However, Lydia also calls her Dris, usually when speaking of the physical body and/or animal side. There is an animal mind in there, though it’s become very much enmeshed with the possessing Sith spirit. What I’ve tried to do is present them as an interwoven being, which is reflected when Lydia occasionally calls her Zarza/Dris if lost for a proper name.



Part 11



Lesedi cautiously stepped forward, her face tinted by a faint haze of night-visor green rather than the grayscale of Dris’s nocturnal vision. That tipped me off that this was actually happening and not a memory. The image must be from my own eyes. However, the way she seemed was filtered by Zarza and Dris on the way. With that point of view in place, I hardly recognized her.

What I was used to seeing was an Inquisitor. “Junior” or not, that title was not taken lightly back home. Even after the Nebula Command severed any official ties with them, nobody was careless of Inquisitors in the rare event that one dropped by. My brain had Lesedi neatly filed away in Inquisitor-land, with its accompanying list of survival tips. (Mind their personal space; remember that you’re clearing an area for them, their sense of importance, and the cloak. This is especially true if it’s a younger one who just graduated to a new uniform. No panicking. No lying. Never, ever mention the Jedi – no matter how much you dislike or don’t care about them, you dislike or don’t care in the wrong way. Basically, the trick is to avoid the Inquisitor without obviously avoiding them and never draw their full attention. Become part of the furniture.)

Zarza didn’t really understand the term “Inquisitor” and was amused by it. As far as she could tell, it was a strange label, like calling a person a “walker”, “breather”, or “eater” as a job title. To question – or rather, she decided after some digging, to torture an enemy for information – this was a basic skill in her world. Why place such importance on it? Good question, now that I think about it. We didn’t really talk much about the Inquisitors on Shullia. When they were around, everyone was terrified of them. When they weren’t, it was as though they didn’t exist. That may have been more so around me personally than in general. Close friends knew that my father had little interest in socializing with his boring non-Force-sensitive daughter. Anyone else undoubtedly thought I would tattle to my parents if they said anything at all. So as little as most people knew about the organization, I probably knew even less.

To Zarza, the proper name for the Junior Inquisitor’s status would have been Serketursai, or something like that. It sort of meant “student”, in the way that Zarza’s old title meant “Lord” for lack of a better word. Like everything else about the Sith, it was confusing to me; a Serketursai was an… auditioning student, maybe. One who had a certain level of ability and training, but was not yet under the charge of a high-ranking Sith. It wasn’t an insult, but it hinted that the bearer had a lot to prove. Lesedi was a Force-sensitive and so everything she did was evaluated as though she were a Sith. She wasn’t a Jedi and that was the only other category Zarza cared about for such people – there was something kind of interesting there, actually, though I only caught a little of it.

Zarza had occasionally met Force-sensitives that did not come from Sith or Jedi training and seemed to regard them as larval, flawed versions of her own people. I have to admit I was shocked by this because with the Inquisitors I think it tends to be almost the opposite. Unaffiliated Force-sensitives are The Enemy until and unless they prove otherwise, or so I gathered from my own experience of being mistakenly pegged as one. There was some peculiar strain between my parents until they discovered that it was just an error in Isander’s sensing. It was enough that even with my tired and bleary state after the fungus issues of that year, I still picked up that Mum and I were being blamed for something terrible. I’ve wondered since then whether my father thought Mum had faked my birth Force-testing results or something. It’s supposed to be impossible and she never would have done so. Seriously. My COMPNOR-trained, former ISB agent Mum, of all people.

Having a ghost in my head was scary at the time, yet now I’m fascinated at what I can remember. The things that old Sith could see! Incredible. Even when limited to human senses, she got more out of them than my best efforts have ever managed. The tiniest details of movement, facial expression, and Force presence held a wealth of knowledge for Zarza, just as the smell of a tree trunk could tell Dris volumes about what had passed through the forest recently.

The sudden eddies and spikes in the Force energy that flowed around Lesedi reminded Zarza of the Sith combat form Raltkidra. She had preferred that form. Originally, it was used with a retractable-tipped spear. Zarza had adapted it when she acquired a lightsaber (which would be when she swiped one off of a Jedi’s corpse – the Sith didn’t have that technology to start with, but looted any useful weapons from their enemies when they could.) She used the swift activation and deactivation of the blade to distract her opponents. Pretty impressive. Nothing that I would ever want to try at home. It demanded that you commit to each move with a terrifying level of certainty. You had to have absolute confidence that you would be in the right place at the right time, but also that the other combatant would not somehow throw you off. How did anyone invent that kind of fighting and live to pass it on? No wonder the Sith went extinct. It gives me chills to even think about trying some of those stunts.

That brief pause towards the outer edge of Zarza/Dris’s farthest possible reach, that was a reaction to Dris’s appearance. There was just the vaguest whiff of fear in Lesedi’s scent. The pose was also close to a Jedi style that Zarza knew by sight. That was not a good association. Apparently the Sith shared at least one thing with the Inquisitors I’ve known: they really hated Jedi. A lot.

And that way of choosing her steps so as to mingle with the shadows, even as the hobble in her walk spoiled the illusion… was interesting. It reminded Zarza of Shawen, a form that was used by Sith assassins. If skilled enough, the user could become more or less invisible. Zarza was not trained in this type of movement, since it was rare knowledge and carefully guarded by the few experts. She suspected Lesedi was several teachers removed from whoever had actually been a specialist.

To me, that would all seem to point to a broad education. To Zarza, it was evidence of a lack of social standing. The fact that there was a combination of forms wasn’t bad – in fact, there was kind of an expectation that Lesedi should be putting together a style of her own from multiple sources. However, by this age, she thought that a Force-user should have a thorough grounding in at least one specific form. There was something missing in her Force presence as well – and this is another thing that she thought of with words that simply made no sense whatsoever in Basic. Blah blah, and therefore, obviously… nothing I could understand. All I can say is that Zarza had a general sense of “Whatever, I could totally take ‘em. Blindfolded and without the help of opposable thumbs. Bring it on.”

Her gut reaction was that someone had left Lesedi’s training unfinished, whether intentionally or by meeting an untimely end. That no one had quickly stepped in to provide for her further training was evidence that she was not considered to be a rising star. Nevertheless, Zarza kept a wary eye on the young Inquisitor and scanned her Force presence for any sign of an impending attack as Dris rose from her curled-up position to face the newcomer on all fours.

By the time Zarza realized her mistake, we were both suffering for it. The resting physical state of both myself and the nichitelakosti nearby had stabilized things more than either of us realized. Movement did not work so well. The view went from one image to a weird, split combination of me on the ground with Zarza/Dris attempting to stand up and move towards Lesedi.

As Zarza struggled to maintain control, I began to get my sense of sound and touch back. Both of our senses, actually. Here’s a recipe for terrible vertigo: try to deal with the input from two sets of ears, one of them non-human and highly sensitive, while also seeing from two places at once. Stir in the protests of two different species’ bodies. Dris might be durable, but she was also older than a mythosaur’s petrified teeth and not in great shape to go from lying on the cold ground to standing at full speed.

I responded to her complaining joints by curling inward in a less than stoic manner and saying some less than stoic words. The unpleasant feeling of lingering caffeine on an empty stomach and the pain in my head had subsided somewhat. Unfortunately, the more I was out Zarza and Dris’s head the more it seemed that my own was not functioning very well. Everything felt out of sync, out of time like I was still living in Zarza’s scattered memories. The closing of my fist reminded me that the droid I had tried to use as a weapon was still in my hand. The sharp bits were cutting into my palm and fingers. The fact that the pain seemed distant and vague compared to Zarza/Dris’s arthritis was not good.

Another not-so-good thing was that, on closer inspection, it appeared the droid was stabbing at me with a hypo. From the way I felt, it was probably some kind of energy or nutrient shot. Too late to worry anyway. At least the lack of an instant horrible reaction hinted that it wasn’t one of those nutrient boosters that contain arrowleaf kibi extract. That devil weed is my allergenic nemesis.

I tried to shift my grasp so that I could brush the droid away. My fingers weren’t working very well and it was distracting. It startled me pretty badly when the Junior Inquisitor leaned over and took the droid from my hands. Even though I had seen her moving towards Zarza and I, somehow I had not expected her to be that close yet. She didn’t look at me at all, focusing her gaze only on the nichitelakosti-Sith female who stood nearby. However, she laid her hand on my shoulder briefly. There must have been some kind of Force-based warmth transfer, because I instantly hurt way more than before and rolled over shivering. In my befuddled state, I thought it was some kind of punishment. Later, of course, I understood – hypothermia treatment. Refrigerated Lydia was not the brightest glowrod in the box.

Though I couldn’t really afford the time, I put my head down against the ground and breathed in deeply. The world did not completely stop spinning, but it improved a little. The disconnect between me and Zarza-and-Dris seemed to be growing. A pins-and-needles feeling ran through my body, as though everything had fallen asleep while I was “out” and was just getting back to normal. The intense hearing of Dris’s lynx-like ears faded away to the point that I could no longer pick up the soft tread of Lesedi’s boots. Miraculously, I could actually focus my eyes even if my head still felt stuffed with equal parts cotton and cactus.

Okay, sleepy. Time to get up. Zain would have had my lungs out for being that slow. Well, that’s kind of harsh. He’s family, so he might have settled for a kidney. Keeping in mind the nichitelakosti’s reactions to my movements before, I stayed low to the ground and struggled into a crouching position as smoothly as I could. Coordination was not coming easily.

The shadows of the rest of the creatures still lined the edge of the clearing, watching curiously. I could hear them talking, the high warbles and low-pitched rumbles blending together. They were worried. My trip into the secret world of Sith creatures did not give me the exact meaning, but much of Zarza/Dris’s recent life included memories of hunting. The giggly sounds were actually both social cues and warnings that were used to communicate when attacking unpredictable prey. They were like painted targets, since the creatures could direct their calls towards the object of their attention. For a lone hunter, it just served to summon help. If there was already a gathered hunting party around the target, the combined cries of several nichitelakosti allowed everyone in the area to triangulate the exact location of the thing in question. Basically, I had a bunch of haunted boar-wolves saying “hey, here she is” every time I made a move.

It went against the grain for the nichitelakosti to allow Lesedi to approach when their leaders were seemingly helpless. Only the authority of the two big guys, whom Zarza had identified as the hosts of Sith named Tadi and Kashar, kept them from running in to take down the intruder. The younger ones trembled with nervous energy.

I thought of trying to ease my way over to where I could get at the blaster again, but feared making a tense situation worse. Zarza/Dris had drawn up to display her full height as Lesedi came closer, and I could feel the reverberations of her growls. The chipped remnants of her spinal armor stood up along with the fur on her neck. Her tail swished up in a high arc and came down swiftly, the spikes making an impressive rattle-snap sound as it leveled off without connecting against anything. That was a warning signal, I remembered. It was one that Zarza would probably regret if she survived this confrontation, since she spent much of her spare time soaking in mud to ease the pain that hunting and posturing caused.

Hydrospanner seemed to be keeping a particular watch on me and kept shifting around as though she wanted to sprint in and start breaking skulls. She was purely animal as far as Zarza/Dris remembered. No spectral hitchhikers. Of course, that might not be reliable information. A half-credit and the accuracy of the nichitelakosti’s recall wouldn’t buy a pack of gum most places.

There was still some sliver of a connection that Zarza’s emotions poured through, even though the direct insight had faded away. Surprise, surprise, she was in a foul mood. The smell of nichitelakosti blood on Lesedi’s clothing (Dris noticed this instantly and it went straight through the link to me like a lightning flash) was not helping things. I’m still not sure how to explain the intense anger that Zarza/Dris was capable of feeling – I’ve been plenty hacked off in my life, but her temper was another thing altogether. She seemed to practice rage on a different plane, much like Dris practiced the art of reading scents in a way that no limited human nose could replicate. Harming her pack was not the way to make a good impression. Neither Dris nor Zarza tolerated other people messing with her stuff. (This was very inconvenient for me when my brain was seen as “her stuff.” Alpha-dog omnivores and Sith may get along fine, but they make crummy roommates for anyone else.)

Zarza/Dris was a split second from lunging forward to attack the Inquisitor. One wrong move would be all it took. Everything seemed to be moving so fast compared to me. The more I warmed up, the more slowed-down, confused and injured I felt.

Wait, said the afternoons spent with Ahnjai learning when to move the fight and when to let it rest until the right time. Watch, said the nights my mother took me out people-watching in the city. Well, do you trust this Inquisitor? asked the mornings when I was hauled out of bed before sunrise and sent off with Zain into the forest. Trust was something he often asked, always with a gleam of mischief in his eye and usually before sending me into a fire-ant hill or quicksand bog as an educational experience. I had learned that yes, I could trust him. To get me into a terrible mess and to show me how to claw my way out. Better be ready to scram, said every long day spent barreling through the marsh with Isander on my heels. If there was one thing my deplorable pest of a cousin (actually my nephew, but with him being younger by two years that just sounds odd) had shown me, it was to never trust any person able to throw Shullian fire hornets without using a net.

Lesedi had no obligations to me; as an Inquisitor she was outside the regular system. Her only responsibilities were to higher ranks. However, that actually meant that I could trust her…to take care of herself. If she wasn’t telling me what to do, then she already had something in mind. Hopefully not by the “Force-throw human chew toy as distraction” technique, since I wasn’t up to running a marathon in the woods.



Notes:

Regarding how Zarza doesn’t recognize “Inquisitor” as a Sith thing, this is because of the era in which she lived. The Galactic Empire’s Inquisitors were likely named after those of the earlier Sith Empire (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_Inquisitor). These first Inquisitors seem to have come into being some time after the Great Hyperspace War, so they were well after her time.

The Serketursai are about the same as the Sith Tyros of the Lost Tribe, just with a different name that became outdated among the Sith on Kesh. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_Tyro)

Coming up with some possible Sith combat styles was an interesting challenge. There is a lot of fascinating detail on the Jedi forms, but the Sith are less described. It might be more accurate to canon to say that they have no forms of their own, just adopting those of the Jedi. But what fun would that be? So I made up a couple, drawing on the idea that the Sith might have created some forms based on their differences from the Jedi.

Raltkidra is probably a relative of Dun Möch (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dun_Möch), with less emphasis on verbal attacks and more on unnerving one’s enemies with reckless physical stunts.

Shawen takes full advantage of the Dark Side’s strength in the area of deception, using the manipulation of minds and the external world while also drawing in information to guide the user’s own movements. The human (or human-like alien) sensory system is capable of missing some really obvious things. It seems to me like the Sith would probably have found a way to capitalize on this.

 

Congrats on the noms, they are well-deserved!

Nice update! I like Zarza's view on the Inquisitor title, and the descriptions of Lydia as she separates from Zarza/Dris.

Some of my favorite lines:

I like how this shows Lydia empathizing with Zarza even after the connection is severed.

 

@Tarsier, thank you! I know it's been a while, so I just wanted to let you know that I saw and appreciated your comments. It's always cool to see what you liked. Zarza Karmazyn was an interesting character to develop. At first, she was meant to be more of an extra. Once we got inside her head, I realized how seeing into the mind of someone so alien -- and so different from the Inquisitors or the Jedi -- would turn things upside down for Lydia. There is a lot of twisty oddness to her mindset that I think can work and tie into the things I'm planning. Zarza's definitely a bit out-there and Glove of Darth Vader-ish, so I'm glad to hear some positive feedback there.

Progress report for anyone still interested in this story:

I'm about 2 pages (12-pt font) into the conclusion for this chapter. It may be a while before it's done, since A) as I've complained a million times, my writing speed is slower than molasses on Hoth, B) I want to do it well, and C) other projects are devouring most of my writing time. Two ESB-era stories have been clamoring for attention and I'm really excited about those. Shark Kibble is still in the works, but it's going to have to share rent with these newcomers for some time.

Some other things:

1.
I messed up when setting the year-date for this journal. Lydia tries to sound older than she is, but I meant to write her as a 17-year-old trying to sound older rather than as a 16-year-old trying to sound older. (There are variations in mental maturity at all ages. However, I think a year more or less really does matter in the teens. Life happens faster at those ages.) So, there we have it. Our setting is 22 ABY, not 21 ABY. My bad. I will try to fix all the entries, but just wanted to make that note going onward. It's been bothering me. All the time.

2.
A cast of original characters can become hard to remember. I'd like to make a quick guide for readers. I've considered linking to a Google doc, since a complete list would clog the first post. Would anyone strongly prefer that I keep all the text within TFN, possibly under a spoiler-cut? I've had terrible luck formatting spoiler-cuts, which makes me a little reluctant. I also wonder how much information to show in the list, since some characters (like Barrett the Anzati) don't reveal their actual species/homeworld/occupation/etc. right away. Any comments or advice on this would be very helpful. My hope is to make this OC salad just a little more accessible.

 

I think a Google doc would be just fine. I think adding character bios to the first post might end up looking pretty cluttered, even with spoiler cuts. For characters like Barrett, it would depend somewhat on the format of the Google doc (I'm not very familiar with Google docs), but I think you should have two entries - one for the beginning of the story and one for later in the story with more complete information that is hidden behind some sort of spoiler warning.

Thanks for the progress report! I'm glad to hear you are sticking with the story, even if it is coming along slowly. I definitely know the feeling of a new plot bunny derailing progress on an older story. I'll be eager to read whenever you get more of this story posted.

 

Tarsier: Thank you so much! I love this story and these characters half to death -- but they were also designed to create a long, rambling saga. It's about the journey, the relationships, and the world. So the impetus to run, run, and finish, finish is less. Whereas some of these new things are demanding little bunnies! Sooner or later it will all return to balance, I think.

Findswoman: Wow, that's very kind of you! I've really enjoyed your world-building of the Gands, so that's a high compliment.

 

Please, may we have some more?

Seriously, I am re-reading this story because it's that good and because I know I missed some details in my rush to find out what happens next before a certain Youngling stole the iPad again. You are a master of suspense, and you had me well and truly creeped out when the war beasts started repeating what were presumably their victims' last words.

You can't just leave Lydia out there with Zazra and her demented pack of possessed puppies; you just can't!

 

A/N: To those of you who have patiently followed/caught up with this in spite of the slow, slow updates, thank you so much. . There is a new update, the first since (cringe) February of this year. It is not the mythical chapter end. I can see it this time, though! Honest! (Jinxed myself again, haven’t I? ) More seriously, I’ve been working to find a means of managing my writing time and only recently found a system that seems to work. I really hope it continues to do so.

Raissa Baiard: I’m very glad you found this enjoyable enough to read twice. The nichitelakosti’s mimicry was somewhat inspired by ancient Greek and Roman creatures that were based on garbled stories about the hyena(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucrotta#Ancient_accounts). There’s something particularly creepy about the idea of a monster that could imitate human voices as a lure. Brrr! It sounded appropriate as an attribute of Sithspawn.



Part 12

Lesedi paused in front of Dris and knelt down with about as much dignity as anyone moving with a leg injury in the dark could manage. It made me nervous just to watch, but it seemed that she knew what she was doing. This was how Sith showed their respect to the higher ranks. Lesedi even had her hands arranged the proper way. She kept her lightsaber but brought the end that would project the blade to rest against the ground.

The Sith in Zarza’s memories never seemed to forget that every encounter with another could be deadly. Even outside of wartime, the way they carried themselves around their peers was all about walking on the blade’s edge. To avoid constant brawling, they had to show that they were neither challengers nor easy pickings.

Zarza/Dris’s bafflement was almost comical, coming from well over four metric tons of warbeast. I wouldn’t have thought the nichitelakosti’s head could turn that far sideways. She circled around the young Inquisitor at just beyond arm’s length, moving with exaggerated care. The humming sound that the creatures made increased again (hello, unease and nausea), and the guards Tadi and Kashar edged in from off to the right. They stopped several meters away when Zarza growled.

The Sith-creature investigated. I tried to envision the wheels that would be turning behind those glowing eyes, weighing the Inquisitor’s behavior. Was this human knowingly using Sith mannerisms, and if so should Zarza deal with her as one? Was she ill, venomous, or defenseless and bluffing? Or, might she be infected with a neurological parasite that would be passed on to the next careless diner up the food chain?

Dris had a simple preliminary test for dealing with such questions: stand back and poke the thing with her tail spines until something interesting happened. (That was most likely the reason why her tail was messed up. Something interesting happened one time.) Lesedi was unnervingly patient with the nudging, and I began to wonder what it would take to actually anger her. On the fourth try, Dris’s tail didn’t connect at all. It was as though it bounced off some sort of invisible shield. There was the telekinesis, then. However, the Junior Inquisitor still didn’t go on the attack. Strange, I thought. Lesedi remained still and almost unflinching as the nichitelakosti nosed at the back of her neck.

One side effect of this awkward confrontation was that the pack was captivated by the interaction between Zarza/Dris and Lesedi. Even the over-eager nichitelakosti Hydrospanner was hovering anxiously over every move of Lesedi’s – and not mine. For the first time, I was able to move unnoticed. The blaster that I had swiped from Arik was nearly out of charge, but at least now I was allowed to find and conceal it again. I really hoped that I was right and Lesedi knew what she was doing. With her at close quarters to Dris, there was little chance that I could hit the nichitelakosti fast enough – not to mention effectively enough – to prevent a grisly scene.

Dris’s silver-streaked ears swiveled as she listened to whatever comments the other creatures were making. The bone plating over her face made her expression difficult to read; the nichitelakosti had little of that at any rate. Body language and voice, and a touch of what I now knew to be the Force, filled in for the facial muscles that her bone plates covered and immobilized.

A Sith might execute even a “polite” visitor if there was a practical reason for it. But I wasn’t sure if this was still how Zarza operated. She had been living in symbiosis with Dris for longer than she had ever been a Sith. As long as Lesedi was seen as a fellow predator rather than prey, she would have a chance. The warbeasts might fight among themselves like demons, but once someone rolled over and exposed the vulnerable armor-less areas of their neck or belly the fight was usually over. They’d tear each other to pieces too often otherwise.

Zarza looked at Lesedi and said something to her. I couldn’t understand it. The language that she and Qalydon had spoken to me was fading away like the logic of a dream. A few words remained, but that was all. The only thing I caught was “Tsiss” – Sith. To my amazement, Lesedi answered in what sounded like the same tongue. She had an accent. Too soft on certain consonants, and just a bit off the normal rhythm of Sith conversation. Familiar but not fluent. Much like Zarza’s use of Basic, actually. The nichitelakosti huffed and stared at me pointedly as though she had picked up that thought. She turned away with the flat ears of total dismissal.

Whatever they were discussing, it was obviously important. It was surreal watching them – a monster out of legend next to an apprentice Inquisitor barely older than myself. The two of them almost seemed to be sharing secrets, with their heads leaned together like gossiping teenagers. It was hard to even try to follow Lesedi’s end of the conversation; she was inches away from the Sith-creature’s face so that the grey fog of Dris’s breath veiled them both. The Inquisitor gestured back towards the fallen bodies of Qalydon and Inahki.

Everything else had distracted me from even checking what was going on over there. It was not good. Instead of them repeating what had happened when Zarza plunked herself into my mind, there seemed to have been some kind of accident.

Shadows that looked like water-light reflections moved across the ground between the two beings, gathering around the torso and head area of each one. The nichitelakosti host body of Qalydon lay crumpled and motionless. Inahki’s skull was radiating flashes of light from within – I could see the outlines of his bones when it was particularly bright.

Something else was in there, also. Cybernetics or other artificial items, based on the edges and connecting lines. Perhaps it was some kind of plate like they had to use to put Vera’s head back together after her speeder crash. She got rid of hers later when the doctors were able to replace it with osteo-coral structures, but maybe this spacer didn’t have the credits for that kind of treatment.

Anyway, it didn’t seem to be doing Inahki any good at the moment. He didn’t stir at all with the painful-looking flares, but his breathing was very shallow. In fact, I thought he had died until I spotted a whisp of frost mingled in with the shadows that flowed from his mouth.

Zarza surveyed the mess and sighed heavily.

“Not again,” I murmured, the habits of Zarza’s mind slipping out before I realized it. She’d given it a fair try with me, but none of them could hold the possession effect for long. Unfortunately for Qalydon, he was not even as skilled in that area as Zarza. Too distracted by his desperation to find a way out, she believed. Things tended to go wrong for him. Though Zarza had done her best to take over my mind, when she met with resistance – and later the distraction of Lesedi’s arrival – she was able to let go. That was not one of Qalydon’s strong points.

Having Zarza, Lesedi, and I nearby was bad, too. There were images and emotions left in my mind about this, unclear but at least a little informative. Too many beings in one area created “noise” and problems for the body-hopping ghost. Wandering spirits and Sith creatures were the worst; other beings like me were unwelcome but not as distracting. The nichitelakosti had probably tried to hold everyone back from the scene of the attempted possession because of past errors like this. Zarza had only approached this closely because I made threatening moves towards Qalydon.

As long as we weren’t deemed too dangerous, that was. It was not hard to see that Zarza/Dris was adding up the tally for just that kind of judgment. The broken-tusked creature knew at a glance that I had the blaster. She gave me a piercing glare. The Sith must be used to spotting opponents with concealed weapons, even after all this time. She stared at Lesedi again, searching her eyes for some sign. For a second, I thought there was a spark in Lesedi of that odd light that Inquisitor Ombyrne’s eyes glowed with when he was angry. Zarza’s pack and the Sith they hosted had that too. They had no name for it. It was just something that happened, like eye-crusties after sleep.

The Junior Inquisitor nodded towards Zarza and then slowly walked towards the supernatural traffic accident in the clearing. Glancing over her shoulder at me, she called, “Remove the power pack and drop it, Shelvay. We have an arrangement with the Sith Lord now.”

There was a murmur from the creatures on the outside and I felt their attention pass over me briefly, like waves in a pool of water.

A dinner arrangement? Well, I wasn’t going to argue with an Inquisitor in the woods. It would be bad for my health. I stripped out the power pack and dropped the blaster. My fingers were working better now, though the returning sensations remained a bit painful. It was better not to even think about my feet. Pain is better than total frostbite, I reminded myself.

Lesedi crouched beside Inahki’s prone body. If she was disturbed by the shadows, then the reaction was very controlled. She set the prickly little mantis-droid on his mussed hair and brought out a scanner/datapad unit. It was of some specialized make that I did not recognize, and its holographic display of moving lines and symbols was too small to read from a distance.

Zarza returned to stand guard over me.

The Junior Inquisitor picked up the hybrid’s hand, taking off the remains of his clawed glove and checking for a pulse. She prodded at the container that Inahki had electrified earlier, as though she could sense that something odd had been done with it. After that, she remained with her hand on Inahki’s forehead, fiddling with some information on the display and occasionally poking at the droid.

Meanwhile, my nichitelakosti keeper eyed the weapon parts on the ground and coiled her twisted, spiny tail around my ankles as though I might still have plans to run. Smart Sith-creature.

Warm Sith-creature. Her smelly, ravenous presence at my back was alarming, but it warded off the chill.

“Are you cuddling?”

“Chilled.” I knew Zarza could understand me, but she looked almost as bewildered as she had been by Lesedi’s display of Sithly etiquette.

Then she laughed. It was Dris’s laugh, a chirping sound that was nothing at all like the eerily Human-sounding hunting calls or the deep thundering rumbles of nichitelakosti speech. Actually, it was more like the noise made by a squeaky balloon; it seemed entirely out of place coming from Dris’s massive jaws.

“If you sleep and drool on my fur, I will eat you.”

“Yes, ma’am, err, Lord Zarza.” I choked back my questioning as to why she should care about drool, of all things. Her delivery of the threat reminded me so strongly of the terrifying Xema Suraval that my gut reflexes anticipated poor marks on my student record as well as toothmarks on my bones. At least I didn’t accidentally call Zarza “Mum.” That would be worse. The License Testing Officer who had worked with my year on vehicle driving skills had not signed up for that, and I think it nearly gave the strict teacher a cardiac event.

“You are fortunate that the young Serketursai believes your alterations are of some interest. It would be a shame for you if there were no reason to preserve you as exchange for Qalydon.”

Lovely. I was the collateral? Lesedi didn’t care that much. Hopefully she could restore Qalydon quickly, before Zarza/Dris’s not very considerable patience ran out.

“What is changed about me?” I asked Zarza, trying not to look too directly into her eyes. Not only was that considered rude – even more so than with humans – but it had aided in activating her control powers before.

She nipped at my arm, seemingly to remind me who was boss.

“Too curious for a low-ranking Zuguruk, grey herdling. Someone has used our techniques on you. That alters scents.” (This was such a disturbing answer that I’ve chosen to regard it as a cruel joke, though I did dutifully report it to Lesedi since she wanted to know everything the Sith said. Lesedi does not put much faith in Zarza’s judgment. I am relieved by that fact.) The nichitelakosti considered the conversation over at this point and went back to her observation of Lesedi’s work on the two strange patients in the field.

The Inquisitor had moved from Inahki to Qalydon’s side. She brushed at the moving shadows with her hand as though to clear them away, then halted with her palm up for a moment. The small droid rested inside her hand, its lights flickering in a slow, regular pattern. Then she entered something into her scanner/datapad machine and went back to Inahki. She placed her hand at his temple and drew it back. Misty shadow matter came with it and the Zeltron hybrid drew in a visible breath and began to cough. More of the mist stuff flowed out and away, swirling towards Qalydon’s body. The nichitelakosti began to twitch, four misshapen paws moving aimlessly. Chasing runyips, or was it still Jedi after all these years?

Inahki sat up abruptly as though waking from a bad dream. His hands immediately went to his ribcage and he doubled over in obvious pain. The Inquisitor caught him by the shoulders and guided him back to lying down. The alien tensed and flinched away. He brought up one faintly sparking hand, the gloved one if I remember correctly. Lesedi caught it easily in a steady hold. Using her other hand, she keyed in something on the scanner/datapad and said something to the droid that I did not catch.

For a moment, the holographic display flared up with a series of symbols, lines, and bright colors that moved faster than my eyes could see. Without warning, it blinked out as fast as it had activated. Inahki likewise went blank, falling back into unconsciousness. Lesedi grabbed him around the skull, with no carefulness this time. She snapped some order, which was apparently ignored.

“KARK IT,” she yelled, loudly enough that even I could hear. The Inquisitor hovered between him and the machines as she prodded at both. Her lips moved in what might have been technojargon or swearing; it was hard to tell. The droid’s lights were in a flurry.

All the efforts were in vain. Lesedi’s shoulders slumped briefly, and I saw her actually strike the ground with her fist. Then, all business, she picked up the unconscious Zeltron hybrid in a rescue worker’s carry – telekinesis must have done a lot of the lifting, but the hitch in her walk became worse with the added weight nevertheless. She stormed towards Zarza/Dris and I.

Zarza said something in Sith; it sounded like a rebuke from the tone of voice. Lesedi stiffly bowed in apology, then gave Zarza a brief explanation of something to do with Qalydon – I caught his name in the spiel. The Inquisitor’s face was drawn and she looked worried as well as frustrated. After a tense moment of negotiations, Lesedi clamped a hand on my shoulder and Zarza/Dris stood back and let us go. The pack of creatures seemed to exhale in unison. Disappointed to see us leave in one piece, no doubt.

We moved through the forest as quickly as we could manage. I did my best to help with Inahki’s transportation, but both Lesedi and I were struggling to keep our balance when her transport came in view. Thankfully, the speeder was in one piece and large enough to carry all three passengers at a stretch.

Then, of course, help arrived and things briefly went to all the hells at once.



Notes:

The osteo-coral Lydia mentions was something unrealistic that I made up because it sounded cool. As it turns out, there’s a real-world equivalent already out there. I had almost thrown the idea out on the basis of the medical tech being so heavily cybernetics/bacta dependent. Coral sounded more in line with the Yuuzhan Vong. (The most fascinating part to me is that apparently the person’s own human bone material will eventually grow into the coral substitute and replace most of it. ) (http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/02/health/doctors-trying-coral-for-skeletal-repairs.html)

Dris’s laughter sounds like a guinea pig, because guinea pigs make the most bizarre noises. They sound just like fluffy little feathered dinosaurs that are about to swarm you.

The Zuguruk (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zuguruk) were the engineer class of the ancient Sith, and the closest word Zarza found to match to Lydia’s specialty.

 

Yay! So happy to see this story return! I was just thinking about it the other day.

Another fantastic post! You do such a great job creating a spooky atmosphere for the planet and depicting the interactions between Zazra and Lesedi. I can really picture them as I read. As always, you bring the suspense. I can't wait to see what happens when all hells break loose.

The idea of the war beasts wheeking like guinea pigs cracks me up. I'm guessing they don't share too many characteristics with guinea pigs, though. Otherwise, all Lydia would have to do is sneak up and touch them on the butt, and they'd jump straight in the air and flee. (My husband use to do that to our piggies to see them jump )

 

An update, yay!

Some of my favorite parts:
(That was most likely the reason why her tail was messed up. Something interesting happened one time.)

The language that she and Qalydon had spoken to me was fading away like the logic of a dream.

Smart Sith-creature. ... Warm Sith-creature. Her smelly, ravenous presence at my back was alarming, but it warded off the chill.

The osteo-coral stuff is really fascinating.

Good update.

 

Okay, this one's a little late! One of my fanfic resolutions for 2015 is to try to have one entry here per month.

The character list will be at the bottom of this entry, since it contains some possible spoilers. Replies for the comments on last chapter will hopefully be up sometime this week (thank you for reviewing to those who did! )


Part 13

The soft hum of sound-dampened repulsorlifts made me look up and nearly stumble as Lesedi and I slogged along with the unconscious Zeltron hybrid. It was a noise that I had been taught to recognize when I was very small. People didn’t compromise the functioning of their vehicles for that much quiet unless they were up to something. Tensing at the possibility of more outlaws like Dzidra and Inahki’s crew, I glanced at Lesedi. She had heard the sound as well. The defensive set of her shoulders let me know she was not thrilled to see the large hovercraft that loomed out of the shadows on our right, but she told me to stay put while she went to meet the newcomers.

We lowered Inahki to the ground and I remained there to keep watch over him. Though he was breathing about as well as his ribs allowed, there was something very off about the utter blankness of his face. Prickly did not like the looks of it either. The droid supervised us, sitting on the hybrid’s body and jabbering unhappy nonsense in Binary. It had recovered full movement with Lesedi’s moments of tinkering, but still sounded off-kilter.

The people who came pouring out of the hovercraft were Imperials. I might have guessed that by their bearing even without the uniforms. They looked like some kind of security force, wearing uniforms of an indistinct dark color. Some of them took Inahki away on a stretcher, while one remained to shepherd me towards the hovercraft. That one ushered me along, most of her attention on the forest around us and keeping her blaster close to hand.

Bringing up the rear of the group was a handful of beings in robes. The design was some variation on Inquisitors’ garb, similar to the formal cloak and nauga leather ensemble that Ombyrne wore. As if thinking of him had called up the sorcerous sourpuss, I heard his voice drifting above the quiet rustling and conversation of the group.

“—Here, sniffing around. For all the nuisance, it would be easier to render them into glue. Disgusting vermin.” He walked more noisily than the rest, ignoring his fellow shadows’ attempts to hush him. Ombyrne switched his glowrod to a high-lume setting and shone it over the activity as everyone was bustling towards the hovercraft. As his eyes swept over Inahki’s stretcher and me in my mud-soaked state, he made a wordless grunt of disgust. I didn’t want to guess what it was for, though I remembered with a miserable twist that the Draigon was still damaged and I had left without permission – also, the breathmask and night-visor were still glued on my face. (Never, ever again. The only reason I could stand that was because I had so many other complaints to worry about.) Lesedi, who had gone straight to the gathered Inquisitors, murmured something to him. He did not reply, but glared furiously out into the woods.

Then he spun abruptly and aimed the high-lume beam at a particular point in the shadows. A piercing, wavery scream rang out – nichitelakosti, not human. The bright light directly in its eyes must have startled it. Before the creature could duck out of view entirely, Ombyrne drew himself up and swept his arm out in a sharp gesture. I swerved sideways before realizing the attack was not meant for me.

(That was a reflex that I had learned years ago when Isander was mastering telekinesis. My little cousin was not a prodigy at the power, which was just as well because he had great enthusiasm for dealing out invisible blows that were equal to a rather vicious slap.)

A tree branch snapped and crashed against something large. The nichitelakosti who had been the target let out another pained sound, followed by a deep, sepulchral growl of the sort I had learned meant trouble.

Within seconds, I heard the stereo rumbling of an encroaching pack of nichitelakosti. The Imperial group responded quickly, steeling themselves against the unpleasant effects of the creature’s sounds with what looked like practiced resignation. They searched methodically for signs of movement, the most heavily armed – excluding the Inquisitors, who had taken charge of the stretcher and were occupied with whisking that away into the hovercraft – taking up positions on the outer edge.

The nichitelakosti’s huge padded feet were deceptively quiet for the mass of the creatures. I knew it was coming, but still felt a thrill of fear when the first wave came hurtling towards us. They were synchronized in their approach: one took the lead and charged in towards us, drawing the blaster fire and shielding several companions who followed in an arrowhead-like formation.

The Imperial who had been guiding me briskly to the hovercraft saw the attack taking shape as soon as I did.She clearly knew these creatures and had no illusions that the first volleys of plasma would penetrate their natural shielding.

“Roll under.” The drop was no surprise, since this was no sparring match and she’d warned me. I curled and rolled, managing to at least direct most of the fall.

More shots were added to the chorus of blasters as the woman began firing the instant I was out of her way.

Under the hovercraft, even muffled repulsorlifts were a constant humming pressure in my skull. This was the only cover against the creatures since the entrance area was now crowded with the small crowd of Imperials piling into the machine. I’d need to get up there as soon as there was a good chance. This craft was not an interstellar behemoth that would destroy me in its afterburners, but being here when it zoomed away would not do my body any good.

The chaotic jumble of fighting people and creatures was thick around the machine at first, but soon moved to the side a bit. It was as good of an opportunity as could be expected. I crawled forward.

Jaws snapped shut with an almost metallic crunch.

I don’t remember tumbling back under shelter to miss the nichitelakosti’s lunge. It must have happened, because I wasn’t dead.

A now all-too-familiar face adorned with the beginnings of adult tusks peered at me, trying to squeeze through the gap and managing better than it should. The sharp edges of tusks and armor jarred against the metal of the hovercraft with a horrible grating sound. Instinct froze me in place – stupid primal instincts that were certain she would give up if my impression of an inanimate object were good enough.

But Hydrospanner wasn’t impressed with my act. She had a new hole torn in her right ear and was panting as though winded. The young nichitelakosti must have slipped away from the main battle. The ear-splitting cacophony still came from somewhere nearby.

She swept the spiked end of her tail under the hovercraft. As she’d intended, that flushed me out of hiding and I scrambled out by the edge opposite to the creature. Her body hunched into a crouch – and I broke into a staggering run, knowing that she would spring across the barrier and capture me long before any cover but having no other way to turn.

There was another metal-scraping sound behind me and an unhappy snarl followed by clattering and sounds of impact that I didn’t dare turn around to look at. Something glanced off my bad shoulder – it felt like a crowbar – and I tumbled over. That something coiled around my middle, but I was able to slither out of it. Up on my feet again, just barely, I could see Hydrospanner thrashing about frantically with something sinuously draped over her tail, head, and forelegs.

The lines glinted and for a split second my only thought was “snake”, but then the hovercraft swayed in response to her pulling and I understood what was happening. Hydrospanner had gotten herself caught on the anchoring cables, powerful cords used to tether the vehicle in high and windy places.

Her dismayed roar sounded and felt like an earthquake at such close quarters. I clenched my hands over my ears and curled inward. The ground seemed to lurch underfoot.

Hydrospanner made an alarmed cackling noise and toppled heavily on her side. The end of the metal cord went with her; the pilot inside the hovercraft must have noticed the nichitelakosti’s weight was tugging the craft around and released the cable.

She lurched forward and I lurched back, and it may have been just my bad luck rather than her determination that got the nichitelakosti’s lashing tail – complete with entangled cable – wrapped around my calf. Needless to say, we went to the ground in a bloodied, snarling heap.

I don’t think Hydrospanner was the only one spitting and making terrible noises at that point. In fact, I think my vocabulary had dropped down to a particular forbidden word – one of those “K”-word plus ten things that give people pause when they realize you so much as know the word. As if from a distance, I saw that I kept grabbing at the cable and using it to push away the spiny tail, or smacking it against the nichitelakosti’s head. Her tusks became further twisted in the line and this kept her from coming around to bite me, but the cord was also trapping me against her flank.

Light flared and I flinched and blinked, trying to keep a hold of the cable that was slipping through my fingers. There were voices. People.

Someone was unlooping the cables that had gotten wrapped around me. Still in fight-or-flight mode, I nearly clawed the being’s face before recognizing that it was A) help, and also B) Zelenus. He was wearing a night-visor and held a glowrod in one hand.

The nichitelakosti rumbled angrily and I looked up to see Bramer scrabbling at the cables that bound her tusks in an attempt to hold her until we could get clear. Hydrospanner let out an ear-grinding bellow. Her body jack-knifed as she bent nearly in half trying to get at the threat. Bramer lost his grip on the line and got side-swiped by her razored shoulder armor while evading the Sith-creature’s attempt to roll and crush him.

Zelenus propped me rather optimistically against a tree – as though I’d stay upright – and went to extract Bramer from the fight. This immediately got messy with Hydrospanner’s speed and ferocity in the mix, and I could only pick out a confusing barrage of sounds and moving bodies.

The nichitelakosti’s lethal tail snapped out of its encircling cables with a rending scrape and whizzed past my face, striking the tree a meter above and sending a flurry of branches and wood chips down. Something going on where I couldn’t see distracted Hydrospanner and her tail went momentarily limp. I blundered forward, located what I thought was probably a pressure point for the appendage, kicked at it weakly, and knelt on it with as much body weight as I could apply. There was a dismal noise from the Sith-creature, though that may have been thanks to the two who were still trying to deal with the other sharp ends.

I heard an unpleasant sound, the kind associated with very large animals and hairballs. The fire of the glowrod seared across my field of vision again and Zelenus and Bramer were grabbing me by the arms and dragging me along at top speed. My bad shoulder protested, and possibly I did as well. I can’t really say for sure.

We were all knocked flat to the ground by a shockwave, and there was a horribly recognizable burning smell. I didn’t turn to look. Bramer and Zelenus did, and instantly regretted it.

“Sithspit,” someone said, after the sacrifices of stomach contents had been performed. Well, that’s probably what they said. The noise of the blast had not been enough to totally blank out my hearing, but it certainly made things fuzzy.

“That’s very nice of you, but I already have so much. The very finest Sith monster drool.” At least, I think I said something mortifying like that, though it probably got cut down to “gah niiice much mumble bluh” by whatever language of the concussed I was speaking.

The three of us made our way back towards the hovercraft in an awkward six-legged shuffle, and discovered that the fighting had stopped. Completely. And someone had turned the lights on.

“Oh.”

“That’s… a targeting mark. Isn’t it.” Bramer was not asking us, just confirming that things could, in fact, possibly get even worse.

We stared dumbfounded around us, blinking in the searing white glow that illuminated everything for miles around. The Star Destroyer casting the light would be the tiniest of shadows against the dark sky, but it was natural to look upwards and try to see anyway.

Through the brilliance, I could see the ragged, gigantic forms of the nichitelakosti arrayed in a tense semicircle around the last figures standing before the hovercraft. My companions and I were allowed to pass without notice; all eyes were on the confrontation that had landed us in a capital ship’s sights.

A cloaked man stood before Zarza, his posture angry and threatening and his hands – shaking. Clearly and obviously, even to my tired mind and nearly blinded vision. Ombyrne tilted his head back to look the nichitelakosti in the eye, and I could see that they did have the same shade now – that lurid, blood-tinged yellow that cut through even night-vision filters more than it should be able to do. He was flipping and catching a small comlink, and his expression made my blood run colder than it was already.

I couldn’t interpret the conversation he was having with the Sith-creature, but it didn’t sound good from the tone of his voice and the occasional pauses where he was overcome with a breathy laughter that never rose above whisper pitch. Zarza was trying to look menacing and mostly succeeding, but I could see the nervous twitches starting. She also kept glancing at the larger nichitelakosti who sat nearby, flinching and shaking his head as though he had a flea in his ear. Qalydon was evidently up and around, but not recovered enough to bluster very well. The younger creatures were fidgeting and whining softly. Only the deadliest looks from Qalydon and Zarza quelled the noise.

The Inquisitors were there too. Apparently, this had been interesting enough to draw them out into the cold. Lesedi was there. Her face was unusually readable for the moment: a study in cold rage. The others didn’t look especially happy to be there, either.

It was pretty obvious that Ombyrne held the dead-man switch against our total annihilation in his hot little hands. And the little skrink was playing with it. I try not to think about that much, now that we’re out of that mess. Thinking about it might obligate me to try to kill an Inquisitor.

Maybe the others mentally smacked him, or maybe he just recovered some dregs of the sense the stars gifted him. At any rate, he stopped tossing our doom in the air. He did, however, ignite his lightsaber and jab it towards Zarza’s face like it was an auxilary pointing finger of argument. Though nothing sticks out in my borrowed creature-memories, from that scene I got the strangest feeling that the two knew each other – and that there was a burning hatred between them. The earth rumbled a warning note and he grinned rapturously.

Slowly, the nichitelakosti turned and plodded away into the forest. Every line of their bodies seemed to ooze resentment. Zarza turned and cast a last baleful look over her shoulder. Our eyes met, and I knew that she knew about the fight with Hydrospanner and the impulsive creature’s demise. She would have smelled it on us. We were on her list now.

Ombyrne strutted to the hovercraft – it was that kind of walk men use when they are ridiculously pleased with themselves. The other Inquisitors followed with varied shades of relief and disgust on their faces.

The rest of us began to breathe again. Several of the probably-security people came and collected the shambling creatures that had formerly been known as Lydia Shelvay, Xenon Bramer, and Tamir Zelenus.

I ended up being loaded like a sack of gelatin into a seat between Bramer and the security woman who had hidden me under the hovercraft. Thankfully, there was a medic free and I was able to halfway doze in my seat as we were poked, prodded, and bacta-ed while the craft traveled. Real bacta. Strange luxury for such a remote place. The only downside to my mind was that they would not let me sleep and insisted on peeling the night-visor off my face with a solvent – not fun. I kept poking at the sensitive skin after it was removed. It seemed impossible that I was not actually dead. It’s still kind of hard to believe.



Notes:

Nauga leather comes from the nauga (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nauga) – no, really. (I just love that SW has naugas. So they may use the “hyde” for something.)

Here is the character list that I talked about in earlier posts. I’m still not entirely happy with the format and may try a few other things. It contains spoilers for the story so far, and mild spoilers for things to come. Click on the last spoiler tab; the first four are lies and contain nothing.

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Note: Everyone is here in order of introduction (mostly), but the summaries do contain some information from the whole of the story so far – so beware of spoilers if you’re not caught up to the latest entries yet. There are also a few extras such as homeworld and birth date information that no one has had any reason to mention. Some also have this information still blank for future plot reasons. Hope this helps as a guide; I know that the between-updates times are often long on this story. Even I have trouble remembering things. There are spreadsheets in my notes.



Narrator

Shelvay, Lydia: Human female from Shullia; born 4 ABY

Raised on the holdout Imperial world of Shullia, Lydia Shelvay has never left the isolated region of the Nebula Command. As the daughter of Imperial agent Elena Shelvay and Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne, our narrator has been brought up with a fierce pride in her allegiance to the Empire. As the child of a world that is clearly not the bright center of the universe, she also has an uneasy sense of how little influence the remnants of the Empire really wield in a galaxy dominated by the New Republic.

However, Lydia has thrown in her lot with the mysterious Second Imperium. Guided by a mentor’s reference to an organization that offers her an education and career as a technology specialist for their Imperial Security Bureau, she hopes to find something a little more challenging than the prospects back home. Unfortunately for her, our narrator has connections to more dangerous secrets than she can imagine.



Day 15- Day 20

Barrett, Inder: Anzati male from Anzat; born about 600-700 BBY

Cranky, mistrustful, and often lost in a world of his own, Inder Barrett is nonetheless one of the most trusted pilots contracted to work for the Second Imperium. Beggars can’t be choosers, and the Empire no longer can afford to only employ Carida-trained cadets. That’s where former fringers like Barrett come in; in his case, flying a beat-up shuttle named the Draigon. He’s not particularly keen on dealing with passengers, but tolerates them for the sake of the job.

Bramer, Xenon: Human male from Prakith; born 2 ABY

Bramer is one of the classmates that Lydia meets on the Draigon. Though he has a strong dedication to the Second Imperium, he also expresses a certain amount of cynicism about some of its citizens. Bramer is traveling on the Draigon as part of an assignment for his studies as an ISB Internal Security specialist – with a minor in Technology in his not-so-copious spare time. As the senior of the three techies in the crew, Bramer is their leader on missions. He is always on the alert, particularly when traveling planetside. Much of Bramer’s past is a mystery, but he certainly made some enemies back at the University.

Droid (unnamed): A rare example of extreme miniaturization in droids, this odd little companion seems to belong to someone on the Draigon and acts as an assistant to the group’s missions. It bears a passing resemblance to some sort of mantis, but its actual model and details are unknown. The droid is extremely agile and fearless, and often jumps on people’s shoulders – great fun for insectophobes. Lydia calls it “Prickly” for its sharp feet and fierce temperament.

Isurus: Human male; born 5 ABY

One of the first missions that Lydia didn’t know she was signing up for involves helping her shipmates retrieve an acquaintance of theirs known as Isurus. After hauling him back to the Draigon’s bacta tanks in miserable condition, Lydia suspects that he may not survive traveling to get more advanced medical help. All our narrator knows about Isurus is that someone seems to have wanted him out of the way, badly.

(Spoilers for Day 23): “Arik” is his preferred name, and he proves to be part of an anti-Imperial group that the fringers Dzidra and Inahki belong to. This naturally leads Lydia to revise her theories as to how and why he ended up with a missing limb and stuffed in one of the Draigon’s bacta tanks. Arik also reveals that he knows about some project on Karkaryss and was apparently once a student there.

Lesedi, Aika: Human female from Ozu; born 2 ABY

Junior Inquisitor Aika Lesedi is one of the handful of Force-sensitive apprentices left in the once galaxy-spanning Inquisitorius. She appears to have a much less volatile temperament than most of her peers. This is less reassuring than it could be, given that Lesedi has detected something peculiar about Lydia. Namely, the Imperial adept is very inquisitive about the hint of Force-sensitivity that the incoming student’s family has tested her for and debunked on multiple occasions. Lesedi is first introduced under the alias of Pelagia Alopex.

Odon, Triaen: Human male

Skilled in the use of exotic weapons, Odon is a student in the Enforcement Operations department at the University of Karkaryss. Rumor has it that he’s not entirely ordinary in that arena, either. He is possibly – or not – related to the Isard family of Imperial Intelligence fame.

Ombyrne, Jarl: Human male from Byss; born 0 BBY

The presence of Inquisitor Ombyrne on the Draigon forms an interesting pattern, given that Aika Lesedi is also a member of this currently-rare and dangerous Force tradition. Ombyrne has a much more typical brute Force approach to life and the accompanying contempt for his “lessers” in the Second Imperium. The rest of the crew do everything possible to stay out of his way.

Zelenus, Tamir: Zelosian male from Letaki; born 3 ABY

Of all Lydia’s new acquaintances, Zelenus is the most outgoing. He’s the only other full-time Tech student and hints that he may be an outsider in the Second Imperium due to his Outer Rim world origins. While that is not what Lydia wants to hear, she appreciates the addition of at least one friendly face to her new life. Zelenus suffers from a miserable reaction to hyperspace travel and is rarely to be seen during transit. He and Bramer are somewhat at odds due to the biology experiments that Zelenus brought onboard. Some people just don’t appreciate algae.



Day 23 – aka Let’s Go on a Fun Camping Trip



Lun, Dzidra: Weequay female from Empress Teta; born 2 ABY

Dzidra is the leader of the unknown group of spacers who broke Arik out of his bacta tank prison. Although she’s quite experienced in the combat department, she’s also a very strong Force-user with the talent of telekinesis. Dzidra briefly held Lydia prisoner in an attempt to locate one of her missing companions. She was last seen defending herself and Arik from a pack of Sithspawn.

(Spoilers for Day 23) Dzidra and Arik escaped; however, Inahki remains injured and unconscious on the Draigon. And the crew of that vessel would be wise not to underestimate how far these conspirators will go to recover their ally.

Sunil, Inahki: Human/Zeltron male from Ciutric IV; born 1 ABY

First seen in the Dachat spaceport by Lydia, whom he attempted to kidnap unsuccessfully. Although she wrote the incident off as a more mundane dangerous incident, it turns out that Inahki seems to have a particular interest in the Draigon’s contents. He and another spacer named Dzidra are attempting to rescue Isurus (known to them as Arik) from some unknown Imperial troubles. Inahki, like Dzidra, reveals that he has powerful Force abilities. His talent runs in strange directions, seeming to involve the use of electricity in some way different from the Dark Side lightning.

(Spoilers for Day 23) As of Lydia’s entry made on Day 26, Inahki has been captured and stored in one of the bacta holding-tanks on the Draigon. However, he fell into a self-induced coma after being posessed by a Sith spirit and telepathically messed with by an Inquisitor.



Day 23 - Nichitelakosti (Sithspawn)

“Hydrospanner”: nichitelakosti female; young adult

One of the creatures who are not at all ghostly. She’s one of the younger and less cunning animals of the group.

Karmazyn, Zarza: Sith/Human female from Ziost//nichetelakosti (sub-personality named Dris)

Ghost of an ancient Sith Lord from the era of the Great Hyperspace War. Possessed and merged personality with her supernaturally long-lived warbeast Dris (a female of the nichitelakosti species, which was a variety of Sithspawn sometimes trained as battle steeds.) Nicknamed “Broken Tusk” by Lydia, based on her nichitelakosti body’s old injury. Her temporary attempt to body-hop into Lydia’s unlucky self has some lasting mental echoes.

Kashar: Sith/Human male from Ziost // nichitelakosti

A Sith-possessed creature. He and Tadi are among the very few such beings in the group. They can speak the Sith language, but do not have Zarza and Qalydon’s comprehension of Basic.

“Pottymouth”: nichitelakosti female

Another young adult pack member. Nicknamed by Lydia for her extensive collection of mimicked curses.

Qalydon: Sith/Human male from Ziost // nichitelakosti

The most powerful of the nichitelakosti/Sith creatures. Before the death of his Sith half, he was a leader in the Great Hyperspace War. Although he’s acknowledged to be in charge of the pack, much of the day-to-day functioning is overseen by Zarza. Qalydon has not adapted as readily to life as a Sithspawn and gets downright cranky about the matter. He attempted to possess Inahki, but was repelled and given a nasty headache for his trouble.

“Shrieker”: nichitelakosti male

Tadi: Sith/Human male from Ziost // nichitelakosti

See Kashar’s profile. There is little detail on these two, except that they act as muscle for the nichitelakosti leaders and usually work in tandem.

 

Apologies for taking so long to review.

YAY! I'm so glad to see this back! I'm glad that Lydia's finally been rescued from Zazra and her creepy pack, though I will confess that I have a certain liking for the Sith-possessed war beast. She's one of the most original characters I've run across lately in either fanfic or profic. Perhaps we'll se more of her later?

Can't wait to see what the future holds for Lydia.

 

Sorry for the late review, it has been a rough couple of months.

Well-written and fascinating as always! I'm glad to see Lydia rescued, and the return of Zelenus and Bramer.

Spoiler

I see in the spoiler notes Zelenus's species - I haven't heard of that species before, sounds really interesting!

I love your ability to find little EU details and work them seamlessly into the story.

 

Tarsier and Raissa, thank you both for your comments. This strange little 'verse is very special to me, and it's the one that is probably the hardest for new readers to get into for many reasons: original characters, longer chapters, EU heavy background. I do try to make it more accessible with the notes and everything, but still -- not everyone has the interest to try it or will like it if they do. So it's great to get feedback and see that someone enjoys reading!

The scene with Zarza and Lesedi conversing was one of the strongest mental pictures that I had for this chapter, so I'm glad that it worked for you in the description. I'm kind of fascinated by the idea of beings from different eras meeting. First contact of a whole different kind from the usual. And the Sith have a lot of potential in that area, thanks to their hangups that require sticking around forever if possible. Lots of generational clashes.

Guinea pig noises were just too strange and funny to leave out once the idea was planted. It seems like many terrifying creatures have some sort of trait or habit that is a little undignified. Like how the lions at the zoo are always sprawled on their backs like lazy housecats.

Always great to see the quotes that you pick. They're very often the parts that were most fun to write! The coral thing surprised me; it was a little spooky. Apparently in the GFFA I would have the Force ability to foretell science that has already happened.

You're in luck. Zarza started as a one-off antagonist, but now that she's been sifting around in the back of my brain for months on end while I worked on the Chapter that Never Ends -- oh yes, there are plans for her. And Lydia, of course.

No problem; I'm always late replying too! I always wait a couple of weeks just so everyone has time to read/comment if they wish, but then sometimes I neglect to answer for... oh, you know. Months on end. *sigh*

Glad that the resolution of their horrible camping trip worked for you. Working in Zelenus and Bramer was fun, since I got to let the three of them work together as a unit for (nearly) the first time on something like this. The species you mentioned is one that I always thought sounded interesting from the EU. All kinds of potential.

 

There will be lots of spam editing of this comment, unless you add a new chapter in the meantime.

41 AE, Month 1, Day 15:

I am not sure if this is a normal comment, but my first association upon reading this entry was Nazi weddings and similar outlandish customs from WWII. People blissfully ignorant of what the system they were brainwashed into supporting is doing are leading their normal lives, with a bloodbath basically going on the next door. The contrast between Elena, with - as we say here - so much butter on her head, taking care of her child and the horrors of war is...striking. And then, the adolescent Lydia goes from one subject to the other without a single mention of the war, just propaganda...brilliant!

And it's sad to read of Elena's passing, her whole life seems to have been an anomaly.


41 AE, Month 1, Day 17:

“What the the Emperor’s gray and ghostly underpants are you doin’ to my ship, girl?”

I would pay mucho credits NOT to see the Emperor in his négligée.

And then, boom, "pop music can be a terrible weapon" and a child of a brainwashed mother reflects on what she thinks is brainwashing. Brilliant.

 

Okay, I finally got started on this and I fell in love with it, so my plan tonight is to read more Now, because I'm not like Ewok Poet to write one massive review I'll start with what I already read and add more as I go along.

Entry 1: That wonderful mother-and-daughter moment with the bug was a great way to introduce Lydia and make her a truly endearing character, but the chapter also made me quite curious about her mother. I suspect that Lydia will find out some things she never knew about her mother in the course of her life of a proper Imperial world. (Okay, I guess I also need to read your 2015 DDC, but all in due time.)

Entries 2-3: I laughed my socks off from the first to the last sentence. You gave Lydia a fantastic sense of humour and a really distinctive voice. And while Captain Barrett is hilarious with all his quirks, I'm pretty sure he's not only that absent-minded loon, and the description of how decrepit his shuttle has become is an interesting indication of what things are like for the Empire at the moment.

Entry 4: Another priceless scene in the market with Zelenus and Bramer I imagine we'll be seeing more of them? Zelenus may be the prankster-in-chief, but I have no doubt that there's more to him than meets the eye.

Entry 5: What the Emperor's grey and ghostly pants is going on? Imperial Force-sensitives and a thrashing by an Inquisitor that doubles as a training exercise? I don't think this is what Lydia had in mind when she signed up for the trip and for the university, and it looks like her studies are going to be different from what she expected!

Off to read entries 6 sqq now, and I'll be back!

 

Okay, it's been more than ten days since my first review, so I think I can double-post. I finished reading this and I am completely, completely hooked. In fact I'm happy I came to this story late, because I got to read a huge chunk of the Chapter That Never Ends in one go. I'll repeat what I said before about Lydia's sense of humour -- there are truly hilarious passages, or even just sentences, in every single entry -- but what really got me was your world-building (!!!!) The ancient Sith and their war beasts are simply amazing and deserve their own entry, not on the Fanon Thread but on Wookieepedia, and the way you set them up against the new Sith wannabes (Inquisitors? pffff!) is captivating. There are just too many moments of sheer brilliance in this story for me to list them all, so I'll just mention the element that really stood out for me: your description of how, with time, Zarza merges with Dris, and how her memories acquire this animal-like quality and become disjointed and slightly incoherent. That was just... subtle, moving and spooky all rolled into one!

I'll be eagerly waiting for the next update!

 

Announcement and Replies 5-26-15

Hi! So, at the beginning of the year I said that I wanted to update this every month. That isn't happening and I'm currently struggling desperately to get an outline and more posts in order for my other story Notes for When You Are Older. Focusing my energy on writing has never been easy and I've decided that for now, and until I have Notes completed, I'm going to put this story on hiatus.

The current plan goes like this:
1. Outline, write, finish Notes.
2. Write some of the short stories that are cluttering my muse (many of them taking place in the Unquiet Waters 'verse, the same one as this story and Notes.)
3. Outline, write, finish Kibble.

It's not the best plan for maintaining interest or having people remember what was going on and I realize that. Unfortunately, it's the best I can think of to ensure getting anything done. I am planning to make some reader guides for Kibble like the one currently posted in the Notes thread -- character lists, timelines, etc.

If you're looking for more of something similar to Kibble and haven't read it yet, you may enjoy Notes -- it's set in the same series and tells about Lydia's childhood through Elena's eyes.

http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...-kid-elena-shelvay-ddc-2015-new-5-4.50026184/

Ewok Poet

There's definitely an element of unreality about Lydia's childhood on Shullia. So actually, it makes a lot of sense that you would think of those associations. Though to be fair, it's nearly the whole world and not just her family. People wanted to forget about the Galactic Civil War -- and having the nebula there, they were kind of able to. Though there's not an active bloodbath in the Nebula Command at the point in time when that flashback happens, there's a lot of history both within and outside that region that isn't taught very accurately. As we can guess from Lydia's comments here and there.

The more I develop her character, the more I wish it made sense to have Elena re-appear somehow. Alas, I think that will have to be reserved for AU versions. The fact that I would consider making an AU of my fanfic... It's the progression of the disease, I tell you.

Me too! There are some sights not meant for our mortal eyes.

Heh. I think that one was actually an accident, but you're right. It's a strange irony, as many things are in this series.

Chyntuck, thank you so much for the comments! I was going to reply to them tonight and have this post be complete, but I've run out of time. Will try to do so tomorrow.

 

More announcements, replies for Chyntuck, some additional notes

Since I’m putting this on hiatus for a while but do intend to come back to it, I intend to make a reference post like the one that is currently in the Notes thread. It will have character lists and other resources. One thing that I think may be useful for readers when this starts up again is an index of chapters with short summaries of the events. Would anyone here use that?

In other news, I’ve just recently uploaded all the existing chapters of Shark Kibble to the AO3 archive. If you want this story in an uncluttered and reading device-friendly format, here you go. The earlier chapters have some additional notes as well.

Download links, since that is the format that I've been told to use in other threads:

MOBI: http://archiveofourown.org/download...Kibble The Datapad.mobi?updated_at=1432615227

EPUB:
http://archiveofourown.org/download...Kibble The Datapad.epub?updated_at=1432615227

PDF:
http://archiveofourown.org/download... Kibble The Datapad.pdf?updated_at=1432615227

HTML:
http://archiveofourown.org/download...Kibble The Datapad.html?updated_at=1432615227


Chyntuck

Okay, again, thanks very much for the comments. I’m really glad you enjoyed reading this.

Thanks! And since this is going on hiatus until I can focus on it again (the woe of too many projects and not enough focus ), you’ll probably have lots of time to check out some of Elena’s POV in Notes if you’re inclined. But yes, we’ll definitely see Lydia’s mother’s past resurface in future Kibble entries. A lot of what she’s doing is influenced by that still-raw loss, and Elena’s life was even more strange than Lydia knows. This being Star Wars, many things are hidden in the past but they all tend to come back around sooner or later...

Since you’ve already made it to the end, it’s no spoiler to say that you’re right. There’s a lot going on with Barrett that doesn’t meet the eye on first impressions. Thanks re: the humor; it’s one of the aspects that I really enjoy about writing from Lydia’s perspective.

Oh yes, definitely! Those two, along with Lesedi, Odon, and some OC’s that we have yet to meet, will be major supporting characters.

Yes, the “where did I sign up for THIS” reaction is definitely a big part of Lydia’s experiences at this point in time. There was absolutely nothing about Inquisitors, Sithspawn, or any of that on the brochure! It is going to be quite a test -- and there are consequences for success or failure, more profound ones than she understands yet.

Thanks! Having done many a happy fanfic-reading splurge in the past, I’m happy to have provided.

Yay, because world-building is something that I cannot seem to stop doing! No really, “Excessive Worldbuilding with Obscure EU Trivia” is in the genre notes for a reason. Exploring unseen corners of the galaxy is something that I really love to do, whether in reading others’ writing or in making my own stories.

Well, there is a fanon Star Wars wiki. But it’s kind of messy and I’ve never been sure enough of how it works to do anything there. I would definitely like to do a Fanon Thread post, though I won’t promise it any time soon. (Side note: Anybody who wants to use the Sith history fanon and/or the creatures, is welcome. Please let me know so that I can fangirl over the appearance. )

Aww, thanks! The “were-Sith” were one of the elements that surprised me in how much they developed once they were on the page. As I’ve said in earlier replies, they’re definitely going to make a reappearance. There were a lot of influences that went into making that strange merging of Sith and warbeast, and I’m pretty sure that I haven’t even identified them all. Were-creatures, of course, and it’s kind of a reversal on the berserker idea -- instead of the human being taking on the animal aspect (though that’s there too in Zarza’s earlier affinity for bonding with the Sithspawn), it’s happened the other way around. Except, which is the more monstrous -- a Sith or a Sithspawn?

Sorry that it’s probably going to be a while. I’d love to be able to write on this as fast as I imagine it. However, on the bright side the other projects that are currently heading the line-up are also in the same universe -- Notes and the short stories that I want to write after I’ve finished with Notes. I think having those out will actually make the reading experience of Kibble that much richer once it’s running again. That’s the plan.

Other

Since this bit of detail on some characters’ names is now in the notes on AO3, I thought that I would crosspost it here as well. It's a list of names and aliases that have something in common...

Deliya Heringshai (Lydia's fake name) - surname taken from the German name for the porbeagle shark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porbeagle)

Pelagia Alopex (Lesedi's alias) - from Alopias pelagicus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagic_thresher)

Triaen Odon - from Triaenodon obesus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitetip_reef_shark)

Isurus (Arik's alias) - from the genus name of mako sharks
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isurus)

Yet another note, this time on Arik's name: He used to be a Laric, before I realized that having two "L" first names between him and Lydia was going to bother me forever. They're not long-lost twins, after all. So I changed it to Arik after some thought.

My use of that particular spelling for Arik's name may well have been inspired by my reading of ladyofdarkstar's story Perspective (available on Fanfiction.net if you search; I don't know that it would meet the TOS here thanks to violence and sexual content.) Though I normally don't bother about using a name that's used elsewhere -- there is, for example, a story with a character named Lesedi that I had definitely never seen before writing Aika's character with that surname -- in this case and since I had actually read Perspective before picking the name, I did PM ladyofdarkstar about it and ask. She said she was okay with it and so I've kept the name as-is.

(Do check out Perspective if you're interested in Thrawn and the Zahn trilogy era; it's a very interesting story. It's very dark and emotionally challenging, but excellently written.)