Stranger in a Strange Land - Part 7 - Our Time Has Come - UPDATE 5/2 - Chapter 16

Yeah, like everyone said, a very sweet post, and with none of the artifical sweetness of saccarine tablets.

Hmmm, its sad to see Pellaeon start to go, but he is getting on in his years. I think of all the Imperial officers, from the movies or the EU, he was definitely one of my favorite. He certainly has had the most intersting character development of any of them.

Super duper post, Whiskey! UP!!

 

Jaxx: Well, Dalan seems to have handled the whole teenager phase of raising a daughter quite well...for now

Casper: Dalan: Remember, Shon...no later than midnight, or I come looking for you.

Mouse: It's fun writing from that point of view, I must admit.

Rok: There's some debate as to Pellaeon's age, though from the source I used (Timetale), he was born on Coruscant close to 60 years before ANH. That makes him quite the old fart, IMHO. How has he lived this long? I'd say the preservatives in the Imperial ration packs helped, but who can really say?

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So I guess everyone's seen it, though many still don't believe it. I myself am still trying to take in the spectacle I saw only yesterday.

It was reassuring to hear George W say that the space program would continue in spite of this tragedy. Space travel is still a risky business, no matter how routine the missions had become since Challenger.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost.

Ugh...and this post does little to cheer people up...

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?Trouble sleeping??

Dalan knew he wasn?t alone the moment he returned to the observation deck; his whiskers had deduced that much. He was more surprised that not only was the voice familiar, but that he too would be up this late after such a full day.

The tiger heard the figure rise from his seat and move towards him, yet Dalan kept his eyes fixed on the starscape just beyond the confines of the ship?s hull. ?I hear them too, you know,? spoke Gilad Pellaeon?s voice as he joined the tiger before the scene. ?The voices in the night. Echoes of past battles.?

?My echoes grow louder with each passing day,? said Dalan softly. ?A memory of a time I thought I?d forgotten seems bent on robbing me of sleep since I left Naboo.? He inhaled and sighed. ?Perhaps it?s the change in atmosphere?I never was too fond of sleeping aboard a starship?even one this size.?

?What are your dreams about?? asked Gilad. Dalan reached into a shirt pocket and withdrew what looked like a small holo-display device. The tiger activated it and within a moment, the image of?of all things?a flower?appeared. ?This is it??

?It is known as the Flower of Life,? began Dalan. ?A harmless plant of unknown origins, but can grow just about anywhere. Of course, favourable climates always produce more of them as with any crop.? Dalan deactivated the projector. ?I made this recreation a few nights ago to see if it would help my dreams grow more coherent. No luck.?

?You both admire and loathe that flower,? commented Gilad. ?Why??

?By itself,? replied Dalan, ?the flower is harmless; it?s petals make for a powerful narcotic hallucinogen if consumed?much like other flowers I?ve seen. But the seeds are another story. They produce a form of bio-energy the likes of which no other plant or animal in two galaxies can duplicate. One seed, properly germinated, can either grow into yet another flower, or power all Coruscant for a year or more.?

?By the Eternal,? gasped Gilad.

?The Flower of Life existed on only one world once,? said Dalan. ?Until a race known only as the Masters visited it. So greedy were they for the power this plant possessed, they harvested all they could carry and burned the rest, driving the natives of that world into a bloodlust so passionate, it became their very existence.?

Gilad noted the quiver in Dalan?s voice, and his hands, which shook slightly as he recounted this. All he?d heard of the tiger?s fearless reputation seemed distant now as he beheld this being before him, who was becoming more mortal with each passing moment.

?They were insane,? said Dalan. ?As the Masters tried to raise new crops on different worlds, they would strike, ensuring that nothing of a planet?s populace remained, be they innocent or willing participants. They made no compromises, nor did they show any amount of compassion. The enemy was simply that: The enemy?nothing more, nothing less.?

?

 

Well, it is certainly a bittersweet moment for Dalan and more so Gilad.

That was a very nice post, Whiskey. I wonder what's the status of the flower now. Hopefully it was all destroyed. It's a refreshing post when someone sits to contemplate their past.

good job

 

Agree. Sometimes folks are proud of their accomplishments, sometimes they're not. The latter seems true when you are slowly dying.

But one wonders if Gil would be tempted if the flower was before him. Perhaps it had more than just the power Dalan describe. Who knows.

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Space is still both a theoritical practice and a great risk the very moment someone takes the first step upon entering a spacecraft, from Mercury to Beyond. Like everything else in life and anything else in history you can spend the bucks, you can have the brains that think of every little thing, and you can have the experience of years behind an idea; be it spaceflight or anything else, anything can happen 'on any given Sunday' as the old saying goes. It's one of the reasons why we won't stop going, stop exploring, because when there is a dark cloud you never known how many silver linings there are beyond it. To stop is to fail. We will not fail. FORWARD we shall proceed, for the awards are still far greater than the risk.

 

Booyah, well put Casper!

And a very deep, touching post, Whiskey. I really liked more of the background on Dalan's life with the Masters and the Flower of Life. The Universe is truly so unimaginably huge, the possibilities so great, that there are a myriad of wonderful stories and adventures to consider.

But I can only wonder, as Jaxx does, on whether or not the Flower of Life may have some further role in this story? ? I eagerly await to find out!

 

I love learning more about Dalan's life before he came to the galaxy far, far away. I can see why he would want to tell someone like Gil about his experience with the Flower other then someone closer to him. It's one of those things that others may not understand unless they've been through the same sort of thing.

A fabulous post Whiskey!

 

forward!

 

FORWARD!

LOL, this is a bit late but I loved what the Mascots of the NHL teams did at the All Star Game. Hehehehehe. Tongue anyone?

 

Sadly, I did not see it. Can anyone fill me in?

 

Remember when Craig MacTavish, coach of the Edmonton Oilers, ripped the tongue out of the Calagary Flames mascot? I posted that here last week. The poor mascot had his tongue hanging out and leaned over the glass to glare at MacTavish. The former goon just reached up and yanked the dern thing out.

Anyways, during the All Star Game, the mascots got together and every single one of them had their tongues hanging out and they hovered over the Western Conference Stars bench. There had to be like a dozen mascots there, and both the fans and the players laughed it up.

 

I saw that

Well, if one team can have squid, I guess Calgary can have tongues. Wonder if they'll invent the 2nd Intermission tongue toss every time Edmonton's in town.

 

Glad you liked the last post, in spite of how depressing it may have sounded. Guess my timing kinda sucks.

Anyway, I'm glad you all liked the interaction between Dalan and Pellaeon. I see Gil as a noble soul who did what he thought was right throughout his career as an Imperial officer. To him it wasn't eliminating so-called Rebel scum, it was preserving his people's way of life.

He also knows a good ally when he sees one, and the Republic was a big help against the Yuuzhan Vong (my impression, anyway). Of course, he sees Borsky acting the way he is, and I figure that his character type would not allow him to be mentioned in the same sentence as our Bothan friend.

As for the Flower of Life, that's gonna become real important real soon. Any Robotech fans out there should have guessed by now just who Dalan was referring to in his discussion with Gil.

But, now for more story.

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Next morning, the Tiger?s Paw was hovered out to the main hangar deck of the Chimaera. The moment the landing skids hit the deck, the hangar crew set to work, running diagnostics on the ship?s flight systems, topping up her fuel, and ensuring all was in good working order. This request for a complete ship check had come from Pellaeon himself, citing that a good host always made sure their guests got home safely.

Dalan and Triel entered the hangar bay about an hour after their ship had been placed there. The tiger stifled a chuckle as he noted one crewman hovering above the nose of the Tiger?s Paw, a squeegee in one hand and some kind of spray bottle in the other. He seemed to be inspecting the cockpit windows for any smudges or places he?d missed.

?Think they topped up the washer fluid?? asked Triel with a wry smile.

?I?d like to know if they got that smell outta the provision hold,? muttered Dalan with a chup. Food aboard the ship currently consisted of little more than a few ration packs and whatever energy bars Dalan was able to cook up. Normally, the provisions locker would hold fresh food and drink, but whomever the last owner of this ship was, he/she/it must have left something in there and it had gone bad?real bad.

?Probably for the best, anyway,? said the younger. You?d just fill it with all that healthy junk and get me to eat right.?

?Even Jedi have to fight the battle of the bulge,? said Dalan. ?Look at Kelsen since his return?You could stuff an apple in his mouth, mount him on a spit??

?Ewwww!? Triel?s face scrunched up into a disgusted look. Any thoughts of Marik Kelsen in his current state were enough to make anyone lose their appetite. Perhaps it had been the depression of losing his master, who was now rotting on Myrkyr, or the fact that even his ?friends? had abandoned him upon his return, but in the past two years he had chunked out considerably. He was still the same arrogant fool he?d always been, but it only lasted long enough for someone to mention his no longer being a Padawan. In truth, Triel and the other rogue talents nearly pitied him now. However, while forgiveness was a vital part of Jedi training, forgetting all Marik had done to the new Jedi students would never happen.

?Ah, Ambassador, Ms. Davenport,? said Pellaeon as he strode up behind them. ?I trust you slept well.?

?Very well, thank you,? said Dalan, catching the double meaning. ?It would seem that the rumours about Imperial beds are false. I?ll have to tell General Antilles next time I see him.?

The retired Admiral chuckled. ?The rank and file would help substantiate the rumours, I fear. Anyway, your ship has been prepared?by the way, did you know about your provisions locker??

?Any casualties??

?They had to call in a stormtrooper to spray it out,? admitted the Admiral with a wry smile, ?but you should be able to use it now.?

?My thanks,? said Dalan, shaking the Admiral?s hand. ?My offer still stands, Gil,? he said quietly. ?Naboo has many places where even you could disappear for a while. We would be hon

 

Weekend UP...date!

 

LOLOL!!! That was awesome! LOVED the reference to American Idol!! Oh man, that was great!

And I already forgot the name of the first one, Kelly somebody...

Oh man. *sigh* That was such a kick-butt post.

 

Kelly Clarkston, Jaxx, and I only remember because Simon still doesn't like her. Now as her Producer, he knows that all the more now.

In Detroit, it's the Octopus; the eight arms representing the eight games needed to win the Stanley Cup during the Original Six era. Tongue? WHY NOT! They sell cow tongue in Canada! A pound of that stuff is like the size of a football!

POST: Hehehehe. Well, Whisper's gotta point. Either it's the blood stains that drove her to such bad vices or it was when she got to Dalan's underwear.

FORWARD!

 

SKID MARKS!

 

You guys are SICK!

 

So even the GFFA has gotten invaded with reality shows!

A fabulous post Whiskey! Again I love the banter between Dalan and Triel. But she hasn't had to clean those bloody clothes for awhile now, she should be happy about that!

 

Giving this a hefty push to the top... with authority

SKID MARKS!!

 

While Jaxx and Casper check their underoos for cakes ...

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About an hour after making the jump, the Tiger?s Paw suddenly decelerated sharply, making both pilots feel thankful that they had installed restraints into their seats.

?What the smeck is that all about?? asked Triel, trying to discern their location.

?All systems check out,? said Dalan, running a quick check on the hyperdrive system. ?It?s almost like we were yanked out by something, though.?

?Impossible,? said Triel. ?The only thing that could pull it off would be an Interdictor or?uh oh??

?What is it??

?We?ve got company.?

Dalan?s targeting sensors suddenly came alive with activity. The Command Multiview Display before him showed the nearest hostile target to be a misshapen object, almost like a small asteroid, but definitely moving towards them at high speed. ?A coralskipper,? said Dalan, recalling what he?d learned of Yuuzhan Vong ships. ?Just one of those couldn?t?aw, crud.?

The tiger looked out his port side and swallowed hard. Just about 10 kilometres away, he could see a much larger version of the ship now bearing down upon him, two of its Dovin Basals beginning to retract after having projected a gravity well. He had no idea what classification it was, though he was thankful it was not one of the infamous worldships about which he?d read.

?Shields at 200,? reported Triel. ?Guns to defensive mode. Avatars responding.?

Dalan threw the Tiger?s Paw back into normal drive and began to move. He could hear the ship?s upper and lower gun turrets begin to fire as others soon joined the first coralskipper. He felt somewhat relieved that the Avatars ? AI programs designed to fire the turrets when needed ? were working well.

As well as the laser batteries above and below the hull, this YT-2000 also packed a fixed forward cannon, and a slightly modified warhead launcher. It was modified in that it didn?t carry any of the standard warheads used by the Republic or Empire, but rather a little treat the tiger had cooked up on Naboo. He still had a handful of working reflex missiles aboard his Valkyrie, and had modified a dozen of them to fit in the warhead launchers of this ship.

Now, it seemed he would finally have a chance to use them.

?Two bandits at 7.2 degrees,? said Triel, doing her best to keep her calm as the freighter steered to meet the oncoming threat. The Avatars had already sighted one of the coralskippers in and were blasting it with everything they had. Dalan soon followed suit with the forward gun and slowly reduced the Vong fighter to flotsam, the pilot turned to ground meat by the sudden decompression. The tiger then sighted in the second one and took the Avatars offline for a moment, placing all guns in the forward firing position. Another Vong soul was sent to the afterlife.

Suddenly, the ship heaved and was physically set into a spin by an impact. Once Dalan righted the ship, he noticed that the ship?s shields were down to 124%. Gods, those plasma blasts were nasty. ?That cruiser?s got us locked,? said the tiger. ?And we can?t leave until it?s taken out.?

?How good are those new missiles you put in this crate?? asked Triel. Another coralskipper shattered under the ship?s laser fire.

?Now?s as good a time as any to find out,? replied Dalan. ?How many more fighters??

?Um?two,? said Triel. ?They?re coming in at point 3?right behind us.?

?Dummies. Avatars online.? The cannons immediately swung aft and sprayed scarlet fire on the two approaching fighters. Within moments they were both reduced to rubble?as dead in space as their pilots. ?Ok, now for the big guy.?

?Missiles armed,? said Triel, hoping that these new projectiles would do the trick. She?d heard of their destructive power years ago, learning of how only three of them brought down the very same bulk freighter that had shot down the Nubian Hope. She only hoped they would have the same effect on Yorik Coral as durasteel.

The ship sh

 

Upping this thread like a responsible owner would...

 

OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I got cake!

Now that was interesting; the Vong were right there to pull them out. It could be a happenstance. Maybe not.

Still that was a good post.

SSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDD!!!!

 

Ooooooohh!! Wicked post!

Hmmmmmm... Something is going on that we're not seeing. Either that or it's me looking into things...

More please Whiskey!

 

Sweeeeeeeet! More wicked space battle action! Oh bliss! ^_^

Wow, great action post, Whiskey, you shine brightly there as always. And with regards to the last post, I 'll echo everyone else: great banter between father and daughter, you really make some great chemistry with those two!

Oh cripes, not only caught by a Yuuzhan Vong raiding party, but now heading off to parts unknown! Can't wait to find out what's waiting for them on the other side!

 

Awesome story! Wow, I"m loving this! I can't wait to learn more about the Masters! And poor Shon's in for the shock of his life when he runs into his father.

This has all the makings for another excellent adventure, and with Han & Lando in it (a quality Han & Lando, that is) it will be all better!

Whiskey, I really love what you've done with The Drunken Gungan. That's one incredible site you have!