Before - Legends The Blue Side of the Force: Book I- Complements (6/14 -An unknown planet and an ACTUAL NEW CHAPTER)

?I really hate it when Jedi say that.? Carth scowled slightly. ?You can?t contradict it.?

Ha!

?You?re a regular thief, Aiden Star.?

?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?

Oh, that is hilarious.

Great update!

 

Bastila and Sasha were pretty cute, actually. Very sweet, there. Jolee's analogy was spot-on, and hmm. Bacca's Blade. Might be something to look for...

Loved the subtle mind trick on the guard! Very cool, DWH. And yeah, that sounds like a nasty place to work...

 

I am SO sorry- how did I miss two updates? HOW?

My deepest, most sincere apologies...

Anyway, this story is still as loveable as ever. I especially enjoyed the Bastila/Sasha interactions, and I want Carth and Leiraya to dance together, dang it! Jolee and Leiraya are also so compatible- I never thought of that before...

Great, as usual!

 

?Maybe a little,? Bastila admitted. ?Did I scare you??

Sasha looked deviantly at Bastila and smiled. ?Maybe a little.?

Oh, Force, the girl has a streak of snark in her. Wonderful. ?You?re a fast learner.?
Hee, I really liked the Sasha/Bastila exchange. I liked how you tied it in to her missing her father too.

I liked Jolee's analogy too.


?One of those Force things??

?Yeah, something like that.?

?I really hate it when Jedi say that.? Carth scowled slightly. ?You can?t contradict it.? I loved this line.

 

First off, I'm very very very happy to see an update (updateroo dannce of joy!) and secondly the Blue Side Drabbles are great! You rock, DWH!

On Sasha's streak of snark--try saying that one aloud and not having anything fall out of your nose.

Cute exchange!
I need that kid in my house.

Bastila pondered this for a moment, sitting up and eyeing the girl carefully. ?Well, we can always use an extra hand keeping the ship clean. After all,? she leaned in conspiratorially, ?the men tend to smell the place up considerably.?

Sasha giggled. ?I can help with the smelly.? She hopped down off the crate and grabbed Bastila?s hand. ?Come on, show me how.?

Rock on! Leiraya's boycott snagged her a mighty cool cane! Power to the people!

?A little better than just that, seeing as we have a bit of time here,? Jolee took the branch back and pulled a knife out of his pocket. ?Nothin? fancy, mind you, and if money were worth anything down here I might charge it. But anyone willing to boycott the scum that comprises Czerka is all right in my book.?

I love that Hippie Jedi chick. She covers the evils of slavery AND the environment in the same breath. Damn, I think you're writing my sister. Are you following my sister around? She's an organic farmer...

Now that's some high quality name-callin':
?Buncha low-life tree-chopping, Wookiee-grabbing sons of schuttas.?


Oh nooooo...
Great chat about homesickness. ?I?m looking for someone,? she stated simply. ?So if you happen to see another Corellian Jedi, male, real tall, ?bout my age, send him in my direction, will you??

As always your characterization of Carth is top-notch!! Of course I always see him as Charlie Brown.


You should probably never tell strangers this kind of information:

?So what would happen if the shield went down??

The guard shrugged. ?I guess we?d be chased out of here.?

That was great solution to the problem at hand. Run Scientists! Run!


I loved this last line:

"You?re a regular thief, Aiden Star.?

?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?


A wonderful update, through and through.
BRAVO!!!!

 

?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?

That should be adopted as a Jedi motto. I liked the bit where Leiraya thinks of what her family would say about her present company. It's not like you have the luxury of choosing the mostly saintly friends in the middle of a war. I think in her own way she knows that and isn't embarassed by it.

 

princess_of_naboo: Aiden's a regular comedian. I hear when he finishes his work with Blue Side he's going to make a circuit of comedy clubs in the Chicago area.

Striker: Bastila's not entirely as bad with kids as she thinks. Sometimes you have to be forced to spend time with kids before you realize you actually like them. *cough*summercamp*cough*

kotorchick: I'd kinda wondered where you'd gone, but now you're back! And there was much rejoicing. And I've been looking forward to writing Jolee and Leiraya together for almost a year now, which is borderline frightening when I think about how long I've been working on this story...

LiO: I'm having a blast writing everything involving Sasha. The game totally glossed over that whole plot line, and I think Bastila needs to get in touch with her slightly more motherly side. Glad you enjoyed!

oqi: Sasha has become much easier to write after having spent the last month teaching kids her age how to program computers. And it's fun, too. We just can't let the kids know how cute they are, lest it go to their heads.

And following your sister? Nah, I only write what's around me. Which doesn't happen to be hippies at this moment, but what can I say? I draw my inspiration from my schoolmates.

JadeSolo: I think the "Jedi on a budget" line is going down in my list of Fanfic Quotables, right after "It's not stealing, it's unauthorized borrowing!" I seem to have a knack for quotes about theft, which is ironic because I'm still mad at whoever it was that stole my bicycle.

Thanks to all for reading, and hopefully I'll have a new chapter faster this time!

DWH

 

as usual, a fantastic update!
i rather enjoyed the bastila/sasha scene. i've always thought she was a fascinating character with a lot of potential, and you show that in your writing of her. i bet she'd make a good mother!
you have a real talent for making a big ensemble cast work for your story, and to me, this just gets better as it goes. keep up the fantastic work and best of luck in the awards!
i know you have my votes!

 

?Are you sad?? the young girl inquired.
?Maybe a little,? Bastila admitted. ?Did I scare you??
Sasha looked deviantly at Bastila and smiled. ?Maybe a little.?
Oh, Force, the girl has a streak of snark in her. Wonderful.

I like Sasha. She seems to bring out the cute, parental side of everyone on board the Ebon Hawk.

?It?s hard to explain,? she leaned back against the wall. ?My Masters... they?ve given me so much responsibility. I don?t even know how it happened. I didn?t try to be a hero, it just sort of happened. ?Go capture Revan,? they told me. Such a fine job I did of it.?

I like seeing this more vulnerable side of Bastila.

Also loved Jolee's analogy, and Aiden's way of running the Czerka scientists off.

?You?re a regular thief, Aiden Star.?
?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?

Priceless.

 

Ahhh, I just love these lines:

?You?re a regular thief, Aiden Star.?

?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?

Yeah, that's what my Jedi in KOTOR was like. I never had to buy any armours and swords, and at the end of the game, I end up with lot of credits.

And Aiden is smart. I don't think he even used any Force mind tricks on that guard, did he?

 

Sasha was really adorable.

?We should go back and raid their camp later. Bet they left some nice gear behind.?

?You?re a regular thief, Aiden Star.?

?I like to consider myself a Jedi on a budget.?
- I'm in the concensus on how funny that was.

Glad to see your continuing onward DWH

 

Could you add me to the PM list, please?

 

Wait...wait...WAIT!!!!! You mean there's no more? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

This is really good. I'm not going to go into all the details I like best, because there are too many of them, but your characters are great.

One thing I've never understood is the Jedi Enclave idea. Is this before they went to Coruscant, or is this just an alternate route for the Jedi?

Could you add me to the PM list?

 

obi_webb: Thanks! I enjoy writing Bastila being something other than bossy and snooty, and I really enjoy the little kid dynamic. Glad you enjoyed.

JoE: Sasha was way underused in the game. I think she's fun.

Crazydan: You're right, he really didn't. He's just wily. Very, very wily.

c_ale: And I'm glad you're being patient about my slooooowness of updating. Thanks for reading!

Handmaiden_Azul: Of course! Consider yourself added to the PM List of d00m.

Rogue_Pilot: Yeah.... okay, so there's more coming. I promise. As for the Jedi Enclave, there's the main Jedi Council on Coruscant, but there's a few smaller Enclaves elsewhere. Canonically, Dantooine is mentioned, and Corellia's ornery enough that I can't imagine they wouldn't have their own, too, so I gave them one. There may be more, but those two are relevant to my story. Anyhow, thanks for reading, and I'll definitely add you to the PM list.

All right. The end of my summer got crazy, and then I got back to school. I really can't promise frequent updates anymore, since it's my senior year of college and not only do I have a lot of class work to do, but I just set up a carreer advising appointment because, oh yeah, I want a job after I graduate.

I've not yet hammered out all of Chapter 19, though it is started and completely outlined. But, since it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I give you Chapter 14, translated into Pirate (with many thanks to KOTOR Fan Media for translating the entire site for the day).

Chapter 14, and a bucket o' chum!

?Stowaway?? Bastila blinked twice and shook ?er head. ?What do ye mean, stowaway??

?I mean,? Juhani said with a hint o? impatience, ?that there is an intruder onboard. Fire the cannons! I think there has been since we left Dantooine. And hoist the mainsail! Someone?s been eatin? th? emergency chow supplies, and I keep hearin? noises.?

Bastila looked o?er Juhani?s shoulder, then back at ?er. ?Come on.?

The two women made their way back t? th? cargo hold where, sure enough, th? seal on th? emergency supplies had been broken. And swab the deck! ?Who do ye think could have done this??

?I dern?t know,? Juhani shrugged. ?Whoever it is must be very good at hidin?.?

?Camouflage?? Bastila mused out loud. Fire the cannons! ?If I were tryin? t? hide on a spaceship, what would I try t? look like??

?Well, whoever it is did not choose t? hide in th? storage containers. I already checked them.?

Bastila peered aroun? th? room and started t? softly walk towards th? supply shelves. And swab the deck! At th? bottom were several stacks o? blankets piled rather sloppily. Reachin? out, she pulled th? top blanket away-

-revealin? a young lass, no older than nine years auld.

?Nay jurkadir!? she almost shrieked, and Bastila backpedaled in shock. Yaaarrrrr!

?What is she sayin??? Juhani asked.
Walk the plank, I?ll warrant ye!
?I wouldn?t be th? one t? know,? Bastila replied, and turned back t? th? lass, speakin? slowly. And swab the deck! ?We aren?t goin? t? hurt ye.?

?Jetii? Ahoy! Dar?jetti?? The lass?s eyes were wide with fright, and she pointed at Bastila?s lightsaber, swingin? from ?er belt.

?It?s a lightsaber,? Bastila enunciated. ?I?m not goin? t? hurt ye. What are ye doin? here??

?Tion verd??

Bastila stood up straight and rubbed ?er eyes. ?I have no idea what she be sayin?, Juhani. Walk the plank, avast! How are we goin? t? deal with this??

Juhani opened ?er mouth t? answer, but before she could, th? voice o? Canderous came behind them. ?Udesil, ad?ika.?

Bastila whirled aroun? in shock. ?Mandalorian? We?ve picked up a Mandalorian child??

?I doubt it,? Canderous looked at th? lass still hidin? beneath th? blankets. ?Her Mando?a is fragmented and somewhat bastardized, so I imagine she were bein? a captive o? Mandalorians fer some time, but she managed t? escape. Ori midala,? he winked at th? lass, to be sure.

?What are ye tellin? ?er?? Bastila eyed th? Mandalorian warrior suspiciously,

 

No problem on the updates, DWH. I know what a nekk DRL can be.

This talk like a pirate day is weird...

Good job on the 'conversion'. Made me smile reading it.

 

I'm disappointed. I'm on a college campus and haven't seen or heard any reference to Talk Like A Pirate Day. For shame.

Great post! Hope DRL lets off of you sometime. I know how it is; college and its many deadlines have a firm grip on me at the moment.

 

Hey, I'll take pirate post over no post! Anything to see Canderous, that scurvey dog.

 

?What is she sayin??? Juhani asked.
Walk the plank, I?ll warrant ye!
?I wouldn?t be th? one t? know,? Bastila replied, and turned back t? th? lass, speakin? slowly. And swab the deck! ?We aren?t goin? t? hurt ye.?



that certainly was a fun read! made me laugh out loud quite a few times!

i hope college is going all right! don't work too hard

 

Shiver me timbers!!!!

 

For some reason, this pirate thing really works for Canderous.

 

Okay, guys. I'm glad you enjoyed your dose of Pirate, but I'm happy to announce that, after all this time, I finally managed to knock Chapter 19 out. And, since I'm on a roll, here's hoping that Chapter 20 won't be far behind.

Chapter 19

Leiraya looked up as Aiden and Carth entered Jolee’s home. “Take care of the evil people?”

“Now, just because they’re affiliated with a large corporation doesn’t make them evil,” Aiden pulled up a chair and plopped himself down.

“Sure, you just keep telling yourself that,” she shrugged easily. “Did you take care of the people associated with evil?”

Aiden considered the merits of debating the nature of evil as it concerned Czerka corporation, and decided that it really wasn’t worth it. “Yes, we took care of them. They’re gone, and I kind of doubt they’re coming back.”

“And without killing them,” Jolee nodded approvingly. “I appreciate when people don’t come back to my house with the sense of blood all over them.”

“Happy to oblige,” Aiden shrugged and smiled.

“And I’m sure he knew he’d never hear the end of it if we actually killed people,” Carth added.

Aiden nodded. “That too.”

“So glad I can be such a good influence,” Leiraya replied with the slightest tinge of sourness.

“Now, as much as I enjoy this banter,” Aiden continued, “What I really want is to find two things: the Star Map, and this madclaw I’m supposed to get rid of so I can get Zaalbar back. I’ve helped you out. It’s your turn.”

“Madclaw?” Jolee echoed. “I think I know who you’re talking about... and Chuundar put you up to this, didn’t he?”

Aiden shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Well... yes. He’s holding one of my crew hostage, and I really don’t want to leave him here.”

“Nor should you,” Jolee agreed. “Chuundar is a vicious beast with no conscience. Which is why, I imagine, he doesn’t mind sending you to kill his own father.”

“His...” Aiden stopped. “His father?”

“I know Freyyr,” he nodded. “Used to talk to him all the time... years ago...” he paused, trying to remember how many years it had actually been since he’d spent any time with the elderly Wookiee. “But he’s as much a victim of this mess as your friend Zaalbar is.”

Aiden paused to consider this. “Okay... so no killing. But if I don’t take care of his ‘madclaw problem,’ then I’m never going to get Zaalbar back without killing Chuundar... and a whole village of Wookiees.... did I mention that the idea of fighting that many Wookiees doesn’t thrill me?”

“There are other ways, son.” Jolee reminded him. “You just have to be more sneaky.”

“Well, do you know where I might find him?”

“I’ll do better than that, I’ll go with you.” Jolee stood and smiled. “I’d like to see Freyyr again, after all.”

Nodding, Aiden stood. “Then let’s get moving. I’d like to take care of this sooner rather than later.”

* * *

Jolee led the trio through the dense forest for several minutes without seeing any living creature. Aiden walked right behind him, and Carth stayed back to make sure Leiraya didn’t fall behind. Her new cane, however, was much better for moving through the outdoors than the crutches had been.

Approaching a clearing, Jolee stopped. “Now, I think this is where he was living, last I checked. Keep your calm, since he won’t recognize you-“

Jolee was cut off when an enraged roar cut through the clearing, and an angry mass of fur and limbs suddenly came running at the group. Aiden started to reach for his lightsaber, but Jolee batted his hand aside and stepped in front of the oncoming Wookiee. “Freyyr! It’s me!” He had to block the Wookiee’s blows, and Aiden tried to help by holding him back with the Force, but Freyyr was strong and angry. “Listen, you furry oaf, don’t you remember me? It’s Jolee, not one of those Czerka schuttas!”

Freyyr faltered for a moment, and Jolee gave him a good solid kick in the gut, knocking him backwards on to the ground. He looked up at Jolee, recognition finally coming to his eyes. “[I am sorry, old friend. It is hard for me to distinguish one human from another.]” Freyyr looked absolutely miserable. “[What a failure I am... too old and useless for my village, and too foolish to know when my friends are the ones coming.]”

“Don’t say that,” Jolee offered a hand to help the fallen Wookiee off the ground. “In fact, we’re here to help. This here is Aiden Star, and he’s friends with Zaalbar.”


Freyyr’s eyes dimmed at this mention. “[Zaalbar... I should have listened to him. I thought he was jealous of his brother. I was the one who drove him away, in favour of Chuundar. And now look at the mess we are in.]”


“Chuundar is a terrible leader,” Aiden agreed. “Isn’t there any way we could overthrow him?”


Freyyr laughed ruefully. “[Only in children’s tales. In the old days, whoever held the blade of Bacca was considered the rightful ruler of the village. But the blade has been lost for centuries, and all we have is the broken handle.]”


“But, if we could find it, he’d be forced to give up his claim on the village, right?” Aiden knew it was a long shot, but it seemed to be the only shot he had, short of destroying the entire village.


“[Well... yes.]” Freyyr’s eyes took on a hopeful light. “[If you could do this, much evil could be stopped.]”


“Well, then that’s what we’ll do.” His voice projected much more confidence than he felt. “We’ll recover the blade, get you back in the village where you belong, and set everything right.”


He could feel Carth’s skeptical gaze, but he kept his air of self-assurance about him. Nodding to the others, he turned and started to leave the clearing. “We’ll be back when we have Bacca’s blade.”


“[I await your return,]” Freyyr nodded. “[May your journey be swift.]”


* * *


“You are perhaps the craziest person I’ve ever met, lad.” Jolee shook his head. “Finding Bacca’s blade in the Shadowlands? You may as well be asking to find your lost shoe in a Tatooine desert.”

“I know, I know.” Aiden sighed heavily. “But it’s all we’ve got, unless we want to overthrow him the hard way. I’m not killing Freyyr, and I’m not leaving Zaalbar here if I can help it.”


“Not to mention Chuundar works for evil people,” Leiraya offered.


“Slavery isn’t something I condone,” Aiden agreed. “And I can’t stand the idea of leaving Kashyyyk in the hands of someone who wants to sell the population to the highest bidder.”


“Well, I don’t know if you’re ever going to find the blade,” Jolee sighed, “but I’ll at least take you to what you came for. It’s in the lower Shadowlands, which is considerably nastier than it is up here. Bigger beasties, less people around to hold them in check.”


Aiden nodded. “Might as well get one thing taken care of.”


“It’s going to be a bit tricky getting down there,” Jolee stopped in front of what looked to be a complete dropoff. It stretched further than any of them could see, and the other side was a considerable distance off.


Aiden looked at the ravine, and looked back at Jolee. “You’re going to tell me we have to cross this.”


“Well, there is a slightly easier way, that Czerka set up. But, being Czerka, it’s impossible to get across if you don’t have all the right codes. I don’t have the codes, nor do I have the patience to wheedle them from someone. They thought that would keep everyone out of the area, but they didn’t count on beings that could climb. Or, more accurately,” he paused and looked up at a collection of vines, “swing.”

“You’re joking,” Carth looked at him incredulously. “We’re supposed to swing all the way across that?”

“No, that’d be stupid,” Jolee shot back. “See those islands strung across? They’re too far apart to jump between them, but swinging across isn’t so bad. You’ve just got to be sure to hang on, is all.”


Leiraya looked skeptically at the chasm. “Jolee, my knee’s doing better, but not that much better.”

Jolee considered this for a moment. “You’re small, someone could carry you.”

“Carry me?” She echoed. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“You have a better idea?” Jolee shrugged. “It’s the only way across, and either you can let someone else help you across, or you can sit here and wait for someone- or something to find you.”

Leiraya grimaced, but nodded tersely. “Fine.”

“All right, then,” Aiden pointed at Jolee. “You first, since you’re the one who knows what he’s doing. Leiraya, Carth, you go in the middle. I’ll bring up the rear, and make sure you two don’t fall.”

“Oh, this is going to be madly entertaining...” Leiraya said under her breath, but made her way closer to the edge. Jolee deftly grabbed one of the kshyy vines and swung across to the first island.

“Here, catch this,” he called, and threw the vine back. Carth grabbed it as it came back, and Jolee swung across to the next island.

Carth looked down at Leiraya. “You ready?”

“Of course not,” she replied easily. “But that’s not likely to change, so we’d best just get moving.”


With one arm he wrapped the vine around his wrist to secure it, and with the other he reached around Leiraya’s waist. Making sure she was hanging on tight, he tugged on the vine. “Hang on...” he lifted his boots from the ground and they swung with a moderate amount of gracefulness to the first island.


“See, was that so bad?” Jolee grinned, tossing the next vine to them.


“Possibly,” Leiraya shot back, gripping her cane tightly. The last thing she needed was to lose it in a seemingly bottomless ravine.


They continued across, Aiden coming in easily behind them, and made it to the other side without incident. Jolee took the last vine from Aiden and hooked it around a tree branch. “We’ll need that for the trip back.”


“Oh Force, we have to do that again?” Leiraya looked helplessly at the old man.


“You have any other ideas of how we’re going to get back?”


“I’m currently developing a theory of how we could fly,” she shot back sourly.


“You let us know how that turns out, lass,” Jolee smiled.


“Hey,” Aiden said distractedly, “Look over here.”


The others walked over to where Aiden was standing, in front of a marker of some sort. “What’s this?”

“It’s a ceremonial fighting ground,” Jolee answered. “Wookiees, when they come of age, come down here to fight the Great Beast.”

“Do any of them ever succeed?” Aiden looked warily about the area.

“Of course not. This monster’s been here for centuries, they merely wish to say they faced the beast and made it out to tell the tale.” Jolee started to back up. “And if we’re smart, we’ll get out of here before it smells us and decides we’re worth eating.”

“Too late.” They turned to look at Leiraya, who was now very pale and looking upwards. Following her gaze, they saw why she had such a ghostly complexion. Towering above them was a very large, rather ugly brown beast with spindly legs and claw-like hands, looking at them with an expression of curiosity.

“Oh dear,” Jolee sighed. “I’m getting too old for this...”

 

Poor Leiraya *smirks*

 

Bacca's Blade??? Oh, man! Leiraya will be older than Jolee is now before they find that!

And not good. Ceremonial beast with their scent... I sense much danger. And I'm not even Force-sensitive!

Awesome, DWH. Glad to see this back.

 

Yay! A post! And a good one! Swinging on vines across a bottomless pit...hmm. Sounds...fun?

Cool chapter. Can't wait till the next bit. And thanks for the pm!

 

Great post!

Freyyr laughed ruefully. ?[Only in children?s tales. In the old days, whoever held the blade of Bacca was considered the rightful ruler of the village. But the blade has been lost for centuries, and all we have is the broken handle.]?
?But, if we could find it, he?d be forced to give up his claim on the village, right??

Poor Aiden. Things just get more and more complicated.

With one arm he wrapped the vine around his wrist to secure it, and with the other he reached around Leiraya?s waist. Making sure she was hanging on tight, he tugged on the vine. ?Hang on...? he lifted his boots from the ground and they swung with a moderate amount of gracefulness to the first island.

*shudders* Just thinking about this gave me a severe case of vertigo.

?Oh, sweet merciful Bailus, we have to do that again?? Leiraya looked helplessly at the old man.
?You have any other ideas of how we?re going to get back??
?I?m currently developing a theory of how we could fly,? she shot back sourly.
?You let us know how that turns out, lass,? Jolee smiled.



?Too late.? They turned to look at Leiraya, who was now very pale and looking upwards. Following her gaze, they saw why she had such a ghostly complexion. Towering above them was a very large, rather ugly brown beast with spindly legs and claw-like hands, looking at them with an expression of curiosity.
?Oh dear,? Jolee sighed. ?I?m getting too old for this...?

Cliffhangers are evil.