Beyond - Legends The Journal of A Very Married Talon Tantiss [DDC 2014] 2014 Journal Is Complete!

Thanks. I made a painting of Jacen, Ben and some GAG troopers doing a REBJ and Karen Traviss signed it for me. I have it around the house somewhere. She is a military vet and we used to email each other discussing the military. I was very upset when she killed Mara. She told me somebody made a video depicting her getting killed by a fanboy at comic con or something like that. Damn!

 

Very great action. I love to see him in misions like this one. SEAL action

 

Action packed and a success. Talon sure impressed his troopmates.

 

Yeah, killing Mara was one of the few disagreements I've ever had with what she did. She said she was the one who suggested that Jacen had to kill someone–but as I recall, it wasn't her specifically who chose Mara; she just had to write it because she was the one who suggested him killing somebody in the first place, and neither Allston nor Denning wanted to do the deed.

Then again, Lumiya was killed off in the same book, so I can almost forgive it. Almost.

 

I love how you write Talon the soldier. And how his Jedi skills are an asset but not the end all be all of his skill set. The ending was great; good old Talon. I love that guy!!!

 

great action looking forward to more.

 

Thanks! Talon likes the action.

Thanks. I've never liked that the Jedi were often off on their own doing their own thing. The only good thing about GAG was the soldiers and Jedi were working together. I also liked the scene where the Jedi worked with the Void Jumpers to retake the Jedi Temple from the Sith (I can't remember the name of the novel). They should do that more often.

Thank you!

I think Talon impressed himself. lol!

You know me...I have a soft spot for soldiers (I think that soft spot is in my head, though).

Thanks! Sorry for the slow updates.

My muse is still AWOL. Sorry guys. This is another short entry.

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Entry 46

My unit has been searching for the headquarters of the enemy for the last two weeks. During this time I learned a little about the diminutive aliens. They are not native to Treemar. They came to the planet twelve years ago as immigrants from the planet Lodd. Three hundred refugees came as a group requesting religious asylum. They claimed they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs on their home world. The local government stupidly granted them asylum without first checking with the authorities on Lodd. If they did take the time to do so they would have discovered these Loddites (as they call themselves) were not part of a typical religious organization but were more aptly described as a cult.

Unfortunately this cult isn’t the harmless type…you know the ones who play musical instruments and beg for money at the spaceports while handing out literature stating their church followers are the chosen ones. Those type of cults I can handle. No, this is one of those doomsday sects that believes their leader is a god. They have lots of blasters and explosives and in the last year they decided they must cleanse the infidels (non-cult members) from the planet.

I have been using my post-cognitive skills to track the band of terrorists, but they appear to be one step ahead of us all the time. It’s like they know a Jedi with my skills is working with the Void Jumpers. They compartmentalize things to the extreme. The soldiers attacking the locals don’t know the location of the main base. They are given instructions by their group leader who may or may not know where the main body of the cult is located at any particular time. Soldiers are only briefed on what their mission is. This way they can’t reveal any pertinent intelligence.

We caught a break four days ago. A group leader was captured, but committed suicide before he could be interrogated. Fortunately for me, by touching his gear I was able to visualize the home base of the cult. I consulted the maps and talked with planetary cartographers and I think I figured out where they are situated. They may have moved recently, but I am fairly sure I know the location. Tomorrow we will jump into the main base and hopefully put an end to this destructive cult.


Entry 47

Well, things did not go as planned. Fortunately my unit didn’t have any casualties. We flew over the cult compound, but saw no movement. We thought it was either a trap or they fled. I volunteered to go with a squad to scout the area.

We dropped into a clearing about two hundred meters from the edge of the camp. As we approached it was deathly quiet. All I could hear is the buzzing of insects…a lot of insects. We moved up to the edge of the compound, blasters ready, as a feeling of dread crept up my spine…which is never a good thing when you are a Jedi. I sometimes have trouble determining if what I am sensing is a Force premonition or simply the jitters.

The squad stopped and scanned the encampment using the suits infrared heads-up display inside our helmets. I didn’t see anything but small canine looking animals scurrying around the area. I opened my helmets faceplate and that's when the smell hit me. It was the distinctive smell of death. I dry gagged as I stepped back instinctively. I quickly closed my mask and recycled the air out with filtered air. I turned to the squad leader, my stomach still churning. “Something smells very dead around here.”

I guess the members of my squad took my word for it. They didn’t open their helmets to confirm my assessment. Instead we slowly moved forward. The first few huts were empty, but as we neared a large meeting hall I could hear the buzz of insects grow louder. We kicked in the entry door and rushed in…and then stopped in our tracks. We found the remaining members of the cult. They were all dead. Flies and other insects swarmed around the decaying bodies. I couldn’t see any marks on most of the cult members, so I assume they consumed poison. There were a few people with blaster burns on their bodies, but most didn’t appear to have any particular trauma associated with their death. Whatever they took must have been quick and painless. Most of the Loddites had a look of serenity on their faces. Mothers still clutched their children in their arms. Couples died holding hands or embracing each other.

“Kriff!” I heard my squad leader swear over our helmet comm system. “Why do people do this?”

I walked up to the corpse of a mother holding a small child that was close to my niece’s age. I shook my head in disgust. How can a woman bring a child into this galaxy and then kill their own flesh and blood. Even Darth Vader couldn't kill Luke and he was a Sith! The control this cult had over its members is mind boggling.

The squad leader called in for reinforcements and a forensics team. I went around looking for survivors, but found none. This is not how I wanted this mission to end, but at least it is over.

I get to go home.

 

Cults. A real bad end for the mission

 

Superb sense of RL-style realism. That kind of control is mind-boggling indeed!

 

Ouch, that's a brutal thing to find. At least he gets to go home, though; that's good. I'm sure his wife will be most happy to see him!

 

Poor Talon. That was rough to see. I'm glad he's going home, and know he is, too.

 

41-42 (yes, I'm way behind )

ROFL! Revenge is sweet. Have to make sure that mischievous streak gets passed along, so that the parents of the next generation can appreciate what they put their own through. But I suspect Grandpa Tantiss is well aware of them wishing they could spend more time as father and son as well, so there's that.

It's good that they might get to be less distant in the future; that's less of a strain on everyone. I felt bad for Ema. She might have known where Marcus was most of the time, but she has plenty of reasons to worry whenever he's out of range.

 

Yeah. I remember the Jim Jones cult when I was a kid. That was a horrible tragedy.

Thanks. I am getting a little better at action. Usually I avoid it at all cost.

She will be VERY happy to see him.

Talon always gets these crappy missions. I bet he will be more than willing to quit the Jedi and join his son a few years down the line.

Thanks! My mother used to curse us kids, "I hope you have children worse than you, when you grow up." ACK! And I do. They are a major handful. I think Mark would be happy to have the entire family on Indupar.

Thanks everybody for reading. My muse is still not 100% but I was able to write this morning. I hope you like it.

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Entry 48

I took off from Treemar in my Stealth X and rendezvoused with the Vazy Princess the next day. As I neared the freighter I sent out a comm signal requesting permission to dock. ID10T responded stating the human crew started their sleep cycle an hour earlier.

I slowly navigated towards the ship’s hanger. The two large bay doors separated slowly and I could see the flicker of the powerful magnetic field that maintained the atmosphere within the bay. I centered my ship and slowly entered, maneuvering my spacecraft until it sat next to Ben’s Stealth X. I powered down, closed the bay doors and confirmed atmosphere integrity before I popped open the canopy. I was surprised to see Zylie awake and pushing the Stealth X ladder over to me. I smiled broadly at the sight of her. She was barefoot and wearing a knee-length, black satin sleep shirt I had purchased for her a few months ago. Usually I just jump out of the ship using the Force to cushion my fall, but if she wanted to greet me I wasn’t going to complain.

Once the ladder was locked into position she scrambled up the steps just as I removed my helmet and finished unbuckling my crash webbing. Her beautiful, smiling face popped over the edge of the cockpit before she threw her arms around my neck and gave me a long, sensual kiss. I reach up and embrace her, halfway pulling her into the ship as I deepened the kiss. Gods it is good to be home!

Finally we broke apart to catch our breath. She grinned at me mischievously as she ran a finger down my chest. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” I put my hands on the sides of the cockpit intending to stand but she reached down, placed a hand on my chest and firmly pushed me back into a sitting position. I gave her a goofy confused grin. I am not sure what she is up to. Does she want me to get back in the ship and pick her up some blue milk or whatever from the nearest store? “What’s up?”

Her grin grew wider as she moved up the ladder even further. “I have always wanted to try something.”

By now she is on the top step and staring down at me. I looked up at her confused. “Like what?”

She reached out a bare foot and teased it along the edge of the cockpit. “I wanted to see if it is really possible to make out in the cockpit of a Stealth X.”

I laughed thinking this must be a joke. I barely fit in the cockpit of this modified X-Wing. There was no way a second person would fit inside, let alone manage to perform the acrobatic maneuvers necessary to make love within the confines of the ship. I was about to tell her this but she was already in the process of sliding her body down mine until her knees were on my thighs and our faces only centimeters from each other. “Zylie, there is no way this is going to work. Why don’t we go back to the cabin where I have the freedom of movement to properly ravish you?”

She gave me that little pout that always gets me. “I thought it would be exciting to do something a little different. You know, put some zing into our marriage.”

I frowned. ‘Zing into our marriage’? Since when did our marriage need more zing? Our relationship is full of zing.

“Come on Talon,” she whispered huskily as she tried to unzip my flight suit. “It’ll be fun.”

She tried to move so she could bring the zipper down all the way, but she just ended up losing her balance and nearly ramming her knee into my crotch. She shifted her weight again and accidently hit the MLD urine collection system activator. I jumped with a yelp when the suction suddenly came on. I think Zylie thought I was getting turned on because she started kissing me as my hand flailed around trying to find the MLD deactivation button. It seemed like forever before I found that off switch. I put my hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away. “Zylie, I know making out in exotic places may be romantic or even erotic, but this is one place that is physically impossible.”

She shook her head. “It’s not impossible.”

My eyes narrowed. “Oh really. And how do you know that?” I was fairly sure I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from her. She blushed slightly before answering. “My sister was bragging that she and Ben made out in his Stealth X.”

I knew it. Those two sisters are always trying to outcompete each other. I leaned in and kissed her. “Sorry, but I’m much bigger than Ben.”

"Don't let my sister hear you say that." She chuckled softly. “Sorry, I was just thinking about you the entire time you were gone. You’re right, having a mattress to our backs will be much nicer.” She maneuvered herself so one foot was on the floor and a knee on my thigh as she prepared to exit. When she tried to pull herself up she slipped and gave out a scream of pain.

I grabbed her by the waist steadying her. “What’s wrong?”

“I think my foot’s caught between the seat bracket and the side of the ship.”

Using the Force and the strength of my arms I gently tried to pull her up and away from the ship. “Stop!” she shouted out and I could see tears in her eyes. “It’s really stuck.”

I thought if I could get out of the cockpit maybe she would have more room to maneuver and get herself unstuck, but as soon as I moved she cried out once more. “Stop, stop. Every time you move it hurts.”

She leaned into my chest and started crying softly. “I really cluster-kriffed this romantic reunion.”

I reached up and brushed her brown hair from her face so I could gaze into her lovely hazel eyes. “I appreciate the gesture and I assure you we will have a romantic reunion, but right now we need to get you out.” I tried to keep a straight face as I proposed a possible solution. “I think we are going to need Valla and Ben’s help.”

She groaned as she buried her head into my chest. “No,” she moaned. “I’ll never hear the end of this.”

I kissed her cheek and smiled. “I'm sure you're correct, but we can’t stay here forever.”

She made an exasperated sound but then slowly nodded her head. “Can you get my sister’s comlink on the ship's communication system?”

"Yes." I was able to reach around Zylie and push in the comlink numbers. “I’ll put it on speaker.”

A beeping sound emanated from the speaker indicating the comlink was ringing on the other end. Eventually a groggy sounding Valla Skywalker answered the device. “What?”

“Valla I need help in the hanger bay.”

I could hear the rustling of bed sheets over the speaker and Ben mumbling something. “What’s wrong?”

Zylie blushed brightly. “Just bring some liquid soap or shampoo…and come alone.”

“What?” Valla said a little louder.

“Just do it!” Zylie turned off the comm and dropped her head back to my chest. “I am going to die of embarrassment.”

I had to laugh at our predicament. I embraced Zylie and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Ben.”

Of course I didn’t have to tell Ben because he came into the hanger bay right on his wife’s heels. Valla was carrying a bottle of shampoo as she gazed around the hanger looking for her sister. I raised a hand and waved. “Over here.”

Valla and Ben gave each other a perplexed look before running over to the ship. “What’s going on?”

Valla was the first person to figure out the circumstances involving our predicament. She turned to her husband. “Ben, they were trying to make out in the ship.”

Ben blushed brightly and I could hear him whisper to his wife. “Did you tell anyone that we…you know?”

Valla was at the bottom of the ladder now, so I couldn’t see her, but I can imagine she was giving Ben one of those pouting looks Zylie pulls on me whenever I'm mad at her. “I just told Zylie.”

Ben groaned before he looked up at us. “Why do you need shampoo? Are you going to shower in there also?”

I shook my head. “We’re stuck.”

Ben let out a deep laugh and had trouble containing his amusement. “Do I need to toss a bucket of cold water on you guys?”

Zylie gritted her teeth before yelling at her sister. “Valla get up here with the soap before it starts to swell!”

Ben started laughing hysterically at this point. I don’t blame him. She hasn’t told them her foot was stuck and was probably swelling up at this point. Zylie looked down and then yelled out. “Hurry it’s turning blue!”

That’s it, Ben is on the deck just about dying. “Her foot is stuck!” I yelled down at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Valla made it to the top of the ladder with the shampoo. “What exactly is her foot stuck in?”

Ben started hyperventilating but managed to laugh between gasps of air. I swear his face is as red as his hair!

I grabbed the bottle out of Valla’s hands and glowered at her. “It is stuck between the side of the ship and the seat bracket.” I leaned forward as far as I could and squirted the soapy liquid in the direction of Zylies foot. I then looked back to my wife. “Does that help at all?”

She grimaced as she tried to dislodge her foot from its confines. Eventually she let out a relieved breath as her foot came free. I quickly levitated her out of the cockpit and slowly lowered to the freighter deck, right next to my laughing cousin. I exited the cockpit and followed Valla down the ladder. Zylie was sitting on the deck massaging her swollen foot and trying to hold back tears. I picked her up gently and cradled her in my arms. “Let’s get some ice on that.”

Ben was lying on his back taking deep breaths and trying to compose himself, but just when it looked like he had his giggling under control he started laughing again. Valla sat down next to her husband and joined in the laughter while we exited the hanger.

Zylie leaned her head on my shoulder with a mortified expression on her face. “Sorry Talon.”

I turned to kiss her. “It was a sweet thought. We just need a bigger cockpit.” I turned and looked back in the direction of the hanger. “I’ll tell you what. When they go to sleep we’ll go to the flight deck of the freighter and make out in the pilot’s chair.” I gave her a wink before kissing her again. “But first we need to ice down that ankle.”

So that is what we did that night. Now my marriage has a ship full of Zing. Ha!

Entry 49


Note to self. Next time Zylie and I make out on the flight deck – turn off ID10T!!! That droid doesn’t know when to keep his voice synthesizer shut! He’s worse than C3PO! Arrggghhh!

 

Ouch! A reunion gone wrong!

And Ben! That boy! "Mind out of the gutter!"

 

This gave me such a laugh when you told me about it, and then to read it made me laugh even harder. Poor Zylie. hahahahahahaaha But Ben had best watch himself. His sister-in-law might just be out for revenge.

 

Great fun LOL with that update, picturing those two in the cockpit with all that's going not as planned
Little Ben has to watch himself, laughing at his big cousin

 

Not since "Byss You Were Here" have I laughed simply laughed literally through an entire post.

 

I shook my head. “We’re stuck.”

Ben let out a deep laugh and had trouble containing his amusement. “Do I need to toss a bucket of cold water on you guys?”

Zylie gritted her teeth before yelling at her sister. “Valla get up here with the soap before it starts to swell!”

Ben started laughing hysterically at this point. I don’t blame him. She hasn’t told them her foot was stuck and was probably swelling up at this point. Zylie looked down and then yelled out. “Hurry it’s turning blue!”
Ben's mind is in the gutter for sure

more soon

 

Catching up on this is SO MUCH FUN!!!

 

Yeah, that didn't go as planned for poor Zylie.

I wouldn't like to see these two couples getting into a prank war. That would not turn out well when they are trapped with each other on a freighter most of the time.

I thought about this scene when I read a comic about Luke during the Rebellion and a beautiful female pilot had to ditch her disabled X-Wing and double up with Luke...and they took their sweet time getting back to base. I don't know if those comics are still considered canon.

Is Byss You Were Here the one where Luke was kidnapped and held on a planet all alone while the clone Luke went about making bad decision after bad decision until Mara discovered the deception? I liked that one. It really explained all the stupid things Luke did before hooking up with Mara. I'm glad you liked this post.

I live with two teen boys and I have to watch what I say all the time. Usually an ill thought out comment from me will result in a retort like, "That's what she said" or "Phrasing!" (Phrasing is something said in the TV series Archer...which is my favorite TV show along with Drunk History).

Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

Because of NaNo coming up I will probably post some very small updates. Sitting down and writing 2K-3K words is not possible while writing a NaNo novel. Ack! I know I should save this post for Saturday, but I already got these scenes in my head and I think I can whip them out (phrasing!) by the end of the week. Thanks everybody for reading!


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Entry 50

I keep finding shampoo bottles sitting in weird places around the ship. I swear I am going to shoot my cousin out the airlock. The teasing is getting old!

Entry 51

We were on our way to the planet Sembla to deliver some needed medical supplies when the Grand Master contacted us. Ben and I were on the flight deck when we accepted a Hyperwave transceiver message from Coruscant. My uncle appeared on the communications screen wearing full Jedi robes and a tired look on his face. From his expression I immediately knew this wasn’t a social call.

“Ben, Talon, it’s good seeing you two again. How are your wives?” I can tell Ben’s dad was trying to act upbeat, but his voice was strained and the tightness of his jaw suggested trouble.

“They’re both doing fine, Dad,” Ben replied warmly. “You usually don’t make these cross galactic hyperwave calls unless you have a mission for us. Is there a problem somewhere?”

Luke sighed deeply as he sat back in what looked like his office chair. “I do have a mission for you. Last week a couple of Jedi Knights, both Consulars from the Ossus sub-temple, traveled to the planet Upekzar to do some research on the ancient Sith civilization that once occupied the planet. We lost contact with them a few days ago. Because Ossus is mainly a research temple, we don’t have experienced combat trained Jedi there. I’d like you to look into this.”

Ben nodded. “No problem. We’re currently on the Perlemian Trade Route and not too far from the Upekzar System. We can be there by the end of the day if we leave now.”

“Good, good.” I could see my uncle drumming his fingers nervously on his desk. “They’re probably just having communications problems. Both Jedi are historical researchers and scholars don’t have a stellar reputation for adhering to standard operating procedure when it comes to status updates. They probably found a shiny relic somewhere and lost track of time. ” Luke hesitated for a moment. “But just in case, I want to send my best Jedi to investigate.”

“We’ll get packed and be on our way.” Ben stared at his father intensely for a long moment. “Is the Force telling you something?”

Luke shook his head. “I haven’t had any visions, but I have a sense of unease. I approved the research expedition without an accompanying security detail since the planet has been unoccupied for a millennia…but I should have erred on the side of caution.” He chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “I want daily reports. Right now you are the closest Jedi that can handle trouble if it’s to be found. I'll send more Knights from Coruscant, but that will take three or four days to make the trip. I’ll check to see if the Galactic Alliance can detour a fleet ship to the area.”

“We’ll find your missing researchers, Dad.”

“I have every confidence that you and Talon will do so.” He reached forward and pushed a button on his computer keypad. “I’m transmitting information on the two Jedi and the location they were last heard from.”

“We'll get right on it.” Ben gave a small smile. “How’s mom, Hanna and the twins?”

A grin finally crossed Luke’s face. I've noticed over the years that my uncle can’t talk about my Aunt Mara without smiling. “Your mother is doing her best to talk me into retiring and moving to some romantic tropical island on some ocean planet. I think living on a city-world is getting to her. Your brothers and sister are off on missions on the other side of the galaxy and are good health.” Luke stopped suddenly and leaned forward at his desk staring at his view screen. He squinted, straining his eyes to see something. “Is that a bottle of shampoo behind you on the flight deck?”

My head whipped around and spied a bottle of hair conditioner. I swear Ben must be using the Force to move these bottles around because I am positive it wasn’t there earlier. “It’s not shampoo; it's conditioner.” I glowered at my cousin as I stood and grabbed the bottle. “It’s nice talking to you Uncle Luke.” I cursed at Ben under my breath before punching him on the shoulder and storming off the flight deck.

This joke is getting really, really old! ARRGGGHHHH!!!

 

I hope this turns out well and those Consulars are okay!

 

Ben maybe taking it a bit too far with the teasing

I hope the two Jedi are all right.

More soon

 

Ben and his teasing.
I hope they will find the two Jedi

 

Thank you Revanfan1, Falcon, and earlybird-obi-wan for reading and taking the time to review. I really appreciate it. NaNo started so I better get my first post in for this month. I did pretty good today for NaNo. I didn't know what to write about until 10:30 PM and an hour later I had over 2000 words. Now I get to see if it is possible to write 50K words with no plot or outline.

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Entry 52

Ben and I are on our way to Upekzar. I read up on the planet, but there wasn’t much. It was known that the Sith once occupied the world. By Sith I don’t mean a Dark Lord living the Sith beliefs. I actually mean the species of people once called Sith. They were humanoid with red skin and distinctive facial tentacles extending from the sides of their mouths. The species is believed to be extinct. At least nobody has reported seeing pureblood Sith in thousands of years. All that is left is the Sith philosophy. With the death of Palpatine and Lumiya we all hope the Sith are gone for good…but I doubt it. The galaxy is huge. There are thousands of worlds that have never been explored. An entire planet of Sith could still be out there.

Hopefully Upekzar is not one of them. I don’t like the idea of me and Ben going against a secret sect of Sith warriors. That would not be fun.


Entry 53

Once we breached the planet’s atmosphere a dark sensation of foreboding crept down my spine. This planet radiates evil. The landscape doesn’t look too cheerful either. Storm clouds covered most of the planet and I could see blue chain lighting lash out and hop from cloud to cloud. It reminded me of the Sith Force lightning my uncle once described to me. According to the Grand Master, being hit by Force lightning was the worse pain he had ever experienced. He once commented that it must be the nastiest pain that any person could possibly go through. My Aunt Mara was nearby when he said that. She scoffed and said, “Try giving birth to twins.”

Ha! I love my aunt’s sarcastic sense of humor.

Ben and I flew over a volcanic island that was the last known location of the Jedi researchers. We crisscrossed the island in a searching pattern until we located the Consulars’ shuttle sitting at the base of what looked like an extinct volcano.

“There she is.” Ben dropped altitude to get a better look. “The shuttle doesn’t appear damaged.”

I followed Ben’s ship as he swooped over the research ship, skimming the landscape, before pulling back up and circling around. From our vantage point I could make out what looked like cave openings on the side of the hill. “They might have went into the caves and got lost. There’s no global positioning systems on these abandoned worlds.”

“Still, the planet has a magnetic field. They can use a mapping application on their datapad to record their change of compass direction and a simple pedometer to track distance. If they got lost they could reverse their route. That’s standard navigation training we learned at the Temple as kids.”

“Maybe they got hurt,” I suggested as we swung around for a second look.

“There is only one way to find out—get down there and start looking.”


Entry 54

We landed between the Consular shuttle and what looked like a cave entrance. Wind whipped at our flight suits as we walked toward the ancient volcano and I really wished I brought my helmet with me. Tiny shards of black volcanic sand hit my face like an out-of-control sandblaster. I had to cup my hands around my eyes to keep the volcanic grit from blinding me.

“Ben!” I yelled out to him over the roaring of the wind. “Why don’t people ever get lost somewhere nice? Like the Fashinfest on Coruscant.”

Ben chuckled obviously remembering how much trouble we got into the last time we went to that decadent festival full of booze and free love. “I may be an adult, but I don’t think my parents will ever approve of me going there again. I would think you wouldn’t want to return.” He gave me a quick glance revealing a sarcastic smirk. “Unless you enjoy being called in into the Grand Master's office and yelled at.”

“If I do go back it will be with Zylie. She keeps me on a short leash.”

“Does she make you wear the Vornskr leash while in your quarters?”

I removed my hands from around my eyes long enough to give his shoulder a shove. “Knock it off. I am still mad at you about the shampoo pranks.”

We arrive to the largest cave opening and entered, turning on our glowsticks as we clipped them to the front of our flight suits. Once we got out of the wind we were able to locate footprints on the dusty passageway floor. One set was a medium size human footprint; the other prints were huge and wide. Ben squatted down next to the boot impressions. “This looks like this could be our missing human and Barabel Jedi.” He stood and began following the trail.

“Is it speciest of me to say I am surprised a Barabel is a Cousular? I usually see them as warriors not intellectuals.”

“Yes, you are a speciest,” Ben said in a deadpan voice.

“I am not.”

“Lets see you hug a Harch then.”

I shuddered at the memory of greeting that massive Harch a few months ago. I know it is a sentient species, but it is also a big spider...and I hate spiders. I conceded the point and changed the subject. “The footprints don’t indicate anyone was limping. That’s good.”

"Let's hope it stays that way."

The lava tube we were traversing was about three meters wide and just as tall. It wasn’t a tight squeeze, but I was getting a little claustrophobic. We came around a bend and stopped in stunned silence. In front of us was an expansive cavern probably a hundred meters across and two hundred meters high. We moved into the chamber and stepped cautiously over rocks and boulders littering the cavern floor. The ceiling didn’t have the standard stalactite formation, but was covered with rock clumps. It looked like a giant had glued man-sized rocks on the ceiling…and didn’t do a good job at it. The boulder-strewn floor demonstrated the instability of the cave. I didn’t like the idea of the ceiling giving way and crushing us. I lifted my glowstick over my head and spied a large rock fall at the far end of the cavern. That was not a good sign.

“Look at the footprints,” Ben called out. As I was gawking at the ceiling he had continued to follow the tracks. “They are all over the place, like they were running around in circles.”

I lowered my beam and caught sight of another print…a much larger print. “What the hell is that?” The depressions in the ground were in a long line and protruding sideways from the direction the creature was moving. There were two columns of these tracks and each print ended with a deep sharp depression in the gravelly floor.

“I don’t think it is from a biped,” Ben remarked as he squatted next to the imprints. “I believe we have a multi-legged creature and by the looks of it there is a large claw at the end of each appendage.” He stood and walked around the area holding out his glowstick before reattaching it to his suit. “I can’t tell how many legs it has or what species, but it looks like it caught our two researches unawares.”

I searched for traces of blood or torn clothing but found none. “Maybe they got away.” As my light traversed the floor the beam reflected off something. I picked my way through the rubble and discovered a datapad. I held it up for Ben to see. “They dropped their datapad. Maybe they are lost. Some big creature surprised them, they ran and are now wandering around trying to find a way out.”

We circled around the cavern looking for the footprints to break off and out of the immense cavern. I stopped when I heard a noise. It was a low growling sound accompanied by a scrapping and clattering of something moving over the stony ground. Ben’s lightsaber immediately ignited. I grabbed my weapon and activated it before moving toward Ben. “Could that be our Barabel? They growl, don’t they?”

Ben shook his head as he faced the direction of the sound. “Don’t you feel the darkness? This chamber even feels colder. It’s like the darkside is pulling the heat out of the cave.” He gave me a determined look. “See if the comlink can reach the ship. Have R9 send out a warning that the planet has some sort of large animal living in the cave, possibly a Sithspawn creature.”

My eyes widened upon hearing the term Sithspawn. I pulled out my comlink but only got static. “We’re too far underground.”

He didn’t respond, but simply gave a nod of acknowledgement. The sound grew in intensity until something large and fast appeared out of the darkness. The blue and green glow of our lightsabers illuminated a nightmarish sight. The monster was almost three meters in height with red compound eyes and a body that resembled a Nizon Blade Scorpion. The creature walked on six legs and had a segmented body. At the end of two arm-like appendages were large claws that clattered open and closed, echoing throughout the cavern. If its ghastly appearance wasn't bad enough, its presence in the Force was stifling. The darkside pressed down on my conscious like a heavy blanket. It was frightening to feel so much darkness projecting from such a ghastly creature. “Stang!Its darkside and as big as an Acklay!”

Ben moved forward and swung his blade at the creature. The monster's exoskeleton was barely scratched by the lightsaber strike. A now angry Sithspawn scorpion reared back on its rear legs before it sprung forward to attack. I pulled out my blaster and fired off a couple shots. It hissed and stumbled back, but I think it was more out of surprise than pain.

“Let’s get out of here.” I didn’t like retreating but we needed to warn any Jedi sent as backup. Ben nodded in agreement as we stepped toward the tunnel entrance. The creature must be sentient enough to know what we were doing because it quickly scuttled over the rocky terrain and blocked our exit.

“Oh that’s great.” I looked around. “I guess we will have to find another way out.”

As I stepped backwards the creature suddenly charged. The sight of a three meter scorpion running towards caused me to panic and I ended up stumbling on the rocky floor. I fell on my butt just the creature reached Ben.

I quickly jumped to my feet and ran forward to help Ben who was swinging his lightsaber wildly trying to keep the monstrous pinchers from separating his head from his body. I moved to the creature’s side and slashed at its abdomen. My saber scratched the surface of the scorpion’s rough, scaly body, but did little damage. As I went in for another strike I suddenly found myself in the air hanging upside down. Claws at the end of the creature’s split tail had grabbed my ankles and was suspending me about two meters above the rock floor. I did a hanging sit up and shot off a couple blaster rounds into the large twisting appendage. That just pissed it off even more and I ended up thrown across the cavern. If I didn’t have the Force I would have splattered against the cavern wall. I got back to my feet and ran forward into battle. I gathered the Force around me and did a powerful Force shove. I succeeded to make the monster stumble. “Force shoves! Together!” Ben understood immediately and we combined out power to throw the creature about five meters across the chamber. Unfortunately the giant scorpion was still between the exit and us. It got back to its six feet and started moving forward cautiously. Ben and I retreated hoping to find another way out when we heard blaster fire coming from the direction of the rock fall I noticed earlier. White beams poured out from a meter wide hole in the rubble. The blaster stopped and a green Barabel head poked out. “Jedi! This way!”

Ben and I sprinted toward the Barabel when the Sith creature screamed. Or at least I think it screamed. It felt like the sound originated and reverberated within my head. I fell down to my knees and clamped my hands over my ears. It was then I smelled a sickly musty odor. A nauseous dizziness overwhelmed me and I closed my eyes and trying to regain my equilibrium. I could hear the sound of blasters and screams. When I opened my eyes what I saw wasn’t Ben or the cavern…it was spiders. There were thousands of spiders: large and small arachnids of all types crawling around me. I screamed when they rushed towards me, moving up my body and into my flight suit. I could feel their hairy legs moving down my undershirt and into my briefs and snuggling against parts of my body I never ever wanted a spider near. My panic became full blown when tiny spiders moved up my nose and into my open screaming mouth. I forcefully expelled air out of my nose, trying to dislodge the small creatures moving through my nasal passages. I spit frantically trying to get the creatures out of mouth, but others found their way in. As I shrieked I inadvertently crushed their hairy bodies between my teeth releasing the creatures’ foul tasting circulatory fluid into my mouth. I cringed at the sensation of their tiny legs tickling the back of my throat as they moved down my esophagus. I didn’t think it was possible for this nightmare to get worse…but then they started to bite. Every nerve in my body flared in incredible pain. At this point I wished a Sith shot Force lightning at me just to kill these kriff’n bugs. I deactivated my lightsaber and started using it like a hammer, whacking at my legs and torso trying to smash those eight-legged demons from Hell.

I could hear Ben’s voice, but couldn’t see him. I felt invisible arms wrap around me, lifting me up. I then felt another set of strong muscular arms pulling me somewhere. I was still screaming, frantic to get the spiders off of me.

“No! No!” It was Ben’s voice. Through the blur of arachnids I saw my cousin standing next to a Barabel before the reptilian creature turned his weapon on Ben and fired. As my cousin crumbled to the floor the Barabel aimed its blaster at me and squeezed the trigger. As the blaster bolt traveled in my direction I recall feeling relieved. It would kill me, but at this point death was preferable over the grisly madness I was experiencing.

Then there was blackness—and with it—welcome relief from the terror.

 

Oh my a cliffie ending. Great action and spiders. I hope Talon will be OK