Beyond - Legends The Past as Another Land (TK/J/NY. Based on Aida.)(Three to go! CHAPTER 18 12/20/06.)

Aida?
I can explain.
I wanted to do this for a long time, but I could never come up with the right characters. I needed an ensemble cast that could all logically be tied together, but for a long time, the closest I got was Z/J/J. As you can probably tell, it wasn't working. But then J/NY came about and I realized it worked perfectly. So, hopefully you'll overlook the odd couple and enjoy the fic.

Title: The Past as Another Land
Author: Vongchild
Genre: Action/romance/suspense/Alternate Universe
Characters: In order of importance: Nen Yim, Jacen, Tenel Ka, Han, Riina, Kunra, Harrar, Isolder, Jaina
Summary: In a galaxy ruled by the Hapes cluster, the Yuuzhan Vong have flown below the radar. Until their value as slave labor is realized, that is. A Star Wars Re-write of the broadway show Aida.
Notes: all the songs are property of Tim Rice and Sir Elton John who wrote the score and lyrics of Aida in its modern incarnation (though I think Disney owns the rights to the show itself). The plotline dates back further to an opera by Giuseppi Verde.

---

[b]Chapter 1. Every Story is a Love Story[/b]

[i] Every story, new or ancient
Bagatelle or work of art
All are tales of human failing
All are tales of love at heart[/i]

Storytellers had gotten popular as of late, and Jasone, who had, until now, managed to avoid the hype, was somewhat skeptical as to why. But when his sister Jan had invited him to come to this one, he?d caved. And besides, it looked pretty interesting. He?d looked this particular teller up on the ?net and all the reviews were positive.

And she was notorious for telling true stories.

He?d arrived at the event to find that Jan was nowhere in sight. And now that he was here there was no point in leaving, plus he could tell this was something fairly sophisticated ? it was mostly twenty-somethings like himself, and no children in sight. The room itself was a simple circular theater four rows of chairs high and dug into the ground like a pit. Everyone else in attendance was already seated, and there was only one chair left, next to a tall Yuuzhan Vong woman.

?Excuse me,? Jasone asked, approaching, ?Is this seat taken??

The woman looked up at him. She seemed familiar, but Jasone couldn?t remember where they?d met. ?No,? she said. Jasone sat down. ?Have you ever been to one of these before?? she asked.

?No,? Jasone replied. ?Never.?

?Same here,? she replied, extending a hand to shake. ?I?m Nenya.?

Jasone returned the gesture and introduced himself. ?I was supposed to meet my sister here, but she didn?t show, it should seem.?

?My sister ditched me, too,? Nenya replied. ?Erina. Little blonde thing, about this high,? She held up a hand to demonstrate her sister?s short stature. ?Have you seen her??

?No,? Jasone replied, ?I?m afraid I haven?t.?

?Oh well. Anyways, I?ve heard this teller?s really great. And supposedly she?s descended from Hapan royalty. I wonder what ? ?

The lights dimmed. Jasone heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw the storyteller striding down the central aisle. She was tall, of regal bearing, her expression dead-set. With a flick of the wrist, she brought up faint gold lights in the ceiling.

?Every story is a love story,? stated the teller. ?It does not matter what sort of story it is. Who are the players, when is it, what is the plot. Every story is a love story. Between men and power, women and money, and most importantly, people and other people. They are all love stories.?

She reached the center platform. The spotlight danced off her red-gold hair and the beads and braids woven into it. ?Ladies and Gentlemen and androgynous beings, thank you for coming tonight. For tonight I give you the greatest love story ever told.?

There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere of the room. It was warmer, more humid. More magical, reminiscent of an ancient time and place just beyond Jasone?s grasp.

[i]This is the story
Of a love that flourished
In a time of hate
Of lovers no tyranny could separate[/i]

?Allow me to ta

 

*snatches first post* Just like a sister to ditch her sibling. Lovely, Joiner-sis. I couldn't have done a better job if I'd tried.

 

"Ladies and Gentlemen and androgynous beings, thank you for coming tonight..."



Once again, VC delights! Kudos to you! **Throws a Kudos bar**



[]=====#[]<---------------- M_N! ----------------

 

Rabe- when're you gonna do one of these alone, eh?

Mort- *snatches* Thanks and yum!

 

A wonderful story!

 

Thanks, Vaderlvr!

 

I'll have another chapter up tomorrow or tuesday.

*Listens to the Aida soundtrack some more*

What? It's inspiration!

 

Yay!! It's off the ground! Way to go, VC! We will totally overwhelm this board with our musical fics, and the odd pairings involved in them!

Lovely start! As you know, I haven't seen the show, so I'm really excited to get to read it, even (and especially) if it is in a different fomr! Great job!

 

Thanks, Lusa! I'm hoping to update tomorrow.

 

Aren't you all lucky? I've got an update!
1. Nen and Riina aren't speaking Basic with eachother.
2. Who is Riina? All shall be explained...

Anywho.

---

[b]Chapter 2. Fortune Favors the Brave[/b]

[i] It's all worked out, my road is clear
The lines of latitude extend
Way beyond my wildest dreams
Toward some great triumphant end[/i]

Jacen Solo stood at the bow of the hovercraft, breathing in the river air and reveling in the feel of the wind on his face. He loved adventure: the thrill of seeing somewhere new, being in a place that no human had ever been before. The knowledge that he and his soldiers were the first to ever gaze upon this place.

That thrill had been ruined, of course, by the discovery of a settlement of Yuuzhan Vong living, illegally he might add, on Hapan soil. No one knew where the Yuuzhan Vong had come from. No one knew where they were going. They seemed to be a disorganized lot, drifting from place to place and planet to planet. There were rumors they?d come from the unknown regions after the destruction of their home planet. But even more chilling were the tales that they?d come from another galaxy entirely. Next time Jacen had one in his grasp he?d be sure to ask.

?Captain!?

Jacen turned to see two of his soldiers rushing up the ramp with a pair of shackled Yuuzhan Vong between them. ?We found these two on the outskirts of the settlement. They tried to fight, but their weapons were primitive and easily beaten. We brought them back and the rest of the squad continued on.?

Struggling valiantly against his bonds, one of the captives, and elderly male, cried out, ?The Gods still love us! They will punish you! They will?

?Quiet, you.? The soldier slammed the butt of his laser rifle against the prisoner?s temple. He slouched over and the other, a young female, caught him.

?Father!? she exclaimed, checking his pulse.

Jacen waved a hand dismissively. ?Take them down to the hold and lock them up. Good job. They?ll be good workers.?

?I only serve Yun-Yuuzhan,? snarled the conscious one of the captives. ?I?d sooner die than work for you.?

?Then I guess I?ll see you in hell,? Jacen replied. The soldiers saluted and hurried off, captives in tow.
[hr]
Nen and Riina crouched close to the ground, peering through the reeds at the hovercraft that the Hapans had come on to ransack the settlement. They?d been living on the planet for less than two months, just happy to be off the worldship, and now this. A complete disaster.

?Nen, if we?re caught, what do you think they will do to us?? asked Riina in a small voice. Nen shot her friend a warning glance.

?I don?t plan on finding out,? she replied. ?Come on. Let?s hurry out of here. It?s undignified to crawl around in the mud like simple shamed ones.? Nen started to crawl off through the plants.

?Alright. But?? Riina trailed off and grabbed Nen?s arm. The older girl whirled around to see what was going on. ?Look!? Riina hissed, pointing. ?Look there! They?ve got Tet?sel and Honored One Yu!?

Nen felt a stab of guilt in her chest as she watched the figures vanish onto the hovercraft. The appointed future leader shouldn?t have been slinking around in the riverweeds while her people were being captured. ?There?s nothing we can do here,? she told Riina. ?It?s best if we get back to the village and see what?s going on.?

?But??

Nen turned around and stalked off.

?Nen, Wait for me!? Riina called.

[hr]
[i]We seized the day
We turned the tide
We touched the stars
We mocked the grave
We moved into uncharted lands
Fortune favors the brave[/i]

Hearing a noise in the reeds, Jacen snapped to attention. ?Come with me,? he said, motioning to one of the soldiers. Singling out the other, he ordered, ?You. Guard the ?craft.?

?Yessir,? the soldiers barked in unison. Blaster in hand, Jacen vaulted over the side of the hovercraft and landed ankle-deep in the shallows of the river. He started towards the reeds and motioned for the soldier to follow.

?Set your blaster to stun,? he commanded. ?A dead ?

 

Good stuff so far. I look forward to more.

[]=====#[]<---------------- M_N! ----------------

 

Oh, I will one of these days. I've gotta find a good musical first.

Riina!!!!! I never thought I'd have to get used to her instead of Tahiri, but they're pretty much the same, it seems.

Go Nenny!!!!!! Jacen seems evil to me, but I bet I'll get over that soon. Can't wait for more.

 

Aida is my absolute favorite musical ever, so I had to peek in here I'm curious to see how you'll adapt things to work, and I'll admit I have a hard time seeing the Vong as the Nubians! But I'll be along for the ride Good work so far!

Oh, and a teeny nitpick- the title of the song is The Past Is Another Land, although you might have changed it on purpose But again, that's just a tiny thing.

Kaylle

 

Kaylle - I am aware. I changed it for the title of the fic, but the chapter is still 'the past is another land'. Aida is my favorite musical, too. I saw a touring production a few years ago on account of sheer luck and I'm actually listening to the soundtrack now! And as for the Yuuzhan Vong as nubians, I've messed around with the timeline and culture a bit. (I'll explain later)

Cattie - Actually, I was talking to Dev while I was writing this and trying to get him to read, and I said to myself, "Wow. Jacen's a ************!"

Mort - Thanks

 

Lovely yet again, VC! Well, Jacen is cetainly different! Nice!

 

Lusa - like I said to Cattie. He's a ******************.

 

I haven't seen Aida yet, but I have read the first post and this looks wonderful. You have set a delightful mood... just like a theater!

 

I'm kind of glad I don't know the story, because then it's not spoily! This is really interesting... the first post had me a little confused, but now I think I'm following.

 

Eleventh_guard - Why'd you change names? Anyways, the first post will make sense at the end.

 

Weeza, why do you have to be right so damn much? It's like you're a right machine! *shakes fist angrily* You and your awesome writing ability!

 

Dev- Natural instinct?

 

Luck! And the fact that I can't say no to you for to long.

 

Chapter 3. The Past is Another Land

The past is now another land
Far beyond my reach
Invaded by insidious
Foreign bodies, foreign speech
Where timeless joys of childhood
Lie broken on the beach

Nen stirred, flexing the feeling back into her fingers and toes. She rubbed her head, trying to clear it, and sat up.

?You?re awake,? her captor observed.

?No thanks to you,? she snapped back. He laughed.

?You fight well. Where did you learn??

Nen, thoroughly absorbed in trying to unbind her feet, retorted, ?Why?s it matter to you??

?I?d like to know,? he said simply. And then, looking her straight in the eye, he asked, ?Do you have a death wish??

?No,? Nen replied. ?Do you??

?Oh.? He laughed. ?Very far from it. I?m just wondering what you were doing crawling around in the riverweeds when there were enemy soldiers in the area. You?re either very brave or very stupid. I can?t decide which.?

?Well, I?m not an idiot,? Nen said sharply. ?Where is she? Where?s Riina??

?Your friend?? he asked. Nen nodded verification. ?She?s still out of it. The voltage was set to knock out an adult Yuuzhan Vong for two hours. Not a teenaged girl. ?

?If you hurt her??

?I won?t,? he assured her. ?After all, what good is she dead?? Nen gritted her teeth and remained silent. ?I could have you shipped to the spice mines on Kessel, you know, but I?ve thought of a better use for you and ? What is your name??

?It?s Nen.?

?Alright. And what are you doing on this planet? How did you get here? What are your intentions??

The present is an empty space
Between the good and bad
A moment leading nowhere
Too pointless to be sad
But time enough to lay to waste
Every certainty I had

Nen stared at the wall behind him, fabricating her tale. Of course she couldn?t tell him the truth. What was the ancient saying? She wracked her brain. It had to do with what it was to be shamed. And though she wasn?t, Nen felt that it fit her situation. ?It doesn?t matter. That past ? that past is gone. It?s another place that I can?t go back to. I?m here now, and that?s all that?s going to matter. Sir, if you have plans for me??

?My title is captain,? Jacen corrected. ?Captain Jacen Solo.?

?Alright, Captain. What do you want with me??

Jacen gave her an earnest look. ?I want to know. I want to know about your people, about what you?re doing, about how you got here. But let?s start with you. Who are you? Where?d you learn to fight??

?And I assume you want to know this because females don?t fight where you?re from?? Nen asked. Jacen shuddered.

?Oh, they fight. Some, at least. Some are great warriors.? His voice took on a peculiar tone when he said that. Nen tried to decipher it but couldn?t. ?But where did you learn??

?My caretaker taught me as a child. It was dangerous on the worldships.?

?Worldships?? Jacen asked.

?During the long crossing,? Nen explained. ?From the dead galaxy.?

A shudder ran up Jacen?s spine. So the tales were true ? they did come from another galaxy. ?What was it like??

?The dead galaxy? I don?t know. My people left over four hundred years ago. No one who left is still alive.?

?I meant the worldship.? Jacen stated.

A solder poked his head around the door. ?Captain? We?ve arrived in the capital.?

?Alright. I?ll be right up,? Jacen replied. The soldier vanished back out into the corridor and Jacen grabbed a chain and a pair of binders off the desk behind him.

?What?? Nen asked, alarmed. Jacen grabbed her wrists and snapped the binders on.

?You?re a slave now,? he said gruffly. ?You?d best learn to behave like one.?

Nen stared down at the binders and the chain, so heavy on her wrists, and saw more than a simple way to keep her from her freedom. She saw them as a way to keep her from her past and her people as well.

The future is a barren world
From which I can't return
Both heartless and material
Its wretched spoils not my concern
Shining like an evil sun
As my childhood treasures burn

To Be C

 

Oh really really awesome. Just the interaction between the two. Especially Nenny's inner-monologue.

 

Jacen needs to lighten up. Wonderful as usual, Vongy. I hope Riina'll be alright...