Beyond - Legends The Time Has Come - OC "Dear Diary" Challenge Response - Entry 14 up 11/23

LOL Jade_eyes you must be phsycic-- I was just starting to plan the next chapter when you upped Here are the replies:


Irish_Jedi_Jade: Oh yeah... all that research and politics (oligarchy lol) was starting to make my head spin! Hopefully it made sense

Jade_eyes: I think so too-- he doesn't know what he's getting into And I *love* Chiss culture If only RL history was this interesting

divapilot: Yup And yes, I would definitely have to agree with you on teenagers being distracted Thanks for reading!

Mira_Jade: Glad you enjoyed! And pssst.. Dustin is a guy *blush* I'm horrible at writing male characters

--

PM list: Irish, Je, diva, M_J, katha, and mj

 

Entry Four

Dear Diary,

It has been awhile since I last wrote, hasn't it? I should be writing in this more often but as usual my well thought-out ideas often work better in my head than on paper. Or more specifically, on a datapad.

I could fabricate many reasons for why I haven't been writing frequently. I could say that my job has become more full time, and requires more time and responsibilities than originally thought. I could also say because winter is approaching, and on an already wintry planet, winter means evepreparation for even colder temperatures. Brrrrrr.

I'm also wistfully thinking I could fabricate some other excuses about how my life is terribly exciting and I'm constantly on the go, and that's why I never write. I lead a secret double life, and this diary is a way for me to share my secrets!

Is this sounding more interesting now?

Sadly, that isn't the reason I'm not writing either. Truth be known, there really isn't much to write about in my life in the first place.

I mean, what tales could possibly be noteworthy in the life of an average, 17 year-old male Chiss? When I first decided to start this journal, it never occurred to me the humdrum entries that would follow. Surely my life has more to write about than this! Or so I thought.

Most of my days follow a simple, repetitive pattern. At the break of dawn I rise, shower, and dress, and manage to awaken my sleepy mind. After a short time, I leave the house for my 30 standard-minute walk to the business. My mother, wielding my narrowly forgotten lunch in her azure fingers, often follows.

In theory, it would be ideal to use a speeder to get to work. After all, the majority of citizens in the galaxy use speeders, public transportation, and even inter-planetary transportation to get to their office locations. It seems silly in comparison that I have to walk to my esteemed occupation. However, most people in the galaxy do not live in a frozen wasteland where speeder engines react negatively with frigid temperatures. So I walk. It isn't so bad, after living here my whole life I barely even feel the cold... too much...

My father is in the shop nearly a whole hour before I arrive. I once asked him if he wanted me to come at the same time as he, and his simple reply was: ?At that early in the morning, not only would you not be of any help, you would whine worse than a bantha in the Tatooine sun.?

?I took that as a strong ?No?.

Work is also more tedious and unappealing then I originally thought. My workday consists mainly of checking stocks, taking comm calls, crunching numbers, and a lot of time spent discussing and planning future trading deals. *Yawn*

I should probably be more grateful than that. After all, it?s not every 17 year-old who inherits a rather consequential job. But still, it is not the ideal way to spend a brisk afternoon, cooped up inside a storage unit.

After work I usually hang out with my friends. People such as Joeb and Delpha, who I've mentioned before, along with some others. Joeb I've been friends with since we were little boys, and others I've befriended in more recent years. We don't do much, really. Hang out in some underage bars, a club once and awhile, and each other's houses. For the most part we stay out of trouble and have a pretty good reputation in town. Well, with the exception of when Joeb walked into a police officer and started?

Oh, never mind. That's a story for another time.

Speaking of my friends and police officials, that brings me to the next thing I want to mention. The topic of today's 'gossip' with Delpha. Yes, you guessed it.

The Rebellion.

As soon as her lips started moving and her daily gossip update began, all I could think of was that day in the library so many days ago. The words I heard, the plans being hatched before my very own ears... My initial response to Delpha's ranting was to keep silent. I am by no means the gossiper of our group, and I don't intend to start. But something in the way her crimson eyes blazed as

 

And so I told them. There was not much to tell, but from the point of view of a group of teens desperate for action, it was as though I had just told them their wildest dreams had come true. Perhaps I had.

Interesting! So the action has begun. This rebellion can be dangerous business. I hope Dustin keeps a cool head.

Nice update, Myriad!

 

So happpy to see an update girl!!! I luv this whole thing so much, it is so realllllll....oh yah! Either way, i love everything you do with this girl!

Hmmm....this rebellion. I'm excited to see where you take this, you amazing authoress!!!!!

HUGGLES!
Irish

 

I have a feeling Dustin's gonna miss those "ordinary" humdrum days soon enough--or at least if his life or his family's is ever in danger Right now, the Rebellion's sounding all heroic and fascinating--but if it involves violence and civil war.... the novelty will wear off fast when the casualties pile up--wow, Myriad, sorry to be a pessimistic pill--LOL but I think if Dustin gets involved in anything he really needs to have a talk with someone who's seen all sides of things--maybe that'll happen next? (Can you tell I'm all up in the plot? )

 

Intriguing story. So I'm guessing the Rebellion gossip has a lot to do with the crimes?
I hope nothing happens to Dustin. Who knows, maybe someone'll find his journal. Hm...

And I like this other side of the Chiss; the not-so-cold and normal side.
Great job!

Could you put me on the PM list, please?

 

I don't quite have the next entry done yet, but I figure if I write replies I have to put up the next chapter soon Update most likely later tonight or tomorrow.


divapilot: It begins... Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed!

Irish_Jedi_Jade: Oooh thank you so much, you awesome reviwer-ess. . . yeah, I tried

Jade_eyes: I love how much you're into the plot! Hee! Your reviews are so insightful... And yup, things are never as heroic as they seem once you're actually in it

Mira_Jade: No problem Thanks bunches!

Ceillean: A new reader! Nice to have you along for this I'm glad you're enjoying


PM list:
(PLEASE let me know if you want off at any time! )

Irish
Diva
JE
katha
MJ
Mira
Ceillean

 

Entry Five

Dear Diary,

I'm in the shop right now, though I can't stay and talk for long. Dad will probably be coming back in a minute or so to make sure I am not slacking off. Not there is much to slack off from, all I ever do from 1300 to 1600 is sit at the front desk area, taking orders and handing out supplies to customers. Of course, when I originally offered to take desk duty my father neglected to mention that close to nobody comes in to actually pick up items. Most of our job propositions are for large companies; often visvias away that requite separate shipping. We are not the typical general store down the block?this is an intergalactic trading post. So there I sit for two or three hours every day twiddling my thumbs and scrolling through screen data, answering a call or two.

Today something slightly different happened.

As I sat on an uncomfortable iron stool about, oh maybe a half an hour ago, the bell rang to announce a person's arrival. At the time I had been reading a holo novel half-heartedly, and I quickly tried to shove it in a shelf below and straighten my shirt. Last thing I needed was a vital business partner to stride in and find the owner's son running the place, looking scruffy and confused.

Looking up, I realized it was not one but two men, neither of them customers. Clad in navy-grey police uniforms, I could make a small guess that they were not here to order goods.

"Good afternoon," I greeted them, in Cheunh. (Unfortunately this holo journal does not allow the spellings of Cheunh words properly, so I'll translate the conversation that followed into Basic)

Curiously, the two men did not return my sentiment. "Good afternoon," I ventured again.

As if not noticing me, they continued to survey the entrance area with a mixture of curiosity and accusation in their scarlet eyes. One began to scan various flyers and announcements on a nearby screen, while the other cast a keen stare towards the door to the storage compartment.

I attempted communication once again. "Can I help you?" I emphasized help in hopes of catching their attention. This behavior was getting stranger by the second, even for a reserved species such as us Chiss. We are people of few words and noble tongue, but in no fashion are we noted as rude. In fact, respect for our equals is highly regarded.

"Hello, son." Finally, a response. But son? Where had this new friendly term come from?

"Can I help you?" I was beginning to sound like a broken audio player.

"No," the taller of the two answered, while the shorter shook his head, staring at me blankly. "We are not here for business."

"Then I may have to ask you to leave." Where was my father when I needed him! Surely the sight of my tall, icy father leering over the checkout desk could be useful at a time like this...

"This is a matter of investigation." At those words, my breath caught in my throat. Investigation?

I opened my mouth to respond once again, when the shorter man's casual observance of the large door behind me turned to a blank, flat-out stare. He took a step closer, and another. What was going on here? Minutes ago I was flipping through a novel, and now I had to enforcement officers informing me they had an investigation to carry out, and were slowly making their way towards the secure storage area. What could go wrong here next?

"Excuse me, sir, you are not permitted back there." I tried a professional, no nonsense approach, but my voice sounded rather weak instead.

Finally, the shorter Chiss spoke, in a higher voice than I would have expected from such a sour face. "Why, what have you got to hide?"

Shock flowed through my veins. Hide? What would I want to hide! This casual encounter with a normally invisible police force was turning into something more sinister than I could handle. I proceeded to tell him that it was for employee's only, there were secure orders in there not to be disturbed, but I had the distinct feeling he was not listening, or choosing to ignore my words.

 

Ohhh girl! That was such an entry!!!!! Your writing was so amazing...i FELT like I was acually there!!!!!

Wow...whats going to happen? Illegal substances in the warehouse...Dustin's father staring into space? Oh my!!!!

So happy to see an update, woo hoo! Excellent job as always girl! Wub you so much!!!

Huggles,
Irish

ps-I got first postie!! Woot!

 

Wow!! Either Dustin's dad is a Rebel (surprise!!) or he's suspected which is just as bad because you can't disprove a thing like that... the more you insist the more not believed you are LOL Chiss police are something else, very intense and intimidating. They make a person feel guilty before they even know what for.

 

Things are getting a bit tense here! What were those cops looking for? Did someone at the library notice Dustin's interest in the rebels? He's a good kid -- what would make them think such a thing?

Unless his father's doing something really unlike him...

I have a feeling that now that the police have Dustin on their radar, he isn't going to get much relief.

Nice update, Myriad!

 

Replies! Sorry for the delay in posting, DRL came and went, and I'm struggling to get the next post written-- it's pretty important, and I want to get it right


Irish_Jedi_Jade: Thanks so much What IS going to happen?!?

Jade_eyes: I'm not giving away any secrets! LOL glad you're enjoying!

divapilot: Poor Dustin and his father- things are getting tense aren't they Thanks for reading!

Mira_Jade: Thank you so much

--
PM list = Irish, Diva, JE, katha, MJ, Mira, & Ceillean

 

Entry Six:

He?s gone.

I knew something was wrong the minute I glanced out my bedroom window this morning to see the speeder gone. That speeder we never use, the speeder my father saved up for years to get, and finally purchased on a whim one afternoon. That lousy piece of machinery that can?t handle the frigid climate worth a damn and does nothing but sit in storage? it was eerily absent. That was how I knew something wasn?t right from the start.

I thought nothing of it at first; perhaps something had come up last minute? or maybe an emergency trip to the healer? My sister had been sniffling a lot lately; maybe it developed into something more serious? Then again why hadn?t they woken me up, if that was the case? An endless stream of thoughts whizzed through my consciousness like speeders in traffic ? again with the speeders ? as I plodded slowly down the hall early this morning.

My second tip off that something was horribly askew was my dear little sister standing in the doorway of her bedroom at the end of the hall, unmoving and deathly silent. A constant fountain of energy and liveliness, any periods of silence from her could either be a tragedy or a blessing, so my suspicion rose greater.

Approaching her I was greeted by none other than resounding silence and a blank stare. Her silky, midnight-black hair so usually knotted at the top of her head each morning now hung limp and pin-straight. Feathery strands framed her haunted expression as if painted on porcelain by an artist. I moved to put my arm around her small shoulders, I quickly realized she was staring not at me, but past me into the kitchen area.

The sight that greeted my eyes was so shattering, I doubt I will be able to cleanse the memory from even my nightmares.

My mother, hunched over our dining table, wept silently into her hands. Each subtlety of her posture betrayed complete agony. I could feel my gut twinge and heart crawl with each dry sob that echoed from her mouth. A true Chiss at heart, not a tear fell from her closed lids.

With only a moment?s hesitation I was at her side, lifting her head from the table and speaking her name in worry. A small gasp escaped her, and eyes fixed on me in wonder.

?You?re here?? she rasped.

Her sudden words shocked me and I blinked. ?Of course,? I managed to respond, a thousand more possibilities bouncing off the walls of my mind. I was nearly overwhelmed by the combined fright and strangeness of this situation. Luckily she stifled any more potentially bewildering conversation by clutching me to her body tightly. I could see my sister over her shoulder, frozen in place

Mother began mumbling incoherently into my shoulder as I embraced her awkwardly, hoping someone would let me in on what was happening here. A number of drawn out minutes uknown to me her rambling grew in volume and I was about to pull back and demand some sort of explanation. My patience, not to mention sanity, was reaching its limit... when I understood what she was saying. A repeated phrase, over and over:

My father?s name.

And in that instant I knew what had happened: my father was gone.

Fear and confusion was replaced by fury as I stepped back from my shaking mother. ?He?s gone?? I must not have concealed my anger too much for she nodded weakly, pressing a hand to her mouth. ?Why? Why! He must have been taken away or something. Oh stars, it has to be those officers in the shop last week! I swear I?ll find them, Father has done no wrong and??

She then proceded to clutch my arm in a death grip. Her jaw bobbed up and down, unable to form words. She pressed a small, crumbled piece of flimsy into my clenched fist and eyes narrowed, indicating I read it. My eyes scanned over the words and I recognized my father?s immaculate scrawl instantly.

I?m sorry.

I let the flimsy fell to the floor. I noticed not my mother slipping off to her room, door shutting softly behind her, nor my sister grasping my arm and whispering my name in fear.

My father is gone.

Even now, hours later, I st

 

My guess is with the double life... he's either guilty or knows or has seen something and is running from those who want to neutralize a witness. The desolation and shock come through very clearly in this update. Beginning to see the facets of the title's meaning.

 

Poor Dustin! What an awful situation to have to face. Things will never be the same for him now.

I hope his mother can pull it together enough for the two of them to recover from the loss. After all, he has a little sister who has to be taken care of.

Great update! Where did the father go? Is he the pursuer or the pursued?

 

*climbs woozilly from the roller coaster and promptly falls facedown on the hard concrete*

OOoooooo myyyyy goshhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Myriad!!!!!!!! How can you do that to me?! I mean, seriously! Wow....what is going to happen?! Why would Dustin's father leave? I'm thinking he's been doing something under the table for a while and just got found out. Oh! Maybe he's really an underground rebellion officer and has been hiding rebel information or supplies or such...maybe its really a noble cause and it'll all work out to a happy ending!!!

You are giving this a happy ending....right?

Again girl, I totally felt like I was walking down the hall with him, or sitting at the table staring at the flimsi. Whoaa.....talk about an out-of-my-body-in-my-mind experience!!!!!

[face_laughing] I just finished a math test...I'm obviously loosing it.

Love you so much e-cuz! That was amazing as always: no worries, you did an amazing job!!!

Huggles,
Irish

 

Jade_eyes: Interesting guess Thanks, and yup I picked the title for a reason

divapilot: Poor Dustin indeed... hate to do this to him, I really do. Thank you!

Irish_Jedi_Jade: Wow, what a review! Thank you! I won't give away anything, but you have some *great* guesses! Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying!

Mira_Jade: Thank you for your kind words


*PM list is same as always. Currently working on the next update. Should be up soon, I've disrupted my posting schedule a bit =\ Thank you for reading, everyone!

 

Entry Seven

Dear Diary,

I haven't written in awhile. Isn?t that how I start almost every entry in this journal? Sorry about that. As you can probably guess, things around here haven't been completely normal.

For one, without my father here the business has become my main responsibility and focus. Instead of waking up as the sun rose over the horizon and reluctantly dragging myself out of bed and trudging to work while my father arrived hours in advance, now I'm the one rising before the sun even begins to show its face, and walking to the business in the pitch dark of night. The temperature is much lower, not to mention my spirits. I never quite realized how much work my father did behind the scenes until it was actually my turn. It is no longer boring and tedious?in fact I wish there were more hours in a day to work in. Huh, never thought I'd catch myself saying that a couple months ago...

I'm grateful for the long work hours. It keeps me busy, less time to brood over happenings and gossip and more time being productive. I'm better known in the town. Instead of the "merchant's son", I'm the "new merchant in town". Cool in some respects, downright unsettling in others. I've got a steady workflow and just rounding into the busiest time of the year. In all respects, everything is going great.

But the lucrative side of this job isn't the only reason I'm grateful for it. It's become my primary excuse for staying away from my house. Coming home at the end of the day isn't a relief, it's a whole new battlefield.

My sister, Strassi (did I mention her name was Strassi? It's so hard to remember these things) is doing better. Poor thing took a whole week before she spoke again, but she's close to normal now. She attends classes and is doing well in her studies, back to her usual perky self. Or at least that's what I see in her. After all I'm only home for an hour in the morning before I leave, then another three hours before I retire for the night after work. If something were really wrong, she would tell me.

Strassi and I try to continue on as if nothing happened. That seems to be the best route for her. But as for my mother... I don't know what's gotten into her. She's really beginning to worry me.

It's been nearly a whole standard month, and I've yet to hear more than a sentence or two from my mother's lips. She has the same routine every day, same robot pattern that holds together the fragile pieces of her mind. I used to think my stern, commanding mother was stronger than this, but I was deathly mistaken.

At times I'll catch her staring out the window, skin fading to a sickly translucent blue, and only by repeating her name several times can she be drawn out of it. I want to find help, but where? Telling the whole town that our father ran away in the middle of the night would send the entire family's reputation spiraling downward. I could not disrespect the family, at any cost. Chiss blood loyalty is the strongest bond there is.

What used to be a casual, carefree lifestyle turned upside down overnight. Suddenly everything has changed. The future is coming quicker than I want it to, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Soon Strassi will be looking for a job, and maybe I?ll even get married. What about mother then?

Anyways I'll try to write in here more often. I don?t have time for anything anymore. I haven?t even seen Joeb in days.

Will write soon,
Dustin

 

Wow!!! Dustin's family's a wreck, especially his mom. No surprise. But whew!!! I'm surprised the police haven't been around hounding them about his dad. Dustin's emotions are very true to life.

 

Wow, Myriad....that was so real! Excellent!!!!!!! I really can feel Dustin's pain--in more ways than one. That was a beautiful entry. It could have been just a recital of "what's been happening" but you put such real[ feelings and emotional commentary into it to make it wonderful.

Lovin' it!
Love you!
Irish

 

Jade_eyes: Sad, isn't it? Thank you very much!

Irish: Wow girl, thank you! Often times I find it really hard to write from a diary point of view and still make it flow, but I'm glad it works!

Mira_Jade: It is so fascinating to dive into the more personal aspects of Chiss life, all we see are the stiff ruling family heads and masterminds like Thrawn. I imagine it must be very hard to be an emotional, dysfunctional-familied teenager in the Chiss world. Thanks for reading, I'm glad you like it!


*PM list is same as always. If you want to be taken off, let me know!