Beyond - Legends "The True Way" [NJO AU - Solos, Skywalkers, Vong, Imperials] *TRIPLE UPDATE* 18th April - FINALLY!!

Wow. That was... different. But that's why I loved it.

Mara and Thrawn being lovers took me completely by surprise. The concept is quite frightening but intriguing I must say.

I just can't describe my thoughts on anything else. This fic made my brain hurt, in a good way.

Can't wait for more.

 

C3PO_R2D2: Oh... this isn't gonna end well, and I'm gonna get addicted like I did with UV by -Tenel-Ka-...

Oh what the kriff!

I'll read... once you come out with an update.

Yippee!



*blinks*

Did I kill it?

Nahh... the next scene is just hard to write...

DarkDroid: Wow. That was... different. But that's why I loved it.

Thanks!

Mara and Thrawn being lovers took me completely by surprise. The concept is quite frightening but intriguing I must say.

I dunno - they seem well-matched, those two...

If Vader was a blunt weapon, and Mara was a scalpel, I guess Thrawn was a knife-missile...

I just can't describe my thoughts on anything else. This fic made my brain hurt, in a good way.

Thanks! That's the idea!

Can't wait for more.

I'll see what I can do!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

UP!!

 

[Well, this 'fic is doing quite well, in terms of reply-to-writing ratio - so here's the next post or three for your enjoyment...

This next one has been the holdup - trying to find a balance where Anakin can be both Yuuzhan Vong and Jedi, or at least showing the character trying to find that balance. More superficially, it involves a few cuts and some arm-wrenching in the Embrace of Pain, but I don't think that any of that is TOS-violating - nor even the fact that Kin and Ree might actually enjoy it a little bit...

That said, feedback helps!

A quick recap for those who've forgotten - Vector Prime timeframe: the Yuuzhan Vong rule the galaxy; Anakin and Jaina are Tsavong Lah's stepchildren; after catching his son misbehaving, the Warmaster has placed his punishment in the hands of his human girlfriend...]



I will not cry. I will not cry.

Anakin Solo gritted his teeth and knotted his eyes shut ? grinding the diamond-sharp tears back into his irises, biting back the urge to scream. His brow and jaw were clenched like the beak of a vice-bug, the muscles of his neck bulging and throbbing with the effort.

His whole body, racked in the Embrace of Pain, trembled with agony and exertion.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

Instead, a keening, worldess moan escaped from his throat ? a groan of pure, animal gratification.

It didn?t really sound like him.

In the Force, he still felt pure, and painless.

Like light.

It was paradox, to accept the pain in his body, while keeping the darkness out of his soul. A gift, and a challenge, a purpose and a problem ? to strike a balance between his Jeedai heritage and the truths of the True Way.

To be the Warmaster?s son, and Leia Solo?s.

He hung face-down, suspended above the deck by the whiptongues lashed around his wrists and ankles. Arms straight out, legs apart, pulled back towards the bulkhead. The third pair of ties were tight around his thighs ? not too tight, but tight enough.

His body sang like sinew wire, strung taut ? every joint locked, every muscle taut ? every nerve on fire.

His fists were clenched, his toes scrunched tight, balled up until he could no longer feel the crushed clasps of bone and sinew, only the knots of pain that bound them. They had become the clawed roots with which he gripped the fabric of reality ? far more vital to hold him here that the straps of the Embrace of Pain.

But those straps were still important. By shifting his weight and tugging against them, he could coax the Embrace of Pain to rack his body in just the way he wanted. He might still be young, not yet a true warrior, but he knew how to work with the aparatus.

You simply had to embrace the pain; let it embrace you.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

The words had become a mantra. Perhaps, once, he had wanted to cry.

He trembled.

Slowly, he unclenched his fists and opened his eyes, lifting his eyebrows at the sight of the pale deck below him, the blur of his own reflection in the surface.

He closed his eyes again, eyelids fluttering like shadowmoths.

He floated.

And Ree hadn?t even chosen which knife to use yet.

?Kin?? she asked, her voice small and fragile, like a flame cupped in his hands. ?You sure about this.?

?Take my coufee, Ree,? he told her, without looking up. He knew that she was standing in front of the big niche where he displayed his knife-collection, looking uncertainly at the blades strapped to the wall. ?It?s on the deskplant, next to my ?staffs.?

?Oh,? she said. ?Okay. I never could tell these things apart.?

?I know,? he said, and felt a smile slit his lips. Lifting his head, he opened his eyes, and watched her turn away from her inspection of the blades.

For a moment, his eyes fell on the hooked beak of his chazbar, and then his gaze switched guility back to Tahiri.

They exchanged half-smiles, and she shook her head, laughing silently as she walked across the room in front of him. He followed her with his eyes, twisting his neck unt

 

Kyp Durron grinned as he saw the Yuuzhan Vong ship slam out of darkspace and straight into the jaws of his trap.

The Shard of Alderaan was what the files called a frigate-analog, although the small ships were nothing like any frigate produced by the native inhabitants of the Galaxy. With their minimal flight-crew and fighter-fast acceleration and manoeuvring, those long, sleek hulls could be outfitted for a variety of roles. Combat variants served as gunships, pickets and high-speed troop transports, but they were just as often used as dispatch couriers and personal transports for high-ranking dignitaries.

The Warmaster?s personal runner wasn?t an ordinary frigate-analog, though. It would never be mistaken for a gunship or a troop-carrier, or even a courier.

And yacht didn?t seem at all right, either.

Yuuzhan Vong ships didn?t have standard hullforms, but there was something about this one that looked more different than usual. Even from here, he could see extra nodes and calluses on the hull, additional strakes of bristles, bulges and narrowings in the hull that suggested a non-standard deckplan.

Not that it really mattered. The Shard was a scar-head ship, and the Warmaster and his family were scar-head scum, even if his children had been born human.

That made them even worse than their monster of a father.

?Okay, Wraiths,? he said, surprised by how cool and calm his voice sounded. ?Let?s help these scum embrace the pain.?

Trigger-clicks and short barks of agreement answered him, and he slewed the stick in his hand, tipping his fighter over, and leading his squadron into the dive.

The important targets were the best ones, Kyp thought. You could really feel good about it afterwards ? a cold, clean sense of achievement, the knowledge that you?d really hurt the scum.

But for now, he had a job to do.

He saw the Shard of Alderaan hop up into the targeting bracket, and sent a salvo of anger streak towards her.

 

Anakin led the way along the curving tunnel to the command pod, feeling the Shard shake and grumble around them.

Riina glanced at him, a twinge of worry in her gold-flecked green eyes.

?Anakin?? she asked, then she paused, catching her thoughts, switching to Yuuzhan Vong. ?Are you sure about this??

?Pretty much,? he nodded, as the iris puckered open, grabbing her wrist and leading her through.

His father was already settled in his cognition throne, immersed in the battle. He glanced briefly in their direction as they stumbled in, but if he objected to Ree?s presence, he said nothing.

Anakin?s gaze swept round the control room. Seef was at the villip desk, the two Noghri already hooked into the weapons banks. Chewie was in the conn pit beneath his father?s throne, Jaya slipping next to him, pulling the cognition hood over her scalp.

He felt a little shiver run through him as he felt her slip into the meld, and wrenched himself away. If he became a warrior ? What?s ?if? about it? ? he didn?t know he wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to be able to think for himself.

Then again, there were some pilots who did just that. In every holo-field and display hive around the deck, a rash of blip-bugs blazed bright, with the blue light and rasping note that indicated infidel starfighters.

He felt his lip twitch up at one side, and smiled encouragingly at Ree, seeing her quirk tentatively back.

?So, Kin?? she asked. ?What do we do??

?Ah,? he said, with an easy shrug. ?No worry. Just snubs ? infidel fighters, I mean. Good prey. Should be interesting ? they?re very different from us, the way they fight, I mean. But they?ve got no chance, really?.?

?I meant that, Anakin? she said, nodding to the image wavering above the main villip choir ? so big his mind simply hadn?t taken it in, so utterly alien he hadn?t recognized it for what it was.

In place of the graceful curves and subtle contours of a Yuuzhan Vong design, it was all hard-edged and angular, the detail of sensor pods and weapons brackets subordinated to an aggressive geometry.

But it was still a ship. A big one.

He glanced at Ree, and swallowed hard.

?That?s a Star Destroyer,? she whispered. ?Isn?t it??

 

How you managed to make me blush at a scene of torture, I don't know, but that first scene was positively steamy. How torture can be erotic is beyond me, but apparently, it can be done.

Anakin seemed to seriously enjoy that whole slice and dice thing, and I found it interesting that Tahiri had to switch back and forth between 'vong and human - at least, that's what I inferred from this - ?Anakin?? she asked, then she paused, catching her thoughts, switching to Yuuzhan Vong. ?Are you sure about this?? - but I dunno...

Kyp was suitably vicious, but not exactly 'dark'. Was he trained in this universe, or is he just another Rogue Squadron-era Corran Horn? Was very interested to hear the name of the ship - Shards of Alderaan - and to see Chewie and Noghri on the command deck. Where is Leia, though, and her wayward other son, Jacen? And why was Anakin and Tahiri so surprised to see a Star Destroyer? They were much more common in the old days that by the normal NJO, so they should have seen alot. I wonder when, exactly, this invasion took place. The only thing I'm certain of is Han's death, because that's the only reason Chewie would be with the kids rather than with him... At least, I hope so... The idea of Chewie, of all people, being 'vonged up, is rather disturbing.

Elena

 

Well, this 'fic is doing quite well, in terms of reply-to-writing ratio - so here's the next post or three for your enjoyment...

Is that what decides what you're going to update, cuz I could reply a lot more to some things


He followed her with his eyes, twisting his neck until he could see the shaded pit of his sleeping-niche, and next to it, the broad leafpads of his deskplant. He could just see the corner of the little vivarium in which he kept his amphistaffs, perched between the uppermost ring of stems branching out from the squat central trunk, and wreathed around by gauzy hammocks of limspider web in which he kept the tumbleweed tangle of miscellaneous junk that tended to accrue around the deskplant.

I love the details, definitely bring the whole thing out

He didn?t have time to reflect on his choice of metaphor.

Heh. Coming through, me thinks.

Behind him, he heard Ree duck below his legs, and felt the sharpness slice across the surface of his thigh, fast and formless as a whip.

She's moving close to some dangerous area to be slicing things

?Oh, mate!!? he yelled, but it was already too late.

Gotta love tha pet name. Think I might start using it

An interesting exchange between Anakin and Tahiri. I don't think you have to worry about TOS, it wasn't that bad of a torture scene. Not much different than the NJO...

?Okay, Wraiths,? he said, surprised by how cool and calm his voice sounded. ?Let?s help these scum embrace the pain.?

I don't know who I should be cheering for here But it's good to see Kyp up to what he's best at.

Chewie was in the conn pit beneath his father?s throne,



?That?s a Star Destroyer,? she whispered. ?Isn?t it??

This should be interesting...

This fic is so strange

 

Wow. The scene with Anakin and Ree was just...almost me...

 

Up!

 

Elena: How you managed to make me blush at a scene of torture, I don't know, but that first scene was positively steamy. How torture can be erotic is beyond me, but apparently, it can be done.

*ahem!*

Two possibilities:
1.) you like seeing men whimpering in pain?
2.) something to do with the human condition that I'm not sure I can express directly in words - partially to do with the fact that torture, recontextualized from the Vong POV, is pitched half way between athletic sport and afternoon tea...

Either way, your response worries me right back, if that makes you feel any better...

*tips large and decidedly un-erotic bucket of freezing cold water over 'Lena*

I found it interesting that Tahiri had to switch back and forth between 'vong and human - at least, that's what I inferred from this - ?Anakin?? she asked, then she paused, catching her thoughts, switching to Yuuzhan Vong. ?Are you sure about this?? - but I dunno...

Good catch! It's basically a linguistic switch - Kin and Ree (and probably Jaya) are bilingual in Basic and Yuuzhan Vong...

Kyp was suitably vicious, but not exactly 'dark'. Was he trained in this universe, or is he just another Rogue Squadron-era Corran Horn?

Somewhere between the one and the other?

Was very interested to hear the name of the ship - Shards of Alderaan - and to see Chewie and Noghri on the command deck. Where is Leia, though, and her wayward other son, Jacen?

Leia... Leia is dead, I'm pretty sure; Jacen, you'll be seeing soon enough

And why was Anakin and Tahiri so surprised to see a Star Destroyer? They were much more common in the old days that by the normal NJO, so they should have seen alot. I wonder when, exactly, this invasion took place.



The only thing I'm certain of is Han's death, because that's the only reason Chewie would be with the kids rather than with him... At least, I hope so... The idea of Chewie, of all people, being 'vonged up, is rather disturbing.

Oh, Chewie isn't Shaped, not like the Noghri - "Save your strength. There'll be another time. The princess -- you
have to take care of her. You hear me?"

Sound familiar?

YK: Is that what decides what you're going to update, cuz I could reply a lot more to some things

Nahh, it's what makes me realise when I look at an old thread that I really need to get cracking with the 'fic and get stuff posted...

I love the details, definitely bring the whole thing out

Well, I think the second sentence is horribly clumsy, but I was having an appalling difficulty communicating the complex arrangement of, um, stuff the way I wanted to...

Heh. Coming through, me thinks.

Huh?

*confused*

She's moving close to some dangerous area to be slicing things

Yeah, those tendons and nerves on the inner thigh...

Gotta love tha pet name. Think I might start using it

It's not a pet-name - just an all-purpose expletive...

An interesting exchange between Anakin and Tahiri. I don't think you have to worry about TOS, it wasn't that bad of a torture scene. Not much different than the NJO...

Why 'exchange' in italics?

But, aye, that's my thought...

I don't know who I should be cheering for here But it's good to see Kyp up to what he's best at.

Aye - I guess that's the point...

" "

See above remarks to 'Lena?

This should be interesting...

This fic is so strange



Spike: Wow. The scene with Anakin and Ree was just...almost me...

Huh? How so?

I saw no redheads, from the North of England or otherwise, in this 'fic...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Huh? How so?

I saw no redheads, from the North of England or otherwise, in this 'fic...

I meant in terms of intense violence and brutality

 

*more color drains from the vamp'salready gray face, if it's even possible*

Jaina killed Jacen,I assume? And just how in the nine hells did Han Solo die?

 

Nahh, it's what makes me realise when I look at an old thread that I really need to get cracking with the 'fic and get stuff posted...

Too bad *halts posting blitz*


Well, I think the second sentence is horribly clumsy, but I was having an appalling difficulty communicating the complex arrangement of, um, stuff the way I wanted to...



Huh?
*confused*

I meant "Anakin's human side is coming through" I should really start speaking in complete sentences

Yeah, those tendons and nerves on the inner thigh...

Yeah, yeah... those... *shifty eyes*

It's not a pet-name - just an all-purpose expletive...

It would still make a good Vong pet-name. Very basic, to-the-point.

Why 'exchange' in italics?

Cause I can't think of a more tactful way to describe "consensual torture"

 

Wollknäuel:

lang, lang is? es her seit dem Review aber trotzdem noch eine Antwort darauf


The Vong were certainly invading at that point, yes...

that implies that they were at this point already around in some part of the galaxy?


Well, it was more that he took Leia as his mate, and the Solobrats came as part of the deal...

after the motto:
you can have me with the brats but not without them
but why did she gave Jace away? Did she already know of his flaws and that he will be a nuisance?
Or was Han a bit demanding at this point?


Hmm? Not really, no...

*pokes ?wok* you... *giggles*


Well, actually, most of that is right - just not for the reasons you think it is!

are you now a mind reader? Otherwise you can?t know what I was thinking back then...

*hides*

*looks around, a bit afraid*

tell Wollknäuel since when are you among the mind readers? Since when are ?woks able to do such stuff?


So people tell me...

it may be true?




Yeah, Han and Farmboy are together, and they've tried to bring up Jacen between them...

ouch! Han und Bauernjunge erziehen Jace? Das kann nichts werden...


Which has been... interesting...

Han: Lukie, it is your turn to change the diapers.
Luke: Nope, it is yours!!!!
Han: Lukie, you and your force should be able to do it much faster then I can.
Luke: Han shut up, your turn! (waves with hand)
Han: (glaring) Lukiiieee, ... (walks off muttering) Where is Goldenrot when I need him?




Hey, she's a trained spy, assassin, tactical commando officer, hyperdrive mechanic, exotic dancer, and Force-adept... she can't do everything...

*lol* but shouldn?t she know about biology a bit to know how to kill the target in the easiest way?



Well, this 'fic is doing quite well, in terms of reply-to-writing ratio - so here's the next post or three for your enjoyment...

This next one has been the holdup - trying to find a balance where Anakin can be both Yuuzhan Vong and Jedi, or at least showing the character trying to find that balance. More superficially, it involves a few cuts and some arm-wrenching in the Embrace of Pain, but I don't think that any of that is TOS-violating - nor even the fact that Kin and Ree might actually enjoy it a little bit...

That said, feedback helps!

Feedback shall you get


A quick recap for those who've forgotten - Vector Prime timeframe: the Yuuzhan Vong rule the galaxy; Anakin and Jaina are Tsavong Lah's stepchildren; after catching his son misbehaving, the Warmaster has placed his punishment in the hands of his human girlfriend...]



yub yub

`I will not cry. I will not cry. ´

Ree is having fun, isn?t she?


Anakin Solo gritted his teeth and knotted his eyes shut ? grinding the diamond-sharp tears back into his irises, biting back the urge to scream. His brow and jaw were clenched like the beak of a vice-bug, the muscles of his neck bulging and throbbing with the effort.

His whole body, racked in the Embrace of Pain, trembled with agony and exertion.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

Instead, a keening, worldess moan escaped from his throat ? a groan of pure, animal gratification.

It didn?t really sound like him.



Tsa gives the word Kindererziehung a new meaning...


In the Force, he still felt pure, and painless.

Like light.




It was paradox, to accept the pain in his body, while keeping the darkness out of his soul. A gift, and a challenge, a purpose and a problem ? to strike a balance between his Jeedai heritage and the truths of the True Way.

Interesting...
*thinks a bit more*


To be the Warmaster?s son, and Leia Solo?s.

quite a combination? when you consider Han is the biological father...


He hung face-do

 

As promised, my long overdue review. I?d forgotten just how much I like this. I think this will all make sense, but considering the hour I wrote it? Anyway, onto the review...

Is it weird that the idea of Anakin as Tsavong Lah?s son just seems...right when I let it settle in my brain? And that the idea of Riina punishing Anakin also has a strange appeal?

Interesting to see the Warmaster as a father, and a beloved one at that. Gotta say, though, I really enjoy your characterization of Tsavong Lah.

Mara and Thrawn, married?! Yep, it?s an Ewok ?fic for certain now.

And the ice planet...Tatooine! Though, the temperature aside, it wouldn?t change the landscape much. As Luke might grouse: there?s still nothing to see here.

Enjoyed Mara?s rather amusing musings.

Still trying to adjust to a...kinder, gentler,...more human...Thrawn? *shakes head* Not that he was ever a barbarian, far from it, but this will take some getting use to. Still, it?s another nice twist.

It was paradox, to accept the pain in his body, while keeping the darkness out of his soul. A gift, and a challenge, a purpose and a problem ? to strike a balance between his Jeedai heritage and the truths of the True Way.

Now that?s just great!

?Oh,? she said. ?Okay. I never could tell these things apart.?

I love how casual she sounds, even as she?s about to slash her boyfriend to ribbons. It?s odd knowing it?s A/T, yet makes perfect sense since they?re living as Yuuzhan Vong. Nicely done.

?Dummy. It?s you I?m worried about.?

It?s been so long since I read this the first time, I forgotten this line. However, my guess is that my subconscious recalled it when writing TSI... ?No...but it?s not myself I came here to save...Dummy.? Late credit is better than none, yes?

?That,? he began, his words broken apart by ragged breaths. ?That was? fun.?

?It was,? she agreed, smiling herself, slightly surprised.

Awww, young love, isn?t it sweet? And I agree with Elena when she described that scene as ?steamy?.

And it ends with what else? Trouble! Yep, they?re still A/T.

I see Kyp hasn?t changed, well not much, anyway.

He saw the Shard of Alderaan hop up into the targeting bracket, and sent a salvo of anger streak towards her.

Great description, and very fitting for Kyp. Angry Kyp versus Vong raised Anakin? You could sell tickets to that fight and make credits galore.

?Ah,? he said, with an easy shrug. ?No worry. Just snubs ? infidel fighters, I mean. Good prey. Should be interesting ? they?re very different from us, the way they fight, I mean. But they?ve got no chance, really?.?

Okay, I?m hooked! Yuuzhan Vong Anakin is just He?s still Anakin, but he?s also... I?m searching for a word and not finding it, but it?s a compliment.


?That?s a Star Destroyer,? she whispered. ?Isn?t it??

It?s no moon, but it?ll do in a pinch?

Great stuff, Thrawn.


JD.