Beyond - Legends Before - Legends Saga - Legends Whiskers' One-Shots - Updated 8/25 w/ Chasing Ghosts (Late 2016 OC Challenge Response)

The Holocron was simply one stolen by one of the many Jedi apprentices that followed Exar Kun off to war. It was Ceth's mission to retrieve the stolen Holocron and deal with the erstwhile Padawan. If I remember correctly, that fallen Jedi is the only being that I've written Ceth to have directly killed. As for why Portia betrayed the three, she got wind of a much better payout than just transporting them would bring her, not to mention a nice ship.

I conceived of them originally as just a way to get Ceth to where he was going (I wrote a kind of origin tale for a West End Games RPG fan magazine that hasn't been published yet) but they completely grew on me. So, I made them become Ceth's obnoxious hangers-on that he slowly begins to warm to.

I sadly did not know that. I just thought that "Blobbo" being a malapropism would be funny and add to Ceth's many frustrations with his companions.

Yeah, looking at it once again, I can see that it really got away from me. I was trying to explain why it's always so dark on Nar Shaddaa and got lost along the way.

Thank you for reading this and the X-wing story!

 

Your entry for the First Sentence Challenge finally gave me a kick in the butt to read this thread, which has been on my reading list, like, forever. I'm not going to give you long reviews here, because this post would become the size of an encyclopaedia, but the intention is there

Dignity

First of all, this was per-fect characterisation of Mon Mothma. Of course she would never lose her calm, even in the face of death. But the other thing that felt like the pieces of a puzzle falling in place was Vader in the role of the executioner -- a fantastic throwback to the masked executioners of the Middle Ages. And the fact that the only bright colour on the Imperial side is the red of his lightsaber nicely references what his final role would be in the original timeline.

Like many other readers, I was intrigued by Leia as a prisoner here and I'm looking forward to reading more ficlets in this timeline.

Heroes of a Different Sort

Droids!!! I think it's the first story I ever read where the protagonists are CIS battle droids, and I loved how you characterised them -- not only through references to their programming but also the constant use of numbers and figures in reasoning and thoughts. Although this:

...was a nice bit of irony.
And the conclusion:

This was the perfect ending, the perfect description of how a droid thinks.

Memories and Thoughts of the Future

What a fantastic missing scene! George Lucas wouldn't have retconned Artoo's conversation with Obi-Wan any better. And Artoo is my favourite character, so you should know that this is high praise coming from me.

What I enjoyed above all in this story however is how you connected PT Obi-Wan to OT Obi-Wan. Yes, on the outside he's the wise old hermit who doesn't show much, but he still has is trademark sense of humour, even if he keeps it to himself, ("the droid had always had a nasty habit of not knowing when to keep his vocabulator switched off" ) and he is still a little cocky and, dare I say, overconfident?

He would, wouldn't he? Always in motion the future is

Dark Forces: Anoat Sunset

Yup. Enough said

X-Wing: The Three That Lived

I'm a sucker for good post-Yavin stories and this little story about survivor's guilt had me all teary-eyed. I saw in your notes that you "discarded" the other survivors mentioned in Legends and that's a choice I completely agree with -- "crowding" the story would take out a lot of the oomph, especially Lynia's tale. The balance between the characters was great -- newbie, old, older and veteran.

Lastly, I loved the scene with Luke going to the top of the Yavin Temple. Nice foreshadowing

Another Typical Evening on Nar Shaddaa

Before I read, I want to answer your comment in the challenge thread that "first thought leans to merc". When I picked that sentence for the challenge, my first thought was Threepio

(Twenty minutes later) Well, now I read the story, the review and your answer, so my comment could pretty much be "everything Findswoman said". What I'd like to add is that this ficlet left me with an aftertaste of not enough -- I kind of sense that there's a bigger story out there, and that this is just a small part of it. Having checked the Wook, your characters seem to be OCs, so is that something you've written or are planning to write? Because it's definitely something I would read!

Thanks for giving me a great late afternoon of reading

 

Well, I just hope that you enjoyed the plethora of stories here.

As stated before, I never saw Mon Mothma as the type to break down, especially since she herself once implied that she even saw herself as expendable in the cause of rebellion. Vader being the masked executioner was a lot of different idea tangents coming together, including the Earth historical precedent, but also adding in him being seen as Palpatine's enforcer to the majority of the galaxy. It's the same with the only real color in the fic being Mon Mothma's white robes and Vader's red lightsaber. I wanted that to stand out.

As for more in the ANH Infinities timeline, I will certainly return to it. Probably sooner rather than later, because I don't think that people are that anxious to see the Arranda's in the New Jedi Order era over this.

I've written one other story, a LONG time ago, which featured a battle droid as the main character, but my take on them then was much more soulless than what we see here. And that's really by design and why I chose a more independent command droid as the "hero" than a rank and file drone.

And yet, as much as I humanized 0110, he is still a droid, so that's why I added that even he was forced to say "Roger, roger," even though he absolutely hated the phrase.''

The ending was another little bit of combining both the droid and humanized parts of 0110. He's learning from each and every battle that he's fought and is constantly striving for what he considers perfection: 0% casualties. At the same time, there's this bit of storm clouds on the horizon for readers: three years have already passed and how much longer is the war going to last before 0110 is unceremoniously shut down at the order of a Sith lord?

That is indeed high praise. Thank you, Chyntuck. Mixing Obi-Wan into the "just right" combination of Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor was a little bit of a challenge to me, so I'm glad that it came out correctly for some people. As for cocky and a tad overconfident, I certainly wanted to keep the wit of both actors in here!

Always in motion, indeed.

With how frustrating that level was (and believe me, having had to replay it since the hard drive crash, I got a very fresh look at it) it certainly is.

As I said before, with how down the other three stories was (the main characters all dying within at most a month or so after the story ends, I wanted to write a more light-hearted story. Well, as light hearted as throwing an Imperial officer into a foul smelling shower can be.

Not to mention that writing Kyle and Jan together was a freaking blast.

The thing is, I'm surprised that all of the death in A New Hope is kinda swept under the rug, even in a lot of comics and books. And the crowding of the table, so to speak, would have taken a lot out of the story. As for "newbie, old, older and veteran", I really found that dichotomy to be good as well, albeit likely completely unintentionally, especially as the separation of the first three is merely two years.

I can't take credit for Luke standing on top of the Yavin temple, as it was the start of the comic "Day after the Death Star", but I certainly threw it in for the JAT/I, Jedi reference it also made.

My mind was immediately brought to mercenary, but I would be lying if "droid" wasn't brought to mind as well as a possible start over point if I had decided to scrap this first one.

I wanted the feeling of "not enough" to be there, but perhaps not as much as I ended up putting out there. The fact that this is just a small sliver in a life that has already played out part way and has more to go is something that I was trying to go for.

Yes, these are original characters and I hope to get the opportunity to maybe write a little more. Maybe add a bit more Tales of the Jedi flavor to the mix, too!.

 

I look at it this way: He's always wanted adventure and excitement in his life, as Yoda said, but now he's gotten a taste of the realism of it: his aunt and uncle are dead, as are his mentor figure in Obi-Wan and his best friend, Biggs. Yet, like Leia and Alderaan, it all kind of had to be pushed to the side for a while. It's just now beginning to surface.

Thank you. Having Luke realize that he only knew a handful of the pilots at most was something that I wanted to do. He was thrown in with a group of people that had already made some sort of name for themselves, at least among their comrades and he's one of the few that made it back and not them.

Well, if you mean Keyan, I can't take the credit for that. If you meant Jabez, well, I really didn't have anything to go on for him, so I had to just make do with what I did get and go from there.

And that's what happens when you use a baby name site! Thank you for information!

Well, I certainly do try!

 

Title: The Ashes of Mother Jungle
Timeframe: Beyond the Saga, Approximately one year after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Characters: Original Characters. Orren Mernos, Biran.
Summary: The Vong War is over and an Ithorian Jedi Knight takes his unruly apprentice to the first Great Meet since the destruction of his homeworld years ago.

***

Ithor floated thousands of kilometers away in the small ship's viewscreen, the once lush and verdant jungles of the planet replaced by barren rock and gray ash. Mountains loomed with no treeline upon them, only partially melted stone at the caps. Boiled dry river beds stood out as giant scars upon the surface.

"This is it, Master Mernos?" The human teenager looked out of the cockpit's viewscreen, his blue eyes wide and filled with the mixture of fear and confusion.

"Yes," Orren said. He bowed his long and thin headstalk downwards, averting the sight of the wasteland from the close-placed eyes on top of a hammer-headed face. "This was home."

"The Vong actually did this?"

Orren shook his head. His apprentice, though a teenager, had lived in one of the very few pockets of the galaxy that had been mostly untouched by the Yuuzhan Vong and their bloody invasion. "War did this." His stereo voice echoed slightly through the shuttle's small cockpit.

The comm system beeped a staccato rhythm over the hum of the four engines. "Unidentified shuttle, this isForstromaBay, please identify yourselves." At the base of the planet's terminator was a large semi-spherical space station kilometers across. The glimmering reflections of the system's star bounced off of numerous transparisteel domes that surrounded a large towering city.

"Forstroma, this is Jedi shuttle 90704, Jedi Knight Orren Mernos piloting. My student and I are here for the Great Meet."

"I copy, 90704, you're cleared to land in docking bay 15." The transmission ended with a slight hiss.

"Pretty heavy security for such a peaceful people," Orren's apprentice said.

"This is our first Great Meet since Ithor burned, Biran. The High Priest wishes it to be a more low-key event for now."

Biran frowned. "Then why do I have be here?"

Orren let out a sigh that sounded more like a growl to human ears. "Because you're my student and learning about the culture of other beings is paramount to being a Jedi Knight!"

Biran leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. "Look, I can just read about it in the holobooks, or have Tionne find a 'vid of it. Why do I have to actually be here instead of back on Ossus?"

"There are many things that one can learn in person that can't be learned by pure study." Orren pointed a long finger at his student's lightsaber. "That for instance. Would you prefer to learn a new move from a holobook, or have Master Katarn or Solusar teach it to you personally?"

Biran's face lowered, his light green eyes fixed firmly to the floor of the shuttle. "That's diff..."

"The same thing." Orren cut off his student's poor attempt at deflecting the topic. "You can learn far more about these things by experiencing them rather than just 'gazing' at them."

"I guess. Can I learn about landing a ship some more?"

Orren laughed and stood up, pointing to the controls of the shuttle. "You steered me right into that one."

***

The docking bays of the Ithorian herdship were crowded with numerous starships of various make as the Jedi shuttle's boarding ramp opened. Vents of accumulated steam exhaust jetted out from the ship as Orren and Biran stepped out. They both wore Jedi robes, Biran's the traditional brown cloak while his master's was dyed a deep forest green.

[What is the meaning of this?] The full-throated bellow sounded from across the bay, coming from a group of Ithorian priests standing near the secondary ring of the station. Above them the large glass biodomes containing what little there was left of the Mother Jungle of the planet below stood, large bafforr trees nearly touching the tops.

Orren stood still and bade his apprentice to do the same as the irate looking priest approached him. The priest was wearing the ceremonial orange-tan shift of his profession, the bark-colored skin of the lips of his twin mouths quivering.

[The meaning of what?]

[You know what you've done!] the priest pointed a spindly finger at Biran before jamming it in Orren's chest. [You've brought a human to our Meet! A filthy, city-borne human to the last surviving vestiges of Mother Jungle!]

The Jedi Ithorian blinked his large black eyes quickly. [There have been many human guests at the Great Meets,] he said. [Master Skywalker himself was here nearly two decades ago.] Orren could still remember that day, young as he was. The memory of clinging to his father's chest as they met the smiling young hero clad in black was still as vivid in his mind as it had been on that day long ago.

[That was before one of his kind killed Mother Jungle! You should be lucky that we even allowed you, a Jedi, to be here.]

[It was the Yuuzhan Vong that destroyed this world, not Master Horn.]

The priest's finger jammed painfully onto Orren's chest. [You come here, with that human in tow and dare to speak that devil's name!]

[Gentlebeings, gentlebeings!] An amiable voice behind the two stopped the argument. A green-speckled Ithorian wearing fine clothes made from mesopis silk walked as quickly as his large and plodding feet could take him. [We shouldn't be arguing at such a time. All Ithorians are welcome at the Great Meet, and their apprentices as well.]

The priest scowled slightly at the interloper before bowing his head in submission. [Of course, Mayor Bendon.] With a forced expression of politeness pulling at his mouths, the priest walked away to join his companions.

"Thanks for that, Mayor Bendon," Biran said. The human looked over to where the angry priest had stomped off to. "He won't cause any trouble will he?"

"You know our language?"

Biran smiled. "It's one of the first things that Master Mernos taught me."

The mayor gestured back to the disgruntled holy man and switched back to his native tongue. [The war took its toll on Clento, I'm afraid.]

Orren looked up towards the domes ahead, one of the last few things remaining of his home world. [On all of us,] he said.


"Master, I could feel the anger rolling off of that priest." Biran had remained relatively quiet as they walked through the streets of Forstroma's main city. Vegetation native to Ithor and numerous other planets lined the long walkways between the large buildings. "Should we be worried about that? The dark side, I mean."

Orren closed his eyes for a second of meditation. "I felt it, too," he finally said. "A world dying is never something to be taken lightly, and many survivors have their own way of dealing with it."

"If he's headed down the dark side, though..."

"He will be dealt with at that time," Orren said. "By his own people, by his friends, or by us. For now, he must grieve his losses his own way."

The pair continued down the avenue in silence for another kilometer. A group of people stood around the entrance to a grand park nearly 100 meters away, all dressed in simple clothing.

"If you don't want to answer, that's all right," Biran said. "How did you deal with it?"

Orren's ear slits echoed with the sounds of a battle long past, every blink conjured images of inferno on a planetary scale. "I tried to push it to the back of my mind, but," he shook his head. "It didn't work."

"Master, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

A wave of Orren's hand silenced his pupil. "This is healing for all Ithorians," he said. "Every three years since we first set out for the stars, the herdships met here at our homeworld. The war delayed it for a while, but our traditions won't stop. It was the same with the Alderaanians and it will be the same for us."

His eyes followed the line of decorative plants up to the park, where numerous plants and trees rose up, each of them placed in a decorative pattern designed to look like natural placement. "Like them, we will rebuild and if the Force is with us it will be on this very same world."

Biran shook his head in almost a dismissive manner. "I don't mean to doubt your species, but I don't think that's going to be able to be salvaged anytime soon." He pointed upwards, past the magnetically sealed in atmosphere of the herd ship to Ithor above them.

"The Mother Jungle did not grow in a day." The Ithorian gestured to a bafforr sapling that had been planted near the entrance of the park. Already he could see the telltale holes where one of the herd ship's many botanists had taken genetic samples of it for cloning. "Starting small, with soil and saplings, Mother Jungle will grow again. So will her children."


***

It was hours later and the two sat on the surface of one of the biodomes on the herdship, eyes closed in deep meditation. Orren peered through the Force, seeing an immense body of water teeming with life with himself somewhere in the infinite.

"Master," Biran spoke up, the calm wave that was his apprentice reverting to a slight eddy.

"Something troubles you?"

"It's about what I sacrificed at the ceremony." All who wished to traverse the surface of Ithor were required to give up a part of themselves in order to purify their minds. It was a surprise to none of the attendees of the meet that the thing most given up was their grief. "I said that I'd give up my stubborness."

Orren lifted a small rock with the power of his mind and arranged it in a small circle with several other stones that he had placed. "I'm surprised that you didn't cease to exist after saying that."

The young human stared straight at the ground. "I haven't been that good of a student for you."

"Students often end up teaching their teachers. I thought you were my final test as a Jedi."

Biran shifted his weight on the ground, drawing his knees up close to his chest. "I just thought that being a Jedi would be more..."

"Heroic?" Orren smiled. "Jedi are not meant to be heroes, they are meant to serve the Force, be it martially or peacefully."

"But the Jedi were heroes during the war. They saved the galaxy."

The Ithorian exhaled. "The true heroes were the ones that fought without the Force to guide them. The ones that fought fearing that they stood no chance against the invaders and still fought. I owe my life to such people."

"What happened?"

A phantom pain ran down the Ithorian's arm at the thought. "The ship I was on was attacked by the Yuuzhan Vong and their creatures. I was the only Jedi on board and they were attacking the ship because of me. Over a hundred beings died in that attack, including two who personally died trying to save me." Orren scratched between his eyestalks, feeling the soothing calm of the nerve cluster prompted the release of chemicals in his brain. "I gave up my grief from the war today, but I know that I can't ever even replace all of those dead because of me, let alone the requisite two."

Biran attempted to pluck the name out of the air. "The Law of Life."

"Did you get that from your holobooks?"

"No." Biran grinned. "I heard one of the priests mention it and I asked him after the ceremony."

"Now you're learning."

 

What an interesting story! This is a touching look at loss, grief, and healing despite the great odds.

 

I'm not quite sure how I came up with the idea, but I gues it began when I really wanted to revisit Orren from a previous story. I wanted to touch upon, at least to a micro extent, some of the stages of grief. Orren was in denial, trying to forget it, while Cleto is still stuck firmly in "anger." It's why I added the majority of the Ithorians at the meet choosing to give up grief, as kind of a sign of moving to acceptance.

I owe a lot of what's there about Ithorian cultures and mannerisms to Dave Wolverton and West End Games. They really laid a good foundation. That said, it was a bit weird to type in brackets to designate speaking in an alien language. I haven't used that too much and it felt a little, pun intended, alien.

Although I don't know much about the era in which you're writing, I do know about the devastation of Ithor and several other worlds by the Yuuzhan Vong, and the whole "destroy all those wonderful worlds we worked so many years on creating" thing always left kind of a bad taste in my mouth. So it's so nice to see there's still hope for Mother Jungle, and—most importantly—that Orren Mernos and his fellow Ithorians are still hopeful too. [/quote]

The loss of a homeworld, especially one where the very surface of the planet has a deeply religious significance to it would be completely devastating to a race. The Ithorians, skilled as they are, realize how difficult it will be to rebuild, but certainly aren't as pessimistic to it as an outsider such as Biran would be. The fact that they've already begun by taking cloning samples from some trees shows how dedicated they are to it.

Clento hasn't really lost hope, so much as let his anger over it cloud his judgement. He might come around, or he might not. As cool as it might be, I don't know if Clento would actually be the one to talk with Biran about the Law of Life, especially considering his own xenophobic anger, but you never know.

Of course a Jedi Consular would say that! No, he's seen the Republic troops that have had no real chance against the Vong themselves fight on because that's the only thing that they can do. As for the story that followed, it's a condensed version of "Simple Heroism."

Thanks for reading, both of you! I appreciate it all.

 

Touching, whiskers the true heroes are also those that rebuild.

 

Thank you! As I stated before, I wanted to show the rebuilding process, not just of Ithor, but of its people. And what a people they are! Fun to write, as well.

 

Title: The Rising Threat
Timeframe: Straddling Beyond and Saga by minutes.
Characters: Lumiya
Summary: While training in the Sith ways on Ziost, Lumiya finds herself far more alone in the galaxy than she thought.


***

The lone figure walked through the frozen waste, red hair flowing in the hyperborean breeze. Dark plasteel boots crunched through the accumulated snow and ice, leaving small footprints in their owner's wake. The path stretched for kilometers in the tundra, leading past cryogenically preserved trees that had died millennia previously and lakes that had not been liquid for even longer.

A small cave was ahead the tracks of its occupant's departure this morning partially obscured by the drifting snow. Next to a dying glowlamp was a raging fire that turned the area around the makeshift into a slushy mess. Near the fire was a small table containing a dark triangle trimmed with red and a scroll.

The young apprentice stepped into her home for the past month and removed the thickest layer of her protective clothing. Underneath the large parka, she wore a heavy padded jumpsuit designed to keep the body's heat inside. The sleeves of the jumpsuit had been removed, giving her arms freedom of movement. Her face was thin with a somewhat angular chin. From the left side of the chin was a large pink scar that stretched to the bottom of her ear, accompanied by a smaller one above her temple. In her bare hand was a small crystal, barely the size of the first knuckle on her finger. It glowed in the fire's light a vibrant green that matched its owner's eyes.

"Finally," the woman said. Her voice was calm despite her living conditions. Quick steps brought her to the table, where she sat. Slender hands picked up the large pyramid. She studied it for the briefest of seconds before placing it aside. As much wisdom was in the device it would provide no such knowledge today. The scroll, however.

Her eyes pored over the scroll, studying the words written in a tongue long since dead and known only by a select few, herself included amongst them. She reached into a small chest near the table and placed her finger upon lock. A small amount of static moved from the digit to the lock and then back before the top opened. She removed the sole item within and laid it upon the table.

It was a cylinder nearly 30 centimeters long, it's grey metal cold in the air. From an opening in one end was a long coil of Mandalorian iron that had been wrapped around the hilt of the whip. At the ends of the coil the strands separated and mingled with tendrils of supple nerf leather studded with sharp iron. It was weeks of work and study; a weapon that had existed only in ancient history and legend until now. It was her final test.

Impatient fingers opened the hilt of the whip, revealing the electronic workings of the interior. Everything was in its correct place: the power cell and conductor near the base of the hilt, energizers and wiring leading from where the metal rope began. The only thing missing was what she had in her hand. Upon her "exile" onto the old Sith homeworld of Ziost, her master had hidden the gem somewhere in the frozen wasteland for her to find.

The crystal fit perfectly into the sole void in the hilt. A small hum through the Force filled her mind as the work was done. She closed the hilt up and hefted the weapon into her hand. Three kilograms. The sensors in her prosthetic arms sent the exact weight of the weapon into her mind.

She walked into the tundra again, the cold wind barely registering to her. Eyes studied the weapon before she finally let the metal and leather coils touch the ground. Her thumb hovered over the ignition plate. The price of failure was fully inside of her mind, images of a power overload and resulting explosion flashing before her eyes. Through ravaged lungs assisted by a small respirator in her chest, she took a deep breath before finally pressing the dark button.

A serpentine length of yellow energy shot out of the emitter and ran close to the length of lightsaber-resistant metal. The hopeful Sith's mouth slowly curved upwards in a grin that revealed too-perfect teeth. Her arm moved up in a fluid movement, bringing the metal, leather and energy strands with it. The elbow rotated the arm before snapping forward, sending the three ends surging forward towards the branch of a dead tree.

The branch fell to the ground, the very end of the dead wood still glowing white hot where the energy blade had struck it. On the other end, the black bark had been stripped clean to the white wood flesh beneath. Shira Brie smiled as she viewed her handiwork. Her ticket off world had finally arrived.

Shira walked back to her camp, lightwhip placed upon her belt. Lord Vader had given her so few things when he had stranded her upon this planet: the Holocron that she had now packed into a storage crate, barely enough food and water to last a month, and just the basics of survival gear.

A wave of nausea and dizziness passed over her as she placed her crate onto the miniature repulsorsled. She leaned against the sled's handles to steady herself as her stomach purged the meager breakfast that she had eaten that morning. Her master, Darth Vader was... No. No, the presence that she felt deep into her very core was no longer Vader but... It couldn't happen, not to him.

The world exploded around her, bringing Shira Brie to her knees and involuntary tears to her eyes. The Force, which had always seemed so full of shadows and dimmed light seemed positively vibrant as it washed over her. Her eyes turned to a distant spot in the sky, so many light years away that the brightness of that star had just been shed when her Order had been at its very highest. Without seeing, she knew that the Emperor was dead and Darth Vader with him.

The lid of the crate flew off with a mental push that had meant to be simple but instead propelled the metal square meters away. An ungloved hand grabbed at the Holocron and her mind ripped the sides open.

A blue figure emerged from the pyramid and stood over her. His once red skin shone a darker shade than the armor that he wore. Fleshy tendrils drooped from his upper lip like an organic moustache. "What lessons do you require today, my apprentice?" The figure looked down upon her and sensed her despair. "I didn't imprint myself upon this to train weaklings." The image began to slowly fade.

"King Adas, wait." Her voice was weak and her will as frayed as the ends of her weapon. A simple exertion of will through the Force moved between herself and the Holocron. She wasn't as weak as he said and she knew it.

The image faded more. "Are you trying to do something, my pupil?" Shira cringed at the voice's mockery of her plight. She had the power to do what she wanted a more long ago only for it to be replaced by mere echoes. Her limbs, her jaw, several of her internal organs, all of it gone and taking that future away from her forever and it was all his fault. The very same presence that she had felt upon the deaths of the Emperor and her master and it was at his hands. The man that had left her floating in the void of space, slowly dying only to be replaced by this mockery of life. Skywalker. The very name repeating in her brain stoked the fire within her.

Adas' form solidified. "Good..." The spirit motioned towards the chair. "Have a seat if you wish, but ask what you must."

Shira Brie gazed into the eyes of the only teacher that she had left. "My master has died but not of my own hand. My training is incomplete and yet I am the only one of our order left."

"I will provide you no answers." Adas' voice echoed through the small cave. "Any answers you find will be your own, I can only guide you. First, tell me your name, pupil. What shall this Holocron call you?"

"Shira Brie."

"No!" She nearly flinched backwards at the long dead Sith's sudden outburst. "You have a system now that we never did. What did your master call you?"

"He said I must earn that name."

"Your master is dead and gone and you are the last. What is your name?"

Shira steeled herself and kneeled before the Holocron. "Lumiya."

"You say you are the last, Lumiya, but you must not remain the last for long."

"Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it." Those were the first words that Darth Vader had spoken to her as she awoke in his medbay aboard the Executor. They were part of some code that the Sith followed, a master and an apprentice. She had been the apprentice of an apprentice and now the closest thing that there was to a living master in the galaxy. "I understand, Lord Adas."

"I have limited knowledge of this 'Rule of Two' doctrine that you spout, but in times of strife, discretion is wise. Leave this world and find an apprentice of your own."

Lumiya's rage sank. She didn't know anyone that would be a suitable apprentice. There had been hundreds of dark Jedi in the employ of the Emperor, but the majority had been far too powerful to even consider submitting to her limited knowledge. All of the others were too weak. Except for... The image of another entered her mind: a young man that Vader had hoped to pit against her to test their true potential. "Flint..." she said.

The form of Adas began to fade, a smile upon his face. "Find this Flint and begin your revenge, Lumiya. The Force shall free you."

Lumiya walked up to the extinguished Holocron and placed it back into its safe place in the storage crate. Her few belongings secure, she began her hike to the shuttle.

The Lambda-class shuttle sat a kilometer away from her camp site, the two wings upon its side folded up against the dorsal wing. The ramp below the slanted cockpit slowly opened as she approached, allowing a blocky humanoid droid to descend into the snow.

"You have decided that it is time to leave, Shira Brie?" The right arm of the droid ignited into a meter-long shaft of yellow energy. "You must prove yourself ready."

The nascent Sith removed the lightwhip from her belt and unfurled it before her. "My name is Lumiya." The energy whip flickered into existence.

"That is not a recognized weapon."

Lumiya's green eyes shined. "I know."

The droid moved quickly to close the distance between them, its right arm held close to its chassis in a classic guard position. Lumiya cracked her arm and sent the whip towards the droid. It rose its blade to meet the energy strand in a quick block, strands of leather falling from her weapon as they touched the opponent's blade. the screech of the metal coils sounded as she pulled the whip back towards her.

Twirling her wrist to keep the whip dancing in front of her as an impromptu shield, Lumiya shifted back a few meters to give her the distance she needed. Her opponent eagerly followed. The snap of a wrist sent the whip writhing forward, a move that the droid swiftly sidestepped.

With a scream, the cyborg twisted her body around, bringing the whip about sideways. The droid brought its blade up to block. "What?" The droid seemed surprised to see the Mandalorian iron coil itself around its blade and tightening with a simple move of Lumiya's wrist. She tugged as hard as she could, sending the blade spinning out of its hands. One more quick crack and the bisected droid fell to the ground.

The ramp closed behind Lumiya as she stepped into the shuttle's main cabin. Rows of empty seats flanked the large aisle leading to a pair of open doors in the bow of the ship. Red lighting shone through the doors, drawing her to them. The armory of the ship was mostly empty as she entered, the racks that lined the walls once filled with blaster rifles replaced with a single two meter tall closet.

A hologram came to life as she entered, the tall armor-clad visage of Darth Vader. The respirator in his chest sucked oxygen in and then forcefully exhaled it. His filtered voice spoke the last words of his that Lumiya would ever hear. "You have survived my test, pupil, and you have earned your name. Inside this chest is a gift for the occasion. You have earned that as well, but remember, you will never be a true Sith until my master is dead."

The closet on the wall opened and the glint of metal caught Lumiya's eyes. A suit of metal armor shone in the light of the armory, paired with a black undersuit laced with cortosis. A triangular headdress and scarf hung next to the suit.

The hologram of Vader continued on, telling her instructions that had been rendered obsolete an hour previously, as she stripped herself of her winter survival gear and replaced it with the armor. Piece by piece the trappings of Shira Brie fell to the floor and was replaced by her new identity. She ran prosthetic fingers along the scarring of her natural born skin that had been placed over an equally prosthetic jaw, feeling each ridge and valley over what had once been an attractive face. Her glove hand grabbed the loose edge of the scarf of her headdress and secured it to the other end.

She walked to the cockpit and warmed the shuttle's engines. Closing her eyes, she reached out through the Force, pulling the information that she wanted out of the ether. Vader's retreat on Vjun. She had trained at Bast Castle before and briefly after her injuries, recent times that felt like ages ago. Flint would return there from wherever he was, called to the same location by the Force just as she was.


There, on the acid rain soaked world, she would bend her former rival to her will. The thought warmed her as she steered the shuttle off of the ancient home of her kind. On Vjun they would plan their revenge against the rebels that wronged her. Leia Organa, Crix Madine, Mon Mothma; they would join Corwin Shelvay and Erling Tredway as rebels that were dead by her means. After all of this, after destroying everything that he had helped build, she would exact her final revenge upon Luke Skywalker...

 

Excellent follow-up and very plausible sequel/extra scene to RoTJ>

 

One of the problems about having a relatively obscure character being one of your favorites is so many missing scenes in their life. Lumiya's training is one of those parts that got a few sentences or a paragraph in a few RPG articles and that was pretty much it. Besides, we've already seen what another red-haired Imperial dark Jedi who was a love interest to Luke was doing when she felt the death of the Emperor, so why not the other?

***

Spoiler: Notes

* This is a sequel to Out of Fire, Out of Ice, another work I've done regarding Lumiya. (Linking here because it's a short story that was posted pre-notebook thread.)

* Lumiya was created in the original Marvel Star Wars series and first appeared in issue 56.

* The planet of Ziost has been called the Sith home world, as has Korriban. While I prefer Korriban as a planet, the frozen world was also quite fun to write in.

* Lumiya's training after her injuries was first mentioned in the 1995 Star Wars: Galaxy magazine article "Lumiya: Dark Star of the Empire." Though the planet she was on remained unnamed, it was also the first mention of how she created her iconic lightwhip. It would not be until a 2001 Star Wars Gamer article until Ziost would be named as the planet.

* Having a hand bare out in the frigid temperatures of Ziost is the first hint that Lumiya isn't as fully human as we may be led to believe. Indeed, the synthskin on her prosthetic arms doesn't really any danger of becoming frostbitten.

* An incorrectly built lightsaber (or lightwhip) in this case overloading and exploding comes from Kevin J. Anderson's young adult novel "Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers".

* The multiple elements of Lumiya's lightwhip (the energy ribbon, Mandalorian iron chain-rope and the studded leather) really makes it far more versatile than, say, Githany from Jedi vs. Sith and her energy only lightwhip.

* The idea that Vader essentially stranded Lumiya on Ziost was an idea of my own. In my opinion, it fit very heavily into the Sith philosophy of "only the strong survive."

* I had to be very, very vague in regards to time, especially in the single year that separates Empire and Jedi. Having two different versions in Marvel Star Wars and Shadows of the Empire that barely mesh together to begin with makes it a lot more difficult, especially when there's another in-progress work of mine that is very indirectly tied in with Lumiya.

* I wondered how Lumiya would feel, if at all, the redemption of Darth Vader. I decided to have it make her physically ill as a good starting point, followed by how alien the sensation of a redeemed Anakin Skywalker alive in the galaxy, if only for a few minutes. Followed up by the outright slam that is the most powerful dark side user that has possibly ever existed, it would have to be an intense experience that I wish on no one. Which is why I had her panic at the thought of being the last Sith in the galaxy, and a barely trained one at that.

* Lumiya's sudden rage at the mere thought of what Luke Skywalker had cost her is, in my opinion, one of her sole motivations for everything that she would do later on.

* While Lumiya gained her name at the end of my last story about her, I wanted to show that she hadn't fully embraced that new identity. Until now.

* Lord Adas was one of the most powerful pureborn Sith of his day, living before the birth of the Republic and was responsible for the overthrowing of the Sith's Rakatan overlords, at the cost of his own life.

* Flint is also another creation of Marvel Star Wars.

* The lightsaber training droid is meant to be the same type of combat droid found in the Jedi Academy game, slightly modified.

* The lightwhip disarming the droid with the metal coil is another one of the advantages that the weapon has over traditional lightsabers. The downside is also shown in the fight, as Lumiya must stay far enough away in order to give the whip clearance to swing.

* It was also never said how Lumiya got her armor, as she was shown to be relatively whole in the pictures of her recovery. A graduation present from Darth Vader seemed as plausible as anything.

* Corwin Shelvay and Erling Tredway are West End Games characters. Lumiya's encounters with them stem from another RPG article by the same author of the one in Gamer #5. In a mission from an interactive VCR board game, Shira Brie and Kyle Katarn join the two to disable the Death Star II's tractor beam. Since the game had a traitor in the midst and only Shira and Kyle are ever mentioned again, I decided that it would be interesting for Shira to join her master and covertly kill the other two.

 

Oops, I read your last two entries a few days ago but I forgot to post a review Here goes...

The Ashes of Mother Jungle

Amazing writing with the alien characters here. I particularly liked how you described the body language of the Ithorians, it makes them feel a lot more alien straight away (which is not to say that I have anything against dialogue in [...], I use that trick all the time.) I was particularly happy to read a fic about Ithorians, it's one of those species I have an inexplicable fondness for -- probably because they like gardens but I liked how you fleshed out their culture and their struggle to cope with the fact that their point of reference as a civilisation is gone.

The other really masterful aspect of this story is how you managed to build a strong relationship in so few words for characters that make their first appearance here (if I am not mistaken?) There's this gentle combination of friendship, master-and-apprentice, and learning from each other that's just a pleasure to read. Are we going to see more of them?

The Rising Threat

Lumiya is one of those characters I never paid much attention to because the EU material where she appears is either stuff I don't really care for (those early comics) or stuff I dislike altogether (FotJ in particular) but oh boy did you make her an interesting character here! Fantastic backstory as to how she acquired her lightwhip, her costume and her name. Again, I hope that you write more of her in the future -- I found that the process of how she became Lumiya was really lacking in the EU, and this fills the gaps perfectly.

 

No worries at all.

With such a different body structure than humans (even though they're humanoid), I had to think of some ways to express emotion while catering to the body type. The rubbing between the eyes was from Dave Wolverton's short story in the Tales novels, but I had to take into consideration something as basic as a smile. A smirk on a human is one half of the mouth upturning, so why not have only one of an Ithorian's mouths smiling to make a gesture that is simultaneously alien yet recognizable?

Ithorians have been a favorite of mine as well, for both being peaceful and so in tune with nature that they refuse to even set foot on their homeworld lest they spoil it. But now that homeworld is gone and while they're continuing their traditions, a lot of what made their cultural identity for the past several millennia is now gone., so what do they do after that?

Clento and Biran both make their first appearances in this story, and we may see them again. It all depends on when the muse strikes on them again. At the start, I wanted Biran to be a bit bratty and impetuous, seemingly a very poor fit for the now patient Orren, only for both of them to realize that just as a pupil is supposed to learn from his teacher, so must the teacher learn from the student.

I am a huge fan of the early Marvel stories, even the more goofy ones. Lumiya also had a special place as this successor to Vader that terrorized the heroes for the last twenty issues. And then something happened that made me even more of a fan: she disappeared from reference for ten years. There is no easier path to being a favorite character of mine than to be nearly completely forgotten after being kind of a big deal.

I can't really take credit for making her an interesting character here, I just took characterization already established and put her through a few challenges, that's all. How she got the costume was a creation of mine. We know that she had to get it somewhere between being released from that bacta tank and Marvel #88, so I had to explain why.

As for more Lumiya... Well, there was the other plot bunny with her that I passed up for this one...

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

 

Title: Han Solo and the Ash Beast of C1360
Summary: Forced down by an Imperial patrol ship on an uncharted planet, Han Solo and Chewbacca must contend with an alien foe, and find a way off the planet!
TimeFrame: 4 BBY
Characters: Han Solo, Chewbacca.

***

Chewbacca roared out a warning as the sirens and whistles aboard the Bria joined the orchestra.

"I know, I know!" Han Solo silenced the screaming klaxons with the press of a button. Blaster fire from nearly two dozen laser cannons filled the stars in front of the SoroSuub freighter. "I'm going to try and get us out of here."

The smuggler looked at the sensor screen in front of him as he grabbed the controls of his ship. The craft behind them was large, nearly ten times the length of the Falcon. It was a sleek series of rounded rectangles that travelled down from a huge bank of two large engines with six smaller ion turbines flanking them. A Tartan-class patrol ship, Han identified it from his days in the Imperial Navy. It was an older craft that had been pressed into service against smugglers such as himself, and more than a match for a standard light freighter.

Despite her numerous flaws, the Bria wasn't a standard light freighter.

The freighter spun on its axis to avoid the deluge of green laser. The few that managed to breach the kilometers of distance between the two craft and hit the Bria jostled the occupants in their crash restraints. Another warning sound blared through the cockpit as the ship's computer registered minor hull damage near one of the exhaust vents on the bow of the vessel.

"Chewie, put all shields to rear!" Han's Wookiee copilot roared in response, his hairy hands moving over the controls in front of him. The human smuggler winced as another blast hit the craft and the report of an engine failure. "Shug's going to be spaced about this, he just fixed that damn thing..."

Chewbacca growled out a suggestion, pointing towards the forested planet below. Another salvo of laser cannon shredded the first layer of deflector shielding apart.

"You got it, Chewie. Let's see if those things still can't work in atmosphere." Han kicked the throttle as Chewbacca transferred the weapon's power to the clunking engines. The patrol cruiser followed, firing several parting shots as the freighter hit atmostphere.

The superhot engines flamed into life as the freighter hit atmosphere, the blunt and rounded bow of the ship leaving trails of black smoke in the sky behind it. Inside of Starmite's cockpit, Han and Chewie worked desperately.

"Chewie, cut fuel to the number three engine!" The Wookiee complained, throwing one of his fur covered arms up into the air.

"We'd need a hell of a lot more if that fire goes up to the tanks!"

Chewbacca considered the risks of crashing against the fear of exploding in mid air and quickly cut the fuel to the burning engine. He grumbled again.

"Just hang on, Chewie," Han responded. Hands flew over the controls, firing thrusters and repulsors as he adjusted the throttle of his ship. Below the Bria, the planet's many trees reached up as if to drag the winged craft to the ground to join them.

"See that plateau?" Han pointed to a large outcropping still scarred from an apparently recent forest fire. Ash-covered fallen trees lay on the desolate soil, overturned and with their leaf-less branches swaying in a slight breeze. The Bria slowed as much as Han risked as the craft approached the ground. The landing gear hit the ground, sending a jolt through the craft before the moving freighter bumped back into the air. Han fired the retro thrusters and pushed the nose of the craft down once again. The Bria crawled to a stop on the dark ground.

"Sometimes, Chewie, I even surprise myself!" Han leaned back in his chair and pantomimed placing his feet on the console.

Chewbacca roared out a quick response and stood from his chair, the Wookiee's two meter height causing him to nearly brush the top of his head against the cockpit's ceiling. Han sat up and threw his arms wide. "C'mon, Chewie, we're just lucky to have the ship in one piece right now!" The sound of a light panel in the ship's galley collapsing to the ground echoed through the hull. "Mostly one piece."

Han checked the ship's sensor scope before leaving the cockpit. All around the crashed freighter was the emptiness of a clear sky. The Imperial cruiser that had caused their predicament nowhere to be seen. "Well, there is that..."

A large line of dark smoke rising into the air was the first thing that Han saw as he stepped foot off of the ship's ramp. The billowing path began hundreds of meters away from their landing zone and extended upwards to the horizon. Han climbed up onto the hull and walked over to the engine housing. Chewbacca was already there, the Wookiee as close to the still warm engine as he dared.

"What do you think, Chewie?" Han looked over the damage himself: the top of the SoroSuub craft was pitted with ashen grey carbon scores with minimal real damage to the hull. They'd have to be scraped clean eventually, Han thought as he gauged the depth and then wiped the dark soot onto his vest, but they weren't the real problem with the ship.

He walked up behind Chewbacca and felt the latent heat of the cooling engines upon his skin, the sweat breaking to his skin. The third engine had taken a direct hit just outside of its casing, mangled metal still glowing in the afternoon sun expanded outward and peeled back like a musa fruit. "This is not good..." Chewbacca roared in agreement. Han walked across the top of the vessel again, reaching the hand rungs that led down to the ground. "Might as well wait a bit. We can't do anything until it's cooled down."

The two sat at the table in the common section of the ship, pouches of heated ready rations in front of them. "I'm telling you, Chewie, that's not a good idea." Han pointed the rectangular stick of dried fruit paste at his copilot. "There's no way that I'm going risk making an enemy out of Black Sun."

Chewbacca bit deeply into a large piece of dried meat and gestured towards the cargo bay in the rear of the ship. The Wookiee grumbled out his case.

"You've heard of how Black Sun deals with people that rip them off, Chewie! If we take one of those engines that we're carrying and use it to get off of this rock, they'd kill us where we stood, even if we did give them a discount!"

Chewbacca shook his head, the mane of fur around his neck flowing. The Wookiee grumbled.

"No matter how fair Vigo Tap'le is supposed to be, Chewie, she's still Black Sun." Han drank heavily from his glass. "If it's our only way off of this planet, it's the only way, I get that." He looked outside the viewport and watched as the blue sun sat in the distance. "We'll go out there to tomorrow and see if we can manage to repair it with what we have."

Chewbacca nodded in agreement as he ripped off another large section of dried meat.

"I'll take first watch, tonight, Chewie." Han replaced the last of his meal in the pouch. "I don't think those Tartan's have shuttles, but I don't want to take any chances." He exited the freighter through its top docking hatch, walking onto the slightly curved hull and over to the flattened tail.

The sky outside was a brilliant purple tinged with soft undertones of orange-pink on the horizon. The brighter stars that were visible in the twilight sky shined and blinked. Han removed the drink pouch from his ration pack and took a sip of the water. In his six years of being a spacer he had seen numerous sites in the galaxy that could be considered beautiful: various nebulae throughout uncounted systems, the radiation storms of Vallejo Prime, and the random chaos that was the Roche asteroid field. This unnamed and relatively uncharted planet happened upon by chance was added to the already long list.

The snap of dry tinder in the distance broke the smuggler out of his boredom induced daze hours later. Han gazed into the dark wasteland, heavy blaster pistol raised in alarm. The moonless night gave off a minimum of light, turning every fallen tree into some shadowy creature that waited to pounce.

Han brushed that thought out of his mind as an old instinct that humanoids had evolved millions of years ago to warn them of predators in the night. There was nothing in the area that was there to hurt him, he thought. His vision moved from side to side, from tree to tree, from darkness to shiny red eyes in the dark...

Han fumbled with his vest pocket for his field lamp, quickly turning the beam towards the sinister looking crimson eyes. He caught the glimpse of tawny fur before the creature retreated back into the darkness. Han laughed at himself and put his blaster away. "Jumping at some animal."

He sat back down on the freighter's hull and pulled out a ration to take his mind off of the creature. It was likely some harmless creature wondering what a giant shiny thing was doing in its territory. He took a bite out of the compressed grain bar and kept his eyes on the sky. If the Tartan was still up there in orbit, Han certainly wasn't able to see the large dot moving across the night sky that would be his only visual cue.

A soft growl sounded somewhere from Han's left. The spacer quickly threw his field lamp's beam that way and saw the creature stalking him. It was feline in shape, a quadruped stalking the ship on lean, muscular legs with a mouth filled with two rows of sharp teeth. Han fired a quick shot at the feline and missed, the red bolt of energy going wide and sending a large explosion of dirt and ash into the air.

The large cat hissed away from the shot and disappeared once again into the darkness. Silence followed; so deep that Han's ears rang as they tried to pick up anything. The smuggler slowly replaced his field light into his vest pocket and picked up his comlink. "Chewie, wake up."

Chewbacca's response through the comlink was loud compared to the Han's soft request. "There's something out here and it's not friendly." The Wookiee growled out an annoyed question. "I want you to get out here and help me. This thing's stalking me all around the ship."

Chewbacca appeared from the top hatch of the Bria a minute later, bandolier slung somewhat haphazardly around his shoulder and bowcaster at the ready, a curved rykk blade hanging from the back. The Wookiee growled at Han, voice rumbling.

"I'm not jumping at shadows, Chewie. There's this cat creature out there and it looks hungry."

The Wookiee grumbled and pointed off into the night. Han obeyed his friend and co-pilot's suggestion and shone the light from his field lamp in that direction. The snap of a dead twig in the opposite direction brought the field light's beam quickly over there, catching a sight of the light fur before the creature stalked off into the darkness again.

Chewbacca slowly climbed down the handholds on the side of the ship and pulled the curved blade from its scabbard upon his back. Han raced to the very edge of the ship, field lamp reflecting off of the blade's surface. "Chewie, what are you doing?" The Wookiee let loose a few short grumbles and continued on his way. "I can see that you're hunting it. Why?" Chewbacca growled aloud that it was because of a certain smuggler was keeping him awake.

His large feet crunching almost unnoticed in the ash-covered ground, Chewbacca brandished his blade and walked into the group of fallen trees where the predacious feline was last seen. The Wookiee soon disappeared into the darkness.

Silence followed for a minute, ear splitting silence as Han listened for any trace of his friend in the darkness. A smack of wood on wood shattered the reticence, followed by the feline's deep growl. Chewbacca roared in defiance of the creature. Branches snapped and cries of pain mingled in the night until all was still again.

"Chewie!" Han called out, blaster and field light aimed where the sounds of combat had been.

A soft rumbled answered Han as Chewbacca stepped into the light. The Wookiee's fur across his chest was matted with already clotting blood, the dead feline slumped across his broad shoulders. Chewie growled at Han to get down from the top of the ship and open up the ramp.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" Han called out. Chewie replied with a bellow that it was a gift for his beloved Malla back on Kashyyyk.

***

"I hate to say it, Chewie, but I think you're right." Han Solo sat once again on the top of his ship, staring at the busted engine. The blaster shot that had managed to break through the majority of the ship's shields had caused major damage to the interior of the engine and its mount. "We've got that loader droid that Shug let us borrow for the trip, so it can help us fix this."

Chewbacca snarled about Black Sun.

"Hey, pal, if worse comes to worse, this was all my idea, all right?"


The halls of Vigo Tap'le's headquarters were filled with music. Sounds from various cultures and creeds across the galaxy were played as Han and Chewbacca approached the main meeting hall.

Tap'le sat at a desk made from a rare wood from her homeworld of Clak'dor VII that had been made before the destructive war that had broken out nearly three centuries previously. "Greetings, Solo and Chewbacca." Her voice had a certain melodic hint to it as she shook her bulbous head. "My technicians told me that you had an interesting request for them in my hangar bay."

Han looked at the crime lord at her desk, eyes unconsciously at the stylized flaming star on the banners flanking her. "Well, Vigo Tap'le, we ran into a little bit of trouble on the way here."

Her black eyes stared holes into Solo. "A 'little bit of trouble' is what you call this? Your freighter pulls into my headquarters with five of the six engines that I was expecting, and then you order my personal technicians to remove one of your own?" Several of the courtiers, fellow Bith, humans, cat people and the customary Rodians, murmured to themselves and backed away slowly to the wall. "You will explain yourself..."

Han discovered that his mouth had gotten extremely dry sometime between stepping in her office. "We arrived at a waypoint I use to get here and there's an Imperial ship waiting there. I don't know how they found out about it, but they're there. They open fire and we take a bunch of hits while trying to get away." Han explained the rest.

"I hear nothing but excuses, Solo." Tap'le made a gesture to her court. "These beings here know what happens to beings that make nothing but excuses." The court began to jeer at Han, cursing him in a dozen languages. "I needed someone to bring me six engines for my fleet. Brand new engines direct from Sullust and you bring me only five and one that you used yourself.

"You stole from me, Solo, you and your copilot. I can't stand beings that steal from me, but I will give you a second chance, due to the circumstances as it were."

"I've already spent the advance on fuel for the trip, Vigo," Han said. "If you want what's left of it, I can siphon it out for you. Keep what we agreed on the credits here, as well."

Tap'le pressed a finger to the skin flaps under her large eyes. "A good start," she said. "Though you may keep what fuel you have left." Those eyes brightened in the light of the room. "My crew droids noticed a fur being processed in the hold, as well. A very rare-looking one as well."

"It's yours." Chewbacca roared at Han's offering. "Take it easy, buddy, I can drop you off to get another one anytime." With a slight grumble, the Wookiee conceded.

"Another good start." The Bith crime lord's already large eyes widened significantly, the very vision of her sending chills down Han's spine.

"Look, that's all I can give you," Han said. "I don't have much more left."

"Your ship, Captain Solo..."

Han's face became durasteel. "You're not taking the Bria, and that's final."

The facial folds on the crime lord's face opened up in what Han assumed was a smile. "I'm not talking about for keeps, Solo, though that thought has occurred to me." Tap'le drummed her fingers on her desk in time with the music being played through speakers.

"What you will do is to ferry some very important goods for me from here to Nal Hutta." She pointed to a Rodian standing at the side of her conference room. "Harmo here will go with you. To insure that nothing untoward happens this time."

Han swallowed deeply as the armored Rodian neared them. "I'll prepare him a bunk," he said with a forced smile.

"Good." Tap'le's facial folds parted widely, filling the smuggler with another sense of dread. "The crates will be loaded shortly, and you'll find your wayward engine repaired." The alien smiled widened even further. "There'll be another favor owed for that..."


Han Solo said the customary goodbyes and thank you's and walked with Chewbacca and Harmo back to the Bria. Tap'le's crew already taking the borrowed engine mounting off of the SoroSuub-crafted freighter. "Well, Chewie," he said as they walked up the ramp. "That could have ended a whole lot worse."

 

Very interesting story idea! I don't think I've read much Han and Chewie adventures pre ANH. I love the partnership they have.

 

Aww, Han, the kitty just wanted to play.

I always love reading Han and Chewie fics before they became big ol' heroes. You've got a nice grasp of their personalities and relationship here; it's got a nice Brian Daley vibe going on (I know that you're referencing the time period post-Crispin, but I'm partial to the Daley books). It's a nice little vibe here...our two smugglers get into a jam, some crazy stuff happens, and they *still* manage to come out on top.

 

Superb characterizations. You've got Han's swift thinking before and after the jam happens I agree, the partnership and friendship comes through excellently - the loyalty and teamwork and snark.

 

As said later, there were some great stories written by the late A.C. Crispin and Brian Daley. I also love the friendship between Han and Chewie and how they are each other's family.

Yeah, it just wanted to play with Han like a house cat plays with a mouse!

I really wanted to make this a mixture of both Crispin and Daley, who really shaped the character, in my opinion. As for placement, I have this set during a time skip in the second Crispin novel. As for the smuggler's jam, it's an interesting thing: I originally wrote this as having taken place on the Falcon, but decided that it'd be a little more exciting if it took place on Han's previous ship, instead. And the whole getting in a jam, having crazy adventures and coming out on top is very pulp, and thus, very Star Wars.

Thank you. I wanted to make their friendship one of the centerpoints of the story, and that's why I had Han decided to take all of the blame for using the Vigo's engine even though it was Chewbacca's idea.

Thank you all for reading, I really do appreciate it. If anyone has something that they want to see, go on and leave a suggestion.

 

After having read "Empire Day", since you mentioned it was not your first fiction, I was curious to read previous writings of yours.
I like the fact those are "one-shots". I am less reluctant to engage a reading if I know the story is already complete and I will not need to spend hours and days to finish.

I have just read "Dignity" for the moment. I liked the pace. From the detention cell to the execution plazza. Descriptions are good making me think you write since a long time.
The only suggestion I would have made for this novel, is about Mon Mothma. I feel that you did not want to make her speak a lot, according to the tittle. However, I would have been very interested to have more of her thoughts in such a terrible moment, not only for her, but also for the Alliance.
Although, this is a really enjoyable novel.
I am going to read your other novels. It seems the Star Wars period you like is mine too ;-)

 

I've finished to read "Heroes of a Different Sort".
Technically speaking, it is still well written, as usual if I may say, even though it is only the third novel of yours I read.
The situation of urban guerrilla between battle droids and clone troopers is well described and I guess you watched some movies or played some video games before writing this fiction.

However, the challenge to depict a battle from a droid's point of view is not that easy as a matter of fact.
As a reader, I had difficulties to feel some empathy for OOM-0110 even though he is sympathetic, to feel really involved in the fight.
And I am not sure someone else would have done much better than you did. Maybe, perhaps, who knows, with a longer OOM-0110's background this would have been possible, but not sure.

So this is an original experience I think, but you explained by doing why there are not some many novels focusing on battle droids.

 

I blocked it out using some WWII miniature game pieces that I had, with some books acting as buildings, as well as reading some Osprey books on anti-tank warfare.

It really was difficult to write it from a droid's point of view and still make it "human." I'm sorry that I was unable to do so in your case.

I think I found out about it, too. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it as always.

 

Title"Young Jedi Knights: Training Flight
Summary: A training flight at the Jedi Praxeum becomes an unexpected lesson for Jaina Solo.
Characters: Jaina Solo, Wurth Skidder, Corran Horn, Keyan Farlander
TimeFrame: Beyond, ~24 ABY.

***

She had flown her father's freighter, helped fly the Shadow Chaser from the Imperial's Shadow Academy, and had even attempted to evade the famed Boba Fett in the graveyard of Alderaan. Despite all of these feats, even a training session in the Jedi Academy's two TX-65 X-wing was enough to get Jaina Solo running across the academy's hangar.

The training model of X-wing was longer and bulkier in the fuselage than the normal model, fitting a second seat and control console in the additional space. A blue-plated astromech droid sat in the socket behind the cockpit.

"R2, is that you?" The droid unleashed a series of beeps. "Oh, sorry, FourKay." Jaina looked around the immediate vicinity of the Praxeum's large hangar. "Where's Jedi Farlander?" FourKay whistled and turned his domed head towards the second training X-wing in the room.

Keyan Farlander was standing in between the two fighters, clad in an orange flight suit with his helmet under an arm. Corran Horn was next to him, the pony-tailed Corellian Jedi wearing the green flight suit that he'd had for years. Both of them were heroes of the Rebellion and New Republic long before Jaina had been born. Now Jedi, they were teaching what they both knew about using the Force in flight to the new generation. Like that son of a blaster Wurth Skidder...

Skidder was five years older than her and what he lacked in raw Force ability he more than made up for in cockiness. The blond Jedi gave her a cocky wave as he climbed up the ladder and into the other X-wing's front cockpit. Jaina gripped the rail of the red ladder in front of her, knuckles whitening at her frustration.

Jaina climbed up the ladder and sat in the slightly oversized seat. She stretched her arms out and flipped the switch that cycled the four engines into their warming state. Outside of the two fighters, Corran gave Keyan a large smile and patted his fellow instructor on the arm before both jogged to their respective craft.

"What was that about?" Jaina said as she pulled the helmet over her head.

"Oh, nothing." Keyan's rural Agamarian accent was still strong despite all of the years that he'd spent away from his home planet. "Just making a bet with Corran over which one of you two is going to score higher today." Jaina sensed the slightest bit of hesitation in the senior Jedi Knight's voice. He was holding something back, Jaina could tell, but she was unable to sense precisely what.

Jaina powered up the repulsors as the canopy closed shut above her and retracted the three landing struts. Pressing slowly forward on the throttle, the young Jedi pilot steered the X-wing under the dark stone gate and into the bright jungle sun. With the flick of a switch, the four s-foils separated into the cross shape that gave the fighter its name. On the tip of each wing, a single large laser cannon modified to fire low-energy bolts pointed forward.

"Following the flight plan to the training area," Jaina said as she checked the map to her side. Jungle surrounded the temple on all sides, canopies of large trees separated infrequently by patches of mostly clear grasslands. On her sensors she watched Wurth and Corran's X-wing peel off the initial path to another nearby area.

Minutes passed as Jaina piloted before FourKay let out a quick beep. "I see them, FourKay," she said as the red dots of feigned enemy craft appeared about ten clicks away on her sensor screen.

"Remember, this is more about using the Force to anticipate their movements than actually hitting them." Keyan scoffed. "Then again, I'm lecturing Luke's niece so no problem there..."

Jaina targeted the nearest one, the faint speck of blue-grey in the sea of trees still barely visible to the naked eye. On the Heads Up Display in front of the cockpit, yellow brackets pointed the object out. She looked down at the display. Six clicks away. Extending her awareness out from her craft she felt the craft's servomotors begin to fire, the briefest electrical spark moving from motherboard to thrusters.

The target drone was the size of a TIE fighter's cockpit and just as round. It lacked the transparisteel circular viewport, several openings half of their size appeared all around the vessel, making it appear as Kyp Durron had once said "like a training remote on growth hormone." The drone zipped away, flying low against the jungle.

Jaina gave chase, pushing the throttle of her fighter to metal and dropping the nose at an angle. The drone jinked to the right and Jaina followed, pulling back on her flight stick the briefest of seconds before it had moved. She squeezed the trigger, sending two bolts of red energy flying towards the drone. They converged upon it, sparking up and leaving a large carbon score on its surface. Its internal sensors registering the shot as a "kill", the large remote slowly lowered itself back to the surface of the moon.

"Nice shooting," Farlander said. Four kilometers in the distance, another drone popped up out of the trees. Jaina pushed the nose of her fighter down as far as she dared, the deflector shields nearly bumping into the taller trees of the jungle.

The drone cut into a turn that would have been impossible for a human target, forcing Jaina to loop around. As she completed her turn, the droid was already seven kilometers ahead. Solo shook the apprehension out of her mind and concentrated, watching as the drone zoomed upwards. The Force screamed at her that it was a feint and was just waiting for her to follow its trap before zipping down and losing the craft.

Jaina switched the laser cannons to individual fire and then pulled back on the flight stick before immediately shoving the X-wing back into its neutral position. Fire rapidly poured from the cycling cannons, the burst of fire hitting the drone and knocking it out.

The course continued on, drones maneuvering with increasing difficulty and Jaina following along before Keyan finally called it. "And that's time. You got all ten drones in 15:32. Three seconds better than last time."

Jaina smiled despite the sweat on her brow that constantly threatened to drip past the helmet's foam padding and into her eyes. A personal best was always a good run whether it won the trainers' bet or not. "Take her home?" She switched the sensor screen back to the topographical map of the area, the waypoints along the way showing up as white arrows upon her HUD.

The Great Massassi Temple appeared as a triangular speck on the horizon when Jaina felt the hairs at the back of her neck begin to tingle. "Something's wrong," she said.

"What do you feel?" Farlander's voice was calm. Was he unable to sense what she knew was about to come?

"FourKay, all shields to rear!" She screamed into her headset as she sent her X-wing into a steep dive. Four blaster shots soared over her head and she twisted her neck to see where they had originated from. The second trainer was behind her, looping downward to get another shot at her while her own instructor calmly looked at the sensor screen readout in front of him. Jaina gave a lopsided grin of her own. The real test, apparently, had just begun.

She pulled the X-wing out of its dive and turned the craft onto its port side, soaring around to try and lose her tail. The fighter rocked lightly as two bolts of energy hit the shields. Her free hand moved quick as she weaved between a smaller ziggurat, lowering the energy supplied to her engines and moving the excess to her shields. Her X-wing circled the large pyramid, the g-forces pushing her body back into the seat behind her.

Wurth fired another volley of laser cannon shots, missing Jaina entirely and disappearing into the jungle. Jaina broke from her spin around the temple and jetted the opposite way, climbing into the sky. She rocked the X-wing to prevent her opponent from getting a clear shot at her.

Jaina spun her X-wing and then dived again, coming back up in a loop that caught Skidder going too slow. Jaina switched her lasers to fire all at once and licked her dry lips. The hunter had now become the hunted. "Even the shields out, FourKay," she instructed the droid.

Wurth moved quickly downward, skimming the very edge of the treeline. Jaina followed ten meters above him before dipping down. The brackets on her HUD turned green and she fired a millisecond before they did. The four lances of energy impacted solidly upon the other trainer's shields.

Her opponent broke off, moving up and to the left. Jaina followed, ignoring Skidder's attempts to throw off her timing. She switched her lasers back to rapid fire and squeezed the trigger. The low-powered shots hit Skidder's shields and broke through them, scoring several dark carbon marks over the hull.

"That's a kill, Jaina," Corran Horn's voice called out over the coms. If Wurth Skidder was saying something, the cocky pilot wasn't broadcasting it out.Jaina leaned back against her seat and let out a deep breath that she seemed to have been holding forever.

The two training craft landed in front of the temple minutes later. Jaina stepped out of her craft and descended the ladder that some of the Praxeum's junior students had rolled out for them. Wurth Skidder had already exited his fighter, stomping his way towards her. Jaina braced herself for whatever may come: the cocky pilot was never known to be that much of a gracious loser.

The older Jedi had removed his helmet, letting his sweat-soaked blond hair hang close to his head. There was no berating, no snarky congratulations, only a hand outraised towards her. "I should have known better than to try and dogfight a Solo," he said.

Jaina shook his hand. "You almost had me at that first pass."

"Well, 'almost' only counts on thermal detonators." Wurth shook his head and walked off into the temple.

Jaina walked back to her training X-wing and helped one of the younger Jedi remove R2-4K from the astromech socket. The job done, she turned around and watched as her brother Jacen walked out of the jungle. The young man was covered in sweat and mud, the right leg of his green jumpsuit was torn, a small creek of dried blood down his leg.

"Jacen, what happened?

Her twin brother flashed her a lopsided grin. "Nothing much," he said. "I just had a nice trip."

***

Spoiler: Author's Notes

* I was kind of vague about when exactly this story takes place, as it's been a while since I read the Young Jedi Knight books, but Jaina's thoughts about being chased by "Boba Fett" (actually his daughter Aliyn, unknown to her) places this after "Shards of Alderaan".

* In addition to "Boba Fett", the Shadow Academy mention is from the book of the same name.

* While the concept of dual-seated training planes is nothing new, the TX-65 X-wing was first mentioned in the Black Fleet Crisis novel, Shield of Lies.

* R2-4K is a semi-original character, as the astromech droid in the X-wing computer game is never named.

* Keyan Farlander is from the X-wing computer game and Corran Horn is from the Stackpole-penned Rogue Squadron novels. The former's position as an occasional Jedi piloting instructor is from the Who's Who in the New Jedi Order article in Insider magazine. Corran's work on the same is from the New Essential Guide to Characters.

* Wurth Skidder is from the first New Jedi Order novel, Vector Prime. His exact age is never given, so I settled on an even five years older than Jacen and Jaina.

* Jacen's predicament will be explained. And soon...