Beyond - Legends You Can't Go Home Again- NJO AU; A/T, J/TK, J/Z, H/L, L/M, UPDATE 8/23 Chapter 8

Title: You Can't Go Home Again
Author(s): Jek_Windu
Timeframe: New Jedi Order
CharactersAnakin Solo, Tahiri Veila, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Other assorted Canon Characters
Genre: Action Adventure, Romance, Drama, Angst
Keywords: Anakin, Tahiri, Yuuzhan Vong, Jacen, Jaina
Summary: After decades of chaos, war, and destruction, the Galaxy has finally found peace, unaware of the Enemy lurking in the shadows beyond the stars.
Notes: The story begins in 28 ABY, so Jacen and Jaina are 20, and Anakin is 18.

***


Star Wars

You Can?t Go Home Again

The Empire has fallen, and the NEW REPUBLIC has restored freedom to the galaxy. Luke Skywalker has relit the fire of the Force and leads the NEW JEDI ORDER in defending the young republic.

Hope for the future blossoms as the children of Han and Leia, JAINA, JACEN, AND ANAKIN, Jedi Knights, begin to forge their own path.

But amidst this new era of peace, an unknown darkness looms, watching the stars as one watches prey, waiting for its moment to strike.

***

Chapter 1

Like a sea, the galaxy ebbs and flows, and events that, in their happening, seem to be cataclysmic miracles, eventually become nothing more than tales with which to bore grandchildren and satisfy historians. Common is it for grandparents to be asked ?where were you?? or ?what were you doing??. What did you do the day after? What did you think of while you watched everything you?d ever known crumble away?

Rarely, however, is it asked- and even more rarely remembered- where one was before. What were you thinking of an hour before? Whom did you speak to the week prior?

What were you doing, the day before the world ended?

***

The first pale rays of sunlight found ways their through the maze of starscappers that made the planet of Coruscant, bouncing from tower to tower, glinting off the transparisteel of starships and slowly meandering into the impenetrable darkness of the underworld. Beautiful and meaningless to a world that never slept. Eventually the light found its way into the windows of one of the capital worlds more luxurious apartment buildings. In one suite, a man with tousled brown hair lay tangled in the sheets of his bed, attempting to soak in the last wonderful moments of sleep and blissfully unaware of the woman beside him as she laid a light kiss on the man?s jaw. She placed another on his chest, continuing down until she disappeared beneath the sheets. The man, eyes still heavy-lidded gave a small grunt of pleasure. His lips parted, forming a name.

?Tenel Ka...? The woman froze.

The man stirred- that sounded wrong somehow. Scattered images of what must?ve been the night before came to him, and the man?s eyes popped open in understanding

The woman was not Tenel Ka.

Oh boy.

Jacen Solo dared to peel up the bed sheets and look.

?Who the hell are you?? The slap was hard, fast, and heard through the entire apartment. The woman leapt from the bed, breath sharp and fast as she gathered her clothes, paying no attention to Jacen?s sympathetic eyes. He could?ve stopped the slap- but calling a girl the wrong name and then forgetting hers was pushing it, even for him. The young Jedi watched the woman, tried to fully remember both her name and the events that led her to his room. It wasn?t strange- waking up with a woman in his bed- but usually he remembered the name, even when they were redheads. Usually. Then there was the small caveat that the one and only Tenel Ka Djo was half a galaxy away, a queen, and had effectively left the Jedi Order. While it was true he himself hadn?t exactly been charging around waving a lightsaber, at least he was still listed as available. Not that there were many missions to be available for, these days.

Jacen studied the girl; watching streams of wetness make their way down her face. He barely stopped a sigh. His reputation

 

Oh no. Poor Jacen...what is he thinking? Very nice job with that, and Jaina was funny. I can't wait to see where you go with this!

Janet

 

That's great, Jek!

 

eh as long as u got A/T ill read

 

Intriguing start. Looking forward to more...

Jacen, Jacen. Atleast know her name, man! Poor, pittiful heart-broken Jacen. Loved Jaina- not cheating from a certain point of view? I would love to here that reasoning. Nicely done.

 

I'm interested so far, great start. More later (after college finals).

PM me with updates, please.

 

Quote=Jek_Windu



The Empire has fallen, and the NEW REPUBLIC has restored freedom to the galaxy. Luke Skywalker has relit the fire of the Force and leads the NEW JEDI ORDER in defending the young republic.

Hope for the future blossoms as the children of Han and Leia, JAINA, JACEN, AND ANAKIN, Jedi Knights, begin to forge their own path.

But amidst this new era of peace, an unknown darkness looms, watching the stars as one watches prey, waiting for its moment to strike.





I can almost see the scrowl in the theater now!

***

Chapter 1

Like a sea, the galaxy ebbs and flows, and events that, in their happening, seem to be cataclysmic miracles, eventually become nothing more than tales with which to bore grandchildren and satisfy historians. Common is it for grandparents to be asked ?where were you?? or ?what were you doing??. What did you do the day after? What did you think of while you watched everything you?d ever known crumble away?

Rarely, however, is it asked- and even more rarely remembered- where one was before. What were you thinking of an hour before? Whom did you speak to the week prior?

Very good insights about society and historical events here, Jek.

What were you doing, the day before the world ended?

Well we know what Jace was doing..

***

The first pale rays of sunlight found ways their through the maze of starscappers that made the planet of Coruscant, bouncing from tower to tower, glinting off the transparisteel of starships and slowly meandering into the impenetrable darkness of the underworld. Beautiful and meaningless to a world that never slept. Eventually the light found its way into the windows of one of the capital worlds more luxurious apartment buildings.

Very nice description of Coruscant, it makes it seem alive.




In one suite, a man with tousled brown hair lay tangled in the sheets of his bed, attempting to soak in the last wonderful moments of sleep and blissfully unaware of the woman beside him as she laid a light kiss on the man?s jaw. She placed another on his chest, continuing down until she disappeared beneath the sheets. The man, eyes still heavy-lidded gave a small grunt of pleasure. His lips parted, forming a name.

Wow Jek....nice writing.

?Tenel Ka...? The woman froze.

Jasa......

The man stirred- that sounded wrong somehow. Scattered images of what must?ve been the night before came to him, and the man?s eyes popped open in understanding

The woman was not Tenel Ka.

Oh boy.



Jacen Solo dared to peel up the bed sheets and look.

?Who the hell are you?? The slap was hard, fast, and heard through the entire apartment.





The woman leapt from the bed, breath sharp and fast as she gathered her clothes, paying no attention to Jacen?s sympathetic eyes. He could?ve stopped the slap- but calling a girl the wrong name and then forgetting hers was pushing it, even for him.

Jacen Solo a playboy?!


The young Jedi watched the woman, tried to fully remember both her name and the events that led her to his room. It wasn?t strange- waking up with a woman in his bed- but usually he remembered the name, even when they were redheads. Usually. Then there was the small caveat that the one and only Tenel Ka Djo was half a galaxy away, a queen, and had effectively left the Jedi Order. While it was true he himself hadn?t exactly been charging around waving a lightsaber, at least he was still listed as available. Not that there were many missions to be available for, these days.

Well, Jacen you have to be sober to go on a mission.

Jacen studied the girl; watching streams of wetness make their way down her face.



He barely stopped a sigh. His reputation should?ve preceded him- he?d been doing thi

 

Darkwriter

Sometimes I wonder myself . Glad you liked the humor.


Courtney_Solo

Thanks!


darth_dragon666

Truer words are rarely spoken.


Michaela-Yakiyna

Well, what do you expect from a son of Han?


rebel_cheese

Thanks, and you will certainly be added to the list.


THE_PIED_PIPER

Wow. This has to be one of the longest reviews I've ever received.
Thanks for replying so quickly, and I'm glad you enjoyed my attempt at opening scroll.




Again, thanks to everyone whose reading, both repliers and lurkers. And lurkers? Replay already, so I can gush about you!



And now, a quick note about the Solo children in this story:

I was never too much of a fan of how changed their characters were from the YJK/JJK incarnations at the beginning of NJO. Part of my idea for this fic was to have them remain on the same paths. By that I mean their characters are now where I can easily imagine them in the years following their Jedi training, in a peaceful galaxy.

 

Yay! You've started posting. And what a great beginning. I like your point about hiw people don't remember the build-up to events - which is why disasters seldom get averted I suppose.

Wonderful use of anguage and mood in your introduction - really grabbed my attention.

As I said before, I like the idea of introducing the atmosphere of malaise as it shows just how the bad guys can work behind everyone's unsuspecting backs. Great A-T scene.

PM me when you post the next chapter won't you?

 

Well, here's the next bit! Hope you enjoy!




Chapter 2

The humid jungle air of Yavin IV surrounded Anakin Solo as he stood on the training platform, ignited lightsaber held before him. Eyes closed, he slowly worked to bring his breathing back under control. Anakin?s body sang in the wake of his training, not unlike the swirl of Force energy that flowed through his mind. Along the side of the stone dais, a black and gold astromech droid spoke in a series of beeps and whistles Anakin had long ago learned to understand.

[Ready?]

?Yeah,? he replied amidst shaky pants,? Bring out...ten this time.? A beep of affirmation, and small silver spheres began to float out of a nearby crate. As they neared, the young Jedi let himself sink into the Force, its power coming to him easily, instinctively.

Anakin?s amethyst blade was moving before the target drone had decided to fire, the red bolt glancing off into the forest. The others leapt into action as Anakin let go of conscious thought and flowed. His lightsaber became an extension of his body, and his body became a vessel of the Force. A purple arc danced around the platform, dozens of red lances ricocheted in every direction. The Jedi allowed himself a grin, and began to flip and leap about. Now most of the shots simply missed him entirely, harmlessly hitting the ancient stone.

Anakin?s grin widened as he felt her presence growing near. He could feel her in his sleep, and now, as deep in the Force as he was, he had literally seen her coming a kilometer away. Still bounding about in a perfect execution of Ataru, he reached into the circuitry of the ten drones, and with a simple flick of his mind, all of them ceased fire and hovered back toward their crate.

He turned, weapon still humming in the air, toward Tahiri as she came to the edge of the platform. Anakin drank in the sight of her, from long and curly blonde hair to the small bare feet padding their way along the ground. He couldn?t help but stare at her full lips as she spoke.

?Well, I see you?ve worked up quite a sweat there- so, wipe any evil armies off the face of the galaxy??

?No, I?m saving that for the day you wear shoes.?

?Force forbid.?

?Ben taking his nap?? Tahiri nodded,

?And Mara?s already with him, so we have...oh, about an hour to ourselves before afternoon classes.? Their grins mirrored each other.

?Oh, what could we do with all that time??

Tahiri stepped onto the platform, the two speaking no more words, everything they were long bare to each other. Her cyan blade appeared a half-second before their weapons began to meet again and again as they began their dance. They flowed around each other, sometimes their blades clashing every second, sometimes not touching for miniature eternities. The duel could?ve begun seconds before, it could begin hours in the future, and the moves, the steps- none of it mattered next to what they felt in the Force.

It was a lot like the first breath taken after almost drowning. One short gulp of air that seems to define a whole life, to spin and twist everything one was into a single action. Except here it was two lives, and Anakin would rather drown than feel anything else.

The duel ended like it did everyday- far too soon. Somehow Anakin laid on the stone, the petite young woman half-straddling him. Anakin smiled, ice-blue eyes gesturing to the purple blade centimeters from Tahiri?s heart. Her green eyes smiled as he noticed her own weapon, millimeters from a place Anakin was quite sure he didn?t want near lightsabers.
Their expressions only began to falter when their eyes met once more, and the second phase of the routine began. Everything they were truly was laid bare, and so there were no words of love, or angst-ridden monologues of whys and why nots. Fear held them back; held him back. Fear of upsetting the lucky, impossible balance that allowed to them to spend their days teaching children about X-Wings. No words, and the two stood, hands clasped as they walked through the

 

I thought the characters changed an unjustifiable amount from YJK/JJK to NJO also . . . I'd love to be PMed when you add more to this.

 

That was awesome, Jek!
I loved the detail and description with Anakin and Tahiri.
Abdolutely perfect, in my opinion.

With Han and Leia:
Han as an old man, but a kid at heart.
I loved that part.

Can't wait for more!

Courtney Solo

 

Good work. I wasn't too fond of the discrepancies between the YJK and NJO eras either. Consistent characterizations give fictional personages an air of tangibility. In this sense, I thought the NJO was a cataclysmic disaster.

 

Jek, I loved the A/T "duel". It's almost heartbreaking to read scenes like that, sometimes..you always think what should have been before the darktimes, before Del Retard.

And I liked the Han and Leia scene. I always imagined that she kept the slave outfit.

And good insight into Luke's thoughts on Ben.


~Piper

 

Great stuff, Jek.

Anakin?s grin widened as he felt her presence growing near. He could feel her in his sleep, and now, as deep in the Force as he was, he had literally seen her coming a kilometer away. Still bounding about in a perfect execution of Ataru, he reached into the circuitry of the ten drones, and with a simple flick of his mind, all of them ceased fire and hovered back toward their crate.
That was a cool paragraph - really well balanced and with a nice rhythm to it. Cool view of the connection between Anakin and Tahiri.

?Well, I see you?ve worked up quite a sweat there- so, wipe any evil armies off the face of the galaxy??

?No, I?m saving that for the day you wear shoes.?
Loved the dialogue there. LOL

I enjoyed Han's point of view about his marriage - and like the surprise you had in store for him - as I'm sure he did too. Ha ha

Good inside views of Luke too - the atmosphere in that scene was well-evoked as I could feel the peace and quiet of the night.

And I sense that Luke does well to fear. Something's brewing.

 

So sorry for the long delay- lots of computer trouble. Before I go on, I'd just like to thank Tahi again for all her help on the first few chapters; they wouldn't be nearly was good without her. Now, if you would, start praying I can keep up the same level of quality.

And without further ado


Chapter 3

The light of dawn came to the world of Myrkr, once more revealing barren landscape and twisted slums, and utterly unable to scour away the filth of a thousand years of scum and villainy. It pressed however, undaunted or unaware, eventually penetrating the windows of a nondescript hotel room. A single figure lay on its bed, eyes open and unseeing. He was bare, utterly unprotected, in a way far beyond clothes and paints. Nom Anor?s pale blue skin contrasted sharply with the murky brown of the bed, the sheets, of the entire room. Moving only a hand, he ran along the other arm, pockmarked fingers exploring scars, tattoos, implants... Strange, to find the feel of an ooglith more familiar than his own skin.

Moving his face for the first time in hours, Nom breathed, enjoy the last few moments of two natural slits in his face before he had to endure some bulbous and awkward growth yet again. His routine seared into his mind deeper than the names of the gods, Anor sat up and summarily poked a pool of what appeared to be formless pink liquid. It remained motionless for a moment before sliding onto Anor?s foot. The Executor eyes remained open, no longer noticing the sharp pains and slick cold the creature bought as it moved and stretched along his body. Less than a minute later, Paelback Tonns stood from what passed for a bed and made his way toward a white jumpsuit resting on a chair. It was happening today, in just a matter of hours. Forty years of lies, fear and murder climaxing in just three hours of more fear and more murder. Once, when he still remembered the prayers, he had found it wondrous that all it took was forty years and three hours to begin the destruction of a whole galaxy.

Anor pushed in the last clasp, stopping for nothing as he opened the door and left the room. In the plans, this was known as ?the Day of the Return of the True Way?. Truth...hmph. He had spent the last four decades hiding, hunting, and killing the truth- and he saw no reason to stop now.

Only a few more hours.

***

For decades, the galaxy was ripped and torn asunder. The Galactic Republic fell as a great beast- old and weak, struggling for breath, eyes wide with fear. It died, and all it took was one spark to set the stars aflame. The fear and the anger and the hate spread like wildfire, like a disease, infecting all. The galaxy was consumed, star by star, until there was nothing left but to fight, kill, and die for insane things and insane lies. Brother fought brother, father fought son, and all that was light and good left the heart of beings. All for the fevered dreams of madmen.

But now there is peace.

The voices of children wash away the ashes of fire and pain, and- for awhile- those who do remember allow themselves the alluring thought that they have time. To them, time a chance. To raise their families, make their fortunes, follow their dreams. To them, time is hope.

They fool themselves.

The Unseen Ones- the enemies of the galaxy- they know the truth. They face it everyday, with every breath, with every heartbeat. They do not fight it; they embrace it. It gives them focus, it makes them stronger. They know the truth of time.

Time is the fire in which we burn.

Courascant is the jewel of the galaxy, and the durasteel towers shine brightly as another dawn comes over the horizon. Its beings take no notice of the meaningless thing and go on about their business, convinced that they finally have all the time in the world.

They are wrong- all time is now.

The explosion is a flash of baradium fury that consumes hundreds of meters in an instant, brighter than the sun. For a moment, all the world can do is stare in shock. Who could do such a

 

Yay! First post. [dances an Ewok jig]

The beginning was great - it really grabbed my attention.

His routine seared into his mind deeper than the names of the gods, Anor sat up and summarily poked a pool of what appeared to be formless pink liquid. It remained motionless for a moment before sliding onto Anor?s foot. The Executor eyes remained open, no longer noticing the sharp pains and slick cold the creature bought as it moved and stretched along his body. Less than a minute later, Paelback Tonns stood from what passed for a bed and made his way toward a white jumpsuit resting on a chair. It was happening today, in just a matter of hours. Forty years of lies, fear and murder climaxing in just three hours of more fear and more murder. Once, when he still remembered the prayers, he had found it wondrous that all it took was forty years and three hours to begin the destruction of a whole galaxy.
Fantastic passage - great descriptions of the ooglith creature, and thenthat rapid movement to reveal Nom Anor's treachery. A lot happens in a few words.

The Galactic Republic fell as a great beast- old and weak, struggling for breath, eyes wide with fear.
Ooh - cool metaphor.

The Unseen Ones- the enemies of the galaxy- they know the truth. They face it everyday, with every breath, with every heartbeat. They do not fight it; they embrace it. It gives them focus, it makes them stronger. They know the truth of time.

Time is the fire in which we burn.
That's a very scary passage - but extremely good.

Everywhere the time is now, and everywhere is burning. Once more insane thoughts and insane things permeate the stars, report after report flooding in, telling of more destruction, more death. The wildfire spreads, and no one, no one, can see to the true message of it all.


The Yuuzhan Vong have come.
I love the way you expressed this, Jek. Such a great "voice" to use to evoke the destruction. Wonderful chapter.

 

awesome i want more

 

It's up! Great job!
CWFM! <-- Your famous statement.

C S

 

Sweet! Your description of the war is very vivid, and I really liked the metaphor of "time is a fire in which we burn." Thanks for the PM!

 

Hi, everyone. These are the responses to the replies I got for Chapter 2- I'll do the ones for Chapter 3 when I post number 4. I'm doing it this way so half the update won't be reply responses, and also as a not-so-subtle way to up the fic .

Here we go.


Emerald_Lady: The idea of redoing NJO has been bouncing around in my head for years, and the changes to the characters were a big part of that.


Courtney_Solo: I had to rewrite the A/T scene a few scenes- I'm glad the effort was well-worth it. As for the Han scene, I wanted to take every chance I could for humor before it all went to hell.


Locke__ : Tell me about it- I did not enjoy Jaina switching between Jedi Knight and 4-year-old every other paragraph.


THE_PIED_PIPER : Whenever I'm debating NJO, I always like to point out that while there were only about 4 pages of actual Anakin/Tahiri in the entire series, they remain one of the most popular pairings.


Tahi: Thanks- action scenes are fun, but real pains to write; I always tend to worry over every word, but if it works... As for the rest of the chapter, I really wanted this to be the deep breath before the plunge.


Well, that's it for Chapter 2, I'll be putting up Chatper 4 on Monday.

 

mesa like! mesa like!!! great to see people keeping the A/T torch burning bright!!

Down with Del Ray!!!!

 

Tahi: Thanks, I can't tell you how much hair I must have pulled trying to get that scene right. As for the voice scene, I got the time metaphor from Star Trek: Generations.

Darthme1011: Well, here's your wish

Courtney_Solo: Thanks, and it's only my statement because it's true.

Emerald_Lady: I always try to make things vivid on a voice scene, I'm glad you liked it.

The_Silent_One: Thanks! Glad to see you here. A/T Forever!




And now, Chapter 4. Well, I said it would be done Monday....s....ago. But it's still Mondday! I swear!


Anyway, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.


Chapter 4

Jaina Solo?s brandy eyes snapped open as she bolted from the pillow, the tangled and damp sheets clutched tight to her chest. Fear, pain; everywhere- an endless wave that came at her from all directions, inscrutable- she couldn?t escape; she couldn?t breathe!

Training took over, and Jaina pulled herself from the brink of panic. She tucked away the Force a small part of her mind where she kept memories that didn?t suit her. Breathing still unsteady, the young pilot stood- and snapped her head upward as the alarm claxon burst to life, the dark room suddenly filled with red light.

?Action stations! Action stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship! This is not a drill!? came a harried, frightened voice over the intercom. Without thought or feeling, Jaina moved, her routine burned into her mind. Seconds passed before she charged out of her room, the orange jumpsuit her second skin, and her helmet clutched tightly in hand. Other pilots swarmed through the corridor, and Jaina joined them; another cell in a flawless organism. Time and thought flowed into nothingness, and soon she found herself in the cockpit of her X-Wing. The hard leather seat, a stick in her hands, pedals against her feet- somehow it was all comforting, familiar. Unease melted away as she followed the rest of her squadron into space.
Squadron upon squadron of X-Wings filtered out of two Star Destroyers, the Obi-Wan and the Rebel Dream. A voice filled Jaina?s cockpit.

?This is the Obi-Wan. We?ve been getting a few reports in- seems like everyone and their mother is ranting about some kind of attack. Everything?s garbled, so it could be a joke, or...it could be real. We?re on high alert for the rest of the mission. Eyes sharp, rebellion.? Jaina allowed herself a breath- there is was; nothing going on, just her nerves playing tricks on her. She could be so jittery sometimes, even after two years. But the Force still spoke of fear and pain, and once more the soldier pushed it away. One patrol, then sleep- after that she would reach out to Jacen and ask what the hell was wrong with her. Her breathing slowed, and she allowed herself a small nod, to make it official.

Four white flashes shined away from the Star Destroyers, and four objects hurtled toward them. They were huge, almost as large as the Imperial II-class Rebel Dream, and...bulbous. There was no form or method to them, only dark masses. Jaina?s unease returned tenfold- something about them was off, beyond the strange look, something about them... She reluctantly pulled the Force from its resting place, reaching out with an ease that surprised her. Her mouth dropped open, a strangled cry of fear held back only by her constricting throat. There was nothing- a black hole in the Force where she should feel ships, beings feelings- nothingness, endless and dark. Impossible.

?No response to standard hails. Going to all languages and frequencies.? Jaina couldn?t move, only gasp for feeling in the Force as a fish gasps for water- but she knew, she knew. It wasn?t going to work- the nothing ships were going to attack and then people would die. Pieces the size of X-Wings began to drop from the ships, dozens upon dozens of them falling like ash before coming up again in formation. Jaina?s hands tightened on the control stick, her eyes widening with something not quite fear

 

Update on Chapter 5: The editing for this chapter won't be nearly as extensive as 3 and 4 (read: full rewrite) and barring any intervention by DRL, it's still going up this coming Monday.



Thinly-veiled begging for feedback (): I appreciate everyone who's reading, lurker or no, but I really, really like feedback- when I know how the audience is feeling, I know what I've done right and what I've done wrong, and that is a big help toward becoming a better writer.

Still, whether you choose to reply or not, I'm just happy people out there actually want to read something I wrote.

 

Okay, poking my head in here to say that I am in fact reading this. Normally I just lurk -- enough that I had to spend ten minutes digging through old emails to find my account and password -- but I wanted to comment and let you know what I thought of the story.

Initial thoughts -- so far, so good. I'm really loving the characterization of Anakin and Tahiri. I'm liking Jacen as well, in that he's different from the sort of Jacen I usually read about (especially different from canon) but is shaping up to be an interesting character who I'll enjoy reading about.

I'm sorta neutral about Jaina's point of view -- it's not that you're doing it badly, I just don't really like the starfighter pilot sort of viewpoint (with the exception of the Rogue Squadron books). I'm liking Han's point of view, although I'm a little surprised that his age is getting to him so much. Will want to see what you'll be doing with that, as well, as the plot proceeds.

The one area I'd suggest you might want a little work is really a point I have little right to criticize. Your handling of Ben's viewpoint was sorta of... clunky. I know it's difficult to write the viewpoint of a little kid -- I avoid 'em like the plague -- but I thought it was worth mentioning.

By the way, Crashdown? That just a coincidence, or are you a Battlestar fan?