Beyond - Legends ~Beyond the Rim~ A/T SbS AU Completed 8/09!!!!

Chapter 18: Of Friends and Brothers

Anakin and Tenel-Ka fell into silence as they walked. Anakin?s mood had changed from bad to worse in the past half hour and he didn?t feel like chatting. Fortunately, neither did Tenel-Ka. It wasn?t until they had reached Jacen and Kyp?s last position that they finally broke into each others thoughts.

Two packs laid on the ground in the small clearing. Anakin spotted his brother?s shattered comm link underneath a pile of leaves. Blood had stained the ground. Even though he felt his stomach tighten at the sight he forced his emotions down. Fear or worry wouldn?t help anyone now.

?Is this what Jacen had been telling you about?? Tenel-Ka asked, locating a hidden door that was buried under a pile of dirt and rocks. Anakin walked over towards her as she pulled it open. Sure enough, behind it was the passage Kyp had described earlier. As the Jedi Master had suspected it looked as though it had been dug recently.

?Well, if Kyp and Jacen were right, this thing should lead to the caves over in that direction,? Anakin said, pointing southward.

?Do you they were?? Tenel-Ka asked, looking into the dark hole skeptically.

Anakin shrugged off his pack and dropped it down into the shaft. ?Well, there?s only one way to find out,? he said. He glanced over at her with a grin before he jumped into the hole himself. He pulled a glow rod out of his bag as Tenel-Ka slipped down in behind him.

Anakin flicked on the lamp, sending rays of white light piercing through the darkness up ahead. He looked down as he heard something crunching under his boots. Grimaced, he saw dead glow bugs littering the floor. No matter how illogical it was he could never get over his disgust for the small Yuuzhan Vong creatures. Ever since he had watched a swarm of bugs travel across Yavin, destroying his home, his view of them had changed. He would never again think of them as harmless.

Anakin walked a several more minutes before finally spotting another light coming from around a bend in the passage. He and Tenel-Ka rounded the corner and saw the tunnel?s end. They both ducked back into the darkness as two armor clad warriors marched passed the exit.

Anakin counted to five before looking out again. He could hear the faint sound of voices. Using the limited Vong vocabulary Tahiri had pounded into his head he was able to discern a few words, ?prisoners? and ?located? being among them. Looking over at Tenel-Ka, Anakin motioned for her to stay there while he scouted the area. She nodded and took his pack while he moved in closer.

He stepped into the opening ahead of him cautiously. Using the Force to heighten his senses he strained his ears for any foot steps. Finally satisfied that no one was coming, he moved in further.

The room was mostly empty except for a few metal crates. Anakin supposed they were captured from ships that had ventured too close to the planet. After a careful look around he guessed that he was in some sort armory of. Amphistaffs and thud bugs lined the walls, along with coral armor and face masks. On a hunch Anakin grabbed two of the suits and a few other things he spotted.

He froze as he heard the sound of marching headed straight towards him. Stuffing the items under his arm he ducked back into the tunnel just as three Yuuzhan Vong stepped into the room.

~~~~~~~~

Jacen had never been in so much pain in his life. It amazed him what the Vong had managed to accomplish in only an hour. They had dragged him off to another room shortly after he and Kyp had been thrown in their cell. After enduring their torture devices they had finally thrown him back into his prison. Now they had carried away Kyp. No doubt putting the older Jedi through the same experience.

Jacen was now laying face down on the floor of his cell, pain coursing through his body. After a few minutes he was able to gather enough strength to crawl over into one of the corner. He propped his back up against the wall and tried to asses his injuries. So far he hadn?t broken any bones, but next time

 

Anakin to the rescue huh?

I don't think Kyp's ever going to live this down.

 

Star_Lead, i agree, i don't think he ever will!!

Nice post Lonewolf89!!!

nina

 

Star-Lead: Kyp?s just one of those character I can?t help but pick on.

Jainafel: Thank you!

 

"Aren't you a little short?"
Is that an echo I hear?

Yup, must be tough for Jacen to have Anakin bale him out.

But what about poor little Valin?

I like it though.

 

Jacen had never been in so much pain in his life.
That's right! His capture never happened.

Hate to break it to you but you couldn?t defend yourself from a nerf with that pitiful excuse for blocking

Gotta love it when Kyp is made fun of

Aren?t you kind of short?
I loved that, too.
But I thought that Anakin had actually gotten rather tall by the time of SbS. Jaina notices that and how broad his shoulders have become all the sudden.

The smooth rhythm of their fighting surprised both of them.
Surprises me, too.
But it's nice for you to follow through on the idea that they are resolvng their differences through their fighting style. Great job!

jerking the alien weapon from the warrior?s hands.
Cool move and great fight scene!

I'm looking forward to more

 

Moff_D: I might have a problem with my little brother saving my butt all the time. I guess Jacen will simply have to accept that he?s just not as good at getting out of trouble as Anakin is.

Jade-Walker: Thanks!

I read somewhere that Vong were pretty tall, about seven feet or so. Unless Anakin is freakishly tall for a human, I don?t think he would be quite that massive.

 

Chapter 19: Healing Wounds

For the first time in a long time Tahiri didn?t feel like talking. Not only had Anakin left her behind again, he was going off to spring his brother from an enemy strong hold. The frown that had been etched on her face now turned into a deep scowl. The more she walked the madder she became.

As hard as Anakin tried to make her happy, sometimes he fell short. This was one of those times. When he left with Mara Jade at the beginning of the war Tahiri had missed him more than anything. When he finally returned she was reminded just how badly it hurt not to have him in her life.

Then she had been captured by the Yuuzhan Vong. For months after that she didn?t want Anakin to leave her sight, afraid that he would go away again. She always thought that if he was there she would be safe.

Having him gone now, after the gruesome visions he had had about their first plan, she couldn?t help but feel a sense of dread. Maybe it wasn?t about him protecting her so much as them protecting each other. She reached out to the bond they shared, checking to make sure he was okay for the hundredth time since they had split up. Relief flooded over her as she felt the calm thoughts running through his mind. He was still alive.

Tahiri dropped to the ground next to Jaina as they finally took a break from their trek. They had been walking for nearly half an hour and they were only a kilometer away from the last cave entrance. This was the only chance she would have to rest for a while.

?All this time I thought I was in good shape,? Jaina said as she stretched her arms over her head. She grimaced as she began working the aches out of her muscles.

?Tell me about it,? Tahiri replied, ?After this I?m never walking on another planet again. The hallways on the Venture are as close as I want to get to a nature trail.?

Rhyll tried to ignore their conversation as she pulled off her pack. She stepped away from the clearing, deeper into the shadows as she rolled up her sleeve. Unfortunately Danato happened to walk passed her at that moment.

?Are you okay?? he asked, taking her wrist and twisting her arm into the light of his glow lamp. He could see the white bandage wrapped tightly around her upper arm.

?I?m fine,? she snapped, pulling away from his grasp.

?No you?re not,? he stated matter of factly as he grabbed her arm again, gripping it tighter this time. ?When did this happen??

?When those creatures attacked us at the ship,? she said. If looks could kill he would have been on the ground breathing in his last.

?As I military officer I would think you?d see how this could be a liability. You need to get this treated,? he asserted.

?It?s fine,? she replied, trying to twist her wrist away but to no avail. He may have looked scrawny but he was proving himself to be stronger than she had suspected. Finally she gave in, too tired to put up a fight with someone as stubborn as Danato. Sitting down she glared into the forest. Maybe if she focused hard enough he would disappear.

Danato looked at her, knowing full well she didn?t like him seeing her injured. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a med kit before carefully pealing away the white bandage on her arm. He nodded his approval. She had done a fairly good job of patching herself up. He grimaced as he unwound the last layer, revealing the wound. It was deeper than he had thought. It was a wonder that she had managed to carry her pack, much less hack away at small trees.

He noiselessly cleaned the injury, whipping away blood and dirt before rubbing on the bacta Anakin had packed. He heard Rhyll hissing through her teeth as she tried to hold back a cry. Danato loosened his grip on her wrist, and began wrapping a new bandage around her arm. After he finished his patching job he threw the med kit back into his bag. Twisting Arles? arm around again he got a look at his handy work.

?Brilliant job if I do say so myself,? he stated with a grin.

?Thank you,? Rhyll grumbled, pulling back as she stood. As much as she

 

I can't wait to see the tunnel mission.

I love that kind of thing (okay, I've played Operation Xenocide Four on Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy too many times, bite me).

 

Star-Lead: I'm a fan of battles in tight spaces and dark areas myself. Caves and such just make things more interesting.

 

I'm planning on writing one for Manticoran honor, when Tahiri and a team of RMMC troops and Jedi rescue our favourite junior scoundrel.

 

Argh! I go away for a few days and several of my favourite writers all post updates. LOL

Okay - first post. I love the way you move between description of battle to dialogue. Marvellous action scenes. I especially like the way you're writing Kyp. I don't think the last few books have dealt with him well at all. I also like the way you're showing Jacen's journey, and I love the scene where he and Anakin fight together.

That line about being a little short was great.

Second post - I especially liked the interaction between Danato and Rhyll. I also liked the way you explored Tahiri's feelings about her bond with Anakin. Loved the bit where Anakin offers his bro some advice about women. Anakin's way ahead of him there.

I especially liked the way you showed Anakin's reactions to battle - the way he gets the adrenaline rush and how he feels when it's gone. Nice insights there.

?Tell me about it,? Tahiri replied, ?After this I?m never walking on another planet again. The hallways on the Venture are as close as I want to get to a nature trail.? That was a great line. So "Tahiri".

It's good the way they're working as a team. Fantastic additions to the story.

 

You know, sometimes I wonder if I should give more detailed reveiws than "POST MORE ASAP". Well, this my try:



First post: very good, I enjoyed the way you expanded on Jacen seeing people in a different light. Also, it was cool to see the brother's working together.

Second post: Nice to again show she's not the perfect soldier, and more of Danato's character.

 

Tahi:

Argh! I go away for a few days and several of my favorite writers all post updates.

Tell me about it. I went on a vacation for almost two weeks last summer and I had a whole lot of reading to catch up on when I got back.

Thanks for all the great feedback! I've warmed up to Kyp a little bit because of the fan fics I've read with him in them. It's till fun to pick on him though.

I love writing OCs, as you know. I get to know them at the same time my readers do, and it's fun to explore the different aspects of their personalities. I think Danato is becoming one of my favorite OCs to work with.

Jek:

You know, sometimes I wonder if I should give more detailed reviews than "POST MORE ASAP".

Hehehe, don't worry. For almost a year after I started reading fan fics that was the extent of my replies too. It wasn't until after I had been writing for a while that I began to write more in my fic critiques.

I'm trying to change Jacen from the annoying NJO version, into the more interesting YJK version. Being more open to people is one of the traits I really liked about him in YJK. I'm glad your enjoying his transition.

 

Oh excellent..there will be blowing things up in the next post?Wonderful *sinster grin*....

nina

 

Funny opening line Lonewolf.

Nice scene between Danato and Rhyll, and it's always good to see Anakin in action.
There seems to be a bit ou uneasiness all around, just like the Myrkr...had that mission happened I suppose.

 

How cool is the new banner-thingys??!I think they totally kick butt!! , i love them!!

nina

 

jainafel: Yes, explosions are soon to come!

The new banner is cool! I like the colors too, much better than the yellow from before. It's great that the fan fiction forum finally got it's own style. It's about time! I'm all for that great picture of Anakin Solo we've got up there now.

Moff: Thank you! Things do have a feeling of impending doom. One things I liked about SbS was the strange atmosphere of it. It's like you knew something dramatic was going to happen throughout the whole book.

 

Chapter 20: Fifteen Minutes

Danato scanned the cave entrance carefully as Arles crept up behind him. She was quiet, but loud enough not to scare him half to death when she reached over and handed him a blaster.

?Captain Solo said they'll wait fifteen minutes before heading in,? she said, crouching down by his side. Her eyes glazed over, becoming stark white as she swept a wary gaze across the area.

?That doesn?t give us much time,? Danato commented, dropping his new weapon into his holster.

?It?ll be long enough,? Rhyll replied, checking the power pack on her weapon.

He would have done the same if he didn?t already know how insulted Arles would be. Although they have had a number of differences and unresolved issues, Danato knew she wouldn?t purposely kill him or put him in harms way. At least not while they were forced to work side by side. Questioning her intentions would have been a bad choice.

?Have you seen any signs of activity?? she asked.

?Nothing,? Danato replied, motioning towards the cave ?No lights, no thud bugs flying at my head, just motionless darkness."

?I wasn?t expecting it to be that obvious,? she replied cooly, not looking at him.

?Well, neither was I. Still would have made me feel a lot better,? he said, giving her a sideways glance.

Rhyll looked over at him, fighting back the urge to smirk. ?We have fifteen minutes Captain Rava, I suggest we get moving.?

~~~~~~~

?You think they?re in yet?? Tahiri asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the rest of the group.

?Probably,? Anakin replied, his eyes glued to his wristcrono. Fifteen minutes was passing a lot more slowly than he thought it would. Being still for so long was beginning to make him jumpy.

Tahiri was about to say something to the same effect when Anakin leapt up off the ground suddenly, his lightsaber flying into his hand. Tahiri tensed as she reached for her own weapon.

?Something?s coming,? Anakin hissed, reaching out with the Force to heighten his senses.

?Vong or animal?? Jaina whispered over to him as she, Jacen, and Tenel-Ka pulled their own sabers off their belts.

?Vong, I think,? he replied, forcing himself to concentrate. Kyp struggled to stand, balancing himself against a tree trunk as he gripped a blaster in his fist. He wasn?t about to let them get him again.

Anakin began to get a clearer reading of what was barreling down on them, and it was definitely Vong. In an instant the Jedi were surrounded. Five lightsabers sprang to life. Purple, green, and blue light danced around the clearing.

Anakin was the first to attack as he sent his blade careening towards a tall warrior?s head. The Yuuzhan Vong swung his amphistaff upwards, catching the lightsaber inches from his scull. Anakin gritted his teeth as the weapons locked. Pulling his knee up he slammed it into the warrior?s stomach. The two stumbeled away from each other and Anakin sparred a glance over at the rest of his team.

Tahiri and Jaina were holding their own. Tenel-Ka was having a little more trouble fighting off her two attackers but he knew she could manage. Jacen was trying to protect Kyp who was getting off shots at what ever Vong were unlucky enough to get into his sights. Anakin looked at his crono. Five minutes until Danato and Rhyll?s time was up. Unfortunately, he didn?t have that long. More warriors were charging in, sooner or later they were going to get pinned down and then there would be no way to escape.

Fall back! he yelled through the Force. Obediently his team began backing up into the forest, ready to make a run for it. Hoping to cover their retreat Anakin jumped into a back flip, landing in front of Jacen and Kyp. He swung his lightsaber around in a tight arch, catching two attacks. He slammed his body against one warrior, sending the Vong skidding across the ground. Leaping in the air, he kicked the other in the head. Jacen grabbed Kyp?s arm and dragged him off towards the cave entrance as Anakin ran to help Tahiri and Jaina.

With the Force behind his assaults

 

Lonewolf, i love that picture of Anakin as well!!It's a good one.I loved the post, made my day just that little better, considering i have the flu!!

nina

 

Lonewolf, i love that picture of Anakin as well!!It's a good one.I loved the post, made my day just that little better, considering i have the flu!!I thought the fight scenes rocked!!!!

nina

 

Why am I seeing OP Xenocide playing over in my head while reading that?

Because it kicks ass.

EDIT: This seriously does remind me of Op Xenocide.

Small commando team... check.

Relentless enemy that has to be defeated by planting bombs at a certain location... check

Very big explosives... check.

 

Awesome post! I really enjoyed reading it!

 

Sorry Lonewolf. I was a little behind.

I love the musings of Tahiri in the previous post. So true to her character.

Great interactions between Rhyll and Donato with him cleaning her wound.

Good job with the fight scene with Anakin and the Vong. Those are always difficult/complex to write.

?Give up, Jace. If there?s one thing I?ve learned from years with Tahiri it?s that the woman is always right.?


Jedi_Jainafel: Oh excellent..there will be blowing things up in the next post?Wonderful *sinster grin*....
A big fan of Kell are you?

Oooo! And a fight sequence in the second post with multiple characters.
I don't think I try to attack Tenel Ka and Anakin when they were teamed up.

Two really good posts, Lonewolf!
Keep it up

 

jainafel: Sorry to hear you?re sick! I hope you start feeling betters soon.

Star-Lead:

Jek: Thanks!

Jade-Walker: Thank you! It?s so easy to get behind around here. Just a few days away and you have tons of reading to catch up on. Tenel-Ka and Anakin are good together. I wish they had paired them up in fights more often.