Beyond - Legends Dark Paths (Jacen, Tahiri, Anakin, Jaina, Jag - 5 years after "The Unifying Force"!)

[Ahh, I love the smell of page 42 in the morning... smells like... Victory...

Forty-Two!!

Um... okay?

Anyway, this goes here!! ]

The Galactic Alliance Defence Force freely admitted that they had inherited many of their most powerful weapons and strategems from the Empire. But they liked to think that they were putting them to a better use than that for which they had originally been intended; redeeming them by making them instruments of redemption.

The Guardian of the Stars was no exception.

Originally named simply Guardian, she had been one of four ships in the first batch of Executor-class Star Destroyers, a brood of gargantuan behemoths, concieved by Kuat Drive Yards as the ultimate combat warships, each capable of dominating whole oversectors of the Galaxy. Exponentially larger than even the mighty Imperial-class ships, and known popularly as "Super Star Destroyers", each of them had quite literally carried the weapons batteries and starfighter compliment of an entire fleet on a single hull.

The Guardian had been built to serve as the commandship of the Coruscant Sector Fleet, but after Endor, her commander had taken her off to the Outer Rim to set himself up as a warlord, and for more than ten years, she had lurked in orbit around the remote world he claimed to rule. The New Republic had captured her after the Koornacht Crisis, mounting a cutting-out expedition as part of Operation Creative, but opposition Senators had promptly accused the military of trying to massively upscale their projection-of-power capabilities without going through the Senate - and the charge stuck, for the very simple reason that that it was true. So for the next ten years, the Guardian had been relegated to workhorse duties well away from the major crises. Only when the Alliance emerged from the ashes of defeat did she finally emerge from obscurity, co-opted as a mobile headquarters for the High Command and the High Council, and then pushed up into a front-line role as the Supreme Commander's flagship during the Liberation of Coruscant.

By then, all her sisters had been crippled or destroyed - or simply scrapped as various rear-echelon committees and government departments decided that there were better things to spend credits on than keeping them in service. The last of them, the Lusankya, had died at around the same time as the New Republic, converted into a giant ramship to take out a Yuuzhan Vong worldship - a defiant last throw by the Third Fleet, after the fall of Coruscant.

Now, the Guardian was alone.

But her uniqueness made her all the more valuable - both as a combat warship, and as a symbol of Alliance power and resolve. Although her normal station was at the centre of the orbital gauntlet around Denon, she had led from the front in all the major campaigns and emergencies of the post-war years - against the Horsek Irregulars, the Mandalorian Crusaders, the Yuuzhan Vong remnant, and the Hapan Royal Navy. As the formal fleet structure was reorganized around the realities of the new deployment strategy, she emerged as command ship of the Capital Fleet, and at the same time, she was officially reclassed as a "Star Dreadnaught", as parts of the Ministry of State's ongoing campaign to strip politically loaded or misleading terminology from official documentation, and de-bias the linguistic and semantic structures of contemporary Basic.

When she was on station at Denon, part of Telura Balfour's assignment was showing visitors around the ship - a media-liason mission designed to impress everyone from alien ambassadors to schoolkids from Skywalker Junior High with the military strength at the Alliance's disposal. Normally, someone would remark in surprise that the command bridge was no larger than that of an ordinary Imperial Star Destroyer; and if they didn't, she always pointed it out to them, and she the

 

TSF: Ok, a little time before the Harry Potter marathon...which, I'll be honest, I'm going to enjoy as much as my son.

You got a copy early!? Lucky you - the news tonight only knew of two, worldwide!!

So I thought I'd try to come back and be a little more in depth.

Yay!!

Everybody (Jedi, anyway) is closing in on Denon for the big show down and Jacen is intedicting them there so they can't get away? He, in his warped little mind, has some vision of filling up his council seats with "free-thinking" minds to lead. Somehow or other, he thinks they are all going to sweetly come over to his way of things... mostly because of his "success" with Tahiri.

Pretty much, yeah... though he's not prepared to use force (or the Force) to get people to see the truth...

Remember, he was (re)trained by Vergere...

I've got to say, Jacen seems less and less connected to reality, as time goes on in this fic. Perhaps this is my perception... but it's like the person who can speak sanely and is obviously intelligent, but MUST be imprisioned or hospitalized for everybody's protection. I don't know ... like Silence of the Lambs, or something. I'm telling you, he is seriously creeping me out!!!!

*grins* I'm pretty sure I've asked this before, to someone else if not to you... but is Jacen in any way... un-Jedi?

The new teaser is very interesting....

Y'think?!


...but that's just mean!

Of me? Or of Val and Jizz?

Scoundrel: Not that I don't want more but that was just an expression of happiness.

Heck...

But it's true!

I don't feel that way!

We do!

Gah! "Shush!", again!!

Y'know, I just love those cryptic replies . . . I'll just wait to see what happens.

Um... but if you do, how will you get cryptic replies?!

*confused*

You're welcome!

*hugs shins and dances a bit*

I am?

Almost there . . .

Yippee!

Keralys: Umm... holy crap, Thrawn. That's about all I can say.

I take it you like it?

I really like what you did with the post at the top of the page. It's very effective in setting up what's to come. I get the feeling that there's about one more post of "setting-up"-ness in general before everything goes crazy (though there maybe another more philosophical interlude between the battles we're about to see and the final showdown with Jacen and everybody else)..

The "battle" will be spread over several posts, but the action kicks off in the next post - or, actually, the one just before this one on the page!

I also now officially hate you for those teasers. I'm really looking forward to seeing Gry and Tahi's talk and all that. And, no, we obviously still haven't seen him fight, which I think I'm more excited about than anything except perhaps the showdown between Anakin and Jacen. Grr... stop making us wait!

I'm doing my best!!

*little Ewok legs run very fast on the treadmill*

*holds lightsaber blade the Thrawn's throat to make him work feverishly on this story*

*gets on with it*

Jacen's vision of things is still different from Luke's. Here's the thing, I won't argue that Luke's dream was always a galaxy in order, at peace, and in harmony with the Force. Of course!

But Jacen takes that to an entirely different level. As I've noted before a couple of times, he has no regard for the value of independence and the true nature of sentience, human or otherwise, that is, that it is by definition mildly chaotic.

Yep!

And he takes this view of things and decides that he's going to make everything conform to what he thinks (or even the part of the Force that he's tuned into thinks) things ought to be run like.

Luke never did that, and he never would have, under any circumstances. He was

 

Although I disagree totally with Jacen - I have to admit he's convincing in his beliefs, delusional though they may be. Not sure exactly what's going on with Tahiri at the moment. His acceptance of their separation is discomfitting though. He appears to play with her like a cat with a mouse, but then appears to be proud of her. Odd and unsettling.

But Gry didn't mind. He liked the rain, and the cool atmosphere that it created on the freighter's flight-deck.

He liked the sound of the rain-pellets pattering on the hull as well - a gentle, insistent, thrumming dance, overlaid on the background hiss of the water on the sea, seeming somehow detached from the sight of the sluicing water on the glass.
Love the sound imagery here. I have to admit I like the sound of rain on corrugated iron roofs - always makes me feel cosy.

The Mirax-Gry team is working well, and the banter is great. You write Mirax well. I like the nicknames for the kids.

Love the descriptions of Skywalker City. I also enjoyed Liberty's explanation of the fancy flying trick.

 

"Am I Vergere?"

...

No, you just think you shouldn't!



You could start at WR?

Good

Hey! I'm still envious of the opening descriptions in Revolution... you're good at this, kid - and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Uh-huh

"a brilliant silver cylinder blazoned against the pale azure field of the sky, held aloft by the invisible strength of the massive reactors and repulsorlift coils encased within the plain plaiting of the lower half of its hull. Above the bedrock of the engineering levels, the vertical city rose towards the stratosphere - a spectacular castle in the sky, a tower more than two miles tall, with an internal deck area covering more than fifty square miles of parks, appartments, and government buildings"...?

So what's your point?



We still know Luke is going to live - doesn't mean that ESB doesn't rock.

Yes, I suppose that's true...

But you raise a very good point...



"Search your feelings... you know it to be true!!"

No, that's not true!... That's impossible!

Nope - he always was... just in a quintessentially British way...

I've always thought "British" was cool... but not Jag

You liked that, huh?

Yes, actually...

No? Or maybe it's Mirax?

Yeah, I thought of that...

Why - Horn kids gone psycho? Or Cool!Jag?!

Both

 

Tahi: Although I disagree totally with Jacen - I have to admit he's convincing in his beliefs, delusional though they may be. Not sure exactly what's going on with Tahiri at the moment. His acceptance of their separation is discomfitting though. He appears to play with her like a cat with a mouse, but then appears to be proud of her. Odd and unsettling.

Isn't that Jacen to a tee, though?

Love the sound imagery here. I have to admit I like the sound of rain on corrugated iron roofs - always makes me feel cosy.

Gah! I forgot the thunder!!

The Mirax-Gry team is working well, and the banter is great. You write Mirax well. I like the nicknames for the kids.

Thanks! It's interesting, from my POV and mine, because she's not Tahiri... I just hope that Gry's integrity as a character is holding up... he really is a fish out of water now...

Love the descriptions of Skywalker City.

As I said, not IMHO my best, but a lot better than the first attempt!

I also enjoyed Liberty's explanation of the fancy flying trick.

Yay!! I'm glad that at least made a sort of sense - I knew exactly what they were doing, but I was worried that it would make no sense to the reader...

YK: ...

*eyebrow*

" "

I was right, then!

Good

*rubs hands in anticipation*

Uh-huh

Yep!

So what's your point?



"You know..."?

Yes, I suppose that's true...

Aye... it's about narrative POV, not the audience's knowledge...

" "



No, that's not true!... That's impossible!

Um... what's impossible?

I've always thought "British" was cool... but not Jag

You read him with "a slight American accent"...?

Yes, actually...

So, um... I did?

Yeah, I thought of that...

You'll see...

Both

Yippee!



- The Imperial Ewok

 

You got a copy early!? Lucky you - the news tonight only knew of two, worldwide!!

Ha! I wish! No... but I did devote a little extra time to him, so he could do some "prep" work. We've been reading like crazy. It is very satisfying to be able to read with my 10 year old and both of us enjoy it. Great bonding!

I'm pretty sure I've asked this before, to someone else if not to you... but is Jacen in any way... un-Jedi?

Hmmm... Are you being serious? Because I can't see wacking off your uncle, sabotaging the faithful family driod that witnessed it, reprogramming former loves into drones, & wiping out large portions of the population's minds so that you can control them better, all as falling under the heading of "ideal" Jedi behavior.

 

Usually, I try to wait until a post is completely finished before replying . . . but I 'm feeling unusually inspired today.

The first part with Telura Balfour and the next part with Jaina really got me thinking about how the lines "The Good Guys" and the "The Bad Guys" are awfully blurry and really depend on your POV. (I know I've read a discussion about this somewhere before, I just can't remember exactly where.)

Her role was to ensure that the crew of the Guardian of the Stars obeyed their orders, and that the commanders' decisions were in line with the ideals of the Alliance.

The Moral Police? Disturbing, but thoroughly unsurprising coming from Jacen.

The greatest threat to peace and justice today comes from those who believe that they have the right or power to impose their will on others

Apparently, this doesn't apply where Jacen is concerned.

She blinked, her eyes wandering up and down the length of him, trim and tailored in blood-edged black.

The longer hair suited him, she decided. And the strong jaw, the serious gaze, the handsome nose, and the way he held himself - all that was still the same.

"You like what you see?" Jag asked, flicking his hair back with one hand, and smiling slyly at her, green eyes glinting.

** nods head enthusiastically ** Oh, sorry. Got a little carried away there.

"You ever want to learn to multi-task?" she asked. "Just spend a couple of years as a Star Destroyer."

They both laughed at that - but they were short laughs, and faded fast into an awkward pause.

Ouch. There's a sure-fire way to kill the lighthearted mood. (On a side note, did any Wraiths out there have a flashback to TKL's "Multi-Tasking!Jag" scene when they read that line? )

And I see that the infamous "," has made a comeback.

Looking forward to the finished version!

 

TSF: Ha! I wish! No... but I did devote a little extra time to him, so he could do some "prep" work. We've been reading like crazy. It is very satisfying to be able to read with my 10 year old and both of us enjoy it. Great bonding!

I'll bet it must be! Glad you're having such great fun!!

Hmmm... Are you being serious? Because I can't see wacking off your uncle, sabotaging the faithful family driod that witnessed it, reprogramming former loves into drones, & wiping out large portions of the population's minds so that you can control them better, all as falling under the heading of "ideal" Jedi behavior.

Whose "ideal" of Jedi behaviour is that, though? And what's it based on?

Jacen's POV is influenced more by abstract precepts than by specific examples - he'd say that the other Jedi weren't true enough, weren't Jedi enough, and that he's the one who's trying to truly honour the Order's ideals...

And he'd also point to the "no attachments" idea, and to the way Obi-Wan and Yoda (with Bail's complicity) conspired to cripple Vader, wipe Threepio's memory, and program Luke as an unthinking, unquestioning killing-machine, while simultaneously conditioning the Galaxy to accept their dialectic of peace, justice, Rebellion and the Light Side against war, tyranny, the Emprie and the Dark Side...

Obviously, he's incapable of quite such a cynical view, but he'd say that he's merely serving the ideals of the Alliance, those that his mother, father and uncle devoted their lives to...

Scoundrel: Usually, I try to wait until a post is completely finished before replying . . . but I 'm feeling unusually inspired today.

Yay! Any particular reason?

The first part with Telura Balfour and the next part with Jaina really got me thinking about how the lines "The Good Guys" and the "The Bad Guys" are awfully blurry and really depend on your POV. (I know I've read a discussion about this somewhere before, I just can't remember exactly where.)

RotJ?

Failing that, probably somewhere in this thread?

The Moral Police? Disturbing, but thoroughly unsurprising coming from Jacen.

Am I that predictable? How about if I pointed out that this was coming from the Alliance leadership - Ackbar and Mon Mothma's protégés...

Apparently, this doesn't apply where Jacen is concerned.

But it's not Jacen speaking, is it...?

That said, I was worried the hypocrisy there was a bit obvious... I think it works in context, with the appeal to democracy and values, but I wasn't sure...

** nods head enthusiastically ** Oh, sorry. Got a little carried away there.

You girls! Honestly!

Ouch. There's a sure-fire way to kill the lighthearted mood. (On a side note, did any Wraiths out there have a flashback to TKL's "Multi-Tasking!Jag" scene when they read that line? )

You girls! Honestly!!

Unless chimpo wants to add anything, that is...

And I see that the infamous "," has made a comeback.

It's a fan-favourite, like Anakin's lightsaber - or Yoda's yellow chiffon dress!!

Looking forward to the finished version!

I'll try to get something done relatively fast... though I suspect that the first scene at least needs more work - more of Telura Balfour's personal recollections, that sort of thing...

But for now... a teaser!!

Anakin saw a pair of black-booted feet, planted apart on the polished deck in a pistol-shooting stance. His gaze rolled up the length of her body, over the physical architecture of lean, taut muscles sheathed in a black combat catsuit, over the muzzle of the snub-nosed holdout blaster clenched in her thrust-forward hands.

Her bare throat bobbed, and he sensed the words caught there - but there were no words that could adequately describe what she was feeling.

He looked into her green eyes.

Her face was wrenched with grief and pity, but her eyes did not

 

That was the speech in which the Chief of State had announced to the Senate and the galaxy that Force-sensitives were to be conscripted as cyborg assault troops, that veterans were to be offered a psycho-neural training program that would cauterize the wounds in their psyches so they could keep fighting, and that a political officer would be appointed to every ship, squadron and batallion, empowered to punish crime or disloyalty with death. The odd thing wasn't that the new measures represented an abandonment of the pretence that the forces which defended democracy were themselves democratic, or even that people were prepared to accept that now.

After reading all the spoilers that are out there for The Joiner King, I'm wondering just how close you've gotten to canon...

YK: Did you just make Jag cool?!

Where've you been? Some of us have always known that. Get with the program, sweetie!

Scoundrel: *waves*

(On a side note, did any Wraiths out there have a flashback to TKL's "Multi-Tasking!Jag" scene when they read that line? )

*grins* Totally! The words multi-tasking and Jag will always and forever be linked in my mind.

She blinked, her eyes wandering up and down the length of him, trim and tailored in blood-edged black.

The longer hair suited him, she decided. And the strong jaw, the serious gaze, the handsome nose, and the way he held himself - all that was still the same.

"You like what you see?" Jag asked, flicking his hair back with one hand, and smiling slyly at her, green eyes glinting.

*nods mutely* *passes towel to Scoundrel*

Are you looking for someone you know?" Jag asked, as she leaned forward, slightly in the seat, and peered at the repeater screen on the central column of the dashboard.

"Yep," she agreed, smiling faintly as she picked out the Rogue and Twin Suns transponders. "Old friends. There they are. Let's go say hello. If anyone gets to kill my old squadron, it should be me."



Whoah on the new teaser!

Can't wait for more!

 

What? What should I add here? More details please because I'm lost... ( and mad at Mr. Denning )

 

TMcE: Yay! Any particular reason?

Lack of sleep, I'm guessing. This hot and humid weather can just stay in the tropics where it belongs!

RotJ?
Failing that, probably somewhere in this thread?

I can't remember if it was earlier in this thread or if it was somewhere in the Hostile Forces thread (which I might have lurked on a bit. )

Am I that predictable? How about if I pointed out that this was coming from the Alliance leadership - Ackbar and Mon Mothma's protégés...

Was this before or after their "guidance" from Jacen, though?

But it's not Jacen speaking, is it...?

Well, no . . . again, I'm not 100% sure of how the quote fits into the overall timeline.

That said, I was worried the hypocrisy there was a bit obvious... I think it works in context, with the appeal to democracy and values, but I wasn't sure...

And I thought I worried too much . . . It works just fine.

You girls! Honestly!!

Hey, we're only human!

It's a fan-favourite, like Anakin's lightsaber - or Yoda's yellow chiffon dress!!



I'll try to get something done relatively fast... though I suspect that the first scene at least needs more work - more of Telura Balfour's personal recollections, that sort of thing...

Cool! Looking forward to it!

But for now... a teaser!!

Cool! But cruel!


Red: *waves*

Hey there! ** waves back **

*grins* Totally! The words multi-tasking and Jag will always and forever be linked in my mind.

Me too!

*nods mutely* *passes towel to Scoundrel*

Thanks! I needed that.


Chimpo: What? What should I add here? More details please because I'm lost...

I had asked if any of the Wraiths thought of "Multi-tasking Jag" from that one scene in EotP and I guess after poking a little fun at us drooling ladies, TMcE wanted to get your thoughts on the matter.

( and mad at Mr. Denning )

Aaack! ** plugs ears and starts singing loudly ** I don't even want to know why.

 

Oh so that's what he meant. Well I don't have anything to add there I'm afraid... I'm not drooling for sure I'm 100% heterosexual so it would be weird for me to act like you in Jag departament

 

Red: After reading all the spoilers that are out there for The Joiner King, I'm wondering just how close you've gotten to canon...

Well, I think it's maybe a little less subtle here... though I can't say whether that's actually a different reading of the Alliance, or their context...

Where've you been? Some of us have always known that. Get with the program, sweetie!

Yeah! *does his best to back Red up with a staunch manly expression*

Heh. Yeah - I think YK is a minority of one here!

Hopefully, that'll teach him to have more sympathy for Jag!

*grins* Totally! The words multi-tasking and Jag will always and forever be linked in my mind.

Honestly! You girls!!

*nods mutely* *passes towel to Scoundrel*





Worried for who?!

Whoah on the new teaser!

Can't wait for more!

I'll do my best to deliver!

Chimpo: What? What should I add here?

Hah! Made you delurk!!

More details please because I'm lost... ( and mad at Mr. Denning )

See below!!

Scounrel: Lack of sleep, I'm guessing. This hot and humid weather can just stay in the tropics where it belongs!

Mood-swings?! Uh-oh?!

I can't remember if it was earlier in this thread or if it was somewhere in the Hostile Forces thread (which I might have lurked on a bit. )

Just so long as you were reading and enjoying... it's irritating. That last scene on Coruscant went wrong, and while I know how I want the various plotlines to end, it's proving hard to write it into shape...

Was this before or after their "guidance" from Jacen, though?

It's pretty much before - and he only strengtehened their own beliefs, too...

Well, no . . . again, I'm not 100% sure of how the quote fits into the overall timeline.

It's after Jacen's Hapes campaign, which is the Alliance's answer to Anakin starting his rebellion after Dantooine... Jacen's "guidance" to Cal is connected with his leaving the Alliance to look for Tahiri and sanity, almost a direct result of his having BDZ'd his way through the Cluster, but this is probably a bit before - there's about a year between Dantooine and the Zonama Sekot scene with Jacen and Tahiri...

... and anway, you think Cal writes his own speeches?!

And I thought I worried too much . . . It works just fine.

Y'sure?!

Hey, we're only human!

And female...

" "

See!

Cool! Looking forward to it!

Thanks!

I'm not so sure now. Some tweaks probably are needed, but the little insight into who she "really" is at the end works well, I think... I don't want to overplay that...

Cool! But cruel!

How so? To you? To her? To him? Or to someone else?

Me too!

Aww!!

Thanks! I needed that.

Do I need to lay on free warm towels, or cold showers, or anything?

I had asked if any of the Wraiths thought of "Multi-tasking Jag" from that one scene in EotP and I guess after poking a little fun at us drooling ladies, TMcE wanted to get your thoughts on the matter.

It was more that you automatically elided Wraiths and Jag Flu sufferers... though then again, if you're suffering from Jag Flu, that's probably an adequate excuse!!

Aaack! ** plugs ears and starts singing loudly ** I don't even want to know why.

Y'think? I think you might like this one...

Chimpo: Oh so that's what he meant. Well I don't have anything to add there I'm afraid... I'm not drooling for sure I'm 100% heterosexual so it would be weird for me to act like you in Jag departament

 

Damn!!!! You made me delurk!!! [face_hits_wall] I went for such a cheap move... I'm getting to old for this

 

Chimpo: Damn!!!! You made me delurk!!! [face_hits_wall] I went for such a cheap move... I'm getting to old for this

For what? Lurking?

I like "[face_hits_wall]", though!

As you might all have noticed, the post at the top of the page is un-blacked, but it's currently in the process of being heavily revised - there's at least one important plot-point to add in, and a lot of trimming of unneccessary verbage...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Just upping until I find the time to reply properly to the new post

 

I've read the first two chapters, I know I'm not even close, but you have my promise that I will catch up no matter what.

 

[Well, it's rewritten now.

*grumbles*

I think it's worse.

I may rewrite it. Maybe. I think the characterization is horribly off-key, and the pacing and exposition is even worse. But really, you get the idea. Just imagine there's a decent piece of writing in there... ]

YK: Just upping until I find the time to reply properly to the new post

So, does that mean you'll be using another post to reply properly, or editing that one?

Briman: I've read the first two chapters, I know I'm not even close, but you have my promise that I will catch up no matter what.

Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of it!!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

[Another teaser!!]

The Ghost came down through the heart of the storm, her broad white wings gleaming with rain, gleaming with lightning.

- The Im

 

[Surprise!! ]

Tahiri Veila rode the turbolift down into the depths of Steel City, with the seven troopers of SpecFor squad 3/27 locked tight in escort formation around her. They stood as still as statues - gleaming armour bent over mechanized musculature, faces blind behind blank, smooth blast-shields, blasters clenched tight across their torsos. But, in the Force, she could see the mainspring of their outwardly rigid stances, a coiled internal tension. They were patient, and obedient, but that patience and obedience came through the containment and control of their basic, blood-red appetites. They were waiting with whetted hunger for the moment she ordered them into action.

When I order, Tahiri thought, flexing the fingers of her artificial fist. I give the orders.

She wore the fatigues of an Alliance officer now - a short tan tunic with big pockets, matching trousers with a practical belt for her blaster and lightsaber, and flat-soled ankle-boots that struck her as slightly dressy and impractical.

She squirmed her toes. When she'd been a little girl, she'd refused to wear shoes as much as possible, claiming that going barefoot helped her to feel the world around her much better. When the war had made her a warrior, she'd found a liking for the tightness and toughness of combat boots.

And now?

She was just wearing uniform, dressed according to a set of regulations someone in the bureaucracy had come up with. It was supposed to look a bit like the old Rebel Alliance uniform. It was just a uniform.

She frowned, wrinkling her forehead scars, and looked at the broad shoulders of the two SpecFors in front of her.

Just like them? she wondered wryly.

Each of them wore a name and rank insignia on their shoulderstrap, and with the Force, Tahiri could see the subtle shadings of defaced identity that distinguished them from each other. But those were just simple surface markers. In every way that mattered, they were identical. Their minds had been stamped with the identical patterns of the training program, further moulded and harmonized by the symmetries of their permanent combat-meld in the Force. They carried themselves with mathematical precision, and as part of the process that had transformed them, their human bodies had been standardized to a single physical pattern. They even had the same physical proportions as YVH droids, allowing extensive component interchangeability between them and their robotic counterparts.

She understood the logic. Standardization saved a lot of credits. Standardization saved a lot of lives on the battlefied when you could scavange spares from a damaged chassis. Standardization kept the Republican Guard fighting, and winning. Standardization of combat troops kept the Galaxy safe, and the civilian world unscarred - even if it meant blurring the line between flesh and metal, between citizen and slave.

All of them are volunteers or convicts, though, she reminded herself, then blinked.

Technically, any action was a ballance between willingness and coercion, wasn't it?

Whatever they had once been, the SpecFor troopers were essentially techno-organic automata now. The clean life-energies of the human beings they'd once been were little more than pure power for mechanical servomotors and Yuuzhan Vong muscle-packs, and the hearts that pumped in their chests had been built on a Neuro-Saav production line. The remains of their human bodies were just biological batteries slotted inside their metal frames, their minds had been reprogrammed as standardized neuroprocessors. That was another Yuuzhan Vong technique - one a team of Shapers had developed by experimenting on her own mind, when she'd been a prisoner, ten years earlier.

For a moment, she felt a sudden surge of irrational hatred for the Yuuzhan Vong - for everyone who'd taken away the happier, brighter Galaxy she remembered from her childhood.

But Jacen's presence - or perhaps just the memory of it - stilled her, like a strong hand on her shoulder.

She frowned,

 

*grabs keyboard away from the ewok paws*

Stop rewriting! 'Tis good!

More later...

 

I would do a propper read and reveiw mit italics, but I'm currently in Norway on the computer at the hotel and we're on the plane ome in a couple of hours, so starting anything on that sort of scale is undoubtably foolish.

I now see how yu were having the Val\Gry combat. Hmmm....

 

[Whoops, quoted rather than edited.

*headdesk* ]

- The Imperial Ewok

 

I love cool , multi-tasking Jag!

And he'd also point to the "no attachments" idea, and to the way Obi-Wan and Yoda (with Bail's complicity) conspired to cripple Vader, wipe Threepio's memory, and program Luke as an unthinking, unquestioning killing-machine, while simultaneously conditioning the Galaxy to accept their dialectic of peace, justice, Rebellion and the Light Side against war, tyranny, the Emprie and the Dark Side...

Not in the mood to cut them any slack, are you?
Just to play Devil's Advocate with you... do you see what Obi & Yoda did in teaching their beliefs to a young person (Luke) so that he would set out to accomplish a set goal, worse, better, or the same as Jacen's agenda?

 

The post before last is really long.(I'm not complaining ) I need some time to process this before I post a comment.