main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends "... Delusions of Grandeur!" (AU; Jaina, Kyp, Ganner, SkySolos, GAG, OCs; completed 3/1)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Onderon1, Jan 15, 2011.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. bender42

    bender42 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2010
    nice. Captuured Kyp perfectly, and I could almost feel the groups emotion. I'm liking this story more and more now. Bad weather in my area too, but that just means i'll have more time to update my fic.
     
  2. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    A/N: A short update ... :)

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Jedi High Council Chamber, Jedi Temple, Coruscant:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ganner was glad that Jaina left with Rian - not because he believed Jaina was any less capable of handling the current situation than he was, but he wanted her to be able to relax after facing the Council. While Ganner was relieved that the Masters were being so understanding about Jaina's situation, he knew that it had still been intense.

    And it's not going to get any easier ... he recognized, watching the Council's expressions shift once the door closed behind Jaina and Rian. The tension that had temporarily bled off thanks to Rian's presence slowly returned, simmering beneath the Force and the Masters' self-control - or not so far out of view, as Mara glanced at Luke.

    "Raising a point of order, Master Skywalker. Given the update from Master Durron, shouldn't we send a team of Masters to catch up with - ah, Knight Solo and his Sith-hunting squad?" Mara asked with forced seriousness.

    Luke started to speak, but Corran replied (rather sharply, Ganner thought), "Should we consider Jacen a Knight? He left more than two years ago. He's accepted the rank - and rights and responsibilities - of a GADF officer."

    "None of us have exactly stepped up to demand that overgrown light-cleaver Jacen built from his original lightsaber. And the Council never officially accepted Jacen's resignation," Kyle Katarn interjected, frowning a little at Corran.

    Corran's eyes narrowed, while Cilghal said - a little nervously - "Should we be seen as so supportive of Jacen's activities with the Guard? If he causes some kind of large fight with this alleged Sith and there are many civilian casualities, we need to be able to have the moral right to disapprove of such activities."

    "We were just saying we thought Jacen should be approached about keeping him within the tent, I thought," Octa Ramis added, looking around with a little frustration.

    ENOUGH.

    Everyone looked at Luke; the tired, frustrated edge to his Force-telepathic projection was more than a little unsettling, Ganner thought. The senior-most Jedi of the new Order looked around, frowning a bit, and said, "We'll deal with Jacen after we've heard Ganner's report. He's been waiting long enough."

    Well. The Master has spoken, Ganner thought, a little worried at how intense Luke was. It was highly uncharacteristic of him, but Ganner could see why Luke was so frustrated - his nephew was the one who was causing the Council to walk a fine line of political balance.

    No, maybe becoming a Master wouldn't be so satisfying after all ...

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Hi:

    So, not surprised that Jacen is the focal point of the tension :p I agree that if he voluntarily left the Jedi Order -- he can be considered an ally or someone working toward laudable goals but certainly not accepted back in without stipulations or clear visions of what he is really up to and if his means and ends matches theirs. He seems to be utterly focused on being immersed in the GAG side of things and using that as a mode of bringing change.

    [face_thinking]

    I always enjoy Ganner's POV. :D
     
  4. bender42

    bender42 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2010
    Uh-oh. Something is happening. someones gonna die.
     
  5. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    bender42: Nobody'll be dying in this 'fic ... well, none of the good guys, anyhow. [face_whistling]

    A/N: Another quick update ... :)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Lower Levels, Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Jacen concentrated; his military training and his Jedi discipline combined to help him sort through the jumble of perceptions available to him, which was critical when he was in the field and tuned to the World Brain's telepathic senses.

    Time to switch 'channels,' he thought, waving to his squad to stop. Mercifully, Kyp also came to a halt - the Jedi Master was, fortunately, willing to accept that Jacen and the Guard did know what they were doing down here. They were at the edge of what had been the Western Sea - now a vast, desolate waste of twisted durasteel and other materials, turned into a warren of tunnels and chambers.

    Jacen opened himself to the Force, and was struck once again by the amount of sorrow and loss that pulsed from the survivors this far below. That, and the understandable anger of the frustrated masses ...

    A Sith could grow strong here, he admitted, following the undercurrent of rage and unfocused fury toward something like a beating, ebon heart somewhere toward the center of the Western Sea.

    Jacen slammed up his shields as twin, burning yellow-orange orbs flared in his mind's eye, and he stood, frowning.

    "I have a better sense of where the dark-sider's hiding. North-northwest," Jacen said, starting toward the direction he'd sensed the dark-sider lurking, until Kyp put a hand on his shoulder. Girdun tensed, until Jacen hand-signed for his XO to remain calm, then turned to Kyp with a curious expression.

    Kyp removed his hand, looking at it with a mixture of surprise and near-nausea, before he said, "The rest of the Council asked me to ask you to speak with them about this, before you go in."

    Well, that's a good sign, Jacen figured - he wanted more cooperation with the Jedi Council, for them to recognize the danger that whatever resurgent Sith there were posed to the Alliance.

    Wirut's grumbling prompted Girdun to mutter a retort, but the Guard snapped to attention when Jacen said, "Troopers? Begin advanced scouting patrols. If you get sight of our target, hold position - I have to talk with the Jedi."

    "Sir? As you command," Girdun said, surprised but obedient. Jacen appreciated the loyalty, and knew that Girdun and the rest of the squad would find their quarry.

    Kyp was surprised, albeit for a different reason, as Jacen walked with him toward a clearer spot for Holonet access. "I'm wondering if we can just do a holoconference? I don't want to leave my people down here with a possible Sith running loose and no Force-users backing them up," Jacen asked.

    "Yeah ... I guess ..." Kyp replied, clearly surprised at Jacen's cooperation. "What if they find Sith-boy?"

    Jacen's smile was probably a bit vicious, but he did enjoy Kyp squirming a bit - even if they were technically allies - as he replied, "Then 'Sith-boy' had better be as dangerous as we're assuming he is."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    to be continued ... [face_worried]
     
  6. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Excellent post. I have a feeling if the Sith isn't done away with by Kyp/Jacen, one or both of them will be sucked into the darthy scheme [face_thinking]
     
  7. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Jade_eyes: Sorry I haven't replied sooner - it's been 8-} here. [face_blush]

    AFA what darthy scheme you refer too ... there may be more than one going on here.

    The most effective Sith play for the long game. And while Krayt's goon squad are definitely more active here than in canon, there may be more than one Sith with their hand in the pot (bad pun intended ... :p).

    For example ... [face_mischief]

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Someplace else:
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    He stirs, on his throne, in a shadowed room, with stolen artifacts and stolen knowledge, and ponders.

    The Orb of Crimson Sclerae - a Sith oracle stone taken from the tomb of Darth Blear on Roon - sits as it usually does in the right-hand side of his seat; at his left, Vader's holocron, taken from Bast Castle on Vjun.

    The seated adept smiles through greying lips at the irony. Some choices are not so terrible in the long run.

    Then again, some are, he considers, sighing with surprisingly still-vibrant breath. For all his missteps, he remains ... grey.

    Not necessarily balanced, but between light and dark. Not
    greater than either, but just between. The choices he's made are ones he hopes to spare his ... what, alternate self? Real self? ... from making again.

    The seeker has, after all, come a long way from a blasted and ruined future to prevent that wasteland from coming about -
    he's technically the shadow, here, after all.

    Shadow, not darkness, he reminds himself, frowning at his metaphor. He's playing a very dangerous game.

    And now, it's time to move another piece. The seeker cups his hands, attuning the Force in his tired, so-tired, voice to a very specific subspace whisper.

    Into a very specific Chiss ear, as he says, "Shawnkyr. He's alive."

    "Thrawn's alive. And Jag didn't tell you."

    He strokes the Orb, then, the swirling gas within coalescing into an image of Nirauan and Shawnkyr Nuruodo stirring in her bed. The Chiss woman awakes, scowling, then shakes her head in the barracks she's in.

    Perhaps she'll just write the dream-whisper off as nonsense. But the seeker doesn't think so.

    He smiles sadly, knowing what damage the whisper may well do to Jag and Shawnkyr's relationship. Guilt flickers across the seeker's face, as his smile fades and he looks out from his window at the cost of his past failure.

    Techno-organic monstrosities stalk the landscape of what had been Ossus, and the seeker's fists clench in determination.

    Yes, in the long run, one shattered relationship between Jag and Shawnkyr may well be a small price to pay. Shawnkyr may well stand with Thrawn instead of Jag, and that might make all the difference.

    Thrawn's early death in his timeline led to infighting. The peace won during the Exile Wars of the 40 ABY period fell apart.

    And the Alliance's and Remnant's and Ascendancy's and Sith Lords'
    true arch-foes took horrific advantage.

    Never again, the seeker vows.

    His machinations - and a bitter smirk crosses his face at the irony of
    that choice of words - have already borne fruit. By the time of the Exile Wars in the altered timeline, Hope Skywalker will be adolescent instead of an infant, while Tace, Allana - and Rian - will be about her age also.

    A new generation ready to stand and fight.

    The seeker regrets the necessity, hopes it won't
    be necessary for their generation to stand against the beasts of the galactic west.

    Against the
    enemies of life.

    But each generation has their battles to face, to borrow a phrase from one of the seeker's closest influences. And when did fate ever play fair?

    Fine. Neither will I, the seeker promises, turning back to the metaphorical dejarik board.

    It's time to move another piece.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
  8. whateveritis12

    whateveritis12 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2008
    Oh future Ben, though I have to wonder what's going on with the Shawnkyr and Jag plot, and how it's going to affect Jaina. Though since you then proceed to mention Rian, I'm guessing there isn't anything different in future Ben/Cable's timeline outside of the fact that Hope was born earlier.

    Though I am wondering when and how he's going to show up. Also have to question when Braddock is going to get back to Earth and bring the X-men with her.
     
  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    A compelling, fascinating [face_dancing] post.

    And the "pieces" don't realize they are being "moved" [face_thinking]

    =D= !!!!!

    :cool:

     
  10. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    whateveritis: The "Grey Man" - or so he likes to think of himself as - isn't Ben or Cable. For part of what I have planned for Ben in the reboot, here's a link:

    http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/31444261/p1/?0

    AFA Shawnkyr, Jag, and Jaina - more answers below, after the replies. Shawnkyr's got a secret or two of her own ... ;)

    And the X-Men ... they're down the line. Since she went back in time and across space in 39.7 ABY, and it's only 30.3 ABY here, Betsy's return to Earth as of Delusions would cause temporal paradox. [face_worried]

    Plus, there's those "Exile Wars" the Grey Man referred to. (It won't take 9 RL years to get there, though. [face_peace])

    ******

    Jade_eyes: Thanks. :D

    The Grey Man is very pragmatic, but I don't want to portray him as sociopathic, either. He's perceiving his self-appointed task as something like dejarik - and he's actually won a few victories - but he's reluctant to make sacrifices that are too costly.

    Plus, sometimes pawns become bigger pieces if they make it across the gameboard. :eek::D

    And there'll be at least one queen who's going to have a very strong opinion on his actions when he's finally revealed ... [face_whistling]

    Meanwhile: Back to Kyrn, Jag, and a certain not-so-dead Grand Admiral ... ;)

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Nirauan, Empire of the Hand, Unknown Regions, Galactic West:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I don't like the idea of having my dreams ... haunted.

    Shawnkyr Nuruodo hadn't gotten to where she was in the Empire of the Hand - or, for that matter, the Household Phalanx of House Nuruodo, until her reassignment - by idly daydreaming, or indulging in flights of fancy. (The latter were more widespread among the Chiss than outsiders thought; the stereotype of "icy near-humans of mystery" was more a carefully cultivated air, a cultural smokescreen, than a dominant personality trait.)

    And while the Chiss had their Force-sensitives - few though they were - Shawnkyr was definitely sure of her midi-chlorian count. It was nowhere near the level necessary for even an annoying, intermittent ability to "hear" the Force. So, the odd male voice that had whispered to her in the early morning hours was unlikely to be the "will of the Force" spoken of by Jedi.

    Or maybe, Shawnkyr reluctantly admitted as she worked on documentation for her and Jag's Stra'hach flight of clawcraft, she was afraid to face what the voice had said.

    "Shawnkyr. He's alive."

    "Thrawn's alive. And Jag didn't tell you."


    It is madness. I saw the reports, heard Grand Admiral Pellaeon's recorded testimony - Thrawn was killed years ago by the Noghri Ruhk during the Joruus C'baoth crisis. And as much as he respected my kinsman, Jagged wouldn't ... Shawnkyr thought, trying to convince herself.

    It didn't work, especially not when she thought back to a conversation barely a standard galactic week before, thousands of light-years "south" and "east," on Terminus.

    When Jagged had said that the argument that had broken up his relationship with Jaina had been because of a secret.

    One he was ordered to keep even from me.

    The pragmatic, orderly, military part of Shawnkyr remembered the conversation, understood - respected - the necessity.

    The Nuruodo part of her, however, broke the stylus she was using, before she stormed out to find Jagged Fel and get some prakking answers.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Oh, dear.

    Jag looked up from a particularly not-military holo of him and Jaina - from better times - and he winced when the security camera showed Shawnkyr standing outside the door to his quarters.

    Brilliant, Fel - kriff your XO, your old friend, and keep a holo of your ex. Can you say 'can't move on'? Jag lectured himself, hiding the holo before he stood from his couch and opened the door.

    "Ky
     
  11. CelseteAntola

    CelseteAntola TF.N Books Staff star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    May 18, 2002
  12. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_dancing] [face_dancing] So jag still has a holo of he and Jaina -- that reveals a lot.

    ;)

    And his sudden realization that his re-taking up with Shawnkyr was a self-delusion

    (SQUEE!) I sense a J/J pairing down the road!

    :)

    Thrawn -- :cool: :D Putting him back in the mix ALWAYS makes for intriguing riveting times!

     
  13. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    Thanks, all. :D Thrawn's plan - and just what's on that datapad - will be revealed before 'fic's end. :)

    As to whether Jaina and Jag end up together ... more on that eventually. [face_peace]

    For now, back to our intrepid Sith hunters, and just how competent Jacen's Guardsmen might be ... o_O

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Ruins of the Western Sea, Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Heol Girdun wasn't a subtle young man - he'd clawed his way up through the Coruscant underbelly even before the karking Vong had prakked everything up, and the Guard afforded Girdun plenty of chances to use his persuasive skills.

    If those skills involved a big of beating the shavit out of deserving idiots ... well, Girdun would be the first to admit he hadn't come all that far from his gang days.

    Except the Guard gives me a reason. Gives me some place better to be than frying my brain on death sticks or some weird Vong moss, Girdun thought, rechecking his helmet's HUD. He'd been assigned one of the newer, rare midi-chlorian scanner units, and the calibration between his helmet and the handheld device was still tricky.

    "Damn thing's getting backscatter from the boss and Durron," he complained to Shevu. The younger teen wasn't Girdun's first choice for a fellow squaddie - Shevu had been training to be a cop, while Girdun had been the kind of guy whom Lon might have arrested had things turned out diferently - but Girdun had to admit that Shevu was good in a fight, and looked out for the rest of the squad. That was all that mattered in the thick of things.

    Shevu - his face hidden by his helmet visor, the same as Girdun - nodded, replying over the intrasquad channel. "And all the metal wreckage can't help - Girdun, DOWN!" Shevu yelled, diving for cover.

    The hair on the back of Girdun's neck rose, and the 19-year-old spun - just as electricity, but with some kind of wrongness about it, shot through where he'd been standing.

    PrakprakPRAK!!! he thought, adrenaline kicking in while he did a visual sweep, and of course now the damn midi-scanner shrieked a warning.

    Something - bipedal, might've been human except for the freakshow red and black tattoo job across its bare chest, arms, and face, wearing black pants and durasteel boots - slid down the hill, grinning like a predator. The man's long black hair, pulled back in a ponytail, whipped around as he ducked a burst of flame, and Girdun waved Tebut back as she rounded a corner with her flamethrower.

    The - Sith? - grinned, a sick thing, and Girdun's gut seized as he realized what a dark-side Force user could do with a canister of flammable material. Cap'n Solo had gotten almost afraid when he'd told the squad stories of his days fighting the Shadow Academy, and those Imp-kissing losers had been small-time in the Force department.

    Patra, bless her heart, though, was faster. She whipped off the backpack, her voice like ice as she taunted, "Catch."

    She carthweeled, diving as she threw the flamer at the Sith when the freak's fingers danced with lightning.

    BOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!

    "Did I - shab, shab, Lon, Heol, BOLT!" Tebut shouted, laying down cover fire with her pistol while the fireball cleared - Girdun couldn't see through the thermal glare left over from the explosion, so he switched back to visible spectrum.

    Oh, kark ME ...

    The Sith was a little singed, while the ground-pounding radar suddenly lit up with a lot more nearby signatures.

    Tebut and Shevu tactically retreated - Girdun opened up with his blaster rifle, wishing Wirut was on site with his heavy repeater.

    Or maybe a proton torpedo launcher.

    The Sith just hissed something in a language that made Girdun's guts twist, before spitting in Basic, "Lackeys."

    "My followers will rend you limb from limb. My true prey awaits. Die well."

    "Yeah?! Well, kark YOU, fancy boy!" Girdun hollered back, running as he ca
     
  14. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    =D= =D= Whew! That was ripping great action!

    :)

    Worrisome for the guards though.

     
  15. bender42

    bender42 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2010
    Sorry I haven't been aroud, had some things to take care of. That was great action. Three guards versus a dozen sith. You have to feel bad for them. The sith I mean...
     
  16. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    A/N: RL's been hectic lately, but I've not dropped this ... [face_peace]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Ruins of the Western Sea, Coruscant:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Kyp's danger sense was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up - there was something moving around out there, either cloaked or just outside the range of his perception.

    So either it's very subtle or very powerful - or both. Great, he thought, watching Jacen tune in the Jedi com-frequency on the right gauntlet of his power armor. It was still strange, this idea of Jacen Solo as a ... warrior.

    I suppose the closest comparison would be Revan. Real positive idea there, Kyp ...

    Kyp found a moss-covered chunk of metal to sit on that wasn't as disturbingly nauseating in its coloration as some other seats, and tried to monitor the mental signatures of the Guardsmen in Jacen's squad. Shevu was a calm, collected ice-blue; Zavirk and Tebut, various shades of white-gold and rose; and Girdun was a rather ugly red-green shot through with just enough ebon to make Kyp wary.

    Decent enough balance; one professional, two empathetic and compassionate, and one repressed thug. Give Jacen credit for having a mixture of competencies in his group, Kyp allowed, his eyebrow raising as Jacen's gauntlet holoproj sprang to life.

    "Jacen. We were just talking about you," Luke said, his voice just a little ... not strained, since Luke didn't do that, but maybe not quite the confident "Master among Masters" tone he so frequently had.

    Jacen's Solo smirk caught Kyp off-guard; it definitely wasn't the expression he'd expected, given the usual dislike Jacen had for his father's mannerisms. "Kyp asked me to contact you, Uncle. I'm open to working with one or more Jedi to help pin down this -" Jacen started to say, sounding positively reasonable.

    That, of course, was when it went into the 'fresher.

    The mental signatures of the Guardsmen became yellow-red - fear, but not cowardice. This was combat preparedness, and their foes were a sea of red that made Kyp reinforce both his mental shields and his own willpower.

    And - no longer hidden, closing fast - was a reddish-black roil of purely Sith hatred and longing for blood. Kyp could tell this wasn't just some dark-side flunkie.

    Sith make hatred and betrayal their life, he recalled, his lips curling in disgust as he remembered Exar Kun.

    "Jacen - I just felt -!" Luke exclaimed, while Jacen's face went stony and he drew his lightsaber.

    "So did I. I'll try to bring that Sith back alive, Uncle Luke. If you want to send help, it's appreciated, but right now my people need me. Jacen out," Jacen said, deactivating the transmission.

    He ignited his lightsaber, and Kyp's eyebrows shot up at the blade's width and length - it really was a great lightsaber, the emerald blade shot through with a core of almost blinding white nearly the width of the average human bicep.

    Jacen blushed a bit as he made a few experimental passes with the weapon before putting his helmet back on. "It's a bit grandiose, but I refocused on strength over finesse during my military training. Before that, it was more wordplay - which I could still do, but brute force is sometimes more honest," he allowed, nodding as someone came bounding up a hill.

    Kyp spun, relaxing a little when he saw Zavirk lift his faceplate and look at them. "Sir - Master Durron - Shevu's patrol is being chased by at least two dozen ... people. Except that they're acting like they're drugged out or feral or both - screaming things that made me sick," the medic admitted, ashamed.

    Jacen clapped the teen on a shoulder and shook his head. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Zavirk. If these are Sith cultists, they're probably half-insane. And even the ancient Sith language has a way of sounding obscene when it's bellowed," he reassured his trooper, before looking at Kyp.

    "Let me guess - I go with Za
     
  17. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
  18. bender42

    bender42 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2010
    Nice. just where can I get myself one of these great lightsabers?
     
  19. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    Thanks, everyone. :D

    And now - the conclusion. :eek:[face_thinking]

    (But maybe, also, the start of something else ... [face_whistling]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    30.3 ABY: Jedi Temple, Temple District, Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    <We've triangulated the signal - what's the plan, Master?>

    Lowbacca's question cut through the haze of questions in Luke's mind, and he nodded at the Wookiee Jedi Sentinel while they stood in the communications center. "Thanks, Lowbacca. Given our remit from the Senate - and even if we didn't have one - we'll send a support team to back up Jacen and Kyp," Luke said, turning to the gathered crowd of Jedi.

    He smiled gently when he saw Jaina standing among them, a look of frustration and focus on her face, and Rian cooing in her arms. "Jaina, if you want to accompany the strike team -" Luke started to offer, until his niece's expression shifted to a sad, but kind smile.

    "I have my 'remit' right here, Uncle Luke. I'm not going to risk orphaning my son," Jaina replied, bouncing Rian a little and drawing a giggle from the little boy.

    She looked behind her, both asking and hopeful, as Ganner said, "Masters, I'd like to accompany the team."

    "Heh. You'd practically be the team, Ganner. I suppose sending me would be overkill if you want that Sith back for questioning?" Kyle Katarn tried to joke, and most of the other Jedi chuckled.

    Corran, however, wasn't laughing. "Can we focus, please? We all felt that dark-side shockwave, except for Rian - good work on shielding him, Jaina - and the longer we wait here, the more chance that possible Sith has to cause real damage," the Corellian Jedi pointed out.

    "Corran's right. Ganner, I'll back you up - Tresina, we could use your skills, if you're up to it," Octa Ramis asked the Chev Jedi Master, who bowed her head.

    "I would be honored. Master Jade-Skywalker?" Tresina asked - but Mara looked a little pale, then, and held her hand to her abdomen with a confused look of concentration. Luke reached for her in the Force, suddenly worried ...

    And then they sensed it together, and Luke was unable to hide a very silly grin while Mara pretended to fume.

    "You - Farmboy - vape - AAUGH! NOW, of all times, I find out I'm pregnant again!?" Mara exclaimed, and Luke unapologetically kissed her.

    "PREGNANT!?" half the room exclaimed, but Jaina just hugged Mara and laughed, while somebody clapped Luke on the back.

    "OK - we can celebrate later. Obviously, I'm not going either. Ganner, Tresina, Octa - we should send one other, just for the sake of a round number," Mara said, glancing at the entrance to the comms room - there was someone approaching.

    A non-Force-sensitive, which while not all that strange - plenty of the Temple's support staff weren't Force-sensitive - was a little curious. Luke reached out, trying to identify if it was someone whom he knew ... and his eyebrows rose when Jaina gave a little gasp.

    The hatch opened, admitting a young human man in what looked like a knockoff of Mandalorian combat armor, holding a helmet underneath one arm and escorted by two nervous-looking Padawans. "Masters - this visitor asked to be admitted at once. He said it is a matter of critical galactic security," one of the Padawans, a human girl whom Luke thought was one of the newer students from Lorrd, said.

    Jaina gasped - not upset, but surprised and a bit happy - while Mara half-smiled, and Luke's eyebrows shot up.

    "Well," Corran was the first to say, with obvious surprise, "hello there."

    "Masters," Jag Fel said, bowing before he walked forward and kissed Jaina's hand, then smiled at Rian.

    "I'm here to help you with what I, too, have discovered is a rather large Sith problem."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Downside Coruscant, Edge of the Western Sea:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There was more than one way to wield a lightsa
     
  20. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Great to see Jag there again and Jaina's sense of priorities -- very mature and focused. =D=

    Looking forward to whatever happens next with the Sith and with Jaina's romantic life.

    ;)
     
  21. CelseteAntola

    CelseteAntola TF.N Books Staff star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    May 18, 2002
    I can't tell you how sad I was to get the PM that said "Delusions of Grandeur Completed" :(

    I trust there will be another thread showing up soon? o_O

    Anyway, brilliant work here, O. I'm liking the idea of the old trio working together again, and good for Jag for doing the right thing. I'm sorry for Shawnkyr, though...

    Great description of the lightsaber duel. Kyp rocks. :D

    =D=

    Great little cycle! I can't wait to find out what happens next!

    ~Celeste
     
  22. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008

    Thanks, everyone. :D

    I'm working on the sequel - or series of sequels - to Delusions, as well as the backstory of how Jacen got this much power (more on that as The Suppression Crusades continues). Although I'd thought I'd be avoiding K/J/J ...

    Well, sometimes things work out differently than expected. :p

    AFA Shawnkyr, she's not doomed by any means. Nor will she be shuffled off to limbo - there are plans, as the "Grey Man" foresaw. And there are still secrets, regarding both her family and the Chiss as a whole, in the Unknown Regions ... ;)

    More soon (and as my Internet connection permits - that's another reason I wanted to get at least something completed this week! :p). [face_peace]

    - Thanks again, [face_peace]
    Onderon1
     
  23. bender42

    bender42 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2010
    Hilarious. I was cracking up reading this. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.