Saga ... Despite My Best Efforts ... [ Post-TPM, Updated - 2/4!!! ]

You know, I wasn't even thinking about Italian mama's when I wrote Mama Mai... More along the lines of my Grandmother.

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It wasn't until Renn turned the corner that he realized that Jax was no longer trailing behind him. He closed his eyes and tried to feel the young man, but all he could find was a sense of discomfort and a bit of fear. Jax was still too untrained to know how to control his Force-energies fully and they did not have a strong enough bond to be able to locate each other yet.

Renn sighed and began retracing his path. He assumed that the discomfort and fear that lurked in Jax's mind were remnants of his teasing about the Asinine's. Jax had probably gone back to the ship. One could never be too sure though in a place where everything was uncertain at best. The only child he saw the entire trek back to the Asinine household was a scraggly lad in his later teens. He breifly considered asking the boy if he'd seen Jax, but decided against it. From the way the teen carried himself, a hurried gait, Renn doubted that he had been in the area long or if he had, that he wouldn't have taken the time to notice.

Best to double back to the ship. Renn, settling into a fast walk, was halfway there when a hand decended on his shoulder. He looked back into a familiar pair of mismatched eyes.

"Hello. Say, did Jack by any chance drop back by your house?" Though he severly doubted it, Renn decided to ask. If Asinine had seen Jax, then it was an added bonus. Asinine smiled slightly.

"Jack?"

"Please don't tell me you've forgotten my son already! The short, black haired kid who made such an impression on your wife?" Renn joked lightly, the feather light touch of suspicion brushing against his awareness.

Asinine chuckled, his real eye sparkling merrily as if in a private joke. "No! No! Forget the boy? Of course not! In fact, I just saw a friend of mine with him. They seemed to be having quite a merry time." Renn's eyes narrowed slightly. Jax having a merry time? It didn't fit with the subtle glimpses he was catching from him.

Asinine, being a true Lorrdian, caught the movement and threw up his hands in a gesture of dispair. "You think I lie?! Not so! I never lie! Lying is a dispicable, dishonorable, filthy-"

Renn held up his hand to ward off the beginnings of a passionate tirade. "Hold on there. I never said I thought you were lying. I just feel a little protective right now. It's our first day here and he wanders off. As a father you should understand."

Asinine nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Forgive me for jumping to conclusions! I beg of you-"

Renn cleared his throat. "You are forgiven."

"How kind of you! Now I must beg of you a most humble favor. The power generator where I work, it has a mind of it's own and I just received word that it shorted out, leaving my important experiment completely vulnerable! My friend, since you have the most noble gift of repair, I thought you could come down and take a look."

Renn took a deep calming breath through his nose and silently struggled to maintain his calm. Jedi did not get frustrated. Jedi delt with whoever came their way peacefully and thoughtfully. His mind flashed on the irony of having to work on the same lesson that he had given Jax earlier.

"I am sure your boy will be fine."

Renn nodded. "Lead the way."

They walked down the roads until they reached the middle of town and a very large spire that stretched high into the air. Asinine walked up to a doorway hidden in the carved stone and pressed his hand against a indentification pad. It glowed for a moment and then the door silently dialated. He gestured for Renn to follow him. Renn did, but with growing discomfort. His hand drifted down to his lightsaber hilt. Something here didn't feel right...

He swung around, igniting his icy blue blade and holding it in a high gaurd, ready to defend against whatever had alerted him. A maitenance droid was wheeling it's way down the empty corridor, whistling to itself as it went about it's duties. Renn opened up to the Force

 

is it the blonde boy from before?

eagerly awaiting next post

 

Yikes! What th heck have these two gotten themselves into? At least maybe they will end up together again.

 

I love the new board layout!

Hmm.. yes, Vorquellyn, the same blond boy and Renn decided not to ask. Little things can make a BIG difference in the big picture.

I'm probably not going to get another post in before the 25th, so MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!

 

Next post is coming soon. It's a Jax postie, so you guys will have to wait to see what happens to poor Renn. (Torture time! *stiffles evil laugh* )

My family went on a three day surprise vacation down to Kitty Hawk, N.C., so I only have about half the post written so far. I tried to write in the car, but I get carsick really bad if I don't look out the window. I did manage to get what I have now written on the 3 hr. ferry- when I wasn't at the helm watching the waves. I LOVE BOATS! (My first ferry ride. It was awesome.)

Also, I had my 6 year old brother draw me a 'monster' for this story when he started getting fussy. He described it as, "What the devil would look like if he was real, real ugly." I'll show you guys as soon as I get my new scanner hooked up. It's adorable.

 

Okay, short post. I have most of the next one done, but I have to figure out how to add in an idea I just thought of.

*pops a confetti tube* Happy New Years!

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Grayde Sal stormed down the street, literally dragging Jax behind him. He stopped once, but only to shout insults at a woman who had brushed past him as she struggled to juggle her groceries and two squalling toddlers. Jax began to notice, that although Sal was was strong and powerful, he didn't have much of an imagination. He was the kind of man who gained his power through sheer strength and physical appearance, not by any clever wit on his part. It worked for him too. People who saw him approaching moved away, steering clear of the large, furious man tromping down the street.

Without fully understanding why, Jax stopped resisting Sal. His full weight was now in the hands of the man, and it was a good thing that Sal had no intention of releasing him anytime soon. If that happened now, the fall would hurt. Jax had heard said once that a Jedi's best defence was his mind, not his weapons. He had learned the rundimentary aspects of influencing a being by experimenting with Iyana and Rio. While he wasn't the best at it, he wasn't bad either. Maybe it would work now... So, he began clearing his mind, letting himself sink into a sort of trance like state.

It was a relitively quick process, taking less time then it took Sal to walk down the entire street, and yet it seemed like an eternity to Jax. The grip that Sal had on his tunic was pulling at the thick fabric and was beginning to cut off his airflow and creating a very disturbing itch. He concentrating even more, beads of sweat forming on the back of his neck.

Closing his eyes, he focused on one thought- 'let the boy go'- and buried it deep in Sal's unsheilded mind. It was a very disturbing sensation being in Sal's mind, feeling his sizzling emotions, hearing whispered thoughts that could be sharpened into comprehension with only a little concentration. Jax felt his stomach roil at the contact and forced himself to hold onto his lunch while staying focused on acheiving his goal.

He was slightly surprised, and a bit disconcerted, when the iron chokehold relaxed, allowing him to discharge the breath he had been unconsiously holding and gulp in fresh. His feet, dragging along the cobblestones, found purchase and he tore away from Sal's slackened grip. Jax instantly turned the other way and bolted. A surprised bellow, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps echoed after him.

Jax put on a burst of speed and ducked underneath a low branched plant before sprinting onto a different street. He turned slightly, to see if Sal was still behind him, and his mouth went dry. Sith spit the man was fast! Four meters and closing, long legs covering the distance as if it was a walk in the park! Jax glanced deperately around him, searching for some place that he could hide. There was no way that he would be able to outrun the guy but then again, there was nowhere to run to either.

He turned slowly, knowing that for now, his fate was sealed. As soon as Sal was within arm reach, he swung his fist at the boy in a pure, blinding rage. It hit with a sickening crunch and if Jax had not tried to duck the blow at the last moment, the Council's worries about his part in this mission would have been no more.

 

He hit him? So you've already learned how to torture your readers with evil cliffies hum?

 

Concussion? Or just pain.

More O'Bano!!

 

Here's the next post, late, but finally up. I was planning to stick it up Sunday, but I haven't been able to get on long enough to do it. I'm going to be moving sometime this week or next week (not quite sure) so I'll write as much as I can before that time. Right now though I have to work on completing the next post for Always And Forever...

I LOVE cliffhangers! Builds up the suspense.

Hmm.. more O'bano? Nah, you have to wait a little longer for him!

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The next thing Jax knew, he was being dropped onto rough ground. His mind was screaming for him to be cautious, so he pretended to still be out of it. Jax kept his breath slow and steady, like a sleeping person, and made his body limp as he crashed to the floor. He stiffled the urge to cry out and wiggle when a sharp rock dug into his hip by biting his tongue and concentrating on something other than the irritating pain. Like the pounding headache that raged through his temples. Actually, that wasn't the smartest thing to do he concluded with a wince. As soon as he even touched on the matter, the pain in his head seemed to double. Jax opened his eyes just a fraction and peered out under long dark lashes for a distraction. A very large cat-like being that was talking to Sal.

She- for there was no mistaking the gender- easily stood two meters tall on muscular hindlegs. Long, thick black fur covered her entire body, and a whiplike tail twitched back and forth, back and forth, always in motion. The large, wickedly sharp clawed hands skillfully hammered a peice of metal straight with a heated sledgehammer then cast it aside into a pile of ramrod straight poles. Whiskers quivered curiously as the creature turned to look at him. The eyes were a very light blue, like the color of a perfect sky that one only saw in holopictures.

"You, Trianii. Get him fitted, and do it fast." Sal spit out while absentmindedly showing credits to the Trianii. He was still fuming from the mind trick Jax had tried to pull on him earlier.

In one swift movement, she was squatting next to Jax, sniffing him. Jax held his breath as whiskers brushed over his ear, tickling it profusely. She exhaled full into his face and he almost gagged. Her breath was rancid!

With surprising gentleness, she picked Jax up by his shoulders and carried him over to her workstation. He didn't resist her, not quite ready to give up the illusion he was cultivating.

"What is it?"

"A human child."

"It does not smell like one."

Sal glared at the boy. "No, I'm sure he doesn't." The Trianii stared silently at Sal, not blinking her eyes for almost a full minute before the man began to grow uncomfortable.

"What?" He demanded sharply.

"May Kaisa ask what-"

"Just do your job!"

"-you would like him fitted with?"

Sal seemed almost ready to lash out at the Trianii for a moment, the look that flashed across his face was a mixture of blankness, anger, and something Jax couldn't quite place. He turned his back to the table and began to pace restlessly, hands clasped behind his back and face a mask of concentration. Jax shifted a bit into a more comfortable position when he was certain Sal was facing the wall and the Trianii was facing Sal. Finally, the man spun around on his heel and faced them.

"I want something that causes great pain whenever I deem it to. Something that causes the wearer to suffer. Also..." He frowned slightly, mulling the idea over. "It should be difficult to remove, just in case the kid gets any ideas. And small, don't want the anybody to get suspicious."

The Trianii nodded, and opened a small drawer. She pointed at something out of Jax's sight and Sal agreed. She reached into a different drawer and pulled out a tiny, plier-like instrument. Then, turning to Jax, who hurriedly shut his eyes, set the mystery object on the table and bent over him. In one quick, practiced motion, she wrenched his jaw open with one huge paw and fixed the pliers onto his upper right molar. Then she yanked, hard enough for the tooth to come out, roots and all.

 

yiz'wurm
that sounds Yuuzhan Vong like tizowyrm. On purpose?
Is Trianii a Togorian?

 

Ugh! That had me squirming in my seat as I read it!

 

Trianii is actually the name of a feline species. They are in the Essential Guide to Alien Species, and their history is pretty interesting.

Yiz'wurm? ... Yuuzhan Vong? They were in the galaxy a few years earlier when this takes place... Jax is only four years younger than Anakin. I did the math.

 

A nice, short, happy post. Not!
This one's going to lead to Renn. I was going to post them together, but I haven't quite finished the last bit yet. Watch details here. Theres an important little bit, I wanna see if you guys notice it..

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In the hour when the light was fading and all was shadows, the yiz'wurm finally began to settle. It fixed the ends of its tiny feet into microscopic hooks and began to laborous task of falling asleep. With a final twitch, it fell still. Jax, completely exhausted, closed his eyes for what seemed like a few brief moments. His rest was not uneventful. Indeed, it seemed to rival the days earlier events, assulting him with images to fast for the eye to comprehend and sounds to dull and slow for the ear to make out. Then the image smoothed, focusing on something completely unexpected.

The whisper quick touch of breeze swept caressingly across his face, blowing his hair into messy disorder. A womans voice called down, a name which could not quite be made out, but he she was calling him, he knew her voice like his own. She was his mother. He pretended he did not hear and dug his toes deeper into the grainy sand that littered the beach. It felt wonderous! Kililac Penninsula. Home, always, until the end of his days. If only in his heart.

It's not my dream, something in Jax's tired mind whispered softly, cautiously, tugging him away. The boy shrugged it off, not wanting to loose the image of family. A real family, not just mentors and teachers and friends. I know, now stop bugging me. The something retreated, albeit slowly. If you insist... He fell back into the dream. It had progressed while his mind had been focused elsewhere, and now he was standing before a huge grizzly man and a petite, fair woman.

It felt awkward standing there before them when he should have been standing with them. The rough, yet gentle unconditional love showered on him as he was swept up into one of his father traditional bear hugs. He squeezed the man tightly back, refusing to let tears flow from the heavy ladden eye that were pressed harshly against the mans chest. Smaller arms went around them both, holding as if they would never let go. The threesome stood there for a long moment, before his father broke away and wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. Was father... crying? And mother, she still held him, but her thin shoulders were shaking with every breath.

He wanted to kick away the small carry bag that sat in the doorway and declare that he was going to stay after all. But he didn't. Wouldn't. Couldn't... They'd all known this day would come and they'd prepared for it. The longing for them, the feeling of loss, it would all pass as he began walking down this strange, new path. So, he kissed his mother on the cheek and said I love you. Then he turned to his father and nodded farewell. The tall man smiled proudly at his son, before placing an arm around his wife and pulling her close.

That's how he left them. Just turned around, picked up his carry bag, walked straight shouldered out the doorway, and didn't look back until he'd reached the side of the tall, young, bronze skinned Jedi, who looked suspiciously like Mace Windu, stood waiting. Then, and only then, did he let himself turn his head just far enough to get a glimpse of the life, the family, he was leaving behind. As he climbed into the small two person spaceship that Knight Windu had landed on the beach, hope that maybe someday he could come back and see them filled his chest.

The ramp slid shut with a final hiss at the same moment the ground under the ship exploded. Knight Windu yelled something at him and Force propelled him in the back out of the way. The ship groaned as it took off. He stumbled over the unsteady floor as it lurched to and fro and raced back to a viewport. Horror twisted in his bowels as he stared at where his families small, but cozy home had been. It was now a black hole in the dune. Nothing remained.

Three Z-95 Headhunters turned back from their strafing run an

 

Wow. Longer than I thought. I have a question that I've been wondering about for weeks, but keep forgetting to ask.

Is ANY component in the lightsaber (save the hilt!) powerful enough that it could spark a explosion on it's own or when it's connected with another component?

I'm toying with the idea here and any know-how or speculation on this would be greatly appreciated! I'm going to look and see if I can find a site that tells the inner workings of a lightsaber tomarrow.

 

Yes the Vong have been there for at least four years but they are in retreat but that's cool. Sorry I thought you said her name was Tranii. Ah well. I like dream sequences.

 

Interesting question. I haven't looked at a diagram of the inner workings of a lightsabre in quite a while, but I would think that if you stripped it down, the power souce could be dangerous or even unstable depending on what our little author wanted to do to it.

 

Sorry I haven't been posting..... gasp, I've been lurking instead.
Wow, the poor kid - having his tooth pulled and then some little beastie inserted into the gaping wound... ow, ow, ow. And it can go into his brain - get it out!
And Renn is captured as well. This is not good.
Felt bad that Jax's family was killed. Luckily Jax and the Knight got away in time.

Good job. Keep going...

 

That's alright Vorquellyn. She's sorta like Oorl and reffers to herself in the third person. (Hope I spelled it right! I listen to the X-Wing sound recordings instead of reading the books.) In one point of the dialouge, she asked, "May Kaisa ask what-". So her real name is Kaisa.

Unstable power source... that could work...

Yup, a little beastie in his head, and I have decided that it's NOT Yuuzhan Vong, but it IS related to their technology as you'll find out sometime later in this fic... probably near the end..

Who says it was Jax's family in that dream...?

 

We have no idea where Jax's mother went after she left Lorn. Lorn Pavan was killed most frustratingly by Darth Maul. Grrr. I liked him. Sorry to any of you who have not read the book.

 

It's not my dream, something in Jax's tired mind whispered softly Well if it's not his dream, whose is it? A certain Corellian knight perhaps? No that wouldn't make sense. Hum. I'm stumped!

 

I finally got the chance to just sit down and write. I hate moving. My family has moved 5 times in the last two years and it always puts a lot of stress on my parents.

On to a happier note. I'm going to the Timothy Zahn booksigning in Arlington, VA on Feb. 4th! This'll be the first person connected to SW that I've ever had the opportunity to meet.

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The metallic smell of burning ozone filled the air...

Renn's hazy thoughts came crashing down against a barricade that was almost impossible to cross. It stood, strong and unyeilding, blocking the path to the unknown. Questing around his mind for the sorce of the intrusion, he realized with a start that his mental sheilds were gone. Mowed down. Removed. Something, or someone, had been through his mind, shifting through his training, learning along with his experiences, scattering memories like sand on the wind. Renn could feel the places where the intruder had dug deeper to learn more and that was not something he took to lightly.

Shaking his head slightly to disband the mist, he began to resheild his mind, only to find that he could not. Something was holding them firmly crumpled. Unable to sheild and unwilling to hide, he laborously pried open his eyes. Squinting from the sudden attack of light on his corona, he waited, letting his eyes gradually focus. The room he was in was large, but not overly. Big enough so that the bright light in the middle of the room did not reach all six corners, yet small enough that it's use would go unnoticed. The crates pushed to the sides of the room gave it the feel of a storage or spare parts room. There was no windows and two burly humanoids stood guarding the nondescript metal door that graced the far wall. So he was a prisoner. Oh well, he could deal with that later. A machine with metal casing and various gurgling plastic pipes flowing with crimson liquid sat a few meters before him.

Chains held him steadfastly in a upright, stretched position. His shoulders had been pulled back and were straining against their sockets, causing an uncomfortable ache. The ground was just barely within reach. When he stood reletively flatfooted, his wrists bore his entire weight, yet his legs began to tire if he balanced too long on his toes. So, he alternated between the two positions. Renn rolled his head slightly to ease it, feeling his neck and shoulders protest from the activity as they popped several times.

"I trust you had a nice rest?" He turned his face towards the voice, knowing at once who it was. Asinine smiled slightly as he walked up to Renn, his eye sparkling with a humorous glint.

"I would agree, but I try not to lie."

Asinine chuckled lightly. "Ah, yes. That would be the famous Corellian Jedi wit that I've heard so much of."

Renn shifted his weight onto his wrists, twirling slowly as he hung. "What do you want from me?"

A hurt expression spread over the undamaged side of Asinine's face, and if it was at all possible, Renn could have sworn that even the mechanics looked mournful. If he hadn't known better, he might even have believed it. Even the subtle hints he sought in the Force told him to. He must have been hit harder than he'd thought.

"What ever makes you think that I want something from you? No, my boy, I'm after a bigger prize. Why keep the worm when you can catch the fish?"

Oh, so that's it. Renn mentally kicked himself for ever letting himself trust the guy.

"So, I'm the bait," he stated flatly, watching Asinine's face and body movements closely. Though not near as keen as his friend, he had picked up a few tricks from Rialle and now put them into action. Asinine however, was a Lorrdian himself and been trained since birth in the arts. He did not so much as flick an eye at Renn's words, masterfully hiding his emotions. Or, Renn mused, maybe he's not hiding them. Maybe the idea of holding a Jedi as bait really doesn't disturb him.

"Suppose the fish doesn't take the bait?"

"I've taken certain... steps, to ensure that she does. After all, I've found

 

Lucky you.

Zahn is skipping my state entirely. He's going to the north and south of us but mot us.

 

He is now thinking of Jax as his padawan?

 

hi lorax.

good story

poor Renn

 

Poor Renn. Hope he doesn't have to do anything he may regret in order to save his young charge.