I'll Trade You This Picture For 1000 Words -- Putting the "light" back in "light side"

Kissa wrote: The Alderann Stress Bed is affordable ? just $29.95 with your prepaid order ? and is guaranteed to work.

For some reason, I love the fact that it's so cheap. $29.95 is what stuff like boxed CD sets of trailer grandma music goes for on late-night TV. We need a Liberace version of "The Beer Barrel Polka" going on in the background or something.

Jacen Solo: I tried the Alderaan Stress Bed and discovered the secretes to the Force.
With it?s help, I?m not a great Jedi who knows how to defeat the Vong and remain a light Jedi.

Is *that* how he did it! His parents didn't get lobotomies, thus causing him to look like a genius by comparison, it was *the chair!!*

Grand Admiral Thrawn: The Alderaan Stress Bed is work of art that is guaranteed to
generate perfect battle plans. You can?t lose with a plan developed while lying on its soft surface.** Note: Thrawn is dead. He?s been digitally remastered with permission from his former bodyguard for the purpose of this commercial.

I got a huge kick out of the idea of a dead guy offering recommendations about a piece of furniture. Why have to sit around and wonder if a product endorser really uses what he's selling? If he's dead, you *already know!*

Well, there you have it. The Alderaan Stress Chair really works! It?s available to ship now and comes in red, silver, and beige.

All of which would look either appalling or boring in the average living room, which is great. It's a hallmark of dreadful things that they come in no useful colors.

*Overlord Shimmra rubbed chin thoughtfully* And you really think that we can get people to buy this product? They won?t detect that it?ll eat them until it?s too late?

Just

That's all I've got to say.

I don't think we've had a "commercial" post in this thread before . . . especially not an "AS SEEN ON TV!!11!!" one. It's a nice counterpoint to all my soul-corroding angst. (Anybody got a product that'll take angst corrosion off your soul . . . ?)

You should consider saving that and sending it in, with the image link, to the entertainment volunteers of the Summer Fanfic Awards. I think the $29.95 silver, red and beige chair that eats people (as recommended by the dead) would be a big hit.

Rogue_Pilot: Well, okay, but if you have suggestions, please let me know. I'm always open to new images that don't . . . well, suck.

 

...Wow. Just wow. The Stress Chair cracked me up, especially (as has already been noted) the bit about it eating them.

Me, I'm still stuck on the strange conviction that it's a fancy illuminated soap dish. This doesn't explain why there is a person in it. Perhaps she's made of soap.

 

Great fics continue to be posted...as well as challenging pictures that I can't write about. But I blame that on being stuck in Suck Zone Seven (right next to the ice machine).

Anybody got a product that'll take angst corrosion off your soul . . . ?)

A properly mixed bourbon and club soda?

Well, it might help! Don't knock it till you try it! Hmmmph!

*stalks away, and is then attacked by the Eating Chair*

AGH!

 

Hi everyone, you've got a newbie here. I've been a lurker 4-Ever! Recently Ophelia took me on as her padawan. Yay, thank you Master Ophelia!

This will be my first attempt to put my writing out there for all to see! AGHHH! I used the SW databank and the TFN CUSWE for some of my facts.

This is in response to the glowing green thingy.

I've rewritten myself into a dither, so may as well post it.

----------------
Deep in the swamp on the planet Dagobah, Yoda shuffled around his tiny hut. These days he relied heavily on his gimer stick for every slow painful step. A lingering illness had weakened him greatly. His exile was coming to a close. Soon he would be one with the Force.

The diminutive Jedi Master hobbled over to his sleeping alcove and sat down to wait for Luke?s arrival. Skywalker would be returning to complete his training now that his friends were safe. Unfortunately, there was no more training to give, no more knowledge to impart. Instead, it would be farewell.

His mind was still sharp, but his body was giving out. After 900 years, that was to be expected. He spent most of his days in quiet reflection. Thinking of his service to the Republic, the eager faces of each and every youngling who passed through his tutelage, and remembering friends lost.

Today his thoughts wandered to his most trusted ally, neither humanoid nor alien; his old lightsaber. A weapon he?d brandished in defense of peace and justice for hundreds of years. He?d lost it while battling Sidious in the Senate rotunda

Over time, parts of the weapon such as the handgrip, lens assembly and the power cell had worn out and needed replacement. However, the stabilizing crystal that gave his lightsaber its distinctive green hue had remained the only original component.

He still remembered clearly the day he had found the glowing green gem that had served him faithfully for centuries.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The biting cold stung his skin. Yoda pulled his cloak tighter, folding his arms inside. Despite the inhospitable weather, he had made good progress through the frigid mountains.

Anxiety threatened to take hold and he quelled it quickly. This was an important right of passage for a Jedi. He had been instructed to search for the crystal that would make up the stabilizing component of his lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi knight.

He had been told very little about how to go about this task. His master?s instructions had been simple. ?You shall go to the planet Ilum and through the Force, find and select just the right crystal.? A seemingly simple directive, but young Yoda knew that if he chose the wrong stone his lightsaber would be flawed and he would fail.

The place he sought was near. Anticipation swelled within him. The only knowledge he had of this legendary location had been gleaned from hours spent perusing the archives and of course, tales passed around by other padawans.

For centuries, Jedi had made the very pilgrimage he made now without too much difficulty. A mild comfort against the relentless wind that howled it?s greeting as he crested the last ridge. At the top, he found the entrance to a large cavern. Tentatively but with purpose he entered.

Just a few meters inside, the cavern opened out into an immense grotto of unparallel beauty. Yoda inhaled sharply, never had he seen or felt anything like this. His senses were on fire. Blue and green light of varying intensity reflected out from the walls in every direction. The Force was strong in this place, pure and powerful.

There were crystals imbedded in the ceiling, the walls, and below the surface of a small stunningly clear pond. His appreciation began to wane as he realized that there were thousands of crystals in the grotto and he was to pick just one.

Overwhelmed by the task at hand Yoda sat down, crossed his legs and began to meditate. His Master had tremendous faith in him and the Jedi council expected him to become a very powerful Jedi. Somehow, that was

 

Thanks everyone I felt a bit hesitant about posting here. Kinda like I was breaking and entering in an exclusive club.


Replies to Commercial:

Rouge_Pilot

That's great, Kissa. I love the idea! "Do you think they'll realize the chair will eat them"... that's hilarious...

What can I say. It's a strange looking chair.


opelia


For some reason, I love the fact that it's so cheap. $29.95 is what stuff like boxed CD sets of trailer grandma music goes for on late-night TV. We need a Liberace version of "The Beer Barrel Polka" going on in the background or something.

Cheep encourages people to buy it more. Which relates back to Shimmra's plan to take over the galaxy.


Is *that* how he did it! His parents didn't get lobotomies, thus causing him to look like a genius by comparison, it was *the chair!!*

Yeah. ::nods head:: it was the chair.

His parents didn't get lobotomies.


I got a huge kick out of the idea of a dead guy offering recommendations about a piece of furniture. Why have to sit around and wonder if a product endorser really uses what he's selling? If he's dead, you *already know!*

I've seen this done in real life and thought it would be fun to have him endorse it.

All of which would look either appalling or boring in the average living room, which is great. It's a hallmark of dreadful things that they come in no useful colors.

LOL. I picked the colors randomly, but you're right. They would look either appalling or boring.


I don't think we've had a "commercial" post in this thread before . . . especially not an "AS SEEN ON TV!!11!!" one. It's a nice counterpoint to all my soul-corroding angst. (Anybody got a product that'll take angst corrosion off your soul . . . ?)

Probably not. But there's nothing wrong with angst.

You should consider saving that and sending it in, with the image link, to the entertainment volunteers of the Summer Fanfic Awards. I think the $29.95 silver, red and beige chair that eats people (as recommended by the dead) would be a big hit.

Where is that? I'm new here and haven't gotten to the 'Summer' fanfic anything.


Persephone_Kore

...Wow. Just wow. The Stress Chair cracked me up, especially (as has already been noted) the bit about it eating them.

Thanks

Me, I'm still stuck on the strange conviction that it's a fancy illuminated soap dish. This doesn't explain why there is a person in it. Perhaps she's made of soap.

That's an interesting take on the 'chair'


leiamoody

Great fics continue to be posted...as well as challenging pictures that I can't write about. But I blame that on being stuck in Suck Zone Seven (right next to the ice machine).

::brrrr:: I hate being cold. Hope you warm up (and get some inspiration)


Anybody got a product that'll take angst corrosion off your soul . . . ?)

A properly mixed bourbon and club soda?

Well, it might help! Don't knock it till you try it! Hmmmph!

It might work.

*stalks away, and is then attacked by the Eating Chair*

AGH!

Hmmm... Shimmra forgot to mention that in his commercial. The Eating Chair moves.

 

Obiwanabi: Welcome! Great contribution, as well. Yoda is, by far, the best Jedi in the movies, I think. I love reading about him, and you did a great job. My favorite part was at the beginning, before the backflash. The characterization was perfect

Hope to see more of your work here?

 

Persephone_Kore wrote: I'm still stuck on the strange conviction that it's a fancy illuminated soap dish. This doesn't explain why there is a person in it. Perhaps she's made of soap.

Maybe it's a giant soap dish? And maybe the creature that owns it will come along soon and . . . go for a can of Raid? That's probably what I'd do if I found something uninvited living in my soap dish.

leiamoody wrote: as well as challenging pictures that I can't write about.

Oh, dear . . . seriously, if people have suggestions, please let me know. The goal is to give people ideas, not to drive them insane by *not* giving them any.

But I blame that on being stuck in Suck Zone Seven (right next to the ice machine).

Ah, yes . . . the Suck Zone of the MotHell 6 is generally right below the weight room, so you can listen to people with abs firmer than any part of your body except your skeleton clank metal above your head all night long. I know it well. (Actually the guy upstairs seriously does seem to have a home gym or something in his apartment. He's doing something that involves rhythmic floor-creaking sounds even as I write this. I think he may be dribbling a basketball filled with lead.)

Anybody got a product that'll take angst corrosion off your soul . . . ?)

A properly mixed bourbon and club soda?

Ooh, good call. I've heard Diet Coke can get rid of soul corrosion, too.

Or maybe that was car battery corrosion . . . I get them confused.

Obiwanabi wrote: I've been a lurker 4-Ever! . . . This will be my first attempt to put my writing out there for all to see! AGHHH!

[image=http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2043/lurkers2cu.gif]

Don't worry--everybody here had a first time they posted any of their writing, and it's always a little nerve-wracking. You don't need to worry about anyone saying anything unpleasant, though--"constructive criticism" is only allowed when an author specifically asks for it. Even then, you can ask for people to send it via PM rather than put it in the thread.

So welcome, and be assured that no one is going to pick your work apart.

I really liked the direction you took the stone image in, by the way. I especially liked the way it started in flashback--it gave an emotional richness and resonance to the crystal story that would have been missing if we hadn't heard 900-year-old Yoda's thoughts on the matter first.

How sad for a Jedi to die without his lightsaber, especially when he'd spent centuries with the crystal that was perfect for him. Yoda's loss of the weapon and longing for what it represented is a nice way of slipping in a last, sad echo of the Old Republic, before Luke arrives as the last Jedi, and goes off to start the new one. It's not a literal passing on of the sword, but it's a figurative one, and it has a lot of mythic power to it.

I liked the fact that the crystal was underwater . . . it seemed appropriate that Yoda the frog-thing would find his crystal underwater. I agree with Rogue_Pilot, too, your Yoda characterization was great. You know who's doing a young Yoda story right now is Souderwan . . . it's a WIP called Descent Into The Dark. I don't know if your interest in Yoda is pervasive or just in passing (although you do him well enough to make it seem as if it might be pervasive), but if you like Yoda history, Descent Into The Dark is a good place to start.

Kissa wrote: Thanks everyone I felt a bit hesitant about posting here. Kinda like I was breaking and entering in an exclusive club.

Oh, no, it's not like that at all! I haven't been trying to keep people out, I've been unable to get many people to come *in.*

Was it the three-headed dog by the door? The rusted-shut portcullis? The moaning zombies wandering around the courtyard mumbling "Brains?"

(Okay, now I'm starting to slide into a SW/Army of Darkness crossover. *That* could b

 

ANAKIN: You have . . . horrible hair. You've got these weird . . . bun-like things stuck on the sides of your head . . . PADME: [Alarmed] And the baby . . . ? ANAKIN: Her too. The other one ends up looking like a blond Ringo Starr-wannabe who showed up at a party 15 years too late. PADME: It was only a dream.

MEDICAL DROID: She's dying--we don't know why.
OBI-WAN: Well, you're not much of a medical droid then, are you?! MEDICAL DROID: She seems to have lost the will to live. PADME: Bad . . . hair . . . really . . . bad . . . hair . . .
<--Ophelia

So true Obi-wan! Those Medicial droids suck!

So cute! Oh no, Not bad Hair! I never thought about their hair in quite the way you described, but it is SO true!




KISSA- Very cute One question, does it(the chair) ship from Alderaan.


This is a cute thread. ::marks for further entertainment::

 

Thank you, SpiritofEowyn, and please do come back. I've been posting my soul-corroding angst pieces outside the thread lately, so there's been more to laugh at.

Well, I guess you could laugh at my soul-corroding angst, too, but still.

Ish tells me that the chair image looks like a woman stuck to a giant Wint-O-Green Lifesaver, and that it is not particularly inspiring. She says she's more inspired by action shots.

I told her I'd try to find some, although stuff is supposed to look kind of otherworldly and Star Wars-like, and it's hard to find Star Wars action shots that aren't from, well, Star Wars.

There are always fan film stills, I suppose . . . I'll have to see what I can dredge up.

And hey, at least I'm not posting images of the Ep III crew in their cameo makeup, or random objects that might be droids, which is what they do in the Hyperspace version.

 

Rogue_Pilot_2347

Thanks! That was the first time I've written something that centered around someone other than Obi-Wan/OC. I have always liked Yoda. I decided it was time to try something different. I'm so glad you liked my Yoda characterization. I don't mind constructive criticism through PM if you'd like to help me improve my writing.

Master Ophelia

You can PM too if you saw something in my submission I can improve on. I am all about learning. I noticed my typo to late though. Bantha Poodoo

Don't think I am going to tackle the woman in the chair. Completely devoid of plot bunnies on that one.

 

Obiwanabi

That was great. I love your characterization of Yoda. And the descriptions all along were very crisp and precise. Wonderful job.

__________________________________

Ophelia wrote:

Oh, no, it's not like that at all! I haven't been trying to keep people out, I've been unable to get many people to come *in.*

I think that rationally I knew this, but it still was *hard* to work up the nerve to post something.

Was it the three-headed dog by the door? The rusted-shut portcullis? The moaning zombies wandering around the courtyard mumbling "Brains?"

Okay. If I had noticed all of that, I wouldn't have come in. Maybe I got the back door.

(Okay, now I'm starting to slide into a SW/Army of Darkness crossover. *That* could be why I haven't had a lot of posters.)

Well personally I wasn't sure what we were allowed to post as a response. Do we just write a short *something / story* in response to the picture? OC's only? Cannon characters? The confusion led to hesitation.

The what if I post the wrong type of writing fear.


You've seen dead guys used to endorse stuff in real life? Dare I ask what?

I can't think of the who or what, but I wasn't impressed.


Oh, it's not up yet. I think the runup to the Summer Fanfic Awards usually starts in June. Volunteers start openly asking for entertainment submissions somewhere in late summer. The only reason I mention it is that weird commercials for Star Wars things are kind of a tradition in fanfic awards entertainment. That, and old songs with new, silly made-up words.


I'll keep that in mind.



SpiritOfEowyn

KISSA- Very cute One question, does it(the chair) ship from Alderaan.

Shimmra was going to the word 'peaceful' so he chose Alderaan. A nice and peaceful / tranquil planet.

Healer_Leona

Kissa, I love the Alderaan Stress bed. Thought it was rather cute, right up to that last line!

Thanks.

 

Obiwanabi wrote: You can PM too if you saw something in my submission I can improve on. I am all about learning. I noticed my typo to late though. Bantha Poodoo

I didn't notice it at all. I tend to treat challenge thread responses as not quite as "real" as stories posted on their own, so I don't fret as much about minor things. (Although some challenge responses do turn "real," such as the ones I had to give their own threads.) Anyway--there are stage-set sorts of pieces, that look great if no one gets close and nit-picky, and there are visual-arts-type pieces, which are meant for people to come up to and examine closely. Most of my challenge-thread responses are the stage-set kind--less pressure that way. That's one reason it's often nice to start your "career" with challenge-thread stuff.

Don't think I am going to tackle the woman in the chair. Completely devoid of plot bunnies on that one.

Fair enough. Maybe Ish wants it. ::Yells outside room to Ish:: "Hey, there's an action shot for you. Tackle the woman in the chair!"

Kissa wrote: Maybe I got the back door.

Must be. I don't let the zombies in the back yard. They dig such *holes* . . .

Well personally I wasn't sure what we were allowed to post as a response. Do we just write a short *something / story* in response to the picture? OC's only? Cannon characters? The confusion led to hesitation.

The what if I post the wrong type of writing fear.

Ah, I understand. And it's actually a very good idea to wait a little and read the posts in a thread (any thread, not just here) before posting. Reading the posts from the last couple of pages or the last month, whichever is shorter, isn't a bad rule of thumb. That will help keep you from sounding like a n00b, and having people yell, "read the FAQ!!" at you. Actually I think the "Your Jedi Council Community" FAQ suggests you read the last *five* pages (presumably at 25 posts per page) before posting. YJCC can move at lightning speed, though, so 5 pages could equal just the last 24 hours, or even less.

To answer your actual question . . . pretty much anything SW fic-related that's inspired by one of the images would fit here. Full stories, story snippets, quick character studies, make-believe entries from the Jedi Archives, dumb spoofs about hair, and advertisements for carniverous chairs are all welcome. The topic can be canon characters, OC's, any era . . . pretty much whatever you want. People have tended to write OC's, but that may be just because the images have no obvious connection with canon characters. But hey, if Darth Vader secretly has a giant Wint-O-Green Livesaver chair in his meditation chamber, or Han once smuggled a bunch of spice in the lining of one, go ahead and write that.

You've seen dead guys used to endorse stuff in real life? Dare I ask what?

I can't think of the who or what, but I wasn't impressed.

I wouldn't be either . . . I mean, nothing against the dead--some of our greatest citizens are dead. But their stage presence is terrible.

 

Um...You're a strange but adorable one. I have no intention of tackling anyone in an oversized Werther's!

 

Right--Ish does not fictionalize hard candy. Understood.

I may be a bit late coming up with a new image tomorrow, since my relatives want to look at me all day. Well, okay, my presence at a family function is required, let's put it that way.

And I will *try* to find an action shot that is unconnected with anything related to sucking--in either the literal or figurative sense.

 

Right. Action shot.

[image=http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/5881/shaolin32oh.gif]

Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

There's not a whole lot of mystery in this one to be teased out, so I think I'll let people's imaginations run with it rather than post starter questions. I mean, we've got a guy, he looks armed, and maybe just a little bit kinda mad. Presumably, serious damage to someone or something will ensue.

 

Ophelia, you'll be glad to know the bunnies are already biting (incidentally, I wonder how he keeps his balance up there.)

 

Kissa!! That was hysterical!!

 

My reponse to the chair thing-->

(I couldn't resist the stress-chair and death theme, but in this case the chair is not a suspect.)

*********

They found her in her penthouse apartment, lying in this fancy anti-stress chair thing.

Or at least what was left of her.

The chair must've been pretty good at its job, since the body had stiffened in a position of extreme relaxation. Whoever--or *whatever*--did the job, it wasn't something she saw coming. Must've come in real quiet-like, and left the same way, judging by all the nothing the downstairs neighbors said they heard.

I was out on the walkway in front of the building, watching my handheld holodisplay and supervising the scene-processing droids as they did their job upstairs. Not that they really needed supervision. They contaminated nothing, forgot nothing, screwed up nothing. That's why they did the scene workup instead of sentient beings. A defense lawyer can't do much with droid testimony, unless he can show a unit's got a faulty memory chip or something.

So except for the still-gibbering apartment manager who found the body, nothing living had exited the victim's apartment since the killer left.

Assuming the killer was living. We'd been having problems with a handful of super-battle-droids that had fallen into private hands. The wrong private hands.

Klied was standing behind me, peering over my shoulder at my holodisplay. I had it in two-dimensional mode for image-clarity, but I was strongly tempted to switch it over to blue-and-blurry three dimensions, just to try to shake Klied's interest and get him to back off. The guy was so close I could smell the chemical-sweet odor of his aftershave. It smelled a lot like whatever they disinfected a morgue with after they'd just done an autopsy.

"Geez, I hope this wasn't another droid job," Klied was saying. He'd been saying dumb, obvious things since we arrived at the scene an hour ago. Actually, he'd probably been saying them almost non-stop since birth, but I was fortunate enough only to have met him eight standard months ago. Technically, he was my partner/trainee, but in reality he seemed more like a big kid I had to babysit. Honestly, it was people like Klied who made it necessary to forbid organic personnel from entering a crime scene before the droids were done.

"Yeah," I answered him. The fact that I kept responding in monosyllables should have given him the hint that he ought to shut up, but it hadn't worked yet. I was starting to lose hope.

"I gotta tell you--I *hate* those droid jobs," he continued, balling his hands up under his armpits for warmth. Theoretically, Coruscant doesn't have winter, since the whole planet is climate-controlled, but war rationing and Separatist-bashing overhead had re-introduced us to the glory of seasons. Personally, I thought they all sucked.

"Yeah," I said again, not taking my eyes off the image of *our* droids--the ones who were picking up a strand of hair here, ID'ing a tiny splotch of blood there.

"I mean, what do they *do* it for?" Klied asked. "That's what gives me the creeps."

I resisted the urge to answer at all until a kind of perverse curiosity drove me to reply. "What does *who* do it for?" I asked.

"You know--droids. Hit droids. The ones that dataslice their way through electronic locks and do stuff like *that,*" he said, nodding at my datascreen. His nod nearly caused his sniffly, runny nose to bounce off the shoulder of my gray rain-duster. If HQ didn't move this guy on pretty soon, I would be going to prison for murder myself.

"They do it 'cause people pay their owners money," I said, as if I were explaining to a kid why we don't throw our toys down the 'fresher.

I'd actually had that conversation before, so I'd know. My son was out in the Mid-Rim with his mother now. Healthier living environment, she said. More stable. He'd be chasing girls around the local healthy, stable shopping arcade by now. The 'fresher thing was a long time ago.

Of course, I did still have Kli

 

Cool story, Ophelia! I like those characters! Klied is so cute, I like when people talk just to fill awkward silences. And then the narrator answered back at the end! That was so sweet! You should bring those two back some time!

 

Thank you very much, Rogue . . . (that is you, isn't it? I can't tell what with everyone's usernames redacted by the CIA ) I actually hadn't really thought of Klied as being cute, but he does have a vaguely nerdy, Rain Man-like charm to him, doesn't he? He definitely works as a device to get information across to the readers--what with his refusal to shut up and all.

 

In the interests of avoiding more Intergalactic Werther's pictures, you now have the opportunity to:

Vote On Next Week's Image

There are five of them, with a very simple click-and-submit poll function. My current plan is to post the "winner" in this thread next weekend, and put something else in the voting lineup in its place. I don't think I'll be posting five new image choices every week, because that would make me insane. If something sits in the lineup forever and never gets many votes, I'll take that as a hint and pull it.

Anyway, here is your chance to make your voice heard, and to poke one of those fascinating online "submit" buttons.

 

Good idea with the vote, Ophelia!

 

Cool story Ophelia!

It reminded me of the old detective stories that I used to read. Very nice. I love the characters. Especially the narrator.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Anyway, here's for the new image. It's kind of a short story. I just started writing and this is where and how it ended up.


He was deadly, talented, and fairly cute, all of which had absolutely no effect on me. I squared off against him, my lightsaber thrumming in my hands, and tried to figure out how he had so far managed to stay on top of the battle without even drawing his weapon.

He shifted slightly, hand raised toward me. ?Jaina, you need to ??

Abruptly he stopped speaking, looking over his shoulder.

?What?s wrong, Xin?? I asked. With the Force, I stretched out, searching for what he had detected.

He waited the space of a heartbeat and then answered, voice solemn. ?Your twin comes.?

I blinked, looking to my right and scanning for my twin. Not seeing him, I looked back just in time to watch his still sheathed weapon connect with my hand. Instantly the limb went numb and my lightsaber fell from my suddenly limp fingers.

Before I had the opportunity to respond, he had flipped the blade in the air with his foot. Catching it deftly, he fastened it to his waist while smacked me across the face with his sheathed blade.

I tasted blood and got angry, reaching out with the Force for my weapon. I had built it and knew every component ? from the focusing crystal I had grown to the pipe-like hilt ? it was an extension of my body in every sense of the word.

Unfortunately, it was a severed extension. It was as useless as a severed hand, and the time I spent trying to get it back, Xin took advantage of.

With speed and agility he maneuvered the uneven ground, relentlessly smacking his sheathed weapon into my body. Each blow ? I noted on a primal level ? was specifically targeted to render me incapable of fighting back.

I let me body move with the blows, intent to let him believe that I was beaten. Xin didn?t understand anything about the Force. He didn?t know how deadly I could be.

?Jaina,? he said softly. ?You are overconfident.?

I grunted a response, not wanting to give my plan away.

Then, with a singing noise, his sword cleared it?s sheath for the first time and came to rest at the hollow of my throat.

?You rely on the Force as if it were a crutch and you were blind. You do not trust your physical senses. If you have any hope of beating your twin, you must give up such weaknesses.? He straightened, resheathing his sword and heading back to his mountaintop home.

I stayed kneeling, shocked at my defeat.

He called over his shoulder. ?One more thing.?

I looked up. ?What is it??

?Trust your abilities. You should not allow yourself to become unduly distracted. Your brother was not here and should have known that.?

With that comment, he entered his home, and I, having failed yet another day of training, spent the night outside.

*End*