Beyond - Legends Once a Warrior [TUF ?Missing Moment? ? Tahiri/Kunra?!]

Interesting...no, Anakikunra, don't talk to Corran!

 

I can't say I deserve all those noms

Hush, now. You deserve every single one of them. (I do know what you mean about some of the categories, though. I know of one other story in the AU category that I?m left going: ?AU? Really??)

As always, your descriptions, of both Yuuzhan?tar/Coruscant and the other characters, are truly stunning. Wow.

I nod in answer, and I realise that, for the past fifteen minutes, I?ve been silently weighing him up as a potential opponent, a potential adversary. No doubt he?s been returning the compliment.

That is one of those lines that I just love, but can?t put into words exactly why.

I?m going to have to blow the dust off my copy of TFP tonight and skim through it to put this flashback in context.

Looking forward to the finished version!

 

Wow. If you're not careful, you're going to make me want to finish reading the NJO, McEwok.

As usual, your description is amazing. You have the unique ability to convey to the reader exactly what you're seeing as you write. Incredible.

Jes

 

Finally!!!

A McEwok story I get. And evidently got to early enough...

 

This one is unusual, isn't it?

 

Striker: An excellent post, Thrawn. The descriptions of Coruscant's rape were very visceral and good.

Thanks... I think...

What's Corran doing there? And Anakin's part of the underground? Cool.

Um, you must have skipped some of the end of the NJO...?

This is a flashback to events during The Final Prophecy from a post-TUF frame... I guess that might not be clear to everyone...

Ah, well...

RG: Finally finished this,

I'm actually enjoying it so far.

Heresy!

Um, you okay Ewok?

Yeah... it's you I'm worried about!

Breathe... remember to breathe!!

Who're you talking to? Me, you, or Anakin?

Daughterofflame: I was like some of the others. I figured this was gonna be a one-poster. *smacks forehead* I should have known better. I'm not sure you've ever done a one-poster...

Um... yep...

Great job so far. You've got me twisted into knots trying to figure out how Anakin and Kunra can be the same. I guess we'll all find out eventually. Could I possibly beg for an update?

Hey, I updated earlier today!

But, yeah...

fb: Interesting...no, Anakikunra, don't talk to Corran!

Too late!

Scoundrel: Hush, now.



You deserve every single one of them. (I do know what you mean about some of the categories, though. I know of one other story in the AU category that I?m left going: ?AU? Really??)

Yeah...

As always, your descriptions, of both Yuuzhan?tar/Coruscant and the other characters, are truly stunning. Wow.

Thanks...

That is one of those lines that I just love, but can?t put into words exactly why.

I think it might be something to do with "compliment" - I was hunting for the word, and after I decided that it fitted, I saw that it accentuated the way in which Anakin and Corran are matching each other - complimentary actions... then, when I saw this reply, I realised, of course, that it pointed towards the end of the scene, and Anakin's mini-epiphany...



I?m going to have to blow the dust off my copy of TFP tonight and skim through it to put this flashback in context.

Aye, it's near the start... hang on... it takes place in the scenebreak on page 100, with the flashback covering stuff on pp. 96-7...

Looking forward to the finished version!

You too, huh?

Jes': Wow. If you're not careful, you're going to make me want to finish reading the NJO, McEwok.



High praise indeed!

As usual, your description is amazing. You have the unique ability to convey to the reader exactly what you're seeing as you write. Incredible.

Y'think? I thought that's what everyone did?

pregnantpadme: Finally!!!

A McEwok story I get. And evidently got to early enough...

You sure about that...?!

Dammit... okay, summarise what's happened so far?



And am I allowed to call you "preggers"?

fb: This one is unusual, isn't it?

Yub yub!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Heresy!

Yeah... it's you I'm worried about!

Who're you talking to? Me, you, or Anakin?



I hate you.

 

I thought that's what everyone did?
That's what everyone tries to do. Few that I've read do it as well as you do.

I don't; I know that much.

 

I hate you.

 

You sure about that...?!
Not entirely?but it?s so much easier than Jacen taking over the galaxy and turning everyone who pisses him off into cyborgs, and Anakin becoming Darth Vader, but not really because it?s actually Jacen who has gone dark, Anakin is just having a ?Jacob?s Ladder?/Purgatory thing?I think?and Jaina has become a Super Star Destroyer but Jag saved her and killed her Stepford clone but is this the real Jaina or is all of this a terrible dream Jag is having as he dies somewhere in Chiss space all alone?but we don?t know that he is floating in Chiss space yet because you?ve neglected to add it to one of your newly edited posted that actually went up four months ago.

summarise what's happened so far?
Tahiri and Corran went to Corusant and are joined by Anakin who has mysteriously ?reappeared?, but has been shaped into a YV. Corran kinda recognized something about him, despite the fact that he is YV enough to be invisible in the Force. Tahiri tracked Anakunra to his ?crib? and they take turns internally (mentally) reflecting on how weird this all his.

That?s what I?ve gotten so far. Of course I?m not above admitting that I could be way off of what you intend me to glean from this story and have drifted into assigning my own significance to your words and am letting my imagination take over for my inability to comprehend your work.

And am I allowed to call you "preggers"?
Depending on how you treat me?I might even let you call me Fee.

Oh...any any circumstances in which Tahiri is allowed to get some...I like.

(Though I didn't love the divorce proceedings in Dark Paths. Now I want to see her go back and kick Jacen's ass.)

 

RG: I hate you.

I know!

*For Luck!*

Jes': That's what everyone tries to do. Few that I've read do it as well as you do.

I don't; I know that much.

I dunno. Your 'fic works for me.

And take that post on the previous page - it's way too long, and I've already cut out two images that I might use later instead...

fb: " "

Well, laugh it up, flowerbee!

pregnantpadme: Not entirely?but it?s so much easier than Jacen taking over the galaxy and turning everyone who pisses him off into cyborgs, and Anakin becoming Darth Vader, but not really because it?s actually Jacen who has gone dark, Anakin is just having a ?Jacob?s Ladder?/Purgatory thing?I think?and Jaina has become a Super Star Destroyer but Jag saved her and killed her Stepford clone but is this the real Jaina or is all of this a terrible dream Jag is having as he dies somewhere in Chiss space all alone?but we don?t know that he is floating in Chiss space yet because you?ve neglected to add it to one of your newly edited posted that actually went up four months ago.

Well, you managed to summarize DP okay, except that Stepford Jaina was actually a sort of Force-ghost thingy... who, now I think about it, owed almost everything to Solaris...

Tahiri and Corran went to Corusant and are joined by Anakin who has mysteriously ?reappeared?, but has been shaped into a YV. Corran kinda recognized something about him, despite the fact that he is YV enough to be invisible in the Force. Tahiri tracked Anakunra to his ?crib? and they take turns internally (mentally) reflecting on how weird this all his.

Gah. Nope.

Tahiri and Corran went to Coruscant in The Final Prophecy (though I originally wrote that as "Tahiri and Coruscant went to Corran" ) - Anikunra's thoughts in that last post fill the scenebreak on p. 100, with the flashback being his POV/recollections of pp. 96-7...

The previous scenes with Anakin "at home", however, take place after the end of the war, somewhere in the coda of The Unifying Force...

That?s what I?ve gotten so far. Of course I?m not above admitting that I could be way off of what you intend me to glean from this story and have drifted into assigning my own significance to your words and am letting my imagination take over for my inability to comprehend your work.

It's called "creative reading". I wouldn't worry about it. Though when you're failing to follow, it's either interesting for you in ways that I didn't intend, or entirely my fault...

*finally! A reader who can actually criticize my bloody writing!!*

Thanks!!

Depending on how you treat me?I might even let you call me Fee.

"Fee"?

Well, thanks anyway, pp...

Oh...any any circumstances in which Tahiri is allowed to get some...I like.

Well, you did pick up the hints about Tekli in Chapter 4 of Balance Point, right...

(Though I didn't love the divorce proceedings in Dark Paths. Now I want to see her go back and kick Jacen's ass.)

Shush! Actually, that gives me an idea for another scene...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Excellent update. Interesting twist, though I'm not sure how it fits in with the other ones.

 

PP, you crack me up. Ewok, I think you may have met your match...she just made DP alot clearer to me.

 

Flowerbee...my freind...the ironic thing is that I thought I got OAW much more clearly than DP.

Huh.

Go Figure...

 

I think I get this one. With Ewok man, you never know.

 

And take that post on the previous page - it's way too long, and I've already cut out two images that I might use later instead...
First of all, if you have devoted readers, there's nothing wrong with long posts. Sam told me on mine that she likes longer ones.

Second, the fact that you can cut things out - that you have the ability to make that decision and do it without leaving the story wanting - is another mark of a good writer. Looking over it, you are able to recognize what you do need, what you don't need, what you shouldn't have...that's a good thing.

Jes

 

Heh. Very nice...

 

Vc: Excellent update. Interesting twist, though I'm not sure how it fits in with the other ones.

Well, since some people seem to be having trouble with this, repeating it one more time can't hurt too much...

That last post is what Anakin's "remembering" at the end of the short POV-switch earlier on the page - or at least, it's a first-person POV narrative of what he's thinking back to, told more-or-less from the POV of Anikunra at that time, instead of by the Anakin Solo who's having a romantic meal for two at home in the "framing sequence"...

fb: PP, you crack me up. Ewok, I think you may have met your match...she just made DP alot clearer to me.

Well, I'll have to surprise you both, I guess...

But yeah, pp seems smart and sharp - good girl!

pp: Flowerbee...my freind...the ironic thing is that I thought I got OAW much more clearly than DP.

Huh.

Go Figure...



fb: I think I get this one. With Ewok man, you never know.

Back for more, huh?

I'll try not to dispapoint...

'Sina: First of all, if you have devoted readers, there's nothing wrong with long posts. Sam told me on mine that she likes longer ones.

Yeah, but there's a difference between a long chapter and a verbose pile of rubbish

Second, the fact that you can cut things out - that you have the ability to make that decision and do it without leaving the story wanting - is another mark of a good writer. Looking over it, you are able to recognize what you do need, what you don't need, what you shouldn't have...that's a good thing.

Hmm, nope - I just got irritated with it, and pruned what wasn't working...

Blended: Heh. Very nice...

Y'think?

- The Imperial Ewok

 

How silly of me to think there was a story update somewhere around.

Oh well, since I indeed seem to have failed comprehension in this story, I guess I don't deserve an update until I've re-read and properly absorbed what I've already been given.

 

TMcE: I think it might be something to do with "compliment" - I was hunting for the word, and after I decided that it fitted, I saw that it accentuated the way in which Anakin and Corran are matching each other - complimentary actions... then, when I saw this reply, I realised, of course, that it pointed towards the end of the scene, and Anakin's mini-epiphany...

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Thanks!

Aye, it's near the start... hang on... it takes place in the scenebreak on page 100, with the flashback covering stuff on pp. 96-7...

Hey, thanks again!

You too, huh?

** shakes head ** Silly, silly Ewok.



Preggers: but is this the real Jaina or is all of this a terrible dream Jag is having as he dies somewhere in Chiss space all alone?but we don?t know that he is floating in Chiss space yet because you?ve neglected to add it to one of your newly edited posted that actually went up four months ago.

Aaack! Don't give him any ideas! (I'm already following too many 'fics where Jag is dead or presumed dead, thank you very much.)

 

Fellow 'Legacy' reader, ah?

 

[First up... THANK YOU ALL!! !!

This 'fic won "Best Non-Human Character (Male)" in the WFFA last month - which seems faintly absurd, since the character in question is also Anakin Solo; but that also feels oddly appropriate, both for the character, and the 'fic... I'm touched that people liked the 'fic that much - and I've had the idea of a "response" vig from the characters in mind for a while, by way of a proper "thank you"...

So look for that some time, maybe; perhaps when I can use the award in some other context - I dunno...

Anyway - thanks again!!

**runs around the thread like the Ewok he is, hugging everyone's shins**

More to the point, apologies for the lack of updates recently...

Hopefully, this reply should mark the beginning of more regular activity in this thread... ]

preggers: How silly of me to think there was a story update somewhere around.

Hmm... is that sarcasm for its own sake, or a reflection of a genuine disappointment at the lack of 'fic?

Oh well, since I indeed seem to have failed comprehension in this story, I guess I don't deserve an update until I've re-read and properly absorbed what I've already been given.

Huh? Perhaps if you explained what you've missed... now I'm confused by your confusion...

Scoundrel: Yeah, that's pretty much it. Thanks!

No worry - thanks for making me think!

Hey, thanks again!



Well, what else did you expect me to say?

"Nahh, I didn't really bother tying it in tightly to the continuity it's supposed to slot in around - probably doesn't really work with it at all"?

** shakes head ** Silly, silly Ewok.

Yub yub!!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

[And, yes... it's an update!! ]

I lift my head, and look up at her, looking deep into those green eyes.

She?s leaning forward, with a smile that suggests she?s still ineffably amused by the way it?s all turned out ? even by the simple fact that I?m alive again. But I?m not so dazzled that I can?t see a control and poise to the way she?s holding herself, as well. I try to tell myself that the smile is genuine, that the cool clean poise is just her self-control.

Then again, she?s perceptive, and this full-on warrior mode isn?t something I?ve really seen before. It reminds me of the way we fought when we used to spar together, though, in the months before ? the months aboard the Errant Venture, and at Eclipse.

?You knew?? I ask. ?All along??

Her smirk brightens into a smile ? cheeks dimpling, corners of her eyes creasing ? and she leans back a little. But her gaze never leaves me.

?Corran thought there was something funny about you,? she shrugs. ?Mentioned it to me ? but I just tucked it away as something to think about it later.? A shrug. ?Didn?t seem important. We were all on Zonama Sekot by then, and the last anyone had seen of you, you?d been on Coruscant, leading Nom Anor?s ersatz Jeedai on a diversionary attack ? with, what was it, a glowcane instead of a lightsaber??

?Reverse psychology,? I shrug. ?Last person you?d expect to be a Jedi is a Yuuzhan Vong disguised as one. Guess it worked. Or not?. How long have you known for? Did Corran???

?No,? she grins. ?Corran never figured it out. And like I said, I put it out of my mind ? until we ran into you again ? here, during the battle.?

?Hey!? I say. ?I thought I did okay there!?

?Your body language,? she grins. ?I think I?m quite good at reading that sort of thing. There was just something a little too human about you, Anakin.?

?You?d know,? I agree, frowning down at the coals.

?Anakin,? she says, after a moment. ?What happened to you??

I don?t answer, except with silence.

At times like this, I?m grateful that I no longer exist in the Force.

The Yuuzhan Vong believe in pain, and if nothing else, they have the courage of their convictions. Conversion doesn?t just mean persuading you to change your beliefs. It means taking an unwilling infidel, and reducing every fibre of their being to pain, distilling a human life into pure and perfect agony. From their point of view, it makes a certain sort of sense. And it?s surprisingly effective.

A total immersion course in the language of pain.

I should know. I?m fluent now.

Obviously, I speak it with a slight Corellian accent, though. An addiction to the highs, a gourmet?s appreciation of the lows.

How do it describe this to her, though?

I rase my head, look into those green eyes. My gaze is calm, steady. Hers glitters with anticipation. She nods in answer to my unasked question, and assents with a subtle, accepting shift of her façade in the Force.

You ready for this?

?Yeah.?

Deep breath?.

I close my eyes, remembering.

 

Are we ready for this?

 

RedGold: Are we ready for this?

Depends on your POV...

Teaser for the next scene:

Anakin Solo is dead.

This is not a metaphor. It is not an euphemism. It is not a clever turn of phrase. It is flat biological truth.

Anakin Solo is dead.

His naked corpse lies on a cold slab, insensible to the unsentimental ministrations of the Yuuzhan Vong adepts who have been tasked with preparing him for his transition to his next life. They work with brisk efficiency, knowing that the priests and the warriors expect them to present his body for disposal within the kett.

The Great Doctrine insists that an infidel hero who embraces the pain and dies in agony will be reborn as a Yuuzhan Vong. Honouring him with a warrior?s funeral is a way of affirming that he embodied their own virtues even as an enemy, and of speeding his soul?s path onto the True Way.

Anakin, of course, knows none of this.

His heart has stopped, his lungs crushed by the dead weight of blood and muscle around them. His flesh is pale and cold, cut to the bone by savage wounds, discoloured by the livid mottling of massive cell-trauma.

It is hard to tell whether the weapons killed him, or the burning of the Force inside him. Either would have been sufficient, several times over. It?s really only a question of what he succumbed to first.

His lips are slightly parted, unnaturally still. They are turning blue, their frosty paleness contrasting with the darkening trail of dried blood which runs down his chin.

His eyes are open, but unseeing ? blue, blank and glassy, blind to the ticking beam which switches back and forth across his face, and the golden light which burns behind it.

He is, in every way that matters, dead.

...

***

Also, can anyone remember off the top of their head if the Myrkr strike-team got hold of Yuuzhan Vong tizowyrms at any point - I haven't found a reference, but I have a niggling idea that they did...?

Thanks!

- The Imperial Ewok