Red Flight - NJO - Author comment 5/4/03

More of Chapter 4:

A sleep-groggy Nadia blinked at the switches near the door. With a soft whoosh, the environmental controls activated and lukewarm air was pumped into the cabin. Yawning, Nadia walked backed across the floor in her barefeet. Each step was measured and soft. She didn't want to wake up her roommate. A muffled whine came from Lainey. Nadia paused in her motion. The chill of the metal floor crept between her toes. Realizing that Lainey was still asleep, Nadia continued to her bed. Quickly sliding under the covers, she rolled onto her side and drifted back to sleep.

It was quiet and peaceful but Nadia tossed fitfully. Her head moved from side to side. Her body began to jerk, her arms flailing, but getting caught in the blankets. "No. Please. No," she muttered.

A jolt of fear through the Force awoke Lainey. She sat up quickly, searching for the source. It was near. Her eyes landed on her roommate. "Lights low," she said.

Nadia's thrashing increased. "No, no." A thin sheen of sweat glistened on her face. Her hair was matted from the tossing and turning. "Stop," she whimpered and tears began to stream down her face. Bolting upright, she screamed, "No!"

Bringing a shaky hand to her forehead, Nadia wiped her brow. She took a couple deep breaths before she realized she wasn't alone.

"Nadia?" Lainey asked. "What's wrong?"

Her trembling had stopped. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Lainey sensed the lie and almost said good night, but a prodding from the Force made her think otherwise. Placing a gentle hand on Nadia's shoulder, Lainey, said, "I don't think so. I felt a great amount of fear coming from you."

"It was just a dream."

Lainey moved to face Nadia. "Tell me about it."

"I - I can't," Nadia replied as images of Captain Kerouac's attack flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to shut them out. Feelings of betrayal, loss and pain boiled to the surface seeking escape.

Lainey recoiled as the feelings slammed into her. Something horrible had happened to Nadia. Lainey wasn't immune to such feelings, having experienced them herself. The cause wasn't the same - she knew that much - but at least they had something in common. If only Nadia would open up to her, Lainey was sure she could help. "I've been betrayed, too. And I've lost someone very dear to me. I may not have the same experiences as you, but I'm no stranger to pain."

Opening her eyes, Nadia stared at Lainey and saw the girl's genuine concern. She knew that Lainey's first Master had been brutally murdered. Perhaps she could talk with her.

The silence worried Lainey. She wanted to help, but knew that sometimes it wouldn't be accepted and should never be forced. "If you don't want to talk with me, I could go get your Master." She began to rise.

Nadia placed a restraining hand on Lainey's arm. "No. Don't bother her."

"Tell me about your dream."

Nadia remained reticent. Only Jacen and Mara knew of her secret. Old buried feelings of shame and hurt resurfaced. She didn't know if she could handle another emotional outpouring. "I don't think you want to know."

"Yes, I do. Let me help. I understand your feelings?"

"You can't understand! You couldn't possible know how I feel," shouted Nadia. "Someone who was suppose to be my protector took everything from me."

A pit grew in her stomach as Lainey realized to what Nadia was referring. She knew that she needed to be careful with her words. "You can talk about it if you want."

"All my life he had been keeping others from hurting me, then he turned on me, on my family. I never did anything to him. We treated him with respect." Nadia looked down at her hands and saw the binders again. "I keep hoping it's only a dream and not real. But it is real. I couldn't protect myself." She closed her eyes against the images, the ripped clothing, the blood. "He beat me. It hurt, but I never said anything. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction." Gritting her teeth, she balled her fists. "It wasn't enough for him. It wasn't enough to beat me and overthrow my family. H

 

I liked the training techniques. I'm confused as to how Jacen got Mara's Saber though. LOL, for the action figure.

 

I'm not sure myself. It happened in one of Mely's stories.

 

Hehehe...the engagement saber!! LOL!!!

I really liked that all..Nadia opening up to Lainey...Lainey getting a bit more relaxed...all of that was great.

This is JadedofMara, by the way.

 

Good postie! That had some cool stuff in it. It's not often that we get to see the training methods of the Jedi Masters.

Liked the part with the "Engagement Saber" too. Hehe.

 

Yeah, I'ma little confused about how Jacen got the saber myself. Loved the part where Nadia tried to picture Lainey carrying Corran. But as soon as Lainey suggested it, I had this feeling she was going to mention the Master. Keep up the good work.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

When Mely gets back from her vacation, I'll have her explain how Jacen got the lightsaber in the first place. If she told me, I can't remember.

MariahJade:I just had to have a toy Luke. Got to get one for myself - unless I count the lego one I have.
MightyGreenMidget/JadedofMara: You have split personalities now? Thanks, I wanted them to get use to each other, to rely on each other. They'll need it for the adventure I've got planned.
Womprat: Thanks. I wanted to show little glimpses of what was happening on board with training and planning.
TychSel: Thanks. I figured that Luke wasn't the first Jedi to have to carry Yoda around.

 

Not exactly split personality...JadedofMara is approaching her 1000th post and I am saving it for the first thread I ever posted in, or close to it, anyway.

 

Awesome. I wasn't confused as to how Jacen got the lightsaber but really very CURIOUS. BTW, A good author (which you are) doesn't give away all of story in the beginning. The plot is carefully disseminated so as to leave the reader waiting and asking "MORE PLEASE."

 

Heh, *I* think Lainey could have carried Corran on her back... really... I do Good post Mommy, I like the editing.

 

Uppity.

 

hey, I would have thought that Mara would never give up that lightsaber! I thought it would go to Ben!

 

Wow! What a great post!

You captured poor Nadia's emotions, in reaction to her dream, very well here; and Lainey's advice to Nadia is wonderful.

"That man took a lot from you. Don't let him take anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Squeezing Nadia's hand, Lainey answered, "Don't let him take your light."

That's very powerful advice.

I loved the scene with Ben playing in the sand with a Luke doll; very cute!

I also liked the training scene with the girls, and the whole bit about the "engagement" saber. I was giggling right through it all!

 

Mighty Green Midget: Oh, that sounds like a nice idea.
Admiral Lelila: Getting readers to want more is why I really like to use evil cliffhangers. I shall have some of those later. *muhahaha*
Padawan lunetta: Of course she could. ;-)
Wompy & Admiral Lelila: Thanks.
Jedi Liz: Me too, but in working within someone elses story arc I need to stick with how things are progressing within the story arc.
Jadesaber: That was a difficult scene to write. I wanted to make sure that it was dealt with sensitivity and make it as real as possible.

I will most likely put up the rest of the chapter tomorrow.

 

Okay, Mommy asked me to drop by and explain some things. I'll start with the major question, and if anyone else has a question, ask away and I'll make something up.

How did Nadia get Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber?

Well, in the original story, this wasn't terribly clear, but it will be in the rewrite... when I start working on it again.

But the process, as I understand the plot bunnies, is as follows.

According to my memory, Mara built her own saber sometime before the NJO. (If I'm wrong, I'll rewrite some things.) So Anakin's saber was not in use. After the events of In the Wake of Glory, Jacen approaches Luke about getting Nadia a blade to use for training. Luke and Mara can see what Jacen feels for Nadia, and they decide together that Jacen can give Nadia Anakin's blade until she finishes training, since that will happen long before Ben is old enough to use it. At that point, Nadia will carry on the tradition of the blade that started when Luke gave it to Mara, in that the one who last used to blade will train its current owner.

Clear as mud? I thought so.

 

I have a question, mely. When do we get more Unknown?

 

Er, I scared everyone away..... Uppity.

 

Wompy don't scare my readers away. ;-)
******
Once Nadia and Lainey had completed their saber duel, Mara had them take a short break while she went to get Ben up from his nap. Lainey sat down on the sand and chugged her water. Nadia was still standing, taking draughts from her water bottle. Lainey's eyes drifted to the lightsaber clipped to Nadia's belt. Now that she knew it was once Anakin's, a whole slew of memories resurfaced, not all of them good. The beginning of the Jedi purge, the feeling of betrayal, the horrific murder of her beloved Master, her own encasement in carbonite. Reaching up to her neck, she pulled out a necklace and began to finger the stone hanging from it.

A flicker of light caught Nadia's eye. Following it to its source, she saw Lainey playing with a necklace. It stood out immediately as fine jewelry, not a costume piece. The stone was azure, flecked with violet fire, set on a white gold base with scalloped edges. Lost in thought, Lainey was sliding the stone back and forth along a white gold chain. Nadia contemplated the scene for a moment before she went over and sat next to Lainey. "That's a beautiful necklace, Lainey."

Startled by the words, Lainey jerked and let go of the stone. "Thank you Nadia."

Nadia studied the necklace. "It looks like an antique. The workmanship is exquisite." She raised her eyes to look at Lainey. "I'd say it's on par with royal standards."

Lainey flinched at Nadia's obvious emphasis on royal. Throwing up her mental shields, Lainey responded, "Thank you. It was a gift from a friend."

"Just a friend?" Nadia had sensed Lainey's reaction to her words and felt her shields go up. "Just like the friend who gave me this." Nadia patted her lightsaber.

The implication was clear, but Lainey chose to ignore it. She was saved from having to reply when Mara returned with Ben in her arms. He was rubbing his eyes and yawning, trying to wake up from his nap. His head lolled a bit. When he opened his eyes, he smiled. Mara put him down and he ran to his toy box.

"Knight Skywalker," said Lainey, bowing formally.

Mara nodded in acknowledgment. "We'll be reaching Cilpar in the morning. It's important to remember our covers. From now on I'm Captain Rica."

"Nady Bacca," Nadia said.

"La'ney Tribel, independent appraiser." Lainey paused. "I don't understand why we have to use false names. Why can't we just go in as Jedi? I mean we are going to get Jedi artifacts."

Crossing her arms, Mara replied, "A couple of reasons actually. I want you to learn covert skills."

"The other reason?" Lainey asked.

"Christie Mavron will jack up the price if a Jedi shows up."

Lainey gaped. "That's not fair. Those items belong to us." She took a calming breath. "Isn't there a law that protects our antiquities and requires they be turned over to Master Skywalker? My Master was talking about it."

Nadia added hopefully. "There is! Jacen told me about it."

"I'm sorry, but that law is only in affect on Coruscant," said Mara. Lainey and Nadia's faces fell. "It will take sometime before it can be spread throughout the New Republic. Even then, many will ignore it. So, we go in as traders."

Defiantly folding her arms, Lainey growled. "Fine. La'ney will do her job."

"La'ney better have an attitude adjustment," stated Mara icily.

A chill permeated the air. Nadia stared at Lainey in disbelief. It was rare for her Master to speak so coolly in such a situation.

As soon as she heard Mara's statement, Lainey regretted her tone. Even though Mara wasn't her Master, she knew that the woman deserved respect. Shame crept over her features. If Master Caine or Master Horn had seen her behavior, she knew they would have been disappointed. Lowering her head, Lainey apologized. "I'm sorry, Mara. I meant no disrespect. I was just angry."

Mara's heart leapt when Lainey called her by her name. Perhaps she was getting through to the girl. Using a finger, Mara tilted Lainey's chin up so that they could eye to eye. "I know it's upsetting that you have to pretend, actually l

 

Ok. I have no idea what just happened. LOL. Good post, though.

 

Go Lainey! You take charge, and grab that Armand!!

 

*joins in whining with Lainey* It WAS just getting to the good part! (I still love the necklace Mummy!)

 

Ok, I feel like I must be missing something that's from the original stories. Am I? I want to know who this forbidden person is.
Good post. Very interesting.

 

Nice post Mom.

I love that necklace, it sounds absolutely gorgeous.

I'm with Luney... [whine]Why'd you stop there?[/whine]

Mariah: to find out who Mr. Forbidden is, go read Luney's Shadows of a Past Long Forgotten. There's a link to it on page one of this story, about half way down the page.