Saga Working In Darkness - Chapter 14 - Diplomatic Interruptions

Forcefire - Haha, add another party story to those that could already be told from the story so far Thanks very much for reading and replying, as usual!

Talkingbanana - I'm glad you liked the post!

Wedge's relating this meeting back to the death star seemed like a natural thing for him to do, so hopefully it'll help him through the thirty-odd more chapters to go, hehe. Thanks so much for your readership!

Face - I'm glad you thought it was a fun chapter, and that you like Craft as a character We'll definitely find out more about Craft as the story progresses. I've got enough background hashed out on him to make a standalone fic to rival the length of this one. Hmm, maybe when i've finished WiD....

I'm also happy you're enjoying Wedge's invovlement, as it is about to get a bit of a boost But anyway, for more, do read on!



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Craft - (Part 2/2)


Craft once again adopted his most sober expression when he heard Clip's request. He had reclined in the padded booth they had taken up in the corner of the room, and was now studiously observing his hands. To match, Clip leaned forward, anxiety churning in his stomach. It wasn't so much that Craft may not have any information to give them - more that if he did have information, Clip would be forced to make some very awkward decisions.

"And what would you want to know that for?" Craft asked.

"We work for some very curious people, Craft," Eva said deadpan.

"If they're curious about the Rebellion, then there are only two possibilities. The Empire, or Valis Lorn. Which is it?" Craft was now looking at them with more scrutiny. As Clip followed his gaze, he was reminded of the Pelbasterous incident - and his initial assumption that the Nautolan must be an undercover law officer.

He sincerely hoped that it wasn't the case - or they could be in for some trouble.

"Neither," Clip said, cutting Eva off. "But you tell us who you work for, and we'll tell who we work for. Deal?" Craft seemed to snap out of his sober state, and leaned in closer to Clip's face. He could almost smell the alien's breath.

"Come on now. I'd have thought you would guess this one," he said vaguely.

"For the sake of argument, lets say I can't," Clip answered.

"It's an easy one," Craft insisted.

"Tell me," Clip insisted back.

"The answer's staring you in the face!"

"The only thing staring me in the face is..." Clip trailed off. "Oh. I get it. You."

Craft smiled his broad smile, and leaned back again. "Told you it was an easy one."

"A freelancer, huh," Eva mused.

"That's right," Craft answered, puffing out his chest as though it was something to be supremely proud of. In these days of Rebellion versus Empire, perhaps it was. "I as good as told you that earlier today," Craft said to Clip.

"I assumed you were giving me a sales pitch," Clip said. "And you never told me you were a freelance...uh...freelance what, exactly?"

Craft shrugged. "A freelance anything. I go where the credits are."

"You handle yourself pretty well for a 'freelance anything'," Eva put in, indicating the hold-out blaster strapped to his belt.

"Exactly what I was going to say," Clip agreed, "and your 'freelance hostage negotiation' skills are well above par."

"Try living on Andasala any other way," the Nautolan answered. "I didn't choose to live like this, you know. Selling salvage and hiring myself out for odd jobs doesn't exactly put a lot food on the table. But it's a damn sight better than-" he cut himself off for a moment, "- other alternatives."

"Those alternatives being...?" Eva asked.

"None of your business," Craft said resolutely.

"Do you want our credits or not?" Eva countered. The look that Craft shot her said everything that words couldn't about where she could stick her credits. They had already dragged him through some uncomfortable areas of conversation and pressing him further would do no good. Clip could sense the situation getting out of hand very quickly if it co

 

Nice chapter, there, mjs. Craft has some pretty good negotiating skills to get Eva to go along with him.

So, Wedge and Co. heading for the Benelex people, and now Clip, Craft and Eva... should be interesting. Looking forward to Awry.

 

Ta very much, Forcefire!

And yes, we're now all set for a meeting of fates...The next few chapters are running solidly on the recipe of "take conflicting forces, add explosions, shake vigorously".

Thanks for reading! "Awry" isn't too far away, but it will take a little longer than the last update. But i'm sure people are uesd to that by now

Also, thanks to Imageshack, I have a place to host some images! So I'll link a few of them now I'm no good with details, so alot of these are just basic shapes drawn, scanned into photoimpression and coloured as best I could I have decided to call them 'impressionist' pieces, hehe.

Clip - Portrait
Andasala Cantina - from the 'Pelbasterous' incident
Eva Pah'ker - Eva's portrait
Executor over Andasala - A dodgy picture of the Executor hanging over Andasala
Cover Art - The front cover

I told you it was only limited success I have some others that will go up as soon as I get the means, but otherwise if anyone would like to do a better job, please let me know!

 

Say, those are pretty darn cool, mjs. I especially like the cantina pic. Eva's is nice, too. The effect reminds me of some of the stuff in the Art of Episode II. Good book, that.

In fact, one could say that the effect used is the best for Working in Darkness, as opposed to a more detail-oriented look. The underworld, lines of loyalty not clearly defined and all that lends itself rather well to what you've gone with here.

 

Great half-chapter, as usual.

"Fine," she said, remarkably calmly. "Lead on, Renowned-for-his-Tactical-Prowess Argentsson."

Will do, Renowned-for-her-People-Skills Pah'ker.

He decided in hindsight that he should have said it out loud.

Loved this line.

Outstanding job with the negotiations and all that. Way to keep everyone hanging, readers and characters alike.

And something tells me that a ton of trouble is brewing, because I'd wager that Clip and this gang will get to this meeting place at the same time as Wedge and his gang and that's just the definition of trouble right there.

Oh yeah, and lots of explosions sounds good. Keep up the great work, and I'll be waiting anxiously for that next post!

 

A nice finish to the chapter, Mjs. Good work as usual, and, as a bonus, it was right on the heels of the last update!

Craft wasn¡¦t very cooperative, but that¡¦s to be expected from a freelance¡K uh freelancer. It¡¦s all about squeezing the most credits possible from the client.

For some reason, Clip didn't think she had meant to say 'sight'.

Whatever could she have meant? ?² sweet innocence

"Unless you take into account my undeniable genius," Craft said with a quick wink.

Oh, of course. How could we forget about that? Dig that crazy Nautolan.

This trip to the Benelex Guild should be exciting if not informative. Maybe both. I don¡¦t know if Craft¡¦s idea of bashing anything in their way is really the best strategy against Trandoshans with ¡§big, big guns¡¨ though. We¡¦ll find out soon enough, I suppose.

I liked the ending to the chapter, really sums up the basic mentality of Craft and those like him.

Looking forward to things going Awry and until then, I'll check out the pictures to curb my WiD need.

 

Such a quick update. I'm officially spoiled now.

Lots of great lines in this part. I won't point them all out, but I'll point out my favorites.

"That's right," Craft answered, puffing out his chest as though it was something to be supremely proud of. In these days of Rebellion versus Empire, perhaps it was.
There's that good ol' independent streak again. It's starting to reach a new level on Andasala, too.


"...and your 'freelance hostage negotiation' skills are well above par."
LOL, I loved that line.

"Other alternatives." Hmmm. Certainly don't sound good, whatever they are.

I agree with talkingbanana--the "Tactical-Prowess and People-Skills" part was great.


Apparently, she was willing to go with Clip's instincts on the condition she could keep a gun trained on them.
That seems to me like a very Eva-like thing to do.


"So why don't you either give us a lead, or get out of my sights."
Another great part. I absolutely love the dialogue between these characters.


"We demand to see Pussk, talk to him and then get out. Anyone who tries to stop us gets bashed. What do you think?"
Ah, the simple yet "fuzzy" plan. Our role-playing group specializes in those. I just hope that Craft's plan turns out better than ours always do.


Suddenly, he wasn't so sure that he wanted this plan to work.
This was a very neat insight into Clip. Now that success is (almost) in sight, the complications of it are setting in. He might have to make some hard decisions soon (depending on how much goes "awry," anyway).

Great chapter as usual, MJS.

And "Awry" sounds very action-packed. Lots of explosions, huh? After poor Clip got so sick of explosions in FF? LOL.

I like the pics! They've got a "surreal" quality to them. Looking forward to seeing the others, as well as the next update!

-Thumper
who is very happy to be on board for this fic

 

Thanks for the replies all

Forcefire - Ah, I'm very glad you liked them! I didn't really want to go for the ultra-detailed feel, and nor did I want to go with an ultra-cartoony sort of ink sketch thing. Colouring them in that kind of style makes them sort of detailed enough without me having to take lessons And what you say about the underworld is true, too! I'll refer people to that statement in future, hehe.

Talkingbanana - Thanks for continuing to read!

And something tells me that a ton of trouble is brewing, because I'd wager that Clip and this gang will get to this meeting place at the same time as Wedge and his gang and that's just the definition of trouble right there.

I think the best way for me to respond to this without giving anything away is with the following emoticon:



Hehe. Thanks so much for reading - And by the way, I've just read your Lusankya story at work today, and I love it! I'll be heading over there immediately to give it a timely 'up'

Face - Thanks for reading, and I'm happy that the update speed was acceptable this time

I tried to make Craft as cooperative as I could without making him seem like a no-holds-barred ally, because after all, he doesnt really know Clip very well. These things take time

I think it's safe to say that Craft will have to think beyond 'anyone who tries to stop us gets bashed' before their meeting is over, hehe.

Thanks again for reading, Face!

Thumper - Ta very much for reading!

"...and your 'freelance hostage negotiation' skills are well above par."
LOL, I loved that line.

Haha, that was one of my favourites too

"So why don't you either give us a lead, or get out of my sights."
Another great part. I absolutely love the dialogue between these characters.

Thanks very much for the compliment! It's great to know that it's coming through as well as i'd hoped

Ah, the simple yet "fuzzy" plan. Our role-playing group specializes in those. I just hope that Craft's plan turns out better than ours always do.

Haha, Craft's one of the haphazard creatures, much like Han Solo, who would prefer to make up the plan as he goes along because he believes there's nothing he cant handle Sort of like Eva without the calculating and meticulous attention to detail. That's how I think of him, anyway.

This was a very neat insight into Clip. Now that success is (almost) in sight, the complications of it are setting in. He might have to make some hard decisions soon (depending on how much goes "awry," anyway).

I'm glad you thought so Clip's decision-making skills arent that great at the moment - something that will develop over the course of this story, one would hope!

I like the pics! They've got a "surreal" quality to them. Looking forward to seeing the others, as well as the next update!

-Thumper
who is very happy to be on board for this fic

I'm thrilled that the reaction to pictures has been positive rather than negative I'll keep posting them now as they arise with the narrative - there ought to be one or two to accompany Awry. But dont worry, it shouldn't extend the time it takes to update!

Thanks for reading, Thumper - I'm very happy to have you on board too! ALL of you - I'm a lucky fanficcer to have such a great readership You guys make it all worthwhile.

Until next time!

 

*notices the whistling icon and begins to dance around happily*

I guessed it! . . . I think, anyway. We'll see. Soon, right?

Oh yeah, I'm enjoying the pictures, too. Very well done - and that's coming from a self-proclaimed artist, so it means something. I think.

And thanks so much for being on board with my Lusankya story. Here's a timely up to return the favor.

 

8. Valis Lorn Nice touch with the ideas about people disliking the Rebel Alliance almost as much as they do the Empire. Different resistance organisations can have quite different goals and if you are fighting for your peoples freedom then you would resent being used as pawns or being involved in the wider struggle.
It has seemed to me in the past (even before Ep.II with the Separatists being introduced) that the struggle between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire polarised the Galaxy between them and overshadowed the argument about if there should be a central government until the New Republic started breaking into chaos.

Imperial Fleet is a formidable opponent, even CorSec decided to cooperate and I?ve never been sure how the Mon Calamari managed it (no matter how cool Ackbar is).

Lorn is a good character, nice contradictions. I hope he has the pleasure of meeting Lord Vader sometime.

Nice choice of meeting place, seems unlikely that any electronic snooping could take place. Of course I do hope that the ?energy emissions from the damaged droids and the power of my magnetic field? would also have damaged the egoboost-implant.

Liked
"But you do see the irony, yes?" Lorn answered, smiling a little.
"I see it, yes. Whether or not I care about it is a different matter."

Five point plan sounds good, enjoyed how Kaarde refused to be rushed or to be made to skip ahead. Using the lives of the Rebel Alliance personnel makes sense, could be a couple of problems (if Imperials rather than just Andasalan personnel get killed, or if Car?Das has a bad enough reputation to that it could provide an excuse for the Imperials) but it could work.

9. Craft (1 / 2) Not a good bet, though saying to the person (as Clip did with Craft) that he wants to know for a bet is one of the more feasible tactics.

Liked the touch of Clip making sure to leave a nice blue mark, while trying to ignore that he is much safer anyway because Eva is there to kill people for him. Good tactics from Clip in sneaking a peek at the datapad and then revealing his stun wound. Conversation was going well until he got hit in that shoulder.

Could have offered to forward some of the credits, 50/50 split is better than nothing.

Nice introduction between Craft and Eva.

Poor Wedge, the surly bonds of earth have grabbed him again. Liked his thoughts about how strange it felt to be giving orders, especially on a ground operation, and his self-chiding over displaying nerves with unnecessary checks. Also liked his wanting to justify Luke?s faith.

Craft- (Part 2 / 2) Nice little tease from Craft on getting Clip to guess he is self-employed and the touch of his glare telling Eva where to shove her credits.

I can understand Clip not wanting to go into their complex motivations, and Craft being dubious about their story since it lacks the details. Good idea by Clip to try to get things moving before Eva got her blasters moving. Fee scale sounds fair.

Also a good deduction by Craft that since the Benelex (still think that sounds like Benelux, which was the three nation agreement between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) were not interested in the bounty they might be working with the Rebellion, though Craft obviously wouldn?t know about Lord Vader?s little chat with their leader.

Poor Clip, he?s had a bad day and now he has Trandoshans with large guns to worry about. Glad though that he has faith in Craft and that it would be safer with two killers along for the ride. Still bad though that he has more to worry about than the success of the mission, that he has to worry about what happens if they do succeed as well as the consequences of failing.

Agree with Clip that looking non-threatening can be a good thing, if people don?t see you as a threat then they might not see you until you slip the knife between their ribs.

 

Talkingbanana - We'll see. Soon, right?

Haha, not too much longer now I sat down on my afternoon off today and bashed out a good 4,500 words, and it got me to about the halfway point, so it shouldn't be much longer before it's up Though I am posting this one as a single post, because there's too much going on to split it up, hehe.

And thanks for your comments on the pictures! They're just something I wanted to do because I like illustrations, hehe.


JM - Good to see you back!

I'm very happy you like the neutral hatred of both sides of the war from Valis Lorn's people. It seemed natural to me that there would be plenty of planets that didn't want to swing either way. Plus, this whole "Clip Argentsson" series of stories has a strong running theme of independence, so it fits in

Lorn is a good character, nice contradictions. I hope he has the pleasure of meeting Lord Vader sometime.

Oh, we shall see

The five point plan is one of those 'makes sense on paper' kind of ideas that is bound to run into problems. In fact, in the very next chapter, some problems will become apparent I think

Haha, and splitting the credits 50/50 might not have been a bad idea. Maybe in a future re-write - though that would exclude all that conversation later in the chapter if Clip didn't have to work to find out all the answers

Re: Benelux - I'll admit that history isnt my strongest suit, hehe. I hadn't heard of Benelux, but that may well be where the original creator of the Benelex Bounty Hunters Guild got his/her idea from. I just found them in the unofficial encyclopedia, hehe.

And yeah, Clip is under a bit of pressure now. He needs Car'Das to get him off planet. He cant betray the Rebellion, either. What's a scoundrel to do?

Haha, and thats a good deduction of the advantages of appearing non-threatening, JM. Thanks so much for reading - as I said, it was good to have you back!


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And just to shake things up, here is a short preview of chapter 10. Its non proof read and things like that, but it's just a little bit of writing to prove to you all that things are progressing

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"Sssskywalker?" A very loud, hissing voice shouted.

Against the backdrop of light, Wedge could now make out several reptilian figures making their way out of the headquarters. Each of them, he was dismayed to notice, seemed to be carrying a blaster roughly the size of an average-build human. Wedge took a deep breath, and straightened his stature.

Time to be a Commander.

"My name is Wedge Antilles," he announced himself to the shadowy figures. "I am the new liaison for this operation." As his eyes adjusted to the light, he recognised the head Trandoshan as Kasserheul. He seemed to be moving with an exaggerated sense of determination, though a limp as he favoured his right foot belied it somewhat. There were also fresh scars across his face and he appeared to be missing some teeth. Apparently, he had recently been involved in a fight.

"You are Wedge Antillessss," he hissed back angrily, "where isss Sssskywalker?" He came to a halt some metres away, leaving enough room for the huge blaster cannons of his bodyguards to be used effectively. His alien voice echoed perfectly around the now deathly silent courtyard.

"Commander Skywalker is unable to attend this meeting," Wedge answered as simply as he could.

"Liesss!" Kasserheul shouted. "You will presssent Sssskywalker immediately! I will deal with no other."

"That wont be possible," Wedge said evenly, keeping his cool. The entourage of Trandoshans began to hiss amongst themselves, lowering their cannons into more menacing positions. He eyed them warily. They weren't in mortal danger yet, but it could fast get that way if he couldn't talk Kasserheul into listening. "But you may still deal with the Rebellion - through me."

Kasserheul took a step forward, his yellow eyes narrowed to slits. Though

 

Eww, poor Wedge is in a bad spot now. He's gonna have to be very careful to avoid more... aggressive negotiations.

I enjoyed the description of the Trandoshans. There's something intangible about it that conveys the power of these biiiiig lizards.

Oh, and the pictures were cool. I really like Clip's portrait, followed closely by the cantina. I agree with Forcefire on how the undefined lines work with the tone of the story.

I'm awaiting the next chapter eagerly.

 

Apparently, he had recently been involved in a fight.

Ten credits says I can guess who beat him up.

Yikes, a bad spot for Wedge, indeed. Things aren't looking good for the Rebellion at all right now. (As usual, heh.)

And now that you've dangled that teaser in front of us, I hope you post the rest relatively soon.

 

Readers, I must confess - I have lied to you. I'm not halfway through chapter 10. I'm finished it

Here we go with the 'splosions, people - I hope you enjoy it! Keep your eyes peeled for links in the story to the few illustrations that I've managed to force myself to do, hehe. Here it is!



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10. Awry


It was a much more calm than expected Wedge Antilles that took the first steps out of the parked landspeeder and toward the great doors of lot 71 of the Benelex Bounty Hunter's Guild complex. The time for worrying and self-doubt had long since passed. Now, it was time to be the commander that everyone expected - and needed - him to be.

Either side of him, the other members of the contact team were emerging from their own landspeeders, nervously hovering around their leader with hands on weapons. Wedge and Captain Axelle had briefed each one of them on the risk involved in this meeting, and each had in turn accepted that risk with dutiful determination. But, as Wedge could well understand, it had done little to stem their tension.

The warehouse district was exactly as Wedge remembered it, although at night it seemed somehow bigger. The huge factories and sheet-metal storage containers stretched stories high into the night sky, their featureless grey exteriors dotted here and there with a shattered transparisteel window or a boarded up gantry access hatch. The exterior lights of the buildings burned a soft yellow, illuminating the walls and the walkways with an eerie, thick kind of yellow wash. High above those lights stood massive pillars topped with large, crisp-white floodlights that blacked out any view beyond the area they lit. It was like being placed inside a forcefield of light that would allow nothing but their immediate surroundings to be viewed.

Lot 71 was the centrepiece to the entire district. Standing several stories higher than most of the other buildings, it was originally the central production plant that provided all the other structures around it with materials and sundry tasks to perform. Now it was dormant, the Benelex Guild had commandeered its purpose - though in essence, it was still a dissemination platform. This was where Kasserheul, leader of the guild, resided. This was where the orders came from. This was Andasala's biggest crime hub.

It had always struck Wedge as odd that the Trandoshans here had not bothered with perimeter defence structures. There were no turrets or gun bunkers that one could expect from a more paranoid crime leader's headquarters. No, instead the Guild used what already existed to their advantage. Though they couldn't be seen due to the nature of the lighting, wedge knew they were there - the snipers. Armed guards patrolling the upper levels of the surrounding buildings, taking up regular positions in broken windows and derelict collapsed walls. They came armed with everything from missile launchers to sniper rifles, and the Guild prided themselves on their ability to use those weapons to maximum effect. Hopefully, Wedge thought to himself, he would manage to disarm that particular defence in a matter of moments - if things should go awry.

"We're early," Spetz, Wedge's second-in-command, noted idly.

Wedge nodded a casual response and continued to walk forward. On their previous visits, Luke had lead the way to the towering silhouette of lot 71. The proper etiquette, it had been arranged early in the process, was to approach the main courtyard and stand in wait - Kasserheul would come to them. He always did. The only trouble with that was it meant presenting their entire contact team as nerfs in a barrel, just waiting for a trigger-happy shooter to drop his target.

"Do you think it'll be a problem?" Spetz continued.

"You're the diplomat," Wedge said, icy mist escaping his mouth in the freezing Andasala night. "You tell me."

Spetz frowned as they came to a halt in the centre of the courtyard. Personally, Wedge couldn't see a problem with being early. It could only be better tha

 

*whimpers*

That was intense. I'm feeling drained. And you were definitely right - lots of explosions. I lost count.

Excellent description of the warehouse district: I could actually picture it as I read, and despite being an artist, that's something I have a hard time doing. Consider that a high compliment.

Wonderful insight into Wedge the Commander - it's very interesting to see how he was when he was new to this whole command thing. In most of the EU, command is already second nature to him, an instinct, so this is fun.

Well, I imagine it's much more fun for us than it is for him, heh.

GASP! Darth Vader! Wasn't expecting him to show up. *cowers in terror* Then again, maybe I should've expected him, I should be used to twists like that by now. *chuckles at the thought of Vader on the ground after an explosion*

Loved the use of the Noghri - very effective.

Poor Rogue Three.

Y'know, it's mentioned a few times in the X-Wing series that Janson has no real interest in command. With what you did to him here, I'm wondering if this mission stripped him of any desire to be Rogue Leader ever again. And of course, that's another compliment, because that means I'm subconsciously treating this like canon.

Good job showing the desperation of the situation (and the Rebellion in general, heh) - ditching a bunch of X-wings is the only way to escape.

"My Lord, we have a prisoner."

Sheesh! Just when things couldn't get any worse . . . well, I guess that's the hint you're giving us with the next chapter title being "Badly Awry."

My gut's telling me right now that the prisoner is Clip and/or company. Please prove me wrong.

All the same, keep up the spectacular work!

 

The chapter title was quite fitting. I thought Wedge did a good job in his situation. They were certainly outnumbered and were lucky to get as far as they have. I wonder who the Noghri have captured.

 

Talkingbanana - Great to hear from you so soon hehe. Told you there were lots of explosions! This chapter is meant to represent the rapid descent of the fic to it's lowest point - so I'm glad (in a way!) that it felt intense

I'm so glad you could picture the warehouse district well in your head! Descriptions were one of the things I was trying to improve from Floating Fortress - good to see it's been more or less effective.

Hehe, and Janson's temporary promotion to Rogue Leader is probably one he's not anxious to repeat - you're right Oh, and also: thanks for the compliment about the subconscious-canon-treatment! I'm so flattered!

And I refuse to comment on who the prisoner may be Badly Awry isn't as long as this post was, so it should be up fairly soon. Thanks so much for reading, Talkingbanana! It's great to have you on board

RebelMom - It's great to have you here! Glad you thought the chapter title was fitting More plot involving Noghri prisoners in the next post - hope to see you around

Thanks again both of you!

 

Dang, that was almost... exhausting. Really good sequence. Very unrelenting. Wedge held together very well under all the explosions, too. You might say it takes fire to forge a good commander.

Perfect Rebel battle, too. Holding up against impossible odds, pulling stunts that are just a bit on the crazy side.

 

Ooh, I like these kinds of lies.

I'll echo the other comments: very, very intense chapter. And you weren't kidding about the explosions!

The only thing I wasn't quite sure about was who caused the first two explosions. At first I thought it was part of Wedge's contingency plan that he activated via the comlink since he was expecting lots of noise very soon afterward, but then he didn't seem to be expecting the overwhelming effects of the grenade-type things, so maybe he was really signaling the Rogues to come in and hit the buildings (and cause the noise). Then Vader didn't know what caused the first two explosions either, so it wasn't an Imperial action. Right now I'm leaning back toward them being part of the Rebels' contingency plan. There, now that that's out of the way...

Now, it was time to be the commander that everyone expected - and needed - him to be.
Atta boy, Wedge!

Oooh, lots of yellow in this chapter! And the floodlights around the area reminded me of a stadium.

Wedge missed his tinted pilot's visor.
I can just picture Wedge stubbornly insisting on wearing his pilot helmet the next time he's forced into a ground mission. Maybe it would make him feel more comfortable.

Apparently, he had recently been involved in a fight.
Perfectly logical assumption to make. But poor Wedge, if you only knew...

Only a stubborn determination to act in this situation like Luke would kept his head on his shoulders.
Neat line. Wedge is still determined to prove himself worthy of Luke's faith in him.

It complimented the powerful-looking carbine he was aiming quite well.
heh heh, I'd say. Neat image there.

He was the Commander. He had to find a way out of here - and to do that, he would need all of his resources.
And in the midst of many (very many) explosions, Wedge is showing the beginnings of what later make him a great leader, similar to what talkingbanana mentioned.

"Try hard, Commander," Janson replied, and the comm clicked off.
Aww, a very touching line from Wes.

They needed to act quickly, or there might not be anyone left to appreciate the work they were doing.
I can totally picture Wes thinking this way.

I felt really bad for Rogue Three, but showing what Vader was experiencing was a fascinating way to describe Three's death. I was originally expecting Vader to somehow plug up his laser cannons and cause them to overload when Three tried to fire, but this way was much more plausible for Vader's abilities and much more devastating for those on the ground.

He only hoped that they would all escape alive - otherwise they could never look back on it and laugh.
Another good Wes line.

I feel bad for the Rogues who are going to be walking back, especially since they'll have to make it through all the Imperial patrols being set up. And now the Rebels have no X-wing protection either.

Poor Rebels, got so battered...You wrote their disorientation during the whole battle very well. Major kudos.

I liked the pics, too. Vader was especially impressive.

And yes, I'm curious about exactly who was captured by the Noghri. Kinda scared of the next chapter, though--if this chapter was simply "Awry," what's "Badly Awry" going to be like?

Keep up the great work!

whew, okay, I'm done typing now.

-Thumper

 

Forcefire - Thanks again for reading! I'm happy that people found the chapter to be exhausting. It's a long read, which helps to make people feel that way, and there's alot going on and to take in - so by the end of it all, hopefully I've managed to make you feel as tired as Wedge is feeling right at the moment

I'm very glad you liked the 'rebel-ness' of the escape, too. Crazy stunts seem to be the Rebel Alliance's stock in trade


Thumper -

The only thing I wasn't quite sure about was who caused the first two explosions. At first I thought it was part of Wedge's contingency plan that he activated via the comlink since he was expecting lots of noise very soon afterward, but then he didn't seem to be expecting the overwhelming effects of the grenade-type things, so maybe he was really signaling the Rogues to come in and hit the buildings (and cause the noise). Then Vader didn't know what caused the first two explosions either, so it wasn't an Imperial action. Right now I'm leaning back toward them being part of the Rebels' contingency plan. There, now that that's out of the way...

All I'm going to say about this is . Seriously. That's it.

( )

I felt really bad for Rogue Three, but showing what Vader was experiencing was a fascinating way to describe Three's death. I was originally expecting Vader to somehow plug up his laser cannons and cause them to overload when Three tried to fire, but this way was much more plausible for Vader's abilities and much more devastating for those on the ground.

I wanted to show Vader's vengeful streak coming through. The rebels had downed his TIEs and killed troopers while they were at it. So he took some personal vengeance against the pilots responsible, hehe.

I feel bad for the Rogues who are going to be walking back, especially since they'll have to make it through all the Imperial patrols being set up. And now the Rebels have no X-wing protection either.

Poor Rebels, got so battered...You wrote their disorientation during the whole battle very well. Major kudos.

Hmm, those poor disoriented Rebels will have to do some shifty skulking to get back to the Infelicitous - but I'm sure they'll manage it. They make a living out of it, after all

And yes, I'm curious about exactly who was captured by the Noghri. Kinda scared of the next chapter, though--if this chapter was simply "Awry," what's "Badly Awry" going to be like?

It's going to be even more devestating - but on a smaller scale hehe. Oh, I've said too much already. But I'm sure some of you will guess before the actual chapter is posted. Keep it under your hat

Thanks so much for replying, Thumper! It's really great to have you here! And that goes for all of you - you spoil me with your readership

Thanks guys!

 

Wow! I loved the tension building up to all the chaos (and the chaos was just as great). Edge of your seat stuff, especially with the powerful images you painted of the Trandoshans (as I mentioned after the sneak peek) and all the emphasis on what Wedge was hearing (a sharp contrast to his near-deafness the rest of the chapter? poor fella).

Rogue Three had a good idea; it?s too bad it backfired. But the visuals I got from reading that backfire, though they suggest that I have been watching too much anime, were fantastic. This was a very immersive sequence, all around. And, as usual, the characterizations were awesome.

This was a great chapter, mjs, and I can?t wait to find out how things go badly awry. Hmm, who have the Noghri snatched and where are Clip and co. in all this? Oh, and Kasserheul. Where?d that little (big) lizard slink off to now?

 

Hey Face! I'm really happy you liked the tenseness of the chapter Apparently, between Galaxy Noir's impending climax and Talkingbanana's Nameless by Ice cliffhangers, tension and drama are all the rage on the TF.N boards at the moment

Hehe, never fear, all questions about Clip and Co., as well as who was captured by the Noghri, will be answered in the next chapter. You'll have to wait till chapter 12 before we see Kasserheul again, though

Thanks again for reading, Face!

 

Nice description of the warehouse district. Doesn?t strike me as odd that the Benelex don?t use fixed defences, snipers can shift position so you can?t know where to shoot until they open fire and when not needed for that they can do some bounty hunting. Snipers are more multi-purpose than gun bunkers.

Liked the Wedge / Spetz conversations and differences in atittude.

Good insight by Wedge in realising how Kasserheul has changed, shows how well Wedge can notice and process details under pressure.

Loved the idea that Wedge thought initially the crunching of Stormtrooper boots was the blood in his wars, and then suddenly realised it wasn?t him going uuuuuuuuuufffffff-hooooooooooooooo uuuuuuuuuufffffff-hooooooooooooooo.

Some explosions, good description of how they affected Wedge and how visible they were even to Janson ten kilometers away. Enjoyed Jansons ?There had been enough huge explosions in the warehouse district without torpedoes detonated in atmosphere.?

Also loved the idea that Darth Vader is furious that he got knocked over by explosions that large, dozens of Stormtroopers shredded and great plumes of flame and smoke and Vader is reacting as if he?d slipped on some oil. Felt sorry for the people on the building having Nogri sent after them. Felt sorry for Wedge as Vader being so unaffected meant the Imperials started being given orders that much sooner (which at least helped with shooting the landspeeders in time).

Good description of how Wedge was feeling and how hard it was for him to get his concentration back. Enjoyed him deciding he needed to be called Commander Antilles rather than Wedge.

Felt mildly sorry for the Stormtroopers having a TIE crash on them. Felt mildly sorry also for Janson as splinter fire (as brought in during the NJO) would have been very useful for the strafing runs. I hope that the people on the roof of the warehouse were hostiles rather than that being the (assumed) friendlies and the Nogri (since they were firing blasters which suggests a fight, rather than just moving to firing positions).

Liked Vader?s tactics, wave your lightsaber and wait for some Rebel to try to be a hero. Felt sorry for Rogue Three, he thought at worst he?d just be unsuccessful but as it turned out he not only died but he was also turned into a weapon against his fellow Rebels. Liked the description of Vader focussing and building his rage. Not nice to prevent Rogue Three ejecting but no worse than that poor Imperial pilot who got smacked into the conduit on Coruscant on autopilot.

Poor Wedge, he needs a bigger gun (or to shoot them in the head rather than the chest armour). Poor Wedge, no Kasserheul to kill either. Poor Wedge, another explosion (though at least he wasn?t actually in the fighter causing it, so not as bad as it was for Rogue Three).

Liked the Janson / Hobbie exchange over if Wedge?s message counted as an order, and liked Janson?s doubts over whether to fire a torpedo given the possible effects on Wedge. Felt mildly sorry for the Stormtroopers around the crater, sounds like they were working on the idea that the safest place is where a ?shell? has already fallen.

Still poor Wedge, rather wobbly and worried about Vader.

Glad that Vader is fair to his Field Commander, as the old saying goes ?the greatest swordsman does not fear the second-greatest, he fears the worst swordsman as he is unpredictable.? Vader has decades of command experience so he knows how high the risk of calling in a torpedo strike was, possibly making insufficient allowance for the inexperience of the Rebels and possibly also a little underestimation of how accurately the torpedo could be targetted (since Vader doesn?t know Janson and how superb a shot Janson is).

Whoever the prisoner is I feel sorry for them. Hopefully not Clip, Eva, or Craft. Hopefully will be someone connected with Lorn so that Vader will be angry with his organisation and go after Lorn sooner rather than later.

 

JM - Great to see you!

Yes, it seemed more natural to have snipers in the buildings for the reason you mentioned and for the other, underlying, final deciding factor - snipers are cheaper, and easier to maintain


Loved the idea that Wedge thought initially the crunching of Stormtrooper boots was the blood in his wars, and then suddenly realised it wasn?t him going uuuuuuuuuufffffff-hooooooooooooooo uuuuuuuuuufffffff-hooooooooooooooo.

Haha! Perhaps not as quick at processing the details as he appears to be


Felt mildly sorry for the Stormtroopers having a TIE crash on them. Felt mildly sorry also for Janson as splinter fire (as brought in during the NJO) would have been very useful for the strafing runs.

I actually almost subconsciously included the stutter trigger here without realising that it isn't invented (or at least incorporated into standard setups) for some twenty years. Perhaps if they'd been used earlier Janson woudnt have to resort to such drastic measures

Vader has decades of command experience so he knows how high the risk of calling in a torpedo strike was, possibly making insufficient allowance for the inexperience of the Rebels and possibly also a little underestimation of how accurately the torpedo could be targetted.

Trying to get inside Vader's head and figure out what he knows is a really, really messy thing. There's a temptation to give the ability to know and anticipate everything, but that isn't consistent with canon and nor is it very interesting for the story (otherwise Vader would be invincible). So more and more incredible things have to be done in order to dupe Vader, even in such a mild way. Firing a great big torpedo into the middle of everything seemed like a good way of catching everyone off guard I find a good explosion will usually sort things out, one way or another.


Whoever the prisoner is I feel sorry for them. Hopefully not Clip, Eva, or Craft. Hopefully will be someone connected with Lorn so that Vader will be angry with his organisation and go after Lorn sooner rather than later.

Ah, whats the code for the whistling emoticon again?

hehe.

Thanks for reading and replying JM!

Announcement to All Readers!

My apologies for the hiatus this story has taken for the last few weeks. It is well back on track now, I assure you - and I promise answers to questions as soon as humanly possible! I have a whole weekend off this weekend - and it's high time I put in an all night coffee-pizza-and-more-coffee effort!

Thanks to all of you for your patience It really is appreciated.

I wont post the next chapter as a part 1/part 2 arrangement as I dont want the cliffhanger & climax (or what remains of it after your guesses and suspicions ) to be softened. At 5,200 words we're halfway through it, so the rest should be a piece of cake.

Thanks again everyone! Hear from you soon

 

So, yeah, are we going to get an update sometime this century? Just curious . . .