Star Wars: Heroes of Another Kind

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Well, I've finished chapter 336...

I've gone from not liking Marix for not telling Jyren all the implications of the bond to despising Jyren for being a sullen, whiny brat. Plus his refusal to use the Force was rather stupid. He's already enough of a loser in combat, and now he wants to further diminish what little effectiveness he has? In previous posts I said that Jyren should ditch Marix. Now I think it should be the opposite.

I do love seeing how strong your feelings are on this.

Jyren is definitely sullen, but I'm not sure I'd go as far as whiny. He's basically seen everything go wrong over and over and over, much of the time with him doing what he was absolutely sure was the right thing. He basically has no self-confidence and, in his opinion, no reason to have any. Despite that, though, he can't just sit around and watch more things wrong so he'll still try. Its definitely not the kind of heroic that would be expected, but he IS a kid when you get down to it, and he's a kid that's barely stable.

The Force thing is really drawn out of that. He felt himself step across a line with Ket. The Dark Side took control of him, and he let it, to protect Marix. For him, there's no excuse for that. The brush with the Dark Side was a wake up call for Jyren, and he was forced to face the fact that he didn't have any kind of control. Rather than step up, like a hero is supposed to do, he was so terrified by it that he tried to push it away to avoid any temptation at all.

That is, of course, easier said than done, and Jyren is definitely more capable than I think you give him credit for. Yes, he gets in over his head and gets the crap beat out of him many times. But he does step up and keep going. He does fight through and, one way or another, finds a way to win. Maybe its not by his own power, and maybe its from the help of the Force or others, but what's the problem with that?

If there's one thing I've learned its that people fail. People get in over their heads. People screw up constantly. It is not how most stories are written, because that's not the formula, but it is how humans are. And if there's one thing that Jyren has proven to be over and over again, its human. He makes the same mistakes without wanting to accept the truth. He runs from what he's afraid of. He thinks with his heart rather than his brain. And yet, despite all of these things, he makes it out alive and does exactly what he sets out to do: protects people. He sets himself up to take the brunt of the pain so that others don't have to. It leaves him worse for wear every single time, but he keeps doing it because he's seen terrible things and doesn't want anyone to experience them...so, even if he knows he'll fail or knows he isn't as good as he should be, Jyren will stand up and fight it because he feels its right, and he would much rather fight and fail, himself, than send others in his place.

Loki's comment about how Marix and Jyren had been intimate on a previous night made me both glad and sad. Glad because it seems they're loosening up about that sort of thing. Sad because we didn't get to see a single moment. Mind you, as I said before, you shouldn't put in something that would shock Eric's grandmother, but a scene where they decide to do it and start embracing, followed by a fade-to-black, would have been nice. As it is, I still feel cheated of perhaps the most interesting part of the relationship, which is quite frustrating while enduring Jyren's whining.

To be honest, I go a great deal farther than I should in keeping with how Star Wars usually is. A kiss is about it. Beds barely exist in what we see. To me, especially considering the nature of this place, I don't think anymore is appropriate or really all that necessary.

Of course, beyond this is the fact that they're relationship and connection is not focused on the physical. While that is, obviously, there, and to a point, important, they have something between them that is a thousand times stronger than any physical pleasure. Their lives are literally one. Two people that share an existance. There is an extremely strong mental connection that just can't be compared. This is in addition to the fact that Marix is the kind of person who isn't too good with the whole touching thing, even something as simple as a hand on the shoulder. She tries yes, and gets better about it...but some things that we grow up with just don't go away.

So yes, the phsyical aspect of their relationship does exist, but a mix of it not being appropriate for this board and, honestly, for the story itself, put it into the background and the world of assumption. Besides, that's important for stories. Spelling every little thing out can ruin it, especially if it isn't the focus. And, to be honest, what Jyren and Marix do behind closed doors isn't the focus of any of this.

Jyren's fight with Jen... I think it was the first time he actually read like a winner. Unfortunately, it was of course too good to last. Instead of finishing his enemy quickly, he lets her live, and in comes the Darkwing. Then Jyren goes from winner to his usual loser habits in an eyeblink. Btw, why didn't he at least try to dodge the Darkwing? Did he roll really low on initiative or the Darkwing rolled a critical?

Jyren said it himself, she was a sister to him. This woman was the first person he truly connected with since Mare died and she cared about him. Not only that, but while Jen had crossed the line into Darkness, she hadn't yet truly acted on it. There was still a chance to save her, to bring her back, and Jyren couldn't kill her with that left. Star Wars is a tale of redemption, and to just kill someone like Jen would be against that as much as it is Jyren's line of thought.

Remember Return of the Jedi. Luke throws his weapon to the side, and refuses to kill Darth Vader, one of the most evil men in the galaxy becaus he is Luke's father and he believes there is still good in him. He goes from winner, to loser in an eyeblink. He nearly gets himself killed because he believes his father will do the right thing. And he was right.

Jyren does this almost exactly. He stops his so-called fight with Jen, unable to go through with it and refusing to believe that she is gone. He tries to talk her back. He does everything he can think of to bring her back and, for a moment, it almost works. He almost gets through...but Jen orders the Darkwing to kill him before he can go any farther and maybe, just maybe, succeed.

Of course Jyren is taken by surprise. The Darkwing gets the jump on him when he's pretty much at his weakest...and that's the point. He had to be defenseless to bring her back. To show her he wasn't going to fight. That maybe he had grown from his mistakes and wasn't going to make another by just giving up on someone that had saved his life more than once. But she took advantage of what some call weakness, and the Darkwing got the better of him.

And yet, despite all of that, he did succeed. The Darkwing tore him to pieces, yes, but the Emperor did the same to Luke. Vader watched his son being killed just as Jen watched her friend behind killed. Luke begged his father to help. Jyren did, too...but he didn't ask for help, he told her that he had a son. That, alone, was a sign that he had changed. Vader stepped in and killed the Emperor, his master, to save his son. Jen stepped in and killed the Darkwing, he creation for revenge, to save Jyren.

As for the mechanics side of things, that first hit on Jyren is definitely a critical. It was left vague in the description but the creature had pretty much torn open his stomach. Caught flat-footed, but not only that, trying to talk Jen down. Jen was more important than the Darkwing was, and he was willing to put his life on the line to save her from the Dark Side. if that's being a loser then...well...he's a loser.

Looks like Jyren finally got the closure he needed with Mare. Hopefully it will make him less petulant in the future.

Now now, would it be any fun at all if he grew up?

 

[Krafus]

Darn, I didn't intend to have you write a near chapter with your answer.

Maybe its not by his own power, and maybe its from the help of the Force or others, but what's the problem with that?

The problem is that he then comes across as incapable of winning any tough battle on his own, further adding to his aura of ineptness. It also removes tension from the battle; the reader knows in advance that Jyren will lose, getting beat up in the process, and some outside factor will intervene and allow him to win.

Another thing I've noticed is that Jyren appears unable or unwilling to learn self-control. After chapter 336, he's practically still as lacking in self-confidence and control - and wits - as at the beginning of the story. He still blurts out stupid things on a regular basis. He might be a little more stable emotionally... but he still puts his foot in his mouth all too frequently. His heart is in the right place, no doubt. But his brain... one would think a few neurons would have developed during the course of the story.

As to the physical aspect of their relationship, as I've said, I wouldn't want you to put in anything that would be inappropriate for this board. But I've read other Story Hours that did go a little farther than you have, and I thought the tale was the better for it. You're right that spelling every little thing can ruin a story, but IMO a few more signs of physical affection between them would enhance it and make their relationship feel more real.

I admit, part of the reason I'm arguing this is that I'm fed up with what I see as the blatant hypocrisy of too many fantasy authors (and of a seemingly large part of the US population, judging by the Nipplegate), who give readers blood and gore by the wagonload but shy away from anything sexual. So feel free to call me biased and ignore my argument.

As to Jyren vs. Jen... Yes, I see and understand the RotJ parallel, but it was frustrating to see Jyren finally winning all by himself, only to throw it away and get torn to shreds as usual. Also, I admit that given Jen's state, I didn't think "I have a son!" would be enough to make her decide to reject the Dark Side.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Darn, I didn't intend to have you write a near chapter with your answer.

If you can't tell, I love it.

The problem is that he then comes across as incapable of winning any tough battle on his own, further adding to his aura of ineptness. It also removes tension from the battle; the reader knows in advance that Jyren will lose, getting beat up in the process, and some outside factor will intervene and allow him to win.

Technically, he defeated the first Darkwing(Shadow, that is) all by himself without outside help coming in. Jyren vs. Voort wasn't realy a win, per se, but he wasn't losing the entire fight, either. In fact, that fight was pretty much even. Also, Ket wasn't killed by outside help and, in fact, it was Jyren himself that ended that AFTER working with Marix the whole fight.

Those were the important moments that Jyren was involved in(beyond the Jen thing, as that was gone over already). Each of them, he was definitely keeping up. If anything help him back in any(the latter two, especially) it was his own doubts or refusal to kill. Note that he came to the conclusion that he was not going to kill Voort. He was going to find another way to end it. He failed to. Then comes Jen, a similar situation...and he did find another way. He stopped fighting.

Most of the times Jyren gets beaten down is when he's plowing through extremely dangerous mooks. Its usually accompanied with him not TRYING to fight as much as trying to get somewhere, so his focus is on say...running. Most of them are also prolonged and, in a sense, its the attrition that wears him down more than the single fights.

Another thing I've noticed is that Jyren appears unable or unwilling to learn self-control. After chapter 336, he's practically still as lacking in self-confidence and control - and wits - as at the beginning of the story. He still blurts out stupid things on a regular basis. He might be a little more stable emotionally... but he still puts his foot in his mouth all too frequently. His heart is in the right place, no doubt. But his brain... one would think a few neurons would have developed during the course of the story.

To be honest, Jyren does get a bad image on the thinking end of things. Despite the constant comments about him being an idiot, he does show that he can plan and act on those plans, and he does make some smart decisions many times over. Everyone says stupid things, some of us more than others. Jyren just has a habit of looking after he's leaped. Impulsive? Yeah. Stupid? Not really. He does consider consequences, its just that he does so very quickly and usually writes them off as not as important.

Besides, it wasn't Marix, alone, that figured out what Ket was up to...or where Jen was going...etc.

As to the physical aspect of their relationship, as I've said, I wouldn't want you to put in anything that would be inappropriate for this board. But I've read other Story Hours that did go a little farther than you have, and I thought the tale was the better for it. You're right that spelling every little thing can ruin a story, but IMO a few more signs of physical affection between them would enhance it and make their relationship feel more real.

I think on this point it really is just a difference in point of view. I have no problem with sex in stories or anything like that. Its as much a part of life as anything else. But I don't believe that sex is the only way to show physical attraction or to show a physical relationship. There are instances throughout the entire story, long before Jyren and Marix started to accept things. For a person like Marix, who is very uncomfortable with any kind of physical contact beyond fighting, a hand on the shoulder is enough to send her into a panic...an embrace is even harder to really understand for her, and something as simple as a kiss even moreso.

So seeing any of those things, especially when Marix is the one acting first, is a very strong sign of physical affection. Its not about being afraid to show sex or anything like that, its just that there is a relative difference in how people are. The signs of their affection are there through pretty much the entirety of the story, but its different than one might expect. It isn't what's considered the norm. Course, neither of them are normal at all.

They're also, whether Jyren likes it or not, not human...and so 'real' is hard to put correctly. Maybe they're relationship doesn't seem as real for a human, but humans doesn't have the deep connection that Jyren and Marix share. Humans can't even get close to it. The link that the two of them share throws a wrench in things, as they are quite literally one person. They share everything, and that's why Marix always hates how attached to words Jyren is. They don't need words. They don't have to show each other how much they love one another, as they can feel it all of the time. Like I said, this doesn't mean sex isn't there or isn't a part of their relationship, but its definitely not of the same level as their connection to one another.

As to Jyren vs. Jen... Yes, I see and understand the RotJ parallel, but it was frustrating to see Jyren finally winning all by himself, only to throw it away and get torn to shreds as usual. Also, I admit that given Jen's state, I didn't think "I have a son!" would be enough to make her decide to reject the Dark Side.

Maybe fighting and winning by himself wasn't right, though.

In fact, I would argue that Jyren was losing. He entered into a fight, a lightsaber duel, with someone he cared a great deal about and knew couldn't match him. But he still fought. He still stepped in without thinking. If he wasn't able to control himself(important!), he could have killed her. He has instincts when it comes to fights like that that Jen never developed. If he had let his instincts take control of him like in a fight of the caliber he had with Voort, she would have been killed in a quick strike. That would have been more of a mistake than anything else he had done. Anything.

But Jyren realized that. His mind caught up to his actions and he was able to stop himself, to step back and try to do what he should have done the entire time. Get his friend back. He shouldn't have fought her. Standing down and leaving himself open was the first time he truly did something like a Jedi should do, and he did his best to bring his friend back to the Light.

No, it didn't work immediately. But his words did have a strong affect on her. So much so that she couldn't listen anymore and had to send the Darkwing to do what she had been trying to do before, since the Darkwing couldn't be talked out of killing him. Alone, "I have a son" wouldn't be enough. But the thought processes were already in motion, and that one thing, coupled with seeing the Darkwing about to finally kill him, was enough.

The most heroic thing Jyren did up to that point was refusing to fight her any longer. All of that lack of thinking, acting childish, and lack of control was gone. It nearly cost him his life, and it did cost him Jen's...but she did come back. The most important thing I've always taken from Star Wars is that no one is ever too far gone. Jyren never attempted to bring anyone back until Jen. He fought and killed so many others because that's just what you did. Heroes kill people and save the day. But what had slowly started with Voort finally came together when Jyren was confronted by Jen. He always wanted to be a Jedi, and that was the moment that he was.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 461: Surprise Visit

Tobias ducked.

A rock flew over his head from behind, then stopped a meter in front of him at roughly eye level. He then glanced to where Master Ral stood near the tree line to see the Omwati had a smile on his face, “Well done, Tobias.”

They were outside in the large open area before the trees of the jungle took over the Great Temple. There were various other apprentices in different training exercises all around, and, thankfully, the sky was clear save for the usual orange mass that was the gas giant, Yavin. It had been a long hour of dodging debris, but Tobias had gotten the hang of it. He was finally getting good at letting the Force alert him to danger.

Taking a few steps over to him, Master Ral picked the rock out of the air where it hung and then looked to Tobias, “I see you don’t have any bruises.”

He did, however, take a few hits. Tobias nodded, “I...remorphed them as I went. They were easy.”

The Jedi Master leveled a critical look on his apprentice, “Are you sure you can handle that?”

Tobias managed to nod, though there wasn’t a lot of confidence on his face, “I have to. It is...who I am. If I am going to succeed as a Jedi, I have to be an Alraxian, too.”

“You still have a long way to go in your training, Tobias. However, you are already starting to understand that being a Jedi is more than combat. I am proud of you,” Master Ral put a hand on Tobias’ shoulder and smiled, “Eventually, we will find a way to teach you control.”

The smile hinted to Tobias something about that comment, and through the Force, he confirmed it. To show he understood, Tobias laughed and nodded, “You are in a good mood today, Master.”

A sound above them caught their attention. Ships arriving was really nothing new, but most of them were freighters or other transports coming and going. The sound they could hear, though, was very distinct. And, looking up, the shape of an X-Wing could be seen careening down towards the Temple.

While Tobias was no expert on all of the Jedi in the Order, he did know that very few flew X-Wings. Suddenly curious, he turned to Master Ral, “Who is that?”

The Omwati was also looking up, studying the shape of the ship as it came down closer into view. The underside of the starfighter was scorched and it was obvious the poor ship had been through its fair share of fights. But there were no identifying marks on it. As the sound of the ship grew louder and it came in over the trees, a few of the younger students moved from the center of the clearing so as not to be run over as the starfighter landed in the hangar.

“I do not recognize it,” Master Ral said as the starfighter made its slow entrance into the hangar.

Tobias was curious. He wanted to go see who it was, having a feeling that it was someone important. He’d yet to meet Master Skywalker, not to mention seeing the leader of the Order.

Noticing this interest that Tobias had, Master Ral motioned towards the hangar, “Let us go see.”

A grin on his face, Tobias headed to the hangar with his Master. With the X-Wing now having set down off to the side, the usual activity was returning to the area that had been quickly cleared for it to make its landing. Catching sight of the broad shouldered, Master Solusar heading towards the X-Wing from another direction, Tobias got even more curious.

The Jedi Master also noticed he and Master Ral, stopping to wait for them to get close enough before saying, “Just the person I was hoping to find.”

“Huh?” Tobias then realized that Master Solusar was looking at him, not the Omwati next to him.

“Come on,” the human didn’t give any more clues as to what that meant, and Tobias looked to Master Ral...finding no help from him, either. So, he just fell into step, heading over to the X-Wing, which had its canopy open now and the pilot was climbing out.

The pilot, orange flightsuit and all, dropped to the hangar deck just as they approached. Tobias noticed that the helmet had an odd shape...two large sections at the top. He then realized that there were two, blue tails coming out from it. A Twi’lek. A blue skinned Twi’lek that was just a bit shorter than he was and taking of her helmet with a smile on her face.

“Heya, Toby,” Rea let the then glanced up and, before the canopy could close, tossed the helmet back into the cockpit.

Tobias just stared. Jyren’s former wingmate, Rea, was the very last person he’d expected to climb out of that ship. He was, therefore, completely lost as to what to say.

Master Solusar seemed to notice this, and added in a little explanation, “Apparently, your friend here came to check up on how you were doing, Tobias.”

“Huh...?” Toby looked to the Jedi Master with a confused look, then back to the Twi’lek, who was grinning at him, “Check up on how I’m doing?”

She shrugged, “Captain...your father wanted me to look after you. I got a little bit of leave and decided to keep my word.”

“Oh,” was the best Tobias could manage. He wasn’t good with people at all. People as friendly as Rea was didn’t help things, either. He’d technically only met her once before, but she seemed like the kind of person who was pretty much always in a good mood. Not to mention that she seemed to enjoy watching him in these confused states.

“You said there was something else,” Master Solusar cut in, his voice a bit more serious now.

The happy look on Rea’s face quickly washed away and she nodded, “It’s a long flight out here from the Core. Had to take the long way to avoid the Vong...and I got some updates on the progress of the war.”

“From your tone, I do not expect that you have good news,” that was Master Ral, who was standing back being his usual calm, collected, and quiet self.

Rea shook her head, sending one of her lekku off her shoulder and behind her, “There’s a rumour that the higher ups are trying to confirm...that the Hutts have signed a treaty with the Vong,” she paused a moment to let that sink in, as the implications of what that meant would have been obvious to anyone but Toby, “Gyndine has been attacked, too, and it looks like it’s a setup for an assault on Bothawui or Corellia.”

Tobias recognized those last two planets and understood what that meant. Still, he kept silent, unsure of what to say about it. Master Solusar, though, seemed to have gone over this quickly, “The New Republic is preparing a defense fleet, of course.”

Rea bit her lip. After a moment, she sighed and shrugged again, “I was ordered to report to Bothawui in two days. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, as I know some idiot higher ups don’t trust the Jedi for whatever reason, but they’re setting up a trap at Corellia. Lure them in, use the Centerpoint station to create a gravity well and hold the Vong there, and then jump in the fleet from Bothawui.”

The tall, human Jedi Master nodded. He obviously understood the anti-Jedi sentiment that was growing, though Tobias could tell he was glad that some still trusted them. Master Solusar then turned to look to Master Ral, “Have you ever been to Bothawui, Corentan?”

There was an implication in that question that Tobias didn’t miss. He didn’t get a chance to say anything, though, before Master Ral nodded, “About a year ago, yes. I must say, though, I was in a rush and did not have a chance to enjoy the planet.”

“Well, then maybe its time you got back,” Master Solusar smiled, bowed to them, then headed off.

Master Ral then turned to the Twi’lek who was standing there looking surprised and, at the same time, quite pleased, “I apologize. I am Corentan Ral. Though it seems you already know Tobias.”

Rea smiled and nodded her head, “Rea’tin Lor. I am glad to see that this kid’s in good hands.”

“Thank you,” Master Ral bowed, then said to both of them, “I must arrange for a transport. Be ready to leave as soon as possible, Tobias.”

Before he could react, Master Ral left.

Tobias watched the Jedi Master walk off, then turned to stare blankly at Rea, “What...what just happened?”

For a moment, she just grinned at him. But then, Rea burst into laughter. Tobias just stood there completely lost before she finally calmed herself down enough to put a hand on his shoulder, turn him around, and push him forward, “Looks like you’re coming to Bothawui,” she patted him gently, then added, “How about you show me where to get some actual food around here and I’ll try to walk you through all of that.”

 

[Krafus]

Technically, he defeated the first Darkwing(Shadow, that is) all by himself without outside help coming in. Jyren vs. Voort wasn't realy a win, per se, but he wasn't losing the entire fight, either. In fact, that fight was pretty much even. Also, Ket wasn't killed by outside help and, in fact, it was Jyren himself that ended that AFTER working with Marix the whole fight.

Against Voort it was made clear that Voort was a bit better. As for Ket, Jyren used an ability he'd never before displayed - a kind of deus ex machina. Anyway, as I've said before, the impression I got through the majority of Jyren's fights was that he just couldn't win by himself.

Impulsive? Yeah. Stupid? Not really. He does consider consequences, its just that he does so very quickly and usually writes them off as not as important.

Sorry, but after so many times of acting rashly and seeing the negative consquences - and not even trying to change his behavior - I'd shift him from the "impulsive" to the "impulsive and stupid" column.

Like I said, this doesn't mean sex isn't there or isn't a part of their relationship, but its definitely not of the same level as their connection to one another.

Okay, okay, I give up. Given your explanations, the way you've written their relationship is consistent. I wish it delved a little more on the physical side, but of course that's your choice.

The most important thing I've always taken from Star Wars is that no one is ever too far gone.

Not even Palpatine?

Jyren never attempted to bring anyone back until Jen. He fought and killed so many others because that's just what you did. Heroes kill people and save the day. But what had slowly started with Voort finally came together when Jyren was confronted by Jen. He always wanted to be a Jedi, and that was the moment that he was.

All right, he did well according to his beliefs and motivations. I just don't think I could ever lower my guard that way... Or resist the temptation to strike the final blow if I'm winning.

You know, I've looked at my posts, and the more I think about it, the more I believe that in the Star Wars universe I'd be a ruthless Dark Sider.

 

[DethStryke]

Krafus broke the silence! Oh Noes!

As you may surmise from the few times I've chimed in, I have been reading this from the start. I found it primarily as I was searching for any SW Story Hour I could find as I was starting a SW table-top game myself and like to do as much research as I can of other examples. This is the only Star Wars story hour that I've found that has gotten regular updates and has a good quality of writing. Period.

In my perspective, the story has unfolded from a table-top RPG quite directly. Many of the things Krafus mentions would be true for novels, but not always true of player's actions in a Table-top game. I had not reached anything that didn't seem plausible from that perspective, so I have not really analyzed the story very deeply.

One of the important parts of Star Wars in my opinion is that it is Space Opera - kind of a pop-corn movie theory. In that vein, this story delivers. No offense but I'm not expecting A Game of Thrones over here, either.

My biggest beef is that some of the entries really could use an editor.
Of course, that's such a big problem that I had to rush in after two+ years to mention it...

In closing, let me say that if Jyren doesn't show the hell back up soon there's going to be a riot.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Against Voort it was made clear that Voort was a bit better. As for Ket, Jyren used an ability he'd never before displayed - a kind of deus ex machina. Anyway, as I've said before, the impression I got through the majority of Jyren's fights was that he just couldn't win by himself.

True, Voort was a bit better but overall it was even. Still, hard to say with the way that one ended. Not sure I'd count the Dark Side as a deus ex machina, though.

Though it is true that, in most cases, Jyren does have his fair share of trouble. I think one thing I remember from Marix's player that she said to me rings too true with it, though, "I do so love to watch your squirm."

There was also something about winding them up, too.

Sorry, but after so many times of acting rashly and seeing the negative consquences - and not even trying to change his behavior - I'd shift him from the "impulsive" to the "impulsive and stupid" column.

Heh, point taken. Have to say, I can't wait for you to get to the end of Part V and see how you react to that. Methinks it shall be interesting.

Okay, okay, I give up. Given your explanations, the way you've written their relationship is consistent. I wish it delved a little more on the physical side, but of course that's your choice.

I do hope it doesn't come across as me arguing a point, though knowing me it does. I'm really just trying to do my best to show you where this is coming from.

Not even Palpatine?

TECHNICALLY, not even Palpatine. Course, there are mitigating circumstances but hey, a Jedi is supposed to follow the will of the Force. At some point, that becomes hard to achieve, hence the need to kill certain evils, Palpatine and his Sith ilk. But, when it comes down to it, a Jedi is REALLY supposed to try and save them. If that fails, then killing is the last ditch effort for the greater good and all that...but, following the ideal, having to kill IS a failure in itself.

All right, he did well according to his beliefs and motivations. I just don't think I could ever lower my guard that way... Or resist the temptation to strike the final blow if I'm winning.

Lowering his guard was definitely stupid. But hey. Its resisting that temptation that is important to a Jedi, and for Jyren, at least, its that much easier when its someone he knows as well as Jen.

You know, I've looked at my posts, and the more I think about it, the more I believe that in the Star Wars universe I'd be a ruthless Dark Sider.

hehe. To be honest, I think most people would be.

Krafus broke the silence! Oh Noes!

THE WORLD IS ENDING!!!! RUN!!!!

I had not reached anything that didn't seem plausible from that perspective, so I have not really analyzed the story very deeply.

Have to say that I still think its interesting to think too hard about it.

No offense but I'm not expecting A Game of Thrones over here, either.

Going to partially harm my geek cred here but...GOOD, I never liked Game of Thrones.

My biggest beef is that some of the entries really could use an editor.
Of course, that's such a big problem that I had to rush in after two+ years to mention it...

You are sure not kidding on that. I go back and look at older stuff for various reasons and nearly kill myself with the stupid mistakes that pop in. Course, I never can bring myself to edit this stuff. Almost too much work and the point seems to get across well enough. If it doesn't, yell at me.

In closing, let me say that if Jyren doesn't show the hell back up soon there's going to be a riot.

Oh, come now. He's been showing up consistently, thankyouverymuch. On the other hand, I've got my defense fortress built and am ready for the riot.

 

[Krafus]

Just made it to the end of chapter 379 at the bottom of page 12...

I have to say I'm enjoying the story more now than I was before. Maybe it's the fact that you've linked your story to the Vong invasion, and thus that the story is now as much about the Vong invasion than Jyren and Mirax.I enjoyed the alternating between Jyren and Mirax chapters, especially when you left on a cliffhanger.

Some more thoughts about the Alraxian Empire - the more I read about it, the more it looks like a house of cards that will collapse at the faintest breeze. It's a wonder Alraxia became the head of an empire considering how pacifistic its inhabitants are. Also, the Tam'Day'U, the planet's most able defenders, being treated like dirt up until Mirax's reforms... Stupid. And while I can understand why living ships wouldn't like weapons incorporated into their bodies, they're going to be in real trouble should the Vong or any other species with heavy firepower decide to invade.

Speaking of the Vong, you managed to reproduce the aura of unknown but powerful threat they had at the beginning of the NJO. I've never liked that the Vong's coralskippers were more agile than even A-Wings... But hey, the Japanese had better planes than the Americans when they started fighting in WWII.

Also, I've just thought of something... If Jyren's lightsaber is human-sized - as it must be since it was his mother's - then wouldn't it be a rather short weapon for a three meter-tall Alraxian?

 

[DethStryke]

Going to partially harm my geek cred here but...GOOD, I never liked Game of Thrones.

Bleh, I would hardly consider it geek cred related. I hate the LotR books. That is well worse on the "geek cred" scale.

The point of the comparison is that GoT is a highly in-depth, muli-tiered writing style. I think this SH is pleasantly deep, but there are usually not much more than 2-3 plot threads at any time which are strung more-or-less in a linear fashion. GoT is a bazillion threads which are woven together randomly in every direction into what ends up looking like a huge ball of twine. Good/Bad considerations never factor into this in my mind - it's just a totally different style technically speaking.

As with movies: you don't watch a documentary-style super drama when you're in the mood for an action flick. Perhaps an even better way of putting it: If I wanted to laugh, I would not watch Shindler's List or Children of Men. You have to match the style and content with what you're interested in watching (reading).

You are sure not kidding on that. I go back and look at older stuff for various reasons and nearly kill myself with the stupid mistakes that pop in. Course, I never can bring myself to edit this stuff. Almost too much work and the point seems to get across well enough. If it doesn't, yell at me.

Hence why I have never said anything. I've noticed because I occasionally do editing and a fair bit of writing, but I have yet to not be able to figure out what you meant after a quick pass or two.

Oh, come now. He's been showing up consistently, thankyouverymuch.

Smarty-pants.

I'm keeping spoiler-free for Krafus, but if I were in reaching distance you'd get a No. 9 boot to the tail for that one.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 462: A Little Help

The city was burning and the streets were littered with bodies. Humans, Bothans, Duros, Twi’leks, Mon Calamari, Quarren, at least a few Wookies, and Yuuzhan Vong corpses made it hard for an injured Rulae Nok to backtrack and hopefully get back to where what was left of his new command had gone to. On the way, he’d run into pair of Vong and managed to come up behind them and taken them both down with a quick burst of blaster fire...but before the second warrior dropped, he launched a beetle-like creature at him.

Rulae had ducked, but the buzzing thing whipped past his head, then actually turned around before slicing through his right shoulder as it came back. Thankfully, though, the creature hit the ground after and didn’t move again. Apparently it just wanted to draw some blood. He had cursed it, and continued forward towards the mostly-destroyed center of the city, his left hand gripping the wound on his shoulder to limit the bleeding while he right tried to hold the weight of the blaster rifle. This was ignoring the fact that he was still limping thanks to the amphistaff’s poison. At least he was alive.

And then, strewn across the street amongst the rest of the debris, Rulae found what he had been looking for. Two bodies, clad in the armour that identified them as New Republic soldiers. One of the men was face down, his armour scorched, cut, and eaten away by some kind of acid. The red puddle under his head made Rulae decide not to turn the body over to have a look. But he didn’t need to. He knew it was one of them, because the human body next to him was face up. His helmet was shattered, face left cut in two places, but it looked as if the deep wound in his chest had been what had killed the poor kid.

The gore of all of the bodies Rulae was seeing, especially these two, was jarring. As a pilot, he had the luxury of not having to see the faces of the kids when they were killed. The fireball that accompanied the screams over the comm were terrible, yes, but he was able to accept it much more easily without having to see them...like this.

A sound of movement in front of him caused Rulae to look up again to see a group of six Vong rounding a corner at a larger intersection. They were coming straight for him, too. He raised his blaster as best he could considering the shoulder injury and squeezed off a quick series of shots from his kneeling position.

Two of the shots hit one Vong square in the chest...but they didn’t take him down. He was wearing some of that damned armour! It was at least as strong as plasteel and looked like a giant grab wrapped around the upper body of the massive humanoids. Thankfully, though, his third shot was high and caught the same Vong in the face. That brought him down.

Of course, there were still five others coming straight for him, amphistaves raised and ready to come down in a few seconds. Rulae knew he couldn’t move fast enough, and so instead just held down the trigger on his rifle and let loose another volley in the hopes that it would do some good.

A deafening and distinct sound echoed to Rulae and the ground under the Vong suddenly erupted. He quickly shielded his face, but found that nothing but dust came down. Looking back up, the bodies of the Vong were scattered across the street. Rulae got to his feet as he heard a distinct mechanical sound getting closer, and then, around the same corner came a two-legged AT-ST. Its top hatch was open and a human in a New Republic Army uniform was half visible, a blaster in one hand and a pair of electrobinoculars in the other.

The officer that was visible seemed to quickly catch sight of Rulae, and called out, “Need a lift?”

Rulae smiled, though he doubted that could be seen, and nodded, “I wouldn’t complain. Looks like you had those Vong on the run. Haven’t heard of that before.”

The AT-ST walker took a few steps to where he was, and a long wire slowly dropped from its head to take him up. As it came down, he heard the voice of the human yell down to him, “I don’t think they were running from us, actually.”

Not liking that, Rulae looked over his shoulder. Rulae had never seen that many Vong before, but there were enough to completely fill the street. Not to mention that he could see enough black dots heading his direction to really not like it at all. Quickly, Rulae reached up and latched onto the cord that had been dropped for him. Immediately, it started rising up and taking him with it.

As he was going up, the twin-cannons on the walker’s chin lit up, firing loud salvos of blaster bolts into the approaching Vong formation. Rulae didn’t see the effect that the shots had, as he was up to the top and being helped inside by the officer. Once he was in, the hatch at the top was closed and four of them were crammed inside the small cockpit with only the two small windows in front to see through.

A loud series of thuds and pangs echoed through the cockpit and suddenly one of the pilots cried out. The other three turned to see a Vong thud-bug squarely in the man’s face, having gone straight through his half-helmet. Next to Rulae, the officer growled, “Seal those ports now!”

The remaining pilot did so quickly, the two small hatches quickly closed over the two windows that provided view for the pilots. The officer then got up and pulled the now-dead pilot out of his seat and took it instead. He sighed and then looked back to Rulae, “Can you help us out? These things weren’t designed to be piloted on instruments only.”

Letting go of his blaster rifle, finally, Rulae stepped over between the two seats and asked, “What can I do?”

The other pilot pointed to a series of consoles that was in between them, “Concussion grenade launcher and the side laser cannon. Left is the grenades and right is the lasers. Should be able to fire those based on the sensors.”

“Right,” Rulae then knelt down between the two seats and looked over the systems. They were similar enough to starfighter consoles that he could figure it out easily enough. As he familiarized himself with the controls, he could hear the main chin-gun still firing and asked, “Where are we going?”

“The transports in the east need cover so we’re heading that way,” the officer said.

“And this city is lost,” the pilot commented quietly.

He was right. There was a whole planet to defend and this one city was definitely gone. Hopefully they could help in other places. So they headed forward, back down the way that Rulae had come, but this time with serious firepower. He hated not being able to physically see what they were firing at, but he was very thankful for the extra few layers of armour of the AT-ST. It was also nice to be off his leg.

Rulae just hoped that they would be able to make it out in one piece.