03-04-2006, 09:36 AM
note: probably riddled with more holes and errors than my old socks, and woefully incomplete even as a bunch of disjointed notes, but I just sat down and wrote the idea out of my head for peace of mind.
This week on, 'What could have happened to Incarna, but didn't ...'
Incarna: Knight Errant
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away ...
... so there I was, waking up with a bunch of fresh new memories batting themselves around my noggin and ending up in the consistency of freshly scrambled eggs.
Not exactly a good thing, considering the situation ... well, considering the stars outside the window, the blaring alarms, the red lighting ... kinda reminded me of the bad old days and Genaros that way, but back then I was in a form that could actually function in hard vacuum.
Damnit, I was just getting used to the angel body, too. Oh well, this one wasn't all that bad. Male. That was one plus point. Adult. That was another. In reasonably good shape. Number three. Goatee. How ... cliche.
My attempt at taking stock of myself and my surroundings was interrupted by the door behind me opening, admitting a guy who looked like a DI.
Well, from the pissed off expression on his face, he did.
***
Guy's name turned out to be Trask Ulgo, and I was close about the DI thing. What I could recall told me I was a soldier in some man's army ... well, no.
Republic. The Republic. As in, pre-Empire Star Wars Republic. During the Sith Wars ... or whatever these were called.
And I was a grunt. Joy. Rapture. Feel the love.
I was getting a little sick of wars by then, if you're interested in knowing the reason for my grumpiness.
It was almost automatic. I let the body and memories do their thing, Trask and I working our way through the ship ... Endar Spire ... could have been worse, I guess. Could have been a grunt in an Aliens setting. That would have sucked.
Grenade here, blaster burst there. Alright, the body was in better than good shape. I don't know if it was something that bled over from the Battlemover thing, but this whole aim and pull the trigger bit? Seemed easy enough to do. Especially since the enemy was nice enough to wear armor that, while it may have been somewhat protective, also screamed 'I'm a target, please shoot me!'.
Then the going got rougher, and we were greeted with twin electric hisses that ... well, the sound seemed familiar.
Two Jedi, well, a Jedi and Sith - either that, or those were real fancy glowsticks - were in the process of trying to eviscerate one-another in the middle of a corridor, with blaster bolts flying around and ...
The carabine was at my shoulder, instinct bringing it to bear on the duelling pair, but I couldn't get a shot. And even if I could, there was no guarantee the Sith wouldn't deflect it.
I wanted a railgun, damnit. Then something in my mind went click, my aim shifted, and motion around me seemed to slow down. Trask was about to pull me into cover when a blaster bolt damn near singed the side of my face.
I changed aim, waited an eyeblink until the lightsabers were about the clash ...
And shot the Sith in the foot.
It proved enough a distraction to let the Jedi hit home with a swing of her energy blade ...
Blaster bolt from a Sith trooper rebounding, hitting some volatile material standing against one wall, stretching out a hand ...
Next thing I knew, Trask was pulling me down and momentum of _something_ in motion hitting me was pushing me down at the same time, my carabine was clattering to the floor, my arms were full of female Jedi still squawking in surprise as the part of the hallway she'd been fighting the Sith in was engulfed in the momentary inferno of an explosion.
Okay, reality check. That had felt suspiciously like using the AT Field had back when I'd been wearing a Kaworu suit. Well, similarly enought to that, anyway. I'd just managed telekinesis.
Oh, this was great, I was a Force Sensitive stuck in the middle of a war led by two opposing philosophies on the use of that sort of sensitivity.
Again, could have been worse. Could have ended up as Rand al'Thor.
I dislodged the Jedi from my lap, and managed to get Trask to snap out of his mild daze by virtue of knocking my knuckles against his forehead.
The Jedi was somewhere between stupified, incredulous, and downright inquisitorial towards me ... up to and until I pointed out that this was so much not the time or place for questions.
***
Taris:
"Alright, we've got to get that accelerator from the Black Vulkars. It's the only chance to save Bastilla," Carth said, leading them towards the entrance to the Undercity.
"Somehow, the supposed savior of the Republic getting napped by a gang of street toughs doesn't fill me with confidence," I grumbled. Trask seemed to agree.
***
After rescuing Bastilla:
"... you will look at me when I'm talking to you, soldier!"
"Can't." I muttered.
"Oh, and why, pray tell, can you not?" Bastilla Shan's eyes narrowed.
"Honestly? Because if I did, I'd be overwhelmed by the intense desire to punch your lights out. You're by far the most annoying person I've ever met. And that's saying something, since I've been hanging around Onasi for the past week."
I _think_ Kanna laughed in the background. I _know_ Mission did.
***
Dantooine:
"Ordo, you're in charge," I said, slipping on my combat gear.
"_What_?!" Onasi jerked as if slapped. "You're going to trust the ship to that ... that ... Mandalorian?!"
"No, actually, I'm going to trust it to that mercenary. The fact that he's Mandalorian is just a bonus. Better than putting it in the hands of a revenge blinded idealist."
***
"Wow."
"Ah, I see you realize how grave the situation is. It is fortunate that you managed to convince Juhani to return to the Order," the Jedi Master told me.
I shook my head. "No, I meant I can't believe you're sprouting this sort of bullshit in my face without as much as a twitch of discomfort. You confirm that you basically set up your own student for a severe case of mental trauma and fall to the Dark Side, then used her as a _training excercise_, which could have gotten someone who was by all rights your responsibility killed. Then, you expect me to just keel over and join your little club med without as much as a voice of objection to that ..."
"Now see here ...!"
"I think I do. And I think you never have. Good bye, good riddance, and have a nice life. Preferably a short one."
"Stop!"
Alright, so it was more the three Knights blocking the doorway than the voice of the Master that kept me from strolling out.
"I'm afraid we cannot just let you leave. Someone of your potential going unchecked ... you can imagine the devastation that would occur if the Sith got their hands one you, yes?"
I held up a hand, holding a small cylinder, thumb resting on top of it. "The question you should be asking yourself right now isn't that. It's whether you can imagine the devastation that the explosive charges set throughout the compound will cause when I push this button here."
***
"You threatened to blow up the Enclave," Kanna hissed accusingly.
"Your point being?" I shrugged. "I was merely defending my rights to free will and my own decision. What the hell are you still doing here, anyway? I thought you'd be staying down there with the Queen Bitch."
"Oh, har. Like you're getting rid of me that easy. I still want to know who and what the hell you are, and I'll find out even if it kills me!"
"Wonderful, now calm down or go bug Canderous, I'm trying to navigate here. Or better yet, go talk to Juhani. She could use someone who'd be willing to do that without just passing judgement right now."
***
Tatooine:
"What are _you_ doing here?" Bastilla Shan almost spat.
"Star Map," I replied, brushing past her on the way out of the settlement.
"How did you know about that?!"
"Please, give me some credit. The sort of waves those ruins on Dantooine were putting out? Among other things. I went and checked it out before threatening to go all bang bang on them. It isn't hard to guess why your pretty little Council wanted me muzzled and collared."
***
"Your brother?"
Mission nodded. Damnit. She looked like a kitten who'd just been kicked. I grumbled. I groaned. I sighed in disgust and gave up.
"Alright, alright already. This is coming out of your cut."
***
"A little diplomacy goes a long way," I shrugged.
"I wouldn't call breaking that Tusken's arms and legs as an example of what insults would have you do 'diplomacy'. How the hell did you keep them off you after you did that, anyway?" Trask shook his head.
"Query: I too would like to know that, Master. It seemed a uniquely useful technique." the assassin droid they'd bought at the local trader's place joined in the conversation
"Nothing like a little Absolute Terror effect being put to good use."
Kanna gave me a 'look' that managed to relay disapproval well enough. Shan was far more vocal, and far less welcome.
"You're talking about people, and I use the term loosely, who'd have gladly killed us off and strung us up just because we happen to live in the same world as they do," I deadpanned. "In fact, I distinctly remember quite a few of them trying to do just that. The only thing I regret is that we put in that much effort to save a little shithead like that."
Mission looked away, eyes tearing up, and I received a slap to the back of the head. Juhani was glaring at me.
"You're a bastard, you know that?" the blue Twi'lek girl asked, before turning on her heel and retreating from the main room of the Ebon Hawk.
"Yeah," I sighed. "Yeah, I know."
***
"I know, it's just that ... he's still my brother, you know?" I'd managed to find mission a few minutes later, curled up in a ball, sobbing lightly.
"Not really," I shrugged. "I'm an only child. Look, I was being an ass, but we've got Sith on our tails, who knows what else going after this Star Map thing, everything about the Republic falling apart as we speak ... for better or worse, the crew is my responsibility, and the longer this takes the more of a chance there is of one of you dying. I'd like that not to happen."
"That ... that's no excuse," she said.
"Mission, I'm not going to lie to you just to make you feel better. The Tuskens were fully willing to kill anyone on their so called land. What if one of the crew had died?"
"I know! I know he's not the most honest person out there, I know his scams, but ..." she shivered, and continued in a small voice. "He's the only family I remember having."
***
snip
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm
This week on, 'What could have happened to Incarna, but didn't ...'
Incarna: Knight Errant
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away ...
... so there I was, waking up with a bunch of fresh new memories batting themselves around my noggin and ending up in the consistency of freshly scrambled eggs.
Not exactly a good thing, considering the situation ... well, considering the stars outside the window, the blaring alarms, the red lighting ... kinda reminded me of the bad old days and Genaros that way, but back then I was in a form that could actually function in hard vacuum.
Damnit, I was just getting used to the angel body, too. Oh well, this one wasn't all that bad. Male. That was one plus point. Adult. That was another. In reasonably good shape. Number three. Goatee. How ... cliche.
My attempt at taking stock of myself and my surroundings was interrupted by the door behind me opening, admitting a guy who looked like a DI.
Well, from the pissed off expression on his face, he did.
***
Guy's name turned out to be Trask Ulgo, and I was close about the DI thing. What I could recall told me I was a soldier in some man's army ... well, no.
Republic. The Republic. As in, pre-Empire Star Wars Republic. During the Sith Wars ... or whatever these were called.
And I was a grunt. Joy. Rapture. Feel the love.
I was getting a little sick of wars by then, if you're interested in knowing the reason for my grumpiness.
It was almost automatic. I let the body and memories do their thing, Trask and I working our way through the ship ... Endar Spire ... could have been worse, I guess. Could have been a grunt in an Aliens setting. That would have sucked.
Grenade here, blaster burst there. Alright, the body was in better than good shape. I don't know if it was something that bled over from the Battlemover thing, but this whole aim and pull the trigger bit? Seemed easy enough to do. Especially since the enemy was nice enough to wear armor that, while it may have been somewhat protective, also screamed 'I'm a target, please shoot me!'.
Then the going got rougher, and we were greeted with twin electric hisses that ... well, the sound seemed familiar.
Two Jedi, well, a Jedi and Sith - either that, or those were real fancy glowsticks - were in the process of trying to eviscerate one-another in the middle of a corridor, with blaster bolts flying around and ...
The carabine was at my shoulder, instinct bringing it to bear on the duelling pair, but I couldn't get a shot. And even if I could, there was no guarantee the Sith wouldn't deflect it.
I wanted a railgun, damnit. Then something in my mind went click, my aim shifted, and motion around me seemed to slow down. Trask was about to pull me into cover when a blaster bolt damn near singed the side of my face.
I changed aim, waited an eyeblink until the lightsabers were about the clash ...
And shot the Sith in the foot.
It proved enough a distraction to let the Jedi hit home with a swing of her energy blade ...
Blaster bolt from a Sith trooper rebounding, hitting some volatile material standing against one wall, stretching out a hand ...
Next thing I knew, Trask was pulling me down and momentum of _something_ in motion hitting me was pushing me down at the same time, my carabine was clattering to the floor, my arms were full of female Jedi still squawking in surprise as the part of the hallway she'd been fighting the Sith in was engulfed in the momentary inferno of an explosion.
Okay, reality check. That had felt suspiciously like using the AT Field had back when I'd been wearing a Kaworu suit. Well, similarly enought to that, anyway. I'd just managed telekinesis.
Oh, this was great, I was a Force Sensitive stuck in the middle of a war led by two opposing philosophies on the use of that sort of sensitivity.
Again, could have been worse. Could have ended up as Rand al'Thor.
I dislodged the Jedi from my lap, and managed to get Trask to snap out of his mild daze by virtue of knocking my knuckles against his forehead.
The Jedi was somewhere between stupified, incredulous, and downright inquisitorial towards me ... up to and until I pointed out that this was so much not the time or place for questions.
***
Taris:
"Alright, we've got to get that accelerator from the Black Vulkars. It's the only chance to save Bastilla," Carth said, leading them towards the entrance to the Undercity.
"Somehow, the supposed savior of the Republic getting napped by a gang of street toughs doesn't fill me with confidence," I grumbled. Trask seemed to agree.
***
After rescuing Bastilla:
"... you will look at me when I'm talking to you, soldier!"
"Can't." I muttered.
"Oh, and why, pray tell, can you not?" Bastilla Shan's eyes narrowed.
"Honestly? Because if I did, I'd be overwhelmed by the intense desire to punch your lights out. You're by far the most annoying person I've ever met. And that's saying something, since I've been hanging around Onasi for the past week."
I _think_ Kanna laughed in the background. I _know_ Mission did.
***
Dantooine:
"Ordo, you're in charge," I said, slipping on my combat gear.
"_What_?!" Onasi jerked as if slapped. "You're going to trust the ship to that ... that ... Mandalorian?!"
"No, actually, I'm going to trust it to that mercenary. The fact that he's Mandalorian is just a bonus. Better than putting it in the hands of a revenge blinded idealist."
***
"Wow."
"Ah, I see you realize how grave the situation is. It is fortunate that you managed to convince Juhani to return to the Order," the Jedi Master told me.
I shook my head. "No, I meant I can't believe you're sprouting this sort of bullshit in my face without as much as a twitch of discomfort. You confirm that you basically set up your own student for a severe case of mental trauma and fall to the Dark Side, then used her as a _training excercise_, which could have gotten someone who was by all rights your responsibility killed. Then, you expect me to just keel over and join your little club med without as much as a voice of objection to that ..."
"Now see here ...!"
"I think I do. And I think you never have. Good bye, good riddance, and have a nice life. Preferably a short one."
"Stop!"
Alright, so it was more the three Knights blocking the doorway than the voice of the Master that kept me from strolling out.
"I'm afraid we cannot just let you leave. Someone of your potential going unchecked ... you can imagine the devastation that would occur if the Sith got their hands one you, yes?"
I held up a hand, holding a small cylinder, thumb resting on top of it. "The question you should be asking yourself right now isn't that. It's whether you can imagine the devastation that the explosive charges set throughout the compound will cause when I push this button here."
***
"You threatened to blow up the Enclave," Kanna hissed accusingly.
"Your point being?" I shrugged. "I was merely defending my rights to free will and my own decision. What the hell are you still doing here, anyway? I thought you'd be staying down there with the Queen Bitch."
"Oh, har. Like you're getting rid of me that easy. I still want to know who and what the hell you are, and I'll find out even if it kills me!"
"Wonderful, now calm down or go bug Canderous, I'm trying to navigate here. Or better yet, go talk to Juhani. She could use someone who'd be willing to do that without just passing judgement right now."
***
Tatooine:
"What are _you_ doing here?" Bastilla Shan almost spat.
"Star Map," I replied, brushing past her on the way out of the settlement.
"How did you know about that?!"
"Please, give me some credit. The sort of waves those ruins on Dantooine were putting out? Among other things. I went and checked it out before threatening to go all bang bang on them. It isn't hard to guess why your pretty little Council wanted me muzzled and collared."
***
"Your brother?"
Mission nodded. Damnit. She looked like a kitten who'd just been kicked. I grumbled. I groaned. I sighed in disgust and gave up.
"Alright, alright already. This is coming out of your cut."
***
"A little diplomacy goes a long way," I shrugged.
"I wouldn't call breaking that Tusken's arms and legs as an example of what insults would have you do 'diplomacy'. How the hell did you keep them off you after you did that, anyway?" Trask shook his head.
"Query: I too would like to know that, Master. It seemed a uniquely useful technique." the assassin droid they'd bought at the local trader's place joined in the conversation
"Nothing like a little Absolute Terror effect being put to good use."
Kanna gave me a 'look' that managed to relay disapproval well enough. Shan was far more vocal, and far less welcome.
"You're talking about people, and I use the term loosely, who'd have gladly killed us off and strung us up just because we happen to live in the same world as they do," I deadpanned. "In fact, I distinctly remember quite a few of them trying to do just that. The only thing I regret is that we put in that much effort to save a little shithead like that."
Mission looked away, eyes tearing up, and I received a slap to the back of the head. Juhani was glaring at me.
"You're a bastard, you know that?" the blue Twi'lek girl asked, before turning on her heel and retreating from the main room of the Ebon Hawk.
"Yeah," I sighed. "Yeah, I know."
***
"I know, it's just that ... he's still my brother, you know?" I'd managed to find mission a few minutes later, curled up in a ball, sobbing lightly.
"Not really," I shrugged. "I'm an only child. Look, I was being an ass, but we've got Sith on our tails, who knows what else going after this Star Map thing, everything about the Republic falling apart as we speak ... for better or worse, the crew is my responsibility, and the longer this takes the more of a chance there is of one of you dying. I'd like that not to happen."
"That ... that's no excuse," she said.
"Mission, I'm not going to lie to you just to make you feel better. The Tuskens were fully willing to kill anyone on their so called land. What if one of the crew had died?"
"I know! I know he's not the most honest person out there, I know his scams, but ..." she shivered, and continued in a small voice. "He's the only family I remember having."
***
snip
-Griever
When tact is required, use brute force. When force is required, use greater force.
When the greatest force is required, use your head. Surprise is everything. - The Book of Cataclysm