Star Wars ficlet. From the point of view of a Yuuzhan Vong character
exclusive to New Jedi Order: Force Heretic 1: Remnant by Sean Williams and
Shane Dix.
APPEALING TO YUN-SHUNO
Sh'roth's scream doesn't only appeal to Nom Anor's reflexes, but also to those of the ex-warriors Niiriit Esh and Kunra. Kunra sees the warriors enter the chamber; his room is one of the uppermost in the stairwell. He remembers the last time he faced such strong adversaries, and as before, he turns and flees. Kunra rushes down the stairs, hood drawn up over his scarred head and barges past a startled Nom Anor. He hears the ex- intendant's mutter of "I'pan" and is glad that he is not suspected.
Meanwhile, Niiriit Esh's warrior instincts send her running in the opposite direction to Kunra. She is armed with a coufee and a spear made from the infidels' metal pipes that are so abundant in the lower-levels. She recognises the final whimpers of Sh'roth, the ex-shaper, and feels a stab of irritation that their most important member had to be on guard duty that night. Behind her she hears the other Shamed Ones hastening up the rusty stairs.
Niiriit bursts into the main chamber and surveys the team of warriors sent to destroy them. A pile of rags surrounded by a shining puddle indicate Sh'roth, still by the entrance through which the warriors came. Vuurok I'pan limps to her shoulder as other Shamed Ones begin to file out behind her. The warriors with their amphistaffs and thud bugs survey the rag-tag band with contempt. I'pan whimpers, "How did they find us?"
Niiriit doesn't look at the disfigured face staring up at her. "It must have been Anor," she doesn't want to believe this. However, she is still smarting from embarrassment at the other night.
I'pan cringes. "I'm so sorry for leading him here, Niiriit. I didn't suspect he would have enough standing left on the surface to damage us this way."
This point has not gone unnoticed by Niiriit either, but she cannot reply because the warriors have begun to reach for their thud bugs. There are fifty of them, and only thirty Shamed Ones. The warriors are well armed, befitting their roles as guardians of Yuuzhan-tar. The Shamed Ones are poorly armed, befitting their status as rejects of the gods.
"Where is Kunra?" She asks I'pan, as thud bugs begin to whine towards them. She already knows the answer, but she would like to believe otherwise.
I'pan pauses in drawing his coufee. "I did tell you, Niiriit. Once a deserter, always a deserter." I'pan does sound convincingly regretful.
Niiriit sighs and brings her own yorik coral knife to bear as both parties advance across the dusty floor. She knows many of her fellows have already fallen to the thud bugs, and she also knows that all warriors still stand. A voice cries out, "Esh! The gods will never have you back now, not even your precious Yun-Shuno!" A warrior who once served alongside Niiriit has recognised her. He approaches, amphistaff coiled about one muscular arm. Others around them step back to continue their own battles. Honour does not permit them to intervene.
The huge Yuuzhan Vong male growls down at the comparatively petite Niiriit. "Stealing from Shimrra the Chosen One pays the penalty of death, Sniveller."
Niiriit hesitates, a few paces from him, Stealing? She bluffs, "Surely we took nothing of importance."
The warrior laughs deeply. "Everything is important on Yuuzhan-tar. The war effort requires the service of every last lambent."
Niiriit thinks of Nom Anor. It is likely still his fault that this terror has discovered them, due to his knowledge of supplies on the surface. But she wonders why he is not fighting alongside them if he did not betray them. She thinks of Anor and Kunra and wishes deeply that they were with her.
The amphistaff of the warrior begins to hiss with the joy of battle as he lashes out at her. Niiriit is as well trained as him, though not as well armed. Her coufee can only protect her so far, and though she provides him with a wound that will become an honourable scar, she soon feels the bite of the amphistaff across her cheek.
Niiriit staggers backwards, her hand stroking the blood on her face tenderly. The warrior laughs again and turns away from her as her legs give way beneath her. She screams in frustration as the warriors pull out of the chamber, perfectly satisfied that the poison will soon kill her.
On the stairwell Nom Anor hears Niiriit's cry and pauses, warring with his emotions.
Niiriit can see the misshapen face of Vuurok nearby. There is a gaping wound in his back where the blade of an amphistaff struck. She sighs as the room swirls about her, dissolving in patches into black pits.
She knows she is dying, and she doesn't fear it, for although she has renounced the old ways their discipline stays with her. Thinking of the old ways, however, does bring an unpleasant creeping of doubt along her spine. Or maybe that's just the poison. Niiriit has been a devout believer in the new way, the way of the Jeedai ever since hearing the tale of Vua Rapuung. But now, when the moment to die approaches her, she wonders what will happen to her soul if she dies believing in the Jedi, only to discover that the gods do exist. She remembers the warrior's words, "The gods will never have you back now, not even your precious Yun-Shuno!" Yun-Shuno has never been precious to anyone. She is the goddess and mother of all the Shamed Ones, those who are not favoured by the other gods. But the priests say that if a Shamed One prays to Yun-Shuno enough they will be granted a minor forgiveness by the gods.
Niiriit has never believed this for a moment, but now that she looses control of her body and topples forwards onto the dusty ground she wonders. Unable to move, she lies with her eyes open, the body of I'pan lying in her vision. She knows that even if she renounces her heretical beliefs now the gods will not overlook her life of sin. Niiriit would be smiling if she were able to. Maybe in the next life, Anor.
On the stairwell Nom Anor turns and follows Kunra's path, his inner debate ended.
APPEALING TO YUN-SHUNO
Sh'roth's scream doesn't only appeal to Nom Anor's reflexes, but also to those of the ex-warriors Niiriit Esh and Kunra. Kunra sees the warriors enter the chamber; his room is one of the uppermost in the stairwell. He remembers the last time he faced such strong adversaries, and as before, he turns and flees. Kunra rushes down the stairs, hood drawn up over his scarred head and barges past a startled Nom Anor. He hears the ex- intendant's mutter of "I'pan" and is glad that he is not suspected.
Meanwhile, Niiriit Esh's warrior instincts send her running in the opposite direction to Kunra. She is armed with a coufee and a spear made from the infidels' metal pipes that are so abundant in the lower-levels. She recognises the final whimpers of Sh'roth, the ex-shaper, and feels a stab of irritation that their most important member had to be on guard duty that night. Behind her she hears the other Shamed Ones hastening up the rusty stairs.
Niiriit bursts into the main chamber and surveys the team of warriors sent to destroy them. A pile of rags surrounded by a shining puddle indicate Sh'roth, still by the entrance through which the warriors came. Vuurok I'pan limps to her shoulder as other Shamed Ones begin to file out behind her. The warriors with their amphistaffs and thud bugs survey the rag-tag band with contempt. I'pan whimpers, "How did they find us?"
Niiriit doesn't look at the disfigured face staring up at her. "It must have been Anor," she doesn't want to believe this. However, she is still smarting from embarrassment at the other night.
I'pan cringes. "I'm so sorry for leading him here, Niiriit. I didn't suspect he would have enough standing left on the surface to damage us this way."
This point has not gone unnoticed by Niiriit either, but she cannot reply because the warriors have begun to reach for their thud bugs. There are fifty of them, and only thirty Shamed Ones. The warriors are well armed, befitting their roles as guardians of Yuuzhan-tar. The Shamed Ones are poorly armed, befitting their status as rejects of the gods.
"Where is Kunra?" She asks I'pan, as thud bugs begin to whine towards them. She already knows the answer, but she would like to believe otherwise.
I'pan pauses in drawing his coufee. "I did tell you, Niiriit. Once a deserter, always a deserter." I'pan does sound convincingly regretful.
Niiriit sighs and brings her own yorik coral knife to bear as both parties advance across the dusty floor. She knows many of her fellows have already fallen to the thud bugs, and she also knows that all warriors still stand. A voice cries out, "Esh! The gods will never have you back now, not even your precious Yun-Shuno!" A warrior who once served alongside Niiriit has recognised her. He approaches, amphistaff coiled about one muscular arm. Others around them step back to continue their own battles. Honour does not permit them to intervene.
The huge Yuuzhan Vong male growls down at the comparatively petite Niiriit. "Stealing from Shimrra the Chosen One pays the penalty of death, Sniveller."
Niiriit hesitates, a few paces from him, Stealing? She bluffs, "Surely we took nothing of importance."
The warrior laughs deeply. "Everything is important on Yuuzhan-tar. The war effort requires the service of every last lambent."
Niiriit thinks of Nom Anor. It is likely still his fault that this terror has discovered them, due to his knowledge of supplies on the surface. But she wonders why he is not fighting alongside them if he did not betray them. She thinks of Anor and Kunra and wishes deeply that they were with her.
The amphistaff of the warrior begins to hiss with the joy of battle as he lashes out at her. Niiriit is as well trained as him, though not as well armed. Her coufee can only protect her so far, and though she provides him with a wound that will become an honourable scar, she soon feels the bite of the amphistaff across her cheek.
Niiriit staggers backwards, her hand stroking the blood on her face tenderly. The warrior laughs again and turns away from her as her legs give way beneath her. She screams in frustration as the warriors pull out of the chamber, perfectly satisfied that the poison will soon kill her.
On the stairwell Nom Anor hears Niiriit's cry and pauses, warring with his emotions.
Niiriit can see the misshapen face of Vuurok nearby. There is a gaping wound in his back where the blade of an amphistaff struck. She sighs as the room swirls about her, dissolving in patches into black pits.
She knows she is dying, and she doesn't fear it, for although she has renounced the old ways their discipline stays with her. Thinking of the old ways, however, does bring an unpleasant creeping of doubt along her spine. Or maybe that's just the poison. Niiriit has been a devout believer in the new way, the way of the Jeedai ever since hearing the tale of Vua Rapuung. But now, when the moment to die approaches her, she wonders what will happen to her soul if she dies believing in the Jedi, only to discover that the gods do exist. She remembers the warrior's words, "The gods will never have you back now, not even your precious Yun-Shuno!" Yun-Shuno has never been precious to anyone. She is the goddess and mother of all the Shamed Ones, those who are not favoured by the other gods. But the priests say that if a Shamed One prays to Yun-Shuno enough they will be granted a minor forgiveness by the gods.
Niiriit has never believed this for a moment, but now that she looses control of her body and topples forwards onto the dusty ground she wonders. Unable to move, she lies with her eyes open, the body of I'pan lying in her vision. She knows that even if she renounces her heretical beliefs now the gods will not overlook her life of sin. Niiriit would be smiling if she were able to. Maybe in the next life, Anor.
On the stairwell Nom Anor turns and follows Kunra's path, his inner debate ended.