The Pincer of fate - march challenge response (Fin)

[Dartha Athanth]

The Pincer of Fate

 

in response to:

 

1) Write a challenge response taking more than one challenge. Take as many challenges as you want. Skye did three last month. Can you top that?

 

2) Pick a character. Decide what their favorite food is. WRITE A STORY ABOUT THAT CHARACTER AND THEIR FAVORITE FOOD. Yay!

 

3) Black, menthol, high, stone, front. (Contain in story)

 

 

5) Write a short story about two enemies forced to work together.

 

6) "He'd never saw the ocean that way before..." Finish the sentence/thought, carry on.

 

 

Whee! Hi Guys I guess I'll be around Jnet more often now, because I'll be going to the US for college and so posting hours will be more in sync with the rest of y'all!

 

Enjoy!

 

-Darsha

 

 

++++++++++++++++++++++

 

 

He'd never seen that ocean that way before. From the bottom up, it looked as if he was encased in a sapphire, or frozen into an ice cube that hadn't frozen completely at its core. Without the extreme temperature, of course. But still, it was refreshing to be walking beneath the waves, like he'd just swallowed a liter of menthol. The waters of Mon Calamari had been so deep that even light was swallowed up.

 

The sand beneath his feet swirled around him as he stalked the Cwabs. They were crustaceans with huge appendages that tasted delicious when stir-fried with black pepper, and he liked to have buns to mop up the remaining gravy. It was definitely one of his favourite foods of all time - beating even calamari rings.

 

Ackbar sighed in the middle of his reverie at the thought. If only he weren't a slave..

 

But at least Tarkin had a taste for the Cwabs on Sepoure. And only Ackbar knew the technique of catching them so that they were still alive and kicking and juicy for the pot. And of course only Ackbar could survive underwater, having come from Mon Calamari. He could only hope that Tarkin would leave him some after he had feasted on the Cwabs.

 

Spotting movement in the sand, Ackbar reached out with a pair of tongs and brought the struggling Cwab to his face, where it waved its fearsome (to prey, at least) mandibles threateningly. Frowning in concentration, he opened the special hatch in the basket that could allow the Cwab in without letting all the others out. This one put up much of a struggle, and he was sorry to see it lose an eye in the struggle against the front of the hatch. But at least the eye was not a delicacy as compared to its succulent meat. He quickly completed the rest of his task and set out to Tarkin's mansion perched on the high cliff overlooking the majestic sea.

 

++++++

 

Tarkin sat in his chair of state, still as stone, contemplating the thoughts that ran through his head. He was a genius, of course, and everyone knew it. He turned to look, as his cringing personal slave brought in a platter full of steaming Cwabs, stir-fried with black pepper, with a side dish of the best barq buns. It had been forbidden to eat them on the sly before he did by a watchful security droid. Now here was an example of his genius.

 

Tarkin gently wiped his hands on the wet towel proffered. Taking a Cwab pincer in one hand, he gently cracked open the shell, letting steam wisp off into the golden air. His eyes noticed the slave's expression; as expected. He turned with a slight smile to it.

 

++++++

 

"Now.. Ackbar, was it?" The Master said ever so gently. Ackbar looked up in surprise. "It's impossible for me to finish all these by myself. Why don't you just take three or so and a couple of those barq buns?"

 

Ackbar felt his face light up in delight as he stared at the smoke falling out in wreaths from the steaming dish..

 

++++++

 

Tarkin snorted ever so slightly as Ackbar hurriedly trotted away with his prize. Fool! He had tried to run away, years before, and when the security droids had caught him on his way out of Tarkin's chambers, he was unrepentant and rebellious. Till Tarkin's researchers had stumbled upon the Sepoure Cwab”¦

 

Entirely harmless to humans, it had powerful effects upon the Mon calamari, dulling their willingness to fight, and utterly addictive. And thus Tarkin had retained control over the slave, even though he suspected it was from the warrior caste. The slight resentment that the slave felt towards him was a testament to the utter power of the will of the slave, but even that could not fight the Cwab fully.

 

And Mon calamari was now a planet of slaves, churning out goods and weapons for the Empire.

 

Tarkin toasted his own success with a Cwab pincer, as the comm unit crackled and the holographic image of an Imperial captain appeared. "Sir, we are pleased to announce the destruction of the final bastion of rebels on the moon of Endor, made possible by the Death Star's laser."

 

"Well done, Captain," Tarkin said, switching off the comm unit and savouring the rest of his Cwab meal.

Edited April 10, 2008 by Guest

[Skywalker_Heir]

That was most certainly an interesting post.

 

I liked it, even if Ackbar was suddenly nothing more than a cwab junkie.

 

Cwab cracked me up, too. =p

[NavyGal]

Wow Darsha I missed your writing! Nice work... It made me laugh. hahaha cwabs... hehehe.!

[Amidala Skywalker]

Good work, Darsha!! There were a few things here and there--grammar things mostly. I LOVED the use of the challenges. That had to have been difficult to fit them all in! And I really liked the premise of Ackbar when he was still a slave to Tarkin. Not a time period I've ever seen used before. Great work!

 

I don't think you needed those breaks at all. And of course, cwab is amusing.

[Dartha Athanth]

Whoa so many replies in one night! (or day) I meant this piece to be darkly humourous and I'm glad you enjoyed the Cwabs - it's one of my fav foods too! I was going to add in the challenge about an onlooker not being in the story, but had no idea how to reconcile it with "He'd never seen the ocean that way before."

 

S_H: Well he is, so the Alliance never won. And you have to crack the Cwab to get at it too!

 

NG: Woohoo thanks! I missed my own writing too.

 

Ami: Ok grammar is my worst component in English (and I'm teaching it now -_-) Haha 'menthol' was the hardest thing to add in because I have no idea what it is beyond being connected to mentos. (is it?) The breaks are just to denote a change in viewpoint, i think.

 

Thanks everybody!

[Tiana Calthye]

Welcome back to Jedi.net! Impressive response, too. I can't believe I put the word menthol in there. (dies) Sorry about that, I'm not quite sure what I was on...

 

I'm actually working on a mass challenge response myself, with even more than six responses. Actually, you can add the first Febuary challenge to this list because you wrote an AU.

 

I liked your opening paragraph. Excellent use of the words. And like Ami--I've never seen this time period used before. Excellent.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

It tok me a while to figure out what was going on, but that was because you revealed the story in an interesting way.

Cool.

 

Tiana, were you on.... menthol?

[Tiana Calthye]

It tok me a while to figure out what was going on, but that was because you revealed the story in an interesting way.

Cool.

 

Tiana, were you on.... menthol?

That's the thing. I haven't had menthos in ages. O_o

 

...Ohhh. I know where it came from. I have a bottle of Vicks in my room.

 

Dude. YOU should write a challenge response or two.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

Am thinking about it. I have so much writing to do... So many ideas...

 

drowns in unwritten fic ideas

 

glub

[Dartha Athanth]

glubglubglubglub.

 

thanks guys! Haha these cahllenges are really rather stimulating, tiana! Waa i thought 6 would be enough! HAha now at least there's an imperative to strive harder muahahhaha! Hi ATS nice to meet you!