{"id":435,"date":"2012-07-20T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2012-07-20T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/?p=435"},"modified":"2012-07-20T09:53:48","modified_gmt":"2012-07-20T14:53:48","slug":"the-new-jedi-order-siege-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/?p=435","title":{"rendered":"The New Jedi Order: Siege – Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cJedi Lusp,\u201d Kryi Rinnet called tightly from the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s starfighter coordinator station. \u201cMultiple traces in high atmosphere and falling like meteors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr rocks,\u201d Kativie said tightly. Here they come.<\/em> \u201cGet our starfighters in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready scrambling them, sir,\u201d Kryi said. \u201cBut some of them will get through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kat merely nodded.<\/p>\n

The Yuuzhan Vong fleet, still blockading off Iridonia from the rest of the galaxy, had been irrelevant to much of the conflict since the Vong\u2019s second landing attempt\u2014largely due to the impressive fighter screen Kryi had carefully maintained and coordinated. Kat knew the coordinator\u2019s work had often gone almost completely unnoticed due to her effectiveness. The squadrons had made resupply of the Yuuzhan Vong forces virtually impossible.<\/p>\n

The squadrons had been maintained in a dozen hangars around Rak\u2019Edalin, virtually all of them subterranean with only launch tubes exposed. The concealment had kept them from falling to most of the Yuuzhan Vong\u2019s attempts to neutralize the fighter groups by ground strikes, artillery, and coralskipper strafing runs.<\/p>\n

The Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s turbolaser raking had, unintentionally, collapsed most of the launch tubes around the city.<\/p>\n

Squadrons of starfighters were straggling into position, but it was clear there wouldn\u2019t be enough to intercept the transports and coralskippers now in a screaming dive from orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun the numbers for me,\u201d Kat ordered. \u201cTheir estimated strength, and ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Estimates of friendly and enemy forces flickered in a corner of the hologram. Kat looked at them, mentally calculated strengths and weaknesses. The Rak\u2019Edalin squadrons were finely-honed and seasoned by the long campaign against the Vong, and their pilots couldn\u2019t be better. Their starfighters were battle-worthy, even if they were not at one hundred percent maintenance. Ordinance was in limited supply, but the fighters now scrambling to meet the Vong forces carried almost everything available.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the coralskippers falling down the well were well-replenished. Their pilots had been faced with inaction and, in their limited engagements, been beaten badly and demoralized. Their numbers were superior for the first time in the Iridonian theater, but their previous defeats were making them tentative, unsure, and reluctant to engage.<\/p>\n

But the numbers didn\u2019t lie.<\/p>\n

Kat eyed the falling contacts, judged they were coming largely from the north. \u201cRinnet, order the squadrons into a full-boost climb to the south. When they pass the Vong\u2019s altitude, they\u2019re to swing back and pounce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kryi raised an eyebrow at Kat but issued the orders.<\/p>\n

The Jedi stretched out to the Force, looking for guidance. The few Rak\u2019Edalin squadrons that had made it into the air were climbing hard south, even as the Vong descended. In previous engagements, the defending starfighters climbed straight towards the Vong and engaged with the temporary disadvantages of speed and altitude, counting on superior firepower and numbers to overcome.<\/p>\n

Now, with the fighters climbing to the south, Rak\u2019Edalin lay open.<\/p>\n

The Force gave Kativie no guidance, and she prayed that meant she was pursuing the correct course of action.<\/p>\n

The two opposing aerial forces passed each other in altitude. The Rak\u2019Edalin squadrons looped around, beginning their pursuit.<\/p>\n

The Yuuzhan Vong craft had the advantage in initial velocity due to their long descent. The starfighters, however, had the advantage of energy shields to dissipate heat, allowing them a much higher atmospheric speed without burning up.<\/p>\n

The Yuuzhan Vong\u2019s coral craft were over Rak\u2019Edalin by the time the Iridonian squadrons again reached firing range. Laserfire and plasma balls flashed back and forth across the sky, a brilliant lightshow punctuated by explosions as starfighters and coralskippers began to fall.<\/p>\n

Kat closed her eyes. She knew the squadrons would be unable to stop the scattered transports from landing in the burnt remains of the city, but she wouldn\u2019t make it easy on them.<\/p>\n

The Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s turbolasers fired, but it wasn\u2019t the steady boom-boom-boom<\/em> of salvo fire. Instead, individual weapons fired, tracking the Vong transports carefully amidst the rolling clouds of starfighters and coralskippers.<\/p>\n

A handful of transports fell to the ground as flaming boulders, but the majority made a hasty landfall, almost impossible to distinguish from debris by sensors alone. The starfighters continued their dogged battle with the coralskippers, but the skips were unwilling to stay and fight once their charges had made it to ground.<\/p>\n

As the Vong fighters retreated for space and the Iridonians returned to their hangers to refuel and rearm, Kativie had to wonder if she had made the right decision. Is the Force guiding me? Or am I drowning in the dark side, and it can\u2019t reach me?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Jedi Knight fought the deep-seated rage she could feel, deep in her heart. The Yuuzhan Vong had cost her, personally, so much: her children and her brothers, so many of her friends and allies. She no longer felt certain her husband or sister-in-law still lived. It\u2019s not Jedi to hate<\/em>, she told herself. Let it go.<\/em><\/p>\n

But she couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

When I touch the Force, am I still a Jedi? Have I become a Sith and not noticed? <\/em>If she were slipping to the dark side, she would hardly be the first Jedi to do so in this long, long war. More than a few young Jedi Knights\u2014mostly younger than herself\u2014had tapped the awesome powers of darkness as a weapon against the extragalactic invaders. Most of them had less reason than she herself did to want vengeance upon the Yuuzhan Vong: they had lost homes and possessions, whereas she had watched them rip her family apart.<\/p>\n

Tenatively, she reached out for the Force, but she wasn\u2019t sure if the warmth she felt of its energy was the brilliance of the light\u2026or the heat of her own anger.<\/p>\n

The scopes were clear of contacts now, and Kativie felt a sense of unease. What will the Vong do next? Attack us with their army again\u2014whatever\u2019s left of it, at any rate? Will they bring their warships down from orbit to attack the <\/em>Cathleen and our ground forces? Will they strike somewhere else on Iridonia?<\/em><\/p>\n

Think, Kativie, <\/em>think. You\u2019re a Sanshir and a Jedi Knight. If anyone can hold the line against the Vong, it\u2019s you.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJedi Lusp?\u201d a voice interrupted her thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d Kativie said, her head snapping up and around to look at the comm officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSir, we\u2019re receiving a hail\u2026from the Vong commander.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie frowned. \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think they used anything that would work with our comm systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, sir\u2014all I know is that he wants to talk to the, uh, warmaster of the infidel forces.\u201d The comm officer tried to hide her embarrassment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019m as infidel as they come,\u201d Kativie said with a confident smirk that she didn\u2019t feel. \u201cPatch him through.\u201d<\/p>\n

A full-size hologram of a heavily-tattooed Yuuzhan Vong warrior swam into existence. Kativie recognized him immediately. \u201cCommander Triak Kraal, I presume,\u201d she said, her smirk far more genuine this time.<\/p>\n

The Yuuzhan Vong seemed to study her intensely before recognition dawned in his alien eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s you<\/em>. Nylah, the traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you can see,\u201d Kativie said cheerfully, \u201cI played you for the sucker you are. You Vong are too easy to trick\u2014there\u2019s no challenge or sport in it.\u201d Get him mad so he\u2019s not thinking.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, that plan assumed she wasn\u2019t too angry to think straight herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour treachery has not been forgotten, little one. I will dispatch you to the gods myself. Your death will be without honor or mercy. You shall know nothing but pain<\/em> for the last days of your life,\u201d he ground out. \u201cYour entire race will be exterminated, but I will start with you. I will slaughter all you hold dear, sacrifice them upon the priests\u2019 alters, and then disembowel you and leave your carcass to rot in a pit of soulless machines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie\u2019s eyes narrowed. \u201cYou won\u2019t be exterminating or sacrificing anyone. Your forces have been beaten. It\u2019s over<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vong commander laughed. \u201cYou are not worthy of my time\u2014I demand to speak with my equal. Where is your warmaster, the Sanshir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother, the Ul\u2019akhoi, is dead,\u201d Kativie said evenly. \u201cDied to one of your<\/em> poisons. I\u2019d expect nothing else from a cowardly race, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vong seemed to ignore her insults. \u201cThen I demand to speak with his successor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be me,\u201d Kativie said.<\/p>\n

Triak Kraal snorted. \u201cAn honorless child-bearer?\u201d he asked dismissively. \u201cYou are no warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie\u2019s eyes narrowed. How dare he! <\/em>\u201cI am a Jedi Knight,\u201d the Zabrak spat, \u201cand the scion of a line of warriors. It is you<\/em>, a worthless and inept Vong, who is unworthy to speak with me.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vong seemed taken aback for a moment. \u201cSo, you Jeedai<\/em> forgo the path of war to instead pursue trickery and deception unworthy of a true warrior.\u201d He pondered for a moment before adding, \u201cI should have known such deception was your nature. You likely slew your own kin to rise in rank, and now blame his death upon us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you call to surrender, or is this just a social chat?\u201d Kativie asked sharply, her patience thin. \u201cYour forces are surrounded and cut off from your fleet. Your army, such as it is, is outnumbered five to one by my Zabrak warriors. The war for Iridonia is over, and you have lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave I? My fleet is in orbit, prepared to rain death upon you. Your army stands prepared for battle against mine, yes, but your estimate of our strength is badly mistaken.\u201d The Vong commander exuded confidence\u2014enough so to make Kativie wonder if the Vong had found some way to neutralize the Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s attack the night before. \u201cI call you now, Jeedai<\/em>, to make a challenge\u2014a challenge of personal honor to combat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Triak\u2019s tone took on a distinct distaste, reminding Kativie of her children when they were forced to eat a meal they disliked. \u201cYour warmaster and I have fought a long battle here, a battle between tacticians and warriors. We exchanged our attacks, our feints, our parries and blocks, through the lives and movements of our warriors. We both stand bloodied from this war, and it is only fitting to finally meet my foe face-to-face to prove superiority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now you\u2019ll never get the opportunity,\u201d Kativie said with contempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he has died a coward\u2019s death,\u201d Triak continued coolly, as though the Jedi had not interrupted, \u201cI now issue the challenge to the one who has taken his position. Apparently you, the Jeedai<\/em> and spy,\u201d he spat. \u201cSo now, Jeedai<\/em>, I challenge you to meet me upon the field of combat. You and your second, me and my second. One fight to the death.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie snorted, trying to choke back her rage. \u201cAnd what happens if I win? You surrender?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will do no such thing\u2014I would be dead.\u201d The Vong smirked at her. \u201cAnd the Yuuzhan Vong under my command would never obey such an order. This is about personal honor, Jeedai<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie turned the idea over in her head. The Yuuzhan Vong commander had led his army capably throughout the bloody campaign. From what she knew of the Yuuzhan Vong, he likely didn\u2019t have a successor ready, and striking him down could potentially throw the Vong invaders into enough confusion to overwhelm them before they could strike coherently at Iridonia\u2019s defenses again.<\/p>\n

Halyn would never back down from this challenge<\/em>, she told herself. He\u2019d take it as an opportunity to strike the head from the serpent. This would have been exactly the sort of chance he\u2019d be waiting for at this stage in the game. The Vong are beaten for now, but if Triak actually does have more forces on the ground than we know about, taking advantage of this could give us time to win the war.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI accept,\u201d Kativie said sharply. \u201cWhere, and when?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the sun touches the horizon this day,\u201d the Vong said. \u201cWhere your Zabrak Council met, before you immolated it. Just you and your second.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d Kativie bit out. \u201cI\u2019ll kill you soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yuuzhan Vong warrior nodded curtly at her, then faded away as he broke the connection.<\/p>\n

Kativie turned around and found herself face-to-belly with a very large Wookiee. She had to take a step backward before she could look up far enough to see the other\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Anishor?\u201d she asked sweetly.<\/p>\n

<What are you doing?> Anishor asked her in disbelief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to kill the Vong commander at sundown,\u201d Kativie replied cheerfully. \u201cThere\u2019s only one person on the planet that could do it more reliably than me, but I\u2019m pretty sure he\u2019d take it as an insult if I sent you<\/em> in my place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wookiee growled. <This is not the action of a Jedi Knight.><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m acting to defend Iridonia,\u201d Kativie justified. \u201cHe challenged me, not the other way around, so I\u2019m not acting in aggression. I may not be the best Jedi to ever come out of Yavin IV, but I\u2019m still toeing the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wookiee leaned over her and sniffed deeply. His blue eyes were troubled and his voice was much quieter when he rumbled, <I sense darkness in you, little one.><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always straight to the point, aren\u2019t you? No small talk, no easing into a subject, just a face full of blasterfire.\u201d Kativie said irritably.<\/p>\n

<Why are you so eager to fight this one?> Anishor asked her. <Halyn has beaten the Yuuzhan Vong with his final moments\u2014it is the legacy he has left you. You can finish this war and help Rak\u2019Edalin rebuild, but now you\u2019re taking a chance to fight a battle that doesn\u2019t need to be fought.<\/em>><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where you\u2019re wrong,\u201d Kativie said coolly. \u201cThe battle isn\u2019t over. The Vong battle fleet is hanging over our heads, and the Vong might have a lot more warriors out there then we know about. We used the storm sewer system to attack them before\u2014they might have taken cover there en masse and survived. If I strike now, I can take the head off the Vong army and throw them into disarray long enough to ensure<\/em> we win this war.\u201d<\/p>\n

<At what cost to yourself?> the Wookiee asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalyn was willing to sacrifice everything for Iridonia,\u201d Kativie retorted. \u201cYou could argue he did<\/em> sacrifice everything. He set the example for me to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

<Yes, he did sacrifice everything,> Anishor agreed. <But tell me, Kat, did he know he was dying?><\/p>\n

The Jedi nodded silently.<\/p>\n

<He sacrificed everything knowing his time was coming,> Anishor said. <I know your brother as well as anyone, and I think I finally understand what his battle plan was.><\/p>\n

Kativie\u2019s eyebrows went up. \u201cYou think you know something about his plans that I don\u2019t?\u201d she asked skeptically.<\/p>\n

<Yes. Halyn made the hard decisions that he didn\u2019t think you would be capable of,> Anishor said bluntly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat I wouldn\u2019t be capable of?\u201d Kativie repeated, her jaw dropped open. \u201cWhat, did he think I was too weak to do what we had to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

<Far from it. He feared what those decisions would do to you,> Anishor parried. <You are a Jedi Knight, a servant of the Force and bound by ethics to keep you from falling to the dark side. He was no Force user, and dying as he was, he was no longer concerned about his reputation. Think for a moment, Kativie, about what he chose to do.><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I follow,\u201d she said, puzzling over his logic.<\/p>\n

<Your brother assumed the reins of power and ordered Rak\u2019Edalin held at any cost. He indirectly conscripted Zabraks into the ranks of the warriors by disallowing civilians to evacuate. He oversaw a long and bloody campaign of street and house-to-house fighting throughout the entire city. He ordered buildings burned to the ground and supplies destroyed when they were about to fall into enemy hands.> Anishor\u2019s tone was even as he described the Ul\u2019akhoi\u2019s orders. <He willingly invited Yuuzhan Vong assassins into the Cathleen<\/em>. He put the Zabrak Council in the line of fire. And finally, he ordered the entire city razed in an attempt to eradicate the Vong invasion.><\/p>\n

The Wookiee spread his arms wide. <He sacrificed everything about himself\u2014his name, his legacy, his fame, his position\u2014in an attempt to protect Iridonia. He gave orders that would have sent you as a Jedi Knight or me as a berserker straight into the arms of the dark side. He knew he was dying, so he sacrificed everything to protect Iridonia, and to protect you<\/em>.> The Wookiee growled. <Now, will you throw away his sacrifice by pursuing this?><\/p>\n

Kativie\u2019s head spun. Did Halyn really do all that?<\/em> Every decision Halyn had made she had understood at the time, and had agreed with. Now, though, with the clarity of hindsight\u2026He did do a lot of things that would send a Jedi to the dark side<\/em>, she reluctantly realized. And when this is all over, I don\u2019t know if history will remember Halyn as a hero or a villain. <\/em><\/p>\n

<So please, Kativie, abandon this pursuit. Do not face the Yuuzhan Vong commander. I don\u2019t doubt you will, but it will undo you.><\/p>\n

Kativie slowly shook her head. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Anishor, but if Halyn was willing to sacrifice everything for Iridonia, I can do nothing less until the Vong are wiped out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wookiee closed his eyes, then turned and walked away without another word.<\/p>\n

The Jedi wasn\u2019t particularly sensitive to emotions and thoughts\u2014that was Kelta\u2019s specialty\u2014but she could feel two emotions clinging to the Wookiee like water to his fur: sadness\u2026and resolve.<\/p>\n

Kativie decided she didn\u2019t want to ponder the possibilities, and as soon as the turbolift doors slid shut and cut him off from view, she washed him from her mind to concentrate on the matters at hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need a second,\u201d she said aloud. She looked around the bridge. \u201cSenator Alari, would you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be my honor,\u201d the ex-mercenary said with a deep bow. \u201cI represent all Zabraks to the New Republic\u2014it seems fitting I would do so to the Yuuzhan Vong, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kativie nodded. \u201cPerfect. Rinnet?\u201d<\/p>\n

The starfighter coordinator came to attention, though her stance was weary.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I beat the Vong commander, bad things are going to happen,\u201d Kativie said dryly. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to take it well. Our battle line is going to stay firmly entrenched here, around the Cathleen<\/em>, which should make it impossible for the Vong to penetrate. However, there\u2019s the big issue of the fleet overhead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kryi nodded. \u201cAnd the skips they\u2019ll be sending down after us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. I know we probably won\u2019t be able to clear the launch tunnels around Rak\u2019Edalin in time, but at sundown we\u2019ll need every fighting ship we can find in the air and ready to go. Starfighters, obviously, but every smuggler\u2019s freighter, every corvette, every airskiff with a laser cannon needs to be manned and in the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we attack them in space, or wait for them to come to us?\u201d Kryi asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want them to get too near any of our cities,\u201d the Jedi said, \u201cbut we have a maneuvering advantage in atmosphere. I\u2019ll leave the final decision up to you, but I would recommend letting them drop far enough inside atmosphere to give our fighters the advantage before attacking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we could get every fighter in the air,\u201d Kryi warned, \u201cit wouldn\u2019t be enough to stop that armada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not expecting you to manage that,\u201d Kat reassured her. \u201cBut do what you can. The Cathleen<\/em>\u2019s heavy turbolasers should do a number on anything that gets close\u2014I doubt their biggest ships can make landfall\u2014and the rest of the cities have shield and turbolaser defenses ready to go, and even if they\u2019re not up to what Rak\u2019Edalin\u2019s specs were, they\u2019ll be enough to make the Vong think twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d was all Kryi would say.<\/p>\n

Kat shrugged. \u201cOur options are limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is it, then,\u201d Li Coden spoke from a corner of the bridge. Kativie looked over at him in mild surprise\u2014she hadn\u2019t sensed his arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalyn all but won this war for us,\u201d Kativie said. \u201cIt\u2019s up to us now to push Iridonia across the final line to victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cost us a lot,\u201d Li grunted.<\/p>\n

Kat didn\u2019t want to think about it\u2014she\u2019d already considered it once while speaking with Anishor. Her heart ached for her children, for her brothers, for her friends, but she forced the pain away. Mourn when it\u2019s done<\/em>, she told herself. The Force will sustain you for now. When the war is over, you can afford emotion. Not now.<\/em> \u201cYes, it has,\u201d Kativie conceded aloud. \u201cBut by standing our ground, we can see victory is within our grasp.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jedi looked around the bridge. \u201cMany of you are here because you were loyal to my brother, Halyn, and to the causes he fought for. Some of you are here because you don\u2019t want to see Iridonia fall to the invasion\u2014which was Halyn\u2019s final cause. I am here because I love this world and the Zabraks who live here, and I\u2019ll do anything to save them from the horror of a Vong victory here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She swallowed. \u201cSo this is it\u2014this is our final stand, our last battle to defend Iridonia. Do not falter, and we can and will win freedom, and show the galaxy at large that the Yuuzhan Vong are beatable. We can do what even Coruscant could not\u2014withstand the full strength of the Vong. So, I ask you,\u201d she finished, unsnapping her lightsaber and holding it aloft over her head before igniting the blade, \u201cstand with me as you would with Halyn. Join me for this one last battle, and Iridonia will be free of the Vong.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cJedi Lusp,\u201d Kryi Rinnet called tightly from the Cathleen\u2019s starfighter coordinator station. \u201cMultiple traces in high atmosphere and falling like meteors.\u201d \u201cOr rocks,\u201d Kativie said tightly. Here they come. \u201cGet our starfighters in the air.\u201d \u201cAlready scrambling them, sir,\u201d Kryi … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-njo-siege"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p52rlt-71","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=435"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":443,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435\/revisions\/443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writingunderduress.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}