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Author	Topic: Delurked Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise) Lurker hugs here!
Gabri_Jade Title: Fan Fiction Archive Editor Emeritus Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 12/27/04 3:56am Subject: Delurked Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise) Lurker hugs here! - Date Edited: 6/5/05 10:50am (1 edits total) Edited By: Gabri_Jade
	Title: Sparks Author: Gabri_Jade Timeframe: Somewhere between the Thrawn Trilogy and the Hand of Thrawn duology Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Genre: Vignette, Humor Summary: Luke and Mara (mostly Luke ) deal with noise and sparks. Notes: This is the sequel to my earlier vignette, Noise. Reading Noise first isn't necessary, but it'll probably make more sense that way. For oba, who wanted a sequel and who loves Pilot Luke. Thanks as always to my wonderful evil twin and beta reader, LadyPadme. "Not a word. Not a single word." Mara only grinned at me, her smug expression making words entirely unnecessary. I glared at her, but in true Mara fashion, she appeared completely unimpressed. With a final glower, I turned my eyes back to my work as the worrisome squeal of stressed metal increased. I owed Mara, actually; it had been she who discovered Jaina sitting on top of my X-wing in the hangar bay, service panels opened, tools scattered along the top of the fighter's fuselage, and sparks shooting everywhere. Mara had corralled Jaina (who had apparently been cowed by the sparks, something she hadn't even managed to coax from the Falcon or the Fire with her previous meddling), railed at the Noghri who had been watching Jaina carefully ("Leave it to Solo's daughter to con even a Noghri into letting her play with a starfighter's engine at seven years old," Mara had said with an odd mixture of disgust and admiration), sent them both home, gotten the sparks under control before the X-wing could truly catch on fire, and commed me, telling me I was needed in the hangar right now. Like I said, I owed her. But I wasn't at all sure that I owed her enough to tolerate her standing on the top rung of the X-wing's access ladder, leaning over the cockpit to watch me work and smirking all the while. I cringed as the X-wing let loose a high-pitched hiss. It was the centrifugal vapor fusion and ionization reactor - I knew it, no matter what Mara said. "Where's Artoo when you need him?" I muttered. "In the shop," Mara offered helpfully. "Because Anakin the Younger likes to dismantle mechanical things as much as his sister does." "Thank you," I growled. "You're welcome," Mara said, still grinning. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some help, Luke? I'd be happy to -" "Mara, don't you have something else to be doing right now?" I growled, pulling wires carefully out of my way so that I could get further into the innards of my wailing ship. "No," Mara replied sweetly. From her perch on the access ladder, she leaned further into the cockpit. "Luke, what does this button do?" I glanced back up at her, and paused. "Mara, if you trigger the ejection seat, I swear -" Mara moved her hand away from the ejector control panel (which she recognized perfectly well, I thought grouchily), rested her head on her crossed arms, and regarded me with unbridled amusement. "You swear what? Are Jedi Knights supposed to be swearing in the first place?" "I had to let up on that part of the code," I grumbled, jumping slightly as a sudden spray of sparks erupted from the opened panel before me. Great, just great. "It was the only way you had a chance of getting in." Mara merely continued watching me sideways, her green eyes sparkling. "That's what I like about you, Luke," she said, raising her voice to compensate as my poor X-wing let loose a particularly loud screech. "You're always so thoughtful. Like how you wouldn't let me put a little healthy fear into Jaina after she messed with the Fire, do you remember? 'She's just a child', you said. 'She didn't mean anything by it', you said. 'I'm sure she won't do it again', you said." "Shut up," I muttered under my breath. "What was that, Luke?" Mara called cheerfully over the steadily increasing whine. I tugged viciously at a handful of wire, trying to ignore her, and winced as the starboard S-foil lifted itself two meters, then suddenly slammed back into the wing. Wrong wire. Mara laughed, and for once I didn't pause to marvel over the rare sound. "It's definitely not the servo actuator, Luke. Some mechanic you are." I caught myself grinding my teeth and stopped. Concentrating, I reached for my usual center of calm and found it maddeningly elusive. Which only irritated me all the more, which only made the calm even more elusive, which only irritated me even more . . . What a perfect little example of the seductiveness of the Dark Side, I thought. Yoda would have loved it. I sighed and said a very uncivilized word in my head, one that Aunt Beru had once grounded me for saying aloud. Wouldn't that just be the kicker? Resist Vader, resist Palpatine, resist even my own weaknesses and impatience, but then go to the Dark Side over Jaina's hurting my ship. Not that she'd meant to, I reminded myself - but it was useless. Each straining squeal my X-wing emitted scraped my nerves a little more raw. It was as if my own child was in pain, and I dug a little harder through the wires. "Such a shame I don't have any more of that brandy," Mara observed. "I was on my way to order some more supplies, but, well, I got distracted." I gritted my teeth again and thought another uncouth phrase, one learned early in my military career. If there was one thing that almost every fighter pilot could do as well as fly, it was swear. It had been a hard habit to break, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Luke, that's awful," Mara said, climbing gracefully into the cockpit and kneeling on the seat, leaning over the back of it to watch me more closely. "And I can top it any day of the week." I glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow, and she waved a hand at me dismissively. "Don't broadcast, then. Have you forgotten why Palpatine wanted me in the first place? If you don't want me to hear those dirty fighter pilot thoughts of yours, then shield." She lifted a hand to sweep a long, unbound lock of red hair back behind her ear and said, "Here, I'll hold the wires back. You just get to the control panel." Surprised, I nevertheless let her take the tangle of wire from me. It was easier to reach the controls this way, there was no denying that. I grabbed another spanner, smaller than the one I had been wielding, and got to work, still dodging the occasional spark. The X-wing's strained squeals abruptly rose both in pitch and volume, leaving both of us cringing - then I saw it. A small misalignment, one that no one but an X-wing mechanic would believe could have such a drastic effect. Desperately willing my thoughts away from the hideous screeching, I made the necessary adjustments. The squeal suddenly worsened, to the point that I involuntarily dropped the spanner to cover my ears. Squinting toward Mara, I could see that she'd dropped the wires to do the same, and I had a moment's fear that I'd adjusted the wrong thing. Never mind the irony of turning to the Sith arts over this ship, I thought, what about the irony of the hero of Yavin killing himself and an innocent - annoyingly smug, but still innocent - bystander because he blew up his own ship botching a simple repair? Then the ship bucked, settled, and - thank the Force - quieted. Still shivering from the nerve-eroding noise, I looked at Mara. She was still clinging to the edge of the service panel that she'd grabbed to steady herself when the X-wing had jumped. Looking up to meet my eyes with her own slightly wide ones, she asked, "Is that it? It's not going to start up again?" "Don't think so," I answered, looking warily at my ship's exposed insides. Everything looked as it should, lights blinking in their usual orderly fashion, quiet reigning. "No, I think it's fixed." After one last, tense moment, Mara sighed, her relief mirroring my own. "Okay, I can understand why she wants to play with ships. She's Solo's daughter and your niece; I suppose she couldn't escape those genes entirely. But why in the name of the Force does she always stumble on the noisy malfunctions?" I had no answer for that. Jaina's predilection for these things appeared to be unique. "Did I ever tell you about the time she rigged the Falcon's quad lasers to fire when Han turned on the nav computer? They almost vaped an incoming Duros diplomatic vessel. Leia said that calming down the Duros ambassador took days." Mara laughed for the second time since I'd arrived in the bay, and this time I did take a moment to appreciate the clear, musical sound. She really did need to laugh more often. I almost thought that I'd go through this whole repair mess again just to hear that laugh one more time. Almost. "I don't know how Han and Leia deal with those three, I really don't," Mara said, shaking her head. "Neither do I," I admitted. I closed the X-wing's service panel and gave my ship a last protective pat. "But I have a new appreciation for your idea of putting a little healthy fear into Jaina." Mara grinned at me. No smugness was in her expression this time, only the wicked light of mischief to which I was accustomed. "Come on, then. We'll lock down the ships, go order my supplies, then we can go scare ourselves a few kids." "A few?" I asked curiously. "I thought it was just Jaina this time." "It was," Mara said, climbing back on to the access ladder and descending quickly. "But Jacen was with her when she scrambled the Fire, and wouldn't you like to warn Anakin about what happens to little boys who play with their uncles' astromechs?" I laughed and joined her on the hangar's deck. "You know, Mara, sometimes you have the best ideas." "I know," she said, the smugness back in full force. I laughed again. "Go take care of the Fire, and I'll meet you at the hangar exit." Mara winked at me before heading back to her ship, and I grinned to myself as I turned back to my X-wing, gathering the scattered tools. It really was amazing, what some noise and sparks could inspire. ~~~ -----signature----- Evil Twin of LadyPadme This concept of "wuv" confuses and infuriates us! - Futurama All I can do is be me. Whoever that is. - Bob Dylan Serendipity (Leia-Mara vig) - http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/30178069 !!11!1eleventy
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obaona Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 12/27/04 3:57am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise) - Date Edited: 12/27/04 4:03am (1 edits total) Edited By: obaona
	snags first post, Gabri style [edit] "I had to let up on that part of the code," I grumbled, jumping slightly as a sudden spray of sparks erupted from the opened panel before me. Great, just great. "It was the only way you had a chance of getting in." I love that! Luke always had a ready answer for everything in ANH, even if it wasn't a particularly good one, and I can see him improving over time. Especially when he's very upset about his X-Wing. You know I love this, Gabri. You manage to make Luke such a three dimensional character, instead of just 'calm, Jedi Master'. He was also a pilot, he dreamed of being a pilot his entire youth, and you show that he still loves it here. Albeit in your own, interesting way. I'm so glad you wrote this after I prodded you. I heart it. -----signature----- MS Word is designed by sadists with masochists in mind. - teh atty my recent Atton (KOTOR2) fic: http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/30335989
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kayladie97 Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 12/27/04 10:47am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	Oh, I loved this! I don't think if I was Mara, I could have resisted being a little smug either. Poor, poor Luke! Never mind the irony of turning to the Sith arts over this ship, I thought, what about the irony of the hero of Yavin killing himself and an innocent - annoyingly smug, but still innocent - bystander because he blew up his own ship botching a simple repair? Loved that line! And I also loved Luke cursing to himself in his head. Any chance we get to see the former Emperor's Hand and the Jedi Master striking fear into three precocious kids' hearts? Cause that would be hilarious, I think. And although Leia might protest a bit, I think fellow pilot Han would be right behind the two of them! -----signature----- My new philosophy of life (borrowed from Elvis Presley) "The sun's down and the moon is pretty. It's time to ramble."
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flowerbee Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 12/27/04 10:52am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	what about the irony of the hero of Yavin killing himself and an innocent - annoyingly smug, but still innocent - bystander because he blew up his own ship botching a simple repair? He's so cute. I loved Jaina and the X-wing...too funny. Poor Luke, nobody'll leave him alone!
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 12/27/04 10:54am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	You always do such a great job of portraying Luke and Mara. I loved it! -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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StarFighter5 Registered: Jul '03	Date Posted: 12/27/04 3:25pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	As I said in noise... How cute and funny! Kids, they get into everything, don't they? It fits here too. Are you going to do a follow up? -----signature----- "I hope I slept with you to get the job. if not, then who the hell was that guy?" - Carrie Fisher "Now that I'm a pez and a lego, I shall want for nothing else." -Jeremy Bulloch "Thank you for going to the movies. Especially mine." - George Lucas
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Knight_Aragorn Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 12/27/04 4:10pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	I loved Noise, and this one was just as good. Luke trying to resist the dark side over Jaina tampering with his precious X-Wing - I loved the way Mara was baiting him. Typical Mara - I don't think she could resist such a great opportunity! Wonderful story all up, Gabri_Jade. Love the way you write Luke and Mara in your fics.
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Jedi Trace Title: • SouthEast RSA • FanFiction Manager Registered: Dec '99	Date Posted: 12/27/04 6:40pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	I started smiling as soon as I saw the title & author and haven't stopped yet. Loved it!!! I gritted my teeth again and thought another uncouth phrase, one learned early in my military career. If there was one thing that almost every fighter pilot could do as well as fly, it was swear. It had been a hard habit to break, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Luke, that's awful," Mara said, climbing gracefully into the cockpit and kneeling on the seat, leaning over the back of it to watch me more closely. "And I can top it any day of the week." That had to be my favorite part. A side of L/M that is definitely over-looked. This will be part of a trilogy, right? -----signature----- "Luke Skywalker kicks ass. Next question." - Tom Taylor "Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get." - Leverage
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RebelMom Title: TFF Secretary Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 12/27/04 7:00pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	If I had to pick a favorite part, I'd end up highlighting everything. It was superb. I must thank Oba for getting you to write this. -----signature----- Short Story: Pressure Point http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/26961243/p1/?7 Jacen Solo and Anakin Skywalker - as it should have been. TFF: Cheryl
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JediMaster_Jen Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 12/27/04 7:12pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	This was good. I like Luke's attachment to his precious X-wing. Great writing. -----signature----- "Qui tacet consentit"~~ (silence implies consent) L.A. Lakers--2009 NBA Champions!!! L.A. Dodgers--2009 World Series Champions!! Hopefully!!
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LadyPadme Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Sep '02	Date Posted: 12/27/04 7:15pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	Hugs Mei! Great job with this viggie. Luke torture via Mara is just so much fun. And it's even more fun because we all know that deep down inside for all his exasperation, he loves it too. Who knew he was such a masochist? And just what devilry do the two of them have planned to put the Solo children in their place? I'd like to see that. -----signature----- Evil Twin of Gabri_Jade When a baby smiles the world is happy
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Rivad_Bacar2 Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 12/28/04 10:17am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	Sequel! Sequel! Sequel! Loved it! -----signature----- "Fear God and dread nought."- Admiral Sir Jackie Fisher, First Sea Lord, His Majesty's Navy 1909 Rivad_Bacar: X-wing pilot and diehard romantic.
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Gabri_Jade Title: Fan Fiction Archive Editor Emeritus Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 12/29/04 10:37pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	oba: snags first post, Gabri style LOL! Silly girl. Luke always had a ready answer for everything in ANH, even if it wasn't a particularly good one, and I can see him improving over time. Exactly! Luke always was a smart aleck. Maturity doesn't cure that - only refines it. I definitely agree that Luke is more than a calm Jedi Master, and that he'd always be a pilot at heart. Albeit in your own, interesting way. Hmmmm . . . kayladie97: No, Mara definitely could not resist being smug. As far as Luke and Mara intimidating the three junior troublemakers, some things are better left to the imagination. I do think that Han siding with Luke and Mara is a safe bet, though. flowerbee: Poor Luke, nothing. It was his turn. Glad you liked it! VaderLVR64: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. StarFighter5: It fits here too. That it does. Are you going to do a follow up? Difficult to say. Always in motion, the future is. Knight_Aragorn: Hey, Luke loves that ship. Thank you so much! Jedi Trace: That's so sweet! Thank you. That had to be my favorite part. A side of L/M that is definitely over-looked. I'd have to agree. This will be part of a trilogy, right? That would be fitting, wouldn't it? RM: Thank you so much! Yes, do thank oba. I'd never given a second thought to a Noise sequel before she mentioned it. JediMaster_Jen: Thank you! I really appreciate it. Jieh: Luke torture via Mara is just so much fun. And it's even more fun because we all know that deep down inside for all his exasperation, he loves it too. Who knew he was such a masochist? LOL! It's so true, too. Thank you! Rivad: waves Hey, Rivad! Glad you liked it. Thank you, everyone! Your feedback is much appreciated. -----signature----- Evil Twin of LadyPadme This concept of "wuv" confuses and infuriates us! - Futurama All I can do is be me. Whoever that is. - Bob Dylan Serendipity (Leia-Mara vig) - http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/30178069 !!11!1eleventy
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talkingbanana Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 12/29/04 10:48pm Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	Absolutely brilliant turn-around on "Noise." (Don't remember if I posted on that one too, but rest assured that I read it.) Keep up the great work! -----signature----- How? Myn/Lara one-shot, Betrayal, slight AU http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28175766/p1/?0 Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness. - Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms
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Leia Registered: Aug '98	Date Posted: 12/30/04 8:03am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	You're an amazing writer, Gabri_Jade. You really should be more prolific. Glancing at your profile, you have, what, about 15 fanfics? C'mon, obaona has nearly 100! impatiently snaps fingers twice Let's go, young lady, you have a lot of catching up to do! I loved this, of course. I mean, really, who can get enough of L/M banter? ... That's what I thought--no one. -----signature----- Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. (Roald Dahl)
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TKeira_Lea Registered: Oct '02	Date Posted: 12/30/04 11:12am Subject: RE: Sparks (L/M vignette, sequel to Noise)
	Ooooooo - Kima mia! How fabulous! Mara had corralled Jaina (who had apparently been cowed by the sparks, something she hadn't even managed to coax from the Falcon or the Fire with her previous meddling), railed at the Noghri who had been watching Jaina carefully ("Leave it to Solo's daughter to con even a Noghri into letting her play with a starfighter's engine at seven years old," Mara had said with an odd mixture of disgust and admiration), The thought of that just sent me into uncontrollable laughter Man oh man - you got little Jaya right. "In the shop," Mara offered helpfully. "Because Anakin the Younger likes to dismantle mechanical things as much as his sister does." Anakin the Younger! Heehee! We forget she knew Anakin the Older, eh? "No," Mara replied sweetly. From her perch on the access ladder, she leaned further into the cockpit. "Luke, what does this button do?" I glanced back up at her, and paused. "Mara, if you trigger the ejection seat, I swear -" Mara moved her hand away from the ejector control panel (which she recognized perfectly well, I thought grouchily), rested her head on her crossed arms, and regarded me with unbridled amusement. Oh my! wipes eyes What a perfect Mara as a woman taunting a man moment. "You swear what? Are Jedi Knights supposed to be swearing in the first place?" "I had to let up on that part of the code," I grumbled, jumping slightly as a sudden spray of sparks erupted from the opened panel before me. Great, just great. "It was the only way you had a chance of getting in." And no relief from the Mara torment. "Come on, then. We'll lock down the ships, go order my supplies, then we can go scare ourselves a few kids." Okay I'm going to ask - Can we have this scene too? Wonderful job again. Considering Noise was one of my all time faves I was very excited to find this little addition. -----signature----- http://www.lominalecantina.com Dark Journey, the EU's version of a head fake current fanfic ~ Return to Bolis Island http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/29571370/p1/?19
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