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Author	Topic: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread
Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:33pm Subject: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/28/08 8:32am (15 edits total) Edited By: The_Face
	Hello and welcome to the 2008 Beyond the Saga Awards Excerpt Thread. Here you’ll find samples of the stories you all decided are this year’s best. And once more, here are the nominees… QUALIFYING LIST OF NOMINATIONS Genre Best Alternate Universe Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Beloved Deceiver by VaderLVR64 Act of Mercy by PonyTricks Best Canon Completely Irrational by Knight_Aragorn Many Happy Returns by Tahi Severed Hand by YodaKenobi Unfamiliar by Myriad_Daydreams Best Action Tyranny Reborn by Rigil Kent Heaven Falls by Darth_Marrs Die, Jacen Solo Die by Tahi Have Blaster, Will Travel by Quiet_Mandalorian Dark Revelations by star_writer24 Best Drama Die, Jacen Solo, Die! by Tahi Red Sky by Lonewolf89 Exodus by YodaKenobi Many Happy Returns by Tahi Shattered Remembrance by Jedi-2B Mom, I Need You by Jaya Solo Best Romance Perfectly Normal by Gabri_Jade He Said, She Said by VaderLVR64 A Glimmer Past Twilight by LadyPadme The Talk by Tahi Best Humor The Ridiculously Concise Romantic Luke/Mara Epic of Epic Proportions by furrylittlebantha Blue Ghost Hunters by PonyTricks Wookiee Wisdom by VaderLVR64 Never Too Old by Jaya Solo Best All Around Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Shattererd Remembrance by Jedi-2B The Eternal War by padawanlost The Marriage of True Minds by divapilot A Glimmer Past Twilight by LadyPadme Many Happy Returns by Tahi Style Most Underrated Grown and Still Growing by Alexis_Wingstar Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of the Chosen One by mrjop2 Discoveries by corran2 Making A Life by zonzo Break Me Down by JediMasterArmada In The Remnant by Robimus As I Die by Blue_but_beautiful Vertigo by DreamingIce Is The Grass Really Greener On The Other Side? by Quigonjecca Delicious Ambiguity by DarthBreezy Homecoming by Morgoth_The_Enemy A Gathering of Light by JediAlly Resurrection by EvieSolo Best Response To A Challenge Fifteen Minutes by divapilot Incident at the Red Rancor by Knight_Aragorn The Talk by Tahi Best Songfic I Will Follow You Into the Dark by lizodessky Tonight by VaderLVR64 Here With Me by Canadian-Piper (canadianjedimama and THE_PIED_PIPER) Best Poem Proof by Tahi Home Again by VaderLVR64 Pain I: Tahiri's Lament by FallenHeart My Alema by Tahi Best Crossover The Wizards’ School by Idrelle_Miocovani Heaven Falls by Darth_Marrs Discoveries by corran2 Decepticus Rex by RK_STRIKER_JK_5 Best Short Story Sidereal by Rigil_Kent Perfectly Normal by Gabri_Jade New Beginnings by THE_PIED_PIPER Die, Jacen Solo, Die! by Tahi Best Epic Exodus by YodaKenobi Shattered Remembrance by Jedi-2B Many Happy Returns by Tahi Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Insatiable by JadeLotus Jedi Adept: Family Found by Kidan Best Vignette In Case of Emergency by VaderLVR64 Agent of Life by Jedi Trace Ways of Coming Home by Knight_Aragorn Drumbeats by Tahi Mom, I Need You by Jaya Solo Best Series Die, Jacen Solo, Die! by Tahi Nearly Zero, Should Be Going, and The Good News by Darth_Lex Jedi Adept: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts, Jedi Adept: A Father's Blade and Jedi Adept: Family Found by Kidan Sacrifice, Holocaust by Jedi-Ant Character Best Canon Interpretation, Male Luke in Completely Irrational by Knight_Aragorn Anakin Solo in Many Happy Returns by Tahi Luke Skywalker in Reaching Out by Gabri_Jade Best Canon Interpretation, Female Mara Jade in Incident at the Red Rancor by Knight_Aragorn Mara Jade in He Said, She Said by VaderLVR64 Jaina Solo in Exodus by YodaKenobi Tahiri Veila in Many Happy Returns by Tahi Best Original Character, Male Bruno Maritain in An Alliance at Alida’s by divapilot Aikia in Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Blue in Many Happy Returns by Tahi Best Original Character, Female Tani in Broken Promises by Jade_Pilot Nalieza in The First of Many Days by leiamoody Aero Gin in Exodus by YodaKenobi Noelani Darklighter in Jedi Adept: Family Found by Kidan Best Child Allana in Crash by DarthJainaSolo Anakin Jade Skywalker in Two Sides of the Same Credit by VaderLVR64 Ben Skywalker in Exodus by YodaKenobi Best Non-Human Thourn in The Eternal War by padawanlost Elmira Val in To You I Bestow by kecen C-3PO in Exodus by YodaKenobi Guri in Shattered Remebrance by Jedi-2B Boaz in The Forgotten Ones by JM_Bulldog R2-D2 in Old Friends by Darth_Lex Tonin in A Devious Droid... by –thor- Chewie in Wookiee Wisdom by VaderLVR64 Best Villain Jacen Solo in Die, Jacen Solo Die! by Tahi Jacen/Darth Serpentus in The Eternal War by padawanlost Nom Anor in As I Die by Blue_but_beautiful Artran Kharran in Shattered Mirror by Draconarius Luke Skywalker in A Glimmer Past Twilight by LadyPadme Best Ensemble Cast Shattered Remembrance by Jedi-2B Exodus by YodaKenobi Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Die, Jacen Solo, Die! by Tahi Author Best Author Knight_Aragorn padawanlost Jade_Pilot Tahi Best New Author Irish Jedi Jade Rigil_Kent Robimus Quigonjecca Best Collaborative Never Seen Blue like that by Myriad-and-Irish The Revenant by JediMaggyAnt Here With Me by canadianjedimama and THE_PIED_PIPER VOTING PROCESS: 1) Select which of the fics from the qualifying list you would like to vote for. 2) Send in your votes in ONE PM. 3) You may use the template above for your votes, but it is not necessary since we don't need the links to the stories at this point. 4) You will NOT receive a confirmation PM regarding your votes. If you do not receive a PM from the awards sock within 24 hours of your PM being read, then you did everything correctly. VOTING RULES: 1. You must register prior to voting, so that we ensure that you are not a sock. Registration will be open through the voting period. 2. No voting with a sock. Voting with a sock WILL result in a short-term ban and none of your votes will be allowed. 3. You may vote only once in each era, in one PM as stated earlier. If you send your votes in multiple PMs, they will not be counted. The only exceptions might be on a case-by-case basis, per information given to you by THIS SOCK only. 4. Voting is open from July 13 at 12:01 AM board time until July 22, 11:59 PM board time. Late votes will not be counted at all--no exceptions. Early votes will be returned and you will be expected to send your vote in again under the correct timeline. No exceptions. See rule #7 if you will not be available during the voting period. 5. PM the Beyond the Saga Awards sock with your vote. Votes sent elsewhere will not be counted. 6. Only fics on the Qualifying List are eligible for votes. Votes for other fics will not be counted. 7. If you will not be available or internet-accessible during the voting time period, arrange with the host, LilyHobbitJedi, for absentee voting. This must be arranged ahead of time, before the nomination period ends. Those needing an absentee ballot will follow all of the voting rules. 8. You cannot vote for yourself. Votes for yourself will not be counted. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:41pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/10/08 7:18am (5 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Genre Best Alternate Universe Act of Mercy by PonyTricks (Foreword - This AU story takes place after the events of ‘Sacrifice’, but before the events in ‘Invincible’. Jacen, having convinced Han he is no longer a Sith, takes Han and Allana to a distant planet in the Unknown Regions that he visited during his five year odyssey discover himself and the Force. On this primitive planet, Jacen hopes to escape his Jedi family, the disgruntled citizens of the galaxy, and a vengeful Boba Fett.) ------- One of the humanoids drove his mount closer, then reached up and pushed back his silver face-plate. Han could see that Jacen had been correct – these were humans, at least as far as he could tell. The animals the men were riding appeared to closely resemble an arqet, a vicious predator from the Agarix Sector. He sincerely hoped these creatures weren’t as nasty as arqets, or they would be in big trouble. “Put your sticks away,” Han ordered the man. “My blaster can make short work of that thing, unless it shoots lasers.” “Verily, I declare,” the man replied. “Thou makest little sense. What strange object dost thou holdeth in thy hand?” “Huh?” The other five men had raised their face-masks by this time, and looked at each other in puzzlement. “In what tongues dost this stranger speaketh?” “Let me handle this,” Jacen mumbled. Then he cleared his throat, and spoke in an authoritative voice. “To whom doth I have the pleasure to speaketh?” “My given title is Sir Lanval, sir. What title dost thou be given?” “Knight Jacen of Coruscant, and this is my father, Han Solo of Corellia,” Jacen said, bowing. “And my fair daughter, Allana of Hapes.” “Are you sure you should be telling them where we’re from?” Han whispered worriedly. Jacen ignored his father. “We three be travelers and seek out thy King.” Sir Lanval looked startled. “King Arthur? How know ye of him?” “Perchance this stranger be a spy, or worse - assassin, dispatched by yon evil sorceress, Morgana,” another man asked. “Morgana?” Han questioned. “Who’s Morgana?” “Speaketh not the evil witch’s name!” Sir Lanval shouted. “Summon her, thou whilst!” “Whilst?” Han repeated, scratching his head. “Taketh these strangers to King Arthur, we whilst,” Lanval decided after a long discussion among his men. “Isn’t that what we asked for in the first place?” Han asked Jacen. The men raised their sharp poles at that command. “Prisoners of Camelot, ye three be! March onward, and prayeth for divine deliverance for thy black-hearted souls, whilst ye march. Perchance King Arthur shall decree thy bodies be dispatched without great pain.” “Are they threatening us?” Han asked, confused. “I get worried when I hear words like ‘dispatched’ and ‘pain’ used in the same sentence, even if I can’t understand the rest of what he said.” “Just put your blaster away,” Jacen instructed as he hoisted Allana up on his hip. “We don’t want them to confiscate what we might need later.” “Speaketh not in wicked fey words,” Knight Lanval ordered. “Thou shan’t be allowed to cast spells to summon thy underworldly minions.” “What did he just say?” Han demanded. “Shut up.” “I’m your father. You don’t tell your father to shut up, even if you are a reformed Sith.” “No… he told us to shut up.” “Oh. Well, that’s better, then.” “I hafta go potty,” Allana declared loudly. “Why didn’t you go before we left the ship?” Jacen asked, trying to be patient. “I didn’t need to go then. But now I need to go.” “Hey,” Jacen called out to their captors. “My child needs to go.” Lanval stopped, and looked down from his steed. “Go? Where doth thy faerie off-spring require yon goeth?” “She needeth to, um, relieve her bladder… eth.” The man frowned. “I dost not understandeth ye.” “I thought you spoke these idiots’ language,” Han grumbled. “Whom dost thou callest an idiot?” Lanval demanded hotly. “Oh, sure… that word he understands,” Han groused. Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar Author’s Note: The night before Anakin Skywalker is sentenced for his war crimes, he and his wife play dejarik and come to terms with a few things. Padme nodded and released his hand in order to move another piece. “Luke has always been more like me,” she admitted. “Leia is too confusing a combination of our temperaments to pin the blame on either one of us.” She sighed quietly and finally made her move. “Check.” He gracefully moved the rancor behind his Houjix. “Blame,” he repeated. “Are you sure that's the word for it?” Padme flashed him a mischievous grin that was cast from the same mold as Leia's. “On some days, I don't feel worthy of taking credit for her, but on others, I want to make it known that she learned her stubbornness from Bail Organa, not me. Check.” He muttered a curse under his breath and tapped his rancor thoughtfully against the board. Something in her tone had caused him concern, but he could not tell if it had been his imagination or not. When he observed her for a long moment, her expression betrayed nothing. With a sigh of his own, he set the rancor down still upright. “Come now,” she chided. “Are you going to make a play or not?” “In a moment,” he said with a note of impatience. Now she seemed to be the one to take note of his tone. She met his gaze steadily, expression still impassive. “I wanted to ask something about tomorrow,” Anakin stated. Something finally broke through the politician's mask and she nodded. “About whether I'll place blame or take credit when I see what Leia's hard work has done?” “What Leia has done is to give me one year more than I deserved,” Anakin argued. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow...” “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I am proud of what she has done here,” Padme interrupted firmly, the flicker of pain turning into a cold, hard stare. “Do you not believe me?” “I know how angry you have been with the outcome so far,” he retorted. “I have said nothing of the sort,” his wife protested. “No,” he said firmly, “but when you are angry, you make less time for yourself and you make a concerted effort to work yourself into an early grave.” “And you think I'm doing that now?” she challenged. “You spent most of my probation period on Naboo, doing the difficult jobs when no one else wanted to scrub rain gutters or grout tile floors,” he reminded her. “In addition, I can count on one mechanical hand the number of times you have visited Leia in the last month. If you are not angry with someone, you are simply being extremely selfless.” “Well,” she deadpanned, “I'm glad you considered an alternative explanation.” He considered this for a moment, then moved his rancor's pawn to a defensive position. “I do not want to assume anything about tomorrow, but I want to believe that you will treat Leia with compassion and gratitude for what she has done.” “Then believe in me,” she insisted, moving the K'lor'slug. “You killed younglings and I still treated you with compassion. Check.” That was a lower blow than he would have expected from her at this point and she spoke it in a vaguely dispassionate tone, but it was no less than what he deserved. He lowered his eyes to the board for a moment, then frowned. “Checkmate,” he conceded, laying his rancor on its side. She kept her eyes on that die-cast piece for a long moment as if she were recognizing a part of herself in the defeated monster. Without looking up again, she spoke in a tone that was almost subdued by her normal standards. “I love my daughter very much,” she said quietly. “If I could have talked her out of taking your case, I would have, but I was still in an Imperial prison camp out of the time. It has nothing to do with her right to find the good in you or to defend you, but it has everything to do with what we will be facing tomorrow morning.” She finally looked up, the skin around her eyes crinkled in pain rather than in amusement. He immediately felt a pang of guilt for having caused her some kind of distress, but waited patiently for her to speak. “I will blame someone if they have decided to take your life,” she reiterated. “I don't want it to be Leia and so I have been preparing myself for months to not feel utterly desperate tomorrow. I don't know how effective it will be.” He grimaced at the precise description of how he was feeling himself. “I understand,” he said truthfully. Beloved Deceiver by VaderLVR64 It was a dream. She tried to tell herself that, knew it in the very core of her being. That knowledge, however, did little to keep the fear at bay. Standing in the middle of a long bridge, not unlike the ones the Ewoks had built in their village, she heard a strange sound behind her. Even as she identified the sound, she turned and saw him. Vader. One black gloved hand was extended toward her, the gesture both pleading and unsure. “Leia…” he rumbled. “I never knew…” She shrank back from him, from the knowledge of what he was to her – to Luke. “Go away,” she hissed. “You don’t belong here.” “Forgiveness is the most difficult mercy of all to give,” he said in that deep bass voice that still haunted her dreams. “I can’t,” she told him. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t.” She shook her head and backed away from him, felt the bridge sway beneath her as she moved. Vader took a step toward her and the bridge rocked, almost throwing her off balance. She clutched at the vines that stretched from one end of the bridge to another. “I’m your father,” he insisted and she laughed. “Bail Organa was my father, always will be my father!” she cried out, stumbling a bit as she continued to back away. “You…you’re nothing to me…” Vader stopped and shook his head slowly. His voice was infinitely sad when he spoke again, at odds with the mechanical distortion of his human voice. “Your hatred can destroy you as surely as my fear did,” he warned her. Leia spat at him, much as she had done years ago aboard the first Death Star. “I’ll risk it,” she ground out. Then she felt the bridge give way, as if a giant hand had simply clipped the vines that held it in place. She felt herself falling, but the motion was so slow that she could look up and see the leaves surrounding her in great detail, feel the slight breeze in her hair. Watch Vader hold out on his hand from where he stood, his half of the bridge ridiculously solid and standing firm on thin air. “Take my hand Leia…and live,” he begged. “Forgive me and I’ll save you.” With deliberation, Leia twisted and turned away from him and then her body fell swiftly, like a stone, plummeting toward the unseen ground below. She woke, sobbing. Shuddering, she wept in Han’s arms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anakin Skywalker had never liked to dream. Even as a boy, his dreams had been confusing and too powerful for a child. Later, as a Jedi, his dreams usually served only to reveal disasters he could not avoid. Later still, as a Sith, dreams had been a painful conduit to memories he suppressed when he was awake. Dreams of a woman who loved him, and whom he had loved more than anything in the galaxy – except perhaps…power. And after Luke had freed him from the poisonous embrace of the Dark Side, he had dreamed of the evil he had done as Darth Vader. Luke’s mercy and love had not been earned, but he could not help but be grateful. Still, he did not want to dream, for the dreams reminded him of how far he had fallen. Tonight, however, he would dream again for it took hold of him and he could not break free of its grip. A bridge, primitive in design and construction – and Leia. She looked so much like her mother, he thought with a pang. How could he have failed to see it? Padmé’s eyes staring up at him with that familiar defiance, her mother’s pride and courage and perhaps a bit of his own recklessness as well. Pride well up within him, almost surpassing the fear – but not quite. He was back in the armor and he cried out in terror. Not that, death he could accept but not that terrible prison he had endured for so long. Anakin heard himself ask his daughter for mercy and he heard her reply. She denied him that grace, denied him. And as much as it hurt, he could not help but understand. It was his pride that stiffened her resolve, that made her spit out her hatred of him. Then Leia was falling and he knew he was losing her forever. “Take my hand Leia…and live,” he begged. “Forgive me and I’ll save you.” Please let me save you as I could not save your mother! Instead, she fell… Anakin woke, gasping for breath. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:43pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/9/08 6:37pm (9 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Canon Severed Hand by YodaKenobi Mara knew that Skira thought enough time had elapsed to soften her resolve, as the door hissed open and a pair of Imperials marched into her cell, trailed by a floating sphere of obsidian— an IT-O droid. The door whisked shut behind them, sealing Mara inside with her captors. "Good evening, Miss Jade. I'm Commander Belkor. This is my associate, Lieutenant Gage," he announced, indicating the burly man beside him. "Which one of you is here to clean up the blood and which one of you is here to get your teeth kicked in?" Mara glowered Not flinching, Belkor took a gulp from a mug of ale— a clear violation of Imperial Naval policy for an on-duty officer, but such rules were discarded during interrogations. She'd been locked up for a standard day with nothing to eat or drink. Her mouth was dry and her brow damp— they’d turned up the heat in her cell and even dampened the airscrubbers to make it stuffier. And Belkor's mug was dripping with beads of condensation, the cold ale inside topped with a froth that made it appear even more delicious. It was all part of the game. "I see time alone has not shown you the futility of your resistance. Moff Skira is getting his answers. It is only a matter of how much time and suffering it will take for you to relent." "It's going to take a lot of pain, pal. But not mine." "If you refuse to cooperate, perhaps our friend can loosen your lips." Belkor ushered the IT-O droid forward, its menacing hum swelling as it hovered nearer. The black sphere flexed its pincered-joint cripplers while spinning around and pointing the drug injector in her direction, its needle tip glistening with a tear of the poison it would soon be pumping inside of her. Gathering the Force to her, Mara's jaw clenched, teeth grinding hard enough to shave off slivers of bone, while the IT-O closed in, it's syringe mere inches from her skin. With a grunt, she released the ball of energy she'd nurtured and pushed against the floating sphere. Its repulsors screeched with the tug against their orientation before the Jedi's telekinesis overpowered its servomotors. "Hey!" Gage shouted, grasping the controls to Mara's stuncuffs and tapping the switch inlayed in the remote. Pain spiked through Mara's body, every nerve aflame as she dropped to her knees on the durasteel deck— but not before her Force-energy throttled the interrogation droid at Belkor. The sable sphere twisted in Mara's projected grip and crashed into the commander, burying its injector hard into Belkor's throat with a sickening gurgle. Gage's eyes widened and his thumb came off the remote as he stared at Belkor's grotesquely quivering form. "Help!" Gage cried to the guards outside. It was too late for him. The pain wracking her lissome frame was nothing Mara wasn't prepared for, and she had the presence of mind to reach forward and catch Belkor's mug in her bound hands as he released the drink, a plume of ale springing out of the cool glass when Mara stopped its descent, bathing her hands in the sticky liquid. She was on her feet before the cell door opened, and slammed the mug against Gage's skull, shattering the glass in a torrent of amber mist and gore. Shards were embedded deep in her palms as Gage crumpled to the floor, but Mara had more urgent problems when the door hissed open. She was hidden by the left wall, pulling the magkey from Gage's belt as the nozzle to the first DLT-20a pushed into the open doorway. The stormtrooper’s steps faltered as he spotted the spatters of blood and ale, giving the former Emperor's Hand time to pass the magnetic device through the interstice between her stuncuffs and free her wrists. The dual click of the alloy releases, however, alerted him to her location, and he swung his blaster around without hesitation. Mara caught the barrel of the rifle with the heel of her right hand in one motion, palming the weapon and rising to punch the stormtrooper with her left, her knuckles bashing against the plexoid covering hard enough to split them open. When it proved insufficient to wrench his weapon away, Mara held tight to the blaster and used her free hand to grab the left-side of the stormtrooper's head, before swinging her left leg out behind his knees, and pulling his helmet the opposite direction. The resulting crack of the Imperial's neck as he fell in the doorway was more than enough for Mara to pull the DLT-20a away from his limp fingers while more fervent shouts of alarm rang out from the stormtroopers behind him, who'd seen only a blur of limps killing their comrade. Many Happy Returns by Tahi "What's wrong, Tahiri?" he said softly. Her eyes clouded with tears, but she made a determined effort to hold them back. "There was a fight," she began, and then stopped. "Well," he said after a pause, "I'd hardly expect you or Tendra to just give in." "No, but . . . Anakin, I killed someone, and cut another man's hand off." "Did they attack you?" "Yes," she said slowly. "They burst in on us at the hotel. But they weren't trying to kill us - they only wanted to capture us. I didn't realise it though until it was too late." "But Tahiri - it's natural to assume if people jump through your door without an invite that they haven't exactly come to spend the time of day with you. I presume they were waving blasters or weapons of some sort?" She nodded. "Blasters and stokhli spray sticks. But the blasters were set on stun." "Well they were hardly going to tell you that. I mean, come on." Tahiri stared up at him frowning. "I know, Anakin, but . . . I should've been able to sense it. If I'd stopped and analysed the situation, I probably would have. Instead, I just . . . well, I think I was sort of glad that I had somebody to fight. I was angry because we were worried about you, and we didn't know what had happened, and . . . " She choked again, gave a stifled sob and stopped. "You didn't fail, Tahiri," Anakin said firmly. "I did. I always do." "That's rubbish." "No it's not. You would have picked their intentions." "Oh yeah," he nodded sardonically. "I'm sure that as they charged through the door I would have thought – not a problem, just relax, they're only here to take you prisoner. I mean, honestly Tahiri, blasters set on stun or not, they still intended violence and you were both right to defend yourselves. And it sounds like you two did better than Lando and me." "I still feel awful." "Well, you shouldn't. If anyone should be blaming themselves it's us, but it's too late to waste time doing that now. I had a slight inkling that something wasn't right about this Tag guy, but I wasn't really concentrating in the Force the way I should have been. I think I'd got a bit sucked in by this holiday atmosphere. It was kind of nice for once just being able to enjoy ourselves. I liked it." He paused. "I like just being with you." Tahiri nodded seriously. "Me too." "So," Anakin tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, "don't give me any more of this negative nonsense." "I'm still responsible for a man's unnecessary death." "And he's responsible for putting you in a situation where you thought you had to fight for your life." She was regarding him as he spoke, and he saw the despair in her green eyes begin to fade. "You're getting quite good at arguing," she said. He shrugged. "You did say once that you'd rub off on me eventually." Tahiri's lips twitched. Then she laughed. "Well, I was right about that." "Yeah," Anakin grinned. He wiped away the tears that were still dampening her cheek, and then bent his mouth down to hers. The kiss, like most of their kisses lately, was long and lingering, and as usual he didn't want it to stop. Tahiri always felt so warm and soft, and he loved the way she seemed to fit so perfectly against him. Even now, in circumstances that must rate an all-time low on the scale of romantic situations, holding her and tasting the sweetness of her lips filled him with sensations that he could never have found the words to describe. Suddenly Tahiri squirmed uncomfortably and threw him the sort of look a teacher might give an amusing, but habitually unruly, pupil. "What?" "Anakin! How can you . . ." She looked down and then realisation dawned on her face. "Oh! Hang on." Tahiri reached into one of the lower front pockets on her vest and pulled something out. "You're excused," she giggled. "What is it?" She held it up for him, and was surprised to see his blue eyes begin to sparkle with delight. "Wow," he said admiringly. "It's meant to be a belated birthday present. I'd forgotten about it, and fortunately they didn't find it when they grabbed my blaster." "Astral!" he took the small tool and flipped out first a micro-adjuster and then a blade. "This is the best present ever. This is perfect." Anakin grinned, hugged her again enthusiastically and waved the multi-tool up at the ceiling. "Do you know what this means?" Tahiri shook her head, perplexed. "This means escape," he explained. Completely Irrational by Knight_Aragon “… about a decision that’s going to affect the rest of his life…” “… know that, that’s why…” Ben hesitated, then cautiously edged forward a step. His parents were both carefully controlled – they were always cautious with their emotions, for his benefit or by habit, he wasn’t sure – but right now, they felt different. Ben felt for the shape of the emotional barriers they’d each erected, allowed himself to sense the tendrils leaking around that control. Dad was mostly frustrated, with shades of something like confusion, while Mom was angry, and – oddly – there were shades of something else there in her feelings, something like hurt or upset. “… want him to reach his potential, then it has to be this way.” “… make this into an ultimatum!” “… make me the criminal here.” “… just needs time…” “… finally opening up, and it’s with Jacen, and you don’t like that – ” Ben twisted his lips together tightly, and stopped in place. “… saying I’m somehow resentful?” “… put words in my mouth!” Ben scuffed the carpet with his shoe. The sole was coming away where he’d been scrambling across the dust-boulders with some of the students from the north enclave earlier. He kicked again, and it came loose further. He glared at the dusty mark on the carpet. He had felt uncertain about staying here, about listening, but if they were talking about him, then why shouldn’t he? They shouldn’t discuss him as though he was one of the crèche younglings. He had a right to hear it, almost. Didn't he? It was his life they were arguing over. “… so obsessed with perfection…” “… does that mean?” “… victim of your need to be perfect …” “… wary of Jacen because he has a broader range of experience than you were able to access…” “… know nothing about where he’s been or what he’s learned, and you want to…” More feelings were leaking around the barriers his parents had erected. More hurt. More anger. Ben sank to a crouch. He imagined the control like a transparent drinking bulb, filled with boiling, flashing colours, bright angry red and harsh orange and flat black-blue. He pictured putting a lid on it, trapping the colours inside, and covering it, so that he couldn’t see the colours or the bulb. Would that be better? He still knew they were there. Maybe he should leave, because he didn’t want to hear this. But it was about him, so didn’t he have the right? Ben chewed his bottom lip, unthinkingly. Then he bit his tongue instead, because he was sure that biting his lip made him look younger than he was. “… worried about being subverted than you are about the welfare of your son.” “… accusations, when I’m trying to discuss this…” The voices abruptly fell away. Ben heard his mother’s voice say, “Luke—”, but then the door opened and his father strode out. Unfamiliar by Myriad_Daydreams A/N: Takes places during LOTF, Han Solo contemplates Luke’s place in the war and the effect Mara’s death had on his friend. As Han Solo, I can definitely say I’ve known the kid longer than most people. And I should know, more than most, that power doesn’t change Luke the way it would most people. First being the only Jedi, then only Jedi Master, then self-promotion to Grand Master, it is natural to think all that power would go straight to his head, right? Not Luke. He’s about as far from controlling than any of us. After Mara’s death, everything changed. Suddenly the levelheaded, observant, and thoughtful farmboy-turned-Jedi Master seemed to dissipate into the rest of the mess this civil war has caused. Suddenly I’d turn on the holo and hear something he said, or an action he took, and think to myself “Is this the right Luke Skywalker here?” It hurt to know it was that very same Luke Skywalker. I know death hurts, kid, but did you really have to take it this far? Him and Mara, they were close. I could feel it, even without that Force business It did not surprise me how much her death affected him… but is it cruel of me to think he needs to pick himself up a little bit? He seems so empty. Unwilling to keep moving. The galaxy continues to spin on without him. Now when someone walks into the room, its like he puts on a mask for everyone. Hides the real Luke inside, pretending to be the Jedi Master for however long it takes to finish a task. No more approachable Luke Skywalker, father, husband, and brother. Just an empty Grand Jedi Master. Sometimes I think he leaves the mask on without realizing it, and even his own damn family can’t get through to him. Leia invites him over whenever there’s time, and tries to make everything better. Hell, even I find myself saying sentimental things quite out unusual for me… but it just doesn’t help. At times he’ll seem to be all right, but it never lasts. Sometimes I’d glance over at him when he thought no one was looking, and I’d see something in his eyes that was never there before. Or rather, saw the lack of something. His eyes can pierce a person’s soul, I’ll tell you. Be friend or foe, there was intensity in the way he looked at you. But at that moment they just seemed empty. Like someone had flipped off a switch. It was near eerie the way I’ll just catch him staring off into the distance, glazed over. That never used to happen. After awhile he’ll snap back into reality after staring like that, and plaster a weary smile over his face. Who did he think he was fooling? I didn’t buy it for a minute. He is a changed man. Leia has noticed it, Ben’s noticed it, hell I’m sure the whole galaxy has noticed it except for him. And the only person who could set him straight is the only one not here—Mara. What I used to know, what I used to rely on, is unfamiliar now. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:43pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/7/08 7:11pm (6 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Action Tyranny Reborn by Rigil Kent Without a sound, the hunters filed into the room through the same entrance he had used. There were five of them this time, two more than had attacked him the previous three times. One of them was already hideously disfigured, his face half melted from intensive exposure to the toxic rain. Silently, they arrayed themselves in a semi-circle around him, igniting their scarlet lightsabers as they moved. Luke exhaled softly, letting the breath carry away his fear and concern. He recognized each of these sentients, though they were all long dead. They were Jedi Masters. Or, more accurately, clones of dead Jedi Masters. There were two Windus, a Fisto, a Koth, and an Unduli. It was one of the Windus who was suffering from the rain-burn, making it easier to distinguish between the two. All were wearing dark robes, as if it were some sort of uniform. There wasn’t a trace of emotion on their faces; even the burned Windu displayed no hint of pain. “Hello there,” Luke said with a forced smile. “I was wondering when you would show up.” There was no response. Sighing, Luke inhaled slowly before thumbing on his lightsaber. The emerald beam flared into existence with a snap-hiss and he brought it up into a ready position. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the Force. And the clones attacked. Even as they leaped forward, Luke was reacting. With the Force supercharging his muscles, he leaped backwards, half-twisting in mid-air to avoid a sudden saber stroke from the Fisto clone. Pain and exhaustion were forgotten as he landed in a crouch. With a gesture, he sent a wave of the Force into the closest of the clones – Koth and Unduli – knocking them sprawling. The two Windus were suddenly upon him, their sabers humming as they attacked, but Luke side-stepped one of the blows and parried the other. He kicked out abruptly and the attack slowed the burned Windu long enough for Luke to twist into a spinning somersault that carried him clear of the two. The Fisto clone sprang toward him but Luke thrust out his right hand, sending another pulse of the Force at his foe. In mid-air, the clone rebounded against an invisible barrier and flew backwards several meters. He struck the floor, bounced and rolled into the turbolift shaft. And directly into the stream of toxic rain. By then, Koth and Unduli had recovered their footing and leaped toward Luke. He jumped back and up, narrowly avoiding the two Windus who were trying to flank him. His feet hit the wall and Luke pushed off again, flipping over the burned Windu who had turned to face him. Before the clone could reorient himself again, Luke’s emerald blade bisected him from shoulder to thigh. A microsecond’s warning was all he got and Luke threw himself forward as the Koth clone’s saber flashed overhead, slicing through Skywalker’s outer robe and scorching the flesh below. Luke hit the ground hard, but pushed himself into a painful roll that carried him just out of range of the Windu’s attacking saber. Momentum carried him away but Luke used the Force to increase his velocity, causing himself to side-flip off the floor and onto his feet. It was just in time too, as the Unduli clone’s saber crashed into his with terrific force, causing him to stagger back half a step. With his malfunctioning right hand, Luke punched the clone in the face. In the half-second that she reeled back, he angled his wrist up and used the Force to trigger the hold-blaster Mara had given him several months earlier currently strapped to his forearm. The clone toppled, her face ablaze. The two remaining clones leaped forward, scarlet blades flashing, and Luke twisted away from them both. He gripped the Unduli clone’s body with the Force and sent it tumbling through the air toward the two, fouling their recoveries just long enough to him to lunge forward. His blade sliced into the chest of the Koth clone with only the briefest of resistance. His danger sense flared and Luke dove backwards, letting go of his saber as he barely avoided the overhand chop delivered by the last Windu clone. Skywalker hit the ground with a grunt, rolled and sprang by to his feet as the clone recovered and turned toward him. It was his last mistake. As the clone tensed to leap, Luke reached out and gripped his still ignited saber with the Force, ripping it free from the corpse and pulling it toward himself. The Windu clone didn’t even look at the tumbling weapon, so focused was he on Luke, and never saw the blade that severed his spine. He died as he lived, without a sound. Die, Jacen Solo, Die by Tahi A/N: Well, there’s action and there’s action, and in this scene Jacen/Caedus certainly gets some, although probably not the sort he expected . . . Caedus had struggled to his feet, and held out a hand to steady himself. Things felt as though they were whirling out of control. “But I’ve studied hard,” he insisted fighting the sense of rising panic. “For five years I travelled the galaxy learning all there was to know about the Force. Everything. And I’m using it to bring order.” “Order!” Kun had screwed his face up and looked as if he was about to puke. “Order? Sith don’t like order, we like chaos.” “But that’s not what Lumiya said,” countered Caedus, thinking just for a moment that he had the advantage of Sith doctrine, disseminated from a reliable source, on his side. Kun rolled his eyes and grumbled something that sounded physically impossible, even for Sith. Palpatine just laughed. "Oh, young Solo. You should know better than to trust a woman." Caedus's mouth worked, but the ability to come out with something articulate escaped him. "But—" He tried again, forcing his racing thoughts to remain focused so he could overcome his fear and consternation. "You don't seem to understand. You're messing up everything I've worked for; and what you've just done is . . . well it's against the laws of physics." Kun let out a guffaw. "I didn’t get where I am today obeying the laws of physics," he spluttered. "You've ruined everything," Caedus insisted, feeling the strength of his wrath returning. "Everything – the present and the future. You've upturned the universe." Palpatine grinned like a vornskyr who'd just discovered a clutch of young and succulent ysalamiri. "Universe, you say. Uni-verse?" He steepled his bony fingers and rested the apex against his nose, peering over at Caedus with considerable amusement. "I have some bad news for you, boy. I'm afraid the universe is a little more expansive than you think. I think you'd be quite surprised at the number of possible realities there are out there." He sighed contentedly. "Why, we're building new ones all the time." "New ones?" Caedus's anger was once again defeated by trepidation. "Oh yes. And we've found the perfect one for you." He shared a smirk with Kun, and then raised both hands to point them at Caedus, who steeled himself and raised his in response. "I'm warning you," he said staunchly. "I'm capable of enduring immense pain." "It's not pain I'm going to inflict on you, boy," chuckled Palpatine, his features set in a rictus of vicious pleasure. "It's eternal ecstasy." And he thrust both palms at Caedus to deliver a Force blast that lifted him off his feet and spun him upwards at such speed that the force ripped away his vac suit. Palpatine and Kun watched his spectacular departure appreciatively tracking the motion of the body, as it grew smaller and smaller and more indistinct - until finally with a flash of ionic blue it disappeared. Then they turned their gaze back to the grashal, which was still filled with the sickly glow of battle haze and the cries and roars of warriors and Jedi. "Interesting," Palpatine observed musingly to Kun. "Another pathway to explore. But in the meantime, my friend . . . " He slowly began to drift upwards. "I have places to be." ********* Caedus awoke to an overwhelming blueness. Everything around him – the walls, the sinuous drapes, even the sheets of the enormous bed he was lying on seemed almost to ooze an eerie bluish glow. For a moment he thought he was deep underground in a flitnat cave, but flitnat caves didn't normally contain beds, nor did they possess the peculiar odour he could almost taste in the air here: heady as if tainted with spice, with a twist of sulphur. It was unsettling, but not nearly as unsettling as the face that loomed above him – a face tinged with the same subterranean blueness. He blinked in the hope that this was some kind of nightmare. "Well, hi there." Caedus recognized the husky voice only too well, not to mention the missing lekku and the demented, lascivious grin. He tried to struggle up but discovered to his consternation, and rising nausea, that his wrists and ankles had been lashed firmly to the four corners of the bed. In a last ditch effort to save himself from the fate Palpatine had chosen for him, he took a deep breath and, tapping into the revulsion that was rising like bile, he channeled it into his voice. "Let me get up. Now!" Alema Rar's eyes slid hungrily down his body like serpents, and her grin widened into a grotesque parody of delight. "Why, Darth Caedus. I thought you'd never ask." Dark Revelations by star_writer24 Summary: Mara & Anakin spar while Tahiri watches from the balcony. Mara eyes widened in surprise as she took in the familiar blue blade locked against her own. “Does Luke know you have that?” she asked her voice barely audible over the buzz and clash of their sabers. Anakin shrugged, “Probably not.” Then pulling back to free his blade, he feinted a step to the left, “I doubt he’ll miss it though, “ he explained, twisting back around to block her swing, his saber tip barely missing her outer thigh, “it’s the duplicate.” “Finder keepers huh?” She parried as his blade swung back up towards her face. “Something like that.” He grinned, but it completely disappeared when she ducked low, lunging beneath his outstretched arm, swinging at his legs. Anakin jumped to the side avoiding the hit, but wasn’t able to recover in time to swipe back. Mara, flipping her feet over her head, landed several feet away. She quickly turned, her saber immediately crashing back into his, her eyes narrowing. “You’ve improved.” Anakin brightened, “I’ll let you take credit if you like.” Taking a step towards her he whipped the blade around in a complex pattern, creating an impenetrable wall of defense as he forced her to retreat once again. “Flattery will get you nowhere," she commented studying him carefully as she looked for an opening. He laughed loudly, “Well, not with you!” His eyes darted towards the balcony on the far side of the auditorium, before refocusing on his aunt. “Is she okay?” he asked, seriously. “Worried?” She took advantage of the distraction and a moment later was back on the offense, her blade swinging back and forth it its deadly dance as she pushed him back across the stage. “Should I be?” he pressed, frowning when he realized what his lack of focus had cost him. She shrugged pressing her advantage as she backed him into a corner, “You need to be careful, or you’re going to end up causing her a lot of heartache.” He nodded knowingly, “What did she say?” Mara shook her head refusing to answer. Anakin realizing what she was doing, narrowed his eyes, “It won’t work you know.” “What?” “Your little distraction,” he replied. Mara smirked, knowing she had him, “I thought it already had.” Pulling back she feinted a swipe at his wrist, hoping to startle him and kick the hilt of Kenobi’s light saber out of his hand. But Anakin despite his limited space flipped the hilt around twisting it so that the blade swung high over his head, allowing it to pick up momentum as he brought it back down towards her. Taken off guard Mara lifted her own blade to block, but Anakin brought the blow down with such force it knocked her back on her seat, her blade slipping from her grasp, and skidding across the stage. Quickly rolling over to avoid a killing strike, she swore loudly as she kicked out her legs, and flipped herself over, but she wasn’t fast enough, and she found the tip of his blade at her throat. “What did she say?” he pressed. Mara glared back at him, irritated with herself for losing. “Enough for me to know you’re both in over your heads,” she hissed. Heaven Falls: A Jedi On Earth by Darth_Marrs Two dark figures moved over the ice of Antarctica toward the hump-backed shape of a tel’tak cargo ship. On one side came Anubis and a dozen of his best Jaffa warriors, with Osiris in a luxurious fur robe a step behind. On the other came Darth Krayt and a squad of crack snow troopers. The air was perfectly still and bitterly, bone-chillingly cold. “Darth Krayt,” Anubis hissed. “You agreed to keep your activities limited to capturing your criminals.” “Kyle Katarn is here,” Krayt responded. Behind Anubis, Osiris’s head popped up, but she said nothing. “This is a sacred place,” Anubis said. “It is an outpost of the Ancients. You cannot enter.” Krayt straightened. “The Ancients, you say?” He looked hard at Anubis and his men, then at the ship. “I begin to understand. Katarn must have found something here that you want. A weapon, perhaps?” “It is of no concern to you,” Anubis declared. “I shall collect Katarn. When the site is secure, I will give him to you gladly.” “And then use this weapon to attempt to destroy my vessel?” Krayt finished. “Do you think I am a fool?” The Sith lord lit his red light saber. Instantly the Jaffa lowered their staffs into firing position. Anubis remained still, slowly putting out a hand. “I sense great power in you, Darth Krayt, but do not make the mistake of thinking me weak. Challenge me, and you will die!” “Enough of this nonsense,” Krayt growled. “Kill them all!” * * * “M’Lord,” Captain Shintre said, “Asgard shields have failed. We have deployed secondary ray shielding, but even so we are taking hull damage.” Darth Wyyrlok nodded. “And we will continue to do so until our master orders us to do otherwise. Have we fired missiles yet?” Shintre blinked. “Concussive missiles would damage the Gao’uld ships as well, m’lord. They have been instrumental in assisting us against the enemy fleet.” “So be it,” Wyyrlok said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Order a full volley from the main guns, all point defense guns and a full volley of proton torpedoes and concussive missiles. I want the sky clear.” Shintre paled slightly but bowed without saying a word. He turned to relay the orders. On the dorsal side of the destroyer, the four massive batteries of two turbolaser cannons each locked into position. Across the 10 kilometer stretch of the star destroyer, every turbolaser battery not already firing on the enemy turned to lock onto a target. Across the previously smooth hull, door after door slid open to reveal thousands of canisters of proton torpedo and assault concussive missile launchers. The Antaran ships responded as if sensing the coming attack. Saucers reoriented themselves to present the smallest target surface to the front of the star destroyer. It was exactly as Shintre had feared. The star destroyer, at the insistence of its Sith master, was about to play its entire Sabacc hand, leaving nothing left or secret. “Fire,” Wyyrlok said, sensing the captain’s hesitation. “It is not for me to question,” Shintre whispered. “Fire. All weapons.” Five thousand assault concussive missiles, seven thousand proton torpedoes, eight blasts of the super turbolaser cannons and over 1,200 turbolaser point defense guns fired simultaneously. Fifty ha’taks caught in the blast crumpled under the assault, their shields falling before turbolaser fire and their hulls shattering under the impact of the concussive missiles. The first wave of Antaran vessels fired their strange weapons of white particles, intercepting still more of the torpedoes and missiles en route. Many were destroyed within the Gao’uld lines, damaging still more ha’taks, as if the Antarans were harnessing the destruction directed against them to kill even more of the Goa’uld. Not even the Antarans could stop the laser fire or all the missiles, however. At almost a mile wide, even the Antaran mother ships shattered before each blast of the main guns. Fifty Antaran saucers exploded, generating sufficient destructive energy in their death throes to destroy another twenty of their vessels. And yet hundreds remained. “All hardpoint ordinance depleted,” Shintre said with a resigned voice. “Seventy enemy vessels destroyed, eighty-five friendly vessels destroyed.” Suddenly the captain felt a crushing force on his neck lifting him clear of the deck. He spun around in mid-air and saw Wyyrlok holding out his hand. “Understand this, Captain. We are Sith. There are NO friendly vessels!” The captain collapsed gasping to the floor. “Yes, m’lord,” he managed to say, just before the Antaran counter-strike ripped through their ray shielding and burned through three hundred meters of the command tower hull. The captain was instantly on his feet, still gasping. “Return fire, all weapons. Order the mains to fire at will on the Antarans. All command staff evacuate to the secondary bridge!” -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:44pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/13/08 6:26pm (10 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Drama: Part 1 Exodus by YodaKenobi "Jacen!" The cry was swallowed by the screaming winds shrieking over the Rapture's hull so loudly that Jaina Solo was certain her brother could not hear her from her perch on one of the cruise liner's metal blisters. "No!" Jaina leapt up to modest raise in the hull where the two men were, Jacen still holding his activated lightsaber, while Wrev laid on the hull, the smoke rising from his wounds flickering in the violent breeze as he began to still, losing consciousness as a result of the shock and pain involved in losing his hand. The cauterized stump was a blackened surfaced wreathed by the smoldering fabric of Wrev's jacket sleeve and flecks of dimly glowing embers that had once been flesh or bone. Tears streamed down the young woman's face, blurring her vision as she tried to take the scene in. The Force had been warning her of this moment, giving her a glimpse of what was to come but no clue as to how to avoid this fatal collision of the tangible galaxy and the surreal. It was really happening. And if Jaina had been given a lifetime, she never would have seen it all playing out the way it had. Nothing made sense anymore. "Stop!" Jacen already had, his dark eyes staring back at hers, welled with pain and remorse. "Jaina—" "What are you doing?" "I can explain!" Jacen pleaded, shouting to be heard over the roar. "He attacked me! He—" "Wrev attacked you?" "It's complicated. He wouldn't listen to me, but... You need to come with me. I can explain everything later." "I'm not going anywhere with you," Jaina scowled, her mind whirling. "What are you even doing here?" "I came for you... You're in danger here, Jaina." "From who?" Jacen flinched. "That's complicated too... but right now it's the soldiers below us. Aero's with them." "What about Rénin?" "He's won't be a problem any more." It wasn't adding up in Jaina's mind. "Where exactly is it you want to take me, Jacen?" He frowned. "I just want to keep you safe." "You're with them, aren't you?" Jaina's voice was drenched in sadness. The gales were forcing more tears from her eyes, turning Jacen into an undulating blur, and as the full impact of it all set in, it took everything she had to keep herself from really crying. "It's not like that..." "Have you lost your mind?" "Jaina, I—" "Just get away from us!" She snarled, kneeling down next to the wounded Jedi. Jaina shrugged her satchel to fish out the medpac she'd stored there. Before she could reach the pain hypos and bacta numb inside, the satchel was jerked from her grasp. "Hey!" The pack sailed into Jacen's free hand. "We don't have time for that," he said. "We need to leave now." "Jacen! He's hurt!" "And this is no place to patch him up. Come with me and we'll get him medical attention." "You'd let him die?" Jaina asked in disbelief. Was her brother really going to use Wrev's life as leverage for her capitulation? "I met someone who can help him, Jaina. Who can help us all." "What are you talking about?" "He's very powerful and wise... He knows more about the Force than anyone. More than Uncle Luke even." Jaina's eyes widened as the realization hit her like a turbolaser. "The Sith!" Rénin's master... or apprentice? She wondered. "You met him!" "It's not the way we thought. He can do amazing things. He can heal—" "You really have lost it!" She snapped. "You've betrayed everything we believe in!" It was then that Jaina felt the ripples of darkness seeping into the energy around her, a billowing stain of black that bled into a writhing mass— the same predatory void that had been chasing them throughout the Rapture... it had not been General Rénin pursuing them. He was dead. For the first time in her life, Jaina felt prickles of alarm through the Force in warning of her twin brother. It hadn't occurred to her that Jacen wasn't going to let her leave. "So you took his place," Jaina rose to her feet. "You killed him..." There were tears in Jacen's eyes too, a translucent film of quivering light that threatened to break but held, becoming a wall between them. "I'm going to save you," he insisted. "Put your lightsaber away." He looked as though he wanted to, but shook his head. "I can't do that." "Then give me the pack and get out of here." She didn't know what frightened her more— that her own brother might attack her or the prospect of killing him. Jacen blinked. The wall of tears between them finally crumbled, spilling down his face. "I don't want to hurt you, Jaina." Shattered Remembrance by Jedi-2B Mara Jade nodded in greeting to Corran Horn as she entered Luke's medroom. She abhorred having to wait her turn in order to see her own fiancé, but at least she still had her clandestine nightly visits also. Doctor Panio had convinced Leia that the medical center's staff could adequately monitor Luke's condition through the night shift. Mara could have kissed the man. "Any change?" she asked, though she'd known before arriving that there hadn't been. Corran shook his head. "This is too eerily like when Kun rendered him unconscious. You don't suppose ... " His green eyes swept across the ceiling before turning back to Mara. "No," Mara said shortly. "That was a dark side manipulation." She took the empty seat next to Luke's bed as Corran rose. "I've felt no dark Force emissions." "Neither have I," Corran concurred. "Not unless you count me having to bat away the dark side when some holoshill reporter tried to bluff his way in here." "I bodily threw one back into the turbolift yesterday," Mara recounted. "So much for the medcenter's double security." "You'd think the daily press releases that he's continuing to recover would bore them all enough that they'd go looking for someone more interesting to prey on." Corran sighed. "Well, I suppose I'd better get home. Mirax has been holding dinner late for me every night this week." He headed toward the door, turning only to add, "The treaty signing will be on the holonet this evening. Are you going to watch? I'm sure they'd bring in a portable unit if you asked." Mara started to say no, then reconsidered. "Perhaps we will watch," she replied, gazing at Luke with a faint smile. Corran's disconcerted glance shifted between her and his Master, before he nodded and silently continued out into the hallway. "I thought he'd never leave, didn't you?" Mara said. Careful of his attached medical tubes, she busied herself smoothing out the stark white sheets, tucking them around Luke's still form. She paused briefly at the outline of his right arm, lying across his stomach, then continued her ministrations. "You know, as soon as you wake up, they can stick that new hand on you. Cilghal says her Force-healing techniques will be more effective when you're conscious, too." Mara frowned as she thought back to the healing trance he'd put her in while on Nirauan. "But you'd better be all healed on your own by then, because no way do I want you out cold for any more days. I couldn't stand it." Pulling her chair closer to the bed, Mara reached out and smoothed back Luke's bangs. His hair had been cut shorter, and Mara winced at the healing cut above one ear. "Only you, Skywalker, could face down Palpatine, Vader, stormtroopers galore, and then let some spiced-up wacko crash into you." Keeping one hand resting on his shoulder, Mara sat back in the chair, exhaling softly. Coruscant's head of traffic security had informed them that the Dug piloting the other speeder had been intoxicated and high on spice. Mara reflected that it was probably a good thing that piece of bantha dung had died in the crash, because she doubted all the Jedi teachings in the galaxy could've kept her from skinning the man alive. "Shall we watch the treaty signing on the 'net tonight, my love?" Mara said conversationally. "I'll have a monitor brought in. And when your sister returns in a few days, we can tell her how good she looked during the ceremony." Mara brushed Luke's pale cheek with the backs of her fingers. "Or rather, you can tell her all by yourself. How 'bout it?" She leaned in for a soft kiss. "Don't you think you've ignored me long enough, farmboy? I want to see your smile, and that twinkle you get in your eye when you're teasing me." Closing her own tear-moistened eyes, Mara laid her head next to Luke's head, wrapping one arm around his waist. "I can hear the Qom Qua now, Luke," she whispered. "My beloved companion." Mom, I Need You by Jaya Solo It's been a month since you died. People have stopped coming by to comfort us. People have stopped checking in on me to see how I'm doing. Now all they do is stare with their sad eyes. Comfort may be too much of a stretch, though. All they do is say things that they think will make it all better. Words they think can erase the pain that I face every day. “You'll see her again some day.” What they don't realize is I see you everywhere. Not a day has gone by so far where I haven't looked up and seen you somewhere. I see you in the street. I see you in speeders that whiz by. I see you in mothers playing with their kids. But it's not you. No, it's just someone that looks like you. Force, it's even someone that doesn't look like you. I just think it's you. I've stopped expecting you to walk through the front door as much as I used to. I kept thinking it was just like the holos where people just seemed to be dead but later on turned up perfectly well. I had hoped that maybe you'd come back. Somehow, just magically come back. Maybe even a cloned form of you would come back. I didn't care how you came back, just that you would. When Dad and I went to look at your body, I kept expecting your eyes to open up, for you to tell us that this was just a great big joke. But they didn't. And you haven't come back to us yet. And I don't think that you ever will. “Your mom's in a better place now.” What could be a better place than with me? What could be a better place than with her family? How can anything be better than being alive? “I know what you're going through.” Like hell you do. She was my mom. Not even Dad understands. A wife is different than a mom. He lost his aunt and uncle and dad, never knew his mom, but it's... It's just... ...different... “Time heals everything.” Well thank you so much. That just made everything all right. Yep. I'm great now. Or maybe I'll magically be better soon. Really, thanks for the kind words. Now, if you don't mind, why don't you go jump off a cliff. “Your cousin Jacen didn't know what he was doing.” Right. A man that's fallen to the darkside doesn't know what he's doing. Uh-huh. He knew good and well what he was doing when he did it. He took my mother from me. One day he'll pay. Unless he's facing Dad. Dad will probably somehow turn him and then forgive him from everything bad he's ever done. Just like grandpa. What they don't understand is that their words mean nothing to me. Nothing at all. They don't help. They just hurt more. They don't know that I can't remember what you smell like when you wake me up in the mornings. They don't know that I can't remember what you feel like when you hug me. They don't know that I can't remember what you look like most of the time. All I have now is a feeling about who you used to be. I have memories of you, but it feels like they're slipping from me. Each and every day that goes by it feels like I forget more of you. If this is healing, I don't want any part of it. I woke up last night screaming. I couldn't remember what you looked like, and I finally grabbed the holo of you by my bed and stared at it. I think I stared at it for hours until I eventually fell asleep. I know that anger is of the darkside, and that you wouldn't want me to turn out like Jacen, but how can I not be angry about your death? I feel sad all the time without you. Can sadness lead to the darkside too? What if I'm never happy again? I fear that I'll lose Dad, Jaina, Uncle Han, and Aunt Leia to Jacen too. And then I'll be all alone. I don't want to be alone. I'd rather die than face that. Mom, I need you. If you could find some way to come back to us, please do. I really need you now. I'm sorry if I wasn't always a good son. If you come back, I promise I'll be better. I'm sorry for all of the mean things I said to you. I didn't mean them. Could you come back for just a little while? I just want to tell you that I'm sorry, and that I love you. Mom, I need you. Die, Jacen Solo, Die by Tahi His cabin, although as silent and dark as the rest of the ship, felt like a welcome refuge. Caedus wasn’t a great one for possessions, but still the presence of his belongings created an aura of homeliness. He settled cross-legged in his habitual meditation pose a little above the floor and let himself sink deeply into the Force. The first thing that struck him when he emerged from his meditation was the cold. He could see his breath in spouts of steam and each in-breath grazed the back of his throat as if it was raw. Concerned that one of the repair crew had accidentally cut through the atmospheric modulators, he flipped the switch on his desk-com, but there was no response. Looking grim, Caedus flipped his datapad open and stroked the com-link function. This did light up, but emitted an unpleasantly high-pitched squeal. He swapped channels and the squeal alternated between static hiss and mournful wail – none of the sounds resembling anything remotely like a helpful crew member explaining what had gone wrong with the ship’s communications system. Caedus frowned. It was obvious that staying in a freezing room, even accepting the fact that he could use the Force to warm himself up, was a really silly idea; so gathering his cloak around him, he set off for the command salon to find out what was going on. He fell back with a surprised groan and rubbed his forehead. His cabin door, for some reason, possibly the intense cold, had failed to open. Caedus struggled to his feet and tried again, tentatively at first and then by thumping the control roughly with his fist. Confused and feeling the beginnings of a bad headache, he took a step back to assess the situation . . . and shivered. This time it was not due to the cold. He swung round, lightsaber drawn and ignited to face . . . no one? Caedus stood stock-still studying every shadow, every niche wherein an intruder might have concealed himself, or herself. But nothing moved. Nothing was out of place. It all looked convincingly normal. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, and deactivated his lightsaber, although he didn’t feel quite ready to re-hitch it to his utility belt. He was certain he could sense a presence, but it annoyed him that he couldn’t seem to locate it. And yet it was there – like a murmur at the edge of a conversation, a faint whiff of a familiar fragrance tickling his nostrils and then fading before he could identify it. He shook his head as if the action would eradicate the nagging sense of wrongness, and returned to the irritating dilemma posed by his recalcitrant door. Deciding to give the datapad com one more go, he flicked on the all channels sweep. He was a nano-second away from closing it again when it fell silent, but not because the connection had died. Far from it - he could hear the crackle of an active line, but without any of the white noise he’d encountered on all the others. Encouraged, and somewhat relieved, he brought it up close so he could see whose channel he’d found, but the readout said “unknown”. “Colonel Solo here,” he announced brusquely. The time to publicly proclaim himself as Darth Caedus had not yet arrived, but even so he felt strangely uncomfortable using his old name. “Whom am I addressing? My com system appears to have developed a flutter.” There was an odd flicker in the background hum, almost like a snort. Caedus waited patiently . . . and waited. “Is anyone there?” he demanded massaging his temple with thumb and forefinger, aware that the headache that had been threatening a few minutes ago had now decided to begin with a vengeance. Again there was the flickering effect, like a displacement of sound through a tunnel. And then a voice – quiet but distinct. “Oh yeah, I’m here all right . . . bro’.” Caedus thought his head was going to explode, but not because of the headache. It was his mind trying to whirlwind its way out of his skull. And to add insult to injury someone had glued his legs to the spot, or at least that was what it felt like. Bro’? He pondered the word for a moment, and shook his head - and then wished he hadn’t as his sight turned slightly red at the edges. No, he murmured. This is some kind of elaborate trick. “Look,” he hissed into the datapad transceiver. “I don’t have time for this. Something has—“ “You’re wrong, bro’. You do have time. Not a lot mind you, but enough.” “What do you--? This is ridiculous,” Caedus exploded. “Whose channel is this?” “This channel belongs to the Anakin Solo.” -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:45pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/7/08 5:38pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Drama: Part 2 Many Happy Returns by Tahi A/N: This scene follows the attempted rape of Tahiri by Jaytee, one of the swoopers. Anakin searched Tahiri's face for some sign of compliance but she seemed to have retreated into herself. He turned to Rongo, frowning, to see the swooper urge him on with a wave of his free hand - the one not holding Jaytee's collar in a vice-like grip. The source of the problem seemed to have recovered from Tahiri's retaliation; or possibly, Anakin thought, he'd already forgotten it. Whatever the case, the leer he gave Anakin was obviously intended to provoke him. It took all his will power to make himself walk past the youth without grabbing him and bashing his face repeatedly into the wall. He wanted to take Tahiri's hand, but the stony look on her face warned him off, so he tried reaching out to her in the Force instead. He was just recoiling, confused, from the blank wall she'd constructed when Blue and Iliana appeared from the other end of the corridor. "Its okay, Tahiri," the Mirialan woman said soothingly, placing her arm around the girl and leading her away. Anakin heard her murmuring quietly, and then saw Tahiri nod. Why hadn't she responded to him like that? All he wanted to do was cuddle her and let her know she was safe. He heard Rongo call out and looked up to see the swooper beckoning to him. As he passed the closed door of the storeroom he heard Blue's angry voice delivering some choice phrases that Anakin was sure even his father had never heard of. Guilt wriggled its way into his thoughts again, and for a moment he listened to its whispers. Working with the swoopers was all very well, but what was he doing putting Tahiri at risk? And then there were the swoopers themselves. Again he found he was worrying about them, and if he had the right to let them put their lives on the line in order to save his friends? He followed Rongo into his room and came face to face with a holocube of a young couple, and for one weird moment he thought he was looking at a holo of Tahiri and himself. "That's Jonno and Pet," Rongo said quietly, noticing the succession of expressions flickering through the young Jedi's eyes. "No matter what happens, Anakin, I'll be forever grateful to you and Tahiri. If you hadn't come - we'd never have done anything other than bicker about what to do about Tag." To his surprise Anakin felt his eyelids prickle, but he forced the emotion away. Or thought he had. Rongo reached out and clasped his shoulder. "Hey. Don't let it get to you. And don't be upset if she doesn't want you to touch her for a while. She's had a hell of a fright from that little . . . " Several different words formed on his lips before he managed to select one that he hoped might put the incident back into perspective. "Idiot." Anakin glanced at Rongo noting his sympathetic expression. He smiled weakly and then looked away. "I feel bad about putting her in this situation, especially after you warned me to keep my eyes open. I just didn't think --" Rongo folded his arms and fixed Anakin with a steely glare. "Didn't think what? That the kid would actually be stupid enough to try anything? That he'd go and get himself spaced out on spice because he's too damn selfish to think about anyone but himself? Jaytee's a --" Again he had to search for the right option. "A mess. If anyone's to blame for this it's me. I was the one that got him roiled up enough to go on his little bender. But in fact none of us are to blame. He's the problem. So don't go bleeding guilt all over the place. Okay?" Anakin's blue eyes flickered up to Rongo's briefly, before returning to their introspection. Eventually he sighed and nodded. "Okay - no guilt tripping. I just don't understand why she's angry at me. I mean, I'd never try and force myself on her like that." "Of course you wouldn't. You're a good guy, Anakin, and she knows that. Don't worry - it's not about you; it's about you trying to intervene when she had the upper hand. It's all to do with power - him trying to take it away and her getting it back." Anakin frowned as he tried to assimilate this new piece of knowledge. "How do you know all this stuff?" he blurted. Rongo grinned. "What, and me just a dumb swooper?" "I didn't mean that." Anakin blushed furiously. "I mean --" Rongo snorted quietly. "It's okay. I know what you meant." Red Sky by Lonewolf89 The sky looks familiar, but then he's seen so many skies on so many planets. It's comforting to think he knows where he is, though, so he allows himself the illusion as he stands in the rubbled remains of the planet. The planet he thinks he remembers. His peripheral vision is shot. Whether it's from the explosion or the torture, he's not sure, but at this moment, it doesn't really matter. He can see the sky. For the first time in three years, there's something above his head besides coral ceiling and duracrete. He's seeing most of it through the red haze that's left of his eyesight, but it's sky, and it's air, and it's one step closer to life than he's been in a very long time. He shifts slightly, putting his hands on his hips. The coral implant attached to his shoulder pulls uncomfortably at his muscles, clenching them tightly together. The tug has become so familiar to him that he ignores it. The cool evening air feels good against his skin. He ripped away the self-sealing, Vong clothing the moment he escaped, and now he's standing naked in the ruins of whatever planet it is that he's just destroyed. For a moment, he wonders if this isn't reality at all. Maybe it's a vision, or even worse, a twist of his own imagination. But suddenly the sky is lit with a million shooting stars, and he believes the reality of the moment. Logically, he realizes the lights are simply the remnants of Vong ships colliding into the atmosphere, but he he doesn't let what he knows get in the way of what he wants to believe. He would have never escaped to begin with had he only focused on the facts. He wonders if there's anyone left up there. Beyond the battleships and legions of warriors, he wonders if anyone he knows is left in this galaxy. There was someone he loved. He can't remember her name, but the face is clear in his mind, and it's kept his hope alive all the years of his captivity. Her eyes, beautiful and green, shine out in the dark places of his mind. And standing here now, alone on a planet that he's destroyed, he sees them reflected in the fire that rains from the sky. ~ The sheets are tangled around her when she wakes, heart racing, eyes wide. The dream was like so many others she's had of him. But this was different in a way, a ways that made her feel what she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a very long time... hope. Slipping from the blankets, she pads softly towards the window and gazes out at the expanse of sky. "I'm here," she whispers to the stars. "Come and find me." -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:45pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/8/08 5:37pm (7 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Romance A Glimmer Past Twilight by LadyPadme Leia turned cold eyes on him. “I have to say, Han, our time apart has really not enhanced your power to charm.” “I wouldn’t think so,” Han retorted. “I didn’t think it was possible to improve on perfection.” “Your egotism is really monumental, General.” “Not nearly as big as your ability to lie, your Majesty!” “You don’t know anything,” Leia snapped, heading out of the cockpit. But Han, feeling a bitterness he rarely allowed to surface, and even less often acknowledged, wasn’t going to let her get away with hiding behind the princess act now. He caught up with her as Leia entered her cabin and pulled her around toward him. “What don’t I know, Leia?” “Take your hands off me, General.” Even trapped as she was between him and the cabin bulkhead, she did not lose her composure. Had it not been for the pulse he could see beating rapidly in the curve of her throat there would be nothing to betray that she was alarmed. The sight of that slim neck and the line of her jaw suddenly reminded Han of another lifetime, when he had held her in his arms and had put his lips there, as by right. The direction of his thoughts suddenly took another turn as he raked over her with his eyes. She noticed and pinkened. “’Leia?’” she challenged, seizing upon his slip of the tongue. “Shouldn’t it be ‘your Majesty’? Or ‘Your Worshipfulness’?” “So the truth comes out at last,” Han bit out. “For all that charade of playing the dedicated idealist, power was always the true love of your life. That’s why you left the Alliance, wasn’t it? Why be content to be groomed as Mon Mothma’s heir when you could be Queen of Nio?” A sharp crack sounded as Leia’s palm found his jaw. Han caught her wrist and pulled her against him. “Was it worth it? Was being the Queen Consort to that sniveling little toady worth the titles and the palaces?” Leia’s smile was poisonously sweet. “What you really mean to ask was if it was worth depriving myself of your company, isn’t it? What do you think, General?” -- What happened next was something that neither Han nor Leia would be able to fully recall in the later years of their lives. Had Han seized her or had she rushed at him? A torrent of sharp pain of the soul intermingled with unquenched desire, with impotent and unresolved anger, with burning passion, with sharp bitterness, all heightened by their years apart, drove them into a tumultuous embrace that was too intense for ecstasy, fueled as it was by unfettered regrets and unspoken disillusionments. There was no true pleasure in the rapture they released in each other in their lovemaking, only a tortured relief that was too long overdue. And yet, it seemed to Leia that for the first time in years she had come alive again, almost quivering from the maelstrom of overwhelming awareness in which she reveled almost against her will. Every sense had been aroused, every nerve ending was on fire. The touch of Han’s work roughened hands against hers, the heat of his breath against her neck, the husky murmur of his voice, the scent that came off his skin that was almost raw and damp, suffused with an intensity of desire all threatened to submerge her in a deluge of exhilaration that seemed too blissful and agonizing to be real. He held her with the desperation of a drowning man, his grip painful, while his lips and his body claimed a fierce possession of hers, his kisses robbing her of breath, of even thought. Afterward, they could only stare at each other in shock and disbelief, both knowing that so much lay unspoken between them that there was now nothing either could say. Reproaches, regrets, explanations, none of that could fill the void that their frantically intimate contact had created. There was no triumph in Han’s eyes, no flicker of prideful male prowess, no hazy glow of aftermath, only a stunned look as though he couldn’t quite believe what had happened. His face was drawn and gray, and his eyes…but Leia could not meet his eyes. She couldn’t even begin to process what had just happened beyond the unsettling realization that even after all those years, Han Solo could still kindle such a fire in her, a fire whose embers she had truly believed to have died out long ago. This knowledge brought her only a feeling of despair, because despite what had just happened between them, Leia knew better than to cherish romantic notions of a reunion or a renewed relationship between them. Too many years, too much pain, too many asteroids over the bow as the saying went. The Talk by Tahi A/N: This fits into SbS at the end of chapter 14. It begins at the end of a discussion about the strike mission and Alema . . . “We need to be able to work together,” he continued, “and they, and you, have to be willing to take orders from me. It’s going to be hard enough without having other issues messing it up.” “I know. I try not to let it get to me, but I know it’s the way she operates – it’s like she enjoys bringing out the worst in people so she can then act all surprised and goody goody. Look at the way she was preening herself after Lando praised her attitude earlier on.” “Lando was just being provocative,” Anakin said dismissively, “so we’d be forced to think about some of the choices we may have to make.” Tahiri’s gaze had flickered away, and when it returned she was frowning. “I think the main reason it annoys me is because it shows she has no respect for us or for our relationship. It’s just something to destroy as far as she’s concerned.” Anakin nodded. “I think you’ve hit the bolt on the head.” “Now there’s an idea!” she quipped, albeit darkly. He brushed a finger down her cheek, hoping that this meant they’d sorted the problem out, but Tahiri wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “I am territorial,” she admitted, unabashed. “It’s just the way I am.” There was something deeply stirring about her statement, something not immediately definable, but connected to possession, belonging, determination to defend a claim. He suddenly felt very warm. “I am too,” he said. Her eyes narrowed, challenging him. “Do you find her attractive?” He gazed back, and the Force resounded with his love, and a little disappointment at the lack of faith she had in herself. He knew that, although she hung doggedly to her scars, she still tended to feel people regarded her as different – alien – and, by analogy, unattractive. “Tahiri,” he said softly. “What use do I have for the grubby old town speeder bike that anyone can have a go with, when I have the classiest, most perfect model on the block? She gazed up at him, her eyes emerald ice melting into pools. He tilted her chin and bent down until her warm breath tickled his lips. “I’m very, very picky,” he murmured. “Are you being romantic, or do you just enjoy pushing my buttons?” The emerald pools danced as they caught the sunlight. Anakin’s grin was pure Solo. “Definitely both,” he managed to say before his mouth captured hers – or was it the other way round? He still found differentiation tricky at times, and he had become accustomed to feeling and seeing from her perspective. It was both a good thing and a bad one – well, maybe not so much bad as problematic. Like now with the waves tugging at him, the siren song of the ocean more powerful than ever because he was feeling Tahiri’s desire as well. Swimming against the tide – he was . . . they were . . . left breathless. “I guess we’d better get some sleep,” Tahiri murmured into his shoulder. “Yeah.” He buried his nose in her hair. “Mind you, sleep is over-rated,” he added a while later, and felt a flutter that suggested she had smiled. She straightened and reached up to brush her lips against his one last time. “G’night.” “Mmm.” The brush became more of an extended sampling. “’Night.” “Wake me when you wake up, okay?” she reminded him as she stood up. “What if you wake up first?” She turned before opening the door and grinned. “Then I’ll bring you some caf.” “I’ll look forward to it then,” he grinned back. He kicked his boots off and lay back on his bed, clasping his hands together behind his head. The day was coming when she wouldn’t have to leave. The knowledge left him gasping and yet at the same time it made his heart sing. He couldn’t wait to wake up beside her and be able to reach out to her, drowsy-eyed and warm and tousled. He couldn’t wait – but he knew they had to wait . . . a little longer. When this mission was over they’d have time to talk it through and make their decision . . . together. Always together. Because together they were strong, but most of all together they were right. It was the last thought he had before his eyes closed; it was trust in each other, and faith and hope in the future. But most of all it was something so precious and pure that he felt humbled. It was love . . . our love. Us. Perfectly Normal by Gabri_Jade This, Mara Jade thought as she trudged disgruntledly up the stairs toward Luke's apartment, was {i}not{/i} what she had signed up for. It had been a week since the signing of the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Empire, and of that week, Mara estimated that she and Luke had spent a grand total of ten hours together. Yes, Luke was an important figure in the New Republic. Yes, he had major responsibilities to the Jedi order and the Academy. Yes, she was integral to Karrde's organization. Yes, she had an outrageously long list of things to do and Shada to train besides. But they'd just gotten engaged, for stars' sake, and that after years wasted being distant and wary. It was positively indecent that the galaxy couldn't leave them alone even for a week. . . . Coming at last to the familiar door at the end of the hall, Mara punched in the access code with swift efficiency. She waited impatiently, slipping through and into the apartment before the door had finished opening. It slid shut behind her, and Mara cast it a dirty look for good measure as she reset the lock code. "Hi," Luke's voice called from further inside. Mara took off her jacket, shook the final raindrops off of it, tossed it on the entry hall table, and went in search of the man attached to the voice. She found him in the living area, seated on the couch and frowning at a datapad. He looked up as she entered. "Hey." "Hey," she said with a sigh. "The fifteenth level turbolift is out again." "Again?" Small lines appeared between Luke's eyebrows as he frowned anew. "Third straight time. I'd almost say it knows when you're coming." "And has it in for me, just like everyone else." Mara plopped down very ungracefully beside him and put her feet up on the low table before the couch with an audible thonk of bootheels. Luke set his datapad down and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Bad day?" "Busy day," she answered, resting her head on his shoulder. Funny, how quickly she'd become accustomed to small affectionate gestures like that. "Same as always. You?" "Same," he said, sighing. He stroked her hair almost casually, and Mara let her eyes drift shut. She breathed in slowly and deeply, feeling tense muscles begin to relax. "Your hair's damp," he murmured. "Raining?" "Barely," she murmured back. Luke stroked her hair a few more times, then tightened his arm around her and leaned his own head against hers. There was a long moment of comfortable silence. Mara thought drowsily that she could easily fall asleep right here, like this - but their time together was still too new and too precious to waste sleeping. She sighed, then sat up straight again, pulling away from Luke slightly and taking her feet off the table. Luke rested his arm across the back of the couch and watched her wordlessly, his Force sense as lazily peaceful as she herself felt. Outside this apartment, the galaxy waited for them both to dive back into the fray, but when they were alone together like this, all concerns seemed to fall effortlessly away. Mara still wasn't quite sure how that worked, but it wasn't something she felt inclined to question. She leaned down to unlace her boots and draw them off. Setting the discarded boots off to the side, she tucked her feet underneath her and leaned back into Luke's embrace. "I wish it could be like this all the time," she said softly. Mara felt the smile she didn't see. "Actually, it would drive you crazy," Luke said. "But it would be nice if it could be like this a little more often." He sighed. "It'll settle down eventually, Mara." "Before or after we grow too old to appreciate it?" She tilted her head up to receive a kiss, and drew her fingertips softly down his cheek. "We're still on for tonight, right?" "Short of Coruscant's sun going supernova." "Not bad odds, then." Mara shook her head. "Get engaged, then go on a first date. More proof, just in case any was needed, that we couldn't be normal if we tried." "Normal is overrated," Luke said. "So I'll pick you up for dinner later?" "Sounds good," Mara replied. "Dancing afterward, right?" "Right," Luke said, making a face. Mara shoved his shoulder lightly. "You like dancing even if you don't want to admit it. I've talked to Leia, you know. And after that, the night's entirely ours?" "My first appointment is just after noon tomorrow," Luke said, grinning at her. "That'll do," Mara said, and drew him close. He Said, She Said by VaderLVR64 ~~~ “So…” Mara glanced at Luke. “What’re you doing here?” “Just in the area,” Luke answered. “Heard you were around, so I thought I’d drop by.” I wanted to see if I still felt the same way about you. And damn it, I do. “Oh,” she said, obviously still somewhat taken aback. “Well in that case, how about I buy you a drink?” And she motioned toward the barkeep. “Whiskey,” Luke answered. “Make it a double.” He glanced at Mara, taking in the surprised expression. “I’ll pay.” Shaking her head, Mara crossed her arms over her chest. “Last I heard, working for Karrde paid better than being a Jedi.” She pushed some credits across the bar. “Keep your credits, Skywalker.” “Thanks,” Luke answered and sat down with a sigh. The whiskey was good, a smooth flame that coiled in his belly. “So what’s Master Skywalker doing in this little corner of the galaxy?” Mara asked after he had taken a few sips. “Just wanted to get away from Coruscant, I guess,” Luke answered. I wanted to find you. “Well, you got away all right,” Mara answered with a look around. “Way away.” Luke didn’t answer, just took another sip of whiskey. They were silent for a moment, and Luke appreciated the way Mara could simply sit in silence. She didn’t feel a need to fill the void with words, polite or otherwise. “Something on your mind, farmboy?” she asked after a moment, flicking a curious look his way. “Not much,” he answered. Nothing I’d tell you at any rate. “All right then,” Mara answered. “Maintain your mysterious Jedi mystique. Fine by me.” She sounded slightly disgruntled. Luke turned and leaned in close, told himself that it was the whiskey that made him do it. His lips hovered over hers for just a moment, just long enough to feel her surprised little gasp. “When’s the last time you were kissed?” ~~~~~~~~ Mara sensed something – someone – familiar and turned in surprise to see a pair of big blue eyes staring at her. “So…” she drawled. “What’re you doing here?” And why am I so happy to see you? “Just in the area,” he said, shifting on his feet. “Heard you were around, so I thought I’d drop by.” “Oh.” Another good question: Why am I disappointed in your answer? “Well in that case, how about I buy you a drink?” She gestured for the barkeep. At least a drink will keep Luke around for a while. Though why I’d want to do that, I’m still not sure. “Whiskey,” Luke answered. “Make it a double.” The farmboy was having a double? Had Palpatine risen from the dead? “I’ll pay.” He sounded chagrined at his lack of courtesy. It was kind of cute actually, even though it was equally laughable. She shook her head and crossed her arms, smirking a little. “Last I heard, working for Karrde paid better than being a Jedi.” It was a small enough price to pay. “Keep your credits, Skywalker.” “Thanks,” Luke answered and sat down with a sigh. He looks tired. “So what’s Master Skywalker doing in this little corner of the galaxy?” You always seem to show up where I least expect you, don’t you, Skywalker? “Just wanted to get away from Coruscant, I guess,” he said. Something odd was in his voice, but even as she observed that she watched him push it under the surface. “Well, you got away all right,” Mara answered with a look around. “Way away.” In fact, she was pretty sure that this place was just a step or two above Tatooine in the remoteness factor. Not that she had looked it up or anything. “Something on your mind, farmboy?” She had to break the silence; it was wearing on her nerves. Is it me on your mind perhaps? Does a woman like me get a chance like that? No. The answer to that was no. “Not much,” he murmured. “All right then,” Mara said. “Maintain your mysterious Jedi mystique. Fine by me.” And I’ll maintain my façade that I don’t care about anyone or anything besides myself and we’ll both be happy. Luke turned and leaned in close and she could smell the bite of whiskey on his breath. His lips were so close to hers that all she would have to do is – “When’s the last time you were kissed?” Too long ago to remember… Their lips touched. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:46pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/8/08 5:40pm (7 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Humor Blue Ghost Hunters by PonyTricks (Foreword – Early in Han and Leia’s marriage, Lando Calrissian finances a new holo-show, in which our heroes help the citizens of the New Republic rid themselves of those pesky Blue-Ghosts.) ------ “Now we sit around the table and hold hands,” Wes ordered, plunking down heavily into a chair and placing a lighted candle in the center. He frowned when no one made a move to sit. “Now what’s the matter?” “I’m not holding hands with you,” Mara said firmly. “Luke, you sit next to Janson, and Solo, you sit by his other side.” Han’s eyes widened. “There’s no way I’m holding hands with a guy.” “I’m not thrilled with the idea, myself,” Luke said. “I don’t have any contagious diseases,” Wes grumbled. “Prove it,” Han said. “I’ll sit next to you, Wes,” Leia said sympathetically as she moved toward the table. “Uh, uh,” Han said, shaking his head and putting his hand on Leia’s arm. “I don’t want you sitting next to Janson in the dark, either.” “Don’t you trust me?” Leia shot out, her tone getting icy. “I trust you just fine,” Han said hurriedly. “It’s Janson I have serious doubts about.” “What have I ever done?” Wes protested. “You look like a groper.” “What!?!” “It’s your long fingers,” Han explained. “They look like trouble.” “If he tried groping me in the dark, I’d break every bone in his hand. Slowly and painfully,” Mara stated. Wes held up his hand, palm out. “Let’s compare. I’ll bet yours are longer than mine, Solo.” “This isn’t a competition, Janson. ‘Sides, I’ll freely admit my parts are longer than yours.” “Good stars,” Leia said in exasperation. “Someone has to sit next to Janson. Maybe we should draw straws, and whoever gets the short pieces, loses.” “Wins,” Janson grumbled. “Whatever,” Leia said. “This is dumb,” Luke complained as he watched Leia tear a flimsy into strips and twist the pieces into thin straws. Leia turned her back so no one could watch as she placed the four strips into an even line and covered the remaining sections with her fingers. Then she turned and offered one to Han. “You pick first.” Han grabbed one, and inspected it carefully. “Is this short or long?” “Short. You lose.” “You win,” Janson strongly reiterated. “I don’t want to hold Janson’s hand,” Han whined in protest. “This is being recorded, and I’ll never live it down.” “Tough. Mara, you’re next.” She drew a piece, and smiled in relief. “A long one. I win.” “LOSE!” Janson yelled in frustration, as he pounded the table with his fists. “LOSE!” Luke licked his lips, and then pulled a straw from Leia’s hand. It matched Han’s piece. “Damn.” “I’m getting an inferiority complex,” Janson griped. “See?” Mara crowed. “It turned out just like I said in the first place.” Han sat down next to Janson as he glared at Leia. “I think you an’ Mara manipulated the Force so it worked out the way you wanted it to.” “Maybe,” Leia said. “But we’ll never confess.” After a bit more complaining, they all took their respective seats, while Luke and Han reluctantly gripped Janson’s hand. Luke’s right hand quickly located Mara’s slender fingers, and it almost made up for what his left hand was forced to hold. “Is everyone ready?” Wes called out. “Threepio, make sure you don’t miss anything important.” “I will certainly try my best to capture this experience for posterity,” Threepio stated, scanning the perimeter of the room with his holo-recorder. “Shut your eyes,” Wes ordered. “And I’ll contact the spirits.” “Do you have their otherworldly comm codes?” Han wanted to know. “When I die, I’m making sure my number is unlisted.” “Shut up, Solo,” Mara said. “We need to take this seriously.” “Then someone needs to explain to me why I’m here,” Han said, then gave a jerk. “OW!” “What was that?” Luke asked. “Did a ghost make contact?” Wes asked hopefully. “Not unless the ghost is named Leia,” Han groused. “Spirits of the afterlife,” Wes called out. “Please, let us know if you’re here. We are trying to help.” When there was no response, Mara added, “We are here to help you move on… to accept your place with the Force.” “I’m not sure we’re qualified to do that,” Luke pointed out. “Can you explain why Prissy’s body wasn’t in there?” Wes asked. “She isn’t a Zombie, is she?” “Will you quit about the Zombies already, Wes?” Luke asked in annoyance. “The spirits are never going to respond if we don’t concentrate,” Wes muttered. “Spirits, please reply. Why won’t you leave The Happy Knight Bed and Breakfast?” “They’re probably wondering the same thing about us,” Han said. Never Too Old by Jaya Solo Wedge trudged home after a very long day in the office. He was looking forward to a quiet evening at home with his wife, Iella, and his two daughters, Syal and Myri. Wedge wearily walked into his sitting room where he spotted an unusual thing. Well, it would have been unusual if it wasn't Wedge's home. Wes Janson was standing in his sitting room dressed in X-Wing gear. Upon a quick, closer inspection, Wedge noticed that his uniform was off in some way... like it was a child's costume. “Happy Birthday, Wedge!” Wes exclaimed. “Thanks. Get out.” “Aw... You're going to greet an old friend this way?” Wes asked, looking pathetically hurt. “Yes, it's my birthday, and I can order you out if I want to. Get out.” “But... but... I got dressed up all special for you.” “No you didn't. You put on an old X-Wing uniform. That doesn't count as dress up. Now get out.” “Is it really?” “Is what really?” “Is my outfit really an old uniform?” Wedge took a step forward for a closer inspection. It was a child's costume! “Why are you dressed up as an X-Wing pilot?” “For your birthday, silly. I told you this already.” “Yes, but you are an X-Wing pilot. You didn't need to dress up in a child's costume to be one.” “But then I would spoil the surprise.” Wedge's eyes lit up in an accusatory way, asking Wes exactly what he had done. All he got in reply was the twinkling of his eyes. This was not good. Wes pushed Wedge into the living room where he was met by the rest of his family, the Horns, the Skywalkers, the Celchus, and Hobbie Klivian. The men, his so called friends, looked slightly sheepish in their colored hats, while the children beamed in theirs. “Did you get it ready?” Wes asked the children. “Yes!” they eagerly exclaimed. “They made you a special birthday boy hat,” Wes informed him, holding up a hat still slightly soggy from all of the glitter attached to it. Wedge glared at Wes before examining it and putting on a proud, happy face. His kids, and Corran's, had made this just for him, so he could at least pretend to like it. The hat was shaped like a crown and little X-Wing and Rogue Squadron icons decorated the cap, and he could see his little girls' handiwork in the glitter that adorned it. The glitter that was held on by the glue that was still slightly wet. This could be fun. He gingerly placed the hat on his head and gave the children a cheesy grin. “Now it's time for the games!” Wes declared, much to the chagrin of Wedge and the elatedness of the children. “The first game is... pin the Artoo unit in the X-Wing!” “Yay!” “First you get blind-folded, then you take the Artoo and try to pin him in his X-Wing. Well, you get to do that but only after we spin you around and get you a little dizzy. Wedge gets to go first.” Wedge glowered as Wes tied the blind fold around his face. He played along as Wes spun him around and then felt blindly through the dark in hopes of finding the poster to pin the Artoo unit on. Once he made contact with what he thought was the poster, he pinned his Artoo unit in. The sound of giggling children let him know exactly how off he had been from his goal. He had pinned his Artoo unit at the front of the X-Wing. Well, at least the little guy would take all of the brunt force from any shots being fired at him. After the children played, Wes then brought out a round, gray ball and hung it from the ceiling. He pulled out some toy lightsabers and passed them out to the kids. After a few explanations of what to do, there were a few questions from the observers. “Wait, you mean they have to blow up the Death Star using lightsabers, and they get candy for it? That's not how we did it,” Luke remarked jokingly. “It seems things have advanced quite a bit since our day,” Wedge remarked back to him. “And the lightsabers are much more powerful now,” Corran said as he examined one of the toys. ----- “You know I'm going to be washing glitter and glue out of my hair for a year, don't you?” Wedge gruffly remarked to Wes after the party was over. “Especially the glue I had the kids use.” Wedge's slight smirk quickly changed into a glower. “I'm just kidding, this time.” The Ridiculously Concise Romantic Luke/Mara Epic of Epic Proportions by furrylittlebantha A/N: This fic is a single post, pictographic commentary on the more absurd aspects of Luke and Mara's relationship. An excerpt cannot be posted here since it contains embedded images, but a link is provided below to the original post. Don't be fooled by the claim of 10K words in the title; it's much less than 800. From a certain point of view. Wookiee Wisdom by VaderLVR64 Luke’s lips pulled down in a sulk and he turned away from Han. “I don’t remember saying I wanted company.” “Don’t remember asking,” Han answered easily. “Why aren’t you at home with my sister?” Luke asked, scowling as he ordered another drink. Something stronger was definitely in order. If he kept drinking ale he’d just end up spending the evening the ‘fresher emptying his bladder all night. He had other plans. “You might want to slow down,” Han said, gesturing toward the new drink the barkeep placed in front of Luke. “You don’t have much of a head for the hard stuff.” “I can hold my own,” Luke defended himself hotly. “All right,” Han soothed, patting Luke’s hand as if he was a child. “If you say so.” “That’s right,” Luke huffed and lifted to the glass to his lips. He took a gulp and then coughed as liquid fire blazed a path to his belly. Han pounded him on the back until Luke could catch his breath. “Oh yeah, you can hold your own, kid,” Han murmured. “You’re a regular drinking machine.” “Shut up.” “Wow, and he’s witty, too.” Luke took another, more cautious sip from the glass. It wasn’t half bad when you got used to it, he mused. Besides, he didn’t really care how it tasted, just if it would give him a good night’s sleep. He imagined it would, if the spinning of the room was any indication. “Why’re you here?” Luke asked carefully. It was getting more difficult to remember the words he wanted to say. Stupid words… “Because your sister is worried about you for some strange reason,” Han replied, leaning on the bar. “And guess who got elected to come looking for you?” He sighed. “Not to mention the fact that my favorite smashball team is in the playoffs tonight and I’m gonna miss it.” “She can be pretty pushy,” Luke commiserated. “She’s a woman.” Two more sips of the drink and he started to feel more confident. “Yes, she’s definitely all woman,” Han agreed. “And she’s downright scary when she sets her mind to something.” “So go home, tell her you found me and that I’m doing just fine…” Luke suggested hopefully. He closed his eyes, hoping that the room would slow down a bit. Instead, it tilted. “You might as well give it up, kid,” Han said. “I’m not gonna lie to Leia.” “I am fine,” Luke protested, knowing he sounded like a petulant child even as he said it. Opening his eyes, he wondered when Han had gotten a twin, too. Luke tried closing one eye, but there were still two Han Solos staring at him in concern. “You look like hell,” Han told him cheerfully. “You look….like…more…” Luke whispered in confusion. “What’s your brother’s name?” “Brother?” “The guy standing next to you.” Luke squinted. “He looks just like you. That’s weird.” Han took the glass from Luke’s hand and set it firmly on the bar. Then he put Luke’s arm around his shoulders and hauled him to his feet. “All right, that’s it,” he said. “You’re done, kid.” “You can’t tell me…” Luke muttered and then groaned. “I don’t feel…so good…” “That’s just great,” Han said as he half-dragged, half-carried Luke toward the door. “These are new boots, and if you hurl on them…” He let his threat trail off as they went through the doors. Luke gasped at the feel of the cold air on his face. “Ow…” “Taking you home now, okay Luke?” “Don’t wanna go home,” Luke whispered. “It’s too…quiet…empty.” He threw his arms wide. “It’s really big spaces…” Han stopped and studied Luke for a moment and then he readjusted Luke’s arm around him and began walking. “All right, kid,” he said. “You can come home with me. It ain’t quiet there, I can guarantee you that – or empty.” “I don’t want Leia…” Luke paused and took a deep breath, blinking at the wind blowing into his eyes. “Don’t want her to see me like this.” “You don’t wanna go to your place, and you don’t want Leia to see you,” Han said. “Then what the hell am I supposed to do with you?” “Prop me up in a corner,” Luke suggested. “And just leave me there. No one cares…” he added in the maudlin tones of a drunk. “Self-pity isn’t very attractive on you, Luke, I have to tell you.” “Don’t care.” “You’ll care in the morning,” Han promised. Then he smiled. “And I know where to take you so that you can sleep off the little pity party you indulged in.” “Okay,” Luke replied agreeably. “Okay,” Han said. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:47pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/13/08 6:30pm (9 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best All Around: Part 1 Shattererd Remembrance by Jedi-2B Mara wasn't sure what she was trying to gain, lurking around the medcenter every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luke. The only thing she'd accomplished was catching several holoreporters who had used the same covert paths as she to sneak onto Luke's floor. Realistically, she understood the doctor's reasoning in gradually introducing new people to Luke. But how long would it be before the Solos reached her name on the check-off list? Or would they see this as an opportunity to keep her out of Luke's life permanently? It had taken her ten years to finally admit that she wanted to be with the man. No one in the galaxy was going to dictate- Whump! Blast it! Mara had been so focused on her own frustration that she hadn't been watching as she rounded a corner, allowing some clumsy fool to walk right into her. "Excuse me," a low voice said. "I didn't mean to bump into you." Mara froze, her shocked gaze drawn to the familiar blue eyes staring at her. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Are you all right?" "Uh, yes," Mara stammered. He was here, standing right in front of her, clutching the safety rail that traversed the corridors. She wanted to hug him so bad it hurt. "I should be asking you the same question," she said, slowing taking in his appearance. He was dressed in the standard baggy medical pants and shirt that were routinely issued to patients. Faint scars still crisscrossed his arms and neck, new from the ones she'd memorized on the trip back from Nirauan. "I was in an accident," Luke said quietly, shifting his weight onto his left leg. "Oh." Mara berated herself for embarrassing him with her staring. "I'm sorry if I'm using the wrong side of the hall, but it's a little easier walking if I can hold the rail with this hand." "Don't apologize," Mara hurriedly assured him. "I should've been watching where I was going." "I'm Luke, by the way," he said, letting go of the rail and awkwardly holding out one hand. "Luke Skywalker." "Mara Jade," she returned, hiding a wince at his firm handshake. He apparently hadn't gotten the hang of his new prosthetic yet. "I know." At Mara's surprised look, he continued, "I happened to notice you out here in the corridor one day, and Han -- my brother-in-law -- he told me who you were." Luke's brow crinkled in thought. "So I guess you already know my name, and that I'm having trouble with my memory." "I understand." Mara smiled warmly, thanking the Force for this unexpected opportunity to talk to Luke alone. "But I am surprised to find you out strolling the halls already." "I'm on my way to physical therapy," Luke explained. "Usually the med-droid escorts me, but I wanted to try getting there on my own, so I left early." Still impatient, still wanting to do everything himself. Still the man she loved. "Mind if I walk with you then?" she offered, moving to Luke's side. "I'd like that," Luke said, resuming his slow gait. "I haven't been able to meet anyone but my sister and Han and their children. I get the feeling they're trying to protect me." "I'm sure they have their reasons," Mara said, relishing the feel of his grip on her arm. "Perhaps they're afraid the wrong person may try to take advantage of you." "I guess." Luke glanced sideways at his walking companion. "Luckily for me, Han vouched for you as a safe person." Mara laughed lightly. "Really? And here I thought I still intimidated him." "I got the impression he doesn't intimidate easily." "I know." She grinned slyly. "You're one of the few people I've never been able to intimidate, despite my best efforts." Luke frowned. "If you say so," he said slowly. "Uh, what brings you to the medcenter today?" "Well, I ..." Out of the corner of her eye, Mara spotted a Duros dressed in medical togs. He was watching them from a data station alcove, and in his hand- Letting go of Luke's arm, Mara sprang into action. In the blink of an eye she had the man in a headlock, dropping him to his knees. "Hey!" the man choked out. "What's the big-?" "You leave him alone," Mara ordered, plucking a holorecorder out of the man's grasp. "He was in a speeder crash. There are crashes every minute of every day. He's recovering nicely, and he doesn't need the likes of you harassing him." She ground her knee into the imposter's back. "So you and your scumbag cohorts better leave him alone, or you'll be reporting the evening news from the far side of Hoth. Do I make myself clear?" A Glimmer Past Twilight by LadyPadme It had been nearly six months since Mara had come to Endymion and joined the Alliance. Perhaps “joined” might be a bit of an optimistic term considering she was living in the less than palatial accommodations the Rebels called the “detention center”. Alliance. Not Rebels, Mara reminded herself. Mara had to admit the Alliance had treated her decently—far better than the Empire would have treated “Rebel” prisoners. At the very least, a prisoner in an Imperial interrogation cell would have been tortured, beaten, possibly even raped several times—one of the Emperor’s methods of “softening” recalcitrant detainees. She’d been interrogated several times since coming to Endymion, but her interrogations had always been conducted humanely. Their questions centered on her knowledge of the Emperor and the internal workings of the Imperial command structure, and Mara had the sense that most of these questions were asked just to test her veracity, Now, sitting in Han Solo’s office, Mara did her best to assess this man, hoping to get some idea of what kind of interview lay in store for her. Either things were going to get better for her or they were going to get a lot, lot worse. He was younger than she’d expected; Mara guessed his age to be late thirties or early forties. That such a young man had become an Alliance base commander attested to either Solo’s ability or the Alliance’s desperation. He was also very handsome; not Mara’s type—not that Mara would admit having a type—but she could tell he was aware of his sharp good looks and frequently used them to his advantage. In the brief glimpse she’d had of his eyes, she had seen that this was also a man who was confident, predatory as a Togorian and dangerous if crossed. He finished reading his report and looked up. “They treating you all right?” “Well, these clothes don’t go with my complexion, but otherwise I don’t think I have much to complain about.” “Well, you didn’t have to come here,” Han said. “Your file has you as a former Imperial operative—an Emperor’s Hand—and says you defected. Why?” “Isn’t that all in the file, too?” “The massacre at Fiku. But the Emperor did a lot worse things than just kill schoolchildren. You even did a lot worse things.” “I’ll bet your hands aren’t so clean, either,” Mara retorted. “I never said mine were,” Han said easily. “But I ain’t a former Imperial assassin, either.” “My kills deserved what they got.” “If you really believe that then you would never have left…or else it just means that you haven’t really left at all.” “Well, if you think I’m an Imperial spy, then why don’t you just execute me?” “Is that all you’ve learned from your years with the Empire? Just kill to solve a problem?” She mentally berated herself—he had her there. She was better than that and she knew it. And the fact that she’d dared him to execute her had only shown him that she’d likely underestimated these Rebels. Han seemed to follow her mental struggles before he said, “You have to admit, we run an enormous risk just keeping you here alive. How do we know that you’re not a spy who’s transmitting every piece of data you can get? Or that you won’t tell the Emperor where we are? Not being able to read minds, I have my work cut out for me figuring out what your true agenda is, don’t I?” “That’s your problem. I can only tell you the truth.” “You don’t exactly work hard to help your own case, do you?” “I don’t grovel if that’s what you mean,” Mara said. Han grinned. “Good for you. Back to business, then: How much do you know of the Empire’s weapons programs?” “Mandalore…Fondor…and Kuat.” She actually knew quite a bit about the weapons systems, but she was unwilling to reveal more than necessary. Han cocked an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that. When you came here, you said you wanted to help us. If you were serious, then this is your chance.” “What were all those interrogation sessions I had all these weeks, then?” Mara demanded. “Jade, you’re not stupid, so don’t pretend you didn’t know that those sessions were just set up to test you. This time we want to put you to work.” “What do I get if I cooperate?” “Trust.” “I can’t exactly live on trust,” Mara retorted. “But you’d live better. Take it or leave it.” It’s not as though I have so many better alternatives, Mara thought to herself, grimly. Feeling oddly as though she was making a formal commitment to the Alliance, she looked Han in the eye and said, “Agreed.” Many Happy Returns by Tahi Kushka's tongue poked out in concentration as he scraped the sharp end of the tool that had until recently been his mother's earring along the floor beam. The exposed soft sap-wood responded to the little boy's movements, peeling off in large curls. Kushka grinned with satisfaction at the growing pile of wood shavings, and glanced over at the men. "Is that enough?" he asked the tall dark man in the purple shirt. Lando's face lit up in an encouraging smile. "Hey, good work, Kushka. Just do a little bit more. I'm going to make a ball of shavings and wrap it with those strips that Tendra's making out of Mr Qorl's jacket lining. Once the fabric's burning it should burn slowly, but we need the shavings to get it going in the first place." Vehn chuckled. "I've been threatening to burn that old jacket for a while. Never thought he'd actually offer to do it himself." "It's a pity we can't do something about those revolting underpants," muttered the old pilot. Vehn glanced down at the offending garment, pulling out the legs to display the florid pink cartoon Kowakian monkey lizards prancing across the front. "They ain't underpants, Qorl, they're boxers. Underpants!" he repeated, sniggering. "Ah, Qorl. You can tell you were with the Empire! Anyway - think yourself lucky. Imagine if I'd been wearing my Thyferran thong." "Please!" Lando covered his eyes in mock horror, and there were some suppressed giggles from Jassif and Neijal and an amused snort from Tendra. "I'm going to have nightmares about this place as it is - don't make it worse." "Well, just remember. It may well be my trousers that make the difference between you breaking your leg because you had to fall too far or you landing safely." "I'll try and think along those lines." Lando nodded. "Okay, Kushka, bring me a big handful of those shavings would you." The little boy eagerly scooped up as much of his pile as his two hands would hold and walked slowly over, carefully emptying the shavings on to the middle of the criss-crossed strips. He watched while Lando wove the fabric around the curls of wood to create a bulb-shaped bundle, and then glanced across to see how his mother and Jassif were getting on with their job. Jassif was feeding Ruba again, so only Neijal was working, tying assorted longer items of clothing together to make an escape "rope". Lando had said that they may not need a rope, but that it was better to assume they would and therefore be prepared. Everyone except Kushka himself had offered up something to make it, the requirements being that the item was reasonably long and had strong seams. So far his mother had Mr Qorl's jacket with its ripped out lining, her own and Jassif's skirts, Mr Vehn's brown trousers, and she was just tying in Jassif's shawl. Next she would probably use Lando's shirt, and then the assorted belts worn by the three men. Both his mother and Jassif had been wearing petticoats under their skirts, so they didn't look too undressed. In fact Kushka thought the coloured petticoats were prettier than their plain blue and grey skirts. If he were a lady, he'd have worn them round the other way. The men with blasters hadn't come back at all, which was both good and bad. Bad because it meant they were all uncomfortable, and there was a horrible smell coming from Ruba. Good because without the men there, Kushka felt a little safer. He knew from the way the adults were talking and acting that they were in danger, but somehow he didn't feel scared. "Want to swap places, Qorl?" The older man grunted. "Might be a good idea. Many hands make fire work." Vehn's grey eyes opened wide as he approached his comrade. "Mother of meteors, Qorl, do my ears deceive me or did you crack a joke?" He pressed his hand to his forehead. "I feel quite light-headed. This is a history-making moment, folks. Quickly, somebody record it for posterity." Qorl flicked him on the ear as he walked past. "We need to work on respect your elders," he growled, but couldn't help a slight grin as he caught Neijal's eye. The movement wasn't lost on Vehn. He glanced at both Qorl and the Mantrusian woman, and then gave the Imperial a quick jab in the ribs before he moved out of reach. "You old devil," he murmured. Qorl managed to conjure up a blank stare, and turned away before it dissolved into a smile. "Well, well," said Vehn as he grasped the stick and began twisting it backwards and forwards enthusiastically. "All this fire-making seems to be raising the temperature in more ways than one." The Marriage of True Minds by divapilot Author’s note: These drabbles reflect the various stages of Luke and Mara’s relationship. Weathered Luke stared at the empty space on the council where his wife used to sit. They had fought each other, then fought side by side. Together, they had battled invaders and usurpers alike. If he tried, sometimes he saw a residual imprint of her, faintly outlined. But those visions came less frequently as time ground on. Let others fight this foolish war, he thought. Let others debate their useless politics and their vacant philosophy. It didn’t matter now. Luke stared at the empty space where his wife used to sit. It’s true, he thought numbly. Some storms cannot be weathered. Friend Luke gently placed his hand on Mara’s abdomen and closed his eyes. In his mind, he detected a heartbeat, as sturdy and sure as a dependable friend. A quick check reassured him that all was well with the baby. Luke smiled, then permitted his mind to travel toward the new life. Mara joined her hand over his as her consciousness sought that same pathway toward their child. Suddenly, a tiny pulse sparked in response, then echoed along their Force bond. Luke’s eyes flew open and Mara gasped. For the first time, they sensed the child reach back to them, too. Heal Luke knelt to examine R2. He had scorch marks and some frayed edges, but Luke’s protective Force shield had kept the worst away. With some attentive care, he would heal just fine. Mara slung her arm across Luke’s waist. He felt the echoes of her fear across their bond, and he pulled her tighter as they left the hangar. The doors shut behind them and they were alone. “I thought I was going to lose you,” she whispered. He shook his head. “Not today, love,” he said, smiling. “Because I’d kill you if you died on me,” she finished smartly. Sullustan Dear Ambassador: Thank you for the intriguing statue you gave us for our wedding. “What are doing, Mara?” “Writing thank you notes. I’m up to that, um, thing. On the counter.” “And where are we expected to keep this hideous thing?” “It’s a fertility god, Luke. I assume the intention is to keep it in our bedroom.” We are honored that you would offer such a remarkably anatomical??? “We don’t need a fertility god in our bedroom. I can handle that responsibility.” remarkably unsettling??? “All talk, Skywalker. All talk.” remarkably graceful example of Sullustan art. Sincerely, Luke and Mara Skywalker Juice “I can’t!” Mara protested. She held up her hands, covered with sticky juice from the fruit she had just eaten. “I’m a mess.” “Sure you can,” Luke teased. His arms wrapped around her waist as she held her hands away from his clothing. He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing the sweet flavor from her fingertips. His twinkling eyes shaded into something more intense. Mara immediately recognized the change. Luke’s love swept over her, and she gladly submerged herself in its depths. Kriff the mess, she thought, as she yielded to his passionate kiss. Ale “The Red Rancor?” Luke asked apprehensively. Mara nodded. “Capacity 150 beings. Established eighteen years ago. The proprietor is one Jurri Nevor, a Corellian ex-patriot. It looks seedy, but it checks out.” She pointed at the schematics. “There’s a side exit, and you can get out through the kitchen, too.” “How did you find out about this ‘bachelor party’ that Han has planned for me?” Luke asked. She snorted. “It’s my business to know. I work for Talon, remember?” Luke frowned. “So what’s expected of me?” Mara met his wary eyes. “Drink their ale, laugh at their jokes, and act surprised.” Blaster “Oh, it’s a beauty,” Mara said appreciatively. Squinting, she held the blaster up to eye level and gazed down the barrel. The metal gleamed in the sunlight. Mara slowly drew her fingers around the handgrip and sized the trigger. It fit her hand perfectly. She traced the delicate iridescent blue detail work. “What’s the inlay made of?” she asked. “Nautal shell,” Luke replied. “Really? That must have been expensive.” She examined it again. “And it has an extended battery, and it’s waterproof.” Leaning over, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Luke,” she said. “Happy anniversary, Mara,” Luke said. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:52pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/10/08 7:19am (4 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best All Around: Part 2 Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar After Anakin’s sentencing, Luke and his mother struggle to come to terms with their own reactions to New Republic justice. Padme set herself to weeding out books and datapacks that she no longer wished to keep, not because it accomplished anything in particular, but because it gave her a chance to throw things. Luke ducked as he entered, narrowly avoiding a leatherbound book to the head and she stopped, blushing guiltily. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “I needed to release some stress.” “I guessed that,” Luke grinned, retrieving the book and glancing at the cover. “The Seven Habits of Just Leaders?” “Yes,” Padme replied. “The author gave it to me as a coronation gift when I was fourteen.” “Palpatine,” Luke read off the spine. “I’m surprised you didn’t throw it out before.” Padme shrugged and tossed over another volume. “He gave me that one when I became a Senator,” she explained. “Between the idea of him knowing the meaning of just leadership and Becoming a Leader Others Will Want to Follow, they’ve been good for a laugh over the years.” “I can imagine,” Luke chuckled. “Where do you want them?” “In the discard box,” she stated. He obligingly threw them with appropriate enthusiasm into the appointed carton, and then looked expectantly back at her. “Well?” she asked. “How is he?” “About what you’d expect,” Luke said. She nodded distractedly, hands clenching at her sides. “I think we all are,” she commented. “I don’t know,” Luke admitted, looking away for a moment. “I didn’t think I’d be angry.” “Did you think that you would hear that sentence?” she countered as she reached up to remove a book on developing diplomatic patience from its place. Luke seemed to consider that for a long moment, while Padme’s mind supplied an instinctive answer. Of course you didn’t. Of all of us, you were the one who foresaw that sentence the least. From what Leia told me of your father’s arrest, you probably thought that capture could be avoided altogether. “I hoped I wouldn’t,” he confessed. “I know how strong Leia is and when she decided to argue on his behalf, I convinced myself that it was much more likely that she’d win.” Padme smiled at a volume of Alderaanian poetry and replaced it on the shelf. “I know,” she agreed. “Leia has a way of instilling confidence in every effort she makes. Sometimes, I suspect that she could have willed the Force into letting the Alliance win the war.” “I wanted to see how you were doing.” “I’m not doing fine,” Padme mused, “but I’m not doing as badly as I thought I would if it came to this.” “I need a few things to wreck,” he muttered. ”Life seems so much simpler when you’re fixing things.” ***** The already overcast day had yielded a dull drizzle, but it was at least the kind of warm summer rain that did not make the experience unpleasant. “Dare I ask what came of the meditation?” she asked. Surprisingly enough, that made Luke’s expression brighten considerably. “Actually,” he said, “you would have approved. Father and Obi-Wan managed to have a civilized conversation.” “On what subject?” “The fact that Obi-Wan is now on our side,” Luke pronounced triumphantly. That brought an unexpected lump to her throat. Of all of the Jedi who had been betrayed by Anakin’s turn, Obi-Wan had been the most profoundly affected. He was the man who had staked everything on a nine-year-old’s ability to learn the ways of the Force and had seen that faith abused in the end. “I would like to say that it’s about time,” she murmured, “but it is not something that I expected of him.” “Am I the only optimist in this family?” Luke scoffed. “No,” Padme replied, “but I think you tend to remember the meaning of the word ‘idealism’ than the rest of us.” “I should comm Mara,” Luke said. “Will you be all right?” She wanted to smile at his solicitous nature and the fact that he hovered like a mother bird over some of the more powerful figures in the Galaxy. She suspected that it was a habit not easily broken, but it was certainly a slightly endearing one. “I will,” she promised. “I think I might even leave my poor, tormented bookshelf alone for a few hours.” “Good idea,” Luke teased. “Besides, there’s probably something in your closet that you can throw around.” She stretched up to kiss his cheek affectionately. “Quiet,” she ordered. “Go see if Mara can convince you to behave yourself.” The Eternal War by padawanlost “Its unwise to lower your defenses, Jedi!” Serpentus’s voice cackled as he leapt over the guard rail, lightsaber snapping to life as he landed. Jaina’s own weapon came around quickly, parrying his strike, and sending his blade wide of its target, slicing into the guardrails before the Sith leapt over her low counter-strike and gave her a swift kick in the face. Sprawling backwards, she threw a Force push toward him, taking him of guard. Struggling to keep his footing, his concentration broke and she toppled to the catwalk below. “I can counter anything you throw at me,” she bellowed over the howling wind. Between her adrenaline and the Force she hadn’t noticed the cold, despite the fact her jumpsuit offered little protection from the harsh environment. Now as she looked back toward the Sith lord she faced, the cold seemed to take her over, with great pain and sorrow. “If you would only let that pain strengthen you,” he hissed through his grinning face, as he nodded his head back toward the complex. “Wyn!” Jaina gasped. Shock surged through the bond she and Wyn had developed during their training, followed by gut-wrenching pain that could only mean grievous injury, or worse. Focusing deeper, she could feel similar pain in Ben and Jysella. Her only thought was to run to them, when a flourish of red light brought her back to the moment, and her purpose; her own blade blocking the weapon centimeters from her chest. “It seems as though your imps have exceeded my expectations,” Serpentus managed, mockingly. “I guess I should re-extend my offer. Its obvious that Ms. Fel was not the apprentice I needed.” “You don’t even care about her, after what you’ve done...you don’t care?” Jaina shouted over the hum of the clashing sabers, as she went over to the offensive. She had promised Jag, and that meant more than anything, even being the Sword of the Jedi. She had to get back to the complex. “No, I don’t,” he stated, countering every move she made, as if the Sith lord and Jedi Master fought as mirror images, twins in every way except their love. One knew it was all she had left, the other knew it was the only thing that could destroy him. “You’ll fulfill your destiny, and take your place at my side, or you will die. Accept the Dark side, Jaina. Its the only way you’ll ever defeat me.” She countered his low strike, jumping over the blade like a child’s game, and back-flipped out of his reach, landing just as he fumbled forward from the momentum of his reckless strike. “Now who’s underestimating?” “But I’m standing in the way of you rescuing your errant apprentice and the children you brought with you. It is so like the Jedi to treat children so recklessly. Is that how you want your child to die: cannon fodder in the endless wars of galactic civilization?” He paused, lowering his weapon casually, not moving toward her, but looking intently toward her. His eyes seemed to stare into her, and she felt their bond flare, his attention focusing on the tiny life growing inside her womb. “You took my daughter from me. The Jedi, took her from me. Do you know what that feels like?” Instinctively, she brought her lightsaber up, as the Force around her filled with an impending dread greater than any she had ever encountered, as if everything before this moment had been a mere test. The real fight was just beginning. “You’re going to feel it, Jaina. You’re going to learn. And then you will come with me.” -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:53pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 6/30/08 9:29am (6 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Style Most Underrated: Part 1 Grown and Still Growing by Alexis_Wingstar 500+ years ABY, a young knight struggles to balance his personal life and duty. As I start this new journal, I cannot help but reflect on past journals. I read my journal from ten years ago and can't believe how... dramatic I was! I was very intense and uptight about everything. It seemed worry oozed from every pore of my being back then. Granted, there were many things which warranted sober thought, but geesh! No wonder I annoyed Jefri back then! I have to laugh at how I agonized about the lifeday present I sent Miri. I'm happy to say I'm more at peace with myself than I was back then... though by Jefri's standards I'm still an overbearing stick-in-the-mud, which he is more than happy to point out whenever he feels the occasion dictates. There is one thing I am just as intense about as I was back then... if not more so. I love Miri. She is my heart and soul. I have invited her to my knighting ceremony, and am awaiting her reply. ~~ There was a message waiting for me when I got back to the temple. It was from Miri, and she had left it a few days ago. I was alarmed the moment I saw her image. She appeared so sad, and as she spoke a tear rolled down her cheek. "Congratulations on becoming a knight, Kavin. I know you are going to do so much good. You already have. I... I'm sorry, I cannot come." She looked like she was going to break down crying, and she broke the connection. Well, of course I had to try to contact her! If she couldn't come, that was fine, but I had to know what made her so upset. "Miri, are you alright? What's wrong?" "I... Kavin, you cannnot call here anymore. We... I..." She stopped as tears ran down her cheeks. "Oh, Kavin, I am so sorry. I didn't know my parents arranged a marriage for me when I was a baby! I can't come because it would not be proper." The news stunned me, and I'm sure my mouth hung open for a few moments. "Kavin, I have to go now. Please, don't call any more. It'll be easier on both of us if you just let go." She was about to hang up. "Miri, wait!" I blurted desperately, but wasn't sure what to say. When she hesitated, I continued. "You can bring your fiance. That way it won't be improper. Please, I'd like to meet your future husband." She hesitated, then nodded. "I will see if he agrees to come. If you don't hear from me, then we won't be coming." ~~ "Kavin, let go! You're hurting me." I hadn't realized I grabbed her by her elbow and was squeezing. I apologized and let go. "Miri, look at me. I only want you to be happy. If I thought he would treat you right, I wouldn't stand in your way." "You're making this very hard." "Good! It should be hard! This is a big step, Miri! Would you rather risk your life, health and happiness to keep your daddy rich, or live happily with someone you love and who loves you?" "Kavin, are you sure you aren't just letting your emotions cloud your judgment?" "Miri, you aren't listening to me! He's a violent man. I saw it in his eyes. He's hurt people in his past... maybe even killed... and he'll hurt you, too!" Then I kissed her. And she kissed back. More than our lips touched during that kiss. I don't mean that way! What I mean is our souls touched. Miri and I are a part of each other... and she is refusing us. She pushed me away. "Please Kav, stop!" "No, Miri, you stop!" I yelled. "Don't marry this man! You don't love him, and he doesn't love anyone but himself!" "Let me go, Kavin," she pleaded as tears came to her eyes. "Fine," anger welled up within me, and a bitter taste came into my mouth as I moved away from her. "Go then. You obviously care more for your wealth and power than you do your life. Just don't invite me to the wedding, and don't expect me to mourn at your funeral!" "Kavin..." She reached out to me and I put a hand up. "Don't touch me! If you're gonna go, go already! Bye!" I turned from her and looked out the window. She left, and I stayed there for a long time. Miri's no longer on Coruscant. She and Kormik are on their way back to Achillea. I feel empty right now. I have lost her. Delicious Ambiguity by DarthBreezy ** He had been nearly ten years old (by his own estimation) when the Jedi had fallen out of favor with the Republic, but even then, the Jedi had been viewed as more of a mythic cult, mostly unseen and the subject of wild speculation and rumors more than an actual presence in the Galaxy. After that, he had been too busy trying just to stay alive to even care about them. He had grown up, made his own way and been happy damn it! The one day, the Kid and the old man had walked into that cantina in Mos Eisley, he’d met the Princess and everything had changed… Again… * * * “Excuse me, General,” a soft lilting voice interrupted his thoughts. “Madam Solo said I would find you here…” Han looked up to see a tall blond young man standing before him – Toa, the young Healer that was also Luke’s… brother – in – law? The young man dipped his head slightly. “If that is what you wish to call it, yes, I am.” “Chewie still there (with Leia)?” Another slight nod. “Yes, he is still there. My Kay-sa is with his mother, young Pemberian is in her bed, and Master Skywalker is… he is comforting his wife.” Now the Healer’s eyes lowered slightly. “Master Canaille was a good man, he will be missed.” In that instant, Han understood. He knew exactly how the young man felt – a part of the family and yet… Just like him. Jedi or no, Toa was feeling the mixed blessing and the curse of being the new kid, no matter how long you’ve been around… “Let me buy you a drink,” Han said with a wry smile. “Maybe you can explain a few things…” “I would like that,” Toa replied, a genuine smile. “And I will try, General…” “Just two things, Kid…” Han interrupted him, even as he gestured for the bartender to bring them a fresh round. “One, no more Jedi whammies, OK?” A quick bob of the head in reply. “I apologize,” Toa murmured. “No more, as you say, whammies…” “Second, you start calling me, Han…” “Yes… Sir… I mean, Han” Toa stumbled over the words. Stang! He’s just a kid! Han thought. Probably younger than Luke… “I am nearly twenty four standard years old…” Toa replied without thinking, then lowered his eyes, shamefaced. “I guess that is a Jedi whammy, is it not?” “I’ll let it go, this time,” Han said, the easy magnanimousness of drink chasing away his earlier thoughts, at least for the moment. “I guess Sir will be OK for now.” A second glass of beer arrived at the table, and Toa lowered his head momentarily. In an instant, Han’s initial concerns about the Jedi returned, and his face darkened. “A prayer for the dead,” Toa said softly. “And that was not with Jedi perception – it shows in your face, Mr. Solo. You do not trust the Jedi?” “I trust you guys enough with my wife!” Han said a little more hotly than he intended, causing the other patrons to glance their way. “It’s not like there’s a whole lot of you around, any way…” “And one less, tonight…” Toa sighed as Han shifted uncomfortably in the chair across from him. “But Master Luke hopes that within a generation, there will be many more…” “And maybe his kid won’t want to be a Jedi!” Toa shrugged, and took a drink. “Perhaps… but Jedi are found not forced into the life…” “Luke sure was…” Han snapped, downing the last of his beer quickly and signaling for another. Anything to steer the conversation away from death… “Master Skywalker chose to follow the path, just as his sister has not,” Toa reminded him gently. “As did I, and Aubé did not…” “Not at first, any way,” Han conceded. “But it seems Nails has joined the club too!” “Sometimes, a being resists their destiny,” Toa began, but Han cut him off with a barking laugh. “But a moment ago, you said that becoming a Jedi was a matter of choice!” Han waved his beer around for emphasis, spilling some onto the table. “So which is it?” “A question for the ages,” Toa replied mildly, refusing to rise to the bait. “Master Canaille always seemed to doubt himself, and yet in the end, he became one with the Force as Master Kampher always knew he would…” Making A Life by zonzo By the time Nym had finished his drink, most of the patrons had already left, save a lone Devaronian in the corner. As they were getting up to leave, a trio of Trandoshans came walking in. “Hey, get out! Every time you three come in here, you trash my bar!” Felix yelled. “We go where we please, human. We come for drinks, and that’s what we’re going to get!” By now, Nym already had his hand to his gun.”The man told you to leave. Now, do it, before I get angry!” “Or what?” the lead trando asked mockingly. “What are you and this human going to do?” “I’ll turn you into a carpet, that’s what!” Nym yelled, pulling out his S-5 blaster pistol. “Go ahead Feeorin. Just try it!” He yelled, pulling out his weapon. “I’ll rip the tenticals off the back of your ugly blue head!” By now, Johnny and the other trandoshans had their weapons drawn and ready.“John, what’re they packing?” Nym whispered. Johnny studied the weapons in their hands “The leads got an ACP repeater… and the other two have ACP array guns… We can take’m!” The Trandohan on the left had obviously gotten board, so he charged at Nym, gun blazing. What happened next amazed Johnny. In an epic feat of strength, Nym grabbed the trando’s arm, wrenched it over his back, and used his own gun to blow a mighty big hole through the Trandoshans gut. The Trando seemed to have some strength in him still, as he was able to grab Nym by his tentacles and flip him over. Nym quickly regained control, however, slamming the trando down on his face. The other trandos could only watch as their comrades neck was snapped, and his body go limp. “Er, um, hey now… “The lead Trandoshan stammered “I think we’ll just leave! We don’t want any trouble!” And with that, they scurried out the door. Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of the Chosen One by mrjop2 Rise of the Chosen one is the climactic conclusion to the Second Sith War trilogy. Sithious has single handedly brought the galaxy to its knees; ushering in a new Sith Era. The New Republic has been utterly decimated by SIthious, and now he wants to destroy the remnant of the New Republic as well as kill the last surviving Skywalker: Jacina Skywalker Mars, the daughter of the late great Jedi Master Like Skywalker. The survivors have taken refuge on a hidden planet called Jedian which is the homes of the Jedi Prophets who have long foretold of the coming of the Chosen One. Here, the Jedi learn that there is a Chosen One above all other generational Chosen One who will come and destroy Sithious and destroy the Sith once and for all. In this scene, Jacina starts to realize that she may be that chosen one, bit she knows that in order to defeat Sithious, she would have to kill her husband whom Sithious controls, and she is still not willing to make that sacrifice yet. Knowing the conflict in Jacina, Jaina Solo comes to talk it out with her young cousin. Rise of the Chosen One: Excerpt Jacina stood alone by the stream, her mind reeling from the information obtained during supper. She found herself staring down at the purple surface of the water, aware of the intricate patterns flickering in its depths. She knew that the planet of Jedian was by far the most beautiful planet in the galaxy, but never in her life had she ever felt the presence of the Force as much as she did at that moment. The tranquil beauty helped her soul find peace, and gradually she became calm. She found she could begin to think clearly about all that had transpired here on the planet, and more importantly about the destiny - her destiny - which was starting to unfold before her. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jaina Solo commented, walking up to her younger cousin. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime view,” Jacina agreed. “If I was allowed, I would come live here and forget about everything.” Jaina stood by her side and looked out at the beautiful forest on the other side of the stream. It was very strange seeing colors that they had never seen before. It was unnerving as well as intensely beautiful. “I know how you must feel. I think it’s clear to everyone here now that you are the Chosen One.” “I can’t be the Chosen One. I don’t want to be the Chosen One,” Jacina insisted. As far as she was concerned, her father was the true Chosen One. She didn’t care what her father or the prophets said. If there had to be one that was above all generational Chosen Ones, why must it be she? “As you have pointed out during our supper, Sithious is the Chosen One of the dark side, and we know our Chosen One is one of us. The prophets have confirmed that. Sithious is bent on your destruction. There’s no doubt in my mind that you are the one.” “I don’t want to be the one to have to kill my husband,” Jacina protested. Jaina’s heart went out to her. Sithious was currently in Gideon’s body. To kill Sithious meant that Gideon would have to die. She could not blame Jacina in the least that she did not want to kill him. “Maybe you will find a way to save Gideon in the process of killing Sithious. If anyone is to find of way of doing both, it’s you. Only you have the heart and the passion to not give up on him, while anyone else may just write him off as a casualty of war.” Titinya came running and shouting towards the two Jedi like a mad woman, her words tumbling out in a garbled rush. “…must go! Sithious…is coming!” she panted. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:53pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/7/08 5:44pm (4 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Most Underrated: Part 2 As I Die by Blue_but_beautiful There was no time to contemplate weather or not the Supreme Overlord's chambers would have been protected by some form of biological weapons, much like his own plaeryin bol implant, Nom Anor would have to hastily take his chances. The air was so thin now, he found every breath a dragging effort, and the creeping cold that assaulted his joints had spread to numb the pain from his cauterised stump of a left wrist. Vision blurring, he blinked furiously, laboriously trying to focus on the nutrient tank ahead of him - and more importantly, it's contents. Inside, floating in the deteriorating soup of minerals, plant nutrients and life-giving water, lay a fully healthy Ooglith cloaker and gnullith. Both, Nom Anor knew, had been modified for the pressures of vacuum, used more commonly by the warrior and shaper castes - those who needed to closely examine or repair breaches in the walls of Yuuzhan Vong vessels. This breed of ooglith and gnullith were hardier, and would withstand much before they died, Nom Anor was counting on that. As fast as he could manage it, the former prefect made his way toward the niche, near crawling now, hands scrabbling to gain purchase upon any natural crevice in the surface of the ornately jagged floor. He reached it, lungs burning with sheer effort of exertion, and plunged his one, remaining hand into the shallow tank. Hauling out his prize, he slapped the gnullith hard to his face, covering both nose and mouth as he did so. The creature responded instantly, extending it’s cilla-covered breathing tube between Nom Anor's parted teeth and plunging down into his throat. Fighting his own gagging reflex, the former prefect had already begun to coax the ooglith cloaker to life, giving the biot a nudge with one foot to encourage it to begin to envelop his body like a second skin. Never in his entire life, had he welcomed this sensation as much as he did now. It made the pain bearable knowing it would possibly save his pitiful life. As the fleshy gnullith filled his lungs, he suddenly felt the burning sensation leave him with a few steady breaths. His senses became acute once more and the whistling, cold shards-of-ice wind lost it's razor-sharp edge. This was half the battle won, he could survive ket's like this now, but would need a more prudent means of escape, it was no good being alive if you had no means of leaving a doomed vessel. With the ship's yorik-trema in the possession of the solo clan, his most viable means of escape was lost to him, but loss was also an entirely relative thing, and if it was one thing Nom Anor was not, it was lost - far from it. Knowing that the bridge of the vessel would be all but gone, decimated by now, he continued to rummage hurriedly through the contents of the alcove, hauling out handfuls of rapidly decaying protective tissue. His one, true eye shone with a momentary panic, and the former prefect was now on the verge of allowing the dread to settle a twisting knot in his stomach. Then his remaining hand hit the solid distinctly recognizable and roughly ovoid surface of a large senelak pod. Pulling the pod free of the stringy tissue that continued, even now, to nourish and preserve it, Nom Anor's masquered arm became momentarily tangled and bogged down in soaking wet, thick strands of ichor, before they fell to the ground with a wet 'slap' that no one, not even he, would ever hear. Cradling the new found object under one arm, the former prefect 's heart sang with gratitude for the malformed, twisted shamed one that had secreted it here. What he held in his arms, contained within the protective pod, was the crowning glory of his salvation, but only if he could pry the senelak pod open. This was going to be problematic with only one hand. Holding the pod carefully in that one hand of his, Nom Anor let the object fall hard against the now-flaking deck. The temperature was dropping continuously and had weakened all around him, he would have jumped for joy at what happened next, had he not been required to conserve as much energy as he could for what was to come. The pod shattered like brittle mica, shards of the shell falling away in slow motion, to reveal a delicate, leathery orb-shaped biot. White film still clung to the skin of the anamorphous blob with a certain fragility, indicating the biot's relative youth - it would, not unlike all around it, withstand the cold, harsh and unforgiving vacuum seeping in through the holed-vessel's walls. It was a signal villip, often used when one intended to track a vessel of infidel origin, but more recently used in the early days of the war, before she shapers had managed to successfully breed unjammable yammosks and dovin basals that could withstand the cold, without nourishment from, or attachment to, a Yuuzhan Vong vessel. Blaze bugs were bio engineered to pick up on such signals, and if there were any warships within the near vicinity - and Nom Anor knew there were - the tacticians aboard would be witnessing the destruction of Shimrra's personal vessel in bitter confusion. Nom Anor felt a smile tug at the corners of his gnullith-covered mouth, the biot stretching to accommodate his smirk. Amid all the chaos, those seconds in which all aboard would be considering taking their own lives, rather than contemplating their defeat, a signal - more aptly his signal - would flare to life. The idea was all too delicious, the former prefect had always been wary of fanatics, like the late Tsavong Lah, having spurned the true way as early as his crèche-days in favour of his own. But now, just as then, he realized once more, where these religious zealots had their uses. Their blind devotion would be all he needed to tap into, in order to climb back onto the proverbial ladder....and climb he would. Hope glittering in the frost-lined pit of his soul, the Yuuzhan Vong now made his way, with haste, towards the grotto from which he had launched the Solo’s yorik-trema. This time, with everything to live for. In The Remnant by Robimus “We have arrived,” Sillin stepped out of the lift and motioned for the others to do the same. A key suddenly appeared in the Muun’s hand as if by sleight of hand. Not a computer card of some sort but a physical skeleton key the color of bone. “Qymaen insisted on using this archaic method of locking his compartment, I can only speculate as to why.” Kais snatched the key from the banker and closely examined it. He found the Kaleesh markings upon it very quickly, instructions of how to bypass the safeguards Qymaen had put upon the deposit compartment himself. “I understand, Qymaen,” he whispered to himself. Though the key looked very ordinary, it actually did contain an advanced security feature the Muun were not aware of. “Apparently you have uncovered more from that key, than I. I suspected you would. Please go forth; your compartment number is 1138.” Kais gripped the key tightly in his hand and took a single step forward before turning to face Sillin. “You will go first, tall Muun, and remain in my sight at all times. I will not have this place be my tomb.” “So mistrusting,” Sillin shook his head, stepped past Kais and started down the corridor. “I would not lock you away down here. There would be no business sense in that.” Koosk had already wandered off to the turbolift’s right, his inquisitive nature getting the best of him as it always did. Staring straight up he suddenly caught his foot on something in the shadows and tumbled to the dusty rock floor. The skeletal remains of what once appeared to have been a human were looking right over at Koosk as he righted himself. Scrambling away from the bones and skull with a gasp he stuttered, “What exactly happened to that guy?” Sillin looked over from his location, several steps in front of Kais. His cool eyes narrowed and a thin smile flicked across his lips. “He was not good for business.” Koosk scrambled over and located himself close to the big Kaleesh’s right leg, grabbing onto the tail of his brown, faded cape. “I’m just gonna stay right here by you if that’s alright Master Kais?” The huge warrior did not respond, but didn’t protest either, so Koosk took that as an affirmative. The deposit chamber was lighted the same as the hallway, with one or two of the saucers no longer generating a glow of any kind. It was eerie, quiet and cold. The deposit compartments themselves varied in size and appearance, but all were in some way or another carved directly into the stone walls. “This is a very special section of the Dressian,” Sillin spoke quietly. “We allow those who do not trust our own safeguards to construct their own safe deposit compartments here, just as your grandfather did. This gives our most important customers an added sense of security, if they wish it.” The banker might as well have been talking to the wall because Kais didn’t care. He had a dual focus as they walked. He was both keeping track of the ascending numbers carved upon the safe deposit compartments, and was keeping a close eye on where the Muun was in relation to himself. He would not allow himself to be distracted from his task by anything, not the words of a sinister looking banker, or the Mygeetan tugging on his cape. Compartment 1138 was against a wall about half way through the cavernous deposit area. The metallic door stood only as high as Kais’s waist and had no decoration other than the key hole squarely in its center. Looking toward the Muun he took the key and used its sharp tip to slash open a small wound on one of the two thumbs on his right hand. Sillin winced and looked away as Kais dripped the blood into a small groove on the key. The inscription on the key had told Kais all he needed to know about how to gain access to his grandfather’s inheritance. His blood was the key, without his genetic code the lock could not be opened without activating whatever deadly traps existed, traps likely to kill a thief, and destroy the contents within. Kais dropped to one knee to insert the key into its hole, still keeping a close eye on his host. The key slid in easily and spun in a counterclockwise direction until a slight grinding noise was heard. After a pause while the hidden genetic computer tested Kais’s blood, the door hissed and swung open. Kais gazed in and for one of very few times in his life a smile formed on his tusked jaw. What he saw was not only his grandfather’s inheritance, but his grandfather’s legacy as well. [i]Qymaen, be praised.[i] A Gathering of Light by JediAlly "I agree with Keyan, though. The investigation team must have missed something," Corran said. "Unfortunately, the team consisted of the same individuals who routinely service Ackbar's shuttle. If there was anything wrong with his shuttle, they would have found it." "And they could have falsified their report and covered it up by creating a flaw or defect. But they came to the conclusion of pilot error, so that possibility is out the airlock." After a few more moments of speculation about Ackbar's crash, Wedge got Corran to tell him what his suspicions were about Gantoris' death. "He was killed?!" Wedge was surprised by what he had just heard. Corran then told him about Obi-Wan Kenobi's and Yoda’s ability to become ghosts, and on Palpatine's attempt at immortality. He didn’t know which one he found harder to believe, though he personally thought that Palpatine sent a clone to Endor and Pinnacle Moon. "Okay, so what does that have to do with your suspicions?" "Based on my examination of Gantoris' room and my experience with CorSec, I figured we're probably dealing with a sociopathic killer. None of the others here fit the profile, but based on what I've learned from the holocron, Exar Kun does rather nicely. Now there’s no direct evidence, but there's nothing that says a dark Jedi or a Sith might know of a different method of becoming a Force ghost." "You're saying you believe Exar Kun's ghost is responsible?" Wedge asked with incredulity. His feelings were mixed - he trusted Corran's detective skills, but what he's suggesting was a little farfetched for him to accept. "It is one possibility, but I have some problems with it. First off, I'm making an assumption that he was able to become a Force spirit upon death, and that's assuming there's a way to use the dark side to do that and he knew it. But let's say he did become a ghost. Since he was like Vader - a Jedi turned Sith - and assuming he was presumably young and in perfect health when he died, I can accept that he might have been more powerful than Master Kenobi. As such, his 'staying power' might let him last in the living world for more than ten years. But four millennia?" Shaking his head, Corran continued, "The theory fits the facts, the analysis, and the assumptions, but it's too circumstantial for me to present to a prosecutor with a strong enough certainty that a judge or jury would convict. I'm certain Nawara Ven would hesitate to do that as well. "Another possibility is that someone strong in the dark side learned about Exar Kun and decided to impersonate him. Another assumption with its own set of problems, the leading one being why can't Luke detect the impostor's presence, but it's more credible. The third possibility is that Gantoris came across something and got himself in trouble." "But you said you found nothing in your searches." "I know, and the third possibility is the most pleasant of them and perhaps the easiest one to rectify. I think most of the others believe the third possibility to be the case, despite not finding anything to support it. Personally, I'd like to do that as well, but I don't think that's so. As such, given the other two choices, I'd rather have the latter than the former. At least with the latter, we have the chance to expose the impostor for the fraud he is. I don’t know exactly which one Luke believes to be the truth, though I'm certain he believes someone is behind all this." "You said most of the others believe the third option to be the case?" Nodding, Corran elaborated, "Kyle believes like we do in that someone's behind this. However, he thinks it's a survivor of Palpatine's Dark Jedi cabal. Whether or not Kyle thinks the individual is impersonating Exar Kun, I don't know, but that's irrelevant right now. I get the feeling that Tash wants to continue believing the third option, but she’s being forced to reconsider." Shaking his head, Wedge said, "I still think you should evacuate the base until you find out just what's going on." "I agree we should start to consider evacuation as a last resort, but I'm with Luke in that we need to get a better idea on what's going on before we make our next move. If we evacuate now, we might tip our hand and inadvertently let the supposed impostor know we're on to him or her." "Sounds like you're taking too many chances for my liking, but I trust Luke knows what he’s doing." -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:54pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/10/08 7:21am (5 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Most Underrated: Part 3 Homecoming by Morgoth_The_Enemy Here's my excerpt for the nominations. I word checked it so it should be okay, I just hope I'm replying to the right sock! Homecoming: Set about half a year after the end of the Unifying Force, maybe more. The Yuuzhan Vong are defeated and a lost hero returns home. All is not well however as an old enemy seeks to return from the shadows with the aid of an evil as great as itself with revenge being the sole thing on its mind... How will the Heroes of the NJO fare against such a vengeful foe? Why does the Empire seem to be creating such a large army? What secrets has our returning hero learned and will it be enough to save all he loves? You'll have to read to find out!!! Largely a crossover with the Anime Naruto universe as well as borrowing elements from Full Metal Alchemist, Homecoming is primarily an A/T piece and features the main characters of the NJO and Naruto. Luke Skywalker stood radiating calm, his face, as always, a mask of Durasteel. Before him stood his Jedi knights; called to a reunion on the new Jedi owned planet of Ossus. The crowd bustled with uncertainty, unsure of what their Master would say. All Jedi from across the Galaxy were present, even little Tekli and Tahiri Veila, newly returned from Zonama Sekot. “My name is Riina Kwaad. It’s nice to meet you original.” Riina said, addressing Tahiri. “There is no Riina. There’s just me.” Tahiri replied shakily, her hand moving towards her lightsaber. Riina laughed hollowly. “As you can see original…that is no longer true. Your Jedi master up there asked me what I wanted here. FIGHT ME!!!” Riina demanded, her voice filled with hatred and desire. In one deft move the darkly clothed man tore off his cloak and cast it to one side. The wind moving the trees, the planet, the stars, the galaxy, the very universe itself seemed to stand still as it bore witness to impossibility. Every Jedi in the room could not, would not, dare not tear their eyes from the figure in front of them. His force presence flared suddenly, an unmistakeable presence not felt since Myrkr. Hope bled back into the hearts of a family that had been shattered for two and a half long years. Then cold laughter, terrible and insane tore through the moment, cutting it to shreds. “I knew it! I knew it would be worth it to come here!!!” Riina laughed maniacally. “But…how did you survive?” Riina asked quizzically. Anakin didn’t so much look at Riina as look through her. When he began to speak, his voice was low and filled with dangerous promise. No-one noticed, not even Riina as he glanced down quickly at Tahiri’s blood on his fingertips. The Yuuzhan Vong warriors made no move towards Anakin. “You can’t be holding them! You can’t! You haven’t got that much power!!!” Riina screamed. Something warm spattered her face suddenly and Riina reached up. Her fingers came away covered red. One warrior lurched forwards, spraying gore from his throat before keeling over to fall at her side. “Sorry to leave you with this mess” he said cheerfully “But I really need to stop her. We’ll catch up later!” Anakin glanced tenderly at Tahiri in Cilghal’s arms before looking at his family and preparing to leave. “Wait!” Leia called to her son. “You’re coming back…you ARE coming back, right?” his mother asked, tears streaming down her face. Anakin winked at his parents. “Believe it!” Anakin smiled. “Oh, not the boy. He is only useful as my new body. No. It is his wretched Uncle that shall feel my wrath. My most unworthy hand too…” The spectre said cryptically. “She shall suffer for betraying me!” the apparition swore, glowing with the rage of the Dark side before vanishing. Resurrection by EvieSolo [b]Because Anakin & Tahiri deserve their happy ending!! Oh, she thought, I'm dead. Distant memories flooded her mind. Of the civil war that was raging in the galaxy. For a moment she wondered what Jacen would do without her. If he had even survived himself. She had to admit she didn't really care. This hadn't exactly turned out as planned... She was dead. Yet somehow she felt very much alive. More... solid than she had expected she would feel as a Force ghost. She shrugged to herself. Time to find out what the repercussions are for budding Sith. "About time, Tahiri", a growling voice said behind her, filled with impatience that disolved into amusement and relief as she completed her turn... and she found herself being pulled into a kiss, arms sliding around her back, fingers tangling in her hair. She struggled a bit at first, outraged that someone dared to kiss her just like that, but soon started to give in, enjoying it. This feels right. Familiar, she thought as her arms slid around his neck. She didn't dare to open her eyes for a while after the kiss ended, not sure she wanted to face reality. "Hey, it's okay. You can look. I'm not mutilated or anything", he said with obvious amusement. That ignited a spark of defiance in her. She wouldn't let someone who died at the age of seventeen make fun of her. That warranted a thorough whacking. But when she opened her eyes and looked at Anakin Solo's grinning face all she could do was grin back. At least until she remembered where she was. He frowned when he felt her spirits sink. "What's wrong?" "Oh, Anakin. I did some terrible things. This has to be my punishment. I bet I'll have to watch you die every day until the end of time now." Her voice started breaking, her eyes welled up. Until he started chuckling. "What's so funny about that, Dummy?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "There is no punishment in the afterlife, Tahiri. Having time to think about the mistakes we made during our lifetime is probably punishment enough," Anakin answered, still visibly amused. "Besides, from what I've heard you really don't have much to worry about." "But... but... I became Jacen's apprentice! He's a Sith now! And he killed your aunt, among millions of other beings!" She was trying to make him understand that her actions couldn't possibly go unpunished, much less be rewarded, but it seemed that nothing could wipe the stupid grin off his face. "So I've heard. I'm pretty sure that will get me even higher in the rankings. Being able to say that my girlfriend is a Sith." It was starting to sound as if he was mocking her, now. She couldn't stop herself from punching his shoulder. "Ow!" he complained, laughing. "Look, I'm serious. There's nothing to worry about. Those were Jacen's deeds. Besides, I've had to spend some time with Aunt Mara now and I can't even blame him for killing her. She might have made sense when I was young and impressionable, but these days she's just annoying. People like her and Uncle Luke shouldn't be allowed to procreate." He was still grinning, but seemed to be only half-joking. "But they're the leaders of the Jedi Order", she retorted, baffled by his reaction. Anakin's eyes darkened. "And look how much good it did the galaxy. Uncle Luke didn't do a very good job as Grand Master. He should have noticed Jacen's fall sooner, and more importantly Ben's. A deaf and blind Ewok would have." Tahiri was surprised by the snideness, but had to admit that he did have a point; then he continued: "Don't even get me started on them sending you to Dagobah for pointing out that Jacen could be in trouble." She sighed. "Okay. Let's say those things don't concern me, there still are enough things I did wrong. Like killing..." "Pellaeon?" Anakin interrupted, tightening his arms around her and smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, he's not holding a grudge. It didn't take him long to admit that he had been sick and tired of the life back there. This is like an anxiously awaited retirement for him." "Hmph", she replied. It seemed like he would find an excuse for every little thing she had done, if needed. "Come on, we'll join the others at the beach. You'll see that everything is okay. Maybe we'll even find Jacen. We can annoy him when we get bored. And there's that bikini in one of the shops nearby that I've had my eyes on for some time. I think it would really suit you." He gave her body an appreciative look, then took her hand and started leading her toward the trees. Break Me Down by JediMasterArmada I looked at the faces of the men and women of our latest conquest. My master, Darth Caedus, was satisfied with our victory over the rebels. But I was torn between what I should do and what I had to do in order to stop my cousin from destroying the galaxy. I watched his yellow orbs fall on a woman with blond hair and grey-green eyes. She was one of the rebels, and I knew what he wanted me to do.”Kriegan, extract the information from her,” he ordered. A year ago, I would have been reviled by my Sith name, but it didn’t affect me anymore.“Very good, Master.” I dragged her into the interrogation center my troops had built. I threw her onto the floor, there weren’t any tables or chairs in the room for her to hide behind. I kicked her and threw her into a wall with the Force. “Where is the rebel base?!” I yelled. “I’m not telling you,” she said defiantly. “I think that you will.” I smiled darkly at her before beating her. When I stopped I asked her again. “Where’s the rebel base?” She mustered up her defiance and spat in my face. “I won’t tell you.” “There are other ways to gain information without using interrogation droids.” I looked at her. “You think you’ve saved yourself. Guess what? You haven’t.” I began Force-ripping memories pertaining to base out and was finished an hour later. “No one will witness this.” I levitated her and used the very energy created by life to take hers. I woke up screaming with sweat running down my face, unable to control my adverse reaction to the dream. It was one of the many crimes I’d committed to regain Jacen’s trust. People would hate me if they ever learned what I’d done to remove Darth Caedus from power. That was why I’d left my home for a new world where the people didn’t know me, were they worried about the next day on their planet rather than the galaxy. Hopefully, no one would see an image of me on the galactic HoloNet and recognize me. It wouldn’t do them any good, and if they came to me I’d send them away and Force-wipe their minds of any information concerning me. I hated it, but I had to keep my secret. When I finally regained control of myself, the woman sleeping next to me woke and turned to face me. “What’s wrong?” I got up and walked over to the large window on the far side of our bedroom. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I had to. I wouldn’t willingly tell anyone what was haunting me. I heard the bed shift and knew that Rakhel was coming over to me. She wanted me to open up about my past, but I couldn’t. The thought of what I’d face was unbearable. Almost as bad as the guilt from thinking about what I’d done to Jysella. I couldn’t afford to think about her because of what it did to me. That was my old life, and the only parts I’d kept from that were my first name and demons. “Ben.” She put her hand on my arm and turned me to face her. “What’s wrong?” I ran my eyes down her form as I considered my answer. She was slightly shorter than me, and the simmersilk nightgown she wore clung to her curves. Her braided brown hair fell to her waist and her blue-green eyes shone with intelligence. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to love her as I should, because my heart had a mind of its own and it belonged to Jysella, and that wouldn’t change. No matter how pleasant a distraction Rakhel Svelt was. “Nothing.” I knew this was going to cause a fight, but that was unavoidable. “Did you have a flashback?” she asked. I was impersonating an amnesiacto hide my identity. By the reactions of the people who “knew” me here, they believed it. I wished that I did have amnesia, that way I wouldn’t remember anyone I’d hurt. “No, just a nightmare.” “Are you sure?” “Yes.” I pitched my voice just enough to let her know that I didn’t want to talk about it. Judging from the look on her face, I knew that I wasn’t going to get off that easily. “What was the nightmare about?” she asked. I sighed. “Nothing.” “Why, Ben?” she asked in frustration. “Why won’t you tell me? These nightmares have been plaguing you for two weeks.” “They’re nothing, Rakhel,” I said. “All dreams pass in time.” That was a lie, because I knew that these dreams wouldn’t pass until I faced them or died. Is the Grass Really Greener on the Other Side? by Quigonjecca A/N: Mara Jade Skywalker explains how life is after death... sorta So this is how it feels to be dead huh? Eh, it's not too awful. Except for the fact that I go through everything that I touch, it actually feels pretty normal. I still have a body, so that's good. If I had been just a disembodied spirit… now that would have taken some getting used to, but this way, it's all right. I can still see everyone else, but it's more like a window, not as if I'm really there. I can't touch them, unless I choose to inhabit something, which I think is just gross. I attended a seminar on that last week—do you know how odd it would be to be trapped inside a droid's body? Or another human? I shudder just thinking about it. I miss the food back in the land of the living. I can't tell you how much I miss Luke's pies that he used to make—and to think I would make fun of him for it! I was never much of a cook, and here in the Netherworld… eh, you do you own cooking. Therefore, I guess that means that either I'll be eating boxed macaroni and cheese for a long time, or I need to get a cookbook. I guess there are some good things here as well. For the first time in my life—er, existence—I can relax. There is nothing to run from, nothing to hunt or be hunted by. There's just blessed solitude on a sandy beach, in a mansion, or on Nal Hutta if I like. I can go anywhere I want to (though, I don't think I'll ever go to Nal Hutta, even if I am very, very bored). On the bright side (no pun intended), I'm blue! Which is pretty cool if I do say so myself. I mean, I can go back to my normal colors, but who wants to do that if you can be blue? There were many people in our world that were blue—not to mention Cookie Monster. Hey, I'm the color of Cookie Monster! Never mind, that was extremely childish. Forgive my outburst. All right, let's move on. There's a nice smell in this place. Most people say it smells like 'milk and honey', but I totally disagree with that. To me, it smells more like freshly baked bread, with a hint of cinnamon. Of course, that's only when I'm at Shmi's house. She is an excellent cook when she has abundant ingredients. I can go back in time pretty much whenever I please. Therefore, in the matter of about ten minutes, I can see the founding of the Jedi Order and then skip a few thousand years, and see what a baby Yoda looked like. (Btw, he was even wrinkly as a baby, but he was so cute!) I can also see my own life in playback mode, and that right there is amazing. It feels so different to be watching something, than to be actually doing it. But I have to say, the coolest thing here, is being able to meet all these dead people—er, that didn't come out right. I mean, meeting all these… great figures from history! I can sit down, and have a conversation with Anakin Skywalker, Anakin Solo and my parents all at the same time. That's uniquely something that you can do when you are dead and personally, I quite like it. So, you read this measly little essay thing and you approach me with the question 'Is it always greener on the other side?' Isn't that the ultimate question? Actually no, it's not; otherwise, the answer would be 42. However, it is a question worth asking, I suppose, if you are gearing up for death. My answer to you (and this comes from experience) would be… no, it's not always greener on the other side. Here, the grass is bluer. No, seriously, it's blue. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:56pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/9/08 6:39pm (7 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Response To A Challenge Fifteen Minutes by divapilot They stood there for a moment, not speaking. Mara’s breath slowed to match Luke’s, and as he watched her, he felt a quickening across their Force bond. He stared at her face, taking in the fair skin with the faint spray of freckles, the intelligent green eyes. Her lips parted slightly. He knew she was examining his features with the same intensity. “Let me out. Come on, time’s almost up anyway,” she finally said. He looked at her again, then broke away to check the readout the droid had sent him. “Your autoimmune system is elevated, and there’s some redness around your eyes,” he said. Mara sighed. “I have a cold.” “But you were exposed to Linuda fever,” Luke replied. “Which I don’t have. I have a cold.” She broke his gaze, and moved away from the window to lean against the examination table. “Did you ever find out how the disease got through the biofilters?” Mara asked. “We have a theory. It seems the filters that the Zeltrons installed worked fine for the last few decades, until someone in the government decided to improve them.” Luke took his hand off the window and folded his arms across his dark red tunic. “They thought that if they modified the biofilter to meet specifications that would favor Zeltron DNA over non-Zeltron DNA, it would protect the aristocracy better since they were more pure-blooded. As it turned out, there was an awful lot of unreported human DNA in the aristocracy.” Mara smirked. “And thus the truth comes out,” she said, “leaving a lot of rich Zeltrons wondering who their grandpa really was.” Luke smiled. “Consequently, the biofilter doesn’t work as well with non-Zeltrons. Which leaves you in decontamination for another ten minutes.” “Are you seriously going to keep me in here for the whole time?” Mara asked, incredulous. “You realize when I get out I am going to have to get you for this.” “I’m sure you’ll throw your arms around me in fury,” he teased. “Maybe even knock you to the floor,” Mara answered. “If I yell out in fear, you’ll have to cover my mouth.” Luke’s eyebrows raised and the corner of his mouth quirked. “You better believe – believe--” Mara’s retort was cut off by a dry cough. Suddenly Luke’s expression became serious. He moved to the communications panel and began to input a command. “I’m ordering another series of tests.” Mara ran up to the window, her mouth open. “You can’t! I’m almost through quarantine!” “You’re sick.” “It’s just a cold!” Luke turned away and walked back to where she was standing, her hands in fists at her side. “Mara, I’m not taking any chances. Not with you. One more scan to be sure you aren’t infected.” Her eyes burned with anger. “You can’t be serious, Skywalker. You let me out now.” The medical droid appeared again through the access door in the back of Mara’s chamber, and floated toward the center of the room. Luke leaned against the transparisteel divider again, pressing his hand to the window. “I want you out of here too, Mara. But more than that, I want you to be safe,” he said quietly. “Please take a seat on the examination table,” the droid intoned. Mara continued to stand in place and stare at Luke. “You can yell at me for the rest of the day. Just let me be sure you aren’t infected,” Luke pleaded. “Humor me. Please. You saw yourself what happens to victims of Linuda fever. I couldn’t bear it if something like that happened to you.” Her expression softened slightly. “You’ll hear about this,” she promised. Reluctantly, she walked back to the examination table and sat down. The droid began its methodical examination once again. “I’m sure I will,” Luke said. He smiled at her. “I’ll yell at you all afternoon. Then I’ll let you have some more tonight,” she said, the anger draining from her voice. Luke smiled broadly. “I’ll be prepared,” he answered. The Talk by Tahi A/N: "The Talk" was written in response to the Anahiri challenge: "need for discretion". This scene fits into SbS after chapter 13. Lando took a deep breath. “I um-“ he scratched his nose, breathed out, folded his arms and then breathed in again, noting Anakin’s look of expectation fading into a bemused frown. “I –“ he chewed his lower lip. This is ridiculous, he told himself. You sound like a jammed holovid. Forget about the niceties, just spit it out. “I’ve been talking with Tendra,” he said quickly before entropy got a hold on him again. “And we’re uh-“ Come on, come on. Say it. He inhaled, steeled himself and let loose with what amounted to a comparatively voluble and articulate statement of his position. “We’re concerned about you and Tahiri.” Anakin’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared under the lock of wet hair plastered to his forehead, and he looked offended. “We’ll be fine, Lando. And so will the others,” he added significantly, as if a little miffed that Lando had forgotten about them. “No I don’t mean that.” Lando waved his hands in frustration at the misunderstanding, and then caught the look of wounded surprise on the boy’s face. “Well, I don’t mean that we aren’t worried about you – all of you – but obviously we have complete confidence in--“ He stopped abruptly realizing he was not only babbling but running off track on to a potential diversion. He huffed, steadied his racing thoughts for a moment and then stepped over to Anakin and placed his hands firmly on the boy’s upper arms. “I mean you and Tahiri as in . . . you and Tahiri.” “Me and Tahiri,” Anakin repeated studying Lando’s face closely as if searching a map for clues. Lando studied him back. Was he being obtuse on purpose, he wondered, or was the message really not clear? “You and Tahiri,” he tried again and nodded encouragingly, “being . . . friends. You know.” Anakin’s mouth formed an o. “Friends,” he repeated – somewhat unhelpfully, Lando thought. “Okay,” he said, realising he was sounding a little testy but no longer caring. “Not friends. Well friends but more than friends – and all that that means,” he finished, almost triumphantly, although really more in relief. Anakin’s expression cleared in a flash of epiphany. “Ah, why didn’t you say that in the first place?” He regarded Lando earnestly and a faint smile tweaked at his mouth until it was slightly lopsided. “You don’t need to worry about us, Lando. We’re fine.” Lando wasn’t quite sure where to go from here. Wasn’t he supposed to be the confident self-assured one in this conversation? But having his back against the wall, as so often in the past, finally provided the spur he needed, and he latched on to Anakin’s last statement, grimly determined to gain the upper hand. “I’m, uh, sure you both do think you’re fine - but you have to admit, Anakin, that you’re both still quite young, and, well, I guess I just worry that perhaps neither of you are really prepared for . . . “ He fumbled for a phrase that would get the point over and yet still allow a certain ambiguity – for somehow now he was face to face with Anakin, he found he was quailing a little at the thought of having to discuss specifics. “Not really prepared for the feelings you might have for each other. Sometimes they can be . . . very strong.” “Tell me about it,” replied Anakin with a resigned nod. “It just about blows me away sometimes.” And he sat down on the edge of his bunk his gaze suggesting his thoughts had drifted to things specifically related to his statement. Lando went to open his mouth only to find it was already wide open. Of all the responses he had anticipated, that was not one of them. He licked his lips and thought furiously. Where was Mr Smooth when you needed him? “Well there you are,” he said finally, and rather lamely. “Which is why I felt I had to raise the issue – and I hope you appreciate that I’m not trying to take over your father’s role in all this. Far from it. I’m just concerned, and I guess I want to check that both you and Tahiri, uh, have been informed about, um . . . it.” Anakin regarded Lando curiously, and with a hint of what might have been either wry amusement or amused irritation. “It?” he repeated. “All right, all right! Sex,” he conceded. Damn the boy. Why does he have to be so doggedly mature about it? He isn’t making this easy at all. Incident at the Red Rancor by Knight_Aragon Nothing in the universe looked so wonderful at that moment as did the reddening bruise around Luke’s left eye. Mara scowled as she slapped the cold pack into his hand with far more force than necessary. Luke gave her a look as he lifted it to his eye. “I still can’t believe you got yourself into a bar brawl,” Mara said. Luke expression became pained. “I can’t believe we’re still on this topic.” Mara huffed her exasperation and sat on the armchair by the sofa Luke sat on, propping her boot against the lower side of his chair and crossing her arms as she glaring at him. “What?” he said, gesturing with the cold pack. “I couldn’t help it. We were attacked.” “I expect you to handle yourself better,” Mara said acerbically. He sighed. Mara’s ire boiled a little higher. “Mara,” he said patiently. “I thought we settled this before.” “I’ve been thinking since,” Mara said darkly. “What am I supposed to say?” He pressed the cold pack to his eye again and hunkered down on the couch. “I tried to talk them down and got thrown through a window for my troubles.” “Oh, you tried. Goodness.” Mara stood. “Good to know a Jedi Master such as yourself can try so well he doesn’t see a punch coming in a bar brawl.” “That’s not fair.” Luke blinked a few times, looked embarrassed, and then muttered, “Maybe I had an ale or two before it all started.” “An ale or two? You stink like alcohol.” Mara planted her hands on her hips. Luke gave her a sullen look. “I got knocked to the floor. In a cantina.” Mara scowled at him. He didn’t seem to realise how plaintive his tone had become. Any other time, she would have been endeared by it. Perhaps. Now she could have strangled him for it. “Do you have any idea how I felt?” she demanded. “I knew something was going on. Were you being murdered? Were you the subject of some stupid Corellian prank tradition? I had no idea! And you didn’t even contact me! The Force, your comlink, nothing!” “I was in the middle of a brawl!” His inflection rose. “Afterwards, you idiot!” Mara suppressed a desire to kick the sofa, or more ideally, the fiancé the sofa held. She threw her hands in the air and strode across the room. “Well, I – ” Luke hesitated. “I didn’t realise you’d sensed anything, I guess. I wasn’t thinking of how the bond works.” “You thought you’d not mention it all, you mean.” Mara turned an accusatory glare on him. He moved abortively, a twitch of his fingers. “I wouldn’t have kept it from you.” “Because you couldn’t.” “Because I wouldn’t!” Despite her best efforts, Mara felt her glare soften somewhat. That indignation was too strong to be anything but sincere. “Keep that pack on your eye,” she said with asperity. “Otherwise you won’t be able to see out of it tomorrow.” Another thought occurred to her, and she gave him a hard look. “Unless, of course, you cheat and use the Force to heal a non-debilitating injury.” “I wouldn’t risk the lecture,” he muttered, pressing the pack to his eye again. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:57pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/8/08 5:52pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Songfic Here With Me by Canadian-Piper (canadianjedimama and THE_PIED_PIPER) I didn't hear you leave I wonder how am I still here And I don't want to move a thing It might change my memory Oh I am what I am I do what I want But I can't hide She was lying in Jag's arms, the musky afterglow of their love surrounding and engulfing her with the purest light and hope. This had been her dream for more years than she cared to recall, and now, once again, it had come to fruition. She'd never felt so alive. Which was decidedly odd considering that death was very possibly waiting right around the next corner. But she knew that this place and time would carry her through the days ahead - through the rest of her life, however long the Force decided it should be. Jag looked so peaceful lying there, starlight gently filtering through the window, into his quarters and onto the bed. His perfect olive complexion was now fully illuminated in the star light, sweat still glittering on his skin. He stirred, brow crinkling slightly, drawing his defining scar down lower. His broad shoulders shifted and he rolled onto his back, his arm instinctively reaching out to claim Jaina. Jaina grinned, musing to herself that some things definitely get better with age. Not that it hadn't always been good. She brushed a soft kiss over his wrinkled brow and wondered what he was dreaming about. Knowing him it would be claw craft or X-Wing manoeuvres or perhaps battle tactics. No doubt in laser-sharp, Chiss-precise images. Gently she trailed her fingers up his still slick and freshly red-marked bicep. She blushed slightly, remembering the particular "manoeuvre" that had caused that. The chrono beeped softly. She knew that it would soon be time to go, to leave him one more time for duty. She swore to herself that this time it would be the last. Unable to relinquish the contact, she ran her finger over the scar on his forehead. She would have been the first to admit that touching his scar had always been a fetish of hers, but he tolerated it without complaint. Her finger continued over his handsome features until it found the curve of his lips. She softly began to speak, "I am yours and always have been. I won't rest or breathe until once again we are here like this. Until you’re resting here with me." She gently kissed him, being careful not to awaken him with her touch - which she had always been able to do without much effort at all. She then gently left Jagged's bed to face destiny. Jaina turned back at the door, capturing one last image of him in her mind. "I am yours and always will be. Until you’re resting here with me." And I won't go I won't sleep I can't breathe Until you're resting here with me And I won't leave I can't hide I cannot be Until you're resting here with me Tonight by VaderLVR64 You, you got me Thinking it'll be alright. You, you told me, "Come and take a look inside." You believed me, In every single lie. But I, I failed you this time. And it feels like tonight. I can't believe I'm broken inside. Can't you see that there's nothing that I wanna do, But try to make it up to you? And it feels like tonight, Tonight. Mara sighed as she rolled over, ruthlessly punching at the pillow and then throwing a cautious glance toward Luke. She was relieved to see that she had not woken him. He was still sprawled across the bed, one foot hanging off the edge, his lips barely parted to release a slight snore. Force help her, he was even attractive when he snored. There should be some sort of law against that, she mused. What had possessed her to track him down? She could have just left well enough alone and avoided him all together. That would have been the sensible – the eminently logical – thing to do. Apparently, she had lost the ability to remain logical when it came to Luke Skywalker. Sense seemed to elude her where Luke was concerned. It was the loss of those two qualities, on which she prided herself above all, that was the most surprising. She found it even more shocking than the tender fantasies she sometimes found herself entertaining. When had she the lost the ability – even worse, the desire? – to distance herself from thoughts of him? She turned to stare at him, memorizing the line of his jaw, the way his hair was always messy, the slight shadow of stubble on his face. Then his eyelids fluttered and suddenly he was staring at her. “Can’t sleep?” he asked in a husky, concerned voice. Damn it, he was nice too, she thought ruefully. Instead of answering (and what could she say?), she reached for him, losing herself in the sensations that flared between them. Tomorrow morning she’d leave before first light, she promised herself. She would leave without saying good-bye. It would be kinder in the long run, for both of them. One day she would forget him. Wouldn’t she? ~~~~~~~~ I was waiting For the day you'd come around. I was chasing, And nothing was all I found. From the moment you came into my life, You showed me what's right. Luke stopped at the sound of her voice, wondering why it still hurt so much, even after all these months. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to collect himself. It was more difficult than he had hoped, and much more so than he had planned every time he had envisioned this scenario. Turning, he greeted her with what he hoped was a friendly, polite smile. “Mara,” he murmured with genuine pleasure. He was pleased to see her, even though it hurt. “It’s been too long.” She bit at her lip, a surprising and reassuring sign of nervousness. He had not seen her since the day he had woken up alone in a bed that she had once shared with him. “Hi, Skywalker,” she said in a quick, clipped voice, shoving one hand into her pocket and resting the other on her blaster. Luke grinned, wondering if she knew how alluring she looked, or how lethal. Somehow that air of potential violence only made her more attractive. “You look good, Mara,” he said softly. She frowned at him and he had to restrain himself from kissing that line on her forehead. “Listen…” she muttered, looking away from him. “About last time-” “Don’t worry about it,” he interrupted. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done – dismissing so casually how their last encounter had ended. It had not felt at all casual, reaching across cool empty sheets to find nothing. Not even a note. When he saw the relief on her face, however, he knew he had handled it correctly. Mara would not respond well to guilt or recriminations. She was a half-wild creature, difficult to read, prickly to hold, and absolutely the only woman he wanted. All of that combined to guarantee that she would put him through hell before she trusted him with her heart. He would have to proceed cautiously, wooing her from a distance, showing her that love did not have to be a prison – that instead it could be a haven, a shelter from life’s storms. “Want to get something to eat?” he asked. She gave him a wary look and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. Careful, he warned himself. Slow and easy… It was going to be a very long meal. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 6/28/08 6:58pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/8/08 5:53pm (4 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
	Best Poem Proof by Tahi A/N: This poem is set in Inferno, in the scene where Ben is in Jacen's secret torture room. Proof I am Ben . . . Nothing else matters but this, nothing but being Ben, human child of human parents; somebody . . . someone, although unity is slipping away with the blood sluicing down into pools at his feet, leaking out in saline streams of sweat and saliva. He thinks he might be dissolving. He thinks the poisonous barbs of the torture chair are to blame. He thinks . . . thinking might be proof that he is still Ben. And proof matters, proof that he is . . . who he says he is, proof that this body belongs to Ben, that the evidence is incontrovertible. He knows that process only too well: tick fingerprints, check blood type, match tissue samples – and he is confident there is no lack of those here, no fear of counterfeit. The marks of Ben are clear in this room; staining the floor, glistening on the chair of thorns like splattered froth in shades of mucous green. He may be stretched thin, he may be racked until tendons scream, but he is through gritted teeth still Ben. Nothing in this room can prove otherwise. And the pain is merely proof that he is still alive, still breathing, still clinging to the stubborn legacy that can only belong to Ben, human child of Mara, now dead, of Luke, grieving. Nothing in this room, no-one in this room can bleed him of that. No, nothing matters here, nothing at all; just one simple, irrefutable truth that lies beyond the language of pain, beyond the shadow of doubt. The facts would speak for him if he let them, but he prefers to speak for himself, smiling, tenacious, unyielding, three words that mean everything: I am Ben. My Alema by Tahi A/N: I have to be honest and say that I don’t consider my song parodies to be real poetry. They’re just silly verse. This one is performed by Ship and sung to Alema to the tune of “My Sharona.” (You can't get much sillier than that!) [Ship extrudes part of his exterior into a guitar and sets the groove, beginning with a nice touch of throbbing base. Alema catches the rhythm, and begins to move, slowly at first, winsome and supple, then more forcefully, hips gyrating. Ship pulsates like a strobe light in time to the beat, building, building up the pace until he whips the audience into a frenzy . . . and at last he grabs for the mike.] Ooh my little broken one, broken one, You're really one of a kind, Alema. Teaming up with Twi'lek scum could be dumb, Think I must be losing my mind, Alema But I'm running hot, trippin' out like a Dug on spice, Never knew the taste of obsession was quite so nice My my my i yi woo, M-M-M My Alema, M-M-M My Alema [Ship delivers a thigh-grinding guitar riff. Alema grinds. The audience screams.] Take me on a little chase through hyperspace, Take me anywhere you can fly, Alema Pardon me if I fixate upon your hate, Your putrid darkness makes me sigh, Alema It gets me running hot, burnin' up through the atmosphere, You're goin' mile high in a Sith meditation sphere My my my i yi woo, M-M-M My Alema, M-M-M My Alema [Alema – skin slick with the sultry heat of the moment – struts Jagger-like along in front of the first row. The security guards drag the survivors off her; the medics deal with the rest.] Ooh my little broken one, demented one, You like to call yourself we, Alema Mul-ti-pli-ci-ty is so kinky, I dig va-ri-e-ty, Alema My motivator's hot, burnin' up. Though I'm no Darth Maul The shape that I'm in means you can't help but have a ball. My my my i yi woo, M-M-M My Alema [Alema spins towards Ship, who performs one more rippling riff and then remakes his guitar into an extra arm, with which he grabs the Twi'lek. He grabs the mike again, and sings throatily into it.] M-M-M My Alema M-M-M My Alema Yeah! [They both Force leap into the crowd, and the scene erupts with red smoke and blue lightning.] Home Again by VaderLVR64 Home Again The darkness was swift and quiet. He barely heard the rush of agony as it came to claim him. Unknowing, he turned toward it. Where there had been light there was shadow. Where there had been love there was grief. Time passed slowly, and quickly. Each day seemed a year. Each year seemed a day. He never stopped missing her. Every morning he reached for her and was surprised to find nothing. Each night he turned to kiss her only to stare at an empty pillow. Everyone assured him that time heals, but deep in his heart, he knew that the wound he carried could never be healed or fixed. He was alone. He had been alone before, but having experienced her alone was a prison. And so he drifted through the days. Endured the months and years. All the while simply waiting for a singular moment. That moment when once more he would be held in her arms and know it was it like to come home again. -----signature----- Nominations: June 18 - June 28 Excerpt Submission: July 2 - July 12 Voting: July 16 - July 25 Ceremony: August 1
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