Jedi Council Forums - Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- {Updated March 4!} Complete.)

Locked Topic | Read Only Topic | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

« 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 » - Previous | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- {Updated March 4!} Complete.)
Jedikma Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 1/9/05 6:06pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Wow! That was a long chapter. Loved the first meeting and the wedding. I'm really enjoying this story. -----signature----- Twice in a Lifetime 7/31 http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/16813029 A Quiet Afternoon http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/23305946 follow up vig to: A New Order http://boards.theforce.net/The_Saga/b10476/17525231
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
HandofSkywalker86 Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 1/9/05 6:40pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Wow... wonderful update!!! I really enjoyed their mental sparring as well as Luke showing off his reflexes. His abilities left me wondering just how powerful he is. For some odd reason Emporer Skywalker seems like a mix between Paul Atreides and Darth Revan. I'd have loved to seen a confrontation between Yoda or Obi and Luke. Keep up the great work. Hand -----signature----- Champion of the 2nd installment of 2005 Jedi draft RPG Character: Arjin, Seth Anjrel, GS-01 GDG 4 life
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Senator_Leia73 Registered: Dec '03	Date Posted: 1/9/05 10:40pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Yea they finally got married! I wonder what will happen now that they are married and what kind of conflicts they are going to have. I cant wait for more -----signature----- Yeah I'm back. After a year I'm back.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
The_Good_Twin Registered: Jun '03	Date Posted: 1/10/05 10:37am Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Oh, I always wondered how it would be if Luke was Emperor. And on top of that Mara is a Jedi!! That's so exciting! Skywalker looked at her mildly. Did he ever do anything that wasn’t mild, for Force sake?- And now the question is: does Mara drive Luke mild or does Luke drive Mara mild??! I wonder... They kissed lightly, and his lips were warm and dry;it was not hard to put a pleasant look on her face. He had a similarly pleasant expression. - Awwww. Great story so far! -----signature----- "Ich geh' jetzt 'nen Plätzchen mampfen, Mampfred!" "Wie, du stehst auf der Leitung?"- "Hä? Ich hab' gesagt,ich hab' 'nen Finger in der Zeitung!" - ".. ?:\|.."
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Leia Registered: Aug '98	Date Posted: 1/10/05 10:48am Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Oh, I love long posts! Lord Vader had been a Sith Lord; Luke had merely the skills of one. Very, very interesting... Excellent distinction. I can't wait to see more L/M interaction: I'm interested in how their chemistry will have changed from the profic. -----signature----- Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. (Roald Dahl)
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi-2B Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 1/10/05 2:09pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	I must be as blind as Lena. I can't believe I missed this when scanning thru the boards lately. But, this gave me the great opportunity to read all the current posts at once. And they were fantastic!! Loved the role reversals, and how Luke's nature as a Sith is so surprising, both to Mara and to us, the readers. "Sith-Lite" as someone called him! Looking forward to more!!! -----signature----- It was on her fifteenth day in the darkness of the Nirauan cave when Mara Jade awoke to discover a rescuer had finally arrived. It was not, however, any of the potential rescuers she would have expected. It was Luke. ~~And the rest is history~~
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Mirax-Jade Registered: Mar '03	Date Posted: 1/10/05 2:12pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	::claps hands together:: This is getting exciting![/singsong] I love the detail! More precioussss more! -----signature----- www.livejournal.com/users/wild_n_kayzie be still my heart, this could be a brand new start, with you www.milliways-bar.livejournal.com
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jeditheskyisblue Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 1/10/05 3:26pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	So it begins. -----signature----- It's Never To Late... http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2214874&page=1 Is It To Late?(Sequel INTL) http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2638672&replies=1 It Wasn't A Mistake(L/M) http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2398787
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
obaona Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 1/10/05 3:28pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Methinks readers have an undeservedly charitable opinion of dear Lukie. Smuggler_Shidakis: Your feelings serve you well, young Jedi. Thank you. Jesina_Dreis: One of things I really enjoyed doing with this story is giving lines double meanings that don't make sense until viewed in the proper context. I'm glad Mara is still Mara, and Luke - well. Glad you're liking, and thank you. Jedi_BMK: Good, he's supposed to be intriguing. In a certain sense, much of this story is done from Mara's perspective, not Luke. Of course, to a certain degree Luke doesn't understand himself any better than we, the reader, do. I introduce their respective pasts pretty slowly. And yes, he unnerved Mara, but she returns the favor soon. Thank you. Emmi: I wanted this story to be paced like a novel. It's tempting with these boards to fool with the pacing of a story so it fits better being read in sections. In this one, things are introduced in the beginning that aren't explained or thematically dealt with until at the end. Most telling, though, is that I take my time in set-up. I didn't rush this baby in the least, and I think it shows. I like keeping you guessing about Luke. Thank you. Elli: Thanks, dearest. RedGold: The Annals are fun. It's no problem - I won't tell you anything about Leia, but I'm not changing canon like that. Characters that existed in canon exist/did exist here. I realize this is very AU, but how we got here is at least partially explained, even if not detail. I didn't throw canon overboard in writing this story, I just changed it. Thank you. JediArwen: LOL, nice to see you here. I always wanted to see Luke as Emperor, and then having Mara being a Jedi, and seeing that kind of conflict - well, it was just too much to resist. Luke's allegiance hasn't been defined yet, yep, and no, I'm not going to confirm or deny any theories. Though they are interesting to read. I'm glad you like the title, too. I'm quite fond of it. Thank you. academygrad88: Site Lite! I like that! I love Dark Luke. Thank you! RebelMom: Luke had a very good tutor. Very interesting point about Satan, too. I'm glad you like Mara - writing Mara trained as a Jedi from a younger age was sort of an interesting challenge, in deciding on how I wanted her to be - how much of the closed off, emotionally volatile Mara should still be there. Luke is reasonable, and no, he has no intention of turning Mara, but that doesn't mean his intentions are good ones. He certainly still plans on using her, and what do you think he would do if she didn't follow the plan? LaYa_: Welcome! And thank you for not lurking. And you like the title! Thank you! Knight_Aragorn: You don't ever need to apologize for long posts. I like that Luke is cool as Emperor. I always thought he would be. You think you know a lot about Luke. The wedding ceremony is obviously important to the story, but thematically, it's not a big one - it was fun to write, though. LOL - you readers look for romantic tension more than Gabri did. Thanks for reading. StarFighter5: LOL! I'm glad you liked the post. The meeting was fun to write, though initially (when this story was only going to be 30 pages), I was surprised by how little happened. Yes, Mara managed to hold her tongue - how long that will last, I won't say. The wedding scene is an interesting one to me, because I'm not quite sure why it turned out that way. Thank you. Jedikma: Chapters vary in length from a page or two to twelve pages. Especially near the end, they're longer. Thank you! HandofSkywalker86: He's powerful, no question. I'm not sure who Darth Revan is (is he from KOTOR?), but Paul Atreides - that's actually not at all a bad comparison. In certain ways they - and actually their lives - are similar. Confrontations? I don't know, I can't say. Thanks for reading. Senator_Leia73: A great many difficult ones. I think I've worked out a posting schedule, so . . . The_Good_Twin: Glad to see I'm not the only one who wondered. Don't overthink the title, either - I do love the title, but the story really goes way beyond the title by the end. Thank you! Leia: So do I - they tend to be the more intense ones, to boot. The chemistry will certainly be different, but then the whole situation is. There's a lot between them, and those things have to be dealt with first - the no-attachment rule for Mara the least among them. Thank you. Jedi-2B: I wondered where you were - I know you L/M. I'm glad you like, the role-reversal was very fun to write, especially in the beginning. Thank you. Mirax-Jade: LOL. Thank you! Jeditheskyisblue: Which is a good thing. Right? exhausted by replies [face_insanity] Please note that I've set up a posting schedule for this story. I'll be posting every Tuesday and Friday. That might seem a little funky, but I think it will work best for me, especially when school starts (which I have all day Mon. and Wed.) I'll be updating every Saturday on ff.n. So the next post will be tomorrow, and Friday the post after that. -----signature----- MS Word is designed by sadists with masochists in mind. - teh atty my recent Atton (KOTOR2) fic: http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/30335989
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
vader_incarnate Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 1/10/05 5:10pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	You realize that I'm going to spend several hours googling Paul Atreides and attempting to find every possible correlation between whoever that may be and this story, aye? I'll type up my conspiracy theories and send 'em over for you to giggle at, don't fear ... -- Elli, the high on oxygen version -----signature----- La sang et le vin ont la meme couleur. I think, therefore I am. I dream, therefore I become. Zelré, Handmaiden of the Crest
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 1/10/05 5:56pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Ah yes, could Mara be a Chani??? And will Mara and Luke suffer the same sad fate as Paul and his love? I hope not! -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
HandofSkywalker86 Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 1/10/05 6:17pm Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	What you don't know who Darth Revan is...noooo?!? Head explodes Seriously he's the protagonist of KOTOR and quite the military genius, manpulator, and warrior (picture a more charismatic Human Sithly Thrawn). Those are three traits that I think that Emp Skywalker has in spades. Plus both of them were attempting to safe guard the GFFA from an external threat. I'm glad I wasn't just imagining the parallels between Muad'Dib and Luke. Kejal already bares a striking resemblance to Paul's mentors especially Hawat, and that should make the emperor's enemies tremble with fear. I'm very interested to see Luke when he doen't have his nice guy facade in place. Hand -----signature----- Champion of the 2nd installment of 2005 Jedi draft RPG Character: Arjin, Seth Anjrel, GS-01 GDG 4 life
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
obaona Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 1/11/05 5:13am Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!})
	Elli: giggles madly It's not going to give you much, I don't think. And the high on oxygen version? VaderLVR64: I loved Dune, but as the sequels went on, I cared for them progressively less. Does that reassure you? HandofSkywalker86: Oooh - he sounds like a very interesting character. Is that why ff.n has all these fanfics on him? There are certain parallels, but put it this way: I'm mostly seeing that in hindsight. But a lot of the feel of this story is based on Dune. Dune has a feeling of very rich history, that a lot of backstory not necessarily explored went into the moments in the book - for me, it added this whole new level of myth. I wanted something similar for this story. There's really no 'bad guy' Luke - just a less cooperative, more openly ruthless one. -----signature----- MS Word is designed by sadists with masochists in mind. - teh atty my recent Atton (KOTOR2) fic: http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/30335989
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
obaona Registered: Jun '02	Date Posted: 1/11/05 7:16am Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {Updated Jan 9!}) - Date Edited: 1/18/05 2:21am (2 edits total) Edited By: obaona
	It's Tuesday. Another long post, because the only other way to cut it, it'd be like - two, two and a half pages. Feedback is always adored. Luke Skywalker was fourteen when he was first introduced to the galaxy. He was immediately introduced as both Emperor Vader’s son and heir; the difference in name is still not understood or discussed. It was immediately remarked that he appeared to be a solemn, serious child and early reports proved that assumption correct. Plots and attempts at gaining favor in the young man’s eyes came to be very quickly; but Skywalker proved himself to be astute. His father also proved to be very protective. Skywalker did not attend school, but was tutored, and he rarely appeared in public until the last couple of years before his father’s death. Almost immediately after choosing to put himself in the public eye, he began to creep into the hearts of Imperial citizens everywhere. In Luke Skywalker they found someone both sympathetic and relatable – unlike his armored father, or the secluded Palpatine. --- Annals of the Empire, Vol. II. When Luke let loose a strangled cry, his guards didn’t come running. They were well attuned to his sleeping patterns, and they knew any interruption would be unwelcome. Luke’s room was nearly totally dark. With his excellent eyesight, when Luke opened his eyes, he could see faint outlines, smudges of color, and that was enough to orient him. The soothing golds and blues so reminiscent of his childhood immediately calmed him. He sat up, looking blankly at nothing, just breathing harshly. Sweat ran down his back, making detours along the raised marks. Eventually, his breathing evened out. He had nightmares in cycles – one every night for a week, and then nothing for at least three months. As such, he wasn’t surprised by having been awakened. His staff wouldn’t be surprised either – he would be cranky for the next week. He had already noticed with some amusement them preparing for it. He slipped out of bed, the silken sheets not clinging to his bare skin. They were smooth, almost sensual, and remained cool against his heated body. Luke sighed and pushed his dampened hair out of his face. He stepped forward to a sidetable pressed against the wall and got himself a glass of clear, cold water. It slid down his throat with a satisfying rush. He moved slightly, glass still in hand, and turned a clock so it faced him. Early morning – so early it was hardly past yesterday. He briefly debated going back to sleep, then gave up on the idea as being unrealistic. After another gulp of water, he put the glass down. He then walked into the refresher, which was right next to the sidetable, across from his bed. He flicked the light on without any preparation, and immediately winced as his night vision was bombarded. The marble floor, beige streaked with shots of blue, was cold against his bare feet, and Luke winced again. After giving his eyes a few moments to adjust, he opened them fully and looked in the huge, floor-length mirror. His blue eyes were bloodshot. That would have to be dealt with before he left the room. A minor touch of the Force would be required, probably. His hair stuck up in several directions with no rhyme or reason, and darkened, sweaty clumps stuck to his nape and forehead. He slipped off his sleep pants and stepped into the shower, turning on the water and finding the appropriate amount of heat. As hot as he had the water, it felt cool against his skin, the water running down his back in cooling waves, as if he were reliving the heated physical pain of his youth. As calming as the shower was, some salt made its way down the drain. When Luke left the shower, he was fully composed. Bail Organa did not like the idea of what he was about to do, but it nevertheless gave him some hope. The issue he was to bring to Emperor Skywalker was not one covered in the treaty. He had told his fellow Senators – the Senators of the New Republic – that he was inclined to believe Skywalker truly wanted peace, but he was not certain of that. He was not certain of the Emperor’s good will. Mauwel was, as typical of him, both quiet-spoken with few words and analyzing as he listened to Bail’s request to speak with Skywalker. He nodded, eventually, and left to go speak to Skywalker. Bail waited with a certain degree of nervousness in the sedately decorated parlor room. He quieted his thoughts, burying certain ones deep in his mind as the Jedi had helped train him to do. It was of vital importance that Skywalker could not sense anything from him. When the door opened again, Bail was surprised to see that it was Skywalker, not Mauwel. “Your Highness,” Bail said with a slight – perhaps too slight – bow. Skywalker merely nodded. “You wished to speak with me?” “Yes,” Bail said, following Skywalker as the man casually sat down on one of the couches. Skywalker appeared . . . almost startlingly young. He certainly doesn't look his age, Bail thought. “Concerning Alderaan.” “What of it?” “As Your Highness may or may not know, I have a daughter there whom I have not seen for quite some time,” Bail said. Skywalker’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, yes. Leia Organa. One of the New Republic’s people,” he said casually. “Not that I expect you to admit that, of course,” he added with an ironic twist of his lips. “I wish to see her,” Bail said simply. “While you permitted many of us to come here and have opened trade lanes, you have not rescinded the orders that keep us out of the rest of the Empire.” Skywalker didn’t answer for a moment. “I cannot have your people running around causing chaos within the Empire, Senator, nor will I allow rampant immigration between the Empire and the Republic,” he said at last. Bail made to speak, but Skywalker held up his hand. “Perhaps something else could work,” he suggested. “As you said, most of your people are allowed on Coruscant and will be for the time being, save for the Jedi. Perhaps Coruscant can serve as an intermediary so that you may see your daughter. Is that acceptable?” All while under your careful eye, with only those you grant not likely to cause you trouble here able to take advantage of it, Bail thought. “It is, Your Highness.” “Good,” Skywalker said, rising. As he neared the door, he turned to face Bail briefly and added, “By the way, you should tell your daughter to be more careful in those cautiously worded communiqués of hers.” Bail stiffened. Skywalker raised an eyebrow, and left. Bail slowly sat down. So Skywalker knew of the messages between Leia and him. Leia was running Alderaan’s resistance cell, though of late it had gotten less support as the Empire slowly started to become more amiable. Skywalker was making everything difficult – he retained enough total control that doing anything he did not wish was nearly impossible to accomplish, and yet he gave enough freedom that people were willing to believe more would come. Moreover, he endeared his people to him. The man was far too astute, and that fact only renewed Bail’s very private misgivings concerning the treaty. But his daughter. Leia. While they had spoken regularly since Bail’s flight with the rest of the Rebellion to the Unknown Regions – to build their own government, their own worlds, which they had done – they had not seen each other in nearly a decade. When he left, his daughter had been a young woman, one much like her mother. And now . . . At least Skywalker had given no indication he knew Leia was his sister. Only Bail and the Jedi Council knew the truth. Obi-Wan, his old friend, had taken Leia to him, told him of her past and what her future had to be. Bail had agreed to raise her as his own, and he had never regretted it. He did not regret it now. Though he wondered, unable to help himself, what exactly had happened that Vader knew of Luke, and not of Leia. How Luke had gotten to be in Vader’s possession, and how Leia had escaped it. The Jedi would not speak of the matter, and they would also not say if they ever intended to tell Leia the truth. No matter. If the Jedi believed it was not dangerous for Leia to be on the same planet as her brother, then he would see his daughter again. The rest . . . were merely worries that he could do nothing about. That he could not truly plan for in any more of a way than had already been planned for. He focused his thoughts on seeing his daughter again. And so it passes. Life goes on, and we go with it, as we must, as we cannot fail to do. We must not drown in our sorrows. Let us hope that we may experience the fullness of the future by leaving the past behind. --- Luke Skywalker at Darth Vader’s funeral, excerpt: Annals of the Empire, Vol. III. For all that the hall leading to Skywalker’s office was in soothing, muted colors of green and blue, the two people standing outside of it were hardly soothed. Although one must consider that it was morning, and early morning at that. “I want to see him,” Mara said, emphasizing each word, carefully bringing out each syllable. Mauwel did not look impressed. In fact, Mara was gaining the feeling he didn’t like her. It had been nearly a month since the wedding, and Mara’s curiosity about anything and everything did not sit well with the man. Things were settling down for the Empire and the Republic – trade routes were opened, business deals made, and diplomatic incidents dealt with – but Mara had hardly gotten started. She had rarely seen Skywalker at all. “My lord is –” Mauwel began imperiously. Skywalker walked out of his office, holding a cup of something steaming in his hand. He hardly looked like an Emperor – he looked distracted. The casual light blue tunic and bantha hide pants didn’t help. It seemed that when not in public he didn’t dress as formally. He looked at Mara, surprised. “Lady Jade.” Mara folded her arms and shot Mauwel a dirty look with a sweet smile. Then she turned to look at Skywalker again, folding her arms and giving him a challenging look. “I was wondering if you’d give me a tour.” She gestured widely, to encompass the entire Imperial Palace. Mauwel sighed. Skywalker glanced at him, then returned his gaze to Mara. “Give me five minutes.” Surprised and delighted, Mara nodded. She hadn’t really expected him to agree, though she really hadn’t known what to expect in response to her request. Truthfully, she just wanted to pick his brains and didn’t see a better way of doing it. Of course, he would know perfectly well what she was trying to do, but such was the way of things. Besides, that would make it all the more interesting. Skywalker was there when he promised to be. He came out of his office again in a few moments, and without a word, gestured for Mara to follow. “What do you want to see?” Skywalker asked at last. Mara didn’t answer for a moment, thinking about it. “I heard you have a museum in the palace . . .?” she offered. Skywalker nodded, looking rather taken aback. “We do.” Probably wondering why I would want to see an Imperial museum, she thought. But it was as good a place as any, and they both knew she wasn’t here for the tour. “So why does Mauwel call you ‘my lord’?” Mara asked suddenly. Skywalker glanced at her, as calm and mild as he had been in their first meeting. “Tradition, really,” Skywalker replied. “My father didn’t care for titles all that much. He allowed Kejal and most everyone else in the Empire to call him ‘my lord’ even after his ascension to Emperor, and I saw no reason why I should be any different.” “You’ve known Mauwel a long time?” “Yes,” Skywalker said shortly. “Are you close?” Mara queried further. Skywalker looked at her, expression still mild, and raised an eyebrow. “We’re here,” he stated unequivocally. The Imperial Palace’s museum was not a public museum – nothing there was on display to the public, and to a degree, that showed. There were no exhibit lines, no carefully marked pathways, and no displays beyond a simple text explanation beside a few pieces. The museum essentially consisted of a long, twisting room that could be more accurately called a hall. The ceilings were vaulted and Mara could see jewels huddled in the shadow of curves, giving a faint sparkle to the otherwise plain linen-colored walls. It was full of eclectic items and huge bookcases that held actual books, along with datapads and other trinkets. Mara wandered among the items curiously. “Where did you get all this from?” she asked, picking up an old datapad copy of History Before the Republic, Vol. II. “Most of it comes from the Old Republic – their Agornon Museum,” Skywalker said, referring to the official museum of the Old Republic. “The more recent items were collected by scholars in service to the Empire, for the most part.” “You mean the old propaganda machines?” Mara said lightly, looking at Skywalker. “In some cases,” Skywalker said, a slight expression of amusement lighting his face for a moment. Mara raised an eyebrow. “I am not naïve, Lady Jade, and neither are you,” Skywalker added. Mara put the old datapad down. “Is that why you chose me?” “I chose you for a number of reasons,” Skywalker evaded. Mara kept walking, and Skywalker went with her, though somehow he managed to give the impression he was merely wandering in the same general direction, not following her. “Was it primarily for my position in the New Republic military? The fact that I am one of the four regional commanders surely was part of it. Do you think you’ll actually learn anything from me?” “I think nothing of the sort, Lady Jade,” Skywalker said coolly, his eyes like ice. “I would not need to go through all of this purely to gain some insight into your military.” “But it’d make a nice bonus,” Mara said snidely. “As I’m sure knowledge of Sefer’s whereabouts would be a nice . . . ‘bonus’, as you say, to you,” Skywalker said. He met her eyes for a moment, gaze intense and searching, and then looked away with deliberate casualness. Mara stiffened. Sefer was a top-secret weapons research installation of the Empire’s. They didn’t even admit to it existing – until now. That could only mean Skywalker knew that they knew of it. Considering the Death Star disaster years before, security was extremely tight in the Empire, and as far as Mara was aware, they had no reason to believe themselves compromised. Yet, evidently they had realized that they were. Sefer . . . what it could it mean? Was the Empire truly making new weapons for use against the Republic? Sefer was no longer needed if Skywalker intended to keep the treaty. Was that why he was willing to mention it, or was mentioning it a deliberate act to scare her? “I see,” Mara finally managed, tone noncommittal. More silence. Mara and Skywalker kept walking, and Mara deliberately looked around, still looking over the ancient items. Skywalker didn’t push her. “Do you think you scare people?” Mara asked at last. “Only the sensible ones,” Skywalker replied. Mara shot him a surprised look. “Are you sensible?” he asked, looking directly into Mara’s eyes. Mara didn’t flinch. She smiled. “Guess not.” Skywalker smiled. It was a considering smile – a smile that showed intelligent pleasure. “Good,” he said simply. “Why is it good?” “I do not believe fear is as effective a tool as many in the Empire thought,” he said calmly. “The mere fact of the existence of your New Republic proves that.” Mara thought about that. “You could have destroyed us at Corunlder, but you didn’t,” she said finally, meeting Skywalker’s startling blue eyes. “Why is that?” Skywalker cocked his head. “You already know the reason.” “I don’t buy that you didn’t want to go into unexplored territories,” Mara said sharply. “I wouldn’t believe it any more than I would believe in a deal with a Hutt.” “I did not feel it was worth the effort,” Skywalker said matter-of-factly. “Your position there was more readily defensible, and the expenditure of lives would be great.” You care about lives? Mara thought. “You’ll forgive my skepticism,” Mara said with a snort. “I don’t think you capable of such charity.” “Your opinion of me is unduly harsh,” Skywalker said with a dry expression. Mara folded her arms. “Prove it.” “I already have,” Skywalker said levelly. He paused, looking away thoughtfully. “I am not my father, Lady Jade. Nor am I Palpatine.” Mara made to speak, but stopped herself. Sniping at him wasn’t going to help matters. She remembered how off balance he had put her before – he didn’t seem to be attempting to do such now, instead answering her calmly. He had said he wanted them to be allies. Did he really believe that? Sefer . . . “Did you love your father?” Mara asked suddenly. Skywalker jerked, startled eyes turning to her. “Yes,” he said finally. “I did.” “I find it hard to imagine,” Mara said softly. Her words were sharp, nearly insulting, but her gaze was mild. Skywalker looked down, a slight crease appearing between his brows. He took an aborted breath, then exhaled and inhaled slowly. “My father . . .” He hesitated. “He loved me enough to risk his life killing Palpatine,” he said, gaze meeting Mara’s again. Mara was shocked. “I didn’t know Sith could love.” Skywalker’s voice became nearly inaudible. “He was hardly a Sith at the end,” he murmured. As Mara was about to ask what that meant – this conversation had been nothing but revealing – Skywalker abruptly turned away from her. Mara automatically refocused herself, becoming more alert to their surroundings. A small, cowled creature about the size of a Jawa silently ghosted up to Luke. Mara couldn’t figure out from where. It said something in a small, hissing voice. Skywalker replied in the same tongue, and the creature went behind a stack of old books and simply vanished. “What is it?” Mara demanded. “A bomb has been found in the East Courtyard,” Skywalker replied calmly. “I have to go. We can continue this later, if you wish.” “I do wish,” Mara said automatically. Skywalker nodded, and moved away. His steps were light and fast, and he was soon out of sight. He had gone from quiet and calm to intense and focused in a moment. Mara suddenly remembered how easily he had gotten out of her grasp in their first meeting. Her mind was awhirl, but not because of the bomb – because of Skywalker, and what he had said. Was it an attempt at sympathy? It must be. Why else would he say the things he had, to someone he hardly knew? Perhaps it was an attempt to distract her from Sefer. Well, that wouldn’t matter. She would report it to her superiors and the Jedi Council, and they would certainly not be distracted. And Mara wasn’t going to be distracted anyway by Skywalker’s fascinating words, anyway. Mara was not fooled. She stared down at a book dryly titled, Basic Complex Analysis of Sentient Cultures, the words going over her head. A few minutes passed, and Mara looked up, thinking, Okay, so maybe I am distracted. Well, that’s what meditation is for. Focusing. With a plan of action, she left the museum. She would have to ask Skywalker about the bomb when they met again. She wasn’t worried, but she was curious about who had planted it and why. Kejal must have been worried to send one of the Noghri. Jade had likely thought Uwkewel a simple messenger, but his presence probably meant more Noghri had been added to the twelve Noghri guards constantly following him in the Palace. He was sure Jade hadn’t sensed them; they usually kept just out of his normal range of awareness so as not to bother him. They had an uncanny knack for keeping just out of a Force-sensitive’s range of sensing. Vader had briefly considered using them as assassins against the Jedi before coming to the decision that it would be a waste; the Jedi would quickly become aware of them, and assassination was not going to bring the Jedi as a whole down. Instead, he had chosen a dozen Noghri as Luke’s personal guards and trainers. Uwkewel had directed Luke to one of the subsets in the Imperial Palace. They were buried in the deep levels, far beyond what most thought the Imperial Palace extended. Kejal would be there. The walls of the White Room were stone, with a level of cortosis ore and durasteel beyond that. As the name suggested, it was nearly entirely white. It was older than the Empire, but Palpatine had modified it to be a hiding place of last resort. Luke knew it was overkill for him to be down here; his security forces had likely already the situation dealt with. Besides which, the walls of the Palace had been designed to take direct aerial bombardment – it was unlikely any bomb would be damaging enough for Luke to be in danger. However, everything he needed was down here anyway, and so he wasn’t going to argue with Kejal about it. A huge communication center sat in the middle of the massive room. Kejal was standing by it, staring down at one of the screens. “Report,” Luke ordered as he entered the room. He cast his senses about; there were at least twenty Noghri in the room, plus a dozen Red Guards. Kejal looked up. “It was a Class A thermo-detonator; time setting.” “Was?” Luke said, coming beside him and taking in all the various screens and reports in at a glance. “It’s been defused,” Kejal said with a nod. “Media?” “Blacked out at the moment.” Kejal knew what Luke would ask next, so he didn’t pause. “We think it was the Vaderians.” “You think?” Luke said with upraised eyebrow. “We already got a warrant and have stormed their headquarters; no report on how that went,” Kejal replied. Luke nodded slowly. “Good. Get that information.” “Yes, my lord. And if it is them . . . ?” Luke shrugged. “Find all the ringleaders, have a quick, military trial and execute them all.” Kejal nodded. “A military trial, though, my lord?” “I don’t want the chaos of a civil court,” Luke said. “Come up with a reasonable explanation; I doubt many will care if there’s evidence. And there will be,” he added with a pointed look. “Yes, my lord.” Luke rubbed his face. “I’m going upstairs. I think I skipped lunch.” “I’m surprised you remembered, my lord,” Kejal said, knowing Luke’s habits well. “Ha,” Luke said tiredly. “I assume the conversation did not go well?” Kejal said, studying Luke. “It didn’t go quite as I planned,” Luke explained. He headed for the doorway, thinking to leave Kejal behind, but he followed Luke. After a few moments of silence, Luke continued. “I managed to put her on the trail of Sefer. They’ll find it abandoned, of course.” “And then they won’t believe it, and eventually that fact will put them on the trail of the weapons facility at Kearek, as you had planned, my lord. What went wrong?” Luke and Kejal went into the lift, along with two Red Guards and a Noghri. “I revealed something I didn’t plan to,” Luke admitted. “I can work it to my advantage – she thinks I’m trying to gain her sympathy, and that will make her react in the exactly opposite way.” He shrugged. “When they find Kearek, she’ll recommend they step up their own weapons program while using the trade routes of the treaty.” “Then that is good news, my lord.” Kejal looked at Luke with an intent expression. “But you are still troubled.” “I told her something true, Kejal. Yes, this time I used it – but next time?” Luke said fiercely. “She puts me off balance, and I can’t figure out how she does it. I haven’t had anyone ask me that kind of question about my father in years, yes, but I don’t just blurt out whatever comes to mind with others who take me unaware.” Kejal looked startled. “She asked about Lord Vader?” Luke raised an eyebrow, and stepped out of the elevator. “She is a Jedi; I suppose it makes sense she would be curious.” “I would think her less curious than most,” Kejal said disapprovingly, following Luke. “Precisely because she is a Jedi, she knows more than most. Perhaps she should be more carefully watched,” Kejal suggested. Luke paused. “Put two Noghri on her.” “Yes, my lord.” -----signature----- MS Word is designed by sadists with masochists in mind. - teh atty my recent Atton (KOTOR2) fic: http://boards.theforce.net/before_the_saga/b10475/30335989
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
RedGold Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 1/11/05 7:50am Subject: RE: Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- political intrigue, romance, drama -- {UPDATED Jan. 11!})
	The Vaderians seem to be causing trouble.. Luke is definetly up to something! And are those two falling for each other? How cute. Thanks for explaining Leia. This should get interesting... at least, I hope so! -----signature----- Legend... Recluse... Forgotten... Will one day return... http://www.starwarsfanfic.com
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

« 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 » - Previous | Next | Reload