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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
43743_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 6/28 7:19pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/13 6:34pm (7 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
Best Ensemble Cast

Exodus by YodaKenobi

It happened in a small cargo hold.

Jaina stood before them, explaining what had happened since she left Ossus under assault, detailing Lowbacca's heroic sacrifice and the circumstances that led them to the cruise liner at Togoria known as the Rapture.

"I should have never trusted those Squibs," Han grumbled.

He was sitting on a long footlocker beside Leia, who punched his thigh to quiet him, keeping her eyes focused on her daughter who had called them all there for something she said was "important." Anakin seemed as though he was barely listening at times, seated on a metal crate a half meter away, while Mara remained standing in the back, her arms folded and wearing a scowl.

Perched on a carboplas barrel nearby was Tenel Ka and for his part, Jag remained silent, standing dutifully at Jaina's side.

It was in this setting that their lives would change forever.

"But it wasn't Rénin who was pursuing us," Jaina said, almost as if it was physically exhausting to continue.

"It was Jacen."

For Leia, time seemed to stop. At first, she thought she might have misheard, but the grim expression on the young woman's face as she awaited their reaction quickly cast her theory in doubt.

There had to be some other explanation.

"What?" Han said in disbelief.

"Jacen, Dad. He told me he killed Rénin. I think he's become this Sith Lord's new apprentice. He wanted to take me back to his master."

"Darth Malig," Mara said.

"Right."

"Jacen?" Han repeated. "Our Jacen? The kid with all the pets is a Sith Lord?"

Jaina only fixed her father with an I'm-not-kidding stare.

"Jacen would never do such a thing," Tenel Ka said, shaking her head.

"You can ask Wrev about it when he comes to. Jacen did that to him."

"No, this has to be a mistake," Leia gasped.

"I wish, Mom. But I know what I saw. I know what I heard and what I felt too. Jacen has joined them and that explains why you were ambushed on Denon. He betrayed you."

"No, no," Han said more forcefully, hopping to his feet and pointing his finger at Jaina. "I know you're wrong there. Jacen didn't even know about the mission. He couldn't be the traitor."

"Yes, he is," Mara said from behind, drawing everyone's attention as she put the final pieces of the puzzle in place. "Jacen manipulated us, Han. He sent us that message, told us not to come after him knowing we would, and sent us the security maps. They knew where we'd be because the holes in the security were put there to lead us to those locations. Jacen suggested which way we should go by letting us do the work on our own and knowing what we'd find."

Han ran his hand through his hair as if he hadn't considered that possibility and was caught off balance. "That doesn't sound like my boy..."

"Jacen wouldn't do this," Leia added. "Not Jacen... no."

Their oldest son represented everything that was good and honest in the galaxy. He was the kindest person Leia had ever known, able to empathize with every living thing he came across, and had become the Order's moral guide.

Jacen would never take the quick and easy path— it just wasn't his way. He was always questioning, always evaluating his thoughts and actions to be certain he was doing the right thing.

If Jacen had really joined the Sith, it wouldn't have been out of pettiness over his disagreements with Luke— it would have been because he honestly believed it was the right way. And that scared Leia more than anything.

She saw Tenel Ka falling back into her seat, her hand clutching curiously at her stomach. In all the years they'd known the Dathomiri and Hapan beauty, Leia didn't think she'd ever seen her really cry, but she could see clearly the tears welling in Tenel Ka's gray eyes at the news.

Leia buried her face into Han's shoulder, weeping and clinging to her husband to keep from collapsing.

"It will be okay, Princess," he soothed. "We'll get this all figured out."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Jaina managed, barely audible over Leia's sobs.

"What will we do now?" She asked, untangling herself from Han and wiping puffy eyes.

Anakin looked up from the spot on the deck he'd been staring at. "What choice is there?" He asked. "We have to mobilize Halo and get to the Unknown Regions, find the Chiss and ask Thrawn for help. Jacen knows where Halo is, so we have to get everyone to safety."

"And then what?"

Anakin's blue eyes turn back to staring ahead into nothingness, leaning forward on the crate.

"And then, I'm gonna find Jacen," he said. "And I'm gonna kill him."



Shattered Remembrance by Jedi-2B

"You think every planet we visit is pretty," See-Threepio complained to his counterpart.

As the Millennium Falcon was descending toward the main spaceport of Salis D'aar, Artoo-Detoo blew a dissenting snort.

"Yes, even you can't deny that Tatooine was dreadful. I believe I still have granules of sand buried in my joints." The golden droid gave a long-suffering sigh. "But surely you remember how the Bakurans treated us. Restraining bolts! It was humiliating, and from a seemingly civilized society."

Artoo tweedled an objection.

"Yes, I suppose Mistress Captison eventually became an exception. But unfortunately she is no longer here, and neither is Madame Belden. I cannot recall anyone else on Bakura who was even marginally kind to us mechanicals."

Leia was half-listening to the droids' exchange when she sat bolt upright in the oversized co-pilot's seat.

"Leia ... Hear me ... Leia ..."

"Something the matter?" Han asked, frowning at his wife's sudden stillness.

"Luke ..." she whispered.

"He's not in trouble already, is he?" Han quipped. His laughter quieted, though, as Leia continued to stare straight ahead. "Hon?"

"He needs help," she said, finally looking up at her husband.

"Where?" Han said, already reaching for the controls.

Leia paused, then looked starboard. "East," she said.

"Where east? How far?"

"It's not like he can send me a traffic map," Leia bit out, and Han could see she was getting frustrated. "Just keep going that direction, and hopefully I can tell when we're getting close."

"The odds of finding Master Luke by flying randomly over the city are approximately eight hundred fifty-six thousand, eight hundred twenty-two to one. However, the use of the Force by Her Highness greatly distorts this figure, as the Force is an incalculable variant-"

"Threepio, please! I'm trying to concentrate!" Leia rubbed the sides of her forehead wearily, then suddenly stopped. Looking out the forward viewscreen, she could hear the breath catch in her throat. "Oh, my stars," she murmured, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. The shattered remains of what appeared to have been a small skyhook was falling through the air.

And Luke was on it.

She could sense him, calling out to her through the Force at an even more urgent pace. "I'll open the top hatch," she cried, tearing off her crash webbing and springing out of her seat.

"No!" Han called, causing her to hesitate. "That thing could clip the Falcon on the way down. Use the belly hatch. They'll have to jump across."

Leia didn't answer. She ran as fast as she could through the ring corridor to the bottom hatch and slammed her fist against the release switch. With a skill no one could match, Han maneuvered the ship alongside the falling skyhook, then let the Falcon drop straight down. Leia could see Luke and Mara clinging to a girder, their hair and clothes whipping in the strong wind, and she motioned them to jump.

Luke sprang first, Mara a split second behind him. It didn't escape Leia's notice that they were holding hands. Just so they wouldn't get separated during the jump? She could ponder that later. As Luke landed, he quickly looked behind him. Callista was still on the skyhook, and the ground was coming up fast.

"Hurry!" he yelled, and Callista sailed through the air. For a horrifying moment, Leia thought the woman had missed. But then Luke was kneeling at the edge of the boarding ramp. Mara had one hand gripping the ramp's strut, the other clutching the back of his tunic. Han was already zooming upward, narrowly missing the top of a gleaming skyscraper. Luke leaned over, and Leia could finally spot a hand holding onto the ramp's frame. He reached down and helped pull his former girlfriend onboard.

Callista said something to him, and Leia could barely catch his reply of 'Just returning the favor.' Everyone winced as, seconds later, the skyhook crashed to the surface with a deafening boom. The bedraggled trio hurried inside, and Leia quickly closed the hatch.

"We need to go after Buaran," Mara said, her attention focused on Luke. He nodded in agreement, then turned to Callista.

"Where would he be hiding? From his comment of having a good vantage point, I'm assuming he's somewhere nearby."

"Or making his escape by now," Mara put in.

"Hold on." Leia held up one hand to stop their planning. "I don't know what's going on, but no one is going anywhere until you get those wounds tended." She swept her eyes over the group. Luke had numerous cuts and scratches. A gash on Mara's forehead was trickling blood down her face. And Callista ...





Die, Jacen Solo, Die by Tahi

A/N: In this story, Jacen/Caedus discovers his connection to his family tree . . . by becoming it - with a little help from Zonama Sekot (Mara).


“Yes.” Mara strolled, youthful and lithe, from behind his right side. “It is indeed me – Sekot,” she said. Her jade eyes studied him with a mixture of sorrow and revulsion. {i]Mara{/i], he thought, but not as Sekot remembered her from their visit. This was a Mara from Luke’s memory, which meant . . . which meant the two were in collusion. And not just Luke, by the looks of it, but Tahiri and Ben as well.

“Very good, Jacen,” Mara said with an appreciative nod, although he noted traces of pity in her eyes. “We are, as you say, in collusion, but it isn’t something I agreed to lightly, believe me. I just see no other course of action available to me.”

Caedus didn’t reply straight away. Obviously they’d tricked him into coming here and then into admitting he had killed Mara, but that didn’t mean the situation was hopeless. If he could just figure out how to stop his arborification, he would stand a chance.

“You’re looking a bit seedy,” said Ben who had emerged from his left and was studying him with a certain morbid curiosity. “Any thoughts about turning over a new leaf?”

“Ben!” Luke remonstrated as he followed his son into Caedus’s field of vision. “Easy with the puns.”

“I don’t know, Master Skywalker,” Tahiri had moved into view from his right and stood with her arms folded. “I don’t think he’s twigged that he’s got a problem yet. I think he still believes that he can do whatever he likes to whomever he likes because he’s in the right.”

“That last sentence is probably the most sensible thing you’ve said in years,” Caedus hissed between gritted teeth. It wasn’t so much anger that made speech difficult as the fact that his lips felt stiff and wooden.

Mara sighed. “You realize you’re rooted, don’t you? In more ways than one.”

Caedus snorted, although the spittle that emerged coalesced into droplets of what looked like sap. He reached out to his lightsaber intending to use the Force to hurl it at the self-satisfied faces of the Jedi junta who dared oppose him, but nothing happened – although he could feel it lying nearby.

Luke shook his head. “I don’t think Sekot likes the idea of boras having lightsabers, Jacen. We don’t want any more incidents like we had a few years ago with that rogue group.” He suddenly looked sad. “Strange to think back to how you were then and how you were able to solve their problem, along with many others. What happened to you?”

Caedus’s capacity for pain was unparalleled, but the invasion of nerves and organs by growing shoots was like being skewered by a million needles tipped with acid. “I realized you were a fool.” It was becoming hard to catch his breath as his ribcage solidified. “You had no vision – just reactive, empty mantras.”

“I had hoped you might be prepared to admit you’ve been wrong,” said Mara-Sekot. “However I see that you’re unrepentant, which is sad because it leaves me no choice but to allow this process to carry on to fruition.” She paused, and her lips twitched. “No pun intended, of course.”

With his last human breath Caedus fixed Tahiri with a look that bled venom into the Force, so much that she flinched. “Traitor!” he rasped.

“I’ve admitted my mistake to Master Luke and the others – and begged forgiveness,” she replied. “I came to Zonama Sekot to sort myself out, and thanks to my friends here,” she turned to Bava, who had sidled into view and was staring at Caedus with his one good eye in open fascination, “and Sekot, I did.”

“I know you interpret our actions as a plot against you,” continued Sekot through its projection of Mara. “But you have only yourself to blame.”

“I still believe there’s good in you, Jacen,” Luke said. “Somewhere inside is that nature-loving boy we all once loved. He just needs to be re-awoken – and who better to do that than Sekot?”

They watched as Darth Caedus’s somber features morphed into patterns in the bark. His face was still vaguely recognizable in the placement of knothole eyes and mouth and a tiny twiglet nose.

“It is done,” murmured Sekot.

“Well,” Ben observed with the pragmatism of a teen, “He’s certainly made his-tree, just not in the way he expected.”

“Ben!”

“Okay, Dad. Sorry. So what are you going to tell Uncle Han and Aunt Leia?”

Luke had been pondering the question himself. At least he could tell them their son was still alive; he’d just developed a sudden aptitude for photosynthesis.






Lest Ye Be Judged by DarthIshtar

The officers of Vader’s court deal with their first crisis.

It was not customary to hold Security Council meetings at night, much less on short notice. Leia had, however, decided to keep it relatively 'under wraps.' As a result, she summoned the Tribunal and Security Council to her own house and set Threepio to the dubious task of finding refreshments. By the time they arrived ten minutes after Luke's comm, there were drinks set out and one of the guards had helpfully gone to the market for pastries.

“Thank you for coming,” Leia addressed them all from her place in the lone armchair. “We'll try to keep this short, since a decision must be reached fairly quickly and because I'm sure you would all like to be able to stay awake in the morning.”

They were arrayed on various pieces of furniture, having claimed everything from a footstool to an overturned canister of phraigmeal. The guards lined the walls as usual, but were grudgingly taking cups of caf or julaberry tortes. Every single one of them looked as if they expected someone to attack an informal conference at 0400.

“Have you all received the message from Commander Skywalker?” she asked.

“I made sure of it,” Cracken assured her. “Do we have any update on the prisoner's condition?”

It was good that they were setting a tone of emotional separation. Cracken seemed to indicate that they would not be making decisions based on who 'the prisoner' was.

“Luke put him into a healing trance,” she stated. “He will need some kind of medical treatment at the very least, but he is in no immediate danger for the time being.”

“It may be a blessing, then,” Winter said quietly, glancing solicitously at Leia. “We could have faced this situation when he was in critical condition.”

“Indeed,” Leia responded. “The primary concern of this meeting is determining exactly what precedent we should set.”

“What are the attitudes of those he is working with?” Khatarn asked from his position on the couch.

Leia glanced at Rieekan, inviitng him to take charge of the conversation. He was the one member of the Tribunal who had been monitoring things with more enthusiasm than necessary. At the time of the appeal, he would doubtless be the one most conscious of the effectiveness of the work that Father had done.

“The Imperial Governor is an antagonist,” Rieekan said, nodding slightly to Leia. “Commander Skywalker expressed concern over his attitude at the time of their arrival. As for the Toprawans themselves, they have been more cooperative than anticipated.”

“That may be changed if we show favoritism,” Ackbar argued. “Khatarn, are you familiar with the reasoning behind the Empire's treatment of the Toprawans?”

It was the first time that Leia could recall seeing Khatarn looking abashed. He pulled a straight face a moment later, his shoulder squared to the front and his posture erect.

“They were punished as traitors, as was appropriate,” he said firmly. “It was a more humane option than what happened to Alderaan, but a garrison was necessary for protection.”

“Protection,” Fey'lya snorted, fur rippling. “I'm sure a population incapable of wielding advanced weaponry posed a serious threat to an entire Imperial garrison.”

Khatarn fixed him with a withering look. “If you would like to dispute it, I would refer you to the survivors of Endor,” he said flatly.

“We are not here to argue the point,” Leia interjected before things could escalate any further. “I wanted to know who made the decision to withhold medical technology from the people of Toprawa.”

“The Imperial Governor was immediately responsible for that decision,” Khatarn informed them.

“Well,” Winter said dryly, “that's reassuring.”

“The command did not come from Imperial Center, then?” Leia prompted.

“No,” Khatarn confirmed. “The regional governors were put in place so that matters of sector government did not have to come to His Majesty's attention.”

“What are you thinking?” Cracken asked.

“The Imperials have their own interest in the Skywalker project,” Leia stated. “We cannot afford to show favoritism, but it may be possible to install medical facilities with Imperial cooperation. They would benefit from the popular reaction and we would be able to get the people what they need.”

“And no one would question what took them so long to come to their senses in the first place?” Fey'lya rejoined.

“Undoubtedly, it would not be the first time,” Leia shot back, tone stern. “We are trying to do as much good as we can, regardless of whose toes we may step on in the process.”

She turned to Khatarn, folding her hands in her lap. “Can we count on you to make the necessary contacts or shall we sic Counselor Fey'lya on them?”

“I do not want to appear to be taking orders from you.”


 
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards 
Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga
 Registered: Jun '05
43743_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 6/28 7:20pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/10 7:34am (8 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
Author

Best Author



Tahi

A/N: This scene is from Many Happy Returns

Time and space had always been an endless source of fascination to Anakin, and here in the heat of battle it struck him again how fluid these concepts could be. Here milliseconds carried the same import as eons, and the perimeter of the room within the perimeter of the warehouse was a world of its own within a galaxy. A galaxy where yet again evil and greed had taken seed and been allowed to run rampant.

In a curious way he could find more in common with the Yuuzhan Vong warrior he was fighting than Tag, or the Rancor swooper who was currently twirling a whip made of a section of chain looped and attached to a hefty section of durasteel. At least the warrior was committed to an ethos, to a belief system that, no matter how erroneous, was at least focused on values larger than self-interest. The warrior at least understood the idea of honour. It was dubious that the Rancor had even heard the word, let alone assigned any kind of abstract meaning to it. And Tag’s sense of honour appeared to have become so skewed by psychosis that it was impossible to even try and understand where he was coming from.

And so milliseconds stretched into seconds, and seconds to minutes, clocking the strikes, the parries, the sharp pain of the errant laser blast that had caught him by surprise and caused him to drop his lightsaber; the immediacy of Tahiri’s response; the awe-inspiring beauty of the blue curve inscribed by her flying saber; the comfort of his grip on the metal, still warm from her hand. The sense of her presence nearby – fierce, pure, vibrant – was a melody, faint but still clear above the discord, and as familiar as the drum beat of his own heart. Beyond the focused energy of the Yuuzhan Vong leader and the frenzied oscillations of the Rancor, Anakin could hear the fluctuations in Tahiri’s progress as much as he could feel them. But rather than finding this connection distracting, it was empowering. It was as if the two of them had been transported into a whole new level of the Force where individual boundaries ceased as such, and energy was shared and deployed for the maximum benefit of both. At the same time that he was countering the singular attacks by both of his adversaries, Anakin was sharing in her triumphant defeat of Jaytee, and bolstering her as she resisted the demons of anger and pain tempting her to kill the hapless boy.

But no matter how strong or committed a Jedi he was, Anakin was still a Solo – and there were certain traditions pertaining to that side of his identity that had to be maintained, no matter how dire the circumstances. In fact, the more dire the situation, the more important the rituals became.

Well – it helped the morale.

Sensing her approach through the clamour, he managed to catch her eye just as she shot out from between two of the Rancors, timing her leap perfectly so that the swipe both men took at her resulted in both knocking the other senseless.

He cocked an eyebrow as she staggered to her feet. “Having a good time without me, huh?” he huffed. “I suppose you want your lightsaber back now?”

Tahiri’s answering grin faded quickly as her gaze shifted to focus on something beyond his left shoulder.

“I dunno. Maybe you still need it more than me,” she observed succinctly at about the same instant that Anakin felt the whirlwind rush of an oncoming amphistaff.

But he was already rising in the air, already hitting the cut-off switch on Tahiri’s blade and preparing to throw it down to her. The other warrior, who obviously had been caught up in the tangle of swoopers, may have thought his lack of presence in the Force would allow him to sneak up on the young Jedi and take him by surprise. But between the tattling lambent in Anakin’s saber, and the mental warning he received from Tahiri, such a tactic proved fruitless. It gave Anakin a certain perverse amusement to see the look on the newcomer’s face when instead of joining his captain in facing Anakin, he found himself face to face with a very determined, very focused, very lethal Tahiri.





Jade Pilot


from For the Next Three Minutes…


She had killed men for less…

Mara Jade sat at the small, wooden table for two, fuming. She downed the last of the Whyrren’s Reserve, savoring the woody taste against her tongue and slammed the empty shot glass onto the table. Signaling the wait droid, she glanced again at the flimsiplast given to her as she signed in.


At the sound of the bell you will have three minutes to ask the questions listed on the flimsie. Please do not deviate from the list. You must work quickly and precisely down the list in order to gather the information you need to make an informed decision of possible date choices.

This cannot be emphasized enough. Do not deviate from the list. At the end of the three minute period the bell will ring again, indicating that it is time for the interviewees to move to a new table.

Good luck.


“A refill, ma’am?” The wait droid hovered near Mara’s glass with the nearly full flask of amber liquid.

“Yes…and keep it coming.” She emptied the glass before extending it back toward the droid.

“I’m sorry, ma’am…but we have a two drink maximum until after the exercise.”

“Exercise?” Mara muttered to the back of the retreating droid. “Is that what we’re calling this? She slumped back against her chair and cursed Talon Karrde’s name for the fifth time that evening. I will absolutely kill him for this, she thought.

“Ladies…may I have your attention, please.” A hush fell across the crowded bar as a man in a cheap suit and a bad haircut stood near the door with a microphone in his hand. “Welcome to Bernie’s Bar and Bowl-a-rama.”

“We love you Bernie!!!” sounded several female voices from the back.

“Now ladies…” began the red faced announcer. “We are thrilled that you’ve joined us tonight. We just hope that you’ll be thrilled by the end of the evening.”

Mara heard several of the women around her break out into giggles and thought she just might puke. It seemed the amount of giggling was in direct proportion to the number of drinks with tiny umbrellas in them.

“It is our pleasure, as well as yours….to bring you the finest in male companionship this evening…”

First I’ll kill him and bludgeon his body beyond recognition…

“Just a reminder. You only have three minutes, so work quickly down the list taking notes as you go. There’s room for ten names on each list. If you need room for more names then….what a lucky lady you are!”

…then I’ll cut him up into tiny little pieces and feed them to his ysalarmi.”

“At the sound of the bell…” the announcer rang a small crystal bell and smiled a smarmy little smile. “…the interviewees will rise from the table and quickly move to the next one.”

A green haired human raised her purple nailed hand and tittered. “What if we don’t want them to leave?”

Several women giggled again, driving Mara to lift her glass in hopes of catching just one more sustaining drop.

“Now, now…only three minutes each. That’s the rule. However what you do after the exercise is up to you.” The ladies broke into spontaneous applause and began to stomp whatever appendages available to them.

“Ladies…are you ready?”

Mara felt the beginning of a headache coming on as the women roared their approval.

“Very well!” The announcer rang his tiny bell as males of all kinds entered the bar. Quickly sizing up the room, several of them hurried over towards Mara’s table only to be beaten out by a tall, green skinned Falleen.

“Name…” asked Mara, not even looking up from the flimsie.

“I am Rzadi of the house of Sizhran.”

“Age…”

“I am one hundred and seventeen cycles old.”

“Occupation…”

“Listen to me, my lovely lady of the fiery hair…”

“Oc-cu-PATION!”

“…leave this place with me—exquisite temptress! I will take you to my secluded hide away, not far from here, where we will experience glorious sensations of such magnitude that it will drive away any desires for mere human men you may have.”

Mara looked up from the list. “How about I grab you by your family jewels and quickly end the house of Sizhran’s family lineage.”

He smiled slow and lazy. “That would work, too.”


Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling!


Several groans erupted from around the room.

“Your three minutes are up ladies…move along now gentlemen.”

Rzadi stood and leaned across the table. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be gone,” Mara said, eyeing her empty glass.



Knight_Aragorn

In the Shade


Mara frowned. She looked at Leia. “Did you – ” she began, but paused. She looked across at Luke again, but he had his back to them. Mara tilted her head and regarded him almost wistfully. Leia raised her eyebrows and waited.

Mara sighed, and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Mara,” Leia said. Mara glanced at her. “Did I what?”

Mara pressed her lips together, then exhaled again. “Luke is – you know how I feel about Luke,” she said, not looking at Leia. “Sometimes I think I’m not very good at this marriage thing, though. It feels so strange. He’s always there. He’s in my head, but he’s also – in the refresher, leaving the lids off things, elbowing me in bed and throwing off all the blankets, tripping over my shoes in the hallway, eating the last of the spiced ribenes, and just – there. I’m not used to it. I feel like I have to get some space, just to deal with it. Then I miss him. I think I’m terrible at this.” She put her hands to her head. “Luke knows it, too, and he’s incredibly supportive in that way of his. It drives me crazy.”

“Hm,” Leia said. “I was more or less living with Han before we were married, so the refresher arguments were nothing new. But even though we’d been together for years, marriage took some getting used to.” She tilted her head. “You’re still adjusting to the relationship, let alone the marriage. Give yourself time. You and Luke are both very independent people. You can cope. Just don’t beat yourself up.”

Mara drew her legs up, crossing her arms over her knees. “I never would have expected to see myself married,” she said. “I mean, when I was younger, maybe. Much younger. But by the time I was old enough to think about relationships, I knew that assassins didn’t get married.” She touched her fingertips to her forehead absently, looking across the clearing. “More recently – no. It still wasn’t something I saw in my future. Luke…” Her voice softened, a little. “I saw Luke, maybe. But marriage?” Her gaze drifted to Luke, and her expression seemed, for a moment, briefly sad. A memory? “I didn’t think that he would be prepared for that.”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Leia was surprised, and genuinely curious.

Mara smiled faintly. “He’s lost so much,” she murmured. “His head’s a funny place.”

Leia frowned, not understanding in the slightest.

“I suppose I underestimated him,” Mara said. “Maybe he underestimated himself.”

Leia followed her gaze and looked thoughtfully at her brother. She had thought for years that she knew Luke best of anyone in the galaxy; she had never suspected that Mara might have been keeping an eye on him from a distance.

Probably doing a better job of it, too, Leia thought, with a flicker of regret. She’d known Luke had been foundering in more recent years, but she had been extremely busy herself with her duties as Chief of State, not to mention the requirements of her own family. Besides - Luke had never approached her directly for advice, and she wasn’t sure how welcome her observations would be. He wasn’t always particularly receptive to her suggestions when it came to the Force, whether it stemmed from pride or some trace of lingering hurt over her refusal to further her training with him.

Mara, it seemed, had gotten through to him, and Mara had her head on straight.

“I was convinced that I wouldn’t get married,” Leia admitted. “It took Han years to get through to me. I thought the war had made me too hard, too focused on the Alliance. I didn’t think I would be able to give Han enough.”

“And?”

“He was very persuasive.” Leia quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

Mara laughed. “I see.”

“I’m glad he was, too,” Leia said. “Though – honestly – there are times I still feel like I don’t give them enough, amidst everything else. Sometimes I wonder. There’s always something coming up, demanding my attention.”

Mara twisted her lips in sympathy, and her gaze drifted back toward Luke. “It almost seems to be a family trait, running yourself ragged for the galaxy.”

“Something of a perverse inheritance,” Leia said.





padawanlost

from In the Darkest Night, A Star...

Everything around her was white, hot, searing her nerves and burning her eyes as they tried to open, yet she felt nothing but darkness so deep, it made a Yavin eclipse look like midday. She had felt the dark side of the Force, but to be blinded of life, to feel the utter absence of the Force, was the worst pain she’d ever experienced. It was as if the galaxy itself had disappeared. All the familiar feelings, her family, friends, the Jedi, were all gone, replaced by the palpable pain that coursed through every fiber in her being, magnified with every breath. Deeper inside than any wound she ever thought she could take, the bond between herself and her brother had burned away in her pain, a blinding flash like a supernova. Her lessons at the Academy had always told her that dying was to become one with the Force, but being cut off from it had to be the deepest layer of the Corellian hells: a hell from which she could find no escape.

“How do you feel, young one?”

It was the same avian voice that she had met on Bakura. A new wave of pain ripped through her limbs with the memories of Zekk lying injured aboard Lightning Rod, Malinza crying as she hugged her goodbye, the frightened shimmers in the Force from her cousins, and Jag, staring stoically at her, as she broke his heart. This was the voice that had taken her from them, that had put her here; the voice of the being that had taken everything. The voice, and its tiniest hint of laughter, was her captor.

In the complete absence of the Force, a strange feeling washed through her burning muscles and twisted insides, a wave of dizzying sickness that Jaina had never accepted into her heart, but which now came frighteningly easy. Hate blossomed on her lips, dry from untold hours without water. Fighting it without the Force was too much, and she bit hard on her lip, as if she could somehow stop the thoughts in her mind. If I could use the Force right now…

“Oh, exploring your feelings, I see,” Vergere chided. “You, puzzle me. A Jedi knows neither love nor hate, yet you know both. What does that make you, young one?”

The lights suddenly dimmed, and finally able to open her eyes, Jaina found herself naked, hanging from the ceiling of an empty room, foreign-looking vines binding her limbs, chest, and torso. Her right arm hung bound at her shoulder, the blackened stump just a few centimeters below her elbow. Involuntarily, she tried to reach out toward Vergere, only to feel the vine binding her wounded limb snap it back into place. A sickened sob choked in her throat as she realized that she no longer had a hand with which she could strike at her captor.

“A Jedi, you are not, young one. Oh, the Force flowed through you, but I’ve taken care of that. It’s a shame that you have no idea how to counter that ability. I would like to see you angry. I can feel it in you, even with you severed from the Force. But is that anger enough?”

...Her mind filled with images she never could have thought, her cousins, Malinza, Zekk, and Jag, all broken and twisted, pain carved into their bodies contorted, mutilated poses. It wasn’t possible. Vergere had to be lying. Jag was too good a pilot to not escape. They couldn’t all be dead. The Force seemed to call her, beckoning her touch, and offering her its wisdom, but as she concentrated, it drew away from her, shrinking to nothing before her mind’s eye. Without the Force, she suddenly realized, she had nothing.

“Liar!” she screamed, as her limbs thrashed in every direction, desperately attempting to break out of her shackles, drawing on the only strength she had: anger. Every exertion met with an equally crushing pain. Tears exploded from her eyes, loud, hoarse sobs the only vocalization she could make. Echoing around her, all she could hear was laughter.

“Oh, little one. You were willing to die for them, because you loved them. But now, you are dead to the galaxy, dead to the Force, and your family is gone. All you have now is pain.”

“I’m a Jedi,” Jaina cried, looking not at Vergere or Agni, but at the pool of tears forming on the floor below her. “I’m a Jedi.”

“Then embrace your pain, Jedi, and see what you can become.”






 
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards 
Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga
 Registered: Jun '05
43743_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 6/28 7:21pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/10 7:30am (6 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
Best New Author

Rigil_Kent

“Luke!” Lando suddenly said, a broad smile appearing on his face. He quickly engulfed Luke in a bear hug, slapping him on the back with a resounding thwack as he did. Skywalker winced and backed away from the unexpected contact, even as Calrissian continued. “Congratulations, you sly dog! Never thought you had it in you!”

“What?” Luke repeated.

“So,” Wedge threw in, “How did Leia take it?”

“Were there tears?” Wes added.

“Or thrown objects?” Hobbie asked hopefully.

“Tears and thrown objects?” Wes queried with wide, expectant eyes.

“I have a lightsaber,” Luke announced abruptly. “And if one of you doesn’t start making sense right now, I’m going to use it.” The resulting moment of silence was broken by a Wookiee’s barking laugh.

“He’s even starting to talk like her,” Chewbacca chortled in Shyriiwook, causing both Han and Lando to laugh out loud.

“Hey, Wedge, have you heard the latest?” The voice of Corran Horn prevented Luke from responding and caused him to half turn as the diminutive pilot entered the diner. At sight of Luke, Horn started to grin. “I guess so,” he remarked. “Congratulations, Luke. Inquiring minds want to know-”

“Meaning Mirax,” Wes interjected in a stage whisper.

“-if you’ve picked a date yet,” Corran finished, shooting Janson a sidelong glare.

“What are you talking about?” Luke demanded. Corran’s attempt to conceal the datapad he was carrying behind his back was sloppy and only served to draw attention to the object. Raising his hand, Skywalker used the Force to jerk it out of Horn’s grip; Corran gave him a sour look at the unfair use of telekinesis, but Luke ignored it. Instead, he stared in abject horror at the headline still flashing upon the datascreen.

JEDI KNIGHT POPS THE QUESTION!

The article following the lurid headline was one filled with speculations and rumors the likes of which Luke had grown accustomed to over the last seven months since Wayland, but it was the new image attached to it that caused his stomach to lurch. A table concealed most of what was going on, but the kneeling position his image was in immediately brought to mind a wedding proposal, and the way Mara was covering her mouth seemed to convey pleased shock. To someone unfamiliar with the circumstances, it could mean only one thing.

And it was completely out of context.

Luke couldn’t deny they had been at dinner together since Leia and Han had been there too. It had been another of his attempts to get Leia and Mara talking in order to ease the tension between them; if it served the dual purpose of preventing Leia from suggesting another of Mon Mothma’s mission proposals, no one needed to know that. Instead, it had been an unmitigated disaster.

First, his nerf steak had been so bloody it was nearly sentient, and after it came back from the kitchen, it had been charred so badly that cutting into it would have required use of a lightsaber. Midway through the dinner Leia had been called away to respond to a minor crisis involving the impending Kuati defection. Almost immediately afterwards, the server droid had suffered a catastrophic malfunction and collapsed on the table, splattering Mara and Han with the house soup and ruining Luke’s favorite jacket. This particular image had to have been taken when he was trying to repair that damned droid; from the angle of the shot, there wasn’t any sign of the droid and the cloth Mara had been using to clean her face appeared to have been digitally removed.

Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly as he realized Han knew exactly what had happened yet had remained silent. He looked up and pinned his brother-in-law with a glare.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Luke started to explain. His so-called friends weren’t even paying attention to him.

“You should have the ceremony on Endor!” Wes said with malicious glee. “You’re still a member of that Ewok tribe, right?”

“What is it with you and Ewoks?” Hobbie wondered aloud.

“I was thinking a traditional Zeltron wedding myself,” Lando snickered. “I for one, would love to see the bride in nothing more than smokesilk and a smile.”

“Corellian is the only way to go,” Han drawled.

“Damned straight,” Wedge and Corran said in unison.

“I’m not getting married!” Luke growled.

“She turned you down?” Hobbie was aghast.

“You should have killed a katarn for her,” Chewbacca rumbled, his eyes glinting with humor. “That convinced Malla.”

“Keep after her, Luke,” Wedge commiserated. “I’m sure you’ll wear her down before too long.”

“Am I interrupting something?” His eyes dancing with suppressed humor, Talon Karrde approached the group. He gave Luke a knowing nod. “Congratulations, by the way,” Karrde said.

Luke fled.




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. Qymaen, be praised.






Irish_Jedi_Jade


Little Hopes in the Dark

Summary: When everything is crashing down around you, what’s there left to hold onto?

“What is the effect on the Force of all this violence and desperation? The threat of invasion brings out fear and anger. The dark side gets stronger. What counters it?”

“Little hopes.” Luke answered. “Little joys.”

Star Wars: Balance Point by Kathy Tyers



With a final glance out the window, Mara turned away and followed Luke. Walking by habit through the darkened apartment, she sighed as she entered the ‘fresher, her mind turned once again to the sadness of it all…the injustice. Running the water over her cloth, she held it to her face for a long moment, trying to relax under the warmth, but her mind still churned like the Calamari seas during a storm. The sound of the water running in Luke’s shower somehow failed to be soothing to her as it normally did.

Crossing the short expanse of thick carpeting, Mara slid into bed tiredly, the covers cold and stiff. Rolling onto her side, she pillowed her head on her arm and once again stared out the large window at the night sky.

What if this was to come to an end? With the dogged determination shown by the Yuuzhong Vong, they certainly wouldn’t be placated by the promise of a few planets, peaceful co-existence, monetary compensation. They would not stop until they had done what they had set out to do—annihilate all life in this galaxy.

A lone tear traced its way down her cheek, glittering in the moonlight. This war that had been so quickly and brutally pushed upon them had taken everything—everything—that she had ever wished for…who knew if they would survive another conflict? Force knows they had been through so many already…what if their luck ran out?

“It won’t Mara.”’

She didn’t turn, but didn’t protest when Luke slid his arms around her, pulling her to him. Gently, he wiped the tear from her cheek and nuzzled his nose gently into her hair.

Shifting, she rolled onto her back and looked at him, her heart feeling crumpled inside her.

“Why do I feel like this, Luke? Its like…every shred of hope is gone. What if all of this is taken from us? What if this is all we’ll ever have?”

Luke’s eyes shone warm in the cold moonlight and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Then we’ll take it one day at a time, make the most of right now.”

The shadows stayed in Mara’s heart, a lapping ache that seemed to pull at her like the tides.

“Mara, what is it? What’s really bothering you?”

“Its just…its like the calm before the storm Luke. You know how much I hate that…the flight into the battle zone, the skulking before the shooting starts. I hate waiting for it to hit. And I suppose its just there’s so much I wanted to do…with you. I wanted to give you a child…I wanted to grow old with you with a just a little bit of trouble to keep things interesting, not fight another war.”

Luke’s eyes became hooded and he broke away from her gaze. She searched his face with an insistency that surprised her—it was as if her whole life, every shred of hope she had left hung on his answer.

His voice was quiet, almost a whisper as he spoke,

“I don’t know what the future holds …but I can promise that no matter what, I’ll be here. We’ll always be together.”

Mara let the words sink into her heart, and felt strangely comforted. Luke hadn’t told her anything she didn’t know, they were just quiet words that were already mutually understood between them. But something about saying them…those whispered words of assurance in the dark…the reminder of his love and its eternal promise kindled a small spark of hope in her soul.

“Thank you.” The words were barely more than a breath, a velvet breeze that soared through her spirit. Luke murmured sweet nothings as he glimpsed the fear that curled, restless and pacing, in her heart.

For a long moment, Mara closed her eyes. Doubts and worries seemed to loom at her in the darkness behind her eyelids…incoherent yet real, clawing at the peace she tried to keep in her grasp. A myriad of futures, terrifying in their possibilities and pain flew past her, like a madman’s songbirds, warbling death and destruction. But then, something broke through the flurry of the maelstrom that raged in her heart.

Luke’s touch.




Quigonjecca

Come to us now, our Dear Pet

A/N: This story follows a schizophrenic conversation between Cronal right before he falls to the dark side.

What Black Hole? Now I am just a confused man, with whispers echoing in my mind. Think Dark Prophet. Think before those whispers; you want to talk to Sariss, and your Ayra…

But your beauty, Ayra, is gone, remember? Don’t you remember how you killed her—necessary though it might have been? Remember, Dark One? You remember—we see it in your eyes—you remember all too well.

Silence Darkness! Your whispers are driving me insane! Fool! You thought you could best the devil; you did, that devilish beast, Palpatine…

But is he all the Darkness in your soul? Question Us, Cronal. We taunt you from the inside, the outside; you will never escape now. You seek to blame your darkest sins—your secret sin—on Emperor Palpatine? Yes, you are more foolish than we think…

Silence! Do you think I know not of my own sins—my own Ayra! You are the fool in this game, Darkness. I command you to leave me for now. Let me write this memoir before death.

Ayra and I met on the shores of some planet, I cannot remember. It is a shame really, looking back on it. Not a shame that we met, but that planet’s name escapes me now.

I really, deeply, truly, loved my dear Ayra.

Love Dark One? How can one as pitiful as you ever love or ever be loved? It was only a fool’s dream; you are a fool.

No! It was not dream—I swear on Ayra’s grave! Do you enjoy this, Darkness in our soul? Suppose that now we share a soul, or is it still my own?

Sleep Dark One. Forget the wiles of the day, and come to unfeeling, cold, beautiful, night. Sleep Dark One. Forget your troubles, and give in to your fears once more, like before…

No! I will not listen to your insistent ramblings and your seductive, dark ways. Now where was I going with this memoir? Ah! We met when I was still very young, and we fell in love. I was—am— a Prophet of the Darkness then. I remember asking her to marry me, and her smiling, and then agreeing. I—I thought it odd that she ever agreed.

After a few months, I left, and went back. She stayed on the island, and I went back to my Dark scrolls. It was there that the vision struck me. There, in my cave of shrouded darkness, a Dark Side premonition shook me. Ayra—my Ayra—had to die, or bring doom.

Ah! How my clouded, old, memory fails me now. I called for help from my Dark Brethren. I couldn’t kill her. However, they told me that the vision was mine; I had to go.

I went, and told her a loved her, and then… All I remember is the tortured look in her eyes, the frozen scream. I eternally hate myself now, forever.

It was years later when I found out about Sariss, my own daughter. At my first sight I knew she was my Ayra’s. She had her mother’s eyes, and her mother’s smile, and my blond hair.

Cry Dark One! Feel the sorrow you inflicted upon yourself—bask in it—use it now! Listen!

My time runs short; I dared not tell her I was her father. She would ask questions about my Ayra. How could I bear to answer her questions—she would never understand me!

Ha! Listen to your pitiful whining you Dark One—you are confused old man! Come to us; use our power, give in to Dark! We are calling you, we are waiting, you will succumb to us, Cronal…

Leave me until I am done—its will be soon!

Beg Dark One! Beg with your confused speech, and maybe we’ll let you alone for now…

I am begging—beyond redemption I am now! Silence!

I consulted my Dark Brethren; we decided not to reveal identity to Sariss.

Sleep…

She never knew I was her father, or the story of my Ayra.

Come, Cronal…

I regret my life, I despise myself; crazy, broken, alone in this cage.

Come to us now, our dear pet, our Cronal…

The Darkness is my only friend; it’s all a trap, beyond my escape.

Become Darkness—The Black Hole…

They call and I cannot resist—they take me now—Dark, alone.

Come to your Darkness and leave the cruel world behind in your wake… Come! Leave behind your confused speech, your confused mind—leave your Dark insanity. Come! Taste the hatred of your sinful, Dark, actions, and let go…

Let Go!

Come to us now, our dear pet, our Cronal.

Our Black Hole is back; welcome to the Darkness, Cronal—Dark One.



 
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Beyond_Fanfic_Awards 
Title: Fan Fiction Awards Sock: Beyond the Saga
 Registered: Jun '05
43743_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 6/28 7:22pm Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread - Date Edited: 7/9 7:13pm (6 edits total) Edited By: Beyond_Fanfic_Awards
Best Collaborative

Here With Me by canadianjedimama and THE_PIED_PIPER

The Force was with her. Of that there was no doubt. But it was also with him. Darth Caedus.

She raised a trembling arm to wipe sweat and blood from her eyes. But she did not break eye contact; that would be a fatal mistake.

"You won't win," the yellow-eyed monster hissed at her through broken lips.

"I don't have to win, I just have to stop you."

Caedus made a choking sound that could have been laughter. She was fairly certain her last elbow jab had broken his jaw, just as his last kick had fractured most of the ribs on her right side. He stopped circling and raised a hand, palm out. Crooking his fingers, he beckoned her forward.

"Come then."

Jaina blew out a breath, rolling her shoulders, switching her saber to her left hand. The movement was often made by fighters as they entered into the fray. In this instance though, it also dropped a short rebar of bes'kar down her sleeve.

Letting out a battle yell, Jaina sprang forward, igniting her blade held in her left hand. Her feet briefly touched the ground before she hurtled forward and up, above Jacen's head, her saber blade held aloft.

Cadeus grinned madly, his yellow eyes gleaming, raising his red saber up to block. He thrust his blade forward and up, knocking Jaina's violet blade aside. His sickly eyes gleamed in triumph, locked on his sister’s face. Jaina allowed defeat and fear to leak into the Force. She rotated her wrist, sliding the bes'kar into her hand, even as she brought the lightsaber around to slash wildly at Caedus's face.

Afterward, she was never sure if the glare from the lightsaber blade or his own hubris blinded him. But she was sure that he never saw or sensed the rebar that made brutal and brief contact with the side of his skull.

Caedus swayed and crumpled to the ground.

Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, "This is the only way, please forgive me."

She tumbled to her knees beside his still form. Splaying her hands over him Jaina reached into Force. And reached into Caedus. The tumble of emotions inside him was staggering: fear, betrayal, anger and above all, a crushing sense of loneliness and longing.

Tears spilled freely down Jaina’s cheeks. Darkness spewed from Caedus's mind, reaching for her soul with hungry talons. But each strike was parried with the pure clean light of the Force.

In her distant mind's eye she saw the thundercloud that was Caedus within the Force. Jaina sent tendrils of the light toward the cloud. The first few were absorbed and the cloud seemed to grow darker. She bore down with her will and the Force, redoubling her efforts, ruthlessly pushing aside her own grief, fear and exhaustion. It still was not enough.

Let me, let us help you Jaya Anakin's disembodied voice whispered.

Even as the shock flooded through her at her younger brother's voice, she felt and sensed someone take her hand.

I'm here, Little One. Let me help too. Another warm and firm hand gripped hers. She recognized the deep, Outer Rim accented voice from her childhood dreams. Grandfather.

Open yourself to us, to the meld. Mara urged, taking both Anakin’s hands.

Spurred on by her family and emboldened by their spirits and their power in the Force Jaina struck out again.

This time when the light swirled toward the dark, it didn't stop. With the power from the meld coursing through her, Jaina poured more light toward the cloud, weaving and spinning a cocoon of light around the dark. Faster, stronger, harder, pouring more light and more heat into the cold, black storm cloud that was Caedus.

With a flash that seared her Force-sense and hurtled her back against the bulkhead, Jaina's eyes snapped open.

Jacen lay on the floor before her, breathing shallowly and eyes closed. Grandfather, Anakin and Mara were gone.

Several fleet troopers were gathered around the huddled body on the floor. "Is he alive?" she rasped.

The troopers startled back at her voice, the leader taking a step forward. "Barely." He cocked his helmeted head at her. "Are you alright, Jedi Solo?"

"Fine," she said, gritting her teeth against pain and bone-numbing exhaustion coursing through her. "Have someone prep my ship for launch."

"And what about him?" The second of three asked.

"Darth Caedus is gone." She glanced down at the prone form on the floor. "Jacen Solo is under arrest by the Jedi, under orders from Supreme Commander Niathal." She speared the trooper with her best Colonel's glare. "Sedate, restrain and load the prisoner into my shuttle." Jaina waited half a beat. "NOW, trooper."

"Yes, Ma'am!"



The Revenant by JediMaggyAnt


From Part 2:

Evlyn’s fingers grasped the edge of the mystery object and tugged lightly. It came away from its hiding place with relative ease, and as she twirled it over in the palm of her hand, she saw that it was not a rock or a skeletal remnant of some animal, but an intricately carved tiny something that was so obviously fire-damaged, but still very much intact.

“What’s that?” Chak asked with curiosity.

Evlyn held the little object up towards the light of the dying sun and peered at it through her lashes, inspecting its simple beauty. “I have no idea,” she said. She clutched the trinket in her palm and then placed it in the safety of her equipment pouch. “But it’s not Yuuzhan Vong. If it was, it would be dead by now, just like everything else on this place.”

Ai' tanna, Ahuarat Da’gwa.

The buzzing in her mind had returned for a split second, interrupting her musing and bringing with it a whispered phrase that was not of her world.

“Did you hear that?”

Her companion’s brow creased in confusion. “Hear what?”

Belek tiu, Yun Yuuzhan!

The young woman’s mind was now full of the deafening hum from before, only as she deciphered it further she found that it was not a buzzing at all, but a thunderous combination of a hundred murmured words; prayers, to a God she knew nothing about. Prayers, from the person she was here to save.

The ground beneath her booted feet changed in texture and colour, but she wasn’t aware of it, nor was she aware of the fact that she was charging across the barren plains like an out-of-control rancor. A jagged cliff rapidly materialized in front of her, and Evlyn was barely conscious of the sound of Chak’s heavy-footed thudding in the rear over the thick echo of her beating heart.

An icy breeze whipped around them as she came to an abrupt halt near the very edge of the drop-off, her chest heaving with the exertion from the run and perspiration dripping down the back of her form-fitting uniform. She couldn’t recall the journey here as she stood there, breathing deeply and muscles burning; but none of that mattered right now.

Directly in front of her stood a shadow, an unknown shadow of a person, a thing, with the words from before streaming around them both in a continuous, otherworldly manner.

“Ai’tanna, Ahuarat Da’gwa… Belek tiu, Yun Yuuzhan… Ai’tanna, Ahuarat Da’gwa…”

Evlyn didn’t know how long she’d stood there, just staring and listening to the strange alien words that were washing over her like a veil. Just when the Chiss recruit had thought the odd lull she’d fallen into would never end, the words and the voice ceased completely, and the thing in front of her began to shuffle its scarred feet.

When it took an involuntary step forward, so did Evlyn, gasping when she could now see over the edge of the cliff and beyond, to the invisible depths of the cavern below. One of the rocks near her foot tumbled as she moved, tipping off the edge and clattering down against the side, before disappearing into the dark abyss in utter silence.

An unexpected flash of movement from in front startled her, and she took two hasty steps back, crying out in shock as she came face to face with a pair of eyes of the palest blue. The eyes blinked at her, once, twice, and then Evlyn’s gaze traveled downward, taking in a set of chapped, humanoid lips, two ears, however battered and charred, and a face, so covered in scars and grime that there was no way of telling just what this thing actually was.

The lips split in a wide, eerie grin, the blue eyes sparkled, and then Evlyn’s mind was bombarded with a myriad of nonsensical images and feelings. There were so many invading thoughts that the auburn-haired woman was forced down onto her knees, clutching at her pounding head for dear life and screaming with the absolute agony of losing complete control.

“Go! I can’t hold! Take her!”

A flash of white and gold jumped into her mind, of molten fire so bright that it was blinding, and then nothing, silence. The thing in front of her had stopped grinning now, and was simply staring ahead blankly, like it didn’t even notice she was there. Then its feet started moving again, and it looked straight at her, blue eyes boring into her own as if in doing so it could see her very soul. It winked at her, a slow, purposeful wink of one dirty eyelid, and then it leapt up high in front of her and jumped.





Never Saw Blue Like That by Myriad-and-Irish:

Mara inhaled the musky, damp scent of dawn, relishing in its warm feeling. Sleep never came easy to the former Emperor’s Hand, and the nervous anticipation of her upcoming wedding did nothing to soothe her insomnia.

She had left the tent earlier that morning, before the sun began to peek over the horizon of Garqi. Luke was still asleep when she pulled on her boots and set off down a small path in the woods. The idea of waking him to share the breathtaking view had crossed her mind, but she dismissed it. He looked so peaceful as the wan light before dawn painted his boyish features with soft strokes, and she would rather walk alone than disturb him. Besides, Mara needed some time to contemplate in solitude.

She slowed her strides, searching for a place to rest. Finding a medium sized rock, Mara lowered herself into a seated position and looked out at the rising sun. The high altitude of the mountain allowed her to see for miles in every direction. Buckets of gold and red hues were splashed across the horizon, slowly brushing away tendrils of darkness. The stars could no longer be seen and the creatures of the forest were arising from slumber.

Environmental beauty was not an aspect of life Mara was able to appreciate often. Coruscant was more of a home than anywhere else in the galaxy, which made her more of a city girl than a country lover. Taking early morning walks and listening to birds chirping were not activities she observed on a daily basis. On second thought, she had never taken time to enjoy such trivial frivolities. And what a shame that was.

Mara found herself fingering a violet flower in her hand, and smiled softly. What ever happened to the threatening assassin who used to be Mara Jade?

She was going to be Jade Skywalker. That made a world of difference.


Today we took a walk up the street
And picked a flower and climbed the hill
Above the lake


Abruptly, she heard leaves rustling behind her. She reached out with the Force to sense for potential danger, then felt Luke’s Force presence brushing lightly against hers. She briefly wondered why she did not sense him before, then blamed in on her sentimental introspection.

Luke settled beside her on the boulder. The silence was not uncomfortable, nor was it completely satisfying. The couple’s relationship was too new to allow for such relaxed, knowing silences spent together. Though, through the Force, their minds shared feelings and expressions in ways verbal communication never could.


And secret thoughts were said aloud
We watched the faces in the clouds
Until the clouds had blown away


She sensed Luke struggling for words to fill the void, and she smiled. Trust the Farmboy not to be able to handle silences. She surprised him by breaking the silence herself. “Sleep well, Skywalker?”

He grinned at her and she looked clearly at him for the first time since he approached her. His darkened blonde hair was mussed and unruly, and his eyelids were heavy with leftover traces of sleep. There was something completely irresistible about the way he looked in these precious moments when the reserved Jedi Master was forgotten, and left only pure Luke.

“Not bad,” he replied, “ considering it was the first time I’ve slept outdoors in awhile. Since Nirauan, actually. It’s so peaceful here.” Luke paused, then added, “Though I was a little worried when I first woke up and you weren’t there.”

He smiled sheepishly and she snorted in amusement, but squeezed his hand fondly. “Where would I have sneaked off to, on a remote planet like this? You found me easily enough here.”

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to hide,” he laughed, “if you really don’t want to be found… remote planet or not. I drove Uncle Owen crazy with all the times I made myself scarce right around Harvest time.”

“Isn’t that what droids are for?”

“Well, yes. That’s what I always said. But no droid can replace what human work can accomplish. Still, I never wanted anything to do with it.”

Mara’s reply was a distracted “Hmm,” as she contemplated the complexity of her husband-to-be. She knew him not as a single, definite being, but rather a sum of all his quirks, imperfections, unexpected traits, and nuances that defined his character. There was still so much to learn about him. After all, it is not every day that Mara found herself in love with a farmboy-turned-Rebel hero-turned-Jedi Master.

As her sentimental musings faded into desire for closeness, Mara drew him in for an unexpected and wonderfully sweet kiss. The last trails of dawn were beginning to leak away to clear blue skies. A new day was just beginning.



 
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PonyTricks 
Registered: Jul '03
6297_Millenium Falcon
Date Posted: 7/16 6:08am Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic votes - Date Edited: 7/16 10:46am (2 edits total) Edited By: PonyTricks
Oops! blush blush -

I hit the WRONG button! blush -

PT is old, and must be forgiven being a dumb bunny.

Edit 2 - So much for the secrecy of my vote. doh! Now I'm going to change everything I voted for... or not. tongue






 

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Brain: Now, Pinky, if by any chance you are captured during this mission, remember you are Gunther Heindriksen from Appenzell. You moved to Grindelwald to drive the cog train to Murren. Can you repeat that?
Pinky: Mmmm, no, Brain, don't think I can.
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Jaya Solo 
Registered: Jul '99
43748_Princess Leia
Date Posted: 7/16 10:20am Subject: RE: 2008 Beyond Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread
Hi PonyTricks. You're supposed to pm the votes to the sock (Beyond_Fanfic_Awards in this case) not post them in the thread. happy

 

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