Jedi Council Forums - The What if the Empire Sequel=COMPLETED 11/14

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Author	Topic: The What if the Empire Sequel=COMPLETED 11/14
Queengodess Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 3:12pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	You know, where I am ( Sweden ) it´s actually Saturday now... -----signature----- Carpe Jugulum - sieze the throat! Proud member of the Wrenga Jixton Virtual Blondies Club! Små kanoner dödar bara lite. Sidious can have his soul, but the nipples of the Chosen One belongs to ME!
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Dark_Soldier Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 3:47pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Well, I'm Angel of Naboo's sister and we are in Canada!!!...and it is friday! Please post soon!!!... -----signature----- I'm a Senior Leader and I shall not be moved! "The one who stands back up is stronger than the one who never fell down." "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever." KEPP agent #2 ~DS~
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Angel_of_Naboo Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 6:27pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	I'm still waiting... please... you promised!!! :-) May the Force be with you! -----signature----- "Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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ami-padme Registered: Sep '99	Date Posted: 8/18/00 7:02pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Okay here's the post! On time (it's Friday here!), though a little later than I intended. This was a bit harder to write than I thought it would be. Feedback please!! ~~~~~~~~~~ Anakin crept into the cave slowly. He didn't even realize he had closed his eyes until he was several steps inside. It almost amused him – such a pathetic attempt to shut out the Darkness that was surrounding him. If only that was all it took to block it out. The cave itself was rather unremarkable. Just cold and dark, with various little creatures running and scurrying through the shadows. How could such a nothing of a place hold him in such terror? He had to control his fear. He had to. This was his last true chance to make things right…he had to come through this, for Amidala's sake if nothing else. He moved further into the cavern. He would just face his fears, and everything would be fine. But what was it exactly that he was supposed to do? He was just standing there, alone. Should he meditate? Should he – "Ani?" Anakin turned and saw his mother standing behind him. His heart seized with pain…he hadn't been able to even think about her since her death. He wanted to run to her and hug her, but he resisted the impulse. He knew what would happen – what always happened. Just as he would reach her, she would vanish. Leaving him lonely…and in despair… And he could not give into despair. Anakin held his ground, and stared at her. She looked exactly as she had that last time, wearing the same clothes, even the same hairstyle. /Ignore it,/ he ordered himself. His mother looked at him quizzically, and held up her arms to embrace him. /It's a trick./ He stood there stoically…then fought down a wave of anguish that washed over him when she vanished. He swallowed hard. He could get through this. He doubted there was anything much worse that could be thrown at him besides her – Obi-Wan Kenobi stood before him. His form was wavy, shifting…he simultaneously appeared as the younger Master who had sent him into the volcanic pits of Sulluest, and as the old, fading man he had killed on the Death Star. Kenobi circled him, prepared to battle. Anakin felt saddened at the sight. Was this supposed to tempt him to fight? He no longer hated Kenobi, and had long given up his need for revenge. All he was now was sorry and guilty for what had happened on the Death Star – and felt certain he had deserved what had happened on Sulluest. Kenobi was right to try to stop him…they had only been unfortunate that he hadn't been successful in killing him. Kenobi continued to stalk around him, changing from old to young and back again. Anakin waited quietly, perfectly willing to be struck down as he deserved. There would be no fight this day. His old Master eventually shimmered, and disappeared as well. Anakin sighed in relief. But…but something was wrong. He had passed through two temptations, but didn't feel any different. He was starting to worry that he wouldn't be able to recognize a victory when it happened. How was he supposed to know for sure when the Darkness was defeated? Could it ever completely be? "No, Lord Vader. You know that is impossible." Palpatine was in front of him. His black robe enveloped his frail body, hiding his face almost completely. But his voice was the same as it ever was – it frightened and infuriated and intrigued him all at once. He could not be drawn to him again. Not in curiosity or anger or fear, nothing. He backed away from Palpatine, putting as much distance as he could between them. Yes, he knew what the Emperor was now, could clearly see the evil in him, and rejected it. But this man had also been his Master for over 20 years. Palpatine had always known exactly what weaknesses to prey upon, how to manipulate him in countless ways. Anakin would not give him another chance to do so. Anakin felt his back come up against one of the walls of the cave. He was somewhat surprised that Palpatine hadn't chased after him or taunted him. The old man simply stood in his place, arms folded into his cloak, face down towards the ground. Anakin waited patiently, until he disappeared as well. Something was still not right. Something was still missing. Maybe he should try to meditate. Maybe that would help clue him into what he was doing wrong. Anakin, still leaning against the cave wall, shut his eyes, and tried to focus his thoughts. It proved to be a very difficult task in a place that was so strong in the Dark Side…he could find no center, no peace. It was then that he realized that his breathing sounded strange…amplified. Like he was breathing twice as loudly. But he felt fine, and could detect no actual change in the functioning of his lungs. Inhale. Exhale. It was so loud. /Vader!/ Anakin's eyes shot open and he stood from the wall quickly. Darth Vader stood in front of him. It was like looking in a mirror – almost. Anakin couldn't put his finger on anything specific, but he thought he noticed some differences between the two of them, enough to know that he wasn't actually staring at himself. It was probably wishful thinking. For all intents and purposes, the two were identical. Vader drew his saber. Anakin hesitated. Again, he wasn't exactly sure what the proper course of action was. Should he fight Vader? He looked at the figure in front of him, and felt a rush of ambiguous feelings come over him. Did he still hate himself? Even if it was in some small corner of his mind…he couldn’t fight someone he hated. But this was Vader, and he doubted that he would be able to get away with not fighting him. As if hearing that last thought, Vader swung at Anakin, forcing him to ignite his saber and block the shot. There was a moment's pause, then Vader broke the hold, and began his attack in earnest, slashing at Anakin's side, bringing his saber down hard over his head, stabbing directly at his torso. Anakin knew these moves by heart, and easily anticipated them, ducking and blocking as he moved away from the wall and to the middle of the cave. He fought just enough to keep Vader at bay – parrying with him as if it were a practice match. Anakin knew he wouldn't have much time before Vader truly lost his patience and began to force the issue. Anakin needed a way out. What kind of a test was this supposed to be? He was beginning to think that it was designed for him to fail. Then Vader, as expected, snapped. He was sick of the games Anakin was trying to play with him. He came furiously, slashing every which way, trying to behead him, to cut him in half, to take off a limb. Blocking each move took a great deal of strength on Anakin's part – Vader was pushing him back slowly. Anakin felt himself becoming desperate. He missed a block, and Vader scored at hit to his midsection. Anakin yelled in pain, and saw the sparks shoot up from his armor. And still, he refused to fight back, and continued to try to avoid Vader as best he could. He had to trust in the Force. The Force would show him away out of this mess. Vader struck down on his shoulder, knocking Anakin to the ground, causing more sparks to fly, sending more pain through his body. He had to roll out of the way of a killing blow, and found himself up against the wall. He struggled against the throbbing in his shoulder to bring his arm out from under him, and met another hit from Vader. Their sabers were crossed directly over his face. His stared out into the glowing red above him, and into his own face just beyond that. He focused all his strength on keeping the sabers where they were, while Vader continued to bear down on him. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. /Anakin, you must learn to forgive yourself./ It was one of the last things Kenobi had said to him in the past. A final lesson from his Master. Anakin thought he had heeded that lesson, or at least had tried to. But as he lay there on the ground, inches from death and afraid to fight, he realized that he hadn't, not fully. He couldn't forgive himself, because he still didn't trust himself. Didn't trust that, even in a situation as dire as this, he could so much as make a move without Darkness descending upon him and reclaiming him. He still feared himself, still…hated himself. Kenobi was right. He had to forgive himself. Anakin had been looking for a way out, an escape hatch. That had been wrong, and he could see that now. He couldn't avoid things any more. Not the memory of his mother, or of what happened with Kenobi. Not his past relationship with Palpatine. Not even his old self. He had to face all of them, and trust himself – forgive his past weaknesses, let go completely, and put himself in the hands of the Force. He smiled. He had a feeling that Kenobi was smiling somewhere as well. Anakin felt a surge of power come to him, and he pushed Vader back. Anakin leapt to his feet, and calmly regarded his adversary. He began to move against him. Vader seemed confused – Anakin was fighting differently than he expected, and he could no longer predict his moves. Anakin moved quickly, almost effortlessly, finally on the offensive, finally feeling the confidence and freedom that had eluded him. Vader was slowly losing his rhythm. Anakin managed to hit him several times, striking him in his chest, and both arms. Vader became enraged, and swung wildly at Anakin's head, trying to end the fight. That gave Anakin the opening he needed. He stabbed directly at Vader's midsection and immediately withdrew his saber. Vader crumpled to the ground, and disappeared. Anakin stared at the empty spot on the ground. He had done it. He felt a burden lift off him. He knew now – he knew – that he could face whatever was coming. He could face his destiny. He could go into the very bowels of Darkness and not succumb. He no longer had to be afraid of himself. He could trust himself. Forgive himself. Anakin shut off his lightsaber, and prepared to leave the cave. -----signature----- The Anakin Skywalker Home Page: http://anakinskywalker1.homestead.com/home.html Forums Spotlight Thread: Anakin/Vader Comics http://www.aimoo.com/forum/postview.cfm?id=314579&CategoryID=278904&startcat=1&ThreadID=666233
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Angel_of_Naboo Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 7:13pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	WOW!!! This is GREAT!!! That's really #1!!! Thank you for posting! More soon, please? :-) May the Force be with you! -----signature----- "Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Dark_Soldier Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 7:25pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Great, great, great!!! She posted!!!!! Hahaha!!! ....more please.... you guys are so good!! -----signature----- I'm a Senior Leader and I shall not be moved! "The one who stands back up is stronger than the one who never fell down." "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever." KEPP agent #2 ~DS~
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Anakin's Angel Registered: May '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 7:35pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Wow, that was unbelievable. There are so many wonderful things I could say, but where to begin? Are there enough adjectives out there? Let's just leave it at "Wizard!" aa -----signature----- http://legomymalfoy.livejournal.com Harry/Draco Shipper
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JediFinrod Registered: Mar '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 7:47pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	(Arghh! Where are those smilies when you need them?) That was so good, a-p!!! You handled this scene well! Now, will Ani make it out of the cave... -----signature----- "An unhappy alternative lies before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." ~Jane Austen
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Jedi Master Mara Jade Registered: Nov '99	Date Posted: 8/18/00 8:51pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Finally! We have a happy part at last! =) That was exceptionally exceptional, a-p. Absolutely... =P The part about Shmi, about Obi-Wan, about him fighting himself...Wow. I loved it. This story is so good... -----signature----- Out of my mind . . . be back in five minutes.
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Darth Pipes Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 8/18/00 10:02pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Great post ami-padme! I think you truly captured the essence of the cave and the scene. Very creepy. His meetings with Shmi, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, and Vader were well done. Some nice action as well. You did great! I'll be writing the next post tomorrow. -----signature----- New story! - What if the Empire: Missing Moments http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=10437137
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jedipati Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 8/18/00 10:24pm Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Wow! you couldn't have done it better a-p. Now let's see if Pipes can follow up on it -----signature----- If anything can go wrong, it will- Murphy's Law AND MURPHY WAS AN OPTIMIST!!!
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RebelMom Title: TFF Secretary Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 8/19/00 12:19am Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	That was great. It was logical that he should have to forgive himself. And he overcame his dark self. I'm ready for the next part. When would that be? -----signature----- Short Story: Pressure Point http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/26961243/p1/?7 Jacen Solo and Anakin Skywalker - as it should have been. TFF: Cheryl
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Darth Pipes Registered: Oct '99	Date Posted: 8/19/00 1:01am Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	The next post will be tomorrow RebelMom. -----signature----- New story! - What if the Empire: Missing Moments http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=10437137
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Queengodess Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 8/19/00 7:40am Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Great! That was really cool, and I am very pleased that he succeed in defeating the dark. Very well written, and Ani´s thoughts and feelings as he was fighting Vader was wonderful. Good work a-p! -----signature----- Carpe Jugulum - sieze the throat! Proud member of the Wrenga Jixton Virtual Blondies Club! Små kanoner dödar bara lite. Sidious can have his soul, but the nipples of the Chosen One belongs to ME!
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padawan3 Registered: Sep '99	Date Posted: 8/19/00 8:26am Subject: RE: The What if the Empire Sequel
	Welll that was a relief I was a fraid for a moment he would fail the cave like his son did. -----signature----- "Oppression is often the consequence, but seldom or never the means of riches; and though avarice will preserve a man from being necessitously poor, it generally makes him too timorous to be wealthy." Thomas Paine
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