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Beyond - Legends Saga - ST Star Wars The New Era Rises

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by boady22, May 10, 2018.

  1. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Disclaimer: Not my world just my playground. I own nothing.

    27 years post ROTJ
    Action

    All sorts of charaters
    EU and Cannon
    The best of both worlds


    Chapter 1

    First Order Star Destroyer Dauntless


    “This isn’t you Ben. You don’t have to go down this path,” the words were warm, tender, kind.

    Leia Organa shifted in her bonds looking at her oldest son, or what was left of him anyway, in her eyes. He was tall, muscular, and dressed in black robes reminiscent of her father, his grandfather Darth Vader, the former monster her son had come to idolize so much in the recent years passed.

    “Ben Solo is dead,” he calmly replied. “My name is Kylo Ren.”

    Defiantly Leia rolled her eyes up to him with a look of disgust added, “Don’t play that game with me. I know who my son is.”

    She stood strapped onto an interrogation table. It had been a while since she had been on a star destroyer, decades in fact. The smell of it remained the same, just as the pristine look of its interior. Also, the presence of troopers dressed in white armor brought back memories as well, the destruction of her home world, the rescue of her brother, a fact unknown to her at the time. Even though it was no longer called the Empire, the newly minted First Order was nothing but in nature. The pristine black grey and white décor stood as testament to that. She wasn’t aware of how long she had been captive and tortured anymore, days, perhaps weeks even. But here now she held her first glimmer of hope as her son stood in front of her for the first time since she had been brought here. She could reach him, she knew it. She could change him from the vile monster he had become, redeem him the way Luke had done their father before his passing.

    The burns from the constant torture sang with pain throughout her body and her strength had long since began to ebb. “Snoke is using you.”

    Seconds of silence passed as she waited for a rebuttal. “The pain will bring you the truth. Don’t fear it.” his only reply, still calm as if words could sooth her.

    “Then when he is done with you he will kill you. It’s his way. You are just a means to an end to him. Nothing more. Once your usefulness has run up, so too will have your time. You have no hope here Ben, come home.” her plea loving with the touch and care only a mother could provide, as a tear betrayed her eye, warming her cheek.

    He came in closer, bent down to where he could look her in the face, eye to eye. It was at that moment that she knew beyond all forms of doubt who her son had become. She could see the truth blazing in his eyes as he studied her features up and down intently. “Ben Solo,” he let the name linger, “is dead.”


    Galactic Trade route 5149


    Central Hyperspace Hub


    Jaina Solo checked the instrument display of the Vortex, a Corellian D5 light transport cargo hauler. It was half the size of her father’s infamous ship the Millennium Falcon, but it maintained a comparable speed and its sensor package and cloaking ability more than made up for its factory noted short comings. Their current mission was one that would require stealth at its onset and this class of ship was more than up to par for the need.

    They had been waiting at the Hyperspace Hub for several hours now and she had begun to get impatient. Tres Minor, a small trading space station hung in the distance currently caught in backdrop of the eclipsing systems sun. Tres Minor was frequented by hundreds of ships daily as it stood as the only fueling station at this particular hub on the Corellian trade spine, and if their intel was sound it meant that their target was behind schedule which would be most out of place for it.

    She checked her chrono again and as if it had been taunting her, a massive triangular ship reverted from hyperspace almost directly on top of the Vortex. The intel had been correct. A star destroyer, one the on-board transponder could not identify without giving away their presence loomed overhead so close she could count the ion and pulse cannons. The ship was of the First Order.

    “They are here”, she called behind her as she checked the readouts of the cloaking shield generator from her pilot’s console. “Cloaks up and they should be blind to us. I don’t know how you came across the information, but it seems to check out. One day you will have to give me the full story behind it.”

    Jedi knight Jacen Solo slid into the copilot chair beside his sister cramming the remnants of his lunch into his mouth. “Good we could use a win,” he spoke, his words muffled between chews.

    Jaina and Jacen had recently become member of a growing number known as the resistance. After the outset of the events of Endor years ago, the Empire had dissipated into the unknown regions predicated by a multitude of defeats at the hands of the newly Reformed Republic. A cease fire had been obtained by both factions and for almost a decade the Empire was never heard from again. Thought dead, it wasn’t until the emergence of the First Order, only different in name, but still Imperial in every way, that the Republic began to see their true enemy.

    Then the bureaucracy took over. Still clinging to the ceasefire almost two decades old, the Reformed Republic voted to hold any aggressive actions against the First Order considering them to be a branch of the Empire, thereby protected by the old accord, thus bringing about the birth of a new resistance.

    It was believed in some circles that the formation of the resistance was actually sanctioned by members of the Reformed Republic in secret to combat the oppressive emergence of the First Order. That belief seemed to be bolstered by the appointment of Leia Organa, a long-standing member of the Reformed Republic, as its leader and primary general. Leia had resigned her former position with the Reformed Republic shortly after the vote to remain neutral towards the First Order’s aggression had concluded. Within a few weeks after it became known that it was she herself who now spearheaded the resistance. However just recently she had gone comm silent and no one associated with the resistance could report hearing from her.

    Most believed she had gone underground now that she had a target placed on her by the First Order, but Jacen and Jaina knew their mom better than that. She would have left some line of communication for some way for them to keep in touch and would surely have made contact with one of them by now. The twins concluded that something must have happened to her and that the First Order had to be at the heart of it. They feared the worst.

    The two Jedi knights then joined the resistance and began tracking down any leads and questioning contacts thought to be sympathetic to the First Order and after a few days they had tracked down a cargo pilot who had been known to tell tales of frequently spotting a star destroyer on a regular basis, jumping into system while in transit, changing course and then jumping back out again. They both believed that ship would provide the best course of intel on their mother’s whereabouts and perhaps some details into her disappearance.

    So, the two had took the Vortex out to investigate the validity of the cargo pilots tale and now observed first hand that the pilot had been true to his word. Amazingly he was even able to supply the direct coordinates to the destroyer’s reentry from hyperspace. He must have been tracking it over a period of days to get such precise information, in the hopes of selling it to the highest bidder.

    The massive ship now loomed over the Vortex filling the view port from one side of the ship to the other completely. “There”, Jaina spoke as she pointed towards an area of the underside of the destroyer’s hull. “We can dock there and we should be able to cut through with our lightsabers. The readouts say the bulkheads there aren’t very think and structural integrity is weakest in its center between those two plates. The only problem is that we don’t have any schematics for this new design so I have no idea what we will be getting into once we are on the other side of that hull.”

    Jacen brushed the crumbs off his dark brown tunic, “That’s fine. I’m sure we will make due once we get inside. Let’s just get us up there.”

    Using the docking thrusters so that the ship wouldn’t show up on any of the thermal scanners, Jaina maneuvered the ship into position as the destroyer began reorient itself for the next leg of hyperspace. “What if that thing goes into hyperspace and we are still in the Vortex? Will it take us in with it or will it rip us off in the process?” It was a concerning question since the latter would seem to mean their deaths.

    “Once we breach the hull it should trigger the environmental systems on that deck which would shut down any jump attempt,” Jaina answered.

    “Good.”

    “If you say so, it should also alert all personnel in the surrounding area to the issue. We will get a lot of company pretty quick. Lots of company.”

    ‘You’re right, that’s not good… that’s excellent.”

    Jania looked over at her brother with a raised brow and a concerned look in her eye as Jacen stared raptly at the approaching ship. “Are you going to tell me the plan for when we get on board yet?”

    “We will figure something out when we get there,” was his only reply steeped in nonchalance.

    That sounded just like a response she would have gotten from her father. As she continued to look on at her brother, the more she could see Han Solo in him. Truth be told, it scared her.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2018
  2. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Great start!
    Poor Leia! She's trying so hard to bring Ben back to her, even while he's torturing her. But I'm sure the physical torture isn't as bad as the mental one of knowing this is your kid and what he has done/might do to others. That pain must be unreal and I feel it here in your Leia.

    I really liked the Jacen and Jaina part, how they know their mother and that she didn't just go to ground.
    This part cracked me up, I loved it:
    =D=

    Just FYI, I added the prefixes "Saga-ST" and "Beyond Legends" to your story. If you feel like those aren't the correct ones, please feel free to PM me. In the future, please try and put the appropriate prefixes on any story you post. Thanks!
     
  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Fascinating and wonderful blend of characters. You have them pitch perfect as to motives and even reactions, Jacen's "We'll figure it out" [face_laugh] ... pure Solo. [face_love]
     
  4. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Thank you guys, I'm going try and have more up pretty soon. Shooting for by the end of the weekend.
     
  5. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    The tip of the blue lightsaber blade thrummed viciously at the edge or Orin Kye’s chin. He could feel the heat of it emanating off the blade, threatening to burn off hair and skin alike. He looked down at the blade for a few seconds and then turned his eyes towards its holder.

    A young man, perhaps in his early twenties stared back down at him intently, a darkend rage burning behind his heavy green eyes. He had called himself Trye Ekkon for the last few days, since his arrival to Akka and that had obviously been some sort of alias. Only Jedi carried lightsabers and as far as Orin knew there wasn’t one by that name. The Jedi numbered less than one hundred and Orin had burned every one of their names that he knew into his brain. To be successful in his trade, he had to. No one rose to the level he had achieved without knowing all of his enemies and though they rarely bothered the slave traders these days, the Jedi were most definitely one.

    “Ill say it again,” the man told Orin, “Tell your men to deactivate the slave beacons and let them all go free. Do this and I might not kill you…”

    He was too young Orin thought to himself. He watched as five of his men circled around this arrogant young man calling himself Trye. He had been threatened by better, more fearsome men in his day and as of yet still had not been bested. He knew his threat to be hollow, all buster and gusto, Jedi had a code and that code forbade outright acts of aggression and harm like the one he currently posed. Orin scanned the room over as his men came into final positions. “Empty threats Trye Ekk… that’s not your real name is it Jedi?”

    “You are wrong.”

    “So it is your real name? Its not one that I remember.”

    “You are wrong in assuming I am a Jedi. Release them.”

    There was a new-found conviction in the mans eyes. The mention of the Jedi had turned something in him, something for the worst, and for the first time since being placed under blade, Orin began to believe the man. He swallowed hard and checked the positions of his men once more. “You are still out numbered. Harm me and my men will demolish you.”

    “Which ones? The two behind me on my right or the other three behind me on my left?”

    The warehouse room was spacious and yet he had gained their position as they approached from behind without ever glancing away from Orin. It was possible he had heard their footsteps, but he was sure they had moved silent enough and never broached his field of vision. They maneuvered as practiced, flawlessly. “That’s pretty impressive for someone who can’t use the force then.”

    “Another poor assumption. Its moments away from costing you your life. Give the order or I take your head and do things the hard way,” he cocked his head towards the five thugs holding blasters pointed at the ready. The heated blade tilted upward caused Orin to raise his head even more.

    “You will never stop the slave trade. You must know that by now, it’s been around longer than time. It’s too lucrative, too many credits to be made. Get rid of me and by days end two more rise in my place.”

    Those were the last words Orin spoke before the blue blade shot downward into his chest ending his days with a gasp, “You’re right. It will be for the best if I just kill you all.”

    With that he turned, alerted by a whim from the force as the room erupted into blaster fire, just in time to deflect the blasts from the three now on the right with his lightsaber and simultaneously reached out his free hand and used the force, accepting the energy form the shots fired from the men on his left.

    The astonishment on the attacker’s face gave way to a moment of hesitation, which he used to his advantage. A forward roll confused the men and evaded two more errant shots allowing him to strike down two of them with a long arching swing as he rolled back up to his feet, narrowing the numbers down to just three.

    Two men stood in front of him while one attempted to circle behind. He changed his footing to adjust and keep the would be trailer in his sight.

    One of the two in front fired poorly. His lightsaber adjusted and directed the blast back into his chest. Two on one now.

    The man in front of him began to tremble as his resolve gave way to fear, “I don’t want any of this,” he spoke. “I don’t want to die for this!”

    He could tell through the force that the man’s words matched his feelings. He threw his lightsaber behind him, in the opposite direction of the trembling man. It struck the man blade first right beneath the arm and sank hilt deep into his ribs. “Then deactivate the collars and release the slaves,” Valin Horn repeated himself to the one left standing.



    Tennath Space battle

    It amazed him how well Tie fighters cold move. The First orders newer models responded to almost the slightest touch, it was nothing compared to the older models left over from the Empire era that he had come to know so well. The newer fighters had built in shield generators which allowed them to take more damage then their previous models, something he found useful too. Its speed and maneuverability made it more than a match for the x-wings he found himself up against.

    Ganner Rhysode lined up another x-wing in the Tie’s targeting system, gave it a second and let it turn red. Then he triggered multiple laser bursts into its torso dismantling it. He watched in awe as pieces of debris caught fire entering atmosphere of the planet below. It was the fourth resistance fighter he had dispatched of during this melee and would not be the last before the days end.

    He was out of the fringe of the battle for the moment and began to reflect on the past year, on how he had come to be with the First Order and likewise one of the Knights of Ryn. It was still a choice he secretly questioned when he was far enough away from Kylo not to be sensed, but it no longer mattered. It was too late. His choice had been made. Any hint of doubt would most certainly cost him his life. He was a killer now, for the First Order, Kylo Ryn, and for supreme leader Snoke. It was only in brief moments like this one now that he could allow himself a small reprieve. Elsewise he had to uphold a constant resolve to his new masters and their wishes.

    Masters, how that title had shifted over the last year. Recalling the days of tutelage under master Luke, he reminisced his misgivings over the Jedi theologies and lack of actions against the evils of the galaxy back then and found them no more displeasing than the tenants posed by Snoke. It was evident to him that neither teacher had it right, though from his point of view, Snoke was more in tune with the realities of the galaxy then Skywalker had ever been.

    In Ganner’s mind, from what he had gathered of the galaxy, there was no light side of the force, or dark side for that matter. There was simply the force, and what you did with it. The light or dark was determined by the indivisual and his use of the force. Snoke seemed to understand this more than Luke. Snoke was extremely strong in the force, it was obvious that he was able to use it in some sort of way that had brought him back from near death on multiple occasions, and now he used it to cultivate power for the First Order.

    That was something Ganner could get behind. The Galaxy had become a cesspool of chaos and evil. It needed cleansing. The First Order would do that in time, whereas the reformed Republic seemed content to sit back and allow politics and bureaucracy slow justice and allow the sickness of corruption plaguing the galaxy to fester even more.

    Like any illness it needed to be eradicated. In his mind only the First Order seemed capable of doing just that. That alone is why he did what he did. He knew he had become a monster, but a monster is what was necessary. He wasn’t doing it for the joy of the moment, he wasn’t doing it for personal glory or any type of satisfaction, he was doing it for the years to come, for the clean future that would follow. In fact, he felt remorse for every single life he had taken, including the ones he took this day, but if he had to sacrifice a piece of himself now for the betterment of tomorrow he would without question.

    Another x-wing drifted to far from his wingman and Ganners Tie quickly cut in on a predators path. The prey tried a few evasive maneuvers but soon it was targeted red and laser blasts stitched off two of the four wings that gave the snubfighter its name.

    Kylo seemed to scare him more than Snoke. He remembered his days training with him at Luke’s Jedi academy. He recalled his passion and how easily it was moved toward rage, the raw strength he possessed in the force and his determination to do whatever it was he set to mind.

    The night he burned down the academy, Ryn had given him a choice, follow him or die. He had watched as Kylo had killed others and with each one you could feel him grow in his strength with the force. Right then, Ganner knew he wouldn’t stand a chance if he opposed him. He had only seen one other trainee stand against him and not die immediately, but it was only because of the others skill with a lightsaber and not his strength in the force that allowed him to withstand Kylo, then Ben Solo. The battle ended when Ben force pushed the soon to be knight into one of the burning huts with brutal force. The image of the encounter would forever be etched into his mind. The young man, flying through the air, then his body swallowed by the billowing flames. Seconds later the entire building collapsed down on him. After that his choice was a simple one, one of survival.

    Ganner and those few who chose to join Ben had thought master Skywalker to be one of the casualties of that dreadful night. Only weeks later they had found out the truth and that they were mistaken. Word has spread that the Jedi master, leader of the order was alive, but now changed. Some said he had lost his mind, others his resolve, but the general consensus was that he had returned to an undisclosed Jedi sanctuary and become a recluse.

    Ganner had made his choice, and now he had to lie with it. He would further the First Orders cause. He would be one of the monsters necessary to bring about an era of peace for the galaxy, trading a piece of himself for the greater good of tomorrow.

    He lined up another resistance fighter in his sights and set his resolve, pulling the trigger on his yoke….
     
  6. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Wow, more characters turned on their heads and sideways! [face_thinking] Valin Horn -- and Ganner ... the latter trying how unsuccessfully to squelch the inner voice that tells him "You're on the wrong side." :eek: Is it EVER too late to unmake a poor decision? You might be stuck with the consequences but you can always "start over" @};-
     
    SiouxFan and boady22 like this.
  7. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    I'd forgotten about Valin's ability to absorb energy like that. And I'm totally okay with his killing the slaver...evil, even in the guise of business, is still evil.

    Looking forward to get more backstory on Ganner...like why he's elected to be a simple fighter pilot instead of being more like Ben Solo and taking a 'leadership' role. Like Nyota said, though...it's never too late to unmake a decision.
     
  8. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Valin has always been one of my favorites of the EU, I wish more had been written about him. But I guess its cool that there isn't too much out there about him to draw upon, cause it gives the writer a lot of room to work with.

    Ganner story line came to me a lot easier than I had expected. Both will be frequent characters here. Hopefully I will have the next installment up pretty soon.

    Thanks for the feedback :)
     
  9. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Tennath Planets dark side, Royal city of Teth, ground battle..

    Corran Horn finished dispatching the remaining troopers who had been on a full frontal assult of the Royal house of Teth. His silver bladed lightsaber’s hum was the only sound that could be heard for the moment. He looked above him to the night skies and could see the flashes of the space battle above and silently wished he could be up there in the cockpit of his x-wing.

    He knew the strategic value of Tennath and that extracting the Royal ruling family and acquiring its support was vital for the Reformed Republic. Still he yearned for the thrill of the space battle raging above.

    “They will send more you know,” Jedi master Kyp Durron broke him from his momentary reprieve.

    “Yeah, I expect they will.” Corran gaze and thoughts still focused on the sky.

    “You are needed more down here than up there. You know if the First Order gets the Royal family they will control the system uncontested. These recourses, the Trilluim crystals are too important. If the First Order gets them the energy recourses they will have can power their weapons and ships for decades.”

    Corran knew it was impossible to retain the system, or to save it from occupation by the First Order, they had committed too many recourses for the Republic to defeat. Winning was not an option, but the people of Tenneth were a tight knit group and devoutly loyal to the Royal family. They would not mine and shape the crystals without the family’s say so. That made their extraction paramount. All that mattered now was keeping the Royal family safe, and getting them out of the system into the protection of the Republic.

    He looked up again, “They are losing. We are losing.”

    “They are doing their jobs. We need to do ours.” Kyp shut down his lightsaber blade. “We all voted to follow you now Corran. Weather the Republic wants to admit it or not, war is upon us. With Luke out of the picture you are the one we chose to lead.” Kyp followed Corrans gaze to the sky. “You have more military experience than the rest of us old friend and right now we have to lean on that knowledge. I know how badly you want to be up there in a fighter right now, but you are needed here on the ground more at the moment, leading us.”

    He shut the blade down and could hear the sounds of blaster fire throughout the city streets below. Tenneth was a beautiful city filled with dome shaped buildings on the plateau below and a mansion that would rival any in the galaxy he had visited cresting the hill above them, which served as the ruling house for the Royal family. It was here on its arcade that Corran, Kyp and a hand full of Republic troops now stood, some still hiding behind its portico’s pillars for safety. Bodies, both First Order and Republic littered the entryway displaying the carnage resulting from the last few hours.

    He was about to turn and go enter the mansion when a gleam of light broke the night sky, followed by four more, all approaching from the western side of the building. It seemed the afore mentioned reinforcements were on the way. Kyp had noticed them too. The sound of their turbine engines was unmistakable. Only this time Corran could feel a presence, one full of rage and resolve aboard one of the transport ships heading towards them.

    He activated his blade and began walking towards the western side where the ships would have the space to land. He was ready to fight, to end this.

    Kyp’s hand on his chest stopped him. “There are too many. The fight will slow us down and the extraction team will not be able to get off planet. The dark side of the planet is the only part where they can get out right now and if they don’t leave soon, Tenneth will be surrounded.”

    “He is with them, I can feel him,” Corran referred to the presence of Kylo Ryn radiating from the ship now in the lead.

    “I sense him too, but he is only here to slow us up so that he can close the trap. I’ll stay behind and face him. You have to go and get the Royals out of here.”

    “You don’t think she can do that?”

    “You want to comm her and ask?” Kyp replied jokingly amused.

    Corran thought it through for a second and judged it wise not to bother asking her such a thing for fear of getting his head ripped off, litterally.

    “Corran, you have to get off planet too.” Kyp continued, “You are the acting head of the order right now. The Jedi could not withstand to lose two leaders in such a short span of time. The remaining troops and I will delay them so that you can get them off planet. After that we will retreat into the city and start a resistance there.” He gave his old friend a reassuring grin. “We will get by.” With that Kyp took off at a sprint to into the direction of the oncoming ships with the remaining troopers on his heel.


    Inside the mansion Jedi Master Mara Jade hurried along the Royal family into the waiting transport shuttle. The shuttle was sleek in design, more a luxury yacht than practical transport and while it would be more than capable of out running most fighters it lacked in shielding which she sensed would be paramount in escape to come. Because of that she knew the more time they spent planet side, the worse their chances of escape became. She wanted to go out and help Corran and Kyp with whatever deterrent it was that was slowing them down but that would only delay in loading up the Royals and securing them in the ship.

    “I don’t think its going well for them outside Master,” Anakin Solo commented as he loaded some supplies, using the force, into the ship. “That or they have stopped to take in some of the sights.” He could tell Mara did not seem to appreciate the joke. She had a look of concern about her that he had not seen since the first time she had seen Luke, her future husband, after the incident with Ben Solo, Anakin’s oldest brother.

    Mara composed herself quickly and returned to her task, loading up more of the personal items the Royal family refused to leave behind. She grabbed another container and began her way up the ramp.

    The Royal family consisted of the Detuant, his wife, and two daughters, all of which were now securely placed on the yacht. However, as part of the deal Mara had agreed to transport an obscene number of personal items that the family considered priceless with them. It was a decision she was quickly coming to regret. At first, she thought it would be a few simple trinkets, not the several heavy containers she and Anakin now found themselves loading.

    “Why don’t we just stop this nonsense master, recall the troops outside and get off planet?” Anakin asked as they worked.

    Mara was coming back down the ramp, her arms beginning to feel the burn from too much exertion. “We gave our word Anakin. We are Jedi, if we don’t honor our word then what good are we? We would be no better than anyone else.”

    “Everyone’s life is being put at risk for this. It’s all just use less junk if no one survives to have it.”

    “We knew that when we agreed to do it. The Republic needs this family to keep a foothold in this system. It was the only way we could get them to agree and come.”

    Anakin paused what he was doing for the moment and faced his master. “Like you said, we are Jedi, we can use the force. They could not stop us from taking them out of here without their stuff. We could just force them to do it.”

    Mara’s mind seized at the young mans words. “Then what would we be Anakin? How would we be any better than the First Order if that was how we handled things? What makes you think we would get any cooperation out of them after we did something like that? We would be no better than those we are fighting against. It’s not our way.”

    “Well they would already be off planet and alive, so would a lot of our troops. Maybe they should just value that instead of all these material things.”

    Mara had to admit the he had a point. On a certain level she agreed with his assessment, but that was not an option then and it wasn’t one now. Still she had to worry about Anakin’s point of view and his certainty within it. She wondered what he might have done had she not been there to deal with the Royal family.

    “We are stronger than them,” Anakin continued on, “we could have made them leave with us without jeopardizing everyone else.”

    Mara had once though that way too, back when she served the Empire. The realization scared her. She wasn’t sure if it was that Anakin was saying these things, or if it was that she could identify with them so well that scared her more. Anakin had always been a cheerful and bright hearted young man, always willing to help and do the right thing. As he aged through his late teenage years though, he had begun to change. She had previously put it down to fleeting adolescence, but recently she had started to wonder if it might be something deeper, perhaps darker. That’s why she had chose to finish his training personally after the fall of Luke’s academy. She felt that she was best suited to connect with the young man knowing that she had experienced a lot of the same feelings he now wore so broadly on his sleeve. That, and she would be right there to keep a close eye on him.

    “We should have just made them leave with us earlier. Forced them to.” He ended.

    “Anakin, be careful of these thoughts….”

    The entrance to the hanger bay swished open and Corran came jogging through. “We have to leave now or we aren’t going to be able too.” He pointed off to the western side of the mansion, “Five troop transports coming in and we don’t have the strength to mount a proper defensive position. We will be overrun within the next twenty minutes.” Corran stopped to grab a container and rushed it up the ramp.

    “Where’s Kyp?” Mara asked.

    “Buying us a little extra time. He and what troops we have left are staying behind to hold them off as long as they can.”

    “How are we going to pick them up after we take off?” Anakin questioned, “Those transport ships will tear this thing out of the sky. It barely has any shielding.”

    “Kyp’s not coming.”

    “What?” Mara exclaimed.

    “The planets occupied Mara. Kyp and the remaining troops will buy us time to take off and then they will retreat into the city below. There he is going to start a resistance. We can’t just let the First Order have full control of the planet. It’s too vital.” He shrugged to Mara who wore a look of confusion mixed with anger. “I don’t much like it either, but it was his idea, his choice, and I agree with it. We could use a gorilla force here on the planet.”

    “How many troops does he have left with him?”

    “Fifteen, maybe sixteen.”

    Mara followed him into the ship alongside Anakin as the ramp closed up, all three carrying the last few cargo containers. “Corran, that’s not enough. What can they do with that few people?”

    “Physically, as much as they can. Spiritually, they can spread hope and keep it alive. We aren’t going to abandon these people. Once we get the Royal family back to the Republic they can report what they have seen and file a formal grievance. That should show sufficient evidence that the Empire/First Order has broken the treaty. Then we will be able to get the support we need and come back here with a sizeable force.”

    “Comm the pilot and tell him to take off”, Mara ordered Anakin and he turned to speak into the handheld comms unit he carried. “Why don’t you go speak with the Detaunt and let him know we have fulfilled our end of the agreement.” She added to Corran.

    Corran nodded agreement and headed further into the ship.

    Mara grabbed Anakin by the sleeve of his tunic and could feel the ships exertion as it shot from the mansions hanger bay. She began dragging him down a narrow corridor in the direction of the engine housing. She stopped to pick up three blaster rifles and other munitions, detonators and a portable communications array, and placed it in Anakin’s arms.

    They would be breaching the atmosphere soon and she would have to hurry. “What exactly are we doing?” Anakin questioned as he followed Mara down the hallway leading to where he knew one of the two ships escape pods to be located. Mara stopped at its entrance and unloaded the weapons into it. “Please tell me we are just going to put a beacon in this pod and shoot it into the city for Kyp to find.”


    Mara took the array out of his hands and placed it on the pods floor. “Come on, get in.”

    “Seriously? We just left that mess down there master. Going back is suicide.”

    “Without a few supplies and some form of communication Kyp and those men will be very limited in what they can do, so if we don’t get this to them their staying behind will be pretty much useless.”

    “Fine. We put a beacon on the pod, shoot it into the city and transmit the coordinates to Master Durron.”

    She reached her hand out from inside the pod towards him, “Three Jedi and fifteen men are better odd don’t you think?” she put an emphasis on the word three.

    “Its not our primary mission,” Anakin answered scornfully.

    “Corran is more than capable of seeing the Royal family back to the Republic. Our mission will be completed. If you want to sit around baby sitting the two younger daughters and fetching rations for all of them the whole trip, then be my guest.”

    Anakin took the out stretched arm and pulled himself into the confined space of the packed escape pod and strapped in. Mara triggered the internal release and the pod jettisoned away from the ship and began falling towards the ground. The pod righted itself as its gyroscope leveled out and as the spinning abated both Mara and Anakin could see the ship as it sped towards open space. Mara breathed a sigh of relief.

    It was short lived. Sudden proximity alarms sounded off directly in her right ear. Before she had time to process what was happening two missiles shot past the pod gaining ground on the fleeting shuttle.

    They were quickly joined by four more.

    “Corran!” Mara shouted into the comms device.

    It was too late, and she knew Corran was not piloting as he would have been, had she not sent him back to discuss the situation over with the Royal Family.

    The pilot was not combat trained, that much was obvious. He was use to flying a luxury yacht, and evasive maneuvers were not in his skill set.

    She watched in horror as all six missiles converged at once, the following explosion blinding Mara.
     
  10. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    Whoa. Pretty intense chapter.

    I like the way you've written Anakin in this chapter...mission first, damned the repercussions. He's right in this case, though...going back to aid Kyp really isn't going to do a whole lot...the Order will just get bigger guns to drive them out. I think they'd have been more effective beating a retreat and trying to come back.
     
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  11. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    I always thought it stunk that Anakin's story was so short lived in the EU. Such a strong character and there were so many things that could have been done with him. I often wondered what would have happened if he had lived and how that would have effected Jacen's future. I've got more in store for him, but thats gonna be a little later on ;-)
     
  12. Darth_Drachonus

    Darth_Drachonus Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 2005
    I'm hooked. Very interested in this story
     
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  13. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    The Vortex docked exactly where Jaina had expected it to. Once it did Jacen was ready with the docking clamps and quickly extended the seal. By the time Jaina had made it back to him he had already cut a hole through the Star Destroyers outer hull and had jumped up and through it. Jaina followed suit landing lightly beside her brother.

    The air smelled a lot cleaner inside the Destroyer than it had in the Vortex. That was to be expected though. A ship of its size would have a lot more air filtration systems then the small cargo hauler. It was a welcomed change and she took in several deep breaths to help refresh herself, replenishing her oxygen levels.

    They had breached a room full of electrical conduits that fed various systems for the ship. A brief glance around, and she nor Jacen could see conduits that would control any of the critical systems. There would be nothing important to sabotage here. That would serve to explain why there was no one around on duty in the room. No one would have to run any terminals in this part of the ship. Droids would be able to service anything of note in here.

    “Okay. We are on board. How about sharing that plan with me?”

    Jacen did one final check of the room, moving about stealthily, then made his way to the entrance. Once there he placed his hand on the wall, centered himself in the force, and stomped his foot as hard as he could with the added strength of the force giving off a resounding pang.

    It was a rarely known technique he had read about in an old manual from the days of the Old Republic that he had been working on in secret to develop. It was tricky at best, one only employed by some of the most skillful masters. As his booted foot struck the metal floor, sound waves spread out in a circular direction. He closed his eyes and focused on the lead wave, and with the aid of the force he followed it through the wall into the hallway.

    His mastery of distance only extended to around twenty meters, in which he felt four distinct breaches in the waves pattern. He was also able to pick up on some of the structure beyond the wall he had placed his hand on and was even able to gage its thickness.

    “There are four guards out in the hallway,” he pointed out their positions to his sister, “and there’s a turn that goes up to the left right over there. Don’t know what’s down it, but I’ll head that way.”

    “How do you know that?”

    “Takes too long to explain. Can you move over to the doors locking mechanism and open it when I tell you to?” He moved a little further down the wall running his finger tips against the smooth metal, eyes closed.

    Jaina shrugged, “and about this plan of yours?”

    Jacen opened his eyes and tossed her a homing beacon after finding the spot on the wall he had been searching for. He slammed his foot again and confirmed the troops positions, then unhooked his lightsaber bringing it up to the point where his finger still touched the wall. “Now would be a good time to trigger the door sis.”

    Jaina repressed a retort clinching her jaw almost to the point of breaking a tooth. Reluctantly she complied and as her finger touched the lock, Jacen triggered his lightsaber. The green blade shot through the wall straight into the back of an unsuspecting trooper. He could feel the other three’s confusion mixed with a degree of panic. Jacen knew he would have to take them out quickly before one of them had the chance to call the incident in.

    With the force enhancing his speed and agility, he shot forth out of the room. A cacophony of thrums, slashes and muffled screams ensued.

    Jaina peered around the corner into the hallway. Within just the span of a few seconds all four troopers now lay in smoking ruin. Her brother stood over one of the fallen corpse saber still lit in one hand while the other held up the troopers helmet which he seemed to be intently examining. “Great job. Four down, about three thousand more to go. Is this your plan? Just kill them all? You know, your plan seems like its gonna take a while and be pretty tiring for us. So, you are going to have to kill more than just half of them, I’d say at least two thirds of them. I’ll take out the other third. I would like to help out more, but the thing is, I’ve got important things to do tomorrow like live, so I can’t be too tired you know.” As usual he paid no attention to her sarcastic remarks. “Nerf brained… How did I ever let you talk me into…”

    “I’ll keep moving towards the front of the ship causing as much chaos as I can. While I’m causing a distraction, you make your way to the engines. Discretely. Once you find them, disable them, then trigger the homing beacon. Once you do that Ackbar and five heavy cruisers will jump into the system and I’m betting at that point a disabled destroyer wouldn’t mind surrendering too much.” He placed the troopers helmet on and after a few seconds gave a nod. “I’ve got their comms frequency. That’s going to help.”

    Jaina understood her brothers plan, but she still didn’t like it much. It left a lot of variables unaccounted for, like if one of them died, or perhaps if the captain of the ship really didn’t feel like surrendering, even if the ships engines were disabled. But now it was too late. They were here, on board and would soon be discovered.

    Jaina was about to add another snide comment to her brothers growing ego, but when she looked up again he was already gone. She pulled out her comm link and began her way down the opposite corridor. She didn’t have to go far before she found an open ships terminal. It wasn’t locked, and she was able to bring up the entire ships schematics. She wasn’t too far away from a lift that would take her directly to the engine room, the trouble was that she would have to sneak past one of the crew’s quarters to get to it. She continued to scroll through looking for an alternate path and finally discovered one. The ventilation shafts. It would be a tight fit, but she was petite and fairly confident she could fit in it.

    Three bulkheads later she found an opening into the vent system. A small appliance of the force pulled the grate away from the ceiling and she jumped up into it. She would have to snake her way though it, it was a tighter fit than she had expected.

    She wondered what Jacen’s destination would be. The only logical choice seemed to be the ships bridge. If she failed to disable the engines perhaps he could take control of the ships systems from there. Still she knew it would be heavily guarded and the safest bet would be the engine room. Troopers wouldn’t be able to shoot at her there so freely for fear of hitting some critical system or a gas line that could potentially blow up the entire ship. That would give her a tactical advantage when the time came.

    She had crawled through another two bulkheads when she heard a clatter racing down the hall. Six troopers ran past underneath her. Jacen must have started his distraction judging by the speed at which they ran. That would serve her well too. It should pull out most of anyone who would have otherwise been in the crew’s quarters. As long as she remained quiet, getting past the area would be easy.

    She moved further down the shaft as quickly and quietly as was allowed in such tight quarters. Jania knew Jacen was an exceptional Jedi and would be able to hold his own for a good while, but eventually his strength would ebb which made speed more of a priority than she would have liked it to be right now.

    More troopers and officers ran out of their quarters as she crawled past them hidden overhead in the shaft. She was more than two thirds of the way through the crew quarters when she heard a familiar voice. It was one she had long forgotten and desperately hoped she would never hear again. It spoke a second time giving out what she thought to be orders and she couldn’t help but wonder if it could be. In her heart she knew who the voice belonged too, she also hoped that it was wrong.

    The mission forgotten for the moment, Jania slid her way towards the voice.

    There below, her eyes located the source and her heart stopped. They had confirmed what her ears already knew. A mixture of memories, joyous and painful alike flooded her.

    She fought for breath.

    “How could you?” she let the words escape from her mouth, a little more than a whisper, but loud enough for the ears below to hear.

    Dressed in the uniform of a First Order officer, Jagged Fel’s stoic form turned and looked up towards the ventilation shaft.
     
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  14. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    I think that sums up pretty much EVERY plan a Solo comes up with. The echolocation was pretty cool...pity Jaina threw a spanner into the works!

    Fun to read the twins doing stuff together!
     
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  15. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Thanks SiouxFan, I'm doing my best to incorporate new force abilities and new arcs, but also still stay true to some basics of the characters original design. Its tiring reading the same old characters with the same abilities, it becomes too predictable. Gets a little boring.

    The Solo twins are really fun to use. Comes easier than I thought it would.

    I hope its entertaining, and I should have another addition up in the next day or so.
     
  16. boady22

    boady22 Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2003
    Akka

    Night had fallen over the compound. Fires rose up from various areas illuminating the conifers surrounding the buildings as fights between the newly freed slaves and their former captors broke out. Valin had expected the slaves to run after the collars were deactivated, as they had done during other liberations he had orchestrated. But not this one. The slaves chose to try and overthrow the very people who held them captive and sold them off to the highest bidder. Both sides were taking losses, but the slavers were better equipped and had at least some sort of training. Their losses were fewer and it seemed as if they might be on the verge of gaining control of the situation if events continued as they were.

    Watching it all unfold from the rooftop of one of the warehouses, Valin knew he could not let that happen. All his work would have been in vain.

    He picked up his bow and quiver of arrows he had hid atop the roof a week earlier and dropped down to a lower level of the warehouse. He slid silently over the rooftop focusing on a slaver carrying an outdated heavy repeater blaster that looked as if it was from the clone wars era, yet the damage he did with it shown it had been well kept and used routinely. Valin stopped and raised his bow, pulling an arrow out of the quiver off his back and knocked it.

    Valin was a crack shot with the bow, he had been raised on it as a child hunting with it throughout his days as a youth. Over time, he had become so good that he could hit a cred chit tossed in the air at fifty yards, and he always shot by feel, without visually aiming. As a teen he had weaponized it. Now it worked well for what he did, providing the perfect amount of stealth and lethality required for a one manned liberation force.

    He loosed the arrow and it landed true, hitting the gunner square in the chest and as the arrow made impact, the blast charge tip, designed to punch through any armor like that used by troopers of the first order, detonated sending a bolt through the mans chest. It was as effective as any blaster, but never revealing his position.

    Valin continued his way along the rooftops, picking targets of opportunity and dropping them where they stood, the cover of night and shadows cast from the fires concealing his movements.

    Five men down, with in less than a minute the number has risen to ten. He was about to cross over to another building when a struggle in the ally below caught his eye.

    Two slavers had cornered a young woman. She was held down by one as another calibrated a collar to fit her. Valin jumped down into the ally kicking off one wall to another to slow his decent. He landed on his feet, the sounding impact deterring the slavers attention. They took him in and Valin knew they judged him neither friend nor slave. A lightwhip beamed to life in one of the slavers hands and a force pike in the others.

    Valin turned his bow around to where the string side was out and activated a switch on the riser with his thumb. The metallic fibers coating the string blazed to light in the same fashion as the lightwhip, only its color green compared to the whips yellow.

    The whip snaked out and Valin spun while deflecting with the bow, the other hand reaching back for an arrow. Sparks splayed as the whip met the bow and he quickly deactivated the laser string and flipped it, knocked and loosed. The arrow deflected off the wall of the building then buried itself deep into the other slavers thigh.

    The yellow snake swung around and lashed out again down the ally only to be met again by the green glow of Valin’s bow. He followed the lightwhips recoil this time and closed the distance between them. In close combat the whip would be useless, but Valin’s weapon would not.

    The laser string cut through the slaver as easily as his lightsaber would have separating him in half at the torso. The second slaver tried for a crushing blow with the force pike, but with his leg wounded his movements were slow and without full force. Valin caught the pike on the bow in a blocking maneuver. He used the force of the blow against his attacker letting it drive him down further and setting the slaver off balance. Valin spun low and kicked the bigger mans leg out from under him. Once grounded Valin used the bow string to end the others days.

    “Can you move?” he asked the younger woman who sat on the ground, her back against the wall, wrists tethered.

    “Yes,” she replied. Valin noted a swelling bruise beneath her eye and multiple scrapes on her knuckles atop her clinched fists. Apparently, she gave as good as she got and his first impression of her was one of no fear. That was noteworthy. For most slaves fear was their defining nature. They were ruled by it, broken by it at an early age, yet she showed no signs of it. Either she was a new acquisition, or else she had a spirt rarely found in these times.

    “We need to get out of here,” Valin cut the bindings around her wrists freeing them. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling that she needed to follow him. She was somehow important in a way he hadn’t realized. Perhaps she was a person of influence, some official’s daughter or wife he had met in his days of training as a Jedi that his subconscious mind recognized but his active mind did not. He couldn’t place it, but his gut told him he needed to get her away from here.

    She rose to her feet nimbly for someone who had sustained her quality of injuries. “We need to help these slaves win,” she replied as she picked up the discarded force pike.

    It could have been the force Valin told himself, but he had long since stopped believing the force acted that way, guiding one on some path in life leading them in a set series of events to a set destination, a set outcome with no room for chance. No, the force was simply a tool, not the harbinger of one’s destiny. After all he had seen, all he had been through, he could not allow himself to believe it to be any other way. It was his gut, not the force, he silently reinforced to himself. Either way he knew he couldn’t refuse it. “No. They have been freed. What they do with that freedom is their choice. If they want to stay and fight, to die, that’s their choice but we need to get out of here. This is just an integration outpost. They break slaves here and then move them to training outposts. From there they are sold. The point is, this isn’t the whole of the slavers here in this compound. There are others in the system and on this planet. By now, they would have sent a signal out for help, letting the others know of the revolt. Reinforcements will be here soon.

    “They should have just run. They always have before at the other places. They could have escaped though one of the planets space ports. I don’t know why they didn’t this time.”

    “Because I talked them into fighting.” That caught Valin’s attention. That’s why I can’t run. Not after talking them into this. I was the one who convinced them to do this.”

    “We have no choice. They are already out numbered and when the other outfits get here it will be a lot worse. Our only option is to retreat and come back for them again at a later time.”

    He could see the concern, the doubt in her eyes as she gazed at him. “Why would you do that? Come back for these people? What are they to you?”

    “My redemption,” Valin answered, his head low.

    With that he headed out into the smoky haze. The young woman looked around at the carnage around her. She could hear the whine of distant blaster fire as she desperately hoped that there were slaves who didn’t listen to her, who didn’t stay and fight, who instead fled the compound into the night. There were a lot of deaths on her hands tonight, and slaves who would be returning to their life of slavery because of her when they could have had their freedom instead. She owed them all now, and what she owed was more than just her life, it was a debt she would never be able to repay, but from this moment forward she resolved to herself, she would never quit trying to repay the debt.

    With that, she ventured out into the smoke and followed the man who just saved her from a slave’s fate.