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Author	Topic: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 3rd fic: Trapped (Ani, Palp) 5/3 repost
lazykbys_left Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 4/19/05 5:36am Subject: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 3rd fic: Trapped (Ani, Palp) 5/3 repost - Date Edited: 5/3/05 7:09am (2 edits total) Edited By: lazykbys_left
	This is my attempt to create as much white noise as possible before seeing RotS in July (or possibly even later). In this thread, I will post fics with baseless speculations, unwarranted assumptions, half-baked theories, and assorted what-have-you. Aside from taking place in the probable timeframe of RotS, the stories will have little else in common with each other. PLEASE do not post specific details about RotS in this thread. Icons and sigs are fine (I can filter them out) but if I see in-post spoilers, I will start ignoring everyone's comments to prevent further spoilage until I actually see the movie. As for what I consider to be spoilers . . . I saw the teaser trailer. I know where The Duel takes place. I read a few details about the new guy whose name begins with "G". For me, everything else is either A) a spoiler or B) pure speculation. Thank you for your understanding. - lazy -----signature----- "You're like some kind of link machine." - rhonderoo It didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done. DARK SIDE FHTAGN lazykbys fanfic index (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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lazykbys Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 4/19/05 5:39am Subject: Return of the Sith: Cyborg Training - Date Edited: 4/19/05 10:16pm (2 edits total) Edited By: lazykbys
	Title: Cyborg Training Author: lazykbys Timeframe: RotS-ish Characters: Anakin w/ C3PO cameo Genre: action Keywords: Summary: Anakin trains against a battle droid. Notes: Cyborg Training The training room was stark and empty, its reinforced durasteel walls decorated with nothing more than black burn marks where blaster bolts had scored it, as well as metal plates welded in place to hide the scars made by a lightsaber. Anakin Skywalker stood near the room's center. Five meters in front of him was a heavily modified battle droid with a blaster in its left hand and a lightsaber in the other. This droid could move with the speed and agility of a living swordsman, and Anakin had done his best to program it. Behind him was another droid, one he had put together from salvaged parts. Although this droid could only move around with assistance and speak only a few phrases, it was a vital part of his training regimen, perhaps even more important than the one equipped for battle. Anakain flexed the fingers of his artificial right hand. Although he couldn't feel its presence in the Force, the electro-neural feedback was enough to fool the rest of his brain that the hand was in fact there, and in perfect working order. Of course, there was really only one way of making sure. Igniting his lightsaber with a snap-hiss, he said, "All right, Axe-one. Initiate attack sequence gamma." "Affirmative," the battle droid AX1 responded. With a slight whirring of its servomotors, it ignited its lightsaber and took a few tentative steps forward and to the right. Anakin mirrored those steps, keeping himself between it and PD, the other droid. Then without warnng AX1 leaped to the left and fired several shots, not at Anakin but at PD. Anakin easily deflected those blaster bolts, but in that split second the battle droid had closed the distance and was in striking range, its deadly blade slashing down at Anakin's head. Behind him, PD screamed in Padmé's voice. Anakin managed to get his blade back in time, but AX1 pressed its advantage, giving him no time to recover. He parried and blocked blow after blow, keeping his movements as short and economical as possible. It would only take one misstep to leave PD undefended, and that would end the training session in the worst possible way. But even as he fought, a part of him urged him to take the offensive. He saw several openings in the droid's attack, some of them which could not have been faked. Exploiting any one of them might have lead to the droid's defeat, and had Anakin been fighting alone he wouldn't have hesitated to do so. But he had PD - his faux Padmé to protect. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, as any errors in his judgement would harm not only her but their unborn child as well. That wasn't the only reason, though. While it was true that the Force flowed through everything, it was easier to sense living things than non-. This was the reason he found fighting against droids to be difficult, although split-second Force premonitions did help. Having an artificial arm that didn't feel like it was part of you, however - that made some moves downright impossible. What made it aggravating was the fact that machines could be in tune with the Force. The lightsaber was a prime example, for without the Force it could not be made to function as efficiently and elegantly as it did. Likewise, there had to be some way of aligning the parts to make his arm move more smoothly, to make it function - no, feel like it was an integral part of his body and not just a replacement limb. But no matter how he fine-tuned the servomotors and microcircuitry, he just couldn't find the right combination that worked the way he wanted it to. It's not fair! In a sudden burst of anger, Anakin feinted with a kick to AX1's middle along with a Force blow to the head. It didn't knock the droid out, but the move did unbalance it enough for Anakin to strike back. It wasn't enough, though. The droid merely shifted to the defensive, waiting with infinite patience for Anakin to overextend himself. And when he did, one shot from its blaster was all it would take to end the exercise in Anakin's bitter failure, as it had so many times before. As it would happen again if he couldn't come up with a winning move. "Master Anakin?" C-3PO's voice seemed to come from nowhere. "Master Anakin, are you busy?" The droid's voice, as always prissy and slightly apologetic, threw Anakin's frustration against a duracrete wall. "I'm in the middle of something, yes," he shouted back as he slipped back into a defensive stance. "Can't it wait?" "I am terribly sorry, Master Anakin, but Mistress Padmé wishes to talk with you. I believe it is quite urgent." "Oh, all right. Axe-one, abort sequence." "Affirmative," the battle droid said, shutting off its lightsaber. Anakin did likewise, and turned to face the golden protocol droid. "All right, Threepio, what's -" Before he could finish the question, Anakin saw, out of the corner of his eye, the battle droid draw its blaster. Without thinking his right arm shot out as he ignited the lightsaber to intercept the energy bolt, but the blade missed by a hair's breadth. There was a brief electronic shriek as PD "died", then the smell of burnt circuits began to fill the air. "Powering down all functions," AX1 intoned solemnly. A second later it ejected its power cell onto the floor. Anakin stared at the droid for a while, as if expecting the droid to move using what last spark of energy remained in its circuitry. "Master Anakin? Is something the matter, sir?" Too many answers came to Anakin's mind, none of which he felt C-3PO would understand. And to be totally honest, he wasn't sure he understood them, either. "Nothing, Threepio. Come on, let's go see what Padmé has to say." -----signature----- I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism you can give me. Please feel free to PM me with your comments. . by the same author (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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DarthAJ Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 4/19/05 9:38pm Subject: RE: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 1st fic: Cyborg Training
	Cool. i lke your writing alot. Very descriptive. This would go great as a sort of feleted scene in ROTS. keep at it! looking forward to more. -----signature----- :]
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lazykbys_left Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 4/20/05 5:19am Subject: RE: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 1st fic: Cyborg Training
	DarthAJ - Thank you! I'm not sure how frequently I can update this (I'm already a month behind on my other fics as is), but I plan on writing when I can. Still, the next fic will probably be a repost of something I wrote for a challenge unless I get inspired and can find the time. Thanks for reading! -----signature----- "You're like some kind of link machine." - rhonderoo It didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done. DARK SIDE FHTAGN lazykbys fanfic index (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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lazykbys Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 4/26/05 8:28am Subject: Return of the Sith: Closing Time
	Title: Closing Time Author: lazykbys Timeframe: RotS-ish Characters: Dexter, Obi-Wan Genre: Keywords: Summary: Dexter gets a visit from Obi-Wan just before closing time. Notes: Closing Time Dexter Jettster looked at the empty tables and wondered if he should call it a night. He'd already sent the girls home, and he doubted any customers was going to come in the next hour. Like many others on Coruscant, he blamed the Separatists. It had become clear in the second year of the Clone Wars that the Separatist Movement was doomed to fail. However, they had not surrendered to the obvious, and had taken to terrorist tactics. Specifically, they were paying the criminal organization Black Sun to create unrest on Coruscant. Dexter, himself having a somewhat checkered past, had taken precautions to see that his diner did not become a target of such attacks. Of course, seeing as how CoCo Town wasn't near any important facilities, the probability of someone bombing the diner was remote. However, Dexter preferred to be safe than sorry. Still, with business growing steadily worse, he had to wonder if it was worth the extra "protection" he was paying for. A small movement caught his eye. In an alley across the street, he saw a faint outline of a man in the shadows. Although he couldn't see the face, he saw enough to know that the diner was being watched. He started to close up shop as casually as he could. He had to fight to keep from stealing glances at the alley. When he gave in to his urge, the figure was nowhere in sight. But he could still feel that something was not quite right. One of his lower arms reached under the sink and palmed a small blaster he kept there for just such an occasion. It only had enough power for a shot or two, but Dexter wasn't a bad shooter and the weapon was set on heavy stun. One hit anywhere and the target would be lucky to wake up with a headache. He was just about to turn the lights off when he heard the back door open. If he wasn't listening for it he would have missed the stealthy footsteps. And he might have been caught totally off guard by the intruder. On the other hand, nothing could have prepared him to see his friend Obi-Wan Kenobi come out of the shadows. "Obi-Wan?" he said, taking a closer look to make sure before pocketing the blaster. "What's with the cloak and dagger? And what are you doing here? I thought you Jedi were all off-planet, generaling." "It's a long story," Obi-Wan said, "and I don't have the time right now." "Thought so," Dexter said. "And I suppose you didn't come for my cooking, either?" He expected the Jedi to laugh, or at least smile at his feeble joke. Instead Obi-Wan looked away, as if he didn't want to say what had to be said. "I need IDs," he said after a long pause. Dexter nodded slowly. "I take it you need the . . . special kind." Obi-Wan didn't answer. Then again, he didn't need to. Although Dexter had gone legitimate, he hadn't completely washed himself clean of his past. He was still owed favors by various individuals who worked on the shady side of the street, and his relationship with the local crime boss was more than the usual one-way I-pay-you-to-leave-me-alone business. Still, Obi-Wan usually chose not to bring up Dexter's dark side. But every so often Obi-Wan might ask Dexter if he could find someone, and a few days later Dexter would give him a few leads. He would never say where he'd gotten the information and Obi-Wan would never ask. It was much more convenient that way. After all, a Jedi couldn't afford to be seen endorsing or even condoning semi-illegal activities. In return, sometimes Dexter would invite Obi-Wan over for a meal. They'd chat about old times for an hour or so, until it was clear to everyone that Dexter's friend was a Jedi. And soon afterwards, certain people would go and find another dining establishment to harass. They'd never sat down and worked out this arrangement. Like so many other tacit agreements between friends, this was one that had simply turned up. And now Obi-Wan was violating it. Dexter had no idea why, but he figured that it had to be something deathly important. "How many?" he asked. "Two," Obi-Wan replied. "One for myself, and another for - for a young woman." There was a long pause as various expressions fought for supremacy on his face. Then finally he added, "She's pregnant." The first thing that almost popped out of Dex's mouth was "Yours?" Then a memory flashed by, of rumors that Obi-Wan's apprentice was married to a Senator from the Outer Rim, and the question became "His?" But before they could escape his lips, both were quashed firmly by Dexter's First Rule: if you don't know, they can't pry it out of you. "Is she human?" he asked instead. "Yes. I brought a copy of her medical records in case you needed them." Dexter accepted the data solid with a nod and a grunt. A part of him noted that Obi-Wan could have kept quiet about the young woman's pregnancy. Or perhaps he couldn't - sometimes secrets were so big you could get crushed if you didn't share the weight. And while that coldly analytical part of him was annoyed that Obi-Wan had tried to hoist some of that weight onto him, another part of him was glad that his friend trusted him that much. "It'll take a couple of days," he told Obi-Wan. "Will you come back, or do you want them delivered?" "I'll try to come," his friend said. "If I don't make it . . . contact Master Yoda. He'll know what to do." Dexter's brows rose in surprise. "Yoda? You mean this is official Jedi business? No," he added hurriedly, "forget I said that. I already know too much." "I'm sorry, Dex. I wish I could've kept you out of this." "What, and let me sleep peacefully in blissful ignorance? Obi-Wan, old buddy - I'm not sorry at all that you came here." For the first time since he'd emerged from the shadows, Obi-Wan's face lit up with a smile. "No. You aren't be, are you? You know, you haven't change a bit since we first met." Dexter clapped a large hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and laughed. "Unlike the rug on your face, some things never change." Obi-Wan shot him a hurt look that wouldn't fool anybody. "Hey, I like my beard." "Whatever you say, old buddy. Whatever you say." Dexter waited until Obi-Wan had disappeared into the night to shut off the lights and lock up behind him. As he headed for what was usually called the darker side of Coruscant, he had the oddest feeling that his days as a simple cook were over. -----signature----- I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism you can give me. Please feel free to PM me with your comments. . by the same author (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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ZaraValinor Registered: May '02	Date Posted: 4/26/05 8:49am Subject: RE: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 2nd fic: Closing Time (Dex, Obi) 4/
	I've always loved Dex and love to see the interaction between the two friends. -----signature----- Proud Master to Meredith_Kenobi & Lolly_Tolly "He full-on Obi-Wan'd me!" Dean Winchester - Supernatural
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lazykbys_left Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 5/3/05 6:53am Subject: RE: Return of the Sith (RotS-ish vignettes) NO SPOILERS PLEASE 2nd fic: Closing Time (Dex, Obi) 4/
	So far in the PT, Dexter is the only seedy character on the "good guys' side". I'm hoping to see more of him in RotS, although I'm not counting on it. Thanks for reading, ZaraValinor! -----signature----- "You're like some kind of link machine." - rhonderoo It didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done. DARK SIDE FHTAGN lazykbys fanfic index (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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lazykbys Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 5/3/05 7:07am Subject: Return of the Sith : Trapped
	Title: Trapped Author: lazykbys Timeframe: RotS-ish Characters: Anakin, Padmé, Palpatine, etc. Genre: Keywords: Summary: The three characters find themselves in a trap by the Separatists. Notes: This takes place on board the burning ship in the teaser trailer. Reposted from the Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader Character Challenges. Trapped The walls shook as the Corusca Gem took another turbolaser blast from the attackers. "We're doomed!" C-3PO moaned, and was hushed by Padmé. Chancellor Palpatine sat on a couch in the middle of the room, a hint of fear showing on his usually serene face. "It's the Separatists," he said. "It must be. Only they would dare." Anakin burst into the room, his face dark with concern. He took several quick glances as he checked for threats, relaxing only when he saw Padmé and the Chancellor were all right. "You can't stay here," he told them. "There's too many of them. Master Kenobi said he'd hold them off for as long as he could, but I don't think we have much time. We have to get to the escape pods, now." As he said those words, there was a high-pitched whine followed by what sounded like a dozen blasters shooting simultaneously. R2-D2 let out a series of whistles and beeps that C-3PO translated as: "Oh my! Artoo says they're using directional stun grenades!" Anakin grimaced. A stun grenade emitted waves of energy that could paralyze most life forms. Unlike stun bolts from a blaster, they could not be deflected by a lightsaber. They came prepared for Jedi, he thought grimly. He glanced over at Padmé, who already had a blaster in her hand. She offered another to Chancellor Palpatine who shook his head; he wasn't rated on weapons of any kind. R2-D2 called up the schematics of the Corusca Gem and displayed them as a hologram. They showed what Anakin had been afraid of: the only way to the escape pods was blocked by the Separatist troops. Of course, there were always other ways available to a Jedi Knight. He unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it as he strode to a certain corner of the room. He wished he didn't have to say the next half-dozen words, but even a Jedi couldn't be in two places at the same time. "Padmé, make sure nobody comes in." She nodded and went to the open door. There was no way of closing it now; safety regulations required that all doors on atmospheric craft open automatically in the event of an emergency. She poked her head and blaster out the doorway, ready to shoot at any face that appeared. Anakin made a hole in the floor as quickly as he could. He winced as the durasteel plating soon dropped to the deck below it with a clang, then reached out with his mind to make sure there were no troops waiting in ambush. "Padmé!" he called out. "You go first, just in case. The Chancellor goes next, then me last." He looked at the droids and gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but you two will have to stay here. I could lift you down with the Force, but it would take too much time." R2-D2 beeped understanding. "Do be careful, Master Anakin," C-3PO said. "Thanks, Threepio. I will." The three humans waited only until the edges of the hole had stopped glowing red, then lowered themselves one by one. Anakin waited until the last second to turn off his lightsaber, then jumped into the room below them. Only to find himself face to face with Count Dooku and a handful of his men. "Dooku!" he said. "But how -" "The Sith have ways of masking our presence from the Force," Dooku explained smugly. "If you surrender quietly, I will see to it no harm comes to the Senator." Anakin looked at Padmé. She was standing with a blaster pointed at her back but seemed unharmed. "Do not make me repeat myself," Dooku said sternly. "Surrender now, or she will suffer." Padmé's eyes were like two small supernovas burning into Anakin's mind. Don't give in, they pleaded. She was ready to give her life for the Republic, Anakin saw. He, however, was not. "All right," Anakin heard himself say. "I surrender. Just don't hurt her." ----- Twenty minutes later, Anakin found himself sitting on the floor with Chancellor Palpaine, with half a dozen blasters pointed at them. A short while ago Padmé had been away for "negotiations". Doubtless Dooku was trying his best to intimidate her into cooperation right now. "Are you sure you can do nothing?" Palpatine asked him in a low voice. "No," Anakin replied. "These men are Sith. They can use the Force." "Oh? But I thought there were always only two Sith. That's what the Jedi legends say, isn't it?" "They also say the Sith were destroyed a thousand years ago. Obviously they were wrong." "Hmm. Yes, I suppose that's rather apparent." Anakin looked Dooku's men over, trying to find a weakness. There were none he could see. "I have also heard," Palpatine said slowly, "that the Jedi could channel their stronger emotions into power." The implications of the Chancellor's words sent shivers down Anakin's spine. "Chancellor? Where did you hear that?" The older man shrugged. "The same place as the legends, I presume. Well? Am I correct? Can you use anger and such as a source of power?" "Yes, but -" Anakin paused, wondering how to explain this to a non-Jedi. "Chancellor, what you're talking about is forbidden. If a Jedi gives in to hate and anger, he becomes consumed by the dark side of the Force." "Ah, yes," Palpatine nodded sagely. "But - forgive me for bringing up a painful subject, but I heard what happened to your mother, and your response afterwards." Anakin's jaws clenched as the memory of his mother's fate in the hands of the Tusken Raiders surfaced. "What about it?" he snapped. "I simply wish to point out that you gave in to your anger, yet here you are. You haven't turned into the monster they feared you would, have you?" "No, but that's different." "I don't understand. Please, enlighten me." "Back on Tatooine, I didn't use the Force when I -" slaughtered "- killed them. That's why I didn't fall for the dark side." Palpatine frowned. "That explanation seems . . . simplistic." "I know. To be honest, I don't understand it, either." Almost casually, the Chancellor waved his hand at his captors. "Then there they are. They don't appear to be controlled by their negative emotions, do they?" "Well, no, but -" "My young Jedi, I cannot believe that the Force would be so cold or unforgiving. Could it be that the danger is exaggerated?" "No. Well, maybe. I don't know, really." "And we all fear the unknown. Perfectly understandable." They sat in silence for a while. Anakin mulled over the Chancellor's words, finding them uncomfortably close to his own doubts. He wished Padmé was here. Everything seemed so much clearer when she explained them. "The Senator has been gone a long time," Palpatine remarked. "I hope she isn't going to try anything rash." Anakin gave him a startled glance. "You don't suppose she'd . . ." "I do not know. However, I have noted that in the past, she has preferred taking things into her own hands rather than waiting them out." He shook his head. "It would be a shame if her impatience got her injured." As if on cue, a muffled scream came through the walls. And with it, Anakin felt a sharp stab in his chest as he realized he had come periously close to losing her. As he had lost his mother Shmi. "No," he whispered. "Not again. Never again." Using the Force in a way he had never done before, Anakin took the ice-cold fear in his belly and thrust it deep into the minds of the Sith. Their eyes popped wide open as they felt it invade what was left of their souls, squeezing their hearts until they stopped beating. As they died, one of them pulled his trigger in a dying reflex. The blaster bolts struck Anakin, only to be absorbed harmlessly by his newly-found powers. He heard the Chancellor say his name as Dooku's men collapsed in unmoving heaps on the floor. He heard him ask what was going on, if he was feeling well as Anakin took a lightsaber from one of the bodies. The blade, when ignited, was the blood-red color of a dying sun. His focus was such that he did not notice the Chancellor smile as he watched Anakin leave, intent on killing Dooku and ending the threat of the Separatists forever. -----signature----- I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism you can give me. Please feel free to PM me with your comments. . by the same author (click and scroll dowwwn): http://boards.theforce.net/m/b1/17609715/r17736763
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