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Author	Topic: Legacy of the Red Sun --2007 Fanfic Award Nominee-Author's Note 6/26/2008
Darth_Marrs Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 11/22/06 8:31am Subject: Legacy of the Red Sun --2007 Fanfic Award Nominee-Author's Note 6/26/2008 - Date Edited: 6/26/08 8:05pm (58 edits total) Edited By: Darth_Marrs
	Nominated for 2007 Best Crossover Nominated for 2007 Best New Author Many thanks to the voters who nominated Legacy of the Red Sun for Best Crossover and yours truly as best new author. It was a thrill to see my name next to so many other great writers. Win or lose, I still win for having been able to share such a wonderful experience with all of you on these boards. Cheers! Darth Marrs Legacy of the Red Sun A Star Wars/Superman Crossover This is an AU Star Wars story written in three sections that parallel the Original Triligy Movies. The three parts are: Part I: Legacy of the Red Sun Part II: Legacy of the Red Sun: Empire’s Revenge Part III: Legacy of the Red Sun: The Last Son of Krypton AU Timeframe: 15 BBY-0 ABY Characters: Ben Kenobi, Darth Vader, Mara Jade, Palpatine, Princess Leia, Han Solo, the Naberrie family (mainly Pooja and Sola), a few minor OCs, and a fifteen-year-old Kryptonian raised under the name Kale. Summary: Luke Skywalker died in a tragic speeder accident on Tattooine. Fate fills the gap by delivering to Obi-Wan a child with powers the likes of which the galaxy has never seen. Disclaimer: Lucas owns all, except Superman. DC owns him. This story was written for my personal enjoyment and the enjoyment of any friends who wish to read. Nod to Plot Bunnys Past. A Superman/Starwars crossover is not new by any stretch. I know of at least three other Superman/SW c/o you can locate in Fan Fiction Resource. Now, there's at least a fourth. Hope you enjoy. Part I: Legacy of the Red Sun Chapter One: While the Wind Blew This was not how it was supposed to be. Ben Kenobi, once a Jedi master and general of the Clone Wars, stood with tears streaming openly down his grizzled, bearded face as the dust and wind howled around his cloak and hood. He knelt down by the mound of sand and placed a hand on the freshly turned dirt. No, this was not how it was supposed to be. Amidst all the darkness they had faced, all the tragedy and pain he and Yoda had suffered, there had always been this one gleaming beacon of hope. He looked up at the other mounds. He had never been close to Owen Lars, but for Beru he always held a soft spot in his heart. She smiled at him whenever he snuck by to check on the boy, and for the first two months, as he struggled to learn the rote of living on Tatooine, she had provided much needed food and shelter. Now they, like the beacon that had been Luke Skywalker, lay under a mound of dirt while the wind howled in maniacal triumph around them. Luke Skywalker, the last hope for the Jedi, was dead. He died, of all things, in a speeder accident. Some part of Ben wanted it to be a conspiracy. He wanted to find evidence of dark forces at work. He imagined the specter of Darth Vader reaching out to snuff out the life of his son, or the more facile, subtle and deadly embrace of the emperor trying to turn the young boy to darkness. Never in his life, though, would Ben have imagined Owen losing control and driving his speeder into a sandstone pillar. The entire family was killed instantly, and it fell to Ben to bury them. It fell to Ben to carry the body of a four-year-old boy who had all the potential fate and the Force could pack into one beautiful child, and place him in the unforgiving void that was his grave. It fell to Ben to mourn not just the passing of three innocent lives, but also of the hopes of an entire galaxy. It fell to Ben to stand there now, weeping while the wind blew. “I am sorry, Anakin,” he whispered, though his voice was lost even to his own ears. Let the wind have the sound. It did not matter. They were words none should have heard anyway, not even the Force. He turned from the graves, pulled his hood down, and began walking back to the Skywalker homestead. He had to figure out what to do next. Respectful of the former owners of the home, he prepared a small dinner from Beru’s stores and absently ate while he watched a local relay of the holonet. The empire had already shown its true colors in the bombardment of Caamas, and already opposition in the Imperial Senate was changing. Although the media reports were careful with their words, Ben knew enough to read between the lines at what was really happening. Opposition senators like Bail Organa kept their mouths shut and carried the party line, because all around them, those senators who did not vanished. Now was not the time for open rebellion. Not yet. “Leia,” Ben whispered to himself. He thought about going to Alderaan, but the Caamasi refugees had fled there, and tempers were too raw. Vader himself had gone to Alderaan just a few years back, and Ben could not risk being seen by his former apprentice. If he were, it might raise questions regarding the mysterious origins of Bail’s four-year-old daughter. Filled with a despair he had felt only once, four years prior as he walked away from the man he had raised and loved as both son and brother, Ben flipped off the feed and wandered aimlessly through the house, as if seeking answers from the empty walls. He heard no voices, nor direction in the Force. He felt nothing but emptiness. It was with that sense of emptiness that Ben entered Luke’s room and let himself down on the bed that young Luke had slept in for the four years of his life. It was an old hand-me-down bed, probably one slept on by Owen himself as a child. It had the musk of both man and child, and was filled with memories of dreams long past. Ben turned on his side, closed his eyes, and wept himself to sleep. * * * He could not say how long he slept, or precisely what woke him. It might have been the howling of the wind outside, or perhaps a nearby crash. No, he thought, it must have been the braying of the sandpeople. Sandpeople, Ben noted with sudden alarm, which were very close to this home. He picked himself up and ran out of Luke’s room with his lightsaber in hand. What he heard next sounded incredulous to his ears. It was the sound of a gaffi rifle going off, followed by the angry cries of a human child. Ben rushed outside and pulled his hood up over his face to ward off the sand storm. The two moons were obscured by the storm, throwing the night into an awkward blue hue without actually providing any light. It was the Force that Ben followed, lending direction to the sound of the child’s crying and the guns going off. When he arrived, he could believe neither what his eyes beheld nor what the Force told him. Who would believe that even sandpeople would be so cruel as to shoot a human child at point blank range again and again? Who would believe that the bullets from such shots would knock the child over and bruise him, but not penetrate? The child’s apparent unwillingness to die threw the sandpeople into a fit as they rushed forward, swinging their oversized, archaic rifles and clubs. One hit the child square in the face and caused another angry, hurt cry. The second also came down, only to be caught and yanked away by a meaty, infant fist. The sandpeople backed away, stunned. Ben, also stunned, recovered more quickly. He cupped both hands to his mouth and let out the hair-raising cry of a krayt dragon. Using the Force to augment his voice, the sound shocked the sandpeople out of their confusion and sent them scrambling toward their banthas. Only then did Ben dare approach the child, who was now on his side crying in genuine pain. In the darkened, stormy night, it was difficult for Ben to make out any details, other than the child was either acting younger than his years, or was large for his age. In any event, he was naked save for a red baby blanket with an odd serpentine script or monogram on it that Ben had never seen. The baby saw Ben and began crying in real need, pulling himself up into a sitting position while reaching out for the only comfort he could imagine. Ben responded in the only way he could, and reached in return. He lifted the child in his arms, wrapped him in his robes, and returned to the Lars homestead. Once inside, Ben found Beru’s old rocking chair and sat down with a reading lamp nearby to illuminate his discovery. The child was stunningly beautiful, with perfectly proportioned features, thick black hair and eyes so blue they seemed almost cosmetic, as if someone had fitted the infant with contact lenses. His arms and legs were thick with healthy baby fat, and he looked like a perfectly healthy child. Save, of course, for the bruises. Ben traced a line of black bruises running across the baby’s chest where the sandpeople had shot him, and the boy had a blackened eye and a cut on his cheek where he had been clubbed. Even as Ben watched, though, the bruises on his chest were fading, and the cut on his cheek was sealing itself. And then Ben opened himself to the Force, and gasped. Never had he sensed anything like the child in his lap. The baby shone like a beacon in the Force, more fiercely and brightly than anything he had ever encountered or even heard of. Not even Anakin had glowed like this baby. And, opened there to the Force, Ben felt the questing thoughts of another; a dark, evil presence that also sensed the beacon of Force energy and sought it out. Thinking fast, Ben placed his hand on the baby’s forehead, and as he had with Luke and Leia, shrouded the Force presence of the baby. The questing presence reached, failed to grasp its target, and then faded back into the Force. Sighing with relief, Ben looked down at the baby. He estimated it was eight months to a year old, standard time. It looked back at him, no longer crying. No longer bruised. “What are you, my boy?” The boy grinned and leaned forward, wrapping Ben in a hug. * * * The next day the baby woke Ben by rolling until its back was against the adobe wall of Luke’s room and stretching. The stretching itself should not have woken the tired Jedi from his sound sleep. What woke him was the hard kick in his back that sent him sprawling onto the floor. Instinctively Ben leaped to his feet with his sword ready, only to see a pair of sleepy blue eyes regarding him. The eyes widened when the boy saw the sword, and he cooed. “Ooonana!” the boy said, reaching. “Yes, to be sure,” Ben said. He deactivated his blade, hung it back on his belt, and then rubbed at the sore spot on his back. This would be the last time he shared a bed with that particular child. “Well, boy, it appears you are stuck with me for the time being. Let’s see what Beru has to feed us.” He found a bowl of sweetened grain nuggets and Luke’s old booster seat. He had the baby sit up at the table with a bowl of the nuggets and a glass of blue milk while he fixed himself a cup of caf. The baby cooed as he began shoving fistfuls of food into his mouth. And then the baby did what babies do, and did so with a gusto that left the chair and floor thoroughly soaked. “Oh my,” Ben said. With a grimace, Ben cleaned up the mess, and then took the stinking child to the fresher to do the same. There were no diapers in the house, so Ben did his best swaddling the child in a towel. Then they stepped outside into the searing Tatooine morning. The cold had long since burned away, and already the sand dunes were starting to shimmer with heat. Ben carried the boy toward the spot where he had found him, and it did not take long to find the boy’s ship. It was the size of a capitol ship escape pod, but one of a completely alien design. It was blackened from entry into the planet’s atmosphere so obviously did not have any type of particle or ray shielding, but Ben could see where it had originally been spiked like a decorative star. Rather than open with a traditional hatch, the whole craft had broken in half, exposing a ring of beautiful white crystals and one green one. “Very interesting,” Ben whispered. He held out his hand, still leery of the ship, and the green crystal came to him through the Force. He held it a moment and felt within it vast, unbelievable amounts of knowledge. It was, he had no doubt, a data crystal of some kind. “Well, my young friend, I do not believe this is a very safe place for us any more. We had better leave as soon as possible.” “Lalabababaaa!” the boy said, grinning as he reached for Ben’s beard. “Indeed,” Ben agreed. It did not take long for Ben to gather his things, since he had few things to gather. What he did have, however, was money. Just after the purge, while on Bail Organa’s ship, Ben transferred credits from the various Jedi temple accounts shortly before Palpatine’s agents froze all Temple assets. It had taken almost a month to safely route the funds from one hidden account to the other, until he had finally been able to get a credit disk transferred to Dantooine, where he picked it up personally. Now that disk would be his only hope of escape from agents he knew would be arriving shortly. Though the emperor had not found the boy, Ben knew he would not stop looking. * * * Three days later, a lone figure strode through the abandoned complex of the Lars farmstead. A line of Imperial stormtroopers, many of them clones from the wars just four years past, stood at perfect attention. The shuttle gleamed with the light of the setting suns. The figure did not speak as he moved through the buildings, through each room. Black gloved hands touched walls and cabinetry as if he could still feel anything. The stone and adobe walls absorbed the sound of his mechanical breathing, maintaining the silence of the place. The figure noticed the booster chair left in the seat. He noticed the emptied stores. He noticed the little boy’s bedroom filled with toys, many of which appeared old and second-hand. He stood for an especially long time in the doorway to that room, staring at the room as if he recognized or saw something no one else could see. The only sound was the uhhh-burrr of a respirator. Finally, the black armored creature, the cyborg monstrosity known as Darth Vader, turned and left the house, walking ponderously up the steps from the sunken courtyard. He strode across the rock and sand until he came to the graves. He found five of them, one of which he himself had dug a lifetime ago. He ignored the newer marker for Cliegg Lars and instead stared at the marker for Shmi Skywalker with the same silence with which he had walked through the home. Then his mask turned toward the new mounds, and the words burned into the simple stone markers. He read the first two with interest. Here Lies Owen Lars, Beloved Husband Here Lies Beru Lars, Beloved Wife. Then his hidden eyes fell on the third marker, larger to accommodate the longer message. Here lies Luke Skywalker, age four, son of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, and the greatest hope for the Light. With his death, so too dies our hope for a better tomorrow, and the last legacy of all that was good in his father. The stormtroopers watched with interest as their master, the Dark Lord of the Sith and apprentice to the new emperor himself, knelt in the sand with a sound that even through the vocorder of his mask sounded like a groan of unbearable agony. A trooper rushed forward. “M’lord, are you injured?” Vader rose, and with a terrifying roar slammed his fist into the chest of the trooper. The blow, strengthened by rage, the Force, and cybernetics, sent the already dead man’s body flailing through the air to crash into sand meters away. The other troopers remained passive and at attention. Darth Vader marched to the shuttle and the troopers mutely fell in behind him, leaving the fallen man where he lay. An hour later, the Imperial class star destroyer opened up with all turbolaser batteries on the surface of the planet. With only a single ship, it took almost forty minutes, but by the time Darth Vader left Tatooine, the entire surface of the planet had been slagged into glass, along with all those who lived there. Thoughts? Comments? Worth a second post? -----signature----- "Spock!" "Yes Captain!" "Be one with the horse." "Yes, Captain." Gods of Dark and Light; Heaven Falls Legacy of the Red Sun; Children of the Red Sun Blue Sun Down; The Boy Who Fell
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bmwgurl17 Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 11/22/06 9:00am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o
	I say this is DEFINENTLY worth a second post and many others. Im very interested to see where you go with this! Vader rose, and with a terrifying roar slammed his fist into the chest of the trooper. The blow, strengthened by rage, the Force, and cybernetics, sent the already dead man’s body flailing through the air to crash into sand meters away. The other troopers remained passive and at attention. Loved this part. -----signature----- From Red and Purple Memories(A/P,Obi, ROTS angst,) --http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/24888230/p1/?56 If I can catch your fall--http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/22898705/p1 Star Wars V.S LOTR
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 11/22/06 10:31am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o
	Oh, great start! Please put me on your PM list! Crossovers are hard to pull off, I think, and this promises to be a good one. -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Jedi-2B Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 11/23/06 7:38am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o
	Ack, I didn't realize you were going to start posting already. At least you didn't promise any set schedule on posting. I should be able to keep ahead of you. Poor Luke. Ben is going to have his hands full with Super Baby. -----signature----- It was on her fifteenth day in the darkness of the Nirauan cave when Mara Jade awoke to discover a rescuer had finally arrived. It was not, however, any of the potential rescuers she would have expected. It was Luke. ~~And the rest is history~~
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Darth_Marrs Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 11/28/06 7:27pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o
	bmwgurl17 posted: I say this is DEFINENTLY worth a second post and many others. Im very interested to see where you go with this! Thanks for the support, I certainly will (especially since the dang thing's already done and I can't imagine posting it anywhere else). VaderLVR64 posted: Oh, great start! Please put me on your PM list! Crossovers are hard to pull off, I think, and this promises to be a good one. Thanks--I'm glad you came over to take a look! Jedi-2B posted: Ack, I didn't realize you were going to start posting already. At least you didn't promise any set schedule on posting. I should be able to keep ahead of you. Poor Luke. Ben is going to have his hands full with Super Baby. Yeah. Crossovers like this really are hard. There is no place in Star Wars canon for Superman. So for this to work, I had to make room. For Kale/Sups to be who and what he is would have diminished Luke, and that just wasn't fair. Anyway, thanks for reading. Here is the next chapter for your reading pleasure! Chapter Two: Paradise In a Smile “Mother, Kale is jumping off the cliff!” Sola Naberrie scrambled to her feet as her eyes automatically sought the top of the cliff lining the beach where they had picnicked that day. Just as Ryoo had said, when she looked up from her position on the sandy beach she could see the teenager standing on the very edge of the five hundred foot cliff, his arms held out to either side, his body already swinging forward. “Kale!” she screamed as her son began falling. Her husband Darred was also on his feet and running toward the edge of the cliff, Sola and her daughters Pooja and Ryoo right behind him. They heard the loud thud of their son’s body impacting the sand and rock of the beach, and pushed themselves even harder. They crested a dune of sand just in time to see Kale picking himself up from the ground and dusting himself off. He wore a large, silly grin. His pure black hair was also sandy, and he had sand around his face where he had fallen, but otherwise he was unharmed. The ground, however, could not claim the same. There was a crater almost ten centimeters deep where he had landed. “Kale, we told you not to do that!” Darred said. “What if someone had seen you!” “There’s no one around, Dad,” Kale said. “I checked. Promise.” The worse thing was they knew he meant it. Kale did not lie well. It did not stop him from trying on occasion, but he simply could not look a loved one in the face while lying, and all of them knew that when he wanted to really check his surroundings out, he could do so with a vision beyond even that of the most acute visual aids. “Well, just be more careful in public, will you?” Kale, who at fifteen was already taller than Darred, and in fact everyone in his school including faculty, laughed, and then swept all four of them into a hug. “You got it, Dad! What’s for lunch, I’m starving!” “We’re here celebrating Pooja, Kale, not your stomach,” Ryoo said. “Every meal is a celebration of my stomach,” Kale said with an irresistible grin. Ryoo snorted in exasperation even as she let her much younger brother put his arm around her shoulder. Then he snagged Senator Pooja Naberrie in the other arm. “It’s too bad everyone knows we're family,” he said to the air. “Every guy in school would die of jealously if he saw me holding the two most beautiful ladies on Naboo!” “Flattery will get you everywhere, little brother,” Pooja said. She and the rest smiled, unable to stay mad at Kale no matter how hard they tried, or how much he deserved it. And he frequently deserved it. They settled down to a luscious meal in a setting of pure paradise. The waves of the blue lake broke with peaceful music against the shore, while the forest above them cackled and sang with the natural fauna. The sky overhead held a few pearls of cloud that merely made the blue expanse even lovelier. It was, Kale thought, a perfect day. Naturally, Ben had to show up to ruin it. He came strolling up along the coast in Naboo trousers and a loose fitting shirt. He still looked strong despite the gray in his hair and beard, as if the gentle climes of Naboo fit him perfectly. Darred was the first to see him, and Kale knew it was Ben as much because of his father’s expression of disappointment as for anything else. “Hello, Ben,” Darred said. “Hello, my friend,” Ben said. “Sola, you look as lovely as always.” “Thank you, Ben.” Pooja and Ryoo had also stood, and Kale reluctantly followed. Ben bowed deeply to Pooja. “Senator. I understand congratulations are in order. I read you successfully passed legislation easing the franchise tax for Naboo exports.” “Thank you, Ben. It was a great day for Naboo.” Ben nodded and smiled kindly to Ryoo, and then finally locked eyes on Kale. “You did not check the area out as thoroughly as you thought, Kale. Not only did I see you fall, I was close enough to hear what you said afterward.” When Kale blushed, it looked like a red star going nova in his cheeks. “So much for a great day,” he muttered. Ben’s expression blanked. “We need to talk, Kale. Darred, Sola, I’m so sorry to intrude. I hope you will excuse us.” The two men walked away from the Naberries along the edge of the water. “Do I really bother you that badly, Kale?” Kale looked up at Ben, then out at the water. “No. I’m sorry I said that. It’s just, whenever you appear it’s because of something bad happening.” “So you blame the messenger and not the message?” Kale shrugged. “What is it this time?” “Something bad, of course.” It prompted a smile, but a short-lived one. “I’ve received word from my contacts that the Emperor is in the final stages of finishing his new super weapon. It should be fully operational within the next six months.” “What’s this got to do with me?” “Not much, to be honest. It has more to do with me. But because I am who I am, and because of your connection to me, you may be in danger. And because of that, I want to continue your training.” Kale shook his head, reached down and lifted a piece of Naboo granite the size of Ben’s first. He closed his fist, and reduced the rock to sand with a loud pop. “I don’t need to be a Jedi to defend myself.” “Brute force without guidance is nothing more than brute force. But with the guidance of the Force, it will be true power. The Force brought you to me for a reason those many years ago, Kale. You arrived just days after the death of a boy whom we had always hoped would be the savior of the Jedi. That can’t be just coincidence.” Kale looked out over the lake. “You’re going to take it all away from me, aren’t you? This place. My family.” Ben put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, surprised by the fact he had to reach up to do so. “Kale, the only thing that never changes is change itself. This was a refuge for you, and will continue to be so for the time being. I knew the Naberries would accept you for who you were, and give you the moral foundations you would need. But you must understand that this was never going to be your home for life.” “I know.” Ben nodded in recognition of the pain he heard in Kale’s voice. “Nothing has to happen today, though. Go back and be with your family. And tomorrow, after your school work, we will begin.” With that, Ben turned and strode purposefully away, leaving Kale alone. The boy bent over, lifted another stone, and stared at it. He turned to the water and threw the stone. It did not skip along the surface. It furrowed into the water for twenty meters and caused a wave that carried visibly across the surface all the way to the far side of the lake two kilometers away. * * * “So, Kale, who’s the new girl?” Darde asked in astrophysics. Kale shrugged and let his eyes lock on the fiery red hair and porcelain pale skin of the new girl. “I heard her name was Arica.” Kale had heard a great deal more about the new girl than he was willing to admit. Arica Soonda was the daughter of the new Imperial liaison to the Queen. She came from Coruscant and wore the newest fashions from the Core, leaving all the other girls in the school scrambling for holonet orders to get new clothes. Even more than clothes, though, her red hair and bright green eyes stood out among the crowd at the Theed Royal Academy. Those males who first noticed her hair were then quickly entranced by her lithe figure and graceful movements. “She moves like a dancer,” one mildly jealous girlfriend admitted. Arica was, according to the general consensus of males (and more than a handful of females) the most beautiful girl not just in the school, but in all of Theed. And for a race of people known throughout the galaxy as beautiful, that was truly saying something. Kale found this out from his friends in the admissions office the first day she arrived, and spent the next two days watching her every chance he could. She was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Darde thought so too. “So, are you going to make a move on her?” Kale felt his cheeks flushing. “She’s a fourth year, I’m only a second year. I can’t imagine she’d be interested in me.” Darde shrugged. “You’re a second year in a fourth year astrophysics class, Kale. And you look more like a man than our teacher.” Which was true, if only for the fact the professor was a Mon Cal visiting professor. Kale shook his head. “She’s too…I don’t know.” He wanted to say she was too beautiful. Hers was the kind of beauty to make other men jealous, and Kale naturally shied away from such strong emotion. He knew that if he ever truly lost his temper, he could seriously hurt someone. If he let himself fall for her, he had no doubt she would play with him because he was too young and inexperienced for her. And when she found someone new, he would become jealous, lose control and smash anyone even looking at her into a pulp that… “Kale!” Kale shook himself out of his reverie and then realized that Professor Sinhalg was calling on him. “Cronau radiation?” he blurted. The Mon Cal blinked his massive eyes. “Either you are capable of listening with your face to the stars, or that was the most remarkably lucky guess ever, but you are correct.” The rest of the class chuckled, and as Kale smiled with an embarrassed blush, he realized that Arica was staring at him appraisingly. Before she turned her attention back to the professor, she smiled. Kale gripped his desk so hard he heard a crack and looked down in horror to realize he had broken the edge of the desk. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed and saw Darde grinning. No one else, though, had noticed. Finally, class ended and Kale managed to get out as fast as he could before Professor Sinhalg or anyone else noticed the hand-sized indentation in the duraplast desk surface. At his locker, Darde grinned. “I saw her look.” “She’s just playing with me, Darde.” Although a year older, Darde was a third of a meter shorter than Kale, with light blond hair and a round chin that made him look decidedly younger than his friend. He told himself and Kale and anyone who would listen that the rounding was baby fat that would go away, but since his father and grandfather had the same round chin, most of his friends dismissed the claim. “Whatever makes you feel better at night, Kale,” Darde said with a knowing laugh. “But last time I saw a smile like that on a woman’s face she was my sister, and she got married six months later. She had a baby three months after that.” Kale laughed. “Yeah, she didn’t waste time, did she?” “One more thing, my foolish friend. If that smile wasn’t real, why would she be coming this way?” “Oh gods, is she?” Kale said, suddenly horrified. Darde grinned as Kale struggled to get his holopad stored with his training clothes in the small locker. He fumbled and dropped his socks and one shoe before he got everything in just as Arica Soonda sauntered by. “Hello,” she said with a winsome smile. Kale slammed his locker shut with sufficient force to bend it, then leaned against it with his cheeks flaring the color of a dying sun. Beside him, Darde grinned and admired the young woman. “Good afternoon,” he said pleasantly. “My name is Darde Hollistan. This blushing young man is Kale Naberrie. You must be Arica.” Arica grinned. “I am. It’s nice to meet you, Darde.” Her eyes passed by the smaller student to the much larger one. “And you too, Kale.” “Uhh, thank you.” “Are you related to Senator Naberrie?” Kale grasped onto the safer line of conversation desperately. “Yes! Yes. She’s my sister, Pooja.” “How wonderful that must be,” Arica said, her eyes seemingly far away. “She is an amazing woman, just like your Aunt was.” She blinked and returned to present company. “I heard there was a monument to Senator Amidala, but I haven’t been able to find it.” She waited for the appropriate response. Kale stared, totally entranced by the way her eyes sparkled; by the dimples at the base of her cheeks where the creases of her mouth ended; by the perfectly smooth, flawless skin made both pale and luminous by the strands of bright red hair that had escaped her headdress and fell in tresses beside her eyes. Darde elbowed him. “Uhhh, I can show you!” he finally said. “I mean, she was my aunt. I’ve been there lots of times.” Lots of times meant twice, both times at his mother’s insistence. “That would be really nice,” Arica said. She leaned up and, rising on the tips of her toes, lightly kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so much. I have a speeder if you want to meet after school out in front.” “Okay,” Kale said, now too stunned by the light kiss on his cheek to be nervous. “I’ll see you then,” she said with a bright smile to both. She turned and walked down the hall, and Kale and Darde both watched her every step. “She is beautiful,” Kale whispered. “That she is, my friend,” Darde said with a wistful smile. “And she evidently has a thing for tall, gangly fools who can break desks barehanded.” Kale stuttered as his friend put a hand on his shoulder. “Just a word of advice, Kale. Try not to break her car. Or her. Or your Aunt’s monument.” Kale couldn’t help but laugh. He had known Darde his whole life, and had no secrets left. “I’ll try not to.” “Great. Now that you appear to have a date, think you could hook me up with Ryoo?” “She’s twelve years older than you, and has already said no. Three times.” “Four, actually. But hope springs eternal, my friend.” All thought of his appointment with Ben evaporated from Kale’s brain like so much water under turbolaser fire. When faced with the choice of spending time with the most beautiful woman in an entire sector, or with a cantankerous old Jedi who wanted to work him ragged, Kale didn’t even expend conscious thought on the decision. That afternoon, as Ben waited anxiously in a clearing near the Naberrie household, Arica Soonda picked Kale up in a very expensive air car on the front curb of his school. Kale noticed the stares and glares from many of the other students, and one contagious grin from a certain friend of his. As he climbed in, he admired the vehicle. “This is a really nice speeder,” he said. Arica giggled. “Do you really think so? I think Daddy got it to make up for dragging me away from Coruscant.” They lifted off the ground and Kale felt his stomach twist a little as they shot off into the air. He pointed toward the square where his aunt’s monument had been built and she easily followed his directions. “So did you grow up on Coruscant?” he said. “No, I was originally from Sullust. Dad worked for SoroSub before joining the military. That’s when we moved to Coruscant. I was ten, so I might as well have been from there.” “Are you sad you came here?” She looked at him and smiled. The expression lit up her face, as if the angels of the moons of Iego were reflecting the light of heaven itself from their wings onto her. It caught Kale’s breath in his chest, and made his heart thud so strongly for a moment he feared she would hear it. When she spoke, it was as if she were an angel as well. “I was. But I’m beginning to appreciate it a little more.” They arrived at the monument and she brought the car down to the street level with such graceful ease she appeared not to even think about it. Once grounded, she drove the car on its repulsors under some tall evergreen trees that ringed the statue. Around them, the Naboo and an occasional Gungan walked peacefully about their affairs, with more than a few pausing by the statue. Although Kale had never noticed, sitting now beside this beautiful young woman who stared at the statue with obvious respect, he saw for the first time how people would occasionally stop and touch the right foot of the statute. “She was so beautiful,” Arica said. “I read about her in history class, how she almost single-handedly stopped an invasion of Naboo a few years before the Clone Wars began. She was only a teenager. Isn’t that amazing?” It was amazing, and Kale knew it. His entire life he had heard the legend of his aunt Padmé. When she was at the age he was now, his aunt was not only elected queen of the Naboo, but through sheer willpower and the assistance of two Jedi, almost single-handedly defeated the Trade Federation’s attempted invasion. It was ancient history to Kale, something belonging to another time and place than his world. And yet, as he and Arica stepped out of the car and she walked up to pay her own respects by touching the foot of the statue like the others, Kale realized it was not such ancient history. His mother remembered how scared she was when the Trade Federation droids came and forced them from their homes in the middle of the night. “I hope you never know fear like that, Kale,” she told him a few years ago, when she recounted her own story of the invasion for the first time. “She was a remarkable woman,” Arica said as the two stepped back. “Her career as senator was almost as remarkable as her term as queen. Did you know the Naboo tried to amend their constitution to elect her for another term after her limit expired?” “Yeah.” Arica blushed herself and then laughed. “I suppose you would know that, wouldn’t you?” She began strolling around the reflection pool that formed a circular base to the statue. A few steps behind the statue, the park suddenly dipped into a wide sunken amphitheater flanked on either side by stairs and a sidewalk. At the center of the amphitheater was a waterfall with the queen’s statue at the top. At the base of the waterfall were three life-sized granite statues of the Naboo fighters that fought in the defense of the planet. And on a pedestal underneath one of the ships was the figure of a little boy wearing distinctly foreign clothes. The two walked down the steps, and Arica stared at the statue. “Who is that boy?” “That’s Anakin Skywalker,” Kale said. “The Jedi Skywalker?” “Yes. I’m not sure on the details, but supposedly he befriended Queen Amidala either on the way to or at Coruscant, and was with her and her Jedi guardians when she returned. Somehow he got himself stuck in a starfighter during the counter-attack, launched into the battle, and single-handedly destroyed the droid control ship of the Trade Federation. I think he was nine or so.” Arica stared, and for a moment her expression changed from the luminous beauty of a young girl to something less luminous, and more calculating. However, the change lasted only a heart beat. “Anakin Skywalker. The hero of the Clone Wars. He started early in the hero business, didn’t he? And he was a friend of the Queen? Amazing.” She looked around, admiring the park. Overhead, a few puffs of clouds made the perfect sky even more so, while the sound of water splashing over the statues gave the air itself the feeling of a symphony. “This place is just so wonderful,” she said as she sat against the railing of the pool. Kale settled in beside her. “Don’t they have places like this on Coruscant?” “Not like this,” Arica said. “Not this peaceful. Everyone is always rushing; always in a hurry. And there are so many people, Kale. I don’t think you could ever really understand what it means to live so close to so many people until you’ve done it. The house my Daddy and I live in here would cost a fortune on Coruscant. Sector Senators can’t even afford that much space. And all the wonderful, living green spaces. I’ve never seen anyplace so beautiful.” Kale watched her as she spoke; entranced with her lips and the subtle way they moved. “Coruscant couldn’t have been that bad,” he said. “At least, not until you moved away.” Arica turned and stared with wide eyes. “Kale Naberrie, was that a compliment?” Kale blinked. “Uh, I didn’t mean…” She leaned over and kissed him. His breath stopped at the dreaded, wonderful feel of her lips on his, of the feel of her hair caressing his cheeks as they fell over her eyes. She backed away and grinned. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I liked it. And I like you, Kale. Thank you for coming with me.” “You’re welcome,” he said, stunned and ecstatic and terrified and… “You are so beautiful.” Her smile literally stopped his heart. When it started again, he could barely breathe. She leaned forward and kissed him again, and this time he risked an arm around her shoulder. She felt so warm, so strong and alive! “You’re not bad looking yourself, Kale Naberrie,” she whispered into his ear. A nearby tower commemorating the victims of the invasion began tolling its bell to mark the passage of yet another hour. “Wow, is it really that late?” She stood, looking both panicked and mildly embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, I promised Dad I would meet him ten minutes ago! He’s going to kill me!” “Go ahead and go,” Kale said. “My house isn’t far away and it’s a beautiful day; I don’t mind walking.” She jumped and wrapped both arms around his neck, easily hanging from him and she kissed him on the lips. “Thank you! Will I see you tomorrow?” “I hope to gods yes,” Kale said. She laughed easily and freely, kissed him one more time, and then started sprinting up the steps much faster than any other girl he knew. When she was gone, he pulled out his pocket comm and dialed Darde. As soon as Darde answered and saw his friend’s expression, he grinned. “You didn’t!” “She did,” Kale said. “She kissed me first. And more than once.” “Yeah, that’d be the only way it happened,” Darde said with a laugh. “The girl would have to make the first move. My friend, you have no idea how lucky you are.” Comments? Suggestions? Heaping praise or slinging dirision? Thanks. -----signature----- "Spock!" "Yes Captain!" "Be one with the horse." "Yes, Captain." Gods of Dark and Light; Heaven Falls Legacy of the Red Sun; Children of the Red Sun Blue Sun Down; The Boy Who Fell
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ikarit Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 11/28/06 8:26pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 2 posted 11/28
	Oh, no! Luke. ;_; I just found this fic and though I'm still in the process of mourning Luke (Luke!! Not Luke! You killed off Luke!! How could you do that?), naturally I've fallen in love with this fic just like I fell in love with your other one. Please add me to your PM list! -----signature----- "The dark is generous, and it is patient and it always wins; but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars." - Matt Stover, Revenge of the Sith novelization
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 11/29/06 8:41am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 2 posted 11/28
	ANOTHER wonderful update. I would say more, but I'm supposed to be cleaning. -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Jedi-2B Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 12/2/06 4:34pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 2 posted 11/28
	Can a certain green-eyed redhead ever be trusted? Time will tell. Kale is pulling the same daredevil stunts with the Naberries that I imagine young Clark pulled with the Kents. -----signature----- It was on her fifteenth day in the darkness of the Nirauan cave when Mara Jade awoke to discover a rescuer had finally arrived. It was not, however, any of the potential rescuers she would have expected. It was Luke. ~~And the rest is history~~
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Raptor517 Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 12/2/06 8:10pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 2 posted 11/28
	Oh, man. Not the way I expected Luke to die, but the awesome and hilarious way you made that bumbling Clark come to life was to die for! (Which Luke did...) I would LOVE a PM when this continued! Keep up the great work! Raptor517 -----signature----- Piercing the Darkness http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28010631/p1/?1 His Brother's Words http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/26020497/p1/?3 Metamorphosis http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/24997946/p5/?7 Intelligence vs Canon htt
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Darth_Marrs Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 12/4/06 7:30pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 2 posted 11/28
	ikarit--Sorry about killing Luke. He didn't suffer much, if that's any consolation. VaderLvr64--You're secret life outside of cleaning is safe with me! Jedi-2B--Always beware redheads named Arica. By the way, have I mentioned in this story what a wonderful Beta reader I have? Raptor517--thank you, and will do. Well, we have one more chapter of happy, fluffy stuff before things start happening. Enjoy. Chapter Three: Red Haired Angel “Kale, you have no idea how much danger you’re in,” Ben said. The former Jedi stood with his arms crossed and his eyes flashing angrily down at where Kale sat. When he got home, his mother icily reminded him of his early appointment with Ben, and he had rushed to the clearing to find the Jedi waiting with less than his usual grace. “I know, Ben. I’m sorry.” “Sorry isn’t always enough, Kale. I have to know your heart is in this. If you are going to really begin training, you have to do so with your whole heart. You’re already old to begin with.” Kale nodded, but Ben didn’t believe it, and said as much. “For instance, your mind was nowhere near here just then,” the Jedi said. Kale shrugged and blushed. “I’m sorry, Ben. I really am. It’s just…something wonderful happened today, and I’m having a hard time not thinking about it.” “Something wonderful?” “Someone wonderful.” Ben rolled his eyes and sat on a boulder nearby while overhead the evergreens whistled in the wind as if laughing. “A girl. Perfect. Just perfect. Of all the times you could have decided to give in to your raging hormones, why did it have to be on the verge of galactic civil war?” That last caught Kale’s attention. “Civil war?” “Kale, what do you think I’ve been talking about all this time? I am a part of the rebellion, at least insofar as I’ve been a part of anything since I found you. The Rebel Alliance contacted me a few days ago to request my aid. But the act of contacting me has placed me in danger, and possibly you as well. That’s why it is so very important for you to start your training.” Kale nodded soberly, for the moment dismissing thoughts of Arica. He was too young to remember the slaughter of Queen Apailana at Theed Palace, but it was not so long ago that the scars had completely been erased. In fact, Queen Kylantha purposely refused to repair the damage in the palace from the Fall of Naboo, including the blaster holes in the floor where her predecessor Queen Apailana had been killed. “I think I understand, Ben. What do you want to do first?” “First, we learn to control that significant strength of yours.” That night, after four straight hours of training by Ben, Kale walked into his home and began raiding the pantry. He pulled out enough food to feed the family twice over and began preparing a sandwich the size of a newborn Gungan. “Hello, son,” a voice said. Kale dropped his sandwich, but then caught it before it traveled ten centimeters, as his mother walked in and sat down at the table. He gulped, then grinned and nodded to his snack. “I was hungry.” “I noticed,” his mom said with an indulgent smile. “How did your time with Ben go?” “He was really mad at me for being late, but I think he felt better after we were done. I really am trying.” She reached across and touched his arm lovingly and smiled despite herself as he managed to stuff a fistful of food in his mouth. What was more amazing was the fact it really didn’t look like that large of a bite in comparison to the rest of him. “Kale, a good friend of mine saw you today at my sister’s monument. She said you were with a young woman, and that you were kissing.” Kale put the sandwich down and realized his cheeks were radiating enough heat to melt nerf cheese. “Uhh, Mom….” “From what I understand, she was a very beautiful young woman. Can you tell me her name?” “Arica. Arica Soonda.” “The new Imperial Liaison’s daughter,” Sola noted in a singularly neutral fashion. “How old is she, Kale?” “She’s a fourth year, so she’s probably seventeen or eighteen,” Kale said. “And you’re only fifteen.” Kale nodded, realizing where his mother was going. “She…she’s really neat, Mom. I think you’d like her. She really liked visiting the monument. She had read all about Aunt Padmé and knew all sorts of stuff about her.” Sola nodded and settled back in her chair. “I wonder if that’s why she singled you out?” “What do you mean?” “You’re a Naberrie, the son of Queen Amidala’s sister. Perhaps her worship of my sister was so strong she felt a need to be close to a family member. It’s happened before, with girls who identify with her, and boys who developed crushes on her. Pooja was propositioned all the time in finishing school by complete strangers who loved her for her name.” Kale sat thinking, realizing what his mother was trying to say. “You mean she couldn’t possibly like me because of me, right?” “Kale, that’s not what I said.” “But it’s what you think,” Kale said, too hurt to be upset. His mother put a hand on his arm. “My son, I don’t doubt for a moment she is attracted to you. You are as handsome a man as any I have ever seen, and I have seen many of the girls around here staring at you. Please don’t ever think otherwise. I just want to…I’m your mother. It’s my instinct to protect you from everything, especially the truly dangerous things.” “Like girls.” “Yes.” “And what about Pooja or Ryoo, do you protect them from boys?” “No, that’s Darred’s job,” Sola said with a laugh. She leaned forward and hugged her boy. “Kale, you are special. And not just because of your abilities. You are our son, by adoption and in our hearts. We love you very much. All I ask is that with this new friend of yours, you go slow and be sure.” “I will, Mom. I love you too.” She kissed his cheek and stood to go to bed. “Oh, and Kale?” “Yeah, Mom?” “If you do go on another excursion with this young lady, don’t go anyplace where your grandmother will see you. She almost had a heart attack.” “You mean that was…” “Yes.” “Oh.” “Indeed. And also, one other thing. If you happen to go with your young friend anywhere, try not to break anything. You know, like her car, or her?” Kale snorted. “Goodnight, Mom.” “Goodnight, dear.” * * * “Beautiful redhead on approach,” Darde said with a nod. Kale turned and saw Arica walking toward him with a happy smile. “Good morning!” she said as she leaned up and gently pecked him on the cheek. “Good morning, Darde.” “Arica,” Darde said with a laugh. “I’ll see you later, Kale.” When he was gone, Arica held her pad to her chest and smiled. “I had a really good time last night.” “I did too,” Kale said. “I hope your Dad wasn’t too mad at you?” “Nah, I kissed his cheek and he forgot about it. Amazing what that can do.” “Tell me about it.” She laughed and kissed his cheek to reinforce the message. “You betchya! So what are you doing for lunch?” “Cafeteria.” “Eck. We can do better than that. I have transportation, remember? And an open campus. That is definitely something Naboo has over Coruscant. Daddy took me to a great Gungan seafood place by the lake last night.” “Yeah, Hay-Dar’s Place.” “You want to come?” “Sure!” The entire morning, Kale dreamed of Arica. When lunch finally came and he walked out the front, he half expected her not to be there. It seemed almost too good to be true when she was. He climbed in and she kissed his cheek again as they headed out for lunch. That afternoon, he dreamed of Arica. And the saldik sandwich with Gungan fire sauce and chips. But mostly Arica. During the break before the last class of the day, Darde tapped him on the shoulder. “Naboo to Kale, anyone home?” “Hey, Darde. How are you?” “Lonely. My best friend’s been girl-knapped.” Kale grinned. “You have no idea.” “You really like her?” “She’s amazing,” he said. “It’s only been two days, and I just can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so…perfect. I think I’m in love with her!” “I think you’re in lust with her, which is pretty nice too,” Darde said. “Just don’t forget those of us who don’t have red hair and green eyes and a really nice butt.” “Oh, I don’t know, Darde. I think your butt’s kinda cute.” “Who’s this with the cute butt?” Arica’s voice asked from behind them. “Should I be jealous?” “I was talking about Darde,” Kale said. “Don’t you think he has a cute butt?” Arica grinned, walked up to the furiously blushing Darde, and gave a good round swat to his posterior, followed by a quick grope. Darde yelped in surprise. “Yeah, I’d say all in all it’s a pretty cute butt.” “I’m sooo doomed,” Darde muttered. Darde’s frown faded as Arica kissed him on a cheek. “Any friend of Kale’s is a friend of mine,” she told him. Then she grinned and turned to Kale. “And see what I mean about kisses? I have power, gentlemen. Never forget that.” Even Darde had to laugh at that. “Power indeed. Got my attention, anyway. Well, got to get to class. Be gentle with Kale.” “Yes, I’m sure he’s fragile,” Arica said. “Yeah, fragile like durasteel.” He laughed and moved on. Arica looked puzzled. “That didn’t really make sense.” Kale shrugged. “It’s Darde. His humor is a bit odd sometimes. So, thanks again for lunch.” “It was all my pleasure,” she said as she sidled closer, her eyes never leaving his face. “You could pay me back, though. You could take me to dinner tonight.” Once more, a quandary. Ben, or Arica. Old, mean Jedi. Beautiful young woman who enjoyed kissing him. Rebel Alliance and impending civil war. Beautiful young woman who enjoyed kissing him. “I would love to.” “Great! After school?” “I’ll be there.” When the last class ended and Kale left the school, he realized Arica probably skipped last period, because when she picked him up she had already changed from the black ensemble she wore in school, and now wore a glittering turquoise top and slimming black slacks. The top hung very low, and Kale had to exert a near-physical effort to keep from staring at her chest as he climbed into the convertible speeder. “You look beautiful!” She beamed and kissed him, but this time not on the cheeks. The kiss lingered for five heartbeats, and by the time she was done Kale would have killed for her. “That was pretty nice,” he breathed. “Yes it was,” she whispered, staring up at him through her long, luscious lashes. “Are you hungry?” “Oh yes.” She laughed. “Great, let’s go eat!” Arica flew them to a small nerfsteak restaurant on the edge of the falls by Theed Palace known for the quality of its meats, and an all-you-can-eat buffet. “You must have been reading my mind,” he said when they set down by the restaurant. “This is my favorite place in the whole city.” “Great minds think alike,” she said with a grin. She took his hand tightly in hers and led him inside. They arrived well before the main dinner-time rush, and so managed to procure a table on the balcony overlooking the falls of Theed River, and the palace overhanging them. The air was cool, moist and comfortable, and the plains below shimmered in the late afternoon sun. “I think this is the most beautiful planet I’ve ever been on,” she said. “You make it sound like you’ve been on lots of planets.” “A few. My Daddy’s in the military. I’ve traveled with him a lot. We just usually don’t stay more than a week or two. Sometimes a month.” Kale nodded. “Have you ever been on a star destroyer?” “Yes.” “What’s it like?” “Boring,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Everything is gray. I keep telling Daddy that if he wanted to boost morale, all he’d have to do is have the ships painted a different color. Gray this, black this. The Empire isn’t big on color. Even the uniforms are boring.” Kale laughed, never having thought about it that way. Then he remembered his conversation with his mother the previous night. “My grandmother saw us at the monument last night.” Arica’s smile faded a bit in alarm. “Is that bad?” She grabbed his hand in both of hers, and he found he loved the feel of her touch. “Kale, did you get in trouble because of me?” “Not really,” he lied. “My mother told me about it. I told her you were a very nice girl, and that she should trust me. I think Ben was angrier than she was.” “Ben, is that your father?” Kale faltered a moment. “No, he’s just a family friend. He’s been trying to teach me...uh, the baliset. I’m afraid I don’t quite have the hang of it yet.” “The baliset is a difficult instrument to play,” Arica admitted. “Still, I’m sorry if I worried your family.” “I’m not. I don’t regret a minute. It was one of the best days of my life.” He was staring at her when he said it, and felt something inside melt at the way her cheeks colored and she looked at him, as if she couldn’t pull her eyes away. “For me too, Kale,” she said, very softly. She was still holding his hand. Her hands seemed too small in his, though he noticed with amusement that she had calluses in odd places. “What?” she said. “I like your hands,” he said, knowing his grin must have looked silly but not caring as he traced a finger over the palm of her hand. “You must work out a lot. I’ve only seen calluses like that on people who do lots of pull-ups or practice martial arts.” “Well, as a matter of fact,” Arica said with a knowing smile, “I’m a level three Teras Kasi master.” “Wow. You’re going to have to show me that some time.” She lifted his hand to her mouth and very artistically kissed his palm. “How ‘bout now? I know a place we could go.” She leaned forward over his hand, pressing down with her chest against the back of his fingers. “I think you’d really like my workout clothes.” His fingers tingled and he had to fight the urge to flex them. “I bet I would,” he said. “Where ever you go, I’d love to follow.” As she stood and led Kale by the hand out of the restaurant, neither seemed to notice the non-descript man in non-descript clothes touch the back of his ear and quickly mouth something seemingly to himself. Commens? Observations? Rotten tomatoes? Thank you for reading. -----signature----- "Spock!" "Yes Captain!" "Be one with the horse." "Yes, Captain." Gods of Dark and Light; Heaven Falls Legacy of the Red Sun; Children of the Red Sun Blue Sun Down; The Boy Who Fell
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Raptor517 Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 12/4/06 9:30pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 3 posted 12/04
	Interesting. The poor little spy isn't going to be happy when he runs into Kale, though. Hope another post comes soon! Raptor517 -----signature----- Piercing the Darkness http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28010631/p1/?1 His Brother's Words http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/26020497/p1/?3 Metamorphosis http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/24997946/p5/?7 Intelligence vs Canon htt
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Jedi-2B Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 12/5/06 8:45am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 3 posted 12/04
	Now I know why Yoda kept Luke on Dagobah to train him. No girls to distract him! -----signature----- It was on her fifteenth day in the darkness of the Nirauan cave when Mara Jade awoke to discover a rescuer had finally arrived. It was not, however, any of the potential rescuers she would have expected. It was Luke. ~~And the rest is history~~
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 12/5/06 1:15pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 3 posted 12/04
	Loved it! “A few. My Daddy’s in the military. I’ve traveled with him a lot. We just usually don’t stay more than a week or two. Sometimes a month.” Kale nodded. “Have you ever been on a star destroyer?” “Yes.” “What’s it like?” “Boring,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Everything is gray. I keep telling Daddy that if he wanted to boost morale, all he’d have to do is have the ships painted a different color. Gray this, black this. The Empire isn’t big on color. Even the uniforms are boring.” Yeah, grey gets a bit monotonous after awhile! -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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Darth_Marrs Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 12/10/06 6:06pm Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun , SW/Superman c/o--Chapter 3 posted 12/04
	Raptor517 posted: Interesting. The poor little spy isn't going to be happy when he runs into Kale, though. Hope another post comes soon! Poor little spy isn't the only one who will regret running into Kale! Jedi-2B posted: Now I know why Yoda kept Luke on Dagobah to train him. No girls to distract him! A pretty face can do more to disrupt a young male's ability to learn than any other phenomenon known to humanity. VaderLVR64 posted: Loved it! Yeah, grey gets a bit monotonous after awhile! Thank you. We few, we lucky few, we readers of Darth Marrs's Legacy of the Red Sun. I appreciate you folks. Chapter Four is where things get hopping. Hope you enjoy! Chapter Four: Nothing Left “He’s late again,” Ben said. His charge’s absence was so predictable he found it difficult to be angry. Sola shrugged with a knowing smile as she handed him a cup of hot tea. She sat on the settee opposite him and sipped her own cup. “I’ve never seen him like this. He’s so happy. Even Mother had difficulty being upset when she saw them together yesterday.” “Really?” Ben said archly. “Tell me about this fascination of his. She must be remarkable.” “I’ve not met her yet, but Jobal said she was a beautiful young girl. From Coruscant, from what I understand. The Imperial Liaison’s daughter. I…Ben, are you all right?” Ben let the cup drop from his lips and stared at her with an open expression of horror. “Sola, Moff Soonda does not have a daughter. He has never been married. It is possible he has never been with a woman. He lives like a monk.” “But she said she was his daughter.” Ben put his cup down on the table between them. “Sola, can you tell me what she looks like?” “Only what Jobal told me. Red hair. Green or blue eyes. Slim and athletic.” Ben closed his eyes a moment, trying to recall if the description meant anything to him. Suddenly he felt a surge in the Force and shot to his feet. “Sola, leave!” “What?” The front door exploded. Sola screamed as the concussion wave of the explosion threw her from her feet. Ben unthinkingly called her to him with the Force and fell with her to the floor as the shattered remnants of the door and the frame streaked by over their heads. Instantly he jumped back to his feet as two stormtroopers rushed in. Ben’s lightsaber flashed out, deflecting two bolts back to the chests of the shooters. Both men fell as another larger, darker figure entered the room. On the floor, Sola gasped and began crawling away. Ben, however, stood his ground. “Master Kenobi,” the Dark Lord’s voice hissed with pleasure. “What a surprise to find you on Naboo. I see this planet agrees with you.” “I wish I could say the same for you, Vader, but every time you come here people die.” Vader turned his attention to Sola, who blanched before his masked visage. “No one else need die, Kenobi. Just tell me. Tell me about Luke.” Kenobi braced himself. “He died in a speeder accident.” “So she lived. She survived Mustafar, and you took her from me.” Sola stared from one figure to the other, realization dawning. “Padmé?” she whispered. “You’re talking about Padmé!” Invisible fingers grabbed her by the throat, lifting her from the debris-strewn floor and slamming her against the sitting-room wall. “Tell me what you know!” Vader demanded. Ben took a step forward, but did not attack. “Isn’t it enough that you killed Padmé, Vader?” he said softly, as he once spoke to his apprentice. “Do you have to kill her sister as well?” Sola fell without warning to the floor as Vader turned the full force of his will against his former master. “Tell me,” he said, threatening; pleading. “He was born. I took him to Tatooine to live with Beru and Owen. He was happy. He was everything you should have been but weren’t. And then he died. Owen swerved to avoid a womprat and slammed their speeder into a rock formation. It was an accident.” “An accident that would not have happened if he had been with his father,” Vader growled. “His father died long before then. Even before Mustafar. His father died when Darth Vader knelt before Palpatine and pledged himself to the Sith.” Vader moved forward, a basso growl emanating from his mask. He lit a crimson lightsaber as he did so. “There are so many reasons for me to kill you, Obi-Wan. It is difficult to choose just one.” “I’m sure you’ll choose the wrong one. That’s what you do.” He struck first, springing forward with the steps of a much younger man. Vader caught the swing one-handed, and pushed the attack back easily, reminding both fighters that appearance and reality were two separate things. Obi-Wan was fifty-seven years old. “Your powers have weakened, Old Man,” Vader said. “Now I am the master.” “Only in your dreams, Darth,” Ben said. He charged again, spinning quickly in an initial high-line swing that immediately dropped low. Vader caught both swings, but had to retreat a step before the attack. Sola remained seated, aware somehow that she needed to run. She could not. The words the two exchanged spoke of familiarity and buried passions. And they both knew Padmé. “Oh dear gods,” she whispered as she realized who it was behind the black mask. Always before it had been a mystery what had happened. The Senatorial couriers had delivered Padmé’s body already prepared for the cremation ceremony, and it had appeared obvious she had been pregnant. What neither man seemed to know, though, was that her sister had told Sola about the pregnancy and her marriage long before the Jedi ever knew. And she knew via a holonet call approximately two hours after Padmé knew herself that there were two children, not just one. Which meant if one was born and survived to childhood, there had to be a second. Darth Vader, whom she met only once as Anakin Skywalker, did not realize it. Vader sensed the sudden wave of emotion from Sola, as did Ben. “You will die today, Obi-Wan,” Vader said. “But she does not need to. I will spare the Naberries if you cooperate. Resist me, and they all die.” Sola pushed herself to her feet and calmly set her jaw. She raised her chin and envisioned not the deadly black-suited monster before her, but the shy, confused teenager he once was. “Anakin Skywalker,” she whispered. She took another step forward. “She loved you so much, Anakin. Was she so very wrong?” Ben stilled and waited as Vader seemed to stand frozen like a statue. Sola’s courage astounded the Jedi, and he had no doubt that she and the senator he once knew were related. He just wished that courage were enough. “That name no longer has any meaning for me,” Vader said at last as he straightened. “Then you have no claim to Anakin Skywalker’s children,” Sola said. Ben felt his stomach drop. “Sola, no!” Vader stretched out a hand and with all the power he could muster sent Ben flying backward through a wall with a massive Force push. He turned his attention back to Sola, who stood quavering. “What did you say?” he whispered. Sola blinked slowly. “I would tell Anakin Skywalker. But as you said, that name has no meaning for you.” Vader did not call on the Force. He reacted with instinct, reaching out with a cybernetic hand that encircled her neck. Sola cried out at the pressure he applied, but did not move. “You will tell me everything,” he said, his whisper made serpentine and demonic by his mask, “or I will rip your mind apart memory by memory.” Sola realized then the depth of her mistake, and the mistake her sister had made in loving a man capable of such evil. “Padmé,” she whispered. “If only you knew what your love has become.” Vader roared in rage and threw Sola across the room. He did not hear the snap of her neck before she even left his hand, nor did he notice how her body hit the wall with such velocity it broke the stone work and left her crumbled and misshapen in a lump at its base. Vader burst through the hole Ben’s body had made, but the Jedi was gone. * * * Arica flew with one hand, while the other rested on Kale’s left thigh. Her touch felt as if it were burning him with a delicious heat. He wanted her hand to move up, but dared not say anything for fear of ruining the moment. As she flew, she occasionally looked across at him and smiled. The wind caught her fiery hair and tossed it about wildly. She looked elemental, as if a spirit or angel. Finally they arrived at a nondescript block of a house outside of town, sitting amid an intrusion grid of laser beams. “What is this place?” “It’s an old Imperial relay station,” Arica said with a grin as she landed inside the beams. “I wanted a private place to work out since Daddy has people coming in and out of our house all the time. He let me use it. It’s very private.” As she spoke, she leaned closer and closer to him, until by her last words their lips were rubbing against each other. She climbed over him until she was nearly straddling him, and kissed him so deeply he could not breathe. He welcomed the suffocation and wrapped both arms around her back, pressing her closer. Finally their lips parted. “By the gods that was….” “I know,” Arica said. She wasn’t grinning, but instead was looking at him with an intensity more frightening and exciting than any smile. “And I want more.” She hopped over him and out of the car, and beckoned him to come. He jumped out immediately, let her take his hand, and followed her into the block of a building. The lights came on and he confirmed they were alone. She wrapped her arms around his back, and he did the same, and she leaned up to kiss him deeply. “Kale, it’s only been two days, but I feel like I’ve known you forever,” she said. “Me too,” he said. “That’s why I’m actually sorry I have to do this,” she continued. “Do what?” She kissed him again, slowly and with longing that made his whole body thrum. Suddenly she spun out of his grip, swung her leg around in a low sweep that removed his feet from under him, and put him on the ground. He hit without any pain and stared up at her in shock, but still he didn’t realize what was happening. He thought maybe she was showing him her fighting skills before she wanted to kiss him more. But as he looked up at her, she seemed like a different person. Gone were the soft smiles and gentle laughs. The graceful dancer-like steps had been replaced by the equally graceful prowling of a predator. It was as if she were a completely different person, one holding a very large blaster to his chest. “I really am sorry, Kale,” she said. He stared into her eyes and saw through the cold exterior to a hint of that girl he kissed at the monument. “I believe you,” he whispered. She fired three times, twice in the chest, once in the head. She stepped back and took a large breath that ended in a sob. That was the end of it, though. She threw the blaster aside, straightened her stance, schooled her face, and stepped over the body of Kale Naberrie. -----signature----- "Spock!" "Yes Captain!" "Be one with the horse." "Yes, Captain." Gods of Dark and Light; Heaven Falls Legacy of the Red Sun; Children of the Red Sun Blue Sun Down; The Boy Who Fell
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cibbler Registered: Aug '06	Date Posted: 12/11/06 12:51am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun --Superman in SW, Chap 4 posted 12/10
	There might be more Superman / SW cross overs but this is my first and I quite enjoyed what I've read so far. Looking forward to the next post.
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 12/11/06 7:37am Subject: RE: Legacy of the Red Sun --Superman in SW, Chap 4 posted 12/10
	Great update! Darth Vader, whom she met only once as Anakin Skywalker, did not realize it. Vader sensed the sudden wave of emotion from Sola, as did Ben. “You will die today, Obi-Wan,” Vader said. “But she does not need to. I will spare the Naberries if you cooperate. Resist me, and they all die.” Sola pushed herself to her feet and calmly set her jaw. She raised her chin and envisioned not the deadly black-suited monster before her, but the shy, confused teenager he once was. “Anakin Skywalker,” she whispered. She took another step forward. “She loved you so much, Anakin. Was she so very wrong?” Ouch. That had to hurt. -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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