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Author	Topic: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - complete -- Thanks for your support in the Awards!
Jeditheskyisblue Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 4/21 9:16am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	I agree why didn't Vader tell Luke that he's his Father. -----signature----- It's Never To Late... http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2214874&page=1 Is It To Late?(Sequel INTL) http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2638672&replies=1 It Wasn't A Mistake(L/M) http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=2398787
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furrylittlebantha Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 4/23 6:21am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Update soon! Look for a new chapter Saturday. Just thought I'd throw that out there (and in the process give myself a deadline. )Thanks for all the comments, people! -----signature----- Master of tjace and bi0nic. Old Hutt proverb: Never look a gift Sarlaac in the mouth. All hail the Lazer Jar-Jar!
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Jade_Pilot Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 4/23 8:54am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Yay! Furry's got an update coming soon! Where'd I put the popcorn? -----signature----- Fall semester now commencing...se habla español and more cowbell!!! ** "ginchy's gambit" http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29089731&brd=10477&start=29091637
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Darth_Drachonus Registered: Oct '05	Date Posted: 4/23 8:46pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	add me to the update list please -----signature----- Don't **** with a Jedi Master son-Luke Skywalker
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DarthIshtar Title: Former CR Star Wars Trivia Hostess Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 4/25 3:42pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Looking forward to Saturday. -----signature----- I've finished reading Breaking Dawn! Morale officer of the ACWDBTTCAOT. "Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit." ~Virgil, Aeneid "Ecce domino" (The pizza guy's here)
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furrylittlebantha Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 4/26 8:46pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28! - Date Edited: 6/19 6:03pm (1 edits total) Edited By: furrylittlebantha
	Restating the update PM (sorry for the repetition, those who are on the list): Three important apologies accompany this chapter: 1) It has been too long of a time since last update for me to mention without running to my Prozac, so I won’t. But I do apologize. A story summary will be up sometime this week just in case anyone’s wondering what the heck this story is about. 2) This chapter ends in a cliff-hanger. Yes. Another one. But the last one! Next update is the end. No mas In Plain Sight. 3) I became suddenly, violently ill this evening (note: never eat chicken that sat out all night, no matter how starving you are) and really need sleep. Therefore, author replies will be trickling in through Tuesday night. But they’re coming, and won’t be difficult to answer--since I’ve read you guys’ replies so often I practically have them memorized anyway! So…I think I’ll cut the self-flagellation short now and post the promised chapter. ================== Chapter Twelve ================== Countess Claria was a perfect lady. She was also dead. With a crash that no one ever heard, the lovely noblewoman and every other alter ego in Mara Jade’s arsenal shattered and faded away. There was no more Emperor’s Hand. No more assassinations in the dead of night. No more voice spanning lightyears to command her. No more sickly warmth from robed fingertips, no more training, no more missions. There was only Mara Jade. Drained of both emotion and life-purpose, she waited for Twansa Melgida to speak and fill her once more. Her hands were folded in her lap. The binders lay at her feet, discarded and unnecessary. She was not sure who removed them, or when. It was immaterial. Escape did not occur to her; Mara’s world had undergone a paradigm shift. ‘Escape’ no longer had any meaning. She locked eyes with Twansa Melgida. The gleam of victory in those ebony eyes neither excited her curiosity nor incensed her as it had in the past. The former senator had won, but so had Mara. They were on the same side now. Only the last piece of the puzzle remained to complete the topography of Mara’s new existence, and that was all she cared about. The final story. Borominaleska Twansa’fa Melgida cleared her throat. “It may interest you to know that I am not precisely human.” ------------------------------------------------------- “I have foreseen this betrayal, my treacherous servants. You cannot hope to survive.” Palpatine’s form was indistinct in the dimness, but his voice carried to them across the tower with a ghostly echo, sibilant and clear. “Damn,” Luke muttered. “Don’t bring your lightsaber, you said. Good going, Uncle Darth.” “It was an error in judgment,” the Sith conceded. Luke snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. What do we…” The ability to speak was expelled from his lungs in one swift, sharp gasp. Dimly, Luke felt Vader shaking him, saw Palpatine advancing with a glowing red blade, felt Vader release him and draw a saber of his own. But only from far away, through the haze of pain and his suddenly foggy consciousness. The Emperor had begun his final assault. With a last glance at the outside world, Luke dove beneath his deepest shields and waited. ------------------------------------------------------- “Not human?” “No.” Melgida leaned forward, so close that their faces nearly touched. “Look at my eyes.” “Oh,” Mara said. “Weird.” She had always thought Twansa’s eyes were so dark that the demarcation between pupil and iris was indistinguishable from a distance. Actually, there was no demarcation. Melgida had two large pupils and that was all. The tall woman drew back. “I am one of a baseline humanoid species known as Sa’ahgra. Known to ourselves, that is. Most of us have passed ourselves off as humans since our homeworld was made uninhabitable two centuries years ago. Besides the eyes, the main difference between you and me is longevity. I am eighty years old. If I die of natural causes, I might live for another eighty. However, I doubt that will be the case. It’s not healthy to make as many enemies as I have.” Mara stared. Eighty? “You’re quite well-preserved,” she remarked. That was an understatement of gross proportions. Twansa Melgida didn’t look a day over forty. Not a single strand of white spun through her cropped black hair, and her face was smooth and unlined. Melgida grinned, flashing bright white teeth. “I have a good skin care regimen.” “I bet you do.” Mara shook herself. The implications of this were staggering, and here she was discussing…moisturizer. “That’s how you know everything, right? You were there when it all began. The secrets.” “Yes.” A distant look crept into Melgida’s eyes, softening them. “When the Republic was young and strong and the Jedi thrived, I was also young and strong—and a Jedi. You cannot imagine, Mara Jade…you were born into such a cynical world. Mine was much brighter and far more innocent. I was gifted, I was happy; I was in love with the galaxy, with life, with my sacred duty as a Jedi…and most of all, him.” This was an interesting revelation. “Who?” Mara asked curiously. Melgida’s eyes clouded, swirled with an unreadable expression and hardened once more. “Xanatos.” She whispered the name, lingering on the syllables. “My beautiful human man.” --------------------------------------------------- You won’t win! Luke called out as hairline cracks skittered over his shields. Strong as they were, he knew they would not resist the battering of Palpatine’s power much longer. Vader’s out there, and he’s not trying to steal a body. You’re physically vulnerable to him. Palpatine’s grating chortle echoed in through the widening gaps. Lord Vader is otherwise engaged. My apprentice has arrived. This was news to Luke. You’ve got another one? Geez, Palpatine. You should know by now that these Sith people don’t work out very well. There was a sickening snap, a moment of absolute stillness, and then a roar as the last of his shields tore apart. Two giant eyes of red flame loomed over the battlefield of Luke’s mind. Above them, black clouds began to boil. Darth Scelerous, a demonic voice thundered, is more power than Vader ever was. A pity you won’t ever know each other. You would have gotten along so well…after all, you share the same father. Threads of air began to gather around Luke, whirling faster and faster until he was encased in a pillar of tearing wind. Pain shot down from his face in a bright, searing sensation; he reached up a hand and brought it away bloody. His skin had begun to break in a fine network of oozing slits. Slowly the web of blood spread down his neck, his chest, his arms, his legs. Luke stumbled; gasped for breath; choked. The skin inside his mouth and throat had begun to split, too, and the rush of blood blocked his airways. Again and again he spat, only to feel the warm, salty liquid rise again. He would drown in a windstorm. At some point in the battle, Palpatine’s words gained enough meaning for Luke to entertain vague curiosity beside the pain. You made one of my siblings a Sith Lord? His words gurgled out incoherently, but the red eyes blazed with gruesome delight. Yes, young Luke…from a certain point of view. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What happened?” Mara knew this story could not have a happy ending. The former senator looked away. “He turned,” she answered, almost too quietly for Mara to hear. “He fell to the dark side of the Force and betrayed us all.” Softly, she recited the story of his descent into evil and eventual death at the hands of another Jedi. Mara shifted uncomfortably. What did one say to an eighty-year old Jedi-turned-senator-turned-vigilante whose lover from a past era had turned on the ideals of a thousand-year old Order (and Melgida herself) and subsequently fell into a pit of acid? “I’m…sorry?” “I was crushed,” Melgida continued as if Mara had not spoken. “All I once believed in seemed dark and uncertain. I couldn’t go on. Everything about being a Jedi…every detail reminded me of him. I couldn’t handle it. I left. “For nearly thirty years I wandered the galaxy, searching for a meaning to replace the one I’d lost. I fought in the wars. I worked in refugee camps. I wandered, and saw, and formed a character of my own. I learned to respect and treasure the government that preserved the scaffoldings of justice while the Jedi quibbled over what justice is. They were weak, Jade. Weak and corrupted. What happened to my Xanatos was only a symptom of a greater disease. “When the Jedi Knights fell as I knew they would, I found my life work. A thousand years had softened the Jedi into impotent philosophers who deserved to be phased out. A thousand years had made the Republic perfect. What the galaxy needed was the resurrection of the old government without the old Order. Justice untainted by mercy, freed of twisted Jedi morals.” She spat the word venomously. “So called ‘morals’ caused Xanatos to lose his way. I had finally found mine.” In the cold, pitiless black eyes staring into hers, Mara found little difference from Palpatine. The main one, she supposed, was that Melgida didn’t appear to have death planned for her. That was good enough for Mara Jade. The story was almost finished. Melgida had joined Iblis’ organization shortly after it split from the Rebel Alliance. A few strings were pulled to get her an appointment to the Senate, and her career as a senator began. For ten years she waited and watched for the opportunity to set their plans in motion. “So we come to you,” Melgida finished. “Mara Jade. A powerful young woman with no family ties and a stunning amount of skill and intelligence. You were the one.” “Wasn’t Luke ever ‘the one’?” Melgida regarded her solemnly. “You like him, don’t you?” Mara opened her mouth to deny it. What a ridiculous…! Luke. Her mouth closed. At the sight of it, something like sadness settled into the lines of Melgida’s face. She sighed. “We thought he was at first. We made a mistake. Vader’s son was lost to us. Regardless of your personal affection for him, you must realize he is irrevocably one of Them now. Mara, he has spent two years under Palpatine’s influence. You heard it from Garmonsaw, you saw it yourself. As much as the Emperor is, as much as Darth Vader is, Luke Skywalker is the Empire. We cannot fight the three of them, Mara. Skywalker grows more powerful every day.” A hint of the terrible truth crept into Mara’s mind, icy cold and sickening. “No,” she whispered. “No.” Melgida stared at her steadily. “You cannot go back now. The point of no return was passed long ago.” Bitter tears crawled down her cheeks, slowly at first, then faster. “No, no, no…” The room had emptied. They two were alone in the room. Melgida rose to her feet, towering over Mara. She stretched out a hand. My destiny’s in that hand, Mara thought miserably. I never thought I would hate it so much. “Welcome to Ixiltá, Mara Jade. This is your first command: you will leave Coruscant with us; you will help us to destroy the Death Star… “And you will kill Luke Skywalker.” ---------------------------------------- At some point Luke realized he had lost the motor control portions of his brain. Palpatine was using both of their bodies to fight Darth Vader. Neither could be very strong at the moment, but with this Darth Scelerous the three of them were probably more than a match for Vader. And if Vader died, Palpatine would be free to devote his entire attention to Luke. He would not win this battle. Still, Luke clung doggedly to the wrecked surface of his mind. Palpatine’s stormy attack had quite literally shredded his defenses. The skin of his mental self was nothing but a pulpy, bright red mass, and pain had soared into a kind of blank whiteness that Luke supposed was shock. His mind was shutting down. Soon it would collapse altogether, and Palpatine would take over. Take that, you bastard, he thought upwards, pushing out weakly with the Force. Not…going…make it smooth. Shockingly, his feeble strike hit the red eyes squarely and caused Palpatine to scream out in pain. Insolent child! You will feel pain before I drive your spirit out of existence. A familiar chuckle startled them both. Luke raised his ravaged face in confusion, and the fiery red eyes swiveled back and forth, searching for the source of the new voice. So familiar…to both of them, Luke realized. The battle had progressed enough that their thoughts were somewhat melded. Frighteningly familiar. Excellent, you fools! The voice slimed over them both with a fondling touch that sickened. Excellent. Palpatine, my treacherous apprentice, only stretch a little farther and you will have taken him. Luke, young master, drive him out and then kill him. You have the ability. More preferably still, both of you strain beyond your mortal bonds and die from the effort! How…delectable would that victory be. You! Luke/Palpatine screamed in recognition. The answering cackle blasted them with a wave of pure evil and the odor of decaying flesh. Palace to Varewé. Plageuris to Palpatine. Of what significance are names? I am hatred. I am envy. I am the rot that consumes all life. I am the whispering voice that turns brother against brother, nation against nation. I am the liar. I am the betrayer. Just as I have taught you both to hate, to envy, to consume, to tear apart, to lie and betray, so I do to you now. My children…destroy ye one another. The struggling lump of mind that was both Luke and Palpatine cringed under a shrieking cacophony of laughter. It stretched on for a few searing moments—then stopped. An expectant murk settled around their mind. Grimly, they faced each other once more. -------------------------------------- [i]Far across the galaxy, an old man stares unblinkingly into the gory light of sunset. His chin trembles slightly; in two years he has aged far more than is natural. His hair has gone pure white. His lines on his face have deepened sharply, and his eyes have sunk far into their sockets. The desert winds have not worked on him alone. “Leia…” He whispers the name in a cracked, brittle voice devoid of hope and stripped of joy. “My sweet Leia. If only I had listened to you…if only I had not…” But the mistakes he made are graved in stone, never to be erased. The mark was made. The choice sealed in blood. He will never again lay eyes on the person who means the most to him in all the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi watches the twin suns dip below the horizon and wonders what sin he committed to warrant a life of such pain. “Two Skywalkers I have failed,” he whispers. “Better almost that you died this night, Luke, so I may not ruin you as I ruined your father and sister.” Dusk overtakes the desert. The old man bows his head and goes inside. ==================== TBC….. (Apparently setting deadlines works for me. Expect the last chapter by finals week for me, in three weeks. Works out nicely, since I have one final. At the most. ) -----signature----- Master of tjace and bi0nic. Old Hutt proverb: Never look a gift Sarlaac in the mouth. All hail the Lazer Jar-Jar!
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Gabri_Jade Title: Fan Fiction Archive Editor Emeritus Registered: Nov '02	Date Posted: 4/27 12:34am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	I'm in awe. Really and truly. This story is brilliant on so many levels, and your writing so sure-handed and polished, that I hardly even know what to say about it. Precious few fanfics have left me practically speechless, but this is one of them. Let me see how well I can overcome the speechlessness to leave the feedback you so richly deserve: Here's one thing I adore about your writing - you're so very skilled at showing instead of telling, and in the most enviable ways, such as: Countess Claria was a perfect lady. She was also dead. With a crash that no one ever heard, the lovely noblewoman and every other alter ego in Mara Jade’s arsenal shattered and faded away. There was no more Emperor’s Hand. No more assassinations in the dead of night. No more voice spanning lightyears to command her. No more sickly warmth from robed fingertips, no more training, no more missions. There was only Mara Jade. I'm so very impressed by this, how you describe Mara's whole world shattering within her without ever writing anything as mundane as a plain statement of she feels or what she's thinking. This is much more poetic and far-reaching. It reminds me of one of the earlier posts, where you tell the reader that Princess Organa is angry by having Mara reflect on how some people are attractive when they're angry, and how satisfied she is to find that Vichae Organa isn't one of them - that was a shining moment for me as a reader. Such eloquent narrative. I tucked it away mentally in hopes of one day replicating my own brand of it, though I doubt I'll ever manage it as smoothly as you do. Threads of air began to gather around Luke, whirling faster and faster until he was encased in a pillar of tearing wind. Pain shot down from his face in a bright, searing sensation; he reached up a hand and brought it away bloody. His skin had begun to break in a fine network of oozing slits. Slowly the web of blood spread down his neck, his chest, his arms, his legs. Luke stumbled; gasped for breath; choked. The skin inside his mouth and throat had begun to split, too, and the rush of blood blocked his airways. Again and again he spat, only to feel the warm, salty liquid rise again. He would drown in a windstorm. This is terrifying, but so exactly as a Sith might operate. I'm thrilled by its sheer rightness even as I'm almost too horrified to read the description of what Luke is going through. A hint of the terrible truth crept into Mara’s mind, icy cold and sickening. “No,” she whispered. “No.” Melgida stared at her steadily. “You cannot go back now. The point of no return was passed long ago.” Bitter tears crawled down her cheeks, slowly at first, then faster. “No, no, no…” Mara's emotions and the narrative's momentum are so beautifully conveyed here, and such a wonderful way to show that Mara's feelings for Luke went far deeper than she herself realized. And you laid such a fine groundwork in earlier posts that such an emotional revelation is entirely believable, and the reader feels no sense of disconnect just because Mara hadn't openly admitted such an attachment earlier. “Xanatos.” She whispered the name, lingering on the syllables. “My beautiful human man.” . . . “Welcome to Ixiltá, Mara Jade. This is your first command: you will leave Coruscant with us; you will help us to destroy the Death Star… “And you will kill Luke Skywalker.” . . . The answering cackle blasted them with a wave of pure evil and the odor of decaying flesh. Palace to Varewé. Plageuris to Palpatine. Of what significance are names? I am just so impressed at how you weave movie and profic characters and references into the story so smoothly. Sadly often in fanfic, such mentions feel shoehorned in or self-indulgent, but not here. With the Plagueis/Palace bit especially, I practically slapped my forehead in disbelief that I hadn't thought of that before; it just fits so nicely. Honestly, this is the sort of story that sings, that delights me so completely as a reader that I kind of wind up flailing incoherently. All of your writing is. I hope that you have lots and lots of time and inspiration over the summer, because I doubt it's possible to get enough of your writing. Also, food poisoning is one of the most awful experiences there is. I hope you feel much better very quickly. -----signature----- Evil Twin of LadyPadme This concept of "wuv" confuses and infuriates us! - Futurama All I can do is be me. Whoever that is. -Bob Dylan The Space Between Heartbeats - L/M AU vig http://boards.theforce.net/b/b1/28870280 !!11!1eleventy
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Jade_eyes Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 4/27 3:26am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28! - Date Edited: 4/27 1:39pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Jade_eyes
	You write so vividly and compellingly. Not just the plot but the words themselves. Even though I've missed this story, with the first word of the update, I was immediately immersed in the emotions again, almost like I'd been reading from the beginning without a break LOL All the intensity and little details are recalled and add spice to what I'm reading at the moment. Worried about Mara's dilemma, and of course Luke's. Twansa's story is very compelling and her motives very plausible. I know a bit of Xanatos' history and that's a perfect fit for the disillusioned Senator. So.... that's what that voice was. Bravo and hugs!!! -----signature----- Whee!! I'm reading 10 drabble threads! Loving it too! Check out ginchy's gambit, Myriad's 10,000 words, path-seeker's kaleidoscope. "Take my Hand", "Tyranny Reborn"= sheer genius.
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DarthIshtar Title: Former CR Star Wars Trivia Hostess Registered: Mar '01	Date Posted: 4/27 9:00am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Incredible turns of events. Looking for more. -----signature----- I've finished reading Breaking Dawn! Morale officer of the ACWDBTTCAOT. "Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit." ~Virgil, Aeneid "Ecce domino" (The pizza guy's here)
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divapilot Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 4/27 4:24pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Oh MAN! That was so good! So Luke has merged with Palpatine and the palace-voice wants them to destroy each other. This is so twisted. Has Leia been the palace all along??? And the last command coming after she has fallen in love with him... Furry, you are a genius. -----signature----- Never tell me the odds. AKL
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Independence1776 Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 4/27 6:17pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	I hope you feel better soon! Food poisoning is awful- I know from experiance. With a crash that no one ever heard, the lovely noblewoman and every other alter ego in Mara Jade’s arsenal shattered and faded away. There was no more Emperor’s Hand. No more assassinations in the dead of night. No more voice spanning lightyears to command her. No more sickly warmth from robed fingertips, no more training, no more missions. There was only Mara Jade. Just Mara- good! Drained of both emotion and life-purpose, she waited for Twansa Melgida to speak and fill her once more. Her hands were folded in her lap. The binders lay at her feet, discarded and unnecessary. She was not sure who removed them, or when. It was immaterial. Escape did not occur to her; Mara’s world had undergone a paradigm shift. ‘Escape’ no longer had any meaning. Broken Mara- not good! “Damn,]” Luke muttered. “Don’t bring your lightsaber, you said. Good going, Uncle Darth.” “It was an error in judgment,” the Sith conceded. Luke snorted. This was news to Luke. "You’ve got another one? Geez, Palpatine. You should know by now that these Sith people don’t work out very well. Defiant- to the last. Darth Scelerous, a demonic voice thundered, is more power than Vader ever was. A pity you won’t ever know each other. You would have gotten along so well…after all, you share the same father. Does he mean what I think he means?! Yes, young Luke…from a certain point of view. Meep.... In the cold, pitiless black eyes staring into hers, Mara found little difference from Palpatine. The main one, she supposed, was that Melgida didn’t appear to have death planned for her. That was good enough for Mara Jade. Yeah, that is an improvement, but not much of one. Her mouth closed. At the sight of it, something like sadness settled into the lines of Melgida’s face. She sighed. “We thought he was at first. We made a mistake. Vader’s son was lost to us. Regardless of your personal affection for him, you must realize he is irrevocably one of Them now. Mara, he has spent two years under Palpatine’s influence. You heard it from Garmonsaw, you saw it yourself. As much as the Emperor is, as much as Darth Vader is, Luke Skywalker is the Empire. We cannot fight the three of them, Mara. Skywalker grows more powerful every day.” Hmm.... My destiny’s in that hand, Mara thought miserably. I never thought I would hate it so much. Neither did I. “Welcome to Ixiltá, Mara Jade. This is your first command: you will leave Coruscant with us; you will help us to destroy the Death Star… She's good enough to! “And you will kill Luke Skywalker.” Somehow, I'm not surprised to see this order. Melgida really isn't different from Palpatine. Take that, you bastard, he thought upwards, pushing out weakly with the Force. Not…going…make it smooth. Good! So familiar…to both of them, Luke realized. The battle had progressed enough that their thoughts were somewhat melded. Oh, that can't be good. The answering cackle blasted them with a wave of pure evil and the odor of decaying flesh. Palace to Varewé. Plageuris to Palpatine. Of what significance are names? I am hatred. I am envy. I am the rot that consumes all life. I am the whispering voice that turns brother against brother, nation against nation. I am the liar. I am the betrayer. Just as I have taught you both to hate, to envy, to consume, to tear apart, to lie and betray, so I do to you now. My children…destroy ye one another. Oh, wow. This completely blindsided me. Good job! He whispers the name in a cracked, brittle voice devoid of hope and stripped of joy. “My sweet Leia. If only I had listened to you…if only I had not…” Had not what? But the mistakes he made are graved in stone, never to be erased. The mark was made. The choice sealed in blood. He will never again lay eyes on the person who means the most to him in all the galaxy. Oh, dear. “Two Skywalkers I have failed,” he whispers. “Better almost that you died this night, Luke, so I may not ruin you as I ruined your father and sister.” blinks Oh, this is not good. So we have a broken Mara, Leia is a Sith, Luke and Palpatine are battling each other while their teacher watches, and a broken Obi-Wan. Did I miss anything? Wonderful writing! -----signature----- "Independence forever." John Adams Padawan to Luna_Nightshade Fics in bio Ever wondered what would happen if some normal students came to the Temple? Come find out: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27996678
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KELIA Title: Host: 20 Ques Bet Your Knowledge PT Rewrite Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 4/28 3:40am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	WOW So Mara still has the unenviable task of killing Luke. I fear, though, if he is truly lost, she may not be able to do it. Poor Obi! Great update -----signature----- "Do or do not, there is no try." Master Yoda A Light In The Darkness: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28150602/p1/?8 Undue Circumstances: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28530583/p1/?10
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Jade_Pilot Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 4/28 11:48am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	Oh furry! I hope you're feeling better soon. Food poisioing takes a while to get out of the system, so take it easy, sweetie. Wonderful update! And no apologies necessary. School must always come first. Bravo! -----signature----- Fall semester now commencing...se habla español and more cowbell!!! ** "ginchy's gambit" http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29089731&brd=10477&start=29091637
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VaderLVR64 Title: Fan Fic Manager Digging out from Fay Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 4/28 1:16pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	This was just stunning. Simply awe-inspiring. Mara stared. Eighty? “You’re quite well-preserved,” she remarked. That was an understatement of gross proportions. Twansa Melgida didn’t look a day over forty. Not a single strand of white spun through her cropped black hair, and her face was smooth and unlined. Melgida grinned, flashing bright white teeth. “I have a good skin care regimen.” “I bet you do.” Mara shook herself. The implications of this were staggering, and here she was discussing…moisturizer. “That’s how you know everything, right? You were there when it all began. The secrets.” “Yes.” A distant look crept into Melgida’s eyes, softening them. “When the Republic was young and strong and the Jedi thrived, I was also young and strong—and a Jedi. You cannot imagine, Mara Jade…you were born into such a cynical world. Mine was much brighter and far more innocent. I was gifted, I was happy; I was in love with the galaxy, with life, with my sacred duty as a Jedi…and most of all, him.” This was an interesting revelation. “Who?” Mara asked curiously. Melgida’s eyes clouded, swirled with an unreadable expression and hardened once more. “Xanatos.” She whispered the name, lingering on the syllables. “My beautiful human man.” You've captured every character flawlessly. Such beautiful work, I stand in awe. -----signature----- If you have to choose between tears and laughter, remember that laughter burns more calories. They call me NANA Vader. At least she doesn't lack confidence...
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Jaded_Rose Registered: Nov '06	Date Posted: 4/28 2:21pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs -- Update 12/28!
	This is literally the first story I have replied to in months, and it is quite worth coming out of the woodwork for. Mara's characterization is perfect, and her reactions are elegantly understated - no gratuitous "Mara is conflicted". I also loved the unexpected bursts of humor in Luke's interaction with Vader - Uncle Darth indeeed! J_Ro -----signature----- The pen is mightier than the sword, if it has been sharpened to a fine point, dipped in deadly poison and thrown from ten feet away. But really, you're better off with a sword. -America, The Book
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