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Author	Topic: In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - complete -- Thanks for your support in the Awards!
furrylittlebantha Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 4/30/07 3:35pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 4/26
	Hey, everybody! Just poppping in to let you know that I'm heading out for vacation, and it'll be about two weeks before I can get the next chapter up. Grr. You'd think they'd put internet in that beach house for what we're paying for it... There's a small chance I can access the internet at a library, but furrylittlebantha maketh no promises that she might not be able to keep and she is also feeling like randomly refering to herself in third person. Okay. Thanks for reading! You guys are great. -----signature----- Master of tjace and bi0nic. In mourning for the one year, nine months, and five days it has been since The Souls of Demons was updated. sob
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MotionWright Registered: Mar '07	Date Posted: 5/8/07 12:26pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 4/26 - Date Edited: 5/8/07 12:27pm (1 edits total) Edited By: MotionWright
	Enjoy your vacation! I know all too well how exhausting writing can be. I like this story. It is intriguing and original. Your writing is refreshingly rich in imagery. And then, suddenly, the fear evaporated. His back straightened of its own accord. His mind cleared; no, more than cleared. Every thought was crisply outlined, frozen, clear, like deadly crystals. A strange confidence shot up his spine. Luke laughed shortly and adjusted the microphone. What happened to Luke at the debate doesn't really surprise me. The same thing happened to me a few months ago, and I'm pretty sure I don't have the Force. I was nervous like hell, and then, just as I took my place behind the stand, my mind was suddenly clear; all the arguments were ready in my head - I didn't even need to look at my notes - and I knew that whatever the opposing team's spokesperson came up with, I would have a good counterargument ready. Amazing, isn't it? And some people wonder why I love politics... -----signature----- About Fathers http://boards.theforce.net/f/b1/27051840
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Kyana-Morgaine Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 5/8/07 3:11pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 4/26
	Wow! Intersting story! Please PM me when you're going to update! -----signature----- Lieda Mothma http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/26650971/p1/?15 Taking Breath in a Cold Night http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/25084978/p1 Frozen Blossom http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27429050/p1/?7
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satanat_solo Registered: Sep '05	Date Posted: 5/8/07 10:44pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 4/26
	wow, this is fantastic so far! I don't think i've ever read anything with this sort of premise. (and very well writen might i add..) enjoy your holiday and plleease add me to your pm list? -----signature----- "You've got to pin back your flaps and move forward." "They aren't flaps, they're my face!"
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furrylittlebantha Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 5/18/07 7:48am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 4/26
	Hi everyone, Got back into town last night and am graduating tomorrow, so I just have time to post the next chappie before dashing off again. I'll have to get to individual replies after the Senior trip. You guys are wonderful, though. The response I've gotten from this fic has made it one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the next installment! ========================== ===================== Chapter Four The applause was thunderous for the dark horse victor. Mara joined in reluctantly. He had done well, and deserved to win. His opponent—she forgot her name—was very good, too, and spoke with more polish. It was clear that she had expected to demolish this unknown, picked out of the blue to replace an ill finalist. Mara couldn’t see well from the back of the room, but the girl’s sense was comfortably smug and relaxed. It was literally seconds before that relaxation deteriorated. Minutes before the smugness began to fade, and not long at all when she was far from comfortable. The girl was good, but the boy was brilliant. It was almost painful to watch him pick apart her arguments, dangle the flawed pieces before the audience, then smoothly reconstruct them into a weapon of his own to fling at her. Mara watched him carefully the whole time. From the first moment, his posture and voice were bristling with power, a strange mixture of unbridled virility and refined control. There was no hesitation, no stumbling, no stalling and scrambling for a rebuttal. Only an unbroken stream of manipulation—a hunt, in which the girl was the prey. Again and again he lured her with falsely weak positions, maneuvered her, lulled her to a sense of safety, and moved in swiftly and triumphantly for the kill. Always on the offensive. Never giving her a chance to do anything but block and recover. The debate was not long. She was simply no match. Mara folded her hands together after the few perfunctory claps and scanned the room for Varewé’s sponsor. He should be on the front row, positioned just below and to the right of the champion’s podium… Oh. Not a he. A she. That she. Mara pushed aside the heavy velvet of the box’s curtains and started moving towards the stage. In a way, it was not surprising. She had expected to cross paths with Twansa Melgida again, and she had expected the encounter to be interesting. Considering the circumstances, she had probably been right. Varewé leapt down to speak with the senator, looking shy and proud. Melgida looked… Mara couldn’t place the expression. It reminded her a little of the Emperor’s face when she pleased him, but more fierce, more compassionate, and more conflicted; frightened but exhilarated at the same time. Varewé turned to answer a holo-reporter. Melgida reached out a hand slowly, as if to touch his shoulder, and just then, someone brushed past, blocking Mara’s view. When it cleared, the politician’s arms were at her sides. Yes. The encounter was going to be very interesting. By the time she shouldered her way through the crowd, Melgida was engaged in another conversation. She paused briefly when Mara came close, caught her gaze. “Shirking your duties, tonight, are you Countess? I’d think your social calendar would be packed on such a fine evening.” “My night off,” Mara shot back. The senator grinned. “How convenient for us, then. Varewé! Varewé, meet Countess Claria, a very dear, ah, acquaintance of mine. Don’t just stand there and look pretty; talk to her, boy!” With an irritated wave, she returned to her conversation. Mara shrugged and took stock of Luke Varewé. He was slightly shorter than she, neither thin nor stout, and had a way of holding himself that suggested shyness. But how could he be, after tonight? “So, you’re the one,” she commented. He cocked his head quizzically. “The one?” “The one she picked for her grand scheme.” “Oh. That scheme.” His tone did not change. Mara raised an eyebrow. “And do you know what it is yet?” “Not quite. You?” “I’m working on it.” “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.” He caught her eye, a small smile on his face. She hesitated, then let out the breath she’d been holding and laughed quietly. “Do you ever feel like a dejarik piece around here?” His smile turned wry. “All the time.” Mara decided she liked that smile. And his eyes; they were a nice color. And his chin... “I…” It hit her with the force of a hurricane, hungry and blazing with energy. Usually, Palpatine’s presence was warm to her mind, gentle. There was nothing gentle about his approach tonight. Her Master drew near, and Mara Jade was afraid. For the first time in her life. “Countess?” Vaguely, she heard Varewé’s voice, noted the concern in his blue eyes. But she had no attention to spare. Master, she sent hesitantly. No response. She tried again. Have you need of me? Mara caught the fleeting impression that he heard, but that his own attention was fully occupied. Almost as an afterthought, the burning touch of his mind withdrew. The chaotic energies contracted, until she could no longer distinguish his consciousness from any other in the Palace. As a result, she heard, rather than felt, Emperor Palpatine enter the debate hall. A wave of silence flowed outwards from the doors, fear washing out on the crest so strongly that Mara could taste it. More fear than normal, in fact. Perhaps concentrated in one person… Her head turned slightly in the direction the Force indicated. Twansa Melgida met her eyes, and two quick tears raced down her cheeks. “Hey—watch it!” Someone stumbled into Mara, clumsy in their haste to reach an exit. When she regained her balance and looked again, the tall woman had vanished. Luke Varewé stood alone at the foot of the stage. The crowd parted to let a lone figure through. ------------------------------- Luke’s heart stopped. Twansa…he thought dimly. Goodbye, kid, a voice echoed. I hoped… As if a curtain had dropped around his mind, the voice broke off. He was alone, now. Underneath the pounding fear, this one thought shone in unyielding, brilliant truth. He was alone. His mind flashed back to the many, many times he had stood on the outskirts of his sibling’s games, of a romp in front of the fireplace, of pranks, of…of the Varewé family. He saw Mother’s face, the way her eyes tightened when she saw him, the way her lips pulled back when she kissed him to sleep. He saw himself five years ago, a small, lonely figure on the pavement as the bus pulled away under pouring rain. He remembered the way the other students shrank from him, instinctive fear and distrust in their eyes. He remembered his life. He remembered who he was, then and now. A loner. Alone. But he was also strong. He had taken care of himself before; he would take care of himself now. He would win, like he knew he could. So certain, young master? He ignored the teasing voice and stepped forward, lifting his chin. Apparently, the ruler of the galaxy wished to speak with him. ----------------- Tattooine is a perilous place in the night. Its deserts, even more so. Many dangers lurk in the long cobalt shadows of the dunes. The old man does not care. Not tonight. He walks the worn trial, head bowed, staff clutched in both hands, feet making soft thwumps in the sand as he walks on, one foot in front of the other. He falters, every now and then, stumbles, even when the ground is smooth. Once, his hood falls back, and moonlight floods his craggy features. They are pallid, and tear-tracked, and lines furrow where no lines lay before. He draws the hood around himself and continues on his way. The small house is still; the lights are out. He collapses against the door and knocks weakly with his staff. There is silence, then a rustling. The door cracks open. A woman peers out through the opening, hair falling in wisps about her face. Her eyes widen from fear to another kind of fear. “Obi-Wan,” she whispers. “What has happened?” He makes a choking, guttural sound in the back of his throat, almost but not quite a sob. “Come indoors, Obi-Wan.” “Bail,” he says hoarsely. “My communication systems are down, and he should know…Dear Force, preserve the child.” “What’s happened?” the woman snaps, fear sharpening her voice. “Master Kenobi, you must tell me what happened.” He lurches to his feet, clings to the doorframe, pushes past her. “Oh, Beru. At least we still have little Leia.” ----------------- “I wish to offer my congratulations on your victory, boy. A most impressive display. Do you engage in these competitions often?” Luke licked his lips. His throat was oddly thick. “I—that is—this is my first time.” He could not see the Emperor’s face under the cowl, but Luke thought he detected a faint gleam, just for an instant. Weird. “More impressive yet, then. What is your name?” The Emperor drew nearer, and the air between them crackled with the movement. Luke jumped slightly. He cast a quick glance about. No one else seemed to have noticed… No one, that is, but the Countess Claria. “Luke Varewé, first son of Nubian sub-Governor Teswin Varewé,” he replied, leaning into the formal bow he’d been taught. He wondered abstractedly if it was formal enough. “Indeed. And you have come to my Palace as an apprentice, have you not?” Luke swallowed again, hard. Something about that choice of terminology made him feel distinctly uneasy. “Yes, as an intern,” he answered. “Senator Melgida is sponsoring me.” Emperor Palpatine laughed at that. A few people scattered about the room joined in, uncertainly and very briefly. The old man leaned closer. Luke caught the smell of rot and a flash of red from under the cowl. “I am sure she will not object to a change of plans, do you, boy?” “N-no, your highness.” “Good.” Lingering on the syllable, the Emperor drew away. “Good. Follow me, young Varewé.” He turned to leave. Luke watched him for a moment before moving. Follow me. He had no choice in the matter. And yet, as he hurried to catch up with the flowing black robes, he wondered just what it was he was following, and where he would find himself at the end. “Your destiny, of course. But you will not always be following. Someday, you will lead the destinies of all...” “No, I won't,” Luke muttered tiredly. He had not bothered to whisper. Ahead of him, Emperor Palpatine smiled for the second time that day. So certain, young master? So certain? ============ TBC -----signature----- Master of tjace and bi0nic. In mourning for the one year, nine months, and five days it has been since The Souls of Demons was updated. sob
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MsLanna Title: CR GSFF Central = Offizieller Burger Brater Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 5/18/07 8:24am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	Yay, the Emperor is after him. And I wonder where Melgida has gone to. She won't abandon him to old wrinkleface, will she? -----signature----- I give up. Fett is great. Member of the waadas'dar Club. Cuyir adate jate, bal droten ori'dush Proud Master and buir'ika of Commander_Ducky. My New Title: Lords and Ladies of the Empire
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ginchy Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 5/18/07 9:45am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	And yet, as he hurried to catch up with the flowing black robes, he wondered just what it was he was following, and where he would find himself at the end. Yeah, I'm worried about that, too. Excellent lead up to the Emperor approaching Luke, and how he found himself all alone, except for Mara nearby. I enjoyed their talk, too. Can't wait for more! Good luck with your fanfic withdrawl! -----signature----- Something wonderful has happened... EDD: April 25, 2010
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Jade_Pilot Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 5/18/07 11:42am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	The story is fantastic! I love all the little nuances and characerizations. I like how you've brought Luke and Mara together early rather than later. Very creative and intriguing. Bravo! -----signature----- I'm so adjective I verb noun.
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G__Anakin Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 5/18/07 1:18pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	Great Job! -----signature----- Master to tahiriveilax - - - My fanfic - - - Fate of the Jedi - Abyss : http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/30246540/p1/ Yeah, I used the real title for the next book. Beware Omen Spoilers.
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Mystic665 Registered: Oct '03	Date Posted: 5/18/07 8:16pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	w00t for updates!
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JEDIFLYSWATTER Registered: Dec '04	Date Posted: 5/18/07 9:10pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	Mara must be wondering what that intense interest her master all of a sudden has in this young man. I know what her interest proubly is in him because mine would be in the same place. I bet the Jedi sure are not pleased at all about Sola dumping poor Luke like she did. Sad part about that entire thing is that poor Luke also knows that he has been dumped off and treated like an outcast by her and his so called family. What is Vader going to do once he feels and sees him. Can not wait. Super job, have fun on your Senior Trip, and congrats on finishing High School. Thanks. -----signature----- New Orleans will rise from the ashes! You knew it was a rattlesnke when you picked it up. Kitty cats do not lie about love.
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BrentusofGath Registered: Aug '05	Date Posted: 5/19/07 12:49am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke¡¯s Story ¨C ANH AU ¨C Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs ¨C short story--Update
	Melgida reached out a hand slowly, as if to touch his shoulder, and just then, someone brushed past, blocking Mara's view. When it cleared, the politician's arms were at her sides. Hmmm, I wonder what she did to the boy. "The one she picked for her grand scheme." "Oh. That scheme." His tone did not change. Mara raised an eyebrow. "And do you know what it is yet?" "Not quite. You?" ROTFLOL!!! I love his calculated apathy. That's a new charactere trait for our boy, lol. But it fits. He could not see the Emperor's face under the cowl, but Luke thought he detected a faint gleam, just for an instant. Hehe, the gleam of hope for the future. Something about that choice of terminology made him feel distinctly uneasy. Face your destiny, young man. You will give in. Ahead of him, Emperor Palpatine smiled for the second time that day. LOL! I'll bet. Palpatine can hear the palace speak to the boy can he? Hmmm, very interesting. Palpy's gonna win! Luke's gonna be his new apprentice! Yay! I'm really loving the evil you've cooked up here, can ya tell? -----signature----- In time or so I'm told, I'm just another soul for sale, oh well Feel it in my bones when you break my back, break it just to watch me bend Why'd you have to go and Let it Die? -Foo Fighters http://conscienceoftheking.blogspot.com/
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 5/19/07 5:11am Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	Loved the whole chapter, but especially this section: “So, you’re the one,” she commented. He cocked his head quizzically. “The one?” “The one she picked for her grand scheme.” “Oh. That scheme.” His tone did not change. Mara raised an eyebrow. “And do you know what it is yet?” “Not quite. You?” “I’m working on it.” “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.” He caught her eye, a small smile on his face. She hesitated, then let out the breath she’d been holding and laughed quietly. “Do you ever feel like a dejarik piece around here?” His smile turned wry. “All the time.” Mara decided she liked that smile. And his eyes; they were a nice color. And his chin... “I…” It hit her with the force of a hurricane, hungry and blazing with energy. Usually, Palpatine’s presence was warm to her mind, gentle. There was nothing gentle about his approach tonight. Her Master drew near, and Mara Jade was afraid. For the first time in her life. -----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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Jade_eyes Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 5/19/07 5:45pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	Yay!! Luke and Mara meet!! Palps and Luke too Great conversations all around. Woohoo!! Things are heating up!! Have a great trip. -----signature----- Celebrating the resplendent, scrumptious love of Nyota/Spock one Squggles! at a time! As in cheesecake E-sib to Mira_Jade, whose nummies both inspire & gooify me !! !! Wiffle dubbed me the queen of squee!
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divapilot Registered: Nov '05	Date Posted: 5/19/07 7:18pm Subject: RE: In Plain Sight: Luke’s Story – ANH AU – Luke/Vader/Palpatine/Mara/OCs – short story--Update 5/18
	First of all --- HAPPY GRADUATION!!!! Secondly - Terrific update. I love the voices you have for Luke and mara. This is really how they would sound if they had been brought up in different circumstances. Luke is in for it now, since the Emperor has taken him. I'll be interested in seeing if this cynicism of Luke's will help protect him from the Emperor's machinations. And Obi-Wan is so tragic here. I wonder if "little Leia" was brought up by Beru? Interesting. Great job, Furry! -----signature----- Never tell me the odds. UConn: Huskies forever! RIP Jasper Howard, #6 "Focus on what matters. It's about the GAME, not each other. Dumb humans."
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