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Author Topic: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
VaderLVR64  30945 posts
Title: Manager Emeritus
 Registered: Feb '04
49060_Obi-Wan Kenobi (811092)
Date Posted: 4/14/08 8:27am Subject: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH - Date Edited: 4/14/08 11:33am (1 edits total) Edited By: VaderLVR64
Title: Almost Free
Author: VaderLVR64
Characters: OCs
Genre: vignette, AU



Almost Free

It promised to be quite an event. Everyone was talking about and there was an air of anticipation permeating the capital. Such exciting events had not been as common in recent years, and no one wanted to miss this one. Of course, not just anyone would be admitted, these events were the exclusive privilege of the more noble born, the extremely rich, or the very well connected.

Luckily for me, I happened to be all three. I knew I would see the historic events unfold, and I was waiting impatiently. My friends and I had purchased new gowns, something that seemed appropriate for the occasion, though to be honest I had never been to such an event and had no real idea of what I should wear.

As always, my mother guided me through the potential awkward process, and soon I was in possession of a lovely gown in the darkest crimson color, like a rich red wine. It set off my dark hair and eyes to perfection. My father teased me that I was too lovely to be allowed out in public. I laughed and kissed his cheek. I had always been his favorite, his only daughter. I loved him so much on that day, when I modeled the gown I would wear on that most special of occasions.

The day got closer and closer, and it was the biggest topic at all the parties. Everyone was talking about it, speculating and wondering how it would all play out. Sometimes I wondered why they were dragging it out so long, but Father explained that to me as well. The Empire had its reasons, he told me, and I would do well not to question them. I suppose it was not really an explanation I realized later, rather it was a warning.

I was a good Imperial, however, and I did not need a warning.

As the day approached, the newscasts were filled with stories of the event’s main participants. None of it would have been possible without them, as I told a friend before we both broke into horrified giggles.

Now, as I look back at that cruel girl, the person I was I cannot help but feel sorrow for her, but fury laces my grief. It is too late now, however, and nothing can be solved by regrets. Unless those regrets spur us on to change, and that was what that day did for me.

I walked into that arena as one person and emerged as someone else.

I wonder how many others did the same?

The day for which we had all waited finally arrived. The fanfare began kilometers before we even reached the arena. Banners flapped in the breeze, a subtle accompaniment to the majestic music that erupted from giant speakers that would carry every little sound of the event to the unfortunates who had not been able to buy, bribe, or steal an invitation. Immense screens would make sure that no Imperial citizen missed a single moment.

Children ran about in great excitement, frustrating their mothers with their energy. Grandmothers and grandfathers huddled together, perhaps reliving memories of similar events. Young couples held hands, flirting quietly while they waited for the spectacle to begin.

Then there were those who were making their way to the arena, people like me and my family. I must confess to a great pride and feeling of superiority as we rode by those crowds, for I saw the envy in their eyes as they realized we would be there, not having to settle for the big screens on which they would watch the events unfold.

I pitied them.

Perhaps they should have pitied me. Maybe they should have hated me.

If the noise outside the arena had been distracting, the noise inside was deafening. Thousands and thousands of spectators were waving banners featuring the face of the Emperor. The Lord Vader’s mask graced fewer of the banners, but that was not surprising. Yet others sported the images of the guests of honor, as my father called them.

The same faces we had seen on the newscasts for the past six months. In a way, I almost felt as if I knew them. Their life histories had become part of us by then, and we knew almost every little detail of their lives.

Then the fanfare that announced the spectacle was about to begin made the crowd go silent, and it was so quiet that I heard the call of a bird in the sky above me and the cry of a baby in the seats across the arena. The mother must have quickly hushed the child and then all I was aware of was the swinging of the huge gates that led to the arena floor itself.

I was disappointed at first, because I had been expecting something…more, something dramatic and important. Instead, all I could see were three rather pitiful figures being led out to the middle of the arena. Glancing up at the screen that afforded a close-up view, I felt my stomach roil in protest.

On the newscasts, they had seemed much different. Though they had not appeared to look like terrorists, they had certainly projected intelligence and tenacity, and one could see how such a group could pose a threat to our Empire.

At that moment, however, they seemed nothing more than corpses who had been granted a brief reanimation, and I wondered how they stayed on their feet. A look at their guards and I noticed that they were not so much walking into the arena as being dragged into it. They did not struggle or protest; I doubt they had the energy for that.

Instead, they were being supported by the arms of their guards because their legs were not strong enough to do the job. The tallest of the figures was led in first. He was dressed in rags that only vaguely resembled clothing, and when the guards tugged at his hair and lifted his face to the holocameras, I almost gasped. My mother gave me a sharp, warning look and I pressed my hand to my mouth.

His eyes were swollen shut, part of one ear had been torn off and was still trickling blood. The man’s face was so bruised and cut that one could barely identify him as human. A voice echoed out over the crowd.

“Having been found guilty of high treason by an Imperial High Court, and sentenced to death, said sentence to be carried out at the discretion of His Imperial Majesty, Han Solo, Corellian citizen, has been brought to the place to suffer the full extent of the law’s penalties.”

Excited murmurs broke out over the crowd as we waited to find out what his method of death might be. That had been one of the factors that had built our anticipation to almost feverish pitch.

How would they die? It was the all important question.

Then two guards brought out a large, old-fashioned sword. I glanced at my mother, wondering what this could mean. She paled, but nodded as if in approval. They forced the Corellian to his knees. A moment later, the sword flashed brightly and the man’s head went rolling into the dust.

The woman prisoner seemed to sway at that, sagging between the guards as if she would fall. They quickly straightened her up and once again, we were given a view of her face.

Dark eyes, not unlike my own, glared at the cameras. She had not been defeated, and I doubted that nothing would soften her hatred, not even death itself. A stirring of pity roused up in me and though I tried to tamp it down (this was only justice!) I could not fully do so.

“Leia, lately of Alderaan,” the voice continued. I heard a soft sigh somewhere behind me. Perhaps I was not the only one who had been shocked at the destruction of Alderaan. “You are sentenced to death for high treason, the manner of your death being determined by a representative of Imperial Justice.”

She spat at that, muttering something we could not hear.

The other prisoner called out to her. I can remember his words. “We’re almost free, Leia,” he said. “We’re almost there.”

At those words, she finally wept, but her tears were still defiant.

Because she had once been an Imperial Senator, her treason was deemed much worse than that of a Corellian smuggler, but the Emperor had been kind and shown mercy to her for her gender and royal status.

The princess was shot once in the head with a blaster. The shot sounded out and she simply crumpled to the arena floor, her defiance and her misery suddenly over. I sensed disappointment ripple through the crowd at her efficient death. They had come to see blood and suffering, a simple blaster shot to the head provided no entertainment.

Still, there was one more.

This left only the other man, and his sentence of death was read out to us as well, “…for High Treason, the destruction of the Death Star and the ending of millions of Imperial lives, you are hereby sentenced….”

I stared at his face on the screen, wondering how one who still looked so innocent could be guilty of such horror. His blue eyes seemed dazed, his expression confused, as if he had suddenly lost focus of why he was there, and what had happened to him. Then he glanced down at the bodies of his friends and a single tear traced a path down his dirty cheek.

When the manner of his death was pronounced, a horrified mutter rippled through the crowd. There was satisfaction in those murmurs, however. At last! The spectacle they had longed for would be theirs. Four speeders rumbled into the dusty arena and chains were attached to his arms and legs.

He was to be torn apart.

I saw one mother hide her son’s face in her arms and then I saw the father shake his head and free the boy from his mother’s embrace. Implacably, the man held the boy’s face toward the arena and I heard him whisper, “This is what happens when you go against the Empire…”

The little boy shuddered and began to cry, his mother began to weep, trembling in her distress. My father looked at me and gave me a nod of approval when he noted my dry eyes and contained expression.

He could not know that I was screaming inside, shrieking with outrage. Yes, this boy (and he was not much more) had killed millions with his destruction of the Death Star, but had not that same Death Star taken even more lives when it destroyed Alderaan?

Why did no one protest? Why did no one point out the obvious?

Then another excited ripple of sound filled the crowd and I looked up to see the Emperor emerge on his platform and at his side was Lord Vader. Palpatine held up his hand and the crowd fell perfectly silent.

“My good people,” he said. “To demonstrate my unlimited mercy, my goodwill for all of my people…” He smiled gently and I wondered if I was the only one who was terrified by that smile. “I will now demonstrate how kind the Empire can be.”

Everyone began looking at each other. What could this mean? Would the boy be spared? Would he be granted a kinder death? I hoped desperately at least for that.

“My most trusted servant,” and here Lord Vader stepped forward. “the Lord Darth Vader, has requested the life of this poor, misled boy.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

“And so, we grant Luke Skywalker his life, and hope that he will use this gift wisely, and in the defense of the Empire which has spared him.” There was a warning in those words, and I’m quite sure we all heard it.

With that, the chains were removed and the cameras zoomed in. Skywalker’s face was pale, his knees wobbled and he almost fell. The guards took him by the arms and led him past the bodies of his fallen friends.

He turned once and looked over his shoulder. The cameras caught it all and we heard every word.

“I’d rather be with you…” he whispered, sounding like a little boy lost in the wilderness.

Then he was gone. But not free.

He was never heard from again.

I left that arena and spoke not a word about what I had seen. The next day, I gathered up what credits I had to my own name and left the family I had loved and that had loved me for all of my life.

I never saw them again, never spoke to them.

The Rebellion did not die that day, it suffered a near mortal blow, it is true. But there is always hope where there is courage, and I found within me that day a greater courage than I had ever known.

I’m older now, and my journey nearly done.

I straighten my shoulders and remember the defiant dark eyes of a princess, eyes so like my own. All I can hear now the roar of the crowd.

And I know they’ve come to see me.

I’m almost free.

 

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Anakins_Kiss  471 posts
Registered: Jan '06
Date Posted: 4/14/08 11:18am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH - Date Edited: 4/14/08 11:22am (2 edits total) Edited By: Anakins_Kiss
wow! That was moving.

He turned once and looked over his shoulder. The cameras caught it all and we heard every word.

“I’d rather be with you…” he whispered, sounding like a little boy lost in the wilderness.

I really felt it when he said that. So sad. I was silently hoping that something would happen, that maybe Vader would snap out of it and challenge the emperor or something.

I never expected it to end like that. Well done as usual. applause

 

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Jaina_and_Jag  10000 posts
Registered: Apr '03
23040_R2-D2 Blueprint
Date Posted: 4/14/08 11:48am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Wow!!! So good! grin Horrible thing to think of though. sad Han and Leia being executed and Luke being taken as Vader's slave/apprentice. sad Definitely glad that things didn't turn out this way. wink

 
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Rogue_Pilot_2347  1148 posts
Registered: May '05
40335_Boba Fett
Date Posted: 4/14/08 12:42pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
That's so sad!!!!! Well done!!!!!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the narrator is about to be executed, yes?

 

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Golden_Jedi  3830 posts
Registered: Jun '05
43875_Han - Scruffy Lookin'
Date Posted: 4/14/08 2:52pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH - Date Edited: 4/14/08 2:59pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Golden_Jedi
cry cry cry

Now I wonder what happened to Luke, but I'm almost afraid to ask... grin

 

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Gabri_Jade  5087 posts
Title: Fan Fiction Archive Editor Emeritus
 Registered: Nov '02
23035_Mara Jade
Date Posted: 4/14/08 9:28pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
I love this, Kim. It's an entirely believable - and horrifying - scenario, all the more powerful for being told by an outsider's point of view. Great stuff. cool

 

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divapilot  2356 posts
Registered: Nov '05
49023_Deliah Blue (804093)
Date Posted: 4/15/08 6:45am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Oh man, what an intense story! I can see how these public executions could be viewed as social events. Considering that Leia's own father and mother nearly died in one, it's ironic that this is how her own life ended.

But Luke was damned to something much more sinister and horrible. His right to die alongside his friends was taken with his freedom. The most chilling was the parents' reactions, forcing the children to watch the bloodbaths as a lesson in what happens to those who do not obey.

Elegantly done! applause

 

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HandmaidenVeme  2285 posts
Registered: Jun '04
23998_Anakin
Date Posted: 4/15/08 11:08am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
divapilot posted:
Oh man, what an intense story! I can see how these public executions could be viewed as social events. Considering that Leia's own father and mother nearly died in one, it's ironic that this is how her own life ended.

But Luke was damned to something much more sinister and horrible. His right to die alongside his friends was taken with his freedom. The most chilling was the parents' reactions, forcing the children to watch the bloodbaths as a lesson in what happens to those who do not obey.

Elegantly done! applause


At one time in history events such as this were social events. Citizens even went as far as bringing along picnic lunches....


MamaV, as always a job well done!!!!

 

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ratna  1559 posts
Registered: Mar '07
7949_Jappor Snippet
Date Posted: 4/15/08 11:10am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Chilling. Reminds me of the stoning scene in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale.

How is the Rebellion going to prevail now?

 

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Gina  3879 posts
Registered: Jun '03
20886_The Final Duel
Date Posted: 4/16/08 7:21am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Stunning, K! Your fics never fail to stir emotions and leave the reader breathless! applause

 

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dianethx  14887 posts
Registered: Mar '02
Date Posted: 4/16/08 11:37am Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
That was chilling and damn superb. I loved it. I didn't expect that ending but it was wonderful.

applause

 

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KELIA  10907 posts
Title: The Pretty in Pink Fan Fic Manager
 Registered: Jul '05
50909_NaNo 24
Date Posted: 4/16/08 12:52pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH - Date Edited: 4/16/08 12:53pm (1 edits total) Edited By: KELIA
WOW

Poor Luke - forced to continue to live....I can't imagine what kind of life in an imperial prison.

cry cry cry cry

It was nice to see at least one Imperial was horrified and changed by what happened that day.

Great job on this

applause applause applause applause

 

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slow_dawn  361 posts
Registered: Apr '06
23582_Sunset
Date Posted: 4/16/08 3:50pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH - Date Edited: 4/16/08 3:51pm (1 edits total) Edited By: slow_dawn
“My good people,” he said. “To demonstrate my unlimited mercy, my goodwill for all of my people…” He smiled gently and I wondered if I was the only one who was terrified by that smile. “I will now demonstrate how kind the Empire can be.”

Ooh, the Emperor is so crafty and evil! I loved it. 'Sparing' Luke to show how 'good' he can be. I also enjoyed the story being told from the OC's point of view, and how she ends up joing the Rebellion cos of the event. Well done!


 

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leiamoody  1209 posts
Registered: Nov '05
48863_Luke and Leia (71109)
Date Posted: 4/16/08 8:16pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Hmm, the first thing I think of is those frigging days when beheading was the necessary form of "justice" in Tudor England. But then it also made me think of those times before when it was used by pretty much everyone throughout Europe. This spectacle you've described in this story is a scary combination of Roman entertainment by execution, and Tudor reinforcement by execution. (The old fashioned sword used to behead Han reminds me of the "fine Flemish sword" used for Anne Boleyn. I'm way off base here, but so goes the historical background I've worked with).

As usual, you've done something utterly amazing with a concept that is almost impossible to write simply because putting yourself in the perspective of those condemned to die is almost impossible. You also applied a very tragic ouroboros affect to this narrative. The OC starts out watching executions...and at the end, she is now the victim. It's...ugh, just ugh.

Excellent, excellent work from you once again.

 

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PHOBSON 
Registered: Sep '06
14365_8D8
Date Posted: 9/4/08 2:30pm Subject: RE: Almost Free - OC vignette, AU, post ANH
Yeah like everyone else has said: well done.

Like your piece called The Cleaner, you touched something very real and topical (how reactions against extremists can create sympathy towards their cause thus creating more extremists.) Excellent piece.

 

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