Awards 2007 Beyond the Saga Fanfic Awards Excerpt Thread!

CHARACTER
Best Canon Interpretation, Male - part 1

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[b][color=limegreen]Luke Skywalker in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24674306/p1/?12] An Alliance at Alida?s[/link] by divapilot[/color][/b]

Too soon, the dinner was over. As they chatted over dessert, Luke realized that the evening was coming to a close. This was a chance to spark a real romance from this felicitous friendship.

He breathed deeply, drawing on the Force slightly to buttress his fortitude and calm his nerves. Mara, aware of his sudden anxiety, slowly put her teacup down. ?Mara,? he began, ?I know you?re leaving again in a few days, and you won?t be here for Life Day.?

She snorted. ?It?s just another frivolous holiday. I never really celebrated it. Besides, I?ll be so busy that I won?t even miss it.?

Luke shifted in his seat. The evening was almost over, and he only had a finite amount of time to say what he wanted. ?Holidays can matter, if you have someone to share them with,? he remarked.

Mara raised an eyebrow suspiciously. ?Why the sudden sentimentality? That never bothered you before, Skywalker.?

He shrugged sheepishly. ?I never really thought about it before, but I want to change that now. I want to give you a gift ? for Life Day, that?s all.? He produced a small box and placed it on the table.

Mara stared at the box for a moment, then reached for it. When she opened the box and looked inside, a small gasp escaped her. ?Oh, Luke. You shouldn?t have spent so much.?

?There?ll be other times to be frugal. I wanted you to have it.? He watched her reaction to the gift. ?It reminded me of you,? he added quietly.

She took the necklace out of the box and held it up against the light to examine it. ?This is jade, isn?t it?? she asked.

He nodded. ?Jade has many different appearances, but it?s all precious and beautiful. I found a jeweler who designed this for me.?

Mara placed the strand around her neck. The length was, as the jeweler had promised, perfect.

Luke held his breath, waiting for her trademark flippancy, but it didn?t come. Instead, she slowly examined the necklace.

She paused at one particular bead that glimmered with a feral intensity among the rest. ?What is this one?? she asked.

?It?s called glowjade,? he answered. ?It symbolizes fidelity. It?s extremely rare.? He continued quietly. ?When you find a jade like that, you shouldn?t try to overpower it. It shines with a beauty all its own.?

At his words, she looked at him intently, letting the beads slide across her fingers. Mara touched the necklace again. ?Thank you, Luke. It?s lovely.? Her expression grew worried. ?I didn?t get you anything.?

?Yes, you did,? he said. ?You came here tonight and enjoyed yourself. I don?t need anything more.?

She sat quietly for a long time, long enough that Luke began worrying that the evening had failed somehow. Had he been presumptuous? Did she think the necklace was unsophisticated? Or worse, maybe she thought the gesture was fallacious, and he was using it to mislead her into rushing into the relationship? He tentatively reached out with his senses and discovered, to his surprise, her own strong feelings swirling around her.

Finally she slowly stood up, still touching the necklace. ?That was the most thoughtful gift I?ve ever received,? she whispered.

Luke stood up in response, unsure of himself. He felt that the gift had been well-received, but one stupid remark could ruin the evening, and all they had achieved tonight would dissolve like fission into the air.

Mara picked up the lily from the table and inhaled its fragrance, looking over the delicate petals at Luke. He smiled at the sight. She smiled back, then raised the flower to share the scent with Luke. He moved closer and wrapped his hands around hers as she held the flower in front of her.

?People think I?m some reckless firebrand,? she said softly. ?But you see something else, don?t you??

 

Best Canon Interpretation, Male - part 2

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[color=limegreen][b] Anakin Solo in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/26099579/p1]Exodus[/link] by YodaKenobi [/b][/color]

"Can you hand me the fusioncutter?"

"I don't think that's a very good idea."

Anakin Solo was dangling upside down inside a cramped maintenance duct of Faybol's stealth fighter, the backs of his knees wrapped around a durasteel grabrail. Looking up past his knees, he could just make out the silhouette of a head peering down the access hatch, wreathed with flowing golden curls.

"Why?"

"Well, if you want the fusion[i]cutter[/i], that means you're going to start [i]cutting[/i] into this thing."

The weariness caused by the blood rushing to his head was only worsened by the stifling heat in the narrow cavern.

"How else am I going to see what's inside?"

"Why do you want to see what's inside?"

"To see how it works."

Her sigh echoed down the shaft. "It may not work at all if you start cutting it open and pulling its guts out? what if you can't put it back together?"

Anakin's frowned. The thought had never occurred to him? possibly because he'd always been able to build and disassemble almost anything.

"Tahiri?"

"Right. I forgot, Wonderboy," she relented, her silhouette disappearing to retrieve the fusioncutter. The plaintive roar from deep within an adjoining crawlway made it clear how Lowbacca felt. Anakin could see the light from his glowrod as the Wookiee followed the ship's fuel lines.

"Yeah, yeah," Tahiri muttered. "Keep your fur on."

The fusioncutter came levitating down the chasm and Anakin pulled it to his hand. "Thanks."

Igniting the cutting beam, Anakin began torching his way through the black housing bulging out into the duct. The acrid stench of charred alloy and spray of smoke began to fill the duct as he burned a rectangle through the housing that glowed violet, then levitated his make-shift panel out of the way, its edges still smoldering in the darkness.

"What is it?" Tahiri asked.

Anakin freed the glowrod from its clip, bathing the gaping hole he'd cut in golden light. He sighed. "Another conduit."

He reached in and pulled the bundle of wires and filaments into his beam, inspecting them closely. Each wire was coated in a gold wax that glowed internally with a sort of bioluminescence. But he could feel in the Force that they were no more organic than the [i]Falcon's[/i] innards.

"Everything looks the same. I can't tell where these wires are coming from, or where they're going. I don't know if we've even seen them before."

"Maybe that's because you aren't supposed to be doing the maintenance work," Tahiri quipped. "That's why you had to create your own access panel."

Anakin could feel that she was right. Already the smoking hole he'd cut in the ship's viscera was swarmed by the tiny "bug droids" that had mended everything else he'd dismantled. Each one was no larger than a cred-chip, scurrying across the duct walls on six sliver-like metal legs. Their bodies were covered in a thick vacuum-proof shell as hard as permacrete, but felt [i]leathery[/i] beneath the pads of his fingertips.

Anakin estimated there were thousands in the ship?s labyrinthine ducts and conduits. He could feel in the Force that they were complex machines and sensed no threat from them. Their sole purpose seemed to be sensing malfunctions and damage and working together to repair it.

"Alright. I'm coming up."

Anakin moved the panel back and the bug droids immediately began welding the piece of metal into the duct wall with tiny fusion torches in their bellies and a pair of mandibles that pinched the liquefied alloy into place as it cooled. Shaking his head, Anakin swung himself up so he was sitting on the grabrail, before leaping up with the Force. Tahiri's strong hands wrapped around his wrists, and with a heave, she pulled him the rest of the way. She was still standing over him as he flopped down between her legs

 

Best Canon Interpretation, Female - part 1

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[b][color=limegreen]Mara Jade in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=24674306&brd=10477&start=24674658]An Alliance at Alida's[/link] by divapilot[/color][/b]


Mara bowed her head. No, the truth was far simpler, and the truth was that she just didn?t have the courage to continue this relationship. It had nothing to do with Luke and everything to do with her.

She was afraid.

What really scared her, she realized, was not the thought of the failure of the relationship. What terrified her was the possibility it might actually work out.

What if they really fell for each other? Could she allow someone else in her life, let someone else take control? What if she allowed herself to fall for him and then the relationship imploded? Could she handle that kind of devastating emotion?

Could she bear to be deserted again?

Another look at the chrono revealed that she had run out of time and options. Skywalker would be here any moment. She?d have to face this head-on.

Mara glanced at Bruno, who was pretending to ignore her. Seemingly unperturbed, he poured some cleaning emollient on a rag and intently began to polish the frame of the certificate on the back wall. She reached out slightly and sensed his concern for her.

?I?ve decided to stay awhile, you know,? she announced to his back.

Bruno turned around. ?Good,? he said, putting the cleaning supplies back in their container. ?Otherwise someone would be very disappointed.?

She looked at him cynically. ?He?d be disappointed? Since when did you begin to espouse Skywalker?s viewpoint in this matter? Don?t start to extol his virtues for me. I hear enough of that already.?

Bruno raised an eyebrow. ?Who said I was talking about Luke?? he asked.

Mara frowned and sat up straighter. ?Are you saying that [i]I?d[/i] be making a mistake if I left??

Bruno shrugged. ?I?m saying I think you?d be making a mistake if you didn?t take the risk of staying. You?d never know, wouldn?t you? And it would always bother you.?

Mara leaned in and squinted at Bruno. Tentatively, she reached out with the Force again, but failed to locate any sensitivity from him. ?Tell me,? she deadpanned, ?are you sure you aren?t a Jedi? I thought that annoyingly insightful empathy was endemic to them alone.?

Bruno laughed aloud. ?No, I?m just a barkeeper. But I know how to read body language and I can take a good educated guess.?

Mara smiled in spite of herself. Bruno had a point.

Suddenly, she raised her head so quickly that her hair swung in a silky curtain. Her eyes riveted to the entrance.

?You have to be ready to accept the risk, Mara,? Bruno said quietly. ?You have to be ready and willing to take the chance.? He smiled reassuringly at Mara, then walked away.

The door opened. Luke stepped inside and took a moment to adjust to the darkness of the bar. In that moment, Mara considered him.

He radiated light and strength, his Force signature like an extroverted presence in the room that overpowered all the tentative tracings from the other patrons. He stood confidently as he casually scanned the room.

[i]Looking for me,[/i] she realized. Her breath quickened as an ephemeral dizziness swept over her.

His gaze found hers and she looked into his sparkling eyes. Her mouth opened slightly and went dry, and she felt a curious prickle at the back of her neck.

He smiled and approached her. The uncertainty that had gripped her seemed suddenly evanescent, disappearing into the surrounding air. She smiled in return. His presence relaxed her. It occurred to her that no one else had ever affected her this way.

?Shall we?? he asked, extending his hand.

She regarded that hand, open and inviting. If she rejected it, she would never know if this relationship had the strength to last. But if she accepted it, she was giving up a little piece of her control. Could she, for once, take the risk? Was it worth the risk?

Mara took a deep brea

 

Best Canon Interpretation, Female - part 2

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[color=limegreen][b] Mara Jade Skywalker in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=26052350&brd=10477]Running[/link] by MirandaFair [/b][/color]

[b]Author's Note: The events in this occur shortly after "Union." While away on their honeymoon, a confused Mara leaves Luke to seek out answers in her early morning run through the beach resort. Along the way, she is given some unexpected advice from an unexpected source.[/b]

"My whole life I've been alone. Believe me when I say, [i]alone[/i]. I never thought I'd settle down. I guess I had predetermined long ago that I didn't need a man in my life. That was just a fate that didn't fit me. Especially since the one man who I trusted the most, who had the biggest part in my life was what made it wrong in the first place."

While Mara couldn't believe she was spilling her feelings out to this woman, it surprised her that she felt better in doing so.

"The past," the old lady (who Mara had now nicknamed 'Faded Red') talked with sincerity, "is hard to escape. We mustn't let it dictate to us the course of the rest of our lives. We can only learn from it, the mistakes it brought. Then and only then, young one, is when we can move on."

Mara's heart rate finally slowed and she stared over at the woman.

"I love him," she said. "More than I ever thought I could love anyone. However, I don't know if I can face the risk of failure and overcome it."

Faded Red looked out to the ocean, then closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. "Life's journey is a gamble we all take from the day we are born." She turned back to Mara, "but with your red hair, I'd say you are the risk taking type."

Mara laughed. "As I'm sure [i]you[/i] were."

"[i]Are[/i]," the woman corrected, a glint sparked in likened eyes. "It takes one to know one."

The sun was strengthening and Mara could feel her skin starting to burn. Before she left though, she needed to know something.

"Does it..." Mara shuddered at even asking such a question, "get easier? Living with the doubt?"

"Easier? Hardly," a chuckle came from Faded Red, "but the doubt, that will someday subside. The future can only make you stronger, more resilient to the obstacles you meet and overcome. Then it occurs to us that we have little room or time for doubt in our lives."

The two woman sat there, staring knowingly at each other.

"Mara."

A man called out to her.

Mara shifted her sights and an older man with piercing blue eyes made his way to Faded Red's side. He helped her up and gave her a loving kiss.

"All set?" the voice Mara knew so well asked the elderly lady.

"Yes, Luke," she smiled at her younger self. "I think I'll be all right to go now."

They turned away from Mara, walking up the wooden boards towards the rising sun.

Numb from her vision that was just beginning to fade, Mara started when another voice called out her name. This time, it [i]was[/i] meant for her.

"Mara...," a hand rested on her shoulder. She gazed up to see her husband's face looking down at her.

"Luke." Rising up from the bench, Mara pulled him into solid embrace.

"You okay?" he asked his wife.

Her hold around Luke loosened and she nodded. "I thought I had dealt with all of this," admitted Mara.

"This?" Luke repeated.

"Yes, the idea of being married, what it means. I've spent all of my life being independent. Going from one, to two, is hard for any regular person. Throw in a Force-connection, and it's even more confusing. I don't want to let you down in this union," Mara told Luke with true honesty. "But I need you to know that this change is going to take some getting used to. For the [i]both[/i] of us to get used to. I mean, it took us the better part of ten years to admit there were feelings deeper than friendship. This is a new journey and it's going to take time."

He brought Mara's forehead to his lips and kissed her. "I understand. I have all the time in the galaxy for you."

 

Best Original Character, Male - part 1

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[b][color=limegreen]Remy Diabet in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=23931438&brd=10477]Galaxy Grey[/link] by The_Face[/color][/b]

[i]Freelancer III[/i] sped along the canyon floor. Sensors showed at least three on their tail, and the others were coming around in the sky. ?Messuni,? Remy said, ?you see the controls for the rear-mounted tractor beam??

She looked over the copilot?s console. ??Yeah.?

?Think you can pull off the Canto trick again??

?You?ll have to wait and see like everyone else,? she replied. She focused in on the dot closest to the [i]Freelancer III.[/i] She targeted it, and activated her weapon. It was caught in a low-power tractor. She dragged her yoke left. The beam was strong enough to pull the fighter the short distance she needed. She released it at the center of the freighter?s back end. ?Now!?

Remy gave the engines a burst of power. The engine wash coated the saucer at nearly point-blank range. The burning droid careened into the canyon wall.

?You?ve just been amazed by the stunning Messuni Diabet,? she announced.

?Seriously, Naoe,? Remy said through gritted teeth as he navigated the twists of the canyon, ?you wanna follow the trend and add an adjective to your name like some kind of circus performer? How about ?uncanny?? Unless you [i]like[/i] being canny.?

?I?ll stick with ?lieutenant?, thanks.?

?You talk too much for someone with our lives in your hands,? Messuni told Remy.

?It?s a lovable character flaw of mine.?

They rounded a corner and found themselves staring down five oncoming fighters. Remy hit the repulsorlifts hard, throwing the [i]Freelancer III[/i] up out of the trench. He let it drift right until inverted. Jav in the top-mounted cannon blasted three of the five fighters passing below them. The old Kuati freighter rolled back over and into the canyon, clipping the rim with its right wing. The aggressive tip of the wing came off. The [i]Freelancer III[/i] wobbled back and forth, scraping against the other wall. Lasers pounded the back of the ship. The lights flickered. For every fighter Jav shot down, another seemed to take its place.

?This does not seem conducive to our collective health,? Naoe said.

?And I?m pretty sure we might die,? Messuni added.

?Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey.?

Remy pulled up again and shot out of the trench. Lasers filled the air. He pointed toward the space station and pushed the [i]Freelancer III[/i] to its limits, and a bit beyond.

The swarm of droids didn?t let up; it became worse in open air. Jade laserfire rained on the freighter. They came closer and closer to the space station. It sent no hails. It wouldn?t accept communication from Remy.

?Blast,? he said.

The ship shuddered, and a charred piece of hull peeled off.

?Not you!? he screamed at the enemy fighters.

Blue balls of energy joined the green. The space station had ion cannons. Another shudder. Accurate ones. Systems were dropping across the board. The shield percentage indicator was counting down rapidly. A laser from one of the fighters caused the ship to lurch and Remy to hit his head against a newly broken monitor array. It swung haphazardly by one corner now. Remy touched a finger to his forehead. It came away black with blood.

?Ouch,? he said quietly.

Another burst from an ion cannon. The ship essentially stopped functioning at that moment. Including the engines.

?Start,? he begged the dying ship. ?Start??

Jav found himself with no power to move or fire the quad-cannon. He tried to inform Remy but the comm was out. The ship was dark save a few blinking emergency lights.

?What now?? Naoe asked, panicky.

?Still,? grunted Remy, ?have some basic control. That open bay door.?

She stared. ?You?re going to crash land in the enemy fortress??

Messuni looked over the space station with hands clenched on the arm rests in a white-knuckled death grip. ?Is that what that is??

Re

 

Best Original Character, Male - part 2

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[b][color=limegreen] Dr. Liekvold in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/25786717/p1/?202]Beloved Deceiver[/link] by VaderLVR64 [/color][/b]


?Yes, well? Anyway, my father was a doctor, too. Retired now and living near us. But my father is a man of many interests, you see. So even when he was raising me and working as a medic, he had a passion.?

?A hobby?? Luke asked politely.

?Oh, I suppose it was something that was more than a hobby but not quite an obsession. I used to tease him that he worked only so that he could earn enough credits to indulge in his true vocation,? Liekvold said. ?He loved history you see. Studied it, analyzed it, devoured it in fact.?

?History?? Luke asked uneasily.

?Of course, not just any history,? Liekvold said. ?Any researcher worth anything will tell you that you have to narrow your focus if you?re going to do much good, learn anything of value.?

?I suppose that?s true,? Luke allowed.

?My father had a very particular and unusual area of interest,? the medic continued. ?In another time, another political climate, he would have been free to indulge his interest more openly. It would not have been as difficult to access the primary resources.? Then Liekvold shook his head and laughed. ?But maybe that would have lessened his interest. Who knows??

?And what might that particular area of interest have been?? Luke asked with a dry mouth.

Liekvold?s eyes were both penetrating and compassionate as he met Luke?s gaze. ?He studies Jedi history to be precise. You might find his research quite fascinating really, especially as I would venture to guess that one day you hope to reestablish the Jedi Order.?

?That must have proven to be a very frustrating hobby after the Empire destroyed all records of the Jedi,? Luke said carefully.

Liekvold?s smile was sly. ?Most records were destroyed,? he agreed. ?But not all. Actually as I said, sometimes I believe it was the very difficulty of the research and the risk in the acquisition of records that attracted my father. It became a sort of game with him and he likes nothing better than to win.? He winked at Luke. ?I share his sense of curiosity and recklessness- not to mention his interests.?

?Really??

?I grew up on the tales of the exploits of the Jedi,? Liekvold explained. ?The real stories, not the myths and legends and horrifying stories that most children heard. The Jedi were obliterated just as I was beginning to really understand the stories my father told me.?

?That must have been fascinating,? Luke murmured.

?Oh it was,? Liekvold agreed. ?Most fascinating.

?How fortunate for you,? Luke said dryly.

?I had a happy childhood,? Liekvold said without sarcasm.

?Look, this is all very interesting, but if we?re done discussing my friend?s condition, then I need to get back to my room and start making some arrangements for when he?s released.? He rose up out of his seat, ready to leave.

?Just a moment more please,? Liekvold said softly. ?Just indulge me. You see, when you showed up here, I did something I?m not supposed to do,? Liekvold admitted. ?I broke all the rules of my profession and confessed to my father that Luke Skywalker had entered my med center, bringing with him a fascinating patient.?

?Go on,? Luke said grimly.

?Well, you can imagine my father?s excitement that I had met a real Jedi,? the medic said. ?He?s been fascinated with your kind all his life and yet never met one. Not once, not even before they were wiped from the face of the galaxy.?

?It?s my understanding that the Jedi were spread out far and wide, even before the Clone Wars,? Luke said. ?Most beings never saw one. Some even though that they were a myth.? His mouth twisted and he tried to feel angry at the medic but failed. There was no malice in the man, just a simple and genuine curiosity and fascination.

?Exactly,? Liekvold said. ?And when I told him you were here, he delved back into some o

 

Best Original Character, Female - part 1

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[b][color=limegreen]Messuni Roserain in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=23931438&brd=10477]Galaxy Grey[/link] by The_Face[/color][/b]

?Messuni, I really don?t want to kill you.?

She looked up at her one-time fiancé, body aching from the explosion?s impact. She blew a strand of faux red hair away from angry green eyes? ?Then we?re wasting our time here. Would you be a dear and shoot yourself??

?I wasn?t finished,? he said. His blasters were pointing at her head. ?I do many things I don?t want to.?

?Our lie of a relationship included??

?Messuni, here?s a thought. How about I kill Mr. Diabet??

?Plan vetoed, Trace.?

?You?re actually attached to the man, if I may stretch the definition of man for him. Amazing.?

?I will say you have a better goatee,? she said.

?I certainly do. To your feet.?

She coughed, and wheezed her question. ?What??

?Stand up,? he ordered. ?I have two blasters that I [i]will[/i] use if I must.? Messuni slowly pulled herself to her feet, and managed to bring herself to an unsteady stand. She took in a raspy labored breath, searching over Trace?s shoulders. She spotted one of her blaster pistols over his left, aimed at the corner, and the other, aimed in their direction. She bit her lip. Both were much too far away to grab before getting shot, especially in her weakened state.

Trace looked her up and down. ??Shame you?re all armored up, Messuni. I must say, based on our recent meetings on Corellia, Manaan, and this very station, you look great for two kids. At least you don?t have a helmet on. That determined frown, those emerald eyes.? He took a step closer, blasters on her gut. She could just barely feel his cool breath tickle her lips as she glared into his mismatched eyes. ?How often does Remy tell you about how beautiful you are when you?re angry like that??

Messuni?s blaster trigger twitched. Trace screamed and fell. She brought her knee up and met his head halfway as it descended, and then fell back against the wall, nursing a gut wound. She looked down at the Black Hand with bloodied ankle and jaw.

She spoke with quiet intensity. ?Every day, Dys. Except it?s my smile he likes.?

She reached out with a trembling hand toward the blaster that had shot him as he slowly recovered. Trace was on one knee now. The pistol shook, but didn?t move. He was no longer positioned where she could shoot him just by manipulating its trigger with her extremely minor Force powers. Typically, she couldn?t do anything except unconsciously be faster and more accurate than was normal. The mere pull of a trigger had been a miracle.

Trace was standing again, weight on his good foot. His red cybernetic eye burned with a rage that his real eye didn?t seem to convey. Blood was coming slowly down onto his forehead. He aimed one of the AG-13Bs. He moved the crosshairs to her chestplate, just over her heart. ?Sweetheart,? he hissed through gritted teeth, ?these differences are irreconcilable, I?m afraid. It could have been wonderful, wildflower. Messuni Roserain, I?ll miss you.?

Messuni?s blaster flew through the air and into her grasp. Three shots went off.

He paused and looked down at his newly empty, newly burnt hands. The two pistols clattered to the floor, each with heavy burn damage. The patented Roserain method of disarming an enemy by shooting his weapon.

Messuni gasped and fell to her knees, blaster in hand. ?That?s Messuni Diabet,? she corrected.

Trace?s eyes moved now to his torso, where blood was staining his sleek jumpsuit. He looked up long enough for her to see on his face the expression of a man betrayed. He collapsed next to his ruined weapons and the destruction left by his earlier explosive trick.

?I really loved you,? he wheezed. Messuni knew that sound; it was the voice of a man dying slowly.

She took a deep breath. ?I thought I loved Dys the gunslinger, but that?s not who you really are. I?m not so sure if Jhaim the

 

Best Original Character, Female - part 2

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[b][color=limegreen]Noelani Darklighter in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/message.aspx?topic=25962380] Jedi Adept: A Father's Blade [/link] by Kidan[/color][/b]

The Cathar's paw seems to engulf her hand as he shakes it, and Noelani can feel the powerful muscles, as well as the tips of his sharpened talons. After a moment, she withdraws her hand and continues looking around the shop.

The bells attached to the door tinkle once more, and Noelani turns that way, her breath catching in her throat as she sees the Yuuzhan Vong warrior strolling into the shop. The warrior looks around him at the machinery; disgust rests undisguised on his features. His living armor glistens sickly in the stark light of the shop, the gray of his flesh seems somehow even more sallow under the fluorescent glare than it would beneath a natural light.

Drago's lips curl back into a silent snarl. "I thought I told you that you were not allowed into my shop again Rulmon Yah."

Noelani can feel her fear pounding at her heart, and she glances around, trying to find a place to hide. Not finding anything, she presses herself further into a corner, hoping the warrior doesn't look her way.

Rulmon Yah walks to the counter, and Noelani realizes that Drago has pulled himself to his full height, and seems to tower over the warrior.

"I do not take orders from you, Infidel. I have come to resubmit my offer. Turn your daughter over, or we will take her."

Noelani can feel the Cathar's anger, and a low growl seems to come from him. Finally he speaks. "Leave."

Rulmon sneers at him, and turns away from the counter, and towards Noelani. He freezes as he spies her, and Noelani takes an instinctive step back, every part of her screaming that she should run from this warrior.

[i]I'm a Jedi![/i]

Noelani steels herself, pushing back her shoulders and meeting the warriors gaze head on. Rulmon Yah glances at Drago, his sneer growing wider. "I think I might be able to buy your daughter a bit more time, Infidel scum."

Drago moves so fast that Noelani is unable to track him. One moment he is behind the counter and the next he is up and over it, his claws extended and slicing at the vonduun crab armor which the warrior wears. The warrior is faster though, and slams his fist into the back of the Cathar's head. Drago crumples to the ground, and the warrior pulls out a coufee.

"No!"

Her scream echoes in the small shop, and the warrior glances up at her.

"Don't worry human. I've not forgotten you."

Noelani reaches into her hair and pulls out the stokli spray stick. Her hair falls out of its braid as she aims the weapon. As she depresses the small trigger a stream of grayish-white goo flies out and slams into the warrior, wrapping around him, pushing him back against the shelves.

The spray stick beeps once, an indication that it's empty, and Noelani allows the weapon to drop from her hands. She stares at the warrior who is glaring at her, and Noelani belatedly realizes that she sprayed his mouth and nose shut.

She turns from him, and kneels beside Drago, concern etched on her face. "Are you all right?"

The big Cathar heaves himself up, and looks at the Yuuzhan Vong, who is beginning to go into convulsions. He looks back down at Noelani.

"I am just old, youngling. Though I must notice that our guest appears to be lacking a way to breath."

Noelani bows her head slightly. "Yeah, I noticed also. There's nothing we can do now though. That was a stokli spray stick. Even if we wanted to get it off it would take at least a half hour." Noelani turns towards the warrior, noticing that his face has taken on a blue tinge, and offers him a shrug.

Impassively, she watches as he fights against his bonds, his struggles growing in desperation as his oxygen runs out. Finally after about five minutes, his eyes roll back up in his head, and his struggles cease. Noelani knows that he is only moments away from dying, and she is not cert

 

Best Child - part 1

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[hr]
[b][color=limegreen]Nick Solo in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Beyond_the_Saga/b10477/21158399]The Mechanical Dreams of Nick Solo[/link] by Vongchild[/color][/b]

A/N: [i]Nick Solo was originally created by Oldjedinurse for a vignette. He was later willed to me for use in a full-length story. His premise presents him as the autistic-savant fourth child of Han and Leia, born after the Yuuzhan Vong war. As part of this, I made the decision to present Nick?s Force sensitivity as mechanical aptitude rather than empathy. He senses mechanical things around him as ?music,? to add to the effect. In this scene, his new tutor attempts to teach him to speak.[/i]

?It makes an ?Ah ?sound. Can you say it??

[i]Ah[/i], he echoed mentally.

?No,? corrected Ruya. ?With your voice.?

[i]Can I have a marker? [/i]

?Not yet. Try to say the letter.?

[i]I did say it[/i], Nick insisted. [i]Can I have a marker? [/i]

Ruya sighed and rolled one across the table to him. ?I meant out loud,? she explained.

Nick, examining the marker and finding it to be blue with a fine tip, decided that he would very much like another. So, even though he didn?t quite understand why Ruya was putting such an emphasis on vocalizing, he decided that if it got him another marker it had to be good.

And it would have been good, too, if he?d had any idea how exactly one went about articulating that sound. He didn?t know, but he succeeded in a low, raspy croak and that made him extremely pleased with himself. He looked expectantly at the pack of markers, waiting for another to be rolled across the table to him.

One wasn?t.

?Try again,? urged Ruya. Nick had no intention of complying. He wanted that marker. Now. He?d earned it, hadn?t he?

And then the first earthquake shook the apartment.

Nick screamed. It was a long, perfectly formed ?Ah? sound that continued for quite a while after the five seconds of mild trembling had ceased. He fell silent and wondered where that syllable had been when he had needed it. Ruya righted her chair, calmed her dog, and smiled pleasantly at him from across the room.

?Have a marker,? she said, rolling a thick red one to him. Nick caught it at the edge of the table and lined it up next to the previously earned blue one. Two colors weren?t enough for a good picture, but he had every intention of getting more colors. Even if it meant doing something as pointless as [i]speaking[/i].

Why did he have to waste his time with this, anyway? Ruya could understand him just fine, and she was really the only person who was worth talking to. Everyone else hardly ever said anything interesting, and if they did they never said it to him. So really, it was like they had nothing to say at all.

?Try the next one,? instructed Ruya. ?It?s a ?buh? sound.?

Nick frowned down at the datapad, trying to wrap his mind around how to do that. He figured there was something to this whole speaking thing, like the difference in compression of air. A little like the pitch of breath over two different width tubes. Slowly, it all seemed to be clicking into place. Nick looked up at her, but wasn?t sure what to do.

?Buh,? repeated Ruya.

Nick deepened his frown. He wasn?t getting it. Why was speaking so frustrating? The world was better off without it, as far as he was concerned.

Momentarily, he lapsed in ignoring the mechanical noise of Coruscant and heard something rather? unusual; like a different instrument on a different scale. All interest in letters and speaking vanished, and Nick got up from the table.

?Nick?? Ruya asked. ?What is it??
[hr][hr]

[b][color=limegreen]Pemberian Canaille Skywalker in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/22438189/p1] The 7th Hymn of Tiresias[/link] by DarthBreezy[/color][/b]

[i]A/N[/i] Takes place the day after Luke finds out that he has a daughter from an earlier love affair?

**

?Do you like shurra fruit, Pay-pa Luke?? Pem asked over a mouthful of her own, earning

 

Best Child - part 2

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[hr]

[color=limegreen][b]Ben Skywalker in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24403200/p1/?96]To Overcome[/link] by ginchy[/b][/color]

To Overcome [i]continues the story begun in [/i]Timoritus[i] of Mara Jade Skywalker?s struggle against a poison that forced her to live her worst nightmare--murdering her husband and son. Ben is four years old and does not understand what is happening with his mother. The following excerpt is a collection of several Ben scenes throughout the story.[/i]

**

?Let?s get you in bed, then, little love.?

?I want to sleep with you and Daddy!? Ben said immediately, springing up from his position on the bed and hopping out.

?No, no, Ben. It?s time for you to sleep in your bed again,? Luke said, walking over and activating several of the nightlights he?d bought to lure Ben back into his own bed before Mara?s poisoning and hospital stay.

?But, you let me sleep in the big bed with you the last few nights!? Ben argued, jutting out his lower lip.

Mara felt Luke?s gaze on her, but didn?t acknowledge it. ?I know, sweetie, but Mommy and Daddy sleep in their bed and you are supposed to sleep in yours. And, look--Daddy?s turned on the ship lights for you.?

Ben looked dubiously at the nightlights. ?What if I get scared?? he asked, yawning wide enough for his parents to see the back of his throat.

?If you get scared, just call for one of us, son. We?ll be right here,? Luke promised, turning down Ben?s bed and helping him into it.

?No? Daddy!? Ben wrapped his arms around Luke?s neck. ?Wanna sleep with you?? he mumbled.

?Why don?t I read you a story?? Luke suggested.

?In your bed?? Ben asked, still on top of things, even exhausted.

?No, here in [i]your[/i] bed,? Luke answered.

*

Sometime later, Mara exited the exam room, and frowned to see Luke speaking quietly with Healer Distombe. Ben was half-heartedly playing with a set of blocks in the children?s corner of the waiting room, and he sprung up when he noticed his mother.

?I?m ready to go!? he announced, looking disgustedly at the toy corner. ?Those toys aren?t fun.?

[i]Neither was this visit,[/i] Mara thought darkly. ?Okay,? she said, plastering a smile on her face and taking Ben?s hand in hers. ?Let?s get your Dad and go.?

?Mommy?? Ben asked, tugging on her arm. ?Are you okay? Will you have to take yucky medicine to get better??

Mara?s eyes softened and she scooped him up in her arms, hugging him. ?Mommy?s fine, sweetie. The healer just needed to make absolutely sure.?

Ben nodded. ?Daddy?s been talking to him a long time. That?s why I had to play with the dumb blocks,? he said, shaking his little head.

?Daddy has, has he?? Mara said, more to herself than Ben.

?Yup,? the child answered, before brightening. ?Do you think the healer has more candy??

*

He stood on the floor, Luke?s shirt comically large around him. He peeled it off over his head. ?Here, Mommy,? he said, handing it to her, standing knobby kneed in his star-fighter underwear.

?Thank you,? Mara said. ?Go and use the refresher and then we?ll get something to eat.?

?Okay,? he said, wrapping one arm around her, his anger from the night before forgotten.

?Why is your hair wet??

Mara touched the wet locks, still sticking to her neck. ?I?m just getting ready to dry it.?

Ben laughed and tugged on her shirt. ?I can see the water.? He pointed to the snaky dark lines marring her blouse.

?I?ll change,? she assured him. ?Go on and use the ?fresher.? She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

He exited the door and ran out into the hall, ?fresher seemingly forgotten as a joyous cry of ?Uncle Han!? escaped his lips. Leia smiled at Mara. ?Mine don?t listen to me any better,? she offered, at Mara?s disgruntled look.

Mara gave a tightlipped smile. ?I guess I?ll just go and put this away, dry my hair.?

?Why was Ben wearing Luke?s shirt?? Leia asked, looking at the dark fabric in her sister-in-law?s hands.

 

Best Non-Human

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[hr]
[b][color=limegreen]Darsais in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Beyond_the_Saga/b10477/21158399]The Mechanical Dreams of Nick Solo[/link] by Vongchild[/color][/b]

?Look,? someone nearby said dreamily, ?A snowflake.?

Nick, who had thought he was alone, spun around in surprise, looking for the source of the voice. As he scanned the alley, he became vaguely aware that the music centered around what looked to be nothing more than a sack of black and white cloth.

He moved closer for a better look and saw that what he had taken for something just as abandoned and lifeless as the turbine was actually a girl crouching in the dirt and grime on the ground.

?Another one,? she observed.

Nick looked fixedly at the strange girl, confused as to why she was sitting on the ground covered in snow and where the wonderful mechanical music was coming from since it wasn?t the turbine and there was nothing else in the alley.

But it was snowing. She was right about that.

The girl stood up, brushed herself off, and turned to face Nick, watching him with large, unreflecting eyes the color of coal. She reached up with a hand nearly as white as the falling snow and brushed her dark hair out of her face, fingers lingering on a pair of exposed silver gears on her neck. Her fingers had exposed metal on the knuckles, he now noticed.

Nick?s query of what was making the music was answered. She was a ?droid.

The girl held her arms out and spun in circles, the belt and skirt of her long coat spinning out around her.

?I love snow!? she exclaimed. ?Do you like snow??

Nick held out a hand and felt the tingles of cold and wet as a few flakes landed on him and concluded that, yes, he did in fact like snow. A slight smile spread across his face.

?My name?s Darsais,? the girl continued ?It?s not pronounced like how it?s spelled, because it?s spelled D-A-R-S-A-I-S and it?s said ?Dar-say.? And just ?cause I?m a ?droid doesn?t mean I?m not a person, too.?

Nick puzzled over the statement for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? Droids were different from people. People were unpredictable and insensitive. Droids followed patterns. You couldn?t be both.

Darsais twirled around some more in the falling snow and Nick watched her curiously. He?d never known droids that took pleasure in the world. In the very fact of life. Droids didn?t seem to value their existence any more than his mother valued dirt tracked on her clean carpets.

Darsais paused and looked at him. Nick felt the urge to look away but stopped himself fiercely. She was a ?droid. Not a person. ?Droids you could look in the eye and there wasn?t anything. It didn?t mean anything.

?What?re you lookin? at?? Darsais asked. Nick remained mute. ?Oh, well, I wouldn?t talk t? me, either, if I met myself in a dark alley.?

[i]Is that supposed to be funny?[/i] thought Nick.

She reached upwards with both arms and tilted her face towards the sky. ?Oh, I absolutely love this weather!?

And Nick thought that yes, she did follow the rules of ?droid patterns, coming back to the same topic over and over. But he kept watching her, even if only because he was intrigued and confused by the fact that something could be a person and a droid at the same time. It still didn?t make any sense.

?So what?s your name?? Darsais asked, again setting her coal-like eyes on him. Nick again felt the urge to flinch away and hide from the deep intelligence behind them but resisted, just as he had before. She was, after all, just a ?droid. Darsais repeated her question. ?What?s your name?? she asked again. Nick remained mute.

?Can you talk?? Darsais asked. Nick didn?t reply. Just hummed with the music. It was even nicer now that he knew where it was coming from. ?I guess not,? Darsais concluded. ?Can you spell it out??

Remembering the letters, Nick scratched his name out in the dirt with the toe of his shoe. He stood back and admired his work. For a first try, he thought, his penmanship was prett

 

Best Villain

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[hr]

[color=limegreen][b]Jacen Solo in [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/25731405/p1/?239]One Thousand Tears[/link] by Qwi_Xux[/b][/color]


A/N: This is from Tahiri?s POV.

*~*~*~*

Jacen was positively seething. ?Get up to the Command Salon. Now.?

?Is everything all right??

?No! Get up here [i]now!?[/i]

I stood up. ?Stay here, all right??

?Yes, Master.? Jysella worriedly watched me walk away. I went up to the Command Salon to find it empty of everyone save Jacen. His back was to me when I entered, and he turned slowly to face me. He stared at me for a long moment, and I raised my eyebrows.

?Something happened,? I said, making it sound like I was guessing.

?Where have you been?? Jacen demanded.

?In the commissary, eating. What happened, Jacen??

?Before you were in the commissary!? Jacen snapped.

?Coruscant! I told you, the Council wanted to talk to me!? I stared at him and shook my head slightly. ?If you bother to tell me what?s going on, I might be able to tell you what you want to know!?

?Did you come straight back here after your Council meeting??

?No.?

?Where were you??

?On Coruscant, but I don?t see why it matters.?

?Just answer the question!? Jacen didn?t yell, but his voice was like a whip-crack.

I drew myself up. ?Well, excuse me for even daring to breathe around your greatness!?

I sensed his blow coming the moment before his fist struck me across the face. I took it, unflinching, even as I felt blood trickle out of the corner of my mouth. I carefully touched my face and looked down at the blood on my hand. ?So much for not allowing your anger to control you, hm, [i]Master[/i] Solo??

?I don?t need your attitude!?

?And I don?t need to take this! You demand I come up here and then question me about my own business, you?d better believe I?m going to give you attitude! I?m not your servant, Jacen, I?m your assistant! I was on Coruscant, and that should be enough for you!?

Jacen closed his eyes for a long moment, and when he opened them, his voice was calmer. ?Do you know where Jysella was??

?She was here. Jacen, if you don?t tell me what this is about??

?Myri Antilles was supposed to be transferred off-ship to a holding facility.?

?Yes, Ben mentioned something about that,? I said impatiently. ?What does that have to do with??

?She escaped!? Jacen snapped, his fury again flaring to the surface. ?In a guarded shuttle, in the middle of nowhere! When the guards said they exited hyperspace somewhere other than they were supposed to, I began to find myself suspicious. But when they told me they jumped into hyperspace again, and Myri was there, and then suddenly they were no longer in hyperspace and Myri was gone, I knew that there has to be Jedi involvement!?

?And you think [i]I[/i] had something to do with it?? I asked indignantly.

?You knew she was here, and you seemed less than happy about my interrogation methods.?

I clenched my fists and narrowed my eyes. ?I told you that it just startled me. Myri Antilles is?was, I guess?a prisoner of war, Jacen, and I know what that means! I know how this works! She may be an old friend, but this is war, and I think I?ve long proven to you what I?m willing to do for the good of this galaxy!? I waved my hand toward the viewport showing Coruscant below us. ?We?re at Coruscant! Did it occur to you that maybe somebody else down there realized Myri was here and went out of their way to rescue her??

?I want to question Jysella about it.?

?No,? I snapped. ?She?s my responsibility. That you even want to question her tells me you don?t even trust me to handle my own apprentice. She had nothing to do with this.?

?How can you be so sure??

?Because she thinks I?m on the side of the Jedi, Jacen. She would have been freaking out if she knew Myri was on board, and she would have told me. If she did anything to rescue her, she would [i]tell me![/i] I?m her Master, and she trusts me!? I shoo

 

Best Ensemble

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[hr]
[link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/25731405/p1/?239]One Thousand Tears[/link] [b][color=limegreen] by Qwi-Xux[/b] [/color]


A/N: This is from Tahiri?s POV

*~*~*~*

Valin and I were in our room with Ben and Jysella having one of our philosophical discussions when a loud stream of cursing met my ears, and moments later, Doran was buzzing our door. Valin and I exchanged quizzical glances, and I went over and waved a hand over the sensor.

The door slid open to reveal Doran, covered from head to toe in white foam. My eyebrows went up, and Valin came up behind me and stared at him. ?What happened to you?? he asked.

Doran flung his hands down, shaking off great globs of foam. ?Myri,? he ground out.

My eyebrows rose higher, and Valin sounded like he was trying to smother laughter.

Doran glared at him. ?In the last week, she has randomly set alarms to go off in my room at all hours of the night. She has trapped me between floors in a lift, changed the codes on my door so I couldn?t get in till I changed them back, screwed with the sensor in my shower so there was no hot water, cut off power to my room?she switched my clothes out for some four sizes too small, and rewired the equipment in my room so that whenever I turn on the lights, the holonet comes on, but do I get the news or even a holodrama? No! I get blasted with music that sounds like it was created by angry Wookiees! And now, after slaving over her kriffing Jedi-bashing gadgets, I get to my room to relax?and she set off the fire suppressant system!? He brushed more foam off of his torso, flecking me with little droplets.

At this point, Ben and Jysella were on their feet, trying to catch a glance of Doran. Valin was bracing his hand on the wall for support, he was laughing so hard, and I was doing a pretty poor job at suppressing my own giggles. ?Doran, you?re a computer whiz. It can?t have taken you long to fix what she did,? I said.

?No, but the point is that I had to fix it! She?s driving me crazy. How long is she going to punish me??

Valin got a grip on himself, and, still chuckling, said, ?I have no idea. It varies on a case-by-case basis, I think. You?ll probably find out it ends when you receive a holovid of the pranks she?s pulled on you??

Doran?s jaw dropped. ?She?s [i]recording[/i] this??

?Probably,? Valin agreed. ?Myri records everything.?

Doran buried his head in his hands and swore. ?All right.? He straightened, his lips in a grim line. ?Fine. I?ve been trying to play nicely. I really have.?

He turned and began to walk away, and I called after him, ?What are you going to do??

All he said was, ?Fix this!?

Valin and I looked at each other, and then both burst out laughing again, while Jysella grinned and Ben gave us a look suggesting we weren?t entirely sane.

Valin squeezed his shoulder. ?Welcome to the Jedi order, young apprentice.?

That got the tiniest grin out of Ben.

After that, it seemed to be an all-out war between Myri and Doran. I only heard bits and pieces, because they kept it well-contained. Doran might not always say the most subtle things?he actually reminded me a bit of Han in that respect?but he could be just as sneaky as Myri when he wanted to?and was just as good with computers.

As I had predicted, the story of Myri and Doran?s first ?meeting,? had gotten around within a day, and everyone on board knew what was going on. We younger adults all had bets going on who would win, or if Doran and Myri would just call a truce?or if they would drive each other crazy first. The funny thing was that it wasn?t an angry war?in fact, Doran and Myri seemed to be getting along brilliantly, except that they were both trying to outwit the other.

One night, Myri came into the cafeteria for dinner, and she was entirely blue, from the roots of her hair to every bit of visible skin. She looked at us, held her head up high, and walked with dignity to get her dinner and sit at our table. We all kind o

 

AUTHOR
Best Author - part 1

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[hr]
[link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=The_Face][b][color=teal]The_Face[/link][/color][/b]

Sometimes I wonder. Would it have been easier or worse if she hadn?t died in my arms? If I?d not been there, would I feel less guilty, or more?

My name?s Aria Diabet, and I am not a Dark Jedi.

I swear.

Sure, I?m not a peace-spouting, sandal-wearing Light Side Jedi Knight. I?m more of a death-dealing, boot-wearing, do-what-I-want Force adept. If my job requires the ?Dark Side,? whatever. If it takes the Light? well, I?ll get by. But I?m not a Sith lord.

Speaking of my job. My brother Wes is a freelance detective, partners with the genius investigator Djerro Lydon. I?m what you might call their muscle, or bodyguard, or whatever. I bail them out of sticky situations, and perform other odd jobs.

[?]

I was alone in the office when an old acquaintance showed up in red? lots of red.

I opened the door and she was standing there, covered in blood, looking dazed. She fell, and I caught her. She touched her hand to my head and suddenly my brain was full of someone else?s memories. I could see glimpses of what had happened, but everything was chaotic and strange. She died in my arms on the way to the hospital.

Her name was Imako Rei. She and I were students at Skywalker?s academy on Yavin IV. She was everything I hated about the place, and about popular blonde girls? I was in, like, sixth grade, you must understand. Anyway, she was completely into harmony, and peace, and all that rubbish. Skywalker seemed to like her. I identified more with his wife.

Imako seemed, for whatever reason, to think we were pals. The bubbly little nuisance never ceased talking with me at meals, or trying to help me float little rocks in the air.

Incidentally, I did once use that lesson. I floated a pebble straight through an assassin?s throat, and out his spine. ?It was him or me; I had to defend myself.

I recently heard that Imako left the Order, like I did years ago, but I don?t know why. I [i]do[/i] know that she showed up three weeks later here on Corellia, sans lightsaber, bleeding out fast. So, with the detectives gone, it?s down to me, a hokey religion, and the blaster at my side to solve this.

I walk out of the hospital, and into the pouring rain. Imako?s last act was to put images in my brain. Clues. She was always good at that empathetic Force stuff. I was awful.

Which might be why the clues are all scrambled. I think back to the familiar image of a young white-haired girl. It?s something.

[?]

It looks like one of those seer huts you?d see in a myth. There?s stars painted on the ceiling; candles are everywhere; and other fortune-telling odds and ends hanging about. Everything?s made of wood or something equally natural. Except her holovision, computer, and digital music player in the back room, but most people don?t see that. On the door to that room a dusty brown robe is hung.

The girl herself is an oddity. She?s only seventeen or so, but her hair is like snow. Either it always has been, or she dyed it that way to seem exotic. Urôr?s eyes have the look of a woman far older than her, or me for that matter. [?] As I approach, she?s sitting cross-legged on the floor, with bare feet and some kind of symbol drawn on the floor, with some kind of fancy chance cube in the middle. She finishes [a chant], opens her eyes, and pops the bubblegum in her mouth.

?Yo, Aria. I?d ask what brings y? here, but you know me.? She gets to her feet and catches sight of herself in a mirror by the door intended for protection against spirits. She uses it to fix her hair. ?Omniscient seer, and all that? You think I?d seem less respectable as a future-seeing prophetess if I wore a lower-cut shirt?? She glances at me, in my usual all-black. ?Oh, look who I?m asking. The only skin you show below your chin is your fists.?

Yes, Urôr?s her usual self. A teenage girl having Force vis

 

Best Author - part 2

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[hr]
[link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=1246072][b][color=teal]padawanlost[/link][/color][/b]
from Chapter 20, [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/25882991/p1/?23]Star Wars: Edge of the Abyss[/link]

?Intelligence doesn?t really care what he wants to tell, until we know he?s telling what he believes to be the truth. We were hoping you could, ascertain that for us.? Travin?s lips curled around the word ?ascertain? in a way that turned Jaina?s stomach. Having learned much about the intelligence field from Mara, Jaina knew exactly what Travin had in mind.

?I will talk to him,? she replied firmly, leaving no room for anything else the colonel had in mind.

Probably not more than a year older than herself, his dark hair was short, but had a distinctive shock of white, which extended from a scar running up his forehead. His jaw was defined and strong giving him an air of determination. Two alert green eyes took in everything around him. They were the eyes of a fighter pilot, and they were fixed on his target: Jaina. His body seemed primed, ready for anything that came through the door, as if he never paused or stood down. Everything about him told Jaina he was a dangerous man, but she felt anything but worry. Taking her first step into the room her legs seemed to give way beneath her. Without steadying herself with the Force, she would have fallen.

Great start, Jaina. Fall on yourself because he has nice eyes. She inhaled, calling on the Force to steady her quickening pulse. No, you fell because you?re getting over your wound. The green eyes were still patiently waiting for her to reach the table at which he sat. Concentrate Jaina.

?Are you alright?? he asked, as she managed to take her seat.

?Thank you, yes, I?m just a little weak from?? she began.

?I don?t mean to be rude, but why are you here miss? I can?t imagine that you?re old enough to even join the military in this part of the galaxy. Are you here to bring me something to eat??

If not for the Force, Jaina was sure that her cheeks would have shown brighter than Tatooine?s suns. Mara had always said keep it professional, and never hesitate to surprise anyone you were interrogating. Jaina smiled, shaking her head in negation.

?Colonel Travin asked me to interrogate you, but I thought we might just talk.? Immediately, he was shaking his head, more disappointed than angry.

?Listen, Colonel,? he began, speaking toward the reflective panel he assumed Travin to be watching behind, not even addressing Jaina, ?I told you where I came from, and who I am. I need to see the Jedi. If you don?t have any here, fix my ship and point me in the right direction. I know this is the edge of known space, but do you have to continuously remind me how little you know. I?m not the enemy.? Arrogance didn?t even begin to describe his attitude but somewhere beneath his bitter exterior, she sensed a great sadness he was fighting desperately to hide.

Turning to Jaina he added, ?And then they send you in here, like I?m supposed to spill my guts to you because you?re pretty?? he shook his head. ?I should have made a blind jump and taken my chances.?

?Corellian, am I right?? Watching his face twist, she continued. ?Yeah, I thought so. It?s not the accent, you sound like a holostar, but you carry yourself like a Corellian, and only a Corellian would make a joke about blind hyperspace jumps.?

?I wasn?t joking. This is wasting time. The Jedi need to get the information I have. I have to complete my mission. The Charon have to be stopped.? His emotions suddenly seemed to take hold of him, and Jaina sensed his adrenalin levels skyrocket at the mention of the Charon. Honestly, feeling the strain of her healing wounds inside her, she couldn?t blame him for that.

?You?ve fought the Charon?? she asked, feeling for the emotional ripples in the Force.

A hint of unease crept through him, but he replied. ?What do you know of the Charon? This is a matter for the J

 

Best New Author - part 1

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[hr]
[link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=redtenko][color=teal][b]redtenko[/link][/b][/color]

The visions were dizzying in their speed and scene, one image changing for another, the sound from one moment in time melding with other memories. Color and sound, people and lights, memories and fantasies? and the Force. Always the Force. Luke Skywalker clung to it tightly as he rode the waves of its message, trying to decipher the intention behind it all.

He saw a jungle?Wayland. He and Mara in the dark, secluded from the rest of the camp. Luke watched as his old self guided her, helping her to levitate stones. They took a break, and her aggression toward him was, for the moment, subdued. Something overlapped the scene with cold heat, and it took him a moment to recognize it.

[i] ?I don?t want to face him, Skywalker.? [/i]

Fear?that was it. Luke could feel her fear, and his own. The memories came back fresh, with the wisdom of hindsight added to them. The Mara in the jungle told him she was afraid of facing the mad Jedi clone. In return, the Luke of years ago confessed his fear of teaching, his worry for Leia?s twins, still newborns back then. His insecurity at Ben?s parting words: [i] ?Not the last of the old Jedi, the first of the new,? [/i]?his destiny.

Luke watched the memory with a quiet ache inside, and even a hair of shock. [i] ?That?s right, we used to really talk with each other,? [/i] he thought. Back in his room, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. [i] ?I wonder if she stopped talking first, or if I did. No wonder she was so surprised.? [/i]

The vision churned, and almost at once, as if a different scene played before each eye, he saw Ben hand him his father?s lightsaber, and saw himself hand the weapon to Mara against the Coruscant sunset. A dip of color and there Mara was, just a few years later, blocking shots from several remotes and outshining the other students in her short time at the Academy.

The Force emphasized the blue of the blade, reminding Luke to pay attention to it. The lightsaber flashed and hummed, and Mara glowed as she moved with it so fluidly. Luke?s own voice came from somewhere else, some other time: [i] ?You?re on your way to becoming a Jedi and you?ll need it. But mostly?I want you to have it.? [/i]

He saw Mara?s ship leaving Yavin, transposed over Corran?s accusation from only hours ago?[i] ?You bottle up your emotions.? [/i]

Luke watched the years flash by at the Academy. The students improved, and he put everything into them. Yavin started rocky, but the road had smoothed once Luke found his stride. It was better to talk with the students rather than play the all knowing Master he?d tried to imitate at the beginning. Best not to forget the earnestness he?d mistakenly pushed back for a short but injuring period. But by the time he?d figured this out, Mara was long gone.

He saw the Academy flourish. He saw himself. He saw that something was missing, was supposed to happen?what? Yoda?s lesson floated over: [i] ?You will know when you are calm, at peace?? [/i]

Then the vision stopped, and although Luke was still in his trance, he felt a long, grateful quiet. The emotions and memories surfaced by the Force began to unwind and sort themselves, piecing together with remarkable clarity. He had an epiphany. It wasn?t ready for words just yet, but it filled Luke with a deep, beautiful relief. For the first time in a long time, he felt ready.

?Luke.?

It was time to wake up.

[hr][hr]
[link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=1281643][b][color=teal]Jedi-Ant[/link][/color][/b]
[i][b]From[/b][/i] [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/26313788/p1/?11]For Love & Duty[/link]

Chlorine ice eyes stared out at her from underneath an unruly mop of crimson hair. Eyes that once shone and danced with love and happiness now glinted with the hardness of durasteel.

?Hello, mother dearest.?

His tone was clear, but the acidity behind his words was

 

Best New Author - part 2

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[link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=1165211][color=teal][b]loneastronomer[/link][/b][/color]

?Battle droids,? Jag responded, all of his false bravado now replaced by his matter-of-fact nature. ?Late Republic models, looks like some new weapons on them, though.? Zekk felt him duck as he failed to block a blaster shot. ?Who would dig them up??

?Obviously, someone who doesn't like us very much.? Zekk drew deeper on the Force. ?You can jump in anytime.?

With some effort, Zekk managed to direct enough shots back at the left leading destroyer to overload its shield generator. One more reflected bolt sizzled into it, eating through vital systems wires and maybe even a good chunk of memory. Useless, its sensors dimmed and its blasters went silent.

Unfortunately, the remaining two units only intensified their fire. ?Don't just stand there,? Zekk shouted, ?[i]Shoot[/i] something!?

?I'm trying!? Jag protested. ?You keep getting in the way!?

By now they were backed almost flat to the wall, allowing them hardly any room to manoeuvre. In a few more minutes, they would be dead. If Jag didn't start pulling his weight....

Then a blaster report rang out from behind him, narrowly missing the leftmost droid and burning a half-metre wide crater in the wall. [i]Sithspawn! No wonder Jaina told him not to miss![/i]

?What are you waiting for? Shoot again!?

?Jaina slept with this thing strapped to her [i]leg[/i]!? Jag exclaimed, readjusting his grasp. ?Does she have some kind of death wish??

?Do [i]you[/i]?? Zekk retorted. ?Blast them!?

Trying to move around Zekk's wildly moving frame without getting shot or having a limb amputated couldn't have been easy, but finally Jag managed to find a spot between Zekk and the wall that allowed him a clear shot at the rightmost target. He concentrated the fire from Jaina's tiny holdout blaster, the first three shots easily absorbed into the destroyer's shields. The fourth went slightly wide when the droid tried to manoeuvre for a better shot at Zekk, and Jag took the opportunity to fire two more punishing shots into it while its shields were down.

With the right target disabled, Zekk was easily able to deflect the bolts the final remaining droid sent at him straight back into the destroyer itself. It was only a matter of time before the shield generator overloaded so violently that the entire unit had to shut down. With a loud [i]crackle[/i] and a hiss, the last battle droid halted, smoking impressively.

On cue, the overhead heat and smoke sensors activated the foam sprinkler system.

Zekk turned to Jag. He looked kind of like a very fluffy wampa, only more annoyed. ?I really need to associate with other people.?

Jag wiped a glob of foam from his shoulder. ?For once, I couldn't agree more.?

*

Jaina was about to begin sprinting in the direction of the nudge she was receiving through the Force when it suddenly dimmed, the stark change almost making her stumble. Shaking herself, Jaina straightened, reaching out to sense what was going on.

Ascertaining that the boys were both uninjured and displeased, she made her way to their location at a more leisurely pace, half-aware of the way her updo was falling askew on top of her head. Passing a gaudy mirror outside one of the seedier establishments onboard, she caught a glimpse of her reflection: rumpled and almost obviously hung-over, hair an absolute mess, still wearing last night's dress. No wonder her father hadn't been impressed.

Sighing, she reached up and teased out the two deactivated vibroknives holding her thranta-nest hair aloft. It didn't make much of an improvement.

Jaina arrived at the scene of the commotion just in time to see the flame-retardant foam spread over Zekk, Jag, and the smouldering remains of... something. [i]Just in time for the party[/i], she thought wryly, watching Jag irritably scrape foam from his face.

?You two can't be left alone for five minutes,? she observed, staying well clear of the are

 

Best Collaboration

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[link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24750521/p1]Song of Santana[/link] [b][color=teal]by Louie_and_Rick (DarthBreezy & Golden_Jedi)[/color][/b]

[b]A/N:[/b] this is an AU story where we combined our humble talents under the handle [b]Louie_and_Rick[/b] (Casablanca fans will get the reference!) to give a well deserved sequel to other stories written previously by DarthBreezy and indeed the name we chose was a good omen. We are both so pleased to share this opening scene with you!

Luke Skywalker pulled his wife closer, nuzzling her hair that she had once again cropped short just a few days ago. The bed was roomy, yet for all of that, they may have well still have been on the transport for the amount of space the two bodies occupied. The trip had been relatively short ? only five days, but the family cabin had not been designed for newlyweds.

With a brash smile, he remembered fondly the events of the past few hours, new warm spreading through his limbs.

[i]Luke! Oh, Luke![/i]

How he loved it when she cried out his name in passion, aloud and in his mind alike. He projected into her consciousness a selection of the highlights of the night before, hoping for an early start of the day.

[i]Luke...[/i]

She moaned softly in her dream and flung the images back to him, enlarged and embellished.

[i]Luke![/i] The voice in his mind exclaimed again.

[i]Wait![/i] Luke thought. [i]That?s not Bé, that?s...[/i]

?Leia!? He almost shouted.

In an instant, Luke was sitting up and staring wide eyed at the comm unit on the side of the room, flooded with blinking lights indicating multiple messages and an incoming call. Without thinking, he activated the reception.

?Luke!? his sister, Madam Chief of State for the rest of the galaxy, shouted.

A muffled pair of chuckles in the background, both human and Wookiee, made him realize that without a doubt, it was a [i]two way[/i] projection.

Sheepishly, he ran his hand self consciously through his hair. His sister?s stern countenance was evident, even in miniature. ??Morning, Leia,? he murmured, hoping that Aubé wouldn?t wake up.

?Luke, we were worried ? you were due here an hour ago!? She said carefully. ?Why didn?t you answer the comm??

Luke glanced at the boot sprawled over the controls, remembering in a flash how it had landed there the night before. Hurriedly, he dampened his thoughts again, fearing that Leia could feel them. ?I think...? He started. ?The sound was turned off, I?m sorry.?

?Look, I?m sending Han and Chewie to come and get you ? how long will it take for you to get dressed??

His wife chose this moment to turn in her sleep, a naked leg rubbing slowly on his thigh. Suddenly self conscious, Luke pulled part of the blanket over his lap, covering her, eliciting gales of laughter from his brother-in-law. ?Better give them at least an hour, Princess!? Han chuckled. ?It?s going to take at least that long to tame that gundark nest in his hair! Well, it seems that you didn?t need that second bedroom after all, kid...?

Leia, however, was not amused. ?I can change the reservation to mid-meal, Luke,? she sighed. ?But it?s really important that I see you? privately first.?

Luke stiffened. ?Leia, I can?t leave my?? he paused, choosing his words carefully. ?I can?t leave Aubé here,? he said at last. ?[i]We?ll[/i] be ready for you Han. I think an hour will be just fine ? We?ll meet you on the landing platform at oh-eleven hundred. We?ll see you then.?

If Leia was upset by this revelation, she didn?t show it. ?All right,? she capitulated. ?I?ll have them change it to mid-meal for five ? ?

?Six,? Luke corrected her gently. ?Make it for six, Leia. You?ll understand when we see you.?

Now Han?s form appeared fully in the holo-projection, he was incredulous. ?Six? Kid, you?re not telling me that you?ve come home with [i]two[/i] women??

Luke grinned and placed a reassuring hand on Aubé?s back, the touch becoming a caress. ?Not quite,?