Beyond After The War Book Two-When The Lights Go Down~ Finished 3/20!

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

With the New Republic

Leia Solo
Han Solo
Jacen Solo
Jaina Solo
Mara Jade Skywalker
Winter
Gilad Pellaeon
Tionne
Kam Solusar
Vana Dorja
Triebakk

Setting- After "My Heart Will Go On"
Rating- PG-13

Special Thanks- Faith Hill, Timothy Zahn, Kevin J. Anderson, Tom Veitch, Michael Stackpole, Greg Keyes, Walter Jon Williams, Rebecca Moesta, George Lucas, Jaina_Jag, Jedi_Liz, Daughter of Yub Yub, and everyone else who read MHWGO. The sequel wouldn't be here without you.

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Mara Jade Skywalker sat, alone, on the balcony of her apartment. The war was over, and she should be happy. The Empire had joined the new Federation; everything was going so well...Except her life. She had just lost her whole world. Her husband, Luke Skywalker, sacrificed himself in order to save the New Republic, a government that wasn't even worth saving. Everyone else had rejoiced, and her life had gone straight to hell. She felt as though fate had singled her out, and no one else.


The tension in the family didn't stop with Mara. Han and Jaina Solo had been at each others throats for days. And Leia Organa Solo was stuck in the middle, forced to play peace keeper. Jaina had recently had a child with Jagged Fel, who died on the Chiss homeworld of Chi. The baby, Jag, had been utterly scorned by his grandfather, and spent most of his time with Winter, who was also looking after Ben for Mara, Leia's sister-in-law. Leia had lost her brother three days before, but Mara had lost her husband, her love. Leia knew she would not marry again. Leia would never get over Luke's death, but she had accepted it. Unlike Mara, who had not spoken to anyone since the battle. Screaming erupted from Jaina's room, and Leia prepared for another fight.


Leia prepared herself for the screaming that was sure to escalate.

"Dad, I need help for the baby!"

"You should have thought about that before you went and banged Jag!"

"You act like he's not your grandson!"

"I have no grandson!!"

At this, Jaina began to cry, and left the room. Leia walked up to Han. "Was that necessary?"

"She did wrong, and I'm not gonna hang us out to dry to support that bastard child!"

"Han!" Leia said sharply. "That is your grandson, whether you like it or not. Jaina is your daughter-"

"Not anymore." He shoved Leia aside and went to sulk in the bedroom.

Leia sighed. "Looks like I'm sleeping on the couch again..."



Cal Omas and Admiral Pellaeon met in the High Conference Tower to discuss the design for the new Federation. Along with them were delegates from other independent governments from throughout the galaxy. All had been eager to join the Federation, so thrilled were they to see the end of the war.

Cal addressed them all. "As we have learned from experience, singular rule is unwise. So, we will establish a Ruling Council. It will parallel the Jedi Council of the New Jedi Order. The Jedi Council will consist of twelve Jedi; the Ruling Council will consist of twelve Senators. Each will be elected regularly."

No one seemed to have a problem. The meeting commenced with no problems whatsoever. Things were beginning to look up.

Maybe things were looking up for the galaxy, Leia thought as she set up the couch for the night, but they sure as hell aren't for me. She had no idea where Jaina had gone, and Han was as miserable as ever. Jacen was working full time as an instructor on Yavin 4, helping out Tionne and Kam. Leia was alone. The commlink at her side buzzed. "Solo."

"Mistress Leia? Oh, thank goodness I've found you, I-"

"Threepio! What's wrong?"

"Mistress Jaina has left the planet!!"

"What?!" Leia dropped the commlink and burst into the bedroom.

"Hello? Mistress Leia, are you alright? Oh, dear..."

Han was in bed. "Wake up! Oh, damn it, Han, wake up!"

"Whaddaya want??!" he exclaimed.

Leia's gaze met his firmly. "Jaina is gone. Because of what you said to her."

"Good, maybe she went to

Well, that was a nice, long post.

New post Tuesday.

You're right. I was waaaaay off.

lordmaul13

Before anyone tells me "Shira Brie is dead!", this is AU. I can tweak whatever I want.

When the lights go down
He'll be filling a pan, with a broom in his hand
in some dive across town
He'll be wiping a bar, and mopping a floor
Counting his tips, and locking the door
Wrestling the devil that tells him to pour
Another round
When the lights go down...

Han lays on a bed in his Theed hotel. Leia looks in on him, elated to see him not drinking, but still feeling utmost pity for him.

When the lights go down
She'll be calling her friends from her Mercedes Benz,
but it's too late now
They were there for the fame, the flash and the thrill
The drop of the name, the parties, the pills
So another star falls from the Hollywood hills,
Without a sound

When the lights go down,
And there's nothing left to be
When the lights go down,
And the truth is all you see
When you feel that hole inside your soul,
And wonder what you're made of, well we all find out
When the lights go down...

Jaina mulls over the thoughts rushing through her brain. She contemplates what she knows she must do, no matter how hard. Perhaps there is another way.

When the lights go down
At the end of the day, when this game that I play
Has gone another round
As I lay there alone in this big empty bed
Nothing but thoughts of you in my head
I think of all the things that I wish I had said
When you were still around
When the lights go down

When the lights go down
Yeah, and there's nothing left to be
When the lights go down, and the truth is all you see
When you wonder if all your life's about
The sum of all your fears and all your doubts, oh, oh
When the lights
Go down

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up


And a little advertisement: "My Heart Will Go On" is also available here in Beyond the Saga, and if you want to hear any of the songs, I recommend Kazaa or KazaaLite.

Well, sadly, the book's almost over. I should stop calling them books... Ah, well, here we go.

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Mara felt a sudden lurch in the Force, and spun around, lightsaber swinging. She deflected three sniper bolts into random computer terminals. "Good work, Jade." Shira Brie lept down from her perch atop a nearby bookcase, and ignited a red lightsaber, a relic of the Empire. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Not exactly."

"Good, then my job here is done." Shira smiled, and Mara's emerald blade clashed down upon Shira's, who immediately upthrusted and parried the next blow. "You're not leaving, Jade."

"I haven't seen you for awhile, Brie. Rumour says you were shot down by the Rogues."

"They wish."

The blades clashed more. "Listen to me, Jade," Shira said. "This place is gonna blow in 10 minutes. Either I kill you, or the explosion does."

------------------------------------------

Leia sat on the couch, watching the local Holonet. *And a lightsaber fight has broken out in Theed Archives.* This got Leia's attention. *One of the combatants has been identified as Mara Jade Skywalker, while the other appears to be Shira Brie back from the dead.*

"Han!" Han came stumbling into the living quarters. Leia relayed the situation, and the pair rushed outside.

Threepio ran as fast as he could after them. "Wait for me!"

As Han and Leia arrived in the courtyard, a rocket came blaring through the sky in their direction. Han looked up and screamed. "Fett!"

Han shot three times, hitting Fett once. Fett touched his hand to his throat once, and spoke in a voice that was decidedly not his. "No! Don't shoot!"

------------------------------------------

Jacen and Tenel Ka lay next to each other in the luxury suite they had shoddily designed in the academy. Kenth Hamner would be marrying them tomorrow. Jacen's commlink buzzed. It was Kam. "Jacen, get to Mon Cal. Now."


THE END

Fett touched his hand to his throat once, and spoke in a voice that was decidedly not his. "No! Don't shoot!"

So was it him or not?

What happens next?

Must find out.

lordmaul13

I'm gonna let everyone catch up, send PM's and the like, then I'll start "I'm Alive".

So, what does everyone think?

I'm almost ready to start the next book.

Here's a teaser for "I'm Alive"-

"Hapes?"
------
"I have Fel under my thumb."
------
"Why did you wait until now to come back? We need your help!"
------
"I've missed you so much...please don't go again."
------
"The whole system is gone."
"Gone? How?"
------
"Jaina! What are you doing here?"

Have fun waiting!

I think you did a fine job. I'm going over to read I'm Alive right now.

lordmaul13

Thank you, lordmaul. And for those that don't know, the new book is up now.

The YJK Fan Cartoon