Beyond - Legends Claws of the Past. M/L New post on 11/19/2009

This is a fic gift for ChildOfWinds and a way to get my muse back on track. Takes place in what I'm starting to term the 'Strikerverse', where the NJO/DNT/LOTF stuff did not happen. Limited YJK at best, here.

If you want PMs, please tell me.

PM list
DarthEl
kataja
Jade_eyes
TIEPilot51999
ChildOfWinds
DaenaBenjen42
JEDIFLYSWATTER
StookyMalarkey
Zardi
rebel_cheese
Allana_Djo_Solo
FireJade

Here we go!

*****
Coruscant
A lone X-wing dropped out of hyperspace near the edge of the city-covered planet's gravity well, ion engines kicking in and sending it spiraling to the planet, avoiding the congested traffic and thousands of other ships.

Jedi Master Luke Skywalker kept a light hand on the control stick, part of his mind keeping watch on his flight path while part of it replayed a message he received a week ago from former general and friend Carlist Rieekan...
*****
?Luke, there's been a murder on Coruscant. Normally this would be handled by the police, but there's been evidence that warrants your attention. Please come to Coruscant as soon as possible.?
*****
And so he flew back to the political center of the galaxy, thoughts preoccupied with what evidence had been uncovered to warrant Carlist sending for him all the way from Yavin IV. He flew on until a pyramidal structure loomed on the horizon-the imperial palace.

A female voice came over the comm system, crackly and static-laced. ?Master Skywalker, your astromech has transmitted your clearance codes. You are set to land in hangar fifty-five.?

Luke nodded absentmindedly. ?Thanks,? he said to the flight controller and Artoo. He kicked in braking thrusters and powered down the ion engines as he approached the political center of the New Republic. Keen eyes noted a comparatively tiny hangar door sliding open and he aimed for it, more by instinct than instruments.

Traffic control droids inside hangar fifty-five waved him in as he cut speed drastically, their illuminated hands guiding him to a marked-off spot on the side. A dozen E-wing starfighters shot past as Luke landed, but he paid them little mind other than a mental pat on the back and well-wishes.

Luke pulled back on a lever, cracking the canopy and letting him climb out as a ladder was wheeled over. He took off his helmet and saluted the hangar technician, pausing to telekinetically retrieve Artoo from the aft socket. The Jedi Master paused as a very familiar presence approached. ?Good to see you, Carlist,? he said to the former Rebel Alliance leader and current head of the Coruscant Home Guard.

Carlistr extended a hand, smiling tightly. ?Good to see you too, Luke. Although I'd prefer under different circumstances.?

Luke nodded as the two walked to the back end of the hangar and a set of doors. ?What's this about?? he asked, brow furrowing slightly.

?I'll tell you in my office,? Carlist replied as they left the din of the hangar behind. There's things there you have to see.?
*****
Five minutes later
Carlist led Luke into a small office near the midpoint of the palace, little more than a large closet with a desk, three chairs and some personal effects. Carlist sat down and pressed a few buttons on the desk. A holographic display lit up, showing the image of middle-aged humanoid with light skin and curly hair. ?Know him??

Luke studied the image for a moment. ?Moi Fazb. A 'collector of rare antiquities' if I remember the card he gave me when we met.?

Carlist nodded. ?He tried to buy your X-wing, if I recall. Well, he's dead.? The image changed to a text file. ?He was found with a large, neat gash through his upper torso, mostly cauterized.?

?A lightsaber,? Luke confirmed as he read the text. ?What did you find at the murder scene??

?Nothing,? Carlist said, sighing and shaking his head. ?No DNA, no fingerprints, and the security cams were all blanked. In fact, almost his entire computer system as wiped clean.?

Luke's eyes narrowed as he sat there. ?'Almost'?? he repeated.

A grim smile crossed Carlist's face as he brought up another file. ?It was

 

Interesting premise, especially the ending. I'll be checking this on a regular basis, so no need for PMs.

 

Excellent! I am always up for any AU that bags the Vong and Mara's annoying disease. gave up on the books after "the unifying force"..

I was however, SURE the data on the other disk would be a holo of Mara in full view killing that guy or a "mysterious " unidentified/masked redhead doing same!!


Clearly I am in the dark/out of the loop for the meaning of "Striker verse"

ONWARD!!

 

berry interesting! pm list me please

 

Nice beginning! Put me on the PM list too, please.

 

Oooh ooooh ooooh Striker!!!! The marriage certificate!!?! This looks fantastic!!! Could I have PMs please?

 

This looks intriguing.

But you should probably correct the spelling of Skywalker's name on the marriage certificate.

 

I'm always in the mood for an AU story, especailly one of yours man. I'm not sure which one of your universes you putting this in (you got too many cross-overs to choose from!) but it looks interesting so far. I wonder if the killer was after the marriage liscene or if it just was coincidence in this case. Hope you follow up soon.

 

Hmm... Looks interesting. Can I get on the PM list?

 

Wow, Striker! This is GREAT!!!! I love mysteries, especially those involving Luke! I'm glad that Rieekan is in this story too. ... So Luke now has his parents' wedding certificate! Maybe he'll meet some of his relatives on Naboo too!

Thank you so much for writing this! Please do put me on your PM list!

 

*blinks at title...* Okay, with a title like that, I can't NOT come in here. *reads...*

Good start, Striker. Can I have PMs when you continue?

 

Ish-Thanks. I hope to see more of you here.

wbsaw-Oh, so am I. ditch that junk ASAP! And lol, sorry. 'Strikerverse' is just my term for junking any/everything past the YJK and letting the heroes have their happily ever after.

DarthEl-Thanks, and added.

kataja-Thank you. Added.

Jade_eyes-LOL, yeah. The marriage certificate. Added.

Rew-D'oh! Thanks for that, corrected.

Stooky-Aww, thanks. This isn't a crossover. Just takes place in an AU where the post-YJK never happened. You'll find out...

TIEPilot-Thanks, and added.

Windy-Aww, thanks. I like mysteries, too. Although truth be told, I've never written one before! I'm figuring Naboo into it eventually. And added.

Daena-LOL! Ish liked it, too. Added.

PM list will be in first post. If you wish to be added/removed, please let me know.

I'm gonna try for weekly updates. And this post is longer than last week!

Here we go!

*****
Ten minutes later
Carlist walked Luke back to the hangar. ?I've got a speeder waiting for you there to take you to the murder scene,? he said. Carlist paused as they entered the bustling hangar. ?Will you see Leia after??

Luke nodded as he walked up to a rather unassuming speeder, Artoo rolling in from besides his X-wing. ?I want to go to her now,? he admitted, opening the side door and climbing in. With a few flicks and turns of some controls, the speeder's engine roared to life and it hovered a half-meter off the ground. ?But it's possible for any trail to grow cold. Even one steeped in the Dark Side. She'll understand.? He held out his hand and Artoo levitated into the seat beside him, crash webbing sliding across the cylindrical body.

Carlist nodded and pulled out a datapad and a small gray piece of plastic out of his coat pocket. ?This has all the information we have on Fazb, including anyone he met up to the night of the murder. And this is the original wedding certificate we found under his bed.? He handed them to Luke and stepped back, tossing him a salute. ?Good luck!?

Luke returned the salute before pulling back on the throttle, sending the speeder out and into Coruscant traffic. He quickly steered away from the heart of Imperial City, approaching the outlying business and industrial districts. The architecture changed from decorative and pretty to austere and utilitarian rather quickly.

Artoo's head swiveled around and he beeped. [So, what did Carlist want?]

?There's been a murder and I've been asked to investigate,? he replied, pushing forward on the control yoke and sending the speeder down. A rather large duracrete edifice loomed, surrounded by a tall fence and force field projectors. Several Home Guard speeders were in the main parking lot with officers milling about.

The speeder touched down and Luke hopped out. With a flick of his wrist, Artoo's crash webbing slid off and the astromech floated out of the seat, touching down. Luke walked up to the nearest officer, datapad in hand. ?Hello, I'm Luke Skywalker,? he said to the nearest officer. ?Carlist Rieekan requested I help out the investigation.?

The officer turned and looked Luke up and down. ?Wow!? he exclaimed, eyes widening. ?Luke Skywalker? The Luke Skywalker???? The young human male's face nearly split in two as he straightened up and saluted. ?Lieutenant Poh Jil at your service, sir!?

Luke paused, blinking twice. ?Thank you...? he finally said, holding up a hand. ?No need for formalities, Poh. I'm not in the military or any other government organization.?

Poh nodded, his toothy grin contrasting with his dark skin. ?All right.? he motioned to the warehouse. ?Shall I show you the crime scene??

Luke nodded. ?Thank you, yes. Any new evidence or findings??

?We've got computer specialists trying to reconstruct the warehouse's database and security archive,? Poh said, leading him into the warehouse. They entered the warehouse, a cavernous interior partitioned off by rows upon rows of durasteel girders and mesh plating connected to

 

Super update. So it was Lumiya after all but what would she want with the marriage certificate?

Really enjoy the "dialogue" you give to Artoo LOL Liked the techie details too Most writers just say he plugged into a port and blam!! Like magic, the results come across. Of course, when I watched ST, I always liked the techie /science side. It makes everything seem more "real."

 

Very intriguing story you have here, Striker. I am eagerly awaiting more, though I won't be able to read the next post until the 16th or 17th.

 

Please add me on your PM list. I really enjoyed the first chapter. So Lumiya is at her old games again. She is a master in emotional blackmail where Luke is concerned. At first I was afraid that this was going to be blaimed on Mara. Super job and thanks.

 

What in the galaxy does Lumya want with Padme & Anakin's wedding certificate? And how did she hear of it in the first place. Very intriguing. Nice update!

 

So Lumiya is on the track of info that relates to Luke's parents... Interesting. (And the tech stuff was cool.)

Good update.

 

Hey man, put me on the M+PM list. I'll take a look a the lastest chapter later when I got the time.

 

Well, isn't this populer. I should do more M/L fics, yes?

Jade_eyes-Thanks. I didn't wanna pull something out of thin air, you know? 'Tusken Bantha' is my own little GFFA term for trojan virus. What does she want with it? You'll find out. Maybe it's not the info on the certificate itself...

Jedi_Liz-LOL, that's cool. Hope you like. Do you want PMs?

JEDIFLYSWATTER-Thanks, and added. Yeah, you can't keep a bad cyborg down. No, not Mara.

kataja-All shall be revealed. Hopefully when I think of it.

Daena-She's on the track of something. And thanks.

Stooky-Added, and thanks.

Here we go!

*****
Chapter two: Family
Luke sent his speeder flying over Coruscant, heading away from the industrial sector but not going back the imperial palace. Instead, he angled away to one of the residential districts near the palace. He flew with one hand on the controls, flying by rote memory to his sister and brother-in-law's house.

The three-story house quickly appeared and Luke inputted his clearance codes, allowing him to approach without raising alarms. The ground-floor hangar doors opened, allowing him to enter and park the speeder next to a rather dilapidated YT-1300 freighter.

Luke hopped out, Artoo trailing behind him as he walked up to the Millennium Falcon. ?Han,? he half-shouted. ?Han, old buddy!?

Han Solo and Chewbacca emerged from the Falcon, both grease-stained and Han sporting a bandage on his cheek. ?Hey, kid,? he said, half-smiling and half-smirking. He held out his hand. ?What brings you here??

Luke accepted the hand, pumping it twice. ?Wanted to see Leia,? he said. He glanced to the door leading out of the hangar. ?How is she??

[The Princess is doing fine,] Chewie rumbled. He reached over and mussed Luke's hair up a bit. [What they found in Fazb's possession disquieted her a bit, but she's better.]

Han nodded, releasing Luke's grip and wiping his hand on his coveralls. ?She's in the kitchen, Luke. The princess knew you were coming, so she brewed up some hot chocolate.?

Luke nodded and turned, but stopped. ?Han, what happened...? he trailed off, motioning to the bandage.

The older man chuckled. ?This? The Falcon bit back when I was trying to fix the hyperdrive. I swear, that ships' more alive than most beings I've met.?

Luke leaned to the right, looking at the Falcon. ?I've seen stranger things,? he admitted before turning and walking off, tossing two of his best friends a wave before leaving the hangar. A half-minute later, he walked into the kitchen. ?Hello, Leia.?

Leia Organa Solo looked up from a datapad, smiling. ?Hello yourself,? she said, rising and hugging her brother. She stepped back after a few seconds and looked him over, shaking her head. ?Honestly, Luke. There are other colors for clothing besides black!?

Luke's eyes narrowed. ?Leia, let's not avoid the subject, shall we?? He pulled out the marriage certificate from his pocket and held it up. ?You know what this is.?

Leia nodded, walking back to the table and sitting down. She waited for Luke to plop down beside her before speaking. ?I know a man was murdered for it. I know... I know it's important to you.? She reached over and took a sip of tea before continuing. ?I'm not sure what it has to do with me, though.?

?What?? Luke asked, leaning forward. ?Leia, this is the biggest clue I've had to discovering our parents' identities!?

?No, Luke,? Leia said, shaking her head. ?I already know who my parents are. Bail and Breha Organa raised me, loved me and were there for me. They are my parents, not Anakin Skywalker and... whoever that person is he married.?

Luke's shoulder slumped. He felt a durasteel wall of determination behind Leia's words, as well as fierce love for the Organa's. Brief flashes of memories leaked through, each one a core of happiness tinged with sadness of what had been lost. She has parents already...

?I'm sorry,? he said, looking askance. ?Sometimes I forget we're

 

Very very nice. I needed something non - angsty tonight.

 

Your voice for Leia is perfect... and the tone between she and Luke is just right... warm, honest, lightly teasing. And the droids playing sabacc??? I've never read that before!!

 

I really enjoyed the Luke/Leia interaction here; their different takes to their parents perfectly shown, yet softened by their love for each other. And R2 was hilarious!

I'm suddenly a bit curious about the timeline here; Jaina has Cappie - if this was canon, about when would it take place? Or rather, after wich book does this story start?

 

You know;
if you hadn't said at the start NJO/DN/LOTF had not happened in this fic I would have placed it somewhere PRE VOTF..

It has that feel to it..

So who is the "she" Who'll "One week until she arrives"??

If its Mara JS..and they are married then..forget what I said..

 

Leia's reaction seemed a little strange.........did she still name her youngest after Anakin Skywalker in your universe?

I am pretty sure the "She" is referring to Mara in this.


And Artoo playing Sabaac, that's just hilarious!


Waiting for more!

PMs aren't necessary right now.....I'll let you know if I change my mind.

 

Just finished the second update. Great job, Striker!!! Like everyone else, I can't wait to find out what Lumiya wants with Anakin and Padme's marriage certificate, and why the copy wasn't good enough for her. Poor "collector"! What good is his collection to him now?

Artoo's head swiveled around and he beeped. [So, what did Carlist want?]

I loved the way that you had Artoo talking to Luke pretty much like any close human companion would. And Artoo is just as curious as any human too!

The officer turned and looked Luke up and down. ?Wow!? he exclaimed, eyes widening. ?Luke Skywalker? The Luke Skywalker???? The young human male's face nearly split in two as he straightened up and saluted. ?Lieutenant Poh Jil at your service, sir!?

This was GREAT too! Poor Luke rarely gets any respect in the EU. It was nice to see that someone was obviously in awe of the living legend!

I'm going to read chapter 2 right now...