Dark Star - What if Leia had been the Emperor's Hand? ANH AU (FINISHED-5/12)

Okay, I've finished part one of this so I'm going to start posting. I think the title is self-explanatory, and the story will fill in the rest (eventually ).

Looking for betas, so if you have time...

Disclaimer: all things Star Wars belong to George Lucas, I'm just having fun...

And here we go:

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Prologue:

Darth Vader knew when he was being mocked. And he didn't like it.

No one else would have dared such an affront against the Dark Lord, but as it was he could only remain silent. And watch. As he was mocked.

The clockwork sound of his breath didn't alter, but he could feel the machinery within his lungs working beyond their normal capacity, trying to compensate for his growing rage. In another lifetime, he would have tried to calm himself, but now he fed the rage and channeled it to his ever-growing dark power.

The girl's lithe figure moved gracefully as she parried and lunged against her artificial opponents. He wondered if she knew she was being tested and how she would react when she discovered she had been deceived.

He quickly allowed the thought to wither. Thoughts for others bordered on concern, and concern only distanced him from his power.

He was being mocked, he reminded himself, and suffused himself with the darkness of that thought alone.

"What do you think, Lord Vader?"

Vader turned towards his tormentor and gazed down at the pale, wizened man. His master would not live forever, he knew, but the time had not yet come to end his miserable life and take his own place as the ultimate leader of the Empire. And now this girl?this child, he thought derisively?was being flouted before him as his replacement.

His master would not live to take on another apprentice, he vowed to himself. Either the old man would die or the girl.

Vader almost convulsed at the sudden influx of power this thought brought him, but managed to remain as outwardly impassive as ever.

"Well, my apprentice, surely you must have an opinion," the old man pressed him.

"She is well-trained," Vader heard himself say, acknowledging the truth of the words even as he said them.

"Yes...yes...well-trained." The old man put a bony finger under his chin and leaned against the armrest of his throne.

They watched together in silence as the girl leapt through a window to escape, allowing herself to freefall for a few moments before casually discharging a rappelling wire from her belt. She grabbed the wire as it was about to go taut and propelled herself back up a few feet, before slowly lowering herself back down?almost completely negating the shock of the break in her fall.

The probe droid continued to keep up with her as she rappelled down three stories. Surely, she must sense it, Vader thought, before managing to catch himself again.

She was meant to be his replacement, he reminded himself. She was being shown to him only to mock him.

When she reached her desired floor, she unfastened another tool from her belt and set about cutting the latch?and the security beam?on the window. As she quickly slithered into the room, the image abruptly shifted and they found themselves viewing her from within the room. She dropped silently to the floor and, looking up, began to regain her bearings.

This time Vader nearly did gasp, in spite of his breathing apparatus.

He was not being mocked, he realized suddenly; he was being tested.

There could be no other explanation. The similarity was too striking, too uncanny, to be a coincidence. And with his master, he had learned, there were rarely coincidences.

He found himself staring at the girl's intent face as she moved along the corridors. Where had the old man found her? She looked so much like...like her.

He was being tested. It had to be. His master wanted to know how he would react to...her after all these years. After all these years, he was still being tested. After all these years, she was still a challenge.

He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the

 

Hmmm interesting. So will Luke be appearing in this story? Or even Mara? I'm a sucker for those two. And will Vader find out that Leia's his daughter? So many questions. Good start, nice detail.

 

Looks good Keep it up !!

 

Interesting idea and well-written. I wonder what will happen when Vader realizes the truth, and how Luke will play into the story.

 

HHmmmmmmmm an interesting idea here. I look forward to how the story will play out..

Great so far...

I must comment on the unique idea of the storyline. And, i think I read somewhere on some SW web site about "Gray Jedi," or something like that.. People who balance like Leia does between Dark and Light.

If you want, I"ll find it and let you know where I read this. PM me, if you do.

Still, I like this idea, and I think it's really unique! Hope to see more soon.
Later
Rennati

 

Ohh, nice. Well written, unique and original. Vader's feelings and thoughts are also in character. Nice to see Leia get out of the white-senatorial-robes get-up and into a position more fitting to the less-controlled side of her personality--tough.

 

OOOOOoooo Neat! I love this story! What an idea. I've never read anything like this before.

 

Thanks for noticing this!

Jedi Angel: Can't give anything away now can I? (I'm a big Luke/Mara fan as well, but no promises one way or the other)

Chocos: I'm going to try, thanks

Jeff: You'll find out some of that soon!

Rennati: Yeah, I've heard of the Grey Jedi concept, it's similar in terms of how they utilize the force, but it'll become clear that Leia's reasons for utilizing it in that way are very different.

CeNedra: Well, she'll be out of the senatorial robes, I promise that, but as for being less "controlled" -- we'll see

Sara: Thanks, hope you like the rest!

Well, I've gotten down the AU part, now it's time for the ANH, I'll post the first section later today, hopefully.

Oh, and still looking for betas [face_hopeful] (I know, use your imagination)

 

Up!

 

Can we have a post soon?

Glad to know that you're a Luke/Mara fan! Obviously I'm one myself. I also like Vader too, he's my second fav character.

 

Luke in this AU, but what of Mara's role in all this?

 

Sara: thanks for upping this

Jade Angel: Well, Ani is the main star of the movies!

Luke'sryb: If Mara shows up (and I'm not saying she will, or if Luke will for that matter )

Okay, well here goes with the "real" story. Hope you like, I would love feedback either way.

--And have I mentioned I'm looking for betas?

Now, it's time to meet our girl:

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Part One: Tatooine

Leia Darkstar pumped the brake softly with her toe?slowing the speederbike enough for her to give the mountain a last inspection?before thumbing the terrain-mode switch all the way to the right. She didn?t wait to hear the hum of the repulsor lifts change tone?trusting that the tall, leathery creature she had rented the vehicle from had only cheated her on the price, not the condition?but kicked back hard with her left heel and leaned forward against the inertial push as the bike accelerated swiftly.

She could have gone around the mountain, she knew; she probably should have gone around it. But it would take longer to go around and, somehow, she felt?knew?that time was of the essence. Leia didn?t bother delving into that sense much, knowing it might come from her master and not herself. At the same time, she was honest enough to acknowledge that part of her wanted very much to test out the bike over rocky terrain. It was a hidden part of her, one she would never share with anyone?not that she shared much of anything with anyone?and one she thought she had long outgrown. But when she grinned at the sensation of her stomach dropping as the bike skipped over a particularly large outcropping, it became clear she had not.

Leia shook her head at herself, but didn?t even attempt to dampen her enjoyment of the exercise. It was not hurting the mission?in fact, she would be able to accomplish the mission that much more quickly this way?so she felt it was a harmless distraction. But it bothered her that she still had so little power over her own juvenile desires.

Her master, she was quite sure, was not bothered by such urgings. He was in complete control of everything and everyone he touched; nothing controlled him.

She paused at that thought and wondered if it was completely true. Was he in complete control of her?

The bumpy ride quickly lost its appeal as she considered this. She had always wondered how much of her goings and comings, her internal struggles and emotions, her master was actually aware of. Surely, when they were in contact he could read her easily; but when they were in contact, she generally thought of very little other than her overwhelming desire to lose herself in the darkness and depth of his power. Even the memory of it made her tremble and on an impulse she reached out along the invisible line, which tethered her to him at all times, and briefly caressed his dark presence. She felt something touch her back and for a moment she thought he might initiate contact, but it was only a reassuring touch, and then it was gone.

She allowed the moment to pass and put her full attention back to her mission. She had reached the down side of the mountain and realized it was far more difficult to traverse than the way up had been. Though she always kept herself in perfect physical condition, she found her legs tightening slightly from working the accelerator and brake, as she alternated her speed almost constantly.

The bike was in very good condition however and Leia was glad she had chosen the alien?s shop instead of the human-owned shop a few blocks away. She simply hadn?t trusted the human and, though he had tried to convince her to rent a more luxurious and far more expensive bike instead, she sensed that the alien was being upfront with her, at least about the bike?s abilities. In fact, when she?d mentioned that she needed something rugged enough to take both sand dunes and rocky terrain, he had shaken his head resignedly and stopped pushing the luxury bike on her.

It was not a decision her mast

 

Good post. Nice job showing a very different, but still a bit familiar, Leia.

 

Great work, Lari!

 

Good job! I like it a lot! Keep it up.
-Eirtae

 

Very interesting. I hope to see a more detailed history in this new GFFA we're in.

 

Thanks again everyone for reading!

Jeff: Oh, good, that's what I was going for!

Sara: Thanks

Eirtae: Hope you continue to enjoy!

Jade Angel: Er, GFFA? BTW, I've started reading your other story - Traitor to the Empire - really liking it, but not far enough through to post yet!

Dark Leia (who has the perfect name for this story!): THANK YOU!!!

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to post over the weekend so I'm posting now and hopefully again tomorrow night (maybe...).

Thanks to Dark Leia for beta-volunteering, but more never hurt

Okay, this next isn't terribly long, but it's pretty important for the rest of the story. And here we go:

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The farmer?s habitat?at least, she assumed it had been a farmer?s habitat?had been utterly destroyed. Though the farmland was untouched, the living area was gone, it?s charred remains still hot to the touch. As much as Leia wanted to blame Tarkin, she acknowledged Vader?s handiwork immediately; it was his way of sending a warning to any of those cooperating with the rebels. She understood the need for this and at any other time she would have applauded it; right now, however, she could only assume that the droids she had been sent to fetch had been reduced to sizzling lumps of metal.

But no matter how she felt, she had to work under the unlikely assumption that the droids had somehow managed to escape their guardian?s fate. And that would only take more time. She shrugged her shoulders; time was something she probably had more than enough of right now.

After doing a visual sweep of the area with her high-powered binocs, Leia took out a scanner, setting it with the approximate size, shape and material make-up of an astromech droid and a protocol droid. Keeping her eyes on the read-out, she began walking in widening concentric circles. When she reached the two long mounds in the sand, she paused only a moment before stepping around them. She had gone a few more steps, still intent on her scanner, before stopping and turning back in shock.

Graves.

She hadn?t immediately recognized them for what they were simply because she had so rarely seen that form of...disposal of remains. Most of the galaxy, she knew, disposed of their dead through cremation. In fact, on many planets the funeral pyres could be meters high, depending on the position of the deceased. Burial was rare and the few times she?d encountered it had been on lush, green planets, where the introduction of a dead body into the soil would only cause more life to flourish; she supposed this was somewhat of a comfort to the survivors. But to see burial on a desert planet was highly surprising and Leia would never have expected it.

Leia?s senses were immediately on the alert, but, even with her own rudimentary force skills, she could sense that there was no one alive in the vicinity. She glanced back at the graves. There had been someone here, though. Recently. Graves did not dig themselves and she didn?t even entertain the thought that the stormtroopers had buried their victims.

It explained the burial, as well. The person wouldn?t have had the time to erect a pyre and had instead hastily covered the bodies in the sand and escaped. She didn?t even bother looking for footprints, the wind would have swept them away. Instead she closed her eyes and reached out for her master. There was a response immediately and she trembled slightly at the sudden influx of dark power. It washed over her and she simply reveled in it for a moment, before attempting to sense the person?s presence.

At first, there was nothing, then a brilliant white light seemed to explode from the darkness in her mind. Where the darkness was hot and overwhelming in its power, the light was cool and...nurturing? Her eyes flew open in shock and?still feeling the dichotomy of the darkness and light within her?she focused herself on the light. She looked around and all over the desert floor she caught sight of a faint glowing, as t

 

Okay, this seems to have disappeared from the board, so I'm upping in hopes it will reappear!

 

Yes, it made perfect sense. Excellent scene.

 

It made great sense!

 

It was perfect! And thanks for reading Traitor of the Empire, though I have to admit that fic is kinda going down to the dumps.

Ah, so Luke is still a farmer in this GFFA (Galaxy Far, Far Away) since this is ANH AU and the fact that Leia's the Emperor's Hand that's the AU and stuff... I'm not making sense even to myself. Oh well, post soon!

 

Okay, I've edited that post about three times now.

Jeff and CeNedra:Thanks for the feedback, I wasn't quite sure about that one!

Jade Angel: Well, I'm only half-way through, so I don't know how it's going to end up, but mid-way through it was good! Alderaan's Last Protector is still going though! (link is in Jade Angel's sig, everybody, check it out if you haven't already!)
And, yeah, this is going to be a "one-change" AU, i.e. I'm not pulling Amidala or anyone else into it unless I think Leia being the Emperor's Hand would have made that happen (I don't think I'm making sense now either!) [face_sheepish-shrug]

Like I said, I don't have much time but I'll try to post again tomorrow night (er, EST in the US, right now it's about 7 pm on Friday)

 

Okay, I didn't make it last night, but here it is:

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Han Solo leaned back on the bench and sent a smile over to the attractive waitress who had just served him his drink, she grinned back and turned toward her next customer with a swing of her hips. He looked, for all the world, like a self-confident, freewheeling pilot with nary a care or concern.

It was amazing how deceiving looks could be, he thought.

The fact was that he was scared. Getting off Tatooine was a primary concern right now, but he needed?more than anything?a solid, good-paying run to pay off Jabba?s debt. Since none of the big names would trust him till he got back into Jabba?s good graces (why trust a pilot who might not survive the night?), he had been forced to lay low and look for other ?opportunities?. Mos Eisley was one of those places where opportunities seemed to present themselves all the time, and the fact that Jabba was close by didn?t change that.

He took a sip of his drink, barely noticing the bitter aftertaste, and glanced over to where Chewie was talking quietly (well, quietly for a Wookie) with an old man. The man looked like one of the native farmers, with his long robe and wind-swept hair, and Han couldn?t imagine that he was all that wealthy. Then again, he thought with a grin, looks could be deceiving.

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of an argument at the bar and Han glanced over, while discreetly moving further into the shadows of his booth. An innocent looking native farmboy had somehow managed to pick a fight with two of the most unsavory characters in the place and the argument was quickly become violent. Han fingered his blaster, thinking he might let a ?stray? bolt off in the direction of the attackers; it was just a kid, after all. Suddenly there was a blur of motion and Han could barely see the old man Chewie had been speaking with launch himself into the fray, a long, bright lasersword in his hands. Before anyone could even gasp, the fight was over. The boy and the old man stood unscathed and one of the attackers lay howling, his arm a bloody stump at his side. The boy looked just as shocked as anyone else, but the old man simply powered off his sword and, taking him by the arm, led the boy back toward Chewie.

Han could tell from Chewie?s posture that the old man had earned his respect and, as the three came towards his table, he had to admit his own admiration as well.

?You?re pretty handy with that saber, old man,? he said with a nod.

The man shrugged almost imperceptibly in response and Han was immediately struck by the realization that it wasn?t false modesty. For all his confidence, the old man simply didn?t think much of himself.

?I?m Han Solo, captain of the Millenium Falcon.? Han switched straight into business mode, offering his hand to the man, and then, as an afterthought, to the boy as well. ?Chewie tells me your looking for passage to Alderaan.?

The old man nodded. ?If it?s on a fast ship.? With that he seemed to lock eyes with Han, as though he would be able to tell just by looking whether or not the pilot was telling the truth.

Han felt slightly uncomfortable under the gaze and suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to impress the old man.

?Fast ship? You mean you?ve never heard of the Millenium Falcon??

Han internally grimaced at the amused expression on the old man?s face. ?Should I have??

Immediately, Han?s defenses went up. ?It?s the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs! I?ve outrun Imperial starships and Corellian cruisers; I think she?s fast enough for you, old man.?

The man seemed to back down a bit and smiled indulgently. He was clearly willing to take the pilot at his word. But Han still felt about ten years old.

?What?s your cargo?? he asked.

The old man shrugged. ?Only passengers. Myself, the boy, two droids, and...? The man paused and his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. He turned his head slightly as though he had just heard somethi

 

How DID Palpy get his gnarled hands on Leia? That's what I want to know!

EOJ

 

It was good . . . heh, I haven't actually /watched/ the movies in long enough that reading a scene from them is fine.