Beyond - Legends Darkest Before the Dawn - Ben/OC, J/J, J/TK, Gwynne L/M Leia Author's Note 05/07

Tempus

Water lapped at the edge of the sea, the sun was high in the sky but sinking towards the horizon. Light danced over the waves, glittering like the finest gems of Hapes. It had been a long hot summer day and the residents of Utaleen were gifted a reprieve from the intense heat in the evening hours.

Fishing skiffs lined the shores, each magnetically sealed to the harbor. A slight cool breeze blew over the ocean tossing the smell of salt water into the air. Ben took a deep breath of the gritty scent but otherwise stood quietly meters into the sea of Ues. He turned his eyes to the shoreline where a small figure was being careful not to go any further then his father had proscribed.

The waved at him and he put a single finger to his lips before he could speak. He did not own a skiff or much beyond the hut that he?d constructed for himself and Arielle. But that did not keep him from fishing the seas.

Taccati fish swam around his feet. He?d held his position for so long that they now believed that he was as much a part of the ocean as the sand beneath his feet or the tiny shelled creatures that crawled over them. He was patient, the sea had taught him that, and waited forthe right moment to strike.

He never brought anything with him. He?d seen a number of the fishers come with harpoon guns or stun nets, and even some with archaic staves, ends shaved down to sharp points. Weapons were something Ben had forfeited when he arrived here. For the first few months, when he was perfecting his system, he?d been the talk of the town. A boy who refused to use even the basic tools of what was the working class on Utaleen.

They had watched in amusement first and then with dubious awe and respect as Ben lured the fish into his nets. That had been six years ago. No longer a boy, he had never dreamed he?d ever be a man. As a child, Ben had lived a life far different from that of a quiet fisherman. Trained to kill, he?d played the assassin for his cousin. With some help from his parents he?d escaped the manipulations of his clever captor.

Slowly, he lowered the net into the water. A subtle suggestion in the Force brought the fish into the middle of his waiting net. Too fast for even the instinctive fish, Ben gathered the ends of his net and yanked it up through the water, flapping fish struggling against woven threads.

Expertly, he twisted his wrist and flung the net full of fish around his shoulder to rest on his back. He marched out of the water, his knees popping out from below the surface. He stepped onto the beach, in his near threadbare trousers. And grabbed the hand of the small boy who?d been waiting for him.

?You ready to go home, Arrian?? he asked.

The little boy nodded, swinging the arm that was held by Ben. At three Arrian was already the best thing besides his mother that had come into Ben?s life. He was an amaglamation of his parents, having Arielle?s blonde hair and pale eyes with Ben?s nose and chin. He wouldn?t be tall, but he already showed signs of Ben?s compact build.

They were headed to the little hut when Ben felt a stirring in the Force. One that he had not felt in a long time.

He only paused for a moment before leading Arrian back to the hut. He opened the door and peaked his head inside while patting Arrian into the room. ?Arielle, I?m going to be outside for a little bit. Arrian?s inside.?

?Okay,? she called back. ?Come here, Arrian.? He heard her clap her hands and instantly their little son squealed running for where the kitchenette was.

Ben dropped the load of fish onto the porch and walked a ways back onto the beach. He closed his eyes and identified where the Force emanated brightly. Turning towards the beacon, he said, ?You can come out now.?

His father emerged from behind one of the locked skiffs. Straight-backed as always, there was an air of fatigue about the aging man. There was more silver in his hair and the face that had still been boyish was now lined in approaching age. His father

 

Oooh lovely first post. PM me when you update, will you? I wanna see what happened to Gwynne.

 

a great start here Zara!!

You can see Ben's enjoyment at his simple life, and of course it then comes crashind down upon him...



And poor Arielle, she so whats to be married to Ben, and he won't allow it. He thinks he's protecting her from his past, but all he's doing is telling her that her past is still true. He's hurting her, by trying to protect her....



Great job on this, can't wait for the next post, and PM's please.

 

Very nice opening. I see you took the story into the future by six years or so.

Wonder what kind of trouble Jaina got into this time? Wonder if Tesse is a full Knight, and if Jaina's married either Kyp or Jagged. I hope Gwyenne (it's hard for me to not call her Allana) and Tenel Ka will be all right, it seems Jacen's been slowly corrupting them over time . . .

Quite an AU you've got going here. And thanks for the PM! I'm happy to have asked for it, I want to see where this goes . . .

 

Great work! I'd like to make sure I don't miss a post, so could you PM when you update?

?Hello, Ben,? the Jedi Master greeted.

?Father,? he said back. ?I knew you would be here some day. Though I must admit that I had hoped that day would be further in the future.?

A trace of an embarrassed smile, one that if his mother had been here she would identified from his farmboy days, smoothed some wrinkles and deepened others. His father was still a very handsome man but there was a deep sadness to his features and it was reflected in his smile. ?I regret the necessity.?

Great little exchange here.

 

Hmmm, so it's been six years...Ben's grown up. I'm curious as to what's happened that's making Jaina call for Mara now, however. You've given us so many things to wonder about! The J/J shipper in me wants to know what's happened between them in the past six years that Jaina's been in the Unknown Regions. That kiss was a good start, but with Jaina's talent for messing things up...

Ben and Arielle with two kids...very interesting. I hadn't been expecting Ben's justifications and reasons for wanting to not marry and not kill. They certainly make sense for him though I'd imagine that Arielle and Mara are going to be working on that not wanting to get married bit.

All in all...it was an awesome beginning to this part as usual and I certainly look forward to more!

 

Great start!

6 years

Keep me on the PM list and thanks for the PM

 

I'm so excited to see the story continue!!!! I love the way you described Utaleen and the life Ben was now leading. He had to grow up fast due to Jacen and I wasn't surprised to see he had children.

I keep thinking how horribley close to profic this story is. Jacen had basically set himself up as Emperer in Hapes and the whole order is descintigrating. Brings new meaning to the LOTF: "coming full circle.."

 

that was a good opening to this fic. thanks for the pm and could you keep them coming so i can keep up to date with this one

 

Very nice start indeed

I really liked the interaction between father and son.

Looking forward to more

 

*dances*

Yay! i'm so glad you didn't make us wait long! I love the plot possibilities you have set up, as well as the fact that six years have passed. leaves a little more wriggle room.

One, I know you're going to have Ben confront this "i can't be close to anyone" thing, because that's a problem the skywalkers seem prone to, and one that needs to be stopped. i hated in the NJO when they put Jaina through that.

having children does complicate things a bit, though, doesn't it? and i doubt his "no killing rule" will hold out for long. ben has a lot to come to terms with, and i'm guessing this story is going to be primarily about him overcoming his own guilt and selfworth issues.

i wonder how you're going to have Gwynne set up in this? if she's already been bred into evil by Jacen, or if she's still holding out? and where does TK stand??

Hmm, i wonder how jaina and jag's relationship has progressed over the last six years. hey, maybe they're married with kids too!! I know, wishful thinking. i'll trust you'll let us know soon.

Wow, i think this is the longest reply i've ever given! oh, well. i'm excited! thanks for the PM, and i'll be waiting for the next chapter!

 

Gosh I love you Zara. That father and son hug was A++++++++

 

The sequel begins!!!

Beautiful descriptive passages of Utaleen. I'd love to vacation there, minus the approaching Shadows, naturally.

Taccati fish swam around his feet. He?d held his position for so long that they now believed that he was as much a part of the ocean as the sand beneath his feet or the tiny shelled creatures that crawled over them. He was patient, the sea had taught him that, and waited forthe right moment to strike.

So vivid and colorful.

And Ben...a father! Even more to fight for now. The life he has built for him and Arielle is simple, I can tell they loved it there. Sad that they have to leave, but very necessary.


?I spent my childhood running away from such a place and you spent yours running to it.?

Loved the moment shared between Luke and Ben. True to their characters. It'll be good to see how everyone has grown in the span of six years. I wonder if Gwynne has been corrupted by her father.

Wonderful start. Thank you for the PMs.

P.S. - The title is great! I love the symbolic theme you're sticking with.

 

A great beginning, Michelle I hope you are fine with me sinking my teeth into this one without first having gone through Evolution

 

This is starting great!!! Can't wait for more!

Jess

PS: thanks for the PM

 

Thanks, Sil. Will definitely put on the list.

Ben's got some serious issues and though he's worked through some, he's still a crapload more to get things together on.

I almost changed her name a number of times when I started writing this new chapter. I nearly decided to just let it be Allana, but it just didn't feel right.

Thanks, I'll put you on the list. Yeah, I'm a sucker for a good father/son scene.

Yeah, things might be a little more advanced with Jaina and Jag. We'll just have to see. Ben will have Arielle and Mara and Luke and anyone whoever met him talking to him, whether he listens is another thing.

6 years and a lot of cool stuff happening. Sure thing.

 

Oh, I'm enjoying it

 

Thanks Briee!

 

Just upping. New chapter soon.

 

Can't wait!

 

Thanks. Post tonight.

 

Fugit

He recognized two of the seven in the initial wave of shadow warriors.

Rijk and Elfon. The rest must have been recruited after he left or came from the Jedi Temple, traitors to the Order his father had given up much to build. Rijk, a three legged Zorn from Tyleth, was not only tall but full of lithe muscle. He was perhaps the only one who knew Ben well enough to identify him.

Elfon was tiny, of the K?saki, he was fast and limber. The rest had been chosen for their brawn rather than intelligence. Seven was a number that Ben could have dealt with on his worst days, but he hadn?t done much training of late. He could only hope that the years of disuse hadn?t dulled his senses too badly.

The primary had fallen, robbing Utaleen of the warmth of light. Night had fallen, bruising the sky a violet color. Beach sand shifted underneath his bare feet as he walked towards his cousin?s shadow warriors.

His father hadn?t been wrong. To survive this, protect his family, and not kill a single of these warriors would be close to impossible. In another encounter the waning light would be his ally, but these men stood in shadows, fed on mist. These people didn?t just enjoy the night, they excelled in it.

?Can I help you, gentlemen?? he asked. Once he been clad in the same garments as they were. An assassin under their leader?s heel. Now he was a simple fisherman.

Rijk, as he suspected, took the lead. ?We?re in search of a Jedi, peasant. We know he landed in this vicinity. And it is our suspicions he came through this way. Have you seen him??

Under Jacen?s rule, the Shadows could afford any type of equipment they needed to assure their success. Who knew if his father had been tagged or if one of these lackeys was powerful enough to use the shadow way of the Force to track Luke. Ben himself had closed in on himself, just as he?d kept Arrian and Talia hidden, he was cloaked from any prying eyes.

?I don?t know,? he hedged, kicking a toe into the sand, affecting a mannerism of nonchalance, ignorance. ?What?s he look like??

?About your height,? Rijk described. ?Light hair, in his sixties. Have you seen him??

?Might have. What you want him for?? He doubted he would get an answer, more likely they would shove a blaster in his face.

He wasn?t far off. Rijk caught him by the collar and then threw him at the beefiest of his men. Instead of being frightened, Ben was highly amused. Looking down, he gauged the amount of strength Big Beefy was using on him. Muscles were flexed but not fully. Beefy still had a kick in him. Just behind him, Ben could hear the slap of the waves on the beach.

It was then that Rijk pulled out his blaster and pointed it at a major kill point. ?Listen to me, peasant. You will give us the information we need or we will kill you.?

?You always were too hot headed, Rijk. I?m surprised Jacen sent you on such an important mission. But what do they say? Success breeds arrogance.?

Rijk?s dark eyes narrowed. ?Who are you??

?You shot me once,? Ben answered casually. ?Back then it was a favorite pass time of those inside Jacen?s organization. Every single one of you trying to get the upper hand on me. You were one of the few who did.?

Dark eyes went from pinched to wide open. ?Ben Skywalker.?

?Wow, it has been a real long time since I?ve heard my full name. It sort of sounds pretentious doesn?t it?? He didn?t give them the time to answer. ?Any ways, you see why I can?t tell you where your quarry is.?

?Why did you come out here?? Rijk questioned, his blaster never wavering from its kill mark. ?To get shot.?

?Quite the opposite,? Ben replied cooly. By the sound of his voice anyone wouldn?t have guessed that there were six weapons trained on him. Bored, Ben asked, ?Are we finished here??

?I never thought of you as an optimist, Skywalker. You know that the Master has been looking for you. That bringing you in would be the best move for me, career wise.?

Ben repressed the instant ire tha

 

Great Chapter!!

 

Wow...Ben and Arielle are sure in a bad spot. What a hard decision for Arielle to make...stay with Ben in danger or go away and be in danger. Tough call.

Another great chapter

 

?And how are you going to get out of this one, Skywalker??

?Don?t blink.? Perfect

?No offense, Master Skywalker, but you have let far too much happen to my boy,? she emphasized the possessive.

?You resent our presence here??

Yes!!

?Are you bored yet?? his father asked, as Ben came up behind him. The Shadow Warriors had taken to blaster fire.

Ben pulled his own and snapped off several rounds. With a nonchalant shrug, he answered, ?While this type of activity does have its appeal, I think I?ve outgrown it.?

Great update!! Can't wait for the next! Thanks for the PM