Beyond - Legends Drive You Mild (L/M, massive AU -- {Updated March 4!} Complete.)

I?m so sorry you were so sick, oba! Darling, I hope you?re better. And thanks for posting anyway. and for health. And some tea.

Luke gently caressed Mara's face; she didn't wake, trusting even in her sleep. That made Luke smile.

He let himself fall back asleep.

*feels warm and fuzzy* What a marked change. Yay for Luke feeling at peace!

Mara suddenly felt tears in her eyes, totally unexpectedly. Something indefinable rose in her, overpowering, and yet, then it settled, no less strong but quieter. I love you, she thought.

Terrific description. Love can be felt in so many different ways, and this is one way I?ve experienced it before. It?s so incredible!

"I fear for him," Mauwel said at last. "Because of you."

*huggles Kejal* Kejal reminds me of someone, like a character in a movie or book or something, but I can?t figure out who. But anyways, I like that he and Mara had this interaction. They are, after all, the two most important people in Luke's life.

To have this . . . to have peace, he would give up what he had been taught. Power had done little for him but destroy him. Perhaps, he thought, it was an equal trade after all.

Hm?giving up power (control) is very hard to do, even on a smaller scale. How much peace would I gain if I gave up, say, some of my perfectionism? I don?t think I?ll ever know! You?re a brave man, Luke.

"Why don't you tell me?" Mara snapped.

Gr. I hate it when people play mind games like that! Oh, guess--it?ll be fun! Just tell me, dang it. LOL.

never had she sensed passion from him when he spoke of the Empire, never had he spoken of it as being his

Is it his in the sense that he has power and he rules it, or more that he loves it in a patriotic way? Does that make sense? I probably see it as the latter. He may have liked his own efficiency (the control he has over his own efforts), but he didn?t possess all of that power just for the sake of it. If he believes it is his duty to run the Empire, which he obviously does, then he will do it, and do it well with calculation?thus bringing us back to Mara?s line: Calculation ? he must thrive on it, she thought, or how could he stand it? Even when he?s ?gray? he seems to be serving others.

Mara faced Luke, looking into his eyes. He had lost everything for her.

Was this not ultimately simple? And she felt herself, in her heart, give all that she had up.

Amazing, really. Simply amazing. Just?the greatest gift.

Ah, the end. I have to side with Knight_Aragorn and JadedGirl--I kind of like the open ending as well, though I do admit to feeling some frustration. It?s like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is so good it hurts. Go watch it right now! But back to the praise?

Oh, oba, this story is absolutely breathtaking. I?m so glad you shared it with us. I?ve had a lot of fun reading through this, and it?s been so lovely to get to know you as well! Lots of and and plain ol? .

 

Oh, that was great!!

 

::Runs in late::

Well, I read it last night, but wasn't able to post a response!

All I can say is: wow! A perfect ending to a perfect story. It leaves you wanting to know more, but it's complete. As much as I would like to read an epilogue, I think it's perfect the way it is

What a wonderfully sweet story. Your characterizations are flawless, and I love the dialogue...and the plot...and Luke and Mara...and Kejal...and...well, everything!

Thanks for writing it and giving us such an entertaining, awesome story!

 

So...who wants another oba story once we've fixed her up? MEMEME!

 

I loved the ending. The manipulations that he was going through because he could foresee the future - and obviously the Jedi were blind to it. I loved the complexity of this story and the emotional pain that Luke was having to face was just marvelous.

Brilliantly done...

 

sorry I'm so late on this. ..


WOW. Positively wonderful. I'm kinda wondering how the NR takes this. She has grown to love the man she married.


I knew it I knew it.


The Yuuzhan Vong attacked, but was the GFFA ready? were they repelled?

 

So it's finished!

But a magnificent end, Oba!
Be with me, make me strong. Be with me, make me . . . Be with me.
A magnificent end for a magnificent story!

Although it left so many things open... Had ever Leia found out about Luke being her brother? What happened with the Jedi Council concerning Mara? Had ever Luke meet Obi again? Had ever L/M have a little Ben Skywalker running in the palace's halls? Was the Empire and the Republic ready for the Vong invasion?
You could write a sequel...
But I must agree with Michele... If there will not be a happy ending I prefer not reading it!
But of course it can have a happy end! [-o|

Take your rest Oba and I hope you'll feel better till now!

And thanks one more time for giving us this magnificent story!


Lena

 

Continuing from the replies to the second-to-last post ...



padawan lunetta: Yeah, I wanted to accomplish two things with that post. Tying up the loose plot end with Leia, and as always, breaking down barriers. Thank you.

JediArwen: That?s exactly right. It is. And Mara realizes that trust is important, though I?m not sure she was consciously thinking about the necessity of it in romantic relationships.

Thank you.

JEDIFLYSWATTER: I remind you of Shakespeare? Now that caught me very off guard. But thank you. I?m taking a Shakespeare class right now, and the teacher says he?s the greatest playwright, like, ever. And yes, my viggies tend to be sad.

Leia: It does feel satisfying to get first post ...

Awww, poor thing. It was nice to see you so soon, but I?m sorry you were up because of schoolwork. I really do feel your pain.

LOL, yes, it is a decision ? and not even one decision, in my mind, but a great many decisions building upon each other. I don?t think Anakin?s turning was sudden. (Which brings up some intriguing possibilities for his quick about-turn in ROTJ.)

Thank you, dearest. Speechless (wordless? typeless?) or not, I heart you.

Gabri_Jade: It is not revisionist history! I don?t think it was that long! And thank you.

Jedi-2B: Yes, she does. But she can?t without jeopardizing both her position (and her ability to see him) and his position. But you?re right, she?d be the perfect ally. And she is. Thank you!

RedGold: Okay. Thank you.

VaderLVR64: LOL, sorry.

I thought it?d be more interesting if she led him to it, then told him. And I think that she chose to do it that way was also partly hesitation ? she wanted to see if the Force willed it so. Thank you.

Neo-Paladin: I thought you might, considering your earlier dance analogy.

Yes, trusting isn?t as simple as some people think it is. Even if her motives are clear, she clearly does have motives beyond just being honest. Being so clearly aware of that manipulation would be a bit disturbing, I think. Because it shows how ... cynical life truly is.

Thank you.

DarthIshtar: Hehe, thank you.

academygrad88: Yeah, exactly! Mara?s not a fool. I know who I?d choose. And no, you really don?t want to know. There?s a reason it?s never directly stated in the fic itself. Actually, RedGold did ask, and regretted it.

Ha! I?m evil, ending it so soon, no? Thank you!

Jedi_BMK: Thank you. Flow is good ? flow is natural. I think that despite everything, they do have certain things in common and share a lot. And so I think they do understand each other a great deal better than either would have initially dreamed.

Luke always has a good point.

Jedi_StarDust: Dusty! It?s so lovely to see you here.

Yep, almost over. I hope you enjoyed the last post, though. And I know, I did set a high bar, but I really think it?s true. And thank you.

That?s quite right ? the ultimate idea is the two of them falling in love. And not ?love at first sight?, but slowly, with moments of pain and distrust (not caused out of confusion, which is so often used as a plot device to make angst, and yet not truly damage anything ? but out of honest, understandable pain and distrust). I?m glad you liked their dynamic ? they?ve had it since the first post. Something about the background, these characters even in original form ? it just came together that every scene with the two of them got away from me.

LOL, my thread is educational? That?s a ... weird thought. Yet intriguing. I?m glad you liked the debates ? I found them interesting to write, and think about, I just wasn?t sure that anyone else would.

The quotes were fun. And totally insp

 

And no, there will not be an epilogue.

BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

*** Swears that I will never read another Obaona fic again....but lies!! ***

Oh well. It was worth asking. This is a wonderful story. I am sorry to see it end.

AG88

 

*pops in*

You're so cute when you sputter in indignation, oba darling.

*huggles talented!oba until she cannot breathe*

*dashes away*

 

By any chance is there a complete story without the replies or posts that I could copy for my 82 year old mother? She loves the "star Wars" universe and like myself, has kept up with it since 1977. However, since she had a stoke two years ago she just can not deal with computers. I know that she would love this story very much and would like to read it. Force knows she has heard me talk about it enough. I know that you have already answered this question, still I MUST ask. Could you please write a sequel? I like so many fall to our knees and beg. You are the best and thanks!!!!!

 

I haven't yet read the last post but I am looking forward to seeing how you have ended this story. I can't even read other's comments because I don't want to spoil it. Can't wait to sit down and have a nice, long quiet read.

 

I was intruigued by the title and decided to click seeing as the fic was complete by the time I noticed it. I've just spent the last 2 days reading this fic off and on, and oba, my my girl, do you tell a wonderful story.

I absolutely adored the ending, and while an epilogue would be nice, I think that you have achieved an odd sense of perfection. To add an epilogue would be to take away some of the drama and emphasis you have worked so hard to build.

I loved your characterizations, your descriptions were wonderful and not to Henry James annoying standards (for that I thank you), and ah... the mush. *fans self* It got a tad warm in this thread at times And you're only 19...

If you ever do write a sequel, give me a shout Congrats on a story well done.

 

Great ending to a great story!

The talk between Mara and Kejal was excellent. Two people who care about Luke deeply, yet have different perspectives on the best course for him to follow. Reminds me of some of those early Leia/Mara interactions in canon...

It was also interesting to see how Luke reacted to the motion of the future in light of his choices. It disrupts everything he thought he had all planned out, but he's also unsure whether the changes (dangerous simply because of their disruptiveness) aren't for the better... Very cool.

The revelation of Luke's plans was awesome. I had suspected it would be something along those lines - some kind of reconciliation rather than war, with the NR and the Jedi. I very much like the touch that because Luke is on the gray side (is that like the scoundrel side of the Force from Rebel Dream? ), he could perceive the coming war with the Vong in a way the Jedi (or the Sith, I suppose) could not. Also very cool that he could perceive the war itself, and its effects, but not the Vong (because they're outside the Force). Neat connections to canon for sure.

Fantastic story. You should be proud.

 

Ooh excellent ending! Loved it...I knew it was the Vong... wish you'd do a sequel though, like I know everyone's been asking.

 

Absolutely wonderful, oba. The story, the interactions, the ending - they were all teh brilliant.

Hope you're feeling better!

 

Ah, yes, oba, I totally agree.

I forgot to mention (or didn't think of it...)that acting on gray terms that more orthodox Jedi do not understand is not only devious (and more fun)but much more grounded in reality.

Orthodox beliefs and blinding oneself to reality (as you mentioned) can be a very bad thing, and on large scales, can ruin governments and kill people.

But on the other hand, grayness in the hands of the wrong people can lead to indecision and atrophy. I never thought Jacen was a good vessel of destiny...just thought that what he ends up learning from Vergere was interesting.

Anyway, just thought I would clarify and make myself look like less of an idiot...

-Tris

P.S.- I LOVE the thought processes that went on behind this too. Awesome, and as always, something to learn from...

 

academygrad88: LOL, thank you. I'm happy it's done, honestly. WIP's are so stressful.

Gabri_Jade: *turns blue*

You always think I'm cute.

JEDIFLYSWATTER: I hope the link I sent you was helpful. And no, no sequel. It's really not very likely. I won't say absolutely no, but it's not very likely. But thanks for asking. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

VaderLVR64: LOL, thanks. I hope you like it.

Marawannabe: The title is one of my most original, I think, which isn't saying much. I'm glad you decided to give the story a shot - and liked it!

Yeah, I spent a lot of time and effort building up to that last line. And really, as far as I'm concerned, all the important loose ends are tied up - could things go wrong? Sure. But the goal of the story wasn't to follow them their whole lives, just through trusting each other and falling in love.

Henry James annoying standards? But I'll take that as a compliment. My attitude about description is that it should allow the reader to 'see' things, but not be overwhelming. (Who really needs to know what the embroidery on the curtains looks like?) And the mush was fun to write.

Thank you!

Darth_Lex: Thank you.

I hadn't thought of the Mara/Leia and Mara/Kejal comparison. But they do have similar kidns of talks, don't they? I guess what I was thinking when I wrote that is that, well, I needed some kind of breathing moment, and a bridge to the next scene. And interestingly, Kejal guides Mara in that moment as much as he's guided Luke.

Yeah, Luke's good at seeing into the future - so good he knows that he doesn't know everything. It's like that saying, the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually do know.

Yeah, you're sorta meant to expect it to be something along those lines. I don't think of the ending as a twist, but just something that should be like 'Oh, that makes sense'. And personally, I don't see why the presence of the Sith would make the Jedi unable to see into the future - even in bits and pieces, you'd think they'd see certain things. And connecting things to canon was one of the funnest things about writing this - I didn't intend to hold to canon all that much, but I actually found it interesting to do so.

I am , and thank you.

padawan lunetta: Sorry. No sequel. But thank you! And kudos on figuring it out.

Happy_Hobbit_Padawan: I am, thank you. And thank you for reading, and enjoying, and commenting!

JediTristan: *nods* Agreed. I don't actually agree with Vergere, though - not entirely. I definitely think the Dark Side tempts a person. I think it's partially about the darkness inside a person, and partially the Dark Side is, well, just evil. Just more interesting that way to me. And LOL, you didn't sound like an idiot.

And thank you.

 

I read the end of this yesterday at FF.net. I really liked this story and feel that it does have a wonderful open ending. Where if you even decide at a later time to come back and do a sequel you could.

Although if you don't just the same the story is nicely finished as well. With Luke knowing the Vong was coming and he wasn't going to back down from the war ahead on give in to their demands.

 

oba, the last post was beautiful! Amazing! *sigh*

In the twenty-second year of Emperor Luke Skywalker's rule, the Empire was attacked; the invaders called themselves the Yuuzhan Vong.

--- Annals of the Empire, Vol. V.

Well, you had to end it there!


Great story, you should be proud of this! Oh, and I hope you feel better!

 

obaona, once again the kind of story I've come to expect from the presence of your name on the first post - complex, emotional, gripping, spellbinding.

 

I completely meant the Henry James comment as a compliment. I think he's a great author, one of America's best even though he disowned us all and moved to England, but then again, I don't blame him for that either. When it comes to great literaturem American's have no creativity, and if we do, we stole it from the British... *looks around* Oh... ahem... *gets off soapbox sheepishly* Yeah... that's the English Major talking...

I just meant that while I have great respect for Henry James, I just think he got extremely carried away with his descriptions... really, 3 pages on how ornate a door was? Gah James, get back to Daisy...

 

I happen to agree.

See, my theory is that the English got all the great literary theorists (i.e. Virginia Woolf, the romantics, Tolkien, and yes I do think he is a literary theorist thank you very much, T.S. Eliot, etc.) and highly technical writers/poets/novelists.

But America has the contemporary experimentalists.

England had modernism, but we own postmodernism, especially on the feminist front.

Plus, we had Mark Twain and Edith Wharton (pretty random...but eh. I like em both.)

Make any sense?


-Tris

P.S.- Henry James is pretty cool, btw.

 

Makes complete sense to me. I'm not a fan of post-modernism myself, but I do see the importance of it as a period in literature.

I happen to like Irish writers myself, Thomas Moore, James Joyce, etc.

 

Jeditheskyisblue: Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way about it - that's how I feel, and that was how I wrote it. It shouldn't need an epilogue or a sequel. Though asking for one is okay.

LaYa_: Thank you. And yes, I had to end it there. I'd planned that from before I started writing the thing. I do feel better, thank you.

Rosh_Penin: Wow, thank you.

Marawannabe: I still have no idea who he is, though . I think America has plenty of great, original and inventive writers. Actually, since I am American, I was like ... what does that say about me??

I really dislike it when authors get carried away with descriptions - I mean, some people love it, and hey, personal taste, but I can't stand it myself.

JediTristan: Not to me. But that's okay. I'm happily oblivious to these sorts of things.

*waves at Marawannabe, because has to give some sort of response to everyone in my thread*