Beyond - Legends From the Sun's Rising (major AU) COMPLETED 11/10/03

Well, I started this story last summer, but had a lot going on and wasn't able to finish it. I'm going to repost it, with revisions and additions. There were things I wanted to take out, and some things I wanted to put in. I thought I'd post the first part of it again and see if people are still interested in reading it.

This is an AU story that probably takes place slightly after the NJO timeframe, but there is no NJO. No Yuuzhan Vong, etc. There are characters in this from the PT, OT, and EU, but the Solo kids play a major part in this. You'll see as it goes.

Disclaimer: I only play in this universe; it is not mine. Any twisting of characters or plots is a product of my strange mind, and no infringement is intended.

Also, this is a bit of unusual for me--normally, I write from first person POV, but for this story, I'm not. Hope it's all right. A BIG thanks to Melyanna and Sache8, who betaed a big chunk of this. And a special thanks to my husband Ryke, who helped me smooth out a lot of the plot in this.

********

Chapter One

The wind kicked up in a ferocious howl, whipping sand across the desert. It railed against the two figures pushing their way across it. The elder of the two tripped, only to be grabbed by the other. "We have to keep going! We're almost there!" the younger shouted.

Silently, brown eyes squinting through her goggles, the elder woman used the arm of her friend for support. She struggled to keep going, ignoring the pain screaming in her right leg. They're coming. They know we're here now. How were they supposed to get out of this one? All those years of hiding, of sneaking from one place to another, of concealing her true colors from the enemy, and now this? Scrap it! Scrap it all!

"Jae! Come on!"

Jae could almost see the fierce glare her younger companion was surely wearing under her goggles. Eyes watering, she forced another step out of her legs before she collapsed.

"Jae! Don't do this to me, Jae. You have to keep going; you have to. You know I can't--" Frustrated, the girl yanked Jae up and dragged her a few paces, keeping her gaffi stick clutched tightly in one fist. She aimed for the place where she knew the cave was. She couldn't use her abilities to make sure, but years in the desert had cultivated her senses more sharply than the average human being.

"Go on without me! The storm's getting worse. We're not going to make it!" Jae yelled over the roaring wind.

Another hard tug from her companion was her response. "I am not leaving you here."

Several labored minutes later, they made it to the small cave that had been worn into the outlying rock. Both women collapsed inside. Coughing sand out her mouth, Jae moaned and grabbed her leg. The sandstorm raged by the mouth of the cave. Breathe, Jae, breathe. She tried to straighten her leg and had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

Meanwhile, her partner dropped her gaffi stick and began to unwrap the dirty cloths from around her face, shaking out the sand as she went. Blond hair in need of a washing had escaped its tie and spilled down her back. Grim green eyes fell on Jae. "They're going to find us before too long. Their vaping animals will be after us soon."

"It will take them a while. They have to wait for the storm to die out, and if we don't use the Force, it should slow them down," Jae pointed out.

"I think we're going to have to use it, if your leg is as bad as I think it is."

Jae pulled her vibroblade out of the pouch tied securely to her waist. She carefully sliced down her breeches until her entire right leg was uncovered. Looking at it was enough to make her want to be sick, but she swallowed hard and made herself focus on it. The bone in her lower leg had broken cleanly, and the top part of it was poking out through the skin. Sand had managed to find its way into her breeches, and mixed with the blood from her injury. "It'll be fine, Tahiri." She was lying, of course, but what other choice was t

 

i look fwd to reading this again....

 

I'm looking forward to this again, also.

 

If you shall repost, I shall read. Much easier than trying to marathon the original thread. Never had the pleasure of sorting out the AU elements, so I can't wait to see how the first parts of the story play out. (Don't worry about explaining them, I'll just read 'em as they come. )

 

JainaJag-Thank you!

Mom-Thanks! I'm glad you're still interested!

Seb-Hey! Didn't expect to see you here! Thanks for reading! Don't worry, I couldn't explain it all...it's one those things you kind of have to sort out as it comes. (And that I have to hope I'm not making too confusing. )


Well, I'm about done revising everything I've already written, so I should be able to put up posts fairly often for now. I'm going to put this one up and go to bed before Anakin decides to wake up.

********

The click, click, click of heels resounded throughout the hall. Two guards dressed in blood-red armor stood at huge double doors at the end of the hall. As the figure walking down the hall reached them, they bowed and pulled open the two doors. "Master Naberrie."

The man didn't even offer them a glance as he strode into the room. He made his way directly to the form in the middle of the room. It was a ranking Twi'lek. She was chained, as was proper for her filth, and guarded by stormtroopers.

Black cape swirling around him, Jacen slowly stepped up right in front of the traitor. "You should have run while you had the chance," he said softly.

The Twi'lek managed to turn her head enough to look at him. Her bright eyes blazed, but she didn't say anything--instead, she spit at him. Before he could react, he felt something invisible shove into him. It took him only a moment to realize it was the creature's pathetic attempt to use the Force against him.

He laughed at her. "You think to overcome me with your puny abilities?" Almost effortlessly, he lifted her up off the ground with the Force and stared at her. "What have you to say for yourself?"

"You're a traitor. You kill your own people and you show no mercy." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not the only one," she hissed. "There are others. They'll come for you, and you'll face justice."

Jacen's red lightsaber was in his hand and whizzing through the air before anyone had a chance to react. There was a dull thud as the Twi'lek's head hit the floor. Blood spurted onto Jacen as the body collapsed, but he ignored it.

"Clean it up," he ordered the stormtroopers. He turned and left the room, not waiting to see if they would comply.

He would face justice? What did that slime think she was talking about? She knew nothing; her actions had been a desperate attempt to deny the truth. When would they learn?

The Empire was the truth.

**

"Father, I would like to speak with you." The tall black-haired young man stood straight, with his arms locked behind his back.

Soontir Fel looked up from his desk. "What is it, Jagged?"

"I've made an important decision." Jag kept his eyes steadily above his father's shoulder. As much as he didn't want to have this discussion, he knew he had to.

"Come in and sit down."

As soon as Jag had situated himself on the hard chair in front of his father's desk, he finally spat it out, "I've decided to leave for the Academy."

The look his father gave him made him want to cringe, but he kept himself still. "Which Academy?" To anyone else, his voice may have seemed deceptively mild, but Jag could hear the edge in his words.

"On Coruscant. I want to train as an Imperial starfighter." He already had the starfighter training, but the longer he stayed here with his family, the more stifled he felt. He had tried, many times over the last few years, to tell his father that he didn't want to stay here, but it always came out to naught. It wasn't that he agreed that the Empire was right, but he needed to get out on his own, away from the Rebellion. He wanted to further his training, and going to the Academy seemed like the best way to do it right now.

"You're telling me you wish to defect?" Soontir's voice rose only slightly on his last word, but it was enough.

"No, sir. I'm not defecting. I'm furthering my training."

"At the Imperial Academy? They will brainwash you, and you will turn on all of us."

They had argued about

 

Of course I'm still interested. this is the most twisted and fascinating AU I've ever read and I want to see how it pans out.

Say goodnight to the little one for me.

 

Ooo! It's back! I was sad when it went away, but I'm glad to witness its return. Your descriptions of Jacen are chilling...he's so evil!

I hope you get lots of sleep at the same time as little Anakin.

 

I started reading this back on the other boards and I missed when you locked the board because I was away... and was "upset" that you had decided to put this story on hold, but I understood your reasoning... Congrats on baby Anakin!!... but I'm glad that you decided to pick this story up again, because now I'll be able to follow it from the beginning...

 

Mmmmmmmmmm, daaaaaaaaaaaaark. That was quite an unexpected twist with Jacen (who is my eternal hero in fanfic ). Ah, poor old Jag, desperate to break free of the nest. That hits mighty close to home right now.

 

Mom-Wow, thanks! And I told Anakin good night for you.

Padme-Good to see you here! Thanks!

Yoda-I remember you posting on the other thread. Thanks for sticking around!

Seb-I thought it would be interesting to have a dark Jacen...not what one would usually expect.

********

Chapter Two

"Something's not right about this."

"That's what I've been saying since we left," Mara Jade Skywalker retorted dryly.

Luke shot her a look. "We didn't have a choice. If Tionne said it was an emergency... Besides, Anakin is our responsibility too. And his dreams are getting worse. They have to mean something. Jedi don't normally dream."

"I know. Still, maybe we should have taken Jae with us," Mara said.

"But not Tahiri?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Tahiri knows how to take care of herself. You know how she's always disappearing into the desert for days on end--she would be fine. And we've been teaching Tahiri since she was eleven. She has five and a half years worth of Force training, as opposed to Jae's one year. If it were a matter of weapons, Jae would have everyone beat. She can watch out for herself, but there's a lot she doesn't know."

"There's a lot we haven't told her," Luke corrected. He sighed. "There's a lot we haven't been able to tell her. But I know what you mean. I have a very bad feeling about having left her. Except we couldn't bring her here without knowing what the emergency is, and Tionne couldn't tell us in a message."

Mara didn't answer. She piloted the ship down through the misty atmosphere of Xurrin. As they descended, the fog lessened only enough to allow them to see the vague outline of a small city below. This wasn't a planet that many people ever came to. That was why Luke had chosen it. He had stumbled upon it completely by accident many years ago. It emitted its own aura in the Force, almost hiding and blocking itself to the outside universe. It was the perfect refuge...for now. The Emperor would find it eventually, but for now it was fairly safe and empty from Imperial occupation. That's why it was the ideal place to hide Jedi.

The ship set down on a landing pad outside the city. It was the only landing pad in the whole vicinity, due to the lack of travel to or from Xurrin.

A lone figure stood to the side of the landing pad, shielding his eyes against the wind as the ship settled. Mara put down the ramp and prodded Luke. "Come on, Skywalker."

The two of them walked down the ramp to face the young man at the bottom. He was wearing white breeches and a brown tunic, with a white belt securing it. He stood straight, with his hands clasped together. He bowed slightly as Luke and Mara approached. "Master Skywalker. Master Jade Skywalker."

"Anakin," Luke smiled at him. He had changed...that was to be expected. After all, he was eighteen now. Luke hadn't seen him since he was fifteen. Three and a half years ago. "Where is Tionne?"

"She's researching something, and asked that I come and meet you," Anakin explained. He brushed his dark hair out of his face and studied the two Jedi Masters. "Shall I take you to her?"

"Please do," Mara said, giving Luke a sideways glance. As Anakin turned and led them away, she reached out to her bond with Luke. *He's quite grown up, don't you think?*

*Tionne's taught him well.* Aloud, he said, "So, Anakin...what have you been up to lately?" He didn't ask about the dreams yet; this wasn't the place. This also gave him an opportunity to learn what Anakin had been up to since he had last seen him.

Anakin glanced at him over his shoulder. "I've been studying, of course. Tionne gave me a whole new study on the history of the Sith to learn about. And I have a job working at the local repair shop. Mostly fixing speeders, droids, stuff like that." He shrugged one shoulder.

"Do you like it?" Luke made sure to stay close to Mara and Anakin. The fog was still very thick, and they were entering the busy part of the city now.

"Yes. I

 

Anakin likes to fiddle with droids just like his grandfather. smart kid too (an eighteen year old is still a kid to me )

 

Ooh... can't wait for more!

 

Mom-Guess I'm a kid too, huh, at the ripe old age of nineteen?

Yoda-Thanks! Here's more.

********

A small battle cruiser, flanked by two TIE fighters, had landed on Tatooine only minutes before the sandstorm struck. From it emerged a tall figure, followed by several stormtroopers. Striding toward the small hut in the desert, a deep voice cracked out, "Captain Osamak!"

Two Imperial soldiers turned around and bowed quickly. "Lord Vader," one of them spoke up.

Darth Vader eyed the creatures in cages near them. "You lost them." It wasn't a question.

"Sir, we--"

"Where is Captain Osamak?" Darth Vader's voice was dangerously poignant.

"He is in pursuit of the Jedi, Lord Vader, with the rest of our team. We were told to stay here and guard the hut."

Fools! They carried ysalamiri and vornskrs, and they had been evaded by two unsuspecting Jedi?

True, they hadn't been the Jedi that Vader had been looking for, but if what he suspected was correct...

"Get those vile creatures back on your ships. I don't want them in my sight."

"Yes, Lord Vader." The two soldiers quickly took the animals back to their ships, out of Vader's way.

For nineteen long years, he had been searching for his wayward son and his son's treacherous accomplice. He had checked Tatooine immediately, of course, but no sign of Luke or Mara Jade had been found. He had looked there again several years later, and a couple of years after that, but no trace of either of them had ever appeared. It had been seven years since he had sent anyone to this Force-forsaken planet to look for the two Jedi.

Then, a week ago, one of the bounty hunters had reported back, saying he had located Jedi on Corellia, and he thought part of the Rebellion was stationed there. Vader immediately headed for Corellia. It would be the perfect hiding place for Jedi, right under the Empire's nose.

He was halfway to Corellia when Captain Osamak, who was in charge of the Imperial team hunting and capturing Jedi, had reported to him, saying another bounty hunter had located a family of Jedi on Tatooine. He had sent Captain Osamak to Tatooine to capture them. Then the Force spoke to him, as it often did, and he realized he had to go to Tatooine. He wasn't about to doubt it. The dark whispering had never steered him wrong.

As he got closer to Tatooine, he was able to get a faint sense of the Jedi...no, not all of them. Just one. It wasn't Luke or Mara, he realized, but it felt...familiar. As if he should know it. It wasn't until he was descending onto the planet that he was able to place it.

The Sith now strode into the hut, looking around at the surroundings, and letting his senses loose in the Force. This was it. They had been here. He could feel Luke's residue here. And Mara's...and also...yes, it was her. She had been here, up until recently. Along with a stranger...a Force presence that he didn't recognize.

Vader reached out dark tendrils in the Force, searching...

There they were. The stranger and the one he had sensed. Hurrying across the desert...except a sandstorm was coming up. He of all people knew the dangers of a sandstorm.

Curse it! He turned to one of the soldiers standing at attention outside the door. Captain Osamak would pay for his failure. "Call Captain Osamak. Tell him to find shelter, and as soon as the storm passes, I will join him in pursuing these Jedi." He spat the word out. If he had to wait until the storm died down, so would the Jedi.

They wouldn't get away from him.

**

Had she been traced? Jae had been here a year already; how could someone have tracked her down here? Or were they after Tahiri, or Luke or Mara? Maybe just Jedi in particular. The Imps had definately been after Jedi; they carried ysalamiri and vornskrs with them. Those creatures were only used for one thing--hunting and capturing Jedi.

She and Tahiri almost hadn't made it out. Fortunately, Jae had trained her whole life to fight, without using the Force. Tahiri had grown up wit

 

Oh no... will they be able to get out

 

Hmm, Qwi, you've been around as long as Darth Daddy has been looking for Luke.

I also forgot to mention that your Jacen is delightfully evil.

 

this is great Qwi! can't wait to find out what happens next!

 

Ooo, goody, more to review!

I really like how Anakin has no clue that he's related to Luke and Mara. It's fun to see him in that different light...

Uh oh! Vader's going to be looking for Jae and Tahiri himself now! I hope they make it out ok...

Looking forward to the next post!

 

Yoda-LOL, that's the problem with reposts--people who have read the original tend to have a clue as to what's going to happen.

Mom-That really puts my age in perspective, huh? Thanks!

Lt_Jaina-Thank you!

Padme-Thanks! I like writing Anakin a bit differently. AUs are so much fun to write--they have so many possibilities.

********

Chapter Three

The two TIE fighters popped out of hyperspace. Jag immediately set his computers to scan the system. Good. They weren't here yet. For the benefit of his wingmate, Jag spoke into his comm. "Five minutes."

"Roger that," Case Warren replied. He swung his TIE around and brought it up underneath Jag's ship and slightly in front of it.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the cruiser emerged from hyperspace. Its criteria listed it as carrying supplies to the Imperial Center on Ord Biniir. All Jag knew was that he and Case were supposed to stop the ship, download its computer database and hyperspace coordinates, and then destroy it. Obviously, his commanders did not believe it was carrying supplies to the Imperials. What did they think? Was it helping the Rebellion? If that was the case, why wouldn't Jag and Case have been told?

To test our loyalty. To see if we can obey without questioning, and without knowing why we're doing it.

He didn't know why his commanders wanted the ship destroyed, but it wasn't his place to question it. This was his first mission as a starfighter, and he had to complete it successfully. He wasn't exactly a 'loyal' Imperial. He wasn't quite sure where he stood. Yes, he would never betray his family, but did that make the Rebellion right?

Maybe I have been brainwashed, he thought dryly. Wouldn't it be the clincher if Father were right? Spending two years listening to endless lectures on the wonders of the Empire and the evils of the Rebellion would be enough to make anyone question their beliefs.

Whatever he believed, he knew that Case was a die-hard Imperial. Nothing anyone said or did could make him turn from his loyalty to the Empire. He would throw himself in the Maw if he thought it would further the Empire's cause.

It was Case's job to download the files onto both his computer and Jag's--in case something happened to one of them--while Jag disabled the ship. Jag immediately pushed his stick forward, weaving his way toward the ship. As soon as he was within distance, he began to fire the lasers.

The ship, of course, put up its shields and returned fire, but Jag was in a smaller, more maneuverable ship, and he had the advantage. He jinked the ship to the left and dove underneath, firing at the weapons. He was waiting for Case's "all clear" to let him know the files had been retrieved.

Until then he avoided fire and methodically disabled their weapons.

"All clear," Case's voice said into his ear.

Jag went right for the cruiser's weak areas, zooming in and out of the ship's firing range. The ship had good weapons and shields, that was for sure, but it wasn't enough, especially when Case joined him to finish the ship off. They watched as it blew into oblivion. A single, guilty thought swept his mind as he watched the pieces float in space. What if it was a Rebellion ship?

"Sending files back to base," Case said.

Jag let him do it. Hesitating, he stared at his computer screen. He had to know. He had to know what he had done. If his commanders found out what he was about to do, it would be the end of him. Pressing his lips together determinedly, he opened the computer files. Most of them were of no interest. Their ship had contained weapons, food, medicine, and other needs. What about this was of any interest...?

Jag froze as he saw the hyperspace coordinates the ship had been going to. It can't be. He quickly pulled up the navicomputer and punched in the coordinates. It was. This ship had not been headed for Ord Biniir. It was on its way to Isis, a planet quite away from Ord Biniir. They had caught t

 

Anakin definitely needs to get to the gym.

My oldest son is 20 and while I eventually want grandchildren I'm certainly glad I don't have any yet.

 

Ah, but reposts are fun especially yours because you've added to them which helps a great deal... This post was fun. Mara showing Anakin that booksmarts isn't everything...

 

Yipes, I missed three updates??? Darth Real Life must be thwacking me on the head harder than I thought. Sorry for the absence. I'll try to get caught up, but with the onset of Orthodox Holy Week, I may be a little while.

 

! Yes, it's back! It's back! Sorry for my late arrival, Qwi. DRL has been extra demanding lately and I haven't had much of a chance to go online. But when I came to the fan fiction boards today, I was so pleased to find that you were reposting this story. It was my favorite AU out of all the many that I have read, and I'm really glad that you've begun it again. Can't wait to see where you'll be taking the tale -it looks like an especially promising story.

Dusty

 

Mom-LOL, I think my parents had some of those thoughts when I got pregnant...'course, I was 18 when I got pregnant...I think my dad had to get used to the idea that his little girl was having a baby. (Especially since he had said to wait until his 50th birthday before making him a grandfather...I had Anakin a month before that, though. )

Yoda-Thanks! I thought Anakin needed to learn a lesson.

Seb-Don't worry about missing the updates...and you probably have plenty of time to catch up, considering my hard drive just crashed. I have to re-do everything before I can post more.

StarDust-Yay! I'm glad to see you here! Don't worry about not having much time--I know exactly what that's like. Thanks for reading!


It will be a little while before I can get another post up. As I just told Seb, my hard drive crashed and I lost everything I had just edited and revised. Sorry about the wait! I'll try to get it edited (again) soon.

 

Just posting so I can find this later. Looks good though!

 

Aww, silly computers. Don't worry about it though, Qwi - we all understand, so take your time. Meanwhile, here's an UP! for you thread .