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

So we're gonna kill the Jedi, huh? Okay, I can see the Emperor thinking that.

 

Coulda sworn I bumped this just a few days ago...

 

*bump*

 

Lt_Jaina-Thanks! That many Jedi banding together against the Empire is certainly a sight to imagine.

Liz-You could be right.

JPS-No prob! Thanks!

Chie-A/T mush...don't know if we'll get a lot of it in the battle, but...well, you'll see. Thanks for the up!

jj00-No, it doesn't.

Zara-Yeah, I can see him thinking that too... Evil Emperor... Thanks for the up!



Ack! I'll try to have a post soon! I'm circulating my stories, so that's what's been taking a while. And kill the Jedi? Would I do something like that? *blinks innocently*

 

**BUMP**

I'm back! After a month-long hiatus, I came back to two posts!

AWesome posts! More, please! OOH, Pulpy Palpy (inside joke) is trying to kill everyone! I can see that (quoth zara).

Stick some A/T in there (like Chie said). And maybe some J/J? This story is awesome!

**does a happy dance**

**dances off to continue trying to write a story**

**only gets 3 pages done**

Oh well.

 

Your innocent look has me really worried. You can't kill all the Jedi. You just can't.

 

Saber-Thanks! I'll do my best to get some mush in there soon.

Mom-*still tries to look innocent* Don't worry...

Whew! Here we go! Sorry it took so long--besides writing five stories, taking care of Anakin, and homeschooling my brother, we've been trying to buy a house lately--it's a LOT of work.

********

"Mara? Or, er...Aunt Mara?" Jaina whispered, still trying not to distract anyone else. The Death Star was still futilely firing at them.

"Yes?"

"It's Jacen--I'm sensing some odd things from him. I think he and Palpatine are going to try to escape," Jaina murmured, eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on her twin.

Mara gave an unladylike snort. "Knowing Palpatine, that's probably what they're trying to do. They might have triggered the Death Star to explode." A small smile crossed her face. "I think they're still underestimating us." She moved forward and spoke in Luke's ear.

Feeling better now that Luke and Mara were handling it, Jaina turned back to the battle at hand. The Death Star had released TIE fighters, which were circling, waiting for defenses to be dropped so they could attack.

**

Once the Death Star was on a ten-minute timer to explode, Palpatine and Jacen, surrounded by their guard, headed for their escape ship. They boarded it, then prepared to leave.

"Emperor Palpatine?" a very timid voice spoke up.

"What is it?" Palpatine's crackly voice said sharply.

"The hangar doors will not open."

"What?" Palpatine turned and faced the man speaking.

Jacen closed his eyes and reached out. He cursed silently as he realized that somehow, his connection with Jaina--which he still wasn't used to--had leaked the information that he and Palpatine were escaping. Now the Jedi were doing something to the hangar doors to keep them in.

Palpatine must have realized what the Jedi were doing, because suddenly, he felt a great Force-wave from the Emperor, aimed at the hangar bay doors. Jacen watched through the transparisteel as the doors gave a small shudder, but held. Palpatine slammed another wave at the doors, but they refused to collapse.

And Jacen still felt the Jedi grow closer. Several moments passed, and Jacen had a sudden realization. If I cannot make my connection with my sister go away, perhaps I can use it to my advantage. He purposefully reached out, feeling for his twin bond. Finding it, he followed it until he reached Jaina's mind. She sensed his presence, and slammed a wall around her mind. Her defenses were strong.

Too late, he realized, "Emperor! The Jedi have are disembarking on the lower levels! They are transporting from the battle cruisers and entering through the other hangar!" This hangar's doors still were not opening. Palpatine had even ordered his underlings to blast a hole in the hangar, but the weapons were not responding.

If he could not get away and kill all the Jedi at once, he would face them. He would take as many of them down as he could--and he would get rid of Jaina.

**

It took three minutes to get all of the Jedi onto the Death Star. Luke, Leia, and Mara met back up. Chewie stayed right beside Leia. "The ships outside are on their own now. We can't keep the protections up," Mara said.

"If there's a timer that's set to explode the Death Star, we have to stop it," Leia said. "That's where Artoo and Threepio come in." She waved at the two droids that were coming up to her. "You two, get into the systems and stop any self-destruct sequence you find!"

"Yes, Mistress Leia," Threepio said as Artoo bleeped. "But if you don't mind my saying, why are we on a ship that is set to self-destruct in the first place? I mean--" he was cut off as Artoo butted into him from behind, whistling. "I'm only asking because--" Threepio protested as Artoo ushered him out of the hangar.

"Mom!" Jaina pushed through the Jedi with Anakin and Tahiri. "Vader's somewhere on this ship. I need--"

"Right. You three--and you, Kyp," Leia motioned to Anakin and Tahiri, and a dark-haired man nea

 

Good to see a new post on this, and an exciting one, too. Can't wait to see the confrontation with the Emperor, and to see how Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker, that is) will enter the mix.

 

Great postie, Qwi! Can't wait to find out what happens next!

 

Jacen is certainly getting chipped down to size. It's good for him. glad to see that palpy's escape plan has been foiled.

Off to save Granddad.

 

Great post Qwi! Kyp! I wondered what he was up to Can't wait for Jaina and the others to free Vader/Anakin! He he, I bet the others are unnerved when they meet him, except for Jaina

~JPS~

 

Dude! Kyp!

Anyways, nice post there, Qwi Can't wait to see what you have in store for our beloved characters

**goes off to poke at the next post of my story**

 

I loved it! The whole thing was awesome!

 

Gotta love Kyp! He's one of my favorites. Excellent post, melikes!

 

UppityupupUP!

 

awesome postie! sry i ddnt find it earlier.... yay for jaina! and mara, luke, anakin, kyp, tahiri etc... i cnt wait to see what happens when anakin snr comes into play....

-jj00

 

I fell behind on this fic as well. Sending it up..........its been a week since replies........

 

Ack! I don't have time to do replies right now, so I'll do them later! Sorry!

Here's a quick postie, and I'll leave replies to your previous replies later!

********

Chapter Seventeen

Jaina pushed the button to open the door to her grandfather's cell. Kyp, Anakin, and Tahiri were dealing with the guards up front. "Grandfather!" Jaina exclaimed. It was odd to call him that, but after everything he had done for her, and just the fact that he was back here, told her a great deal. Not about who he was--but perhaps about who he had become. She still didn't know how his change had come about, or why it had happened, but it had.

"Jaina." They stood there looking at each other for a long moment, and then Vader said, "What are you doing here?"

"The Jedi are taking down Palpatine. My mom's leading them."

"I see." Vader swept past Jaina to the prison block control room, where Kyp, Anakin, and Tahiri had effectively downed all of the Imperials. Vader glanced at the controls. "The Death Star self-destruct sequence has been activated." Without waiting for a response, he moved toward the computer.

Kyp opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He had a very suspicious look on his face, and Anakin and Tahiri both looked wary. Jaina didn't blame them for wondering about Vader, and if he was really on their side now. They didn't have much evidence. Jaina had to admit that she had her doubts, but she had to take the leap of faith and trust him. And if he hadn't killed them yet...

That had to say something, right?

**

Beep beep whistle.

"What do you mean, you can't stop the timer? There are only two minutes left before this explodes!" Threepio said in a panicky voice.

Blurp whistle bleep.

"Well, you had better figure out a way to stop it! I don't know about you, but I prefer not to end up as debris floating through space."

Whistle beep beep!

"No, I don't have a back-up plan! This is all very spur-of-the moment, you know! Just like everything else we do!"

Beep blurp blurp!

"What do you mean, the self-destruct sequence just shut itself off? Self-destruct sequences don't just shut themselves off!"
Whistle!

"Let's get back to Mistress Leia."

**

It wasn't hard to figure out where the battle was taking place. The Jedi had spread out a bit, but were holding their ground toward the center of the Death Star. Jaina could also sense a huge amount of stormtroopers.

As she, Kyp, Anakin, Tahiri, and Vader made their way toward the Jedi to help in the fight, Tahiri suddenly froze in her tracks, as did Vader. Anakin and Jaina stopped beside them. It took Kyp, who was in the lead, a moment before he realized they had all stopped. "What?" he asked, spinning on them. "We have to hurry; they're waiting for us."

"There are dark Jedi here," Tahiri said.

"What?" Anakin asked.

"She is correct," Vader wheezed. "They just docked in one of the hangars. Palpatine must have called for them. Unless they are out on his errands, he always has his Jedi kept close to the Death Star in case he needs them."

"We have to stop them," Kyp said. He closed his eyes, opening them a moment later. "I sense them now. They're cloaking themselves." He looked at Tahiri and Vader with a new respect. "There are a dozen of them."

"We will head them off. Jaina, go to your mother. You are needed there," Vader commanded, his voice stronger than it had been since they had taken him out of the prison block.

"But Grandfather, you're not strong en--"

"Go."

Jaina didn't need to be told twice. Confused as to why she had to go, and frustrated that she couldn't stay and help her best friend and her brother, she turned and fled down the corridor.

As she ran, she took a moment to reach out to Jag, and realized there was another whole battle taking place in space. She couldn't afford to pay attention to that right now, but she paid enough attention to it to realize that the Rebels outnumbered the Imperials. Just don't die, she begged Ja

 

Oh no! What's going to happen??

Great post, Qwi!

 

Yikes. Those stormtroopers are multiplying like rabbits. Can't wait for the confrontations. *makes popcorn*

 

Very nice. It seems there is a commonality here. The writers are mostly girls. Oh well, I'm a guy, but I guess that's ok.
Keep it up, I'll read more later.

Eylan McLeod

PS, try reading my stuff, please.

end transmission
location unknown

 

Okay, now that I have a few minutes, here are the answers to your PREVIOUS responses.

Jedi-2B-Thank you! By now you should have seen a bit of how Vader entered into the mix...

Lt_Jaina-Thanks! And thanks for the up!

Mom-Chipping down the bad guys is fun.

JPS-Funnily enough, this story is the first I've written Kyp in. And you were right--the others were unnerved by Vader!

Saber-Thank you! I still have some things in store for our characters...

Chie-Thanks!

Zara-Thank you! Kyp is a cool guy.

jj00-Thanks!

Liz-I fall behind on fics all them time. Thanks for upping this!


Okay, and now the CURRENT replies.

Saber-Thanks!

Mom-LOL, I really didn't mean to take this long to get to the actual confrontation. *passes out soda and chocolate*

Trigger (Eylan)-Thanks for reading! Not all of the writers or readers are girls--I can point you to quite a few talented guy writers. Don't sweat it.

 

OH NO!! What's gonna happen next? Anyways, awesome postie, Qwi!

 

Thanks, Lt_Jaina!

********

They had stopped around a corridor, sensing the dark Jedi coming nearer. "You--" Vader turned his mask in Tahiri's direction.

"Tahiri," she supplied. They hadn't had time for introductions.

"And you--"

"Anakin," Anakin said.

Vader froze.

"I'm your grandson," Anakin said quietly, staring at Vader's mask. "I'm Leia's son. She was pregnant when Jacen was kidnapped."

Vader quickly recovered. "You two, fall back behind me and--"

"Kyp," Kyp said shortly.

"Kyp. You stay with me. We will take point. We are not far from Palpatine's chambers, and we must prevent them from going to his aid." Vader pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it, and Kyp followed suit. Vader's red blade and Kyp's orange blended to shine an eery light on the corridors.

Tahiri fell back next to Anakin. She could feel his resolve, feel the strength coming from him in the Force. He couldn't even best Jaina, and he was about to face a dozen dark Jedi, yet he remained calm and assured.

They followed Vader and Kyp around the corridor, and saw the dark Jedi coming toward them. Without even realizing they were doing it, Tahiri reached for Anakin, and he for her, and they clicked perfectly. It was the first time she hadn't been fighting or ignoring the bond between the two of them, and in that instant, she didn't understand why she had been so wary of it. This was right. This was how it was supposed to be.

She also realized that while she could fight, and Anakin wasn't very good at it, he could use the mental aspects of the Force like she couldn't. Maybe we can work that to our advantage, she thought grimly.

**

"The door's down!" Mara shouted, the moment it had blown inward, blasted by the power of the six Jedi minds working on it. "Let's get in!"

They were first blocked by a group of red-clothed guards, but Jaina quickly realized they weren't Force-sensitive, and it didn't take long to get past them. Some of the Jedi filed into the room while Luke, Mara, and Leia held up a protective shielding to let them enter. Others stayed in the hallway, blocking the stormtroopers from entering.

Seated on a throne in the middle of the room was Palpatine. Jacen stood beside him, lightsaber ignited. Jaina stayed behind her mother, slightly to the side. Her eyes locked with Jacen's, and the familiar burning hatred was there.

It was Leia who spoke. "Your reign is at an end, Palpatine. We will prevail."

Palpatine had to realize he was cornered, but he refused to admit defeat. "Jacen?"

Jacen stepped forward, holding the lightsaber up straight in front of him. The glow shined on face, making it look even more angry. "You will fall."

He couldn't possibly believe that. Jaina kept quiet, waiting for her mother or Luke or Mara to speak. "Jacen," Leia began, her voice heavy with sadness. "You will never know how much I love you."

"You may love me, but I despise you. If you loved me so much, why did you not come for me?"

"I couldn't get to you. I tried."

"There is no trying. Only doing," Jacen spat.

"I used to think that, too. Then I learned that in some cases, trying is all you can do," Leia said quietly.

"You will not turn me, Mother, though I see that it is what you wish. This is how I lived my life. This is how it will someday end. One with the darkness."

"If that is your choice, so be it. Just know that I love you. Know that I'm sorry." With those final words, Leia sprang forward, her lightsaber flashing. Jacen parried. Jaina tore her eyes away to look at Luke. He and Mara, as well as several of the other Jedi, were headed for the Emperor. Still more Jedi were standing by the door, staring at the battle. It took Jaina a moment to realize they were using the Force to work on breaking through and holding Palpatine's protections at bay.

She took a step back and added her power to theirs.

**

They realized they had been fooled when Vader slashed through the first dark Jed

 

Yeah, an update! (Well, shiver me timbers. Are we supposed to still be talking like pirates?)

Anyway, great action. I don't trust Palpatine one little bit. I'm still hoping for Jacen to come around, though it will be harder for him than for Vader, because darkness is all Jacen has ever known.