Beyond - Legends Hand of the Empress {Your Father's Fate/The True Nature of the Force} Completed 8/31

SilSolo: Nope, the battle isn't far off. But it won't be starting quite yet...

And now, onto tonight's post!


"Remind me again why I let Leia talk me into this?" Han asked, turning to look at Chewie across the cockpit of the Falcon as they prepped her for flight. The freighter sat in the forward hold of Mon Remonda, but Han would be dropping free for the flight to Eriadu. "I recall a time when I would have said that leading an attack like this would be suicide!"

[And did,] the Wookiee replied, his blue eyes boring into Han. [But you do this because it is the honorable thing to do. And it is the right thing to do. You know what the Empire is capable of.]

Han indeed did know, better than he cared to recall. The Empire had been responsible for Alderaan's destruction, and Han could still see the ache in Leia's expression when her lost homeworld was mentioned. It made honorable people into criminals. And it tore families apart, as it had Leia's. But Han doubted that it was any of this that Chewie referred to. It was the use of slave labor, a practice that both disgusted and infuriated Han. No government should be built on the backs of slaves. And as tightly as the Emperor had held the galaxy, his daughter was even more iron-fisted.

"Right," Han finally said, keying the repulsorlifts, and bringing the Falcon around. The ship sailed through the magcon field, and Han kicked in the main sublight drive. The fighters were assembled, spearheaded by Wedge and Rogue Squadron. Han was a bit surprised to see the chrome and yellow fighters that had joined the fleet at Naboo not far behind the Rogues. They must be good, he thought. In the distance, he could see the primary of the Eriadu system, just a bit larger than a pinhead among the stars.

Here goes nothing, Han thought, keying for a broadband, fleet-wide transmission. "Millennium Falcon to all ships. Prepare to jump into hyperspace on my mark. Three...two...one...Mark!" With that, he eased the hyperspace levers forward, and the stars became starlines. Within moments, the task force would emerge in the Eriadu system. And then we'll find out what the Empire has waiting, Han thought.

++++++++++++



Next post should be up Monday night, as we'll be checking back in on Lando & Co.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Love it when Wookiee actually gets translated. Poor Leia... lost her homeworld and then her own twin (in a way)

 

SilSolo: Writing Chewie isn't exactly the easist thing to do, so I'm glad that it worked out here.

No post today, but one will be up tomorrow evening.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Hadn?t seemed that long since I did some read-and-replies, but life has been getting the better of me a little.

09/07/2004
I liked Lieutenant Tschel?s puzzlement about the signal, though I?d have though some sort of flag would have been tripped in the communications system (or in Tschel?s memory) to say ?this is the Empress, connect at once.?

12/07/2004
Good thinking by Thrawn to let Pellaeon remain for the communication, bringing your subordinates into your confidence can prove vital.

Liked Ta?a Chume not being completely cowed, but being careful to not give overt cause for offence.

14/07/2004
I agree with Wedge, if you strike suddenly with overwhelming firepower then the Imperials might not have a chance to call for help before they are crippled or destroyed. The problem with that plan is, as Onoma said, you?re going in blind which means you don?t know what forces the enemy has or where they are exactly (though you could guess based on standard patrol routes).

16/07/2004
Enjoyed the idea that even the energy Luke could draw from the force is not enough to counteract the effects of the demands of a baby.

Liked that Luke was only scared for Selena.

20/07/2004
Good advice from Palpatine-major to Palpatine-minor about seeing patterns to avoid surprises.

Diadem of Palpatine is smaller than I thought but sounds like a nice ship, heavy firepower and very fast. Almost the Millennium Falcon writ large, same hyperdrive rating (?) and same sort of surprisingly meaty weapons.

Agree that Piett wouldn?t miss a force-reminder, he?d had to dispose of enough valuable highly trained and reasonably competent Imperial officers while he was on the Executor.

22/07/2004
I like Fett?s thinking, get the bounty on the people setting a bounty. As Jayden112233 says ?follow the money?

26/07/2004
Enjoyed that the work Imperial Intelligence had done in setting up Winters accommodation was going to be used by her for her own purposes against them.

Congratulations to Guri on managing to get her brain operated on. Events of SotE: Evolution would have been very different with there being no chaos (thanks to Kanti) for Black Sun to exploit, but I?m hoping the ?friend? is the same man who she met at the end that story (and who had been thought dead).

28/07/2004
I know Suzuki_Akira means that Luke is going to beat up people (and ?pwn? / own them) but I still get the image of Luke, as in ANH, having to sell his belongings by going on a spree through the Pawn shops of Coruscant.

I hope the skycab passenger didn?t get airsick from the cab tumbling in the TIE Defender?s slipstream. Liked the idea of Mara getting fists waved at her for flying like a crazy woman.

Advantage of an X-Wing, if you have an Astromech (or at least one as smart as Artoo) you could probably just tell it to do the shut down procedure.

Dengar and his accomplices are now dead, the question is how much pain Mara will make them suffer first, question is whether Mara could do for real what (the undercover) Kell was suggesting could be done to a Wookie in Wraith Squadron: Iron Fist.

30/07/2004
Agree with Chewie, it is the honourable thing to do and that is why Han is doing it.

Also agree with Han, if the Naboo are keeping up with the Rogues they must be good.

 

_JM_: Once again, quite a few replies to go through in one post. But here goes...

09/07/2004
You'd think so, but perhaps Tschel isn't quite high enough in rank to know what every bit of coding means?

12/07/2004
Thrawn isn't one to miss a bet, you're right. He's keeping Pellaeon in the loop, perhaps in case he needs the captain to do attack coordination.

TC's a sneaky one. Kanti better watch her back, cuz you never know when the Hapan queen might try to stab her there.

14/07/2004
Glad to see you recognized the value in both sides. But Han's stuck between a rock and a hard place, isn't he?

16/07/2004
I thought it even funnier that Winter was able to manage the baby.

Yup, those good old fatherly (and perhaps Skywalker, given Anakin's reaction at the end of RotJ) taking over.

20/07/2004
Yeah, I thought that Kanti might need a bit of advice from the not-so-dearly departed.

Diadem of Palpatine is smaller than I thought but sounds like a nice ship, heavy firepower and very fast. Almost the Millennium Falcon writ large, same hyperdrive rating (?) and same sort of surprisingly meaty weapons.

Diadem does indeed have the same rating as the Falcon. When I was coming up with it, and I think I may have said this before, I was thinking a bit about the U.S.S. Defiant of Star Trek: DS9. Little ship, big punch.

Piett wouldn't forget a Darth-given lesson.

22/07/2004
And isn't that the truth.

26/07/2004
Yeah, I've enjoyed giving Winter access others wouldn't have, only to watch her turn it against the Imps..

I think some degree of chaos would have remained within Black Sun, given that most of it was caused by Vader lopping off the organization's head. As for the "friend," it is who you're thinking of.

28/07/2004
The whole "Mara getting shaken at" was partly inspired by the Dug in AotC.

Yeah, those darn TIEs. No astromech at all. Which means nobody to talk to on those long flights..

I'd say you're right that Dengar and his accomplices might as well turn their blasters on themselves. It would be less painful, I think..

30/07/2004
I plucked this post because it did give me a chance to do a bit of Han introspection before the big battle. And you'll see that Bravo Squad is indeed good. They haven't been loafing on Naboo, it seems.



Okay. Here comes tonight's post!


Lando shut off the comm as he turned to Panaka and Typho. "The hunters have Luke," he said, a certain amount of surprise penetrating the usually unreadable features of a professional gambler. He'd been against this whole idea from the moment he'd been told about it, citing the danger in allying oneself with bounty hunters. More than that, though, he'd been worried that the hunters would fail, and that Luke would be unreachable. After all, he, like Leia and Han, knew what was possible for Luke Skywalker, and that had been before the Jedi had fallen into Palpatine's hands. And then, Lando thought, Luke had been corrupted further by the despot's daughter.

"So now we've just got to pick him up?" Panaka asked.

"That's right," Lando said. But we've got a few preparations to make. Those hunters believe that we're working for the Alliance. They will almost certainly try and double-cross us, in hopes of turning us over to the Empire for an even larger bounty."

"So you're saying we should be ready for the double-cross," Typho said. "How?"

"We ensure that the meet takes place on our terms, not theirs. I set the location close to us, so it'll hopefully take them some time to get here. Even so, we need to move fast, or else they'll gain the advantage."

Minutes later, they were at the site, Panaka ready to deal with the hunters, while Typho and Lando knelt on the rooftops of a couple of dilapidated diners. Lando's blaster was trained on Panaka, as was Typho's.

"Remind me again why we're aiming at an ally?" the Royal Security officer asked.

"He'll be their target. Makes it easier to extrapolate for any friends the hu

 

Great update! Fett vs. Lando...

 

Typical of a bounty hunter, especially Fett.

 

Suzuki: Glad you enjoyed the Fett/Lando scene there. I was actually thinking of the Han Solo Trilogy, where Lando gets the better of Fett not once, but twice. Looked like third time might have been the charm, but ol' Boba wasn't counting on Typho.

SilSolo: Actually, I see Fett having a little more honor, not just hanging out in the shadows. But he did it before, so why not again.


Okay, here comes the next post!

As soon as Rogue Squadron dropped out of hyperspace, Wedge realized that something was wrong. Eriadu's too far away, he thought. Then, he saw why. Arrayed before him was a fleet of Star Destroyers. And just behind them was the reason that the Rogues, along with the rest of the Rebel fleet, had been pulled from hyperspace. Interdictor cruisers. Great, Wedge thought. Just great. Not only did the Imps know we were coming, but they decided they'd ensure we weren't getting out of here anytime soon.

"Rogue Leader to squad," Wedge said, keying his comm. Form up on me." He glanced down at the monitor as his R5 unit, Gate, began to squawk. "Okay, looks like we've got plenty of company," Wedge said, quickly analyzing what Gate was showing him. "Rogues, we'll be going after the squints. Bravo Squad, the fighters are yours. Aces, you've got the bombers."

"Are you doubting me again, Wedge?" came Pash Cracken's voice. "I thnk you may have gotten things a bit backwards."

"If you Aces think you're up to it," Janson's voice interrupted, "come and play with the squits once you're through with the dupes. Sloppiest squad buys drinks."

Wedge held back a sigh. This sort of competition was usually healthy, but he didn't want his pilots thinking about drinks in the middle of a battle. "We'll settle the bill later. Right now, let's make sure that the Imps don't make mincemeat of our fleet."

While Wedge had been organizing the fighters, Han was working to see that the larger ships were ready. "Corvettes to the rear," he said, hoping to protect the less heavily armed craft. "Gunships, see if you can't sneak behind the Imps." He then flipped another switch, and summoned Mon Remonda and the remainder of the fleet.

But foremost in his mind was one thought. We're in serious trouble here. And this Imp commander is better than I thought.

++++++++++++

That's it for now. More will be coming on Friday. And just to be Sithly, it will be a cliffie post!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Gotta love that Janson character, and I didn't even read the second half of the X-Wing series! All my favorite squadrons from the time period...

 

SilSolo: Yeah, Janson is fun, especially when the situation calls for seriousness.


And now, here's the next postie, one that I suspect will leave everybody wanting more.


Luke rose towards consciousness, as though his mind were swimming up from some kind of deep, dark pool. He couldn't recall the last time a stun blast had caught him so off guard. Then again, he hadn't had to worry about such things in years. The last thing he recalled, before the blast had sent him into blackness, was a group of bounty hunters invading his suite. And one of them had held Selena.

He bolted upright, consumed with fear for his daughter's safety. He knew that Leia would keep the Rebels from harming her, but he wouldn't allow her to be used as a pawn. Furthermore, Black Sun had been growing stronger, though it was only a shade of the organization that it had been back when Vader and Xizor had competed for the Emperor's favor. As he sat up, he wished he hadn't. The world spun around him, and he sank backward onto his bound hands, almost blacking out again.

"Take your time," a female voice said. "It must be disorienting." Luke turned, seeing the beautiful, blond woman seated near the door of the room. Or cell, Luke thought pessimistically. There was something about her that seemed familiar. "And don't try using the Force," she said, her voice cool.

Something about the way she set it jogged Luke's memory. Luke realized where he'd seen her before. They'd met, only briefly, during Luke's rescue of Leia from Xizor. "There is no man who is my equal in hand-to-hand combat. Except, if the stories are true, a Jedi Knight."

"Guri," he said, his mouth still a little dry.

"I am surprised that you remember me," she said. "Unfortunately, I cannot say the same."

"So it is Black Sun. Bold of them to try something like this, given their weakened state."

"I'm afraid you have my employer confused, Skywalker," she said, not using any title at all. How long had it been, Luke wondered, since he'd heard his name bare, used by somebody other than Mara or the Empress?

Then, as if it had appeared only now, a very familiar presence washed through the Force. And from it, Luke knew that he had indeed been wrong about Guri's employer. His thoughts were borne out when Leia stepped into the room.

"Hello, Luke," she said, and there was no mistaking the emotion in her eyes. In fact, the happiness at seeing him not only radiated in the Force, but was made visible through tears running from her brown eyes.

++++++++++++


That's all for now. I know, I'm being Sithly. Next part will be up Monday evening.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

What a great bunch of posts. Sorry I haven't been replying...not lukering, just DRL. At any rate, I do like the direction you're going with this fic. I'm curious to see how Luke will greet Leia. I can't imagine very well as he's concerned for his daughter's safety. More soon?

 

YAAAYYYYYY!!! REUNION!!!

 

Jayden: I'll start with the end of your last post. More will be coming today, though you'll have to wait a while for the reunion side of things to continue. The reunion of the Skywalker twins has taken some time to write, and I wanted to make sure I had it just right. DRL has played a part in that, so I understand where you're coming from.

SilSolo: Yup, it's reunion time, though I wouldn't count on it being a happy one.


And now, onto the next post!



So the Alliance was indeed behind the abduction of Skywalker, Fett thought as he limped his way out of the slums of Imperial Center. He'd attracted more looks than he cared to, and he knew, or rather, thought he knew, why that was. Anything wounded represented prey, and Fett knew, based on his father's stories, that Imperial Center housed plenty of predators.

As fate would have it, none of those who looked at Fett with a predatory eye even attempted to take advantage of him, even in his weakened condition. The legends had crossed the stars, and Fett knew more than one mark who had given himself up merely at the sight of a figure in Mandalorian armor. He guessed that his reputation was the only reason that lesser bounty hunters had sought to clothe themselves in Mandalorian garb as well.

His first destination had been to get back to the spaceport where he'd berthed Slave I. Once there, he cleaned and bandaged the wound, after rubbing a salve from Yavin IV into the wound. Surprising, he thought, that something useful actually had existed on the jungle world. Then, reassuming the armor, he exited the ship, once again setting the codes to cause its destruction should anybody other than himself try to attempt to fly the ship away.

His next destination, by all rights, should have been the Imperial Palace. Obviously, somebody in the planetary police had dropped the ball. And if Calrissian was here, and interested in Skywalker, there was no doubt in Fett's mind that Organa Solo was either here already, or wouldn't be far behind.

Fett, however, chose to pass on the Imperial Palace. He might have worked for Vader on occasion, but that fact wouldn't get him in to see those who really needed the information. He needed to find somebody not only with the access to the Empress, but with the willingness to see the truth behind what Fett was bringing to light. That second part might be easy, but finding that combination would take somebody powerful and a bit paranoid. That left Fett one choice. He needed to seek out Ysanne Isard.

++++++++++++


We'll be seeing a bit of a showdown between the Empress and Mara in Wednesday's post, so check back that evening.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Wow and I created a YID called isardtheiceheart (or something like that) when I read about her. I'd like to see what's next. Poor Jade, one daughter taken from her and the other trained as an evil Empress... If only Kanti could see the light... Does Kanti's name mean something in another language? I sorta noticed what you hid in Eclepsia from Shroud.

 

Wow a lot has happened i see. Looks like a few were taken down a few pegs. You brought even more eu characters into this fic. Mara and Kanti's mother in phantom eh? looks like i got something to look for. Was the female hunter's name mentioned?

 

SilSolo: Yes, poor Mama Jade, I can only hope that she didn't see what Palpy did to her daughters. As for Isard, I noticed that she'd kinda dropped out of the picture, and needed to be brought back in. I did indeed play a little with the word "eclipse" when creating Eclepsa's Sith name, and Kanti too has meaning. In Sanskrit, it means "beauty", which Kanti certainly is.

yoda: Nice to see you back. As for a lot happening, that might be an understatement. And if I said "Phantom," I apologize. Mama Jade makes her appearance in "Prisoner of the Past."


And here comes the next segment.


The Empress leaned back, preparing herself for the outburst she knew was forthcoming.

"You're telling me," Mara said, though the Force told Kanti that Mara was only barely managing to maintain her control, "that you're not concerned? The Rebels penetrated the Palace, and snatched both my husband and my daughter!"

"I did not say that I was not concerned," Kanti said. "I said that there were greater matters that require my attention. You would do well not to let your emotions cloud your judgement."

"To the Force with my emotions," Mara shouted, her emotions finally breaking through completely. "This is my family we're talking about!"

"A connection that I believe I suggested you avoid. In fact, the only reason I allowed you and Skywalker to marry was because you do make such a perfect team, and such intimacy was bound to affect you at some point. But I cannot, and will not, allow this incident to become known."

"Then let me handle it," Mara said. "Give me leave to do what I must, and I will bring those responsible to your justice."

"You believe your family to be in danger?" Kanti asked. "I assure you, Mara, that those responsible will not dare harm your daughter, because it would destroy any hope they have of obtaining Skywalker's aid."

"You see Luke as nothing more than a security risk, don't you?"

"Do you know how often Ysanne Isard told my father that keeping Skywalker was a mistake? That one day, he, like Vader, would turn on the Empire? Do you know how often she has told me this very same thing? If Isard had her way, your husband would have been dead long ago."

"Yet something made it useful for you to keep him alive," Mara said, a little afraid of where this might go.

"Skywalker is every bit as intimidating as his father was, and makes the perfect agent, given his own work with you. But more importantly, he is the lure that I knew would ultimately destroy the Rebellion."

"What do you mean?"

"It nearly happened, four years ago. The Alliance slipped in, and attempted to rescue Skywalker. Unfortunately, your efforts on Corellia delayed their plans. By the time they made contact, he was no longer who they thought he was."

"And something has changed now. They have discovered a weakness."

"Yes. Your daughter. So once again, they are moving against us, here in the heart of the Empire. You see, the one behind the abduction can be only one person."

"Organa Solo," Mara said, coming to the conclusion.

"Yes. And once the Rebels have been defeated at Bilbringi, I will have a final card to play. One that will draw Organa Solo out, one that will expose her vulnerability. And then, only then, will we be able to recover my Hand."

"You're hoping that she will remain on Imperial Center."

"She will. She must ensure that Skywalker is not acting as an agent of the Empire before she can return with him to the Alliance. That will take time. And time," the Empress paused, her smile predatory as that of a sabercat, "time is not on their side."

++++++++++++


That's it for now. Back to Eriadu on Friday for a little more combat set-up.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Brilliant, Tych_sel. I like this confrontation.

 

As do I. Now I'm waiting for Luke's reaction.

 

Suzuki: Glad you liked the confrontation. I can say only one thing. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the middle of it!

SilSolo: Figured you'd like it, Sil. As for Luke's reaction to Leia, well, you'll have to wait 'til Monday, I'm afraid.


No post today, but I'd like a little input on the following issue.


We've seen Luke take steps towards the Dark Side. What I want to know is, do you want to see Luke remain where he is, walking a fine line between Light and Dark in his service to Kanti, or do you want to see him redeemed. I've already got a few ideas, but I want the input of my readers.


More to come tomorrow!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

I don't think he should need to be redeemed. I think that he's on the edge right now, and that he should be forced into a decision of cosmic proportions, one light, one dark. And what he should choose...well...that's up to you.

 

Suzuki: Thanks for weighing in, though I'd like your opinion as to whether Luke should choose Light or Dark.


And now, back to Eriadu!


Turr Phennir grinned tightly to himself as he guided the interceptor from the landing bay of the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimeara. He'd never bought into Fel's belief in the tactical genius of any alien commander, but couldn't argue against it either, at least, not in the present case. "So the Rebels have indeed decided to come out and play," he said.

The Rebel fighters were already breaking into squads, those assigned to the capital ships hanging back in defensive posture. The rest were flaring out, and Phennir thought he detected red piping on one of the squadrons of X-Wings. So, they've sent Rogue Squadron. Now to make them pay for their audacity. Phennir ordered the 181st forward, the red stripes on the wings distinguishing the best fighting force in the Empire.

"Leader to group," he said. "It's time to show the Rebels that no matter how good they think they are, their training will shrink before that of the Empire." The squadron replied, calling for the death of the Rebels.

The Rebels should have been disoriented, Phennir thought, as the 181st engaged the X-Wings. The faster interceptors tore through the squadron, more in intimidation than in any attempt to hurt the Rebel snubfighters. We're better than you are, and nothing will change that, Phennir wanted to say.

"181st," he sent over the comm, "the Rogues are ours. 65th, hang back. We'll need you once we clear away the snubfighters." He didn't want the bombers engaging, not only for that reason, but they simply got in the way. He swore as the A-Wings drove through the interceptors, then the bombers, swinging around, and then coming in, lasers blazing.

"Stang it!" he shouted. "91st," he ordered the other interceptor squadron commander, "deal with those slims!"

"Roger," the leader of the 91st said. "91st has the slims." With the order acknowledged, Phennir turned his attention back to the X-Wings. Now, it's time for the legend of Rogue Squadron to die.

++++++++++++



That's it for now. Monday will bring what you've all been waiting for: The reunion of Luke & Leia.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Oh no Rogues don't die that easily...

 

The Empress is so understanding and kind

I think you know my feelings on what should happen to Luke.

I know the mother's name now. I'll ask you on aim ?

 

SilSolo: You're right, Rogues don't die that easily. But Phennir doesn't seem to realize it. Besides, I needed some way to kill those Imp pilots, didn't I?

yoda: Oh, yes, Kanti's a real sweetheart. Just don't get on her bad side, or she might get a little...grumpy. And yes, yoda, I seem to recall your earlier thoughts concerning Luke.


No post today, though I may be gracious and give you the next post a day early...


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Okay, I really would have given you the post yesterday, but things got a bit hectic. But I'm back, and here's today's post!


Luke's face, unlike Leia's, remained totally devoid of emotion. "Leia," he finally said. "Didn't I tell you to leave? To forget about me?"

"And didn't you know that I would never give up on you, Luke? No matter what that woman has done to you, I know that you're still there." Her next remark shocked Luke, not by its context, but by its delivery. *I haven't forgotten what you told me.*

Luke was surprised. How had Leia, without benefit of anybody to train her in the Force, learned to communicate through it? More importantly, if she was capable of this, what else was she capable of? And had her presence on Imperial Center been detected? But before he could learn any of this, there was something far more pressing on his mind. "Where is my daughter, Leia?" For standing behind Leia, just barely visible in the doorframe, was the woman he'd come to know as Rima, but now realized was his sister's aide and friend, Winter.

"Selena is perfectly safe, Luke," Leia said. "You have to believe that I'd never do anything to harm her."

"It's not you I was concerned about, Leia," Luke said. "I was concerned that she'd become a pawn for the Alliance. A way of taking revenge upon me for my services to the Empire."

"I won't lie to you, Luke. There are those in the High Command who argued against this attempt. No doubt, they would argue that your actions show that you would turn your daughter to the Dark Side, and that such a weapon should be removed."

"My fears exactly."


"Then come back, Luke," Leia argued. "Show that you still are the Jedi Knight you trained to be. Prove to them that you deserve another chance, just as you gave Vader another chance to return to the Light."

"But do I deserve another chance? Leia, I helped the Empress crush dozens of worlds into submission. Am I really to believe that the Alliance will welcome me back with open arms? That somebody like Borsk Fey'lya isn't going to argue for my immediate arrest?"

"I can't say for certain what will happen. But there are those who remember you, Luke, will remember what you were as opposed to what you have become. I can only promise that you'll get a fair shot."

"You mean a fair trial," Luke said. "I told you once to leave, Leia. Now I'm pleading with you. Leave, before the Empress tracks you down. Before I have to watch as she sentences you to death."

++++++++++++



That's it for now. Wednesday, back to Eriadu and General Solo.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel