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

LaYa_: Glad you liked 'em.

yoda: Yup, poor Mirax. Though you'll feel for her more after this next post.


Winter must be starting to get to me, since my last two posts have both been just a bit dark. My apologies in advance if it ruins in any way the festive season.



Luke lay on the bed, his eyes closed, and attempted to forget the mental summons from the Emperor as the lock to the door clicked. He heard the door open, but didn?t bother to open his eyes, much less sit up. He could feel the presence of Mara Jade, which had now become somewhat familiar.

?Get up, Skywalker. The Emperor wants to see you.? Luke opened his eyes to see Mara standing at the other end of the bed.
?And just what does the Emperor want from me now??

?He doesn?t tell me everything, Skywalker. But he made it clear that you will stand before him, even if I have to drag you there.?

Luke sat up, and noticed that a lightsaber hung from Mara?s slim waist. Did the Emperor intend to pit them against one another? He sat up, then rose, straightening his tunic and pants. The pair left the room, and Mara led him through the Palace, stopping in front of a pair of carved wooden doors.

?You?re not coming in?? Luke asked, just a little bit surprised.

?He didn?t summon me, Skywalker. He made it clear that he wanted you, and only you, for whatever he has in store.?

Great, Luke thought. He stepped forward, the huge doors seemingly opening of their own accord. Luke stepped into the dimly lit throne room, memories of the Death Star coming to mind unbidden. He looked towards the throne to see the Emperor seated there, the cowl of his robe hiding his face.

?Welcome, my young apprentice. I expected this sort of defiance.?

?No doubt based on your experience with my father,? Luke replied.

?Your father was far more malleable,? Palpatine said, and Luke, who had been making his way towards the throne during the conversation, could now see the cruel smile. ?It is time for you to decide where your future lies.? His hand moved to one of the throne?s armrests. A squad to stromtroopers entered, the unconscious form of a woman hanging between them.

?This traitor was captured attempting to deliver Rebel agents to Imperial Center. I wish you to be the instrument of her execution.? He moved his other hand slightly, and a silver object floated before Luke. ?Take your weapon. Strike her down and prove your loyalty. Remember that your service to me is the only thing that will keep your sister alive.?

?At least allow her an opportunity to defend herself,? Luke said. ?I won?t strike down an unarmed woman.?

?If you consider your sister?s life worth anything, you will,? Palpatine sneered. ?I am giving you an order, my apprentice. I expect to be obeyed.?

Luke felt his stomach tighten. So, the Emperor planned to use Leia in order to twist Luke to the Dark Side. By the time Luke could gain his freedom, his moral compass would be so far off that it might be better he died right here. But if he could save Leia?

The verdant blade sprang into existence with a snap-hiss. Luke thought for just a fraction of a second about attacking Palpatine, but knew the other could easily dispose of him. He stepped forward, his heart sickened by what he was about to do, and then plunged the blade into the woman?s chest, slicing through heart and spine. Her lifeless body dropped to the floor.

?Very good, my young apprentice. You have proven that you are capable of carrying out my orders. My hand will escort you back to your quarters, where you will be given your first assignment.?

?I was given to understand I would be taking my orders from you.?

?My Empire will need a competent ruler once I am gone, Skywalker. It is time the heir to the Empire began to learn to use the tools at her disposal. You are dismissed.?

?Yes, my Master,? Luke said, turning and leaving the throne room, and the body of Mirax Terrik, behind.

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



That's it for now. More will come after the holiday.

 

?My Empire will need a competent ruler once I am gone, Skywalker. It is time the heir to the Empire began to learn to use the tools at her disposal. You are dismissed.?

?Yes, my Master,? Luke said, turning and leaving the throne room, and the body of Mirax Terrik, behind.





Great post again!!

And, Merry Christmas to all!!

 

[face_shocked] You killed Mirax!
Wait a minute no mirax= no marriage with corran which = no jysella. Let me rephrase my original post. YAY! You killed Mirax

 

Hope everybody had a safe holiday.


LaYa_: I was hoping Mirax's death would come as a bit of a shock.

yoda I'd rather stick with your initial emotion. And who knows, in this universe, Corran and Mirax may have never met, even if she had lived. So there still might have been no Jysella.



Real short post tonight, but I hope to have more cooked up for tomorrow.


"This isn't what I expected when I volunteered for this little jaunt," Lando said, casting a look over his shoulder to make sure that there weren't any troopers still chasing them. They'd lost most of them in the warrens of Invisec, finally disposing of the pair that refused to be shaken with a couple of well-placed bolts from Lando's blaster. Chewie growled a question.

"No, I don't know where we're going to go from here," Lando shot back. "In case you didn't notice, or ride was probably nabbed by those troops. Which means that Mirax is as good as dead. And no, I don't know anybody in this section of Imperial Center," he added, answering the next question from the Wookiee. "We're going to need to find someplace to lie low for a while, at least until the Imps calm down."

Chewie rumbled a statement. "Well, why didn't you say something?" Lando shot back. "You could have made this a whole lot easier if you'd just said something." Chewie woofed a reply, almost a laugh. "I didn't ask?"

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


That's it for now. More to come tomorrow.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Whoa, got a bit behind on this and I see that it's gotten quite a bit darker than when I was last here! Poor Mirax! Course, I don't know why I'm shocked, given what the title of your story is.

I'm very intrigued by the way this is going so far, although the part about Lukie breaking is worrying me a little. He'll be made whole again by the end, right? Please? Oh, dear. Am I in another thread with an evil author?

Looking forward to seeing where you take this!

 

This is really good! I want to see how long Luke can allow Leia to be used against him! Maybe he'll try seppuku...

 

interesting post.

 

kayladie97:It has indeed gotten darker, and may get darker still before it's over. As for the breaking of Luke, I can't say whether he'll be made whole by the end. One can only hope...

Glad you've had a chance to get caught up.

Suzuki_Akira: Welcome to the fic. Palpatine is doing a nice job of using Leia against Luke, isn't he? But then again, Ben warned him about that, didn't he?

yoda: Glad you liked it.



And now, who's ready for a bit more L/M?



The lightsabers came together, the power in each blade attempting to overcome the force it was faced with. At the hilts, the two combatants circled, and withdrew their blades before engaging in another volley of attacks and blocks. Both were sweating, and their hair had become clumped and matted. Finally, exhausted, they deactivated the training sabers and sat down, just looking at each other.

"Your skill with the blade is impressive, Skywalker," Mara said, doing her best to avoid looking directly into those blue eyes. She was, if anything, afraid that he'd see even an once of admiration.

"I think you doubt your own skill," Luke replied, recognizing the compliment but not wanting to irritate Mara. "You let your doubts limit your potential."

"My skills are enough to serve my master," Mara replied, not liking the direction this conversation was going. "What's good enough for him is good enough for me. And don't think that just because I might, repeat, might have a bit of admiration for your abilities with a lightsaber that I would even think of betraying our master." She wanted to make sure that that last point got across.

Apparently, it did. Luke rose, then extended a hand to Mara to pull her up. "I guess the lesson's over for today," He said, though Mara thought she saw one corner of his mouth pull up in a smile.

"That's right," she said, doing what she could to keep her voice as level as possible. She couldn't understand just what it was that Skywalker was doing to her. The two made their way back towards Luke's room, though Mara nearly ran into Skywalker when he stopped just short of the door. "What?" she said, glaring at him.

"There's somebody in there," Luke whispered.

"If this is some kind of game, Skywalker, I'm not amused."

"This is no game. Stretch out with your feelings." Mara did so, and realized that the Jedi was right. There was somebody in the room. Her hand slipped towards her blaster, and she slipped around Luke.

"Cover me," she said.

"With what?" Luke asked. Mara ought to know that the Emperor had taken Luke's lightsaber after the incident in the throne room. He was without a weapon. "I don't have a lightsaber, you know."

Could this be some kind of test? Mara wondered. Was the Emperor testing whether she'd be willing to trust Skywalker? Or, could this be a test of Skywalker's own loyalties? She pondered the question for a moment, then slipped her own lightsaber from her belt. "Try to escape, and I will kill you," she reminded the Jedi, Handing the weapon over. "And you're going in first. I'll cover you."

"Nice to know I've got your blaster behind me." Mara couldn't be sure just how to take that comment. Luke ignited the violet blade with a snap-hiss, then hit the door control. The lightsaber was ripped from his hand, as was Mara's blaster.

"A little obvious, but well-planned, given what you had to work with," the sole occupant of the room said as the two weapons dropped to the bed beside her.

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



That's it for now. More with ol' red-eyes in the next post, probably tomorrow.


Force be with you,


Tych_sel

 

Who is approaching I wonder?

 

Great posts

 

The lightsaber was ripped from his hand, as was Mara's blaster.- well, the guest is force strong!

"A little obvious, but well-planned, given what you had to work with," the sole occupant of the room said as the two weapons dropped to the bed beside her.- beside her - ? Huh, isn't the guest the Emperor?

Great post!!

 

If its a force sensitive her it should be an emperor's hand so..... lumiya?

 

Let Luke beat her down right here and now if its Lumiya. If its the Emperor, let Luke cut his head off.

 

LaYa_: Glad you liked it.

The_Good_Twin: Nope, the guest isn't the Emperor. You'll have to wait a couple of posts to find out who it is.

yoda: Nice guess, yoda, but not quite.

Suzuki_Akira: It's neither of the options you mention. And how exactly is Luke to cut her head off without a saber?


Okay, here's the next postie!


"You are, no doubt, wondering just what it is that you will be facing," the Grand Admiral said, once the captains had gotten over their astonishment. "The planet Bakura lies near the Unknown Regions, and also near a region of space controlled by a saurian race known as the Ssi-Ruuk. The Ssi-Ruuk have attacked Bakura once, and retreated only when the Emperor made an agreement with them.

"But they've broken the agreement?" the captain of the Tyrannus asked.

"Quite the opposite," Thrawn replied. "The Ssi-Ruuk believe the rumors that began to spread as soon as the battle of Endor was completed. They believe the Emperor to be dead."

"Wouldn't a simple call from the Emperor prove that he's alive?" Folgot asked, and Pelleaon almost winced.

"The Ssi-Ruuk would be no more inclined to believe such a call than we would, under similar circumstances. Which is why the Emperor is dispatching our fleet. He wants the threat of the Ssi-Ruuk eliminated."

"Shouldn't our own troops be capable of handing a bunch of animals?" the ground commander from the Tyrannus asked, and soon found himself faced with the Grand Admiral's glowing red eyes.

"They might be, if the Ssi-Ruuk were nothing but animals. They are an intelligent race, capable of stumping the commanders of an outer system garrison."

"I presume that the Emperor suspects possible Rebel involvement," Pellaeon said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be trying to hurry this along."

"Very good, Captain," Thrawn said. "The Emperor believes that the Rebels might actually try to ally themselves with the Ssi-Ruuk. Apparently, the governor in the Bakuran system sent a pair of message droids. One was sent to Endor, and no doubt is now in Rebel hands."

"Which would force us to move up our own timetable," said the captain of the Vengeance, a man named Parck, and of whom Pellaeon knew little.

"I presume that full details on the Ssi-Ruuk's ships will be made available?" Nenxt asked.

"They will," Thrawn said. "I want your ships ready to move within one hour."

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


That's all for now. More L/M to come tomorrow. And if anybody's got some suggestions regarding Ssi-Ruuk art, please send me a PM.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

So Thrawn is leading an attack on Bakura? Most interesting. One wonders who will be at bakura now that han,leia and luke aren't available.

 

yoda: Yup, Thrawn will be leading the attack on the Ssi-Ruuk at Bakura.



The woman in Luke's room couldn't have been any older than he himself had been when he had first gone chasing after Artoo in the desert wastes of Tatooine. If anything, she was younger than he had been then. But she was definitely better trained than he had been. He could feel the Dark Side swirling around her.

She was dressed in a full length black gown, a red sash cinching it at her waist. Her hair, which was pulled back in a braid, had just a trace of red to it. A scarlet cloak fell from her shoulders, and Luke recognized the brooch at her throat. It was a duplicate of that worn by the Emperor

"Don't just stand there," she snapped. "When you're given an order, it's no optional to obey."

"I take my orders from the Emperor," Mara said from behind Luke, her voice hard as steel.

"You'll take your orders from me, from this point forward," the other woman said. "Skywalker already knows where my authority comes from."

"She's the Emperor's heir," Luke said, looking at Mara.

"That's right. I would suggest then, Jade, that you learn to obey," she replied, then loosed a bolt of lightning, lightning that looked very familiar to Luke. It slammed into Mara, throwing her back. Luke wanted to step in front of her, and take the blast, but found himself held in place through the power of the Dark Side. "That should be enough to convince you."

Mara rose, and, with Luke entered the room. "What is it that the Emperor wishes of us?"

"There has been an increase in the number of Corellians joining the Rebellion. I want the two of you to find out just why that is. If it is a failure on the part of the Diktat, make sure that he is aware of our displeasure."

"And if it isn't a failure on the part of the Diktat?" Mara asked, her tone still betraying her suspicion.

"Then find out whose fault it is, and eliminate them. I will not have a new rebellion rising up from the ashes of the old once my father has eliminated it."

"It shall be done, my Lady," Luke said, sensing that Mara was about to say something that would get her in trouble.

"Then go," Palpatine's daughter said. "And remember that what you've seen here today is nothing compared with the price of failing me." She then locked her green-eyed gaze on Luke. "Especially for you, Skywalker. You know the price if you fail."

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


That's it for now. More to come tomorrow, I think.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Okay, guess I'll be upping this one myself.


Ysanne Isard watched from above Skywalker's room as the Emperor's daughter sent Mara Jade staggering back under a barrage of lightning, generated, Isard guessed, by the Force. She knew that Palpatine was supposedly strong in the Force, and apparently the daughter was as well. She sighed. This was just one more complication that she didn't need.

Isard didn't trust Skywalker, not even after had had passed the test that the Emperor had arranged. But by observing, she now knew the destination that Skywalker was bound for. It wasn't as though he were being sent alone, which to her seemed to say that even the Emperor still had doubts.

She returned to her office, and accessed the computer, checking on the forces Intel had in the Corellian Sector. Kirtan Loor, she saw, was the ranking officer on Corellia, assigned as liaison with the Corellian Security Force. Isard knew from performance reports that Loor was self-absorbed, but boasted a perfect memory.

She decided that she?d use Loor as a last resort. The man, while competant, was only marginally so. He also was reported as having a tendency to barge into situations without the finesse necessary. Which, she thought, probably explains why the Emperor is turning this over to agents such as Jade. Normally, this would have been an Intelligence matter, but Corellia was too important for this to get bungled. Isard would, however, have Loor keep an eye on the Jedi. If this was going to be bungled, it wasn?t going to be because she hadn?t been prepared.

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



I know, it's short. But more will be coming tomorrow, as some of the Rebels arrive at Bakura. I'll try to get that one up tomorrow, but no promises.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Up! I think Luke's attempt to take the blast for Mara is right on character, I liked that you added it. Small details make big impressions sometimes.

 

Good posts

 

Suzuki: Yup, that's Luke going all noble and self-sacrificing. Though it'll take more than one good deed to crack Mara's cold facade.

LaYa_: Glad you liked it.



Now, out to Bakura.


The fleet was about to drop out of hyperspace in the Bakuran system, and Wedge gave the X-Wing's systems one final check. He'd accepted command of the mission only as a favor to Han, so that the other could await word on Luke's situation. Wedge was worried about his friend as well. There was so much pressure upon him, yet Luke willingly bore it. Wedge himself wasn't sure how he would have dealt with being the last Jedi.

He flipped the switch to open a comm channel to the fleet, if one could really call it that. Wedge's fleet was comprised of Mon Remonda, and Captain Manchisco's cruiser-carrier. Beyond that, he didn't have anything close to a capital ship. Not for the first time, he wished he had the presence of the Falcon. If things blew up, he knew he could count on Han to get them out of it. "We'll be dropping out in a moment. I want every ship ready for battle, just in case the drop point is hot. Drop out of hyperspace on my mark." He leaned forward, resting his hand on the switch. "Three, two, one...mark." He hit the switch...and the whole thing went straight to hell.

Space around Bakura was a mass of fire. TIEs swarmed around what appeared to be pyramidal ships so small that Wedge couldn't imagine a living being trying to fit inside. One flight of TIEs took a few potshots at the incoming Alliance fleet. "Guess the party's getting started," Wes Janson said over the squadron frequency. "Think we should light them up as payback?"

That isn't what I wanted to hear, Wedge thought. "For right now, we'll let it go. I don't want to find us caught in the crossfire.

"The frigate seems to be ignoring us for the moment, Wedge," Tycho Celchu said. "Should we take any action against them?"

"Don't want to give the Empire anything they might use as propaganda," Wedge answered Tycho. He then opened a channel to Mon Remonda. "Any idea who's in command here?"

"What information we have on Bakura is sketchy, Commander," said the B'thog, an Elom who'd been designated as the lead diplomat. "Unfortunately, we know even less about the military situation here."

"Then patch me through to the frigate. I need to know just where we stand."

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


EDIT: I thought I'd have the next segment up today (1/1) but DWB's launched a minor assault, so it looks lie Friday's the new date for the H/L post.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Hope everybody's had a safe new year, and I'll catch you all tomorrow with the next postie!

 

Mmh, I wonder who would want a child with Palpy?
(Oh well, it is said that wealth and power make sexy, but...not this much!!! )
Although you could also ask that question after watching ESB the first time in regard to Vader!

 

Maybe true, but a million credits is indeed a strong form of persuasion...

 

The_Good_Twin: While it's true that money and power might lead somebody to the decision, it's possible also that somebody may have loved ol' Palpy.

Suzuki: A million credits might do the trick, but I think Palpy may have had something else in mind.


And now, who's ready for some more H/L?


"Something's gone wrong, Han," Leia said, after spending another night without sleep because of her concern about Luke.

"I'm sure things are fine, Leia," Han said. "Lando's cagey enough to avoid the Imps, and Mirax isn't exactly new at running contraband."

"Running information and supplied past Imperial border patrols is one thing," Leia said. "But she's trying to get them into Coruscant."

"Well, short of hopping in the Falcon and attempting to blast our way in, there isn't a whole lot we can do right now."

"I know," Leia said wearily. "It's not that I don't trust Lando and Chewie, or even this Mirax that's flying them in. I just worry about Luke."

"You haven't...ah...experienced any Force visions, have you?" Han asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Don't you think I'd tell you if I had, nerf-herder?" she asked. "I just can't help but worry that Luke's starting down the same path our father tread."

"If he does, you know somebody's going to have to stop him," Han said.

"That's what really frightens me, Han. More than being Darth Vader's daughter, it scares me that I might someday have to face my own brother. Or worse, that I might someday follow in the same pattern."

"Well, we don't have to worry quite yet," Han said, attempting to put up a confident front for Leia's sake. "Let's give Lando and Chewie a few more hours to make contact. Besides, didn't you say that this code takes a while to encrypt and decrypt?"

"One of the reasons why we didn't use Shadowcast that much. I just hope that the tedious nature is the only problem."

"Yeah," Han said. Because I don't want to have to start thinking of the Kid as an enemy.

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


That's it for now. I'll try to get something up tomorrow evening, but in case I don't, check back on Sunday.


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Post reply hates me lately.

Nice posts. So the emperor has a daughter and ysanne doesn't like that. And mirax's death hasn't reached the alliance and bakura is getting lighted up. Very nice.

BTW I updated dangerous foe