"Hand vs. Hand" a story tying in the Marvel series and the rest of the EU

This is my first attempt at SW fan fiction so be kind with your critism, as I have a fragile ego.

I have had this story in my head for some time now, and was inspired to finally write it down because of the 'Shira Brie/Lumiya chronicles' thread over in the Lit forum.

I wanted to give Shira Brie, an incredible character from the Marvel era, a better finale than Marvel was able to give her in their rushed final issue.

This also links the Marvel series to the EU.

I also wanted to put Mara in a lightsaber duel, to the best of my recollection, shes never been in one.
Well, here we go. I've never claimed to be great writer, but I hope you enjoy it.


HAND VS. HAND


A LONG TIME AGO,
IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY...



ENDOR PLUS SIX WEEKS...



Luke Skywalker watched the sun set on the rim world of Saijo and reflected on how much the galaxy had changed in the last six weeks.

First the defeat of the Empires second Death Star at Endor resulting in the death of Emperor Palpatine and the redemption of Lukes father Anakin, then the truce with the Imperial troops at Bakura, and finally the business with the Nagai and the Tofs.

Luke smiled as he remembered reading the Zeltron media version of the conflict with the Nagai. If you were to believe the Zeltron press, the Nagai and their rivals the Tofs were a marauding threat from another galaxy that threatened to enslave the entire galaxy, with his sister Leias Zeltron entourage heroically defending the embryonic Alliance of Free Planets. The truth of the matter was quite different however.

The Tofs and the Nagai had actually come from the Unknown Regions and were both fleeing some greater threat out there. While the Nagai were allied with a garrison of Imperial troops that were loyal to his father Darth Vader and under the command of Lumiya- of Shira- they seemed to pose a threat to the Alliance. But after the arrival of their rivals the Tofs it became apparent to Alliance and Imperals both that the Nagai bark was worse than their bite.

In fact some of the Imperials under Shiras command defected and helped the Alliance and the Nagai finish off the Tofs once and for all. That happened just yesterday.

(A marauding threat from another galaxy that threatened to enslave the entire galaxy-hah! That'll be the day...)


As for Leias entourage... well the less said about them the better.

Dani had left this morning without saying goodbye. Luke presumed that she had gone to rejoin Rik Duel and Chihido on Stenos. He wished her peace and happiness. She was a good friend who had suffered greatly when she had lost Kiro on Kinooine. If only he could have told her the truth about Kiro...

This was the first chance Luke had had to just relax and reflect. Others weren't so lucky. Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron barely had a chance to get out of their X-Wings following yesterdays battle before they were assigned to escort a food shipment from Cilpar to Mrlsst. They left this morning. At least escorting a food shipment they shouldn't run into much trouble...

His thoughts invariably always returned to Shira. Shira Elan Colla Brie was an Imperial agent who had infiltrated the Rebel Alliance with orders from his father to either kill or discredit him. Vader obviously didn't want Luke dead at that point so he must not have believed that she could kill him , but she didn't fail for lack of trying.

After Endor, Shira had taken the identity of Lumiya the Dark Lady and was obsessed with killing Luke and destroying all that he stood for. She was shot down by Bey the day before and the combination of her body armor and quick emersion in bacta had saved her life.

Luke hoped to convince Shira that her hatred was pointless. That Darth Vader had turned to the light at the end, and that he wouldn't want her to pursue this vendetta. Luke knew this would be an uphill battle, but Luke knew that he had to try. He had felt something for Shira once. Maybe he still did...

Luke knew something was wrong as s

 

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER...



Luke Skywalker sat in the pilots chair of The Cobra, a luxury yacht owned by Lando Callrissian and generously loaned to Luke for the purpose of transporting Luke and his new wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, on their honeymoon. Luke noted that although Lando has used the Lady Luck as his personal vessel since shortly after Endor, he had kept The Cobra in first class condition. As much of a normal luxury yacht as The Millenium Falcon is a normal freighter, The Cobra was more than capable of handling any trouble that Luke and his new wife might encounter.

Luke reflected on how much his galaxy had changed in the last few weeks. First peace with the Imperial Remnant after so many years, and now begining a new life with Mara. It all happened so fast...

After confirming that they were still on course, Luke went back to the passenger compartment where Mara was reading a file that had been passed on to her by NRI just before they left Coruscant.

Sitting down next to Mara, Luke asked "So, what was so important that NRI just had to get this file to you before we left?"

Mara looked up with a distracted look on her face. "Oh, its nothing." she said, "It's just an old file that someone thought pertained to me, but it doesn't."

There was something she wasn't telling him. "It's hard to keep something from a Jedi Master, especially when you're married to him." Luke said, "What is it?"

Mara looked at him with mock frustration, "I hate it when you do that!" She said, and then gestured to the file. "It turns out that I wasn't the the Emperors only hand after all."

"Really?" Luke said with mild sarcasm. It had been general knowledge for quite some time that Palpatine had employed several hands, but Mara had never quite accepted that fact.

"NRI decrypted one of Palpatines old files that has a complete list of the Hands and their assignments throughout the galaxy. " Mara continued ignoring her husbands sarcasm, "Seems that one of them was your ex, Shira Brie."

The name from Lukes past caught him off-guard. "Shira wasn't my 'ex'." Luke said "I mean she might have led me to believe... I mean we never even..." Luke said unexpectedly flustered and Mara had to suppress a smile.

Luke was a hero to almost the entire galaxy, but sometimes the Tatooine farmboy in him came to the surface. It was one of the things Mara loved about him.

"Shira was a Hand as well?" Luke asked sensing his wife amusment at his discomfort, "I was under the impession that she worked for Vader."

"She was assigned to Vader," Mara said "to help him track you down. But her ultimate loyalty was to Palpatine."

A signal from the cockpit indicated that it was time to come out of hyperspace to make a minor course correction. Luke and Mara went to the cockpit together and they brought The Cobra out of hyperspace. They were about to re-enter hyperspace when the communications panel activated itself. "It's a distress call." Mara told Luke "I suppose the honeymoon has to wait?"

"We can't ignore a distress call." Luke replied.

"I know, It's just that somehow I knew that this honeymoon wasn't going to go off without a hitch." Mara said.

"With us," Luke responded, "nothing ever does..."

The distress call originated on the 3rd moon of the 6th planet of the Niwdoog system. Locating the beacon, Luke landed The Cobra next to the transonders location. The only problem was that there was nobody there. There was a transmitter broacasting the distress signal, but no sign that there was anyone nearby. The transmitter was in the middle of several intersecting canyons that stretched out for as far as Luke could see. It reminded Luke somewhat of Beggars Canyon on Tatooine except for the powerful electrical storms in the air.

"Whoever sent the distress call isn't very far away." Luke said.

"How can you tell?" Mara asked, "I can't sense anybody."

"No, there is someone nearby." Luke said with certainty "Somehow their presense is being shielded from the Force, but

 

Mara sensed Lukes shock and pain and rushed back to The Cobra. She looked over into the ravine that Luke was exploring and could sense nothing. Luke was alive. If he weren't she would certainly have sensed it, but she couldn't feel him or his attacker.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Mara said to noone in particular. She then rolled her eyes and said, "I can't believe I just said that. I guess I've joined the family after all..."

She then made her way into the ravine with her lightsaber at the ready. She began to get a sense of Luke presense when she felt the presense of another as well. She spun around and saw a woman wearing black body armor similar to that worn by Darth Vader weilding an energy/animal hide whip that Mara knew as an ancient Sith weapon known as a Lanvarok.

Activating her lightsaber, she confronted the woman. "Where is Luke?" Mara demanded.


The woman ignored her question. "Mara Jade Skywalker," the woman said, her voice electronically distorted by her face mask, "former Emperors Hand, now Jedi Knight and wife of the man who destroyed the Emperor. The years have been very kind to you."

Confused Mara asked "Uh, have we met?"

"Not face-to-face," the woman said, "but surely you've heard of Lumiya?"

Lumiya, Mara thought to herself. Shira Brie, Lukes old flame. This is not a coincidence. "NRI didn't send me that file, you did."

"That is correct." Shira/Lumiya replied. "I wanted you to know all about the one who killed you." Lumiya then attacked with her Lanvarok. Mara managed to dodge the whips energy tendrils, but one of the animal hide tendrils wrapped around her saber hand. With a jerk Lumiya wrenched Maras saber out of her hand and sent it flying landing several feet away.


Rubbing her wrist, Mara said with a sneer "So, you were one of the Emperors 'other' Hands?"

"Yes," Lumiya replied, "But not his favorite. You held that honor. You were all he ever talked about. 'Mara, Mara, Mara.' It was sickening."


"Funny he never mentioned you..."

"I suppose he felt that I wasn't worth mentioning." Lumiya replied "Your Force talent was stronger than mine, you could hear his voice anywhere in the galaxy. So you worked for him, and I was assigned to help poor Lord Vader find his long-lost son."

"Where have you been all of these years?" Mara asked trying to buy some time, "And whats with the get-up? Luke told me that your injuries consisted of injuries easily fixed by Bacta."

"I have spent the last two decades studying the lost teachings of the Sith, biding my time until the time for my revenge came." Lumiya said. When I heard of your wedding to Vaders brat, I knew the time had come to avenge our masters death at his hands, and his betrayal at yours."

"'Our 'master' manipulated us into thinking he was something he wasn't" Mara tried tom explain, "He didn't lie directly, he simply manipulated the truth. He didn't deserve our loyalty Shira."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Lumiya exploded, "Shira Brie is dead! Killed by Luke Skywalker! I am Darth Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, and the time has come for me to avenge my master and predecessors!"

Lumiya attacked in a rage with her Lanvarok, and Mara desperatly dodged out of the way of the whips flailing tendrils. Mara reached out through the Force, but instead of reaching for her lightsaber as Lumiya expected, she picked up a good size boulder and hurled it at Lumiyas whip hand. The boulder impacted with the Lanvarok shattering the handle. The energy tendrils blinked out of existance.

She then called her lightsaber back into her hand and activated the blue blade.

"Very good Mara," Lumiya said, "But the Lanvarok wasn't my only weapon." She then produced and activated a green bladed lightsaber. Lukes lightsaber, Mara realized.

"Very well, then." Lumiya said,"Perhaps this is how it should end. A fight to the death. Hand vs. Hand, Jedi vs. Sith."

Mara raised an eyebrow, "First Hand, now Sith Lord? Talk about delusions of granduer!" Mara saw that Lumiyas rage would make her careless,

 

this is really good, but i feel as if im going into the story blind. I've never read the Marvel Comics(were they comics?) and i don't really follow what is happening. if you could just clue me in w/a short summary...

again, keep going, this caught my attention first off!

 

oh please hurry with that summary, i see i didn't post fast enough and now you've posted more!! oh well, ill read anyways, its a good story.

 

ooo, wow. this is really really good. is that the end? there should be more!

 

Sorry, sometimes I forget how hard to find the old Marvel stories are. You can get better summaries in the TimeTale Chronology at theforce.net


Shira Brie was introduced in Marvel comics issue #56 (set between ANH and ESB) as a rebel pilot who had the hots for Luke. She was a well liked and popular pilot with all of the rebels.

In issue #60, Luke and his squadron (never referred to as Rogue Squadron, but its a safe assumption) assaulteed an Imperial armada that was transporting a living subspace transmitter to Coruscant.

Luke and his squadron were in TIE fighters, and when the Imperials jammed their transmissions Luke had to depend upon the Force to tell friend from foe.

As a TIE closed in on him, Luke reached out with the Force, and the Force told him to fire.

Upon returning to the Rebel base on Arbra, Luke discovered that the pilot the Force told him to shoot at was none other than Shira brie.

Branded an outcast by the Rebels, Leia was forced to bust Luke down to civilian status. (My theory is that this is when Wedge took over command of Rogue Squadron)

Luke and Chewbacca 'stole' the Millenium Falcon and set off to clear Lukes name.

Upon arriving at Shiras home world, Luke and Chewie discovered (By way of a holographic recording of Darth Vader) that Shira was an Imperial agent. (It was only recently discovered with the release of the Chronology that Shira was an Emperors hand)

Going to the Imperial data vault on the Krakes Planet, Luke and Chewie found the evidence needed to clear Lukes name, and they escaped just as Darth Vaders Executer entered the system.

Luke returned to Arbra with the information and his name was cleared.

Meanwhile, on the Executer, Vader inquires a medical droid of the status of a woman in a bacta tube. The droid says that she will recover in time, to which Vader says, "Good, for now more than ever I have need of... Shira Brie!"

Shira next appeared in issue #86 (now post ROTJ) as the Dark Lady Lumiya (Although her true ID was yet to be revealed).

In issue 95-97, the classic 'Duel with a Dark Lady', we discovered Lumiyas true ID and introduced Lumiyas Lanvarok.

Lumiya had allied herself with the Nagai, an alien race that hoped to take advantage of the post-Endor confusion and seize power, and destroy Luke and all he stood for.

By Marvels final issue, the Nagai were allied with the Alliance, and Lumiya had switched sides and joined the Nagais rivals, the Tofs.

In the final battle, Lumiya was about to kill Leia when she was shot in the back by Bey, a correllian/Nagai crossbreed who was Hans childhood friend.

I always felt that this was a weak ending for a great character, hence this story.

I hope this helps...

 

really good! keep writing, darth!!

now, anyone know where i could buy the sw marvel comics at a fairly low price? not that i could anyway... broke. :\

 

Vergere and Hutt-Lordess, thanks for your comments, I'm glad that you liked it.

Yup, I'm afraid that that is the whole story. Being as this is the first time I have ever done anything like this, I didn't want to get too long winded in case it was terrible.

I have a few more ideas that I might write down now that I have a little encouragement, or I might even expand on this story and re-post it later.

 

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Trailer/7053/marvel.html

Hutt-Lordess, the above site belongs to a guy who scanning all of the old Marvel stories, and posting them on his site.

Unfortunately, he has only gotten as far as issue #57, which is Shiras second appearance.

I imagine that he will reach the conclusion of the first leg of Shiras tale in issue #65 before too long.

 

I loved it.

However I would love to see someone write Shira as redeemed...



Maybe something along the lines of Luke's illegitamate kid hehe

 

thanks Darth 420, that makes a lot more sense now! post the other stories!!

 

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Trailer/1283/marv96.html

You can click on the above link to see a picture of Lumiya battling Luke with her whip.

 

oooooo...

ahhhhh...

thanks

 

Shamelessly putting my story on top of the list...

 

Quite good.

It has earned another trip to the top floor.

You mess with Red you end up dead.

MEE-OUCH!

 

Once more to the top.

Nobody will read it on page 11...