Beyond In Shadows and Darkness -o0**COMPLETE! **0o- (L/M, H/L, Vader, Palpatine, Action/Drama)

That was excellent, however, I'm going to go through withdrawals from now until the next story starts!

Please PM me with updates for the next story, I am eagerly awaiting, and counting the days!

What a story! Absolutely brilliant.

I'm sad (and, I guess, a bit mad) that we didn't get to see Leia or Han's reaction to Luke's ascension in this final chapter. But I suppose we have another 30-chapter story to explore that, don't we?
I second that.
But wow, just...wow. Such excellent writing, plot, twists and turns... Fabulous story, blank! Please keep me on the pm list for the next one!

Wow!

Brilliant end! I look forward to part III; thank you for providing such an enjoyable story. I have looked forward to the regular postings and am impressed at the well of depth you put into these stories.

Consider me a grateful recepient of your PM messages.

Wow, what an ending to a super story. And I just can't wait for the sequel. I wonder how Luke will run his new Empire and I suspect Mara is the Empress in question.

I just can't wait for it to come out now

You are truly gifted my friend! I have been away from the board for awhile but I finally had the chance to play catch up this weekend. I'm completely blown away at your ability to sweep the reader away into the story. I felt like I was right there watching the entire thing unfold right before my eyes. It's even better than watching a movie!

The things that stood out to me the most are the relationships between the characters and how each had an effect on the outcome. Luke's yearning for a bond with others cost him the life of his father but was a catalyst to the completion of Palpy's "Wolf" being unleashed. Luke's relationship with his father may have been cut short but the actions of the Emperor are what led to his demise. I especially liked Vader's final words to the Emperor and how Luke's rage about his father's death gave him a strength to destroy his creator. Mara and Luke's relationship has been changed, clearly, but it almost seemes like he has accepted his own part in what happened. Hopefully they will be able to work past all of the mistrust and repair their relationship. They both truly love each other and they are no longer chess pieces to be manipulated. I love Nathan and Mara's newfound friendship. I can only hope that they will continue to be there for Luke now that he is in control. I am truly looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us next on this journey. I don't want it to ever end! It takes an extremely talented writer to create this type of masterpiece and you should be proud of yourself (that and you should definitely pursue writing in the "real world")

I apologize for not being around to comment but now that things are finally starting to slow down a little on my end, I will be looking forward to reading and commenting more. At the risk of sounding really selfish, HURRY UP WITH THE NEXT PART!

A big You're Welcome for the betaing job here. You're the genius behind this masterpiece, I'm just the tidier-upper.

Luke wanting to run away, and Mara talking him out of it was one of my favorite scenes. Half of me always wants to root for them to just take off, while the logical half knows that the Empire needs Luke at the helm. It was almost like Luke was sitting there waiting for her to come out and dissuade him. Or maybe waiting for her to come out and join him. The whole scene was so emotional on both their parts.

And guess what? I'm not so busy this week, so ready and waiting for that first chapter of the sequel to zip over the ocean to me.

Oh, and btw, you may want to change your title heading to something other than Dec. 121st.

Wow! Simply amazing, your descriptions make the reader see and feel everything. Please PM me when your sequel comes out.

darth_treyvah

""So, our two Sith are now dead. The Empire seems to be in crisis now, for all of its other strength. The easy way would be for Luke to simply pass into the Force, having left contingency plans in his wake (of which I am sure he has), but something tells me that it is not so simple. This really isn't a game of Light and Dark anymore. You changed the rules, blank101, or at least accentuated something that underlay them for quite some time now.""

Heh,heh - I always change the rules - writer's prerogative!
On the other hand, I do promise you that there's nothing happening now that wasn't hinted at right at the beginning of the first story...


""Now that the veil of the Dark Side has been compromised, even for this moment, I wonder if a little light might not shine along the way. I somehow have this feeling that certain people's jobs are ... not quite finished yet.
Also, I find it interesting that though Palpatine exploded into dark Force energy when he died, his body still remains. That is very interesting. Well, if Hallin wanted a DNA sample ... he can pretty much take one at his leisure.""

True, the Dark Side has been compromised...but Palpy worked long and hard to create his wolf, and with or without his physical presence, his work was near complete. Now we get the chance to find out just how much...







Jade_eyes

""Wonderful conversation -- Mara's points and Luke's hesitations were very well detailed and understandable. He will make a brilliant and very different leader than Palpatine The final scene with Amaeda shows that.
Looking eagerly forward to the third part of the trilogy!!!!!!""

On its way Glad you liked the ending. Yep, a new Emperor is about to take center-stage, and as to what he intends... even those who know him best are in the dark. Maybe the question is, just how 'in the dark' is the man himself?





PonyTricks


""An Epic, of Epic Proportions! And even MORE to come! *falls over in a faint* (the sequel comes with some Han and Leia included, right? )
SUPER STORY!""

Thank you so much! Yep, Leia and Han have a much larger role in the final story, you'll be happy to know Now I've gotten everyone where I want them, it's time to play!






kataja

?"The Hallin/Mara scene is so absolutely wonderful. Finally these two stand together without animosity, without distrust! A beginning of a beautiful friendship?""

Heh - but knowing Hallin and Mara, it may b short-lived Though I'm willing to be they may close ranks if an outside threat came along....



-------Mara turned back to the solitary figure. ?I couldn?t forgive,? she said, very sure.-------

""Poor Mara, she still has a long way to go. But at least she has opened the door now.""

She does - Luke's not the only one on a hard voyage of discovery here...



-------?I?m not an Emperor, Mara?I?m a nobody from Tatooine.?
-------?Who changed the course of a galaxy!?
-------He looked away, unmoved. ?I?m not an Emperor.?
-------?You are now.?-------

""Something so utterly bizarre over that dialogue ? I love it!""

Well you know it wasn't going to come easy to him...but who knows, he certainly has a tendency to dig in and get on with it when it comes to the crunch


-------In that moment, she almost would have?would have followed him anywhere. But something held her back: loyalty to her old master, the desire to see Luke rule... a lifetime?s investment and familiarity here, her knowledge of what Luke was capable of, her image of him as that person.-------

""A long way ? indeed?""



-------In the end, Luke knew he?d faced Palpatine for his own reasons. The truth was that Palpatine had hurt him and he?d w

dancing_star


""What a story! Absolutely brilliant.""

Thank you so much

---""I'm sad (and, I guess, a bit mad) that we didn't get to see Leia or Han's reaction to Luke's ascension in this final chapter. But I suppose we have another 30-chapter story to explore that, don't we?---

""I second that.""

Heh,heh - well, as I promised, they get a much bigger part in the third story, and they're in the opening prologue, so we do finally get to read their views on all that's happened. I did want to get that in, but it just didn't feel like the right place, at the end of the last story. Plus, I kinda like it at the beginning of the next - it eases us in to the story...


""But wow, just...wow. Such excellent writing, plot, twists and turns... Fabulous story, blank! Please keep me on the pm list for the next one!""

Thanks, DS It's really great to hear that people liked it You're on the PM's Shouldn't be too long to the next one, and I'll try to get a link to the pic that goes with it up too.







Ocelotl_Nesto

""Wow! Brilliant end! I look forward to part III; thank you for providing such an enjoyable story. I have looked forward to the regular postings and am impressed at the well of depth you put into these stories.""

Thaks Ocelotl - glad you enjoyed the ride And thanks for all your posts


""Consider me a grateful recepient of your PM messages.""

You're on the list - more soon!






JediFalcon

""Wow, what an ending to a super story. And I just can't wait for the sequel. I wonder how Luke will run his new Empire and I suspect Mara is the Empress in question.""

Glad you liked it, JF Sequel's on the way. Mara as Empress....hmmm.....



""I just can't wait for it to come out now.""

Always good to hear On its way....






JadeSkywalker32

""You are truly gifted my friend! I have been away from the board for awhile but I finally had the chance to play catch up this weekend. I'm completely blown away at your ability to sweep the reader away into the story. I felt like I was right there watching the entire thing unfold right before my eyes. It's even better than watching a movie!""

Heh,heh - well thanks so much! Fab to know it worked for you It'd be so fascinating to know if the pictures I see when I write it are the same ones you see when you read it...


""The things that stood out to me the most are the relationships between the characters and how each had an effect on the outcome. Luke's yearning for a bond with others cost him the life of his father but was a catalyst to the completion of Palpy's "Wolf" being unleashed. Luke's relationship with his father may have been cut short but the actions of the Emperor are what led to his demise. I especially liked Vader's final words to the Emperor and how Luke's rage about his father's death gave him a strength to destroy his creator."

Character stuff is so much fun to write - I always worry I put far too much of it in and people reading are saying, "Come on, come on...."
As luke said, Palpy created his own killer and fulfilled his own longstanding vision of the black wolf. As to the greater prophesy...well, that's still in motion


""Mara and Luke's relationship has been changed, clearly, but it almost seemes like he has accepted his own part in what happened. Hopefully they will be able to work past all of the mistrust and repair their relationship. They both truly love each other and they are no longer chess pieces to be manipulated.""

Mara and Luke are indeed bound together, though whether that will be enough... For Luke, accepting his own part in his father's de

Before they interrupt your speech and shove you off stage, Oscar in hand, I would like to add my extremely intelligent comments to this chapter :


First of all, congrats for writing this incredible first part - the part where Nathan and Hallin disclose EVERYTHING! - I do have a feeling that an Empire "ruled" by dark? Luke could make a difference - at least it would for Mara, Reece and Nathan!


Squaring her jaw, Mara pressed the release and stepped in, wondering as she turned to walk the short length to the cockpit why she was being quiet; he was a Sith?he probably knew she was on her way here about the same time she did?

?Will you come?? His voice, steady and even, made Mara jump as she neared the shadowed cockpit.

?What?? She was completely thrown, once by his presence and again by the resolute tone of his voice.

Luke didn?t turn, eyes and spirit never leaving the dark expanse of space visible beyond the inset bay doors. ?I?m leaving,? he said simply. ?Are you coming?or am I going alone??

Mara hesitated before the resolute determination of his voice. She?d come here to talk him down, and already she was involved in a very different conversation. She paused at the open cockpit door, voice quiet. ?Where are you going??

He shrugged slightly, eyes still on that sliver of open space. ?Away. Anywhere.?

?To do what??

?I don?t know?does it matter??


I really loved this part - who wouldn't? I am still waiting for this special someone to ask me THAT question! Nobody special has showed up so far, unfortunately...



Mara stared, struggling to understand?why wouldn?t he want this? ?After?after all these years and all this struggle?you?re just going to walk away??

?Yeah.? The reply was instant.


I Luke's answer here!



?You?re not the Emperor,? she corrected. ?But then you didn?t want to be. You didn?t ever intend to be. What you did, you didn?t do for yourself?that?s why Hallin trusts you. That?s why they all trust you; look to you now. You can hold all this together and still change its direction?you can do that. That?s what you wanted, isn?t it??


It is unbelievable how well you write the characters - when I read this, I thought that this is exactly the thing to say (the only thing to say, really) to make him stay! Simply shows how well Mara knows him by now! Excellent!



Luke shifted in his seat, hand going to his side, the wound still fresh enough to make him wince. He?d been holding everything together under incredible pressure for so long that it had become normal, but now?now he didn?t need to. Now the constraints were gone and there was nothing hanging over his head?and he didn?t know how to live like this anymore?he didn?t even know how. ?I?m so tired, Mara; I?m so tired. They want me to be something I can?t be?not anymore. They?re all looking to me to be something I cannot be.?


LOVED this!




?Absolute power corrupts absolutely?have you heard that before?? he asked at last without looking up.

?That?s just an old saying. Real life?s more complicated than??

?What if it?s not?? he said immediately. ?What if it really is that simple? If I try, and fail?who?ll stop me? I don?t want to be the next Palpatine.?

?Then don?t be.?

?How do I know? How do I know when I?ve stepped over the line??

?You?ll know,? she assured. ?Just be yourself.?

He brought his hand to his temples, eyes closed, voice deathly tired. ?I don?t know who that is anymore.?


?This is you,? Mara said, putting all her own faith into those words. ?You?re the man who?s sat for the last hour in this cockpit and tried to leave, but couldn?t quite summon the selfish indifference that?d make you able to do so. You think I don?t know you at all, but I know that; you can?t quite bring yourself to abandon these people or their faith in you. You?ll stay because it?s the right thing to do and you know it. You won?t let them down.? She reached out to rest her arm lightly on his, letting its

It's every bit as brilliant as the first time I read it, Blank!
Now that the cat's out of the bag and this chapter of your story concluded, could you and I perhaps revisit the discussion we had several pages back, regarding the comparisons and struggle between Luke and the Emperor?

The-Solo-Smirk

""Before they interrupt your speech and shove you off stage, Oscar in hand...""

LOL! I wish! Actually, talking about it all is the best bit. The rest is just me banging my head against my keyboard trying to work stuff out!



""I would like to add my extremely intelligent comments to this chapter::""

First of all, congrats for writing this incredible first part - the part where Nathan and Hallin disclose EVERYTHING! - I do have a feeling that an Empire "ruled" by dark? Luke could make a difference - at least it would for Mara, Reece and Nathan!""

And Han and Leia and...I'll let you know the rest soon


-------?Will you come?? His voice, steady and even, made Mara jump as she neared the shadowed cockpit.
-------?Where are you going??
------- ...?I don?t know?does it matter??-------

""I really loved this part - who wouldn't? I am still waiting for this special someone to ask me THAT question! Nobody special has showed up so far, unfortunately...""

So, wait - you're waiting for an Emperor to knock on the door and ask that question? THAT'S why nobody has showed up so far - ya gotta give the rest of the guys a shot! (that last one is you punching me in the face!)



-----?You?re not the Emperor,? she corrected. ?But then you didn?t want to be. You didn?t ever intend to be. What you did, you didn?t do for yourself?that?s why Hallin trusts you. That?s why they all trust you; look to you now. You can hold all this together and still change its direction?you can do that. That?s what you wanted, isn?t it??-----

""It is unbelievable how well you write the characters - when I read this, I thought that this is exactly the thing to say (the only thing to say, really) to make him stay! Simply shows how well Mara knows him by now! Excellent!""

Aw, thanks! Now, if only I could say the right thing in real life....



-------Luke shifted in his seat, hand going to his side, the wound still fresh enough to make him wince ... ?I?m so tired, Mara; I?m so tired. They want me to be something I can?t be?not anymore. They?re all looking to me to be something I cannot be.?-------

""LOVED this!""

Interesting...I'm curious as to why it jumped out at ya...?




-------?Absolute power corrupts absolutely?have you heard that before?? he asked at last without looking up.
-------?That?s just an old saying. Real life?s more complicated than??
-------?What if it?s not?? he said immediately. ?What if it really is that simple? If I try, and fail?who?ll stop me? I don?t want to be the next Palpatine.?
------- ..."No one?s asking you to do this alone. We?re all here?we?ll get through it, we?ll make a difference. Isn?t that what you always wanted?to make a difference??-------

""P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!!""

Heh,heh - thank you! Endings are always so hard to get right, especially middle-act endings, which don't actually end, per se. You're kinda trying to put enough in there to make it feel satisfying but still leave it wide open for the sequel. I hope you're still thinking that when the next one ends!



""I especially liked the last part - the Rebels POV! Very cool way to end this "book"!""

-------Not that he needs them?his will is absolute, his word is law now.
-------The question is?what will it be?-------

""What will it be, blank? I am so excited! You must be tired of writing but we hope to read the next chapter soon!

Thank you so much for sharing this story with us - I am always looking forward to Friday evenings/Saturday mornings - it's true!""

LOL! Well that's seriously great to hear! What will it be? Coming soon, I promise! Hope you enjoy the ride. And thanks for all your posts and comments, TSS - they've been great

In the meantime, I need to get on with the [

Your take on their respective abilities is an interesting concept, but I would posit that simply because Luke possesses a superior [connection to the Force/midichlorian count] that he does not, in fact, have the ability to challenge a Sith Master as powerful, as highly trained, and as experienced as Palpatine.

For example, in Attack of the Clones, we see an ample demonstration of superior training and experience overcoming a peerless midichlorian count. Dooku was able to rather easily defeat Anakin Skywalker despite Skywalker?s resolve. His midichlorian count or attunement to the Force did not fluctuate; though his potential is surely superior to Dooku?s own, he was woefully outclassed. And this was after, what? A decade of formal training in the Jedi arts?

Continuing on, Revenge of the Sith gives us two further examples. Despite their enhanced coordination and skills, Obi-Wan and Anakin are still unable to defeat the Count; Dooku is able to fend them both off, isolate them, and render Kenobi unconscious. It is only after Skywalker is goaded to intense rage that he is able to outmaneuver the Count. Later on in the movie, of course, is an even greater example. Kenobi bests Skywalker despite his former protégé?s superior connection to the Force.

In Return of the Jedi, after Luke defeats Vader in their lightsaber duel, he is overwhelmed by the Emperor?s Force lightning and is on the verge of death. The fact that Luke called out to Vader for help makes it quite clear that, at that point, Luke was powerless to stop Palpatine on his own.

In all four cases, we see that individuals with an incredible connection to the Force and deep potential still are no match for reasonably powerful opponents with vastly superior training and experience. Though sources confirm that Count Dooku and Obi-Wan Kenobi were superb duelists and Force users, I believe we can all agree that they aren?t in Palpatine?s league.

I suppose my predicament is that I am simply having a hard time believing that Luke?who possesses an attunement to the Force no greater than his father and, even within the confines of your story, less formal training than his father?could defeat the Emperor so handily. Clearly Palpatine isn?t infallible, but to me it stands to reason that if the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku could annihilate the Chosen One in single combat, that his son would fare no better against a Sith Master like Palpatine.

Regarding other aspects, it just seemed at various points as if it were too easy for Luke. I know that sounds unbelievable, given all that he suffered in "Into the Storm." But look how long he resisted! How he deceived Palpatine, how he converted Mara Jade and Wez, two staunch Imperials. How he was apparently charismatic enough to secure the military's loyalty to him over their loyalty to the Emperor. It seemed like, overall, you fashioned Luke to be superior to his nemesis in almost every single way, which somewhat undermines the heart of the story. If you neuter your antagonist, if you allow the hero to dominate him, does that not diminish their struggle? Where is the danger? Where is the chance of loss? If Luke is more powerful, if he is smarter, if he is more charismatic, how can he lose?

Especially when one considers Palpatine's canon accomplishments... outwitting the Jedi Order at its height, manipulating the development of both the Republic's army and that of the Confederacy, seducing the likes of Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku, and convincing the Senate to voluntarily relinquish its powers. You can defeat a man like that, but certainly not outclass him.

Before we go on, I would like to reiterate that I do not intend in any way, shape, or form to come across as overly critical or rude. This is the most brilliant piece of Star Wars ever written, and it isn't even canon! I respect your works, your skills, and your commentary. All I want is to understand it a little better, with your assistance. Please do not be offended! [face_hap

""Before we go on, I would like to reiterate that I do not intend in any way, shape, or form to come across as overly critical or rude. This is the most brilliant piece of Star Wars ever written, and it isn't even canon! I respect your works, your skills, and your commentary. All I want is to understand it a little better, with your assistance. Please do not be offended!""

Heh,heh. No, I know you're not, Sable Hart, and that you just like to talk about his kind of stuff. But thanks for taking the time to point that out though I would add that when I lay my points out below, I'm of the same mind. This is simply a fun duscussion, and not intended to offend.



Okay, that over with, I'm going back to that thing of assuming you're talking about this particular AU rather than more general terms.

I should also say that I take anything outside of the movies (graphic novels, games, etc) with a pinch of salt in terms of their canon-relevance. As with the whole Force Unleashed protagonist power discussion, in terms of his bringing down a Star Destroyer...it looked good in the game, as it was meant to. I give it no other hold over canon.







""Your take on their respective abilities is an interesting concept, but I would posit that simply because Luke possesses a superior [connection to the Force/midichlorian count] that he does not, in fact, have the ability to challenge a Sith Master as powerful, as highly trained, and as experienced as Palpatine.""

No, but in this story, Luke's trained for five years with Palpatine. Putting aside the fact that Lucas acknowledged that Luke (and his father, if he had remained uninjured) had a greater connection to the Force, and assuming only that it were equal to Palpy, with equal Force abilities, that would effectively mean that it became a duel in which Force abilities were irrelevent. In actual fact, Luke holds back in terms of his Force abilities in the duel, which costs him dearly (he pulls back from killing Palpy with Force lightening and as a result, Palpy manages to gain the upper hand), so even if his abilities were greater, he's still limiting himself.







""For example, in Attack of the Clones, we see an ample demonstration of superior training and experience overcoming a peerless midichlorian count. Dooku was able to rather easily defeat Anakin Skywalker despite Skywalker?s resolve. His midichlorian count or attunement to the Force did not fluctuate; though his potential is surely superior to Dooku?s own, he was woefully outclassed. And this was after, what? A decade of formal training in the Jedi arts?

Continuing on, Revenge of the Sith gives us two further examples. Despite their enhanced coordination and skills, Obi-Wan and Anakin are still unable to defeat the Count; Dooku is able to fend them both off, isolate them, and render Kenobi unconscious. It is only after Skywalker is goaded to intense rage that he is able to outmaneuver the Count. Later on in the movie, of course, is an even greater example. Kenobi bests Skywalker despite his former protégé?s superior connection to the Force.""

Yeah, I would absolutely argue that the Dark Side gives greater power - but with caveats. Firstly, in the duel between Kenobi and Anakin, Anakin was hardly thinking straight. Padmé's arrival - and Kenobi with her, had left him fuming. You don't think straight, you make mistakes. Simple as that. You can have the highest midichlorian count in the universe, and if you take a stupid risk, you lose limbs.

In the duels I wrote, the caveat is that Luke was using the Dark Side, as Palpatine was, which I believe put them on an even footing. He used Force lightening, and it was pretty clear that his motives were at the best mixed, which would mean that at the time, he had acccess to the same kind of powers that Palpy did. So let's assume that they had equal access to the Force.

I also can't help but have one foot in reality here, and as a Kendo and Iaido practitioner of many years, I can

Maybe I like intelligent men?

Anyway, my punch is not hard enough to send you flying!

Could you add me to your PM list whenever you are ready to post the next chapter? Thanks!

TSS

This is great!

Please PM when the next story is up =)

The-Solo-Smirk


""Maybe I like intelligent men?""

heh heh - now I'm sure there're a whole buncha people out there queuing up to tell you that's a definite contradiction in terms!


""Anyway, my punch is not hard enough to send you flying!""

See, you say that...I think you're trying to lull me into a false sense of security



""Could you add me to your PM list whenever you are ready to post the next chapter? Thanks!""

You're on the list, TSS






Jingocat

""This is great!

""Please PM when the next story is up =)""

Hey Jingocat, glad you liked it You're on the list - shouldn't be long now.