Saga Masquerade [ROTJ AU] [Vader, Luke, Leia] Updated April 7, 2015!

Excellent story. Add me to your update list please.

 

Very interesting that the old security system is still in place after twenty years - as Darth_Malevolent7 said, Vader/Anakin could have access to all sorts of places, and in fact one wonders who else has been making use of the fact that the old security system is still functioning!

I wonder when Leia will meet Anakin again... Hopefully you will have some free time over Thanksgiving to get some writing done - I know I'm definitely hoping that that will be the case for me!

 

Howdy, I'm enjoying this story, can you PM me with updates?

Thanks.

 

I went back and reread this story for the sake of it. Truly awesome.

 

(Phew!) Finally, I have a day to write! Hopefully I can get more done, or do a bit of Allecto in a bit. I must say I love the new banner because it can almost be construed as Leia yelling at Anakin while he rolls his eyes...

Nice long chapter here. Enjoy, all.

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Between Reynard and Ysengrin

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Neither of them slept that night.

In his case, it was because there was a small group of stormtroopers to deal with. Each was entombed in a different garbage chute, so that when the bones and ID-tags were finally found months later after being crushed and consumed by flame, it would seem like just another random killing. Maybe a slythmonger or pimp would be arrested under the suspicion of killing one of the Empire?s fine soldiers, even though everyone knew that a soldier down that low brought it upon himself. The further away from the glittering skyways you were, the less sway even the Emperor held.

It was Leia who consciously dodged the nervous crew of the freighter that had brought her there. She waited until they were asleep to sneak out of what was her cabin, grabbing a cup of acrid and bitter instant stimcaf. She was not in the mood to try and sweeten it with sugar, just as she was not in the mood to consider going out there again anything less than life-threatening. But she was more like her father than she realized, and the incessant doubt burned in the back of all of her thoughts. Without realizing it or not, her decision had already been made. She would know, or she would die trying.

The artificial lights never dimmed, but it was somewhere before morning when she was out on the streets again. A charming smile and a polite, softened demeanor got her into the bar, then to speak to her contact again, and then to be introduced to his mother, the landlady. ??and this is Naberrie?s daughter, Mom,? Selian chattered, guiding her into the miserably small kitchen as the older woman tried to look dignified while mostly asleep and trying to cook breakfast.

?Niece. I?m his niece,? she corrected quickly, trying desperately to not be related to him in kneejerk reaction. ??But he?s, ah ? he?s always been like a father to me.? She smiled sweetly and clasped her hands in front of her, the very picture of awkward farmgirl sweetness.

?Oh, that?s wonderful,? the old woman cooed. ?Makes sense. His wife died quite young, didn?t she? Seems that way. Selian told me you couldn?t find him at all yesterday, such a shame.?

?I was hoping to surprise him this morning, if that?s all right??

?Of course, of course! He?ll be so happy to see you, I?m sure. He works so hard??

The younger man exchanged glances with her before he stepped forward with a bright smile. ?Let?s go out to breakfast, Mom. I'll pay.?

?Really, dear? Are you sure? It?s so expensive ??

?It?s all right, Mrs. Vadis,? Leia said kindly. ?I?ve given Selian some money so it?s my treat. You two have been so helpful, and I know you?ve been looking after my uncle. I can?t thank you enough.?

It was perhaps overdone, but it at least got them out and away, even though the man paused to whisper to her with a fixed smile before they went. ?Try not to burn down the whole house? It?s the only one she?s got.?

?No promises,? she replied cheerfully with an equally forced grin. And when she closed the door behind them, she made sure that her blaster was in her hand.

For a few moments the small building sat in silence as she pressed her back to the wall, inching closer to the door that apparently was the rented bedroom. It took a few deep breaths, nostrils flaring, for her to work up the nerve to turn and kick the door open in one surprisingly swift and practiced move.

And then there was silence again.

It was such normal disarray that she was caught completely off-guard. A dubiously rigged together datapad entry system, piles of spare bits of machinery that had been picked up like a magpie gathering flotsam ? no real purpose other than it might be useful. At least the floor was clear, save for the worn mattress, sitting on the floor without boxsprings or frame. And t

 

Excellent fic!!

Would you be willing to PM me when you have an update?

Thanks

EG

 

Great update, Harpalyce! Of course, it's sad that more people had to be hurt - I hope Mrs. Vadis is all right! - but I guess something of a lesser magnitude would not make Vader willing to leave with Leia. I can't help but feel bad for Selian - certainly, nobody would like to get dragged into a mess like this - will he play a fairly large role later on? I also wonder how long it will take for the relationship between Vader and Leia to improve...

And I love your comment about the new banner.

 

Not a proper update, but I do have a few little illustrations. I'm working on a small interlude comic with Mara Jade and Luke, hopefully it'll be done soon.

...hopefully I'll also find a better scanner. Technology has been hating me lately, lol... I also want to set aside some time to write this weekend, but I have 2 family members in the hospital, so that may get put to the wayside.

There are more pictures in my art thread (and on Allecto's thread, for my other story) - few selections for Masquerade this roundup, sorry!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/PlaidButterfly/flowchart.jpg
^A VERY SILLY flowchart that I think our protagonist follows to figure out what he's calling himself.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v193/PlaidButterfly/vadersilly2.jpg
^Somewhat spoilery bit from farther on. You can tell I like the whole rota fortunae concept when, later on, Vader literally duct tapes his arm back on. And then gets left in the rain.

 

This is stellar. The story itself is riveting, with gorgeous little tidbits to pull out through the whole thing. I actually like Anakin in this. Absolutely fantastic. PM's please when you update?

 

Love, love, love your flowchart! This totally made my day!

 

Loved the story. But, may I ask, is this fic recycled from way back when? Because the scene where Anakin repairs a gadget and gets a place to stay, and then the one in the Works where he finds the hand, I'm sure I've read those before. Only, this must have been long ago, years ago, because I haven't been here on the boards since 2007 or so.

Anyways, it's all very interesting. If you have a PM list, I'd love to know when you post another instalment.

 

Recycled? No, I only started writing it in 2009 I think, and haven't ever really posted on TF.N before now. I'd be really interested in reading this other fic if you come across it again, though! In my head I feel like I'm just going down roads other people have been down a thousand times, and I like to see how people handle the same ideas.

Trust me, you wouldn't like to read what I was writing in 2007... horrible Harry Potter rubbish... LOL!

My sincere apologies about the slow updating, by the way, readers - it appears on top of everything I've got mono - FML, eh? (sigh)

 

Hmm, yes, it's possible I read it on ff.net. And perhaps you hadn't even got any further than the Works scene at that time.

Heh, I'd say the same old roads and familiar characters are a great part of why I read fanfic. Nice to find new gem on an old road. I wouldn't be reading this if it was an original fic.

But in the fanfic dept, this is pretty nicely original, so I keep checking back whether you have updated.

 

This is a very interesting, very original fan fic I enjoyed reading what was posted so far and look forward to seeing more. Excellent work, Harpalyce.

 

Awesome pm list please

 

Just awesome. Particularly loved the scene where he found Luke's hand. And I'm starting to share a bit of Anakin's frustration with Leia, though her characterization is spot on. And she's being so very...well, you know, I never can decide if Leia is being more obviously Padme or Anakin. I've always though she took more after her father than she really wanted to admit. I look forward to if or when Anakin realizes that she actually is his daughter.

Can't wait for more!

 

Okay, after my computer eating the first few paragraphs...

Celebrating some good news with a new chapter! I am sorry this has been so long in coming - I've been dreading writing this, just a tad.

---
Prince of Cats
---

No, he reminded himself, he couldn't politely knock her out with a blow to the back of the head. And he couldn't gag her, either, or bind her to make this slightly easier. They were trying to not attract suspicion, and an old man carrying a young woman over his shoulder was the most suspicious thing he could currently think of. But damned if she wasn't making it hard to resist temptation.

Behind her, she gave another cursory glance to the building behind them before returning to stare at the back of his head as he worked. "The fact that you know how to hotwire an airspeeder just makes me more sure that you're nothing more than a common criminal who happened to get lucky," Leia grumbled.

"That was weak, even for you, Princess."

It was true, she realized now that she was just digging for insults for the sake of insulting him. Immature, yes, but it still felt good. "You still haven't explained why we stopped at this house for you to do this. It's not exactly out of the way."

"Local slythmonger's," he replied tersely before half diving back into the guts of the machine, holding a stray wire between his teeth.

Her expression dropped to one of true disgust. "If you're looking for a fix before we get out of here -"

He gave an irritated snort, drawing away after one last splice and slamming the hood of the old airspeeder down. "Common sense. If he's dealing, his airspeeder is likely good enough to outrun patrols, and it's certainly unlocked to fly outside normal skylanes. Unless you'd like to do this by public transport, of course."

"No, thank you," Leia said acidly, still keeping the blaster trained on him even as she moved around to take the passenger-side seat. But she hesitated as he leaned in, fiddling with the controls for a moment - the engine gave a wheezing clatter and ground to a halt. Eyes narrowing, he paused to give the airspeeder a sharp kick before the machine finally spluttered to life. And suddenly, public transport seemed like less of a bad idea after all.

"What amazing mechanical prowess."

"You're very welcome, Princess."

The aging repulsorlifts kicked in with a groan, and a dazed-looking young man stumbled out of the nearby shambles of a house. "What - Naberrie?! You sonnova -!" They didn't stick around to hear the rest of the slythmonger's string of invectives, rising into the sky and slipping into a stream of Coruscant traffic.

"Head for the Works!" Leia called out, even as she kept her blaster trained on him. "Northwest Transtech district."

Somewhat to her surprise, he immediately changed course, the airspeeder heading in the correct direction. The idea that perhaps they really were working together made both of them uncomfortable, though Leia had to admit that she seemed to be having slightly more problems than he did. And he actually looked at home piloting the decrepit old airspeeder.

"Put your blaster away," he growled, looking at her out of the corner of his eye for only a moment.

"I'm sure that as soon as I do, I'll regret it."

"Put it away before surveillance cameras flag us as a speederjacking in progress -" They both caught a glance of the flashing red and blue lights behind them. Coruscant Security, of course, but just one lone operative on a speeder. "Never mind," he said with a sigh. "I'd suggest putting on your seatbelt."

Leia fumbled to hold the blaster steady as she clawed for the seatbelt. "It's broke-aaaaugh!"

Despite the sudden plunge, she managed to keep him in the blaster's sights, even as she clawed at the seat and was quietly thankful that the old airspeeder's grav-barriers were still in working order. As they dove into the Works proper, they accumulated several more Coruscant Security speeders - another block and two police airspeeders had joined the chase, sirens wailing. And there would only be more

 

I know you're going to get tired of my gushing, but seriously - in order to get it to stop, you have to stop writing awesome things, and I would be very sad if you did.

I've got my own project that involves a post-RotJ Anakin, and I've been nervous about it, searching out as many fics with Anakin in them as possible, and yours are my favorite. You've got this amazing grasp of Anakin's character that you don't have to rely on outright telling us how he's feeling.

I'mma pounce on something I've been pondering myself, lately - I had been thinking on it quite a bit, then I discovered this fic (and the accompanying flow chart which nearly had me in tears with laughter) and it became something I thought about a lot. A lot of redeemed!Anakin fics have a Vader who becomes Anakin again completely as soon as he's redeemed, or else they throw him back in with his family instantly and he's forced to be someone he's spent the last two decades denying even exists. I like the idea of having him alone with his incredibly identity-confused self and gradually rediscovering who he is before he has to deal with anyone who has a pre-conceived idea of him, be it someone like Leia who sees him as entirely Vader, or someone like Obi-wan or Padme or Luke who might see him as entirely Anakin. He's a smooth blend of both in the beginning.

Anakin's re-discovering of himself in this fic has been very eventual, very natural, and I love it. It made my favorite part of this post very satisfying.

"We're fine!" He shouted above the wind. "We didn't really need a windscreen, anyway!"

Immediately his mouth drew into a tight, flat frown as he realized only Anakin Skywalker would say something so atrociously stupid.

Are you being stupid? ---> Yes. Congratulations, you're Anakin. Now stop being an idiot.

I'm also loving Leia. I wonder when Anakin will realize that he's dealing with someone he passed on his stubbornness to?

I am right in thinking he doesn't realize that she's his daughter, right? At any rate, I can't wait to see how this story continues!

 

That was a blast. A classic Star Wars adventure. I especially loved Anakin's windshield response. So, so much fun. I can't wait for more! Awesome update as always.

 

Whee, that was a whole lot of fun! A classic Star Wars adventure, as Luna_Nightshade put it.

Loved this bit to pieces. I agree with Emilie that it's a lot more natural and also satisfying for the reader to see Vader slowly rediscovering the Anakin parts of himself - the speed of Anakin's redemption scene in canon did bug me quite a bit. And it makes for such a wonderful laugh in the middle of the story.

The ending with Vader using a long-discarded access code was simply classic. You do a great job of taking classic elements in an adventure story and piecing them together to form something wonderfully fresh and delightful to read!

 

Wow!! Thank you all SO very much!! Those are the best reviews I think I could have ever hoped for! I think I'm terrible at action scenes, so to hear it as 'classic Star Wars adventure' is really heartening

Not gonna lie, I've been having a sucky time of late IRL, and your wonderful comments really do mean a lot. They've made my week, if not my month! (((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))

On a less mushy note, I hope to update this again this weekend - the story's been 'unstuck' and I'm looking forward to the next few chapters!

 

Woo! I can't wait! I know what being stuck is like. Being unstuck is one of the best feelings ever. -sits quietly to wait-

 

Ok, before I write this chapter, here's something mainly for my own reference. I write a lot with music so here's the "song list" so far... I've linked as best I can.

Overall Theme: 'Masques', Annbjorg Lein - http://new.music.yahoo.com/annbjorg-lien/tracks/masques--184311763
songs per chapter -
1. "Still Alive", Portal Soundtrack
3, 4. "All Along The Watchtower", Jimi Hendricks
5. Andreas Vollenweider, "Gate Within the Gate" http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/The+Gate+Within+The+Gate/2OOOqp?src=5
7. Bjork, "Vessel Shimenawa" - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Vessel+Shimenawa/M9RlC
8. "El Wraith", Amon Tobin - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/El+Wraith/2vlSJI
9. "Tom's Diner", Suzanne Vega & DNA - http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Tom+s+Diner+DNA+Remix+/uaErQ
10. "Great Gig in the Sky", Pink Floyd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V188B3-pcBc
11. "Us and Them", Pink Floyd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlY-JlE5ZCo
12. "Stella", Andreas Vollenweider http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sthjkqvCEbQ&feature=related
13. "Eminence Front", The Who http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Eminence+Front/MEjvx?src=5
14. "Rhinestone Eyes", Gorillaz http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Rhinestone+Eyes/2CoKSA?src=5
15. "Recognizer", Daft Punk http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Recognizer/3mS2Zy?src=5
16. "Beggar's Canyon Chase", Joel McNeely http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Beggar+s+Canyon+Chase/2UwgOR?src=5

And now I can actually get to writing for real - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n0pf7anLa4 -

----
The Man Who Sold The World
----

It wasn't a true imprisonment as much as it was a tacit agreement between captor and captive. The small cargo room was locked from the outside, it was true, but still easy enough to slip past the lock, just as how a bantha of average size could easily crash through the usual fences if it wanted to. And although he seemed content to remain there, it made Leia distinctly nervous.

She knew better than to assume Vader could be so easily domesticated.

Passive-aggressively, she made sure to have other priorities as soon as they were safely in hyperspace. A shower, a quick nap, another cup of strong stimcaf. He could rot in that cabinet until she was damn ready to deal with him. That, of course, meant that she took the time to let her hair air-dry while she put on a bit of makeup simply for her own pleasure, and only for her own pleasure, and in no way to try and impress him. It was incredibly petty and Leia was aware of the vague sensation that she should perhaps feel guilty for treating him in such a way. But ultimately she wasn't bothered by it. After all, he was locked in there with a supply of water and a few nutrition bars (the 'crunchy prawn' flavor she hated, but still nutrition bars nonetheless). That was more than he had done for her.

What did bother Leia was the fact that he didn't seem to mind.

She had hoped for him to be pacing in tiny circles like an anxious dog when she slid open the door, but instead he was sitting on the floor with stoic calm. Meditating, perhaps. Or asleep. She couldn't quite tell.

"Vader."

He didn't even answer her properly: he opened his eyes and looked up at her, raising one eyebrow.

It was tempting to continue to loom over him, but she did crouch down to look him in the eye. This question was too important for anything less. "I hope you remember our deal."

He nodded, meeting her gaze. "I do. So, ask."

Leia took a full breath before asking her question, making sure each word was clear. "What are you to Luke Skywalker?"

And his jaw clenched.

It was just as polite a barrier as the doorway she had just come through. She knew the answer. And he knew that she was just looking for confirmation. But to acknowledge it as such would be to drag the issue out into the open. It would make a mess of things. It would be a terrible faux pas. And it would make Leia actually acknowledge it as truth, which would be even more terrible.

"You know I can't answer that, Princess." Finally his voice was a bit deeper with irritation and distress. Leia shamelessly took a sm

 

Ah, the messy bit of redeemed!Anakin fics. Facing the people he screwed over. Never fun.

I love, though, how he's not a quivering mass of regret. I think I'm repeating myself here, but you don't try to make Anakin and Vader into two separate people, and that's not something that happens often. It's a tricky line to balance on!

Usually I start at the beginning and go through all the things I liked, but I'mma jump straight to this for a moment:

But a murmur of shock ran through the crowd, even as Han pressed his way through to Leia. The man wasn't how they imagined Vader. He looked old, tired, innocuous - like someone's father, even... and he didn't struggle even as two officers roughly pulled his hands behind him to bind them tightly. But as he raised his head to look coolly at the crowd, there was a certain arrogance there... yes, he was Vader, he had to be, despite the rough clothing and messy hair.

That's something I love. I've seen several fics where Vader is recognizable as Anakin with the mask on, but never vice-versa with it off. The whole Vader-as-alternate-personality treatment really bugs me, and you keep finding ways to show that they are totally one person. I keep repeating that. I'm sorry. But it's very, very good work, and I'm a bit in awe.

"Vader."

He didn't even answer her properly: he opened his eyes and looked up at her, raising one eyebrow.

-flail- I am reminded very much of the scene where Luke rescues Leia from the Death Star, aren't you short for a stormtrooper, etc. And she doesn't even realize that she was being...well, him.

Leia shamelessly took a small amount of glee in this and made a mental note to feel bad about it later.

You know, I always pegged Leia for the twin most like Anakin out of the two of them, but you do a really good job of proving it. I once read a fic in which a post-RotJ Anakin attempted to go all self-hating and pacifist (yes, I can hear your peals of laughter - I think it maybe lasted like five minutes) and in the end Leia was the one who was like I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THIS BUT I WANT VADER BACK. IF I RECALL CORRECTLY THE MAN WHO FATHERED ME HAD A -SPINE-.

Ah, quality father-daughter time.

There was an odd mixture of emotions in the error. Terror, of course, was natural. The Alliance was about to drag a krayt dragon into their humble home. Disaster didn't just seem possible, it seemed inevitable. But there was also a vicious sort of joy as the crowd gathered prematurely in the hangar bay. They wanted to see the bastard who killed their uncle, destroyed their home, led the Empire. It would just be even better if they could see him try to rise up against the Alliance's might and get killed in the process. If that happened, Han was fairly certain that the entire base would quickly devolve into hysterically happy partying.

And that was why he was carrying a bottle of rum in his pack, because it always paid to be prepared.


Snerk. Oh, Han. However much it would make me sad for the lynch mob to get Anakin, I laughed out loud at your Boy-Scout issue preparedness. And now you've got me wondering if that serum that was extracted from him at the beginning of the story is going to play a part any time soon. Or if Ahsoka is going to reappear. Because that would just make for a very happy me.

"This is Luke's lightsaber. Why the hell do you have his lightsaber?"

The murmurs of the crowd died down around them. Without realizing it, Leia held her breath. It took Vader a long moment to raise his head to actually look at Han, shaking his head a little to try and get the hair out of his eyes. And then he said quite possibly the worst thing he could have.

You know, I've been trying to pinpoint for about a week now exactly what it is that makes me like your writing so much, because like I told you before I orignally set upon this fic as a learning experience (after reading your amazing Vader in the ME2 fic) and I was trying to think of what it is I could take away from it. And I think I've finally realized what it is.

M

 

The delay in replying to this was mostly me trying to keep my ego from becoming so large it would start to terrorize Japan, a la Godzilla Seriously though, thank you SO MUCH for your incredibly detailed review!! You have no idea how happy it makes me to get some feedback - and to especially hear that people are enjoying it! (Just imagine me Snoopy-dancing in happiness and you'll have it at least partway.) If you ever find yourself in the Decatur area, I owe you a beer. *grin*

The serum is very much still around, as is Ahsoka. Both are sort of lurking in the background for a bit. Like Luke, they may not be directly mentioned but they're still there, doing things. ^0^