Saga - ST "Much Ado About Nothing" (50 Titles). Post: 07/03.

by Nyota's Heart. Disclaimer: I am borrowing for the fun of it.

Characters: The usual suspects

Note: For the 50 titles challenge. I got Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. This will integrate TFA with Legends because yeah, Mara, Kyp, etc., and Thrawn - they are must haves.

Many many thanks to the splentab Chyntuck for hosting this challenge and to mavjade and Irish_Jedi_Jade for being super duper betas.




________________

Word Count atm:

3 posts =1478 words.

---

Prologue



At a time when we would hope that all striving against oppression and tyranny could be rewarded with an outcome of an unassailable peace, as a fitting bestowal for us who have lost much, the Universe laughs and snatches the bright bauble out of reach. Not quite yet. Not without a fight.

Haven’t we struggled enough?
Is there more to lose?
How could there be more to lose? Sometimes, the burden of loss feels overwhelming.
The overarching truth is, that those whom we hoped have been definitively defeated, obstinately refuse to go away. In the process of working to restore the Republic, to undo the ravages of what the Empire did in the decades of its harsh regime, it actually turned out that all seeds have not been uprooted and that in the dark recesses of the Galaxy, unknown forces are stirring again.

Those who fought before to remove Palpatine – these will have to meet the challenge and will grow stronger and learn vital lessons. A vital key is unity of purpose and cooperation from within. The Republic has to maintain that united front or all will be lost.

+++++++

 

Exciting beginning with wise words and omnious thoughts

 

Very intriguing prologue.

 

I even know some of where you are going and this still fills me with wonder.
It pulls you in and really makes you want more, which is the hallmark of a great prologue!

I'm excited for more!

 

This is such a great beginning! Short, concise, elegantly written and to the point. I can smell the political intrigue from miles away here, and I looooove that kind of story. I'll be here for the ride!

 

Such fatigue and sadness here. How long does this go on? Maybe forever? It sure seems like it sometimes. And the stakes are so very, very high.

I am looking forward to seeing where this one goes!

 

SO MUCH OMINOUSITY...ONIMOUSNESS...you get the point

So excited to see where this goes!! I'm sure it will be a great ride!

 

I enjoyed that snippet. But for some reason I see Kenneth Branagh with a sun chair strolling through a garden. And I have voices singing the following Shakespeare poem:

"Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in sea, and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blith and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.

Sing no more ditties, sing no mo
Of dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leavy.
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blith and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny"

Those movie impressions never left me and intermingled with your fanfic.

 

Intriguing beginning! It reminds me a lot of the opening epigraph from the Revenge of the Sith novelisation, a little lyrical taste of what it to come.

Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite Shakespeare play (and AzureAngel2 I also love that film!) so hopefully it has given you some inspiration for this fic.

 

Thanks all. An update is forthcoming probably before the end of the month.

 

Thanks to my helpful betas, I have a cool first post.

I do like the feels here.

~!~!

In his search of Jedi lore, Luke had stumbled across an intriguing detail: something called the Church of the Force. History and location were provided.

Upon arriving in-system and poking around, he discovered the chief Acolyte, a Lor San Tekka.

Wisdom and kindness reflected in Lor’s eyes as he listened to Luke’s enthusiasm and concerns. “I want to start a Jedi Order, but I’m barely trained myself.” Luke concluded. “But …” He sighed. “Someone has to.”

Lor nodded gravely, taking a sip of berry-spice tea. “This is a time to learn from the past, take what worked, and discard the rest.” He said thoughtfully. “You can start with a blank template and learn as you teach.” He smiled wryly. “One never stops learning even at my age.”

Luke smiled back, feeling some of the uncertainty lift. “I don’t know where to start, exactly.”

“Any archives I can give – you are welcome to.” Lor proffered.

~*~*

Leia was in a quandary. Mon Mothma had never wanted to be Chancellor indefinitely, so after two years, the decision was made to elect another one. Mothma suggested Leia – for her acumen, compassion, and high visibility.

Do I really want to do this? Leia pondered. She had a strong sense of still wanting to make a difference, but there was a large part of her that just wanted a family. To blend in and be just another citizen for a while. If she and Han had children eventually, and she wanted to, it would be unfair to pull them into the glaring spotlight of public scrutiny. On top of that, she would have little to no free time – because she had a feeling she would be pulled into one crisis after another as the New Republic settled into some semblance of harmonious cooperation.

It was a hefty decision – one she needed to weigh carefully, from many angles.

When she spoke to Han about it, he did his best to be noncommittal. He did not want to put pressure on her one way or another, but his overall opinion of the whole political scene was no secret.
“You know how much store I put in the whole political thing.” He said with a disdainful scowl. “But you, you have what it takes to cut through all the karking back-biting and flattery.”

As soon as Luke returned from his visit to San Tekka, she sought him out and confided these misgivings.

He took a thoughtful, long sip of his mug of hot chocolate and sighed heavily. “This is not a decision to be made quickly or lightly.” He said at last. “But you know that already. I can’t tell you what to do or even what I would do in your place.”

Leia frowned. “I don’t envy you your obligations. At least, if I decline, there could be someone else to fill that role of leader.”

“But would they do perform it as compassionately and fairly as you?” Luke asked rhetorically. “The results if someone incompetent or unscrupulous becomes Chancellor – “ He trailed off – not needing to complete the thought.

“And then I would be forced to watch the chaos and feel guilty for not making a different choice.” Leia answered. “Although who is to say if I do become Chancellor, something I could not predict or prevent, but should have, will occur and sweep us all along in a terrible situation? When I think back on the Clone Wars, I often wonder if the Jedi, or even the far-sighted Republic leaders, should have sensed something was off about Palpatine.”

Luke pondered this for a moment. “Do you have a Force nudge, one way or another, that something is impending?”

Leia laughed. “That’s more your line of expertise, not mine. No, nothing even remotely vaguely along those lines. I’m just thinking of a thousand what-ifs.”

“And tying yourself up in knots in the process.” Luke said ironically.

Leia laughed self-deprecatingly.

“Whatever you decide, Leia, I’m behind you 100%.”

Leia smiled and said, “I did think of a workable solution, just in case. If I accept, I’m going to make a condition that it’s not permanent. We need an appointment or an election every four to six years or so.”

“That is a reasonable proviso.” Luke agreed. “That way laws put in place can be established but nothing is gridlocked in place.”

Leia was serene in her sense of the right decision, after talking it over and airing her thoughts and concerns. “Now, how do I tell Han?” She asked with a rueful groan.

Luke shrugged sympathetically. “I don’t envy you that conversation.”

“Hey,” Leia objected, trying to be optimistic, “It might go better than we think.”

“Huh.” Luke answered.

+++++

 

Whatever you decide (to do next), Nyota´s Heart, I am also 100% behind you. (Without being Luke.)

And I must confess that I am in absolute Shakespeare mood since I watched Joss Wheldon´s "Much ado about nothing" today.

 

Thanks, dear, supportive AzureAngel2. Your reviews are uplifting and always a treat.

 

Based on the prologue and now the first post, it looks like the first post is a flashback and the prologue is the speaker reflecting on where the whole thing wound up, which is cool. Also, since the first post focuses on both Luke and Leia, it could be either who is the speaker in the prologue. The issues apply to either one of them.

I love how you incorporated Lor San Tekka into this. It's great to see the way you've incorporated both characters from the old (Mon Mothma) and the new (LST). Both Leia and Luke have so much ahead of them, so much the galaxy expects of them.

I'm fascinated as to where this will go next!

 

I really love how you have Luke questioning his ability to start an Order with how little he knows. What is that phrase, the more you know, the more you know how little you know? (Or something like that). I get the feeling that's how Luke feels.
With regard to that I really loved this line:
Leia frowned. “I don’t envy you your obligations. At least, if I decline, there could be someone else to fill that role of leader.”

That's quite poignant. Yes, she has some large obligations, but there are others, he is the last and that makes it quite the responsibility.

I also loved the last bit about how now she had to tell Han.

 

Love how you are writing the thoughts about the new Jedi and the leadership. Both can do it but at what cost

 

Yay! After the general considerations in the prologue, it's cool to rewind a bit and pick up after RotJ to see how things developed in this timeline. This is going to be a different path for Luke, since he has the help of Lor San Tekka's archives to help him build his knowledge of the Force. As for Leia -- devoted to duty, as always It will be interesting to see how she develops, becoming chancellor so early in her life.

 

WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Yay, finally I found something to read of yours and give just a little thankful payback. Interesting setting and time period to work with, and I think you got Luke, Han & Leia well characterised. I'm sort of intrigued how you will apply the title to this very important-looking plot, though...

 

Mara Jade had been part of Imperial Intelligence. Not for any true and deep love of the Empire’s ideology. It was just the government that was running things and she wasn’t important enough or conscience-stricken enough to question the what or why. She just did her job and tried not to draw unwanted attention.

When the Empire fell, like any “ordinary” citizen, she felt an unnamed weight lift from her shoulders. She was good at decrypting and cyber-sleuthing – slicing was the jargon for her skill set. So she put out feelers for an independent or neutral agency needing her kind of acumen. She found it with a no-nonsense but very brilliant freelancer Talon Karrde who had on staff a Barrolian named Ghent. Just an hour in Ghent’s company and Mara’s mind was officially blown.

Krell, this guy can slice circles around me! She admitted to herself, and such praise wasn’t something Mara gave easily or lightly.

It was not long before Karrde had Ghent and Mara out scouting for what was happening with the burgeoning New Republic and what was left of the fallen Empire. Squabbling ex-Moffs and ambitious Imperial military types who wanted a battle to fight, mostly. And on the other side, trying to merge idealism with pragmatism of a far-flung and disparate Confederation of sectors, many invested in their own advancement instead of the cementing of any true and lasting peace.

The Galactic Concordance captured Mara’s attention. She wondered how long it would hold.

****~~~~

She asked Karrde once what his purpose in seeking out intel was. He had looked at her contemplatively over a glass of very fine Alderaanian emerald wine and smiled. “You never know when an important piece of information will fall into our laps and what each side will do to get it.”

“So you’d sell to either or both?” She pressed.

“To whichever side paid the most and demanded the least.” He answered with a wry grin.

***~~

Now, as she perused the TransWeb and HoloNet social media sites and reputable news flashes, she began to feel an odd tingling in the back of her mind and an unusual tightness in her stomach. There was a surge in the “sentimental good old days” chatter about the Empire.

Mara scowled. What kind of deathsticks have you been smoking? She thought with a disdainful grimace.

But this coupled with a whole bunch of intensified financial transactions between the Corporate Sector, Kuat, and Sluis Van – this made her frown in puzzlement.
She asked Ghent to double-check to see if he saw the same trends.

“Am I imagining it?” She asked when he finished.

Ghent gave her a terse shrug. “No I see it too.”

“Hmmm.” Mara felt disappointed that he agreed with her assessment; she had half-hoped that he’d find a flaw with it – just so that the answer to her next question would be moot. “Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“Is it ever?” Ghent asked rhetorically.

Mara groaned inwardly. She didn’t believe in coincidences, either.

+++++

 

I am enjoying how Mara is a part of the universe here! Loved the "what deathsticks have you been smoking line"! Looking forward to reading what is to come!

 

Ah, my favorite minor character Ghent! I love it when he and Mara work together. They complement each other very well.

And this part...

Squabbling ex-Moffs and ambitious Imperial military types who wanted a battle to fight, mostly. And on the other side, trying to merge idealism with pragmatism of a far-flung and disparate Confederation of sectors, many invested in their own advancement instead of the cementing of any true and lasting peace.

Sadly, so true. So like modern politics, I'm afraid. This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Each individual planet, each politician, wants to get their own taken care of first when the instability of a regime change comes into play. That would lead itself naturally to those who want to make sure they themselves got ahead, and then all the idealism that the rebellion stood for would be washed away in the struggle to get while the gettin's good.

 

love how Mara and Ghent work together.
And empires falling apart, we have seen it here in the real world too and it takes years to lead to stability

 

Thanks. I have to have Mara in the story & Ghent I think they would complement each other well.

When TFA came out my knee-jerk response was wow, thhe victory in ROTJ didn't stick did it? But the more I thought about it I figured there would realistically be growing pains - at least to start with. Decades down the line,

 

Ghent is also in this fic. Coool! You never fail to surprise me.

 

Hello WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Read the latest chapter. Very nice intro to Mara. I see you are setting her slightly differently to the Hand we saw in the old EU books - which is fine now that TFA has blown everything away. I always liked Karrde so glad to see him pop up again. Now then, when is it ever a coincidence, eh? Looking forward to seeing what you've cooked up here...