Return of the snippet thread: post bits of your stories here!

A while back on the fanfic boards I started this topic off in the hope that it might encourage people to read the stories if they enjoyed the snippets posted on this thread. It's maybe a little like the trailer thread in principle except that you can post excerpts from finished stories. Anyone mind if I start this one up again? Any takers?

I'll use one of mine to get the ball rolling.

*********


From A Night to (Almost) Remember:

As Jemmiah followed him over to the dance floor she spared her poor Ben an agonized glance as he tried his best to wriggle away from the Twi'lek's increasingly suggestive moves.

"I'm not that kind of Jedi, ma'am!" he was insisting.
"Who are you kidding?" Jemmy hollered across.

Obi-Wan looked at Jemmiah, and then at the stranger.

"I see you found someone to ask." He mumbled.
"Matter of fact, I asked her." The deep, rumbling voice of the mystery man replied. "I didn't think you'd mind because you seemed to be having such a good time."
"Good?" Obi-Wan gasped. "I'd sooner trade places with Hmiol and dance with Flint!"
"It can be arranged." Jemmiah said dryly. "Obi-Wan, meet Jonas."

Kenobi nodded brusquely in response and Suul could tell he wasn't too impressed. Jealous, probably.

"Look, you've got no need to feel threatened." Jonas remarked as he deliberately slid his hands round Jemmiah's waist. "I know I'm dancing with your girl but jealousy isn't the best way to?"
"I am NOT jealous." Kenobi smiled thinly.
"Why not?" Jemmiah asked, disappointed.
"Because you want me to be."
"I've been found out, Jo." Jemmiah smiled at the tall Corellian.

The intimate use of the stranger's name was the final straw for Obi-Wan and he determined not to let Jemmy's teasing get the better of him as she had known it would.

He responded in kind by pressing himself as close to the Twi'lek as he could.

"What do you think you're doing, Ben?" Jemmy laughed.
"Enjoying myself." He said through gritted teeth.
"I didn't know you like older women?" she smirked as she twirled about in the Corellian's arms. "I thought it was school girls that were your kind of thing!"
"Maybe he's hankering after a mother figure." Suul let his eyes wander over the Twi'lek. "Or grandmother figure, as seems much more likely."

"Vuulim look after Jedi, yes?" The Twi'lek ran her brain tail up across Kenobi's chest.
"By the gods, your luck's in tonight!" grinned Suul with a wink. "How can you pass up an offer like that?"
"Ben?"
"What?"
"I think you've just been propositioned by a listed monument!"
"In that case I'm in no hurry to do any exploratory work in the foundations?" Obi-Wan gulped hard as the Twi'lek pinched his rear with her talon like nails, bringing tears to his eyes.

"Look," Suul offered as he spun Jemmiah to the left, "I speak a little of the language. Do you want me to talk to her?"
"Would you?" Obi-Wan immediately decided that he liked the stranger after all and that his initial assessment was altogether too harsh.

Jonas cleared his throat.

Obi-Wan didn't know quite what he'd said but he was fairly certain it hadn't put off the collection of old bones that was groping his bottom.

"Would you like to tell me," he squeaked, "what precisely you asked her?"
"I asked her if they were her own teeth." Jonas smiled. "They are, so you've got nothing to worry about."

Kenobi felt almost sick at the thought.

"Jedi like to show Vuulim the force?" The Twi'lek asked coyly.
"My midiclorians are on strike." He shook his head rigorously. "And for starters, my wife wouldn't like it."
"What is wife?" Vuulim frowned.
"My bond-partner. My life mate. My?"
"You two are married?" Jonas looked aghast.
"Long story." Jemmiah grumbled.

The Twi'lek didn't look very impressed.

"What did she say?" Obi-Wan backed away at the tirade of seeming curses that streamed from the old woman's mouth.

"She said that as you asked about her having her own teeth, she wants to ask if you have got your own?er, I'd better not repeat that, actually." Jonas rolled

 

Bizarre. Funny, but bizarre. That's all I can say.

I'll continue this thread with a scene for another story I want to write. It revolves around Tres Bolen, a Jedi chracter from my work in progress "Through A Glass Darkly" and his freighter pilot older brother, Garrick (a Han sort of character, but he's not a smuggler and nearly as arrogant as Han can be). I just need to get this commited somewhere before I forget about it.

"There you are. We gotta get outta here. Now, if not sooner".

Garrick grabbed his brother Tres's sleeve and started to drag him towards the docking bay.

"Wait a sec. We need to talk", protested Tres.

"We can talk on the ship. If Moff Colton's goons grab us, we're dead. In case you hadn't noticed, New Repulic-ers and Jedi aren't exactly favored citizens around here."

Garrick turned and continued to trot towards where his ship was berthed.

"The ship is what I need to talk to you about", Tres called after his brother.

Garrick stopped short. Tres could feel the anxiety flowing from his brother.

"What about my ship?" asked Garrick. His voice had that tone- like an over-protective father lecturing his daughter's new boyfriend. It carried the threat to life and limb with each syllable.

"I sold it", said Tres, very matter of factly.

"You what?" whispered Garrick.

"Sold it. I had to. They know who it belongs to. If we were seen boarding, we'd be blasted before before the hatch even closed."

"YOU WHAT?" screeched Gattick. He seemed to have not heard a word his brother had said.

"My ship. Sold by you. The ship I bought with my own credits. The ship I spent a year and a half modifying. The ship I own. You sold it." Garrick seemed to have calmed down. Tres knew it wasn't a good sign. Calm before the storm.

"MY BLASTED SHIP!" Garrick lunged at his brother, death in his eyes. Tres dodged and Garrick connected with the wall. He spun, not even phased by the impact.

"Listen to me", pleaded Tres. "You'll get Bruiser back. I swear." Garrick lunged again and again Tres dodged him.

"You're gonna wish you were dead when I get through with you..."

"Don't make me do anything I'll regret, Garrick."

"You sold something that doesn't even belong to you!" Tres sensed an intense hate oozing from his brother, a feeling he'd never felt before. For a third time, Garrick lunged. Instead of connecting with his younger sibling, he found himself thrown backward against the wall. Tres looked around to make sure they weren't seen.

Garrick tried to scream at his brother, but his voice was gone. He found his entire body pinned against the wall as if by an invisible hand.

Tres leaned in close to the elder Bolen. "If you won't listen voluntarily, I'll make you listen. Your ship is fine. I sold her to a Duros. A very wealthy Duros I might add. He paid twice what you've spent on her already. And you'll get her back, plus some credits for your trouble. We're to meet him on Corellia. He won't let anything happen to her. Believe me, I didn't want to do it, but if we we'd been seen on, in or around that ship, we'd never get out of here, especially not alive. They aren't looking for that Duro. They're looking for us. They did a full scan on the ship. There's no way we could've hidden anywhere. I've arranged for transport for us. It won't be first class, but it'll be safe. There's a shuttle leaving for Tatooine. Once we get there, we can hitch a ride with one of Dad's ships. Now, if I let you go, are you going to be good? Blink once for "Yes", twice for "No"." Garrick blinked once.

Tres felt his brother's anger ease. Not much, but it was enough. Tres released the flow of the Force that restrained his brother. Garrick stared at his brother.

"If my ship isn't in perfect condition when I get her back..." He let the statement trail off.



That's all I have so far. That scene has just been beating a path around by brain. Man, it feels good to get it outta there.

 

Here's a little snippet from the original S/S story: A Week With the Skywalker/Solos
***************************************************

Leia was wiping her brow as Luke and Han walked in, carrying boxes.

"Oh good! Is that the china?"

"Yes, dear," Han grunted.

"Put it on the table. Anakin!"

The over-eager 9 year old ran in and stopped directly in front of his mother. "Yes,
Mom?"

"Where is Chewie?"

"He's, uh, HELPING Grandpa unpack." Anakin seemed on the verge of cracking up,
and Leia frowned suspiciously.

"What do you mean, hel--"

"CHEWBACCA!!!!!"

Anakin laughed loudly and ran outside. Before Leia could catch him, Chewbacca ran in,
underwear on his head and socks on his hands. Darth Vader was in hot pursuit.

"Chewbacca! Give me my pressed underwear this instant!!!!!"

Han snorted loudly, beer coming out of his nose. Luke, being the stoic, calm Jedi
Master he was, was laughing so hard his face turned red.

Chewbacca dove behind the couch, followed by Vader.

"Give me those underwear, before I give you a REAL taste of the Dark Side!"

Jacen and Jaina ran out. "What's going on?" Jaina asked.

"Dad!" Leia shouted.

Two faces, one wearing a black mask and one furry and dog-like, peered out from
behind the couch.

"Yes?" Vader replied.

"SOME of us actually came to this planet for PEACE AND QUIET, and guess what?"

"What?"

"I'M NOT GETTING ANY!!!!!!!!"

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be the pizza delivery boy," Han said.

"You ordered pizza?!" Leia said, still not calmed down.

"Yeah...."

Vader and Chewie resumed their struggle, and Jacen answered the door.

"Hey, dude," the pizza delivery guy said. "Here's your pizza. Can I have my money
now?"

"Sure. Here's 20 credits."

The Pizza Boy accepted the money warily. "Hey, what is this? This isn't money!!"

"Grin and bear it," Jacen said, and slammed the door in his face.

"Ok, everyone," Luke said. "Gather round. Here's some pizza."

"Hey, Uncle Luke," Anakin said. "What's pizza?"

"This!"

And as Luke lifted the lid, everyone said,

"OOOOOOO!!!"

************************************************************

And another snippet, from my brand new OC romance Freedom to Breathe
************************************************************


Lezlie Khalpeishia was bored. She usually was at these diplomatic functions; they
served no purpose except to boost her father's already large ego. Sighing, she picked up
a glass of punch and joined her best friend Fiona in a corner.

"Who is that?" Lezlie asked, pointing.

Fiona twisted her head around to glare at her with piercing gray eyes.

Lezlie shrugged at her best friend and set down her punch. "He looks cute."

"He's a servant," Fiona said. "Servants aren't meant for ladies such as ourselves."

Lezlie snorted. "Sure," she agreed mockingly, "and my Dadd

 

From STAR TREK VS. STAR WARS:

The crimson blade flew out of Vader's hand hitting the support struts of the catwalk that Picard was on. The catwalk collapsed under the captian taking him along for the ride. Picard hit the ground hard his lightsaber was flung from his hand by the force of the impact. With a speed Picard would not have thought possiable Vader was on top of him.
"Now" rasped Vader "You will die"

 

This is Great! Here's one from my Medevil story, Iron Ray of the Sun....


_____________________________________________
Obi-Wan was tired of being called 'Sir Kenobi', it was about to drive him insane. He was called Sir Kenobi all day long, at the meals, by the servents and at his classes. Then while they discussed things in the lounge before bed, Siri would call him Sir Kenobi just to *spite* him.

"Hey," she said once. "You *are* a knight, I don't see why you care so much." Obi-Wan groaned.

"Yeah, a Jedi Knight, but do you see any *Jedi* calling me 'Sir Kenobi' All the time?"

"Yeah," She said smothering a giggle, "Me!" Obi-Wan hit her with a throw pillow.

The next morning Obi-Wan was walking through the gardens. He was trying to piece together the strange reasonings of King Zzir's logic. He wasn't sure why it was bothering him so much. Suddenly, Obi-Wan heard some stray calls coming through the trees.

"Go away!" It sounded an awful lot like Siri. He pushed through the shrubs and knelt down peering through the bush in front of him. The scene before him was comical. Siri had her usual dress on and her face had gone pink and was turning purple. She was mad. Next to her was Prince Naaris. He looked as if he wanted to hold her by the hand, but she wouldn't hear of it.

"But we could arrange a marrage and be married by spring." he said soothingly. Obi-Wan had to clamp both hands over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. This was what he had thought. It wasn't a good thing, and he would have been worried, but the look of pure disgust on Siri's face made him want to burst out laughing.

"Oh no you don't!" She screamed. "Even if I did marry, *wich I wouldn't*!" She reminded him shrilly. "I would *not* marry you!"

"Now why not?" Naaris attempted to look hurt. "After all, you would inherit great riches from me. My father owns his great kingdom and soon he will own this one." She through him an incredulous look.

"I already told you I don't want--"

"Now, now," Obi-Wan chided, coming out from behind the bush trying to make it look like he *hadn't* overheard. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Mr. Sorry excuse for an idiot, is try to get a betrothal out of me!" Siri exclaimed.

"And you said no?" Obi-Wan asked. Siri gave him a horrified look.

"Obi-Wan! How dare you! You happen to know very well that I would never ever--"

"Now wait just a moment," Obi-Wan said. "You are a rich prince arn't you?" He asked Naaris. Naaris didn't like Obi-Wan at all, and hadn't liked him sence the Jedi had saved princess Lisi, but he had the idea that if he was going to get to marry Siri, he would have to make a good impression on Obi-Wan, who appeared to be in charge of the girl.

"Yes, Sir Kenobi," Obi-Wan gave him a wry look. Then turned back to Siri, grinning at her.

"Well, I don't know Siri, I mean, he's rich, about to get richer, he has an 'upstanding' father, and a good reputation." He paused Siri wouldn't say a word. "I don't know, are you sure you don't want to marry him?" Siri through him an 'I'll kill you later' look.

"Yes." she said bluntly.

"Well," Obi-Wan sighed. "I guess that's her decition, Naaris. Best to leave her alone." Naaris gave a look of pure hatred. Then turned abruptly and stormed away through the shrubs. Obi-Wan stared after him.

"He doesn't have a good sence of humor does---ow!" Obi-Wan touched the back of his head were Siri's shoe had hit him. "Hey what did I do?" Siri slid the shoe back onto her foot.

"You know perfectly well, you could have told him to leave in the first place. We're friends, but I think that *friend* could be a small bit more helpful."

"Sorry," Obi-Wan appoligized. "I just couldn't resist."

"Some Jedi." Siri murmered.

"Well, he seems pretty sure that his father will take this kingdom." Obi-Wan said softly.
Siri's anger drifted away and she nodded.

"Yes, mad or no, I did notice that."

"There is something missing here Siri, Obi-Wan said, I just don't know what it is."

"We'll find out." Siri said firmly

 

Here's snippets from The Other Half trilogy.

PART 1, BURDEN OF CHOICE (the war crimes trial of the Skywalker twins; the following is the cross-examination of Vader regarding the charge that Leia was responsible for the destruction of Alderaan):

Cetarn stood and moved from behind the table, his stride that of a predator. "Lord Vader," he began. "You just testified
that Princess Leia Organa was fully responsible for the destruction of Alderaan."

"Yes."

"And yet the decree concerning the event states that it was a Rebel act, independent of Imperial equipment.

"You have extensive experience with the Alliance Fleet. How would you characterize their supplies?"

"That is not relevant to the matter at..."

"Answer the question," Cetarn bit out.

Anakin arched an eyebrow, stunned by his audacity. "Limited. They are forced to use ships which were old in the last
days of the Republic and reformed passenger liners. Their starfighters are their strongest asset."

"Then how does the Empire explain their role in the destruction of an entire world?"

"An act of espionage."

Anakin winced at the hint of uncertainty in his voice. Cetarn chose to jump on it.

"Is that a question or a fact."

"Objection," Dulor burst out. "Counsel is badgering the witness."

"Overruled."

Cetarn's smirk spread into a toothy smile and then shrank into a grim line. "Why was Senator Organa arrested in the
first place?"

"As I said, for passing through a restricted system without clearance, intercepting illegal transmissions, and resisting
arrest."

"And you chased her across half the Outer Rim before capturing her. That would indicate some matter of urgency. Did
you have proof that their passage was intentional?"

"No, but..."

"What was their declared purpose?"

"Ship repairs."

"You fired on a disabled consular ship," Cath said with an air of disbelief. "Without provocation?"

"She refused boarders."

"Understandably. And yet," he continued, "you held her without pressing charges. In fact, the first time any criminal
reference to her actions was filed was five weeks ago."

Anakin drew himself up. He would not be intimidated. "There was no time."

Cetarn lowered his chin. "The trip from Tatooine to the construct facility at Horuz took four days. You held her for
three weeks after that. And you are claiming there was *no time* to give her legal consideration?"

"Objection, argumentative."

"Your Honor," he countered, "I'm merely making the point that Lord Vader's earlier testimony does not coincide with
logic."

Anakin's heart was beating impossibly fast, his mind struggling for composure, his breath unnaturally loud in his ears.

"Lord Vader is not on trial here," Dulor snapped.

"It is not my place to accuse, but charging Leia with genocide is a rather drastic accusation. If, as they profess, the
members of this court wish to see the full measure of justice exacte din in this case, I feel that the matter warrants
clarification."

"Nevertheless," Turot interjec

 

Here's an upcoming post from my story, "The Shadows of Conflict- Part One: The Advent of War." The Vice Admiral and Admiral of an enemy fleet are discussing a fairly important upcoming conquest...

From the newly taken Trebor system, Admiral Rikarde Dion stood at the windows of the bridge of the Ignes Inferorum, staring into the recesses of deep space and the Unknown Regions.

He stared into the void, into a seemingly infinite stretch in all three dimensions. So many systems that not even the Empire had numbered them all, and soon, they could be his.

?Admiral.?

In his peripheral vision, he could see his vice-admiral, greeting him in hushed tones. He kept staring into space, but whispered back, ?What is it, Gavik??

?Sir, I?m confused about this latest order.?

Dion kept looking into space, pondering his statement. ?What about it, Vice-Admiral??

?Sir, you?re ordering the deployment of our planet?s surface army and air force.?

?Of course, Gavik. Why is that surprising??

?We?d have to fly them all the way from Haspri, and we?re still not sure if the new Cawdoran dropships are going to work.?

Dion turned to look at Opiut. He glared at him, but Opiut avoided his gaze. A micrometeorite zipped by the window, but Dion continued staring at his vice-admiral.

?This planet will be a significant conquest, Gavik. We need to enforce it as best we can. If that means air patrols and ground troops, we?ll bring in air patrols and ground troops. We need to conquer this planet.?

He stared back off into space. The micrometeorites had started showering by the window in a brilliant display of beautiful light. Somewhere in the whole mess of stars, the conquest he needed was out there, and he would go after it. There would be days in transit, but in just a few days, he?d be in control.

He?d be in control.

?Yes, Admiral. I?ll begin testing the Cawdoran dropships.?

?Good, Gavik. Begin immediately.?

?Yes, sir.? Opiut turned quickly, and left.

Dion turned back to the recesses of space. Only one obstacle stood before his conquest of the Unknown Regions. And soon, it would be his.

He?d be in control of vast resources. He?d be in control of the seemingly infinite space. He?d probably even be in control of the Imperial Remnant itself.

He?d be in control.

More micrometeorites zipped by, obscuring his view of the rest of his fleet. He could hear the snub fighters mobilizing to get out of the storm. He just kept staring, watching the show as they burned up in the shield.

They were burning up in the shield. Even the great phenomenon of space showered around him, and he could just stand there watching.

He pondered that as they continued streaming in.

To some extent, he was already in control.

 

This is from Shadows of a Past Long Forgotten

Just a little Corran\Mirax mush

****

Mirax was waiting for him when he entered the apartment's sitting room, fists on hips. "You kept my daughter up pretty late." She accused, crossing the room to him and straightening his shirt's collar. "Not to mention my husband."

Corran balanced Jysella in one arm, to free one hand up to press against his wife's cheek. "I'm sorry," he stared deep into her dark eyes, smiling at the love he still found burning in them. "We ran into something...interesting at the Spaceport."

Mirax raised a slender eyebrow at him. "Interesting is one of the few words I don't like to hear you say." She frowned. "It means trouble."

"Not too much this time." Corran assured her. "I'll explain in the morning. For now," He hefted Jysella back into both arms. "What do you say we put this kid to bed?"

Mirax studied his face for a few heartbeats, then nodded. "Sure," she rested her hand on Corran's "You've kept her up long enough."

"Hey!" Corran said defensively, leading the way to their daughter's room. "She's asleep, isn't she?"

"Yes," Mirax grinned. "You get one point."

They made it to Jysella's room, and Corran laid her on her soft yellow quilt. Mirax dug a nightgown out of her dresser, while Corran pulled Jysella's shoes off. He then lifted her up, allowing her to rest against his shoulder while he undid the buttons on her jumpsuit. Mirax found a white nightgown decorated with Ewoks and joined Corran on the bed. "Not that one again." He whispered, as Mirax eased Jysella into her arms and pulled the nightgown over her daughter's head.

"It's her favorite," Mirax reminded him, finishing putting the nightgown on Jysella.

"She's asleep," Corran said softly, affectionately smoothing a stray stand of hair behind Jysella's ear.

"Fast asleep," Mirax said, laying Jysella down and pulling the quilt over her body. "This kid could sleep through an Endor Day celebration."

"And not even stir," Corran said, leaning over to kiss daughter's soft rosy cheek.

Mirax kissed the top of her head, then got to her feet. "They're so angelic when they sleep."

"And devilish when they wake," Corran said, standing up.

Mirax smiled. "It's a shame night comes but once a day." She ran a hand through her short dark hair. "So, we have both kids in bed asleep... now what?"

Corran grinned slyly. "How about I put you to bed?" He asked, dropping an arm around Mirax's waist and lifting her into his arms.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Mirax kissed his lips. "Sounds good to me."

Corran returned the kiss, carrying his wife to their room. He laid her gently on the bed, and kept his arm around her waist as he lay next to her.

"Aren't you going to tuck me in?" Mirax teased, running a finger down his cheek.

Corran leaned forward, raising an eyebrow at her. "I have to put you in your night clothes first." He said suggestively, pulling her close to him.

 

Here's one from my upcoming Star Wars/Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy crossover.
---------------------------------------------
It was a nasty looking gun, and Trillian was not enjoying being on the wrong end of it.

Sometime just before they'd reached Krikkit, the Heart of Gold had experienced a space-time-probability anomaly and ended up in a beautiful marble structure, which, at that moment, was filled with spindly ivory robots who didn't exactly look like they belonged there. The robots boarded the Heart of Gold and brought Zaphod and Trillian out at gunpoint. Then they'd brought them to a slightly smaller but no less impressive building where they were ushered into a group of humans, some of which wore uniforms, others bright orange and yellow robes, and two more were dressed in much more brilliant finery. Trillian had never been one for clothes, but these people seemed to have decent enough taste.

While Zaphod complained that, since he was not only the president of the galaxy but also the most important person in it, they could not do this to him, Trillian looked around. There was something odd about the woman in the best-looking robes, and it wasn't just the makeup, but Trillian couldn't place it. In any event, the robots were starting to herd them outside, but the woman in the robes insisted she needed to change first, and when the robots relented, one of the orange-robed girls grabbed Trillian by the hand and pulled her along with them into a huge bedroom, where half the orange girls brought out a matching orange robe for the woman, while the other half piled layer upon layer over Trillian. She protested vehemently, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Address the Queen as Your Highness," said one of the girls behind her.

"Er... What's going on, Your Highness?" Trillian repeated.

The Queen looked up while her assistants adjusted the fit of her saffron-and-vermillion robe. "Oh," she said, as if it were nothing, "I need a stand-in, and you're it. You see, this planet just got invaded-- that's the droids out there-- and I'm in considerable danger. Sabe's on vacation; that means you, as someone who looks very similar to me, are my substitute until things cool down a little."

"For a Queen, you're not very diplomatic," Trillian said. Then she got it-- the Queen really did look like her. They could have been sisters-- twins, even. "You know," she continued, "this could be considered an infringement on my rights. You can't just-- ow!"

"Hold still, please," a handmaiden said as she molded Trillian's hair around a giant feathery headdress.

Now unidentifiable in handmaiden's robes, the Queen stepped forward and said, "Say this sentence: The Queen is on her way to Corellia."

Trillian did. "Lisp it," the Queen commanded, as handmaidens powdered Trillian's face white. She lisped. "Good," said the Queen. "Now, the droids and the Neimoidians will address you as Queen Amidala. Get used to that now."

"Armadillo?" Trillian said brightly.

Queen Amidala grimaced. "Ah-mih-dah-lah," she repeated slowly. "For now, you are the Queen of Naboo, but that could change any moment."

"If I'm the Queen," Trillian interrupted, "I can have people executed, right?" She thought about starting with Zaphod. Off with his heads had a nice ring to it.

The real Queen glared. When Trillian felt sufficiently ashamed of herself, Amidala continued, "They will tell you to sign a treaty. You can't. They will tell you the fate of your people depend on it. You can't give in. It may be hard, but you must not sign the treaty. For now, that's all you need to know."

"That's it?" Trillian asked. Amidala nodded. "Well then," she added with a grin, "I'm beginning to like this job."

 

Hi, this is a snippet from my upcoming, #5 USJS spinoff, "Everlasting."
******************

"I had no where else to go," whispered the small woman. Thick locks of her unkempt, draggled hair hung in front of her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice plaintive. "I'm sorry. I just...I didn't know.."

"It's alright," assured Sevrin. "Don't be sorry for coming here. The Temple is the safest place you could come to."

The half-Velial raised worried eyes to Robaen Brec who only returned an unsettled expression. "Mistress Balli," he spoke, softly. "I need to check for any injuries."

Almost immediately, Dara folded closer into herself. "No, please," she said, her voice thickened with fear. "Not now. I can't..I just.."

"Leave her alone," ordered Jazin. The small boy who looked too exhausted to even defend himself stood up from where he had been placed and defiantly placed himself between his mother and the healer. Robaen noticed the little girl sitting next to Dara stiffen considerably at the change of atmosphere.

"Jazin, please," spoke Dara.

"Perhaps she can get some rest first, Robaen?" asked Sevrin for his aunt.

Robaen's blue eyes looked troubled as he fought to come up with a decision. Dara really should be checked right away...as should her children. "May I examine your children, Mistress?" asked the healer. "Their bruises can be tended to."

"Yes, please, thank you," answered Dara, gratefully. But Jazin's eyes narrowed into hard slits as he moved away from Robaen.

"No," he said, firmly.

"Jaz, I don't wanna stay here. Let's go home," pleaded Callia.

"Not just yet, sweetheart," Dara said, in a desperate tone but her daughter ignored her and attached her hand to her brother's instead.

"Jaz, let's go. Please? Let's go home. I want to go home!" Tears began to well in the girl's eyes.

"Me too, Call. Me too," answered the boy.

"Well, we can't!" Dara suddenly shrieked. "We can't go home! Not yet! Not ever!" The small woman buried her face in her hands and began sobbing, forgetting for the moment that her children where there, watching her.

At the sight of her mother, Callia began to cry pitifully and buried herself into Jazin's sleeve.

Sevrin casted a desperate look to Robaen who nodded and moved towards the children while the half-Velial moved closer to Dara. He only waited however, to make sure that the healer could take the children out of the room before he spoke to his aunt. He watched as Robaen spoke quietly to Jazin, kneeling down so they now looked at each other at eye-level.

"There are plenty of large beds here for both you and your sister. Just for tonight," offered Robaen. His tone held none of the condescending quality some adults used with children. And that had always been Robaen's special touch in dealing with children. He spoke to them kindly, but never falsely.

"We want to go home," stated Jazin, his eyes losing some of his defiant attitude.

"I know," replied Robaen. "But your mother is very tired. She needs to rest. As do you."

Jazin hesitated, looking over at his mother and back down at Callia who continued to clutch onto his hand like a safety rope. "Is the bed big enough for both of us?" he asked.

Robaen smiled, kindly. "I think so."

"Well...alright, then," relented Jazin. The boy carefully led his sister as the two children followed the taller healer out of the room. Neither one spared a glance back at their mother whose sobs were dying down.

 

Hmm, I just can't seem to pass up an opportunity for shameless self-promotion.

Here's a snippet from the story I'm currently writing. It's titled "Unrequited".

*********

?Why don?t you just go ahead and say it Jaina??

?It?s not fair!? Jaina shot back at the invitation. ?I was finally making a name for myself, all on my own, before you had me dragged back here.?

?This assignment is important. You weren?t doing anything that couldn?t be interrupted,? Luke answered calmly. Fortunately for Luke, he was immune to the daggers Jaina shot him with her eyes.

?How can you say that? Rogue Group is the premier fighter group in the entire New Republic Navy. We take assignments no one else can handle and fly home without a scratch on us. If Rogue Group isn?t important, maybe you should use your influence to get us disbanded,? Jaina challenged.

?That wouldn?t be wise,? Luke countered. ?Rogue Group is too important to the security of the New Republic.?

?But you don?t think I?m important to Rogue Group,? Jaina finished for her uncle.

?Not as important as you are to us,? Luke clarified, leaving no question that the Jedi Order was the ?us? he was referring to. ?There are thousands of pilots for every Jedi Knight. The Rogues can replace you more easily than we can.?

?Why me?? Jaina asked, repeating the question that she?d asked when she first entered the Director?s office. ?Why not Jacen or Anakin??

?Your brother Jacen is about to undertake his first apprentice. Anakin is in the middle of an extensive course of advanced training. Which one of them would you ask to take your place??

?You make it sound like I?m being so selfish,? Jaina sullenly accused her uncle.

?Aren?t you?? Luke asked simply, yet forcefully. To further emphasize his point, Luke held Jaina in his stern gaze for a few uncomfortable moments before continuing. ?Service to others means more than just doing what you want.?

?Now you sound like my mother,? Jaina remarked.

?For the sake of argument I?ll assume you meant that as a compliment,? Luke replied with a half smile.

 

Here's something from my story: When Jedi Apprentices win contests. Repost.

_____________________________________________



?Let me see!? Siri said, pushing Obi-Wan to the side to look out the window. She, Obi-Wan, Garen, and three other padwans named Florinda, Cedric and June had taken a ship to Antarctica, where they had taken a plane to California, and from there they took an airplane to New York. They were getting ready to land, and Siri was next to Obi-Wan, who had a window seat. The plane made a sudden jerking motion, throwing Obi-Wan against the window, Siri landing practically on top of him, Garen on top of her, Florinda on top of him, and you can probably guess where the other two landed.

Obi-Wan groaned, ?You guys need to loose some weight.?

Florinda seemed to be in pain, ?I?m getting flattened!?

Siri moaned in pain, ?You?re getting flattened! What about me??

Before anyone else could reply, the plane jerked forward, then backwards, and finally to both sides.

Adi and Qui-Gon came up to them and raised their eyebrows. ?When I said ?stick together?, that?s not really what I meant,? Qui-Gon told them. Adi just laughed.

Garen winced , ?June, get up.?

June started to stand up, but then fell down. ?My arm is stuck under Florinda?s head!?

The other apprentices groaned and the two Jedi masters sighed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Half an hour later, the group of eight was standing in the living room of their hotel. They had gotten a suite with four bedrooms, connected by a sitting room and a kitchen(food shopping will play a part).

Adi studied the layout. ?Okay, Garen, Obi-Wan, and Cedric, you can have the room on the far left. Girls, you will have the room next to it. I will be next to you, and Qui-Gon will take the room on the far right. Got it??

Everyone nodded and hurried to unpack. It was late, so they went to sleep as soon as they had unpacked.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At 8:00 the next morning, they had just finished eating breakfast at a diner inside the hotel, when Qui-Gon announced, ?Okay, we can should start off with going food shopping. There?s a large food store named Wegman?s nearby.?

When they got to Wegman?s, Adi told them, ?Okay, everyone pick a piece of paper, there are two of each color. Whoever you have the same color as, you must stick with the entire time. Alright??

Everyone nodded and chose a piece of paper. Obi-Wan looked at his. It was blue. Garen and June had gotten green. Cedric and Florinda had gotten red. That meant that Siri had gotten blue.

Qui-Gon continued where Adi had left off, ?If you want to get something, then come find Adi and I, to add it to the cart. Now go.?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Florinda picked up a box of something called popcorn. She turned to Cedric, ?This looks good, let?s add it to the cart.?

Cedric studied the shelf, ?There?s more than one kind. Which ones should we get??

Florinda frowned in thought, ?How about one of each??

Cedric nodded and they started to gather boxes of popcorn.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Siri shivered. ?This part of the store is cold. Let?s go somewhere else.?

Obi-Wan nodded, ?Okay.? They started to hurry to another part of the store, when suddenly Obi-Wan skidded on the hard, cold floor, and landed on his back.

As he stood up, Siri began to laugh, ?You?re so clumsy! Didn?t you see the ?wet floor? sign??

Obi-Wan glared at her as he stood up, ?You wouldn?t laugh if you fell.?

Siri nodded, ?I know.?

They started to walk away, but then Obi-Wan tripped and crashed into a shopping cart, landing in it, dragging Siri down with him. She started to laugh, but when the cart started to roll away with Obi-Wan in it, she jumped up from her position on the floor and began to chase after it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Garen told June, ?There?s another one, over there!?

The two ran over to a sample table. This one had different types of bread. They each took a sample and began to eat.

?This is good,? June said.

?Definitely!? Garen agreed.

June spotted yet another table a samples, ?Hey, ther

 

Here's something from another one of my stories, Mystery at Hogwarts. By the way, if you read it, ignore the Updated thing. I started the story before I decided to change names, and now I can't change that thing!

_____________________________________________




Obi-Wan Kenobi groaned and opened his eyes. He was lying a cold stone floor, wearing a long black robe. His head was against something cold, and metal??.. He jumped up in shock, only to find that he had been leaning on a suit of armor. His breathing returned to normal as he wondered, ?Where am I??

Just then, a boy with white blond hair, and icy blue eyes started coming down the hall towards him. Obi-Wan blinked in shock. This boy looked very much like Bruck!!!

He stood up as Bruck?s evil twin, or maybe Bruck was the evil one, stopped and looked at him in amusement.

The boy raised his eyebrows and asked him, ?Who are you, where did you come from, and what house are you in??

?I?m Obi-Wan Kenobi of Coruscant, I have no clue what you mean by house, but I?m from the Jedi Temple, and where am I??

The boy raised his eyebrows again before continuing down the hall, ?Freak.?

?I guess I?d better find someone who?s helpful,? Obi-Wan told himself. But just then, someone or something fell through the ceiling and landed on him.

Obi-Wan groaned for the second time in 5 minutes as whoever it was stood up and shouted, ?Obi-Wan!?

?Siri??

?Where are we??

Obi-Wan sighed. He didn?t feel like answering questions. Especially ones that he himself didn?t know the answers to! ?I don?t know, but Bruck?s twin just went down the hall.?

?Since when does Bruck have a twin?? the girl asked in confusion.

?Well, since Bruck was born 15 years ago, he?s had a twin for 15 years. Or he would of if he was still living.?

Before Siri could answer, two boys and a girl came down the hall. She turned to him and said, ?Let?s ask those three what?s going on.?

Obi-Wan couldn?t resist making a joke, ?Use the same politeness that you used to get the Sorrusians to talk to us.?

Siri shot him a glare before asking the trio, ?Excuse me, but we just arrived here, and we?d like to know where here is.?

Obi-Wan smacked himself on the head and groaned yet another time as the trio exchanged glances and the girl told them, ?Follow us.?

It was Siri and Obi-Wan?s turn to exchange glances as they followed the trio down the hall.

~*~*~*~*~


While Obi-Wan and Siri were , well, somewhere, Adi, Bant and Qui-Gon hurried to the Jedi council room to tell everyone. It took a while, but the council convinced them not to go after their apprentices yet.

Mace pointed out, ?You?ll probably get stuck with them, where ever they are.?

Qui-Gon was about to protest, but he agreed and he, Adi, and Bant went to ask Tahl to do some research.

 

From As Long as there is Hope

********

"Qui-Gon. This is an unexpected honor?do come in."

Mace waved Qui-Gon through into his own apartment. Usually the taller man would avoid visiting the place if given half a chance?there was something about Windu's home that put Qui-Gon on edge. He'd never worked out if it was because the lighting was always dimmed and murky or whether the dingy décor contributed to a general feeling of claustrophobia. Most likely it was the torturous furniture which had always reminded him of sitting on a concrete block with spikes imbedded in the surface?only less comfortable.

"I must say that I am surprised to see you." Mace remarked as he sat down on one side of his rather unyielding looking sofa, covered with a dull brown drape. "I was rather under the impression that you were avoiding me after our little altercation two weeks ago."

"Nothing could be further from the truth." Qui-Gon replied, seating himself reluctantly opposite the man, his backside already protesting against the discomfort of the chair. "I confess I thought you might not be too pleased to see me after the way I dismissed you, for which I am sorry."
"On behalf of the council I accept your apology."

"The apology was meant for you and not the council." Qui-Gon felt obliged to clarify the point. "I'm not in the least bit sorry for my actions or what I said. I am admitting that the manner in which I treated you was not very considerate of me."

"I see." Mace sat back in his seat, plumping up a particularly razor sharp and dangerous looking cushion and placing it behind his back. "Well, I guess that I accept your apology then. Thank you." He looked through to the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink?"

"No thank you." Qui-Gon shook his head.
"Just as well really. I think we've run out of those funny teas with the herb things and green bits floating in them that you seem so fond of." The master answered in an amused voice. "So, what did you want to see me about? Just a social visit or is there something more urgent that you've come to pick my brains about?"

//Typical Mace.// Qui-Gon though silently to himself. //He assumes that he is the font of all knowledge and that we poor, ignorant creatures are gathering round in the hope of enlightenment.//

He was tempted to say something scathing but bit back the retort. He DID need Mace's help after all.

"In a manner of speaking." Qui-Gon leaned forwards to reiterate that this was a matter of some importance as far as he was concerned. "I need to speak to the council."

Mace's eyebrows raised skeptically. "This is a first. You actually want to speak to the council of your own free will. And how do I know that after I've asked them this favor on your behalf that you won't change your mind and leave me with egg on my face again?" he grinned perceptively. "Oh, come on Qui! What's really bothering you?"

"Windu, what part of 'I-want-to-speak-to-the-council' do you not comprehend?" Qui-Gon's voice held the slightest trace of irritation now. He just knew that Mace was going out of his way to make things awkward for him in return for that slight of two weeks ago!

"You genuinely want to speak to the council." Mace was still smiling, clearly unbelieving him. "This is a joke that Dex has put you up to, isn't it? How much is the Corellian varlet got riding on this?"

"Mace." Qui-Gon said as patiently as he could under the circumstances. "This has nothing to do with Dex. I have a request to put to the council and I wanted to run it past you first, that was all. There is nothing remotely underhand behind my reasoning nor have there been any deals done with Dex."

Mace sighed but remained indulgent. "Go on then. I'm listening." He replied mirthfully. "What's the big request?"

"It's quite simple." Qui-Gon remarked calmly, his eyes never straying from Mace for a second. "I wish to petition the council to allow me to keep Jemmiah permanently here with me at the temple."

The smile on Mace's face froz

 

From Betrayals, Conflicts and Love.

A hoarse scream resounded in the room she had just passed. The Drancor ahead of her chuckled, glancing at her as if sharing some private joke. Tyan hastily mimicked him. He hissed something to her. Not understanding a single word, Tyan nodded vaguely and smiled. The Drancor looked puzzled at her answer, but thought no more about it and turned into another corridor. Tyan calmed herself with a Jedi technique. She called on the Force, consulted her memories and took a right turn into another passageway painted a drab steel blue. She passed a few security holocams, the med center, the pitifully small med supplies storage room, more holocams, more twists and turns, then she was at the work sectors.

A track ran around the perimeter of the fences. A few grooves, as wide as the average Drancor?s body, were worn into the ground from constant use. It was muddy too, but the mud slid off Tyan?s scales like it was water. She was careful not to stay too close to the fences. She didn?t know whether Drancor hide was an insulator or not, and she definitely did not want to find out the hard way.

She tried to block out the cries and moans of the humans. She had to find Obi-Wan, she reminded herself. She could do nothing to help the other humans now. She had to focus on finding Obi-Wan first.

Tyan was almost at Work Sector Four-One-Three. Then she could find Obi-Wan, escape, and be off the planet before the Drancors discovered Obi-Wan missing.

A conversation of hisses drifted around the corner ahead of her. Tyan stiffened reflexively, then forced her body to relax. She was in a Drancor body and as long as no one spoke to her, she would pass for one.

Ssthith and Thiss rounded the corner, speaking in their native language, arms waving about emphatically. They were accompanied by a guard pushing a repulsorlift cart ?

? with a bloodied Obi-Wan dumped unceremoniously in it, broken arm dangling over one side.

Tyan moved aside to let them pass, fervently hoping that there was no special greeting that protocol required of a common Drancor when meeting the two leaders.

Her breath caught in her throat when Ssthith called out. She pretended not to hear him and continued down the track. She was painfully aware of all three Drancors? eyes on her, and how awkward her movements were. Strange muscles contracted and relaxed to carry her unfamiliar body forward.

A loud hiss from directly behind her caused her to halt and turn around to come face-to-face with the guard. The cart had been left floating above the mud beside Ssthith and Thiss. The guard hissed at her, apparently giving her instructions. She nodded, and he slithered away. The two Drancors waited still, an impatient look on their faces.

Hoping to the Force that she had guessed correctly, Tyan took the guard?s place behind the cart and began to push it forward, Ssthith and Thiss behind her. They said and did nothing that indicated they suspected she was not a real Drancor.

After several minutes of silent cart pushing, they came to a fork in the track. Picking one at random, Tyan began to push it down the left fork.

A sharp hiss from Ssthith stopped her. One of his hands emerged from his chest and pointed to the right fork. He hissed and spat, an irritated tone in his voice.

Tyan bowed her head in apology and corrected her direction. Halfway down that track was another fork. Ssthith and Thiss pushed past her and went down the left one, leaving Tyan alone to push the cart to Force alone knew where.

She heaved a soft sigh of relief that she was finally alone. Waiting for Ssthith and Thiss to move out of line of sight, she made the mistake of glancing down at Obi-Wan.

His young face was bruised and covered in a thin layer of dried blood. His nose was smashed, and a trail of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was shallow and ragged. Each labored breath was accompanied by the faint sound of blood bubbling in his

 

This is a snipet from chapter three of my Fic, Jedi Twilight, it's an AU in which Darth Maul survived Ep. I and Anakin didn't turn to the Dark Side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Padme caught the young Padawan just as the lift doors started to close, and she started to lower him to the ground.

Instead, she froze.

"Anni?"

He looked so...

Different!

Anakin had grown.

He had grown a lot!

Padme found herself staring down at him, and even after she realized she was staring, she couldn't help it.

Instead of lowering him to the ground, she held him in her arms and brushed her hand soothingly across his brow.

With a start, Anakin's eyes shot open.

He was about to say something, but then he saw Padme.

Padme's heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't bring herself to stop caressing his brow, she gently lowered him to the ground, as they quickly discovered he was still too weak to stand, and Padme found herself looking deep into his ice-blue eyes...

For a color equated to something as cold as ice, the eyes conveyed a lot of warmth. She found herself melting under his gaze, held enthralled as though under some kind of magic spell...

It took a moment for her to realize that Anakin seemed to be staring at her in the same way, as though Padme's mere presence was intoxicating to him.

It finally occured to Padme, as she restrained Anakin by wrapping his single long braid of golden hair around her finger, that she was about to kiss him...

Those ice-blue eyes of his drifted closed as their lips came closer...

The scent of him! The feeling of him in her arms! Padme was absolutely entranced!

The feeling was definately mutual, and Anakin didn't even care that he was breaking every single vow he had made upon becoming a Padawan learner.

"No..." Padme finally said, their lips were so close now, they shared breaths. "You aren't permitted... I couldn't do this to you..."

"If it will help," Anakin said, his voice barely above a whisper, "just forget all that... if I were not a Padawan, and you not a Senator... would you do it?"

Padme hesitated. "Yes," she admitted. "But I can't."

Anakin's eyes closed, not in pleasure this time, but in dismay.

"Please..."

He was pleading! Padme couldn't believe it!

"Anakin... we..."

"Pretend for a moment, that I am not a Padawan. I'm just... I'm just here and now. I'm yours to do with as you please. Why not?"

"Because... I think I love you. And this... this would ruin your life."

Anakin's intense gaze locked with her eyes. "This would not ruin my life, it would help me start a new one. A better one."

"I... you'd regret it. Eventually, you would regret it."

They were saved from the decision when the lift informed them they had almost reached the docking bay.

"It could be a secret," Anakin implored her.

Padme closed her eyes, and shook her head.

"I sense... I don't know how, but I sense danger and shadows down that road... just wait. Once you are a Knight, we could..."

Padme didn't finish the thought.

She didn't have to.

Anakin nodded. "You will wait for me?" he asked hopefully.

Padme felt she owed him a truthful explination, so she thought about it.

For about three microseconds.

"Yes."

 

sounds like a good idea.
1,500 years after TROTJ, a new enemy has the republic in its clutches.



Ben woke up and saw that Lason had left the bedroom. Tiptoeing out of the room he went to look for him. He found him in the cellar trying to open a trunk.
?Lason.?
?Oh hi Ben, do you want to give me a hand with this trunk?? he asked looking at Ben.
?Sure.? Ben walked over to the trunk and fiddled with the lock.?
?I figured that Grandma would want us to open this now.?
?Yes, she did say when we were little we would know when we can open it up.? Ben said as he snapped of the lock.
They lifted the lid and looked inside.
?Wow, look at this.? Lason said as he gently took out a brown, leather book.
?I wonder what it says.? Ben stated as Lason opened the book up.
Lason started to read on the first page.

When there is great despair, when an evil overshadows the galaxy. Two Skywalker?s and two Solo?s will be born at the same time, the fate of the Galaxy will rest on their shoulders.

Those forgotten will appear, children of those who protected will come forth, the weak will become strong again, it all depends on the four to retrieve what was lost, take back what the enemy has taken and bring about a new age.

Lone moon rest at rest inside the baffling vastness, world extended ruined veil grand skill, embrace collection starting extensive past.

?I seem to understand the first two but what?s the deal with the third one?? Ben asked extremely puzzled.
?I don?t know but I have a feeling that we are going to be part of something big.? Lason responded.
They looked at the book and they began to wonder if there was something more.

 

Here is a post from Before There Were Lightsabers:


Mencar slipped around the corner carefully, clad in the same tunic he'd been left with at the Sisterhood, plus another black cloak given to him before his leave. Armon followed him closely, the shadows of the night and cloak hiding his foreign features. He slithered against the rough blocks of the buildings, cautious to everything around him.

The shadows crept behind them, their only enemies of the crestfallen dusk. "Stay here," Mencar instructed, keeping his voice at a whisper, "I'll get the provisions, you," he said, poking a wry finger at Armon's chest, "are going to help me carry the food. And you're not to eat it on the way!" he warned with a serious expression.

Armon nodded eagerly, rubbing his leathered hands together as Mencar disappeared into one of the better looking pubs that lined the dusty streets of Coruscant. The scents of roasted meat and dry ale swarmed at his large nostrils, tempting him to ease a step closer to the open door. The invigorating smells of warm baked food carried his unknowing feet a few steps further from the shadows, and into a patch of white moonlight.

A pod of shadows emerged, wielding threatening looks along with a flash of silver-colored knives. Armon struggled back to the darkness, hoping he had gone unnoticed as he pulled the hood closer to his face. It was no use, the knife-brandishing fighters emerged from the darkness, revealing massive hulks of muscle and proud scars. Armon pressed his wiry body closer to the wall, worrying about the oncoming fighters. He thought Mencar could never arrive soon enough.

Mencar did arrive in enough time, but not soon enough to save the rations he'd just purchased, letting them drop to the ground in a hurry. As he saw the seven large warriors descended upon Armon, nearly flattened against the wall, he had rushed to his friend's aid, preparing to fight, despite his opposition to using Jara's Force in such situations.

Armon let out an odd sound, familiar to the squawk he'd made upon their first meeting. Mencar suspected it might have been for the injured food, but eyed the large attackers. He dipped himself into the Force, letting it control his actions, smooth and cutting as he moved. A sense of control washed over him as he moved into an offensive position, keeping his guard at bay.

Mencar lurched forward, silver eyes flashing on the silver target, as if fire had met fire. Coolly and calmly he leaped with ease well above the shoulders of the street gang, landing on the unsuspecting and surprised arms of two of his opponents, breaking the bones with ease as the knives flew from their hands. Armon cowered back a hair before shouting to his partner: "Mencar, don't you think it'd be wise to get out?"

He grinned, despite the sweat building on his body, "Not when the fun is just beginning!" he shot back, swinging his leg into a wide crescent, freezing the extended joint of the one man's arm. Before the sensitivity could return to his stiffened wrist, Mencar had kicked up on the knife's hilt, sending it flying into the air before it had found it's host behind him.

Armon shuddered at the fallen man aside him, the glazed eyes giving an accusing glare at him. He slipped away from the darkness and tried to escape the corner he had been pushing himself into. Mencar took sight of him, tired with muscle fatigue, and shouted: "Armon, use that blasted thing you keep talking about!" Mencar risked another glance in his direction as he wiped a web of sweat from his forehead.

Armon's gray skin paled to nearly white. "Oh, kridon!" he cursed sporadically, suddenly breaking into a stream of his native tongue. Once he had regained his composure, he returned an incredulous shout. "You believed that junk? I made that up so you wouldn't KILL me!" he yelled to Mencar, still battling off the three remaining fighters.

Mencar made a frustrated sound, but the new annoyance had given him new vigor. Watchi

 

*shrugs* No harm in sharing, I suppose. This is from my story, Whispers in the Night, which is an AU story about a young Mara/Luke.

This part is written from Mara's POV.

********

The Broken Bantha. What kind of a name was that?

I sighed, then sucked in a breath of dry, hot air. How I hated Tatooine. From the moment I had stepped out of the private shuttle--which I had rented at the first stop the passenger shuttle had made--I had loathed this place. It was so empty. So dry and barren. But there was a bounty hunter that my master wanted killed, and he was supposed to be in this cantina right now.

A bounty hunter. I thought. Why would one measly bounty hunter concern my master? Why would he care about what one did? I shook my head. It wasn't my place to question. I had been given instructions, and I would carry them out.

I peered out from under my cloak, taking a sip of my drink as I eyed the occupants of the cantina. The bounty hunter wasn't here yet. A little jingling noise sounded, indicating the door had swung open. I let my eyes rove over to it, acting completely uninterested. If this was the bounty hunter, I would have to figure out how I could best dispose of him.

It wasn't him. It was two boys, around my own age, probably. One was dark haired, and the other was blond. I had seen plenty of people my own age, but I usually paid them no attention. I was so completely different from them I would never have known how to have a conversation with them, even had I had interest to--which I didn't. But this boy--there was something about him that made me stop and take a second look. There was a...a power, emanating from him. Something I couldn't explain. It reminded me a little bit of Emperor Palpatine, except Emperor Palpatine's aura was...dark. This boy's was light. And in all my travels I had never seen anything quite like it.

I realized I was staring when the boy's blue eyes flicked over to mine. He must have felt me watching him. Cursing myself, I glanced down at my drink. Had I given myself away? His eyes had been so penetrating.

The door chimed again, and I looked over. My heart gave a little jump, as it sometimes does when I've found what I need. My bounty hunter was here. I recognized him from the image Emperor Palpatine had shown me. I watched as he assessed those in the cantina; probably checking for any danger. Of course, there was always danger in places like this, but he seemed satisfied and sat down at a table, his back to me.

Oh, this is too easy. I thought. I carefully pulled out my blaster, hiding it under my cloak, and layed the edge of it against the table, aiming at the bounty hunter. I was leaning over slightly, so no one could see the muzzle of the weapon. Fire. I thought grimly.

Just as I squeezed the trigger, something slammed into me, knocking me out of my seat. The shot went wild, burning into the wall of the cantina. My head slammed into the floor, but I didn't let it disorient me. I was immediately flipping someone off of me and jumping to my feet. My head swirled for a moment, but I forced myself to focus.

It was the blond boy. He was eyeing me with something akin to horror. I kept my mouth shut, but circled him, glaring. He had messed up my mission, and now I would have to find some other way to kill the bounty hunter.

The boy held himself perfectly still, waiting for my move. Smart. I thought. But he will never beat me. I saw his friend out of the corner of my eye, watching him worriedly. "Luke..."

"Not now." The boy--Luke--said calmly. To me, he said, "You were going to kill him."

My eyes narrowed even further. "You should mind your own business."

"The deaths of others is my business."

Some of the customers had drawn blasters, and were holding them ready. I doubted they knew who to shoot; Luke and I had been speaking so quietly they probably hadn't heard w

 

OK- Being one of the members here who stays in one thread 100% of the time (Starbucks), I wondered where I would "advertise" the fanfic I worked on for the past year. I'm glad to see this thread. So here goes-

A except fromChiaroscuro by Qui-Gon Tim:

Prologue

Kame?eha opened his eyes. They felt weak as he strained to see his surroundings. As he slowly gained consciousness, he realized that his eyesight, no matter how weak or strong, was pointless- he was in complete darkness. He tried to stretch out with the Force to sense his surroundings, but found it was as useless as his eyes. He tried to move, but the sarcophagus surrounding him kept him bound securely in place. Kame?eha?s ears, however, seemed to be completely functional. Somewhere in the distance above him, the whine of machinery and the distinct sounds of demolition hammered out a concerto of destruction. The gentle hum of electricity sang a soft, yet intermittently interrupted, counterpoint to the cacophony above. He could only guess that whatever was going on above him was causing the power interruptions to the machines that helped keep him entombed.

His senses dulled by the long hibernation, Kame?eha struggled to recall the events that placed him in this tomb. The clouds in his mind scattered only briefly to reveal brief glimpses of his past. The visage of a beautiful, young woman smiled at him from across the fabric of time. As he tried to remember who she was, she was replaced by visions of stern, angry men in dark robes, in their even darker stone temple. Of those faces, one in particular stood out in his memory. It?s sharp, angular features stirred up feelings of pain and betrayal. As Kame?eha approached the cusp of recollection, the fatigue of his brief exertion pulled him back into the pit of unconsciousness.

 

This is a scene in the latter half of Namesake.

This is almost two decades after the NJO. Luke Skywalker, Mara, and Anakin Solo's young son, Padi, have been exploring a ruin in the depths of Coruscant that was apparently sealed and hidden by the Empire. The passages and rooms are filled with the remains of dead Jedi-- robes and lightsabers. Luke has been recieving visions of the past for several days, and in this scene, it all finally comes together.


* * * * *

The chamber was empty. Not even a brown robe and lightsaber lay on the floor. Luke cast about him with the Force. The room felt completely still.

"This feels funny," Padi said.

Mara felt the wall with her fingers. "It feels so empty. There can't be anything here."

Luke closed his ears to sound, carressing the walls and ceiling with the Force. He opened his eyes. What he felt disturbed his greatly. "The Force feels exhausted, somehow. Something happened here." Vague mental images of whirling figures and cries filled his mind, but he pushed them away. Now is not the time for inexplicable memories and visions.

The room's glowpanels refused to work, like those in many other rooms. He took out his lightsaber and flicked it on. An eerie green glow filled the small chamber. Mara activated her own weapon, adding a purple glow to the green.

Padi stood between them, staring at the glowing blades. "I didn't know Jedi use lightsabers like that," he said curiously. "Why are you?"

"To help us find what we are searching for."

Luke touched the walls with his mind. Something about that one-- "A door!" He moved forward and touched it with his fingers. "It's presence is . . . muted," he whispered. "Like someone tried to hide it, even from the Force."

Mara quickly touched the wall. She squeezed Luke's hand. "Another room."

Luke cut away at the wall covering the door with Mara's help. Soon it was exposed. Mara stepped forward, but the door didn't open.

"It isn't automatic," Luke said suddenly. He felt no computer mechanism or sensor in the doorway. "So how does it open?" He took out his lightsaber to cut a hole through it. The sword shut off as soon as it touched the door paneling. Luke stepped back in surprise. He tried again. The lightsaber again deactivated. "It isn't being absorbed," he said, bewildered. "It's just-- turning off." He stared at his lightsaber, but it was working perfectly. "It's like a flame being plunged into a cold lake."

Padi stepped between them and touched the door. "You have to push it," he said, squinting at it. Luke didn't bother asking how he knew. He reached out with the Force and undid the catch. The door felt strange, and it took him a moment to put his finger on it.

"It resists the dark side," he breathed in awe. "You can only open it with the light side of the Force."

Mara stared at the deceptively simple-looking door. It was painted white, and had no designs etched on it. It was an ordinary door. "To guarantee no one but Jedi can get inside."

"A dark Jedi must have tried to force it," Luke said, noticing several scorch marks. "Just like I did."

"Let's go inside!" Padi shouted excitedly. The three of them hekd hands and pushed open the door with the Force. Then, still holding hands, they stepped inside. The doorway was wide enough for twice as many people to enter side by side.

Luke was overwhelmed. The Force exploded around him again, alive and active in this room. The lights snapped on as they entered. He closed his eyes a moment before they lit, so he wasn't blinded. When he opened them again, he gasped in wonder.

The room, though not very large, was full. The walls were lined with shelves, all covered with pieces of machinery. In a daze, he approached the first machine and gingerly picked it up.

Ancient voices seemed to whisper to him through the Force, but he could make out no words. The hand held machine had tiny needles attached

 

This is a bit from my first fanfic on the boards.

Check my signature for the link.

++++++++++

The Angelfire broke back into normal space and dove towards the surface of Arramon.

"Jedi transport Omega-34-Alpha-10 to Unity Base, come in Unity Base."

Kieran waited for a response, but there was only static.

"Repeat, Omega-34-Alpha-10 to Unity Base. Come in, this is Kieran Dreen."

Kieran felt the despair creep into his heart as the static continued. Punching the Angelfire up to full speed, he ripped through the outer atmosphere of the planet and dove towards the Council building. As he passed the last layer of cloud he felt a sharp pain in his heart

Spread out before him, where before there had been clear fields and a beautiful building, was a scorched stretch of land. Small fires still flickered in some areas, and what looked like remains of bodies littered the land.

The Angelfire settled onto the burned earth and Kieran ran from the opening hatch, landing before it had fully opened. He stared about in blank incomprehension, the scale of destruction beyond anything he had seen, even during the Clone Wars.

Kieran stepped carefully between the charred remains, looking for anything that would identify the bodies. One pile of clothing caught his attention ahead of all the others and he knelt beside it, lifting it out of the ashes into his arms. Very little remained, except for a simple brooch that Kieran had passed to Thanus on the day he had married Syrenna. Kieran sensed the truth the moment his fingers touched it. Here was Master Thanus, his teacher in the Force, his confidant when he had professed his love for Syrenna and his wish to marry her. He felt that ache in his heart again as he held the brooch close for a moment. His mind shied from the devastation around him, trying to distance his heart from what he saw, but the Force told him all he needed to know about the death of those he had been close to.

"What happened here?" he whispered to himself, his eyes trying to make sense of the tangle of bodies and charred clothes around him.

"Destroyed by the Sith we were."

Kieran span around, lightsaber out and lit in seconds. He let it drop to his side and turn off as he recognised the apparition standing near him.

"Master." His voice was strangled as emotion choked off his air.

"No longer, my friend. One with the light I am now," Thanus said, waving his ghostly hand.

"Who did this? Who were those people in the ships?"

"Darth Vader and his troops. Came as you left they did."

Kieran felt a surge through his body, felt the anger grow in his mind.

"Where can I find them?" he said, clenching his hands, his lightsaber quivering from the pressure he was applying.

Thanus paused as he looked at him.

"Close to the edge do you tread, my friend. Darkness in you do I sense. Beware that Vader on the dark side join you do not."

"Never, Master. I could never join with the ones who did this," Kieran answered, though the anger in him betrayed the lie in his words.

"Should on this path you continue, have no choice you may. Decisions carefully you must weigh before you act. Rushing after him aid you will it not, nor those you love."

"What do you mean?" Kieran said, the anger drifting away almost instantly at Thanus's words.

"To Syrenna you should go. You she needs more than we do. Gone are we, nothing can bring us back. Still here she is, to her you must go."

"But Vader..." Kieran said, still wishing to seek vengeance for his fallen comrades.

"Yours must the choice be, Kieran, but risk the entire future you do, if you choose wrongly."

Kieran stood in silence a moment, aware that somehow he was teetering on the edge of a great abyss even whilst he stood on solid ground.

"Then I shall go to my wife."

"Good luck, friend."

Kieran ran to the Angelfire and had it off the ground in minutes. Thanus watched it blast into the sky.

"You lied to him."

"No, Laerial. The truth I did tell, from my point of view. Different his entire future woul

 

From "A Star Wars New Year" (link's in my sig)

While Anakin and Amidala enjoyed the comfort of the other?s arms, the Skywalker-Solo family took the opportunity of the holiday season to enjoy the chance to actually spend some time as a family. As the globe touched down, they exchanged wishes of a happy new year. Even Han and Mara, usually the more reserved members of the family, let their guards down. It was as though for a change, they could drop the image of heroes, and just be regular people. Observing the moment, one would never guess that the group had not only brought down one interplanetary government, and also been instrumental in setting up a new one.

And as the globe touched down, the sky filled with proton explosions, followed by a flyby by more heroes of the New Republic, namely Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron. Following them were General Salm?s Y-Wings, and Pash Cracken?s Ace Squadron.
No celebration, not even one to the magnitude of the celebration on Coruscant the day they heard about the death of Emperor Palpatine, could have spoiled the moment. The family was oblivious to the commotion taking place in the plaza below. They felt, and those on the spirit plane would have agreed, that for once, everything was right with the universe.
Luke, Leia, Han, and Mara, along with the children, looked up to the stars, wondering what the future held for them. And Anakin, looking at them from his perspective, saw the same dream on the children?s faces that must have been on his when he was younger. There was just one message that he wished he could commincate, not only to the kids, but also to the adults. He wished that, in addition to the wish for an upcoming year filled only with good, that he could pass along the message that his master had given Luke in the trench of the Death Star. ?The Force will be with you?always,? Anakin thought at the family. He wasn?t certain, but he was fairly sure that the message had gotten through.

For just that one moment, no strength of the Dark Side could have dominated the place. The Light was just simply too powerful. Any attempt to destroy the moment would have failed, for the Force was truly with them?as the entire family knew it always would be.



Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

From Daggers of Mistrust:

Daggers of Mistrust

Prologue

Supreme Commander Pellaeon took up his datapad, and with great remorse, prepared a message to be delivered to his Mofference. It was one of the saddest occasions in his life, succeeded only by the death of Thrawn, and the conflagration at Endor. It took the Admiral nearly four hours until he had written a message he deemed appropriate. During that time, he had written more than ten versions. He wanted the proposal to be perfect, yet not too perfect; it had to have the proper touch. Plain and simple, it had to get the message across, clear and definite.

Esteemed Moffs,

Great war destroys and it builds. It dissolves old ties that bind some peoples together and reinforces the bonds between others. It makes some men bestial and others noble, throws up great leaders while ruining some who professed to be leaders. It breaks bodies and hearts and systems of ethics. It poisons the meaning of existing words and kindles new language to express new concepts and experiences. It speeds up the process of change in the styles and manners of living and gives the world news machines, new clothes, new architecture, new painting; it revolutionizes science, invents new ways to kill a mass of people and to cure fever in a child.

We cannot take its full measure. We had scarcely begun to sift the residue of the aftereffects of the Battle of Endor, when its embers burst into flames during the Vong Invasion. The second engulfment of human hopes came as less of a surprise than the first. The first taught us that massive butchery through stupidity and military helplessness could happen in our modern age. With the first died many values and assumptions about the inevitability of humanitarian progress that had grown and flowered. But no one intended that. It was in the Thrawn Regime that we learned to question the meaning of a thousand years of belief in the human spirit and shivered in the cold stench of ancient mania loosed from the catacombs of past eons, for this time men saw in the Vong insanity mass butchery following from deliberate purpose, down to the last neat medical chart showing the stress-resistance behavior of the lower bowel under hydraulic pressure.

And yet, in the longer meaning of man in this galaxy there are no replaceable faces. IN the long meaning war only subtracts--evil along with good, to be sure--but if we believe at all in the human spirit we can only conclude that the net of war is loss, frightful loss. Since a negative cannot be proved, we can only guess at what our common culture lost, for this generation, in those many graves of the last.

The losses we can only assume; it is the changes that we can see even if we cannot yet measure them with finality. We can see that the Yuuzhan Vong invasion reshuffled the political world of nations--systems perhaps. It loosened the ties of the old empires and brought new nationhoods into being with many more on the way. It helped to awaken trillions of beings from their long sleep of subservience. It brought the New Republic and all its manifold influences back to the old world to stay. It produced far more nationalism than democracy, although it gave the Empire one more chance, perhaps their last, at the imperialistic effort. It did not produce the new wave of Jedi because, in my own estimation, that would have happened anyway; but it enormously strengthened the New Republic, not so much by reaffirming its capacities in the great trial of war, but by weakening other societies and by leaving pro-Republic armies astride them.

No matter what race, this war has altered the lives and minds of everyone who directly experience its impact. I know of people who suffered so much they lost their sanity; I also know of people, mentally ill to the point of insanity, who left their facilities cured because the war took them out of themselves, directed their spirits toward outward, realistic goals and ga

 

This is from my story Life Goes On, the sequel to Incurable[/i].

In Incurable I told the story of what it was like when a friend died. Now I have decided to tell the story of what it's like a year after that friend is gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coruscant was always a busy planet, people buzzing around with their everyday lives, some not knowing where they?re going, some bogged down with work and others just living from paycheck to paycheck. It was not a planet where solitude or peace and quiet could be found. Except in one place.

The Jedi Temple. More particularly, the gardens behind the temple. Jedi of all ranks often sought solitude in the gardens, sitting by many of its trees or waterfalls to just sit and think in peace. Others came to the garden to be with their friends, have small picnics, and play sports.

But four individuals came to the gardens to pay respects. Up a ways back in the mesh of trees was a particular tree, initials carved into it. J K J C BFF. In front of the tree was a small tombstone, at the moment covered over with leaves and dirt.

A person crouched down in front of the tombstone, whipping off the leaves and dirt with their fingertips. Clearing a space, they laid a small handful of flowers next to the grave.

Khyte Dunst meticulously arranged the flowers near the grave, her hands unsure and wary. She calmed her nerves long enough to clasp her hands together, looking down at the small tombstone and reading it.

Corban De Jong
Jedi Knight
May the Force be with You

Khyte slowly rocked herself, her lips together forming a thin line. Slowly, she adverted her eyes to the sky, seeing the sunlight broken between the canopy of trees. ?Corban?? she whispered. ?Corban, can you hear me? I know you can? You said you would always be there after you had gone and I believed you.? She lowered her head. ?It doesn?t seem like a year, Corban, it seems like years ago but just yesterday at the same time. The only reminder I have of how long it?s been is Corra.? A small smile cross her face as she spoke of their daughter. ?You should see her, Corban. She looks more like you everyday. She had your eyes and your smile.?

She laughed softly. ?Jonn, Kimbal, and Master Ryh spoil her all the time. I tell them not to, but they can?t help but be with her. It seems in a way that when we?re with Corra, we?re also with you.? She took a deep breath, almost feeling silly for talking to a tombstone, but then she remembered that he could hear her.

?Master Ryh won?t take another padawan even though Master Yoda believes it best. He?s taken on his responsibility as grandfather instead. Kimbal became a knight just a short while ago, Jonn a month before. The Council granted me my Knighthood today, ironically?? She let the comment drift in the air, thinking of their promise the year before.

?I?m sorry, Corban. I?m sorry that we can?t fulfill our plan and go to the Hell?s Chance like we wanted. I?m sorry that you can?t be here and watch Corra grow with us. I?m just so sorry.? She buried her face into her hands, trying to stop the tear that we coming. She sniffled as she tried to regain her composure.

?I?m sorry I haven?t visited in a while. I guess it?s that I just can?t accept that you?re really gone.? She shook her head. ?Kimbal has the hardest time with being the father figure but not the father. He nearly broke down the first time Corra called him ?daddy?. I don?t know what to do, Corban. What if the Council tests Corra and takes her to live in the creché like they did to us as children? I don?t think I could bear to have Corra taken away from me. And Kimbal, Jonn, and Master Ryh? They love Corra so much, they would be as heartbroken as me.?

She sighed, thinking else of nothing to say. ?Some of the Knights have started a foundation for research to finding a cure to your disease so it won?t happen to another person. Master Windu is heading it up. They want me to speak at some of the conferences b