Beyond - Legends Second to None (AU L/M, L/H & OC) 03/08/2012 Replies and artwork

Author's Note: This story was started about 5 years ago by RedGold. She got two chapters written and then hit a writer's block. I always hoped this story would be finished. A few weeks ago I asked RedGold if I could have her plot bunny and write it and she agreed. I think her vision was a real angst-ridden story with a happy ending. I don't like angst, so this is going to be completely different. Part of the first chapter and most of the second chapter was written by RedGold with some changes by me. The rest is my creation.

JL

EDIT: Because the Truncation issue has not been fixed you can read this story on another website by clicking this link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7615210/1/Second-to-None

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Planet: Wayland
Mount Tantiss storehouse Throne Room:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

?You had that choice, Jedi Skywalker. And more?you could have ruled beside me. Instead, you chose death,? bellowed Joruus C?baoth. Luke, Mara and the dark Jedi were standing in what was left of the throne room of the Mount Tantiss storehouse. For the last half hour the building had been tore to shreds by the C?baoth. The clone of the once great, and long dead, Jedi Master Jorus C?baoth had been using parts of the walls and roof as projectiles to attack Luke and Mara Jade.

Luke was kneeling on the floor trapped by debris and rubble from the building with more falling down on him as the aged dark Jedi railed against him. Luke at this point didn?t care about himself. He needed to get Mara, his sister, Han and the rest of their party out of here. Mara was Luke?s biggest concern. She had taken multiple Force lightning hits. Luke could feel her pain and frustration wash over him in waves through the Force.

?What about Mara?? Luke asked C'baoth, hoping he could bargain for her life.

?Mara Jade is no longer any concern of yours,? roared C?baoth. ?I will deal with her later.?

?No,? Mara snapped. ?You will deal with me now.?

Luke looked over to his friend and was shocked to see she had found a way out of the stones that half buried her moments earlier. Luke was astonished at the amount of determination and strength in the Force she possessed. Mara glared at the dark Jedi and charged, her lightsaber leading the way. C'baoth threw up a barrage of stones to fend off Mara's attack.

Luke struggled to help his friend, but his fight with C?baoth and his clone Luuke Skywalker had left him weak and fading in and out of consciousness.

Luke was startled when his sister?s voice cried out in his head. She was trying to help Mara by guiding her toward C?baoth.

Luke yelled in frustration. He was the Jedi and should be leading this fight, but he was near helpless in his condition. Luke looked up and saw his lightsaber. If only he could only grab it with the Force. He reached out picturing the weapon in his mind. He could see it move off the rubble, but he didn?t have the strength to call it to himself or to throw it at the crazed Jedi. Then he realized a few feet from the saber was Karrde with his two pet vornskrs pulling wildly at their leashes. Luke strained and found enough energy to lift the saber high enough to cut the tethers. Mara and Leia needed a diversion and hopefully these animals could provide it.

The Vornskrs sprinted toward Joruus, snarling, with teeth bared. It was enough of a distraction for Mara to rush up to the mad Jedi and plunge her blade into his heart.

With the last of his energy Luke hauled Mara away from the clone before he burst into an explosion of dark Force energy.

Luke fought to remain conscious after their ordeal. He became cognizant of his sister digging him out of the debris as he coughed and spit out dust and grit out of his mouth.

?I?m okay Leia,? Luke assured her as he looked around the room, searching for Mara. He spotted Han covered with dust and looking exhausted. Luke noticed he was clutching his right arm with his left hand as blood dripped out from between his fingers. He then saw Karrde and panicked when he noticed the smuggler was holding a limp Mara Jade in his arms. For a moment Luke feared his friend was dead, but no, he could feel her through the Force; she was only unconscious.

?Mara needs to get medical attention!? Karrde?s yelled, his voice choked

 

It's Luuuke! How do you pronounce THAT?

Great beginning, but I loved the last scene. Luke is hanging out with himself! I could never hang out with myself - I would find myself too annoying.

I can't wait to see where you take this. Boot knocking. There must be boot knocking.


A threesom perhaps

 

Interesting, yet another Skywalker clone.

If you're taking PM's, I would like to be on the list.

 

Hehehehehe! Of course, Mara would open up with the wrong Luke.

I'm very curious to see what happens now.

 

Hi, JL! I'm chuffed!!!!!!!! you adopted this bunny. I remember RG's story and was very intrigued by the idea of a Luke clone and the confusion that ensued but in your hands and with inclinations quite similar to mine I'm gonna love this! Woohoo! I'll follow this eagerly!

Huggles!!!

 

Ginchy told me about this story - glad to see it's starting!

Luke and Mark. Now THAT's a nice picture. *snerk* Mark seems to be more emotionally stable than Luuke, at least.

One little nitpick - Luke isn't a Jedi Master at this time. He doesn't grant himself that title until the Jedi Academy trilogy.

Can't wait to see where you go with this!

 

oooh, nice to see this one posted!! I know the effort you've been putting into it. What's a girl to two with not one, but two hot Luke's around? Ahem.

And poor Leia. LOL!!!

I'm glad that RedGold let you continue on with this one and that you share my aversion to angst.

 

Sure, I want to be banned. That's something for SWFF, not here. Bootknocking perhaps...but with who?

Yeah, not the most original storyline, but SW does have a lot of clones.

It would make a short story if everybody was direct and upfront with each other.

I had to look up the word chuffed. Yeah, I was glad RedGold gave it to me.

Thanks for pointing that out. of course now I have to go through my entire story and make sure I change that everywhere. Thank goodness for the FIND button.

I can think of a few things.

 

I'm in!

 

Well, Mara's near declaration of love was awesome, till she figured out it wasn't the real Luke she was talking to.

This is going to be one interesting Love Triangle...

I love this! Is there a PM list for this? 'Cause if there is, I want on it!

 

Thanks Jade_Pilot and Book-Geek for reading. Hopefully RedGold won't be too horrified at what I did to her story.

 

?Okay,? Mara took a deep breath and calmed herself, there had to be a logical explanation for what was going on here, ?someone start talking, now.?

?I?ll explain everything,? Luke winced slightly, his brow furrowing, ?but not here.?

It took a moment but Mara could start to sense what Luke was feeling in his head. It was the same cranial buzzing that occurred while fighting his clone, his other clone, on Wayland. Taking a glance at the other Luke she noticed he was also starting to rub his forehead.

?Okay, let?s talk outside,? she agreed.

She followed Luke out of the room and down the hallway to one of the empty lounges. ?Now, start talking.?

?Sit down,? he gestured to one of the sofas, ?this is going to take awhile.?

?Okay,? she accepted the seat and he sat down next to her.

?After you killed C?baoth we were about to evacuate when Han told me I needed to see something,? he began, ?He brought me to what looked like a small medical ward. There we found my clone-- floating nude in a cloning cylinder. He was fully formed, but in stasis.?

?Stasis??

?As best as our scientists who were on hand could tell,? he explained, ?the man was cloned, brought out, but then rejected and put into a type of sleep or hibernation. He does have some brief memories of the few moments he was awake.?

?Why would Joruus C?baoth do such a thing??

Luke got a funny look on his face, ?He was a faulty clone.?

?Faulty?? her voice came out a bit sharper than she thought it should be.

?In C?baoth?s eyes,? Luke quickly added. ?The clone he used against me was mindless, nothing but a shell. This clone received the flash-learning implanted into all clones so he knows how to speak, read, and has a slightly above average level of general knowledge, math, sciences, etc.?

?And a sense of self-awareness,? she said quietly.

?Exactly.?

?He couldn't be controlled easily, so the crazy old man chucked him back into the chamber,? Mara shook her head. ?Probably would have ended up killing him.?

?Or maybe using him to replace me if I didn?t turn?? Luke sighed, the weight of his words and the situation they had been in dragging him down visibly.

Damn,? she muttered as she rubbed her temples in thought. Eventually she gazed up at the Jedi giving him a probing look. ?Luke, I don?t want to sounds cold and insensitive, but why didn?t you just leave him there??

?The stasis chamber was failing due to the damage, and we couldn?t leave him to die,? Luke said quickly.

Mara shook her head in disbelief. ?Luke, we knew there were hundreds of clones developing in the cloning chamber within Mt. Tantiss, but both of us decided to pull the self-destruct on the place. Why was your clone the lucky one to live??

?He has self-awareness. It would have been murder.? Luke argued.

?While he was floating around in stasis I doubt you knew he was self-aware.?

Luke looked away. ?You?re right,? he said hesitantly. ?The galaxy is a dangerous place, I guess I thought it would be nice to have another Force strong Jedi on the team, especially if I am successful in establishing a Jedi Academy??

Mara stared at him silently waiting for the real reason.

Luke?s shoulder?s slumped in defeat. ?I just couldn?t do it. It is much easier to kill when you don?t have to look your victim in the face?especially if it is your face looking back.?

Mara sighed. ?I shouldn?t have brought it up. There is nothing we can do about it now. So what are you going to do with him now that he is here??

?I?m not really sure,? he ran a hand through his hair. ?He is a genetically physical copy of myself.? Luke hesitated for a moment. ?Well, not exactly.?

?What do you mean,? she almost laughed, ?not exactly??

?It is well documented that environments can have an effect on a person?s physical as well as mental state,? he explained. ?I grew up on Tatooine, a desert planet with a restricted diet.?

?So?? she said without regards to how this was starting to make him uncomfortable.

?He?s four inches taller than me,? he grumbled.

Mara tried to hold back a chuckle, and failed, ?He?s tall

 

I have a FANTABULOUS idea--Mara can have Mark and I'll take Luke. Now that's what we call a win/win.

And can I just say--Mara Jade always has all the fun.

I love the clone's name--Mark. A fine name.

Great update!!

 

A great update! I look forward to seeing how this ends up.

 

That's a good plan by Luke. And it will get Mara more used to using the Force. Sneaky sneaky, there!!!

 

His name is Mark! I love it! Now, if we happen to find two more clones, we can name them Matthew and John!

Luke?s shoulder?s slumped in defeat. ?I just couldn?t do it. It is much easier to kill when you don?t have to look your victim in the face?especially if it is your face looking back.?

Especially not after the cave....

And, haha, Luke's clone is taller than him!

 

Oh, how I love Mara in this I like ginchy's idea. Except with the me having the Luke part! A lovely update and I am excited to see this through!

 

?He?s four inches taller than me,? he grumbled.

LOL! sounds like my twin brothers. They are 13, but only one has hit puberty yet. So one is 5 inches taller and is already shaving.

Great chapter! Mara and Mark. It has a nice ring to it. I'll just take Luke then!

 

A taller clone . Priceless!

Unlike general opinion, I'd be happy to take Mark and leave Luke for Mara because, you know, I don't want to break up soul mates.

 

Super plan and great update, until Luke starts to think Mara's getting cozy with Mark, then it's oops bad idea

Mark is his own person but he has Luke's natural warmth and Mara's interactions with him are uncomplicated by all that "last command" stuff, even though it's gone now between her and Luke you'd have to think that could put a restraint of sorts between she and Luke.

LOL at the Matthew and John remark.

 

This is looking good! Amazing what a good diet can do for someone's natural height. Gravity also can have had something to do with it.

 

Great update! And Mark-who wouldn't like that name? This is so creative. Can't wait for more!

Woot!

 

Maybe Mara will want both of them.

Thank you. I appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment.

That's true. She will get to use the Force and pal around with a taller Skywalker look alike. I don't think Luke thought this out very well.

We can always use more Luke clones. As long as they are the tame type and not the psycho dark variety. As for the selection of his name, I think RedGold named him after Mark Hamill.

I am glad you like Mara. I was worried she was a little too open and outgoing. I mean on Myrkr she was horrible to my Farmboy and in books not written by Zahn she was often portrayed as a woman with PMDD. I also never liked how her relationship with Leia was portrayed. I remember one book (I think Leia was kidnapped by the anti-human or pro-human or pro-droid group) and Mara is also taken to her cell and Leia was cold and mistrusting of Mara. I was thinking "Doesn't Leia remember this is the woman who kept her children from being kidnapped and the woman who saved Leia's brother more than once?" I am wondering if these other authors even read TTT. Sorry for the rant.

I think you have to get in line. I think you are the third fangirl to ask for him.

I agree. I don't think I would be a more suitable mate for my Farmboy than Mara. Those two were made for each other.

Yeah, and that can be a problem for Luke.

A diet makes a big difference. A friend of mine escaped from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon. He was a small boy and was separated from his family during the confusion. He was adopted by an American Family. Two decades later he found his family in Vietnam. He was a good 5 inches taller than his father and brothers. It was cool. The TV show 48 hours did a special on his family. So yes, diet is a big influence in the expression of one's genetics.

Jade_Pilot: Great update! And Mark-who wouldn't like that name? This is so creative. Can't wait for more!

Thanks! I like the name. It sounds almost natural. I tried to put you in quotes, but I guess there is a maximum allowed.

Well, if you liked the first two chapters please give a big thanks to RedGold because she wrote 75% of it. Now the hard part...can I pull this off and finish this story. I hope so.

 

?I guess we should start out with the basics,? Mara said as she pulled up a hospital table to Mark?s bed. She then laid out various objects that she scrounged from around the room: a tongue depressor, protective gloves, a packet of bacta patches, a tube of bacta cream and a RFX/K Medisensor.

The clone gave her a wry look. ?This looks like it is going to be an interesting session.?

She grinned, ?I don?t have anything sinister in mind. I just want to see if we can get you to move objects,? she explained. ?We?ll start with the lightest to the heaviest.?

Mara pulled up a chair next to the bed. ?You have to feel the Force before you can use it. It is energy that surrounds us and flows through us. What I want you to do is close your eyes and try to feel the energy and then I want you to picture the tongue depressor in your mind and see it move.?

Mark closed his eyes trying to do as Mara asked. Mara could feel the Force flowing and swirling around him. Something was definitely happening in the Force, but could he control it. After a few moments Mara finally saw the depressor moved slightly.

Mark opened his eyes. ?Did it work??

?You did it. You?re a fast learner,? Mara said proudly. This was almost like having her first apprentice?that is if she were actually a Jedi.

?I?m not a fast learner,? Mark corrected her. ?I just have a amazing teacher that inspires me.?

?Ah, Thanks,? Mara murmured, not knowing how to react to such praise. ?Umm?let?s try moving the gloves.?

.
.
.

The instruction went fairly well for a first lesson. Mark was able to nudge the objects around the table. Skywalker came by a couple times to check their progress. He would stay about a minute and then quickly leave usually rubbing his temples and complaining about a headache.

After lunch, a nurse came in and checked Mark?s vitals and cleared him to move around the medical bay. Mara decided it was time for a break from Force training and for Mark to get some exercise. He?d had been in a cloning cylinder and then a stasis pod for so long that his muscles were weak from lack of use. Mara decided to bring him to a small physical therapy gym she discovered in the MedWard.

With her arm around his waist, Mara helped Mark walk down to the gym. It was an odd feeling for the former Emperor?s Hand to act like a nursemaid to anyone, let alone the clone of the man she wanted to kill. But somehow Mark brought out the best in her. In the Force he felt younger than Luke, much younger. She couldn?t help but feel a little protective of this man who had no past, no family and had a questionable future.

They entered the gym, which was nearly empty with only a one crewman utilizing an upper body hand cycle, probably for a shoulder injury. Mara moved Mark to the parallel bars used to assist people with leg difficulties and positioned him between the bars. ?Grab hold of the railings on each side.?

Mark placed his hands on the bars. Mara grabbed a leather belt from a basket on the side of the equipment and secured it around his waist.

?What?s the belt for??

She notched up the belt tightly. ?It is a handhold in case you fall. If I pulled you up by your pajama waistband it would result in a major wedgie.? Mara positioned herself behind Mark. ?Okay walk.?

He took a few tentative steps trying not to lean heavily on the bars for support. After a few runs with Mara spotting him she left him to walk on his own.

?Once you feel comfortable with that we can get you on a treadmill.?

?My legs feel strong, it?s just the balance that I need to work on.? He turned and walked back without using the rails this time.

?Don?t show off,? Mara warned him. ? I don?t need you falling on your face.?

Mark grinned. ?Don?t worry, I won?t mess up this handsome mug.? He winked at her.

Mara just rolled her eyes as she paced along side of him.

Mark glanced over to her surreptitiously. ?So, are you married or seeing anyone??

Mara?s eyebrow shot up, surprised at that question. ?No, why??

The clone attempted to shrugged his shoulders but found it difficult while lea

 

?Hmmm, let?s see,? she said mockingly, pretending to be deep in thought. ?From what he has told me, he never knew his parents while growing up, but was raised by relatives. When he was a teenager, his guardians were brutally murdered by Imperial Stormtroopers. He fought in the Rebellion since their deaths and has yet to stop fighting. He was reunited with his father who tried to kill Luke but only succeeded in slicing off his hand. Oh yes, more recently he was nearly killed by a crazed darksider and a Luke Skywalker clone.? She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head ruefully. ?I really don?t see his life as idyllic either.?

Everything got covered except the part where Luke kissed and loved a girl who turned out to be his sister.

Loved Mark and Luke talking with each other.

And the "I wasn't born yesterday. *pause* I guess that's not the best phrase to use." was priceless!

Mark's a whole lot cockier than Luke is when it comes to Mara.