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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends Setting Suns (L/M...kinda)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by kayladie97, Apr 1, 2005.

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  1. kayladie97

    kayladie97 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 2003
    Author: kayladie

    Title: Setting Suns

    Timeframe: During Heir To The Empire

    Genre: Angst. Much, much angst. And oh, yeah, it's pretty much an AU.

    Characters: Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade

    Warning: Character death.

    Author's note to follow the fic...

    Edit: Oops, forgot the disclaimer...I don't own any of these characters and I'm not making any money off this.


    The trek through Myrkr?s dense jungle had taken its toll on both of them, whether Mara wanted to admit it or not. Luke was leaning back against the thick trunk of a tree, closing his eyes to get a tiny bit of rest. Mara was pushing them hard, and he found himself again wondering what her story was and why exactly she hated him so much.

    Naturally, he?d run into a lot of people over the past several years who hated him, but never had anyone?s enmity seemed so very personal. He cracked one eyelid open to take another look at her. She was one of the most beautiful women he?d ever seen, but her anger was so strong, he could almost feel it without the Force.

    He sighed quietly, closing his eyes again, knowing that he should try to get some rest. They were still at least a day and a half from Hyllyard City and the terrain wasn?t likely to improve any. Luke had just managed to slip into that first layer of drowsiness when Artoo?s frantic squeal had him leaping to his feet. A vornskr had come out of nowhere and was pinning Mara down to the ground. Luke could see the grimace on her face as she struggled to reach her blaster.

    Instinctively, Luke screamed the bellowing call of a krayt dragon, just as he?d first heard Ben Kenobi do several years ago. The vornskr turned sharply at the noise, and then did the last thing that Luke would have expected. The vicious creature left the prey he had on the ground and charged the one that was standing before him.

    Luke had just enough time to mutter one of Han?s Corellian curses before the animal crashed into him. He threw his hands up, but without any kind of weapon, and trapped on this Force-blind planet, he was utterly defenseless. A helpless cry of agony was ripped from him as the vornskr?s claws sank deeply into his chest, puncturing his lungs and nearly piercing his heart. The creature?s mouth filled his field of vision and he closed his eyes, waiting for the teeth to sink into his throat.

    Before that could happen, he heard the hum of his lightsaber and a flash of green neatly decapitated the monster. Luke looked up at Mara standing over him, breathing heavily and bleeding from several scratches on her face and arms. She didn?t say a word as she reached over and grabbed the headless body of the vornskr and pulled it off of him. Luke cried out again as the claws were pulled from his chest.

    The pain was unbearable and all he could do was lie there weakly, knowing that he was bleeding to death, but unable to even find the strength to raise his head.

    ?That was really stupid of you, Skywalker,? she said as she knelt beside him, inspecting his wounds.

    ?Just?doin? what?a Jedi?does,? he murmured.

    ?I didn?t need your help. I had it under control,? she snapped. She ripped off the edge of his tunic where the vornskr?s claws had torn the material and pressed it over the deepest wound. Luke wanted to tell her not to bother. He knew it was no use, but he somehow didn?t want to admit it to her.

    Mara frowned at him and said quietly, ?We?re miles from any kind of medical attention and you can?t access the Force.?

    Luke barely nodded at her, silently wishing that she would shut up and let him die in peace. Every nerve ending in his body felt stretched taut with torment and he had to fight down the bile rising in his throat.

    ?You?re going to die, you know,? she said matter-of-factly.

    ?Thought?what you?wanted,? he gasped and now his vision seemed to be fading in and out, almost like a comm unit that wasn?t working properly. All he could see of her was a haze of red hair, punctuated by her intense green eyes.

    ?
     
  2. Jedi_BMK

    Jedi_BMK Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2004
    Good little scene you wrote here. Doing something bravely stupid. Definitely sounds like the way Luke would go down.

    And killing Luke isn't so hard. Killing everybody... now that's a feat. ;)
     
  3. Jedi-2B

    Jedi-2B Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2000
    Well, I'm glad you warned us at the beginning, and explained the reasoning at the end. It was well-written and believable, tho. I'm not sure I could write a 'Luke dies' story.

    Now you can go back and work on 'Sleight of Hand,' where Luke LIVES. :D
     
  4. JediVegeta

    JediVegeta Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 2000
    Good AU! I liked all of it except for the fact you made me cry...lol. But I cry at any story where someone dies; especially Luke :(

    Keep it up! :)
     
  5. StarFighter5

    StarFighter5 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2003
    It was beautiful, but sad. As so many things in life are.
     
  6. Bria921

    Bria921 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Sad, but sounded good. (For Luke dying) And sounds like Mara, feeling sorry but wondering why she is for the man she wanted to kill.
     
  7. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Great fic, kayladie, even if I was a bit surprised to see you kill Luke. Now I wonder what Thrawn would have done if he'd learned of young Skywalker's death.


    Force be with you,

    Tych_sel
     
  8. GreatOne

    GreatOne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 22, 2003
    OMG!! kayladie97 killed her Lukie! And he wasn't even old and died peacefully in his sleep, having been married to Mara for a zillion years! :eek: :eek:


    Well. Hmpff. I just have ONE thing to say:





















    At least you didn't kill Han! :p [face_laugh]
     
  9. Leia

    Leia Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 8, 1998
    :eek: Well, that was kinda mean, don't you think, kayladie97? ;)

    Mara paused as an odd feeling of loss swept over her, as though she?d lost something precious without ever having the chance to truly know it.

    :( So sad. I shudder to think that there are universes in which Mara and Luke don't get together! :p

    Great fic! @};-
     
  10. RebelMom

    RebelMom Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2000
    You killed him. Wow. Never thought I'd see that. It was so sad too.
     
  11. academygrad88

    academygrad88 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2004
    Anyway, I must have done pretty good at it because only one person guessed that it was me.

    Yeah, and it wasn't me. I never thought you would do such a vile thing! :_|

    My poor, poor Luke. :_|

    It was very well written, but very sad.

    ****walks away depressed****

    NOW GET WORKING ON THOSE WIP FICS!!! ;)

    AG88
     
  12. kayladie97

    kayladie97 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 2003
    Jedi BMK: Doing something bravely stupid. Definitely sounds like the way Luke would go down.

    Yep, that sounds exactly like Luke! My poor, silly Farmboy...

    And killing Luke isn't so hard. Killing everybody... now that's a feat.

    Oh, no, trust me. For me, killing Luke was infinitely harder. :(

    Thanks for reading!


    Jedi-2B: Well, I'm glad you warned us at the beginning, and explained the reasoning at the end. It was well-written and believable, tho. I'm not sure I could write a 'Luke dies' story.

    Hey, I've been taken by surprise in a story where Luke or Mara dies before and I didn't want to do that to anybody. This way, you could decide to read it or not. Glad you decided to go ahead and give it a shot! :p And I'd be happy if you gave us a new story of Luke clipping his toenails...it's been so long!! :_| ;)

    Now you can go back and work on 'Sleight of Hand,' where Luke LIVES.

    :) I'm working on that!


    JediVegeta: Good AU! I liked all of it except for the fact you made me cry...lol. But I cry at any story where someone dies; especially Luke

    Well, I was trying to make you cry! [face_mischief] I usually cry when Luke dies, too. That's why I didn't think I'd ever be able to write one myself. Thanks for giving it a chance. :)


    StarFighter5: It was beautiful, but sad. As so many things in life are.

    :( Yeah, I didn't really think about the timing of this, what with Terri Schiavo and the Pope, but I promise my next story will be happy to make up for it! :)


    Bria921: Sad, but sounded good. (For Luke dying) And sounds like Mara, feeling sorry but wondering why she is for the man she wanted to kill.

    It was really, really hard for me to write this! But I'm glad that you think Mara was in character. Thanks for reading! :)


    Tych_Sel: Great fic, kayladie, even if I was a bit surprised to see you kill Luke.

    Yeah, I know, shocking, wasn't it? :p Glad you liked it, though.

    Now I wonder what Thrawn would have done if he'd learned of young Skywalker's death.

    Hmm, I don't know. [face_thinking] I imagine it would have made appeasing C'Boath a lot harder. But on the other hand, it might have improved his chances of getting his hands on Leia, so... Argh! No plot bunnies, dammit!!! :mad:


    Marysue: OMG!! kayladie97 killed her Lukie! And he wasn't even old and died peacefully in his sleep, having been married to Mara for a zillion years!

    I could issue you a challenge! I killed Lukie, now you have to kill Han! And like this, too. Really, really, really dead... (and my next fic will be totally full of Luke/Mara mushiness, so mushy it will give you cavities! [face_laugh] )

    At least you didn't kill Han!

    Oh, yeah, I still owe you one for "Dead Jedi Society" don't I? [face_frustrated] *mutters* Damn speedwriters...


    Leia: Well, that was kinda mean, don't you think, kayladie97?

    [face_devil] Yeah, just a l'il bit! :D

    So sad. I shudder to think that there are universes in which Mara and Luke don't get together!

    Hmm, not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I really do hate to think of Mara and Luke not getting together! This was the hardest thing I ever had to write. :(


    RebelMom: You killed him. Wow. Never thought I'd see that. It was so sad too.

    I never thought I'd do it, either! Is it strange that I'm glad you thought it was sad? Cause I was definitely going for sad...well, really more like downright depressing, actually. :p


    AG88: Yeah, and it wasn't me. I never thought you would do such a vile thing!

    Muhahahahaha! [face_devil] I fooled you, I fooled you all!! (well, 'cept for Karen, darn her...ruined my perfect record)

    My poor, poor Luke.

    :_| I know!! Wait a minute...your Luke? o_O I don't think so, sithsister. :D

    It was very well written, but very sad.

    ****walks away depressed****


    Well, I'd offer WYW updates to cheer you up, but that's not exactly at a happy point right now, either
     
  13. GreatOne

    GreatOne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 22, 2003
    I could issue you a challenge! I killed Lukie, now you have to kill Han! And like this, too. Really, really, really dead - [face_not_talking] [face_not_talking] [face_not_talking] [face_not_talking]

    I could NEVER kill Hanny-bear! Even if he died in his sleep of old age, with Leia and his kids and grandkids by his side, having lived to 100! Nope.... I just couldn't do it! :_| :_|
     
  14. obaona

    obaona Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2002
    Oh, how sad. :( But I liked how you did it, does that help any? :p

    I really liked all the little touches ... That he wants Leia to know he's sorry. It's like, sorry for what? but then, he's just - sorry. And him getting cold, reminding me of how he grew up on Tatooine. And then how he saw Anakin. I don't think that was a hallucination, personally - I feel the Force must exist even on Mykyr on some level. *sighs contemplatively*

    You killed Luke, but you did it well. ;) With appropriate characterization on Mara's part, especially, during that time period ... @};-
     
  15. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    So, there it is...I killed Luke Skywalker!! It was hard, emotionally upsetting, and terrifying, and I solemnly swear to never, ever do it again...

    Aw, come on. You know it was fun. ;)

    or at least not for a long time.

    Thatta girl. :D

    Quite angsty and depressing! :_| But I liked it nonetheless. :D It's certainly plausible; Luke could easily have been killed at that point in the books. But I'm really impressed with how well you handled the nuances of Mara's personality at that point in time and under those circumstances. :D

    Amazingly, she found herself reassuring him. ?I?m not going anywhere. I?m right here.?

    ?Good?good,? he breathed and his eyes closed briefly. When he opened them again, he?d gained a bit of coherency and he held her gaze. ?Do me?favor??

    ?I didn?t kill you myself, Skywalker, don?t you think that?s enough of a favor?? she asked sardonically.

    He laughed weakly, ending on a gasp as his eyes glazed with pain again for a moment. When he was able to focus once more, he looked up at her. ?Tell my sister?love her?and m'sorry.?

    Mara couldn?t see herself going up to Councilor Leia Organa-Solo and apologizing on behalf of her dead brother, but Skywalker didn?t need to know that. She gave him what he wanted to hear and said, ?Yeah, I can do that.?


    My favorite part. Good last words on Luke's part, and Mara's reaction is handled beautifully, but what I love best is that Luke laughs over her sarcasm even now. What a touch of the life they could have had! :_| Very nicely done all around. :D
     
  16. Shadowen

    Shadowen Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 1999
    Eeexxxcellent. My last command worked!

    YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.

    YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.

    YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER.

    Excellent piece of writing.
     
  17. kayladie97

    kayladie97 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 2003
    MarySue: I could NEVER kill Hanny-bear! Even if he died in his sleep of old age, with Leia and his kids and grandkids by his side, having lived to 100! Nope.... I just couldn't do it!

    Sure you could! [face_devil] C'mon, you know you really want to... I never thought I could kill Luke either, but I did it. Tell you what, if you kill off Han (it just has to be a little viggie, but no dreams, no time-traveling and getting another chance) then I'll write a mushy Han/Leia story with no Luke in it whatsoever! Whaddya think about that? o_O


    oba: Oh, how sad. But I liked how you did it, does that help any?

    Coming from you, that helps a lot! :D

    That he wants Leia to know he's sorry. It's like, sorry for what? but then, he's just - sorry.

    To me, that's just the way Luke is. He's apologizing because he thinks he's letting Leia down, leaving her so early. :( I think that would be the way he'd see it.

    And then how he saw Anakin. I don't think that was a hallucination, personally - I feel the Force must exist even on Mykyr on some level. *sighs contemplatively*

    I purposely left that part vague, because I wasn't even certain myself! How can the Force not exist in some way on a planet teeming with life as Myrkr is? And maybe Luke was able to feel it at that last moment... Anyway, if I was going to kill him, I had to at least give him the chance to be with his father again. I'm not that mean! :p

    You killed Luke, but you did it well. With appropriate characterization on Mara's part, especially, during that time period ...

    Thank you! Coming from someone who's killed Luke several times, that does mean a lot to me. :)


    Gabri Jade: Aw, come on. You know it was fun.

    Hmm, I don't know if it was fun, but what does it say about me that it was weirdly satisfying on some level? :eek: Maybe I just like angst a little too much. [face_worried] :p

    It's certainly plausible; Luke could easily have been killed at that point in the books.

    Yeah, this scene actually happens in the book (I had to go back and re-read, it's been so long since I looked at Heir to the Empire!), with Luke doing the Krayt dragon call. I just wondered what would have happened if the vornskr had taken that as a challenge instead of being confused by it as it was in the book.

    I have to explain a little something else behind this story (and I know I'm rambling, but bear with me, as this is really one of my most favorite things I've ever written!). The actual death scene was partially inspired by the movie Magnolia.

    For those who haven't seen it, Tom Cruise plays Jason Robards' estranged son. He ends up at his father's bedside just as he's dying of cancer and a truly gut-wrenching scene ensues. Tom has hated his father for most of his life, yet at the end he's begging his father not to leave him, not to go away.

    Jason Robards opens his eyes just long enough to seem to recognize his son, and then dies beautifully (that's where I got the bit with the gasping breaths and the rattling exhale).

    I found myself obsessed with that scene! I had rented the DVD, and I probably watched that part about a dozen times before I returned it. The look on Tom's face, the utter raw emotion of the entire thing...it just hit me in the chest. The rest of the movie sucks (raining frogs? what the ****?) but I can see why Tom was nominated for an Oscar for that role.

    Okay, that was probably way more info than anybody wanted... :p

    But I'm really impressed with how well you handled the nuances of Mara's personality at that point in time and under those circumstances.

    It was difficult trying to get the right balance of Haing Luke!Mara and Wondering What Might Have Been?Mara. Glad you think I did well!

    What a touch of the life they could have had! Very nicely done all around.

    It almost makes me sorry that I killed Luke off...almost. :D Thanks very much for reading! :)


    Shadowen: Eeexxxcellent. My last comma
     
  18. GreatOne

    GreatOne Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 22, 2003
    C'mon, you know you really want to... I never thought I could kill Luke either, but I did it. Tell you what, if you kill off Han (it just has to be a little viggie, but no dreams, no time-traveling and getting another chance) then I'll write a mushy Han/Leia story with no Luke in it whatsoever! Whaddya think about that?

    I will have to give that some deep consideration. You write GREAT mush, so it might be worth the trade-off! :D :D

    (but it will have to wait until after my story is done...) ;)
     
  19. SailorLeia

    SailorLeia Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 22, 2005
    Dear kayladie97,

    THAT WAS SOOOOO SAD!:_| Beautifully written, a true tear-jerker! Keep up the great work! =D= Much Love!

    ~SailorLeia
     
  20. JediNemesis

    JediNemesis Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2003
    So I'm in your profile, looking for the link to Sleight of Hand, and what do I find . . .

    Great little scene, kayladie. You really captured the sort of . . . the sense of how easy it is for even someone as powerful as Luke to die in the SW universe, and how dangerous a place it is. Terribly sad, of course, both in the fact that the galaxy's greatest hero died such a mundane death, and also that he didn't live long enough to get together with Mara. :_|

    Well written, evilly conceived. :p

    Nem :D
     
  21. MirandaFair

    MirandaFair Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 13, 2005
    kayladie, all the time reading this I was saying to myself, "Nah...she's not going to kill him off." And then the little voice in the back of my mind kept reminding me of the title. :eek: You killed Luke Skywalker!?!? :_|

    It was a dramatic death scene. Loved Mara's reaction...in her very true-to-form style.

    I did feel horribly sad for Luke. I wonder if that's how he would have been in his last moments on a planet where he couldn't use the Force. Certainly probable. And him seeing Anakin...I need a tissue! :(

    Wonderful job. I love reading fics during this time frame. Was better than coffee! [face_coffee] ;) [face_coffee]
     
  22. VaderLVR64

    VaderLVR64 Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2004
    Okay, okay! We believe you! You can kill off Luke! Now don't ever do that again! [face_shame_on_you]

    :_| :_| No fair!

    Brilliantly done, but :_| [face_frustrated]

    Okay, rant done!

    Loved it, even though it made me want to do something not so nice.

    =D=
     
  23. kayladie97

    kayladie97 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 6, 2003
    Argh, more long-delayed replies! I'm so bad...

    MarySue: Well, as you know by now, I finally delivered on the mush story. I'm glad you liked it!

    SailorLeia: It was sad, wasn't it!! Just keep saying, "It didn't really happen, it didn't really happen..." Thanks for reading! :)

    Nem: I'm still considering getting you to beta Sleight of Hand so I can submit it to the archives...you up for that?

    As for this story, believe me, I had to think for a bit to figure out a way to convincingly kill him off, especially in the dramatic way that I wanted to. I follow my own advice to SailorLeia..."It didn't really happen..." [face_laugh]

    Thank you for the kind words! :)

    MirandaFair: See, that's why I HAD to do it, cause no one thought I would! Glad you liked the death scene (It didn't really happen!!) and that you liked Mara's reaction. I always love it when people tell me I got the characters right! Thanks! :)

    VaderLVR: Don't worry, I won't!! Or as I said, at least not for a very long time. [face_devil] Glad you liked it! Don't go doing anything evil in any of your stories, now... :eek: ;)
     
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