Saga Shadows Fall (Joclad Danva, Arden Lyn, OCs, etc-Order 66 slight AU) 10/7 an update! wow!

GrandAdmiralV - To be fair, I hella extended that going-to-Palawa scene so I can't blame you for not remembering it. Wow, I said hella, I'm feeling very northern today.

I believe "plucky comic relief" comes from Galaxy Quest. If I'm right, do I get a cookie?

The first thing I noticed about Joclad when I saw him in AOTC was his hair. After going "Huh, he's cool-looking" I thought "Why would he have his hair down if he's going into BATTLE?" Couldn't someone just yank it and stab him and POOF, end of Jedi? That, along with his fancy little topknot, made me suspect it's a point of pride for him. So of course Dack can't let that go.

Vader is suitless -- for the time being. Everything that went on in ROTS/the OT will happen, it just takes a little longer to get to that point -- so I'm sure we'll be hearing about the results of the Obi/Ani fight in...well, awhile.

Depa, well, my lips are sealed...

As always, a round of applause to my master for her efforts. Thank you!

Peagis -- I hope that's a good wow. If so, thanks!

1Yodimus_Prime -- Sabé is like Elan in that she pretty much wormed her way into the story. She was meant for one scene but just kept coming back.

Maybe Joclad is just talking to his imaginary friend...? It's a thin line, regardless. I'm glad you liked the "boy talk" scene; I imagine Dack is about the only person on the ship that J will willingly talk to at this point, and I also tried to use that scene to sort of emphasize the fact that these guys were (at least at one point) good buddies. Dack knows he can draw him out with humor, so he does.

Thank you much.

correllian_ale - Thank you!

Joclad and the resume: well, it never hurts to think ahead! (I'm in the midst of a job hunt myself, so maybe some of my concern transferred to the character.)

16 was definitely meant to be a little lighter in some parts; they're stuck on a (tiny) ship, what can they really do besides turn on each other? They want to avoid that, so humor can make things a little easier. Dack in particular will recognize that. So I'm glad you found it funny.

VaderLVR64 - I dig the Elan love that's going around. I just want to hug him. Thanks!


Crazydan - If you've heard "Welcome to Paradise" by Green Day, I imagine "Welcome to Palawa" would have the same general lyrics. I'm sure Arden could arrange a trip for you if you wanted.

I think it's safe to say J-man is having technical difficulties.

Good luck with that essay!

Next chapter (are we up to 17 already? Yowza) will be up tomorrow. Bad news gets delivered, cameos up the wazoo, and a fight scene!

 

Fashionably late!

17. A Grave Situation
(or, Death on a Stick)


?It?s a mess,? Sabé Ralter?s face said from the viewscreen built into the bridge panel. ?An absolute mess. A few of the Outer Rim worlds are threatening martial law, and anyone found harboring a Jedi meets a nasty -- ?

?We?d gotten that impression already,? Devona said. Ralter pursed her lips together, as though not used to being interrupted.

Joclad smiled thinly and pushed his way fully into the frame. Arden Lyn might well possess more powers than anyone with common decency ought to, but Joclad Danva, as a Jedi Knight, still technically pulled rank aboard the ship, and he felt he ought to at least pretend to care.

Ralter stared at him, the barest flicker of relief passing through her brown eyes. All semblance of emotion vanished as she gave him a brief nod ? they were technically acquaintances, after all. ?Danva. Good to see you alive.?

?It seems Arden Lyn knows everyone,? he said, affecting the proper Coruscanti accent he had always maintained for important meetings. Frankly, having a political discussion with Ralter while he still dripped with sweat from his latest workout felt entirely uncivilized, but then again, the Republic had fallen, and Joclad felt he was entitled to a little barbarity. ?No, really. She does.?

Indeed, Master Lyn?s reach had already stretched far beyond what Joclad had ever imagined: from Jedi Knights and teräs käsi?trained bodyguards to the drug dealer sitting not a meter and a half away from him. Will miracles never cease? ?It?s fortunate you were out here.?

Her facial expression altered just enough to make it clear that out here was not exactly where she wanted to be. ?I went to Coruscant to find the Senator, but she?d already bugged out. I?ve been tracking her ever since.?

And so the good captain winds up helping fugitives. I?ll bet she?s thrilled with that. He was almost insanely curious as to how she knew Arden Lyn, but suspected that asking questions now would only prolong the uncomfortable conversation. Still, it was something to ruminate on later. Joclad had known Ralter was well-connected, but apparently her sphere of influence went far beyond the mere pinpricks of the fledgling Naboo military and the Jedi Temple ? she was old friends with a myth.

She said nothing of dropping him off at Elan?s; for that he was thankful. Let them all think he?d staggered there on his own, unaided. It would add to his legend.

Or something along those lines.

Minutes passed, and Ralter spoke quickly. Joclad only half-listened, and amused himself by looking out the bridge windows. He observed the larger Spindrift looming just a few meters to port, while a red R4 unit busily tethered wires and lines together to help maintain a steady uplink between the ships? computers. With a little nudge from the Force, he might be able to seal the two ships completely and allow access much faster. But if Ralter thought her droid could do the job, then he would not protest.

Instead, he heard the news of a Dark Lord?s rampage.

?The Dark Lord?? Devona looked up from her keyboarding, and Joclad almost wished he could stop her next question just so he wouldn?t have to answer it. ?Who?s the Dark Lord? Or what??

?Something to do with that Sith?? Elan asked. ?They like things dark, I think.?

Elan Sleazebaggano, Sith Expert? Joclad almost laughed, until he realized Dack wasn?t about to say anything. Fine, then?I won?t say anything, either. ?Yes, Ralter, who is the Dark Lord??

When he looked back at the viewscreen, Ralter was glaring at him. ?No one has seen the Dark Lord?s face,? she said, forming her words deliberately. ?He is always cloaked. Some say he?s old, some say he?s young. Some say he is a manifestation of the Force, made real through some sort of science. Others say? others say he?s a former Jedi.?

***

Traipsing through graveyards might well have been a popular dare for t

 

I've said it before, but I'm really enjoying watching how you handle the effects of Order 66 rippling outward through the galaxy and the way you have your characters react.

Joclad is definitely having some serious survivor's guilt. I hope he doesn't let it get the better of him.

I also love you the situation is deadly serious but you keep injecting these flashes of humor:

"You'd make a great wall ornament, Sleazebaggano," Joclad growled. The Balosar immediately stopped talking.

Of course, it helps that I have the assistance of a visual aid.

And Joclad's married? Wow, that came like a bomb out of nowhere. I mean, obviously it was arranged, but still...wow. And of course you've got the whole Depa complication....

I also love Dack's use of the phrase "delicate condition." For some reason I found that very amusing. Of course, I guess it wouldn't really be proper to say, "Looks like the ol' Senator got knocked up."

Your Padme gets ten points from me for stunning her out-of-control hubby. I hope that gives Stass enough time to blow the taco stand, because I was starting to get pretty worried about her. Yay for Padmes with something at least remotely resembling a spine!

And now they're off to Palawa. Sounds as if it could be a scary place. Let's hope the body count remains minimal.

Wonderful update, dear padawan!

 

And so they've been successfully towed to Palawa without incident.
...aside from the Anakin-is-Darth-Vader revelation. And the Obi-Wan-is-helping-Sentor-Organa revelation. And the Joclad-is-married-and-also-in-love-with-someone-else revelation. And the..
So Sabé is gonna stick around a while? Or at least, until Padmé calls her and tells her she's got a sleeping Sith Lord in her hold..


Was loving the Stass stuff. I'm excited to see where that goes.
Especially with Anakin, the great and terrible, killer-of-Jedi, unstoppable, untouchable, Sith Lord suddenly incapacitated. Lots of interesting possibilities there. This makes Stass the only person in the entire galaxy capable of ending the whole thing.
Padmé's gonna have a fun time talking her out of that.
...assuming Stass still believes such a thing is her duty. Who knows. (well, other than you, of course)
And that poor guard! He's gotta be terrified out of his mind.


Spectacular update!

 

Well, what great surprises in that update. Padme knocking out Anakin with a stun gun. (I thought a Sith or Jedi could stop that bolt!) Jocald continuing his trip of insanity and being "married". I hopes he didn't hurt Sabe that much.

Some good lines too. I like the description of the fight between Anakin and Stass and I like how you are making Darth Vader a "legend", with the other characters talking about him.

Oh well, my university classes are over, hooray. We had the BSD (Bermuda Shorts Day) party, the end of the winter semester thing. Booze that isn't so expensive, live band concerts, people wearing spring clothings, booze again and partying, all fun. And another good thing about that BSD is that the party is organized by my university's Student Union. So what a heck of day. I got to see friends who I hadn't see since the end of fall semester in last December and I even got to encounter a girl I used to know from elementary school. She still remembers me and some ASL signs...

Now I only need to finish my final exams and then that's my first year done.

 

I survived Order Sixty-Six and all I got was a Balosar and bad dreams.
- *dresses up in his infamous comicbook guy from The Simpsons costume*
Best one liner...ever.


Dack cleared his throat. "I'm not talking about Ellera."
- go on Dack, its about time someone took Joclad off his high horse...

She gave Dack a final shove, and turned to storm majestically out of the room. It might have worked, too, had she opened the door instead of slammed into it.

Dack covered his mouth. Joclad bit his lip.

"I'm fine," she said, opening the door and stalking out. "The point stands.?
-second best...ever.

He fell just as quickly, body paralyzed by the stun pistol that Amidala had pulled from her thick robes. She approached his still form, sorrow etched across her delicate features as she rested her hands atop her protruding abdomen. Stass started to put the pieces together as the Senator knelt beside the fallen man. "Nothing is, my love. Nothing is."

-Wait?!? Did this story just go AU?

Poor Elan...but great update u_s!!!

 

A great update!

Instead, he heard the news of a Dark Lord?s rampage.

?The Dark Lord?? Devona looked up from her keyboarding, and Joclad almost wished he could stop her next question just so he wouldn?t have to answer it. ?Who?s the Dark Lord? Or what??

?Something to do with that Sith?? Elan asked. ?They like things dark, I think.?

Elan Sleazebaggano, Sith Expert? Joclad almost laughed, until he realized Dack wasn?t about to say anything. Fine, then?I won?t say anything, either. ?Yes, Ralter, who is the Dark Lord??

Loved this section for some reason! I agree with your other readers, it is quite interesting to see how Order 66 affected those other than the Jedi.

Bravo on a unique and very well executed story!

 

Wow this story just keeps getting better and better as you move along. I really liked the whole bit with " I survived Order 66" stuff, I could just picture those T-shirts they have at some of the amusment parks, the rides that are supposed to be oh so Dangerous LOL. Also liked that bit at the end with Padme and Anakin and her interveneing to save Stass. Keep up the great work I look forward to more.

 

GrandAdmiralV -- So, ol'Joclad's got the ball n'chain. Kind of a funny story how that happened, too...it involved monsters, berries, Jocasta Nu, all kinds of fun stuff. But we all know he's just dying to do something creative to Elan, maybe hang him on the wall and put little light fixtures on him, or make him glow in the dark. Or maybe he could hold plants. I really should photoshop that pic a bit, heh heh heh....

As always, a big thanks to you!


1Yodimus_Prime -- Yeah, so how many bombs can I safely drop in one chapter before heads start exploding? I think that's all the crazy revelations we have for the time being. We haven't seen the last of Sabé, but your cargo hold comment got me thinking, though (and was shocking close to the mark, we must be on the same wavelength).

PADME: So, uh...I have a Sith Lord passed out on the couch.
SABE: *facepalm* Not good. SO not good.

Yep -- Stass can end it all right there, if she can get past Senator Amidala (big if). BUT if she ends it...we won't have the OT, will we?

I'll wish her luck, though. I like the gal.

Thank you!



crazydan -- I think a Sith/Jedi can stop the bolt if they're expecting it. Darth Ani was so consumed with taking out Stass that it didn't really occur to him that his beloved Padmé might be toting some weaponry. Or that she might use it on him.

I think Sabé will be OK. She's made of tough stuff. I think what Joclad did was just somehow "project" his voice so that it sounded/felt like it was coming from inside her head. Probably very unpleasant, but no lasting damage.

Thanks for your review, and I'm glad you're having a good time! Enjoy the university years, once they're over and it's into the real world, life gets scarrrrrry.


correllian_ale -- Dude, I got the comic book guy from Simpsons? AWESOME! I love that show. Thanks so much!

Doesn't that just figure for Devi? She puts two Jedi in their places and then smacks into a door.

Well, it has said AU up in the title since the start, so...


VaderLVR64 -- Thanks! Interesting section you highlighted -- and it brings up a question I've never really been able to get answered...how much DOES the average citizen know about the Sith? Are they the GFFA equivalent of the boogeyman, used as a scary story to keep kids away? (And if anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear it, I'm sort of flailing around with it.)

Then again, Elan's gotten picked up so many times by our resident Jedi that he probably thinks he knows a bit more than the rest.


Peagis -- Thank you! I'd totally buy a shirt like that if they had it. "Sith Lord-Tested, Danva-Approved!"

Hopefully Padmé's intervention will help Stass out in the long run -- that much hasn't really been figured out yet.


OK, on the good Senator Amidala:

The version of Padmé in this story is essentially my trying to reconcile the strong character we were led to believe she was with the...well, the not-so-strong character she wound up as in ROTS (movie and book, as I finally picked up the novelization). Now, some of the cutting-room floor scenes depicted the Pads I thought she was...or at least, a closer version of her.

Padmé of Shadows Fall is already on the downhill slide, but she is still trying to do what she perceives as the right thing. As it did in the film, that will ultimately doom her.

As I've said a few times before, everything ends the same way, it's just that the journey will take a little longer.

The next update will be at some point tomorrow. I think it's safe to say we're over halfway done, but as my chapters keep turning out obscenely long and I end up breaking them up we'll have to see.

We might also get...COVER ART. *drumroll* Or something that vaguely resembles it!

 

Hi, gang. Here's chapter eighteen. Chapter nineteen may be a bit later in coming, as I lost the entire thing when the machine I was on ATE IT, and I've been trying to reconstruct it ever since. It's also a rather large Padmé chapter, so I am taking extra care to make her as agreeable to the movie as I can, but still have her appearance in this fic be fairly plausible.

I'm trying to figure out how to put cover art into the actual first post, but until then, here's the link to cover art and my really basic "meet the cast" page.

(Trivia: The title of this chapter was not safe for boards. More's the pity, I say. Anyway, I ended up using a Sonata Arctica lyric.)

***
18. Shades of Darkness

Palawa looked nothing like Bunduki.

Joclad supposed he ought to have expected this; one planet hosted bloodsports, the other...well, the other had been lost to myth until an hour prior.

The Jedi knew it existed. Jocasta Nu even made a point of including it in her archive tutorials, gesturing to the dim blue world and its series of moons. A weak sun permitted little more than constant dusk, and a cloud of nearly transparent reets fluttered away from the Wanderer as it descended through a thin, cloud-strewn atmosphere. Purple and blue reflected off its sharp bow, dazzling his eyes.

Palawa, Jocasta had said, the world of perpetual twilight.

He recognized the fabled bunkers and towers intricately woven into a craggy landscape. Ancient-looking defender-class guns swiveled, matching the Wanderer move for move. He had no doubt that a blast from any of these guns would ground the little ship permanently, if not worse.

He smiled faintly. Even the Teräs Käsi need their defenses.

Power radiated from this place: unfamiliar power, not dissimilar from the Force?yet nothing like it at all. It called to him gently, whispering his name and offering him tantalizing glimpses of a future he no longer possessed. He sought it, dipping a toe into swirling waters -- only to yank back, stung by its intensity. It was the Force, yes, but a vein he'd never dreamed existed.

Untapped. Unrealized. Unfathomed.

And currently poking at him with something very much like curiosity. Joclad clenched his fists and tried to stave off what he identified as trepidation. ?They know we?re here.?

Arden's hands moved over the keys almost mechanically. "They keep to themselves," she said, bringing the Wanderer in toward a tall, graceful spire set against a mountain. Joclad judged it to be more than a thousand meters high -- nothing compared to the splendor of the Jedi Temple, but, alone in this landscape, it dwarfed everything else. ?But they knew we were here the instant we entered the system.?

The ship settled.

Arden shut down the main engines and stood up. "We haven't got all day," she said, pushing through to the regular quarters. Joclad followed her, a string of questions already forming in his mind. "And yes, it is day. Mid-afternoon, I think. It gets very dark at night, so we'd best hurry along. Don't talk unless they talk to you, and don't..." She swung around and pointed at the trio of lightsabers dangling from his belt. "...Don't...use those."

He nodded. Following orders meant he didn?t need to think as deeply.

?I?ll guard the ship,? Devona said from the bridge. ?To make sure no one steals it or anything.?

?I?ll just stay with you,? Elan said. ?For protection.?

?I wouldn?t recommend that,? Arden said mildly. ?They might think you're a coward.?

From the look on Devona?s face, Joclad could only imagine what the Teräs Käsi Order did to those it thought cowardly. ?Maybe they should come along.?

Elan raised a hand. ?But what about the other guy??

Ah. The Rodian. Joclad shrugged. ?We can leave him. He?s just dead weight anyway.?

He was surprised to see Devona send him a dirty look. ?Jedi are supposed to be compassion

 

"(And if anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear it, I'm sort of flailing around with it.)
Actually, I've been grappling the question of how much 'basic' knowledge is actually known by the commoner in our GFFA for a long time. Take for instance our own history. We seem to think we have it well documented. But if I were to ask you who invented the first lightbulb, you'd incorrectly say Thomas Edison, rather than Sir Joseph Swan. Because that's what we were taught. In school. By teachers. And then there's all the controversy over whether or not we even landed on the moon, which is patently ridiculous, yet still a major argument to this day. If we can't even get these basic historical facts straight, how is a galaxy that forgot a millenia-old religion in under 2 decades supposed to? I bet they think the Sith are winged monsters from dimention X, employed covertly by the Emperor to combat the 'Black Sun', which secretly controls the universe as a shadow government for the evil superbeings in the neighboring galaxy. Or they think the Sith are just made up. one of the two.

Likin the cover art. Especially who you picked for Arden. Appropriate.

"I ended up using a Sonata Arctica lyric"
Ooooo, Epic! also appropriate.

Palawa looked nothing like Bunduki
I have yet to read a sentence futher, and I already get the feeling this is a major understatement.

The grandest of all Teräs Käsi traditions has been its sense of pageantry, Knight. The Jedi save the galaxy, the Sith destroy it...and the Teräs Käsi enjoy it. - sounds like my kind of Order. Sign me up!

What could connect those two, what could be so strong but...uh-oh.
I love how long and roundabout it takes her to realize this. Oh silly Jedi, so nieve.
And then she gets the late news about her Jedi friends and the Temple. See, now this is exactly why I could never be a Jedi. Padmé had just said 'do what you must'. Well after learning the travesties that Ani had commited, by the girl protecting him no less, I would have gladly taken her up on that offer. Oh well. Thats the Jedi for you. Principled fools.

?You?re reading it backward,? Arden said. ?It says ?To death and to life.? Rather a contradiction, but I strongly suspect they were drinking when they came up with it.?
haha! I've always wondered how many ancient words of 'wisdom' were written down in that same state.

?So how are we supposed to get in, if it?s going to fry us?? Dack asked. ?Again, the bad feeling? Right there.?
Just one of those things that made me laugh that I needed to point out.

This Rama Cataract is a real arrogant [tos violation]. But freakin scary, too. Yow.
Joclad did the right thing. Screw Arden's ideas. Just because she's ancient and powerful doesn't mean she's right..

I intended to read this straight through and then respond, but all the awesome lines kept forcing me to pause and add to my post. Stop writing awesome lines, damn it. It's breaking up my reading!!

 

Now that was a tense chapter had me on the edge of my seat! keep up the awesome work!

 

Wonderful chapter, u_s, although I'm detecting a distinct lack of love on Palawa.

?They don?t do sacrificial offerings,? Joclad said, but then realized he had no idea if that were actually the truth. He looked at Arden. ?Do they??

?Not usually,? she said. ?But in your case they might make an exception.?

All these sharp exchanges are great -- they always make me smile (or laugh outright). Also, they're a great way of defusing some of the tension...because as we all know these guys have been so tense lately someone needs to buy them a coupon book for a massage therapist.

I like the scene between Stass and Padme because Stass is sort of voicing what all the rest of us are thinking. At what point do you not defend someone anymore? I mean, Padme knows what Anakin has done, but she's still defending him. It's amazing how love can blind someone. (As a sidenote, I watched a very interesting German film called Downfall last night, which is about Hitler's last days in the bunker, and I'm starting to get a serious Eva Braun vibe off Padme. Honey, de Nile ain't just a river in Egypt!)

So I hope you can recover Chapter 19, because I'm dying to see what goes on next between Padme and Stass.

Joclad lifted his head to meet her gaze, and he allowed a defiant tinge to creep into his voice. ?We are not dying.?

Cataract smiled at him, and allowed a tantalizing glimpse into a mind far too strange for him to plumb. ?No?? Her voice flowed smoothly, rather like Depa when she spoke of the Force. Such a pleasant connection proved upsetting, and he focused instead on the coldness in her eyes as she said, ?Perhaps you?re already dead.?

Um, what Yodimus said about Rama. Major *****!! Although it does sound as if at least she has a good wardrobe.

Very interesting setup on Palawa. I like the idea of a whole separate evolution of Force users that's completely different from the type of Force training given in the Temple. Of course, they don't sound like very nice people. I also liked how Joclad restrained himself by thinking of all the people whose legacies he needs to preserve. It seems as if loss is making the guy grow up a bit.

But now they're thrown out on their keesters once again, doomed to wander the galaxy. I do hope at some point they find some kind of safe haven!

Looking forward to more!

 

I just had to say, what a GREAT line:

The thought chilled her. Love was among the most devastating powers in the galaxy; it could start and end wars, overcome great hurdles and destroy entire civilizations. Battles had been fought over and for love. Entire planets had been lost in its name. Love, Adi Gallia had once told her, is to the galaxy what the Force is to the Jedi.

Another great updat! I can't wait to see what happens. I don't know how much the public knew about the Sith, but in Truce at Bakura, I know at least one person (Gaeriel) is surprised to hear that Palpatine was even Force sensitive. So, I don't think that Palpatine's being a Sith was public knowledge, but I don't know.

 

Well, the orignal chapter title to 18 was "***** in Space," so I am very pleased Rama got her...due?

1Yodimus_Prime -- Thank you! I'm glad you liked some of the lines. Good points about our own history. General consensus seems to be people may know OF the Sith, but don't know what they are, exactly -- as VaderLVR mentioned, the girl in Truce at Bakura (been a long time since I read that) was surprised about Palp's Sithliness. I kind of like the idea of wings and other dimensions, though.

I wish I could say "Shades of Darkness" came from a particularly epic Sonata song, but it's from "Victoria's Secret." Or, as Tony Kakko calls it, underwear music. Great song nonetheless.

Heh. Wait'll you see what Stass does NEXT.

Peagis -- Thanks! I aim to please. Stay tuned for the next bit....

GrandAdmiralV -- I watched Downfall also and hmmm on the Eva bit. Well, at least Padmé's not coming across as the OTHER lady...yet? A lot of her characterization (or shall I say re-characterization for 19) in this segment is drawn fron the ROTS novelization, where pretty much every other thought in her head was Anakin.

Rama is ancient and powerful and mean. She'd BETTER have a great wardrobe! Especially if she subscribes to the "enjoy life" credo that the TK claim to abide by. Let's just hope Joclad's idea of surviving through calm at the moment doesn't stop the instant he gets the opportunity to set something on fire....

But a safe haven would be boring....

Thank you!

VaderLVR64 -- Thank you -- I always figured Jedi had to have *some* sort of explanation for love, seeing that they weren't supposed to partake in it. So they'd make it into something they'd identify with (even though Stass clearly sees the difference). The Bakura info is interesting; I haven't read that book for awhile, but I guess I'll play it the way I was intending -- only a select handful know what's really going on.

And now for the revitalized Chapter 19, which underwent a couple of rewrites after it got chomped. Much thanks to GAV, who found my continuity errors and spared you all my pronoun woes. =D

***

19. I, Jedi

I?m sorry. The words hung thickly in the air for several seconds as Stass contemplated them. It was perfectly civilized of the Senator to say them, of course; it seemed she was taking responsibility for her perceived actions. That did leave the question, though: what, exactly, was Amidala sorry for?

Stass still tried to grasp the idea of the temple being attacked at all. The girl had indicated that, hadn?t she? It was attacked the night the clones came. It was coordinated. Who would do such a thing? ?You?re far more informed as to what?s going on than I am, Senator. Let us start at the beginning: Who attacked the temple??

When the Senator didn?t immediately answer, Stass lifted her gaze to the handmaiden and the guard, both of whom stared back at her with unreadable faces. No, not unreadable ? uncomprehending. They might well know what was going on in the galaxy, but they had no clue as to what had launched it, or why their mistress was running around after a Sith Lord.

The handmaiden in particular looked as though she wanted to say something, but held her tongue for fear of ? what? Stass probed her slightly, and found that little Motteé existed under a strange gag order from her employer. Hmmm....

But then the silence stretched on too long, and Stass?s patience waned. ?Someone answer me!?

In the end, it was Amidala who relented. ?Palpatine has declared all Jedi to be traitors,? she said. ?He has ordered them rounded up and executed.?

The Senator?s emotions were open enough for Stass to taste the bitter discontent that tinged those words, but Amidala certainly was not telling the whole story. ?He can?t do that. The Senate -- ?

?The Senate?? The girl gave a short, sharp laugh. ?The Senate gave up the power to argue with hi

 

Bad news and more bad news for Stass. She's just finding everything out in the worst way, isn't she? And no love for the headdress. Really, I know he's a Sith Lord now, but Ani's at least gotta respect good fashion sense. He did marry Amidala, after all.
I like her digression on the meaning of the word 'Purge' when she first hears Padme say it.
Poor Mottee, we hardly knew ye.
Stass managed to call her hilt back to her aching hand before the Sith could hammer at her with his damned blue blade. So blue. So blue. Blue on green. Isn?t it pretty?
It is. She sounds a little bitter, yeah? I guess if the war hadn't disillusioned her already, Anakin most certainly did.


Anakin seems to have all the best traits of Jason or Michael Meyers.
I think we need to get the croc hunter down here. He'd drop him.

 

I join the audience in saying poor Stass' headress. You're a mean writer. Killing off that poor headress! Do you hate the headress or something like that?

Heh... .

Anyway, I like how you did a good job of showing Stass' confusion and different emotions over the reveleations of the state the galaxy is in. And her thoughts over "Purge".

However, I have one thing to ask. Why does Anakin reminds me of the Black Knight from "Monty Python & The Holy Grail"?

 

Just when I think this story can't possibly get any better -and my expectations are pretty darn high! - I read another post and think, "Okay, it just got even better!"


Stass almost choked on the inappropriate snicker that rose in her throat. ?Run the galaxy?? Although she felt the cosmos would run much better if the Jedi were in charge, she couldn?t think of a single Master, Knight, or Apprentice who thought the Order was worthy of such a task. ?It sounds as though Palpatine read too much of Galaxy Quest Weekly, if you ask me.? And she wouldn?t have put it past the man; he?d expressed a healthy sense of humor when she and Master Ti had guarded him....

Loved this passage! I was so impressed by your quote on love that I made sure to post it in the "Quotes that are just cool" thread. I think that is one of those things I'll remember for a long, long time to come!

 

Oh, I am just filled with the overwhelming urge to smack Padme around. A lot. And I'm usually such a mild, sweet-tempered person.

I also really liked Stass's ruminations on the meaning of the word "purge."

You know, when you mentioned "Galaxy Quest Weekly" all I could think of was them featuring an interview with Sigourney Weaver's character from GQ about how her b**bs fit into her jumpsuit. Sorry, I've just watched that movie WAY too many times.

I thought the exchange between Ben and Sabe was very well done. I could almost hear Ewan's voice as I read those lines.

Poor Mottee, though. And that poor headdress. Maybe it's the universe telling Stass that it's time for a wardrobe change.

Yep, Anakin really has turned into the boogie man. I think at this point you'd have to shoot him through the head, chop his head off, burn him to ashes, and then shoot the ashes into orbit before you could be really, really safe. And even then I'm sure the scriptwriters could think of a way to resurrect him for the sequel.

"'Tis but a scratch!"

I think I have low blood sugar.

Wonderful update, as always. I hope you don't have to take too much time off from writing -- after all, if Carrie could find time to read Chinese manga online in her spare time, I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze a chappie in here and there.

 

This is . . . amazing. I don't read a lot of fics based off OCs, but yours, it just blows everything away. Have you got a PM list? 'Cause if you do, I want on!

 

Cool cover art u_s....

Palawa, Jocasta had said, the world of perpetual twilight.

Wow shore, that line really hit me...

Arden shrugged. ?Your prerogative, of course, good knight ? but you do realize you are stronger with your Force than either of those two? Your power, if you used it, would far surpass theirs.?

Her words were casually spoken, but Joclad thought he detected the slightest hint of an offer in them. The strength they have, and more, is yours for the taking, if only you knew the way....

How much strength, though? Enough to destroy Vader? Enough to avenge his master and his friends?

Very Palps like moment...*shivers*

?Your eyes don?t match.?

?I?m sorry,? Dack said automatically.

That struck me as very funny, as if Dack doesn't know how to shut-off the sarcasm....

He had no friends here.

It was nothing new.

Yet he seems to be missing the fact that he's surrounded by people who just might follow him to the gates of Paplatine's manor...


?Master Allie,? she said slowly, ?there is no hope for the Order.?

Between Padme and the Masters of Teras Kasi(I know, sp.) everyone thinks the Emperor has delivered the knock-out blow to the Jedi...its very interestng where you're going with this.

Of course he knows -- he ran around with Qui-Gon Jinn for all those years!

Wait, what did I miss?!?

? -- if someone with the great powers that a Jedi might possess is ? let?s say he?s distracted ? it becomes all too easy for something else to snag his attention. Something dark. And that is just the beginning.?

Wow, that's the first time I've heard that kind of spin on it!

The whine of the starship became a shriek, almost, Stass thought, like a human?s....

?Who is this talking, Senator? The wise and compassionate person I knew you to be, or the jilted wife left behind for the Dark Side??

Oooo! Snap!

Damn fine updates u_s! I could have quoted the whole bloody thing...Mama V is right, it just keeps getting better and better!

 

Well, I have followed my master into the workplace (pause for appropriate chuckles here - no, really, I did!) and I think I'm settled in enough to risk posting again. I do have chapter...are we up to 20? Well, it's done -- I may even post it when I get home tonight. Posts will probably be either on the weekend or the evenings...I'm okay with writing out responses and reviews on this Mac, but I haven't gotten it to accept my formatting the way I want it to. Anywhoo, here's author's responses -- much belated.

The croc hunter? (cue shore's fake Aussie accent) "CRIKEY! Lookit the size o'that one! Careful there, we might make him mad!" I think it might be fun to send the guys from Ghosthunters after him, with their little ghost voice tape recorders...

Keep in mind that Ani's fashion sense seems to run along...black. And while that's fine for him, he may not be able to appreciate the subtle complexities of the Tholoth.

And yeah, Stass has it a bit rough these days. She seems to be taking it fairly well, though -- or at least as well as she can. But the worst is yet to come, I fear...for both her...and the headdress.

(sinister, Maul-esque voice) At last I will reveal myself to the headdress. At last I will have my revenge.

The story with the headdress...actually, in an earlier draft of the story it wasn't touched, but I did a little research and found out it meant something important on Corellia (still am not sure why) so I figure it would be somewhat meaningful to her. The thing's probably been with her for a long time, and in light of all the craziness going on...she's just sort of clinging to familiarity.

Monty Python, huh? Yeah, I can see that. "Tis but a scratch!" Now, if Anakin had said that after Obes minced him up, that would have really made RotS special.

Oh, my, thank you! I didn't realize we had a Quotes thread, I'll have to go check it out!

I figure the Jedi HAVE to hav some sort of explanation about what love is -- especially if there's confusion over whether or not they're supposed to feel it (love for one person vs compassion vs...oh, all those weird complexities, I'll stop before I ramble.) Adi was said to be particularly intuitive so she would probably be the one to put it into understandable terms.

I'm fairly certain that's the kind of article that sort of magazine would rou

 

With regards to Robert Wuhl, Andrew Jackson, and GWAR*

*I can't stand them, but they did have one particularly wonderful lyric that I made use of. Props to whoever figures it out...

20. Jedi Storytime with Dack and Joclad

Dack?s heart started pounding almost as soon as Cataract turned her back on them; her grasp on the Force ? or what Dack suspected was some bizarre vein of it ? was borderline shocking and thoroughly disturbing. The amount of energy she'd projected -- the sheer capability -- who could do that? He couldn?t begin to fathom just where she was drawing that energy from; for all he knew, she was sucking it out of the various warriors she kept around her.

Or maybe she was ripping it right out of him. He?d felt light-headed since landing on this horrible planet.

Joclad?s abrupt departure left him an opening, and he gladly took it, trying all the while not to limp as he kept his lightsaber up and ready for action. If a bunch of Teräs Käsi adepts planned on jumping him, he?d for damn sure knock off a few limbs before he went down.

But he?d just stood up to a Master of Teräs Käsi! And not gotten killed! Oh, what would Kit say? What would the Council say? I, Dack Meridian, faced down a crazy wench! Bring on the Sith!

Then again, the Sith were probably far worse than even Rama Cataract ? but he could dream, couldn?t he? No wonder Elan?s deathstick business did so well. Euphoria is great.

They?d barely gotten out the doors when a harsh scrape of stone against stone echoed through what seemed like the entire fortress; as one, the group slowly turned around. The massive doors that had for so long kept the rival Order from the rest of the galaxy swung shut of their own accord, and the seal between the two glowed red before it simply ceased to exist. The bizarre ripples in the Force halted, and Dack felt an instant sense of relief: now he had a few tons of rock between him and that Rama Cataract.

He decided that was a good thing, and started moving along again.

Then he realized that Arden Lyn was still inside.

He stopped moving. The others trickled to a halt a few steps in front of him, except for Joclad, who stopped and appeared to study the ceiling rather than turn around. Dack cleared his throat. ?Did we just get abandoned??

Devona wrinkled her nose. ?I wouldn?t put it past her.?

Well, that was a little upsetting. Arden Lyn disturbed the hell out of him, but he was fairly confident that not much could touch him when she was around unless she permitted it. It was comforting in a peculiar way.

?So,? Elan said, wrapping the Rodian?s leash around his hand, ?is she going to...stay there??

?Godswilling,? Devona muttered.

Dack shook his head. ?Don?t we need her to get out??

?Oh.? The pilot pulled a face. ?Yeah, there is that.?

The Corellian held back a sigh. All in all, he wasn?t quite sure how he felt about Arden Lyn; she might be headache-inducing, but at the moment, she was their only real ally ? if that. He tried scanning the shut-off chamber with the Force but ran into a wall when he sought to penetrate the doors themselves. A few seconds of probing revealed virtually no weaknesses; the Teräs Käsi certainly knew how to lock someone out.

Then again, his own abilities were somewhat limited in nature. With that in mind, he turned to Joclad. ?Hey, Jedi Danva. What?s she doing??

Joclad looked in the direction of the doors and got that glazed expression he tended to develop when he was sensing something. ?She?s waiting for everyone else to leave,? he said. ?I think.?

Dack kept his mouth from falling open, not sure whether he ought to be impressed or worried. ?Can you see why??

His friend?s presence in the Force almost glowed as he deepened his concentration. ?She wants...she wants to see Cataract alone...might not be a good thing.?

Joclad?s strength in the Force was far superior to his own, but even then, Jedi Danva had mostly

 

Good to see you back. How was your break? I hopes you had a good rest.

Now, finally the story is moving on. The confrontion between Rama and Arden is interesting, and poor Teras Kasi Order. It's not very smart making any deals with the Sith. Will we get any more information on that deal between Palpatine and Rama?

So where the "Scooby gang" will go to now?

 

Wonderful and amazing, as always. I love Dack and Devona. Especially Devona. She's really something, it seems like she hasn't got too much up there sometimes, but usually she's got good points, and it's clear she's really been through a lot of rough spots. Elan and in smaller part the Rodian crack me up. Elan is definetly one of the best chararcters I've read. Update again soon!