Shadows (post-AOTC) in collaboration with Jedi Princess Solo *****New Post, AUGUST 8th!*****

Awesome post! I loved it! Leia's aunties came into the picture, we got to see some romance blooming between Bail and Dorme, and Padme and Obi and Lyndara are all suffering because of Vader and Palpy! Very angsty stuff, ladies!

 

Great post! Sorry it took me so long to get here, I forgot that I never read the new post LOL! I am such an idiot, eh?

 

Lovely post, Padme angst always gets me choked up I can't wait for the new post later tonight! Ek, I am so excited!

 

Fantastic! Poor Padme! Oh Ani, why did you have to turn evil- so we could have the OT of course, but still

Can't wait for the new post, girls!

 

Here it is, guys Sorry about the delay- after I sent the final copy to Kathryn for editing I had some trouble accessing my account But never fear, it's been fixed, so enjoy the post!
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Stumbling, Darra Thel-Tanis exhaled sharply as her ankle twisted under her, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on, making her way through the dark alleys of Calna Muun as quickly as possible, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

He was here, she could feel it.

And if she could feel his presence, then she knew that he could feel hers.

Faster, she urged her body, even as her legs ached in protest. Got to keep moving.

Her last hiding place on Ansion had been jeopardized, so she had fled the planet for Agamar, hidden in the cargo hold of delivery ship. She was exhausted and hungry, her body was pushing itself past its limits, even for a Jedi. The injuries that she had sustained evading the stormtroopers on Ansion had yet to heal properly, and she was covered from head to toe with bruises, cuts and scrapes.

Needless to say, her strength was fading fast.

A tingle of the Force shot up her spine, and she hurled herself around the next corner, ignoring the pain that exploded through her legs. He was close, so very close! She had to hide, had to run, had to escape him!

Shavit, she thought wildly, sensing him drawing near. Shavit, shavit, shavit!

She could hear his footsteps now, thick armored boots clanking on the ground as he moved with all the grace of a Corellian sand panther. Panting, Darra leaned up against the wall of the alley, her hands shaking as she reached for her lightsaber.

She ignited it just as the Dark Lord of Sith turned the corner in front of her, and as her blade lept to life in her hands, Darth Vader paused, staring back at her with that emotionless armored mask.

A Jedi knows no fear, she repeated the mandate to herself shakily. There is no death, only the Force. I am not afraid...

It was a lie, of course, she was shaking in her boots. Or she would have been, if she'd been wearing any. Hers had finally gotten too torn up to wear anymore on Ansion, so she'd been forced to make due with a pair of leather slippers that she'd swiped from a Quarren vendor.

A Jedi resorting to stealing, it would have been almost comical in any other situation.

"You won't be needing that," Vader sneered, giving a small flick of his fingers, and her lightsaber flew out of her grasp to smack into the wall behind her, clattering lifelessly at her feet.

"You'd kill an unarmed woman?" Darra grunted through her clenched teeth.

Vader made a noise that she supposed was a chuckle, but it sounded like booming thunder in her ears. "A Jedi is never really unarmed," he said coolly. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Darra opened her mouth to respond, but found that she couldn't. Her throat was suddenly painfully tight, her trachea felt as if it were being crushed by invisible hands. Her chest heaved, frantically trying to force air into her lungs, but it was no use.

Doubling over, she gasped, glaring at Vader through narrowed eyes. His dark form wavered in front of her as her vision blurred, the lack of oxygen affecting her senses. No, she thought desperately. No, I will not die this way!

Drawing on the Force with an intensity that she never had before, she grabbed onto the phantom hands at her throat and ripped them away violently. A rush of precious air burst into her lungs and she slid to her knees, panting hard.

"An interesting tactic," Vader commented, his inhuman voice echoing in her ears. "Your effort was admirable, but all together futile."

Harsh winds suddenly leapt to life around her, slashing at her face, searing across her bare skin like flames. Tiny shards of durasteel and other debris littering the alleyway rained down upon her, piercing her skin, and she cried out, unable to keep her composure in the face of the added agony.

Distantly, above the roar of the Force winds

 

OMG, OMG! Mara's parents!!!! *shrieks of delight* That was just awesome! I loved seeing Dara again, since we lost track of her after the battle where Ani killed a Jedi who Palpy had possessed to protect Padme. I especially love the glimmer of good left in Vader early on. He he, he is responsible for Mara being born then

 

*dances for joy*

So many dark posts and now a sweet happy foreshadowing post!! I love!!

 

Beautiful post girls! Wow, Mara's mom and dad, how cool is that? I especially loved getting a hunted Jedi's pov on the Purges- you captured the desperation perfectly! Bravo, I loved it!

 

Don't ask me why, but this part just tugged at the heartstrings for me

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a shake of her head. "It's been a trying time for us. My people are scattered throughout the galaxy, those of us that still live that is, and we are being hunted. It's become necessary to be suspicious of everyone we meet."

"I understand," Adurin replied with a weak smile. "I imagine it's been difficult for you."

"Yes," she said softly, a stab of grief tugging at her heart as the memories of the Eriadu base burning came to mind. "It has."

Very moving post, loved the way you captured the emotions of the Purges! And we finally learn where Mara came from

 

How prophetic are these words of Dara: There was still a flicker of the boy she once knew inside of the Dark One, and someday that was going to be the Empire's undoing.

Everybody has already mentioned what I wanted to say. Another well-written post, a welcome respite to all the previously angsty/melancholic ones.

 

I'm so giddy, I'm giggling. That was so awesome. What an incredibly cool idea. The way it all ties together. Maras mom was a Jedi (COOL!), she knew Ani, he let her go... its so perfect. And it just seems so "Star Wars".

This story gets better with every post.

 

That. Was. Awesome.

WOW! What a post! I love that idea- Mara's mother being the one Jedi that Vader lets escape, he he! Great twist, ladies!

 

OMG! Mara's parents! Ekkkk! That is so cool! And I love that Vader let Dara go- I bet he's pissed at himself for it later, though, lol. So Mara is from Agamar, huh? Cool! He he, Palpy must have hated having to go all the way out there to kidnap her, then

 

Wonderful post! I love how you brought a touch of the EU to the fic, w/ Mara's parents! That was awesome And Vader, well, he always kicks ass More soon, please!

 

UP!

 

UP!!

 

(((((force push)))))

 

Fantastic post ladies! I love this story, I am always so excited after I read a post Update again soon!

 

Just thought I would give this an UP

 

Up! Readers are still interested in the conclusion of this epic!

 

It's been MUCH too long since I posted a reply on this thread. You ladies are doing a marvelous job with everything- tying in EU characters, depicting the emotions that Obi-Wan and Amidala are carrying, portraying the Organas- a family we know very little about, other than their name. A beautiful piece of work you have here. I especially liked the latest post- I knew you would tie in that young man somehow, but never did I suspect the name "Jade" to appear. Awesome, ladies. Keep up the excellent work, and I'll be looking for the next installment.

BTW- JPS, I don't know if you've read the latest Shutting Off the Sun post or not, but just in case you didn't- it's up.

Meanwhile, UP!

 

Hi everybody

Don't worry, we haven't forgotten you guys In fact, I have a post almost completed! I intended to post it last month, but then I had a bit of a family crisis to attend to, and with the holidays and exams I didn't have time to finish it. But I am home for Christmas now, so expect a new post later this week

Happy Holidays!

~JPS~

 

Upping all my unfinished classics for the last time in 2003! Hope some resolutions are being made...

 

Hi guys, sorry about the lack of posting- I've had a horrendously busy month, and Kathryn is temporarily out of the country. When she gets back, we'll see about getting a new post up for you guys. Don't worry, we haven't forgotten you all Thanks for your patience!

~JPS~

 

Hey all! Here's the next post for you at last. Thanks for your patience while we dealt with DRL

The sun was high overhead, the sky a clear and brilliant blue as the gentle morning breeze ruffled the Alderaanian grasses in the distance.

From where she stood on her balcony, Padmé Skywalker looked out on the pathways and sprawling gardens of the palace, where she often walked in the evenings, under Obi-Wan's watchful eye. Alderaan really was a beautiful planet, and Aldera was a breathtaking city, the world as peaceful as its inhabitants.

I suppose, she thought sullenly. That I could not have chosen a more lovely prison.

For that's what this place had become to her, in the end, a shelter from the Empire, but also a cage from which she could not escape. How she longed to be back on Naboo instead, listening to the sounds of the waterfalls in the distance as she visited with her family.

Of course, that was only a dream. Even if she were able to return to Naboo, she could not have gone to see her parents or Sola and the girls. There was too much at stake, if they knew about the twins, they would become targets, and while she did not believe that Anakin would harm them, Palpatine was an entirely different story.

And so she did not even try to make contact with them, severing all ties with her former life and spending her days aimlessly wandering about the palace, waiting for her children to be born.

After that, she wasn't certain what path she would take.

Her hand went to her rounded stomach, settling over its gentle curve, and one of the twins stirred under her touch. She wondered which one it was, the boy or the girl, her son or her daughter.

They occupied most of her thoughts these days, her unborn children. She would sit by the transparisteel, watching the sun set, and try to imagine what they would look like. Would one look like her and one like Anakin, or would they be a blend of their parents, dark-haired and blue-eyed?

"Padmé?"

She turned to offer him a small, tired smile. "Good morning, Obi-Wan," she greeted him as he stepped out onto the balcony beside her.

"Good morning," Obi-Wan replied with a slight bow of his head. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as can be expected," Padmé responded with a wry chuckle. "The little ones must be nocturnal, they seem to be most energetic at night."

"They get that from their father, no doubt," Obi-Wan murmured, a sad twinge of wistfulness in his voice, no doubt remembering his years of raising Anakin. He was right, though, Anakin always had been perfectly comfortable with staying up late into the night, something Padmé had found both amusing and irritating at the same time over the past few years of marriage.

"They're strong, too," Padmé said with a sigh. "Just like Anakin."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed quietly.

They stood in comfortable silence for a several minutes, until one of the twins decided that the other was taking up too much room and gave the offending sibling a kick.

Obi-Wan blinked, startled, his gaze darting to her stomach. "Was that...?"

"One of the babies kicking?" Padmé finished with a nod. "Yes."

"May I?? he asked hesitantly.

She nodded her consent and Obi-Wan tentatively reached out a hand to place it against her rounded stomach. She watched his expression carefully, smiling at the flicker of wonder that crossed his face when he felt the gentle kick against the palm of his hand.

"By the Force," Obi-Wan breathed in amazement.

It wasn't the first time that he had touched her stomach since learning of her pregnancy, although he had been hesitant about that at first, but it was the first time he had been able to feel movement from within her womb, and as delighted as she was to witness his reaction, she couldn't help but feeling saddened that Anakin would never get the chance to be in his shoes.

Still, for a brief moment she found respite from the darkness surrounding her as she watched Obi-Wan's smile broaden. He loved Anakin as a son, and the pain of her husba