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Beyond - Legends Shroud of the Dark Side (Completed 11/1)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Tych_sel, Jul 3, 2003.

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  1. forceaddict

    forceaddict Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    great post

    someone needs to get through Jacen's thick skull

    damn stubborn Solo's
     
  2. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Jacen certainly is being a bit pigheaded. But then, I suppose that's typical. He does have both the Solo and Skywalker genes for being stubborn.

    And now, onto a segment that has to come by itself.


    The Empress seemed to be feeding off the combat, Ben thought as he barely deflected another strike from the lightsaber that had belonged to his mother. Leaping upward, his feet barely cleared the scarlet blade as the Empress whipped it around, intending to sever Ben's legs at the knee. And frankly, he thought, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up.

    By now, the floor of the throne room had been destroyed, either by the duel between the Empress and Ben, or by the other duels that had been going on around the hall. Luke still lay near the throne, though he had managed to struggle to a position where he could see what was going on. *Trust the Force,* Ben heard in his mind, and knew that his father was feeding him strength.

    Ben brought his blades together in a cross, holding off the next downward stroke from the Empress. Ben grabbed the other one, the one created by Anakin Skywalker, and flung it away, leaving the Empress with only a single blade. She tried to pull it back, but the weapon seemed to halt in midair, halfway between the throne and the Empress.

    "You can surrender now," Ben said, "and I will do all I can to see that no harm comes to you." A vein stood out in Eclepsa's forehead, and Ben could tell that she was struggling to try and bring the lightsaber back to her hand, even as she tried to break the cross of Ben's blades. The, the errant saber began to move away from the Empress, towards the throne to drop into Luke's hand. Another blast of lightning shot from Eclepsa's fingertips, but Luke caught it on the blade.

    "The Empire falls today, Eclepsa. You brought around your own demise," Luke said, though there was a quaver in his voice that hadn't been there before. The lightning, along with the focus on the duel, had drained the ninety-year old Jedi Master.

    "The Empire will not die," the Empress cried, "because I will not allow it. Your son will die a traitor's death, just like his mother!" She pulled her blade backward, freeing it. Ben backed up, to better prepare for the next assault. The Empress brought her blade in, keeping it vertical, which Ben found a bit odd. Bringing his own blade horizontal, he prepared to once again catch it in the angle created by the two blades. The Empress flipped the blade up, and would have brought it around to decapitate Ben, had her arm not gone limp. Ben's eyes widened. Without the lightsaber to halt his own blades, he hadn't been able to stop their motion. The two blades had sliced right through Eclepsa's midsection.

    ++++++++++++


    That's it for now. More to come tomorrow. We're into the homestretch, folks!


    Force be with you,

    Tych_sel
     
  3. forceaddict

    forceaddict Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    ya, he killed her, great post
     
  4. Reesie

    Reesie Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 26, 2002
    Luke is ninety?! I thought he was like 60 or something. Wow. Oh and regarding the post, yay!
     
  5. Yodamummy

    Yodamummy Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2002
    Nice two posts. I was a little confused on eclepsa's death though. was it luke halting the return of eclepsa's saber.
     
  6. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    That should have been a foregone conclusion, Forceaddict. Ben has finally put his past behind him.

    Yup. Since this story is taking place 30 years after the NJO, Luke would be approaching 90, . Glad to see you've taken an interest here.

    It was Luke holding onto the saber, yoda. That's why it ends up in his hand.


    And now, onto the next postie.


    Kyp felt the muscles in his throat working as the Hapan woman continued to hold him just a few inches above the ground. Kyp, however, was not about to die as others might have in such a situation. A simple push from the Force both released him from her grip, and also knocked her down. "What, distracted that easily? I would have guessed that Jacen would have trained you better," Kyp said, mocking her.

    Kyp's blade, which had dropped to the ground when Solme had yanked him off the floor, leapt into his hand to halt the slash from the oncoming Dark Jedi. "You Jedi are pathetic. If you truly thought yourself worthy, you would have challenged Jacen, instead of hiding behind the Alderaanian wench!"

    "I think you underestimate Leia Solo," Kyp said, easily blocking another slash. Jacen had obviously begun to teach her, but her training left her nowhere near a match for Kyp. A few strikes later, her blade was battered aside, and a swift roundhouse kick sent it flying from her hand. Kyp called it to him, and hooked it to his own belt. His own glowing blade came to within a micron of Solme's throat. "Call off the others," Kyp said, his voice deadly earnest. "Call them off now."

    Zekk, meanwhile, was having no difficulty. He had disarmed one opponent, then spun to find himself confronted with two more. His own skills, learned at the Shadow Academy under the guide of Brakiss, and then honed under Luke Skywalker's tuition, left him equal to the task. He called the other blade, the one belonging to his opponent, and began holding off both adversaries at the same time.

    What Zekk hadn't noticed was that the first had produced a blaster, and was taking aim at the Jedi's unprotected back. The shot was lined up, and the finger tightened on the trigger. Then, to the surprise of the trooper, the barrel exploded in front of him. What should have been a clean blaster bolt flying at the Rebel was now a shower of sparks, as Tahiri's blade sliced through the weapon.

    "Sorry, hon, but I didn't have time for something more fancy," she said as Zekk shot her a somewhat disapproving look.

    ++++++++++++

    Leia looked across the crossed blades, into her son's eyes. So much like Han's, she thought. "Jacen, what does your heart tell you?"

    "I don't know, Mom," he said, and Leia could see a tear forming in one eye. "I just want to keep Tenel Ka safe."

    "Is this the only way you can see to keep her safe? Jacen, you've seen firsthand what the Empress is capable of. Do you think she's ever going to let you off the hook? There will always besomething she can hold over you." Leia stepped back, disengaging her lightsaber.

    "Think about who you are. You are the grandson of Anakin Skywalker, the son of Han Solo. Would either of them give in to evil, especially when they could stare it straight in the face?" Jacen remained silent.

    "Jacen, let the truth shine. You are, and always have been, a Jedi, and my son. I stand here, without a weapon. Let yourself come home, Jacen. For if you can't do that, then you might as well cut me down now, because I'm not going to fight you any longer."

    Jacen couldn't take it anymore. He shut down his blade, and threw himself into his mother's arms. "You're right, Mom," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

    ++++++++++++

    Ben looked down at the body of the Empress, now cleaved in two. It felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders, but a new though soon settled on his mind. What of the fleet in orbit around Coruscant? They would be willing to die for the Empire, despite the fact that there was now no Empire to die for. He looked around the room, searching for sign of somebody with the author
     
  7. Yodamummy

    Yodamummy Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2002
    Good to see Jacen is still a mommy's boy and not a robot. Good to know Luke's okay.
     
  8. forceaddict

    forceaddict Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    great post, can't wait for more
     
  9. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Yes, a mother's love was enough to overcome the "brainwashing", yoda.

    Glad you enjoyed it, forceaddict. More is coming.



    The fleets in orbit above Coruscant had battered themselves nearly into oblivion. Any capital ship smaller than a star destroyer had been rendered inoperative. Three of the Imperial Star Destroyers had been destroyed, two of them taking Hapan Battle Dragons with them. Dauntless had all but been removed from the field of battle, as only a couple of turbolaser batteries remained operational.

    The shields on both the Chimeara and Ruler's Right were down, and the fighters on either side had begun nibbling away at the hulls of the massive ships. Already, Pellaeon had ordered the evacuation of the outer decks, drawing his skeleton crew towards the heart of the Chimeara. "Try raising Admiral Dorja," Pellaeon ordered.

    "She's responding," Loran said.

    "Admiral Dorja, is there any further point in continuing this slugging match? It's only going to lead to more deaths."

    "I am not surrendering, Pellaeon," Dorja said. "Though I will accept yours."

    "I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to oblige."

    "Admiral?" Face asked, interrupting. "We're receiving a signal from Coruscant. It's being broadcast on an open frequency."

    "Let's hear it."

    "This is Ben Skywalker. All Imperial ships in orbit over Coruscant are to cease hostilities."

    "That bodes well," Pellaeon said.

    "This is Leia Organa Solo. All Rebel forces are to likewise stand down. A truce has been declared. Any officer who initiates further hostilities will be held accountable."

    "It would seem that neither of us will be surrendering," Dorja said. "Admiral Pellaeon, I formally wish to congratulate you. It has been an honor." Her image winked out.

    "I wonder what that meant," Face said, an eyebrow raised.

    "I think it was a compliment," Pellaeon said. "Get a shuttle prepped. I want to head down and see just what happened."

    ++++++++++++
    The Hapans had been gathered together, and placed under a guard made up primarily of members of the Coruscant Rebel cell, summoned by Tahiri after the Empress had fallen. Joining them had been Jag Fel and his daughter. Ben had spoken both with Leia and Jacen, and the three had all agreed that no blame could be assigned to the Hapans. "They were," as Ben had said, "only following orders."

    "The biggest question is how to avoid a repeat of what happened when Palpatine fell," Leia said. "I don't think any of us wants to experience that sort of guerilla warfare again."

    "That may prove difficult. Some of those in power have already fled." Ben had received several reports as soon as the truce had been broadcast. "I think that the close nature of the broadcasts tipped them off. The suspected something, and ran."

    "It'll only be a matter of time, then, before one of them raises their ugly head," Tahiri said, joining the three. "I just heard that there's a pair of shuttles on their way down. One from each of the Star Destroyers. They're being accompanied by a ship identifying itself as the Rock Dragon."

    "Oh Sith," Jacen muttered under his breath, then shot a wary glance at Ben, worried that the other would take offense. Then again, Ben had never officially taken the title of Dark Lord of the Sith, preferring to leave it simply at Dark Lord. But he wasn't even that anymore, Jacen realized.

    "Perhaps we should receive them outside," Leia said. "Better that they be prepared before seeing what has happened here." Jacen, looking around the throne room, agreed. What had been a place of majesty now looked as though it desperately needed a cleanup crew. Each of the pillars bore at least one scar from a lightsaber, and a stray blaster bolt had shattered the glass in one of the windows, allowing the breeze of Coruscant to ruffle the draperies that had hung behind the throne. One of them, the one bearing what Eclepsa had chosen as a crest for her reign, had been cut down, and lay in a bundle behind the throne.

    "Perhaps the three of you sh
     
  10. forceaddict

    forceaddict Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    great work, great story
     
  11. Yodamummy

    Yodamummy Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2002
    I BEG YOU PUT RODAN'S HEAD ON A PLATTER IN THIS EPILOGUE!!!!!!!


     
  12. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Glad you've enjoyed it, forceaddict. But we're not quite done yet.

    You really have this thing against Rodan, don't you, yoda?



    Epilogue

    "The Force will be with you, always..." - Obi-Wan Kenobi


    1 year later



    The fall of the Empire brought a light from darkness and oppression. A memorial was dedicated to those who had fought and died on both sides of the conflict. "We must never forget that with a desire for ease of mind can come the greatest of evils. Our fates are our own, and in our hands lies our destiny," Ben had said at the dedication. "Those who died fought for what they believed in. To do any less would be to taint their memory."

    A number of things had changed in the year since the death of the Empress. The new government, the United Confederation of Worlds, had emerged, with a Council at the head rather than a single leader. "Placing the power of government in the hands of one person is too tempting," Leia Solo had said, during her speech following being sworn in as the first Council President. The initial Council had overseen reforms designed to aid those that had suffered most during the reign of Eclepsa. Under the guidance of Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Knights had emerged once again.






    After guiding Kyp Durron in bringing the Jedi back, Luke Skywalker slipped out of the spotlight. Some felt that he had returned to Tatooine to live out the remainder of his life as a hermit. Others, like his son, felt that Luke had gone out to seek out new Jedi.

    After completing one terms as President, and seeing the Confederation blossom, Leia Organa Solo stepped down, taking a seat as one of the members of the Council. A statue of her had been erected outside the Senate building, on the same place as the statue of the Empress had stood.

    Kyp Durron took over as the head of the Jedi Order upon the departure of Luke Skywalker. He built upon the foundation Luke had established, even going as far as to restore the Jedi Council. Kyp would find himself remembered as one of the great members of the New Jedi Order.

    Five years after the death of the Empress, Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo gave up the throne of Hapes, allowing her eldest daughter, Teneniel, to assume the throne. She then joined her husband as an instructor at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

    After spending a year reflecting on his actions, Jacen Solo returned to Coruscant, becoming an instructor at the Jedi Temple. He repeatedly refused to allow himself to be elevated to the level of Master, stating that he didn't deserve to be placed within such august company.

    Jagged Fel returned to Csillia, rising to become one of the top commanders in the Defense Force. Jaina Solo Fel founded an additional Academy on Csillia to teach the basic skills to students from the Outer Rim worlds both within and near the borders of Chiss space. Mara Fel became one of the initial members of Kyp's Jedi Council, acting as a liaison to the Senate.

    The two Fleet commanders, Gilad Pellaeon and Vana Dorja, joined their forces to form the Confederation?s Defense Fleet. Pellaeon retired soon after, returning to his homeworld of Corellia. Upon that, Dorja became the Supreme Commander of the fleet.

    With his wife at his side, Lando Calrissian traveled across the Confederation, meeting with planetary leaders to help them restore their economic independence.


    As for Ben Skywalker, he spent a year in intense study with his father, attempting to make up for the deficiencies in his training as a Jedi. He then was granted the rank of Jedi Master and joined the Jedi Council. He also married Tiola Colinar, who ascended to become the Council President when Leia stepped down.


    That's all there is to this fic, guys. "Phantom of the Past" will still be running, and in a few months, a new fic should be starting over in the Saga forum. Thanks for hanging on with this one. Things got a little rushed at thend, but I didn't want
     
  13. forceaddict

    forceaddict Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    great work, great story, great ending
     
  14. Tych_sel

    Tych_sel Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2001
    Glad you liked it, forceaddict. If you want another AU universe story from me, you might want to check out "Prisoner of the Past," which you can find over in the Saga Forum.


    Force be with you,

    Tych_sel
     
  15. Yodamummy

    Yodamummy Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2002
    You forgot to add Fyor Rodan was killed in a skirmish soon after the fall of the Empress.
     
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