Beyond - Legends Symbols - L/M AU Romance - Author's Note 12/19/12

Title: Symbols
Author: RedGold
Genre: Romance, Angst, Mush
Characters: Luke, Mara, Leia, Han, Anakin, Pellaeon, Padme, OC's
Timeframe: The original trilogy didn?t happen, as you will see from the first chapter, but this starts, date wise, about when Endor would have happened and then goes on a few years after, hence being in Beyond.

Summary: In a universe split in two, a peace treaty is made, but what is a treaty without visible support to show the galaxy? The two governments decide to give the galaxy a tangible symbol of peace...

Note: I had wrote this awhile back, but it never made it to TFN. It?s all but finished, only a couple of chapters left, so I?m going to post once a week-ish while I finish it up. My new muse (which is different from my old muse who walked out on me when certain someone died in the profics) decided that I needed a little L/M mush on the side while writing Spectres?

Yes, I do PM's, but you have to ask as I do not send unsolicited PMs.

 

Chapter 1 - Luke Skywalker

He stood on the terrace, legs slightly apart, hands behind his back, letting the sun's rays beat down on him as he meditated. Had his eyes been open he would see the beautiful lake that was now his home, but there was no time for that now. It was quite possible that everything would be over soon.

"You have something to say?" he asked her quietly as she was starting to walk away.

"I didn't want to disturb you," she answered softly.

He smiled, "You're never a disturbance, my love."

"You were meditating," she pointed out, coming nearer to stand in front of him.

"There is much to think about," he opened his eyes and realized that she had yet to dress for the day, her body still in a soft white sleeping gown that, while it covered everything, only enhanced her beauty.

"Oh, Ani," she reached up and ran her hand down his cheek, "I know that it's the right thing to do, for everyone, but a part of me is... reluctant."

"With good reason," he sighed, remembering the first time they had shared a moment alone on the terrace, her body dressed similarly, so much younger then. "Would we take this away from him?"

"I know," she dipped her head slowly, "but he has never expressed interest in following in your footsteps, in this way at least."

"The Jedi are more important to him," he nodded, "and so is helping those who cannot help themselves."

"He will be doing just that," she sighed and wrapped her arms around him lightly, laying her head on his chest. "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Nothing," he said after a moment. "The Force is strangely quiet."

"Then it's our decision to make," she looked up into his eyes, "as his parents, we have to do what's best for him."

"And as a Jedi and Senator?" he gazed back into her dark orbs.

"We cannot force him," she gave him no room to edge in an argument.

He kissed her forehead and laid her head back to his chest, "I would never do that to him."

* * *

"Show off," Luke yelled out good naturedly, watching as his sister levitated the five stones in a pattern above her head. In a mask of Jedi serenity, she stuck her tongue out at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

For Luke, such a feat of levitation would be simple, easy, but he could feel her struggle through the Force. Though they were twins, he seemed to have gained most of the Force sensitivity between them, an interesting occurrence. But Leia was not without her own talents, she was already rivaling their mother's skill in politics.

Given half a chance the Nabooians would have elected Leia queen when they were younger, but unfortunately the war and her Jedi studies kept such an option far from attainable.

"Luke," he heard his name called by his mother from across the small field in which they were practicing. "Can you come here please?"

"You okay here, Leia?" he asked, knowing he would be leaving her out there alone.

"I'll be fine," she opened her eyes and smiled, "we're practically adults now, you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Nineteen doesn't really classify as full adulthood last time I checked," he pointed out.

"Semantics," she waved him off and then winked.

Shaking his head he turned and left her to practice. He was the one who was supposed to be practicing, his trials coming up soon, and if he wanted to become a Knight, passing was the only option.

"Mom?" he asked as he entered the large lakeside retreat that had been his family's home since his parents fled Coruscant. Sure, he could reach out and find her location, but then his father would scathe him for unnecessary use of the Force.

Talk about the Wookiee calling the Bothan hairy... but that had been in his father's youth, and it had almost cost him everything as he dipped towards the Dark Side. Thankfully his mother and Obi-Wan were able to bring him to his senses before things got out of hand.

"Luke," his mother's voice drifted in from the dining room and he followed. When he entered he found a group larger than he was

 

Yes yes yes yes yes! I'm stoked! LOL! L&M mush -- sweet and tangy -- Could I have PMs for updates?

 

Gah, I almost had the first reply, but I took too long in writing it! Next time.

TWO RedGold fics at the same time? I'm in heaven! I'm finding this one very interesting indeed. I was initially surprised to see that Anakin and Padme were still alive, considering that your summary said that it was just the OT that didn't happen, so I had assumed that ROTS had still happened. It was a pleasant surprise, though. It's so nice to see the Skywalker family together.

So, Luke's marrying Jade, eh? And Jade's the Emperor's granddaughter? Is that by blood? Haha, so many questions!

I'd like to be on the PM list, please.

 

Oh! Can't wait! Love L/M stories

Please add me to PM

 

I think you meant "pact" not pack.

Looks interesting....

 

RedGold
I love ALL your fics and I'm incredibly happy to see this story again.

I found it on SWFF forum and was so upset to see that it wasn't finished.((

Could you add me to PM list, please?

 

Well.... at least it wasn't Fabio, asking to marry Leia...

 

Someone asked and I'm asking it again, is Mara the Granddaughter of Palps by blood? Or is it just a convenience that people in the Empire used to have her keep some power, and have a legitimate heir for Palps?

Looking good so far, looking forward to seeing what happens.

 

So THAT'S where I've seen this before!!!
A long time un-finished story COMPLETED??
Nirvana!!

....now I suppose I should go re-Acquaint myself with the story there and find the answer devinerose/whateveritis12's question..

 

I think it's just a cooincidence, because there's nothing cannon about them being related that I know of.

And... bring on the mush, RedGold! (Also: I'd love PM updates.)

 

Oh I know there is nothing in canon about them being related, it's just some people use it as a plot device. I'm not saying their's anything wrong with it, I just don't like it. I think Palpatine was too deep into the Darkside during his formative years and through the rest of his life to really work on getting a kid, let alone a granddaughter.

 

Forced political marriages make everybody happy! Look how happy Henry VIII was with his wives! He loved them so much he had six of them!

This looks to be really good. Add me to the PM list, please?

Peace,
Bea

 

Jade_eyes - Oh yes! Sweet and Tangy it is! Like McD's sweet chili sauce... omg, why can we not have that over here? Seriously? Limited time only??? GAH!!! Sorry... completely lost focus there...

divinerose - Almost! LOL And yes, two fics, glutton for punishment here. And yeah, the PT kinda happened, but as you can see, things turned out for the best. Sorta... And as for the granddaughter bit... plot point... gonna have to wait it out, but I think you'll like it. and I love you got so many questions... cause I won't answer them... bbwwwuauahahahahahahahaha /cough... got a glass of water? Good to be evil again. /sigh

Jingocat - Glad to have you aboard, PM's it is!

Jedi_Liz - Yeah, I'm a horrible speller... thanks for the catch!

Piper057 - Thank you! I really hope you enjoy it the second time around, and also the conclusions!

PonyTricks - LOL, so true!!!

whateveritis12 - That is a very interesting point... and I've love to clear it up for you right now... but I can't... cause it's kinda important to the plot. But you will find out and regardless of the outcome I think you'll like it because I do agree that Palps was too deep into the Darkside to think of anything more than himself... but in that self-absorbed hubris could he have not made... plans? Or not. Could be she's just a pawn in this tragic game.

wbsaw - LOL! Yep, I started this on SWFF, but never posted it all since I got distracted by life and the death of my muse. I hope you enjoy where this goes cause you know I never make it easy for them!

DaenaBenjen42 - There is nothing canon, but this is AU... and as I told divinerose and whateveritis... i got a plot point and it will make sense later. And yes... mush... the fanfic world can never have enough...

lost_lauries_grapes - LOL I laughed so hard when I read that I almost choked! Let's hope this marriage fares better huh? Great to have you aboard.

 

I'm not denying that he could think of producing a child, but by the time he'd be in a position to do it (right after Order 66, anytime sooner and it'd distract him from his total goal, his Empire), he'd be too old. He'd also gone off the deep end even more than before.

I prefer Mara being the child/grandchild of someone Palps knew about (maybe one of his Political friends from Naboo from when he was just a regional representative or something) that he knows about and has a group of stormtroopers kidnap after killing her family. He raises her in this story like a granddaughter because he lost out on his first choice of an apprentice because Anakin wasn't loyal to just him.

In fact this could've been the first reason why he had her. After Anakin got away from the lava, he was in terrible shape, it's a miracle he even survived (Palps may also have gotten the scene from Anakin's mind about him telling Padme he'd kill Palps so that they could rule). So Palps gets Mara at an early age as a spare force sensitive that he could train if Vader would die from either his injuries or get killed. He trains her to be loyal to only him (at a time when his paranoia was high and he didn't want to watch his back against his own apprentices). So she ends up with the best of everything, and Palpatine drills it into her mind that she doesn't have anything without him giving it to her first. I have a feeling something similar went on here, until Palpatine died when she was around 10 (how he died I have no clue, but it probably involved something with the dark side, either an experiment or he let his body die to get into his clone body earlier, but why he's been hiding for so long is unexplaineable), then she got more voices in her ear about how Palpatine wasn't her whole world, the Empire was. Gilad overtook her education and upbringing (which is why she has such a fondness for him) and she became a loyal Imperial child and the face of an Empire that was trying to get away from the atrocities that Palpatine committed.

 

I guess you're just have to read and find out...

 

Mara and Luke forced together? This will be fun. Either they'll kill each other or fall for each other.

Great start.

 

but by the time he'd be in a position to do it (right after Order 66, anytime sooner and it'd distract him from his total goal, his Empire), he'd be too old- Oh, I'm pretty sure men can father children at any age. The only problem would be finding the woman willing ...

 

Em..
If Mara is his granddaughter and she is over twenty now, Palpatine needed to become a father at least twenty years before Order 66)))
Why not? He wasn't always Evil Ugly Sith.

 

FelsGoddess - I'm voting for kill each other... oh wait...

Since I've seem to have started something, going to go ahead and drop the next chapter...

Chapter 2 - Lady Jade

"Talk about symbolism again and I am going to rip your symbolic rank bars off your chest and shove them down your not-so-symbolic throat."

"Please, Jade," Imperial Grand Admiral Doruk tapped his fingers impatiently, "we could do without the dramatics."

"Who's being dramatic?" she raised one pert eyebrow in defiance, but took her seat again in front of the Imperial Ruling Council.

"We understand that this perhaps not the best situation for you to be placed in," the Chancellor, a dark skinned Coruscanti named Beddine, ignored her snort at his own statement, "but you yourself have been an advocate of organizing a peace between ourselves and the Alliance."

"A peace, yes," she leaned forward in her chair, "but for the safety of our people and to stop the needless losses of resources."

"Not everyone shares your views, Lady Jade," the only non-human on the council, Councillor Fey'la, interjected. "Some still cry out for the destruction of our enemies."

She rolled her eyes, "Me being married to one will hardly make them think twice."

"Your grandfather was more than an Emperor, Jade," Doruk's heavy rolled through the room, "and when he passed on, it wasn't so much his death but the loss of what he represented that did the most damage."

As much as she wanted to argue with the older man, she was beginning to feel if this was one battle she was destined to lose. "Why me?"

"Well," Beddine cleared his through, probably choosing his words carefully around her as they were all often to do, "you are the only public figure that we have of a reasonable age for marriage and single. You are also the granddaughter of Palpatine, the Emperor who's existence..."

"Who's existence caused the almost non-existence of the Jedi," she cut in, "one of the major symbols of the Alliance, I learned irony just as well as you, though perhaps your lessons of subtlety were a bit lax."

Doruk laughed, slapping the table heartily, "You might get lucky, with you as the chosen bride-to-be they may just call the whole thing quits."

"Ha, ha." Mara was not amused. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," Beddine took back the conversation, "we can not force anyone to marry without their consent, but we do ask that you consider your loyalty to the Empire."

"My loyalty to the Empire has never been in question," she fumed, almost standing up again. Maybe she should walk out on them, that might teach them that she could only be pushed so far.

"No one is questioning your loyalty, Jade," Doruk leaned forward, "in fact it has never come into question."

"But as you are currently un-attached," the Chancellor added, "and we know you are just as committed to peace with the Alliance, you really are the best choice for this roll."

Realization dawned on her, "You've already volunteered me for this."

"Well," he cleared his throat again, "we did suggest you as a viable candidate for the marriage pack and they are currently working on a suitable match."

"Suitable match?" her voice squeaked to her dismay. "Who did they choose?"

"Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker? Anakin Skywalker's son?" she ran the name through her head but was unable to match it to a face in her mind.

"Yes," the Admiral smiled, "he's only two years younger than you, and at least has no political motives."

She leaned back in her chair and ground out, "He's a Jedi."

"We can't hold that against the young man," Beddine sighed, tilting his head disapprovingly.

"We might, but I sure the sithspawn can," she couldn't take it anymore, this was like one big joke. "After all that I have done for the Council, the loyalty I have showed, you do this to me?"

"Jade," Doruk started but she cut him off with a glare.

"No! You will listen for once!"

 

Ah! Sweet! No one is better at laying it out straight than Lady Jade! She's going along but she's setting the rules.

Cool that she has her own ship and that Gilad's a friend and the trusted skipper of it.

Some things do indeed take precedence over mere blind obedience to duty. Love and family for starters. If you can't have your cake and eat it, I'd rather do without.

 

Mara! And Pellaeon! Friends! I love it when that happens in fics.

 

I'm sure if Luke isn't suitable, Wes will volunteer to take his place...

 

"Talk about symbolism again and I am going to rip your symbolic rank bars off your chest and shove them down your not-so-symbolic throat." Perfect way to start a post.

Great update!

 

"Talk about symbolism again and I am going to rip your symbolic rank bars off your chest and shove them down your not-so-symbolic throat."

Oh, Mara, I knew there was a reason I loved you. And grandaddy Palpy spoiled her! Her own star destroyer? Daaaamn!

Looking forward to the two of them meeting!

Peace,
Bea