Beyond - Legends The Age of Heroes (post-NJO AU: Anakin, Jaina, Jacen, L/M, H/L, Tahiri, Kyp,Jag) Sequel 2/2/07!

*rushes in*

Here I am!

I really, really need to read the other fics, but the fact that I can enjoy this without really having a clue what's going on is a testament to your skills.

Anyways, I love the Stover-esque writing, the parallels with the PT, and you just flat out write great action. Oh, and I have a feeling I'm gonnna like this Wrev guy.

Now. The mystery, of course, is who Anakin's apprentice is. I suppose everyone has their theory, and I can't wait to see who it is!

"Hey, somebody has to protect Nieus P. Sovel," Wrev quipped, referring to a controversial Sullustan philosopher and author who he imagined was hiding beneath his desk somewhere on the planet. I just love your stuff so much!

Anyways, I wish I had more time to write a more detailed review, but rest assured I am enjoying this very much and waiting with interest for more.

Is it too soon to ask for more?

 

The following is spoken with an extremely fast tempo and it sounds like the voice is out of breath

WOW, JES! It was awsome. First it was like djsjdg, and then asdljfasdklj. Oh my, and after that aslkfjfsl. So cool. JEEEEE. I cant sleep tonight. Im just waiting for the next post. I , I feel like someone has just hit me with a golf club. After a somewhat long waiting I am again inside SW universe in the GFFA, my heart is beating like hell. Have to calm down, I can do it (spends the next 14 hours clicking the Refresh button of my Explorer amd staring the screen without even the blink of an eye, when is the next post/chapter coming)

Priceless, yodaK, priceless!!!

 

Dude, I am breathless! Absolutely amazing

The opener was worthy of George's ROTS opener. [I_am_not_worthy] And from there it just got better and better. I can really feel your characters, and see the action.

Good job[/obi voice]

Looking forward to more

 

Have to wait and see. wink

That's like the fallback response for everything I say, isn't it? "Wait and see."

Oh well, I can be patient. Sort of.


If it is Jysella, Rodian, she would be all of 15 in this fic. A little young for you



Unless my name is Kyp...

::Shudders::

(I forgot that this wasn't FeeFi's 'fic, so Jysella isn't a legal hottie yet)


Again, nice catch

Well, I was a halfway decent running back/receiver in high school...


Okay, and I have to ask. Did I miss something when I did my readthrough of your trilogy and Empire of the Hand? Because the Nius P. Sovel jokes are going way over my head. And no comments about Rodians being short, either.

 

That was rather interesting, though a little shorter than I expected because your posts in the prequels were alot longer.

 

Picture this: The skies above the planet Sullust are on fire. Like the volcanic surface itself, space is filled with shooting jets of plasma and plumes of flak thick enough to make the toxic world look inviting.

Perfect beginning.

It is into this madness that two starfighters appear, two streaking bursts of light as they revert to real space.

Two Jedi Interceptors.

They are late? but not too late.

This reminds me of RotS(probably intentional )

But the pilot inside the Interceptor isn't any being.

And he's never needed to be fortunate.

He has the Force.

He senses the danger before his enemy has even an idea what he's going to do? long before his thumb presses the missile controls.

The pilot inside the Interceptor is a Jedi.

His name is Anakin.

....... Sweet.

The dialogue between Anakin and Wrev and even Artoo was great. And Wrev is just as wonderfully developed as all your Canon characters.

It pays to be Han Solo's son."



"She's never let me down before."

Where have we heard that before. I wonder who his apprentice is. Another OC, perhaps?

This is what a Jedi does.

They avoid fights when possible, especially when it will be detrimental to their cause. When she can't get by a pair of sentinels guarding an exit, she distracts them, flicking her hand and creating a distant noise that they scurry to investigate.

Her master would be proud.

This is so Stover-ish.

"Freeze, Jedi," the lead droid says in a menacing metallic voice.

She blows out her breath, pushing a few loose strands from her face that came loose from the bun she had her hair tied in.

"Anakin's going to kill me."

I absoloutly loved this exchange.

Hey, somebody has to protect Nieus P. Sovel," Wrev quipped, referring to a controversial Sullustan philosopher and author who he imagined was hiding beneath his desk somewhere on the planet.

I'd wondered if you were gonna slip him in somewhere. He must be happy! He made the first chapter!


......


Overall, a brilliant beginning! It wasn't too long. Nothing would be too long, Yoda. I really like it. Very vivid imagary and your characters are really fun to read. I can't wait until you really mess up with their heads! What fun! It should be interesting to see where you go with this. Well done!

 

oldj: Okay, I just had to say that this is beautiful writing. I've only read the first section, and I'm so impressed, YK! Kudos...Kudos...

Aww, thanks!

*Goes back to read the entire post*
NOW I've read it!
This is a superb opening chapter, Yobi.



And the Solo gene for arrogance! (That's acceptable arrogance, of course, because they're Solos.)

That section isn't written from his POV *giggles*

Ooohh. Nice ship. If I'm very, very good, could I get one??

If I could hand them out, I'd have one in your driveway by morning

Yay! I'm so happy to see Artoo flying with Anakin! I Artoo!!

Glad you like.

I like Commander Klorne. A lot.

And we haven't even seen her yet

Wrev's not Janson's apprentice, is he??



Is that worse that the Warlord finding her?

Her master is Anakin Solo. She knows he'll rescue her

All kidding aside, the action is terrific - vividly described, like a movie playing out in front of me. Just your usual brilliance, YK!

Thanks so much! I like the action scene to be very visual.

I had a super time reading this chapter, and I'm betting that the rest will be just as good ... if not better! (No pressure...)

None at all Hopefully the chapters will get better as we go.

Thanks for reading




Wyn: Great posts! Sorry it took me so long to review DRL has been horrible for a bit.

No worries, there's no rush.

I love how this definately has an ROTS feel with the old skool style Jedi fighters and a droid army. I can't wait to see how Callista fits into all this. Great job!

Glad you like it. The droid army part is just a little tiny piece that has nothing to do with the overall story, really. Just a way of showing the Jedi being Jedi to start with.

Thanks so much for reading




Spork: See? You acknowledge my rightness!

I admit nothing!

*sighs* Always did enjoy my misery, don't you?

I'm cruel to everyone

I'm glad to know that! So glad you embraced it...it really works.

I'm glad.

*blinks* So...the Jedi'll be flying something like an Interceptor when the final evolution comes?

No, no, I mean it's the same fighter *essentially* that the Jedi in RotS used, which was the foundation for TIE interceptors. The fighters Anakin and Wrev are flying are a "throw-back."

Oh, no confusion this time! Just a happiness that the droid hasn't been pushed aside.

Oh, my mistake

Always a pleasure!
Is it too late to ask for more?

Nope, I'm thinking Saturday!





JJD: *rushes in*
Here I am!

There you are!

I really, really need to read the other fics, but the fact that I can enjoy this without really having a clue what's going on is a testament to your skills.

Thanks. I hope it's not too confusing. If you have any questions feel free to ask them.

Anyways, I love the Stover-esque writing, the parallels with the PT, and you just flat out write great action. Oh, and I have a feeling I'm gonnna like this Wrev guy.

A lot of people don't but we'll see

Now. The mystery, of course, is who Anakin's apprentice is. I suppose everyone has their theory, and I can't wait to see who it is!

Well, don't tell Lola, but it's Nieus P. Sovel

I just love your stuff so much!

Thanks

Anyways, I wish I had more time to write a more detailed review, but rest assured I am enjoying this very much and waiting with interest for more.

Thanks again

Is it too soon to ask for more?

Nope. I'm going to have chapter 2 up by Saturday.




poku: The following is spoken with an extremely fast tempo and it sounds like the voice is out of breath

So noted.

WOW, JES!

Jes?

It was aws

 

YK:

That section isn't written from his POV *giggles*

My comment still stands...

"Ooohh. Nice ship. If I'm very, very good, could I get one??" If I could hand them out, I'd have one in your driveway by morning

Very generous, my friend! I guess I'll have to pretend that my Jetta is an Eta-7!


*settles in to wait for next post*

oldj

 

Why is it that every single warlord or despot has to be some over weight coward who feels the need to construct a new super weapon?


Obi-Wan: "Its an elegant weapon of a more civlised age when people showed some backbone."

 

All right, I'll join the chorus. Great Stoveresque segments. Definitely added some character to the chapter.

Exciting action sequence. Poor Wrev - what short straw did he draw to have to fly with two different Solos?

Good to see that a half-century later Jedi apprentices haven't gotten any less prone to getting captured.

Looking forward to the next post.

 

I admit nothing!

*folds her arms across her chest and leans against a wall* Now you're just being stubbborn.

I'm cruel to everyone



No, no, I mean it's the same fighter *essentially* that the Jedi in RotS used, which was the foundation for TIE interceptors. The fighters Anakin and Wrev are flying are a "throw-back."

Okay...I see. I think.

Nope, I'm thinking Saturday!

Huzzah![face_cheering]

*pulls up a chair near oldjedinurse to wait*

 

*dashes into thread*

Whew! Managed to make it in before the next post.

Wow. I'm not sure what I could add that hasn't already been said. Incredible!

Anakin replied, but Wrev could tell he was flustered as the pair were pulled the rest of the way into the durasteel battlestation, that Wrev began to believe would be their tomb.

*shakes head* You mean after all that Wrev had been through with Jaina, he still doesn't believe in the Solo luck?

Looking forward to more!

 

Oldj: My comment still stands...

And it's one I agree with whole-heartedly!

Very generous, my friend! I guess I'll have to pretend that my Jetta is an Eta-7!

I think we all pretended our cars were on the way back from seeing RotS back in May

*settles in to wait for next post*

I'm planning on tomorrow




evil-twin: Why is it that every single warlord or despot has to be some over weight coward who feels the need to construct a new super weapon?

Because it makes for the best warlords

Obi-Wan: "Its an elegant weapon of a more civlised age when people showed some backbone."

Indeed



Lex: All right, I'll join the chorus. Great Stoveresque segments. Definitely added some character to the chapter.

Thanks, I certainly won't take "Stoveresque" as an insult

As far as "character," that's one of the things I like about the present tense? seems to add more personality than the past tense stuff.

Exciting action sequence. Poor Wrev - what short straw did he draw to have to fly with two different Solos?

Yes, he's had some bad luck He's not the nices guy so it's probably just bad karma

Good to see that a half-century later Jedi apprentices haven't gotten any less prone to getting captured.

Yeah. Their masters spend a fair amount of time in shackles as well though

Looking forward to the next post.

Thanks for reading, it will be up soon




thesporkster: *folds her arms across her chest and leans against a wall* Now you're just being stubbborn.

I am not

Okay...I see. I think.

If not, I'll try and explain it better.

Huzzah![face_cheering]
*pulls up a chair near oldjedinurse to wait*

Do I have to serve you two refreshments or something?




Scoundrel: Whew! Managed to make it in before the next post.

Yup, you're fine

Wow. I'm not sure what I could add that hasn't already been said. Incredible!

Thank you

*shakes head* You mean after all that Wrev had been through with Jaina, he still doesn't believe in the Solo luck?

I find his lack of faith disturbing

Looking forward to more!

I'm glad. Thanks for reading

 

I think we all pretended our cars were on the way back from seeing RotS back in May

With the soundtrack CD blaring away...

 

Well, don't tell Lola, but it's Nieus P. Sovel

Hello! I can read.

 

YodaKenobi: Because it makes for the best warlords

Yeah and the Death Star really was a giant satellite dish.


Though there is something else. Placing missles on the out side of your ship sounds suicidal. One lucky shot, and you'll be singing sopranos.

 

*coming in just under the wire*

Picture this: The skies above the planet Sullust are on fire. Like the volcanic surface itself, space is filled with shooting jets of plasma and plumes of flak thick enough to make the toxic world look inviting.

There is a war.

Great start!

A flotilla of Galactic Alliance capital ships is clashing with a monstrous industrial army. Hundreds of starfighters are spilling out of warships on both sides like swarms of firebugs moving to devour a summer crop of mehza on Taanab. The streaking blue glow of ion drives, bursts of red fire, and a lattice of green turbo lasers fill the vacuum as staggeringly large masses of durasteel fire on one another, drowning out the glow of the planet they surround.

At the heart of the industrial fleet is a battle station, massive and intimidating, its batteries spewing particle beams into the ships the Alliance could spare for the fight and vaporizing them. Inside sits a wealthy warlord.

It is into this madness that two starfighters appear, two streaking bursts of light as they revert to real space.

Two Jedi Interceptors.

I, too, like the ROTS-like opening. Very exciting. Your wonderful descriptions made it seem like I was watching a movie.

"She's never let me down before."

I have a bad feeling about this.

She was able to hide only because of some Jedi hibernation and presence suppression techniques, lowering body temp and heart rate.



"Anakin's going to kill me."

Well, at least she didn?t have a lightsaber to loose.

Very suspenseful scene with ?the apprentice?, her ongoing inner dialogue making it even more so. I can?t wait to find out who she is.

"Hey, somebody has to protect Nieus P. Sovel," Wrev quipped, referring to a controversial Sullustan philosopher and author who he imagined was hiding beneath his desk somewhere on the planet.

I can actually imagine Neius doing just that. Seriously, you know I heart the dude. Good to see him mentioned here too.

"Trust me, we can take them."
"Anakin, I'm still picking up shields..."
"Tractor beam!"

So very? Star Wars-ey Sorry, can?t think of a better way to express that. Anakin is so? Anakin. Skywalker that is.

This is so Stover-ish.

Don't tell Stover, he'll sue me

If he?s reading this, somewhere inside his van with the tinted windows, I?m sure he?d feel flattered.
So, yeah, Stover-ish, although the prologue made me think Denning-esque, I just didn?t want to say so for fear I?d annoy you.

That was an amazing first chapter.

And I didn?t mind the length of the post at all.

I can?t wait for more. Today!

 

oldj: With the soundtrack CD blaring away...

Hehe, yes, I've done that




Lola: Hello! I can read.







evil-twin: Yeah and the Death Star really was a giant satellite dish.




Though there is something else. Placing missles on the out side of your ship sounds suicidal. One lucky shot, and you'll be singing sopranos.

Yes, it does sound dangerous. Of course, we have fighter jets with missiles I believe they will only detonate when activated though even if shot, but I might be wrong about that.





Red: *coming in just under the wire*

You're fine

Great start!

Thanks

I, too, like the ROTS-like opening. Very exciting. Your wonderful descriptions made it seem like I was watching a movie.

Thanks, I'm glad you were able to picture it all

I have a bad feeling about this.



Well, at least she didn?t have a lightsaber to loose.

Yeah, for some reason I was just ripping off movie lines in this chapter

Very suspenseful scene with ?the apprentice?, her ongoing inner dialogue making it even more so. I can?t wait to find out who she is.

It's a bounty hunter called J? *gets hit by toxic dart and dies*

I can actually imagine Neius doing just that. Seriously, you know I heart the dude. Good to see him mentioned here too.

He's a hack. It's people like you who inflate his ego by praising him

So very? Star Wars-ey Sorry, can?t think of a better way to express that.

That's okay, that's perfect

Anakin is so? Anakin. Skywalker that is.

No comment.

If he?s reading this, somewhere inside his van with the tinted windows, I?m sure he?d feel flattered.



So, yeah, Stover-ish, although the prologue made me think Denning-esque, I just didn?t want to say so for fear I?d annoy you.

That would have annoyed me, thanks for fighting that urge



That was an amazing first chapter.

Thanks so much

And I didn?t mind the length of the post at all.

I'm glad

I can?t wait for more. Today!

I'll post then, just for you

Thanks again for reading, Red, and I love the Twain quote in your sig You have good taste




New post on the way. It references the last scene with Callista in The Living Force if anyone doesn't remember or hasn't read it and is interested. Now let's see what's happening on Denon

 

Chapter 2: Interrogation

The gleaming white corridors inside the Denon Port Authority offices feel almost lifeless to most who pass through them— but the Jedi Master walking briskly down the cream and gray marbled floor isn't most. He feels all, even the base elements of the metal and the space they retain in the Physical Force. He feels the torrent of life in everyone behind the sliding doors he passes and in the oncoming traffic of the security officers who have taken over the DPA in its moment of crisis.

The Force is strong in him.

His name is Luke.

What he feels in most of these beings bustling about their tasks, everyone outside their own daily routine, is an overwhelming sense of panic. This is common when disaster strikes— he's felt it before.

He is panicked as well.

So is his wife.

Now in his early fifties, Luke Skywalker is the Jedi Order. The two are so intertwined that the thought of one existing without the other would be as unnatural as when they'd first met the Yuuzhan Vong and actually thought there were living beings that did not exist in the Force at all.

He has built the new order himself, from the ground up against incredible odds, combating countless obstacles along the way. While perhaps not the most powerful, Luke is by far the greatest Jedi in the galaxy, and one of the finest to ever live.

He is the son of Anakin Skywalker, not Darth Vader.

He is a husband and a father.

A teacher and a student.

He is both kind and wise.

And on the day the end begins, Luke Skywalker is as unaware of the true danger as his wife is.

Even in panic, he is serenity. He is the calm center.

On the surface, the others can't tell that he's just left a meeting with Cal Omas' advisory council quite abruptly when the news came. They can't tell that his head is filled with the HoloNet images that interrupted the politicians, of the alien craft they'd taken down to Denon's surface and the crowd of GFI officers surrounding it with blasters drawn as they helped Callista Ming from the strange vessel.

They certainly can't tell what Callista had meant to him at one time...

Luke had also seen his wife on the HoloNet, her stunning red hair as familiar to him as anything. Even when he saw only the back of her head, he knew it was her— and that's all he could see. Mara Jade Skywalker is a wraith, lurking in the shadows, who's skilled in avoiding unwanted attention and managed to keep the holocams from getting a shot of her face and increasing the media frenzy.

Luke often wishes he were as shrewd as his wife.

But he isn't. For all his wisdom, Luke Skywalker still retains some of his innocence from boyhood, and enthusiasm that will stay with him to the end.

It is his part to play. Everyone's actions will bring about the end in one way or another, and Luke's more than most.

This is where Denon is cast into darkness.





Under normal circumstances, Luke Skywalker would have smiled when he saw the familiar shape of his wife, arms folded, leaning against a large holotransom, the lines of Mara Jade Skywalker he'd long ago memorized— but even he couldn't smile then.

When he'd seen Callista on the HoloNet, it had been too much of a shock, as if he'd been struck in the chest and left reeling, desperately sucking in shallow breaths.

There were many reasons for this, or course, but Luke's life had never been simple. Perhaps the least important, but most uncomfortable, was the fact that Callista was a former lover, their passion having transcended time and even physical form. He'd loved her deeply and it made him feel all the more fortunate to find Mara, and get a second chance.

Having someone he'd been in love with suddenly reappear, and escorted down to the planet by his wife of all people, was enough to make anyone wish that they didn't install HoloNet projectors in council meetings, or perhaps that he'd just stayed in bed.

But most troubling to Luke was the situation involving Callista's disappearance three years before. Frustrated with the Jedi and Alliance's handling of the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, Callista had taken action into her own hands. Having spent the years following her breakup with Luke trying to find a way of accessing the Force again, studying all aspects of the Force, including Sith teachings, she’d finally resigned herself to the truth she’d discovered with Luke on Dagobah— that her anger was the only path for her to the Force.

Adopting a sort of perverted form of the ancient Potentium, which preached that there was no dark side, Callista began to believe that with no dark side, she was free to use the Force in any way she saw fit and formed a cult of Force users on Tatooine, including Lomi Plo, her apprentice Welk, and the long thought dead Raynar Thul, dedicated to the destruction of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Even non-Force users joined Callista's band of rebels in order to help them, and they soon learned of the Chiss virus, Alpha Red, which had the power to exterminate the Yuuzhan Vong invaders, shortly after the Battle of Ebaq. Her plan was simple— to steal the virus from Csilla and use it against the galaxy’s enemies. But to do so, she needed someone who knew the planet's location and could be granted access in order to get an opportunity at the theft.

Upon learning of a Peace Brigade plot to kidnap Luke's sister, Callista seized the opportunity and stole Leia Organa Solo away from the traitors. Eventually she managed to break Leia and recruit her to her cause, the former Chief of State of the New Republic even going to Csilla personally and stealing the virus from the Chiss labs.

Fortunately, the crisis was averted and Alpha Red's destructive force was never unleashed, while Leia and Raynar were saved from Callista's dark influence after managing to kill Lomi and Welk.

After the battle of Coruscant, Callista had simply disappeared.

In three years there had not been a sight or murmur of the former Old Republic Jedi Knight. Luke had feared though, that she was up to no good, and had even sent a pair of Jedi to try and track her down.

Now, to suddenly reappear out of nowhere, on Denon of all places, and in a ship like no other he'd ever seen, Luke knew that his suspicions were correct. The air inside the DPA offices was thick with fear and danger.

After thirteen years of marriage and an unconventional courtship the same length, Luke Skywalker loved Mara more than anything in the galaxy. She was his partner on their journey and he counted himself fortunate to have her at his side— and to be at hers.

Through all the hardships, in the beginning when she'd wanted to kill him, years spent apart, the Yuuzhan Vong and the disease Nom Anor had infected Mara with, they'd only become stronger. The last three years had been as happy personally as any Luke could remember. While the Galactic Alliance was still going through some growing pains, his family was stable on Denon and healthy. Luke and Mara had been granted the time to raise young Ben the way Han and Leia had been unable to their own children— it was what they'd always wanted and thought they'd never have.

Mara didn't turn to face him as he approached, easily sidling up next to her, his long dark-brown cloak flowing from his shoulders as he swept across the marble floor to stare through the tw-way holographic mirror, his shoulder rubbing his wife's.

She said nothing, simply allowing him to take in the scene beyond the holotransom as Intelligence Director Ayddar Nylykerka himself was sitting across a metal table from a woman he knew well. Her body was that of Dr. Cray Mingla, who'd given her life to Callista so that the Jedi might live on with Luke after inhabiting the Eye of Palpatine as a mere Force spirit for decades.

Her hair was longer and shaggier than when Luke had seen her last, the frayed ends falling nearly to her shoulders, and the natural blonde color had returned after the Vong War, when she'd made a practice of coloring it a dark brown.

Callista's clothes were ragged and torn, gray eyes tired, skin pale, and absolutely disheveled— yet Luke could still see that she was beautiful.

"So this mysterious alien, what did you say his name was again?" Nylykerka asked.

Callista's red-rimmed eyes were emotionless as she saw through his attempts to interrogate. "Faybol."

"Right, right... Faybol. He took you deep into the Unknown Regions and showed you this grand army."

The Tammarian Intelligence Director took over the post as leader of the GFI after Dif Scaur’s abuses of power, which nearly led to the New Potentium’s success and the release of Alpha Red.

"That's right," Callista confirmed. "They are preparing for war— when are you going to let me speak with Skywalker?"

"She's been asking for you all morning," Mara said, drawing Luke's attention and drowning out the interrogation going on the other side of the transparisteel. "Says she only trusts you."

"And you find something suspicious in that?"

Mara still did no face him, her eyes a pair of sharp, gleaming emeralds tracking Denon's newest refugee's every movement. "I think she would be foolish not to say it— she knows you're the only one who will protect her... who will try and save her after all she's done."

"She fought on our side in the end," Luke offered.

It was true. After the release of Alpha Red had failed, Callista had appeared in the middle of the bloodiest fight in the war on Coruscant, the Yuuzhan Vong's Place of Sacrifice. She'd come to his aid, helping to stem a tide of warriors that might have killed Luke, Tenel Ka, and others, as well as single-handedly rescuing Raynar Thul from certain death.

After the battle, she and Luke had exchanged a few words, before she turned and disappeared in the haze of rolling smoke, never to be heard from again until her sudden appearance on Denon.

"You don't believe that," Mara quipped. She knew him so well most times he could hide nothing from her. "She wanted to destroy the Yuuzhan Vong— a common enemy doesn't necessarily put you on the same side."

Luke didn't know how to respond, his gaze cast down as Mara finally turned to face him. Though it was dim in the observation room, he could still see the fire in her eyes, her smooth skin in stark contrast to the waves of flowing red hair that framed her features and the black jumpsuit that came high up her neck.

They embraced, his arms wrapping easily around her, her head resting against his, chin on his shoulder.

"Where's Ben?"

Mara knew where their five-year-old son was— Luke knew her question was one seeking reassurance that he was safe. Callista's reappearance had shaken his wife more than he'd expected. Whether it was a reminder of the horrors they faced three years before when they'd last seen her, or if it was because of an impending danger she felt, Luke didn't know...

"He's with Jaina," Luke answered.

His niece had recently returned from a mission in the Unknown Regions that saw a great battle between the Chiss and the alien slavers known as the Vagaari. The mysterious circumstances around the conflict and the Vagaari's reemergence had been a subject the Jedi Council and GFI had devoted much attention to over the last six months.

While Jaina had been on a few mission since then, she was currently on Denon and often spent her days watching over little Ben— Though Luke could tell being between missions was torture for her and she really didn't know what to do with herself. She would have much rather been on the front lines with her brother Anakin.

Their embrace broke, Luke keeping his hands on his wife's strong shoulders. "So are you going to tell me the story? The HoloNet was a little light on details."

"Does that surprise you," Mara asked sardonically. "They're only interested in gossip."

"That's because they never knew about Alpha Red or what really happened with Leia," Luke replied. "The reports are just about Callista reappearing after decades missing and ridiculous speculation about this ship of hers. I was hoping you could tell me what was really going on."

"You mean what she claims is going on?"

"You don't believe her?"

"Of course not," Mara said. "After all she's done I don't see why I should."

Luke raised an eyebrow and Mara sighed, again folding her arms across her chest.

"I guess I should go in and speak with her," Luke finally suggested.

"Not on your life— we're in the middle of interrogating her— you don't give a suspect what they want."

"You'd be surprised what I might be able to get out of her," Luke said. "It could be useful to you."

"Perhaps," Mara allowed. "But interrogations are more my field, farmboy— and it's my turn. You stay out here and it will get you up to speed— if you think she's lying you'll be able to sense it here just as easily."

Luke knew from experience that there was no use in arguing with Mara Jade once she had her mind set on something. She was the one working with the intelligence community, and perhaps Luke going back to speak with Callista now would be disruptive. It was possible that the woman might use any personal feelings to manipulate him into getting whatever she was after.

Director Nylykerka had already left the interrogation room and moved behind another observation holotransom, leaving Callista alone, her eyes fixed directly on Luke's. She couldn't see him but she could obviously sense him in the Force. On Callista's side of the holotransom showed an empty hallway, the holographic illusion allowing them to watch interrogations without he suspects normally knowing who was watching them.

Mara had left his side and was already on the other side of the pane, Callista looking slightly surprised to see her.

Callista's hands were in glowing blue energy binders fastened to the top of the table. "Where's Luke?"

"You asked for Skywalker," Mara said, confidently taking the seat opposite the gray-eyed woman. "That's me now incase you hadn't heard."

Callista's eyes narrowed for a moment, and Luke ran a hand through his short dark hair, now liberally peppered with white, wondering if Mara's interrogation was already going to disintegrate into an argument.

"Very well," Callista relented, her expression softening. "I suppose you want to ask me the same hundred questions that nice Tammarian and four other security agents already did so you can cross-check my answers and look for inconsistencies."

"I'm glad we understand each other—"

"Or is this strictly for Luke's benefit?" Callista asked as she once again stared at Luke, making sure Mara was aware she knew right where he was, her lips curling into a grin.

"Just start at the beginning."

"You mean the end," Callista replied cryptically.

"The Place of Sacrifice will be fine," Mara said, not indulging the other woman. "After the battle, you spoke with Luke, then you left— where did you go?"

"I just walked away."

"Where? The planet was freezing?"

"I don't know, I just picked a direction and walked away... I didn't particularly care at that moment about the weather."

"My niece and nephew nearly died that way during the battle."

Callista did not respond, but Luke could sense the answer— she'd went out into Coruscant's frozen wastelands to die. Her mission to destroy the Yuuzhan Vong had failed and she'd lost her most promising pupils that day. He wondered if their somber exchange inside the Place of Sacrifice had played any part in Callista's willingness to end her life...

Mara seemed to pick up on what the woman was implying as well. "I see... so you were just crawling through the snow towards nothing."

Callista shrugged as best she could with her hands restrained. "As far as I know... I suppose it's possible that something had subconsciously drawn me out there, but I don't believe that's the case."

"Right, because this alien came looking for you," Mara said skeptically.

"Yes, that's correct. Faybol is powerful— he can sense Force users over great distances."

"You're getting too far ahead— tell me what you saw out there in the cold."

"I saw his ship," Callista answered, looking wistful. "At first I thought it was an illusion... that I was freezing and hallucinating, but then the pilot opened himself up to me in the Force and I could sense him."

"And this ship," Mara asked. "It was like the on you flew here in?"

"Exactly like it, I believe."

"How do they work?"

"I haven't a clue, I could barely fly it— it's one of the most complex things I've ever seen."

Luke rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered the fact that Callista had once resided inside the Eye of Palpatine. So far, he had sensed no real deception in any of her answers.

"The planet was surrounded with Alliance, Remnant, and Chiss warship at the time," Mara said, "but no one saw this ship but you."

"Your sensors didn't pick it up for the same reason you could barely see me this morning, even though I wasn't running any stealth cloaking."

Mara seemed to allow this, simply testing Callista to see if she would misstep. There was no reason why the Galactic Alliance vessels who were at the Battle of Coruscant should have detected it based on the performance of the stealth flier Callista had flown into Denon that day, but the truth was, the Chiss had detected Faybol's starfighter. During Jaina's mission to the Unknown regions, she had learned that the Chiss were earful of a hidden threat in their space— the same threat Stent had warned Luke and Mara of when they were in the Hand of Thrawn. Jagged Fel had shown Jaina a craft that she later described for the Jedi Council— a craft much like the one Callista had brought to Denon. Fel had said that they'd been seeing the stealth scoutships in Chiss space for decades and had detected one at Coruscant following the Vong's defeat— which seemed to confirm everything Callista was telling them and probably what was disturbing Mara.

The Chiss had told Jaina little while she was there, but they believe the high-tech scouthships were part of the enemy force Thrawn was preparing to fight in the Unknown Regions before his death.

"So then what happened?" Mara asked.

"You already know," Callista sighed, obviously irritated by being asked the same questions by so many people, but a hard look from Mara encouraged the younger-looking woman more forthcoming. "The ship landed and Faybol came out into the snow. I asked him who he was and he told me."

"And? He forced you on to his ship?"

"No..." Callista answered, her eyes wandering the white room as she seemed to grow distant. "No, I went on my own... he was so powerful... I was drawn to him, or curious about what it all was, I suppose."

"And what is Faybol?"

"I don't really know... an alien I've never seen or sensed before."

"What did he look like?"

"He always wore a mask... metallic... a dark burgundy, and a cloak that was red— red like the old Imperial Guard."

Luke felt a shiver run up his spine. Palpatine's Imperial Guards were some of the most intimidating things about the Sith Lord, and the description put a familiar fear in Luke from his confrontation on the second Death Star.

"For three years you never saw him without the mask?"

"No... Not really. I spent a lot of time in a cell, if you were listening earlier."

"He is a Force user?"

"Yes."

"Is he their leader? This empire you spoke of?"

"No, I don't think so... my impression was that he was a simple agent of some kind— he was doing someone else's bidding."

"How do you know he wasn't human?"

"I could feel that he wasn't... he was tall, more than two meters— he wasn't like any of the others either... No one in their empire that I saw."

"We'll come back to that," Mara interrupted. "I want to do this in order. So you boarded Faybol's ship and he took you deep into the Unknown Regions?"

"I believe so... we traveled for weeks in hyperspace. That's what he told me."

"What did you talk about for weeks?"

"We didn't talk much, but when we did, we spoke of the Force."

"I bet that was an interesting conversation," Mara replied sardonically. "What about the Gray Truth?"

The shift in conversation drew a surprised look from Callista Ming, mouth tightening and one lean eyebrow arching in agitation. The Gray Truth had been the New Potentium's flagship and their base of operations. A few months after the battle of Coruscant, the ship was discovered derelict in the Deep Core— its entire crew had been brutally murdered. It was widely believed that Callista had slaughtered them after the failure with Alpha Red, and was the thing Luke most wanted an explanation on.

"I've already answered this a hundred times!" Callista snarled. "I had nothing to do with it."

Mara quirked on eyebrow. "Really? Your crew was hiding at your secret rendezvous point— you were the only one who knew where they were, an insignificant point in the Core. The dead on board were either carved up with lightsabers or covered in burns— and we know from Kyp Durron how much you enjoy delving into the dark powers— Your weapons of choice it sounds like."

Callista had used Force lightning to defeat Kyp Durron on Tatooine when the Jedi Master and Han Solo had tried to rescue Leia from the Potentium base.

"It wasn't me!" Callista said sharply. "It was Faybol! He'd done it before he came for me— he'd been looking for me."

"Why?"

"I don't know really... maybe he hoped he could use me somehow."

"He told you about the Gray Truth?"

"Yes, during our trip to the Unknown Regions."

"And you were his prisoner by then?"

"Essentially— he was in control."

"Did you try to escape?" Mara asked.

"How?"

"Kill him, take his ship?"

"I don't think I cared enough at that point... I didn't care what would happen to me, I just wanted to know."

Luke felt his pulse quickening as he watched the interrogation and found his hands gripping tight on the holotransom's ceil.

"So you weren't really his prisoner," Mara pressed. "He didn't force you to do anything."

"It was understood," Callista explained.

"I see... and how did you escape?"

"I didn't, Miss Jade— he let me go."

"Why would he do that?"

"He said he wanted me to tell the rest of the galaxy what I saw there."

"And what did you see?" Mara asked, leaning forward in her chair in front of the blonde woman.

"I saw the end— the end of all of this," Callista answered, gesturing with her hands as best she could. "The end of the Galactic Alliance, the end of the Jedi Order... the end of freedom."

To Luke's horror he'd yet to find any deception in Callista's words. Could what she'd been telling them really be true?

"What did you see?" Mara asked again.

Callista took a deep breath, as if she was also overcome by the emotion of the situation. "It was an army like no other I've ever seen. This empire has conquered thousands of peoples, enslaved and incorporated them into their war machine. That stealth ship is just a pebble in an asteroid field. Their fleet of ships dwarfs what the Alliance has and their firepower is insurmountable.

"They have been watching us, preparing for this moment for centuries, when they would destroy us and the galaxy would be theirs. They are strong, and cunning, and ruthless, and they are coming here for us.

"Faybol showed me that we are doomed."

 

*yoink*

Finally caught up with both of your new updates YK. I must say I'm very impressed with the start you've made to this story. Sounds like this will be a rollercoaster ride.

 

Damn you and your sorceror's ways!

Er, I mean, I will reply when I have more time.

 

YK: *awestruck*



*just awestruck*

[Will try to reply coherently when I can... ]

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Riveting post, YK!

It was an army like no other I've ever seen. This empire has conquered thousands of peoples, enslaved and incorporated them into their war machine. That stealth ship is just a pebble in an asteroid field. Their fleet of ships dwarfs what the Alliance has and their firepower is insurmountable.

Uh-oh.

Sorry this is short, but my internet connection is giving me trouble tonight.

More next post!

oldj

 

Mara the interrogator - great job for her. These unknown enemies don't sound pleasant. Good build up too. I'm looking forward to more.

 

Great job! I love how you are using Callista. She's not good or evil but somewhere in between. Great job describing Luke's emotions when he saw Callista.