The Alderaan Vignettes (Round-Robin Style... Open to ALL)

I want to start a collection of vignettes covering the moments right before the destruction of Alderaan. I think there are infinite stories to be told and if you are new to fan fic writing this is a good way to experiment with original characters.

The round robin is open to anyone that would like to post a vignette. Remember that a vignette is short(1-6 pages 10 max) and only has one scene/setting. Create whatever characters you want and feel free to have them doing whatever you want, but lets try to keep this PG. Also try to capture the emotions of the characters when the destruction occurs. The vignettes should include the actual destruction but it doesn't have to be graphic it could just be the characters seeing a wall of dirt rushing towards them, they say OMG, and then they die.


I'll start off with my Vignette:





One Last Breath (Tagged)

Ricke lay on the soft grass staring at the blue sky high above. The sporadic clouds meandered slowly across the sky morphing as they went, but no matter how they changed they always looked like Serenia.

Serenia was the most beautiful woman Ricke had ever known and how he ended up with her he would never understand. She was only slightly shorter than him with a much more appealing build. Her curves and proportions were exquisite; her smile and teeth flawless. He long flowing brown hair always caught his attention, its smell intoxicating. Her eyes were a haunting ice blue that he had come to love.

Ricke lay there staring at one cloud in particular overhead as it morphed and changed before his very eyes. It looked as if the cloud had come to life, imitating Serenia speaking to him. The cloud moved its mouth and winked its eyes as Ricke stared on longing for Serenia to arrive.

His left hand lay across his chest as his right played with the long grass beside him. He picked off one particularly long piece and brought it to his mouth. The nectar from the grass was a sweet and intoxicating mix and he chewed on the end to get it out.

He sighed as he soaked up the nature around him. The birds were singing, the flowers in full bloom. Somewhere a wild animal was hunting a smaller animal, but such was the way of nature and it was to be expected.

Off in the distance he thought he heard his name being called. At first he thought it was his imagination but he heard it again, much louder and more clear this time. He sat up and scanned the fields below the hill on which he was perched.

Down in the field he could see a shape walking towards him. Serenia, it had to be Serenia. ?Serenia,? he called out to her as he stood up and waved to her. She picked up her pace as she heard him call her name.

He thought about running down to meet her but decided against it, choosing, rather, to watch her as she approached him. Even from this far away her beauty was palpable. The way she ran to him gave it all away. She loved him, more than he could ever know but if it was anything like the love he felt for her it would last forever.

Just standing there admiring her as she ran to him he was happier than he had ever been. He was in love and spending time with the women he loved, nothing could ever ruin that. She was getting closer and would be by his side in a matter of moments now.

His comlink sparked to life, a stray transmission setting it off. ?Commence?ignition.? Strange, he shrugged it off, probably just a random radio wave bouncing off Alderaan?s ionosphere high above.

Ricke stopped where he was and stared up at the sky towering over him. The sky began to change colors and he called out to Serenia, telling her to hurry. A beautiful show was beginning as an aurora began to form by hitting the ions of the upper atmosphere. Ricke was mesmerized as he watched.

Then the aurora stopped and a deafening sound was heard. All around the ground quaked. Worry filled his soul as he looked to Serenia running towards him, much closer now. Her arms were outstretched beckoning him. When she saw the look of horror on his face she turned to see

 

Oh now this is cool- I'll be back later!

Oh, btw, awesome vignette!!!!

 

Ok, here's mine

Into the Sea...

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~

Jarvis stared blankly at the sea. Perched on the edge of a cliff, his feet dangling off the edge, he felt as if he was at the top of the world. In all directions the sea met the horizon, here he had always felt at peace. He took a deep breath, wondering if they could smell the wonderful salty air; so refreshing, so full of the sea. A deep sigh escaped from his lips and a tear, as salty as the water he gazed at, trickled down his cheek.

The blue of the sea was like Liana?s eyes. Jarvis squeezed his own shut, trying to envision his departed wife. Her billowy brown hair would seem to float like tendrils of seaweed, and her fair skin was like the color of the Alderaanian Great Pearl. Far below him a wave crashed against the cliff, stirring him from his thoughts. The wind began to stir and it caught against the organic curves and crevices in the cliff, creating hollow music that reminded the man of someone else precious to him.

Deena; darling, darling Deena. She loved to play the glass flute. It was a similar sound to what he heard haunting him now. Her twelfth birthday had been last week; Jarvis had save for a year so that he could afford a Handelbein Glass Flute, a prized instrument. Smiling he recalled how her eyes had lit up when she opened the package. Deena had then burst into tears and had wrapped her thin arms around him. Looking down at his hands Jarvis studied the flute. This had been the reason they were no longer with him.

Anger filled him and he clutched the flute tightly in his fist. They had gone to a class on Couscant so that Deena could learn to play like an angel. On the way back a severe malfunction caused a hull breech in the transport, and the two never reached the escape pods because Deena had to save the precious flute. Jarvis cried out to the sea, ?Why?!? Then he stood and threw the instrument into the sea. As it fell it issued forth a long mournful wail.

Sobs shook his body violently and he looked out at the whitecapped waves. He didn?t have anything left to live for. His wife and daughter were dead. And his soul was dead as well. Spreading his arms wide he leaned forward and leapt off the cliff heading into the tumultuous water below.

The icy water stole all the breath from him and a sudden survival instinct took over. Struggling for a breath he kicked his way to the surface, cursing that he did not die, and that he was stupid enough to kill himself. Trying to stay afloat he moved away from the rocks knowing he would be crushed it he got to close to them. With sure strong strokes he swam toward a small sandy beach tucked in a small alcove in the cliff face. Dragging himself onto the beach he wondered why the impact hadn?t killed him.

With a startled realization he recalled a strong pair of hands holding him by the shoulders as he fell, slowing his decent. Confused he wondered if it had been perhaps his wife trying to preserve his life. Did she think that he had something to live for? He stared up at the sky, realizing that there was an evil out there doing unspeakable things to families like he once had. What if he could save just one family?

A strange light began to ripple in the sky, and he wondered what it was. Never before had he seen anything like it. Cold fear gripped at his stomach and he knew that it was something bad. Violent tremors caused the cliff to shaking sending small rocks and pebbles showering down upon him. Standing up Jarvis wondered where would it be safest. He dove into the sea, only to discover that it?s temperature was rising quickly. Getting out of the scalding water he wondered what could be happening, but the thought was cut short as he gaped at a giant wave. The sea was going to claim him after all.

Jarvis wondered if he would finally be able to join his family.

 

how do make fics and post them and stuff

 

well, I made one. it is full of hate and angst and stuff so here it is:


She Loves Me Not (very very short)

Rie ran as fast as he could to escape the pain. ?its over, I don?t need you anymore?, she had said. He would show her. Christy did need him. He would prove it. So senseless, he thought. She didn?t have the right to do this to him.

Then it came. An alarm went off. A voice was screaming. The intercom voice was tinged with fear. Rie looked up and saw it, the thing that would bring death to them all. He didn?t care anymore, he was ready to die.

As the ray neared the planet, he smiled. She would pay. Hate filled his heart. He jumped into the TIE fighter that had landed behind him. His mission was over. To infiltrate the palace and be sure of the princesses capture.

As the TIE flew off, Rie looked behind just in time to see Christy?s terrible death. A smile hit his lips, and evil filled his heart. She had payed for what had happened to him. He looked up and smiled as he saw the approaching Death Star. Alderaan, the planet he grew to hate, was gone forever. The girl he once loved, died before his eyes, and he enjoyed every second. she loves me not, he thought. ?She loves me not, life?s not fair?- Papa Roach, ? She Loves Me Not?

 

triggerfinger-- I PMed you about that.

Okay, here is my vignette. It is from Leia's point of view as she watches her only home be destroyed. I originally wrote it a few months ago along with several other similar vignettes, but it is about Alderaan's destruction, and I was told (though I never posted it) that it is good. So here you go.


TAGGED
* * * * *

This is not happening. I am not here. This is not my body that is feeling these sensations, not my mind that is rejecting them. Yet it is all so real . . .

The deck is vibrating beneath my feet. Why do I even care? How can I notice anything except my home, floating before my eyes? They have given the order-- it is too late. Yet there must be something I can do!

No! Stop them! I can feel it below me, my people so peaceful and unafraid. I can feel the power building up in the deepest interior of this battle station, this star of death. Building up to wipe out everything I love and cherish. My father, below me, helpless as I am to stop this monstrosity.

Then, suddenly, my soul screams the scream of death and my whole life, everything I once held dear, is gone. No, this cannot be happening! My mind shuts itself off from all thought, and I notice only the deadly rumbling of the deck plates beneath my feet, and the cold, solid form of Darth Vader against my back.

No, wait! My feelings, my thoughts, they are all fleeing, leaving me alone with this monster. Come back! Don't abandon me now to denial! I must remain lucid, I must remain calm. They will never learn anything from me. I will not give in. I will spit at their feet and at their technological terror, and nothing more shall pass my lips. I am mute.

Yet somehow, through it all, my hearts continues to scream, chilling me to the depths of my strongest bones. Make it stop! I will not break down, I will not give in, I will not show them the pain that this death is causing me. This grief . . . this anguish . . .

I have nothing left but myself, with my human faults and weaknesses and my father's stubborn pride. He will be proud of me, wherever he is now. I will not give in. I take what I am, pathetic though it is, and make it one. I will not give in. The sole purpose of my being is centered, calm. I do not have to look at the dying embers of my homeworld. They are dead now, no more than scattered atoms and still rocks in the vast emptiness of space. The only reality is pain and death and despair. The only reality in this world is Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. The only reality is that I will not give in.

The Empire is all that there is now, and that is an evil that I shall devote my life to eradicating.

I stand firm, I will not give in. My father is dead below, and his sacrifice will not be in vain. Darth Vader will pay for the death of my father, in every way.

* * * * *

 

This was just written on the spur of the moment, and is VERY short, but here it goes anyway. Hope you enjoy it:

A Mother's Love

Aelyl sprawled across the soft picnic blanket, playing with her baby daughter Miiya?s toes. An empty basket lay at her feet. Her husband Darann sat near them, using his electrobinoculars to watch the birds. All was at peace on Alderaan. Miiya was fed, and content, and drifted slowly off to sleep in the warm spring breeze. Off in the distance thruntas soared over the sparkling ocean, and ventured close to the city, which rested in the middle of the shallow sea on giant stilts.

Aelyl moved to sit next to her husband, resting her head on his shoulder. They so seldom got to be alone like this, as Darann?s work kept him in the city for most of the time. Not that they minded; Miiya was their pride and joy, and they had wonderful plans for her future. She would go off to Coruscant to be a politician, and become a great leader. Or perhaps she would become a famous artist, and her pictures would sell for millions of credits. No matter what Miiya became, no matter what happened, they knew she would be content.

Darann?s comlink buzzed briefly, but the volume was down too low for Aelyl to hear what was being said.

She snuggled closer to her husband, and they sat there for an infinite moment, watching the sun set over the water.

Aelyl frowned, lifting her head to look more closely at the sunset. Was it supposed to be tinged with green like that? She felt a cold tingle run up her spine. Something was wrong.

She pointed her concern out to her husband. He raised his electrobinoculars and gazed at the horizon. With a shout, he pulled out his comlink and made to say something into it, but suddenly air was pressing in on them, unbearably hot. Aelyl tried to scream, but as soon as she opened her mouth all of the moisture was sucked from it, and she choked. The ground shook beneath Aelyl?s feet, and she looked on in horror as the ocean rose up in a tidal wave, knocking the great city aside and sending pieces of it flying.

The cliff above them gave a great lurch, and pieces of it began raining down upon them. Aelyl threw herself down onto the ground, trying to shield Miiya with her body, but before the falling boulders even hit her, the
air pressure became too great to withstand. Miiya was miraculously still sleeping, dreaming of peaceful, happy things.

Aelyl?s last thought was of her family, her last instinct to protect her daughter, but she couldn?t protect Miiya from the destruction of their whole world.

And no matter what Miiya became, no matter what happened, she was content.

 

*sniffle* These are so good! triggerfinger, I liked yours-- very angsty.

Golden_One (did I remember that right?) I loved the touch of having the baby still sleeping peacefully throughout. It really brought home how unexpected the whole thing was.

 

Good job all.

triggerfinger - Good post... really short but it was good. I'm sure their were people going through emotional struggles at the time and how they reacted. Nice.

Mcily_Nochi - Damn, your name is tough to remember. Anyway, great vignette I thought it capture Leia quite well. You don't get to see her emotional state as well in ANH and I think you made it clear what was running through her head before she lossed her planet. Nice Job.

Golden_One - Another great vignette. I like how you show all the hopes and dreams that are lost in an instant. All the planned futures that were suddenly stopped. Good job.

 

UP!

...Mocha Power

 

thanx, i didnt know how people would react. it was full of hate and everyone here seems to like love and sadness. so i appreciate.

 

Oops, haven't been on in a while...
Yes, it is Golden_One, but my author name in the archives is Siren_Song . Thank you all for your comments on my story!
Mcily_Nochi: it's ok...I remember your name . I liked your story. It was so sad!
Triggerfinger: Nice job!
lol I think I liked all of them.
Good job to you too JMAS .