Saga The Father: AU Epic, young Luke/Vader/OT Cast, Humor/Action/Adventure. UPDATED 2/18

Luke swallowed hard and apologized to everybody he could think of for every dumb thing he?d ever done.


In fact it was even more empty than it could be. Where the floor should have been filling it, there was a gaping hole ? plenty big enough for not only a lightsaber-wielding green demoniac troll, but also a standard-size Corellian street rat.
Oh, wonderful - Han and Yoda together; this could be funny....

It was not considered appropriate for a Jedi to swear, particularly not in front of young impressionable princesses, but Ferus did it anyway, under his breath, and whisked Leia to the side of the hallway.
Ferus wouldn't happen to be Corellian, would he?

?Hey...you?re that princess, aren?t you??
Typical Skywalker....clueless and not particularly good with introductions....

?We?re rescuing you, you nerfherder!?
Good gravy, Luke, what does it take?!

?Did you see an ugly green troll running this way??
I'm sure Yoda would simply love to hear such endearing terms....

?My name is Luke Skywalker, Vader is my father, I have two little sisters, Han?s not my brother, who cares about the astromech, a crazy green assassin troll just kidnapped Han and my sisters, and I gotta find him before he gets away! Now come on!?
And what about that is so hard to believe, Leia?

 

Quite the shocker of a revelation there for leia at the end.

 

More soon pm list please



........BJ

 

It didn?t take Ferus long to find a uniform, which was lucky. Not so luckily, the uniform came with an officer and a squadron of stormtroopers thrown into the bargain.

Your humor never ceses to amaze me. Nor your fabulous ability to create chaos!

?Lord Vader?? Organa?s voice somehow cut through the mayhem and drew him back. The senator actually sounded a little...concerned?
Well, well, who'd have thought...?

Luke thought about it a lot less than he should have, switched off his lightsaber, and jumped down through the hole.
Reading this, I realize how much I miss the reckless Luke of ANH. His time was far too short in canon!

Of course nobody would be so stupid as to blindly jump down through a random hole in the floor without knowing what might be lurking beneath
And Luke actually beat a full-skilled Jedi! Yippeekayee!

What are you doing here?? Leia demanded in a fierce whisper.

Luke scowled. ?What am I doing here?? he retorted indignantly. ?How about what are you doing here??

?Rescuing you!? she exclaimed, still whispering.

Luke stared as if he?d never heard the word rescue before in his life. ?Why??

Leia stared right back. ?You?re trapped in Darth Vader?s fortress,? she said slowly. What could be more obvious?

But Luke Solo only frowned at her. ?What made you think that??

?Your message!? Leia burst out. ?Ferus said you and Han had been kidnapped by Vader and so we came here to get you out!? She glanced at the collapsed Jedi. ?And then you shot Ferus!? she added accusingly, pointing.

*falls to floor holding stomach* Oooh, ooh the confusion is complete!

?No, just a stormtrooper with a crate, but I thought you didn?t have any ? stop it!? Luke was off running again. ?Stop! We can?t leave Ferus back there, somebody will ? and you?re not answering any of my questions!? She twisted her arm furiously as they raced back down the hall, around the bend back to where the glowpoints were still lit.

With a stifled sound of exasperation, Luke stopped and whirled to face her. ?My name is Luke Skywalker, Vader is my father, I have two little sisters, Han?s not my brother, who cares about the astromech, a crazy green assassin troll just kidnapped Han and my sisters, and I gotta find him before he gets away! Now come on!?
I can SO hear Leia! You write her so perfectly spunky and precicious! And the contrast to Luke's breathless impatience is priceless! Bro and sis no doubt!

I should have red this days ago! Nothing lights a day like a chapter of your writing!

 

A/N: I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated...new job combined with end of the school year combined with a great many house guests and trips all over the state, I've been so distracted...my sincere apologies.

kataja: Your humor never ceses to amaze me. laugh Nor your fabulous ability to create chaos!

Pssh. Creating chaos is too easy. It's getting OUT of it that will work your Muse to death...

I realize how much I miss the reckless Luke of ANH. His time was far too short in canon!

Too short indeed.

And Luke actually beat a full-skilled Jedi!

Not so much 'beat' as 'unfairly got the jump on'...

Nothing lights a day like a chapter of your writing!

Aw, thanks! If only it weren't for pesky things like bills and loans and food and stuff I would write all day every day and that would be all the reward I'd ever need...I think that must be the best part of being JKR or Tom Clancy, you can quit worrying about the money and just ENJOY making people laugh (although perhaps when you've been doing it that long, you don't as much...hmm).

baritonejedi: I'm glad you're enjoying it! There is not a PM list, actually; it is so difficult to keep up with them that it ends up discouraging me from posting because it'll take too much time between PM-ing and formatting. Once again...if any of you knows how to swing a mass PM...give me a crash course and I'll get it rolling.

Jade_eyes: Alas, poor Leia, she doesn't even know the half of it yet.

rehtul-minnau: Oh, wonderful - Han and Yoda together; this could be funny....

Hmm...that would, indeed, be funny. However, I think my twist is equally funny...

Ferus wouldn't happen to be Corellian, would he?

Not a clue but I'd put money on it if I had any...

Typical Skywalker....clueless and not particularly good with introductions....

Yeah, wonder which side of the family he gets that from.

what about that is so hard to believe, Leia?

I figured I'd give her some practice in dealing with astonishing revelations before breaking out the real show-stoppers.

dm1: I sure hope everyone gets out of this one in decent shape...

You know what they say, hope springs eternal. At least until the author offs somebody, that is.

...

CHAPTER 36

"Frights, Fights, and Flights"

...

No stormtroopers had yet reached the violated inner corridors of Lord Vader?s private chambers, but if they had, they would have been astounded to see the door to the dark lord?s dueling salle spontaneously warp, fold over on itself and explode out of the doorframe with a cacophony of metallic shrieks and spitting sparks. Smoke billowed out and severed droid limbs skidded across the deck plating. Water and flame-retardant foam began spitting out of jets set into the ceiling, raining all over the short, solitary, somewhat singed shape that emerged from the smoking portal.

Master Yoda, for all that the clinging puffs of foam made him look like some sort of miniature Father Lifeday, was exhibiting none of the festive jollity of that holiday icon.

?See now, do you, why away from his father?s influence the boy must be taken?? snapped the drenched, foam-encrusted Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan, his ghostly form serenely unaffected by the bombardment from above or the flames behind, possessed wisdom enough not to comment. ?I suppose you?ll make me explain that mess,? he replied instead.

?Kill you a second time, he cannot,? Yoda pointed out, and without further comment he leapt back through the open grate in the ceiling, leaving a trail of airborne foam in his wake.

Obi-Wan glanced ruefully at the wreckage. ?I daresay that?s not going to stop him from trying.?

...

When Han came to, all he could see was a whole lot of nothing. It was pitch black, wherever it was. He tried to stretch himself out, but instantly ran into walls in every direction, except for a couple in which he ran into something softer. There was a yelp from one of those directions ? a very high, little girl-ish soundin

 

Ah ha... I suspected there was more than just Yoda intruding!... Nice twist

 

Did Ferus Take the children or is he still out cold in Vader's Castle?

 

I was just going to write to you and ask when you'll update. But you made it before I managed

Master Yoda, for all that the clinging puffs of foam made him look like some sort of miniature Father Lifeday, was exhibiting none of the festive jollity of that holiday icon.




?See now, do you, why away from his father?s influence the boy must be taken?? snapped the drenched, foam-encrusted Jedi Master.
Not the most objective argument, I?d say?



?Sara??

?No!? the voice said indignantly. ?I?s Sandra.?
Very important ? even now


The only worse scenario he could imagine was being stuck in a box with their dad.
Ok, point. Gotta admire Han's good spirits


You can?t kidnap me!?

?I just did,? the trooper pointed out. He raised the blaster back up, adjustments finished.

?No, I?ve got a tracking device!? Han hollered.

The man paused. ?Tracking device.?

?You take me away from the castle, I explode,? Han informed him, getting angry all over again as he remembered the particulars. Never in a million years had he expected the slave implant to save his life. But now the guy couldn?t kidnap him without killing him, and he?d already said Han was worthless to him dead...

?Well,? said the trooper cheerfully, ?then I?m glad we had this conversation.?

Just like that?

?Guess I?ll have to put you in the cryo chamber,? the other continued. ?That should short circuit the implant without killing you.?
I?m kinda glad that carbon freeze was good for something? You certainly make neat use of it!


Leia had a thousand questions running through her mind wildly, but she was too stunned to voice them, and increasingly too out of breath. Luke Solo ? Skywalker? ? was tearing through halls like a maniac, mysteriously retracing exactly the path she and Ferus had taken even though she never told him where to turn. The only respite came briefly in the turbolift.
Leia?s almost uncharacteriztically placating here? On the other hand she?s running towards adventure, so maybe?


Landre sank down into his command chair, feeling tingles run through his fingers and a knife in his gut, imagining the sensation of his throat closing from within ? if indeed Lord Vader extended such a quick manner of death to the man who had failed to protect his children. ?Commence a general search of the castle,? he ordered harshly.

Poor, poor Landre. He?s really trying his best so hard all the time?

 

Nice chase and evasion, but poor Han, turned into a block of ice again.

Poor Landre.

 

Jade_eyes: poor Han, turned into a block of ice again

Hey, it had to come in at some point, and at least in this fic I give him a reason to be grateful for it...

Poor Landre.

He hasn't hit rock bottom yet.

kataja: ?See now, do you, why away from his father?s influence the boy must be taken?? snapped the drenched, foam-encrusted Jedi Master.
Not the most objective argument, I?d say?

But, given the combined Skywalker track record, probably valid nonetheless.

?Sara??

?No!? the voice said indignantly. ?I?s Sandra.?
Very important ? even now

Always is when you look exactly like somebody else, and also when you're two - I mean, two and a half.

I?m kinda glad that carbon freeze was good for something?

Or, you know, the closest equivalent to carbon freeze I could finagle into this situation.

Leia?s almost uncharacteriztically placating here?

I figure that between losing Ferus, the last adult authority, out of the blue and Luke's bombardment of revelations, she must be in shock and off balance. Don't worry, she'll be back in form soon!

Poor, poor Landre.

Rereading this fic, I almost feel sorry for him. Not enough to alter the plot, alas. O Captain, my captain...

Jedi_QueenBee: Did Ferus Take the children or is he still out cold in Vader's Castle?

Out cold in Bast Castle. He was mentioned in the com chatter at the end of the last chapter and he's back in this one.

Ocelotl_Nesto: Sorry I missed answering your review last time! I tend to rely on the "show previous replies" feature and apparently yours was right past the limit.

I suspected there was more than just Yoda intruding!

Yes indeed - but who?

...

CHAPTER 37

"Questions Asked and Answered"

...



Leia couldn?t remember a time when she?d wanted to scream more than right now. But no screams could get out ? the ship was ripping up through the atmosphere so fast that she didn?t need any crash webbing to keep her plastered against the seat back. Instead she clutched frantically at the armrests, swiveling her eyes around the cockpit as best she could with her head seemingly welded into place. She couldn?t budge a muscle ? in terror, the young princess realized that they must be going too fast for the compensators and anti-gravity generators to keep up with them, which meant the sublight engines had to be deep in the red zone. Her tongue worked, trying to tell Luke to slow down, but she couldn?t get any sounds out, and from the maniac look in Luke?s eyes, he probably wouldn?t listen anyhow.

Atmosphere finally gave way to black space and the pressure of the planet?s gravity vanished ? but just when Leia could begin to hope the stress factors weren?t going to physically rip the freighter apart, Luke let loose with the cannons, blasting away at vacant space ahead of them. She was so astonished she forgot to yell ? until, that was, return fire rocked the freighter violently.

Luke said something that sounded very uncivilized in a language she didn?t know, took a quick glance at the scanners, and yelled something in Basic that she knew was very uncivilized.

?What?? she screamed at him.

?It?s the krethin? destroyer!? Luke yelled back. ?That blast knocked out the cloaking shield!?


Leia stared at the scanners, saw to her horror that the Imperial Star Destroyer standing guard over the system had honed in on them. Scores of TIE fighters boiled out of its bowels, a whole cloud of them streaking toward their ship. The com system crackled to life. ?Unidentified freighter, stand down immediately or you will be destroyed!? an officer?s voice ordered sharply over the speakers.

Luke leaned over and switched off the com.

?What are you doing?? Leia shrieked. She lunged forward to switch the com back on ? there was no way this ridiculous boy was going to make it past a Star Destroyer and all its starfighters! They had to surrender or they?d die ?

Luke spun the ship into a wickedly sharp roll, flinging Leia across the cockpit away from the com unit

 

Loved the L/L scene. Wonderful back and forth there.

 

This is going to get good... Will Vader set Ferus to look for his kids? Or will the green troll have to help?

 

Luke said something that sounded very uncivilized in a language she didn?t know, took a quick glance at the scanners, and yelled something in Basic that she knew was very uncivilized.

It's fab being in Leia?s head here!


?Unidentified freighter, stand down immediately or you will be destroyed!? an officer?s voice ordered sharply over the speakers.

Luke leaned over and switched off the com.
Classic!

?Plug in these numbers!? he yelled at her. ?44-1-22-1-44!?
This has nothing to do with byour story ? but when I read this, on my screan the numbers where shown as a phone number ? Internet!

She jerked her hand out and switched off the computer display. He turned sharply and she pointed her finger at him. ?Don?t you even,? she hissed. ?You tell me what?s going on, right now. I?m not going anywhere else until I know what?s going on!?
Okay ? Leia?s out of her shock now


?He doesn?t lie to people,? Luke said in a strange voice.

?How do you know??

?I just know.?

Leia fought down her frustration. ?I guess that?s some Jedi trick??
This is so sweet. Everybody else would start to explain that he?s mistaken ? but Leia accepts this. I can?t point out why, but it?s very in character.



There came into Luke?s eyes sudden alarm. ?Is your dad all right?? he asked urgently.

Leia suddenly fell back into her seat, fighting tears. ?I don?t know,? she choked. ?They said that ? that Vader would be coming to Alderaan.?

Luke shifted nervously. ?I did everything I could,? he said helplessly.

Leia looked at Luke with new eyes, realizing just whom Luke had been defying when he sent that message to Alderaan. You can?t tell anybody else, or I swear, my father will kill me... ?That was very brave of you,? she murmured, wiping away the few tears that had escaped her control.

Luke fiddled with his fingernails. ?I owe your dad,? he muttered.
I so love this moment bewteen them ? so much understanding immediately!

Yeah ? Yoda could have helped them against the green troll ? the irony is hilarious!

And poor, poor, Ferus... You are very mean to your characters, do you know that?

 

I absolutely loved the part with Luke and Leia. I was seeing Han and Leia the entire time. You do so well writing the dialogue between them.

 

A/N: Hey, all, my apologies for the delay. Half of my family is moving to Europe in the next few weeks and consequently Darth Reality has been on a rampage. Things will be calm for a little bit, I think, but the madness isn't over, so the best I can do is apologize for past and possible future delays...thanks for bearing with me.

rehtul-minnau: thank you! Luke and Leia together actually give me a bit of trouble. Han and Leia are so much easier. Actually, now that I think about it, Han and anybody is easier, which explains a lot of the end of this story...

kataja: when I read this, on my screan the numbers where shown as a phone number

Gosh, I love it when the Internet makes me look like an idiot...

This is so sweet. Everybody else would start to explain that he?s mistaken ? but Leia accepts this.

I think it's cause Leia is like Anakin in that they're both prepared to accept the truth of things that have no tangible basis. Anakin believes his nightmares. Leia believes in Luke's "Jedi senses." I think it strikes you as in-character because of those two scenes at the ends of ESB and ROTJ...

And poor, poor, Ferus...You are very mean to your characters, do you know that?

Once I read it was an author's job to torture their characters. I think it sank in...and I haven't even started with Ferus yet, alas for him...

Ocelotl_Nesto: Vader and Ferus definitely have a lot of business to finish with each other before this fic is over, I can say that much!

Jade_eyes: I'm surprised so many people liked the Luke & Leia scene. I felt this chapter was rather slow except for Ferus.

...

CHAPTER 38

"The Lucky Saber Cantina"

...

Corellia was no ordinary system in the framework of the galaxy. In purely astrographical terms, the system boasted no less than five inhabitable planets, more than any other known system in the galaxy. It featured three indigenous sentient races on those five planets ? in fact, many an anthropologist had hypothesized that Corellia was the home planet of the human race. Whether or not that lofty claim was the truth, Corellia nonetheless possessed a gem-studded galactic history second to none of the vaunted Core Worlds. Corellians had been among the first to venture forth into space, constructing massive space stations, discovering and developing galactic trade routes, even inventing the hyperdrive. Its location at the nexus of the Corellian Trade Spine, the Corellian Run, and the Hydian Way had made it a key trade junction since the first days of intergalactic commerce. Billions visited the system every standard year, drawn by equally numerous reasons, and in consequence the system rivaled Coruscant itself as the center of the galaxy. The heart of the Corellian system, naturally, was the planet Corellia. The heart of Corellia was its capital Coronet, a galactic metropolis that echoed the cityscape of Coruscant. And the heart of Coronet, as any bona fide Corellian could tell you, was undoubtedly Treasure Ship Row.

Hence, of course, it was to Treasure Ship Row that an ambitious, inventive entrepreneur such as Lando Calrissian inevitably directed his steps.

Lando had been on Corellia for about two weeks now, having left Nar Shaddaa as soon as he could walk up the ramp of his ship without limping and calling down curses on Han Solo. It was blasted lucky that he hadn?t been killed jumping from Solo?s landing ramp. But between jumping five meters onto permacrete and paying Darth Vader an uninvited visit, Lando would pick the jump every time. At least if you jumped, there was a chance you might live to complain about it. And live to complain he had. Unfortunately, since Han Solo was in all likelihood strangulated worm fodder now, Lando didn?t have anybody he could really complain to, and had been forced to get along with his life.

He was sure that if he stayed on Nar Shaddaa, the ghost of Han Solo would haunt him, merrily wrecking his every business venture ? and besides that, Jabba was still pretty ticked with him over the incident of th

 

Landre better fear for his life when he told Vader the last sentence. Otherwise, This is really good. Keep it up!!!

 

Awesome stuff. Very classic stuff with Landre and Vader

And amusing scene with Yoda

 

Wow, this just keeps getting better! I'm glad to see Lando is back; he was always one of my favorite characters. The scene with Yoda and Obi-Wan I found to be particularly funny, and the way you wrote it with only dialouge and descriptions of sounds was really nice. I can't wait for the next chapter!

 

Everybody else would start to explain that he?s mistaken ? but Leia accepts this.

I think it's cause Leia is like Anakin in that they're both prepared to accept the truth of things that have no tangible basis. Anakin believes his nightmares. Leia believes in Luke's "Jedi senses." I think it strikes you as in-character because of those two scenes at the ends of ESB and ROTJ...

I think you?re right! It's pretty interesting...


?Who is this?? she demanded in a low voice.

?A friend of mine,? Luke told her. ?Right?? This last was addressed to Lando.

Yeah, right? Better confirm first



?And how about you, honey, the same??

The dark-haired girl bestowed upon him a regal glare. ?Bottled water, thank you,? she said loftily. ?Preferably sealed.?
Good grief, you capture her so perfectly!!!


?Sithspit,? he rasped, ?you two get kidnapped twice a week just for the hell of it, or what??

Luke rolled his eyes. ?Oh, yeah, it?s a blast, you should try it sometime ??

?I asked a question first, thank you,? the girl informed him.



a miniature fugitive half-Jedi
*falls of chair laughing*


Lando stared back for another solid minute before breaking. ?All right.? So much for not sticking his neck out.
You really capture something genuine about Lando & Luke here, I think. Luke just earnestly believes in him ? and Lando is too decent to be able to turn him down. That gives these two a very special dynamic that I?d wish to see much more of.

Yoda and Ben?s dialogue. Perfrect!!!


the haggard face of Captain Landre
You know, I have no idea what this guy looks like, but knowing what?s happened and what he has to do, but I know his expression excatly! Poor, poor Landr! He should be rewarded with a two weeks vacation on Zeltros - not with what you drag him into!

 

A/N: My profound apologies for the long wait. My family is off to Europe and I have been acclimating to the new normal, which involves a lot of house care chores that it didn't used to. That said I shall make an effort to resume regular posting. If you're still patient enough to read this, thanks!

kataja: You really capture something genuine about Lando & Luke here, I think. Luke just earnestly believes in him ? and Lando is too decent to be able to turn him down. That gives these two a very special dynamic that I?d wish to see much more of.

Suddenly, you have sparked my interest in the Lando/Luke dynamic, which previously was pretty much nonexistent...despite the fact that they see a fair amount of each other in this fic...hmm. Dratted plot bunnies.

Yoda and Ben?s dialogue. Perfrect!!!

Every now and then I like to experiment. That's one of the things I like best about fan fiction - it's the perfect arena to try out unusual writing styles and see what people think.

the haggard face of Captain Landre
You know, I have no idea what this guy looks like

Huh. I never did describe him really, did I? Let's see...he's definitely got brown hair, in my mind, buzzed short, graying on the sides. Tall guy. Think Liam Neeson. And now I'm pondering all the original characters I've ever come up, whether in this fic or in original stories, and trying to physically envision them. It's strange, they're a lot less clear when I try to picture them as if I were actually seeing them. There's only one I can see well, and I bet that's because I've tried to actually sketch her a lot of times over a lot of years. I think she's been turning over in my mind for a decade, but her story hasn't resolved itself yet - it keeps mutating. I have the pieces but can't figure out which way they go together...you are probably wondering what that has to do with anything, and the answer is, nothing, I'm just rambling again.

He should be rewarded with a two weeks vacation on Zeltros - not with what you drag him into!

He should. Maybe I'll write a oneshot parody of my own fic and give it to him...

rehtul-minnau: Oh, Lando's part is just getting started! And thanks for the feedback on the Obi-Wan/Yoda scene; every now and then I like to experiment with a different writing style. I like that scene a lot myself. I don't think the style would work for anything long, but it makes for an interesting switch-up. I like how limiting the detail that way makes my mind "fill in" the scene; gives it a different life and flavor.

Jade_eyes: Thank you! What I love about this fic is the process of taking the canon events and sort of reinventing and remixing them. It's a fun challenge to change the details but still portray the same spirit and characters. But my other favorite thing about this fic is, it's so darned long I can throw in those odd, different scenes like the one with Yoda!

Jedi_QueenBee: Landre better fear for his life when he told Vader the last sentence.

Truer words were ne'er spoken...


...

CHAPTER 39

"The Better Part of Valor"

...


They were gone.

Impossible.

Such a thing was beyond conception. His support system?s audio suite was clearly malfunctioning. Perhaps he had inadvertently slipped into meditation and was simply imagining this entire conversation.

The numbing shock held his temper in its thrall a few seconds and let his reason continue to function. By that tenuous thread of rationality alone, Captain Landre clung to life when Vader?s anger finally surged past the shock, so cold it burned and so burning it froze.

For such an apocalyptic, unequalled, eternally unforgivable failure as this, the thread of logic told him, his anger must wait until its object was physically within his reach. No Rebel that had ever fallen into his merciless hands had been made to wish for death so fervently as would Landre before the end. Strangulation from a distance was not enough. He would wait, and he would enjoy this.

In the hologram, Landre finally r

 

For such an apocalyptic, unequalled, eternally unforgivable failure as this, the thread of logic told him, his anger must wait until its object was physically within his reach. No Rebel that had ever fallen into his merciless hands had been made to wish for death so fervently as would Landre before the end. Strangulation from a distance was not enough. He would wait, and he would enjoy this.
I definitely approve of your way of saving Landre?s life here

And poor, poor, Ferus. He?s somehow so unfortunate a guy?

Our kidnapper - I love the insigth into his mindset you give us?


From within the safety of the shadows, and even though it was a most un-princess-like thing to do, Leia scowled at the rowdy bar patrons.
'flails* you catch her so perfcetly - and yet manage to make her just as young as she's supposed to be!!!

She glared at Luke to take out her frustration. He was studying a datapad and didn?t see her. He seemed to be right at home here. Maybe he was. He talked like he?d been here before. What did she know?

Nothing. That was what she hated most. She was in a whole new universe and all of a sudden, Leia didn?t know anything at all. Had Han felt this way in the palace on Alderaan?
Heh, heh, hignesness, maybe you have more in common than you wnat to admit

She had yet to get used to Luke?s habit of answering her thoughts;
Another perfect and sweet detail!

Lando flashed them a charming smile. Leia was immediately unimpressed.


Luke suddenly gasped and grabbed the pad from Lando, staring at it with his mouth wide open. ?No way!?
That gree troll/Master Yoda confusion is hilarious ?and you just insist on it continuing?


Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hoped that if someone ever started teaching her about the Force, she didn?t wind up being this weird.
This is yet another typical passage that shows how perfectly you master both this AU and the canon - and let them interact. Both subtly and bluntly!!!


Lando settled back in the booth, casting a lingering glance at the door. He didn?t like to admit it, but he was a bit worried about those two, running around the undersides of Coronet by themselves.
Gaahh... You should be!!! But ok, jut him realizing it is a good sign...


?You got any more questions?? he demanded, half furious, half terrified.

?Sure,? the other said pleasantly. ?Any idea where I can get a cryo chamber on short notice??
Ah, the relaxed habitus of the galactic villains... And if I'm not wrong, Lando can deliver...

 

kataja: I definitely approve of your way of saving Landre?s life here

You keep dropping these hints like you're trying to say something...

Our kidnapper - I love the insigth into his mindset you give us?

His was another fun perspective to dabble in. Main characters are all well and good but the real fun is playing with the supporting cast here and there...

That gree troll/Master Yoda confusion is hilarious ?and you just insist on it continuing?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Gaahh... You should be!!! But ok, jut him realizing it is a good sign...

Gotta start somewhere, I figure. I think he gets the hang of it a bit better by the end of the fic, anyway...

if I'm not wrong, Lando can deliver...

Oh, Lando can ALWAYS deliver!

...

CHAPTER 40

"Hangar 1138"

...




Baranne had not considered options long before settling on Corellia as the first place to look. Firstly, it was the biggest thing happening on the Corellian Trade Route; nearly all traffic stopped here at some point or other. Secondly, it had been Corellia on which the debacle involving this boy first erupted. The laws of psychology suggested that Luke Skywalker, if that was in fact his name, might be drawn to return to Ground Zero. Baranne docked his ship at the military base in Coronet and immediately headed to the surveillance department of Corellian Security. The chief CorSec officer for Coronet, Hal Horn, remembered him from the previous investigation and grudgingly but quickly made room on the ops floor for Baranne to set up shop.

Now, scarcely an hour later, he was threading his way down an alley just off of Treasure Ship Row, charting course towards a familiar cantina not much further away, and shaking his head at his own incredible good luck. He prided himself on his instincts when it came to tracking down suspects, but never before had he hit the jackpot on the very first try. The galaxy was too big a field. He?d drawn up the records from the Kenobi investigation and scanned the list of involved locations. The first name he?d picked had been the Lucky Saber cantina. A few minutes of security footage had done the rest.

Overhead, Baranne had doubled the Imperial patrol and placed it on alert; there were also several troopers in plainclothes tailing him. According to plan, he?d enter the cantina alone, then scope the place out quietly while a backup or two slipped into the mix of customers to keep a sharp eye for trouble. Going by the footage, Luke had left the cantina just fifteen minutes ago, and had made frequent visits over the last few days. Provided that Baranne caused no disturbances, he had every reason to expect that the boy would return again. He would examine the layout of the building, talk to some of the patrons. With a little luck there would still be several beings within who had seen the boy, possibly spoken with him. He might be able to turn up more leads on Luke?s specific whereabouts, which would serve him well should the kid decide it was too risky to return once more to the cantina.

Sporting the nondescript jumpsuit and jacket which comprised his usual field uniform, Baranne wove his way down the alley to the cantina, glancing occasionally at shops and the traffic lanes roaring overhead past the towers, just another nobody in the crush of Coronet's underclasses, just another shabby working man out to kick back and have a drink someplace not too rundown, someplace like - well, this Lucky Saber joint looked as good as anywhere else, didn't it? Just as he walked in the door, he was nearly bowled over by fearsome character decked out in mismatched bits of armor, some of them clearly parts of stormtrooper armor. It was not the near-collision or motley ensemble that caught his attention ? it was the man?s familiar face.

Extremely familiar face. In fact, Baranne was sure that he had seen a couple million just like it all around the galaxy.

The man did not pay him any attention, but Baranne paused outside the door and watched from behind as he plowed down the street. He had

 

Extremely familiar face. In fact, Baranne was sure that he had seen a couple million just like it all around the galaxy.
That's a way to put it!

Lord Vader?s Force was clearly very much with him today.
Tsk tsk...


He dredged up an effort at a charming smile, but his dismay remained painfully obvious.
Poor Lando...


?Thank you, Mr. Lando,? he said cheerfully. ?We at Corellian Family Services appreciate your cooperation.?
Well, well, the man has a sense of humor?



Now she was giving him that really-annoyed look again. He bet if he could see under his father?s mask, that was the expression he?d see whenever Han was mouthing off.
And I bet you're right, Lukie-boy

He had Luke Skywalker in his net as surely as the galaxy spun.
I love when you use such statements - then I know it will go wrong!




The med droid spun, and made a screech of protest, but Luke cut it down instantly. As it collapsed, the toddlers on the bunk catapulted out of the shadows onto their brother.

?Das Luke, das Luke, das Luke!?

?Dadda here??

?Where?s Dadda??

?Where?s Miyr??

?Where?s Han??

?Who?s dat??

?Who?s dat, Luke, who?s her??
Oh, you make them so real, so alive - I can hear them in my head! And funny how quickyl Luke and even Han now are accepted.



She shifted Sandra on her hip and gripped her blaster more tightly, determined not to let anything hurt her new acquaintance. Maybe she was Darth Vader?s daughter, but she was still just an innocent little girl who?d been kidnapped. And that was wrong, and Leia was going to do something about it.
That's Leia in a nutshell! Oh, you get the characters so right, it's amazing!!!



The man from the cantina stood right in front of her, the one with all the scars and the mismatched, carbon-scored armor. And he was pointing his huge ugly blaster right at her.

She had no idea how she managed to shoot him first.
A thirteenyearold shoots Boba Fett!!! But yeah - she's Anakin's daughter, right? Of course she can do it. That's why we love Star Wars - realism be damned!!!


Have I told you I've read Lord Vader's Limpet and DLV to my 11 year old son (translaing the hardest passages) and he absolutely loves them!!! I've gotta find a way to erad this one too - only to print it out will be a costly and tiresome affair so I try to figure something else out...

 

The dark-skinned man stared at him for exactly one second longer, and then bolted up out of the booth ? only to be intercepted by one of Baranne?s backup men. The undercover trooper neatly set the information broker back down in the booth with a patronizing pat on the shoulder and meandered back to the bar.

Loved that little description!

Sara snuggled up against Luke, still looking frightened. ??Kay,? she whispered.

She's so adorable!

He?d come straight back to the lambda?s hangar after getting the broker to rush the delivery of the portable cryo unit.

I loved these parts; the way you wrote them, using pronouns instead of names, and with short sentences, really gave it a lot of character.

 

Great updates. I feel sorry for Olin and Landre's got a reprieve for now

Whew! Fantab action there. Luke and Leia snarking with each other and Leia's a crack shot

Wow, what an edge of seat cliffie that was!