Saga ?The Guardians? ~A Clone Wars Fanfic~ [*Part I posted 13th February*]

[Yes. It?s a Clone Wars ?fic ? from the Imperial Ewok?

Okay. Well. Ah.

Um, hello?

Some of you may know me from the Beyond the Saga board, for disconcerting Ewok impersonations, the Mara Jade/Anakin Solo ?ship, and other things in a similar vein?

Those who know me will also know that, much as I respect the hard work of a lot of the people involved, I?m no great fan of the Prequel gig. It strikes me as a basically flawed concept, an overwrought and incongruous blob of gilt baroquery awkwardly prefixed to the STAR WARS Trilogy.

But I just got bitten by a plot-bunny, and then, while I was out for my morning walk, it snacked away, and put on weight, and grew from a wrangleable vignette-sized concept to something that looks worryingly like a full-blown ?fic?

I?m not going to make immense efforts to keep it in line with the precise continuity of the novels, comics and cartoons here, but for me, that means I?ll probably contradict some of the really obscure stuff that the hard-core Clone Wars fans care about, and I?ll be making a deliberate attempt to tie in some of the neglected backstory to the post-RotJ EU? feel free to call me up on anuthing that irritates you!

So, yep ? it?s a Prequel Era ?fic, it?s non-AU, and should hopefully fit with most of the rest of what?s out there? kinda?

Feedback makes plotbunnies more quiescent. Discussion of continuity quibbles, random silliness, and positive and negative reviews of any length ? all welcome! ]



Another Galaxy, Another Time?.





STAR WARS
The Guardians
~A Clone Wars Fanfic~





Captain Pellaeon stood at the front of the Vigilance?s bridge, booted feet planted firmly on the durasteel deck, fists folded and clenched behind his back.

He stood in silence, solid and still as a statue. This was his place, as the commanding officer of one of the Fleet?s newest and most powerful warships ? standing with his back to the command crew, looking out the rank of viewports that ran along the forward face of the bridge; looking past the sleek blade of the Star Destroyer?s bows to the star-strewn blackness of space, and the distant world that was their destination.

Without turning round, he could see the scene behind him in his mind?s eye. The crew-pits and the quarterdeck, the level ranks of cambered viewports stretching back along the flanking bulkheads. The khaki-clad officers and the crewers in their grey coveralls, all going about their duties with the quiet, orderly efficiency that had been the hallmark of the Imperial Fleet for a thousand generations.

Pellaeon smiled.

At thirty-nine, he was already a veteran of twenty years in the Fleet, and he brushed some imagined lint from the front of his khaki tunic with a sort of smooth, self-conscious pride. As he did, he recalled a gawky farmboy with bright blue eyes and cropped blond hair, wearing the blue uniform of the Republic Judicial Forces. He was mildly surprised to realise that that was who he had once been, and he smiled quietly at the memory.

Growing up on Corellia, he?d always been drawn to the stars ? his earliest memories were of staring up at the night sky from his bedroom window, watching the brilliant stars and the faint trail of the galactic disk above the darkened countryside, and the multicoloured ladder of running-lights and drive-glows climbing up and down out of the small spaceport at New Bap, twenty miles to the south. But he?d also felt an abiding loyalty to the Old Republic, and an unashamedly romantic attachment to the stories of the Corellian heroes who?d served in the Imperial Fleet before the dawn of the Thousand Year Peace. When he was a boy, the stories he had told himself had been about captains and commanders, not pirates, rebels and smugglers; defenders of the Republic, not enemies of the system.

Then, when he was fifteen, the Bacta Crisis had escalated into a shooting war, with the pirates and rimrunners of the Commerical Combine ranged against the forces of the Repub

 

Great work Ewok!.

Glad there finally is some mention of the Victory-class Star Destroyers!

 

A Clone Wars ?fic with Pellaeon! I love Pellaeon!

Growing up on Corellia, he?d always been drawn to the stars ? his earliest memories were of staring up at the night sky from his bedroom window, watching the brilliant stars and the faint trail of the galactic disk above the darkened countryside, and the multicoloured ladder of running-lights and drive-glows climbing up and down out of the small spaceport at New Bap, twenty miles to the south.
Beautiful imagery!

He stood in silence, solid and still as a statue. This was his place, as the commanding officer of one of the Fleet?s newest and most powerful warships ? standing with his back to the command crew
Loved this? It sets the stage perfectly?

He frowned slightly, turning over the thought in his mind ? wondering why he had briefly felt again the half-remembered touch of that dark-haired, brown-skinned dancing-girl.

Was it really twenty years?

He sighed, and smiled quietly ? nostalgically.
Hmm? so Gilad is still carrying a torch for his first love?

And Tatooine. Interesting?.

Wonderful, in-depth and very spot on characterization of Pellaeon, the quintessential soldier?s soldier. I enjoyed the background information on him as a young officer. And no, that was not tedious at all, even for a Pellaeon fan like me who already knows a lot about him.

Can?t wait to see where you take this, my friend.

 

Spike: Great work Ewok!

Thanks!

Glad there finally is some mention of the Victory-class Star Destroyers!

I'm pretty sure Paul Ens or Pablo Hidalgo or somebody snuck a mention into HNN or something... but, yeah...

You'll notice there are quite a lot of Y-wings in there, too...

Angel: A Clone Wars ?fic with Pellaeon! I love Pellaeon!

Glad you're liking it!

Beautiful imagery!

Thanks!

Loved this? It sets the stage perfectly?

Ahh, there's only so many ways you can write a "Star Destroyer" opening...

But, thanks again!

Hmm? so Gilad is still carrying a torch for his first love?

He's a romantic at heart?

And she was good...

Wonderful, in-depth and very spot on characterization of Pellaeon, the quintessential soldier?s soldier. I enjoyed the background information on him as a young officer. And no, that was not tedious at all, even for a Pellaeon fan like me who already knows a lot about him.

Thanks again!

Can?t wait to see where you take this, my friend.

Thanks again...

Well, Tatooine is the obvious answer...











**pan down from the stars to the desert**



- The Imperial Ewok

 

Glorified and Undergunned.

I like that.

Just a playground bully

Good analogy.

And he, Captain Pellaeon, stood on the flagship?s bridge, looking out at the planet that was their target.

Tatooine.



He was listening to the new song of the young ship?s beating heart.

Nice, my friend. Very, very nice.

Okay, I?m hooked! Pellaeon?s characterization was spot on, not that I expected anything less from you, Admiral, Sir. *salutes*

Your imagery continues to be outstanding; it never fails to impress me. Honestly, you really paint a clear picture with your words, and it?s a joy to read.

I also really liked the use of the OT language when describing the Clone Wars, such as Imperials and Stormtroopers. Using those in place of standard prequel titles lends a real sense of history and personal perspective to the story. Nicely done, and quite unique.

Interesting little snippets concerning Pellaeon?s feelings towards the Jedi.

Nice to see the likes of Screed and Tallon appearing in, dare I call them, supporting roles? However you describe their roles, it?s great to see them utilized, and this is the perfect place to do so.

I?d offer you some advice, Thrawn, but I don?t see that any is needed. The story is an insightful look into the mindset and history of one of the few widely respected Imperial officers. It?s very enjoyable, and I?ll be looking forward to seeing where you go with this. Excellent work, my friend.


JD.

 

TMcE:

... orderly efficiency that had been the hallmark of the Imperial Fleet for a thousand generations.

wasn?t it the Old Republic back then?
I mean the Imperial Fleet was created by the Emperor or did I miss something (would not be the first time )


At thirty-nine, he was already a veteran of twenty years in the Fleet, and he brushed some imagined lint from the front of his khaki tunic with a sort of smooth, self-conscious pride. As he did, he recalled a gawky farmboy with bright blue eyes and cropped blond hair, wearing the blue uniform of the Republic Judicial Forces. He was mildly surprised to realise that that was who he had once been, and he smiled quietly at the memory.

Hah!
Pellaeon a blue eyed, blond farmboy? Oh my gosh! I admit I have no clue about the prequel stuff besides the films... but Pellaeon, a farmboy? That takes me by surprise...


But he?d also felt an abiding loyalty to the Old Republic, and an unashamedly romantic attachment to the stories of the Corellian heroes who?d served in the Imperial Fleet before the dawn of the Thousand Year Peace.

okay make more sense now...


When he was a boy, the stories he had told himself had been about captains and commanders, not pirates, rebels and smugglers; defenders of the Republic, not enemies of the system.

an interesting concept...


All it took was a quiet fudge over his age, and he was an enlisted cadet in the Judicial Department?s paramilitary space service. The brief, ambiguous Hyperspace War was over before he?d even finished training, and Ranulph Tarkin had gone from being a real political radical to a dead hero. His political agenda was rapidly buried beneath a butter-mountain of posthumous praise from plausibly noble-looking Jedi Masters and smooth-tongued loyalist Senators.

aren?t Senators always smooth-tongued? They wouldn?t be Senators otherwise


The Minnie might have been his first love, but the first woman he?d loved had been a brown-skinned, black-haired dancing girl he?d met at a deep-space beacon on the very edge of Republic space, part of the entourage of a Hutt whose carvel had been attacked by pirates. A girl with an accent like nevoota honey, skin as smooth and dark and supple as groundnut oil, and eyes that drank you up like hot chocolate.

awww, wonderful description...


And what had he been doing? Serving them caf.

Hah!


The little Corvis Minor had been hardly more than a spectator, her CommScan teams working under the supervision of khaki-clad Imperial lieutenants, shuffling sensor traffic from the fighters to the Dreadnaughts and the Halcyon and back again.

Halcyon? After the Jedi?


He had been one of the officers quietly seconded from ?Planetary Defence Forces? in anticipation of the Military Creation Act. Hustled out to Ord Mantell, he?d taken command of a new Acclamator-class assault cruiser, uneasy about the echoing emptiness of his new command. Not enough guns, not enough armour, not enough acceleration or manoeuvrability; ranks of locked-down gunships and armoured walkers parked along the loading decks, and empty rows of bunkrooms running the length of her hull.

sounds not good!


Just like the Republic to organize everything except the army, Jan Dodonna had remarked ? an old friend from Yaga Minor, now Admiral Tallon?s flag-captain aboard the Batallion.

sounds like Jan and Gilad choose different parts when they dodn?t agree with the Republic even when they are friends...


Motto ? Glorified and Undergunned.

Hah!


Pellaeon had barely heard the Admiral when he said he wanted to take him with him as the new ship?s captain. A momentary lapse, an uncharacteristic loss of focus, as he ran one gloved thumb across the cartouche in the corner of the screen which said: VICTORY-CLASS STAR DESTROYER.

he get a larger ship to play with


Well, Teshik had remarked. It must be something special if it has you lost for word

 

Nice opening, can be difficult to get the scene set (only so many ways to describe a Star Destroyer or a Star Destroyer bridge and the image of a Star Destroyer moving through space is powerful enough that you can go into excessive realms of descriptive prose).

Slightly surprised to have Pellaeon as a Star Destroyer Captain, when I was thinking about the same sort of era before I was thinking more junior a position considering his relatively low rank at the time of Endor but Pellaeon is a problem. He is such a good officer that his being only first officer on the Chimaera after so long is strange, unless you assume that he was a higher ranking officer but was demoted (possibly due to a reluctance to carry out an atrocity because he is too honourable).

Also interested to have the Imperial Fleet and the Judicial Department both be in existence, my assumption had been more along the lines of the latter being what the former (or at least the Republic Fleet) was being called for PR purposes. Given the complexity of the GFFA though it is more than logical to have a three tier system (Fleet, Judicial Department, Local Police) rather than just two.

Liked the references to The Stark Hyperspace War.

Wookie Slavers? Is that people who are selling Wookies as slaves or Wookies who are slavers themselves? Ask because if the latter than it would take away some of the Wookies right to the moral high ground the fact they were willing to do to others what the Empire did to them.

Also liked the difference in attitude between Pellaeon being thrilled and the more cynical Lieutenants scoffing at the same echoes of the old attitudes and formats of official communications.

Loved the image of a very young Pellaeon getting stared at by the combined officers.

Just like the Republic to organize everything except the army, Jan Dodonna had remarked ...true, must have been strange for the people being assigned to the Acclamators to find all that troop carrying capacity when they know that they have heard nothing of any Army recruitment.

Very much enjoyed Pellaeon?s thoughts.