Beyond - Legends The Jade Prophecy - L/M, H/L Thank you to the readers!!!

Disclaimer: All characters in the Star Wars universe are the sole property of George Lucas. Just borrowing from his creations for entertainment purposes; i.e. George owns the playground and I'm just playing in the sandbox.

Summary: Three years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker continues his search for Mara Jade even as a new threat of war surfaces - events also bring Han and Leia's relationship into jeopardy.

Author's Note: This story is a sequel to my story In Love and War, which was on the Classic Board. For those of you who are a bit daunted by the size of that story, the summary to In Love and War is posted below. This story takes place two and a half years after the end of the events of In Love and War.

Again, for those interested, this story will be posted on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday schedule as long as I have posts

Before I begin, I must thank my superlative beta reader, the lovely, talented Gabri_Jade, my evil twin, for whose sharp insights and wonderful suggestions I'll be forever grateful

 

Summary for In Love and War

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away?

The Old Republic, which had governed the Galaxy for a thousand years fell under the rule of the evil Emperor Palpatine. Rebellion fomented under the yoke of despotic Imperialism. To counter this rebellion, the Emperor commissioned a Death Star to subjugate all the star systems of the Galaxy.

A Princess of Alderaan, who was also an agent of the Rebellion was captured aboard the Death Star. An unlikely combination of an ageing knight, an idealistic youth, a cynical space pirate and his loyal first mate teamed up to rescue the Princess, and to destroy the Death Star, and a legend was born?.

Three years later?

?After Han?s carbonite frozen body was taken to Tatooine, Luke and Leia returned to the Alliance. Leia, pregnant with Han?s child, decided to go to Dagobah with Luke for her child?s protection. There, she was told she had the Force. Although initially a skeptic, she decided to begin Jedi training with Yoda.

During the training, Luke and Leia learned of their parentage, their parents? histories and that they were siblings. Leia eventually gave birth to a son named Rydor, and then returned to Alliance duty on Sullust. There, Leia was reunited with Winter D?Altaire who offered to help Leia care for her son. However, spies reported to the Emperor that Leia had a son who was Force-sensitive.

Not long after returning to Sullust, Leia and Luke went to Tatooine where they joined Lando and Chewbacca in rescuing Han. During the rescue attempt, they ended up fighting Jabba?s minions as well as a mysterious red-haired warrior they later discovered was Mara Jade, the Emperor?s Hand.

Triumphant after rescuing Han, they returned to Sullust where Han met his son. His initial reaction was one of dismay, but he quickly came around. On Sullust, the Alliance called a full meeting of all its members and announced that they had discovered that the Emperor was building a second Death Star near Endor and that the Emperor himself was overseeing the operation.

As this meeting was going on, minions of Emperor Palpatine broke into Leia?s apartment and abducted Rydor. The Emperor tested the infant and discovered that Rydor was Vader?s grandson; thereby learning that Leia was Vader?s daughter. He told Vader of this after the grandson was abducted, using Rydor as bait to get Leia and Luke to come to him.

Leia, Han, Luke and Lando discovered the Imperial spy and found out what he knew. Then, defying direct orders from Mon Mothma, Leia, Han, Luke and Winter went to the second Death Star to rescue Rydor. Chewbacca and a Twi?lek operative named Ryesa Senturi went to the Endor moon to disable the Imperial shield generating station, while Lando lead the mission to destroy the Death Star.

On the Death Star, Leia, Luke, Han, Winter and Rydor ended up in the throne room where they had their big showdown. Palpatine called Mara Jade in to help with the fight, but in the end, it was Vader who killed Palpatine. Mara Jade nearly killed Leia during their duel but was shot in the side by Han Solo and fled the throne room instead. The others raced to get off the Death Star in a shuttle before it blew; there, Vader died from injuries sustained when he threw the Emperor into the reactor shaft.

The injured Mara Jade pursued them once they were off the Death Star and managed to damage their shuttle to the extent that Han was heavily injured.

Leia and Luke maneuvered the shuttle away and escaped, but then discovered Han was paralyzed from the waist down. Chewbacca bullied Han into trying out treatment at a neurological research facility; however, Han tried to push Leia away telling her she?d be better off without him.

Han went to the neurological facility and received treatment from a Mon Calamari doctor named Acktan, but continued giving Leia the cold shoulder until he was able to walk again, at which point he returned to her and asked her to marry him. Initially furious, Leia eventually gave in to love. They were married in a huge extra

 

The Jade Prophecy

Prologue

Luke Skywalker stepped through the opened, gold-gilded transparisteel doors into the garden. The outside heat and lush tropical torpor of the jungle immediately assailed his senses, almost stifling his breathing. The twin moons that hovered within the night sky overhead provided a dim, ghostly illumination to the landscape before him. Trying to get his bearings, he peered into the thickening mist that was slowly covering the massed garden shrubbery in its ethereal embrace.

From behind him, Luke could hear the clink of glasses and the laughter and conversation of others. The lilting strains of some popular song was playing in the background, but the noise became muffled as the doors shut behind him with a click.

Luke looked down and saw the multi-colored flagstones of a path that led into the garden and into the mist. He started following the path, but then hesitated after a few steps. Why had he just left the Embassy House? As the question formed in Luke?s mind, a second, more startling question caught his attention. What Embassy House? And then: What was he doing here in the first place?

Luke turned back to look at the building, and then paused, startled. Where only moments before there had been a lively party, Luke now saw a deserted building, which appeared to be crumbling into ruins. The large transparisteel windows were darkened, and some of the window panels were smashed. The gold gilt doors were ajar, and one of them was swinging drunkenly on its hinges.

Luke shivered despite the enveloping heat, and turned back toward the garden, which was becoming even more densely enshrouded in mist. Taking a deep breath, Luke continued to follow the flagstone path, which he could just barely see underneath his feet. His hand clutched involuntarily at the hilt of his lightsaber; the sensation of the cold metal against his palm gave Luke a feeling of reassurance, and he felt his heart rate slow down slightly.

Walking deeper into the mist, Luke could now see nothing beyond the muted tones of the flagstones beneath his feet and a swirling whiteness before him.

But he could hear noises around him. He could hear the chirping chorus of the jungle insects around him, and the dulcet hooting noises of the night flying avians overhead. Occasional rustling noises in the jungle flora made Luke pause, but the noises were sporadic and difficult to pinpoint.

Finally, Luke reached a point where he realized he couldn?t even see the flagstones beneath his feet. He wanted to stop walking, but some unknown force continued to propel him forward?but to where?

Slowly, Luke became aware of the sound of running water ahead, and that the sound was growing louder as he walked. Suddenly, the mist enveloping him disappeared and Luke saw that he was in a clearing in the jungle. Enormous, towering palmiri trees surrounded the clearing, and as he looked up he saw that their interlacing leaves blotted out night sky. The twin moonlight could not penetrate the canopy of overhead leaves, and yet, the clearing was illuminated faintly by some unseen light source.

Luke looked around more and saw a shallow stream on the other side of the clearing. He crossed toward the stream and bent down, dipping his hand in the water. The water was ice-cold and felt refreshing. For an instant, Luke was tempted to cup some water into his hands and to take a sip, but a sudden, chilling sense of foreboding invaded his entire body, and Luke shivered again.

He stood up, and pulled his lightsaber handle off his belt, readying the hilt between his hands.

For several moments, nothing happened, and Luke could hear nothing more than the steady trickling of the stream. Feeling a little foolish, Luke relaxed. He lowered his lightsaber hilt and then saw a sudden a movement from the corner of his eye.

Luke whirled around, simultaneously igniting the lightsaber with a swift, practiced twist of his wrist. What he saw made him freeze in a combination of surprise, gratification and apprehensio

 

Oh my gosh... another LadyPadme story has started ... yeah!!! Luke dreams of Mara killing him and wants to go find her..*wonders about that one*

And lots of Solo babies! Lots of Solo babies are a good thing!

 

Nice start! I'm putting this on Active topic notification so I don't miss any posts. I will try to keep a very close eye on this as you post.

*glad she has net access until tuesday morning on this vacation*

 

Yes, who doesn't want Solo babies?

So good to see this up! Luke's dream was stunningly vivid--the kind you really don't want to have! And I like how Leia sensed his trouble and came in, followed by Han, and the continuing mantra of how it couldn't be good for the baby.

I'm worried about Luke's dream, though. Is it just a sign to urge him to search for Mara--or is it a vision of something that's really going to happen? The Embassy part that he didn't understand hints that it might be a vision, because he might learn about it later.

I love speculation.

 

So far so good LP!!! Getting interesting....

Can't wait til Tuesday's post.

 

Let me guess, next Solo baby will be a boy called Anakin??

Nice Post, LP I love the beginning of your story, even if I have a very bad feeling about Luke's quest of Mara
I suppose it's because I've already ready some of your stories



BTW CONGRATULATIONS for your Award LadyPadme !!!!

 

Interesting start. Not sure I like the ominous H/L note at the top, but...

I'll admit, reading this made me think of these lines: "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her" and "Jedi don't have nightmares." I hope Luke's experience is better than his father's.

Thanks for the posting schedule. I don't check Beyond the Saga very often, so knowing when to check will really help.

 

Nice Start-I'm looking forward to seeing what you have in store for this time.
Kab

 

I was wondering the other day when your next story would start... I'm glad to be here and I can't wait to see this one progress!

 

Glad to see this started. I thought the Great Blackout might put you behind.

I knew it was a dream when Mara was wearing stiletto heels, but it was Luke who tripped over his heel. Or maybe that was the most real thing about it. Women = graceful. Men = clumsy.

 

Hi Lady Padme! This looks very intersting but I think I will first go read "In Love and War." I am the queen of the marathon read, so I will be back probably in a few days to read this fic! Thanks for the link. And hi Gabri!

Astro

 

Ooh, LP. The sequel is up already? You go girl!

Freaky dream. Wonder why everything was all fine wine-and-dining one moment, and dilapidated and abandoned the next. That's very interesting and somewhat freaky to me.

Shame Luke, letting yourself be distracted like that. It's just Mara

She would kick his butt like that. :::is amused:::

Aw, Leia's concerned for him. More fun sibling interaction. I LOVE that stuff.

Three kids and another one on the way

Did i call this before or what? That's just insane. And Force-sensitive? :::shudders:::

Ah, the usual schedule. Very fun that i know when to pop in.

Tres cool, LP.

::Windstar Out::

 

Sounds interesting. I'm not usually a Luke and Mara fan, but this looks good!!

 

Heya LadyPadme!!!! *AW and BB giggle* YAY!!!! Lots of Solo babies!!!!! hehehehe. The writing is AMAZING as usual. I'm looking forward to it!!! The dream was so cool!!!
Baby Bantha is wondering whether or not these little ones will have the favorite story as the EU Solo children. He happens to be related to the star. ("Little Lost Bantha Cub")

EXCITED FOR MORE

A. Windsor and Baby Bantha

 

Hmmmm, so Mara's still an Imperial? Poor Luke, must be fun having a sister privy to your dreams.

 

oooh. This looks like fun.

 

YAY!!! It's started!!!

Thanks, LP. Anything to get a sneak peek at your stories, you know.

*waves at Astro* *looks around* Hey, I recognize just about everyone here!

I LOVE this post. The imagery is absolutely beautiful, and the dream was almost frighteningly vivid. Luke is perfectly in character throughout. I adore Mara in her lethal-appearing stilettos, and how Luke was distracted by her legs. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

It only gets better from here on in, folks. Prepare yourselves.

 

How nice to see you all again.

Good first post.

Why give a recap of the previous fic? I say make people go read all 90 pages of it! You did omit mentioning that Anakin's turning on Palpatine made the Emperor send Mara a final order to kill the members of the Skywalker family.

Not too much to analyze here. I think that Luke's dream was both a possible foretelling of future events -that he would be having to face Mara again soon, and a vision from the Force reminding that his path is intertwined with her's. I believe that's why Leia was moved to come to talk to Luke -because of her realization about Luke's facination with finding her...as well as remembering how deadly Mara can be.

This time around, the subliminal hit assignment Mara was given includes Leia as well. That would put her at risk too. It would be nice to see Han vs Mara, Round Two though...especially if it's hand-to-hand (pardon the expression) combat.

Gee, poor Han got woken up. With three Force sensitive children, he should be used to not being allowed to sleep. What happens when the kids are hungry? Does he find himself pinned to the ceiling? I still say they should make Threepio their nanny.

Here's my take on Han being woken up: (heh-heh)

Leia: Han, wake up.

Han: Whatsit? Huh? Awww, Leia! It's 3:00am and I was working on the Falcon all day, in between fighting off Imperial sympathizers and doing diplomacy for you and Mon Mothma!

Leia: Han! It's 8:30pm, and you spent your whole DAY OFF, sitting with Chewie in Jaina's kiddie pool, drinking Corellian Ale!

(Bet you thought I'd forgotten my "Simpsons" references, didn't you? )

(Still have hopes for a Dark Side Leia. )

 

Yes, here I am, reading L/M. Save us. BTW...you treat Luke badly...*slaps lighsaber in palm*

 

A two week hiatus from the boards and I return to find a new L/M fic! Weee!!! On with the show!

 

...strolling around the boards...
...Jade Prophecy.......hmm...

OMG! IF ITS LADY PADMES NEW FIC!!! WOW!!!
Great first post LP, I am very anxious for more!!


DM



By the Way: CONGRATUALTIONS LP ON YOUR NOMINATION AND WINNING AT THE SUMMER FAN FICTION AWARDS!!

 

Hey! The sequel is up already! This is good, I thought I'd have to wait till Christmas. I'll definetly be sticking around for this.

 

GreatOne: * waves * Hello! Great to see you on this thread, as well! And yes, lots of Solo babies is always good

Jedi_Liz: Welcome to the story! Where are you going for vacation?

Lady_Moonbeam: Mooné! Great to see you here! I'm glad you liked Luke's dream, although it's nothing compared to that almost stream of consciousness vignette you had with Anakin!

- The issue with the Embassy house was just because Luke hates having to go on "Jedi Peacekeeping" missions for the New Republic government.

NETTYTHEPRINCESS: Great to see you here!

jedi-lelila: Let me guess, next Solo baby will be a boy called Anakin??

- Heh.

CONGRATULATIONS for your Award

- Thank you!

Darth_Lex: Welcome! You're afraid of what I have in store for Han and Leia? You should be afraid. You should be very, very afraid.

Kab730: Hey! Great to see you here! This is our fourth story in a row together.

Miska: Nice to see you here, too--it's always great to have faithful readers from way back

Jedi-2B: I thought the Great Blackout might put you behind.


- I worried about it too. But, anyway, alls well that ends well, and I'm so happy to see you here.

astrowoman: Welcome to the story! It's always so great to 'see' a new face.

Bri_Windstar: Shame Luke, letting yourself be distracted like that. It's just Mara

She would kick his butt like that. :::is amused:::

- Welcome back, Bri! * giggles * Methinks you like the butt-kicking part because you like to see others beside yourself get thwacked

starwarsfan68: Great to have you here!

A-Windsor and Baby Bantha: Welcome to the story!

- Now, BB, you're only allowed inside the house if you let us know before you have to go potty.

MariahJade2: Welcome to the thread! Well...Mara's not really an Imperial at this point...more of a free agent. More on that in the next post.

Reesie: Welcome to the thread! Glad to see this has lured you out of lurkdom!

Gabri_Jade: Hugs, and some roses to thank you for your wonderful beta reading. And I know you won't spill the beans, but you're at perfect leisure to cackle evilly all you want before the evil posts.

TorontoJediMaster:

...runs....









* laughs *

Welcome back, Toronto!

* LP puts on heavy boxing gloves for round 2 *

Sock_of_Darth_Vader: Welcome back, Cat!

BTW...you treat Luke badly...*slaps lighsaber in palm*

Oh dear....



...takes to the hills....

Rivad_Bacar: Welcome to the thread! Congratulations on your recent marriage.

DarthMasan: Welcome back! Another faithful reader And thanks about the awards

recklessabandon: Great to see you again!

- More tomorrow night, folks!