Saga The Jedi Empire (4/8/15)

Fascinating points by Ackbar. He brings up some compelling arguments for leaving options open. A time jump? Hmmm. You know I want Talon, Mara, and Thrawn in the mix. Oh yes. And Chyntuck 's OC. You know that! And Han and Leia together without Hapan interventions

 

Moi?

This is one of the fics I need to catch up on. I'm just soooo far behind on reading, but I'll get there. Bear with me!

 

yeah I just thought it would be a cool idea to add some people from the site that wanted to see themselves in the story and what they think their characters would be doing in the story

 

He had always hated the heat. It had been a constant pain in which he had never been able to avoid as a child. No shelter was enough with the twin suns bearing down upon you at all times. Watto had almost enjoyed keeping him outside for as long as he could. Not that he would ever complain to his owner about the matter. If he even dared raised his voice it would result in endless work, and certainly a stern warning. That now seemed another life. A distant dream as he stood as the lava of Mustafar rose around him.

This time the heat in which he had hated was now a source of power for him. It had become an ally to him. It matched the emotions that he had been taught for years to hold back. None of that Jedi teaching mattered to him anymore. Anakin Skywalker was dead. A forgotten fool who had tried too hard to live up to those who would never acknowledge his true potential. How had the Jedi been so blind to what he could do? Why did they try so hard to bring him down, and to diminish him?

He had shown them all now. Only Palpatine his new master had truly understood him. The man had seen all the unlimited power that was inside Anakin. He had encouraged him to do all he could ,and to even stand against the traitorous Jedi Order. It had motivated him to become Darth Vader. To lead the Clones to cleanse the Galaxy of the pathetic Jedi, and to build a New Empire with Palpatine. His anger had been a fuel as he easily cut through the Temple. None of them had even stood a chance against him as he reveled in the destruction. Vader was who he had always needed to become.

Obi-Wan had never understood it. The man had tried to hold Anakin back to lecture him at all points. Now his former Master and friend was the next who would fall to the blade of Darth Vader. Obi-Wan was tired that was clear to Vader as the two exchanged a furies of blows amidst a small lava mover. Vader wanted to break the Jedi down, but Obi-Wan never gave an opening. Had his former Master been hiding his true skill from him? No, Obi-Wan was weak just like the others. Anger swelled in him as Obi-Wan had turned Padme against him. Striking out the two blue blades met with such speed that no normal eye could keep up with them. Suddenly Obi-Wan flipped back landing on a bank.


“It’s over Anakin! I have the high ground!” His breath was short. Covered in ash he seemed close to collapsing. Yet he did not release his stance. A smile came to Vader’s face as he reveled in his oncoming victory.


“You underestimate my power…..” Collecting himself he focused on his next move. His mind played it out for him perfectly. Obi-Wan would have no time to react when he landed behind him.


“Don’t try it….” The tone was that of almost despair. Vader did not heed the warning. Roaring he jumped towards his destination. It would be over in seconds. For it was too late when Vader saw his fate. His jump had been miscalculated. His momentum had betrayed him directly into the path of Obi-Wan’s blade. The two strikes followed within a single flash. Pain flooded him unlike any he had felt before….


****


“No!” Vader roared shooting forward in the darkness. His breath was labored. For a moment the pain of the past met him at the present. Silence greeted him save for his mechanical breath ringing out inside his chamber. It had been since Cloud City that the memories had attacked him without pause, and they had been the ones in which he had wished to forget. Reaching out he called to the Force. It was a challenge now to not go to the anger, and the fury which had been a crutch for him. Those tools that had been indispensable to Darth Vader had been thrown down when the Emperor had been killed. It was the calmness, and the hope to which he now focused upon. The images of his children were now his light unlike anything he had experienced before.


Feeling the smallest of relief Vader turned to the screens which informed him of the early hours of his wake. A meeting was to be held later that day in which the Empire would decide where they would relocate the Death Star. Leia had been working relentlessly since the attack to reach out to those she still had contacts inside the Empire. The determination was so much a reminder of Padme it shook Vader. Pain raced through him as he turned his mind from it. There was work in which he had to accomplish. Yet this work was not for his daughter, and her bids to become Empress. No this was something to be done for Luke. He had not even begun to understand just how much work would need to be done to rebuild an extinct Jedi Order. Hope was something which drove Luke beyond all else. Yet his son could not handle this work alone.


“You could help him Anakin.” Obi-Wan spoke from the endless shadows. He had not told his children that his former master had spoken to him. In fact he had wanted to imagine it had been a mere mistake when he had first heard the voice.


“You are a Jedi Master. Teach Luke as I taught you.” His mind changed the scene to the young Jedi Padawan he had met after Maul had tried to kill him. No that was not a path that he could go down. Too much destruction had been done by him to become what he had turned away from. Luke would become the Master that Anakin had envied after for so many years. He would be a tool for Luke to use, and nothing more. Knowledge he would share, but he would not take part in the New Order. His path was to remove those who would pose a risk to Leia. The sword directed now for a new Galaxy. A lone beep turned his attention to a single screen which took up his entire vision.


“It has been many days since I contacted you.” His helmet snapped down before his face could be seen. Many still needed to fear Darth Vader. Silence was returned by the cloaked figure as she removed her hood. Never had the conversation been pleasant between Mara Jade, and Vader. In fact the two had rarely cared for the other. She was nothing more than a speck to Vader. Though she was called the Emperor’s Hand a title in which she did not deserve. Her work had been in the shadows. An agent sent forth to handle matters in which Vader had seen as pointless.


“Sending Kanos is quite the way to send a message Vader.”


“I assume you have killed him then? That you mean to come after me.” It was challenge veiled as little as possible. No risk had been taken by seeing where Jade stood in the course of events. If she chose to be a threat then Vader would see she regret that action. The threat did not hit Jade as she merely laughed.


“Ah so you think the Emperor had a plan if you ever killed him?” She was not one to be fooled by the news of how Palpatine had fallen. No Vader had assumed she would have all the pieces put together. Far too many had taken her age, and looks to not see her for the threat she was. In some ways she was a twisted version of Luke. Perhaps that was what Palpatine would have turned him too, had he not struck him down.


“That I would receive some command to strike you down? Do you fear me so much Vader?” It was left hanging as Vader merely sat in silence.


“You have not been contacted by anyone within the Empire.” He had never been sure of who all knew of Jade. To some she was a mere whisper of one’s imagination. That in fact the Emperor’s Hand was another name used for Vader.


“Only two knew of me. It seems now only one holds that knowledge. Even Kanos assumed me as some mere intelligence agent.” She held a blank expression which gave nothing away to Vader. No Jade had never been an easy one for Vader to figure out. That made her all the more dangerous.


“I sent Kanos one his way to a facility near Vjun with the Emperor’s Clones.” Vader was somewhat surprised at how non-chalant she spoke of her former Master. “I warned him of the fanatical guards which were placed there. His destination past that however…..well let us both hope he doesn’t meet a certain renegade Grand Admiral.” He did not ask her why she had given the information so easily. No that would unveil itself when Jade decided.


“What I do wonder is why you wished to speak to me?” Now she showed genuine curiosity at the subject. It had not been an easy decision for Vader to come to. Especially with how long he had held it a secret from all. Even the Emperor had not picked up upon one of his hidden secrets. “I warn you I will not be a handmaiden to your dear Empress.”


“I require your assistance on a matter….”


“How much?” The question had taken Vader aback. Truly he had assumed Jade would not consider him her new Master. No now she had become a threat even beyond his control. She was an agent for hire.


“My job is ended Vader. I am not inclined to return to the Empire, or whomever sits at Coruscant.”


“You are to be trusted then?”


“Did Fett not uphold your secret alliance for the credits paid to him?” She knew more than he was comfortable with. His hands tightened as he fought the anger back.


“You will be transferred 3.5 Billion for half payment. Teshik will confirm the transfer. I will need you to however meet me on the Forest Moon of Endor. There will I share the details of the task.” Jade grinned at this knowing how much it stung Vader.


“Am I to work alone?” Partners had not been something Jade worked well with.


“In two days be on the Forest Moon and you shall see.”


“Your senses must be out Vader.” Jade smiled as Vader suddenly picked up how close she was to him at the moment. Out there amongst the mass of Alliance and Imperial vessels Jade sat smugly in her ship. “Once Kanos left I came straight here. We’ll meet in an hour.” With that her image faded leaving him alone. No he could not turn back from this now. Tapping a button he pushed forward.


“Luke. Meet me in the Hangar Bay.”

 

Wonderful conversation and thanks for Mara.

 

Most welcome Nyota's Heart! I can promise some twists in the tale with Mara.

 

Same here, but for now, I can say that I'm flattered.

I care about how I review, so do give me some time to review what you have here so far. And if you have ideas on how our worlds could interact, I'll listen, too!

 

Oh I should be more clear haha. I'm not looking to combine stories or anything like that. I am asking if any of you want to create yourselves in this story? Sort of make an OC you and what you think you would do in GFFA for this story. I mean would you be a future Jedi? A rebel pilot? Imperial soldier?

Ewok Poet
Nyota's Heart

 

An Ewok, as they're the only species where I can play it safe and know I won't get anything wrong.

 

Oh, that. LOL I think I'd be a Jedi healer. @earlybird-ob-wan has done a great job of showcasing that in her stuff and I work closely to the medical field... I would also find it cool to be a GFFA version of a counselor/mentor. I know that I will adore! Chyn's offering. Flat-out.

 

I apologize for not responding sooner; I've fallen so far behind on this wonderful story since my family and I got slammed with the flu last week

I would be honored to be an OC in the story *squee!* in the GFFA, I think I'd be in information gathering/intelligence, maybe for an organization like Kardde's? (Though I have a feeling that, like Ghent, I'd be great at the job but largely oblivious to all the political maneuvering)

I promise to get caught up and write a proper review this week!

 

I can't decide what sort of OC I would want to be...maybe a Jedi? Honestly, it doesn't matter, I'm really just enjoying reading this great fic

 

I always imagined what Obi-Wan would say to Vader after their duels. Very cool.

 

I'd like to be a hot shot Imperial or Rebel pilot.
Or a Smuggler or something.

 

Sorry for the delay all work has picked up

 

Is the OC inclusion by invitation only?

 

This is great! I hope work allows you to write more soon You do a marvelous job writing the space battles...very cinematic. I agree with Nyota's Heart that Ackbar makes some very good points, especially about Leia threatening to use the Death Star. It will be quite interesting to see how he and Mon Mothma pursue their options.

I also can't wait to see what Vader has in mind for Mara. A partner? Hmm... Could be interesting, particularly as she doesn't seem to have a compunction to kill Vader or Luke

 

Finally caught up with this. The following are my comments to your updates ending with January 9th. At this point, I don't think this should become a joint work, as it's so obvious that you have a vision and that any of us would not do justice to your story. This is not to say that I am refusing what you wanted at all, but perhaps, just perhaps, taking our OCs would be the more sensible approach in this case?



In the meantime, I created some human OCs who will be of age that can make them significant at this time (18, 30, 32); so we should talk about it.

...

While I can see that some of this may come from the personal beliefs you shared in the community thread as well as your interview, it's a rather unique take on ROTJ and the aftermath and it does not go overboard in order to turn Darth Vader into a gigantic pink lollipop. Therefore, I have nothing but respect for this AU.

I can imagine Ackbar saying that it's impossible in the same fashion he would say his most famous line.

“That's-! That's totally different! The Death Star was a legitimate military target!” - I never thought about this before, but it makes perfect sense. And I have heard that so many times, with my country being on the bad guys' side in one war, while being the good guys in all the wars before that. This is really...moving.

I got a bit confused with Leia's dream; but the banter with Han upon waking up was sofa king hilarious.

Treaty of Endor - I like the sound of that, though I wish it had been signed on ground. Because Endor, OK?

R2 beeped an affirmative. 3PO seemed to be on the verge of a mental freeze-out. "Uh, yes, I, er, am. Lord Vader. My counterpart informs me that I've been subjected to memory wipes and have no recollection of my service to you. I am terribly sorry for any inconvenience." - HAHAHAHAHAHAA, I CAN TOTALLY IMAGINE THIS.

The scene where Leia, after that weirdish dark-sidey reeking confrontation with Luke sees her father is incredibly powerful. Love it.

Nial and his fanatics sound incredibly realistic. Bravo.

Love Leia's decision to stay on the Death Star, given all the progress that was made. She is clearly not a coward!

 

Hello all sorry for such the delay. Life got rather hectic and I was recruited into full time wedding help planning.

 

Not at all by all means send me a few characters you would have in mind?

 

Also allow me to clarify the OC post I made. What I meant was I do not want to take characters from your own stories. Let them stay with their Creators and be handled the best. I do not mean to have this story turned into a joint effort. What I had imagined was putting yourselves as characters in this universe. Who would you want to be? A rebel Pilot, an Imperial spy? Anything you would imagine.

 

The planet Krakoa,
Outer Rim –

The lone Super Star Destroyer Salvager kept itself far out from the minor Imperial farming system. It had dropped out of hyperspace four days ago when Captain Reyna Ulciv had received the coded message from the shadows which lived in the Empire. It had been quite the struggle for the Captain to change course when the message had been presented to her. Salvager had been called in to engage the Rebel Fleet at Endor on high priority by Piett. The ship had not yet been tested in any form of combat, and that had brought upon an adrenaline throughout the crew as the ship made the jump. Only a select few in the Empire had the knowledge of the Super Star Destroyer which had just come off the shipyards deep within the Core. It had been built to serve as an additional force to be controlled by Vader himself upon final inspections. Reyna had seen the utter shock and disapproval from her bridge crew when she had broken through the vast array of coding which blocked her from the message. Had it been sent to anyone else in the Empire it would have taken them months to be able to comprehend the vastness that lay within it.












It had taken her seven months in the Academy to be able to decipher a single word. That had been when her path had turned to where she stood now. Her heart had been to serve as a Tie Pilot. As a young girl on Alderaan she had watched with glee on her father’s shoulders as the Imperial Ships would soar over the sky. It had been in the Family to serve the Empire in any way they could. Her father was an engineer who had worked on shuttles, and had been promoted to working on modified ships to serve the Grand Moffs. None in their family showed any remorse when their home had been destroyed by the Death Star.



In fact she had recalled her parents almost gleefully discussing how the world had been asking for some sort of action against their anti- Imperial mindset. Her older brother Vin had been a Tie pilot himself and had promised her the two would fly together when she passed her tests.




It had been her driving force as she worked tirelessly in any simulator she could get into. As many dreams a young child had it had fallen into pieces when the news had reached her family. Vin had been assigned to the first Death Star. In a moment her world had been shattered, and a fire to avenge him had taken its place. Most in the Academy had taken to calling her Lady Hoth for the sheer coldness she had begun to show others. The messages she had kept solely to herself. That determination to find all the secrets she could within them had been what accelerated her to being a commanding officer. Now what did that life hold for her?






The news of Endor had broken like a dam which flooded the Galaxy with a mix of emotions. Reports had followed of the events that had followed the loss of the Empire, and the defection of so many to the Rebellion. She still could not believe that Vader himself was now working with those who had killed her brother. Her firsts were clenched in silence as the footsteps of her first officer broke her from her internal rage.


“Captain.” Rayfield always addressed her with the utmost respect. Though he was clearly her elder he had never once complained on serving one younger than him. He had become her confidant and most reliable officer in her crew.


“I know what you mean to bring up Commander.” Her tone was short with the constant nagging she had heard across the ship. Many had wondered why had they not connected with the Imperials on the Capital? Numerous messages had been sent to her wondering if she was still alive from the idiots whom now tried to maintain what Palpatine made look like childs work.


“It has been four days. I understand you have your opinions on Isard and those who have flocked to her banner. By all means you know I agree with you. Fear of infighting has taken the lot of them.” By all current news Isard and those on the Council had placed her on the pedestal to lead the Empire until the Rebels had been smashed.


“May I also remind you that some even think you consider joining Vader himself….” The look she gave him silenced that thought from ever coming to his lips again. A sigh escaped him as a wide grin came upon her face. Before the officer could inform her she saw the lone Star Destroyer drop out at the edge of the moon. By all accounts it seemed to be alone save for the 70 other ships which soon followed it. The others in the bridge shared the same shock upon their faces as the comm officer looked up to her.


“Captain the lead ship is hailing.” Her brisk nod allowed for the officer to tap at his console as a lone hologram now appeared between her and her second in command. The man was taller than her and his face matched that of a man not past 30 years. His dark hair was clipped to perfect Imperial standards and his uniform looked fresh off the line. For a moment he merely studied Reyna as she bowed her head to him.


“It is most pleasing to know your true loyalty to the Empire Captain.” He implied keeping his hands clasped behind his back. All around her most returned to their work while straining their ears to hear what this man had to say. Rayfield himself looked somewhat confused as to who this man was who seemed to be in such a position of power.


“I did have quite the offers come my way Grand Moff.” That brought a chuckle from the man as she noticed more ships dropping out of hyperspace. As she had assumed he had wasted no time consolidating his power over the wiser of the Imperials.


“Yes Teshik sadly was able to sway Moff Eros and his fleets to join the Rebels…” Disgust was clear on his face as he wiped that memory from his mind. She knew he would find a way to repay the traitor in time. “Though I more than made up for it with the taking of some valuable shipyards well out of Isards’s reach. She will most likely think the in fighting has risen beyond her control.”


“Am I to assume you mean to make a strike soon?” She wanted nothing more to begin cleansing the Empire of those who had turned so quickly. The brisk shake of his head stalled though hopes within her for the time being.
“Our time will come soon enough to remind the Galaxy of the True Empire. Right now is the time to allow these puppets to tangle themselves up in their strings.”


“Shall I take it all of these follow your rule then?” For a moment he didn’t seem pleased by the question, but he merely gave a light shrug.


“The family name still holds respect amongst the wise. My Uncle did well to be sure to keep a long list of loyal officers. Some are those who follow under my command yes. The others well they serve one to whom even I myself would call Emperor when the time comes to strike.” That caused her to wonder just who would be placed over Erlon Tarkin himself. It had been him who had sent her the messages, and had been her Shadow commanding officer.


“Tarkin was a man to be feared and respect sir. Something you have done well to follow. Whose orders are we following now?” A long silence followed as Tarkin’s image was replaced by one whom made her stand in utter silence.


“One who has been watching you for quite some time Captain.”

 

Superb! Reyna sounds driven and capable. Whatever she does it does not sound like she will act in haste.

 

Thank you for the kind words Nyota's Heart! Yes Reyna will be quit the force to reckon with.