Saga The Last Niabara Night [OCs, post EPIII][Complete, Winter Holiday challenge co-winner ]

Well, here I go again, over a year and a half since the last thing I wrote here. This story is set about five years after Episode III, in the early days of Palpatine?s Empire, when there were still a few Jedi left alive. The primary characters are all original, though canon characters will be mentioned throughout, and one movie character will make a physical appearance at the end of the story. And in case anyone is curious, this story should end up being about 16000-18000 words over seven posts when all is said and done.

Note: considering the period in which the story is set, don?t expect this to be the happiest holiday story out there by any means. If you?re looking for a cheery and light holiday story, please move on.

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[b]The Last Niabara Night[/b]



[b]Synopsis[/b]
Forbidden most material possessions, on Niabara Night the Jedi share stories as gifts. But five years after the declaration of the Empire, the Jedi are fractured and their fire is fast disappearing from the galaxy. This is the story of the last Niabara Night, the final sharing of stories.


[b]Dramatis Personae[/b]
Djasu, human male Jedi knight
Karm, caamasi male Jedi knight
Lucius, human male Jedi knight
Petra, human female Jedi knight
Semja, twi?lek female Jedi knight
Tam-sho, bothan male Jedi knight



[b]The Reunion[/b]

The candle in the window could be seen in the distance, a beacon of warmth and welcome to the weary travelers. The snow was falling slowly now, in large white flakes that swirled around in eddies created by the light breeze before joining their predecessors that lay thick upon the ground. Black clouds made up the night sky, no hint of starlight or moonlight penetrating the shroud, and a pair of travelers trudged through knee-deep snow with only a glow-rod to light their path. The cabin ahead was small, made of wood. Smoke drifted up from a chimney on the roof.

A bird of some sort hooted softly, causing the travelers to start. Hands reached within their coats with unnatural speed, removing rods about nine inches long and an inch thick, made of gleaming metal, while the travelers moved so that they were back-to-back and crouched in fighting stances. The moment passed. Reason and logic won over instinctive reactions, and they laughed quietly at themselves as they tucked their lightsabers away.

The taller of the two travelers, a human male with shaggy shoulder length blond hair that was flecked with snow, looked to the window in the distance. ?So, Petra, do we risk it? Do you sense anything? For all we know, Darth Vader and a whole army of Clonetroopers are in there.?

?I doubt that a whole army of Clonetroopers could fit in such a small cabin, Lucius,? the dark haired female human at his side said, her smile taking away any sting from her words. ?And I don?t sense any particular danger, but we both know how meaningless that is.? Too many friends hadn?t sensed danger until it was too late. Half a decade ago Master Yoda had seen the veil of the dark side fall over the galaxy, and the ability of the Jedi to gain insight about the future was now unreliable at best.

?As I said, do we risk it? Do we dare risk it?? Lucius asked again. They might not have been detected by whoever was within the cabin. If they were to leave or stay, now was the last time to decide. Petra could see that he wanted to go, but as much as he wanted to reunite with other Jedi, his first concern was for her.

?We risk it,? Petra said decisively. ?We can?t keep living in fear. If there are other Jedi there, ones who?ve survived this far, we should be with them. If it?s an Imperial trap? we?ll deal with that when the time comes.?

Lucius kissed her forehead, and then they walked the last hundred meters up to the cabin in silence. The door swung open as they approached, and a male Caamasi stood in the frame, holding a candle and shielding it from the wind. He smiled to see them, and they to see him. Reaching the door, polite bows were exchanged, and then Lucius engulfed his old friend in a hug.

?Karm! What ar

 

This is intriguing, Gandalf. I'll be waiting for more. I love, especially, the idea of giving gifts of songs or stories... *mumbles something about stealing my idea for the next post...*

Heck, the synopsis makes me envy your writing abilities.

 

Thanks.


Hmm.

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[b]The First Story: Will and Hope[/b]

The world was a grim one.

It orbited too close to a larger gaseous world that glowered red with light reflected from the systems dim sun. The rock here was red and black, and little seemed to grow in the harsh volcanic landscape. The world rotated slowly, each local day being over ten standard days long. Whatever side was closest to the gas giant suffered from heavy ionization of the atmosphere that prohibited powered flight and communications, and at all times volcanoes were erupting all over the world. The only reason that the world was settled at all was because it was rich in certain ores that were difficult to find elsewhere.

Despite that, the world seemed to have a harsh beauty. The same ionization that made travel to the world problematic also created brilliant aurora in the night sky. With such a small area near the main mines that was truly safe for building, the architecture of the only city on the world (simply called ?The City? by the locals) tended to go straight up into towering spirals. Three thick black walls, built for protection from the lava, surrounded the city and over the centuries the citizens had carved beautiful images of their City into the walls. Even the flickering lights and smoke of distant eruptions had their own deadly beauty.

The galaxy was at war.

Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma led Sith armies against the Republic. Jedi fought against Jedi in those dark times. In such times, even such a grim and forsaken world was important. And so, the Sith came to capture it. They landed their ships at the end of the long day, a day after City had fallen into night. They would have ten days to crush what little resistance the world could muster. And then, if the City had failed to send off a distress signal, the world was theirs. And even if the Republic did intervene, since they had ten days, they would have had time to reinforce their positions.

This world also had a Jedi. He had no desire to be a warrior. He was a scholar, thin and gangly, beginning to bald at an unusually early age. He came to study the world, especially the potential for the naturally occurring crystals of the world to be used in lightsabers. It would be erroneous to say that he happened to be in the area that the Sith used to land their troops by chance, for there is no such thing as luck, only the will of the Force.

The Jedi saw the mighty Sith army land on the edge between day and night. He could have hidden, but he was a Jedi. He had a duty.

He raced back to the city ahead of the Sith armies, arriving on the wings of the storm. Barely, he was able to convince the City Councilors of the danger in time. The gates were shut mere hours before the Sith army arrived, and a team of runners were sent out. Their mission was to make it across the Sith lines, and over to the light side of the planet. There, they would try to send a distress signal to the Republic. To go the other way, away from the Sith, would take far too long. They would have to cross half a world.

The Jedi knew that he could leave with the runners. Certainly, they could use his abilities. And it would be safer than remaining in the City. But he knew where his place was, where his duty to himself and the Force lay. It availed the Republic nothing if they recovered the signal but arrived to find the Sith in control.

At the end of the standard first day since their arrival, the Sith surrounded the city. In the darkness, the people of the city looked out from their balconies to see a galaxy of waving torches and glow-rods. They were surrounded, without escape. As the Sith began to settle in, one approached the gates. The Sith Lord was tall and handsome, with thick dark hair and cruelly handsome features that seemed chiseled out of carbonite

?I come to demand your immediate surrender. Lay down your arms, give over to us any Jedi among you, and open the gates, and we shall spare you and allow you to continue to survive and prosper under Sith rule. Refuse, and w

 

count me in as a reader. This is great.

 

"Hope."

Brilliant.

 

Wonderful storytelling, Gandolf. I saw the preview in the thread and knew I had to check it out. You had me pretty choked up with the "hope" part.

I will be watching for more!

Jae Angel

 

Wow. Just... wow!

 

Yay! You're writing again! And what a nice list of titles you have now! Congratulations.

Intesting tale. I'm psyched for the next.

 

Thanks. Good to see readers are increasing exponentially.


And what a nice list of titles you have now! Congratulations.

They seem to keep adding up. I think that I've gotten as many as I'm going to get. Any more and I'd actually have to start doing work.



You had me pretty choked up with the "hope" part.

That was the hope, so to speak. I thought, ?What sort of thing would choke me up?? And then I wrote a scene designed to give me the sniffles along those lines, and then wrote a story to support it.


I think that this is the shortest of all the stories. In this case, it wasn?t ?what would choke me up?? This time, it was ?what would piss me off.?

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[b]The Second Story: Passion and the Code[/b]

Tala Wraith had always been a favored student. Possessed of a quick intelligence and a ready smile, she was adored by her teachers and friends. She always had a kind word and a ready laugh on her lips, and her hands were willing to help with any task, no matter how great or small. She developed a passion for setting wrongs to right from an early age, and though such passions are dangerous, she was encouraged for a time.

When the time came for her to graduate to Padawan, Master Caro-saba took her as his student. Under his wise guidance, she learned to suppress her passions and emotions. Master Caro-saba was a student of the philosophy of the great Jedi Master Odan-Urr, who once said when a Jedi acts emotionlessly, knowledgeably and serenely, the Jedi acts in accordance with the will of the Force.

For a time, Tala was held up as an example of all that a Jedi should be. But that began to change during a mission to a backwater planet on the outer rim, a jungle world called Kakakos. There were two types of settlers on the planet: miners and farmers. And there were an indigenous people, the Jungle Walkers.

Master Caro-saba was called in to deal with a revolt among the miners. There were violent confrontations between the miners and the owners, and some of the management had been taken hostage. Known to be a practical and effective arbiter, Master Caro-saba became their mediator as the two sides discussed their grievances in the settlement of Drumhead. It was during these negotiations that Tala heard of the plight of the farmers.

She discovered that the Sandpeople attacked the moisture farmers any time the Sandpeople thought that they might be able to inflict damage without taking losses themselves. The raids were frequent, and often deadly. Tales abounded of settlers compounds raided during the night, the settlers taken and brought back to the Jungle Walkers camp. There they were tortured for months. Afterwards, the Jungle Walkers would return the mutilated bodies to the compound that the people had been taken from.

Tala gave in to emotion when she heard this. Without trying to learn more, she allowed her passion for justice to rise to the surface. Guided by the farmers, she came to a tribe of some of the most aggressive Jungle Walkers. She demanded that they cease their raiding immediately, and to live in peace with the settlers. In response, the Jungle Walkers attacked her.

With the aide of the Force and the settlers, the tribe was slaughtered. For the killers, it was like putting down a pack of dangerous wild animals. They rescued many captives who had been taken, and many families were reunited. Tala was celebrated as a hero.

They returned to Drumhead, and the Padawan was full of pride over what they had accomplished. But her Master was greatly troubled by her actions. The Jungle Walkers were not animals, but an intelligent species with a distinct and rich oral tradition. They were the original inhabitants of the world, and if they raided the settlers, the settlers had begun matters by stealing the land. The violence and propensity to torture that they showed was simply an aspect of their culture, no better or worse than any other culture.

The Jedi are not meant to be enforcers of morality. It is not the place of a Jedi to condemn a cult

 

Yoda? Yeah, baby.

 

he's back ! he's back ! after more than a year he's finally back!

bless the maker!

do you know how long i have been waiting for this moment ?
welll ... i suppose you don't since i read your other fics under another log-in (Gr-Adm-Thrawn)

But you're Back ! Excellent!

and this story ! ohhhhhhhh woooooooooowwwww!

Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you

I just LOVED the dark mirror trilogy ... anf In the shadow of the ivory tower .... OMG! [face_shocked] magnificient.

Thank you for posting stories again.

you were missed.

the Admiral

 

Hey Randolf, I promised to check this out so here I am. This makes me think of an old Peter and Paul song called Christmas story. Wonderful so far. Can't wait to see what you have in store for Yoda.

 

That was a great post. I too can't wait for the Yoda one.

 

Any more and I'd actually have to start doing work. -- hee hee hee. We wouldn't want that now.

Hmmmm. I've wondering what the common thread between the stories will be. So first it's a "choke you up" then a "piss you off" and next we're to have - could it be? - a daring, dashing and resourceful rogue of a Jedi Yoda?!!!!

You know, that's not really that hard for me to imagine, and I'm cracking up at the image. So here's hoping the next one is a "what would crack you up" story featuring Yoda!

Oh, and wonderful storytelling, as always!

 

It's good to see everyone.


I've wondering what the common thread between the stories will be.

It's mostly writing stories that match up with the central ideas of each character.

Karm is a Paladin (with an uppercase P), who wants to right the wrongs of the galaxy and is willing to pay any personal cost to do so. He lives for others (notice that he?s the one doing the baking ), and it?s taking its toll on him. Lucius notes the scars that Karm bears when the character is introduced. So, his story is about a Jedi that does not give up, and who does give everything he has to fight evil. That?s the end that Karm wants for himself on some level or another. Tam-sho is a bit of a prick, and he tries to live by a very strict interpretation of the Code, but he?s not a bad person. He?d risk his life in a heartbeat for a complete stranger. But he has very firm and rigid ideas about what?s right and what?s wrong, and he blames the fall of the Order on the failure of some Jedi to live up to his ideals. Tam-sho doubts others and himself, and his story is about a person who lets go of his doubts. He doesn't realize that sometimes certainty can be a bad thing.

Hopefully, each story provides some insight into the character telling it. There?s no intentional common theme beyond that. Karm his desire to set everything to right, Tam-sho has his doubts, and the others will match up as well.

As I was sort of saying via one of those PMs, it?s a challenge trying to write the stories as each character would tell them, to tell the stories that each character would tell. Each story has to reflect the one telling it, which means that I sometimes have to tell stories that I otherwise would not tell, or to tell them in a way that I normally would not, which feels a bit strange.




Here's Yoda.

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[b]The Third Story: The Jedi and the King[/b]

It came to pass that a man named Dunyazad became king of Zeltros. Now, Zeltros was the planet of the Zeltron, a near-human race of empaths. With the ability to sense and project emotions onto others, they naturally have always tended towards being fun loving pleasure seekers. When it comes right down to it, they?re mostly all hedonistic and proud of it.

The Zeltron are great lovers of beauty and entertainment, in almost all of their forms. They are constantly looking for something new and exciting, whether it is a new game or a new lover. It?s a rare Zeltron that finds herself bored for long, as they strive as a society to keep each other amused. But King Dunyazad, despite having all the luxuries and entertainments possible on a world devoted to luxuries and entertainments, wanted to see something new.

For King Dunyazad had come to hear of the Jedi and so he wished to meet one. In those days, Zeltron was just opening up to the rest of the galaxy for the first time, and they were learning fast of the Republic and its ways. But in a galaxy of over a million inhabited star systems, and only tens of thousands of Jedi Knights, few worlds at the edge of space ever saw a Jedi.

In the stories King Dunyazad had heard stories of men and women that could leap dozens of feet, who could levitate objects through force of will, who could manipulate minds and emotions with greater faculty than even his race, and who wielded swords made of light. He decided that he wished to meet one.

He sent out a royal command to the Jedi on Coruscant, for he was not accustomed to being disobeyed. The Jedi would have ignored him, but he piqued the interest of one, a Jedi Master of small stature, great heart, and green skin. And so this Jedi Master traveled across the galaxy to meet the Zeltron.

He arrived on the world, and was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the world and its people. Rarely did he see people who lived in a way so close to what the Force intended for them. Still, he was thankful that none were Jedi, and not simply because their whimsical and promiscuous natures would not serve well with the discipline of the Jedi. Something about them, and the world,

 

It's nice the way Yoda fit so well into the mythical atmosphere.

Good job.

 

That narrowed down the search quite effectively, as did a tourist map that he discovered.

I like Yoda stories.

 

Wow Gandalf, impressive undertaking. I like it, it's interesting hearing all the stories.

 

Two more posts after this one. Almost there...


Just a warning: there are some pretty major Knights of the Old Republic storyline spoilers ahead in this post. If anyone doesn't want the game plotline spoiled, this post should probably be skipped.

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[b]The Forth Story: Change and Betrayal [/b]

Revan was once one of the greatest of the Jedi. He had come to the Order later than most, already in his early teens. But he made up for that deficiency by devoting himself wholeheartedly to the Jedi teachings and the Jedi way. Always, he was trying to learn more, in all subjects. Whether the use of the Force itself, history, politics, mathematics, droid maintenance, computer skills, military tactics, or any other field that he could think of, he tried to excel ? and usually did.

Among the Jedi Masters of the time, it was generally agreed that Revan would become a great Jedi Master himself. His tendency towards recklessness would be tempered in time by patience and wisdom, and his ideals were bright. He was not covetous of his knowledge, but shared it freely with all those who would listen.

Though initially suspicious of this talented and strong-willed newcomer whose skills far surpassed theirs, many of the younger Jedi soon came to admire Revan. One in particular, Malak, became close friends with the noble Jedi. But there were others as well that formed a tight circle around him: Polon Si, Tresela, Nada, and others. They were the best and brightest of their generation.

The galaxy was recovering still from the wars with Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma. The Jedi themselves were still weakened, having lost countless Knights fighting the Sith in those days. The Republic wished to forget the dark times it had so recently seen, and was rapidly decommissioning its military. The Sith Empire was not totally destroyed, but it was leaderless and it fought within itself at the edges of known space.

The past behind was dark, but the future ahead seemed bright.

But beyond the edges of known space, a new threat was slowly rising. The Mandalorians, equipped with weapons better than those of anyone else in the galaxy, were slowly taking worlds beyond the edge of Republic space. They delighted in conquest and bloodshed, and the dream of every Mandalorian warrior was to die a death in a great battle.

Some in the Republic recognized the threat that the Mandalorians posed, but few could agree on what should be done about them. Some wished to see the fleet rebuilt, soldiers trained, and the Republic made ready for a war they saw as inevitable. Other believed that the Mandalorians could be reasoned with, and dispatched diplomats. There existed some debate on the effectiveness of the diplomats; for though they were received with the utmost of courtesy, and listened to intently, many believed that the Mandalorians did not actually listen to them in good faith, but kept them for amusement value.

The Mandalorians continued their wave of destruction throughout the outer rim outside the Republic, and few in the Republic even knew or cared. But one Admiral, wiser or more foolish than most, believed that war between the Mandalorians and the Republic was inevitable. He saw that they were taking the systems that they were taking for two reasons: love of warfare, and to shore up their supply lines along the most logical invasion corridors. This admiral, named Saul, was determined to strike first.

Leading a small Republic fleet, he chose to disobey his orders and struck at a Mandalorian fleet gathering near the ruins of the Cathar home world. He won the battle, though with great losses, and began the war. Mandalorian fleets long since prepared struck across the borders of the Republic, destroying fleets and invading worlds with impunity. The Republic reluctantly began to rebuild their fleets, but they were caught unprepared. More people in positions of leadership had hoped for peace than prepared for war.

The Republic appealed to the Jedi for aid, but after taking thought, the Council refused and counseled patience.

 

I have not played the game you mentioned, but I still find that I like the story very much. Lots of intrigue in it and an excellent plot. The characters seem very real to me.

 

Second last post here, and the last of the stories. I was pretty ruthless in what I cut out, but it just kept getting longer and longer - 12 pages in Word at 10pt Times New Roman, and 7125 words. Ah well. In spite of the cuts I made, this is still the story I most wanted to tell.

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[b]The Fifth Story: Darkness and Redemption[/b]

Their names were Jem Nomis and Nathan Kule, both Jedi Knights. In the time when Revan was still a Jedi Knight, they had been friends of his, though they were not close to him. Jem and Nathan barely knew each other, and that mostly through their mutual friendship with Revan. Indeed, what they did know of each other, they did not particularly like. Nathan thought that Jem was a stickler for rules, while Jem thought that Nathan was undisciplined.

When Revan went off to war with the Mandalorians, Jem and Nathan followed. They both fought on Darknem, and there by fate they found themselves fighting side-by-side. There, they saved each others lives several times, and started to find respect for each other.

When Revan and most of the Jedi left the world to rejoin the main Republic fleet, Jem and Nathan traveled elsewhere with a small party of other Jedi, to Mahalaleel, where the Mandalorians had begun an offensive. Shortly after arriving on the world, a Mandalorian ambush killed the other Jedi in their party, and Jem and Nathan were forced to hide as they fell behind enemy lines. With lines of supply and retreat cut off, they formed the heart of a resistance against the Mandalorians.

But a new difficulty arose, for the bond between them was deepening beyond respect and affection. Nathan recognized it, while Jem denied it. Time and time again, he?d try to flirt with her. Each time, she?d rebuff his advances, telling him that as a Jedi, he should not act in such a way. At that, he?d smile in a mischievous way that irritated her to no end, far more than it should have. That the bond between them was growing deeper, she could not deny, but she did deny the nature of the bond.

The closest that they ever came to capture was due to random chance. Walking down the street, they saw a squad of Mandalorians approaching. Given that the Mandalorians all knew what the pair looked like, Jem immediately began looking for the nearest path to escape ? there were far too many to fight. Nathan had other ideas. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionate. She protested and broke off the kiss.

?What are you doing?? she hissed. ?We have to get out of here!?

?That?ll attract attention,? he whispered, and then kissed her again. This time she let it go a little longer before breaking it off.

?And this won?t?!?

?No, they do it all the time around here, haven?t you noticed? Now act natural.? This time she put her arms around him and returned the kiss. It was surprisingly, dangerously, wonderfully easy.

They finally came up for air, and she looked around out of the corners of her eyes. ?Are they gone?? she asked.

?Long since,? Nathan said, that mischievous grin on his face. She punched him in the gut, then walked away. ?It was worth it!? he called after her.

Soon afterwards, the resistance succeeded in driving the Mandalorians from the world. Nathan and Jem rejoined the Jedi, though they were dismayed by the direction the Jedi seemed to be taking. There, Jem insisted that they part ways. Nathan was uncharacteristically serious as he listened to her explain her reasons in a calm and logical way. But when she was done, he was silent for a long moment, and she knew that she had hurt him, and she wished she could take back her words.

But then the roguish grin returned, and he rose up, bent down to kiss her head, and then wished her luck. And he told her that they would meet again. And then he left. After he left, she told herself that it had all just been their proximity during a tight spot, that it had been hormones, and their shared past. Nothing more. She almost convinced herself.

She spent the next six months fighting on Jared IV, often with little contact

 

I like the way love is feared by the sith. Oh no, Vader next.

 

Again you done a wonderful job in dialogue and character descriptions.

 

And here's the end. After I get back from my holidays away from my computer, I?ll post the stories that I finished but rejected for various reasons, so there?s a bit more coming even though the story is complete.

And now I want to write more Petra and Lucius. Ah well, there's a plot bunny running around in my head, taking place about 500 years AFTER ROTJ that might possibly see the light of day. Maybe. I doubt it. But possibly if there's ever another one of these contests that strikes my fancy.

Happy holidays to all!

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[b]The End [/b]

They gathered again in the main room. The fire was dying down, and shed little light. The sky was brightening outside, but the dawn had yet to come. Candles provided their only light. Escape was not in the minds of any there. It was only a matter of how they would meet the trial.

?How did they track us down?? Karm asked.

?Perhaps someone wasn?t cautious enough,? said Djasu. ?Someone must have made an unguarded transmission, or was overheard saying something, or was followed.?

?I certainly hope so,? said Petra grimly. ?We wouldn?t be the first group of Jedi to be betrayed by one of our own.?

?No true Jedi would betray another,? said Tam-sho firmly.

?I don?t disagree with you on that,? said Lucius. He grinned. ?I just disagree about the definition of ?true Jedi.??

?And while I do not believe that you have any right any longer to the claim of Jedi, I do not believe that you have gone so far that you would betray us. Yet,? said Tam-sho.

?Come, Lucius, Tam-sho. We?re all Jedi here. There is no traitor,? said Djasu. ?Someone just wasn?t careful enough.?

?I?m not sure I believe that,? said Semja.

Outside, the noise of the speeders peaked, and then faded away. They could all sense him now: Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, the Betrayer, was very close. They went to the door to the cabin, and kept their lightsabers ready. It was still dark outside, but Vader?s armor was like a shadow against the whiteness of the snow. Stormtroopers and Clonetroopers, in cold weather gear, surrounded the Dark Lord of the Sith and covered all avenues of escape.

He spoke without preamble; his voice was colder and darker than the sky above. ?My master has commanded that any of you who surrender and submit to the dark side of the Force shall be allowed to live.? He didn?t sound particularly happy with that command, though given the distortion of his voice, it was hard to tell.

Lucius and Petra stepped forth, and it seemed Vader?s breathing caught for a moment. ?It's good to see you again Anakin, thank you very much for the offer, but I?m afraid I?m going to have to turn it down,? Lucius called, his tone light.

?You tricked me on Byss; but I shall not make the same mistake again. My offer does not apply to you and your partner,? Vader responded.

?Lord Vader, can you give us time to decide?? asked Djasu. ?This is not the easiest decision to make.?

?You have ten minutes,? said Vader, sounding somewhat amused. ?To show your sincerity, you may bring me the heads of Lucius and Petra.?

?This could be awkward,? said Lucius sardonically.

The Jedi retreated inside the cabin. ?What was Vader speaking off, you tricking him on Byss?? Tam-sho asked Lucius.

?Long story,? Petra said blandly. ?You wouldn?t like it.?

?It is a shame that the end isn?t the one you had hoped for,? said Semja.

?No end is exactly what it?s hoped to be. It?s the story that leads up to it that matters,? said Petra.

?My friends, I think that we should take up his offer,? said Djasu.

?I protest,? said Lucius. ?I?m quite attacked to my head.?

?Surely there?s a way to convince Vader to allow you and Petra to live,? Djasu said.

?I very highly doubt it,? said Petra. ?He?s even more attached to his grudges than Lucius is to his head.?

Semja was looking at Djasu oddly. ?You were the one who gathered us together,? she stated.

?Yes,? Djasu admitted nervously, looking outside. ?What of it??

Petra caught Semja?s line of thought. ?Were you part of the cell o

 

Truly wonderful. In the beginning it was interesting to see things from the perspective of Jedi who did not know what was happening ? we focus so much on those that understand what is going on, even when we deal with more minor characters. You didn?t do that, and their speculation on what was going on was fascinating. I love the stories, too ? they didn?t seem to be just tales, but more like ? stories that are told to make a point. Teaching stories. I can easily see a Jedi telling a story like that, for some reason.

I really liked the Yoda one ? I don?t know if this was intentional, but I was immediately reminded of Yoda and Luke.

This fad lasted almost two weeks before a new fashion replaced it and it became passé. --- LMAO.

I loved Nathan and Jem. I don?t know why that was your favorite, but I just loved the characters. They were delightful ? very interesting, and you characterized them thoroughly and well. I loved the banter, too.

at the fact that two of the Jedi are married! But too.

One day, this night shall pass. --- That line really struck me. Kind of like in one of the earlier stories, the Jedi saying simply, ?Hope.?

Despite the fact that everyone died in the end (yeah, that?s really holiday cheer, Gandalf ), I really liked it. They made their own last stand, like the ones in the stories. And now they?re in a story!

Sorry this is a bit random ? I?m writing as I read the story, whatever comes to mind. Such a wonderful story deserves a lot of feedback, imo. And I?m glad to hear there?s more despite the ?complete? in the title of the thread!

Anywho. Glad to see you writing again, too ? I hope to see more from you. I read Dark Mirror or whatever that was called (the memory goes ?) quite some ago (though it was still locked) and I adored it! Took me two days to get through it, and I got headaches from looking at the screen for so long, but it was worth it.

Anyway, end babbling I will. Lovely story! I enjoyed it a lot.