Beyond - Legends The Road Not Taken. Luke/Tionne. New post on 9/14/2009

Super update. Liked Tionne and Kam's convo at the start and how Mara's blending into the team venture Both she and Tionne are pretty protective of Luke

 

Happy Birthday! Welcome to your 30's , it's a great decade. Honest! (it just goes by really quickly!!! )


That was cute...Kam...was falling in love...with equipment. Not Tionne, yet! It was good to see them all building rapport (and good to see an update). They need the rapport and the humor you wrote was natural.

 

SSM12-Thanks, although sorry for the wait here.

Stooky-lol, yup. A good way. I don't know, either. If you dig enough, you're bound to find the info. *Shrugs*

Jade_Eyes-Thanks, although Team Venture? LOl, yeah. Quite protective.

iamobiwan-Yeah, quickly already. Not Tionne ever. Yeah, I like seeing them as a team, you know?

My muse had fled, retail in the holidays and have been sick. Still...

Norrick is my own creation. Talon is half mine and half SuperSaiyaMan12's.

Here we go!

*****
The Next Day
An aging freighter descended through the sky to touch down at the landing field, the repulsors bouncing it a bit before it settled. The main hatch slid open, squeaking and sticking slightly.

Luke walked down the main ramp and noted Tionne, Kam and Kyle waiting him. He hugged Tionne and kissed her before shaking Kyle and Kam?s hands. ?Anything new??

?We?ve started construction on a holocron for our Order,? Kam reported. ?It was Tionne?s idea, and a damned good one at that.?

Luke glanced at the two before smiling. ?Yes, yes it is.? He reached out and took her hand in his. ?I see you two have buried the vibro-blade.?

Kam smiled slightly and stepped back slightly. ?It was a long time coming.? He motioned to the Temple. ?Dorsk is tending to the fusion furnaces at the moment. Brakiss is using my saber for drone practice.?

?And I?m eager to see my apprentice,? Mara said as she emerged from the Temple?s entrance and hopped down the stairs, a few at a time. She speed-walked up to the old freighter and looked it over. ?Kyp? feels different.? She turned back to Luke. ?What happened??

Luke waved his hand at the freighter. ?He should tell you himself, Mara.?

Kyp walked off the ship, holding his hand over his eyes to block out the glare. His eyes no longer held the twinkle of youth, nor did they possess the mania they did after coming back from the brink. ?Hey,? he said a bit weakly.

Mara looked him over as he stiffly walked over to her. ?Kyp, what happened to you??

?It?s a long, painful story-emphasis on painful,? he quipped. He then looked up at the Temple. ?The Sun Crusher is no more, thank the Force.?

Luke placed a hand on Kyp?s shoulder. ?He nearly sacrificed himself to destroy it, along with a prototype Death Star.?

Kyle?s mouth hung open slightly. ?I?m sorry, a what??

Kyp sighed. ?I?ll explain later. It?s quite a story.?

Mara placed a hand on his shoulder, letting some of her strength flow through the contact. ?First, you need rest,? she said, walking him back to the Great Temple.

Kam shook his head as he watched them go. ?That should be one hell of a tale.? he turned back to Luke and opened his mouth, but stopped as he saw Luke and Tionne staring into each other?s eyes. He half-closed his eyes and reached out to the freighter with the Force, detecting familiar and unfamiliar life aboard. ?Come on out, Han! Your ship?s fine.?

Han walked down the main ramp, arms crossed. ?I wasn?t thinking of the Falcon, really!?

Kyle snorted. ?Yeah, and Wookiees are bald.?

?Very funny,? Han said as he walked up to the pair. ?There?s cargo aboard,? he said, pointing his thumb at the fuselage. ?I think the old guy onboard is gonna need help with it.?

Kyle nodded and stepped around Han, walking up to the aft cargo ramp as it lowered. He let out a whistle as the ramp?s gears groaned and squeaked, the hydraulics hissing. ?They don?t make them like this anymore-thank the Force.?

?Hey!? a voice from inside the cargo bay said. An older man walked down right up to Kyle and jabbed a gloved finger at the Jedi, coming close but not quite touching his flak vest. ?The Lightning Rod may be old, but she?s gotten me through more scrapes than any other ship would?ve!?

Kyle?s hands shot up and he took a half-step back. ?Whoa, whoa! Sorry, old man! I take it back!?

The old man?s scowl turned into a smile as his hand opened up. ?Well, in that case, never mind. Oh, the name?s not ?old man?, either. It?s Peckhum.?

Ky

 

Mara/Kyp/Brakiss? Should Luke be leaving her without a guard?

I loved the Han/Tionne interaction!

And Tionne gets a backstory!

And... Kir Kanos!

Great stuff!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

My reference to a "team venture" is how Mara's blending into the group and their goals and seems to be comfortable with them all as opposed to leaving and forging a different path... she seems to be open to the Jedi path instead of resisting it as in pre-HoT.

Well... Norrik, Talon, and Kanos sure do throw a lot of potential twisties in the plot... I love it!!!
Looking forward to what Tionne discovers about her past as well.

 

Thrawn-He doesn't have much of a choice to leave them like that. Glad you like those two getting along. And yeah, a backstory for her.

Jade_eyes-Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I figured here she'd be more amenable to staying. Glad you like the twisties to the plot.

My apologies for the wait. My muses abandoned me for a while. That and some... RL stuff. Not too pretty. A semi-short post to show I'm still updating, and I promise the next one will be before the end of June!

Here we go!

*****
Chapter Twelve: Finding the Past
Coruscant
The Millennium Falcon exited hyperspace with the city-covered planet in view from the cockpit. Han turned to his passengers and grinned. ?Welcome to Coruscant. Please stow all personal belongings and return to your seat. Fasten all crash webbing and I thank you for flying Solo.?

Tionne stared out at the city-covered planet below her, her eyes darting to and fro at the orbital stations, starships, starfighter wings and debris still left over from the imperial invasion nearly two years ago. ?Is this left over from Palpatine?? she asked, mouth slightly agape.

Han shrugged slightly as he sent the Falcon into an inverted climb, avoiding a chunk of ship armor and the solar panel of a TIE interceptor. ?From the ones who kicked us off of Coruscant even before Palpatine reared his ugly head. Their petty squabbling wrecked the planet and turned the orbital zones into one big junkyard.?

A small voice came through a speaker grille embedded in the console in front of Han. ?Millennium Falcon, this is ground control. You are clear for approach to Fleet Command and hangar bay seventy.?

The Falcon entered the atmosphere, skimming across the city-covered planet. A large, pyramidal structure quickly loomed on the horizon, dominating the skyline from even this far out. ?Is that the palace?? Tionne asked, silver eyes wide.

Han nodded. ?That it is.?

Luke leaned over from his chair and placed a hand on Tionne's shoulder, letting some of his strength flow through the contact. ?Don't worry,? he said. ?I still get turned around inside that thing. Hopefully we won't have to go much beyond the hangar bay.?

?What about Leia or the kids?? Tionne asked, glancing back at him.

Han shrugged. ?Her highness is probably waist-deep in red tape and other bureaucratic shavit. She was in meetings when I left, and I don't expect much to have changed.?

Tionne nodded, the corners of her mouth falling as the Falcon slowed down, entering one of the cavernous hangar bays. A flight-control droid waved lighted-up arms, directing the freighter to starboard and an empty spot. There was a muffled thud as the landing gear connected with the durasteel floor. Tionne unbuckled her crash webbing before rising and following Luke and Han out.

A cacophony of noise greeted her as technicians ran about and heavy machinery whirred, ground and hummed. Her hand reached out, grabbing Luke's for support. ?This is... new,? she commented.

Luke nodded. ?I grew up around machinery, speeders and starfighters. To me, this is... normal.? he turned to her and half-smiled. ?A far cry from Yavin IV, I'll admit.?

A dry chuckle escaped Tionne's lips. ?Just a bit.? She glanced around, taking it all in. ?Are all hangars like this??

Han nodded. He looked to the side and raised his hand, waving it. ?Hey, over here!? he shouted. He looked back to Luke. ?Make sure Tionne doesn't get swept off her feet,? he said, winking.

A rather handsome man walked over, a ten-kilometer grin on his face. ?I wouldn't think anything of the sort,? Lando Calrissian said. He bowed, his cape fluttering a bit and his finely-tailored clothes somehow holding their creases. He looked Tionne over, nodding at her. ?Well, what have we here?? he said, taking her hand in his. He looked to Luke, winking. ?Good to see you, Luke. A friend of yours??

Tionne's pale cheeks flushed red and her mouth hung open slightly at the darkly handsome man in front of her.

 

Lando's totally in character. Looking forward to their fact/past finding mission.

 

Jade_eyes-Thanks. I realized I neglected Lando, so I wanted him to make a good appearance.

Anyone else?

*Ahem* Sorry for the shortish post.

Here we go!

*****
Five days later
Tionne held Luke's lightsaber up, the blade humming and pulsing with an inner life. She reached up and slammed the visor of her blast helmet down, shutting out the galaxy. She held the emerald blade up and shifted her stance, sliding her feet apart. ?I don't like this,? she said.

Luke, standing off to the side of the main cabin, crossed his arms. ?Don't like what??

?I'm holding a plasma blade capable of cutting through almost anything while in a thin-hulled starship. One wrong swing and we both die.? She stepped back as a remote whirled about, laser emitters powering up.

Luke rubbed his chin. ?That's a... good point.? His brow wrinkled as he sat on a couch two meters from Tionne. ?I do wonder how training went with lightsabers. Was there a... a training mode??

Tionne grunted as she swung the blade, deflecting several low-power blasts. She suddenly knelt down, twisting the plasma blade around in her hands. ?I don't know, but it's definitely something worth looking into. Did I scorch anything??

Luke chuckled and shook his head. ?The setting's low enough so nothing will be damaged.? He suddenly glanced around. ?I think.? He noted nothing damaged in the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief. ?I wonder if Lando would accept an IOU for anything damaged.?

Tionne backed up several steps, continuing to deflect the bolts. Sweat formed on her brow and her hands ached, but she kept the borrowed blade up. ?Why wouldn't he? He's your friend, after all.?

Luke half-smiled, but any reply was cut short as the comm beeped. ?Hyperspace reversion in two minutes.?

Luke stood up and held out his hand. The remote stopped in midair and shut down, flying off to the side and landing on the deck. He turned and exited the cabin, crossing the short distance to the cockpit. Tionne followed close behind, ditching her helmet and extinguishing the lightsaber. She sat down in the copilot's seat, strapping in quickly. ?Oh, here you go,? she said, reaching out with Luke's lightsaber.

Luke smiled and took the proffered hilt. ?Thanks,? he said, making sure to grip Tionne's hand before taking the hilt back and clipping it to his belt. He looked ahead at the swirling vortex of hyperspace. ?Ready??

Tionne nodded, throat suddenly dry. What will we find here? Anything? Nothing? Everything? ?Yeah, she croaked out.

The Lady Luck emerged from hyperspace with a flash of croneau radiation. The small cruiser angled to starboard, heading for Exis Station where Luke found Tionne over a year ago.

Luke turned to Tionne and let go of the control stick. ?Are you ready??

Tionne nodded. She opened a small compartment on the console and pulled out a pair of pilot gloves. ?Ready,? she said, pulling them on before grabbing the control stick in front of her. She flipped a few switches, activating maneuvering thrusters. A holographic, three-dimensional HUD appeared in front of her, showing her the flight path of the Lady Luck. She pushed the stick down slightly, lining up the targeting reticule with the hangar doors of Exis Station and pushing forward on the throttle.

The station loomed, growing closer. Tionne aimed for the central core and the already-opening hangar door. The cruiser touched down, settling on the durasteel deck plating before the main hatch opened, allowing Luke and Tionne to exit.

Luke looked around. ?Kinda wish I brought Artoo,? he admitted.

?He's better off back at Yavin IV,? Tionne said. ?They probably need him back there more than we do here.? She looked around, sighing. ?I'm gonna open my mind and see if anything comes in.?

Luke nodded. He walked around and faced Tionne. ?I will help,? he said, placing his left hand on her cheek.

Tionne's silvery eyes half-closed as she let her mind slip free, traveling with guidance from

 

Wow! That memory Tionne had And oh my! What a cliffie that was!!

 

Great post, can't wait to see how that fight turns out.

thanks for the pm!

 

And here I thought they'd have a nice holiday and enjoy some quality time... Who's Kanos, btw? (missed out a lot of books and comics )

 

Jade_eyes-Yeah, bad memories. Glad you liked the cliffie.

Kidan-Welcome back. Fight will end here, and you're welcome.

Feng-lol, a little action is needed sometimes. Kir Kanos Not a 'nice' guy.

Sorry for the short post. Flying out to California tomorrow to see family for a week. Will have a new, longer post within two weeks of coming back.

Here we go!

*****
Luke backpedaled, raising his lightsaber. He blocked Kanos' initial overhead slice and hopped back, avoiding the reversed swing at his legs. He jabbed at Kanos' armored midsection with his lightsaber, drawing the guard's defenses in. ?Who the hell are you?? he shouted, projecting the Force through his voice.

Kanos blocked and parried the jabs away, quickly exposing Luke's torso. He brought one of the ends of his staff up in a sweeping motion at the Jedi's chest. The blade cut through Luke's shirt, also leaving a shallow gash across the skin. Blood seeped down, turning Luke's black shirt a muddy brown.

Luke gasped slightly, but shunted the pain away. He spared a moment to direct healing energy to the wound before turning his full attention back to his assailant. He brought his blade up with a two-handed grip, blocking a downward slice from Kanos' weapon. He pushed the weapon up, sending Kanos stumbling and falling back.

The guard fell to the deck, rolling a few times, but coming up on one knee. He scowled and untangled his cape from around his body. ?I will have my justice!? he snarled through his mask.

Luke touched his wound. He felt dried blood, but the cut had healed enough to prevent further blood loss. He looked back to Tionne. ?I've got this guy.?

Tionne locked eyes with Luke for a moment before looking past to Kanos. ?Why don't you answer Luke? Palpatine was an evil man, and a Sith! Why fight for him??

Kanos looked past Luke to Tionne. ?The Emperor brought Order and peace to a galaxy ravaged by the Clone Wars and a dying Old Republic. He saved the galaxy!?

?By bringing the order of the grave, the peace of the prisoner camp,? Luke retorted. He straightened himself out. ?Your actions, in their own way, are noble, but still wrong. Cease now.?

Kanos stood back up. He hefted his weapon, but hesitated. The double-bladed staff lowered as confusion played out on both his face and in his aura in the Force. ?That's what she said,? he eventually mumbled.

Tionne's brow wrinkled. ?Who??

?Mirith Sinn,? he responded. Kanos looked down at the deck plating, his face a mask. He finally tossed his staff away and dropped to his knees. ?Kill me.?

Luke stared at him for a moment, probing him with the Force. He shook his head. ?I won't kill you,? he finally said. He extended a hand. ?You seem like a decent man underneath your gruff exterior.?

Kanos stared at the hand, eyes wide. ?But I tried to kill you just now!? he exclaimed.

Tionne spoke up. ?That's happened a lot of times to Luke. Kam tried to kill him, and Mara said she was going to kill him. Both are back at the Academy now, learning how to use the Light.? She smiled at the guardsman. ?You can, too.?

Kanos stared at her for a moment. ?I am not sure,? he finally said. He slowly rose to his feet. ?I'm not sure of anything anymore...?

?Who's Mirith Sinn?? Luke asked, confusion crossing his face. ?She's important to you... I can feel that. But it brings out guilt, too. Is she New Republic??

A smile gradually formed on Kanos' face. ?She is, yes. We met twice, during my mission to kill Karnor Jax and again during my mission to slay the Imperial Ruling Council.? He looked away again. ?She told me of her husband and what happened to him on Nez Peron.?

Luke sucked in a breath. ?I've heard about that. Vader went there and destroyed the new resistance cell, there. The planet was starving, but the Empire kept demanding food shipments from them.? His eyes hardened slightly. ?They just wanted enough food to survive.?

Tionne stepped forward and stood beside Luke, not sensing any true danger from Kanos anymore. ?You know P

 

Marvelous update. Luke & Tionne are very compassionate to Kir--I'm not surprised at all they could win him over.

Poor Tionne--I definitely felt her frustration at her locked away memories.

 

Jade_eyes-Well, not win him over as of yet. Just get him to not kill them. And yeah, gotta be frustrating.

*Hears crickets chirping* Hello?

Welll... Here's a picture for you from my recent Cali trip.

[image=http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/4773/177430r1119a.jpg]

From left to right is me, my nephew David and my brother-in-law Frank.

Here we go!

*****
One week later
Kanos sat in front of his ship. His legs were crossed, despite the light armor he wore on his shins. He breathed in slowly through his nose, and out through the mouth. His entire body sat still, save for the slight flaring of his nostrils.

Tionne approached him. She stepped lightly on the deck plating, not sure how to approach him. She finally cleared her throat. ?Kir? Luke and I are having lunch and... we thought you could join us, if you want.? She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. ?Kir, I know you can hear me.?

Kanos opened one eye and looked up at her. ?Sorry. It takes a moment to come out of my meditations.? He uncrossed his legs and, with no aid from his arms, stood straight up. He looked down slightly at the silver-haired Jedi, his mouth a straight line. ?I prefer eating alone, Tionne. I am used to it.? He turned from her, but stopped and looked back. ?Thank you, though.?

A small smile crossed Tionne's face. ?You're welcome. But if you want, we're three levels down. Luke and I have the intercom system working so you can find us.?

Kanos looked back at her. ?No need. I am Force-sensitive and can track you two if need be.? A glimmer of amusement crossed his face at her open shock. ?How did you think I tracked Skywalker??

Tionne opened her mouth, closed it, opened it once more and slowly nodded. ?I figured you were simply a good tracker. Luke told me about Boba Fett and other bounty hunters.? She grinned and looked away for a moment. Him, Dengar, IG-88 and others. I almost wish I'd met some of them.?

A bark of laughter came from Kanos. ?You still might. There are still bounties on Skywalker's head, as well as his family. Some of them might try their luck.?

Tionne tilted her head back slightly. ?Good point.? She looked back over her shoulder, past the pressure doors and to the room where Luke waited. ?Luke says I should be ready to begin construction of my own lightsaber soon.? She looked down at her hands as they clenched slightly. ?I hope so. I don't like feeling helpless.?

Kanos' eyes looked over Tionne's body. ?How much self-defense training do you have?? he asked, walking around her. ?You're in good shape, but do you know what to do with it??

Tionne's pale cheeks reddened slightly. ?L-Luke and I spar as often as possible, and of course he and Kieran took me through my paces back at the Praxeum. Although I'd be the first to say how badly I do at it,? she admitted, embarrassment coloring her aura in the Force.

The Imperial Guard motioned to his ship. ?Meet me here after lunch. If you'd like, I can start showing you some basic moves. Nothing spectacular, but you'll be able to defeat about ninety-nine percent of all sapient beings out there with what I show you.?

Tionne's mouth slowly widened in a grin. ?Thanks!? she exclaimed. She suddenly turned back to the hatch and rolled her eyes. ?Gotta go. Luke just said my food's getting cold.? She looked back to Kanos and patted him on his armor-covered forearm. ?May the Force be with you.? And with that, she dashed out.

A small smile formed on Kanos' mouth. He patted the armor that Tionne touched and shook his head before turning back to his blastboat.
*****
Tionne speared a chunk of meat with her fork and brought it to her lips. She savored the smell of it before biting and swallowing it. ?Force, this is good.? She looked over the table to Luke as he ate his own lunch. ?Thank you.?

Luke looked up from his meal and smiled. ?You're welcome. Aunt Beru made sure I had the basics of cooking down early in life. Out in the desert, being able to make your own food is survival 101.? He looked down at his plate and sighed. ?She and Uncle Owen... pro

 

Enjoyed the gentle feel of the Luke/Tionne scene. Jedi Trace paired them in one of her drabbles in a different context, but it worked there as well. I really think they're very well suited, in a world where Mara and Kam aren't available