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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends "The Shadow of Fate" (SJRS Challenge: Episode VII) Complete! 29 August

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by JadeLotus, Jun 9, 2014.

  1. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Continuing on my awards reading spree, I finally caught up with this fic. The funny thing is that I started reading it a while ago and dropped out, not because I didn't like it but because I didn't have the time to do it justice. This is an extraordinarily complex story -- almost two stories, actually, with the flashbacks vs the present time, but I can see these two timelines converging now -- where you really seem to have mobilised every ounce of your talent to cover every issue, every possible aspect of life in the early days of the New Republic as well as some thirty years after its establishment. In a sense it's lucky that Disney isn't producing this for Episode VII, because you already have more material than they'd need for the whole sequel trilogy :p I'll do what it takes to keep up with your updates from now on -- I want to know what happens next, not only with the Sith but also with the various sub-plots in the Coruscant Underlevels, the Senate and the Jedi Temple! And congrats on your half-dozen nominations, you deserve each and every one of them :)
     
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  2. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Okay, so I caught up and then there was another chapter. :p But I just wanted to let you know that I'm still reading, still loving the elaborate plot and awesome characters, and also I feel like you should be put in charge of casting everything from now on! [face_laugh] Fantastic choices.

    The fight at Jabba's palace was good, and I really like how you're setting up an interwoven backstory for everyone. Kara's ties to the Delrond family, and Svel's rather unseemly interest in setting her up with his kid has me worried. I liked how acutely Luke was able to pick up on the undercurrents of the two Sith -- he knows there's something unusual about the dynamics there, even if he hasn't cracked the code yet. I'm really curious about how Fin will turn out in the end, as he seems almost a dark-gray kind of Sith so far. And Luke's visions are still ominous. I've really gotten to like this version of Jaina, and of Mara in the flashbacks. (I'm also enjoying those flashbacks a lot. The way they run alongside, sideways, and counterclockwise to the development of the relationship in the books is great!) It's intriguing that Mara was around (and not leaving suddenly) for the early Academy in this universe. The Zabrak siblings also have me interested, with their hints about Darth Maul, the damage to Iridonia, and their mysterious female mentor.
     
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  3. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004
    I am still reading and very much enjoying this fic. :) Congrats on your award noms!!!

    Also, Oded Fehr as Corran Horn?! YES, PLEASE. DO WANT.
     
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  4. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Thank you! Luke dislikes dishonesty, and wants to honour his father properly, but he understands why Leia and the others want to keep Vader's true identity a secret.

    He is that :p Leia's been doing this a long time, plus she's a Jedi, so can't easily be outwitted - she's a political basass :cool:

    Trax has been given a big tip off, and he's a natural schemer - what he'll discover and what he'll do with that information remains to be seen...


    Thank you! Luke's generally more reserved than Han or Leia when it comes to such things, and it's a lot of pressure to be the face of the Jedi and live up to everyone's expectations as a hero of the Rebellion. He's not the more natural interview subject ;)

    [face_devil] He hasn't got evidence yet, but he's found a smoking gun to lead him to exactly what he wants...



    Thanks for reading! No government is going to be perfect, and although the New Republic is less corrupt than the Empire or Old Republic, there's still going to be problems, most likely in the same areas where profit is more prized than people.

    I liked the idea that Pooja was still a Senator even after all these years, and of course she'd going to stick up for her cousin! :p

    [face_blush] Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. I'm glad that you're reading and enjoying it! Sometimes I think I've gotten in a bit over my head with the dual narrative, but I think it's necessary because the two timeline reflect and impact on each other for the reader to understand the divergence in my take on the EU events, but also the motivations and background of the "present day" events.


    Thank you! The sub-plot may seem a bit random at the moment, but I promise they will all come together and make sense in the end :D

    Thank you! I'm glad to know you're still reading and enjoying it :) LOL, I've spent far too much time thinking about casting choices, which is probably why the cast list is so big!

    I always thought it was interesting that Palpatine and Dooku were from these aristocratic houses, and I thought it made sense that they would be the most likely to revere the Sith - who are self-styled "lords" after all ;) Svel's pretty attached to the idea of bloodline and dynasty is a new take on that, which doesn't bode well for Kara! It's also kind of backfired in making Fin a true Sith, because you're right he isn't there yet, and what's holding him back is is love for his father. As Mara said to Luke in an earlier chapter, the Sith do not love.


    Thanks! Mara was a bit more stable when she met Luke in this version, and while she's still got her issues she was more willing to train with Luke than in TTT (that and I needed them together pretty quickly if they were going to have a 25 year old son :p) The Zabrak's origins and plans will come to light eventually - I'm glad they're interested you!

    Thank you! :D I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying!


    [face_laugh] I know he's way too tall for Corran, but everything else is perfect :D Corran can be a tall guy in my universe.
     
  5. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma

    A/N: For anyone also reading my Obi-Wan fic, you may notice that some of the text has been re-purposed. This is because I first came up with the concept for this fic and later decided to expand on it for "Turn Your Face to the Sun."

    ***********

    Chapter 24


    1 NRE

    Mara walked swiftly through the hallways of the Jedi Temple. Over the past few months she and Luke had spent much of their time overseeing its restoration, and even now the once empty halls were filled with constructions workers and other personnel. The rest of the time, she and Luke spent training together, and despite herself Mara was enjoying it immensely. In the short time she had spent with Skywalker she had come to know a deeper and clearer understanding of the Force and her potential. Before, it had been merely a tool, and she a tool herself in Palpatine’s hands. But now she was making her own choices, discovering her own abilities and despite occasionally chafing under Skywalker’s tutelage, she felt freer than she had ever been.

    A part of her did miss smuggling of course. She was in constant contact with Karrde, who was in the middle of forming his Smuggler’s Alliance and working with the New Republic on trading reform. It sounded like exciting and important work, but Mara told herself that she had made her choice, had made Skywalker a promise and she would not break that. When she was a Jedi, she could return to Karrde’s organisation if she so wished, start her own company, or do anything she wanted. Her destiny was entirely in her own hands, although such a thought frightened her more than she cared to admit.

    She found Skywalker in the one interior nature enclosures, modelled after an Naboo garden complete with millaflowers and sapflowers which gave off a pleasant, calming scent, an orchid of shuura trees, and a small lake with water so clear you could see brightly coloured fish swimming about. Mara was unsurprised to find him near water; Luke seemed to have an affinity for it.

    He sat cross-legged and barefoot on in the grass, his cloak folded around himself, but Mara could tell that he was not in a trance. Next to him was an open durasteel box, and surrounding that a multitude of tattered books.

    “Hey, Skywalker,” she said as she sat down next to him, crossing her legs and mimicking his posture. “You weren’t there to meet me this morning.”

    Luke looked up from the open book in his lap, and she saw that there were deep circles under his red-rimmed eyes. Mara guessed he hadn’t slept the previous night.

    “Sorry, Mara,” he said. “I was distracted.”

    “So I see. What are these?” she asked, indicating the books.

    “Obi-Wan’s journals. I found them in his hut on Tatooine.”

    “Seems careless.” Knowing how many secrets Kenobi had kept close, writing them down seemed rather dangerous for the cautious Jedi. She picked one book up and flicked through the yellowed pages, seeing a gentle, sloping scrawl in Simplified Galactic.

    “Oh, they were encoded,” Luke told her, indicating the open box beside them. “In this. It’s taken me this long to slice it.”

    “There’s got to be two dozen journals here,” Mara observed.

    “He was on Tatooine for almost twenty years,” Luke reminded her, and he had a point. Mara briefly wondered if the journals documented the descent of a madman. He was already halfway there in Mara’s opinion for writing in books rather than on a datapad, and said so.

    “I understand it,” Luke said with a small smile, running his fingers over the pages reverently. “It’s tactile.”

    “So what did Kenobi have to say for himself?” she asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

    “A great deal,” he told her, flicking through to the beginning of the journal in his lap. “Listen to this – Dear Qui-Gon-” he began to read.

    “Who’s that?” Mara interrupted him

    “His Jedi Master,” Luke looked up at her. “According to Yoda’s holocron, he and Obi-Wan were sent to negotiate the Blockade of Naboo, when my mother was Queen. He was killed in the battle.”

    “Oh.” For some reason, Mara felt there was more to that story, but didn’t want to sidetrack Luke and indicated for him to continue.

    “Dear Qui-Gon,” Luke began to read again, although he seemed to find some of it difficult. “I am tired of talking into thin air, so I have decided to write down my meditation. I’ve discovered that Anakin is alive – no – I should use his new name. Darth Vader. I immediately went to the Lars homestead, as this changes things dramatically. Owen and Beru decided to let Luke carry the name of Skywalker rather than Lars, evidently to honour Anakin’s mother. I saw no problem with this before, as he is their child now and it is thus their decision. However with Vader alive the situation is much more dangerous for us all. I know that Anakin hated this planet and would have no reason to return, and it is too late for Owen and Beru to claim Luke as their child. I seek your guidance Master, and hope you will come to give me counsel.”

    Luke looked up at her as he turned the page. “There’s no more of that entry,” he told her.

    “Perhaps this Qui-Gon person did appear to him,” Mara reasoned.

    Luke nodded, but looked troubled. “None of them have appeared to me,” he said sadly. “No matter how many times I reach out to them through the Force.”

    For that, Mara was secretly glad, if only because she thought they would not be pleased with her as Luke’s choice of student. “What else does it say?” she asked, seeking to distract him.

    Luke turned back to the journal obediently and flipped through the pages. “I saw a desert rose in full flower today, and it reminded me of Ventress; a bloom of adversity in a harsh and barren climate, reminding me always that life finds a way.”

    “Who’s Ventress?” Mara asked.

    Luke shrugged. “I have no idea - I don’t recall the name in the holocrons or historical records.”

    “Sounds like your father wasn’t the only one playing fast and loose with the attachment rule,” Mara smirked.

    “I doubt that’s it,” Luke responded seriously. “I’ve been able to recover some of his mission reports from the Clone Wars. He did have a liaison with the ruler of Mandalore once - a Duchess Satine.”

    “He put that in his report?” Mara was incredulous and a little disturbed.

    Luke shrugged. “He followed the rules - admitted his attachment and sought to prevent it happening again.”

    Mara scowled and looked out across the pond where a soft, artificial breeze created ripples. The more she heard about the conduct of the old Jedi Luke revered so much, the more she disliked them, and the more she questioned whether she should become one at all.

    Luke picked up another journal and skimmed through the pages, stopping halfway through. “I – I visited the boy again today,” he began. “It has become difficult to evade Owen Lars, but I have discovered Luke likes to watch the sunset on the ridge above the homestead and if I hide behind one of the vaporators I can remain unseen. I remember when I first brought Luke to Owen and Beru, they were watching those same suns, and I felt maybe there was hope. I’m not sure how much hope I have left.”

    “The Emperor has reigned for ten years and I hear little from Yoda. Bail Organa has long since stopped sending missives, no doubt for security reasons. I saw him and little Leia on the holonet a few days ago at a dedication ceremony on Coruscant. I wonder if I have stolen something precious from her and Luke. Should I have raised him as my own son in the Alderaanian court? They could have at least known each other, if not known the truth. And yet I must tell myself that it is for the best. Even now I can sense Luke’s strength in the Force, a light I have never before experienced. The boy uses the Force without even knowing it, when he is fixing vaporator parts or driving his skyhopper – he’s a good a pilot as Anakin ever was. I fear that his power will begin to manifest itself in other ways. And yet-” Luke stopped suddenly and looked down at the rippling pond.

    Mara took the journal from him. “And yet he is a humble child,” she read aloud. “He has Anakin’s recklessness and drive, but none of his arrogance and conceit. Sometimes in the right light he is Anakin, as bold and brash as my dear friend ever was.” She looked back up at Luke and saw that he was staring at the fish swimming just below the surface of the water, his jaw clenched.

    “And yet I made so many mistakes with Anakin,” she continued. “Mistakes I am afraid I will repeat if I get too close to Luke. The boy is sweet, and yet Anakin was sweet also as a boy, before the Jedi and war and hardship changed him.” She lapsed into silence.

    “Did he ever look at me and not see my father?” Luke asked, anguished as he turned his gaze back to her. “Did my Aunt and Uncle? Maybe Madine is right about us keeping the facts about Anakin a secret from the galaxy. Who could ever know the truth and see me, rather than the son of Vader?”

    “Your sister doesn’t,” Mara pointed out. “Or Solo, or any of your other rebel friends.”

    “They knew me before.”

    “Well I didn’t,” she told him. “And I don’t. I see nothing of him in you.”

    It was the truth, and if Skywalker had not told her himself, she would never have believed that Luke Skywalker had any relation to Darth Vader. They were polar opposites, in her opinion. In fact, the only person she thought less like Luke than Vader was Palpatine himself. Yet somehow Mara felt she had not given him comfort. She picked up another journal and flicked through it.

    “Dear Qui-Gon,” she read, “I cannot fully describe to you the fear I felt today. I know that young Luke likes to race his Skyhopper through Beggar’s Canyon, and I have taken to concealing myself on the ridge to watch him. Today he was alone, and as skilled a pilot as he is Luke takes chances he should not. The boy was not seriously hurt, and I wonder if he even felt the pain of the crash, but I had to take him home and tend to his injuries. I know Beru worries about the boy in that machine. Owen worries too - but for an entirely different reason.”

    Mara realised that Luke had told her of this event, back on Myrkr. She looked over at him, and he was dipping his fingers in the water to let the fish nibble lightly at his skin. He was likely thinking back to his own memories, supplementing them with Obi-Wan’s words.

    “Luke is fifteen now,” Mara continued to read, “and he told me of his plans to join the Imperial Academy when he is of age. Qui-Gon, I am at such a loss of how to proceed - I simply cannot let the boy do this, as I know that with his skills he will rise quickly through the ranks, and it surely would not be long before Vader becomes aware of him. If that happens, all is lost, and yet I cannot reveal myself to Luke, cannot tell him of his greater destiny. The boy is not ready for it, and in fact I doubt he will ever be ready. All I can do is wait, and look to the Force for guidance.”

    Mara closed the journal slowly and looked back up to see that Luke was watching her. She regarded him for a few moments, wondering how Kenobi had had so little faith in him. He’d trusted the Force, but had not trusted the strength of the boy he’d clearly loved. And yet Mara knew that she would never truly know Luke as Kenobi had, would never know the young brash farmboy who’d lived on Tatooine and dreamed of the stars. A part of that boy was still there, and she saw glimpses of him sometimes, but Mara knew that somehow he had been lost forever, stripped away by the weight of duty and purpose, as had the girl she’d once been.

    They were both damaged, she realised, both lost children who would never be found again. She saw understanding in his eyes, and Luke reached for her hand, holding it gently as they sat in silence. And yet Luke remained open and hopeful, willing to share with her this glimpse into the man who had been his first Master. The man who’d kept him from his sister, lied to him, and then sacrificed himself to give Luke drive and purpose. But despite those faults, Luke still loved him, as he still loved his father despite the fact that he’d killed Luke’s guardians, taken his hand and tried to force him to embrace the dark. He was so different from the Jedi who had come before him.

    Mara didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to share such thoughts, how to let him know the esteem in which she held his compassion, even though outwardly she derided him. But Luke squeezed her hand, and somehow she felt that he understood.

    _____________________________________________

    29 NRE

    It was time to leave Tatooine, and Luke gathered his few belongings from the Anchorhead rooms they’d rented and then headed to Tosche Station to pay the remainder of their bill. Fixer and Camie stood behind the counter and were unrepentant about charging him extra for a cleaning service Luke was certain had never been provided. But he’d paid without comment, because he knew the harvest had been slight that year and although they’d never been friends, they reminded Luke of the boy he’d once been, the one who’d once gotten so excited about a space battle above the planet he’d dragged them all outside to watch it. It was an innocence he’d long since lost, and yet he liked the reminder.

    “May the Force be with you,” he told them both as he left.

    “Hey, small fry,” Fixer called behind him, and Luke turned in the entrance. “You...you’ve done good, you know.”

    “Yeah,” Camie nodded, a small smile on her face. “You got out - just like you said you would.”

    From the couple, it was high praise indeed, and Luke smiled and nodded goodbye before heading towards the Fury’s Lament in the desert a short distance away. He could sense that Eren was in the cockpit making the calculation for the trip to Dathomir and Ben was configuring the results from his tracking device with the help of Artoo. He could see Kara outside the ship, preparing her X-Wing for storage in the Fury’s hold.

    “All set?” he asked as he approached.

    Kara gave him a tight smile and nodded. “Ready to go,” she told him. “Although I think I can be of more use to you tracking the Sith.”

    Luke had been expecting that ever since he’d tasked her and Eren with the mission. “It’s important that we find out their motivations. The answer is likely on Dathomir.”

    “That and you don’t want the Sith near me,” Kara said, crossing her arms over her chest. She had of course told him everything about her encounter with Delrond, including that he’d been watching her previously and was fixated on her family legacy.

    “You’re right,” Luke nodded. “Delrond obviously has some kind of plan for you, and therefore it makes sense to keep you out of his reach.”

    “And you, Luke?” she challenged him. “The apprentice said he wanted to kill you.”

    “Someone has to be the bait,” he said with a smile.

    “But why does it always have to be you?” she pressed.

    “Because I’m older, and head of the Order, and therefore my duty is to protect all of you rather than myself.” He patted Kara on the shoulder and then went up into the ship.

    He found Ben by the comm station, tapping furiously while Artoo bleated in greeting.

    “Hi Dad,” Ben said without looking up from his screen. “Give me one second…” He continued to tap for a few more moments, and then turned to Luke with a look of pride. “Naboo.”

    “I’m sorry?”

    “That’s where the Sith have landed.”

    Luke felt his heart sink as the suspicions he’d had for some time were confirmed. Slowly, he made his way over to the dejarik table and sat down. Then carefully using his sleeve to keep his skin away from it, Luke retrieved the rock Fin had left behind in Jabba’s Palace and placed it on the table. He’d tried to hold it a few times in the day since their encounter, but it had caused such a searing pain that Luke had been putting it off until absolutely necessary.

    Taking a deep breath, Luke picked up the rock and this time held it in his bare hand, a familiar feeling of pain and nausea flooding through him. He remembered Obi-Wan on the Millenium Falcon growing suddenly ill as he’d felt the destruction of Alderaan through the Force. Luke had felt it too, but had dismissed the feeling of unease and slight pain as grief for the Aunt and Uncle. It was the same feeling which flooded him now, only a thousand times worse, and Luke could almost hear voices which saw a bright blue flash in the sky, the collective moment of panic and finally, the death of billions of souls, each one like the prick of a needle inside his head.

    When Luke opened his eyes he found himself slumped against the table and saw that Ben, Kara and Eren all surrounded him with identical looks of concern.

    “This is Alderaan,” Luke breathed, opening his palm again and examining the rock. “A piece of it anyway.”

    “Alderaan?” Eren asked, her brow furrowed. “From the asteroid field?”

    Luke nodded. “The Sith must have gone there. They collected this.” He dropped the rock on the table.

    “Why?” Kara asked.

    “Why would they come to Tatooine?” he asked her. “Why are they headed to Naboo?” Luke rubbed his eyes wearily. “I have to call Leia.”

    Ben quickly brought over the portable comm unit and placed it on the table in front of Luke, dialing Leia’s direct number. She answered immediately, and looked concerned.

    “Luke, are you alright?” she asked. “I sensed a disturbance.”

    “I’m fine,” he assured her. “Is Mara there?” he asked, and Leia answered in the affirmative. His wife quickly appeared to Leia’s left elbow and Luke was relieved. He quickly explained the situation to both of them.

    “Naboo?” Leia repeated, taking hold of the opal locket that always hung around her neck and squeezing gently. “Why?”

    “We all spend a great deal of time there,” Luke reasoned. “They are learning about us. Dathomir, Alderaan, Tatooine and now Naboo. I bet if I sent someone to Yavin, Endor and Hoth they would have been there too.”

    “No, it’s more than that,” Leia said resolutely. “Naboo is our family home, Luke. And they want to taint it, violate it, because that’s what the Sith do.”

    “It’s clearly a trap,” Mara said cautiously. “They want you to find them. They knew you would eventually”

    Leia nodded. “Yes.”

    “Well,” Luke managed to smile. “Obi-Wan once wrote that when facing a certain trap, all one can do is spring it and see what happens.”

    “Obi-Wan also made a lot of mistakes,” Mara reminded him.

    “What else would you suggest?” he asked her.

    Mara was quiet for a moment, and even through the hologram he could see her concern. Luke wished he’d waited until he was alone to comm them so he could have a proper conversation with her, but knew that they must act quickly now.

    “Corran’s already on Naboo,” he reminded them. “We can rendezvous him with and seek out the Sith together.”

    “I’ll send backup,” Mara told him.

    “Not you though, Mara,” Luke cautioned her. “And no more than one Master. I need you there to protect the Temple.”

    Mara sighed and then gave him a curt nod before disappearing out of frame.

    “Be careful, Luke,” Leia told him softly, the same words she’d said before he left Coruscant.

    “I will,” he promised her, and ended the call. His companions looked at him with concern, and Kara put a gentle hand on his arm

    “I still need you two to go to Dathomir,” he told her, and thankfully, she nodded without protest. "Make contact with the Singing Mountain Clan, and investigate the old Nightsister stronghold more thoroughly than we did before."

    "I have a better idea of what to look for this time," Kara said, squeezing his arm before getting up to go finish preparing her ship.

    "We'll let you know if we find anything," Eren nodded and stood as well. "I better finish making the calculations."

    “I’ll get our X-Wings ready to go, Dad,” Ben said as he rose.

    “Ben-” Luke held out his hand, and his son sat down again.

    “If you’re going to ask me to go back to Coruscant, you can save your breath,” Ben cut him off. “You know that I know Naboo better than any other Jedi, save you and Aunt Leia. I found the Sith, I should have the chance to help defeat them.”

    “Alright,” Luke conceded, too tired to argue and knowing that his son was right. “Go get the ships ready, and I’ll comm Corran and fill him in.” He certainly didn’t have the strength yet to get up from the table.

    “Dad.” Ben didn’t comply, but looked at him, grave concern on his face. “The Sith apprentice - I think I saw him in Mos Eisley.”

    “Mos Eisley?” Luke looked at son in confusion.

    “Before you arrived,” Ben explained. “There was this man in the marketplace - he said his name was Fin, I only just remembered. I got this funny feeling about him...but he didn’t have the Force. I checked.”

    Luke rubbed his beard in contemplation. Surely it could not have been ysalamiri - all those who knew about their effect had kept the secret well. And Ben would have felt an absence in the Force in the general area, not localised to one man. Could the Sith have found a way to shield their very presence in the Force from other users? If so, why had they not done so the entire time they’d been on Tatooine? Unless, of course as Mara had said, they’d wanted to be found.

    “Tell me exactly what happened,” Luke demanded, determined to get to the bottom of these strange events.
     
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  6. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Beautiful flashback full of character development that warms a shipper's heart, check.

    Intriguing present full of plot advancement and mystery that continues to deepen, check.

    I bow like an Ewok before your prowess. :D
     
  7. ThreadSketch

    ThreadSketch Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2013
    MARA, FOR FORCE'S SAKE, JUST TAKE THE CINNAMON ROLL, HE'S YOURS. :_|[face_laugh] Poor precious farmboy.

    Ugh, these Sith and their plans are grossly personal; they know exactly how to push our heroes' buttons. (And that's genius making the pieces of Alderaan have such a severe psychic impact, similar to the nasty rip in the Force left behind over the Endor moon that Leia encountered in TTT.)
     
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  8. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    Loved the flashback especially when Mara took over the reading.

    Does sound like they are walking into a trap of some proportion. That rock piece of Alderaan was really a spooky trick.
     
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  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    JadeLotus ! [face_dancing] Let me deal with the present stuff first - like the nod to the ANH innocence [face_love] and the plans for springing the trap. Kara's "Why does it have to be you?" Yup, he's a Skywalker all right. [face_laugh]

    ~!

    SQUEEE! Out. Loud. for the Turn your Face tie-in with the flashback, the gorgeous and serene setting for reading the journals and self-reflection, and yumsy, Luke and Mara are getting closer, despite what Mara might think or realize. :D :D :) [face_sigh]
     
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  10. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Thanks to everyone who voted for this fic for Best All Around in the 2015 Fanfic Awards!


    Thanks gal! Nice to know it ticks all of the boxes :D


    [face_laugh] If I could draw I would do a pic of Mara holding a pure and perfect cinnamon roll. And wearing a friendship bracelet ;)

    The Alderaan asteroid field must be just a mass of bad feelings and lingering death - and for Luke it's a double whammy given is connection to Leia and all her extra pain over it.


    Thank you! It may be a trap, but Luke feels they have no other option...


    Thank you! Kara worries about Luke, but of course he's determined to take all of the danger on himself ;) It's slow going for progressing Luke and Mara's relationship, but they're getting there...
     
  11. ThreadSketch

    ThreadSketch Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2013

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. JEDIFLYSWATTER

    JEDIFLYSWATTER Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2004
    I had a lot to catch up on. Between DRL and computer problems, I have not been able to keep up. Great job as always and thanks.
     
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  13. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    [face_dancing]:D


    Thanks for commenting! I know the posting schedule is quite frequent, because I've already written quite far ahead and want to get it all posted before the real Episode VII comes out.
     
  14. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Tags: Gemma


    Chapter 25


    1 NRE

    Deep in her meditation trance, Mara found only pain and bitter accusations. When she retreated inside herself, there was darkness that she didn’t know if she could escape from, blood staining her hands that she could never wash clean.

    “Mara.”

    She heard Luke’s gentle voice calling her back from the void, and came out of her trance with a gasp. She was sitting cross-legged in a meditation room, Skywalker in the exact same position before her. But his face was the picture of concern.

    “What did you see?” he asked gently.

    Mara swallowed heavily, the images from her trance still dancing in front of her eyes. “The faces of the people I’ve killed.”

    “Mara, you must learn to forgive yourself,” Luke told her. “Only then will you find peace.”

    “Or I could just stop meditating,” Mara suggested wryly. “That would solve the problem, too.”

    “That would bury the problem,” Luke responded, the ghost of a smile on his face.

    “Interesting wording. Buried or not, it won’t change anything,” she stated. “Those people are still be dead by my hand.”

    “You thought you were doing good,” Luke tried to console her.

    “Service to evil is still evil.” She shook her head. “I cannot be absolved of the things I did.” She was silent for a moment and then pierced him with a steely glare. “I killed Rebels too, you know," she said, her voice deliberately cold. "Not often, the Rebellion was Vader’s purview. But if I discovered them, I was their judge, jury and executioner. Maybe I even killed some of your friends...you don’t know," she goaded him, desperate to make him despise her as much as she did herself. "Perhaps we should compare notes, there’s a high probability.”

    But rather than be shocked or angered by Mara’s words, rather than recoiling as she had wanted him to do, Luke just sat there passively, staring at her.

    “Do you think telling me that changes anything I’ve said?” he asked. “I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, Mara. I care about the choices you make now.”

    “But nothing will erase what I’ve done,” she insisted.

    “Nor should it,” Luke told her. “But what you can do is make a vow, right here,” he said, placing his hand over hers and squeezing gently. “Promise yourself that you will not strike another, except in defence of yourself or others. Swear that you will not kill, unless there is no alternative in order to preserve life.”

    It was hard not to be inspired by his words, although Mara still doubted that she could achieve what he was speaking of. The guilt would always be there, and while she had learned to live with it, actually moving on from it was another matter entirely. Did she have the courage to make such a vow, not only to forsake anger and violence, but to define herself by it?

    Thankfully Luke did not press her, and instead suggested they move onto that day's physical training. Mara was grateful, since sparring was something she was completely familiar and comfortable with. That day, however, it seemed far more challenging than usual, and Mara kept hitting a wall.

    Although Mara was a match for Skywalker in a physical fight, when it came to lightsaber combat there was no doubt his skills were superior. She kept trying to draw on the Force for the additional power to finally best him at lightsaber combat, but kept coming up short. A flash of irritation shot through her.

    “Don’t get angry, Mara,” he warned her as their sabers clashed. “Remain calm, and you will find a way through.”

    But Mara was sick and tired of his words, of his endless lectures. At those thoughts, she felt a surge of power, and she grasped it eagerly as she fought back against him. Luke spun out of her reach and deactivated his lightsaber, looking disappointed.

    “You’re drawing your power from dark emotions,” he told her. “Using your anger to fuel yourself. A Jedi draws on the light.”

    She huffed indignantly and deactivated her saber, clipping it to her belt. “That’s how I’ve always done it.” As the Hand it had never mattered how she’d drawn her power, just that she’d accomplished her objective.

    Luke looked at her sympathetically. “Master Yoda used to chide me all the time, telling me that training to be a Jedi was like learning to walk all over again. When you’re a child, it’s instinctual, and you don’t care how you take those first steps, so long as you take them. But as a Jedi you must be precise and deliberate with every step you take, because each one either leads you to the light or dark.”

    He held out the hilt of his saber in his palm, and it floated up into the air, held securely in his Force grip. “Try and take it.”

    Mara held out her hand palm outward and focused on the saber hovering in the air. She reached out through the Force, allowing it to flow through her, to draw the hilt towards herself and into her hand. But the saber didn’t even budge in the air, too securely held by Luke's Force hold, and Mara exhaled with frustration.

    “Don’t give up,” Luke told her. “Concentrate.”

    At his words she felt her anger rise to the fore again, but this time she pushed it aside, determined not to draw on those emotions. She sought to calm herself, to be at peace and at one with the Force,and reached out for the saber again. But Luke’s hold on it was too powerful, and not matter how hard she tried, she could not call it to her.

    “I can’t do it,” she said, frustrated. “Not without touching the dark side.” Maybe she just wasn’t cut out the be a Jedi, perhaps she should avoid the temptation altogether and return to the smuggler’s life.

    “The dark is seductive,” Luke told her, allowing his saber to fall back into his hand and he clipped it back onto his belt. “It comes to you quickly, so you think it is more powerful, but if you are at peace, if you seek clarity, you will find the strength.”

    Mara crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him sceptically. How did he know of such things? He had only ever served the light, he did not know the thrill and exhilaration of the dark.

    “Think of it this way, Mara,” he said with a light smile when she did not answer. “You like to be in control, right?”

    She eyed him. “Of course.”

    “Well when you’re angry or aggressive, you’re never in control,” he told her. “You may think you are, because you feel powerful, but the dark is using you, not the other way around.”

    "You're always taking about letting yourself be a conduit of the Force," she countered. "By that logic isn't the light side using you just as much as the dark?"

    "No." Luke shook his head. "Because when you are passive, you are open to considering the situation from every angle not just the one that gives you the best view. Then you can make a true choice to act, to guide the Force in the way you want it to go, rather than unleashing raw power and being unable to direct its path. That was Palpatine's downfall." Luke's gaze drifted in that way she had become accustomed to, when he was deep in thought. "In Vader he created something he could not hope to control," he added.

    "But he controlled me." Mara's insides twisted bitterly at the thought.

    Luke's eyes flicked back to her, his expression softening. "He doesn't control you now, Mara."

    “Those are pretty words, Skywalker, but you don’t understand at all,” she said, frustrated and annoyed by his sympathy. “You don’t...know how this feels.”

    “I do understand, Mara,” Luke told her seriously. “More than you know.”

    Mara huffed and looked away. She just couldn’t believe that Luke Skywalker struggled with the dark like she did. Since she’d been a child and Palpatine had convinced her to stop hiding her abilities, he’d poured darkness into her, flattered her, fed her arrogance and conceit, praised her cool detachment and the ease in which she could carry out orders. Skywalker had lived on a farm and had then been taught by two Jedi Masters. He’d never had to struggle against the dark like she had.
    “Come here.” Luke held out his hands, palms upward. “Do you trust me?”

    Mara didn’t answer, but she moved towards him and placed her hands over his so that their palms were touching. His fingers closed around her wrists gently and she felt him open up to her through the Force.

    She was assaulted by a wave of feelings and memories, and a gnawing pain so deep it took her breath away. Mara saw his memories of the battle on the second Death Star, felt the anger and hatred brewing inside of him until he’d unleashed it. She saw him in a furious rage against his father, until he overwhelmed the dark lord and took his hand. She heard the Emperor’s praise and felt a hatred beyond compare, the seductive pull to destroy them both and take the ultimate power for himself.

    It was in that moment Mara realised that she had been entirely wrong about Skywalker.

    Now she understood why his presence in the Force had always been so bright, why the light he emanated was so strong it was blinding. It was because that much light was necessary to counteract and drown out the streak of dark that could only be hidden, and never erased. For the first time, Mara saw exactly how powerful Luke was - more so than any of the old Jedi, even more than Palpatine. If Luke ever gave into that darkness inside of him, his strength would be unparalleled. If he ever turned it on her, sought to control her like the Emperor had, she didn’t know if she would be able to stop him.

    Mara broke away from his grip and stumbled back, breathing heavily. Luke looked at her sadly, his usually bright blue eyes dark and cloudy. Mara ran her hands over her tight braid and down her neck, trying to calm herself, to erase the glimpse inside his soul that had deeply frightened her.

    Then she turned on one heel and walked swiftly out of the room.

    *******

    The setting sun lit up Coruscant with a brilliant amber glow, and from his balcony Luke watched the light fade. The morning’s session with Mara had been disturbing for both of them, but Luke knew he’d had to show her. He had told her of course, exactly what happened on the second Death Star and how he’d touched the dark side, and yet until that day he hadn’t realised that she’d never quite believed him; did not think him capable of such darkness.

    Despite her wry comments and expert words designed to prick and deflate his ego, when it came down to it, Luke had realised that perhaps she held him in higher esteem than he deserved. So he’d had to show her the truth, the way the dark had called to him - as it still called to him. He wouldn’t hide himself, not from her. And if that he had driven her away, so be it.
    But then Luke felt her familiar presence outside of his apartment, and sent a welcome to her through the Force while unlocking the door. Mara entered and soon joined him out on the balcony, looking around as she did so.

    “Nice place, Skywalker,” Mara said lightly, although he could feel her uncertainty.

    “Thanks,” he replied in the same light tone, and looked at her as she came to stand beside him. He noticed that she had let her hair down from the tight braid she usually wore for training. The setting sun lit up the gold strands among the red, and Luke forced himself to turn away.

    “A bit exposed though,” Mara commented.

    “There’s a forcefield around the entire balcony,” he told her. “Invisible from this side, but it forms a privacy screen to prevent anyone from looking in.” Luke realised that she'd just been making conversation to break the tension, and she hadn't actually cared about Luke's apartment. He felt a little foolish for his pointless words and they lapsed into silence again, watching the sunset together.

    “I’m sorry I left before,” Mara told him just as twilight fell.

    “It’s alright,” Luke told her tightly, his eyes still on the city. “I...understand if you no longer wish to train with me.”

    “I thought about leaving,” she admitted. “The power you have, Luke, it frightened me. For a moment I was afraid of what you could do with it - Palpatine had used his power to control me, and I can never let that happen again. I’ll die first.”

    Luke nodded, pained.

    “But I came here instead,” she told him, putting a light hand on his arm. “Because I realised that you’re not like him.”

    “I could be, though,” Luke turned his head to her, troubled. “If I make the wrong choice, choose the wrong path, I could become him...or my father.”

    “I don’t believe that,” Mara told him earnestly. “Palpatine never tried to be good, and your father...it’s different. Yes, there’s darkness in you, Luke, but there’s also light - so much that the darkness could never stand a chance.”

    He was touched by her understanding and faith in him, not blind, as if had been before, but with the full knowledge of who and what he was. He was buoyed by it also, at her belief in him, given by one not accustomed to doing so.

    “Thank you” he said, his hand covering hers on his arm. “So...you’ll stay?”

    Mara sighed deeply and pulled away from him. “I’m not sure,” she said, turning her back and wrapping her arms protectively around herself. Her pain and uncertainty was palpable, hanging about her like a shroud. Luke wanted to go to her, embrace her and tell her how much her faith was returned. But he sensed that it would only make her withdraw further.

    “You feel that you’re not capable of resisting the dark,” he spoke instead. “But you are, I know it.” But Mara’s back remained rigid, her body tense as his words hung unanswered in the air.

    “When I served the Emperor,” she said after a long silence. “I had a weapons master - he was a Zabrak, from a warrior caste. I particularly admired the Iridonian blades he fought with - such beautiful weapons of precision and power if used correctly. One day he made a point to explain the forging process."

    Luke was unsure of the direction of her words, but listened silently, watching her perfect posture as she faced away from him into the darkness of his apartment.

    "He told me that before such a weapon is forged, the raw materials have the potential to be anything," Mara continued. "But to make the blade the steel must be heated to remove imperfections, and any elements of low quality cast aside. Then it must be hammered into shape, polished and sharpened until it is exactly what its maker wants. And the result is beautiful - so much more than the formless lump of metal it was before. But the price of such beauty is that it no longer has the potential of the raw material. It is a weapon; that is it’s only function. It cannot made into anything else.” Mara’s voice trembled as she took a ragged breath. “It is no longer good for anything else.”

    Luke’s heart ached at her words, aghast that she had been taught something so terrible when she had been too young to question it. He stepped forward and gently put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly in what he hoped was comfort.

    “But a weapon is inanimate,” he told her. “It has no thought or choice as to how it is wielded. You are in control of yourself now, Mara - that is the difference.”

    Mara took another ragged breath, and although she did not answer, nor did she pull away.

    “You say there is light in me - enough to drown out the dark,” Luke added, tugging on her shoulder slightly to try and get her to face him. “Can you not feel the same light in yourself?"

    “No," was her terse response. However she turned, the city lights playing across her face and the shimmering tears that spilled from her eyes.

    “Well I feel it,” Luke told her resolutely, tipping her chin so that her face was no longer in the shadows. “And I will help you find it, if you let me.”


    **********

    29 NRE

    Han grimaced as he walked through one of the seedier slums of Coronet with Chewbacca beside him. The Wookie growled softly with distaste and concern at their surroundings.

    “I know, buddy,” Han told him as he glanced around the streets of what was colloquially known as the human quarter. Other than Chewie, there wasn’t a non-human in sight. Briefly, Han considered whether he should have brought Syal Antilles with him rather than Chewie, but then he chastised himself for that thought. He’d always been adamant that he would never play by the rules of the pro-human element on Corellia or anywhere else. He wouldn’t allow them to change his behaviour one bit, even if doing so may be best for the mission.

    Besides, Syal was busy debriefing CorSec back at their Headquarters, and Han was happy to leave her to take care of that so he didn’t have to do so. They’d only arrived on Corellia that morning, and Han’s first stop had been the Medical Institute where Yara Riu was still convalescing from the attack on government house. The young Jedi had received burns to 90% of her body after being caught in the explosion, along with a multitude of shattered bones and internal injuries. She’d spent three weeks in bacta before they’d been able to revive her so she could put herself in a healing trance. Yara had been cognizant enough to talk to Han when he’d visited her, and seemed cheered up by his presence.

    Han was thankful to see that she’d be okay, and had felt rather guilty that she’d suffered such brutal injuries in the attack when he’d gotten off with a broken leg that had mostly healed. Han still limped a little, but the doctors had told him that it was to be expected at his age. Bacta wasn’t miracle juice, after all. There was also a pragmatic part of Han that was relieved to think they had a Jedi to call on if things got ugly. And Han knew with his cousin Thracken Sal-Solo out of prison, the ugly odds raised exponentially.

    They soon reached their destination, a particularly dingy bar crassly named The Master Race. There was a human guard outside, who held out a bo-rifle to prevent their approach.

    “Humans only,” the guard growled. “That thing can’t come in here.”

    Han eyed them both. “You wanna tell him that?” he asked, and in a flash Chewie had torn the guard’s weapon away from him and had his claws around his neck. The guard whimpered as Chewie cast him aside, slumping against the wall and making no further attempt to prevent their entry.

    The bar was full of smoke from the hookah pipes which rested on every table. Drinks were being served by scantily-clad Twi’leks, and there was another dancing on the small stage to one side of the bar, but all of the patrons were human. Han shook his head in disgust - these scum were happy to objectify non-humans they so despised, as well as use their tech like bo-rifles and hookahs, but still claimed them as inferior. It made him sick.

    The patrons all glared at Han and Chewie as they entered, giving them each equally disgusted looks. Han wondered if their distaste for him was the fact he’d brought Chewie in, or that they’d recognised his physical resemblance to their leader. But no one bothered them, a wise move in Han’s opinion. Chewie may be getting older, but he was still as menacing as ever.

    Han followed the raucous laughter to the cluster of tables at the back of the bar, where the ale flowed freely and the hookah smoke was the thickest. At the centre of the group was none other than Thracken Sal-Solo, Han’s first cousin and all around scum. He’d led his Human League in an attack on the Corellian system sixteen years earlier in an effort to seize control of the government and oust all non-humans from the planet. Leia had been serving as the Governor of the system at the time and either by chance or design Luke, Mara and their two sons had been visiting, involving them all in the crisis. Thracken had been imprisoned, of course, although the sentence was meant to have been life, and Han hadn’t been able to find out why he’d been let out.

    It didn’t take long for Thracken to notice Han and Chewie standing there, and his face transformed into a bitter scowl. He was much as Han remembered him, a little fatter, a little greyer, but still the same scumbag who’d once kidnapped Han’s daughter and his two nephews.

    “Well if it isn’t General Solo,” Thracken greeted him, even his voice resembling Han’s except it was pitched lower and had a rasp indicating over inhalation of hookah smoke. “Miss me, cousin?”

    “Not really,” Han said as grabbed himself a chair and took a seat, apprising Thracken thoughtfully. His cousin was surrounded by a dozen cronies, ranging in age from fifteen to perhaps fifty, and all of them glared at Han suspiciously, including one young man whose familiarity struck Han in the gut. He had black hair and dark eyes, but Han knew the kid instantly. He was careful not to let the recognition show on his face, his gaze slipping around equally to the other men at the table and then back to Thracken.

    “So why are you here?” Thracken asked, his gaze drifting to Chewie who was standing at Han’s shoulder, bowcaster in hand.
    “Can’t a guy drop by his home planet and congratulate his cousin when he gets out of prison?” Han asked, keeping his tone light. “Especially since you were meant to be in there for the rest of your Sith-forsaken life.”

    Thracken smiled smugly. “Your wife isn’t the Governor any longer,” he said. “The new regime is more...sympathetic to my talents.”

    “Oh?” Han responded harshly, a layer of steel in his voice. “The new Governor have any children he needed you to steal?”

    Thracken laughed, and his cronies tittered along with him. “You’re not still mad about that, are you, cousin?”

    Han glared at him, and behind Chewie roared a warning. “Cut the bantha crap, Thracken,” Han growled. “Why’d they let you out?”

    “Control your pet here, and I’ll tell you.” Thracken eyed Chewie with a mixture of of fear and disgust. Han sighed and glanced at Chewie, patting the Wookiee’s arm gently to calm him down.

    “Enlighten me.”

    “It’s simple, Han,” Thracken began, clasping his hands on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “Everyone’s on edge since that attack on Coronet House.”

    “Which your Human League has claimed responsibility for,” Han countered.

    Thracken pointed to himself innocently. “My League? I was in prison, Han, how could I be involved in such a terrible act?”

    Han knew exactly how, but played along to get to the information he wanted. “So why let you out?”

    “Why, to calm things down, of course,” Thracken explained. “Without my firm hand to guide the League, I’m afraid it became quite a lawless and fractured movement. They needed someone to take control of these rogue factions, steer them back on the right path. Someone who has been rehabilitated.”

    Han scoffed. “You? Rehabilitated?”

    “Why yes,” Thracken smiled. “They let me out, and I agreed to calm things down. And you see, it has worked - no more attacks!” He laughed heartily and his brethren joined in, sharing amused and conspiratorial glances.

    “Tread carefully, Thracken,” Han warned him. “Or you may get a death sentence next time.” He patted his blaster for effect.

    “I’ll keep that in mind, cousin.” Thracken told him. “Now since you got what you came for…” he gestured towards the door.
    “Won’t you have one of your boys escort us?” Han asked. “It’s a long walk back, and I broke my leg in that little attack on Coronet House which you had nothing to do with.” Han swept his hand in what was meant to look like a careless gesture.

    Thracken sighed and waved his hand. “Fine.” He glanced over at the black-haired young man. “You take General Solo and his...friend back to CorSec Headquarters.”

    Han stood and followed the young man out the back to a darkened alley and got in one of the speeders waiting there. The kid didn’t even look at him or Chewie as he escorted them, nor when he started up the speeder and drove them up and into the bustling Coronet airlanes.

    When they were a safe distance away, Han sighed and shook his head. “What are you doing, Micah?”

    “I’m undercover,” Micah said shortly, his eyes on the sky ahead.

    “Really,” Han said sarcastically. “And here I thought you were just going through a belated teenage rebellion. Dying your hair, hanging out with the wrong crowd…”

    “Karrde sent me,” Micah explained.

    Han gave him a hard look. “Talon Karrde sent you here to infiltrate a terrorist organization, knowing that not only are you related to their ringleader, but were once held captive by him?”

    Micah shifted in his seat. “Well, he sent me here to investigate them…”

    “And you decided to join up to do that,” Han sighed, unsurprised. “You’re lucky Thracken’s as dumb as two planks, kid,” Han shook his head. “And that he doesn’t give two kriffs about his underlings.”

    “Not lucky, I knew that,” Micah said. “I researched his habits, and I remembered. You know, from before.”

    “Oh, before?” Han pressed. “You mean before when he captured you, your brother and my baby girl, held you for ransom and was fully prepared to kill you if it would achieve his goals? That before?”

    “Yeah,” Micah said a little uneasily. “I was only five, but I remembered that he would never even look at his men, just order them around.”

    “You’re playing with fire, Micah,” Han said seriously. “Thracken’s a fool, but it’s the fools you have to watch out for.”

    Micah finally glanced over at him, although Han found the dark hair and eyes rather disconcerting. “I know what I’m doing, Uncle Han.”

    Chewie growled from the backseat, voicing his faith in Micah’s abilities. Han didn’t disagree, but the whole thing felt too dangerous, and hit far too close to home.

    “Have you found out anything?” Han asked, knowing that it was pointless to try and change Micah’s mind. The worst he could threaten to do was comm Mara, but Han knew she had enough to worry about.

    “Not much,” Micah told him, his eyes back on the sky ahead. “I’m using the same cover as before, Dax Towlin, since its still active. That got me inside, but I’m still new, they don’t trust me yet.”

    “Well I certainly didn’t believe that baloney from Thracken about him preaching peace and love to his fellow xenophobes,” Han said with distaste. “I need to have a long talk with Governor Meelin about poor decision making.”

    “Thracken’s got a man on the inside,” Micah told him. “Someone who has the Governor’s ear, and convinced him to release Thracken from prison. His code name is Slice Hound.”

    “Of course it is.” Han ran a tired hand over his eyes. Then he retrieved a small secure comm from his pocket and gave it to Micah. “Take this, and if you find anything else out let me know.” He paused, and then ruffled the kid’s hair affectionately, making Micah squirm away. “And if you’re in trouble, Micah,” he added seriously. “Even a whiff, comm me and I’ll be here in a second.”

    “I’ll be careful,” Micah promised, but Han still had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew that for a Skywalker, the term careful was completely relative.
     
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  15. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Enjoyed the scene with Han and Micah and Thracken. Han's cautions are definitely in order. [face_worried] Careful being relative for Skywalkers - ;) true enough!

    And the flashback -- brimming with L/M wonderful goodness! The candor and giving each other a chance to learn from the other [face_dancing] - yum.
     
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  16. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    I loved this especially the last line. 'If you let me.' melted my heart.

    Yeah when a Skywalker says they will be careful -- it reminds me of Solo saying, 'Don't worry it's me'.
     
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  17. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    I have finally started reading this. Yay! :)

    Two things were previously scaring me...
    - that I won't be able to grasp it due to its complexity and a fellow wordsmith telling me that there is "a lot of deep stuff"
    - that our tendency to like the same things (e.g. the Corellian sector and its weirdness) may lead me to abandoning my other epic, thinking that somebody else may assume I am copying you.

    Now that I have read a couple of chapters, things make sense and your OC index thread post is very, very helpful. I will be enjoying this.

    At the same time, given that I may take a year or two more to catch up with legends, I was wondering if I can be a spoiled brat here and hereby request a checklist of whom you discarded, whom you kept and whose ages you shifted. I know I will encounter Max's character sooner than later, BUT OH MY GOD, I NEED TO KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO EXPECT MAX. I AM HERE FOR MAX. AND WARWICK, BUT YEAH, MAX...a big fan of Bergman's stuff, I am. *cuts Yodaspeak*

    Chapter-by-chapter spam comments coming up throughout the weekend.
     
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  18. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    I caught up and got two chapters for the price of one [face_dancing]

    To answer your reply to my previous review, I don't feel that the sub-plots feel random at all. You're doing a great job at binding them together with common motifs, which is why I'm sure they'll ultimately converge in a single plotline.

    To chapters 24 and 25 now.

    I loved the tie-in to your Kenobi diary in the chapter 24 flashback and most importantly I squeed at how the scene leads Mara to realise that Luke's formative years in many ways mirror hers, with both having been taken away from their parents, lied to by their mentor, lost their innocence through duty, etc. The way you elaborate on this mirror effect in chapter 25 when they share the details of their brushes with the Dark Side is a really ingenious and artful way of bringing them closer.

    In the present timeline, like other readers I thought that the Alderaanian stone was a really powerful idea and I liked how you develop the concept that the baddies are going after the Skywalkers, not as individuals but as a family/lineage. Family is one of your recurring motifs in this fic (Skywalkers, Kara, Zeb) and I'm looking forward to what you'll come up with for the OC Revolution challenge. Then in chapter 25, well, I'm a sucker for "underworld" scenes, so I was applauding throughout. And Micah -- he's one of your best OCs as far as I'm concerned, because of his roguish personality that borrows from his mother but also from his uncle ;)

    Great updates!
     
  19. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    Thank you! Luke and Mara are slowly getting closer ;) And those Skywalker's have a tendency to be reckless, which Han well knows - but he also know there's nothing he can do about it!


    The Skywalker and Solos are well matched for a lack of danger sense ;) For Mara the most challenging part of her training is learning to open up to Luke - but she's getting there.

    Thank you! Great to have you reading :) I'm sure we have very different takes on the Corellian sector, or at least are exploring different aspects of their society - for now the action there will be confined to the planet Corellia so I'm sure there won't be any overlap.


    Well, I'll do my best! Max's character has a relatively small role at this stage - he turns up I think five or six chapters in. But he's certainly got a bigger part to play overall ;) Warwick's character show up much later (as I only included him once the confirmation was made) and again in a small role.

    Legends characters re-purposed (with age shift if relevant):

    Mara Jade
    Jaina Solo (19 years old)
    Ben Skywalker (25 years old)
    Shada Dukal
    Talon Karrde
    Syal Antilles (26 years old)
    Tionne
    Corran Horn
    Kirana Ti
    Cilghal
    Tenal Ka (22 years old)
    Zekk (24 years old)
    Thracken Sal-Solo
    Dracmus
    Kyp Durron (40 years old)

    Legends characters I've discarded - pretty much everyone else! There may be a name drop every now and then but the above list is everyone actually in the fic - I think! Pretty much everyone else is from the canon or an OC.

    If you're reading through, it may be easier to do so on ff.net or preferably A03 here - if there were any edits/corrections to previous chapters I usually fixed it up there rather than on these boards, plus you don't have to wade through replies :)

    Thank you - that is a relief!

    Thank you! I do feel that as different as Luke and Mara are, they have some common experiences from their early lives - they are both orphans who had to face the harsh realities of life much too young. In the Legends universe it was Dark Empire that really demonstrated to Mara the danger Luke posed when it came to the dark side, but since that isn't happening in this timeline I thought it made sense sooner or later for Mara to be confronted by that, and to really understand Luke, rather than just interact with him superficially.

    Ah, yes, the OC revolution challenge - I'm working on that and hopefully it explains Zeb's background a bit more (and will have some foreshadowing for future events in this fic ;)) Micah is actually one of my favourites, too, he's such fun to write! It was important to me to have one of the Skywalker kids reject the Jedi life and for that to be okay with everyone.

    For me Star Wars is all about family, and it seemed fitting for a new Sith threat to actually be the threat of a Sith dynasty to counteract the Skywalker line - they changed the game by centering the New Jedi Order around a family and the Sith are responding the same way.
     
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  20. ThreadSketch

    ThreadSketch Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2013
    I honestly didn't comment sooner because I don't even know what to say, besides barfing rainbows all over this thing. It's just TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD, TOO PURE. :D

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    ThreadSketch - stop! Barfing rainbows indeed! Can I borrow that, like Annia is gonna nab the pteradactyl screech? [face_rofl] Into my sig it will go! [face_love]
     
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  22. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005

    [face_laugh] [:D] Thanks gal! I love that kind of reaction ;)


    It's a great descriptor, isn't it? :p

    ______________________________________________________________

    Tags: Gemma

    Chapter 26


    1 NRE

    “I thought we’d work on hand to hand combat today.” Mara stood in the centre of the sparring square, hand on her hips as she stared Luke down. She looked as if she was expecting a fight.

    “Alright,” Luke shrugged and looked back at her. “But you’re already pretty proficient at that, Mara.” He knew from experience, since he’d been soundly beaten by her on Myrkr.

    “Not for me,” she told him pointedly. “For you, Skywalker.”

    “Me?” Luke was confused. “You think I need to improve?” Yoda had taught him to use his whole body in battle, not just his saber, and Luke thought his skills were on par with most if not better. At least, he’d only lost a duel once, and that was to his father on Bespin.

    “You’re unbeatable with a lightsaber, Skywalker,” she told him, anticipating his objection. “The best I’ve ever seen. But without your weapon? You skills leave a little to be desired.”

    “I’m a good fighter,” he defended himself.

    “You’re a good evader,” she corrected him. “You spend so much time dodging blows and jumping around your opponent that you forget a well placed punch can be just as effective.”

    Luke shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his pride slightly dented by her assessment. “I think I do okay.”

    “Yes, you’re perfectly adequate,” Mara nodded. “But is that all you want to be? I hardly think so. I’ve asked Shada D’ukal, from Karrde’s organisation, to come and train with us.”

    “Mara, I don’t think that’s necessary...”

    Mara looked slightly hurt, raising her chin defiantly. “You said that we would learn from each other.”

    Luke sighed, and realised he was being petulant. “I did,” he agreed, reminding himself that his and Mara’s relationship was less master and student than a dual apprenticeship. “Okay, tell Shada to come over.”

    “She’s here,” Mara gave him a rare smile, and flicked on her comm. “Come on in, Shada.”

    A striking woman about Luke’s age, with smooth tan skin and sleek black hair entered the training room.

    “Shada D’ukal,” she introduced herself, and shook Luke’s hand firmly.

    “Luke Skywalker,” he smiled weakly at her.

    “I know.” Shada looked him up and down, and Luke felt rather scrutinised. “Shall we get started?”

    What followed was the most rigorous and perhaps rewarding training session of Luke’s life - even Yoda had not pushed him as hard as Shada did. He’d learned a variety of combat forms from the Jedi Master, who had made him practice kata movements for the different lightsaber forms over and over every morning on Dagobah. But Shada taught him the kata of the Mistryl Shadow Guard, a purely physical form of combat which incorporated no weapons and employed a vigorous combination of punches, kicks and other bodily strikes along with strong defensive moves.

    As for Mara, she was in her element, and Luke discovered that she was an excellent instructor, running him through the moves, helping them perform them correctly, and then completely besting him in sparring sessions and giving no quarter. Shada would then comment and critique his performance and help him improve or show him alternate moves he could have used.

    It had been so long since Luke had been the student, and he found that he had missed it. Above all, he loved learning, and the accomplishment of improving his skills. It was burdensome to always be the one who needed to have the answers, and Luke gave himself over to instruction. It also proved to him that Mara would make an excellent teacher of young Jedi, although he couldn’t allow himself to hope that she would take a padawan once she was a Jedi, or even that she would remain with him to help build the Order.

    At the end of the day Mara decided to go for a run around the Temple grounds to cool down, as was her habit. Luke had once offered to join her, but she declined and he had discovered that she needed the time alone after spending all day in another’s presence. Therefore Luke and Shada were left alone in the training room, and he felt her sharp eyes on him.

    “Thanks for today, Shada,” he told her with a grateful smile. “Maybe we can do it again, I probably have a lot more to learn.”

    “Sure,” Shada told him, and although her expression didn’t change Luke could see that she was pleased.

    “In fact, once I get the Academy going, maybe you could come and teach a class every once in a while,” Luke added.

    “I’d like that.” The corner of Shada’s mouth twitched. “Although it might be a while before you have enough students, if you’re going to train them all one at a time.”

    Luke sighed, that very problem had been weighing on his mind for a while, although he did have some ideas about training a multiple younglings at once. “I know,” he agreed. “I’m very new at this, and it helps that Mara already knew most of the fundamentals. I’m hoping that when I’m finished training her I’ll have a better idea of how to do it next time.”

    Shada looked at him thoughtfully. “You know she’s going to come back to the organisation once she’s done here, right?” she queried. “Or go out on her own, if not that. But I don’t think she’ll be able to help you any longer.”

    Luke nodded sadly. “I know.”

    “I hope you also know how hard it’s been for her, even giving you this much," Shada pressed, and Luke was touched by her concern for Mara’s wellbeing. “Trust doesn’t come easily to people like us.”

    Was there a warning in there? Luke peered at Shada, but her face was inscrutable. “I’d never break her trust,” he said simply.

    Shada nodded. “Good.” Then she collected her things and left. Luke sat on the bleachers in the training room for some time, thinking, and was still there when Mara returned from her run.

    “Don’t you ever go home?” she teased him as she packed up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said when he didn’t reply, making her way towards the changing rooms.

    “Mara-” Luke called after her, and she turned around, bag on her shoulder and a curious expression on her face.

    “Something else, Skywalker?” she asked. “Make it quick, I really need a sanisteam.”

    “I just wanted to ask…” Luke swallowed and decided to rephrase. “My friend Wedge is getting married next week. I was wondering if you’d go with me.” He’d wanted to ask her that morning, but wasn’t about to do so in front of Shada.

    “With you?” Mara raised a sceptical eyebrow.

    “As friends, of course,” he added quickly

    “Are we friends, Skywalker?” Her tone was light, but there was an edge to it.

    “I consider you my friend, Mara,” he told her. “Whether you consider me yours is up to you.”

    “Hmmm.” Mara made a noncommittal sound in her throat.

    “Come on, Mara - it will be fun,” he promised her. She lived such an isolated life on Coruscant, refusing offers from Luke to socialise outside of training. He knew that Leia had also reached out to her and been rebuffed, and was concerned by Mara’s solitude. He understood it, of course, believing that if she didn’t form emotional bonds with Luke or his family it would make it easier to leave once she finished her training, but since he wasn’t keen on her doing so he was hopeful of showing her that such connections were strengths not weaknesses. Being a Jedi was also about compassion and connection - that was his core belief no matter what the holocrons said.

    “Alright,” Mara consented, rolling her eyes. “What have I got to lose?”

    “Nothing,” he called after her with a grin as she walked towards the change rooms. “Except maybe your reputation,” he teased.

    Mara made an obscene gesture at him behind her back, and Luke chuckled to himself lightly.


    __________________________________________________

    29 NRE

    The streets of Theed bustled with life. It was market day, and every courtyard of the city was lined with stalls selling fresh foods, spices, textiles, trinkets and anything else one could think of. Fin Delrond walked through the produce market with his father beside him, watching everything and anyone. The spice merchant peddling exotic wares from the desert near the equator of the planet, the apple seller who shrewdly guarded his stall against thieves, the fishmonger who called to passers by in a loud voice. Cataloguing the traits and habits of others was second nature to Fin, he had always found it necessary to remember his surrounds in case some part of them could be useful.

    Fin flexed his new prosthetic left hand, a nervous tick he had developed to cope with the odd sensation. It was as if he had a phantom limb, and yet he could feel the artificial fingers at the end of it instead of a ghost arm. The left hand was there, and yet Fin knew it would never be there again.

    “The Jedi will find us again,” Svel was telling him softly, so that they could not be overheard. “Two of Skywalker’s Jedi are here now, can you sense them?”

    Careful to keep his shields in place, Fin reached out through the Force and felt two flashes of light in Theed Palace, a kilometre or so to the north of their location. He nodded to his father.

    “They will sense us soon,” Svel told him. “We will allow them to do so, and Skywalker will come.”

    “And the Ravenlok girl?” Fin asked absently.

    “She was his apprentice, it is likely Skywalker will bring as many Jedi as he can,” Svel said as they strolled out of the produce market and by the canal which lead up to the palace. “In any event we will obtain her eventually.”

    In truth Fin cared little for his father’s intentions on that front. He acknowledged the wisdom in it and of course would acquiesce to his wishes, but Fin was more concerned with other goals. Although he had become slightly more enthusiastic about the plan once he had seen the Ravenlok girl, who was every inch the aristocrat who had been described to him; tall, dark and beautiful. A worthy matriarch to a new Sith dynasty.

    “When we are ready to strike, you must leave the Grand Master to me,” Svel said firmly as they walked beside the canal.

    “I can take him, father,” Fin protested, stopping and putting a firm hand on Svel’s arm. “I have learned from my last encounter with him - I will not fail again.”

    “No,” Svel said with finality. “I must be the one to face the elder Skywalker, and you the younger. It is fitting.”

    Fin thought back to the moment on the Peerless, when he’d held his saber to his father’s throat. They both knew now that Fin didn’t need to follow his father’s orders, that he could wrest control from Svel anytime he wanted. But Fin also knew he could not kill his own father - at least, not yet. He needed Svel’s guidance and assistance to take down to Jedi, to fulfil their plans which could not be completed alone. It was not the way of the Sith to need another, at least, not once the student had surpassed the master in ability and power as Fin knew he had done. But despite himself, he loved Svel, the father who had tucked him in at night and soothed away his nightmares, who had taught him to control and refine his abilities, who had shown him the wonders of the galaxy. Fin was not ready to cut that tie yet.

    “You do not trust me with Skywalker, but leave me to confront his son?” Fin queried, pushing all other thoughts from his mind and focusing on the last at hand.

    “Ben Skywalker is nothing,” Svel waved his hand dismissively and began to walk again. “You can easily beat him.”

    “He is also the son of Mara Jade,” Fin countered, walking at his father’s side and glancing around to ensure they were not being overhead. “A powerful Jedi herself.”

    “Jade,” Svel huffed dismissively. “She’s never been anything more than a Hand, but now she serves Skywalker instead of Sidious. The Emperor should have left her to die as a child on Mandalore with the rest of Death Watch.”

    Fin nodded, reminding himself that he had been less than impressed with Ben Skywalker when they’d met in Mos Eisley. And yet, the utter failure of his confrontation with the older Skywalker had rattled Fin’s confidence. He flexed his prosthetic again, fresh hate burning inside of him.

    “And what of the gift to our friend in the Senate?” Svel asked as they moved through another courtyard, this time the stalls containing bright swathes of fabrics, ready-made clothes and other accessories.

    “He has done nothing as yet,” Fin answered. “Perhaps he has not made the connection.”

    “That is not unexpected,” Svel waved his hand airily. “The former Moff Avarice was always a shrewd man. He will discover and use the information when the time is right.”

    If used correctly, it could discredit Organa and Skywalker beyond repair. They had always been depicted as the representatives of the Rebel Alliance, a unity between the Jedi and Democracy. If their Sith heritage was discovered it would be disastrous for their public image, and people would start to wonder. If Anakin Skywalker, The Hero Without Fear, could fall to the dark side, so could his children. And yet the galaxy’s love for Skywalker and Organa, as well as Anakin's memory, was so strong it would be difficult to convince people of the truth.

    If Fin had not seen it with his own eyes, if he had not watched the Clone Wars hero kneel before Palpatine as Anakin Skywalker and rise as Darth Vader, he may not have believed it. If he, who hated Skywalker and everything he stood for had required proof, the billions who adored him would need much more to be persuaded.

    And yet it made a strange sort of sense - why Vader had turned against Palpatine at the end, why Skywalker had always been so cagey about his parents, why Darth Vader had appeared out of nowhere when at the time Palpatine’s apprentice had been known to be Dooku. Even his father had not known, and he’d personally served with Vader during the days of the Empire.

    Fin was pulled from his reverie by the sound of voices to his right, and a pique of intuition which told him he needed to listen. While his father moved on to inspect the nearby stalls, Fin lingered, lounging against the stone wall of the courtyard like any other disaffected youth. His attention was drawn to the Gungan milliner whose stall was brimming with brightly coloured hats. An elegant old woman with fine white hair tied into a high bun was the stall’s only customer, and the two were chatting amiably.

    “Oh, Sola, yoousa gonna love this new hat I designed just for you,” the Gungan said effusively, pulling out a grand cloche hat brimming with flowers.

    “Oh, just for me, Lyonie?” Sola asked, a kind smile on her face. “And not for Mirti Qui who I saw you showing it to fifteen minutes ago?”

    “Aww, you know meesa too well!” Lyonie laughed. “Did been a slow day.”

    “Well, you are in luck, Lyonie,” Sola said as she inspected a blue dress hat with a peacock feather. “I just received a comm from my dear nephew, and he is coming to visit.”

    “Oyl, moole, moole!” Lyonie exclaimed. “Da great and bombad Luke Skyswalker?”

    Fin did not move from his position against the wall, but listened with greater attention, now knowing why the Force had steered him in their direction. He took a closer look at the old woman, and this time he saw the familiarity. Fin’s investigations of Skywalker had always been focused on his paternal line, as that was the source of his Force abilities. He had however been diligent to research his mother’s side of the family, and although far less importance had been placed on the Naberries, Fin now recognised the woman as Skywalker’s maternal aunt.

    “I always tell him,” Sola was saying, and Fin refocused his attention to her words. “That he does not visit me enough, and now he only comes because of some mission!” Sola laughed slightly to herself, putting the dress hat on her head and looking at herself in the small mirror hanging up beside the stall. “I said that this doesn’t count as a proper visit and I insist he come again soon and bring his whole family.” She put the hat back down on the stall.

    “Ohhhh, Sola, yousa bad talking to a Jedi like that!” Lyonie waved her finger at Sola.

    “When the Jedi in question is one’s nephew, Lyonie, it is quite justified,” Sola smiled and picked up a sedate blue fascinator with embroidered flowers, a gemstone at the centre of each.

    “Hesa gonna be staying long?” Lyonie asked as Sola attached the fascinator to the bun in her hair, examining the effect in the mirror.

    “Until he’s found whatever he’s looking for, I suppose,” Sola shrugged.

    “Yousa should gos looky at my sister Tarynge's stall, Sola,” Lyonie advised. “She got a berry fine shawl that will match that hat - maken you berry smilin.”

    “Hmmm,” Sola removed the fascinator and handed it to Lyonie along with a few credits. “I think I will do just that.” The Gungan gave her back the item packed in a fine box.

    “Yousa tell dat nephew of yours to come see Lyonie,” she said. “Meesa got lots of nice hats his wife go nutsen for.”

    Sola laughed. “I doubt my dear Mara likes hats, but I will tell him. Goodbye, Lyonie.”

    “Selongabye!”

    Fin had lost his father in the crowd, and so sent a quick message through the Force that he would catch up with him later. Careful to remain discreet, he followed Sola Naberrie through the marketplace as she indeed visited another stall to purchase a blue shawl with gold trim. She chatted amiably to the Gungan for a while, and Fin learned that Skywalker would be arriving the very next day.

    When she was finished her shopping, Sola walked through the narrow streets of Theed, and Fin followed her until she reached a stone mansion in one of the city’s oldest and most prestigious distincts. She went inside, and Fin took up a position on the street opposite, watching and waiting.

    But his thoughts were frantic. How was Skywalker already on his way to Naboo? It had been their plan to arrange things in Theed first, then to allow themselves to be sensed by Skywalker’s Jedi so he would come to face them. They now had little time to solidify their plans, which could ruin everything.

    Apparently Skywalker was a powerful seer, perhaps he had seen their presence on Naboo in a vision? But he’d not had foresight about their presence on Tatooine, and Fin’s gut told him it was something else. Instinctively, Fin reached into the pockets of his dark robes, seeking what he knew was not there - what he’d lost on Tatooine.

    The rock from Alderaan had been his talisman for over a year now, since he had retrieved it from the asteroid field. It had not yielded much to him through his psychometric abilities, and yet it was infused with a powerful sense of death and destruction, carrying the power of the Death Star’s laser and the rush of annihilation. It was a conduit to the dark side, and Fin would hold it to feed on the overwhelming potency - that was, until he’d realised on the way to Naboo that it was gone.

    Fin knew he must have dropped it in the duel against Skywalker, and cursed his inattention and carelessness. Now he’d ceded it’s power to Skywalker, allowing him to locate them before he and Svel were ready. It could ruin everything.

    The side door to the mansion across the street opened, drawing Fin’s attention away from his internal musings. Sola Naberrie appeared, dressed in a casual jumpsuit and a broad-brimmed hat and carrying gardening tools. She set about to work in her small garden, pruning roses, tending to the vegetable patch, all the while humming softly to herself. Fin watched her every move, his eager eyes taking in her habits and cataloging them for later study.

    He could turn this to his advantage - he could learn from observing the Naberrie woman. She was Skywalker’s family, and Fin comforted himself that now he knew exactly where the man would come when he arrived. Slipping further back into the shadows, Fin smiled to himself, a new plan forming as he watched the old woman potter in her garden.

    The Force had led him here, Fin decided. It had shown him the way to defeat Skywalker once and for all.
     
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  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Woot! I was missing this! :D

    The flashback - oooh, I loved Luke learning hand to hand combat! =P~

    Shada's concerns /warning/ caution about Mara - [face_thinking] and SQUEE! Mara is going with Luke, as a friend, for now. ;) Famous last words. [face_dancing]

    ~!
    Fin and Svel - hmmm. Dividing themselves up, i.e., considering the other an adversary, always the weak point in Sithly alliances. :p

    [face_nail_biting] The inadvertent? overhearing of Sola's talk with Lionie - worrisome about the element of surprise and who really has it.

    Fin's "plans" for Kara - getting a bit presumptuous there! :rolleyes:
     
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  24. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Thanks! I always thought Luke was pretty good at mixing up his 'saber technique with the physical/using the space around him (kicking Vader down the stairs in ROTJ), but I never say him as someone who was ever actually taught to fight properly - Han probably taught him to defend himself okay, but Yoda was primarily focused on Jedi skills. So that's a gap in his knowledge that needed to be filled, and it also gave Mara the sense that she was contributing to their training.

    Indeed! ;) Shada likes Luke (and was dropping hints for Mara all over the place a few chapters ago), but she also know that these two crazy kids need to be on the same page about things if its ever going to work, and know what to expect from the others.

    Fin and Svel are kind of a unique Sith pair in that they're father and son, which is kind of stymied Fin's growth into a proper Sith a bit - he knows that when he's strong enough, he should kill Svel and take his own apprentice, but at this point just can't kill his own father (the parallel to Luke and Anakin here is deliberate ;))

    [face_laugh] Certainly if Kara has any say in it!


    And now for something completely different:

    So, I realise that this fic, while my version of Episode VII, is galaxies away from what we will actually see in the new canon, but I've actually had a pretty good track record in inadvertently guessing things that have shown up, albeit is completely different ways - I named John Boyega's character "Zeb" and then found out that a character in Rebels was also going to be called Zeb, and I named Adam Driver's character "Fin" and then lo and beyold "Finn" is the canon name for Boyega's character!


    Then the other day on Tumblr I saw a few panels from (I think) the Skywalker Strikes comic - I can't find the post for the life of me now but basically it was a panel of Obi-Wan's hut on Tatooine, and inside was a metal box with the words "For Luke" on it. If you'll remember from a few chapters ago, Luke found Obi-Wan's journals in a metal box inside his hut on Tatooine!

    Maybe it's just logic, but maybe I'm a little bit psychic :p
     
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  25. ThreadSketch

    ThreadSketch Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2013
    [​IMG]

    [face_laugh]
     
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